Skies show more cloud coverage today, but that’s not stopping it from being very nice outside. Temperatures are well past early February standards with afternoon highs in the middle to upper 50s. It looks good and it feels good outdoors. The cloud increase is a sign of things to come as a major winter storm gets set up for the coming days.
Moving into Wednesday, rain will hold off until the mid-morning hours. Rain will become widespread across the forecast area quickly as the rain shield spreads east. Heavy showers will be mixed inside of the widespread rain and could include high rainfall rates leading to flooding, especially through the late part of Wednesday. It is important to note that Wednesday will ONLY include rain. Temperatures will be well above freezing and be able to support rain down to the ground.
We get our shot at winter weather on Thursday. As the front sags into Kentucky, cold arctic air will slide under the warm layer to the south. This will drop surface temperatures to freezing but keep the precipitation as rain to the ground. Freezing rain will start to work into the Bluegrass Parkway and I-64 corridor by the early afternoon Thursday and continue through the afternoon and evening.
Some wintry mix is possible at times, but snow looks to hold off until the tail end of the storm. Freezing rain and sleet will continue into Friday morning for those same locations mentioned above. The rest of the forecast area will get a cold rain most of the event Thursday into Friday. As the system moves on, all precipitation will turn to a brief wintry mix or even some snow. Roads are expected to be slippery if not hazardous for the northern part of our forecast area starting Thursday afternoon through the end of the week.
A WINTER STORM WATCH has been issued and may be upgraded in the near future.
