After a warm and muggy weekend as the fall season officially arrived with a few hit and miss showers and storms across Central and Eastern Kentucky, we saw more of the same to kick off the week on this Monday. A little morning sunshine gave way to scattered clouds and a few additional storms to the west and south with a frontal boundary draped over the area. Afternoon highs reached the low-80s in most locations but temperatures should back off this week as we shift into a more unsettled weather pattern, which should include several chances for much needed rainfall across the area. As a wave of low pressure slides along the stalled out front on Tuesday we should see a solid scattered rain chances, something that has been at a premium of late. Thunderstorms  are in the mix as well and with the spin created by the area of low pressure rolling by, all of Central and Eastern Kentucky are in a Level 2 risk for severe weather (out of 5) with damaging winds and some hail being the primary threats. Some localized heavy downpours will be possible also with most locations seeing the potential of 0.50″ to 1″ rainfall totals so expect it to be a bit damp and stormy from time to time on Tuesday. With the clouds and rain around, afternoon highs should be held in check into the mid to upper 70s. Heading into the mid-week the front may not clear the area totally which will keep the chances for a few scattered showers and storms around as moisture streams northward from the Gulf of Mexico. While we aren’t looking at a washout on any particular day, you’ll definitely want to keep the rain gear handy as the unsettled weather pattern kicks in here in the Ohio Valley. Daily highs should remain in the mid to upper 70s with a few spots around 80 degrees, which is much closer to average for late September. The main focus late this week and into the weekend will be the potential for a significant tropical system impacting the Gulf Coast. Potential Tropical Cyclone #9 has developed and is expected to eventually become Hurricane Helene over the next couple of days as it heads toward the Florida Panhandle by Thursday so this will be a quick turnaround for folks preparing along the Guld Coast. Given a potential landfall in that area, the tropical remnants are forecast to slide northward, interact with an upper low to the west after landfall, and bring additional rain to Central and Eastern Kentucky Friday and into the weekend. Keep in mind that this system is in the early stages of development so things could change a bit over the next 24 hours. However all signs point to a major tropical system impacting the Gulf with some tropical moisture in our area Friday and into Saturday. With the unsettled pattern and nearly daily rain chances over the next week, we could really begin to chip away at some of the drought conditions that have been persistent the last few months. We’ll keep a close watch on it over the next few days. ABC 36 HOUR FORECAST MONDAY NIGHT: Mostly cloudy with a few storms. Lows in the mid-60s. TUESDAY: Occasional rain and storms. Highs in the upper-70s. TUESDAY NIGHT: More showers and storms. Lows in the low-60s. Categories: Featured, Local Weather Headlines, Storm Team Weather Blog, Weather, Weather Forecast Tags: ABC 36, ABC 36 News Now, ABC 36 Storm Team Forecast, Chief Meteorologist TG Shuck, Level 2 Severe Risk, mild temperatures, rain and storms, September, strong storms, tropical moisture, Tropics, University of Kentucky football, unsettled weather pattern