WKU Meteorology

It was a pretty dreary weekend with a mix of clouds and rain from the system that has moved to our east. Overall, we picked up a few tenths of an inch of total rain Saturday and Sunday. Luckily for the start of the work week (and finals week for WKU students), it will be seasonal and pleasant! As a surface high sits over our region, we will have lots of sunshine today and Tuesday. Temperatures will also feel comfortable, as we will have high’s in the upper 70’s today and lower 80’s tomorrow.

Something we will be keeping an eye on is the severe weather threat coming later this week. The SPC has south-central Kentucky under a 15% chance of severe weather Thursday (7am) to Friday (7am). As the system evolves, we will have a better idea on what you can expect, so check back in with us over the next few days! Until then, enjoy these seasonal conditions.

FORECAST

Today (5/06): Mostly sunny
High: 78
Low: 57
Tonight: Partly cloudy

Tuesday (5/07): Mostly sunny
High: 83
Low: 60
Tuesday Night: Mostly cloudy overnight

Good afternoon everyone! Boy has it been a toasty one out there! We will reach a high of 85° by later this afternoon. There will be some relief in site though depending on whether you like this heat or not! Just like AC/DC sang we’ll see a “rainy day, May day”!

Right now we have that warm front dipping down into the northern part of the state. With that front there are some showers and storms that will come into the area later this week. Right now it looks like Wednesday night into Thursday morning will be when those showers and storms will arrive. Models are showing the western most part of the state getting some rain tomorrow. I think it will stay there if it comes over the state border at all. By Wednesday night though it looks like everything to the west will start shifting over. It looks to stay this way through Derby Day. Hopefully conditions won’t make it too difficult for anyone or any horse. We don’t want anyone getting hurt!

• SUMMARY:
  • Tuesday:
    • High: 85
    • Low: 67
  • Wednesday:
    • High: 81
    • Low: 65
    • Rain and storm chances will increase into the evening.
  • Thursday:
    • High: 78
    • Low: 63
    • Storms and showers throughout the day.

Have a fun, safe week everyone!

Lots of warm air has begun funneling in today as a warm boundary has moved through. This will lead to warm air advection moving into south-central Kentucky, giving us high’s in the mid to upper 80’s over then next couple of days. This is the reason it has felt a bit breezy today. Winds expected to be between 10-15 with gusts up to 30 mph are possible. Luckily, much of the precipitation will be held off until later in the week, leaving us with a mix of clouds and a few patches of sun. As seen from GOES-16 visible satellite (below) clouds are beginning to move into our area from the west. A chance of light, short-lived showers, are possible this afternoon, but the chance is low given the relatively dry air sitting over our area.

Moving into tomorrow you can expect much of the same as today. Partly cloudy skies and above average temperatures. Stay cool if you plan to be outside for long periods of time, as we are getting a taste of some summer time heat in late April. Check out the 24-hour temperatures change for the US. Much warmer temperatures have moved into the region thanks to that front.

FORECAST

Today (4/29): Partly cloudy and breezy
High: 84
Low: 60
Tonight: Partly cloudy

Tuesday (4/30): Partly cloudy and warmer
High: 87
Low: 65
Tuesday Night: Mostly cloudy overnight

A strong high pressure field over the Iowa-Wisconsin border will stop any chances for rain today, but it will remain cloudy. We are currently in the upper 50’s, and those temperatures will climb to the mid-upper 60’s by the end of the afternoon. We will see temperatures sink down to the upper 40’s and low 50’s overnight. The start to our last week of classes will be a cloudy one, though we get to see some peeks of sunshine occasionally. Highs for Monday will reach the low 70’s, and will sink to the upper 50’s overnight Tuesday.

Forecast:

Today: Cloudy, High: 68

Tonight: Mostly cloudy, Low: 53

Monday: Partly Cloudy; High: 71, Low: 57

It will be an enjoyable sunny morning here in Bowling Green, with a high pressure field down in the South. However, an incoming low pressure system will bring us a chance for rain for the evening.

Highs will get up to the upper 60’s for our Saturday, with lows in the lower 50’s. On an otherwise beautiful day, there will be a small chance of rain for the early evening hours. Be sure to pack an umbrella if you plan on going out just in case a stray shower affects your area. The rest of the night will be quiet other than a stray shower.

With the low pressure system passing overnight Sunday, we have another beautiful day in store, but the morning will be a colder one, with highs in the mid-40’s. Sunday afternoon could see highs into the mid-60’s.

Forecast:

Today: Sunny; High: 68

Tonight: 20% chance for a stray shower; Low: 53

Monday: Colder morning, Sunny; High: 67, Low: 46

April has been above average in the rainfall category. With 4.66 inches of rain so far, we’re 1.28 inches above average with more chances for rain coming up. It is likely we end the month a few inches above normal.

As the HRRR model is illustrating, we have a decent few rounds of rainfall to get through tomorrow and into Friday morning. The severe potential is limited, but I would still expect some gusty winds and scattered thunderstorms tomorrow afternoon. A cold front passes through early Friday, briefly bringing us more gusty winds and cooler temperatures to start the weekend.

The GFS model above shows a few cooler mornings due to a few systems that will pass through the area, but overall the warm trend continues. Next week is looking especially warm, and possibly stormy too but that makes sense considering it is almost May! The changing of the seasons comes with the price of severe weather making it’s return, and although there doesn’t seem to be anything actually significant on the horizon- it is truly only a matter of time.

Summary:

Rain tomorrow, winds could be gusty at times

Cold front passes Friday morning, gusty winds, cooler temperatures

The warm trend continues!

Good morning everyone! Right now we are sitting at a very comfortable 76°. Clouds have started to make their way into the area as rain chances increase tonight through Thursday night.

We have a cold front associated with two low pressure systems that will pass through. Both systems are pretty weak so rain chances tonight and tomorrow aren’t very strong. Keep in mind that this does not mean they will not happen.

On the satellite image above you can see those two low systems (one over the Great Lakes and the other over Oklahoma). There’s another separate low pressure system off the North East coast which is really cool looking!

The cold front will pass over later tonight as the low over the Great Lakes moves ahead of the Oklahoma system. It will take the system over Oklahoma a few of days to approach us and move over the state. What does this mean for us? That means we will have some cooler temperatures and rain/thunderstorm chances for the next few of days.

Our chances for rain and storms aren’t very high for tonight and tomorrow but Thursday does have a pretty good chance of showers.

• SUMMARY:
  • Tuesday:
    • High: 81
    • Low: 59
    • 20% of showers this evening before 10 before just being cloudy.
  • Wednesday
    • High: 77
    • Low: 58
    • 30% chance of storms and showers throughout the day and night.
  • Thursday:
    • High: 75
    • Low: 26
    • A 60% chance of showers during the day increasing to 70% at night.

I hope everyone has a fun, safe week!

As a reminder the Toppers play UK in baseball tonight at 5. Come on out and go Topps!!

Happy Monday! We started a little chilly this morning but we will warm to reach a high around 80 degrees today. Sunny skies will accompany the warm temperatures, as well. This all can be thanked to the high pressure system we currently have sitting over the southeast. Sadly, this will not last long as clouds and the chance for a few showers are in the forecast by midweek.

Seen below is the latest NAM run at 12z, it shows the modeled precipitation data for the next few days. As you can see, a low (currently in the midwest) will move north and east bringing with it the chance for those showers. Tuesday (tomorrow) we will see clouds begin to increase through the morning hours and into the afternoon ahead of this system. By Tuesday night we see the chance of a few scattered showers, but otherwise staying mostly cloudy. By Thursday we see the highest chance of rain before another high pressure system settles in Friday giving us a pleasant start to the weekend.

FORECAST

Today (4/22): Mostly sunny
High: 80
Low: 54
Tonight: Mostly clear overnight

Tuesday (4/23): Mostly sunny start with clouds increasing throughout the day leaving cloudy skies by the afternoon.
High: 80
Low: 56
Tuesday Night: Mostly cloudy with light scattered showers possible overnight. (chance: 30%)

It is a foggy start to our Easter here in Bowling Green. It will also be a very cool morning as we start off in the low 40’s. Please drive carefully through areas of dense fog. For more information, visit the National Weather Service in Louisville’s website.

Otherwise, expect a beautiful day, sunny and warm. Highs for today will reach the lower 70’s, and lows will be in the upper 30’s. Enjoy your Easter festivities, everyone! Monday will see similar sunny conditions, with highs in the mid 70’s, and lows in the upper 40’s.

Forecast:

Today: Foggy morning, sunny afternoon; High; 71

Tonight: Clear skies; Low: 39

Monday: Sunny skies; High: 76, Low: 46