The glorious October weather pattern rolled through central and eastern Kentucky on Tuesday, as high pressure continued to dominate the eastern part of the country. After a pleasantly cool start to the day with temperatures in the low 80s, lots of bright sunshine, combined with a southerly wind, kept highs in the afternoon high in the low 80s, which is a solid 10 to 15 degrees above average ! All the sunlight really made it fun to view the fall colors around Kentucky.

Our touch of summer here in late October will continue through mid-week, despite a frontal system moving through the Ohio Valley. This boundary has no moisture to work with, so we don’t expect any rainfall with it. Winds will increase from the south to southwest with gusts around 20 to 25 miles per hour, which will help push afternoon highs back into the upper 70s as mostly sunny skies remain in place. These highs may occur earlier in the afternoon before winds shift westward and temperatures drop a few degrees by late afternoon.

The dry front will usher in some cooler air for the day on Thursday, while temperatures will drop a solid 10 degrees for afternoon temperatures. Even with a good bit of sunshine and a northwest wind, temperatures will remain low all day, peaking in the mid 60s. The cooler air won’t be around for much longer as another frontal system will follow suit Friday enter the area. Winds will shift quickly to the southwest ahead of the border, so highs should bounce back into the upper 70s to end the week. There should be enough moisture to drop a few showers across the Commonwealth, but we’re not looking at anything widespread. We are currently looking at one of the driest months on record in October as very little rainfall has fallen in most locations over the course of the month and little is expected between now and November 1st.

Heading into the weekend, another round of cooler air will settle into the Ohio Valley as Canadian high pressure drops. We could see a lingering chance of showers for part of Saturday, but skies should start to clear as the day progresses. This should set things up nicely for Kentucky and Auburn on Saturday night at Kroger Field. You’ll need to dress accordingly as temperatures will dip into the 50s during the game after reaching the mid-60s that afternoon. Another stretch of calm weather is expected early next week as afternoon highs move back into the 70s.

ABC 36 HOURS FORECAST
TUESDAY NIGHT: Clear air and pleasant. Low point in the mid-1950s.
WEDNESDAY: Mostly sunny, windy and warm. Highlights in the seventies.
WEDNESDAY NIGHT: Usually clear and cooler. Lows in the low 40s.