Good Saturday, everyone. It’s the first Saturday of May and that usually means Kentucky Derby time in the bluegrass state. Obviously, the global pandemic has forced the Derby to be moved to September. From a weather standpoint, we are missing out on what would have been a near perfect day.
Temps today range from the low and mid 70s east, to the upper 70s and low 80s west. Skies will feature a mix of sun and clouds, but there’s a threat for a very early morning shower or storm.
The threat for showers and storms will increase for Sunday as a cold front drops in here from the northwest. Temps ahead of this can spike to 80 in the south, but the north will be cooler because the storms get there first…
Monday looks much better with highs ranging from 70-75 degrees.
Showers and storms increase from west to east Monday night and Tuesday as a fast-moving system works through here…
Temps come way down behind all this and will be solidly below normal for the end of the week. Another system them arrives around Friday and unleashes very cold air for next weekend. As a matter of fact, a recent run of the GFS actually shows a snow chance around here…
That’s the latest I can ever remember a computer model showing snow in Kentucky. That’s unlikely to happen, obviously, but it shows the magnitude of the colder than normal pattern. This colder than normal looks to continue through the middle of the month…
Record cold is possible during this time and we may have frost and freeze threats showing up.
Enjoy today and take care.
Thanks Chris, We must all get outdoors today and take advantage of the beautiful day ahead. To me it seems weird if not bizarre that the Kentucky Derby is not taking place on the first Saturday in May. First time in my lifetime. However, I heard that a “virtual” run of the Kentucky Derby is going to take place and I wonder if this will be televised over the Globe ? Thirteen of the past Triple Crown Winners are going to run virtually against each other. This is very interesting computer enhance technology.
I have actually seen snow showers in May. If memory serves, it was the cold Spring of 1978. That year, Summer weather came on quick with many days well above ninety degrees in June.
If my reading memory is correct, Nashville TN had its latest trace snow during like the third week of May way back in the 1890s. Still trying to find confirmation.
NWS Nashville website only states early/late ,measurable snow records…October 30, 1925 the earliest and April 25, 1950 the latest.
Lexington still has not hit 80 degrees this year. This is the latest in the year since 2000 (first 80 degree day was May 3). If we don’t hit 80 today, looks we we may push the all-time record for first 80 degree day in a season (May 22, 1972). The long-term average date is April 13.
I was in Lexington earlier. 80-84 everywhere I looked.
Official high was 79 as of 4:30. We’ll see if it touched 80.
Nope..79 was it.
It was still over 80 away from the official stations.