WKU Meteorology

Good morning Hilltoppers! I hope you are having a good long weekend. While we are going to be seeing a slight reprieve from the extreme levels of heat that we have been seeing in previous weeks, we are still looking at highs reaching about 90 degrees today. However, it will feel more comfortable compared to how it felt last week due to the fact that winds will be coming from the northeast at around 5-10 mph, lowering the humidity overall. Overnight lows will still be around 70 degrees tonight.

Looking ahead to next week, the heat will unfortunately build once again as the ridge that we have been under will shift towards us again. Highs will continue to climb to the low 90s by Tuesday and perhaps the mid-90s on Wednesday. However, the humidity will continue to build and by Thursday we could be looking at a cold front to bring us much needed relief. This will come in the form of showers and thunderstorms, but it’s too early to tell whether or not we will be looking at any severe weather.

Beyond that, expect a return to more seasonable conditions by next weekend with the possibility of more rain chances, mainly on Saturday.

Today’s Forecast

Happy Friday to everyone, the weekend is almost here. Unfortunately for us the heat will not being going away soon. Temperatures for the area are predicted to reach to a high of 99 and the low will fall to 72 tonight. we are still being dominated by the high pressure currently over us of around 1016 mb. Dew point temperatures this morning are already in the low 70s and will peak around 76 later today. Because of these high temps and high humidity, we are under a heat advisory, and some parts of Kentucky are under an extreme heat warning. Thus, everyone should limit their time outside, if you have to be outside for longer periods of time make sure to hydrate continuously, wear clothes to protect yourself from the sun, and wear sunscreen.

Eastern parts of Kentucky will likely have rain and possible storms as the cluster of severe thunderstorms pass form the great lakes over Ohio, West Virginia, and Virginia. This will occur over tonight and tomorrow. Some models like the GFS predict that some storms could stray our way, however most of the ensembles have the storm staying on track to mover over eastern Kentucky and finishing as south as North Carolina.

As for the weekend we will see very similar weather that we have been experiencing all week. Outside will continue to feel awful as the temps stay in the high 80s to 90s, and as the high pressure keeps feeding moisture into the south. Plan for a hot and humid Labor Day weekend and stay safe if you plan to be outside for long periods of time.

Today’s Forecast

Happy Wednesday everyone. We have reached the halfway point in this sweltering work week. Unfortunately, that heat is not going away any time soon. Today, our high today will reach 97, and our low tonight will dip to 82 later tonight. No precipitation is expected today either, as that 1018-1020 mb high pressure center is currently sitting over portions of southeastern Kentucky, and eastern Tennessee.

Dewpoints will reach the mid and upper 60s, and even low 70s today, adding on that muggy, moist air that everyone loves to an already hot day. Parts of the midsouth are littered with heat advisories. In Kentucky, from Owensboro, west, an extreme heat warning is in effect until Saturday at 8:00 pm where head index values could reach up to 110. For the rest of Tennessee, and Kentucky, just because you are not included in that extreme heat warning, heat index values can still reach as high as 105-107 over these next few days. If you would be out working in this heat, or for any other reason, make sure to drink plenty of fluids, and stay in the shade as much as you can.

National Weather Headlines

In national news, Tropical Storm Edouard made landfall yesterday at 2:20 pm CDT near Johnson Bayou, Louisiana. The maximum sustained winds tracked at 60 mph, and the pressure at landfall was 996 mb. I will leave the link to the advisory at landfall down below for more details. This storm was one of very few that have formed in the Atlantic this year. However, the pacific has been extremely active. This is due to an expected historic El Niño that is taking shape in the Pacific right now.

Stay safe and stay cool during this extremely hot stretch.

Source: nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2026/al05/al052026.update.09011924.shtml

Good morning everyone and happy first day of September! I hope everyone has been staying cool because the heat will continue to persist through the rest of the week! Today will be another scorching sunny day with a high around 96 degrees Fahrenheit and a low dipping to 78 degrees Fahrenheit. No precipitation is expected, and southwesterly sustained winds will reach around 5 miles per hour.

The Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT), an index used for measuring the heat stress we feel in direct sunlight, is expected to reach up to 87 degrees Fahrenheit. These indices– typically any beyond 85 degrees Fahrenheit for our region– pose an elevated risk for any prolonged outdoor activities: stay hydrated and seek shaded areas!

These high temperatures persist due to a ~1020 millibar high pressure system stalling over the Mid-South and Appalachia regions. The high pressure ventilation allows for the slow, continuous transport of well-mixed air from the southeast region of the United States into Kentucky and neighboring areas. Given the stability and the lack of upper-level steering, this pattern will continue to persist across our region.

Source: https://perryweather.com/resources/what-is-wbgt-and-how-do-you-calculate-it/

Today’s Forecast

Good morning everyone! I hope your Monday is off to a good start. This week we will continue to see the heat build as a ridge of high pressure amplifies. So, make sure you continue to practice heat safety throughout the week by staying well hydrated and wear light, loose fit clothing. As compared to previous heatwaves this past summer, while the humidity won’t be quite as intense, or unbearable levels that resemble a sauna or “Tropical” like levels of humidity, it will still remain elevated with dewpoints in the 60s each afternoon. With that said, actual air temperatures are expected to reach around 95 degrees today with lows around 70 degrees with mostly sunny conditions, but will likely exceed that by the middle of the week. By mid-week, a few locations could see air temperatures reach 100 degrees.

In terms of how it will actually feel, the heat index could reach as high as around 100 degrees today, with values ranging between 100-105 degrees Tuesday-Thursday.

No rain is expected today and throughout most of this week, but rain chances could return by Friday, where we could be looking at a few showers and storms.

Happy Friday everyone! Western Kentucky University’s final week is this upcoming week and then so will be graduation! So watch out for graduation traffic and students moving out. This week should be a another week of warm temperatures and sunny skies. We are less than a month out from Memorial Day weekend. Let us take a look at the forecast for the week ahead.

Friday, April 26th (Night): Clear skies with a temperature cooling to a low of 71°F. Winds will be light and variable.

Saturday, April 27th: The day will be partly cloudy with a high of 82°F. As the evening approaches, expect the temperature to cool to 64°F under partly cloudy skies. Winds will be from the SSE at 10 to 20 mph.

Sunday, April 28th: Sunshine and clouds mixed during the day, with the temperature reaching a high of 84°F. The night will see clear skies with a few passing clouds, cooling down to 67°F. Winds will be from the S at 5 to 10 mph.

Monday, April 29th: The morning starts mostly cloudy with scattered thunderstorms developing later in the day. The high will be around 83°F. Rain and thunderstorms will continue into the night, with an early rain leading to thunderstorms developing late, cooling to a low of 62°F.

Tuesday, April 30th: Showers in the morning will give way to partly cloudy skies in the afternoon. The temperature will rise to a high of 79°F. The night will be mostly clear with a low of 57°F. Winds will be light and variable.

Wednesday, May 1st: The day will start with a few clouds, otherwise mostly sunny, reaching a high of 86°F. The night will remain mostly clear with a low of 61°F. Winds will be light and variable.

Thursday, May 2nd: Partly cloudy skies with a stray shower or thunderstorm possible. The high will be around 86°F. Overcast skies with showers at times during the night, with a low near 66°F. Winds from the S at 5 to 10 mph.

Friday, May 3rd: Scattered thunderstorms throughout the day, with a high of 78°F. Winds will be from the SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 60%.

Today’s Forecast

Good morning and happy Wednesday! I hope everyone has had an amazing week so far and enjoyed the lovely weather. Today will be a beautiful day with a high of 71 and a low of 44. Tomorrow will be another beautiful day with highs in the lower 70s and lows in the lower 50s. Friday will bring in some clouds with a small chance for some showers. Highs will be in the mid 70s and lows will be in the mid 60s. This weekend will be nice and breezy with highs in the lower 80s and lows in the upper 60s.

Recent Wild Weather

Earlier this week one of the wealthiest cities in the entire world, Dubai, would amass a years worth of rainfall in just 12 short hours! Dubai on average gets somewhere around 5.12 inches of rainfall yearly, although those numbers have been steadily creeping up over the past several years. On Tuesday, a record 5.59 inches of rain had fallen. In footage, residents can be seen riding jet-skis through the flooded streets and high-end Rolls-Royce’s being swept away in the currents. Experts are now arguing what is behind this massive and unusual weather event. The debate is focused on two culprits: cloud seeding and climate change. Cloud seeding is a weather modification concept that attempts to draw more rain out of a cloud than it would naturally. Aircraft fly through existing clouds injecting tiny particles, like silver iodide, with the goal of creating more water or ice droplets. According to meteorologists at the NCM there were six or seven cloud-seeding flights just before the rainfall event occurred. This is fueling the controversy from that side of the argument. Other scientists say climate change, in general, is responsible for more intense and more frequent storms, droughts, flood and wildfires around the world – and is likely the cause of this recent wild weather event.

Wild Weather this Day in History’

For this week’s look at wild weather in history we will visit a location that is over 3,000 miles away from Bowling Green, KY. That’s right… we are headed to Alaska, more specifically, to a city named Juneau. Juneau is the capitol of Alaska and has around 31,000 residents. The summer months in Juneau sees temperatures averaging out in the lower 60s with July being the hottest month. The city normally sees 21  days, or so, a year above 69 degrees. These readings can range from May all the way until September. On this day in history, April 24th, the earliest recording of 70 degrees would occur. Since the start of accurate record keeping at the airport, Juneau has averaged nineteen 70 degree days per year. In 1973, there were only two. In 2004, there were 42.

I hope everyone has an amazing rest of the week and enjoys the nicer weather before the possibility for a wet and stormy next week!

Sources: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/18/climate/dubai-floods-what-we-know.html https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/dubai-flooding-cloud-seeding-weather-b2530740.html https://www.juneauempire.com/news/juneau-hits-70-degrees-for-the-first-time-in-2017/

Happy Friday everyone! After a hot and sunny week, we return to cooler temperatures. Today was Western Kentucky University’s Earth Day festival with a lot of local vendors, I hope you were able to come out to see it. Monday is the actual Earth Day with some other local events being held this weekend or Monday. We are quickly approaching the 150th Kentucky Derby and NFL Draft night! Anyways, let us take a look at the forecast for the week ahead.

Friday, April 19th (Night): Cloudy skies early will give way to partly cloudy skies after midnight. The temperature will cool to a low of 45°F. Winds will be light and variable.

Saturday, April 20th: The day will be mostly sunny with a high of 64°F. As the evening approaches, expect the temperature to cool to 41°F under mostly cloudy skies. Winds will be light from the NNW.

Sunday, April 21st: Cloudy skies early will become partly cloudy later in the day. The temperature will reach a cool high of 62°F. The night will be clear with a low of 35°F. Winds will be light from the N.

Monday, April 22nd: Expect sunny skies throughout the day with a high of 66°F. The night will be mostly clear with a low of 42°F. Winds will be light and variable.

Tuesday, April 23rd: Intervals of clouds and sunshine with a high of 73°F. As the evening approaches, expect the temperature to cool to 53°F under partly cloudy skies. Winds from the SSW will be noticeable at 10 to 20 mph.

Wednesday, April 24th: The day will have intervals of clouds and sunshine with a high of 71°F. The night will clear to partly cloudy skies with a low of 46°F. Winds will be light from the NNW.

Thursday, April 25th: Partly cloudy skies throughout the day with a high of 71°F. The night will continue partly cloudy with a low of 52°F. Winds will be light from the E.

Friday, April 26th: The morning will have a few showers, then clouds lingering in the afternoon with a high near 74°F.

Today’s Forecast

Good morning and happy Wednesday! I hope everyone has had a great week so far and has been surviving the heat! Today will be another rainy and stormy day with higher winds. Temps will remain in the mid 80s and lows will be in the lower 60s. Storms currently aren’t looking to hold too much of a severe threat, but the small chance for some strong convective storms to pop up is a possibility. Looking at tomorrow, it will be mostly sunny with higher chances of rain as we go into the night. Highs will be in the mid 80s and lows will be in the upper 50s. As this cold front continues to push through, Friday will be the last of the rainy days. Temps continue to cool down as we go into this weekend with highs in the lower 60s and lows in the mid 40s.

Recent Wild Weather

Last Wednesday, April 10th, an EF2 tornado struck the small town of Slidell, LA just outside of New Orleans. The 9-mile-long tornado was so strong, with it’s 120 mile an hour damaging winds, that it completely ripped apart metal buildings and beams. It also ripped roofs off of homes and businesses before finally dying off. A local officer who was caught out in the tornado in his patrol car says he couldn’t see anything with all the debris flying through the air around him. Afterwards, he described the scene as how it looks after a bomb goes off. There were shattered windows, downed trees, and debris littering the streets as far as the eye could see. “It was just total devastation … just catastrophic loss of property,” officer Rodney West, recalled.

Wild Weather this Day in History

On this day in weather history we can just roll it back one year to April 17, 2023 when West Palm Beach, Florida would receive record amounts of rainfall. In just a 24 hour period a record-breaking 4.97 inches of rainfall fell. That record beat out a century-old record on April 16, 1893 of 1.97 inches. Along with the rain was tropical force wind gusts, booming thunder, and unbelievably, even sprinkles of dime to quarter-size hail. Flights were being delayed, as well as, school days being prolonged to wait for the peak of the storm to pass.

I hope everyone has a great rest of the week and stays dry as this cold front begins to push through our area!

Sources: https://www.foxweather.com/extreme-weather/slidell-louisiana-officer-hero-tornado-surrivor https://www.palmbeachpost.com/story/news/2023/04/17/record-rainfall-in-west-palm-beach-but-is-it-enough-to-end-drought/70121207007/

Happy Friday everyone! I hope you enjoyed the solar eclipse whether you saw the partial or full eclipse, it was a unique experience that we will not be seeing again in the USA until 2045. The cloud layer broke up so we could see sun peaks throughout the day. In other news, Jackson’s Orchard is open for the year! So make sure to stop by for some flowers or local produce! Just note that they don’t have any apples yet but they will be ready soon! Let us take a look at the forecast for this wonderful weekend ahead.

Tonight, April 12th: The skies will be clear with a low of 57°F.

Saturday, April 13th: The day will be clear and sunny with a high of 73°F. As the evening approaches, expect the temperature to cool to 57°F under slightly cloudy skies. Winds from the SSW will be noticeable at 10 to 15 mph.

Sunday, April 14th: Mostly sunny conditions will prevail, though occasional clouds may appear. There’s a slight chance of a rain shower as temperatures rise to 79°F. Strong SW winds will be blowing at 15 to 25 mph. Nighttime temperatures will decrease to 60°F under mostly clear skies.

Monday, April 15th: The morning will see partly sunny skies with clouds increasing later in the day. A stray shower or thunderstorm could occur, with temperatures peaking at 82°F. The night will be mostly cloudy with a low of 62°F.

Tuesday, April 16th: The skies will be overcast with a high near 77°F and increasing winds at 10 to 20 mph from the SSE. Rain is expected to start in the evening, with showers possibly intensifying to steady rain and potential thunder. Nighttime conditions will be warmer with a low of 65°F and strong winds from the south.

Wednesday, April 17th: Expect variable cloudiness with scattered thunderstorms, including the potential for strong gusty winds. The high will reach 79°F with SW winds at 15 to 25 mph. The chance of rain is significant at 60%. The weather will clear up at night, cooling to a low of 54°F.

Thursday, April 18th: Sunny skies mixed with a few clouds are expected, along with a slight chance of a rain shower. The high will reach 78°F. The evening may bring scattered thunderstorms, cooling to a low of 55°F.

Friday, April 19th: The day begins with morning showers, transitioning to partly cloudy skies in the afternoon with a cooler high of 64°F. NNW winds will blow at 10 to 15 mph, with a 40% chance of rain.

See you all next week!