Good Wednesday, everyone. It’s a bit of a dreary day across the Commonwealth as another system works in here. This is bringing low clouds and a few showers, but the rains aren’t that impressive. Speaking of impressive, we have pretty big temperature flip coming up this weekend and into next week.
Let us begin with today and hit the fast forward button. Fog is a big issue this morning, so take it easy out there. A few showers move in and there’s a rumble of thunder possible in the south and southeast. This won’t be much rain at all, but your regional radar is here to track it…
Seasonal temps move in here for Thursday, but our next system is set to roll through here Friday and Saturday. This is a fairly potent system that may start things out with a touch of frozen precip before going over to rain on Friday. From there, gusty showers and a few storms will be with us into Saturday before temps crash and a few flakes show up Saturday night…
Gusty winds look to be a Saturday player. The GFS has gusts of 50mph…
The air coming in behind this is frigid and sends our highs to below freezing by Sunday. Monday morning gets even colder…
GFS
Canadian
Updates coming your way later today, so check back. Have a good one and take care.
This will be the first time Harlan has had 10s forecasted for lows since November. I have only had 3 nights below 20 so far this incredibly mild, boring winter.
For real winter cold spells and the Easter Freeze of 2007, check out these top 10 artic blasts. Some are before my time and some are in the 80s and 90s decades, with one in the 2000s (2007 Blackout):
https://www.weather.gov/lmk/toptencoldevents
That 2007 April freeze stands out to me. It had been a very mild/tame Winter and was very warm leading up to the freeze. But it sure was a deep freeze. However following that freeze it heated up and dried out, 2007 was the last great drought year in my area. Very little rain from May thru Sept. Water was rationed in many communities.
Yeah, last true drought for sure. We have had some seasonal droughts (around 3 to 5 months) a few times during the 2010s, but 2007 was a true long-term drought and lasted into 2008 for Harlan. About 16 months straight of severe to exceptional dry conditions in my area before it slowly ended.
I also think the upcoming pattern change will a brief few days of normal temperatures and dry conditions.
Literally, this is about as warm a winter-to-date in my lifetime through Jan 15th, born at the end of 1982. Only a couple nights below 20 (no single digits yet) and well over half of my nights above 32 and about half of my days greater than 55.
Palms are loving life! I will baby them next week, however. Although it shouldn’t be cold enough to kill them out, I will protect against any temps below 20 until they are larger. I sure dont want to brown out this new, winter growth! 🙂
Terry, being a Horticulturist by trade, it amazes me that you have Palm Trees growing in Harlan, Kentucky and I never heard of a hardy Palm, of course I grew mostly American Holly, Azaleas ( both evergreen and deciduous ) and my favorite plant Rhododendrons. I grew these plants just north of Evansville, Indiana from 1971 to 2005 when I retired from the landscape and garden center business. Kentucky climate is interesting as there are many micro climates throughout the state. Don’t use plastic to cover up any kind of plant unless you have a way to keep the plastic off the foliage. Building a Greenhouse would be the best solution. Just saying.
They are the “hardy” type but still are hardy in the Deep South, not so much in KY, well didnt use to be LOL.
My Windmill (Trachycarpus Fortunei) is less hardy at zone 7b and up but my Needle Palm is zone 7a and up and can take 0 degrees once well established.
Windmills take about 10 degrees once well established but take severe damage below 10 with zero protection. 🙂
Terry, you seem to know a lot about growing various exotic plants. You could be a great Meteorologist and a Horticulturist too ! Glad to see young people that are interested in growing gardens and landscape plants for all of us to enjoy. My time to learn all of this has expired.
The Winter of 2012 reminds me a lot of this year so far. That year was very warm especially February and March. Everything was pretty much green by the end of March. Almost a month ahead of schedule.
The National Weather Service is forecasting that pieces of Arctic Air are going to break off and move into the Ohio Valley next week. The lowest temperature forecast for my county of Taylor is eighteen degrees and highs in the low to mid thirties for three whole days. While this cold air is in place, there is no Subtropical Jet to phase with any disturbances that may form on the western edge of the trough. The cold air is forecast to be shallow and not the deep cold air we had back fifty one years ago with a lot of phasing. However we could use the dry weather in my county as last weekend we had three plus inches of rain. I’m ready for Spring now as I don’t like yo yo Winters without any snowstorms. Hope the coming Spring is dry and warm without any late killing freezes.
Teens in November is frigid
Teens in mid January (coldest part of winter) for Kentucky is not frigid
Eye of the beholder.
No it’s a fact in KY teens in January is normal not frigid.
It might be “normal” in climatology, but “frigid” is an opinion.
That could be true too. My wife thinks anything below 70 degrees requires a coat.
Mine is the same my heat and AC stay at 72 yr around anything else is unacceptable. Still by January standards and not someone’s opinion terms are not frigid
Skin, actually 😉
IMO, when temps have been above normal for quite some time, teens are frigid, regardless of what month it is.
This is true. Are bodies are use to the warmer temperatures we’ve been having. And if it does get into the teens it will feel really cold especially if the wind blows.
Bus, I remember, and I bet you do too that the wind chill and heat index didn’t exist. These figures just make it feel colder or hotter than it really is mentally. The coldest high temperature I ever experience was after the blizzard of January 26th, 1978 of minus five degrees without the windchill.
I remember that week very well. The highs for that whole week never got above below zero. I wish Terry cold have experienced those winters. Schroeder I don’t think we will ever see that again in our life time.
Yes, I agree Bus, we won’t see that type of Winter in our lifetime, but I hope the younger folks on here and ( there are many ) will experience a real Winter that last from December through March and not just two days in November. I’m also glad to see all these young people interested in Meteorology. A great occupation and it will advance in technology as time goes forward.
Only highs in the low to mid 20’s next week folks. Never say winter is over due to the recent mild spell were having.
Every forecast on the colder temperatures next week is different throughout the state. What good is it if there is not at lease a foot of snow on the ground to complete a perfect Winter day ?
Folks, it is what it is. Imagine CB having to post on winter performance. Kind of like being a spokesman for the Bengals. Sad stuff.
Very true!!!!
Your stuck about talking about the good ol days..80’s for the Bengals…