


Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Jackson, KY
Issued by NWS Jackson, KY
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215 FXUS63 KJKL 101153 AFDJKL AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION National Weather Service Jackson KY 753 AM 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. && .UPDATE... Issued at 753 AM EDT THU JUL 10 2025 Areas of fog, locally dense for some locations, will lift/dissipate over the next hour or two. Regional radar mosaic already shows some isolated weak convection over the Cumberland River Basin under the weakening 500 hPA trough axis. This system will keep the threat for at least scattered showers and thunderstorms in the forecast for today, especially over southern and eastern Kentucky where there are 50 to 70 PoPs. Lower chances, 30 to 40 PoP, are found north of the Mountain Parkway. UPDATE Issued at 1230 AM EDT THU JUL 10 2025 No significant changes were made to the forecast with mainly just the inclusion of the latest obs and trends for the T/Td/Sky grids along with adjustments to PoPs through the night based on the current radar and CAMs guidance. These adjustments have been sent to the NDFD and web servers along with a freshening of the zones, HWO, and SAFs. UPDATE Issued at 900 PM EDT WED JUL 9 2025 00Z sfc analysis shows a weak pressure pattern over the area currently allowing the diurnal cycle on instability to dominate with showers and storm activity peaking in the late afternoon and early evening hours. However, there is also an upper level wave passing by to the south this evening and that will likely keep the convection around longer past sunset and possible into the overnight. As such, training of the cells and the potential for torrential rains, at times, keeps the flash flooding concerns elevated tonight. Otherwise, temperatures currently are running in the low to mid 70s where it has rained recently to the upper 70s and lower 80s elsewhere. Meanwhile, amid light winds away from any storms, dewpoints are generally in the upper 60s to lower 70s. Have updated the forecast mainly to add in the latest obs and trends for the T/Td/Sky grids but also to fine tune PoPs through the night per the latest radar and CAMs guidance. Patchy dense fog, mainly in the valleys, will also be a concern through the late night hours, as well. These adjustments have been sent to the NDFD and web servers along with a freshening of the zones and SAFs. && .SHORT TERM...(This evening through Thursday night) Issued at 407 PM EDT WED JUL 9 2025 At 4 PM EDT, regional radar mosaic shows the more organized convection from earlier in the day now in Virginia/West Virginia. Looking aloft, this activity appears to have been forced, at least in part, by a stronger pulse of energy ejecting northeast out of a 500 hPa trough that currently extends from James Bay south through Lower Michigan and Western Kentucky. Additional shower and thunderstorm activity has developed and is moving over Eastern Kentucky ahead of another modest pulse of mid-level energy. Over much of the area, several hours of partial sunshine have allowed temperatures to heat up into the 80s and generate about 1,000 to 2,000 J/kg of MLCAPE. PWATs still around 1.9 to 2.0 inches along with a deep warm cloud layer favor torrential rainfall under the stronger convection. Additionally, nearly unidirectional flow through the cloud-layer as well as weak upwind propagation vectors favor back building and training. The upper level trough will fill as it slowly slides into the Mid-Ohio Valley tonight and exits east on Thursday morning, taking the higher PWATs with it. However, until that trough axis departs, there will be a continued threat for torrential downpours, leading to isolated flash flooding, even into the overnight. Another subtle mid-upper level disturbance will approach Thursday afternoon/evening with the renewed threat of showers and a few thunderstorms, but PWATs will be much lower, around 1.25 to 1.50 inches, north-to-south, which should minimize any further excessive rainfall threat. At nighttime, abundant low- level moisture will combine with any clearing of the clouds to promote radiation fog formation, with the most favored locations being in typical valley locales. In sensible terms, the warm, muggy and unsettled July weather pattern will continue through the short-term. Look for showers and thunderstorms to gradually diminish this evening/overnight, though they could linger deep into the night for a few locations. Torrential downpours in the strongest activity could lead to isolated instances of flash flooding. It will be mild and muggy with areas of fog and lows in the mid 60s to around 70 degrees. On Thursday, look for partial sunshine giving way to rising shower and thunderstorm chances during the late morning/afternoon, most likely near the Kentucky/Tennessee and Kentucky/Virginia borders. Conditions will again be warm and humid with high temperatures in the middle 80s for most locations. Rain chances taper off again Thursday evening and night with partial clearing and areas of fog developing overnight. It might be a bit cooler with low temperatures ranging in the mid to upper 60s. .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. && .AVIATION...(For the 12Z TAFS through 12Z Friday morning) ISSUED AT 630 AM EDT THU JUL 10 2025 IFR to MVFR ceilings and vis with low stratus and fog will burn off shortly after 12z. VFR conditions are then likely for the day. Look for more mainly diurnally driven convection to pop up this afternoon and last into the evening with a prob30 group for now. Winds will generally be under 10 kts through the period, except locally stronger and erratic near thunderstorms. Additional MVFR to IFR vis with fog looks likely towards the end of the TAF period. && .JKL WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && $$ UPDATE...GEERTSON SHORT TERM...GEERTSON LONG TERM...JP AVIATION...WFO SGF