In addition to the above-normal rainfall last week, we also had an extended period of extreme heat. Highs between Tuesday and Friday peaked in the upper 80s to middle 90s. This isn’t too far out of the norm for this time of the year, but the high humidity made it downright miserable to be outside. Dewpoints well into the 70s made it feel like walking through a wall of water and pushed our peak heat indices into the 100-110 range. Livestock heat stress once again rose into the “Danger” and “Emergency” categories during the afternoon, which has been quite common this past month. Overnight temperatures provided little recovery. Low temperatures stayed well into the 70s, quite a bit above our normal lows in the middle 60s for this time of year.

The rest of the week will feature at least scattered coverage in place on a daily basis. Looking at the 7-day rainfall forecast below, 1 to 1.5+ inches will be in play for much of the state with the active pattern in place. The highest totals are expected across Southeast Kentucky and Western/South Central Kentucky. Temperatures will run slightly below seasonable norms with typical summer-like humidity in place. Looking a little frther out, long range outlooks hint that above normal temperatures return to the area next week and stick around for the rest of August.

Need Weather/Climate Data?

Harvest season is right around the corner for the Bluegrass State. In past weeks, I’ve talked about the release of new climate normals and the shift to a wetter and warmer climate for Kentucky. In this update, I want to focus on the fall season, which is typically our driest season of the year. Unlike the annual normals where we saw an increase in precipitation across the state, the fall season shows some areas getting wetter and others drier. Below, I compared the 1981-2010 normals to the 1991-2020 normals for several cities across the Commonwealth. Differences are slim, +/- 1 inch at the max, while fall seasonal temperatures were slightly higher across the board. 

Keep in mind that the 1991 to 2020 normals are what we typically average over a 30-year period. We will see deviations on a year-to-year basis. What about 2021? The latest long-range seasonal outlook for fall from the Climate Prediction Center shows a higher chance for above-normal temperatures and equal chances for near, below, and above normal precipitation over that three-month period (below). Be on the lookout for the next update to these outlooks on August 19.

Related News from UK and Beyond

Kentucky Farmers Expect Strong Crop Production – USDA NASS Press Release, August 12, 2021

Atlantic hurricane season shows no signs of slowing – National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, August 4, 2021