Thunderstorms, snow and sun: What to expect from weekend weather in Lexington

Tornado and thunderstorm warnings Thursday, possible snow with accumulation Friday and sunny skies Saturday: this week is giving fresh meaning to Kentucky’s famously fickle weather.

The outlook for Lexington’s weekend weather has variety. It kicked off Thursday with a tornado warning issued for Fayette and several other counties after a severe storm hit the central part of the state. The tornado warning has since expired, though a severe thunderstorm warning remains in effect through at least 1 p.m. Thursday.

Here’s what to know as the storm system continues to move across Kentucky over the next 48 hours.

What is the National Weather Service calling for Friday?

The latest forecast for Lexington from the National Weather Service calls for Thursday’s rainfall to continue into the evening, with showers likely before 4 a.m. Friday. After, there’s a slight chance for snow showers, with some thunder also possible.

With the low around 34 degrees Fahrenheit, the NWS puts the chance for precipitation for Lexington at 60%. New snow accumulation is expected to be light, less than half an inch is possible.

Friday, the chance for snow showers continues, though is less likely at 30% and mainly after 1 p.m. It’ll be mostly cloudy with a high near 35 degrees.

A slight chance of snow showers is possible before 10 p.m. Friday. Then it switches over to flurries afterward. The temperature will dip down to 25 degrees, and the chance of precipitation is at 20%, according to the NWS.

The sunny weather the NWS is calling for Saturday makes for a jarring transition, but not unwelcome. Mostly clear and sunny conditions are expected to last for much of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend.

Live updates: 100 mph tornado reported in Mercer County. Severe storm watch still active

How much snow is Kentucky expected to get Friday?

Not much.

Ryan Sharp, a forecaster with the NWS in Louisville, expects snowfall totals of less than an inch for much of Kentucky, describing it as a “light dusting.”

“This one’s not going to be like the Christmas outbreak,” he said, noting the Christmas severe weather system brought snow and subzero temperatures.

“The roads should handle it,” Sharp added. Warm ground temperatures are expected to hinder accumulation, he said.

In his own forecast for Herald-Leader reporting partner WKYT, meteorologist Chris Bailey wrote “light accumulations are a good bet for much of central and eastern Kentucky, with the far southeast seeing the potential for a few inches or a little more.”

A graphic Bailey shared in his forecast calls for up to an inch of snow for Central Kentucky and less in the far western corner of the state. Coatings of snow up to 2 inches thick are possible for the mountainous areas of Eastern Kentucky, with even more at higher elevations.

If you plan to be on the roads Friday, take a moment to refresh your memory on safe driving tips.

How many lost power from Kentucky storms? More than 5,000 outages reported in one county

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