We enjoyed a nice warm-up to begin the first week of May with highs climbing back around average and even above across Central and Eastern Kentucky and Tuesday was no exception. The combination of clouds and sunshine along with a breezy southwest wind ahead of an approaching cold front helped push afternoon highs back into the low to mid-70s. Clouds increased through the afternoon with the approach of the front bringing scattered showers to areas just to our west and the beneficial rain chances will ramp up into the mid-week. The early hours of Wednesday should be wet and stormy as a large area of showers and thunderstorms spreads across Central and Eastern Kentucky bringing some much needed rainfall, especially considering the on-going drought across the commonwealth. Most locations should pick up around 1″ totals with a few localized areas seeing a bit more. The showers and storms should continue after daybreak Wednesday before eventually winding down as we progress through the day thanks to the frontal system dropping south of the commonwealth. A few showers may linger into Southern Kentucky but the second half of the day looks drier now with afternoon highs dropping back into the low-60s. The late week is looking mainly dry and cooler across the region with the only blemish being a weak wave of energy sliding through the Ohio Valley on Thursday. This could generate a stray shower but most locations should be dry. The bigger story once again will be the below average temperatures for the early part of May as afternoon highs struggle to reach the 60 degree mark. An area of high pressure will build in for Friday so it should be a nice finish to the week with some sunshine and afternoon highs a little better as temperatures reach the mid-60s in most spots. Heading into the weekend, the first of two systems will impact the area with a weak frontal system bringing a renewed chance of showers and storms Friday night and into the first half of Saturday. The good news is the rain chances should wind down during the morning so if you have outdoor plans on Saturday, you should be in pretty good shape. Temperatures will be comfortable overall with afternoon highs into the low 70s. Unfortunately the unsettled weather will continue into Mother’s Day as the second system works through the region. You’ll need to take the rain gear along for any Mother’s Day plans but hopefully the activity will be scattered during the afternoon before more widespread activity arrives by Sunday evening. Look for some lingering showers into Monday as that system departs the area along with another shot of slightly cooler air. Highs will back down a few degrees into the upper 60s before recovering into the 70s by next Tuesday as we dry things out once again. ABC 36 Storm Team 3 Day Forecast Tuesday night: Breezy with rain and storms. Lows in the low-50s north and mid to upper-60s south. Wind: SW 10-15 mph. Wednesday: Mostly cloudy with scattered showers, especially south. Highs in the low-60s. Wind: NW 10-15 mph. Wednesday night: Cooler with lingering showers south. Lows in the mid-40s. Wind: N 5 mph. Categories: Featured, Local Weather Headlines, Storm Team Weather Blog, Weather, Weather Forecast Tags: breezy, Chief Meteorologist TG Shuck, Kentucky weather, Lexington, May 2026, mild temperatures, Mother’s Day Weekend, much needed rain, rain and storms, unsettled weather pattern, weather forecast, Weather Video ...read more read less