710  
FXUS61 KILN 182315  
AFDILN  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON OH  
615 PM EST WED FEB 18 2026  
   
WHAT HAS CHANGED
 
 
NO MAJOR CHANGES TO THE KEY MESSAGES AS SNOW POTENTIAL CONTINUES TO  
DECREASE THIS WEEKEND. ADDED A MENTION OF FOG IN THE WARM  
TEMPERATURES SECTION.  
 

 
   
KEY MESSAGES
 
 
1) TEMPERATURES ABOVE NORMAL THROUGH FRIDAY. RECORD WARM MINIMUM  
TEMPERATURES AND A FEW RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURES REMAIN POSSIBLE.  
AREAS OF FOG POSSIBLE TONIGHT INTO THURSDAY MORNING.  
 
2) CHANCES FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THURSDAY AND THURSDAY  
NIGHT. SCATTERED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE. GUSTY WINDS  
OCCUR FRIDAY BEHIND A COLD FRONT.  
 
3) BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES EARLY NEXT WEEK.  
 

 
   
DISCUSSION
 
 
KEY MESSAGE 1) TEMPERATURES ABOVE NORMAL THROUGH FRIDAY. RECORD WARM MINIMUM  
TEMPERATURES AND A FEW RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURES REMAIN POSSIBLE.  
 
WITH STRONG SOUTHWESTERLY SURFACE FLOW PROVIDING A STEADY FLOW OF  
WARM AIR TODAY, RECORD WARM MINIMUM TEMPERATURES ARE LIKELY TO BE MET  
AT CVG AND DAY TODAY. RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURES ARE STILL POSSIBLE BUT  
MAY FALL A FEW DEGREES SHORT. THE STRETCH OF WARM AIR CONTINUES INTO  
THURSDAY AND EARLY FRIDAY WITH ADDITIONAL RECORDS POSSIBLE.  
 
FOG: WITH THE WARM MOIST AIR OVER THE REGION, THE POTENTIAL FOR FOG  
DEVELOPMENT IS FAVORED AGAIN LATE THIS EVENING INTO THURSDAY MORNING.  
DENSE FOG IS POSSIBLE AND MAY IMPACT THE THURSDAY MORNING COMMUTE  
BEFORE CLEARING.  
 
KEY MESSAGE 2) CHANCES FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THURSDAY AND THURSDAY  
NIGHT. SCATTERED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE. GUSTY WINDS  
OCCUR FRIDAY BEHIND A COLD FRONT.  
 
SEVERE WEATHER SUMMARY: LOW PRESSURE ADVANCING EASTWARD THROUGH THE  
CENTRAL PLAINS TONIGHT MOVES INTO THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER VALLEY  
TOMORROW AFTERNOON. THE SHORTWAVE PIVOTS NORTHEASTWARD INTO THE GREAT  
LAKES DURING THE EVENING HOURS, AMPLIFYING MID-LEVEL FLOW OVER THE  
OHIO VALLEY. THIS WILL PUSH A WARM FRONT THROUGH THE AREA, WITH  
SHOWERS AND SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING WEST OF THE AREA  
DURING THE AFTERNOON. GIVEN THE EXPECTED PLACEMENT OF THE LOW  
PRESSURE AND THE ASSOCIATED WARM FRONT, SOME OF THESE STORMS MAY  
OCCUR WITHIN AN ATMOSPHERE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING SEVERE WEATHER. FOR  
NOW, THE THREATS INCLUDE SMALL HAIL, DAMAGING WINDS, AND ISOLATED  
TORNADOES WITH THE PRIMARY THREAT OCCURRING BETWEEN 5PM AND 10PM.  
 
DETAILS: UPPER LEVEL DIFFLUENCE WILL SUPPORT BROAD ASCENT, BUT THE  
LACK OF HEIGHT FALLS MAY LIMIT THE OVERALL COVERAGE OF STORMS AS THEY  
DEVELOP. MOST OF THE CAMS THAT DEVELOP THUNDERSTORMS BEGIN THE  
PROCESS EARLIER IN THE AFTERNOON ACROSS ILLINOIS AND INDIANA. THESE  
STORMS THEN MOVE INTO THE AREA OVER THE NEXT FEW HOURS. THE  
ENVIRONMENT ACROSS THE LOCAL AREA WILL CONSIST OF CAPE AROUND  
250-750 J/KG AND EFFECTIVE BULK SHEAR AROUND 60 KNOTS. SOUTHEASTERLY  
SURFACE BLOW RESULTS IN CURVED HODOGRAPHS, SUPPORTING THE POTENTIAL  
FOR ROTATING UPDRAFTS. LARGE HAIL POTENTIAL MAY BE LIMITED DUE TO THE  
LACK OF DEEP/STEEP MID-LEVEL LAPSE RATES, BUT SOME HAIL SHOULD BE  
EXPECTED WITH ANY ORGANIZED THUNDERSTORM. DAMAGING WIND AND ISOLATED  
TORNADOES CANNOT BE RULED OUT GIVEN THESE BACKGROUND PARAMETERS.  
 
THERE ARE SOME FAILURE MODES, WHICH IS WHY THIS SEVERE THREAT REMAINS  
VERY CONDITIONAL. EVEN IF THUNDERSTORMS FORM, THE BEST INSTABILITY  
MAY ONLY EXIST FOR A FEW HOURS BEFORE TRENDS DECREASE INTO THE  
EVENING HOURS. ADDITIONALLY, IF UPDRAFTS REMAIN ALOFT, THE POTENTIAL  
FOR TORNADOES DECREASES. SO WHILE SEVERE WEATHER PARAMETERS AND  
CURVED HODOGRAPHS RIGHTLY PROVIDE CONCERN FOR LOCAL SEVERE WEATHER  
IMPACTS, THIS OCCURRENCE OF SEVERE WEATHER MAY END UP VERY ISOLATED  
WITHIN THE BROADER AREA OF SPC SLIGHT/MARGINAL RISK.  
 
BREEZY ON FRIDAY: AS THE COLD FRONT MOVES THROUGH DURING THE DAY  
FRIDAY, THE SURFACE LOW PRESSURE (SUB 990 MB) TO THE NORTHWEST  
PROVIDES AN OPPORTUNITY FOR EFFECTIVE MIXING OF STRONGER WINDS ALOFT  
TO THE SURFACE. AREA WIDE, WIND GUSTS OF 25 TO 35 MPH ARE EXPECTED,  
ESPECIALLY ACROSS EASTERN INDIANA, WESTERN AND CENTRAL OHIO. ACROSS  
OUR WINDIER AREAS, REGULAR GUSTS OF 35 TO 40 MPH WIND GUSTS ARE  
POSSIBLE.  
 
KEY MESSAGE 3) BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES EARLY NEXT WEEK.  
 
WHILE THE POTENTIAL FOR AN EAST COAST LOW PRESSURE CONTINUES TO  
INCREASE, CONFIDENCE IS TRENDING TOWARD LOWER CHANCES FOR LIGHT  
SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS ACROSS THE LOCAL AREA. INSTEAD, NORTHWESTERLY  
CYCLONIC FLOW SUNDAY INTO MONDAY SUPPORTS SNOW SHOWERS AND FLURRIES.  
CAN'T RULE OUT SOME LIGHT ACCUMULATIONS, BUT OVERALL, THIS POTENTIAL  
HAS DECREASED.  
 
AS THE TROUGH DIGS INTO THE NORTHEAST US, A PERIOD OF BELOW NORMAL  
TEMPERATURES WILL THEN OCCUR INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. THE COLDEST PERIOD  
WILL BE MONDAY INTO MONDAY NIGHT, AS TEMPERATURES STRUGGLE TO REACH  
ABOVE FREEZING DURING THE DAY, DROPPING INTO THE TEENS OVERNIGHT INTO  
TUESDAY MORNING. WIND CHILL VALUES IN THE SINGLE DIGITS ARE POSSIBLE  
MONDAY AND TUESDAY MORNING.  
 

 
   
AVIATION /00Z THURSDAY THROUGH MONDAY/
 
 
SKIES HAVE CLEARED ACROSS THE AREA EARLY THIS EVENING. WITH  
DECREASING WINDS AND DEVELOPING RADIATIONAL COOLING, MODELS CONTINUE  
TO HINT AND FAIRLY WIDESPREAD STRATUS AND FOG DEVELOPMENT LATER  
TONIGHT. WILL CONTINUE TO TREND THE TAFS DOWNWARD AND ALLOW FOR SOME  
IFR TO VLIFR CIGS AND VSBYS, MAINLY IN THE 08Z-13Z TIMEFRAME.  
CONDITIONS SHOULD THEN GRADUALLY IMPROVE TROUGH MID TO LATE MORNING  
WITH VFR CONDITIONS DEVELOPING.  
 
A WARM FRONT WILL LIFT NORTH ACROSS THE REGION THROUGH THE DAY ON  
THURSDAY AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT APPROACHING FROM THE WEST. THIS WILL  
LEAD TO A DEVELOPING CHANCE FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS LATE IN  
THE TAF PERIOD, WITH THE BEST CHANCES IN THE 23Z TO 05Z TIMEFRAME.  
 
OUTLOOK...GUSTS TO 25-35KT BEHIND A COLD FRONTAL PASSAGE EARLY  
FRIDAY.  
 

 
   
ILN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
OH...NONE.  
KY...NONE.  
IN...NONE.  
 

 
 

 
 
DISCUSSION...MCGINNIS  
AVIATION...JGL  
 
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