Abnormally Dry Conditions Continue for Kentucky

Good morning, folks, and happy Wednesday to you all! I hope your week has been off to a great start. As we get closer to the weekend, abnormally dry conditions will continue for Kentucky.

Speaking of Abnormally Dry Conditions

The US Drought Monitor has placed portions of Kentucky in an Abnormally Dry or Moderate Drought Stage. However, only portions of the WABBLES area (specifically everyone but Allen and Simpson Counties) are seeing abnormally dry conditions (yellow).

Abnormally dry conditions for Kentucky (US Drought Monitor)

Although the dry weather can be good for crop maturation and corn dry down, the very wet spring that we had delayed planting, so some crops may be behind schedule and could use rain for filling, mainly soybeans, according to the US Drought Monitor. The dry conditions, along with above normal temperatures, will continue for the Ohio Valley thanks to an upper-level atmospheric ridge.

Annotation of the atmospheric ridge and trough over the US. (Pivotal Weather)

An atmospheric ridge is associated with a surface high pressure, which helps give us sunny skies and warmer temperatures. Expect another toasty day as afternoon highs will reach the neighborhood of 91ºF. It’ll be a bit muggy out there today as dew points will be in the mid 60s.

We're all used to this by now. (Giphy) — We’re all used to this by now. (Giphy)

For tonight, skies will remain clear, with light winds. Overnight temperatures will eventually drop to around 67ºF.

Same Forecast for Thursday

That trough out west over Washington and Oregon offers a glimmer of hope that we will see a pattern change. But for now, the trough is amplifying the ridge, which means we’ll be stuck in the same pattern. Tomorrow’s temperatures will again be around 90ºF.

South winds tomorrow, with a few gusts possible. (Pivotal Weather)

Winds will be out of the south tomorrow around 10 mph. We could see some gusts up to 15 mph (as seen in the shading over our area). Otherwise, not much else is going on. Skies will be mostly clear for our Thursday evening. With calm winds, temperatures will bottom out around 65ºF.

Guess What…Same Forecast for Friday

If you haven’t gotten the hint yet…it’s going to be dry. Another day of sunshine and high pressure will lead to afternoon temperatures reaching 89ºF. Now yes, this is a bit lower than the 90º-95º temperatures we have been seeing, but 89ºF is still well above normal for this time of year.

Can you even tell the difference between 89 and 90. Ugh! (Giphy)

Skies remain clear as we head into the overnight hours. Temperatures drop to around 60ºF, which is just a bit warmer than normal. For this time in September, low temperatures are usually around 57ºF, but hey at least were getting closer to those normal digits.

Extended Temperature Outlook

Well folks, there’s no easy way to say this, but it’s still looking to be a warmer than normal September. The Climate Prediction Center’s latest 6-10 Temperature Outlook keeps us, and two-thirds of the United States, above normal temperatures from September 23 to September 27.

CPC's 6-10 Day Temperature Outlook (Pivotal Weather) — CPC’s 6-10 Day Temperature Outlook (Pivotal Weather)

For this time frame, the average high temperature for BG is 77º-79ºF. This extended outlook doesn’t mean we’ll see 90ºF next week, but it does mean we have a greater probability of seeing temperatures well above the 77º-79º range.

How we'll all be after yet another week of above normal temperatures. (Giphy) — How we’ll all be after yet another week of above normal temperatures. (Giphy)

That wraps up today’s forecast. Hope you have a great Wednesday and rest of the week! Make sure to look for the Afternoon Video Update on Facebook and the Afternoon Weather Story on Twitter, only at @wxornotBG.