textproduct: Jackson

KEY MESSAGES

- Cooler and drier air arrives and settles in through Wednesday morning.

- A Freeze Warning is in effect until 10 AM EDT Wednesday morning for sheltered valleys north of Cumberland River Basin and east of the Pottsville Escarpment and also across the Bluegrass.

- A Frost Advisory is in effect until 10 AM EDT Wednesday morning for the remainder of the eastern Kentucky, primarily for sheltered and low-lying areas. - Temperatures climb to 10 to 15 degrees above normal by Friday and Saturday, and potentially near 20 degrees above normal for Sunday, with mainly rain-free weather expected.

UPDATE

Issued at 720 PM EDT TUE APR 7 2026

23Z sfc analysis shows high pressure centered to the northeast of the state is in control of the weather over eastern Kentucky. This is working to settle the winds and keep skies clear - setting up good radiational cooling conditions. Currently, though, temperatures are fairly uniform in the low to mid 50s most places. Meanwhile, amid northerly winds of 5 to 10 mph, dewpoints are generally in the low to mid 20s west and the upper teens in the east. Have updated the forecast mainly to add in the latest obs and trends for the T/Td/Sky grids. These minor adjustments have been sent to the NDFD and web servers along with a freshening of the zones.

LONG TERM

(Thursday through Tuesday) Issued at 458 PM EDT TUE APR 7 2026

The models are general agreement with fairly amplified flow to rule over the CONUS through early next week. A ridge axis will shift from west of the Rockies to east of the Mississippi River through this weekend. A ridge center will then remain in control across the southeastern CONUS early next week. Meanwhile, bouts of eastern Pacific energy will move onshore and then ride northeast around the ridge in the East. Most of this activity will stay just northwest of the Commonwealth through the weekend, before easing a bit closer by early next week, providing our area with a somewhat better chance of precipitation.

Warm and mainly dry weather will be the rule across eastern Kentucky through this weekend. Temperatures will be warming each day, with low to mid 70s for highs on Thursday, and then mid to upper 70s on Friday. Clear skies, light return flow, and dry air in place will promote another healthy ridge/valley split for Thursday night. Valleys will likely dip into the upper 30s, while ridgetops stay in the lower 50s. A cold front will approach from the northwest on Friday and essentially dissipate as it attempts to cross the area on Saturday. A few showers will be possible north of the Mountain Parkway Friday night, but these will not provide any meaningful rainfall that is needed across the area, assuming they actual materialize.

Temperatures will stall a bit in our north behind the cold front on Saturday, with slightly cooler highs, but by Sunday, 500 mb heights will rise more decisively, with temperatures rebounding well into the 80s, possibly threatening some record highs for that date. Highs will continue to be in the 80s, although modulated by an increase in cloud cover. Lows will moderate from the 50s to eventually the 60s. The next chance of rainfall arrives on Tuesday, but confidence is low, given the strength of the ridge to our southeast, and the continued overall drier pattern in place.

AVIATION

(For the 00Z TAFS through 00Z Wednesday evening) ISSUED AT 745 PM EDT TUE APR 7 2026

VFR conditions will hold through the period as just a few mid and high clouds pass from time to time. North to northeast winds at 5 to 10 kts will diminish tonight and then gradually veer southeasterly through the end of the period.

JKL WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

Freeze Warning from 1 AM to 10 AM EDT Wednesday for KYZ044-050- 051.

Freeze Warning from midnight tonight to 10 AM EDT Wednesday for KYZ052-060-104-106>120.

Frost Advisory from 1 AM to 10 AM EDT Wednesday for KYZ058-059- 068-069-079-080-083>088.