WKU Meteorology

As seen from GOES-16 (below), mostly cloudy skies are dominating right now as there is some light rain to our south (in the Nashville area). Expect this rain to remain to our south and move out by early this afternoon. This will allow for some sun to break through the clouds and bring some needed sunshine.

As for the next few days, expect Bowling Green to stay dry until mid week (Wednesday night), when our next rain event moves in. A high pressure system is making its way down from northern Iowa and will end up in the Ohio valley by tomorrow morning. Expect clouds to decrease as we move through the day today, leaving mostly clear skies tonight. With a high pressure system set to be in place tomorrow, we can enjoy mostly sunny skies and high’s in the upper 50’s. Enjoy the mild temperatures and sunny skies the first half of the week before rain and colder temperatures find their way back into south central Kentucky.

FORECAST

Today (3/11): Mostly cloudy now with clouds decreasing as the day carries on. By the afternoon we will have partly cloudy skies
High: 56
Low: 34
Tonight: Mostly clear

Tuesday (3/12): Mostly sunny and mild
High: 58
Low: 45
Tuesday Night: Mostly cloudy

Our weekend is going to reach a cloudy conclusion for our Sunday. With the cold front’s passing, highs for us will be a bit cooler in the mid-upper 50’s, and the lows in the lower 40’s.

With a strong high pressure system over Kansas, today and tomorrow will be quite uneventful for the mid-South; however, that doesn’t mean we will see any considerable sunshine. Monday will also see some considerable cloudiness, with highs in low 50’s, and lows in the lower 40’s. Tuesday might see some cloudiness as well, with highs in the upper 50’s, and lows in the upper 30’s.

Forecast:

Sunday: Cloudy; High: 57, Low: 42

Monday: Cloudy; High: 53, Low: 41

Tuesday: Cloudy; High: 59, Low: 37

It sure was a chilly start to the day today- we woke up to a balmy 18 degrees and clear skies. It should warm up some by the weekend (relatively speaking, however) at the expense of additional rain. For an area that has already received an abundance of rain in the past month, this isn’t great news. Flooding could be a concern again, mainly in the areas we have already seen have issues.

The run of the GFS above shows two shots of rain by the weekend, one Friday and the other on Saturday. This system moving in on Saturday is one to keep an eye on, however, for severe storm potential. As we transition to Spring and practice tornado safety with the tornado drills we had across the state earlier today, this system seemingly comes right on time! In a few days, we can narrow down the specifics- but the chance for severe weather in the Ohio valley and south seems legit for this weekend.

Here is the NWS SPC’s Day 4-8 outlook for severe weather. Day 4 being Saturday, they highlight a large region across the Midwest and South to show the potential for bad weather. This is something to monitor as Saturday draws closer, especially if you have any Spring Break travel plans across the area. Stay up to date with our blog for more on the severe threat this weekend!

Honestly as cold as Bowling Green was today, I am jealous! Bowling Green got to see a high of 34° while Louisville’s high was 28°. Currently it’s 34° (feels like 24°) in Bowling Green while Louisville it is 26° (feels like 14°). Thank goodness temperatures will get warmer as we push through the week.

A high pressure system is laying in the center of the continental US that will makes its way into our area tomorrow and leave out Thursday night. There’s not much going on weatherwise for today through Thursday other than the gradual increase in temperature. There is a chance for rain Thursday night as a front sweeps through the area.

• SUMMARY:
• Tuesday:
  • High: 34°
  • Low: 15°
  • Try not to freeze!
• Wednesday:
  • High: 36°
  • Low: 24°
• Thursday:
  • High: 48°
  • Low: 35°
  • Rain chances are possible Thursday night.

I hope everyone has a fun, safe spring break!

Chilly start this morning and expect little change as highs will only top out near 28 degrees today. Luckily, a high pressure system can be seen moving into our region from the west (below). This will allow for some much needed sun over the next several days. Unfortunately for us today, cold air advection will continue moving in from the northwest following the cold front that brought brief snow showers to our area yesterday. To add to the temperatures, winds could make it feel in the teens this afternoon and tomorrow. Be cautious if you plan to be outdoors for longer periods of time today or tomorrow, as frostbite and hypothermia are real dangers.

As for the next couple of days, expect a similar pattern as today. As described yesterday, zonal flow is dominating our region leaving us “high and dry” for the next few days. Moving to Tuesday, it will remain mostly sunny for the day with high’s slightly warmer near 35 degrees. Winds will pick up more tomorrow, so the dangers of hypothermia and frostbite will stick around for your Tuesday, too.

FORECAST

Today (3/04): Mostly sunny and cold. Winds from the north/northwest can make temperatures feel much colder than they are.
High: 28
Low: 14
Tonight: Mostly clear and cold

Tuesday (3/05): Mostly sunny and cold. Winds could make wind chill values feel in the single digits.
High: 35
Low: 17
Tuesday Night: Clear and cold

For those who left the Bowling Green area for Spring Break, enjoy! For those in Bowling Green, I have some news for you regarding the rains for your Sunday.

The rains will be out of our way in the afternoon, bringing in needed sunshine, but it will be cold. With the jet stream (as seen below) positioned as such, the next few days will be quite uneventful.

Highs for Sunday will be in the mid 30’s and lows will be chilly in the upper 20’s. With the jet stream having a zonal flow, Monday will get to see some sunshine. Highs for Monday will be chilly in the lower 30’s and lows in the lower 20’s. Tuesday could possibly see some clouds with our sunshine, with highs in the lower 30’s and lows in the upper teens. If you’re going to be out for the next few days, be sure to dress appropriately.

Forecast:

Sunday: 50% chance of Snow showers for the day, clearing overnight; High: 38, Low: 26

Monday: Sunshine, Cold; High: 33, Low: 21

Tuesday: Sun and clouds, High: 31, Low: 18

For our early Saturday morning, we currently have some foggy conditions for the Bowling Green area. Please use caution when driving this morning. As with any fog event, it will all clear up later in the morning.

Saturday will be cloudy and uninteresting, with highs in the upper 40’s and lows in the mid-lower 30’s. However, it looks as if we’ll get to see some chances for snow for our Sunday.

Now Sunday will start off cloudy, and then around 9am, we will possibly see a rain/snow mix, and will possibly transition to only snow later in the day. Highs for Sunday will be in the low 40’s and lows will be in the lower 30’s as a cold front passes. With that in mind, it will be a very cold Monday, with highs in the upper 20’s, with lows in the upper teens. It will be a mostly sunny day.

Forecast:

Saturday: Cloudy, with morning fog; High: 49, Low: 36

Sunday: 80% chance for Rain/Snow mix in the morning, Snow in the afternoon, High: 41, Low: 30

Monday: Sunny; very cold, High: 29, Low: 17

Good evening folks!

A weak area of low pressure at the surface is racing from towards the east as we move into the early hours on Friday morning. The light drizzle should come to an end heading into Friday, chillier temps will follow as the Bowling Green will be under a thick blanket of clouds. Low tonight will drop into the middle 30s. Quite a gloomy day will be on tap as we turn the calendar to March(start of Meteorological Spring) as thick cloud cover stays overhead, this will keep our temperatures into the middle 40s. A few patches of light drizzle could perhaps linger around the area during the day.

Another fast moving shortwave trough will move through the region keeping the cloud cover around the area heading into Friday night and Saturday morning. Low temperatures on Friday night will drop back down again into the middle 30s. Clouds will stick around for Saturday but some areas could experience a few peaks of sunshine throughout the day, highs will rebound a little bit approaching the 50 degrees.

An active pattern will setup across the region during the Sunday and Monday time frame as a quick moving mid-level disturbance moves through the Ohio River Valley. This mid-level disturbance is forecasted to strengthen and develop a surface that will move quickly through the southeast. A large fetch of moisture will be present as southerly flows moves up from the south combined with increasing synoptic scale lift will result in a broad area of precipitation.

Model guidance continues to push for mostly rain for the Bowling Green area, but as we move into the Sunday time frame we could see a some light snow showers.

Cold air is forecasted to settle into the region next week as a large area of high pressure settles in from the north. Tune into White Squirrel Weather and the WKU Meteorology blog for further updates.

Tonight: Cloudy, with a low around 35. North wind around 5 mph.

Friday: Cloudy, with a high near 45. North wind around 5 mph.

Friday Night: Mostly Cloudy, with a low around 35.

Saturday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 52, calm winds.

Much like the Weezer song, we have felt like an island in the sun for the last couple of days. A much needed relief from the cold and rain. Right now Bowling Green is sitting in second place for its wettest February with 11.08″. It is only being beat out by 1989 with 11.27″. Even with rain potentials Thursday, it doesn’t look like we’ll have enough to break the record. For now we’ll just have to enjoy our little island in the sun.

Taking a look at the surface map, a stationary front is lying on top of us. It along with southerly winds, and a high pressure center that was over us Tuesday helped provide some warm, dry air.

Heading into late Wednesday night there is a small chance for rain, but it should miss the area if it comes down at all. Overall it will be very similar to today. In fact, it should be warmer!

Unfortunately Thursday is where things turn ugly!

The Wednesday evening surface forecast shows a cold front that will go across the area Thursday bringing with it some rain. Temperatures will drop to the low 50s so make sure to have a jacket with you! The rain associated with the system will drop around a tenth of an inch, which again wont get us past that record.

• SUMMARY:
  • Tuesday:
    • High: 61
    • Low: 38
    • Enjoy the sun!
  • Wednesday:
    • High: 65
    • Low: 41
    • Our last sunny, warm day for a bit so go out and enjoy it!
  • Thursday:
    • High: 53
    • Low: 42
    • A 50% chance of rain Thursday and Thursday evening.

Have a good week and stay safe!