Kentucky Mesonet

For perspective, average rainfall for March and April ranges between 4"-5" across the state. Several stations in the south-central and southeast portions failed to even reach that range for those two months combined. #kywx

🧵At the end of a meteorological #spring that had been remarkably dry for most of the Commonwealth, significant rainfall made a comeback at the end of May. Precipitation totals for last month exceeded those of the two previous months combined for many.

@KYClimate @NOAADrought Webinars are regularly scheduled for the 1st THU of the month, with the opportunity of additional webinars in the case of drought episodes. YouTube Channel: youtube.com/channel/UCDg3h… Please let me know if you have any questions, and we look forward to seeing you THU at 2pm ET!#kywx

@KYClimate @NOAADrought Just click on the Zoom link below and then input the meeting ID and passcode below. Zoom link: wku.zoom.us/j/94568216001... Meeting ID: 945 6821 6001 Passcode: 957822 There is also the option to view the presentation live on our YouTube channel.

Happy Monday, June 1st everyone, Please join us this THURSDAY (June 4th) at 2pm ET / 1pm CT as @wkuogden's Dr. Jerry Brotzge takes us through a look back at May, current conditions, and outlooks, followed by a time for questions and feedback.

That said, just as it takes time for drought to develop, it takes time for it to subside. Also, this week's update does not account for rain that has fallen since mid-morning Tuesday, when indices used in the U.S. Drought Monitor are tabulated. #kywx

The portion of the state officially in drought (D2 or worse) also declined by roughly 10%. Rainfall amounts from the past week-to-14 days vary widely from county to county. However, many locations have seen rainfall accumulate over 5" in that period.

🧵This morning's updated #DroughtMonitor from @NOAADrought shows marked improvement from last week, thanks to significant recent rains. The most-expansive area of red - D3 (Extreme Drought) - shrunk from encompassing nearly half the state a week ago to now just ~ 5% of the state.

This is our 87th site in our 81st county. We are grateful for the partnership with Daviess Co. Fiscal Court & the Daviess Co. Emergency Management Agency for helping to make this happen! We aren't stopping here. More growth is planned for our network in 2026...stay tuned!! #kywx

This new site, located 5 miles SW of downtown Owensboro, lies in a position that will catch much of the weather that moves into our state's 4th largest city. The site is equipped with all standard weather-measuring sensors, including soil probes as well as a real-time webcam.

👀NEW: In case you haven't noticed, there's a hole that's been filled in our network over the NW corner of the state. The Commonwealth's official weather and climate monitoring network welcomes Daviess County to our growing family of stations!!

From rain shafts to shelf clouds, there's plenty of thunderstorm action to view on our webcams in the western region of the state this afternoon! #kywx

🐇Rabbit Season: Look what lead field technician Gavin Connors discovered hanging out beneath our battery box at the @WKUAgriculture Farm site! #kywx

A glance at 24-Hour Rainfall since mid-morning Monday shows who the clear winners were in the rain department: Right along the Ohio River in the state's NW corner. Our station in Union County near Morganfield has received the most (1.85"), with Henderson Co. not far behind. #kywx

🌬️All-time maximum wind gust: 67.5 mph (3/3/2023) #kywx

Site of the Week: Marion County (8 mi NW of Lebanon) ✅First online: 5/20/2011 🔴All-time maximum temp: 103F (7/7/2012) 🔵All-time minimum temp: -16F (2/20/2015) 🟢All-time maximum dew point: 81.2F (7/12/2011) 🌧️All-time maximum 24-hour precipitation: 4.90" (6/29/2020)

A pattern change is about to get underway, however. More unsettled weather with repeated rounds of showers & storms are in the offing TUE into the weekend. At this time, @NWSWPC projects 1-3" of rain across the Commonwealth over the next seven days. #kywx

🧵🥵🌧️Weekend Recap: For the first time in 2026, several of our sites saw readings soar into the 90s! The hottest was Cumberland County near Burkesville (91F). As for rain, most were shut out over the weekend, with the exception of stations mainly N of I-64 in north-central KY.

Note the historical impacts associated with the status of each. Soil moisture at a 4" depth, as measured by our hydraprobes, reveal < 20% water fraction by volume at many sites. One site (Taylor County) shows this value as low as 10%. #kywx

🧵This morning's updated #DroughtMonitor from @NOAADrought shows a gradual spread in drought conditions across much of the Commonwealth. This is especially true for the areas of D2, which now encompasses 57% of the state, as well as D3, which takes in nearly 21% of the state.