Near-record warmth gives way to heavy rain and a weekend cooldown

We are enjoying another unusually warm November afternoon across Central and Eastern Kentucky! After starting the day with plenty of sunshine, temperatures have climbed into the upper 70s and low 80s, with some locations approaching record highs for this time of year.
However, our stretch of warm and dry weather is about to come to an end. Clouds will begin increasing this evening before widespread rain moves into the region overnight and continues through much of Wednesday.

Once the rain moves out, we'll dry things out and see a noticeable cooldown heading into the weekend.

Near-record warmth before clouds return tonight

Tuesday has brought plenty of sunshine and temperatures well above average for early November.

Afternoon highs have climbed into the upper 70s and low 80s, with Lexington potentially challenging its daily record high of 78 degrees.

We've also seen breezy conditions throughout the afternoon, with wind gusts generally reaching 20 to 30 mph.

As we head into the evening hours, winds should gradually ease while clouds begin increasing across the region.

We'll remain dry through sunset, but scattered showers could begin developing before midnight as our next weather system approaches.

Widespread rain arrives Wednesday

Our next weather system will bring widespread showers across Central and Eastern Kentucky late tonight and throughout much of Wednesday.

Rain chances will increase overnight, with periods of moderate to heavy rainfall possible during the morning and afternoon hours.

Most locations are expected to receive around 1–2 inches of rain, although some areas could pick up locally higher amounts between 3 and 4 inches, especially off to our South and West.

This rainfall will be especially beneficial for portions of Southern Kentucky that have been dealing with moderate to severe drought conditions.

While the overall flooding threat remains low, some localized flooding or ponding of water on roadways will be possible where heavier rain develops.

A few thunderstorms could also be embedded within the showers. Some stronger showers could produce brief wind gusts exceeding 40 mph.

Rain should gradually taper off Wednesday afternoon and evening as the system moves east.

Drier weather returns Thursday and Friday

Once Wednesday's rain moves out, we'll begin to dry things out heading into Thursday.

Temperatures will start trending cooler, with afternoon highs Thursday generally reaching the upper 60s to around 70 degrees.

Friday should remain mainly dry as well, although you may notice a few more clouds moving across the region.

Another weak cold front will help usher in cooler air, setting us up for a much chillier start to the weekend.

A big cool down arrives this weekend

If you've been enjoying the unusually warm temperatures, you'll definitely notice a change by Saturday!

Afternoon highs will fall into the mid to upper 50s, with some locations struggling to reach 60 degrees.

Overnight temperatures will also turn much colder, with lows Friday night dropping into the 30s to around 40 degrees.

That means patchy frost will be possible early Saturday morning, especially in our colder locations.

Thankfully, the cooler weather won't last too long. Temperatures should gradually rebound Sunday into early next week, with afternoon highs returning to the mid 60s.

For now, keep the rain gear handy for Wednesday before we trade the warm November weather for a much cooler and drier weekend!