885  
FXUS63 KARX 091847  
AFDARX  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI  
147 PM CDT THU MAY 9 2024  
   
KEY MESSAGES
 
 
- RAINFALL AMOUNTS JUST OVER AN INCH HAVE BEEN RECEIVED IN  
NORTHEAST IOWA AND RAIN SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE TODAY THERE INTO  
SOUTHWEST WI. ADDITIONAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS AROUND 0.25" ARE  
EXPECTED TODAY. SHOWERS DIMINISH EARLY THIS EVENING.  
 
- SOME FROST LOOKS POSSIBLE (~30% CHANCE) FRIDAY MORNING IN  
CENTRAL AND NORTHCENTRAL WI.  
 
- SHOWERS AND STORMS TRACK SOUTHEAST ACROSS THE AREA FRIDAY  
AFTERNOON/EVENING. RAIN CHANCES HAVE BEEN INCREASED AREAWIDE  
WITH A SLIGHTLY MORE WESTERN TRACK TOO. SEVERE STORMS NOT  
EXPECTED.  
 
- PERIODIC LOWER RAIN CHANCES (20-40%) FROM THE SUNDAY INTO NEXT  
WEEK. TEMPERATURES WILL BE 5 TO 10 DEGREES ABOVE THE  
SEASONABLE NORMALS SUNDAY-TUESDAY.  
 

 
   
DISCUSSION
 
 
ISSUED AT 317 AM CDT THU MAY 9 2024  
 
ADDITIONAL RAINFALL TODAY ACROSS NORTHEAST IA AND SOUTHWEST WI  
 
AT 3 AM, RADAR INDICATED RAIN OVER NORTHEAST IOWA AND SOUTHWEST  
WISCONSIN ASSOCIATED WITH A DEFORMATION BAND AND TWO SHORTWAVE  
TROUGHS WITHIN THE BROADER LONG WAVE. RAINFALL AMOUNTS HAVE BEEN  
AROUND AN INCH THUS FAR IN THE CHARLES CITY AND NEW HAMPTON  
AREAS WITH LESSER AMOUNTS /0.25 TO 0.75/ FOR THE REMAINDER OF  
NORTHEAST IA, LESS THAN 0.25" IN SOUTHWEST WI. OCCASIONAL  
LIGHTNING HAS BEEN OBSERVED ALONG THE HIGHWAY 3 CORRIDOR AND  
SOUTH IN IOWA.  
 
THE TWO LONGWAVE TROUGH ELEMENTS OVER THE CENTRAL U.S /GREAT  
LAKES AND NEB/SD/ WILL PHASE TODAY AS UPSTREAM RIDGING OVER  
CANADA DRIVES THE PATTERN TO EVOLVE SOUTHEAST. THIS WILL TAKE  
THE LINGERING DEFORMATION RAIN BAND AND SLOWLY SHIFT IT  
SOUTHEAST WITH INCREASED WEAK LIFT RENEWED THIS AFTERNOON AHEAD  
OF THE GREAT LAKES LOW HEADING SOUTH THROUGH WI. 09.06Z RAP  
INDICATES A MODERATE SIGNAL OF POTENTIAL VORTICITY ADVECTION IN  
THE 300-500MB LAYER WITH THIS SW->NE ORIENTED TROUGH HEADING  
SOUTH THROUGH WI THIS AFTERNOON AIDING IN POPPING OFF SOME  
SHOWERS IN WEAK INSTABILITY. THIS EXISTS SOUTHEAST THIS EVENING  
FINALLY ENDING THE RAIN CHANCES AND SKIES WILL CLEAR.  
 
FROST POSSIBLE FRIDAY MORNING IN PARTS OF WISCONSIN  
 
WITH CLEARING SKIES TONIGHT AND WINDS GOING LIGHT WITH SURFACE  
RIDGING BUILDING IN, FROST IS LOOKING POSSIBLE NEAR AND NORTH  
OF THE HIGHWAY 29 CORRIDOR IN NORTHCENTRAL WI - 10% INCREASING  
TO 60% ON TAYLOR COUNTY NORTHERN BORDER. SOME PATCHY FROST MAY  
ALSO BE FOUND FURTHER SOUTH TO THE I-94 CORRIDOR IN WI (15-40%  
CHANCES). FROST ADVISORIES MAY BE ISSUED LATER TODAY FOR THIS  
POSSIBILITY ONCE THE AREA IS BETTER DEFINED.  
 
FRIDAY AND FRIDAY NIGHT SHOWERS AND STORMS  
 
SIGNALS CONTINUE TO BE CONSISTENT AND IMPRESSIVE WITH MODEL  
GUIDANCE FORECASTING A VIGOROUS NORTHWEST FLOW SHORTWAVE TROUGH  
TO MOVE THROUGH THE AREA LATER ON FRIDAY AND FRIDAY EVENING.  
IMPRESSIVE 300-500MB POTENTIAL VORTICITY ADVECTION, EXCELLENT  
EXIT REGION JET DYNAMICAL DIVERGENCE /CURVATURE TERM IS  
OUTSTANDING!/, STEEPENING MID-LEVEL LAPSE RATES, AND MODEST LOW-  
LEVEL THETA-E CONVERGENCE IN THE 850-925 MB LAYER ALL IN PLAY  
FRIDAY LATER AFTERNOON FOR ORGANIZED LIFT. TRENDS SUGGEST A  
NOTICEABLE WESTERN OUTLIER TRACK THROUGH MN IN THE LATEST RAP  
RUNS /08.21Z AND 09.03Z/. PROBABILITIES IN THE 09.00Z HREF  
CONFIRM A MODEST WESTWARD SHIFT WITH 70%+ PROBABILITIES OF  
MEASURABLE RAIN NORTHEAST OF A ROCHESTER MN TO PRAIRIE DU CHIEN  
WI LINE BY FRIDAY AT 7 PM. THUS, HAVE PULLED THE RAIN CHANCES  
SOUTHWESTWARD AND ALSO INCREASED THEM FOR THIS SYSTEM MUCH ABOVE  
THE NBM GUIDANCE. CURRENT RAIN WINDOW IS FRIDAY 4-10 PM ACROSS  
THE AREA. SHOULD BE A FAIRLY QUICK HITTER WITH CLEARING BY  
SATURDAY MORNING.  
 
SEVERE STORM CHANCES: THE WIND SHEAR FIELD INCREASES  
IMPRESSIVELY ACROSS THE AREA SOUTH OF THE MID-LEVEL LOW /SOUTHWEST  
OF I-94/ BUT THE BIG LIMITING FACTOR IS CAPE. WITH DEWPOINTS IN  
THE LOWER 40S, MLCAPE/SBCAPES ARE IN THE LOW 100S J/KG. EVEN SO,  
THE 09.00Z HREF CAMS SHOW A 70% CHANCE OF 40DBZ OR HIGHER  
FRIDAY AFTERNOON ALONG THE MISS RIVER. SO, WEAK INSTABILITY AND  
STRONG DYNAMICAL LIFT ARE PROBABLY ENOUGH FOR PEA-PENNY SIZED HAIL  
AND GUSTS TO 35 MPH WITH THIS SYSTEM AS IT IS COMING THROUGH AT  
PEAK HEATING.  
 
SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY: WARMER WITH LOW SHOWER CHANCES (20-40%)  
 
WEAK RIDGING ALOFT WITH INCREASING SOUTHERLY FLOW AND MOISTURE  
RETURNING SUNDAY WILL BRING AN AIRMASS INTO PLAY THAT COULD POP  
SOME SHOWERS. OVERALL, NO WEATHER SYSTEM LOOKS PARTICULARLY  
STRONG UNTIL POSSIBLY MID-WEEK. SO, THIS WEAK FORCING WITH MILD  
TEMPERATURES AND LOW SHOWER CHANCES DEFINES THE PERIOD. A BIT  
SWIFTER NEAR-ZONAL FLOW LOOKS IN PLAY FOR MID-WEEK AND BEYOND  
BUT CONFIDENCE IS QUITE LOW FOR ANY DETAILS WITH ABUNDANT  
SPREAD IN THE FORECAST PATTERN SUGGESTED.  
 

 
   
AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z FRIDAY/
 
 
ISSUED AT 1248 PM CDT THU MAY 9 2024  
 
MVFR/VFR CEILINGS WITH SCATTERED SHOWERS THIS AFTERNOON.  
CONDITIONS WILL IMPROVE WITH GRADUAL CLEARING THIS EVENING.  
LIGHT NORTHEAST WINDS BECOME NORTHWEST AND THEN LIGHT SOUTHWEST.  
 

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

 
 

 
 
DISCUSSION...BAUMGARDT  
AVIATION...ZAPOTOCNY  
 
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