WKU Meteorology

Happy first day of May! I hope you like this cooler weather, like driving with the windows down. The cooler temperatures will last a few more days before the warmer temperatures return next week. Also, do not forget we are approaching Mother’s Day very soon!

Monday Night: Low of 45 degrees with mostly clear skies.

Tuesday: Sunny skies with a high of 65 degrees. Winds 10-20mph with stronger gusts possible.

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

Wednesday: Sunny skies with a high of 65 degrees.

Wednesday Night: Clear skies with a low of around 38 degrees.

Thursday: Partly Cloudy with a high of around 73 degrees.

Thursday Night: Cloudy with a low of around 55 degrees.

Friday: Scattered rain showers otherwise cloudy skies, with a high of around 65 degrees. Western Kentucky University graduation ceremonies are on Friday so let us hope it does not rain.

Today’s Forecast

Good morning and happy Wednesday! I hope everyone has had a great week so far and enjoyed the dry weather, as the next couple of days we will see rain. It will be mostly cloudy this morning, but becoming partly sunny throughout the day, with a high near 68. As rain showers begin to move into our area, there is a 30% chance of rain showers after 1am, with a low near 47. Tomorrow there is a 70% chance of rain showers throughout the day, as well as, a slight chance for a thunderstorm after 1pm. Highs will be near 63 and lows will be near 55. Rain will continue into tomorrow night, with an 80% chance for showers, and eventually fade out into Friday morning.

Recent Wild Weather

Last Friday, on Hollywood Beach, FL, beachgoers were forced to run for cover when a waterspout spun its way onto the shore. In the link below, you are able to watch a video a helicopter took of people fleeing the beach as this storm transitioned from sea to land. In the midst of fleeing, one woman was knocked down by the storm. After blowing around some trees and other debris, this waterspout quickly dissipated. Waterspouts are a common occurrence along the United States east coast. They can occur over seas, bays, and lakes, and typically do not cause much destruction or harm. Waterspout formation typically occurs when cold air moves across a body of warm water and results in large temperature differences. They tend to only last a couple of minutes and move at speeds of 10 to 15 knots.

Wild Weather this Day in History

On April 26, 1989, a severe thunderstorm outbreak swept across South Dakota, Minnesota, and Iowa. This storm produced a couple different tornadoes that destroyed nearly 20 different farmsteads. Large hail (baseball size) produced from these storms in over a 15-mile wide path caused immense damage to windows, roofs, siding, and vehicles that were in the path of these storms. Wind gusts reached up to 80 mph and over 2 inches of rain fell in a short period for some places.

Have an amazing rest of the week and try to stay dry!

Sources: https://weather.com/storms/severe/video/waterspout-comes-ashore-panicked-beachgoers-scramble https://www.weather.gov/apx/waterspout#:~:text=Waterspout%20formation%20typically%20occurs%20when,of%2010%20to%2015%20knots. https://www.weather.gov/abr/This_Day_in_Weather_History_Apr_26#:~:text=April%2026%2C%201986%3A,the%20path%20of%20the%20storm.

Happy Monday everyone! Today marks three days until the NFL draft if you are into football. Also, a fun fact is that on April 23, 2005, the first YouTube video was uploaded. The video is called “Me at the Zoo” and it’s only 19 seconds long! Crazy to think that YouTube has been around for 18 years. Let us look at the forecast for the week ahead; it will be a colder week than last week.

Monday Night: Clear skies early as clouds move in overnight with a low of 35 degrees.

Tuesday: Cloudy skies in the morning before clearing out in the afternoon with a high of 66 degrees.

Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy skies with a low of 42 degrees.

Wednesday: Partly cloudy skies with clouds moving in late with a high of around 69 degrees.

Wednesday Night: Overcast with a low of around 45 degrees.

Thursday: Rain throughout the day with a high of around 60 degrees.

Thursday Night: Rain in the evening becoming more scattered overnight with a low of around 55 degrees.

Friday: Expect scattered rain showers, otherwise cloudy skies with a high of around 68 degrees.

Good morning, folks, and happy Friday!

Today’s Forecast

For today, you can expect temperatures to cool down a bit from the past couple of days, as rain chances increase. High temperatures will be in the upper 60s, as rain will move into the area for your afternoon and evening hours. Temperatures tonight will cool down into the upper 30s.

What to Watch For

Both days this weekend are going to present slightly cooler, yet pleasant weather conditions. Highs on Saturday will be in the low 60s with mostly sunny skies. Overnight, temperatures will drop into the mid 30s with clear skies. This presents a slight frost potential for Sunday morning. Sunday will be cooler with highs in the mid 50s yet sunny skies. Next week presents very similar weather to this weekend, with rain chances increasing by the end of the week.

Weather Fact!

On April 22nd, 1999, a million-dollar air charter flew into large hail in a thunderstorm. There were no fatalities in the incident, but the hail resulted in the plane being a total loss (NWS Aberdeen).

Have a great weekend everyone 🙂

Today’s Forecast

Good morning and happy Wednesday! I hope you’ve had an amazing week so far and are enjoying the continuous warm temperatures and sun. Today will be another warm and sunny day with a high near 82 and light to mild winds this morning. As we go into tonight, temperatures will remain a little warmer than the previous nights, with a low in the upper 50s. Tomorrow will be sunny and warm as well, with a high near 84. Winds will pick up with gusts as high as 28 mph. Make sure to enjoy the warmth and sunshine because a cold front will move through our area Thursday night into Friday, bringing rain and cooler temperatures.

Recent Wild Weather

As you may have seen over the news recently, a mysterious spiral looking cloud sailed through the aurora near Delta Junction, AK, on April 15 early in the morning. While looking to be some type of ufo or special effect, it actually turned out to be exhaust from a SpaceX rocket launch. About 3 hours earlier, in California, the Transporter-7 mission launched into a polar orbit on the Falcon 9. Longtime aurora hunter, Todd Salat, was there to capture the picture below, along with a video, of this unique event. Within about 7 minutes this spiral of exhaust swept in and swept out. Salat had been photographing auroras within this area for the past 2 nights and was hoping to see something special. “I got my wish!”, said Salat.

Wild Weather this Day in History

On April 19, 2006, an intense spring snowstorm swept through the Dakotas dumping up to 5 feet of snow. The heaviest snow fell in Black Hills, SD and Bowman, ND. This snowstorm closed highways, cut power to thousands, and was responsible for at least 4 deaths. Further West, 1-3 feet of snow and 50-60 mph winds caused snow drifts of up to 10 feet, power outages, and deaths of many livestock.

Have an amazing rest of the week and enjoy this nice weather while it’s still here!

Sources: https://www.weather.gov/abr/This_Day_in_Weather_History_Apr_19 https://www.aurorahunter.com/

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 🙂