Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Indianapolis, IN
Issued by NWS Indianapolis, IN
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394 FXUS63 KIND 131838 AFDIND Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Indianapolis IN 238 PM EDT Tue Oct 13 2026 .KEY MESSAGES... - Multiple rounds of rain and scattered thunderstorms late tonight through Thursday night prior to a cold frontal passage - Sharply colder Friday with northwest wind gusts of 30 to 40 mph. - Frost and localized freeze potential late Saturday night into early Sunday morning && .DISCUSSION (This Evening through Tuesday)... Issued at 238 PM EDT Tue Oct 13 2026 After another hot afternoon...a frontal boundary will move into the area from the north tonight and Wednesday with the potential for rain and scattered thunderstorms. Chances for thunderstorms will continue through Thursday night prior to a strong cold front passing through the area. Much cooler air will expand across the region Friday into the weekend with temperatures recovering to near normal levels by early next week. Rest of This Afternoon through Thursday Night Another very warm and breezy day for central Indiana as most of the earlier mid level clouds have moved off to the east. 18Z temperatures were in the 80s with the warmest readings again across the lower Wabash Valley in the upper 80s. KIND broke their daily record high shortly after 18Z as well. Temperatures will climb a few more degrees through late afternoon with mostly sunny skies and breezy southwest winds continuing. There remains a strong likelihood of 90 degrees being reached at a number of locations across the southwest half of the forecast area. A frontal boundary across the Great Lakes this afternoon will slowly drift southeast into northern Indiana tonight as it remains nearly parallel to the mean flow aloft. Progressively deeper moisture associated with Hurricane Simon currently off the Mexican Pacific coast will advect northeast into the central Plains and then pool along the boundary into the region. This will serve as a catalyst to convective development late tonight as a westerly low level jet aligns along the boundary across the lower Great Lakes with additional convection developing initially over Kansas this evening growing upscale into an expansive convective cluster that will press into the mid Mississippi Valley by daybreak Wednesday. The bulk of the storms that develop along the boundary late tonight will remain to the north of the forecast area until the predawn hours at the earliest The convective cluster to our west will track east into the Wabash Valley Wednesday morning with showers and storms increasing in coverage into the afternoon as the boundary slides into the forecast area and rich plume of tropical moisture sidling along it expands into the region. PWATS will rise to near 2 inches Wednesday afternoon focused across the southern half of the forecast area with modest elevated instability supporting a few stronger cells that will continue into the evening as the boundary settles near or just north of the Ohio River. Showers may linger in vicinity of the boundary Wednesday night but high pressure passing to the north across the Great Lakes will advect drier mid level air into the forecast area. This will limit rainfall coverage but the presence of a sharp inversion near 850mb will trap low level moisture and clouds most if not all of the night. The front will pull back north Thursday in response to a surface low ejecting out of the central Plains in tandem with jet phasing aloft. There remains potential for a few stronger storms...especially ahead of a strong cold front that will sweep across the area late Thursday afternoon and evening with damaging winds as the most likely threat. Behind the frontal passage Thursday night...much cooler air will advect into the area 1 to 2 inches of rain is possible focused especially across the northern half of the forecast area by Thursday evening with winds becoming gusty as well as cold advection establishes in the post-frontal environment. Temps...Clouds and periodic showers and storms will keep temps ranging from the mid 70s north to the lower 80s south on Wednesday with a muggy airmass. Thursday highs will range from the 70s into the lower 80s in the lower Wabash Valley ahead of the cold front before much cooler air arrives for Friday and Saturday. Lows tonight will largely remain near 70 with low to mid 60s for most of the region Wednesday night. In the wake of the Thursday night frontal passage...lows will fall into the low and mid 50s. Friday Through Tuesday In the wake of the frontal passage early Friday...the upper trough will settle and amplify across much of the eastern half of the country into the first part of the weekend before shifting east by Sunday. The coolest air of the Fall so far will advect into the area Friday and Saturday. Intense cold advection combined with a sharp pressure gradient behind the front will likely bring strong wind gusts peaking at 35 to 40 mph throughout the day Friday along with diurnal cu and perhaps a few light showers across the northeast half of the forecast area. Winds will relax Friday night into Saturday as a 1035mb surface high moves across the area. Return flow will develop as early as Sunday with the high moving east into the Mid Atlantic region. Deep subsidence supports an extended period of mainly clear skies Saturday into early next week. Highs in the upper 50s and lower 60s are anticipated on Friday but the gusty winds and diurnal cu development within the cold advection regime will likely make that feel a bit cooler. Low level thermals support the coolest daytime temperatures in the mid and upper 50s Saturday before recovery back into the low and mid 70s Monday and Tuesday. While a lack of boundary layer decoupling will likely limit frost accrual to sheltered locales Friday night...but confidence remains high in a widespread frost for much of the area on Saturday night as lows fall into the 30s. Subfreezing temperatures possible for some of our normal cool spots as well Saturday night. Frost/ Freeze headlines will likely be needed. Lows will return to the mid and upper 40s by early next week. && .AVIATION (18Z TAF Issuance)... Issued at 1158 AM EDT Tue Oct 13 2026 Impacts: - Southwest wind gusts peaking at 20 to 25kts through the afternoon - Scattered showers developing from the predawn hours into Wednesday Discussion: An area of mid level clouds with isolated showers will shift east of north central Indiana by 18Z with much of the area seeing a decrease in cloud coverage into the early evening. Southwest winds will gust up to 20 to 25kts at times through the afternoon before diminishing during the evening. Clouds will increase from the northwest overnight as a frontal boundary drifts into the area from the north. Convection along the boundary should remain north of the terminals through the first half of the night with a gradual increase in precipitation coverage beginning in the predawn hours and continuing into the day Wednesday. More widespread shower coverage will develop Wednesday afternoon. Wind direction will be variable on Wednesday withe the front sliding south into the region. && .IND WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...None. && $$ AVIATION...Ryan DISCUSSION...Ryan