265  
FXUS63 KJKL 152242  
AFDJKL  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY  
542 PM EST MON DEC 15 2025  
   
KEY MESSAGES  
 
- NEAR NORMAL, TO ABOVE NORMAL, TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED FROM  
TUESDAY THROUGH THE END OF NEXT WEEK WITH THE EXCEPTION OF  
FRIDAY.  
 
- MULTIPLE SYSTEMS ARE EXPECTED TO BRING MAINLY RAIN CHANCES LATE  
WEDNESDAY INTO EARLY FRIDAY, AND AGAIN SATURDAY NIGHT INTO EARLY  
NEXT WEEK.  
 
 
   
UPDATE  
 
ISSUED AT 542 PM EST MON DEC 15 2025  
 
A QUICK LATE AFTERNOON/EARLY EVENING UPDATE HAS BEEN SENT OUT TO  
UPDATE THE GRIDS WITH THE LATEST HOURLY TEMPERATURE OBSERVATIONS.  
OTHERWISE, THE FORECAST IS ON TRACK WITH NO CHANGES.  
 
 
   
SHORT TERM  
(THIS EVENING THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT)  
ISSUED AT 340 PM EST MON DEC 15 2025  
 
TONIGHT AND TUESDAY, THE UPPER LOW CURRENTLY OVER THE MARITIMES  
VICINITY AND ASSOCIATED TROUGH INTO THE WESTERN ATLANTIC WILL  
DEPART FURTHER TO THE NORTH AND EAST WHILE THE AXIS OF AN UPPER  
LEVEL RIDGE IS PROGGED TO SHIFT FROM THE SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL  
PLAINS TO THE GULF AND EASTERN CONUS. AS THIS OCCURS, THE PATTERN  
BECOMING LESS AMPLIFIED AND MORE ZONAL ACROSS THE CONUS. FURTHER  
WEST, A SHORTWAVE TROUGH IS EXPECTED TO PROGRESS FROM THE FOUR  
CORNERS REGION TO NORTHERN MEXICO AREA INTO PARTS OF THE CENTRAL  
AND SOUTHERN PLAINS. ALSO, THROUGH TONIGHT AND TUESDAY, A  
SHORTWAVE TROUGH OVER THE BC AND NORTHWEST CONUS VICINITY MOVING  
AROUND UPPER RIDGE OVER PARTS OF THE PACIFIC TO THE SOUTHWEST  
CONUS WILL PROGRESS EAST NEAR THE US/CANADIAN BORDER REACHING  
ONTARIO TO THE UPPER MS VALLEY BY EARLY TUESDAY EVENING. AT THE  
SURFACE, A RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE INITIALLY EXTENDS FROM THE  
CAROLINAS TO TX AND ALSO INTO THE SOUTHERN APPALACHIANS WILL  
REMAIN OVER THAT SAME GENERAL AREA THROUGH TONIGHT, BUT WILL  
WEAKEN A BIT. THIS HIGH START TO DEPART TO THE EAST AND SOUTHEAST  
ON TUESDAY WITH SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST RETURN FLOW COMMENCING IN THE  
LOWER LEVELS, WITH MORE WESTERLY FLOW NEARER TO 850 MB AND ABOVE.  
MOISTURE WILL INITIALLY INCREASE THE MOST IN THE LOW LEVELS AS  
TUESDAY PROGRESSES ESPECIALLY NEARER TO 850 MB PER 12Z HREF AND  
OPERATIONAL GUIDANCE. MEANWHILE, THE SFC SYSTEM ASSOCIATED WITH  
THE TROUGH NEAR THE US/CANADIAN BORDER WILL PROGRESS NORTH OF THE  
US/CANADIAN BORDER, REACHING ONTARIO BY TUESDAY EVENING. A SFC  
COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED TO EXTEND TO THE CENTRAL PLAINS AT THAT  
TIME, WITH A SECONDARY BOUNDARY SAGGING TOWARD ND AND THE UPPER  
MS VALLEY.  
 
FOR TUESDAY NIGHT, THE SHORTWAVE THAT SHOULD REACH ONTARIO TO THE  
UPPER MS VALLEY ON TUESDAY EVENING SHOULD MOVE FURTHER EAST IN  
ONTARIO THE CENTRAL GREAT LAKES, WHILE THE MORE SOUTHERN SHORTWAVE  
TREKS TO EASTERN TX TO MX. ALSO IN THE WESTERLY/ZONAL FLOW, GUIDANCE  
HAS A WEAK SHORTWAVE MOVING EAST FROM THE CENTRAL CONUS INTO THE  
OH VALLEY COMMONWEALTH. MEANWHILE, THE SFC LOW NEAR THE US/CANADIAN  
BORDER SHOULD REACH THE LAKE HURON VICINITY WITH THE TRAILING  
FRONT INTO THE MID MS VALLEY TO OK. IN ADVANCE OF THE APPROACHING  
SHORTWAVE AND COLD FRONT APPROACHING FROM THE WEST/NORTHWEST,  
MOISTURE WILL INCREASE A BIT FURTHER PER 12Z HREF AND OPERATIONAL  
MODELS, REMAINING MOST SUBSTANTIAL NEARER TO 850 MB AND AT HIGH  
LEVELS. AN INCREASE IN CLOUDS BETWEEN ABOUT 700 MB AND THE 850 MB  
OR 875 MB SHOULD BE THE MOST NOTABLE SENSIBLE WEATHER TUESDAY.  
DRY AIR BELOW 850 MB OR 875 MB LEVEL SHOULD PRECLUDE UNTIL AFTER  
DAWN ON WEDNESDAY.  
 
TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN BELOW NORMAL TONIGHT AND TUESDAY, BUT  
WILL BEGIN A TREND TOWARD NORMAL. THE SFC HIGH TO THE SOUTHEAST  
OF THE AREA SHOULD SUPPORT AT LEAST A MODEST RIDGE/VALLEY SPLIT IN  
THE DEEPER EASTERN VALLEYS/HOLLOWS. THOSE LOCATIONS SHOULD  
DECOUPLE BY SUNSET AND GIVEN 3 PM EST DEWPOINTS THIS AFTERNOON  
FROM NEAR 10F TO THE MID TEENS, THE DEEPER EASTERN VALLEYS/HOLLOWS  
SHOULD REACH INTO THE TEENS, WITH LOW TO MID TEENS PROBABLE. A  
NORTH TO SOUTH TEMPERATURE GRADIENT SHOULD EXIST AGAIN ON TUESDAY,  
WITH UPPER 30S OR AROUND 40 HIGHS NORTH TO UPPER 40S SOUTH. THE  
INCREASING LOW CLOUD COVER SHOULD RESULT IN MORE UNIFORM LOWS  
GENERALLY IN THE LOW TO MID 30S FOR TUESDAY NIGHT.  
   
LONG TERM  
(WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY)  
ISSUED AT 140 PM EST MON DEC 15 2025  
 
THE LONG-TERM PERIOD OPENS WEDNESDAY MORNING WITH A SOUTHERN  
STREAM SHORTWAVE TROUGH EJECTING EAST FROM THE LOWER/MID  
MISSISSIPPI VALLEY AS A STRONGER TROUGH TRAVERSES ONTARIO AND THE  
GREAT LAKES. A POTENT TROUGH IS COMING ASHORE IN THE PACIFIC  
NORTHWEST/BRITISH COLUMBIA. AT THE SURFACE, A DEEP ~980MB LOW  
WILL BE FOUND EAST OF JAMES BAY WITH A TRAILING COLD FRONT  
EXTENDING SOUTHWEST ACROSS THE GREAT LAKES AND BACK INTO THE LOWER  
MISSOURI VALLEY. A MUCH WEAKER SURFACE WAVE IS FOUND OVER THE RED  
RIVER VALLEY OF THE SOUTH WITH A COLD FRONT EXTENDING BACK INTO  
SOUTHWEST TEXAS.  
 
THE PROGRESSIVE WEATHER PATTERN WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE  
EXTENDED PERIOD. ACROSS EASTERN KENTUCKY, MODEST WARM AIR  
ADVECTION CAN BE EXPECTED ON WEDNESDAY UNDER A WARM CONVEYOR BELT  
JET FEEDING INTO THE DEEP LOW OVER EASTERN CANADA. THE SOUTHERN  
STREAM DISTURBANCE IS LIKELY TO GENERATE CLOUD COVER AND POSSIBLY  
AN ISOLATED LIGHT SHOWER/SPRINKLE FOR A FEW SPOTS, BUT MOST  
LOCATIONS SHOULD STAY DRY. MEANWHILE, THE AFOREMENTIONED COLD  
FRONT WILL STALL NORTH OF THE OHIO RIVER. OVERALL, THIS WILL KEEP  
WEDNESDAY A QUIET, RELATIVELY CLOUDY DAY WITH TEMPERATURES NEAR  
SEASONABLE NORMS. THE 500 HPA TROUGH INITIALLY OVER THE PACIFIC  
NORTHWEST WILL TRAVERSE THE ROCKIES ON WEDNESDAY AND THEN DIVE  
SOUTHEAST, BECOMING A HIGH-AMPLITUDE TROUGH OVER THE MID-MISSISSIPPI  
VALLEY BY 00Z FRIDAY, THEN PIVOTING AND BECOMING NEGATIVELY  
TILTED AS IT PROPAGATES TOWARD NEW ENGLAND THROUGH 00Z SATURDAY.  
THIS WILL SUPPORT A STRONG LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM TRACKING ALONG THE  
US/CANADA BORDER THROUGH THAT TIME. AHEAD OF THE SYSTEM'S  
TRAILING COLD FRONT, A LOW-LEVEL THETA-E ANALYSIS WOULD SUGGEST  
TWO DISTINCT WARM FRONTS DEVELOPING IN THE WARM SECTOR: THE FIRST  
AS A RESULT OF THE AFOREMENTIONED COLD FRONT LIFTING BACK NORTH,  
AND THE SECOND LIFTING OUT OF THE DEEP SOUTH AND OVER EASTERN  
KENTUCKY ON THURSDAY. A NOTABLE SURGE OF GULF MOISTURE IS NOTED  
WITH THE SECOND BOUNDARY, SENDING PWATS RISING TO NEAR 1 INCH OR  
BETTER (OR NEARING/EXCEEDING THE 90TH PERCENTILE RELATIVE TO  
CLIMATOLOGY). A SOAKING RAIN IS LIKELY WITH THE BOUNDARY; LREF  
PROBABILITIES FOR AT LEAST 0.25 INCH OF PRECIPITATION RANGE FROM  
80 TO 90 PERCENT.  
 
ONCE THE COLD FRONT SWEEPS THROUGH LATE THURSDAY NIGHT, THE AIR  
MASS DRIES OUT QUICKLY, THOUGH DEEPER MOISTURE MAY LINGER LONG  
JUST LONG ENOUGH FOR JUST A FEW FLAKES. HEIGHTS REBOUND ON FRIDAY  
AS A SEASONABLY STRONG AREA OF HIGH PRESSURE SETTLES ACROSS THE  
OHIO VALLEY. THAT HIGH PRESSURE'S TENURE WILL BE SHORT-LIVED,  
HOWEVER, AS YET ANOTHER, ALBEIT LESS AMPLIFIED, 500 HPA TROUGH  
EJECTS EAST FROM THE ROCKIES, SUPPORTING A WEAKER LOW PASSING  
NORTH OF THE US-CANADA BORDER OVER THE WEEKEND. THIS WILL DROP  
ANOTHER COLD FRONT NEAR OR JUST SOUTH OF THE OHIO RIVER ON SUNDAY.  
LOW-AMPLITUDE 500 HPA RIDGING BUILDS ACROSS THE CENTRAL CONUS  
EARLY NEXT WEEK, LEADING TO RISING HEIGHTS AND THE COLD FRONT'S  
RETREAT BACK TO THE NORTH.  
 
SENSIBLY SPEAKING, THE TEMPERATURE ROLLER COASTER WILL CONTINUE,  
REMAINING ONE OF THE MOST NOTABLE ASPECTS OF THE FORECAST PERIOD.  
LOOK FOR A VARIABLY CLOUDY WEDNESDAY WITH HIGH TEMPERATURES  
RANGING FROM THE MID 40S TO NEAR 50. CLOUDS INCREASE AGAIN  
WEDNESDAY NIGHT, WHILE LOW TEMPERATURES REMAIN MILD WITH LOWS IN  
THE 30S. SHOWER CHANCES RAMP UP QUICKLY ON THURSDAY, AND IT WILL  
BE MUCH MILDER WITH HIGHS WELL INTO THE 50S (PERHAPS NEARING 60 IN  
THE WARMEST VALLEYS). COOLER AND DRIER WEATHER RETURNS FOR  
THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING WITH LOWS IN THE 20S AND  
HIGHS IN THE 30S TO NEAR 40. THE ROLLER COASTER CONTINUES HEADING  
INTO THE WEEKEND, WITH TEMPERATURES LIKELY SURGING BRIEFLY ABOVE  
NORMAL ON SATURDAY BEFORE SETTLING DOWNWARD THE SECOND HALF OF  
THE WEEKEND, ONLY TO START RISING AGAIN EARLY NEXT WEEK.  
 
 
   
AVIATION  
(FOR THE 18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z TUESDAY AFTERNOON)  
ISSUED AT 1255 PM EST MON DEC 15 2025  
 
SURFACE WINDS NOW FROM THE SW, WITH VFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED  
THROUGH THE PERIOD. MAINLY JUST HIGH CIRRUS EXPECTED. WINDS SHOULD  
SLACK TO VRB OVERNIGHT, THEN PICK UP A BIT TO 5-8 KTS IN THE  
12-18Z TIMEFRAME.  
 
 
   
JKL WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
NONE.  
 
 
 
 
 
UPDATE...CMC  
SHORT TERM...JP  
LONG TERM...GEERTSON  
AVIATION...ILN  
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