Weather
Illinois-Kentucky Weather Alert: Paducah Fog, Icy Roads Today, Nov. 15-19
PADUCAH, KY — Thick patches of river valley fog and freezing temperatures could create dangerous surprises for drivers across western Kentucky and southern Illinois.
By Caleb Mercer · 2026-11-15T11:41:16.769Z
PADUCAH, KY — Thick patches of river valley fog and freezing temperatures could create dangerous surprises for drivers across western Kentucky and southern Illinois.
Visibility could fall to a quarter mile or less, while isolated slick spots may develop on roads and bridges.
According to the National Weather Service in Paducah, a Special Weather Statement issued at 2:57 a.m. CST Sunday, November 15, warns of patchy fog and potentially icy pavement.
The advisory covers portions of southern Illinois, western Kentucky, southwest Indiana and southeast Missouri.
Temperatures at Barkley Regional Airport registered 27 degrees early Sunday, with calm winds and high humidity.
Freezing Fog Creates Travel Concerns The National Weather Service warns that river valley fog developed during the morning while temperatures remained below freezing.
This combination may allow moisture to freeze on exposed pavement, especially bridges and elevated roadways.
Drivers traveling Interstate 24, Interstate 57 and surrounding highways should remain alert for changing visibility and isolated slippery areas.
The weather service specifically recommends using low beam headlights in fog.
Avoid sudden braking, increase following distances and allow additional travel time where visibility remains reduced.
The Hazardous Weather Outlook also highlights scattered slick spots associated with subfreezing temperatures.
However, widespread icing is not predicted, and conditions should improve as temperatures rise.
Sunshine Returns With a Significant Warmup Sunday's fog should give way to mostly sunny skies, with temperatures climbing toward 57 degrees.
That represents a substantial improvement from the freezing conditions recorded earlier.
Sunday night brings mostly clear skies and another temperature drop near 29 degrees.
Monday continues the warming trend, with sunshine and a high near 58 degrees.
Tuesday climbs to approximately 62 degrees, followed by a low near freezing.
Wednesday and Thursday Bring Springlike Temperatures By Wednesday, November 18, temperatures should reach 65 degrees under sunny skies.
Thursday pushes even higher, with mostly sunny conditions and temperatures near 68 degrees.
That creates a 41 degree difference between Sunday's observed 27 degrees and Thursday's expected high.
The National Weather Service expects no additional hazardous weather through Saturday in its regional outlook.
No local tornado threat or accumulating snow is indicated in the supplied outlook.
Five Day Paducah Weather Outlook: Nov. 15 19 Sunday, Nov. 15: Areas of morning fog, then mostly sunny. High 57°F. Isolated slick roads possible early. Tonight: 29°F. Monday, Nov. 16: Sunny, high 58°F. Light winds. Clear Monday night, low 30°F. Tuesday, Nov. 17: Sunny, high 62°F. Light winds. Clear Tuesday night, low 32°F. Wednesday, Nov. 18: Sunny, high 65°F. South winds 5 7 mph. Partly cloudy Wednesday night, low 38°F. Thursday, Nov. 19: Mostly sunny, high 68°F. South southwest winds 5 7 mph. Partly cloudy Thursday night, low 43°F. Looking Ahead: Nov. 20 21 Friday brings mostly sunny skies and temperatures reaching approximately 71 degrees.
Saturday could climb toward 72 degrees, continuing the unusually mild feeling November stretch.
The supplied local outlook does not indicate additional hazardous weather through Saturday.
For now, the immediate concern remains localized freezing fog and slick pavement, followed by several days of improving conditions.
Did you encounter fog or slippery roads around Paducah, Metropolis, Marion or southern Illinois this morning? Tell us what conditions you're seeing!