It was another cloudy and dreary day across Central and Eastern Kentucky with a weak boundary draped across the eastern part of the state. This was the focal point of a few scattered showers mainly east of the I-75 corridor while most other locations remained dry. Afternoon highs were held in check again with low to mid-70s thanks to the…
It was another cloudy and dreary day across Central and Eastern Kentucky with a weak boundary draped across the eastern part of the state. This was the focal point of a few scattered showers mainly east of the I-75 corridor while most other locations remained dry. Afternoon highs were held in check again with low to mid-70s thanks to the overcast conditions. With Hurricane Helene set to make landfall in the Big Bend area of Florida then racing northward toward the Ohio Valley, expect some active weather to crank up as we close out the week.
Friday is shaping up to be very wet and windy and the leftovers from Helene slide in from the southeast. Rain chances will ramp up from east to west into the early hours of Friday with some moderate to heavy rain expected especially through the morning hours. In addition to all the tropical moisture associated with the remnants of Helene, there will be a wind element to it as well, which is usually not the case this far inland. Helene’s forward speed is much higher than most landfalling tropical systems so instead of the winds diminishing pretty quickly after moving inland, the storm will carry some decent wind with it for quite awhile so we are looking at a windy Friday to boot. There is a Wind Advisory for Central Kentucky along with a High Wind Warning in the southeastern mountains to account for the expected gusts over 50 miles per hour plus so keep that in mind. There is also a Flood Watch for the southern half of the commonwealth given the decent rainfall that part of the commonwealth has seen the last few days.
Looking at our sensible weather the Friday morning commute should be messy with moderate to heavy rain and winds gusting 40 to 50+ miles per hour at times so the rain will be blown around quite a bit. You might want to allow some extra time on Friday morning given the expected conditions. With the east wind coming over the mountains there may be a few spots that get a little less rain closer to the mountains as some of the moisture gets caught up to our east but overall it is looking like a very wet Friday. So the two main issues will be heavy rain that could total anywhere from 3″-6″ for most of the area through Saturday morning and winds that will gust over 40 miles per hour at times, especially during the morning hours Friday. Keep in mind if the rain ends into the afternoon and we see some clearing, the gusty winds could persist a bit longer.
Heading into the weekend the remnant low from Helene will basically be absorbed into an upper level low that has been sitting off to our southwest the last few days. As this occurs the main low will slowly drift over the commonwealth through the weekend keeping clouds and occasional rain front and center so it looks damp and dreary both Saturday and Sunday. You’ll want to keep the rain gear handy and possibly adjust any outdoor activities accordingly. We should increase our rain totals a bit more during this window and essentially bring an end to the drought conditions we’ve dealt with the last few months.
With all the clouds and rain around afternoon highs will struggle into the low to mid-70s. A weak frontal boundary will slide through early next week sweeping the upper low to the east and finally bringing an end to our rain chances by next Wednesday.
ABC 36 HOUR FORECAST
THURSDAY NIGHT: Breezy with rain likely. Lows in the mid-60s.
FRIDAY: Windy and wet, heavy rain possible. Highs in the low-70s.
FRIDAY NIGHT: Breezy with more showers. Lows in the low-60s.
THURSDAY NIGHT: Breezy with rain likely. Lows in the mid-60s.
FRIDAY: Windy and wet, heavy rain possible. Highs in the low-70s.
FRIDAY NIGHT: Breezy with more showers. Lows in the low-60s.