It was the coldest morning in nearly a year across Central and Eastern Kentucky on Wednesday with early morning lows dropping well into the single digits in most locations. The combination of an Arctic air mass, clear skies, light winds, and a persistent snowpack, especially across the Bluegrass Region was an ideal set-up for the frigid start. Lexington’s morning low dipped to 7 degrees, which was the coldest morning we’ve seen since last January 21st, when it was -7 degrees during the cold snap in early 2024. Despite abundant sunshine through the day, afternoon highs only recovered into the mid to upper-20s with the Arctic cold in place. Another fast moving clipper will dive into the Great Lakes on Thursday and while we aren’t expecting any snow from this system, it will help to moderate temperatures across the area beginning as early as Thursday morning. Our overnight “lows” in the low teens should be around midnight as clear skies early will give way to increasing clouds and a southwest wind so temperatures should rise toward daybreak Thursday with readings in the low to even mid-20s so it won’t be as cold as Wednesday morning. Expect a mix of clouds and sunshine along with a brisk west wind as the clipper slides by to our north. It’s possible we could see a few flurries across the northern half of the state but most of the activity will stay to our north, similar to the system that rolled through Tuesday. Afternoon highs should jump back into the mid-30s so the snow melting process should continue. Our next storm system will be getting its act together to our west on Friday and with a strong southwest flow expected, temperatures should surge all the way into the low and mid-40s to end the week, which is right around average for mid-January. With plenty of moisture streaming into the commonwealth our chilly rain chances will increase Friday night with widespread wet weather expected to kick off the weekend. Off and on rain showers and highs in the low 40s should help melt much of the remaining snowpack that’s leftover across parts of the region. Unfortunately more Arctic cold is set to return quickly on Sunday so we’ll head back into the “deep freeze” once again. A wave of low pressure may develop just to our southeast Saturday night and ride along the departing cold front into Sunday. With the colder air pouring in and enough moisture hanging back, light snow will be possible Saturday night and into Sunday with the favored area being Eastern and Southeastern Kentucky. Right now some light accumulations are on the table so that’s something to watch in the coming days. For the King holiday on Monday (and beyond) more unseasonably cold air is on tap with highs dropping back into the upper teens and low 20s and morning lows in the single digits. A southern storm system could potentially clip parts of the region into the middle of next week so that bears watching as well. ABC 36 HOUR FORECAST WEDNESDAY NIGHT: Clouds increase, rising temperatures. Early lows ranging in the mid-teens with low-20s by daybreak. THURSDAY: Mostly cloudy and breezy, a few flakes. Highs in the mid-30s. THURSDAY NIGHT: Scattered clouds, not as cold. Lows in the mid-20s. Categories: Featured, Local Weather Headlines, Storm Team Weather Blog, Weather, Weather Forecast Tags: ABC 36 Hour Forecast, Chief Meteorologist TG Shuck, January 2025, Kentucky weather, Lexington, Mostly Cloudy, rain showers, turning milder, weather forecast, Weather Video, weekend rain and snow, Winter Weather