textproduct: Jackson

KEY MESSAGES

- A developing area of rain early this evening will mix with and then change over to all snow later tonight. A Winter Weather Advisory has been issued for parts of eastern Kentucky for potential accumulations of up 2 inches.

- Snow showers and potential snow squalls develop late tonight, with chances lingering into the day Saturday.

- Expect sudden visibility drops in snow and snow showers through Saturday.

- Temperatures averaging 10 to 20 degrees below normal will be in place over the area from Saturday night through Tuesday night.

LONG TERM

(Saturday night through Thursday) Issued at 510 AM EST FRI JAN 16 2026

The models are in good agreement with an amplified long wave pattern to rule across the majority of North America through the middle of next week. Late this weekend, sharper ridging will be aligned from Alaska through the West Coast, while deeper troughing is positioned from Hudson Bay through the central CONUS. Inbound northern stream energy from north central Canada will continue to reinforce this trough across the eastern two thirds of the nation into early next week, securing well below normal temperatures across the Ohio and Tennessee valleys. By the middle of next week, the trough will broaden a bit, with modifying temperatures nosing in from the Tennessee Valley.

A short wave trough will move through eastern Kentucky Saturday night, maintaining some snow shower activity across the area. This wave will exit to our east on Sunday, with surface ridging remaining aligned across eastern Kentucky through the rest of the day, with generally dry weather and lessening cloud cover. Another short wave trough will cruise through the Ohio Valley Sunday night into Monday, with a moisture-starved cold front following suit at the surface. This will bring another increase in clouds, but the low levels look too dry to support measurable precipitation.

Well below normal temperatures will be the rule into early next week. Temperatures will average between 10 and 15 degrees below normal from Sunday through Monday, with overnight lows in the teens and highs in the 20s and 30s. The coldest period will be Monday night into Tuesday, when temperatures average between 15 and 20 degrees below normal. Lows Monday night will be in the single digits. High pressure will shift off to our southeast Tuesday night into Wednesday, with return flow ensuing. Temperatures will rebound into the 40s on Wednesday and Thursday, with lows in the 20s and 30s. The next frontal system approaches from the northwest Wednesday night into Thursday, with a return of precipitation chances. There is still much uncertainty regarding the details of this system, with PoPs only peaking at around 30% for now.

AVIATION

(For the 18Z TAFS through 18Z Saturday afternoon) ISSUED AT 1230 PM EST FRI JAN 16 2026

VFR conditions will hold through the afternoon for eastern Kentucky. Precipitation, mainly in the form of rain changing to snow, then develops over western portions of the forecast area early this evening spreading, then spreads/expands slowly southeast. Along with this will come a reduction to MVFR and IFR conditions setting in for the rest of the night. South to southwest winds will pick up early this afternoon at 8 to 14 kts with gusts up to 25 kts possible for the western and northern terminals in the afternoon. These will then back off to less than 10 kts through mid-morning Saturday before increasing again ahead of the next cold front passage during the afternoon hours.

JKL WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

Winter Weather Advisory from 7 PM this evening to 7 AM EST Saturday for KYZ044-050>052-058>060-068-069.

Winter Weather Advisory from 8 PM this evening to 9 AM EST Saturday for KYZ088-118.