WKU Meteorology

Happy Monday everyone! Did you enjoy the warm weekend? If so you will be happy to know the warm temperatures are returning later this week before cooling off this weekend. Let us take a look at the weekly forecast.

Monday Night: Low of around 40 degrees with clear skies.

Tuesday: Sunny with a high of 78 degrees with a slight breeze.

Tuesday Night: Clear skies with a low of 50 degrees.

Wednesday: Warm, with a high of 81 degrees and sunny skies.

Wednesday Night: Low of around 55 degrees with partly cloudy skies.

Thursday: Sunny skies with a high of around 82 degrees. Lovely week to be outside to enjoy the spring weather.

Thursday Night: The rain returns with scattered showers overnight, otherwise cloudy skies. With a low of around 60 degrees.

Friday: Rain in the morning, becoming more scattered through the afternoon. With a high of around 73 degrees.

Good morning, folks, and happy Friday!

Today’s Forecast

Our warm spring weather continues today as highs will rise to the mid 70s. Expect partly sunny skies and a slight southerly breeze to accompany the warmth today. Later this afternoon, scattered thunderstorm potential will increase across the area. No severe weather is expected at this time. For tonight, skies will clear out as lows will dip into the mid 50s. Get out there and enjoy the fantastic weather today before it rains!

What to Watch For

Your Saturday is going to be picture perfect with highs in the low 80s and mostly sunny skies. Enjoy it on Saturday, though, because Saturday night showers and storms will be moving into the area. These rain chances will persist through Sunday as well. Next week starts off cooler and windier with highs in the low 60s, and potential for high winds on Monday.

Weather Fact!

As the winter season has concluded, NWS Louisville provided a fact about the mild second half of winter in the area. For only the 6th time in history, from February 1st until now, Louisville has only recorded a trace of snowfall, most recently occurring in 2017 (NWS Louisville). Winter definitely could have been a lot worse!

Have a great weekend everyone 🙂

Today’s Forecast

Good morning and happy Wednesday! I hope everyone has had a great week and has been enjoying the sunshine and warm weather. Today with sunny skies in the forecast and a high of 76, we can expect pretty much the same thing we’ve seen all week. It will be a bit chilly earlier in the morning and once the sun sets, but it will not take long to heat up. Tomorrow will be another beautiful day with sunny skies and a high nearing 80.

Recent Wild Weather

As temperatures rise and people begin to flock to the beaches once again, the last thing they expected was to see snow-covered sand. Only it wasn’t snow, it was almost an inch of pea-sized hailstones. Hailstones form when thunderstorm updrafts are strong enough to carry water droplets well above the freezing level. This freezing process forms a hailstone, which can grow too heavy for the updrafts to support it. At that point, it then falls back to the ground in the form of a hailstone. On Illica Beach near Izmir, Turkey, a passing thunderstorm dumped massive amounts of hailstones along the Aegean Sea. Residents flocked to the beaches to capture photos that resembled a beautiful winter scene at the ocean. Normally in Western Turkey the beaches are already reaching temperatures in the 70s, and get well into the 90s as summer arrives.

Wild Weather this Day in History

On April 12, 1927, a strong tornado wiped out the town of Rock Springs, TX. This F5 tornado killed 72 people, along with, bruising/injuring many of the survivors with large hail that followed after the disaster. Being more than one mile wide in width, this tornado caused more than 1.2 million dollars in damage and destroyed a little over 95% of all their buildings. This tornado remains to be the third deadliest to hit Texas.

Have a great rest of the week and continue to enjoy this beautiful weather we’re having!

Sources: https://www.weather.gov/abr/This_Day_in_Weather_History_Apr_12 https://www.foxweather.com/extreme-weather/hailstorm-leaves-illica-beach-turkey-covered-in-ice

Happy Monday everyone! Hopefully, you enjoyed the sunny weather on Easter Sunday! The sun is here to stay and let us take a look at the week ahead!

Monday Night: Low of around 42 degrees and mostly clear skies.

Tuesday: Sunny skies with a high of 75 degrees.

Tuesday Night: Clear skies with a low of around 44 degrees.

Wednesday: Sunny skies with a high of 78 degrees!

Wednesday Night: Clear skies with a low of around 46 degrees.

Thursday: High of around 80 degrees with mostly clear skies, the warmest day of the week!

Thursday Night: Warmer night with only a low of around 56 degrees. Cloudy in the evening then scattered rain showers move in after midnight.

Friday: Scattered thunderstorms and rain showers throughout the day, otherwise cloudy with a high of around 55 degrees.

Jackson’s Orchard opens on the 13th so make sure to head on out there and pick up some fresh fruit!

Good morning, folks, and happy Friday!

Today’s Forecast

For today, you can expect some milder weather, as high temperatures will reach into the mid 50s with partly cloudy skies. Winds may gust over 20mph. For tonight, temperatures will cool off into the mid 40s as skies clear up. Today should have some decent weather, much improved after our severe weather threat last Friday.

What to Watch For

Saturday looks to have similar weather to today, with highs in the mid 50s and mostly clear skies. Lows overnight will also be in the mid 40s. A nice Saturday in store for us, but not as nice as Sunday. For your Easter holiday, you can expect sunny skies and high temperatures to push 70 degrees. Get out there and enjoy the nice weekend of weather, perfect for an Easter egg hunt! Next week is shaping up to be full of highs in the 70s as well as full sun.

Weather Fact!

Courtesy of NWS Louisville, let’s take a look at some weather extremes for the Easter Holiday here in Bowling Green, KY.

Warmest Temperature: 87° (90°) April 13, 1941 and March 27, 1910

Coldest Temperature: 19° April 1, 1923

Wettest: 2.38” March 27, 1932

Snowiest: T in 2008, 1978, 1975, 1970, 1964, 1948, 1920, 1898

Well, at least we will be much closer to the warmest temperature than coldest temperature, I am sure we can all get on board with that! Have a great weekend everyone 🙂

Today’s Forecast

Good morning and happy Wednesday! I hope you’ve had a great week so far, and enjoyed these warmer temps. Today will continue to be warm with a high near 82. This morning will start out cloudy with a slight chance for some showers. As we go into this afternoon the possibility for thunderstorms and heavy rain increases. Some of these storms will be strong to severe with wind gusts as high as 31 mph. Tonight will mostly be rainy, with the chance for some lingering storms. Thursday will be much cooler with highs in the upper 50s. Showers will remain for most of the morning, but move out by the afternoon, leaving us with a mostly cloudy day.

Recent Wild Weather

As severe weather has recently taken its toll on the central and eastern U.S., one tornado in particular had a rare phenomena surrounding it. Usually, when we think of rainbows, we think of clearing skies following a storm. However, that is not always the case. On April 1, 2023, an EF-3 tornado ripped through Bridgeville and Ellendale, DE with estimated peak winds of 140 mph. As you can see in the image featured below, alongside of the enormous tornado was a beautiful rainbow. A rainbow isn’t really a “thing” and it doesn’t exist in a particular place. It is an optical illusion that appears when sunlight and atmospheric conditions are just right-and the viewer’s position is just right to see it. So, the absolute rarity to see a tornado (which is rare to see in itself), coupled with a rainbow is a pretty spectacular thing.

Wild Weather this Day in History

On April 5, 2000 high winds of 35-50 mph and gusts up to 70 mph blew across central and north central South Dakota from late morning to late afternoon. These winds knocked down many trees and branches; damaged many structures, roofs, billboards, and road signs; overturned some mobile homes and tractor-trailers; and caused many power outages. Along with making driving difficult, these winds stirred up dirt, causing visibility to be near zero at times. Along with these very high winds, conditions were very dry. Downed electrical lines caused many burns and fires. This resulted in several thousand acres of grassland, hay bales and haystacks, trees, and fences to be burned.

Have an amazing rest of the week and make sure to stay aware of the weather as some severe storms will move through our area.

Sources: https://www.weather.gov/abr/This_Day_in_Weather_History_Apr_05 https://weather.com/storms/severe/video/full-rainbow-appears-alongside-powerful-roaring-tornado-in-delaware

Happy Monday everyone! Less than a week away from Easter Sunday, there is still time to buy some Reese’s Eggs before they are gone! Anyways let us take a look at the forecast for the week.

Monday Night: Tonight expects a low of around 58 degrees with cloudy skies. A passing shower is possible.

Tuesday: Cloudy skies in the morning giving way to partly cloudy skies in the evening. Expect a high of 82 degrees with winds gusting up to 20mph.

Tuesday Night: Cloudy skies all night with a low of around 70 degrees.

Wednesday: Partly cloudy skies with afternoon scattered storms. Storms will be severe with damaging winds as the main threat. Wind gusts up to 30mph.

Wednesday Night: Scattered showers and thunderstorms during the evening then changing to a steady rain overnight. Expect a low of around 50 degrees.

Thursday: Rain moving out in the morning, remaining overcast for the rest of the day with a high of around 58 degrees.

Thursday Night: A low of around 45 degrees with cloudy skies.

Friday: Cloudy skies with a high of around 62 degrees.

Good morning, folks, and happy Friday!

Today’s Forecast

For today, there are going to be multiple rounds of showers and thunderstorms. This morning, rain and thunder will persist until around noon. After noon, conditions will clear up for the most part, with afternoon temps maxing out near 70. This evening into tonight, a chance for severe thunderstorms begins. The SPC has placed Bowling Green and surrounding areas under an “Enhanced” risk level for severe weather.

Per the SPC, “Central Kentucky can expect more scattered instances of damaging wind and tornado threat late evening/overnight.” It is vital to stay attentive to the weather conditions tonight as the second round of storms develops.

What to Watch For

For tomorrow, we will dry things out around the area, but we will be left with some rather gusty conditions. Overnight, a wind advisory will in effect through Saturday for winds that could occasionally gust over 40mph. Otherwise, temperatures will be in the low 60s with abundant sunshine. Overnight, winds die down with clear skies, as temperatures in the mid 30s present a frost potential. Sunday looks pleasant with less wind, as highs will once again be in the low 60s with full sunshine. Next week looks potentially rainy, with at least slight rain chances every day next week.

Weather Fact!

Not really a fact, but more of a remembrance. Today marks 475 days since Bowling Green and the Western Kentucky University communities were struck by an EF-3 and EF-2 tornado. The memory of that event is still very much alive and present within the community as businesses and families are still rebuilding from that event. Traveling the 31W bypass that was among the areas directly hit by the tornado, not even a quarter mile from my college home, is still a surreal experience. It is a constant reminder of the gravity of these weather forecasts that I write, and how truly devastating severe weather can be.

Stay safe and stay alert tonight everyone.

Today’s Forecast

Good morning and happy Wednesday! I hope everyone has had a great week so far and enjoyed the sunshine! As temperatures dropped overnight, some near or below freezing, a widespread frost is possible in some areas for this morning. But, with continued sunshine, temperatures will rise into the lower 60s. Heading into this evening and tonight, temperatures will begin to decrease, leaving room for another possible frost tomorrow morning. Expect another sunny day with a high in the upper 60s for Thursday.

Recent Wild Weather

Two days ago, on March 27th, a group of skiers at Sundance Resort in Utah filmed a massive avalanche on Mount Timpanogos, sending a giant cloud of snow into the sky and covering the skiers in a coat of snow. This avalanche wasn’t a threat to any skiers at the resort and no one was hurt. An avalanche is a rapid flow of snow down a hill or mountainside. Although avalanches can be triggers by many different things, there are certain times in the year and types of locations that are naturally more dangerous.

Wild Weather this Day in History

On March 29th, 1848, Niagara Falls completely stopped for the first and only time ever recorded in history. During the late afternoon, the falls eased to a trickle and then became silent for 30 hours. High winds, waves, and lake currents caused an ice jam at the neck of Lake Erie and the Niagara River entrance between Fort Erie, Ontario Canada, and Buffalo, NY. Those who were brave enough ventured onto the gorge and discovered many different relics that dated all the way back to the War of 1812. This ice jam held the water back until a shift allowed for the pent-up weight of the water to break through. There are many different warning signs you can look for or feel, so if you’re planning on being in the mountains, make sure you are aware of these signs.

Have a great rest of the week and enjoy these warm temperatures and sunshine!

Sources: https://www.niagaraparks.com/the-truth-behind-niagara-falls-frozen-appearance/ https://www.weather.gov/abr/This_Day_in_Weather_History_Mar_29 https://weather.com/news/weather/video/huge-natural-avalanche-stuns-skiers-at-sundance-resort-in-utah https://www.weather.gov/safety/winter-avalanche

Happy Monday, everyone! As we approach the month of April, spring weather is finally upon us. Unfortunately, on Friday evening, a devastating tornado hit Mississippi, leaving entire neighborhoods destroyed and people in need of help. The town of Rolling Fork was one of the hardest hit areas, and the clean-up phase has only just begun. Similar to the Mayfield tornado that occurred over a year ago, the impact of this disaster is immense. If you’re able to, please consider donating to support those affected by the tornado. You can find links to reputable relief organizations or local community groups online.

Looking ahead, here’s the forecast for the next few days:

Monday Night: Expect a few passing clouds with a low of around 40 degrees.

Tuesday: Clouds will be present in the morning, but will give way to sunny skies in the afternoon. The high will be around 55 degrees and expect a bit of a breeze with winds gusting up to 20 mph.

Tuesday Night: Clear skies with a low of 32 degrees.

Wednesday: Sunny skies with a high of 60 degrees.

Finally, it’s important to note that Friday has the potential for severe or strong thunderstorms. Keep an eye out for updates on the timing of the storms throughout the week.