Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Louisville, KY
Issued by NWS Louisville, KY
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341 FXUS63 KLMK 151801 AFDLMK Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Louisville KY 101 PM EST Sat Nov 15 2025 ...Updated Aviation Discussion... .KEY MESSAGES... * Warm and breezy today, with highs in the 70s. * Brief light rain showers possible tonight along a cold front, especially east of I-65. * Cool and dry Sunday and Monday. * Widespread light to moderate rainfall expected late Monday night and Tuesday. && .SHORT TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... Issued at 336 AM EST Sat Nov 15 2025 A cold front associated with a potent storm system over central Canada is draped southwest through the Upper Midwest and central Plains early this morning. Moisture advection via 25-30 kt WSW flow at 850 mb is helping clouds fill in over southern IN and central KY. Given the increasing cloud cover and steady SW winds at the surface, temperatures will be unusually mild this morning. Today, an upper level trough is forecast to dig southeast over Ontario. A deepening sfc low is forecast to move southeast across the Great Lakes beneath the left exit region of an upper jet streak over the Upper Midwest. The cold front will push southeast through a good portion of IL and IN today. Out ahead of it, we will get a very warm and breezy day. Temperatures will surge into the 70s this afternoon, and the Bowling Green region in the SW CWA could make it into the upper 70s. BWG could easily come within a couple of degrees of the daily record high of 80 set in 1931. Even shallow mixing this afternoon will tap into stronger SW flow. SW winds will increase to 10-20 mph today, with afternoon gusts likely peaking around 30-35 mph. Tonight, the cold front sweeps through the area. Hi-res model guidance suggests a narrow line of showers will move southeast through southern IN and the eastern half of KY. Some very weak instability (< 200 J/kg MUCAPE) could be present in southeastern IN and the KY Bluegrass Region. However, there`s only around a 10% chance for a thunderstorm. But the northeastern and eastern portions of the forecast area will have the best chance at seeing a brief moderate shower. QPF is light due to limited moisture and very limited residence time of showers at any one location. Winds veer northwesterly early Sunday morning, with temperatures settling into the mid 40s to lower 50s. && .LONG TERM /SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/... Issued at 336 AM EST Sat Nov 15 2025 Sunday and Monday continue to look cool and dry with high pressure building in from the NW in the wake of the cold front. Expect mostly clear skies, with highs in the mid 50s to around 60. Lows Monday morning will likely dip into the upper 20s to lower 30s with high pressure in place. Monday night, an upper level shortwave trough and sfc reflection will move across the central Plains toward the MS Valley. A warm front may set up west to east in the vicinity of central KY Monday night into Tuesday. Increasing SW flow moisture advection and isentropic lift ahead of the approaching wave will likely produce widespread rain late Mon night and Tue. Confidence is low on any sfc- based instability, but there is a chance for thunderstorms during this period as well. The ECMWF EFI for CAPE is notably high at 0.7- 0.8, increasing confidence in at least some elevated instability. Tuesday night through Friday night remains a lower confidence forecast. However, this period does look fairly unsettled with potential for moderate to heavy rainfall at times. Some guidance suggests a quasi-stationary boundary left behind by the Tue system could linger over the forecast area throughout the midweek time frame. This boundary would likely lift north of the area by Thursday in response to a deepening trough over the southern CONUS. Occasional bouts of rain showers are possible Tue night through Thu with that boundary lingering in the region. However, confidence is low on the timing and coverage of showers. Medium range guidance continues to key in on a strong upper level trough over the southern and central Plains, which should then eject northeast toward the Ohio Valley late next week. A potentially dynamic low pressure system could bring windy conditions and perhaps heavy rainfall with a cold frontal passage around the Friday time frame. && .AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z MONDAY/... Issued at 1259 PM EST Sat Nov 15 2025 As a cold front approaches from the west-northwest this afternoon and evening we will have to contend with the gusty SW winds with gusts between 25-30 kts. High to mid-level clouds have been moving through but VFR flight categories will prevail as we go into the evening. Cold front will work across the Ohio Valley overnight and we could see some light showers from SDF with higher probability towards LEX. Winds will shift out of the NW and remain gusty as the front moves through. We could see borderline MVFR for SDF with a better chance for LEX. Once front moves through, skies will clear, still a bit of a breeze but VFR flight categories. && .LMK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... KY...None. IN...None. && $$ SHORT TERM...EBW LONG TERM...EBW AVIATION...BTN