654  
FXUS63 KPAH 182333  
AFDPAH  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY  
533 PM CST SUN JAN 18 2026  
   
KEY MESSAGES
 
 
- FRIGID START TO NEW WEEK WITH REINFORCING COLD BLAST KEEPING  
TEMPERATURES BELOW FREEZING UNTIL TUESDAY. WIND CHILLS IN  
SINGLE DIGITS SOUTH, PERHAPS NEGATIVE DIGITS FAR NORTH, FLIRTS  
WITH HEADLINE CRITERIA.  
 
- THE DRY/COLD AIR MASS WILL HEIGHTEN FIRE DANGER AS RH'S  
PLUMMET INTO THE 20S AND 30S PERCENTILE THRU TUESDAY.  
 
- A MID WEEK RETURN TO MORE NORMAL TEMPERATURES WILL BE QUICKLY  
FOLLOWED BY ANOTHER COLD BLAST, CARRYING A RETURN TO BELOW  
NORMAL TEMPERATURES THRU THE WEEK'S END AND BEYOND.  
 

 
   
UPDATE
 
 
ISSUED AT 528 PM CST SUN JAN 18 2026  
 
UPDATED AVIATION DISCUSSION FOR 00Z TAFS.  
 

 
   
DISCUSSION
 
 
ISSUED AT 1215 PM CST SUN JAN 18 2026  
 
HIGH AMPLITUDE EASTERN CONUS TROFFING DOMINATES THE FORECAST.  
THE RESULT IS OUR EXISTING RETURN TO WINTER COLD THAT NEARS  
COLD WEATHER ADVISORY CRITERIA. TEMPERATURES REMAIN BELOW  
FREEZING UNTIL TUESDAY. WIND CHILLS TONIGHT IN THE FAR SOUTH  
WILL BE IN THE SINGLE DIGITS, AND MAY TOUCH ZERO OR PERHAPS THE  
NEGATIVE DIGITS BRIEFLY IN THE FAR NORTH, FLIRTING WITH HEADLINE  
CRITERIA IN THE ROW OF COUNTIES NORTH OF I-64, IN SOUTHERN  
IL/SOUTHWEST IN; COLLABORATIVE CONSENSUS SEEMS TO BE TO MESSAGE  
THAT W/O HEADLINE, BUT EITHER WAY, THE COLD IS THE HIGHLIGHT.  
 
A BRIEF RETURN TO CLIMATOLOGICALLY MORE NORMAL TEMPERATURES  
OCCURS WEDNESDAY, JUST AHEAD OF THE NEXT BLAST OF POLAR AIR. IT  
RETURNS SIMILAR TEMPERATURES TO WHICH WE NOW ARE EXPERIENCING,  
TO CARRY THROUGH THE WEEK'S END AND BEYOND, AS BOTH THE 6-10 AND  
8-14 DAY OUTLOOKS SUGGEST NO SOON END TO THE DRIVING UPPER WAVE  
PATTERN'S PREDOMINANT INFLUX TRAJECTORY OF POLAR AIR. NEXT PCPN  
CHANCES WITH THE WEEK ENDING BLAST ARE ALL OVER THE PLACE, SO  
IT'S TOO EARLY/TOO FAR OUT IN TIME TO PINPOINT ANY SUBSEQUENT  
SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS FROM ANY SUCH CHANCES, IF THEY EVEN OCCUR.  
THE MAIN THEME AT THIS POINT CONTINUES TO BE THE COLD IMPACTS,  
WHETHER HEADLINE REACHING OR JUST CLOSE, BUT WE DO NEED TO KEEP  
AN EYE ON IT, AS THE NBM CURRENTLY SUGGESTS LIGHT ACCUMULATIONS  
POSSIBLE.  
 
THE BREADTH OF THE COLD/DRY AIR ADVECTION WILL ALSO PLUMMET  
DAILY RH VALUES INTO THE 20S AND 30S PERCENTILE, HEIGHTENING  
FIRE DANGER DURING A TIME OF D0/D1 DROUGHT THAT ENCOMPASSES THE  
BROADER REACHES OF OUR CWA; PARTS OF THE OZARKS ARE EVEN  
REACHING INTO THE D2 DROUGHT CONDITION, AND WITH MINIMAL PCPN ON  
THE NEAR TERM HORIZON, THESE CONDITIONS WILL ONLY PERSIST AND  
MAY WELL EXPAND.  
 

 
   
AVIATION /00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z TUESDAY/
 
 
ISSUED AT 528 PM CST SUN JAN 18 2026  
 
BKN MID CLOUD IN OUR NORTH WILL SCATTER OUT THROUGH THE NIGHT.  
NOTICED IN TIME-HEIGHTS THAT SOME LOW LEVEL MOISTURE MAY  
MATERIALIZE RESULTING IN AT LEAST PATCHES OF MVFR CIGS  
OVERNIGHT, BUT CONFIDENCE ISN'T OVERLY HIGH IN THIS. NW WINDS  
PICK UP LATE TONIGHT INTO TOMORROW WITH GUSTS OVER 20 KTS  
POSSIBLE AT TIMES, PARTICULARLY TOMORROW MORNING THROUGH MID  
AFTERNOON BEFORE WINDS SUBSIDE LATE IN THE DAY.  
 

 
   
PAH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
IL...NONE.  
MO...NONE.  
IN...NONE.  
KY...NONE.  
 

 
 

 
 
UPDATE...SP  
DISCUSSION...DH  
AVIATION...SP  
 
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