How long will gloomy weather persist in Central KY? Keep your umbrella out.
Rain and cloudy skies are in Kentucky’s forecast for the foreseeable future.
It may be next weekend before Central Kentuckians see a full day of sunny blue skies with no drizzle, WKYT chief meteorologist Chris Bailey said on Saturday afternoon.
Waves of showers and thunderstorms could bring another inch or 2 of rain to the region by the end of the day Monday, he said.
After that, each day through Friday brings a chance of more showers, though Bailey said there will be pockets of intermittent sunshine.
“We get this band of moisture that sets up over the state of Kentucky,” said Evan Webb, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Louisville.
Some of the heaviest rains may be concentrated over the eastern half of the state, which could bring a chance of localized flash flooding.
In spite of possibly dampening some cookouts this Memorial Day weekend, meteorologists say the ongoing wet weather is a good thing.
“It’s really beneficial for the state,” Webb said.
Lexington has been in a severe drought, while much of the state has been in an extreme drought, according to a map published by the National Weather Service in Jackson.
“Eastern Kentucky is in Hydrologic Drought, with most streams, creeks, and rivers running below to well below normal for this time of year,” the agency said in a drought information statement on Friday. “So far, May is lagging behind normal precipitation through the first two thirds of the month. Some temporary relief is expected through the next week, as a wetter pattern sets up across the region. This will lead to some recharging of streams and larger waterways.”
The NWS said the Kentucky Division of Water had noted some water supply issues in Harlan and Letcher counties and reservoir concerns at Campton in Wolfe County.
Through Thursday, Lexington had received just 12.54 inches of rain all year, which is about 7.3 inches below normal, Webb said.
“Over the last few days, Lexington has caught up some,” he said.
Between May 20 and 22, Lexington got 1.48 inches of rain, and during the first part of Saturday, the city picked up another 0.4 inches, he said.
“We’re trying to make up for lost time, essentially,” Bailey said.
“You never want a dry spring,” Bailey said. “That typically sets you up for a dry summer.”
But he said forecasters are predicting a “super” El Nino, a periodic pattern in which temperatures in the Pacific Ocean rise more than usual, impacting global weather.
When that happens, “summers around here are typically cooler and wetter,” he said.
Bailey said the last “super” El Nino was in 2015, the same year as fatal flooding in Flat Gap. Prior to that, the most recent one was in 1997.
He said he expects June to be normal or slightly above normal for rainfall.
