Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Jackson, KY

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165 FXUS63 KJKL 270550 AAA AFDJKL AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED National Weather Service Jackson KY 150 AM EDT Mon May 27 2024 .KEY MESSAGES...
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- One last round of severe thunderstorms are moving through overnight, with damaging winds isolated tornadoes being the main threats. - Locally heavy rainfall could lead to isolated flash flooding tonight, particularly in the Lake Cumberland region. - Generally cooler and less humid weather will arrive over the next several days. Warmer and somewhat more humid weather is forecast to make a comeback next weekend, with our next area wide chance of showers and thunderstorms.
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&& .UPDATE...
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Issued at 130 AM EDT MON MAY 27 2024 The expected thunderstorm line is quickly moving into eastern Kentucky with the strongest storms in the southern parts of the line. Other locations will need to be watched closely for severe or tor potential at the storm scale. With this very minor update just tweaked the leading edge of the squall line in the forecast PoP grids along with adding in the current obs and trends for the T/Td/Sky ones. These tiny adjustments have been sent to the NDFD and web servers. UPDATE Issued at 1155 PM EDT SUN MAY 26 2024 Looks like the last round of severe weather is on the way as a large MCS continues to grow to the west with its leading edge accelerating toward eastern Kentucky. The kinematics and fuel will be in place to sustain the severe threat well into the night with expectations for a QLCS squall line to blow through between 1 and 5 AM. There will continue to be a threat for tornadoes from any discrete cells ahead of the main line while quick hitting spin-up tornadoes will be possible along the line while damaging wind gust spread through the CWA - perhaps weakening as they approach the easternmost parts. For this reason, in conjunction with SPC, a tornado watch is in effect for the entire area through 6 am. The flood threat remains heightened for the Lake Cumberland area of eastern Kentucky thanks also to earlier rains. A flood watch continues there while more localized flooding remains a concern elsewhere depending on training and cell mergers during the overnight event. The forecast has been updated for these threats with the PoPs, QPF, and thunder adjusted per the latest radar and CAMs trends. Did also add in the current obs and tendencies for the T/Td/Sky grids. These adjustments have been sent to the NDFD and web servers along with a freshening of the zones, HWO, SAFs, and Flood Watch. UPDATE Issued at 745 PM EDT SUN MAY 26 2024 23Z sfc analysis shows a meso high associated with the earlier storms and their cold pool just east of Kentucky now and this is creating a fairly tight pressure gradient through the area as low pressure is approaching from the west. This gradient is also allowing a steady flow of charged air to move back into eastern Kentucky from the southwest. This is expected to help sustain and fuel the next round of severe weather around or just after midnight moving in from west to east. Currently, temperatures are running in the mid to upper 60s most places with low 70s noted north and still rain cooled low 60s in the far east. Meanwhile, amid those southerly winds of 10 mph - with higher gusts, dewpoints are rebounding and climbing back into the mid and upper 60s in the southwest parts of the JKL CWA - and still coming up from the low 60s in the northeast. Have updated the forecast to cover the pcpn lull this evening and its resurgence leading into the ramp up after midnight from the next round of storms per the latest CAMs trends. Did also include the current obs and tendencies for the T/Td/Sky grids with this update. These adjustments have been sent to the NDFD and web servers.
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&& .SHORT TERM...(This evening through Monday night) Issued at 629 PM EDT SUN MAY 26 2024 Our daytime round of convection is departing to the southeast, with mainly stratiform rain and a bit of rumbling remaining in southeast KY. However, more active wx is on the way. A strong surface low is passing northeast over the upper Midwest, with a cold front stretching south southwestward. Aloft, flow is brisk with a shortwave trough approaching from the west. Although substantive heating is finished for the day, advection of mild, moist air northward ahead of the front will provide instability. ML CAPE is expected to be in the 1500-2000 J/KG range late tonight. Another MCS is expected to travel southeast through the region late tonight and tap into the instability. The system will emanate from the storms currently underway over MO. A linear system is expected by the time the storms get here, which will present wind as a primary threat. However, very favorable shear (directional and speed) is shown in forecast soundings, and this would also present an increased risk of embedded QLCS tornadoes. With a Flood Watch already in place until Monday morning, wet ground from today`s rain, and more thunderstorms on the way, will leave it in place. However, if tonight`s storms are progressive (as it looks like they may be) the threat will be somewhat lessened. The system will be exiting southeast early Monday morning, taking our severe wx threat with it. A meaningful change in surface air mass will be gradual, and a few more showers or thunderstorms can`t be ruled out during the day. However, instability will be weaker and air aloft will be extremely dry. Significant convection is not expected to regenerate. Any precip should be gone by late Monday evening, with fair wx overnight as drier low level air continues to make its way in. .LONG TERM...(Tuesday through Sunday) Issued at 657 PM EDT SUN MAY 26 2024 Upper level longwave troughing will dominate the eastern CONUS through most of the upcoming week, providing cooler and less humid weather. Multiple shortwave troughs will rotate through the larger trough during this time. As one of these passes by, there is a potential for a few showers/thunderstorms to POP up as far southwest as the JKL forecast area on Wednesday afternoon, but the POP remains low. The main upper level trough is expected to shift eastward during the weekend, and transient ridging should pass over us from west to east while surface high pressure also departs to the east. A return of southerly winds, warming temperatures aloft, and at least partial sun on Saturday will bring a warm-up. By Sunday a shortwave trough impinges on the departing ridge and could find enough moisture returned to the area to bring showers and thunderstorms. && .AVIATION...
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(For the 06Z TAFS through 06Z Monday night) ISSUED AT 150 AM EDT MON MAY 27 2024 The main aviation concern during the TAF window is upon us as another period of thunderstorms with strong gusty winds are now moving into the area. Still see a two to three hour window for the line of storms to move in from the west through 09Z for most places. Went with a tempo to IFR or lower and gusts to 40 kts to cover this threat. Some storms may linger in the area through the day on Monday, but much more widely scattered, so did keep some VCTS around into Monday afternoon. Most places will see clearing late in the day. Winds will be southerly at 10 kts or less until the storms move through with significantly high gusts possible. Then look for winds to become more southwesterly to west at 10 to 15 knots along with higher gusts later Monday morning and into the afternoon. Currently some LLWS has developed from the southwest at near 40 kts - clearing out by dawn.
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&& .JKL WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
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Flood Watch until 8 AM EDT this morning for KYZ079-083-084.
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&& $$ UPDATE...GREIF SHORT TERM...HAL LONG TERM...HAL AVIATION...GREIF