For the most part we have enjoyed a warm start to the spring. The flowers, plants, and trees certainly have been taking advantage. This upcoming week will begin with another surge of late spring warmth. Highs will rush into the mid and upper 70s mid-week. But it's not time to switch over to the AC just yet.
After that rush of warmth, temperatures will nose dive late week. Rounds of showers and storms will accompany the springtime feel. The final batch of storms will push through Wednesday night - early Thursday ahead of a cold front. Much cooler air will filter in on the backside. We'll see highs go from approximately 10 degrees above-normal to start the week 10 degrees below-normal by Friday. It looks to stay rather cool through Easter weekend. There is also the potential for a freeze or frost Friday and Saturday night. (The average date for Lexington's last freeze is April 14th; last frost is April 25th.)
This cool snap looks to hold. There are signals that there will be a large-scale signal change through the middle of the month. A strong trough will dig in across the middle of the country, while a ridge builds over Alaska. This kind of blocking will keep a persistent pool of cooler air over the Midwest and Ohio Valley. The 8-14 day temperature outlook from the Climate Prediction Center agrees. A good chunk of the country has favorable odds for below-average temperatures, with the best odds over the Northern Plains and Upper Midwest. Kentucky is outlooked to have a 60% chance for below-average temperature through mid-April. This doesn't mean that we'll be freezing. Below-average means highs will be cooler than the mid to upper 60s during this stretch. That still sounds pretty nice to me :)
