746  
FXUS61 KILN 201418  
AFDILN  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON OH  
918 AM EST FRI DEC 20 2024  
   
SYNOPSIS  
 
LOW PRESSURE WILL MOVE SOUTHEAST ACROSS THE MIDDLE OHIO VALLEY  
TODAY, BRINGING RAIN AND SNOW. COLDER AIR ASSOCIATED WITH A HIGH  
PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL MOVE IN BEHIND THE LOW FOR THE WEEKEND,  
RESULTING IN BELOW THAN NORMAL TEMPERATURES. WARMER CONDITIONS  
ARE EXPECTED NEXT WEEK, WITH PRECIPITATION CHANCES RETURNING BY  
MONDAY NIGHT.  
 
 
   
NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 PM THIS EVENING/  
 
RAIN HAS BEEN THE DOMINANT PRECIPITATION TYPE ACROSS THE ILN CWA  
SO FAR THIS MORNING, BUT OVER THE PAST HOUR OR SO, ACCUMULATING  
SNOW HAS BEGUN FOR PORTIONS OF WEST-CENTRAL OHIO AND EASTERN  
INDIANA. IN PARTICULAR, TRAFFIC CAMERAS NEAR THE I-70 / US-40  
CORRIDOR IN WAYNE COUNTY IN AND PREBLE COUNTY OH ARE SHOWING  
ACCUMULATIONS ON GRASSY AREAS (WITH LITTLE TO NOTHING ON THE  
PAVEMENT). AT THE NWS OFFICE IN WILMINGTON, A GENTLE TRANSITION  
TO VERY LIGHT SNOW BEGAN AT ABOUT 915 AM.  
 
THE MAIN CONCERN WILL BE FOR THE NEXT 4-6 HOURS, AS THE PRIMARY  
FORCING ASSOCIATED WITH THE SURFACE LOW AND 500MB WAVE WILL BE  
PIVOTING THROUGH THE ILN FORECAST AREA. THE STRONGEST FORCING  
WILL EXTEND ON A NW-TO-SE AXIS FROM WAYNE COUNTY IN / PREBLE  
COUNTY OH THROUGH ROUGHLY ADAMS COUNTY OH, AND MAYBE A COUPLE  
COUNTIES ON EITHER SIDE OF THAT LINE. HOWEVER, WITH  
SOUTHEASTWARD EXTENT, THE DOMINANT PRECIPITATION TYPE THROUGH  
THE EVENT WILL BE MORE AND MORE FAVORABLE FOR RAIN. AS SUCH,  
SNOW ACCUMULATIONS ARE EXPECTED TO BE MORE PREVALENT TO THE  
NORTHWEST, WITH ACCUMULATIONS OF AROUND AN INCH EXTENDING  
THROUGH SOUTHWESTERN OHIO. THERE REMAINS A LOW-END CHANCE OF  
SOME HIGHER TOTALS NEAR 2 INCHES IF A PERSISTENT BAND SETS UP,  
BUT THERE IS ALSO A CHANCE THAT THE FORCING DOES NOT OVERCOME  
THE THERMODYNAMICS IN MANY LOCATIONS, LEADING TO ONLY LIGHT  
ACCUMULATIONS WITH A DECENT AMOUNT OF RAIN MIXING IN FOR A  
SOLID PORTION OF THE AREA. NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES WERE MADE TO  
THE GOING FORECAST.  
 
PREVIOUS DISCUSSION >  
LOW PRESSURE NEAR NORTHWEST INDIANA EARLY THIS MORNING IS  
FORECAST TO TRACK SOUTHEAST ACROSS THE MIDDLE OHIO VALLEY TODAY.  
DYNAMIC LIFT WITH AN UPPER LEVEL SHORT WAVE WILL COMBINE WITH  
LOW LEVEL CONVERGENCE ASSOCIATED WITH THE ATTENDENT COLD FRONT  
TO PRODUCE A SHIELD OF PRECIPITATION.  
 
MAIN CONCERN THIS MORNING IS THE POTENTIAL FOR A PERIOD OF SNOW  
TO AFFECT PARTS OF EAST CENTRAL INDIANA AND  
WESTERN/SOUTHWESTERN OHIO AND NORTHERN KENTUCKY (THIS INCLUDES  
THE CINCINNATI AND DAYTON METRO AREAS). MODELS CONTINUE TO SHOW  
THAT PRECIPITATION MAY FORM INTO A BAND DUE TO STRONG LOW LEVEL  
CONVERGENCE. PRECIPITATION MAY INITIALLY MIX WITH RAIN AT THE  
ONSET, THEN WITH FAIRLY STRONG VERTICAL MOTION, SURFACE  
TEMPERATURES WILL COOL TO NEAR FREEZING, AND THE ATMOSPHERIC  
SOUNDING WILL BE COLD ENOUGH TO PRODUCE A PERIOD OF SNOW. SNOW  
IS EXPECTED TO ACCUMULATE MAINLY ON ELEVATED AND GRASSY  
SURFACES. HOWEVER, WITH TEMPERATURES HOVERING NEAR FREEZING AND  
PAVEMENT TEMPERATURES HOVERING NEAR FREEZING AS WELL, A PERIOD  
OF MODERATE SNOW COULD RESULT IN A QUICK COVERING ON ROADS,  
PRODUCING SLICK SPOTS, ESPECIALLY THE VULNERABLE BRIDGES AND  
OVERPASSES. SNOW ACCUMULATIONS WILL VARY BETWEEN A HALF INCH TO  
UP TO 2 INCHES IN THIS REGION. ELSEWHERE, FORCING WILL BE  
WEAKER, AND WITH SOME SLIGHT WARMING OCCURRING AHEAD OF THE  
FRONT, PRECIPITATION SHOULD FALL AS RAIN/SNOW OR JUST PLAIN  
RAIN. A SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED TO COVER THE  
POTENTIAL IMPACTS THIS MORNING IN THE AFOREMENTIONED REGION.  
 
FOR THIS AFTERNOON, THE LOW WILL EXIT TO THE SOUTHEAST TOWARD  
WEST VIRGINIA. SOME WRAP AROUND PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED, BUT  
THIS WILL BE LIGHTER IN NATURE THAN THIS MORNINGS ACTIVITY.  
SLIGHTLY WARMER AIR WILL WRAP AROUND THE LOW BEFORE MUCH COLDER  
AIR ARRIVES TONIGHT. THUS, RAIN/SNOW OR JUST PLAIN RAIN, ARE  
FORECAST FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE AFTERNOON HOURS. HIGHS WILL  
RANGE FROM THE LOWER TO MID 30S WEST TO THE UPPER 30S EAST.  
 
 
   
SHORT TERM /6 PM THIS EVENING THROUGH 6 PM SATURDAY/  
 
FOR TONIGHT, IN THE CAA PATTERN, CLOUDS WILL LINGER, ESPECIALLY  
SOUTH AND EAST. SOME PATCHES OF LIGHT SNOW MAY ALSO LINGER IN  
THE EAST, BUT SHOULD EXIT OUT AFTER MIDNIGHT. IT WILL BE COLDER  
AS LOCALLY GUSTY NORTH WINDS FUNNEL THE COLDER AIR SOUTHWARD.  
LOWS WILL RANGE FROM NEAR 20 NORTH TO THE UPPER 20S ALONG AND  
SOUTH OF THE OHIO RIVER.  
 
ON SATURDAY, SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE CENTERED OVER THE UPPER  
MISSISSIPPI RIVER VALLEY/WESTERN GREAT LAKES, WILL BUILD  
SOUTHEAST TOWARD OUR REGION. IT WILL REMAIN COLD UNDER PARTLY  
CLOUDY SKIES. HIGHS WILL RANGE FROM THE UPPER 20S NORTH TO THE  
LOWER 30S SOUTH.  
 
 
   
LONG TERM /SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY/  
 
DEEP NORTHWEST FLOW WILL PULL IN THE COLDEST AIR OF THE  
FORECAST WITH SUNDAY MORNING LOWS GENERALLY BETWEEN 15 AND 20  
DEGREES AS A RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE SETTLES OVER THE CWA. AS THE  
AXIS OF THE RIDGE MOVES EAST, RETURN FLOW WILL SET UP ON  
SUNDAY. TEMPERATURES WILL ONLY BE MARGINALLY WARMER THAN  
SATURDAY'S WITH A CONTINUATION OF THE DEEP AND COOL NORTHWEST  
FLOW ALOFT.  
 
A WEAK MID-LEVEL RIDGE WILL PASS OVER SUNDAY NIGHT AND LOWS  
MONDAY MORNING WILL BE MARGINALLY WARMER IN THE LOWER 20S. ON  
MONDAY, SOUTHERLY FLOW WILL PICK UP AHEAD OF AN APPROACHING COLD  
FRONT BEHIND A MID-LEVEL SHORTWAVE. WINDS WILL TURN MORE  
SOUTHWEST AND USHER IN WARMER TEMPERATURES IN THE LOW TO MID  
40S.  
 
AS THE FRONT CONTINUES TO APPROACH, RAIN IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN  
IN THE NORTHWEST IN THE LATE DAY, SPREAD SOUTHWARD IN THE  
EVENING, AND END OVERNIGHT FOR MOST IF NOT ALL OF THE CWA. THE  
COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED TO STRETCH OUT OVER THE CWA AND WEAKEN  
DURING THE DAY TUESDAY.  
 
MODELS DIVERGE FROM THIS POINT ONWARD, WITH THE GFS SHOWING A  
RETURNING WARM FRONT LIFTING NE, FOLLOWED BY S/W ENERGY  
TRIGGERING SHOWERS THURSDAY AND OVERNIGHT. FRIDAY SHOWS DEEP SW  
FLOW AND A SW- NE AREA OF RAIN IMPACTING THE CWA FROM S-N. THE  
FOOTPRINT OF THIS RAIN POTENTIAL DOES NOT SEEM TO BE PLAUSIBLE  
WITHOUT A SURFACE LOW/FRONT THAT IS NOT INDICATED AT THIS TIME.  
THE EUROPEAN AND CANADIAN MODELS ALSO DIVERGE SIGNIFICANTLY,  
MOST NOTABLY WITH A DRY FORECAST BEYOND TUESDAY.  
 
 
   
AVIATION /14Z FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/  
 
A CLIPPER SYSTEM WITH ITS CENTER OF LOW PRESSURE OVER NORTH  
CENTRAL INDIANA THIS MORNING WILL TRACK EAST/SOUTHEAST ACROSS  
THE MIDDLE OHIO VALLEY TODAY.  
 
UPPER LEVEL DYNAMIC LIFT COUPLED WITH LOW LEVEL CONVERGENCE  
ASSOCIATED WITH THE LOW AND ITS ATTENDENT COLD FRONT WILL BRING  
A SHIELD OF PRECIPITATION TO MUCH OF THE AREA TODAY, WITH THE  
HIGHEST CHANCES OCCURRING BETWEEN 12Z AND 18Z. CONDITIONS WILL  
BE THE WORST AT KDAY/KILN FOLLOWED BY KLUK/KCVG. KCMH/KLCK  
CONDITIONS SHOULD NOT BE AS BAD AS LIGHTER PRECIPITATION IN THE  
FORM OF MAINLY RAIN IS EXPECTED THERE. OTHERWISE, THE OTHER  
TERMINALS WILL SEE A PERIOD OF SNOW, OR RAIN/SNOW MIXED DURING  
THE 12Z TO 18Z TIME FRAME. CONDITIONS WILL DROP INTO THE  
IFR/LIFR CATEGORIES, WITH MVFR/IFR EXPECTED FARTHER NORTHEAST  
NEAR KCMH/KLCK. WINDS WILL SHIFT WITH THE LOW PASSAGE AND FRONT,  
SO AVIATORS CAN EXPECTED VARIED WIND CHANGES UNTIL THE LOW  
PASSES BY AND THE FLOW BECOMES MORE NORTHERLY AND GUSTY.  
 
FOR TONIGHT, THERE MAY BE SOME AREAS OF LIGHT SNOW LINGERING  
EAST, OTHERWISE SKIES WILL RANGE FROM PARTLY TO MOSTLY CLOUDY.  
CEILINGS WILL GRADUALLY CLIMB BACK TO THE MVFR CATEGORY AND  
VISIBILITIES WILL IMPROVE BACK TO VFR. THERE COULD BE SOME WIND  
GUSTS BETWEEN UP TO 25 KNOTS WITH THE NORTHERLY FLOW THROUGH  
EARLY MORNING.  
 
OUTLOOK...MVFR CEILINGS TO LINGER INTO SATURDAY. MVFR/IFR  
CONDITIONS LIKELY AT TIMES TUESDAY.  
 
 
   
ILN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
OH...NONE.  
KY...NONE.  
IN...NONE.  
 
 
 
 
 
SYNOPSIS...HICKMAN  
NEAR TERM...HATZOS/HICKMAN  
SHORT TERM...HICKMAN  
LONG TERM...FRANKS  
AVIATION...HICKMAN  
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