PADUCAH, KY - As snow melted away over the weekend, the prospect of temperatures flirting with 70 degrees early this week gives western Kentuckians a glimpse of springtime on the horizon, after a season of predominantly below-average temperatures.

According to almanac data from the National Weather Service in Paducah, Monday and Tuesday look to be the first two-day stretch of 60+ days since February 18-20, and will add to only six days in 2014 that achieved 60 degrees. If we reach 70 on Tuesday, it will be just the second day of the year that warm.

Since January 1st, temperatures have stayed below the historic average for that day 44 times. By contrast, only 23 days of the year so far have achieved a normal or above-average high temperature.

While few of the low temperatures were record-breakers, several days ranged from 15 to 33 degrees below average.

This week's warmup will be short-lived, as high temperatures return to the 40s by Wednesday. The average high for this time of year is 58 degrees.

In spite of the rapid snowmelt of the past few days that has left yards and gravel driveways mushy and waterlogged, the runoff doesn't look to raise river levels over the short term.  The Ohio River hydrograph at Paducah registered 27.9 feet on Sunday; flood stage is 39 feet.  Even with snowmelt, the Paducah stage is forecast to be down to 21 feet by Friday.

The only local riverport near flood stage is at Cairo, where the current stage of 32.3 feet is still well below the 40-foot flood stage. River forecasts show the Cairo stage will drop below 28 feet by Friday morning. 

On the Net:

Paducah Weather Service webpage