030  
FXUS63 KARX 191857  
AFDARX  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI  
157 PM CDT SAT SEP 19 2026  
   
KEY MESSAGES
 
 
- SHOWERS AND STORMS LIKELY (40-70%) THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING  
ACROSS PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST IOWA AND SOUTHWEST WISCONSIN.  
LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 2-4" WILL BE POSSIBLE WHERE  
STORMS FREQUENT THE SAME LOCATIONS. ADDITIONAL FLOODING MAY  
OCCUR WHERE LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN FALLS ON ALREADY SATURATED  
GROUND.  
 
- ADDITIONAL LIGHT RAIN CHANCES (30-60%) MONDAY AND MONDAY  
NIGHT.  
 
- DRIER AND COOL CONDITIONS THROUGHOUT MUCH OF THE UPCOMING WEEK  
WITH HIGHS GENERALLY IN THE 60S.  
 

 
   
DISCUSSION
 
 
ISSUED AT 157 PM CDT SAT SEP 19 2026  
 
THIS AFTERNOON - EVENING: ADDITIONAL HEAVY RAIN POTENTIAL IN  
SOUTHWEST WISCONSIN AND NORTHEAST IOWA  
 
HEAVY RAIN IMPACTS SHIFT THIS AFTERNOON TO PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST  
IOWA AND SOUTHWEST WISCONSIN WITH ADDITIONAL CONVECTIVE DEVELOPMENT  
POSSIBLE AS SHOWN IN SEVERAL OF THE CAMS. THE GENERAL CONCEPTUAL  
MODEL AS WE HEAD LATER INTO THE DAY IS FOR THE FRONT RESPONSIBLE FOR  
MUCH OF OUR RAINFALL TO SAG SOUTH WITH SOME SURFACE CONVERGENCE  
ALONG IT. AS THIS OCCURS, SOME INSTABILITY ATTEMPTS TO BE ADVECTED  
INTO THE REGION AS SOUTHERLY LOW-LEVEL FLOW PUSHES THE WARM SECTOR  
TO OUR SOUTH NORTHWARD. THE KEY QUESTION WILL BE IF THIS INSTABILITY  
CAN BE ADVECTED NORTHWARD ENOUGH IN LIGHT OF THE CONVECTIVE DEBRIS  
OVER THE REGION TO SUPPORT ROBUST CONVECTION AND IF THE FORCING WILL  
BE SUFFICIENT. MANY OF THE CAMS SHOW SOME DEGREE OF CONVECTION  
DURING THE AFTERNOON/EVENING BUT DISAGREE ON HOW ORGANIZE IT WOULD  
BE. THERE ARE SOME PRETTY NOTABLE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN VARIOUS CAMS  
SUCH AS THE HRRR WHICH HAS SHOWN SOME TENDENCY TO CONVECT ALL THE  
WAY UP TO I-90 AS OPPOSED TO SOLUTIONS LIKE THE ARW WHICH KEEPS  
CONVECTION LIMITED ACROSS THE LOCAL AREA. CONSEQUENTLY, CONFIDENCE  
REMAINS SOMEWHAT LOW AS TO HOW IMPACTFUL ANY ADDITIONAL STORMS MAY  
BE BUT GIVEN THAT SOILS ARE VERY SUSCEPTIBLE GIVEN SEVERAL LOCATIONS  
SEEING UPWARDS OF 5-8" OF RAIN LAST NIGHT.  
 
AS FAR AS ADDITIONAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS ARE CONCERNED, OVERALL THE  
25TH TO 75TH PERCENTILE SPREAD IN THE RECENT HREF WOULD SUGGEST MORE  
WIDESPREAD TOTALS ACROSS PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST IOWA AND SOUTHWEST  
WISCONSIN OF AROUND 0.5" TO 2". HOWEVER, GIVEN THE 90TH PERCENTILE  
VALUES IN THE HREF SHOWING VALUES OF 2-4" WOULD THINK UNDERNEATH  
HEAVIER STORMS THAT THIS COULD BE FEASIBLE, WHICH IN TURN COULD  
EXACERBATE ANY AREA FLOODING ON RIVERS AND LOW-LYING AREAS. TO SEE  
ADDITIONAL DETAILS ON ONGOING FLOODING CONCERNS, REFER TO THE HYDRO  
SECTION FOR MORE INFORMATION. OTHERWISE, CANNOT COMPLETELY RULE OUT  
A WEAK TORNADO IN FAR SOUTHERN GRANT OR CLAYTON COUNTIES GIVEN  
FAIRLY DECENT LOW-LEVEL HODOGRAPH CURVATURE AND SOME TENDENCY TO  
WETBULB THE WARM NOSE AND ALLOW FOR CONVECTION TO BE SURFACE BASED.  
GIVEN THE LACK OF DEEP-LAYER SHEAR ANY UPDRAFTS WILL BE SHORT-LIVED  
BUT SOMETHING TO CONSIDER FOR THE MID TO LATE AFTERNOON  
TIMEFRAME.  
 
UPCOMING WEEK: COOL AND DRIER  
 
THE LOWER TROPOSPHERIC BAROCLINIC ZONE SLIDES TO THE SOUTH OF THE  
REGION BY SUNDAY MORNING, TAKING THE BULK OF THE RAINFALL RISK WITH  
IT. CANNOT FULLY RULE OUT SOME STRAY ELEVATED SHOWERS SCRAPING PARTS  
OF EAST-CENTRAL IOWA DURING THE DAY, BUT MOST OF THE REGION WILL  
STAY DRY WITH SOME SUN POKING OUT AS WE MOVE THROUGH THE AFTERNOON.  
THE MEAN LONGWAVE TROUGH/CUTOFF LOW CURRENTLY OVER THE INTER-  
MOUNTAIN WEST SLIDES EASTWARD FOR MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY,  
BRINGING WITH IT THE NEXT POTENTIAL FOR WIDER COVERAGE SHOWERS.  
HOWEVER, WITH THE DEEPER MOISTURE DISPLACED WELL TO THE SOUTH OF THE  
REGION, ANY IMPACTS FROM THIS RAIN WILL BE LOW. EASTERN FLOW OFF A  
GREAT LAKES/ONTARIO HIGH WILL KEEP TEMPERATURES SEASONABLY COOL AND  
MOSTLY DRY FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE WEEK.  
 

 
   
AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z SUNDAY/
 
 
ISSUED AT 1247 PM CDT SAT SEP 19 2026  
 
IFR CONDITIONS WILL DOMINATE MUCH OF THE FORECAST PERIOD AS LOW-  
LEVEL MOISTURE TRAPPED UNDERNEATH AN INVERSION WILL KEEP CIGS  
LOW THROUGHOUT MUCH OF THE TAF PERIOD. SHOWERS AND STORMS MAY  
INCREASE IN COVERAGE LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING, WHILE THE  
BULK OF THE ACTIVITY LIKELY REMAIN SOUTH OF I-90, OPTED TO  
INCLUDE A PROB30 AT BOTH KRST AND KLSE TO ADDRESS THIS  
POTENTIAL. OTHERWISE, IFR/LIFR CIGS AND VSBYS LIKELY PERSIST  
UNTIL DAYBREAK ON SUNDAY BEFORE DIURNAL MIXING ATTEMPTS TO ALLOW  
SOME LIFTING OF CIGS TO MVFR HEIGHTS PRIOR TO 18Z ON SUNDAY.  
 

 
   
HYDROLOGY
 
 
ISSUED AT 157 PM CDT SAT SEP 19 2026  
 
NUMEROUS RIVER SITES CONTINUE TO RISE THIS AFTERNOON IN LIGHT OF  
OVERNIGHT RAINFALL. THE RIVER BASINS WITH GREATEST IMPACTS REMAIN  
ALONG THE TURKEY, UPPER IOWA, ROOT AND CEDAR RIVER BASINS WHERE  
RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 4-8" FELL. ADDITIONAL RAINFALL THIS  
AFTERNOON/EVENING MAY RESULT IN SOME ADDITIONAL RISES, HOWEVER THE  
HEAVIEST AMOUNTS OF 2-4" WILL LIKELY BE LOCALIZED IN NATURE.  
MODERATE FLOODING IS ALREADY ONGOING AT THE CEDAR RIVER IN  
LANSING, MN WITH THE CREST OCCURRING SHORTLY. THIS FLOW WILL  
WORK ITS WAY DOWNSTREAM WITH ADDITIONAL RISES EXPECTED AT  
AUSTIN, MN INTO MODERATE FLOOD STAGE AND CHARLES CITY, IA INTO  
MINOR FLOOD STAGE THIS WEEKEND AND INTO MONDAY. ADDITIONAL FLASH  
FLOODING MAY OCCUR THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING IF LOCALLY HEAVY  
RAINFALL OCCURS OVER SATURATED SOILS AS WELL.  
 

 
   
ARX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
WI...FLOOD WATCH UNTIL 7 PM CDT THIS EVENING FOR WIZ053>055-061.  
MN...FLOOD WATCH UNTIL 7 PM CDT THIS EVENING FOR MNZ094>096.  
IA...FLOOD WATCH UNTIL 7 PM CDT THIS EVENING FOR IAZ008>011-018-019-  
029-030.  
 

 
 

 
 
DISCUSSION...NAYLOR/SKOW  
AVIATION...NAYLOR  
HYDROLOGY...NAYLOR  
 
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