522  
FXUS63 KARX 062044  
AFDARX  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI  
244 PM CST FRI MAR 6 2026  
   
KEY MESSAGES
 
 
- SEVERE WEATHER POSSIBLE TONIGHT. MAIN THREAT IS BETWEEN 8 PM  
AND 11 PM. SEVERE WEATHER THREATS IS LARGE HAIL, DAMAGING  
WINDS, AND MAYBE AN ISOLATED TORNADO. IN ADDITION, WITH FROZEN  
GROUND AND PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES NEAR 1 INCH, THIS WILL RESULT  
RISES ON AREA RIVERS AND STREAMS.  
 
- WARMER TEMPERATURES RETURN FOR SUNDAY AND MONDAY WITH DAYTIME HIGHS  
PEAKING FROM THE 50S INTO LOW 60S FOR SOME.  
 
- PRECIPITATION CHANCES PERSIST THROUGH THE FORECAST LONGER TERM  
FORECAST, INITIALLY MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY AND AGAIN  
FRIDAY INTO NEXT WEEKEND. WHILE ON THE INCREASE, SNOWFALL  
PROBABILITIES REMAIN MEAGER 30-50%.  
 

 
   
DISCUSSION
 
 
ISSUED AT 244 PM CST FRI MAR 6 2026  
 
THIS AFTERNOON INTO TONIGHT  
 
AT 2 PM, SUBSIDENCE IN THE WAKE OF THE MORNING CONVECTION WILL  
CAP OF MUCH OF SHOWER ACTIVITY THIS AFTERNOON. THERE HAS EVEN  
SOME BREAKS IN THE CLOUDS. THE SURFACE WARM FRONT HAS BEEN  
MOVING NORTH ACROSS IOWA TODAY. SOUTH OF THIS FRONT,  
TEMPERATURES HAVE WARMED INTO THE 60S AND 70S AND DEW POINTS ARE  
IN THE LOWER AND MID-60S. NORTH OF THE FRONT TEMPERATURES AND  
DEW POINTS ARE IN THE 40S AND 50S.  
 
AS THE SURFACE LOW, CURRENTLY IN SOUTHWEST IOWA, MOVES  
NORTHEAST ACROSS ACROSS NORTHEAST IOWA, SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA, AND  
WEST-CENTRAL AND CENTRAL WISCONSIN, THE WARM FRONT MAY LIFT AS  
FAR NORTHEAST TOWARD THE INTERSTATE 90 CORRIDOR. THE CAMS ARE IN  
GENERAL AGREEMENT THAT THERE WILL BE AMPLE SHEAR AND  
INSTABILITY FOR SUPERCELLS TO DEVELOP OVER EASTERN KANSAS AND  
NEBRASKA THIS AFTERNOON. AS COLD POOLS COALESCE, LINE SEGMENTS  
WILL MOVE EAST AND NORTHEAST AND REMAIN PRIMARILY SOUTH OF  
INTERSTATE 90 ALONG AND AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT.  
 
SOUNDINGS CONTINUE TO SUGGEST THAT MOST OF THE INSTABILITY IN  
OUR AREA WILL BE MORE ELEVATED THAN SURFACE-BASED TONIGHT. IN  
THE VARIOUS MESO MODELS, MOST-UNSTABLE CAPES CLIMB INTO THE  
250-750 J/KG SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 90. THIS WILL RESULT IN THE  
POTENTIAL OF HAIL. THE THREAT FOR DAMAGING WINDS WILL BE HIGHLY  
DEPENDENT ON THE DEPTH OF STABLE AIR NEAR THE SURFACE. WITH THE  
BETTER SURFACE-BASED CAPES UP TO 250 J/KG MORE ACROSS FAR  
NORTHEAST IOWA AND SOUTHWEST WISCONSIN. THIS IS MORE LIKELY  
WHERE THE TORNADO THREAT WOULD LIKELY EXIST.  
 
THE SEVERE WEATHER TIMING FOR TONIGHT WILL LIKELY BE FROM THE 8  
PM TO 11 PM.  
 
WITH PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES AROUND AN INCH AND FROZEN GROUND,  
THERE WILL BE POTENTIAL FOR PONDING AND RAPID RUN OFF. THIS WILL  
RESULT RISES ON AREA RIVERS AND STREAMS.  
 
WARM END TO THE WEEKEND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK:  
 
THE OVERALL LIFTING NATURE TO TONIGHT AND SATURDAY'S COLD SECTOR  
ALLOWS WAA AND MOISTURE ADVECTION TO RETURN THROUGH THE END OF THE  
WEEKEND. LREF CONFIDENCE (60%-80%) FOR DAYTIME HIGH TEMPERATURES  
INTO THE 50S AND LOW 60S FOR SUNDAY DECREASES FOR MONDAY WITH TIMING  
AND ADVECTION OF RESULTANT FRONTAL BOUNDARY PASSING THROUGH THE  
UPPER MISSISSIPPI RIVER VALLEY.  
 
PRECIPITATION CHANCES INCREASE MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY:  
 
ACCOMPANYING PRECIPITATION CHANCES INCREASE FOR MONDAY NIGHT  
INITIALLY LOCALLY FOR THE NORTHERN AND SOUTHERN PORTIONS OF THE  
FORECAST AREA WITH SUBSEQUENT FILLING IN DUE TO A CONFLUENT PATTERN  
ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA THROUGH TUESDAY. PREVIOUS LREF (06.00Z)  
MEMBERS LIMITED LOCALLY HIGHEST PRECIPITATION PROBABILITIES IN  
CENTRAL WISCONSIN DUE TO LATER CONFLUENCE IN THE SYNOPTIC PATTERN  
WITH RECENT (06.12Z) MEMBERS (GEFS/EPS) BRINGING 60-80% PROBABILITIES  
FOR MEASURABLE PRECIPITATION IN 24 HOURS ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA  
THROUGH TUESDAY.  
 
PRECIPITATION TYPE(S) THROUGH TUESDAY:  
 
CYCLOGENESIS ALONG THE BAROCLINIC BOUNDARY WILL LIFT EAST-NORTHEAST  
TOWARDS THE FORECAST AREA THROUGH TUESDAY, USHERING IN POTENTIAL  
INSTABILITY ALONG OUR SOUTHERN COUNTIES IN NORTHEAST IOWA AND  
SOUTHWEST WISCONSIN AND SNOWFALL PROBABILITIES IN OUR NORTHERN  
COUNTIES IN CENTRAL WISCONSIN. AI CONVECTIVE MODEL (FENGWU/PANGU)  
FORECAST TRENDS HAVE SHUNTED HIGHER CONVECTIVE PROBABILITIES SOUTH  
AND EAST OF THE LOCAL FORECAST AREA WITH A MORE SOUTHERN SOLUTION TO  
THE LOW TRACK KEEPING THE WARMER SECTOR SOUTH OF THE FORECAST AREA.  
RESULTANT IMPACTS FROM SNOWFALL ALSO SHUNT SOUTH, PRIMARILY  
AFFECTING LOCALLY NORTHERN COUNTIES IN CENTRAL WISCONSIN AT THE  
CURRENT FORECAST HOUR.  
 
LATE WEEK PRECIPITATION CHANCES:  
 
A DIFFLUENT, LOW CONFIDENCE SYNOPTIC PATTERN THROUGH MIDWEEK CREATES  
CHALLENGES FOR LOCATION OF CYCLOGENESIS ALONG QUASI-ZONAL TO  
NORTHWEST FLOW THROUGH THE END OF THE WORK WEEK INTO THE WEEKEND. A  
STRONGER SOLUTION IN THE EPS (06.12Z) COMPARED TO PREVIOUS RUNS  
RAISED 1" OF SNOWFALL PROBABILITIES IN 24 HOURS TO 40-60% FROM  
WESTERN INTO CENTRAL WISCONSIN LOCALLY. THE GEFS REMAINS SLIGHTLY  
WEAKER, KEEPING PROBABILITIES FOR THE SAME LESS THAN 10%.  
 

 
   
AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z SATURDAY/
 
 
ISSUED AT 1156 PM CST THU MAR 5 2026  
 
UPPER LEVEL RIDGING WILL GRADUALLY BUILD ACROSS  
THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON. AS THIS OCCURS, THE RAIN WILL GRADUALLY  
END. THEN AS THE WARM AIR ADVECTION MOVES BACK INTO THE AREA  
AHEAD OF THE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM SHOWERS AND STORMS WILL MOVE  
BACK INTO THE AREA. THESE WILL CONTINUE INTO THE EARLY  
OVERNIGHT. CEILINGS WILL BE PRIMARILY IFR/MVFR THROUGH MUCH OF  
THE TAF PERIOD.  
 

 
   
ARX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
WI...NONE.  
MN...NONE.  
IA...NONE.  
 

 
 

 
 
DISCUSSION...BOYNE/JAR  
AVIATION...BOYNE  
 
CLICK HERE TO GO TO PREVIOUS BULLETINS.

The Nexlab WI Page
The Nexlab IA Page
The Nexlab MN Page Main Text Page