Kentucky Weather 3/8 Midday - 35° Above Normal

Good afternoon. Kentucky. I'm Matt Mullins. That rain you heard overnight? It's already packing its bags and heading east. A cold front swept through and dropped a third of an inch statewide, but here's the payoff — clearing skies and a serious warmup on deck. Eastern Kentucky might catch a few lingering sprinkles through early afternoon, but the rest of the state is drying out fast. Clouds break up west to east as high pressure slides in behind the front. Highs today hit the mid-60s statewide — 63 degrees in Louisville and Lexington, 65 in Bowling Green. Winds stay light out of the west around 6 miles an hour. Tonight drops to the low to mid-40s under mostly clear skies. Monday brings wall-to-wall sunshine and a jump to the low 70s. Louisville hits 73 degrees. Lexington 71. And southern Kentucky pushes 76. That's about 35 degrees above normal for early March. Perfect weather for a lunchtime walk if you ask me. But that warmth sets the stage for something bigger. Tuesday stays warm — mid to upper 70s — then Wednesday brings a strong storm system. Two weather systems phase together over the eastern U.S., creating a potent setup for severe thunderstorms Wednesday afternoon and evening. Damaging winds are the main threat. The Storm Prediction Center has highlighted Kentucky with a 15 percent severe risk. Behind that front? A sharp cooldown. Thursday's highs struggle to reach the upper 40s to low 50s — a 30-degree temperature crash from Wednesday. A few snow showers are even possible Thursday morning in eastern Kentucky. Friday rebounds to the 60s. Don't forget — clocks spring forward tonight. You lose an hour, but we're gaining daylight fast now. See you this evening.