


Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Louisville, KY
Issued by NWS Louisville, KY
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561 FXUS63 KLMK 141747 AFDLMK Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Louisville KY 147 PM EDT Sat Jun 14 2025 ...Updated Aviation Discussion... .KEY MESSAGES... * Scattered showers and thunderstorms are expected over the weekend, mainly during the afternoon and evening hours. The potential for severe storms is low, but additional swaths of heavy rain would increase the risk for localized flash flooding. * Unsettled weather continues next week, with continued rounds of afternoon and evening showers and storms expected. && .SHORT TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... Issued at 331 AM EDT Sat Jun 14 2025 Early this morning, the coverage of rain showers has diminished across central KY and southern IN with the loss of daytime heating. Mild temperatures in the upper 60s and lower 70s are noted as of 06Z; temperatures should remain fairly steady through the pre-dawn hours as scattered clouds and light southerly winds hinder nighttime cooling. A vertically-stacked low pressure system is currently passing near St. Louis and will gradually work across southern IL this morning. While PW values are high across the region, two relative maxima are noted on current mesoanalysis, supported by short term progs: one extending from central AR northeast into western KY, and another north of the I-70 corridor across central IL and IN. As the low pushes to the east today, the PW maxima southwest of the area will move over central KY, while the PW maxima north of the area may try to creep toward southern IN. As a result, PW values will be around or just under 2" across the CWA today, with SW low-level winds continuing to pump moist air into the region. Once daytime heating returns later this morning, coverage of rain showers should increase, with scattered showers and a few thunderstorms continuing through the afternoon and into the evening. Temperatures should top out in the upper 70s and lower 80s this afternoon. Given the increased moisture within the column, coverage may be greater today than on Friday. On the other hand, with the center of the low pressure system closer to the area today, flow aloft will be weakening, resulting in weaker deep-layer shear and more random convective development. Also, given the increasing low cloud cover across the area, low-level lapse rates may not be as steep, with MLCAPE more on the order of 500-1000 J/kg and CAPE profiles which should be unfavorable for strong updrafts. Would expect less in the way of lightning this afternoon, though isolated to scattered storms are still expected. All in all, storms which develop should mainly be garden-variety, with brief heavy downpours and gusty winds in the strongest cores. The main concern with any heavier storms would be for heavy rainfall amounts and isolated flooding. Along and south of the KY Parkways, mean cloud layer winds should remain between 15-25 kt out of the WSW, so residence time of individual storms shouldn`t be too great. However, coverage should be greater in the south, and there are a few swaths of 2-3" of rain on the 00Z HREF localized probability-matched mean. North of the Ohio River, storm motions may slow to less than 10 mph late this afternoon as the upper low moves overhead. Fortunately, coverage should be lower; however, we`ll still have to watch for isolated flash flooding in any heavier cells. By tonight, the upper low will have opened up and begun to weaken as it lingers near the Ohio River. After sunset, rain coverage should decrease quickly, with only isolated showers continuing overnight. Another mild and humid night is expected, with lows only falling into the upper 60s and lower 70s Sunday morning. && .LONG TERM /SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/... Issued at 331 AM EDT Sat Jun 14 2025 Sunday and Monday... What is left of the upper disturbance and the associated sfc low will push across eastern KY and into the central Appalachians Sunday into Sunday night. While lower PW values will try to work into the area from the NW, the majority of guidance keeps the humid air mass in place, resulting in another day of summertime showers and storms, though coverage should be greatest east of the I-65 corridor. We should be able to see more sunshine on Sunday, which should allow temperatures to warm into the low-to-mid 80s. After another mild and mostly dry night Sunday night, confidence is increasing that Monday will bring another chance for scattered showers and storms. Guidance earlier this week had ridging over the southwest US trying to spread east on Monday; however, now it looks like another subtle upper disturbance may meander into the region on Monday, with the humid, unstable air mass remaining in place. Temperatures may warm a few degrees given more sunshine, with highs mainly in the mid 80s across the area. The Rest of Next Week... From Tuesday through Thursday, the upper-level pattern across North America should become fairly zonal. Multiple shortwave disturbances are expected to quickly translate eastward within this zonal flow pattern, bringing waves of greater precipitation coverage, and potentially chances for a few stronger storms as they pass. For the most part, a continued humid and seasonably warm air mass will bring recurring chances for scattered afternoon and evening showers and thunderstorms. We will have to monitor what should be the most substantial of the systems for next week, which should cross the Ohio Valley Wednesday evening into Thursday morning. There are modest signals in ECMWF AI/ML severe guidance for a wave of stronger storms, though this would be somewhat dependent on whether timing is synchronized with the diurnal maximum in heating/instability. By the end of the week, medium-range guidance is in relatively good agreement about the synoptic pattern, showing amplification of the upper-level wave as troughing digs along the west coast and ridging builds across the eastern CONUS. Assuming perfect prog, this should suppress the chances for showers and storms, and right now, the forecast only calls for isolated storms, though this could be overdone if confidence increases further. Additionally, this pattern change would lead to warming temperatures across the region as we head into next weekend, likely bringing widespread upper 80s and low 90s into play. && .AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z MONDAY/... Issued at 146 PM EDT Sat Jun 14 2025 Numerous SHRA and isolated TSRA have developed across the region this afternoon as a deep but weakening area of low pressure rotates over the Lower OH Valley. TSRA probability is low due to limited coverage, but Vis/Cig drops to IFR or lower for a short time will still be possible in heavier SHRA. Precip coverage is expected to decrease considerably after 01-02Z Sunday. SW winds will diminish this evening, with the concern then turning to fog and low clouds after 06Z Sunday. IFR stratus could linger through 15Z Sunday as weak low pressure slowly spins east over the region. Cloud bases will gradually lift Sunday afternoon, when another round of SCT SHRA and isolated TSRA will be possible. && .LMK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... KY...None. IN...None. && $$ SHORT TERM...CSG LONG TERM...CSG AVIATION...EBW