One More Warm Day, Then Rain

A week ago I was mentioning how the approaching weekend would be rainy and chilly, but the 80s could return by late in the next week. Well, here we are a week later, and we’ve actually had a few days in a row with temperatures in the 80s. In fact, the past two days both maxed out at 85° in Bowling Green. This stretch of unseasonably warm weather will come to a close today, but it ends on its hottest note. We’ve had high pressure over the region for some time now, but it has been slowly moving to the south. Our winds will be out of the southwest today, opening the door for more warm air. If it weren’t for the cloud cover, these temperatures could climb even higher. But as it is, we’re looking at a partly cloudy Thursday with highs around 86°.

The skies today won’t feature as much of those royal blue hues. The extra cloud cover will be coming in advance of a cold front, which has been mentioned in the forecast for a little while now. I’ve also elected to keep any rain percentages off of the forecast today, but some higher-resolution models are trying to spit out a very light shower or two this afternoon. Sure enough, it looks like a small wave embedded in the larger mid-level flow will make a round through our region, which may be enough for a small sprinkle. Tonight will be dry but we’ll have our eyes on the front moving in from the northwest. Lows will be near 61°. We’ll wake up tomorrow with partly to mostly cloudy skies, and the rain may get started as soon as the late morning hours.

The cold front will extend from Maine all the way to Arkansas

Some models want to develop most of the rain just as the front exits to the east, but a line of showers seems likely for tomorrow afternoon. There may even be a rumble of thunder or two. How long has it been since we could say that? The rain shouldn’t linger around for too long. A couple showers are possible Friday night but we will wake up on Saturday to partly cloudy skies. And did I mention the cooldown? Once the front is through, it will open the door for a much cooler weekend. If you’re tailgating early for the WKU-MTSU game, you may want a jacket, because the upper-60s is the warmest we’ll get.

Tonight: A mild low of 61° with partly cloudy skies and a light southwest wind.
Friday: 60% chance of rain and perhaps a thunderstorm. High of 77°. West winds at 5-10 mph.
Friday night: 30% chance of showers, mostly cloudy. Low near 53°. North winds at 5 mph.

Go Tops!
- Caleb Chevalier