A touch of summer by midweek

The gorgeous October weather pattern spread across central and eastern Kentucky on Tuesday, while high pressure continued in the eastern part of the country. After a pleasantly cool start to the day with temperatures in the low to mid 40s, plenty of bright sunshine combined with a southerly breeze pushed afternoon highs into the upper 70s to around 80 degrees, a solid 10 to 15 Degrees above average! All the sunshine made it really nice to explore the fall colors around Kentucky.

Our touch of summer here in late October will continue through midweek, despite a frontal system moving through the Ohio Valley. This border has no moisture, so we do not expect rain. Winds will increase from the south to southwest, with gusts around 20 to 25 mph at times, which will help push afternoon highs back into the upper 70s as skies remain mostly sunny. These highs may occur earlier in the afternoon before the wind shifts to the west and temperatures drop a few degrees in the late afternoon.

The dry front will bring some cooler air for the day on Thursday as temperatures fall back to a solid 10 degrees and reach afternoon highs. Even with some sunshine and a northwest wind, temperatures will remain low throughout the day with readings peaking in the mid-60s. The cooler air won't last long as another frontal system will follow suit and move into the area on Friday. Ahead of the border, winds will quickly shift to the southwest, so highs should climb back into the upper 70s by the end of the week. There should be enough moisture to push a few showers across the Commonwealth, but we don't expect widespread spread. As of this writing, October is experiencing one of the driest months on record, with most locations experiencing very little rain over the course of the month and little rainfall expected until November 1st.

Heading into the weekend, another round of cooler air will settle in the Ohio Valley as Canadian high pressure drops. Lingering showers could occur during part of Saturday, but skies should clear as the day progresses. This should be a good starting point for Kentucky and Auburn on Saturday night at Kroger Field. You should dress appropriately as temperatures will drop into the 50s during the game, after reaching highs of up to 60 degrees in the afternoon. Another period of calm weather is expected early next week as afternoon high temperatures climb back into the 70s.

ABC 36 HOUR FORECAST
TUESDAY EVENING: Clear skies and pleasant. Lows in the mid 50s.
WEDNESDAY: Mostly sunny, windy and warm. Highs in the upper 70s.
WEDNESDAY EVENING: Mostly clear and cooler. Lows in the lower 40s.