textproduct: Paducah

KEY MESSAGES

- Light snow is possible today, but little to no impactful accumulation is expected; just a spotty light dusting of snowfall on grassy surfaces may occur.

- Winter-like cold temperatures that start the new work week will feature the coldest temperatures with lows tonight that drop into the mid teens to around 20 degrees; this will approach records and translate to wind chills in the single digits to lower teens around daybreak Tuesday.

- Warmer temperatures will return toward the end of the week, with 70s by Thursday continuing thru the weekend and a few 80s appearing here and there not out of the question.

DISCUSSION

Issued at 1215 AM CDT Mon Mar 16 2026

The front has made its passage, so lingering showers depart with it very soon. Further upstream, the brunt of the cold air is headed this way, and includes some light snow shower activity that the models suggest brush our north and east with the potential for a light dusting on grassy areas. Any snow that occurs will generally be non-impactful, but a few isolated slick spots on area roadways, especially bridges and overpasses, are a possibility as temperatures nosedive below freezing before the sun comes up.

This plunge of cold air heralds about a 48 hour period that will feel like a return of winter. The coldest air comes tonight, with lows ranging from the mid teens to around 20 degrees. That's in the neighborhood of our record lows for Tuesday March 17, which are as follows: EVV-13 (1900), PAH-19 (1941), CGI-22 (1967), POF-19 (1941), and MDH-3 (1900). Add in a little wind and we'll get daybreak wind chills from the single digits to lower teens. Tuesday highs will again be largely in the 30s, except some lower 40s may sneak into the Ozarks. Today's highs in the 30s will "feel like" 20s thanks to the still stiff nwlies.

Tuesday night is cold, with upper 20s to mid 30s, so not quite as cold. But another wave of low pressure enters the picture briefly late Tuesday night into Wednesday morning, when temperatures are at their coldest. Light snow showers are possible as this energy skirts mainly to our north but has enough of an influence here to potentially dust up grassy surfaces in our far north if it over-achieves.

Now for the good news...warmer temperatures look to make their return over the back half of the week, and judging by the 6-10 and 8-14 day above normal projections, they should stick around awhile. 70s reappear by Thursday, and continue into/thru the weekend, and a few 80s here or there are not out of the question as well. This will also be a drier warmth with little to no pcpn chances on the foreseeable horizon after the mid week brush chance. This trend too may stick around with the longer range outlooks suggesting below normal pcpn for the latter half of the month.

AVIATION /06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z TUESDAY/

Issued at 1215 AM CDT Mon Mar 16 2026

Breezy NW winds may gust 25-30kts thru morning as the gradient remains tight behind the recent fropa. CIGS should linger mainly MVFR until late morning, where they lift to VFR in the south but stay borderline VFR/MVFR in the north. Brief periods of light snow with little to no accumulation are possible in the northeast. Winds will relax some over the back half of the forecast, as the pressure gradient starts to loosen up with high pressure building in.

PAH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

IL...Wind Advisory until 7 AM CDT Monday for ILZ075>078-080>094. MO...Wind Advisory until 7 AM CDT Monday for MOZ076-086-087-100- 107>112-114. IN...Wind Advisory until 7 AM CDT /8 AM EDT/ Monday for INZ081-082- 085>088. KY...Wind Advisory until 7 AM CDT Monday for KYZ001>022.