Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Jackson, KY

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682 FXUS63 KJKL 101930 AFDJKL AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION National Weather Service Jackson KY 330 PM EDT Thu Jul 10 2025 .KEY MESSAGES... - High temperatures will be near normal through the week though they may trend above normal over the weekend and early next week. - Chances for shower and storms persist through the upcoming weekend and into early next week, mainly during each afternoon and evening. && .SHORT TERM...
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(This evening through Friday night) Issued at 330 PM EDT THU JUL 10 2025 Widely scattered showers and thunderstorms (often referred to as garden variety for their disorganized nature) continue across parts of central/eastern Kentucky at mid-afternoon. This activity is occurring as a dampening upper-level trough, extending southward from Quebec, crosses the Central Appalachians. This convection is also generally ahead of the last associated weak mid-upper level vorticity max, which is passing over Central Kentucky. Meanwhile, there is little in the way of discernible features in the surface pressure field as it remains dominated by mesoscale diurnal and convective effects. A stalled frontal boundary well north of the Ohio River has little direct impact on our sensible weather. PWATs have dropped sharply since yesterday and now range from 1.4 to 1.6 inches while flow in the 850-300 mb layer favors cell motions to the east at about 10 to 15 kts, limiting hydrologic concerns to very isolated poor-drainage/urban ponding and elevated small stream flows in locations affected by the most persistent convection. MLCAPE is modest around 1,000 to 1,500 J/kg and shear is minimal, minimizing the severe weather concern. Temperatures are seasonable, ranging from the mid 70s in areas recently affected by convection to the mid 80s where sunshine has been more prevalent. As the trough and its associated vorticity energy slowly slide eastward, low to mid-level heights will begin to rise as weak subsidence leads to a mid-level capping. This will cause showers and thunderstorm coverage to gradually wane through the remainder of the afternoon and evening and actually allow a weak tongue of high pressure to build along the Central and Southern Appalachian Mountains tonight. The combination of clearing skies, light winds, and ample lingering low-level moisture will set the stage for efficient radiation fog formation. Locally dense fog is not out of the question as nighttime minimum temperatures are forecast to fall 2+ degrees below crossover temperatures in many areas. On Friday, heights continue to rise (aside from a weak upper level perturbation in the afternoon) while surface ridging slides a little further east ahead of the next weak upper level trough approaching from the Central Plains. Limited deep convection is possible again on Friday afternoon/early evening with the passing disturbance and differential heating. However, lean CAPE profiles and minimal shear will keep any activity sporadic and weak. After bottoming out between 1.2 and 1.4 inches tonight/early Friday, PWATs will again creep higher amidst southwesterly return flow, likely exceeding 1.5 inches toward dawn on Saturday. In sensible terms, look for leftover showers and thunderstorms to dissipate heading through the evening. Partly cloudy skies yield to areas of fog overnight. Some of that fog could become locally dense, especially in valleys. Low temperatures are forecast to be in the mid to upper 60s. On Friday, mostly sunny skies might be interrupted in some locations by isolated to scattered showers and thunderstorms. Otherwise, it will be seasonably hot with highs from 85 to 90 degrees. Friday night is shaping up similar to the prior night with any late-day convection giving way to mostly clear skies and areas of fog overnight. The fog is likely to be more confined to the river valleys than tonight. Look for Friday Night temperatures to settle back into the mid 60s to near 70 degrees. .LONG TERM...(Friday through Wednesday) Issued at 500 PM EDT WED JUL 9 2025 The period is expected to begin with an upper level ridge centered over parts of the western Atlantic near or northeast of Bermuda and extending into the eastern Gulf with another upper level ridge centered off the CA and Baja coast and extending into parts of the southwest Conus. In between an upper level trough is expected to extend into the Northeast Conus to mid Atlantic states from Quebec with a trend of rising heights into the Southeast and Southern Appalachians as the period begins. Further west, upper troughing is progged initially from parts of the upper MS valley to Central and Southern Plains between the two areas of upper level ridging. In addition, an upper level trough per the consensus of guidance should extend from the Hudson Bay vicinity into MT and portions of the Great Basin with another trough upstream from the Gulf of Alaska to west of the BC coast. At the surface, a frontal zone should extend from Quebec to south of the Great Lakes and north of the OH Valley into the Plains while another sfc low is anticipated in Ontario as the period begins with the trailing cold front into the Dakotas to portions of the western Conus. Friday to Saturday night, guidance generally has a trend of rising heights at 500 mb across eastern KY for Friday into Friday evening/night. During this time, upper level ridging is expected to continue to extend from near Bermuda to the Gulf and parts of the southeast Conus with upper level ridging remains from the Southwest Conus into the eastern Pacific. A weak shortwave may pass north of eastern KY and across the Great Lakes later Friday night to early on Saturday while guidance generally has near neutral height tendencies at 500 mb for Saturday or perhaps some slight height falls late on Saturday. This will be in advance of the shortwave moving across portions of Canada and the Northern Plains reaching western Ontario to the Great Lakes by late Saturday night. At the same time another shortwave moving around ridging that builds north across the western Conus as the weekend begins should move into the Upper MS Valley and portions of the Northern and Central Plains/Central Conus. Further south, upper level ridging should become centered from off the Southeast US Coast to Gulf to begin the weekend. Meanwhile, at the surface, a ridge of high pressure should be in place from the eastern Gulf to Southern Appalachians while the boundary initially north of eastern KY lifts north into Canada as a sfc low tracks to near James Bay and the trailing cold front moves across parts of the western and central Great Lakes and sags toward the Lower OH Valley. Diurnally driven convection is anticipated across eastern KY with coverage similar to climatology for eastern KY with no discernible triggers anticipated at this point. Some periods of height rises and relatively warm temperatures aloft should tend to limit coverage of convection. Nevertheless isolated to scattered showers and storms should be a fixture each afternoon and evening. Also, valley fog is anticipated each night as well. Near normal temperatures are anticipated to end the work week and begin the weekend. Sunday to Monday night, the next upper level shortwave trough should move east across Ontario and the western and Central Great Lakes and enter the Lower OH Valley from Sunday to Sunday night while upper level ridging remains across the Gulf and parts of the southeast and another upper level ridge remains centered from the Southwest Conus to the eastern Pacific. This shortwave trough at 500 mb should work into Quebec and across the eastern Great Lakes and reach the Maritimes to Northeast and mid Atlantic states through Monday night. This would have the shortwave trough crossing the Lower OH Valley and eastern KY later Sunday night to Monday evening. In advance of this shortwave trough passing a cold front should sag south of the OH River by later Sunday night and Monday and perhaps across eastern KY Monday to Monday evening and then south of the area on Monday night as sfc high pressure builds to the eastern Great Lakes to portions of the OH Valley and Appalachians ahead of shortwave upper ridging behind the late weekend to early week shortwave passage. Somewhat greater coverage of convection is anticipated as the shortwave trough and cold front approach and cross the area to end the weekend and begin next week. Pending the degree of heating in advance of the front and resultant instability a few stronger storms cannot be ruled out. Temperatures should remain near normal. Tuesday to Wednesday, upper and sfc ridging extending from the Southeast to OH Valley should gradually shift east from Tuesday into Wednesday with the boundary south of the region becoming diffuse. Another trough is expected to have moved across western Canada and across the Northern Plains and into the upper MS Valley and begin to the western Great Lakes around the middle of next week. This should be preceded by a sfc frontal zone that works into the Great Lakes to mid MS Valley late in the period and may near the Lower OH Valley late. Under the ridging a slight uptick in temperatures perhaps to a few degrees above normal may occur across eastern KY. Some diurnally driven convection is also possible though coverage on Tuesday could be more limited with ridging dominating. In addition, as on other nights in the long term period, valley fog development is favored.
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&& .AVIATION...(For the 18Z TAFS through 18Z Friday afternoon) ISSUED AT 158 PM EDT THU JUL 10 2025 Generally VFR conditions are noted at TAF issuance, though briefly worse conditions are occurring under scattered diurnally- driven pop-up convection. Once that convection dissipates this evening, expect good clearing tonight which will allow for areas of BR/FG to develop, likely dropping to IFR/LIFR visibility or worse at valley terminals, though significant reductions will be possible at the TAF sites as well. Winds will generally be under 10 kts through the period, except locally stronger and erratic near thunderstorms. && .JKL WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && $$ SHORT TERM...GEERTSON LONG TERM...JP AVIATION...GEERTSON