There really is no better place than Kentucky on the first Saturday in May. It's our day to shine. To sing "My Old Kentucky Home," to sip a julep or a lily, and to cheer on our favorite in the fastest two minutes in sports. This was supposed to be Derby weekend, and the weather would have been perfect.
After a cloudy and chilly start, conditions will improve for what should have been post time for this year's Kentucky Oaks. Sunshine will break out and temperatures will climb into the lower 70s. Tomorrow is looking even better! Outside of a stray shower early in the morning, the first Saturday in May will be dry across the Bluegrass. It will be a warm afternoon with temperatures around 80° and some shady clouds. This would have been the first completely dry Derby Day since American Pharaoh began his quest for the Triple Crown in 2015.
We'll have to wait another four months for Kentucky's day in the spotlight. Kentucky Derby 146 will be run on September 5th. The weather odds may actually be more in our favor with this new date.
September is Louisville's driest month, averaging a little over three inches of rainfall. So maybe this will be a Derby Day after all. In early September we are still enjoying some summertime warmth. Louisville's average high on September 5th is 85°. The daily record high is 104° from 1954; the coldest high temperature for the date was 69° in 2011. The warmest Derby Day was in 1959 with a high of 94°.
