Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Louisville, KY

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578 FXUS63 KLMK 150519 AFDLMK Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Louisville KY 119 AM EDT Sat Jun 15 2024 .KEY MESSAGES... * Above normal temperatures expected Sunday into next week. Spotty showers and storms possible next week as well, particularly on Monday, though confidence in their development remains low. && .UPDATE... Issued at 933 PM EDT Fri Jun 14 2024 A dew point front has drifted south to the Ohio River this evening, with dew points in the lower 70s ahead of the boundary in central Kentucky, and in the 50s behind the boundary in central Indiana. This boundary will continue to sink south into central Kentucky tonight, pushed forward by high pressure strengthening and expanding over the Great Lakes. A light north breeze and the drier air coming in will limit fog formation, but some patchy fog in sheltered eastern valleys will be possible around dawn, especially in spots that got rain right before sunset today. Low temperatures tonight will generally be in the lower and middle 60s. && .SHORT TERM /THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON/... Issued at 231 PM EDT Fri Jun 14 2024 Weak frontal boundary is pushing through our southern Indiana counties and is nearing the Ohio River at this hour (1830z). As is typical with June `cold` fronts, there is a minimal temperature gradient but lower dewpoints (50s) have been observed in central Illinois. Models still indicate we could see some very isolated convection develop this afternoon near the frontal boundary, and a cu-field has recently developed as the low levels have destabilized. AMDAR soundings from SDF reveal a weak capping inversion near 850mb that has steadily eroded through the day, and once this erodes a bit more, we should start to see the potential for isolated showers/storms increase. A quick environmental analysis shows marginal deep layer shear (20-30kts) co-located with modest MLCAPE (1000-1500 J/KG), but very high DCAPE (1000-1400 J/KG). If we are able to get a storm with a modest core aloft, given the high DCAPEs, it would have the potential to produce very gusty winds along with heavy rainfall. Shower/Storm chances should taper off this evening with the setting sun and an increasing nocturnal inversion. Drier air will filter in from the northwest behind the front, and we`ll stay dry and mostly clear going into tomorrow. Temperatures behind the front won`t change much as we`re expecting another warm day Saturday (highs in the mid/upper 80s), but dewpoints should steadily decrease into the 50s for most spots to help make the warmer temperatures a bit more bearable. && .LONG TERM /TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY/... Issued at 231 PM EDT Fri Jun 14 2024 Saturday night - Sunday night... Upper level ridging centered over the Southeast US slowly builds eastward late in the weekend. At 850 mb, southwesterly low-level flow develops by late Saturday night into Sunday as ridging slips east across the Appalachians. Warmer air is advected northward into the region, and 1000-850 mb thicknesses rise quite a bit relative to Saturday. With a dry airmass in place, temperatures will likely end up several degrees warmer with afternoon highs in the low to mid 90s. Sunday morning lows are forecast to be in the low to mid 60s, fairly typical for this time of year. Increasing low-level moisture via steady southerly return flow late Sunday into Monday will result in a warmer night with Monday morning lows in the lower 70s in most places. Monday - Tuesday... Upper level ridging amplifies over the eastern United States next week and will be very slow to progress eastward. Southerly low-level flow will continue to bring a stream of moisture up the Mississippi River Valley and into the Lower OH Valley. PW values push past 1.5 inches, around 1 SD above normal. LREF members do show a notable uptick in SBCAPE Monday afternoon and evening with median values above 1000 J/kg. However, there isn`t really any forcing of note other than pure convection. Isolated pulse showers/storms will be possible, which could briefly knock back the heat and humidity. However, precip coverage should remain fairly limited. Given the increased low-level moisture on Monday and potential for an expanding diurnal cumulus field, confidence in afternoon high temperatures is a bit lower. Still think we could see low to mid 90s once again, but this forecast is toward the upper end of the model distribution. These values would yield heat indices near 100 Monday afternoon and early evening. Tuesday still looks mainly dry and hot with highs in the low to mid 90s. Tuesday night - Thursday... Strong ridging aloft will expand its influence over our region through the middle of next week, even as it becomes centered further northeast. Dry weather appears likely at this time with our heat wave continuing. Highs in the 90s are likely each day with morning lows in the upper 60s and lower 70s. && .AVIATION /06Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z SUNDAY/...
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Issued at 107 AM EDT Sat Jun 15 2024 Diffuse cold front is draped just south of the Ohio River, with lower dewpoints filtering into SDF but moisture pooling still noted at LEX and BWG. Expect the front to drop just far enough south to return LEX to VFR by 08Z, with lower confidence at BWG. Light N-NE winds behind the front will veer to ENE and increase to just shy of 10 kt shortly after daybreak as high pressure over the Great Lakes asserts its influence.
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&& .LMK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... KY...None. IN...None. && $$ UPDATE...13 SHORT TERM...DM LONG TERM...EBW AVIATION...RAS