Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Jackson, KY

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369 FXUS63 KJKL 180542 AFDJKL AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION National Weather Service Jackson KY 142 AM EDT Wed Sep 18 2024 .KEY MESSAGES...
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- Additional shower (and possible thunderstorm) chances will occur through Thursday. - A warming trend will lead to temperatures around 10 degrees above normal over the upcoming weekend.
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&& .UPDATE... Issued at 1214 AM EDT WED SEP 18 2024 Forecast is on track, and meaningful precip looks to be done for the night. Have blended late evening obs into the forecast without any substantive changes. UPDATE Issued at 909 PM EDT TUE SEP 17 2024 Precip has been on an overall decline this evening. The most significant showers remaining are in our southwest counties. Have updated the POP for this evening based on these trends, with mainly a sub-20% POP to follow for the overnight, as models and radar would suggest. && .SHORT TERM...(This evening through Wednesday night) Issued at 507 PM EDT TUE SEP 17 2024 Upper level low and associated surface wave will spin its way up the northern half of the Piedmont during the short term, opening up into a trough as it tracks towards New England. Short wave energy rotating around the low will keep the threat of some type of afternoon convection in place across portions eastern Kentucky through the period. There is a band of showers, and further upstream, thunderstorms lining up along the NC/VA state line that is moving downstream into eastern Kentucky. SPC mesoanalysis shows a lobe of MLCAPE nosing its way as far northwest as Wise, VA. But otherwise, the better instability remains outside of our forecast area. This line takes on an increased east to west orientation with time. Consequently, this source of moisture into eastern Kentucky will eventually get shunted off to the south of our area by this evening. Sensible weather features an unsettled short term, with the bonus of the chance of receiving some much needed rain, even if relatively meager in amounts. Being at an upslope location, Big Black Mountain has come out on top with almost 1.5 inches of rainfall today. Totals drop off quickly from there with around a half inch directly down from Black Mountain, across the immediate tier of counties from the VA state line. From there, the next tier of counties going west- northwest had just under a quarter of an inch of rainfall, with lesser amounts further to the west- northwest, around a tenth or less of precipitation. Up to another tenth of an inch on average will be possible through the short term...where showers pass. Have not seen any thunder thus far and expect that to remain the case in general through the remainder of the late afternoon and evening. However, with MLCAPES of 750-1000 J/kg, there is slightly better instability to work with on Wednesday. .LONG TERM...(Thursday through Tuesday) Issued at 438 PM EDT TUE SEP 17 2024 The 17/12z model suite 500H analysis beginning Thursday morning shows a lingering trough from southern New England SSW into the Carolinas. Meanwhile, a narrow but robust, positively-tilted ridge extends from an ~591 dam high over Coahuila, Mexico NE over the Mid-Mississippi Valley and Western Great Lakes and then N across the Hudson Bay. West of the ridge, there is a mean trough with embedded closed lows over southern Saskatchewan/Manitoba and also along the Central California coast. At the surface, a subtle trough lingers along the western slopes of the Central Appalachians amidst a larger area of high pressure extending into the Ohio Valley from out of eastern Canada. A potent ~990 mb low is found under the first upstream low over southcentral Canada and is attended by a wavy cold front that extends down the High Plains all the way into Mexico. The 500H troughing to our east slowly departs on Thursday/ Thursday night and any surface disturbance dissipates, ending the threat for any lingering PoPs. Ridging subsequently becomes more positively tilted across Ohio Valley by Friday as the first 500H low and its surface reflection become vertically stacked and decay over Central Canada while the associated cold front slows out over the Upper Midwest and stalls. Ahead of that boundary, an increasingly mild west to southwesterly flow sends 850mb temperatures back into the 17-19C range across eastern Kentucky for Saturday and Sunday, setting the stage for well above normal temperatures. Meanwhile, the second 500H low passes over the Four Corners on Saturday and ejects out onto the Central Plains Sunday. This next upper low fosters renewed cyclogenesis in the baroclinic zone of the remnant cold front near/over eastern Colorado on Saturday night. This new surface low tracks northeast to near Chicago, IL by late Monday/early Tuesday, dragging the trailing cold front to over the Lower Ohio Valley. By this point in the forecast period, there are substantial model-to-model differences in the intensity and timing of the front. Given the uncertainty, the NBM was left unchanged, aside from some very minor adjustments to account for topography. In sensible terms, a lingering small chance (15-30 PoP) for showers and thunderstorms will still be possible east of a Paintsville-to- Jackson-to-Barbourville line. Otherwise, mostly sunny skies are expected to accompany maximum temperatures in the lower to middle 80s. Fair skies follow for Friday and the weekend with temperatures reaching the mid 80s for most locations on Friday and then mid to upper 80s on both weekend days. A few thermometer readings near 90F cannot be ruled out on either Saturday or Sunday. Nighttime lows range from the mid 50s to mid 60s through the weekend. Normal daily high temperatures for September 21st and 22nd are in the mid 70s to near 80 and lows range in the 50s. Heading into the new work week, forecaster confidence is low due to model spread. NBM-based forecast favors increased cloud cover, slight rain chances, and closer to normal temperatures returning the forecast on Monday and Tuesday as the next cold front approaches. && .AVIATION...
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(For the 06Z TAFS through 06Z Wednesday night) ISSUED AT 142 AM EDT WED SEP 18 2024 A combination of conditions exist across the area with this TAF issuance. Southern terminals (KJKL, KSJS, KLOZ and KSME) are expected to fall into categorical IFR to MVFR overnight. Terminal KSYM is expected to fluctuate between MVFR/VFR overnight. Fog/low- level stratus will continue through the early morning before improving to MVFR/VFR by the early afternoon. As this system, that`s brought the lowered CIGS and showers, continues to impact the area; a renewed chance of showers and thunderstorms will develop Wednesday afternoon after 18Z through 22Z before dissipating. Showers and storms may cause brief reductions in VSBY. Toward the end of the period, CIGS are expected to fall again into categorical MVFR overnight Wednesday. Light and variable winds are forecast to persist through the period.
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&& .JKL WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && $$ UPDATE...HAL SHORT TERM...RAY LONG TERM...GEERTSON AVIATION...VORST