Ag Weather Update

Matt Dixon, Meteorologist, UK Ag Weather Center

Updated September 20, 2021

Past Conditions 

Summer is coming to a close, but Mother Nature gave us one last week of heat and humidity. Highs generally topped out well into the 80s all of last week, significantly above normal high temperatures in the middle 70s to low 80s for this time of year. Western Kentucky even saw temperatures peak in the low 90s, with Madisonville and Paducah hitting highs of 92 on Monday. Dew points in the upper 60s to low 70s gave a humid feel to the air and pushed heat indices a bit higher.

Last week’s heat serves as a good reminder to practice heat safety regardless of the time of the year. Even though it's almost fall, heat can still sneak up you. I worked the UK game on Saturday and heard too many calls over dispatch about heat-related illnesses. We even had a referee start cramping up on the field. The bottom line – take it easy, stay cool, and hydrate!

A few rounds of rainfall accompanied the heat, one coming midweek and the other over the weekend. The state averaged about three quarters of an inch with the first round. Some areas saw much more than others, and that’s a trend we’ve seen a lot recently. The Louisville National Weather Service’s tweet below shows that some got over six inches of rainfall! Bardstown was hit hard, suffering substantial flood damage, with evacuations and water rescues. @KentuckyDrone (on Instagram and Twitter) posted eye-opening footage of the extensive flooding along Highway 31E.

Data for the Past 7 Days 

Forecast 

The 2021 harvest is on hold as we experience a wet first half of the workweek. As of 3PM, scattered to numerous showers are pushing northeast through Central and Eastern Kentucky. Many areas across the central portion of the state have already exceeded an inch since midnight. The active pattern will remain in place through Wednesday with a strong cold front slowly working through the area. This activity looks like it will arrive across Western Kentucky later tomorrow afternoon/evening and slowly work across the area through Wednesday. Below is a look at forecast accumulations over the next few days, with much of Kentucky seeing an additional inch. The highest accumulations are across the Northern Bluegrass.