Good Saturday, everyone. We have scattered showers and storms rolling across Kentucky today, all part of a steamy and, sometimes, stormy Memorial Day Weekend. Something else that’s part of the Memorial Day Weekend is Tropical/Subtropical Storm Alberto. That system is down in the Gulf and has a good chance to impact our weather early next week.
Let’s start with today and roll forward. Today’s storms may put down some torrential rains, leading to local high water issues. The same can be said for Sunday, but the storms on Memorial Day may not have the same coverage as today and Sunday.
Temps outside of storms will be VERY toasty, with humidity levels off the charts. Basically, it’s a tropical feeling holiday weekend in the bluegrass state.
Each of the past 2 years, the remnant low from a tropical system moved directly across Kentucky. Can we make it 3 in a row with Tropical Storm Alberto? That’s a real possibility as we head into the first half of next week. This storm is down in the Gulf of Mexico and heading toward the central Gulf for a Memorial Day landfall.
If you go back and read my posts from early May, I pointed out the increased activity around Florida was likely a signal on where early season tropical development would happen. Hello, Alberto! 🙂
Here’s the latest on the storm from the National Hurricane Center…
You can see how the NHC track brings that system into the bluegrass state and matches all available guidance. Check out the spaghetti plots from the hurricane models…
The European Model continues to show the leftovers of Alberto moving right on top of us by Wednesday…
The model then follows that up with another system diving in from the west, bringing additional showers and storms…
Those two together bring a lot of rain to the region. Check out the European Model rain totals through next week…
The GFS is now very similar looking with Alberto and the system following it…
The Canadian has been ahead of all the other models with the track of Alberto and continues to bring it right on top of Kentucky…
The ICON model looks similar…
Beyond all this, there is an increasing signal for trough to finally move back into the eastern part of the country. That could cool us down in early June.
Here are your Saturday tracking tools…
I may throw you guys another update later today. Make it a good one and take care.
Thanks Chris for the update. I hope there will be more dry times than wet times for the holiday weekend. By Wednesday, Tropical Storm Alberto will be affecting our area of the country. For my county of Taylor expected rainfall is 1.35 “. By then we will probably need at lease that much. Have a great Saturday everyone.
Seems each day the forecast is backing away from much rain overall for the weekend. Win!
Thanks Chris. I’ll take the less rain now since Alberto is looking to soak us midweek. Only bad thing about the Maggie’s is I don’t have a pool and I’m too old to run through the sprinkler! 😉 Have a great and safe Saturday all.
A rainy morning in Harlan….a sign of the heavy rain totals to come?!
I think the rainfall totals above may be a little low and conservative, especially if a lot of slow moving t-storms get involved on a local level, IF THE storm track plays out on par.
Terry, are the Rhododendrons and Mountain Laurel blooming in and around Harlan ? I would imagine with the record warmth this month that they have already finished blooming ? These are my favorite plants and when I had my nursery several years ago I grew and sold thousands of these plants all over the country. Have a great afternoon.
Yeah, they bloomed early in the month this year. I haven’t seen any in bloom now for about two weeks down low in the valley but there could be some still in bloom higher in the mountains. Now, the Magnolia Grandifloras (Southern Magnolias) are the only trees blooming along with all the regular summer flowers like lilies, down low anyways.
Thanks Terry, I bet the mountain sides were beautiful. You are lucky to live in an area where God has planted such beauty. We have Mountain Laurel in Taylor county, just down the road from where I live, and I think it’s blooming now. No native Rhododendrons only ones people have planted and that goes for the Magnolia grandiflora. Have a good evening.
So far seems the rain is a lot less wide spread than expected. All week we have had chances each day, but Richmond has got little to nothing. Lots of clouds.
This is the rainiest day of the last two weeks in Harlan, but I am still under an inch on the day so far.
Location, Location, LOCATION is key as my part of the county is much drier than other parts of the county and many areas across the state so far this month…very hit and miss but a tropical system may bring widespread heavy rain eventually!
Still little to no rain so far for most of the state. I adjusted my mowing schedule based on the forecast! Scandal! 😉
Models are and have been absolutely terrible completely overdoing the coverage of rainfall. Smh
I picked up just over 3 inches in Putnam County WV this evening, all that in just over an hour. The worst flooding I have witnessed in my neighborhood in the 25 years.
In the 25 years that I have lived here.