It’s been an incredible week of weather across Central and Eastern Kentucky with a solid dose of spring-like to even summer-like temperatures, especially through the mid to late week and Friday was no exception. With some sunshine and a strong south wind gusting over 30 miles per hour at tim es. temperatures urged back into the upper-70s for afternoon highs, flirting with records once again. Hopefully you’ve enjoyed the mild to warm stretch as we’ve got some big changes on the way as we head into the weekend. Saturday will be a “Weather Impact Day” as a dynamic storm system works through the eastern part of the country and into the Ohio Valley. First off this should be a 2 round event, with strong storms possible around daybreak Saturday and then a higher threat later Saturday afternoon and through the evening/overnight. Keep in mind the expected widespread severe weather outbreak to our west late Friday and to our south on Saturday along with the timing of the first round look to have a potential impact on the severity of the storms. That being said, all modes of severe weather are in play including a few spin-up tornadoes. Heavy rain is a big concern, which could lead to some localized flash flooding but we aren’t expecting a repeat of what we saw in February. The wind fields will be very high so strong gradient winds are expected even away from any thunderstorms so expect gusts 40 to 45 miles per hour plus at times so a Wind Advisory is out fort much of the area Saturday. Round 1: An expected line of severe storms will move eastward into the early hours of Saturday and move toward the I-75 corridor closer to daybreak. Based on the latest data it should be weakening somewhat with instability lessening slightly during the overnight hours. Even in that scenario, a few strong to severe storms can’t be ruled out and we are in a Level 1 severe risk (out of 5) from the Storm Prediction Center along the I-75 corridor for that early Saturday morning window. The timing of these storms and how long the clouds and rain stick around will affect how things materialize later Saturday and it will take the atmosphere longer to recover if the clouds and showers hang around longer. Round 2: A secondary low will develop along the cold front as it slowly slides through the commonwealth late Saturday. Widespread severe weather looks likely across Mississippi and Alabama, which has the potential to rob some of the storm energy and moisture trying to move northward into our area. No matter what we are looking at heavy rain and thunderstorms along with possible severe storms Saturday evening with damaging winds and spin-up tornadoes being the main threats. You’ll definitely want to keep an eye on the weather, especially with it being a weekend day and lots going on around the area. The Storm Prediction Center has all of our area under a Level 2 severe risk (out of 5) for Saturday. It appears the system is slowing down a bit, which will increase the heavy rain threat, so flash flooding is a bit more of a concern now as well so a Flood Watch is out for parts of the area. Depending on the timing, the overall severe potential could linger into the early hours of Sunday for our far eastern counties so stay weather aware this weekend! Cooler air will return with lingering showers on Sunday but temperatures will be closer to average with highs in the mid 50s. St. Patrick’s Day looks pleasant with sunshine and highs in the upper 50s to begin next week. Expect a big jump in temperatures Tuesday with highs around 70 degrees ahead of our next storm system mid-week. This one will bring a few showers and storms, followed by some chilly air with highs struggling to get out of the upper 40s next Thursday. ABC 36 Storm Team 3-Day Forecast: Friday Night: Breezy and warm, storms toward daybreak. Lows in the low-60s. Saturday: Windy with storms, some strong late. Highs in the low-70s. Saturday Night: Storms wind down, still breezy. Lows in the mid-50s. Stay weather-aware as we head into the weekend, and keep up with the latest updates from the ABC 36 Storm Team! Categories: Featured, Local Weather Headlines, Storm Team Weather Blog, Weather, Weather Forecast Tags: ABC 36 Hour Forecast, ABC 36 Storm Team Weather Impact Day, Chief Meteorologist TG Shuck, flood watch, Kentucky weather, Level 1 Severe Risk, Level 2 Severe Risk, Lexington, March 2025, spring-like, strong storms, weather forecast, Weather Video, Wind Advisory, windy ...read more read less