Weather Headlines
*An Enhanced Risk Of Strong To Severe Thunderstorm Development Will Exist From Late This Afternoon Into Morning Hours of Thursday (8-9 April 2020)
*The potential for strong-severe thunderstorms exists late this afternoon-early evening, along an outflow boundary, and again overnight-early Thursday AM ahead of a strong cold front.
Current 500 MB Streamline Flow Field
Potential for a Derecho-Type cluster of rapid, southeast moving thunderstorms exists for the overnight-early morning hours of Thursday.
What is a Derecho_About Derechos (SPC)
Wind damage, localized large hail, torrential rainfall and, of course, lightning will be the main severe modes (wind damage will be widespread across Kentucky toward the western front of the mountains if up-scale growth into a derecho system occurs).
Current GOES-16 Satellite Imagery
*Much colder air is expected late Thursday into Friday on WNW-NW upslope flow. Low clouds with a chance for snow showers and flurries is being monitored for the windward, upslope side of the Appalachians.
*Sub-freezing temperatures will be likely Thursday night into Friday morning at higher elevations, and in colder mountain valleys Friday night into Saturday morning.
Major Storm Potential Possible Into Next Week
The potential for major storm development is being highlighted in modeling, although timing and details remain to be resolved, for some point between this weekend and the middle of next week.
A huge temperature contrast, with much below average air moving south, will develop a baroclinic (clash) zone favorable for major storm development.
This will be part of a stormy pattern driven by a large northwest to southeast temperature gradient across the central-eastern USA into mid-April 2020.
A deep, positively-tilted upper trough implies, as well documented this year, wetness with the potential for heavy to excessive precipitation amounts (especially along and west of the Appalachians).
Please reference Mid-Spring_High Knob Massif for a recap of recently observed precipitation amounts.