Wintry Precipitation to Usher in Cold Weather for Thanksgiving!

Discussion:

Temperatures are on the chilly side today, with a current temperature at the Bowling Green airport of 44 degrees. (2:00 P.M.) Aloft, an upper level trough currently positioned over New Mexico and western Texas continues to work its way eastward. Ahead of the trough, light winds from the southwest have ushered in slightly warmer temperatures than yesterday. However, we still remain in a moderately dry air mass with a current dew point of 13 degrees. (2:00 P.M.) At the surface, a weak area of low pressure is currently moving eastward across the Florida panhandle. As this moves east, there will be some phasing as the energy from the southern low will be transferred northward to another area of low pressure moving across the northeast headed toward the Atlantic Ocean. These areas of low pressure will serve as our main trigger for precipitation now through Tuesday night. With cold temperatures, wintry weather can be expected with this storm system! Current radar shows an area of rain and snow to our south and southwest that will slowly work into our area by this evening. Precipitation will be light, but a mixed bag of precipitation is in store for Warren county this evening, as we will most likely see a combination of rain, snow, and sleet. Low temperatures this evening will be right around the freezing mark. This combined with fairly warm ground temperatures will prevent any of the wintry precipitation from accumulating. There could be a quick coating to a half inch of snow on grassy surfaces overnight, but roads should remain just wet. Regardless, take caution driving in the morning, as there could be a few slick spots around town.

National Weather Service doppler radar at 2:26 P.M. CST showing area of light rain and snow making its way towards our area.

Tomorrow, snow and sleet will give way to plain rain by mid morning. Light rain will continue on Tuesday with temperatures rising to around 40 degrees by the afternoon. Rainfall amounts will be around a tenth of an inch during the daytime tomorrow. As the day progresses, a cold front will progress westward closer to our area allowing for temperatures to tumble Tuesday night. This will allow precipitation to briefly change back over to some show showers before precipitation completely ends before midnight Tuesday night. No snow accumulations are expected Tuesday night, but there could be a few slick spots develop on the roads as temperatures plummet behind the cold front. Wednesday looks to be chilly as an area of high pressure over eastern Kentucky and winds from the northwest should keep the daytime high temperature right around freezing. A few isolated snow showers cannot be ruled out Wednesday afternoon, as the northwest winds could pull some moisture from the Great Lakes down into Kentucky. With clear skies, Wednesday night will be cold with low temperatures dropping into the upper teens by daybreak on Thanksgiving. The area of high pressure will keep us dry on Thanksgiving, but high temperatures will only be in the upper 30s. So be sure to bundle up if you plan on traveling during Thanksgiving!

Days at a Glance:

Monday Night: Low - 32 Winds - SW winds around 5 mph becoming calm overnight.
Precipitation - 70% chance of a wintry mix of snow, sleet and rain. A coating up to a half inch of snow is possible on grassy surfaces by morning. Skies - Cloudy.

Tuesday: High - 40 Low - 25 Winds - N wind of 5 mph increasing to near 10 mph by the afternoon.
Precipitation - 80% chance of rain and snow on Tuesday. Snow showers in the morning will give way to rain throughout the day. A brief period of snow showers is possible as the precipitation ends by midnight Tuesday night. Rainfall around a tenth of an inch No snow accumulations are expected. Skies - Cloudy becoming clear overnight.

Wednesday: High - 32 Low - 17 Winds - NW 10 to 15 mph.
Precipitation - 10% of an isolated snow shower during the afternoon. Skies - Mostly clear.

Thanksgiving: High - 38 Low - 24 Winds - Light and variable.
Precipitation - 10% Skies - Mostly clear.

Forecaster: Zack Leasor