Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Louisville, KY

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674 FXUS63 KLMK 011033 AFDLMK Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Louisville KY 633 AM EDT Mon Jul 1 2024 ...Updated Aviation Discussion... .KEY MESSAGES... * Very pleasant weather to start July with temperatures around 10 degrees below normal for both today and tonight. * Unsettled weather Wednesday through Friday and possibly into the weekend with daily chances of showers and storms. Rain chances on Independence Day 70-90%. Widespread severe weather not expected, but locally torrential downpours and gusty winds will be possible. Lightning is a threat with any thunderstorm. * Heat index Wednesday afternoon may reach 100-105 degrees. && .SHORT TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... Issued at 259 AM EDT Mon Jul 1 2024 July kicks off with very pleasant weather and plenty of sunshine for the Ohio Valley, thanks to sfc high pressure centered to our north. Winds from the NNE will continue to promote a CAA pattern and filter in much drier air. Dewpoints this afternoon will drop into the upper 40s and lower 50s, which will be quite a noticeable change from the last few days. Temperatures will peak in the upper 70s and low 80s this afternoon, some 10 degrees below climate normals. For tonight, the sfc high will be slowly shifting eastward. A very weak and subtle mid-level wave will be riding over the ridge, and should bring an increase in mid-level clouds this evening. Otherwise, light sfc winds will become an easterly flow by early Tuesday morning as the high moves away. It should be a good radiational cooling night, and will likely see temps cool into the 50s. Lows will be around 10 degrees cooler than normal. && .LONG TERM /TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/... Issued at 259 AM EDT Mon Jul 1 2024 Southern U.S. upper ridging will build northward into the Ohio Valley Tuesday, while surface high pressure crosses New York. This will put us in a warm return flow regime, resulting in a return to summertime heat with highs around 90. Moisture from a slightly anomalously warm Gulf of Mexico will flow northward, causing a 12-14 degree rise in dew points over the course of the day. Wednesday will start off warm with sunrise temperatures in the lower and middle 70s. The New York high will slip off the East Coast and the upper ridge will flatten slightly south of an upper trough over eastern Canada. We`ll have weak shear and very weak mid-level lapse rates, but plenty of moisture and instability for some diurnal thunderstorm development, especially in southern Indiana and west central Kentucky farther away from the southern upper ridge. Locally torrential downpours and gusty winds would be the main threats. Slow storm motion around 10-20 mph may lead to local water issues in the heavier storms, though the storms should rain themselves out fairly quickly. With the heat and humidity, heat index values will reach the 100-105 degree range (WBGT 83-86, moderate). Wednesday should be the most uncomfortable day of the week. The Fourth: Strengthening 5H shortwave trough over the northern Plains will further suppress the southern upper ridge while a warm and muggy air mass remains in place. Widespread showers and storms are expected. The best chance for severe storms will be to our northwest over Nebraska, northern Missouri, and Iowa closer to a 500mb speed max cruising across the central Plains. However, once again locally torrential downpours and gusty winds will be possible with the storms here in the Ohio Valley with seasonally strong instability, weak shear, high atmospheric moisture content, and very high freezing levels. And, not to be forgotten, lightning is a threat with any thunderstorm. Folks with plans for outdoor Independence Day activities should monitor the forecast closely. Like Wednesday, Thursday will also start off quite warm with temperatures in the 70s. ECMWF EFI shows unusually warm minimum temperatures expected, and the current forecast puts record warm lows for the 4th in jeopardy. Thursday`s upper wave will cross the Great Lakes and continue our thunderstorm chances here, with additional locally heavy rains possible. Confidence in the forecast decreases for the weekend, but the region will still be on the periphery of the southern upper ridge with occasional impulses in the faster flow across the northern half of the country, so will hold on to small PoPs. && .AVIATION /12Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z TUESDAY/...
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Issued at 633 AM EDT Mon Jul 1 2024 VFR conditions are expected through the current forecast period as sfc high pressure sits to our north. Winds will be from the NE today, generally sustained around 10-12kts, though some breezes upwards of 20kts are possible this afternoon. SKC is expected until this evening, when we should see some high-level cirrus begin to quietly stream across the region. No impacts to the terminals expected with this TAF package.
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&& .LMK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... KY...None. IN...None. && $$ SHORT TERM...CJP LONG TERM...13 AVIATION...CJP