Western Kentucky is heading into another stretch of unusually warm April weather as drought conditions continue to affect much of the region, despite several chances for rain in the days ahead.
Meteorologist Andy Lesage says we should see well-above-normal temperatures this week, with highs climbing into the 80s and record highs or record warm low temperatures possible on multiple days.
He added western Kentucky should see at least a couple rounds of showers and thunderstorms during the middle and latter part of the week, enough to help keep drought conditions from worsening, but likely not enough for a major turnaround.
click to download audioThe latest U.S. Drought Monitor information shows that drought conditions remain firmly in place across western Kentucky, with 62 percent of the Paducah forecast area in at least moderate drought, and 94 percent in at least abnormally dry conditions. The report said that much of western Kentucky worsened by one drought category during the previous week, with no areas showing improvement.
Forecasters say soil moisture remains very low across much of western Kentucky, which can create stress on pastures, lawns, and early-spring vegetation even before more significant agricultural damage is reported.
Lesage added that the region’s dry pattern dates back to late summer and fall of last year, and that western Kentucky has been caught in recurring weather patterns in which storm systems track around the area rather than directly through it. He said high pressure over the Southeast has helped keep the area very warm, but has also tended to steer deeper moisture and heavier rainfall west into the Plains and north toward Missouri and the Great Lakes instead of into the Pennyrile and western Kentucky.
