681  
FXUS63 KJKL 181827  
AFDJKL  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY  
227 PM EDT SAT JUL 18 2026  
   
KEY MESSAGES
 
 
- WARM AND HUMID WEATHER WILL PERSIST THIS WEEKEND, WITH ALL OF  
THE AREA EXPECTING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS AT SOME POINT.  
 
- SOME THUNDERSTORMS COULD BRING LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL AND STRONG  
TO DAMAGING WINDS THIS AFTERNOON INTO TONIGHT. ADDITIONAL  
STORMS WITH LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN ARE POSSIBLE ON SUNDAY.  
 
- A MORE SIGNIFICANT COLD FRONT SHOULD BRING MORE SHOWERS AND  
THUNDERSTORMS ON TUESDAY, WITH STORMS CAPABLE OF HEAVY RAIN AND  
STRONG TO DAMAGING WIND GUSTS.  
 

 
   
SHORT TERM
 
(TODAY THROUGH SUNDAY)  
ISSUED AT 540 AM EDT SAT JUL 18 2026  
 
EARLY THIS MORNING, NARROW UPPER LEVEL RIDGING EXTENDS FROM THE  
WESTERN GULF INTO THE OZARKS VICINITY WHILE AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH  
EXTENDS ACROSS EASTERN SECTIONS OF CANADA INTO THE GREAT LAKES TO  
NORTHEAST, MID ATLANTIC, AND OH VALLEY. A WEAK DISTURBANCE  
UPSTREAM OF EASTERN KY WAS RESULTING INS SOME CONVECTION OVER  
SECTIONS OF CENTRAL KY WHILE A MORE SUBSTANTIAL SHORTWAVE MOVING  
THROUGH THE TROUGH EXTENDS FROM ONTARIO ACROSS THE WESTERN GREAT  
LAKES INTO THE UPPER MS VALLEY VICINITY. AT THE SURFACE, AN  
ASSOCIATED SFC LOW WAS CENTERED IN THE LAKE HURON VICINITY WITH A  
COLD FRONT TRAILING INTO THE NORTHERN PLAINS/SD. SOME VALLEY FOG  
HAS DEVELOPED OVERNIGHT ALONG WITH PATCHES OF STRATUS WHILE  
ADDITIONAL PATCHES OF LOW AND MID CLOUDS WERE ALSO CROSSING THE  
AREA IN ADDITION TO SOME PASSING CIRRUS. WITH THE CLOUD COVER  
ACROSS THE AREA, TEMPERATURES ARE MAINLY IN THE LOWER 70S.  
 
TODAY AND TONIGHT, LINGERING VALLEY FOG AND STRATUS SHOULD LIFT  
AND DISSIPATE QUITE QUICKLY THIS MORNING. OTHERWISE, THE INITIAL  
WEAK SHORTWAVE/DISTURBANCE SHOULD PROGRESS ACROSS EASTERN KY THIS  
MORNING WHILE THE MORE POTENT SHORTWAVE UPSTREAM ROTATES ACROSS  
GREAT LAKES AND SECTIONS OF THE OH VALLEY AND INTO THE NORTHEAST  
TO LOWER OH VALLEY VICINITY. THIS WILL RESULT IN NORTHWEST FLOW  
ALOFT LATER TODAY AND TONIGHT. MEANWHILE, THE SFC LOW IN CANADA  
SHOULD PROGRESS INTO THE ST LAWRENCE VALLEY AND THEN TO THE  
MARITIMES. THE TRIALING FRONTAL ZONE SHOULD DROP SOUTH OF THE  
GREAT LAKES AND SAG TO NEAR OR PERHAPS JUST SOUTH OF THE OH RIVER  
BY LATE TONIGHT. AHEAD OF THIS BOUNDARY, PER THE 00Z HREF MEAN,  
PW SHOULD REMAIN IN THE 1.7 TO 2.0 INCH RANGE OR ROUGHLY THE 85TH  
TO 95TH PERCENTILE ON AVERAGE WITH LOW TO MID 70S SFC DEWPOINTS ON  
AVERAGE. DAYTIME HEATING PER THE RAP SHOULD RESULT IN MLCAPE IN  
THE 750 TO 1750 J/KG RANGE THIS AFTERNOON TO EARLY EVENING, THOUGH  
EFFECTIVE SHEAR SHOULD BE MEAGER IN THE 10 TO 20KT RANGE. LOW  
LEVEL LAPSE RATES SHOULD BE STEEP WITH WEAK MID LEVEL LAPSE RATES  
AND LONG SKINNY CAPE PROFILES. THUS, WHAT SLOW MOVING CONVECTION  
THAT DEVELOPS TODAY AHEAD OF ANY POTENTIAL LINE OR LINES OF  
CONVECTION ALONG OR AHEAD OF THE FRONT APPEARS TO MAINLY POSE A  
THREAT FOR TORRENTIAL DOWNPOURS AND PERHAPS SOME LOCALLY STRONGER  
DOWNDRAFTS/OUTFLOW GUSTS. THIS POTENTIAL MAY BE GREATER IN THE  
NORTH WHERE SHEAR THOUGH STILL QUITE WEAK WILL BE A BIT STRONGER.  
ANY LINES OR LINE SEGMENTS COULD ALSO POSE A RISK FOR ISOLATED  
STRONG TO DAMAGING WIND GUSTS AND TORRENTIAL DOWNPOURS LEADING TO  
A RISK FOR ISOLATED INSTANCES OF FLOODING. OVERALL, GUIDANCE HAS  
GREATER COVERAGE OF CONVECTION IN THE EVENING TO OVERNIGHT AHEAD  
OF THE BOUNDARY.  
 
ON SUNDAY, A RATHER MOIST AIRMASS WITH 70S SFC DEWPOINTS AND PW  
ON THE ORDER OF 1.6 TO 1.8 INCHES WILL REMAIN AHEAD OF THE  
BOUNDARY THAT SLOWLY SAGS INTO EASTERN KY. FLOW ALOFT AND SHEAR  
WILL REMAIN WEAK AND STORM MOTIONS WILL BE RATHER SLOW AND THUS  
LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN COULD REMAIN A CONCERNS FOR MORE SOUTHERN  
LOCATIONS.  
   
LONG TERM
 
(SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY)  
ISSUED AT 445 AM EDT SAT JUL 18 2026  
 
SUNDAY EVENING, SOME SHOWERS AND STORMS MAY LINGER ALONG AND SOUTH  
OF THE HAL ROGERS/KENTUCKY HIGHWAY 80 CORRIDOR. THIS IS SUBJECT TO  
MODELS CORRECTLY RESOLVING A COLD FRONTAL POSITION ACROSS THE  
CWA. TO THE WEST, HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS INTO THE UPPER MIDWEST AND  
OHIO VALLEY, WHILE A SECONDARY UPPER LEVEL LOW, ORIGINATING OUT  
OF ALBERTA, IS EXPECTED TO PROGRESS ACROSS SOUTHERN CANADA.  
 
FOR SENSIBLE WEATHER, EXPECT SHOWERS AND STORMS SHOULD BE TAPERING  
OFF HEADING INTO LATE SUNDAY EVENING. CLEARING SKIES AND LIGHT  
WINDS WILL ALLOW FOR PATCHY FOG TO DEVELOP AND TEMPERATURES TO  
DROP INTO THE MID 60S. FOLLOWING THE ANTICIPATED RAINFALL OVER  
THE WEEKEND, SOME OF THIS FOG COULD BECOME DENSE IN THE VALLEYS.  
 
AS HIGH PRESSURE BRIEFLY NOSES INTO PORTIONS OF THE OH VALLEY ON  
MONDAY, THOUGH A SECONDARY UPPER LEVEL LOW/TROUGH WILL GRADUALLY  
MOVE ACROSS SECTIONS OF THE THE UPPER MIDWEST, GREAT LAKES, AND  
OHIO VALLEY. A STRAY SHOWER OR STORM IS POSSIBLE, PARTICULARLY IN  
THE SOUTH, DURING PEAK HEATING AS THE PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED  
BOUNDARY REMAINS IN THE VICINITY. OTHERWISE, ON MONDAY, MOSTLY  
SUNNY SKIES AND DRIER CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED WITH HIGHS IN THE  
MID TO UPPER 80S. MONDAY NIGHT, TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO COOL  
INTO THE UPPER 60S TO NEAR 70.  
 
TUESDAY AND TUESDAY NIGHT, THE UPPER LEVEL LOW/TROUGH WILL  
CONTINUE ACROSS THE GREAT LAKES AS AN ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT DROPS  
ACROSS THE OHIO VALLEY AND PARTS OF THE PLAINS. AFTERNOON  
TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO WARM INTO THE MID 80S TO AROUND 90.  
AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT, MODEL PWAT RANGING FROM 1.8 TO 2.0  
INCHES ALONG WITH DEW POINTS IN THE LOW 70S AND TEMPERATURES IN  
THE UPPER 80S WILL ALL COMBINE FOR WARM AND MUGGY CONDITIONS. A  
40 KT LLJ COMBINED WITH 1500-2500 MUCAPE, 0-3KM SRH RANGING  
BETWEEN 150-250 M2/S2, AND DCAPE NEAR 1000 J/KG SUGGESTS SEVERE  
WEATHER IS POSSIBLE TUESDAY AFTERNOON. A LINE SEGMENT OR LINE  
SEGMENTS ALONG OR IN ADVANCE OF THE COLD FRONT MAY EVOLVE FROM  
TUESDAY INTO TUESDAY EVENING AND MOVE INTO EASTERN KY. AS SUCH THE  
SPC HAS PUT THE NORTHERN TWO THIRDS OF THE CWA (HAL ROGERS  
PKWY/KY 80 AND NORTH) IN A DAY 4 SLIGHT RISK FOR SEVERE WEATHER,  
HIGHLIGHTING AT LEAST ISOLATED TO WIDELY SCATTERED DAMAGING WIND  
POTENTIAL. TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO COOL INTO THE UPPER 60S TO  
LOW 70S.  
 
WEDNESDAY THE COLD FRONT SHOULD FINALLY BE SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST OF  
THE FORECAST AREA, HOWEVER, A PASSING DISTURBANCE MAY RESULT IN  
ISOLATED TO SCATTERED STORMS ACROSS THE BIG SANDY AND INCLUDING  
THE SOUTHERN PARTS OF THE LICKING, KENTUCKY AND CUMBERLAND RIVER  
BASINS. OTHERWISE, A TREND OF DECREASING CLOUDS IS FORECAST  
THROUGH THE DAY, WITH TEMPERATURES COOLER, MAINLY IN THE LOW TO  
MID 80S, UNDER NORTHWEST WINDS. COOLER AIR CONTINUES TO WORK IN,  
WITH LOWS IN THE LOWER 60S IF NOT SOME UPPER 50S FOR WEDNESDAY  
NIGHT.  
 
WHILE THURSDAY AND FRIDAY CURRENTLY APPEAR DRY, THE NEXT  
SHORTWAVE LOOKS TO COME OUT OF THE NORTHERN PLAINS AND UPPER  
MIDWEST POTENTIALLY IN TIME FOR NEXT WEEKEND. TEMPERATURES  
THURSDAY WILL BE ON THE ORDER OF 5 TO 10 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL, IN  
THE UPPER 70S TO LOWER 80S, WITH TEMPERATURES COOLING INTO THE  
LOW 60S AT NIGHT.  
 

 
   
AVIATION
 
(FOR THE 18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z SUNDAY AFTERNOON)  
ISSUED AT 225 PM EDT SAT JUL 18 2026  
 
AS OF THE 18Z TAF ISSUANCE TIME, SOME LOW CLOUDS ARE STILL  
LINGERING AT EASTERN TERMINALS IN THE WAKE OF EARLY DAY  
CONVECTION. THESE SHOULD MIX OUT AND GIVE WAY TO A PREVAILING  
AFTERNOON CU FIELD SOON, BUT ADDITIONAL CONVECTION IS FIRING NEAR  
WESTERN TERMINALS. ROUNDS OF SCATTERED SHOWERS AND STORMS WILL  
CONTINUE THIS AFTERNOON AND INTO THE EVENING BEFORE A COLD FRONT  
APPROACHES FROM THE NORTH AND YIELDS A MORE ORGANIZED LINE OF  
SOUTHWARD MOVING CONVECTION. THE SCATTERED WARM SECTOR CONVECTION  
HAS GENERALLY BEEN HANDLED WITH PROB30S, ASIDE FROM A FEW NEAR-  
TERM TEMPOS WHERE SHOWERS AND STORMS ARE MORE IMMINENT. THE MAIN  
LINE OF ACTIVITY HAS MORE CONFIDENCE REGARDING TIMING, AND THUS  
HAS BEEN HANDLED WITH TEMPOS. ANY STORMS THAT AFFECT A TERMINAL  
WILL PRODUCE HEAVY PRECIPITATION AND BRING ABOUT BRIEF PERIODS OF  
MVFR OR WORSE VSBY/CEILING REDUCTIONS. THE STRONGEST STORMS COULD  
PRODUCE ERRATIC WIND GUSTS OVER 30KT. IN THE WAKE OF THIS  
ACTIVITY, LOW STRATUS AND/OR PATCHY FOG COULD DEVELOP OVERNIGHT.  
THIS IS MOST LIKELY TO AFFECT NORTHERN AND RIDGETOP TERMINAL  
SITES. BREEZY WESTERLY WINDS SHOULD GRADUALLY VEER TOWARDS A MORE  
NORTHWESTERLY ORIENTATION AT NORTHERN TERMINALS TOMORROW MORNING,  
WHICH WILL HELP SCATTER OUT THE CLOUD DECK AFTER SUNRISE. ACROSS  
THE SOUTH, BREEZY WESTERLY WINDS AND ADDITIONAL ROUNDS OF  
CONVECTION ARE LIKELY AGAIN TOMORROW, WITH SIMILAR AVIATION  
IMPACTS POSSIBLE.  
 

 
   
JKL WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
NONE.  
 

 
 

 
 
SHORT TERM...JP  
LONG TERM...GINNICK  
AVIATION...MARCUS  
 
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