textproduct: Jackson

KEY MESSAGES

- A warming trend continues, with highs returning to the mid 70s to low 80s Sunday.

- Periodic chances for showers and thunderstorms affect the area this weekend, with the greatest chances Sunday night.

- Frost is possible late Monday night into Tuesday morning in valleys - mainly away from mainstem rivers.

UPDATE

Issued at 1100 PM EDT FRI MAY 8 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 along with a tweaking of PoPs through the night per the current radar and CAMs guidance. These minor adjustments have been sent to the NDFD and web servers along with a freshening of the SAFs and zones.

UPDATE Issued at 745 PM EDT FRI MAY 8 2026

23Z sfc analysis shows high pressure still in control of the weather over eastern Kentucky this evening, even as it is settling to the southeast of the state. This movement is in the face of a cold front easing into the northern parts of Kentucky overnight. Some light rain showers are noted along this boundary. Currently, temperatures are running in the mid 60s for most of the area with a few sheltered spots having fallen into the upper 50s. Meanwhile, amid light and variable winds, dewpoints have dried out into the upper 30s to lower 40s for the majority of the obs. 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

(Sunday through Friday) Issued at 254 PM EDT FRI MAY 8 2026

The period begins Sunday morning with a closed low in the vicinity of southern Hudson Bay, with a longwave trough over much of the northeastern quadrant of the country, including the Ohio Valley. Meanwhile, at the surface a cold front will be moving southeast through the Ohio River Valley.

The cold front will cross the area Sunday and bring shower chances and the low chance of a thunderstorm or two Sunday afternoon into early evening. This will be followed by the passage of an upper shortwave moving through the larger longwave trough beginning to exit to the northeast. This feature will bring another round of widespread post-frontal shower activity Sunday night before exiting to the east Monday morning.

Northwesterly flow aloft and surface high pressure will bring clearing skies Monday with highs only reaching the mid-60s, not quite ten degrees below normal. With excellent radiational cooling conditions Monday night, temperatures should fall well down into the mid-30s to lower 40s. While mainstem river valleys are likely to be foggy, outlying valleys may be cold enough for at least some patchy frost.

Temperatures remain near or below normal through the week under northwesterly flow aloft, with warmest conditions Wednesday just ahead of a cold front that will bring roughly 30 to 60 percent chances of showers, and perhaps a few thunderstorms, late Tuesday into Wednesday. After a brief slight cooldown Thursday, temperatures rebound to near normal in the mid to upper 70s ahead of building mid-level geopotential heights Friday.

AVIATION

(For the 00Z TAFS through 00Z Saturday evening) ISSUED AT 820 PM EDT FRI MAY 8 2026

VFR conditions should hold through the TAF period. Current satellite shows clear skies across the southern parts of the area, though clouds will overspread eastern Kentucky from north to south through the evening and overnight from a weak wave of low pressure passing by to the north. While chances remain extremely low, a sprinkle or an off shower cannot be completely ruled out at KIOB or KSYM overnight. Cloud decks may lower to around 5k feet for a time there but are expected to remain in the VFR range. Winds will be light and variable to begin the period, becoming south to southwest at less than 10 kts for a time overnight. They will then increase into Saturday afternoon with gusts of 15 to 20 kts anticipated.

JKL WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

None.