698  
FXUS63 KMPX 252056  
AFDMPX  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN  
356 PM CDT SAT MAY 25 2013  
   
SHORT TERM
 
(THIS EVENING THROUGH SUNDAY)  
ISSUED AT 315 PM CDT SAT MAY 25 2013  
 
LARGE AREA OF SURFACE LOW PRESSURE OVER EASTERN PORTION OF  
NORTHERN ROCKIES CONTINUES TO SLOWLY BECOME BETTER ORGANIZED  
INTO TONIGHT. WARM FRONTAL BOUNDARY ASSOCIATED WITH SAME  
WILL AGAIN BE THE CATALYST FOR ANY ORGANIZED SHOWER AND  
THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY TONIGHT INTO SUNDAY. AREA OF CONVECTION  
ALREADY FIRING UP ALONG NORTHERN EDGE OF THIS BOUNDARY AS SEEN  
ON IR SATELLITE IMAGERY. CONDITIONS SHOULD REMAIN DRY OVER  
MUCH OF THE FA THIS EVENING...WITH POSSIBLE DEVELOPMENT OF  
SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDER AFTER MIDNIGHT MAINLY SOUTHWEST  
OF A LINE FROM MORRIS TO OLIVIA TO OWATONNA. SURFACE FORCING  
FOR THIS ACTIVITY IS MINIMAL...PER WEAK THETA-E ADVECTION.  
SIMILARLY...UPPER AIR SUPPORT PER GFS40 250MB DIVERGENCE  
IS ALSO QUITE LACKING...SAVE STRONG DIVERGENCE COUPLET ABOVE  
FAR SOUTHWEST MN NEAR 26/12Z. SO AT THIS JUNCTURE LOOKS LIKE  
MAIN THREAT FOR ANY ORGANIZED OVERNIGHT INTO MID MORNING  
CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY WILL EMANATE FROM MCS GENERATED TONIGHT  
OVER CENTRAL SODAK...AND PROGRESSION OF SAME SE INTO  
SW MN...AND PORTIONS OF SOUTH CENTRAL MN AND MUCH OF NORTHERN  
HALF OF IA. MUCH OF THE REST OF THE DAYLIGHT HOURS SHOULD BE  
DRY...MINUS FAR WEST CENTRAL MN...WHERE LATE SUNDAY AFTERNOON  
CONVECTION COULD EASILY FIRE NEAR THE WARM FRONTAL BOUNDARY...AND  
WHERE BEST MOISTURE TRANSPORT VECTORS ARE OBSEVERED. GRADIENT WILL  
TIGHTEN A TAD FURTHER BY LATE SUNDAY MORNING OVER THE  
REGION...GUARANTEEING ANOTHER DAY OF MODERATE SE FLOW. HIGH  
TEMPERATURES ON SUNDAY WILL BE SIMILAR TO TODAY'S...AS THICK  
STRATO-CU CONTINUES TO BLANKET MUCH OF THE FA.  
 
   
LONG TERM
 
(SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY)  
ISSUED AT 315 PM CDT SAT MAY 25 2013  
 
A WET LONG TERM FORECAST PERIOD IS SHAPING UP FOR NEXT WEEK...AS THE  
FORECAST AREA REMAINS DOWNSTREAM OF A DEEPENING WESTERN CONUS  
MID/UPPER TROUGH. WHILE THERE WILL BE DRY WINDOWS OF TIME HERE AND  
THERE...THE MAJORITY OF MODEL SOLUTIONS INDICATE THE POTENTIAL FOR  
WIDESPREAD TOTAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF TWO TO FOUR INCHES BETWEEN  
SUNDAY NIGHT AND NEXT SATURDAY.  
 
THE SUNDAY NIGHT INTO MONDAY MORNING TIME FRAME IS LOOKING LIKE IT  
SHOULD BE ONE OF THOSE WINDOWS WHERE MOST OF THE FORECAST AREA SHOULD  
REMAIN DRY...IN BETWEEN DETECTABLE SHORTWAVES AND IN THE ABSENCE OF  
A NOTABLE FORCING MECHANISM. THAT ALL CHANGES ON MONDAY HOWEVER...AS  
SHOWN BY THE GFS AND ECMWF...WHICH CONTINUE TO BRING A DECENT MID  
LEVEL SHORTWAVE ACROSS THE AREA FOR THE MEMORIAL DAY HOLIDAY. THE  
NAM FEATURES IT AS WELL...BUT IS A TAD SLOWER...AND IS SHIFTED  
SLIGHTLY TO LATER MONDAY INTO TUESDAY. MODELS CONTINUE TO PORTRAY AN  
IMPRESSIVELY DIFFLUENT UPPER LEVEL THICKNESS PATTERN DURING THIS  
TIME FRAME. WITH PLENTY OF MOISTURE FUNNELING NORTH FROM THE GULF  
/AS SHOWN BY FORECAST PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES 200 PERCENT OF  
NORMAL ON MONDAY NIGHT/ THE POTENTIAL FOR A GOOD SOAKING RAINFALL ON  
MONDAY AND MONDAY NIGHT WITH WIDESPREAD 1 TO 2 INCH AMOUNTS IS  
CERTAINLY QUITE POSSIBLE.  
 
THE NEXT TIME FRAME FOR NOTABLE PRECIP IS EXPECTED TO ARRIVE ON  
LATE TUESDAY INTO WEDNESDAY...AS A WARM FRONT LIFTS NORTH INTO THE  
FORECAST AREA...AND IS AGAIN SUPPORTED BY A BROAD UPPER LEVEL  
DIFFLUENT PATTERN. IN ADDITION TO THE POTENTIAL FOR HEAVY  
RAINFALL...A THREAT FOR ORGANIZED SEVERE WEATHER WILL ENTER THE  
PICTURE...ESPECIALL ON THURSDAY AND FRIDAY AS THE SURFACE LOW NEARS  
THE AREA AND DEEP LAYER SHEAR INCREASES. IN FACT...THE CIPS ANALOGS  
FOR SEVERE WEATHER INDICATE THERE ARE SEVERAL MATCHES TO HISTORICAL  
OUTBREAK EVENTS...INCLUDING JUNE 17TH OF 2010...  
 

 
   
AVIATION
 
(FOR THE 18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z SUNDAY AFTERNOON)  
ISSUED AT 100 PM CDT SAT MAY 25 2013  
 
REMNANTS OF MCS WHICH PRODUCED MODERATE TO HEAVY AMOUNTS OF  
PRECIPITATION OVER MUCH OF NORTHERN IOWA...AND LIGHTER AMOUNTS  
ABOVE FAR SOUTHERN MN CONTINUES TO DECREASE IN COVERAGE AND  
INTENSITY AS IT TREKS INTO NORTHERN IL. CLOSER TO HOME...LARGE  
SWATH OF STRATO-CU CONTINUES TO BLANKET ALL OF THE TAF REGION.  
WESTERN HALF OF THIS REGION DEALING WITH MVFR...TO LOW END  
MVFR CIGS...WITH VFR CONDITIONS ELSEWHERE. ALTHOUGH IR SATELLITE  
CONFIRMING SOME REDEVELOPMENT OF LOWER CIGS OVER EASTERN SODAK  
...LOSS OF HEATING BY EARLY THIS EVENING SHOULD GIVE GREEN  
LIGHT TO SHORT TERM LOSS OF CIGS OVER KAXN...KSTC...AND KRWF  
...WITH REDEVELOPMENT POSSIBLE LATER THIS EVENING AHEAD OF  
AREA OF CONVECTION FORMING OVER CENTRAL DAKOTAS AFTER 03Z.  
NOTHING VERY SUBSTANTIAL CONCERNING FORCING IN RESPECT TO  
CONVECTION DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS OR SO...SAVE TONIGHT  
OVER WEST CENTRAL THROUGH SOUTH CENTRAL MN. WITH THAT SAID  
TEMPO GROUPS WILL BE THE RULE AT MOST WESTERN TAF LOCATIONS  
WITH INSTABILITY PARAMETERS INDICATING POSSIBLE SHORT TERM  
THUNDER AT KRWF. LIGHT TO MDT SE FLOW WILL CONTINUE FOR MUCH OF  
THE FORECAST PERIOD. VFR VSBYS WILL BE SEEN INTO SUNDAY AFTN  
...MINUS SHORT PERIODS OF MVFR ASSOCIATED WITH POSSIBLE CONVECTION.  
VFR CIGS EXPECTED AT ALL AIRPORT LOCATIONS AFTER 15Z.  
 
KMSP...  
 
CONFIDENCE IS NOT HIGH FOR SHOWER ACTIVITY LATER THIS EVENING.  
MODERATE THETA E ADVECTION AND VERY POTENT 250MB DIVERGENCE  
COUPLETS AFTER 06Z...COULD GENERATE A PASSING SHOWER AT KMSP.  
MUCH BETTER BET CONCERNS FAIRLY DRASTIC LOWERING OF VFR TO  
MVFR CIGS BY 23Z TIME PERIOD. ACTUALLY HAVE A FAIRLY LARGE  
AREA OF LOW MVFR CIGS OVER WEST CENTRAL WI ATTM ADVECTING  
IN THIS DIRECTION. HEATING SHOULD ELEVATE CIGS AS THEY PROCEED  
EAST. ALTHOUGH CURRENT FORECAST DEPICTS CONTUINUATION OF MVFR CIGS  
THROUGH 15Z...THERE IS A POSSIBILITY OF A SHORT TERM BREAK IN  
THE CLOUD COVER MENTIONED ABOVE BETWEEN 03Z AND 05Z. AFTER 15Z  
MDT SE FLOW AND VFR CIGS AND VSBYS SHOULD BE ANTICIPATED TIL  
END OF PERIOD. BETTER CHANCES FOR CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY WILL  
BE ENCOUNTERED BY LATE SUNDAY NIGHT.  
 

 
   
MPX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
MN...NONE.  
WI...NONE.  

 
 

 
 
SHORT TERM...AJZ  
LONG TERM...LS  
AVIATION...AJZ  
 
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