WKU Meteorology

Welcome back to our blog! We all know that the next season does not begin until next week, but the trend in temperatures that we will be seeing will make you think otherwise!

Those crisp mornings and nights will be a part of this trend, as temperatures will stoop down to the upper 40’s starting tomorrow! Whereas, in the afternoons, temperatures will only reach the lower 70’s. We will see this pattern play out through the end of the week!

In the graphic above, warmer colors indicate above normal temperatures, cooler colors indicate below normal temperatures, and white indicates regular temperatures. So, this trend will be nothing new for this time of year, but it serves to be a transition into the new season!

That’s all for today. Get outdoors and enjoy this weather this weekend!

Hurricane Sally officially made landfall early this morning at 4:45 as a category 2. It has continued to produce massive flash flooding across many areas in the south, especially along the Gulf. This system has been fairly slow moving allowing it to take in more moisture and produce more rain.

Something else that’s been on everyone’s minds is the wildfire out west. Many of those continue to burn and have unfortunately created very dangerous air quality with values over 400.

As those fires continue burning, the smoke from them continues to cover the sky for much of the country. The majority of that smoke appears to have shifted northerly.

As far as local weather goes, conditions will be nice for today and through the weekend. Today and Thursday will be a little on the warmer side in the lower 80s, but as Sally shifts by and with a cold front passing southeast Friday morning temperatures will lower into the 70s.

• Summary
  • Wednesday
    • High: 85
    • Low: 65
  • Thursday
    • High: 83
    • Low: 58
  • Friday
    • High: 72
    • Low: 51

Stay safe, stay healthy, and have a great week!

Welcome back to Western Kentucky University’s Meteorology Blog! Thank you for checking out today’s post. Because our forecast will remain rather uneventful for the rest of the week, let’s take a look at the tropics!

As of now, there is a cluster of five tropical cyclones over the Atlantic basin. According to The National Hurricane Center, this “ties the record for the most number of tropical cyclones in that basin at one time, last set in Sept 1971”. Below is a photo shared by the organization to show the activity.

Tomorrow, it is predicted that Sally (pictured below) will make landfall as a category 1 hurricane. Because of this, shower and storm chances will return to the forecast for tomorrow and Thursday. However, the severity will lack, and the main threat that will accompany these storms will be a fair amount of rainfall.

That’s all for today! Make it a great one or not, that choice is yours! Signing off.

Kicking off the week to dry conditions as the last of the cold front passes through the eastern Tennessee Valley. High for today is 80°F and the low is 59°F. A high pressure system centered over the Great Lakes will allow for a sunny day. Overall, no significant rainfall threat in sight until Wednesday evening, so make sure to get that yard work in when you can!

The west coast is still dealing with large fires spreading through dry vegetation. Below is the vertically integrated smoke HRRR model. It basically gives us insight as to how dense the smoke is and where it is traveling. The plume of smoke seems to be traveling into the eastern regions of CONUS, but the worst of it is in the northwest quadrant of the United States.

Staying on the warm side for Friday with a high of 89 °F under partly cloudy conditions. The day is expected to stay warm and dry for the day, so take advantage of that before we start experiencing rainfall in the next coming days. The low for Friday is 69°F.

Expect some scattered showers to come through the area as a frontal system arrives. The total precipitation is expected to reach almost 1″ in most of South Central KY according to the NAM model. Somerset is expected to get an impressive chug at almost 3″ for their rainfall totals. With that being said, be careful on the roads when commuting and definitely pack that umbrella with you as you go out and about your day. High for tomorrow is 87°F and the low is 70°F.

Stay safe and have a great weekend!

Good morning to you! Welcome back to the WKU Meteorology page. Today, we will see the same summery conditions that we’ve seen so far this week thanks to the placement of the stationary front. Expect a high in the upper 80’s, low in the upper 60’s, and sunny conditions throughout the day.

Moreover, the likelihood of heat disorders with prolonged exposure or strenuous activity is higher today as the heat index surpasses 90 degrees. On top of that, the UV Index will reach 8, only contributing to the precautions that are necessary to take today.

If you plan on spending any time outdoors, we advise for you to take the reminders below into consideration:

– Stay hydrated.
– Take breaks in cool, air-conditioned spaces.
– Wear SPF 15+, protective clothing, and sunglasses.
– Make attempts to avoid the sun between 10am and 4pm.

We hope you have a great day!

Good morning everyone! Well as the stationary front continues to keep its place to the northwest of Kentucky.

With that we will continue to have warm, dry conditions for the next few days. The next best chance for rain looks to be Saturday after the stationary front moves out and a cold front prepares to pass through Sunday.

• SUMMARY:
  • Wednesday
    • High: 89
    • Low: 67
  • Thursday
    • High: 89
    • Low: 69
  • Friday:
    • High: 85
    • Low: 68

Stay safe, healthy, and have a great week!

In all, this work week will have a consistent forecast of sunshine and dry conditions. We can blame this on a stationary boundary to our northeast that is making for the lack of activity in the atmosphere in our area. As you can see, the storm chances remain predominantly on the left of the front, and they will stay that way for the rest of the week.

So, what should we expect as far as the forecast goes?

– High’s in the upper 80’s.
– Low’s in the upper 60’s.
– Minimal cloud coverage.
– Moderate humidity.
– Little to no breeze.

Get ready to crank up the heat for the start of your Labor Day celebrations. The high for today is 89°F with mostly clear skies due to a high pressure sitting right over the Tennessee Valley. Southwesterly winds are going to keep most of the day’s temperatures in the 80’s until right after sunset, which is when temperatures will start to decrease. Upstream convection may trigger some high clouds to be visible over the area but the day will remain mostly clear. The low for tonight is 64°F. Rain stays to the north for the day so definitely take advantage of that as you head outdoors for your Labor Day celebrations.

The ECMWF Hi-Res numerical model shows some snow possible for the rocky mountains out west of us. This is due to a dip in the jet stream, causing a large cool down in temperatures as we head out of the summer season for that region. We’ll have to keep a close eye on how that jet stream develops as it moves closer to our region to see if we’ll get to experience that dip in temperatures as well.

Prepare for the perfect labor day weekend as we head into those long awaited sunny and dry conditions. A cold front finished passing through the region this morning, leaving behind some much less muggy air. The low for tonight is a chilly 55°F with partly cloudy skies, so pack that light sweater with you on your late night commute.

Tomorrow’s high will be 81° with mostly sunny conditions for most of the day. The majority of the rain will stay northwest of us in North Central Iowa ad Southern Minnesota as they prepare for a slight risk of severe weather for their labor day weekend. Storms are expected to remain scattered and isolated throughout that region as the frontal boundary pushes through into the start of their week. Some precipitable water values even reaching as far as 2″ for the region.

Expect Sunday to stay warm and dry for the most part as a high pressure system takes over most of South Central KY. High for the day is 85°, and the low is 64°.

Our next chance of rain returns by the middle of next week as a cold front pushes through to bring us much cooler than average temperatures. As for now, take advantage of the nice weekend ahead!