Kentucky Mesonet

Kentucky Mesonet The Kentucky Mesonet is a network of research-grade automated weather and climate monitoring stations

Compare and Contrast: Total precipitation for 2026 continues to lag well behind what many across the state had received ...
06/04/2026

Compare and Contrast: Total precipitation for 2026 continues to lag well behind what many across the state had received by this same date a year ago.

These two graphs pulled from our Kentucky Climate Center webpage for Fulton County in the west and Knox County in the east illustrate the vast difference very well. So far in 2026, our Fulton Co. site near Hickman has picked up less than half of the precipitation it had received by this point in 2025. In Knox County near Barbourville, just over 16" of precipitation has accumulated so far this year, more than 14" shy of last year's total to date. Note the average rainfall (cyan color) shows that normal yearly rainfall-to-date for both sites to date is ~ 25".

Customize your precipitation graphs for multiple years at various stations under the 'Mesonet Climate' tab on the Kentucky Climate Center website!

This morning's updated from National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) shows a one class improvement in ma...
06/04/2026

This morning's updated from National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) shows a one class improvement in many areas that had been in D3 ('Extreme Drought') back in mid/late May. In addition, drought now encompasses less of the state vs. last week (69%, down from 80%). Areas generally north of I-64 and in far NW KY are drought-free.

That said, there are still pockets of D2 ('Severe Drought') and D3 showing up across portions of south-central and southeastern KY. So far, the month of June is off to a dry start for much of the central, Blue Grass, and eastern climate regions. Bottom line...more widespread rain will be needed to eliminate the ongoing drought.

🔵 Is it June or October? Cool was the rule this morning, as many stations saw temperatures tumble into the 40s, especial...
06/03/2026

🔵 Is it June or October? Cool was the rule this morning, as many stations saw temperatures tumble into the 40s, especially in the eastern region. The chilliest minimum reading was recorded at our site in Lewis County near Vanceburg...just shy of 45F!

We have a minor website update with a few new features that just went live.Home station selection: When you first visit ...
06/03/2026

We have a minor website update with a few new features that just went live.

Home station selection: When you first visit www.kymesonet.org if you have not selected a home station you will now be given a prompt to help walk you through this process. This was the #1 feedback we received after launching our new website. We really hope this will help folks out.

Data Heatmaps: For both temperature & precipitation/moisture, these heatmaps really improve visualizing and understanding what's going on above and below the ground. You can see the rain and heat as it sinks into the ground, it’s pretty neat stuff!
https://www.kymesonet.org/data/graph/?graph=Temperature+Profile&interval=96&som=english&resolution=60
https://www.kymesonet.org/data/graph/?resolution=60&graph=Moisture+Profile&interval=96&som=english

CoCoRaHS Formatted Rain Totals: We have created a new product to help support our community observers. We now have a product that shows Mesonet rain totals from 7am-7am. Find out more about this program at https://www.cocorahs.org/, and become a citizen observer today!
https://www.kymesonet.org/partners/cocorahs

We have a lot more products in the works and many are based on feedback from the community. We appreciate everyone who has provided us feedback to help us build the best Mesonet for the commonwealth we can.

Thanks a bundle,
Andrew Q
The Mesonet Computer Person

🌧 At the end of a meteorological that had been remarkably dry for most of the Commonwealth, significant rainfall made ...
06/02/2026

🌧 At the end of a meteorological 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. 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.

🌧 Torrential downpours have been noted over parts of the western region this morning where heavy thunderstorms are dropp...
06/01/2026

🌧 Torrential downpours have been noted over parts of the western region this morning where heavy thunderstorms are dropping SE. The highest amounts are over the Jackson Purchase region. Calloway County near Murray has picked up well > 1" of rain in just one hour's time! Six-hour rainfall tallies have exceeded 2" at Marshall County near Benton, where standing water is visible via our we**am.

Happy Monday, June 1st everyone,Please join us this THURSDAY (June 4th) at 2pm ET / 1pm CT as Ogden College of Science &...
06/01/2026

Happy Monday, June 1st everyone,

Please join us this THURSDAY (June 4th) at 2pm ET / 1pm CT as Ogden College of Science & Engineering at WKU's Dr. Jerry Brotzge takes us through a look back at May, current conditions, and outlooks, followed by a time for questions and feedback. We'll take a look at where we are drought-wise, and what the outlooks portend going forward. This webinar is hosted by the Kentucky Climate Center in partnership with National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) and in coordination with the Midwest Drought Early Warning System.

Just click on the Zoom link below and then input the meeting ID and passcode below.

Zoom link: https://wku.zoom.us/j/94568216001?pwd=0GjvTakenO0QcN77FAUbNO5NViBGCa.1
Meeting ID: 945 6821 6001
Passcode: 957822

There is also the option to view the presentation live on our YouTube channel. Webinars are regularly scheduled for the first Thursday of the month, with the opportunity of additional webinars in the case of drought episodes.

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDg3h8leOZa0wHap90rX5Rw

Please let me know if you have any questions, and we look forward to seeing you this Thursday at 2pm ET / 1pm CT!
- KY Climate Center Team

This morning's updated from National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) shows marked improvement from last ...
05/28/2026

This morning's updated from National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) shows marked improvement from last week, thanks to significant, recent rains. The most expansive area of red - a representation of D3 (Extreme Drought) - shrunk from encompassing nearly half the Commonwealth a week ago to now covering just ~ 5% of the state. 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. 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.

Images captured by our we**am near Stanton earlier this evening. This cell prompted a tornado warning to be issued for p...
05/27/2026

Images captured by our we**am near Stanton earlier this evening. This cell prompted a tornado warning to be issued for portions of Powell County and surrounding areas of eastern KY. Note the rain wrapping around the base of the cloud structure as the storm passed through (captured 6:34pm ET) and the wall cloud later evident from the cell. (captured 6:54pm ET).

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2413 Nashville Road Suite 301
Bowling Green, KY
42101

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+12707454567

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