May Starts On a Gorgeous Note

A dreary past couple of days look to finally be behind us as the low pressure that kept us under clouds and showers (well, mostly) is scooting on out of here and leaving us with high pressure in it’s place, drying us out and bringing the sunshine back. And you know what that means: May starts on a gorgeous note!

Bringing Back the Sunshine Friday

High pressure is settling in on this Friday morning as we find ourselves clearing out.

Look, it's May and I can now officially call this image "refreshing." (WPC) — Look, it’s May and I can now officially call this image “refreshing.” (WPC)

Said anti-cyclone is sitting across the southern Great Lakes this morning off to our northwest, and this means we’re ushering in drier but not excessively warm and humid air from the south like is normal for this time of year.

When you step outside this morning...even if it may be a bit chilly. (Late Night with Seth Meyers/Giphy) — When you step outside this morning…even if it may be a bit chilly. (Late Night with Seth Meyers/Giphy)

I won’t lie, it’ll be a bit chilly to start this morning as we recover from lows in the middle 40s, but the sun should take care of that quickly as we make a run for 70° this afternoon.

If being told it's sunny and these are the temperatures doesn't make you want to go outside, I'm not sure I can help you. (Pivotal Weather) — If being told it’s sunny and these are the temperatures doesn’t make you want to go outside, I’m not sure I can help you. (Pivotal Weather)

A perfect day for some yard work, a nice neighborhood walk, a jog, or even just lounging out in the sun with a good book.

We’ll wind those temperatures down to about 50° for the overnight hours as our skies remain on the clear side.

Even Warmer for Saturday

If you liked Friday, I think you’ll like Saturday even better…unless you’re one of those folks who tries to hold out the longest before turning on the A/C.

From the other room when the thermostat goes from 74° to 73°. (Spongebob Squarepants/Giphy)

High pressure will be scooting on past and will be settling to our southeast for the daytime hours.

Tomorrow morning's surface chart. (WPC) — Tomorrow morning’s surface chart. (WPC)

The warm front ahead of our next weathermaker will pass through during the morning hours as well, and this could throw some clouds our way. But it’s main effect will be switching winds to south-southwesterly.

Oh, you guessed it, we’re flirting with 80°. (Pivotal Weather)

We’re bringing back warmth and moisture to our Saturday afternoon, really getting that May feel in place in time for what would have been Derby Day.

They may not be running for the roses until September but there's no reason you can't do this on your own. (Giphy) — They may not be running for the roses until September but there’s no reason you can’t do this on your own. (Giphy)

We’ll see highs top out around 80° as dew points also increase close to that 55°-60° mark during the afternoon, ushering in a bit of that late spring feel. Clouds start working their way back in slowly overnight, settling near 60° for a low, but rain holds off until Sunday.

Shower and Storm Chances Return for Sunday

You had to know that a gorgeous weekend would have some rain at the end of it somewhere.

Courtesy of this here frontal boundary which will slowly sag into our area for Sunday from it's position here Saturday evening. (WPC) — Courtesy of this here frontal boundary which will slowly sag into our area for Sunday from it’s position here Saturday evening. (WPC)

We’ve got warmth, we’ve got moisture, we’ve got a lifting mechanism, I smell rain chances.

Rain and storms enter the picture Sunday afternoon. (Pivotal Weather)

Timing isn’t the issue, with the greatest threat for scattered storms moving in from north to south on Sunday afternoon. The only issue is that there’s a bit of model disagreement. The NAM shows fewer storms, while the ECMWF (or “Euro”) is a bit more bullish. I think the GFS is painting it well here, right down the middle. Either way, can’t rule out some gusty winds or hail with these storms as they barrel through. Highs stay near 80° during the day, with overnight lows only near 60° has showers linger.

Unsettled Pattern To Start Week

We’ll keep things warm behind the cold front, but start to dry things out a touch on Monday, staying near 75°. The latest warm spell’s last hurrah looks to be on Tuesday as another frontal boundary looks to bring more storm chances. Past that…things look to cool down again for the latter half of next week.

One More Thing…

While we’ve got a gorgeous start to the weekend on tap for us coming up, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that this weekend is the 10 year anniversary of the May 2010 floods. Parts of WABBLES saw 7-10 inches of rain in just a two day period (Bowling Green itself saw 9.67″ of rain in 48 hours, the city’s 2-day rainfall record). This led to top 10 record crests on the Barren and Green Rivers as well. Our friendly National Weather Service office up in Louisville has a nice recap here.

Two day rainfall totals May 1-2, 2010. (NWS Louisville)

This was the same system that caused the utterly devastating floods that year in Nashville as well, directly leading to 18 deaths in Middle Tennessee alone. NWS Nashville has an excellent write-up as well on the flooding south of the state line.

That just about does it for me! Follow our live weather feed @wxornotbg for the latest updates on your weekend forecast. Have a terrific Friday and stay safe!