Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Jackson, KY
Issued by NWS Jackson, KY
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056 FXUS63 KJKL 061150 AAA AFDJKL AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED National Weather Service Jackson KY 750 AM EDT Sun Sep 6 2026 .KEY MESSAGES... - A cold front brings isolated to scattered showers and thunderstorms today, with the best chances shifting south of the Mountain Parkway by late morning. - Fair, comfortable, and dry conditions are expected for Labor Day, except for a rogue afternoon shower chance near Lake Cumberland. - Warm, dry weather continues through Wednesday before a cold front brings renewed shower and thunderstorm chances on Thursday. && .UPDATE... Issued at 725 AM EDT SUN SEP 6 2026 No significant changes were made to the forecast with mainly just the inclusion of the latest obs and trends for the T/Td/Sky grids and a tweaking of the fog and low clouds through 14Z. These minor adjustments have been sent to the NDFD and web servers along with a freshening of the SAFs and zones. && .SHORT TERM...(Today through Monday) Issued at 115 AM EDT SUN SEP 6 2026 Isolated to scattered showers and thunderstorms are noted across the Commonwealth on an otherwise warm and muggy night, with thermometers ranging through the 70s. The 04Z surface analysis shows a cold front extending from St. Louis, MO eastward along the I-64 corridor into West Virginia and then southeastward off the Carolina coast. Translating to the upper levels, troughing is amplifying over the northeastern CONUS and adjacent portions of the Great Lakes, Ohio Valley, and Mid-Atlantic around an ~557 dam low near/over Prince Edward Island. Meanwhile, a robust upper- level ridge extends from Texas northward across the Plains into the southern Canadian prairies. The aforementioned cold front will continue to slowly work its way southward through the early morning hours. CAMs suggest that at least isolated to scattered weak convection will continue to precede/ attend the front. There will be substantial CIN, but should an updraft become particularly robust, the parameter space could still support isolated strong thunderstorm wind gusts. Low-level theta-e fields suggest that the front should slip south of the KY/TN border by around mid-morning on Sunday. In post-frontal CAA upslope flow, a layer of low-level moisture is likely to support a stratus deck sagging southward through early morning, then only slowly eroding from north to south through early afternoon. For most locations, one would anticipate only light drizzle or light showers under this cloud deck, but somewhat better lapse rates resulting in modest instability over the Kentucky and Cumberland River basins could support a few spotty heavier showers or even a thunderstorm or two, especially closer to the KY/TN border. With time, though, drier air will filter in on northerly flow, dropping dew points solidly back into the 60s while skies trend mostly clear by sunset. Eastern Kentucky will then remain on the southern periphery of surface high pressure situated over the Great Lakes for the rest of the short-term period (Sunday night and Labor Day). This will result in a weak inverted lee trough residing over the western foothills of the central Appalachians. So, while most locations should be dry on Monday, a few places--especially closer to better moisture lingering near the KY/TN line around Lake Cumberland--could still see an isolated shower or perhaps even a rogue rumble of thunder during the Labor Day afternoon. In sensible weather terms, look for isolated to scattered showers and thunderstorms early this morning, gradually drifting south. Low temperatures will be slight cooler, ranging from the mid 60s to near 70F. A bit of an uptick in shower and thunderstorm activity is possible during the mid-morning to mid-afternoon timeframe on Sunday, well south of the Mountain Parkway. Aside from those rain chances, it will be mostly to partly cloudy and cooler than recent days, with high temperatures ranging through the 80s. A refreshingly cooler night follows for Sunday night, with lows in the upper 50s in the coolest northern hollows to the mid 60s on the warmest ridges. Mostly sunny skies and high temperatures ranging in the 80s return for Labor Day. While a vast majority of places should stay completely dry, a rogue afternoon shower or even a rumble of thunder cannot be entirely ruled out, especially near Lake Cumberland. .LONG TERM...(Monday night through Saturday) Issued at 115 AM EDT SUN SEP 6 2026 The long-term period opens Monday evening with the latest model suite analysis showing lingering troughing over the northeastern CONUS. Meanwhile, upper-level ridging is shifting east across the Mississippi River ahead of a trough transiting from the Pacific Northwest over the northern Rockies. Translating down to the surface, high pressure remains situated over the Lower Great Lakes and continues to dominate eastern Kentuckys weather. However, farther upstream, an ~1000 mb surface low is projected over the northern Plains while its associated cold front trails southwestward over the Great Basin. The upper-level ridging will continue to shift eastward through midweek and gradually flatten as the upstream troughing traverses the northern CONUS, such that by late in the week, quasi-zonal flow with embedded shortwaves predominates over the Ohio Valley. At the surface, the aforementioned low lifts northeast to near James Bay by 00Z Thursday, where it becomes vertically stacked and weakens as it drifts into Quebec. However, there should be enough upper-level energy to push the systems associated cold front near the Ohio River. Shortwave ridging returns for Friday before another shortwave trough approaches for the upcoming weekend. Model spread does increase by the last days of the forecast period, leaving confidence in the details rather low. In sensible weather terms, look for a fair and seasonably hot weather pattern for Tuesday and Wednesday, with highs in the mid to upper 80s and nighttime lows range mostly through the 60s. Shower and thunderstorm chances return on Thursday with the arrival of the cold front. Behind the front, slightly cooler conditions along with diurnally modulated rain chances are then forecast heading into next weekend. Look for high temperatures to retreat to the lower to middle 80s by Friday and Saturday, while nighttime lows slip into the upper 50s to mid 60s. && .AVIATION...(For the 12Z TAFS through 12Z Monday morning) ISSUED AT 750 AM EDT SUN SEP 6 2026 Thunderstorm coverage will probably increase a bit through the morning as the main threat slowly shifts south ahead of a cold front arriving from the north. MVFR CIGs and some fog will eventually clear out by mid morning in the wake of this boundary. Flight categories improve back to VFR everywhere by afternoon, remaining VFR through the end of the TAF - with an exception of the river valleys likely seeing fog again late tonight. Winds will be light with a tendency to be from the northeast through the period. && .JKL WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && $$ UPDATE...GREIF SHORT TERM...GEERTSON LONG TERM...GEERTSON JKL AVIATION...GREIF