149  
FXUS63 KJKL 251354  
AFDJKL  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY  
954 AM EDT THU APR 25 2024  
   
KEY MESSAGES
 
 
- BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES PERSIST THROUGH TONIGHT, WITH A BIT  
OF FROST IN SOME VALLEYS EACH NIGHT.  
 
- A WARMING TREND BEGINS ON FRIDAY, WITH WELL ABOVE NORMAL  
TEMPERATURES THEN EXPECTED EARLY NEXT WEEK.  
 
- THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING TO THE  
WEST OF A MIDDLESBORO TO FLEMINGSBURG LINE. THUNDERSTORMS ARE  
THEN POSSIBLE AREAWIDE FROM LATE MONDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH  
TUESDAY, AND AGAIN WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON.  
 

 
   
UPDATE
 
 
ISSUED AT 953 AM EDT THU APR 25 2024  
 
HAVE BLENDED MORNING OBS INTO THE FORECAST, INCLUDING BLENDING  
SATELLITE IMAGERY INTO THE SKY FORECAST FOR THE LOW CLOUDS STILL  
AFFECTING PORTIONS OF EXTREME EASTERN KY LATE THIS MORNING. THE  
CLOUDS WILL EVENTUALLY BREAK UP AS HEATING/MIXING OCCURS THROUGH A  
DEEPER LAYER.  
 
UPDATE ISSUED AT 721 AM EDT THU APR 25 2024  
 
AREAS OF LOW STRATUS CONTINUES TO MOVE SOUTHWEST INTO THE REGION  
FROM THE OHIO VALLEY AND WEST VIRGINIA, WHICH NECESSITATES SOME  
INCREASES TO SKY GRIDS FOR THE NEXT FEW HOURS. THESE LOW CLOUDS  
WILL BURN OFF AS THE MORNING PROGRESSES, THOUGH THEY MAY BE PESKY  
AND PERSISTENT THROUGH MID-MORNING. OTHERWISE, THE FORECAST IS  
LARGELY ON TRACK WITH THE LATEST OBSERVED TRENDS BLENDED INTO THE  
FORECAST.  
 

 
   
SHORT TERM
 
(TODAY THROUGH FRIDAY)  
ISSUED AT 314 AM EDT THU APR 25 2024  
 
SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE CONTINUES TO NOSE INTO THE AREA FROM THE  
NORTHWEST AND NORTH UNDER THE NEGATIVE VORTICITY ADVECTION REGION  
BETWEEN UPPER RIDGING OVER THE CENTRAL US AND DOWNSTREAM TROUGHING  
OVER THE EAST COAST. THIS WILL SUPPORT MOSTLY SUNNY SKIES AND LIGHT  
NORTH WINDS TODAY, THOUGH SOME BRIEF LOW STRATUS IS POSSIBLE IN SOME  
AREAS IN THE MORNING BEFORE BURNING OFF BY MIDDAY. WITH THE WEAK  
COOL ADVECTION FROM THE NORTH, HIGHS WILL BE SLIGHTLY BELOW NORMAL  
IN THE LOWER 60S NORTH TO LOWER 70S SOUTH.  
 
WINDS VEER TO EASTERLY AND THEN SOUTHEASTERLY OVERNIGHT AS SURFACE  
HIGH PRESSURE WEDGES DOWN THE EASTERN SLOPES OF THE APPALACHIANS  
WHILE A SURFACE LOW AND ATTENDANT COLD FRONT MOVE OUT ONTO THE  
CENTRAL PLAINS. WITH WARM ADVECTION BEGINNING IN THE SOUTHWEST WHILE  
THE SURFACE HIGH REMAINS INFLUENCING THE NORTHEASTERN HALF OF THE  
CWA, EXPECT A WIDE RANGE OF TEMPERATURE AND SKY COVER, WITH WARMER  
TEMPERATURES IN THE 40S WITH INCREASING CLOUDS OVER THE SOUTHWESTERN  
COUNTIES, WHILE GOOD RADIATIONAL COOLING IN THE SHELTERED VALLEYS  
WILL MEAN LOWS IN THE MID 30S AND POSSIBLY COOLER WITH SOME PATCHY  
FROST POSSIBLE.  
 
A WARM FRONT ALOFT MOVES ACROSS THE AREA FRIDAY AND BRINGS AN  
INCREASE IN CLOUD COVER AND MOISTURE, THOUGH THAT WILL BE MITIGATED  
SOMEWHAT IN OUR EASTERN COUNTIES DIRECTLY DOWNWIND FROM THE TALLER  
MOUNTAINS. GIVEN THE BEST DYNAMICS AND THERMODYNAMICS REMAINING WEST  
OF THE AREA, AND THE MITIGATING INFLUENCE OF DOWNSLOPE DRYING IN THE  
EASTERN COUNTIES, WILL ONLY BE CARRYING 20 POPS OR LESS, WITH THE  
BEST CHANCE OF A THUNDERSTORM OR TWO MAINLY ALONG AND WEST OF I-75  
FRIDAY AFTERNOON, BUT EVEN THIS IS NOT HIGH CONFIDENCE GIVEN THE  
LACK OF INSTABILITY INDICATED BY MOST MODELING. NEVERTHELESS, EVEN  
WITH THE INCREASED CLOUD COVER, THE INCREASING WARM ADVECTION AND  
SOUTHERLY FLOW TEMPERATURES WILL RETURN TO THE 70S TO NEAR 80  
DEGREES, WITH WARMEST TEMPERATURES IN OUR EASTERN COUNTIES WHERE THE  
BETTER DOWNSLOPE WARMING AND DRYING WILL OCCUR.  
   
LONG TERM
 
(FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY)  
ISSUED AT 350 AM EDT THU APR 25 2024  
 
SW FLOW WILL BE THE STORY FOR THE MAJORITY OF THE PERIOD. THIS WILL  
KEEP WAA ACROSS THE REGION AND LEAD TO ABOVE AVERAGE TEMPERATURES  
THROUGHOUT THE PERIOD, WITH A HANDFUL OF DAYS LIKELY TOPPING 80  
DEGREES FOR HIGHS.  
 
SO WHAT IS DRIVING THIS AND WHAT IMPACTS CAN WE EXPECT OTHER THAN  
HEAT?  
 
BY THE START OF THE EXTENDED PERIOD, WE WILL HAVE TRANSITIONED TO A  
UPPER LEVEL RIDGING PATTERN ACROSS THE OHIO VALLEY AND POINTS NORTH  
AND SOUTH. THIS WILL BECOME AMPLIFIED AS TWO VERY STRONG UPPER LEVEL  
LOW PRESSURE SYSTEMS DEVELOP ACROSS THE PLAINS AND FARTHER TO THE  
WEST, AND THEN TRAVEL NORTHEASTWARD THROUGH THE WEEKEND AND INTO  
MONDAY. AS THIS OCCURS, PRESSURE GRADIENTS WILL TIGHTEN ALONG THE SW  
FLOW SIDE OF THE RIDGE, AMPLIFYING THE AMOUNT OF WAA AND INCREASING  
THE WINDS. MUCH OF THE WEEKEND, AND EVEN INTO MONDAY, COULD SEE SOME  
BREEZY CONDITIONS AS A RESULT. THE INTERESTING PART OF THIS IS THAT,  
DESPITE BEING IN A SOMEWHAT HIGHER INSTABILITY PATTERN, MOST OF THE  
ENERGY WILL BE CONFINED TO AREAS CLOSER TO THE CLOSED LOWS, WHICH  
ARE FORECAST TO STAY WELL WEST OF THE COMMONWEALTH. IT'S ONE OF  
THOSE RARE TIMES WHERE YOU GET STRONG SW FLOW AND DON'T HAVE TO PAY  
THE CONSEQUENCES IN THE FORM OF UNSETTLED WEATHER. THE CWA SHOULD  
REMAIN DRY ALL WEEKEND, FROM SATURDAY THROUGH MONDAY MORNING. THESE  
ARE ALSO 2 OF THE DAYS THAT WE SHOULD TOP THE 80 DEGREE MARK FOR  
HIGHS (SUNDAY BEING THE WARMEST). FOR SATURDAY AND SUNDAY NIGHT, DID  
GO AHEAD AND INCLUDE SOME RIDGE/VALLEY DIFFERENCES IN WINDS AND  
TEMPS SINCE WE WILL BE UNDER MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES. HOWEVER, GIVEN THE  
MIXING ONGOING EVEN INTO THE OVERNIGHT, DIDN'T GO TOO CRAZY ON  
LOWERING THE TEMPS IN THE DEEPER VALLEYS.  
 
THERE IS A BIT OF A SHIFT IN THE PATTERN DURING THE DAY MONDAY. THE  
SECOND OF THE CLOSED LOWS WILL MOVE NORTH OF LAKE SUPERIOR BY MONDAY  
AFTERNOON. THE ATTACHED COLD FRONT WILL BE ORIENTED ALMOST DUE NORTH  
TO SOUTHWARD. AS THIS SYSTEM CONTINUES TO PUSH NE INTO TUESDAY, THE  
COLD FRONT WILL SLOWLY PUSH EASTWARD TOWARDS THE OHIO VALLEY,  
TRAVERSING THE STATE FROM WEST TO EAST. THIS WILL BRING A LINE OF  
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TO THE REGION DURING THIS TIME, WITH THE  
MAIN LINE/FRONT MOVING THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING BASED ON LATEST MODEL  
RUNS. WOULD LIKE TO NOTE THAT TUESDAY IS CURRENTLY DAY 6 OF THE  
FORECAST, SO THIS TIMING IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE A BIT - BUT OVERALL  
MODELS ARE IN VERY GOOD AGREEMENT CONSIDERING HOW FAR OUT IT IS IN  
THE FORECAST!  
 
ONCE THIS SYSTEM EXITS, THE OVERALL FLOW WILL BEGIN TO BALANCE  
ITSELF BACK OUT, WITH NO ADDITIONAL UPPER LEVEL LOWS EXPECTED TO  
PRODUCING TROUGHING TO OUR WEST. FLOW WILL BECOME MORE ZONAL  
ACROSS THE OHIO VALLEY FOR TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY. HOWEVER, ZONAL  
FLOW DOESN'T INDUCE A LARGE AIRMASS CHANGE FOR THE REGION. FOR  
INSTANCE, THE HIGH ON MONDAY AHEAD OF THIS COLD FRONT WILL BE IN  
THE LOW TO MID 80S. POST FRONTAL TEMPERATURES TUESDAY WILL ONLY BE  
SEVERAL DEGREES COOLER, IN THE UPPER 70S - STILL WELL ABOVE  
NORMAL FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR. WITHOUT A SWITCH TO NW TO N FLOW,  
AND A COLDER AIRMASS MOVING IN, WE SHOULD STAY MORE MODERATE WITH  
OUR TEMPERATURES.  
 
AS WE HEAD INTO WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY, THE MODEL AGREEMENT STARTS  
TO QUICKLY DETERIORATE. BOTH THE GFS AND ECMWF POINT AT A POTENTIAL  
SYSTEM IMPACTING PORTIONS OF THE OHIO VALLEY DURING THIS TIME, BUT  
THE EXACT IMPACTS ARE STILL VERY LOW CONFIDENCE. THE NBM WENT WITH  
ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS DURING THIS PERIOD,  
WITH CONVECTION MAINLY ISOLATED TO THE AFTERNOON PEAK HEATING. GIVEN  
THE UNCERTAINTY, DIDN'T HAVE ANY REASON TO CHANGE IT AT THIS POINT,  
BUT EXPECT IT TO EVOLVE OVER THE COMING DAYS.  
 

 
   
AVIATION
 
(FOR THE 12Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z FRIDAY MORNING)  
ISSUED AT 712 AM EDT THU APR 25 2024  
 
A THIN MVFR STRATUS LAYER OF CLOUDS IS MOVING SOUTHWEST INTO FAR  
NORTHERN AND EASTERN PARTS OF THE FORECAST AREA, AND WILL  
PRIMARILY IMPACT KSJS FOR THE NEXT FEW HOURS. HOWEVER, THIS  
STRATUS LAYER WILL BURN OFF BY LATE MORNING. OTHERWISE, HIGH  
PRESSURE BRINGS VFR CONDITIONS AND NORTH TO NORTHWEST WINDS OF  
GENERALLY LESS THAN 10 KTS BECOMING NORTHEASTERLY AFTER 00Z  
FRIDAY.  
 

 
   
JKL WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
NONE.  

 
 

 
 
UPDATE...HAL/CMC  
SHORT TERM...CMC  
LONG TERM...JMW  
AVIATION...CMC  
 
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