Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Louisville, KY

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575 FXUS63 KLMK 282346 AFDLMK Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Louisville KY 746 PM EDT Fri Jun 28 2024 ...Updated Aviation Discussion... .KEY MESSAGES... * Very warm and muggy with a few showers possible this afternoon/evening. * Storm chances increase Saturday into early Sunday. Locally heavy rain and gusty winds will be the main threats. Above normal temperatures return by early/mid next week. * Another period of unsettled weather returns to the region by late Wednesday and Thursday. && .SHORT TERM /THROUGH SATURDAY/... Issued at 319 PM EDT Fri Jun 28 2024 Afternoon satellite and obs show mostly sunny skies across the region. Diurnal Cu field is in full swing across much of the area with the greatest concentration across southern KY. Temperatures as of mid-afternoon were in the mid-upper 80s in many areas, though a few spots had already hit 90. Dewpoints were in the upper 60s to the lower 70s resulting in heat indices in the low-mid 90s, though a few spots near the KY/TN border had heat index readings near 100. For the remainder of the afternoon, not much change is expected in the overall weather pattern. Mostly sunny skies are expected with highs topping out in the upper 80s and lower 90s. Latest model soundings still show a bit of a cap around 700-650mb and that should hold across southern IN and much of the northern half of Kentucky. The cap may be slightly weaker across southern KY where a few isolated showers/storms could develop later this afternoon/evening. As we move towards sunset, temps will fall back into the low-mid 80s and winds will slacken and shift to the southeast. For the overnight period, a warm night is expected across the region with some mid-high level cloudiness moving in from the northwest. Overnight lows will only drop into the mid-upper 70s. Towards dawn, we may see a few showers/storms move into our northern CWA as ongoing convection northwest of here will drift southeast and continue to wane. For Saturday, upper level shortwave trough axis will swing through the Great Lakes on its way to New England. An associated surface cold front will slowly drop southward towards the Ohio Valley during the daytime hours. Main question about temperatures tomorrow will be the effects of possible cloud cover that may be in the region. It looks like we`ll have some cloud cover to deal with and quite a bit of low-level moisture streaming into the region. Highs on the day will likely top out in the upper 80s to the lower 90s once again. Given those temps and dewpoints in the low-mid 70s will result in heat index values warming into the upper 90s and lower 100s once again. Instability will be on the increase throughout the afternoon and we should see MLCAPE values rise into the 1000-1500 J/kg range, perhaps with locally higher bubbles of instability. PWATs will be above 2 inches in most areas, but model soundings continue to show very marginal deep layer shear for supporting organized convection. We should see some scattered showers and storms develop during the afternoon in advance of the front. Given the higher instability/low shear setup along with plenty of moisture, wet microbursts and torrential rainfall will be the main hazards with any storms. Given the slow storm motions expected, some localized flooding may occur in areas that see a slow moving storm go by. && .LONG TERM /SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY/... Issued at 319 PM EDT Fri Jun 28 2024 Saturday night, a cold front will get pushed southeast through Illinois and Indiana before reaching southern Indiana and central Kentucky later in the night. Now that this period is in range of some CAM guidance, believe the first half of the night will remain mostly dry, but by the second half of the night, parts of the CWA could see scattered thunderstorms. Given the time of day, chances of severe weather will be reduced with a low level inversion in place, but with over 2,000 J/kg or MLCAPE and 2,500 J/kg of MUCAPE with added forcing from a cold front, a severe storm or two can`t be ruled out. One limiting factor will be weak deep layer shear (0-6 km) around 20-25 knots. Small hail could be realized, but the greater threat will be some gusty winds if the nearly 1,200 J/kg of DCAPE can punch through the inversion. The front will divide low temperatures as areas behind the front in southern Indiana are expected to drop into the upper 60s to near 70 while areas south will only see the low to mid 70s. On Sunday, as the front get pushed through the CWA, cold air advection will do little to limit temperatures because upper ridging and surface high pressure will bring clear sunny skies over the Lower Ohio Valley. This will help to lift temperatures into the mid to upper 80s with a few 90s possible. The CAA is expected to knock Monday`s highs lower than Sunday`s, but as the center of the surface high gets pushed across the Great Lakes, return flow will begin lifting temperatures back into the 90s by Tuesday. 90s are expected to remain through the end of the work week. By Wednesday night to Thursday an approaching cold front/upper trough moving across the Midwest will try to displace the upper ridge over the Ohio Valley, but with upper high pressure dominating over the South, the ridge will likely flatten as the front lays out over the high to the south. This will place the front over parts of the Lower Ohio Valley which would bring additional chances for showers and thunderstorms through the end of the week. && .AVIATION /00Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z MONDAY/...
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Issued at 745 PM EDT Fri Jun 28 2024 VFR conditions still appear likely throughout much of this TAF period. Expect BKN cirrus overnight with a steady, light southerly wind. Winds will veer southwesterly and increase after dawn Saturday. Spotty showers and storms will be possible Saturday, especially in the afternoon and evening hours. However, confidence in detailed precip coverage and timing is low at this time.
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&& .LMK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... KY...None. IN...None. && $$ SHORT TERM...MJ LONG TERM...KDW AVIATION...EBW