Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Louisville, KY
Issued by NWS Louisville, KY
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854 FXUS63 KLMK 081805 AFDLMK Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Louisville KY 105 PM EST Mon Dec 8 2025 .KEY MESSAGES... * Winter Weather Advisory has been expanded slightly westward and extended until 1 PM EST. * Wednesday, a cold front brings limited rain chances north of the parkways. * Cooler air arrives for the weekend. Highs in the teens and lows in the single digits are possible for some. && .UPDATE... Issued at 105 PM EST Mon Dec 8 2025 Snow has tapered across the Bluegrass region, with the main area of snow now located across eastern KY and WV. The winter weather advisory was allowed to expire at 1 PM EST. Issued at 949 AM EST Mon Dec 8 2025 At this hour, water vapor imagery and 14Z SPC mesoanalysis shows the mid-level trough axis moving across the lower Ohio Valley. A concentrated area of light to moderate snow showers is now pushing to the east of Interstate 65, with this area of snow showers co- located with deeper saturation. RAP soundings show some saturation up into the DGZ, allowing for more efficient, heavier snowfall rates. So far, we`ve seen multiple reports of snowfall amounts between 0.5 and 1.5", with the heaviest amounts generally along the I-64 corridor. Short-fuse expansions to the winter weather advisory were made earlier this morning, with almost all of our KY Bluegrass counties now included through 18Z. A special weather statement also remains in effect through 17Z for minor impacts from snow for areas around the advisory. From now through early this afternoon, snow should end from west to east as we lose deeper saturation and get large-scale mid-level subsidence in the wake of the trough axis. With northerly flow and low stratus remaining over the area later today, temperatures should only marginally warm this afternoon, with forecast highs in the low- to-mid 30s remaining on target at this time. && .SHORT TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... Issued at 419 AM EST Mon Dec 8 2025 As a shortwave in the upper trough begins to push east into the Lower Ohio Valley, we are beginning to see an increase in returns on radar as saturation is starting to reach the DGZ. Temperatures have continued to fall from near 40 at 2z to just above freezing along Interstate 64. The cooling trend will continue as precipitation chances increase in the coming hours. Snow will develop over southern Indiana and over most of central Kentucky northeast of Bowling Green. Accumulations are expected to range from a dusting to slightly over an inch with the highest amounts expected in the Bluegrass. Early this afternoon, precipitation will push east out of the CWA. Skies will try to clear from the northwest to southeast throughout the day, but continued northerly winds will limit high temperatures to the 30s. Tonight, surface high pressure, centered over Michigan and western New York and extending southwest to eastern Texas, will be over southern Indiana and central Kentucky. This will calm winds under mostly clear skies, leading to radiative cooling. Temperatures fall into the upper teens to mid to upper 20s with the coolest temperatures over the Bluegrass. && .LONG TERM /TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/... Issued at 419 AM EST Mon Dec 8 2025 Tuesday, with the surface high east of Kentucky and a surface low over the western Great Lakes, the pressure gradient over the Lower Ohio Valley will drive southwest wind gusts to around 25 mph. Even with some early cloud cover, high temperatures will rocket to the low 40s to near 50. Wednesday, northwest flow will carry a low pressure system near the Indiana/Michigan border. This will drag the systems cold front through the CWA during the day, and with strong WAA in place ahead of the front, highs are expected to be in the mid 40s to mid 50s, leaving precipitation all rain. Behind the front, Wednesday night, CAA drops lows back below freezing with temperatures in the mid to upper 20s. Thursday and Friday continue to show a decent amount of uncertainty in model guidance. Northwest flow remains in place, funneling additional light precipitation chances towards southern Indiana and central Kentucky, and with temperatures during the day being slightly above freezing and slightly below at night, there could be some mixed p-types. The better signal is will cooler temperatures heading into the weekend. This weekend, upper ridging continues to amplify over the West Coast, keeping northwest flow through the CWA. Arriving Canadian air is expected to drop high temperatures into the upper teens and 20s with lows in the single digits to teens for some. && .AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z WEDNESDAY/... Issued at 1246 PM EST Mon Dec 8 2025 Light snow is clearing LEX and RGA at this hour, with visibilities expected to improve shortly. For the rest of this afternoon, the main impact to flight categories will be due to low stratus. While gradual clearing/scattering of stratus is expected this evening, exactly how fast this happens is only medium confidence. Winds will remain out of the N/NE this afternoon, with winds going light and variable this evening. VFR conditions are expected to return by Tuesday morning, with winds picking up out of the south by mid-to- late morning. 20-25 kt wind gusts are likely Tuesday afternoon, with scattered mid-level clouds expected through the day. && .LMK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... KY...None. IN...None. && $$ UPDATE...CSG SHORT TERM...KDW LONG TERM...KDW AVIATION...CSG