It was a quiet start to April across Central and Eastern Kentucky with some lingering low clouds through the morning before we saw a welcome return of some sunshine through the afternoon hours. With a light east breeze afternoon highs managed to recover into the low 60s, which is right around average for the first day of the month. Unfortunately this tranquil weather won’t be sticking around as we jump into quite the active and stormy pattern as the week wears on. A warm front will arc through the Ohio Valley on Wednesday ushering in another shot of summer-like air and setting us up for another round of possibly strong to severe storms by Wednesday night. Other than a few isolated storms, it should be a very warm and windy day as afternoon highs surge to near record highs in the upper 70s and low 80s. These temperatures will be aided by a strong southwest wind with gusts 40 to 45 miles per hour possible so a Wind Advisory is up for much of Central Kentucky Wednesday. As a cold front moves in from the west, our chances for strong to severe storms will ramp up Wednesday night and into early Thursday, similar to what we saw this past Sunday night. Based on the latest data there is still some disagreement on the timing and placement of the storms but it appears that all modes of severe weather are on the table. That being said, it looks to be mainly a damaging wind threat with a quick spin-up tornado possible within the line. Keep in mind that any individual storm that pops up ahead of the main area of storms would have a little better chance to produce tornadoes but the more favored area for that is across Western Kentucky. In fact the Storm Prediction Center has upgraded Western Kentucky to a Level 4 severe weather risk (out of 5) due to the possibility of a few strong tornadoes. However around Lexington and points north and west over toward I-65 are in a Level 3 risk with the area to the east ramping down to a Level 2 risk as far southeastern Kentucky sees a lower risk at Level 1. Our hope is that the line of storms weakens as it moves eastward during the early hours of Thursday, which would work to our advantage of course here in Central and Eastern Kentucky but you need to stay weather aware. We do have a “Weather Impact Day” for Wednesday night and into Thursday because of the storm potential. The bigger story is the front is forecast to stall out along the Ohio River late week and into the weekend, setting the stage for multiple rounds of heavy rain over a 3 to 4 day period, which could lead to some significant flooding for parts of the region. Right now it appears parts of far Western Kentucky could see a whopping 10″ of rain or more between Wednesday and Sunday with 8″-10″ across West Central Kentucky. Here in the Bluegrass those amounts should be a bit less but still significant in the 5″ to 7″ range with lesser amounts as you go into the southeastern mountains. There is a Flood Watch out for Central and Western Kentucky from Wednesday evening all the way through Sunday morning, which gives you a good indication of the very high rainfall potential. If you live in a flood prone area, make sure to monitor the weather closely in the coming days as many of the rivers and streams will see some significant flooding where the heaviest rains fall in addition to some flash flooding at times. The final piece of the equation will be the on-going strong to severe storm threat into the late week. With the boundary wavering just to our north and several waves of low pressure riding along it, multiple clusters of strong storms may be possible  as much of our area will be in the warm, moist and unstable sector of this system. While damaging winds will be the primary threats with any storms, a low end tornado risk will stay in place. These storms should contribute to the locally heavy rainfall which will eventually lead to the expected flood threat so that plays a part in the overall set-up. The Storm Prediction Center does have all of central and Eastern Kentucky in a Level 2 severe risk on Thursday along with an elevated risk in their extended outlook for Friday and Saturday. Expect lots of active weather in the coming days and stick with the ABC 36 Storm Team for the latest updates. ABC 36 Storm Team 3-Day Forecast: Tuesday Night: A few clouds and pleasant, rising temperatures toward daybreak! Lows in the upper-40s. Wind: SE 5-10 mph. Wednesday: Windy and warmer, isolated storms. Highs in the low-80s. Wind: SW 20-25 mph. Wednesday Night: Windy with rain and storms, some strong. Lows in the mid-60s. Wind: S 15-20 mph. Categories: Featured, Local Weather Headlines, Storm Team Weather Blog, Weather, Weather Forecast Tags: ABC 36 Storm Team Weather Impact Day, active weather pattern, Chief Meteorologist TG Shuck, flood watch, heavy rain, Kentucky weather, Level 2 Severe Risk, Level 3 Severe Risk, Lexington, March 2025, Severe storms, significant flood threat, weather forecast, Weather Video ...read more read less