115  
FXUS63 KARX 282330  
AFDARX  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI  
630 PM CDT MON SEP 28 2026  
   
KEY MESSAGES
 
 
- DRY CONDITIONS CONTINUE THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING.  
 
- WIDESPREAD RAINFALL POTENTIAL INCREASES TUESDAY AFTERNOON  
THROUGH THURSDAY. THERE ARE MEDIUM CHANCES (40-60%) FOR  
RAINFALL TOTALS TO REACH OR EXCEED 2.5 INCHES SOUTH OF I-90.  
 
- HIGH TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN SEASONAL IN THE 60S TO 70S.  
 

 
   
DISCUSSION
 
 
ISSUED AT 112 PM CDT MON SEP 28 2026  
 
THIS AFTERNOON INTO TUESDAY MORNING: DRY CONDITIONS  
 
VISIBLE SATELLITE EARLY THIS AFTERNOON SHOWS LOW LEVEL CLOUDS  
REMAINING ACROSS MUCH OF THE REGION. THE LOW CLOUDS SHOULD SLOWLY  
CLEAR OUT TODAY AND TEMPERATURES SHOULD RISE INTO THE UPPER 60S TO  
MID 70S THIS AFTERNOON. SOME PATCHY FOG MAY DEVELOP ONCE AGAIN  
TONIGHT OVER PORTIONS OF THE UPPER MIDWEST, BUT IT IS NOT EXPECTED  
TO BE AS WIDESPREAD OR AS DENSE AS IT WAS THIS MORNING. SOME  
ISOLATED LOCATIONS COULD STILL SEE VISIBILITY DROP DOWN TO A MILE OR  
LESS THOUGH.  
 
TUESDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH THURSDAY: WIDESPREAD RAINFALL  
 
AN UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL BEGIN TO BECOME CUTOFF OVER  
THE DESERT SOUTHWEST ON TUESDAY INTO WEDNESDAY. OUT AHEAD OF THE  
LOW, MOISTURE WILL SURGE NORTHWARD TOWARDS THE SOUTHERN PLAINS AND  
THEN EVENTUALLY THE NORTHERN PLAINS TO GREAT LAKES REGION. THE  
INCREASED MOISTURE WILL EVEN BE AIDED BY HURRICANE POLO AFTER IT  
MOVES NORTHEAST OUT OF BAJA CALIFORNIA INTO FAR NORTHERN MEXICO. THE  
COMBINATION OF SYNOPTIC SCALE FORCING AND A RICH MOISTURE  
ENVIRONMENT WILL LEAD TO WIDESPREAD HEAVY RAIN FROM THE DESERT  
SOUTHWEST, TO THE PLAINS, AND PORTIONS OF THE UPPER MIDWEST.  
WIDESPREAD TOTALS OF 2+ INCHES ARE POSSIBLE THROUGHOUT THIS ENTIRE  
AREA GIVEN THIS SET-UP.  
 
AS FOR OUR AREA, RAIN IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN ACROSS WESTERN PORTIONS  
OF THE LOCAL FORECAST AREA ON TUESDAY AFTERNOON. THIS INITIAL ROUND  
OF RAIN WILL OCCUR AT THE SAME TIME AS PWAT VALUES BEGIN TO INCREASE  
UPWARDS OF 1.5-1.75 INCHES. MUCAPE VALUES MAY ONLY BE AS HIGH AS A  
FEW HUNDRED JOULES THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE TIME PERIOD, SO MODERATE TO  
HEAVY RAIN MAY OCCUR AT TIMES AIDED BY CONVECTIVE PROCESSES. IT  
STILL APPEARS THE BEST POTENTIAL FOR HEAVY RAINFALL THAT MAY LEAD TO  
FLOODING CONCERNS WILL BE FROM WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON INTO THE NIGHT.  
THIS WILL COINCIDE WITH THE STRONGER PUSH OF MOISTURE AND IT WILL  
OCCUR OUT AHEAD OF A SOUTHEASTWARD MOVING COLD FRONT. MODEL  
GUIDANCE CONTINUES TO VARY ON WHERE THE HIGHEST RAIN TOTALS MAY  
FALL, RANGING FROM JUST TO THE NORTHWEST OF THE FA OR ACROSS THE  
SOUTHERN HALF OF THE FA. BASED ON THE SYNOPTIC SET-UP, WE ARE  
LEANING TOWARDS THE SOUTHERN SOLUTIONS PANNING OUT WHICH WOULD  
BRING IN HEAVIER RAINFALL TOTALS TO NORTHEASTERN IA INTO FAR  
SOUTHWESTERN WI. MOST LIKELY RAINFALL TOTALS CONTINUE TO BE IN  
THE 1-3 INCH RANGE, WITH THE HIGHER TOTALS (2.5-3 INCHES) ACROSS  
NORTHEASTERN IA. FOR SOME ISOLATED LOCATIONS, HIGHER TOTALS OF  
3.5-4+ INCHES CANNOT BE RULED OUT. THESE RAINFALL TOTALS WOULD  
LEAD TO FLOODING CONCERNS, ESPECIALLY FOR RIVERS AND LOCATIONS  
THAT HAD JUST RECEIVED A LOT OF RAINFALL IN THE LAST FEW WEEKS.  
THE RAIN POTENTIAL WILL END FROM NORTHWEST TO SOUTHEAST ON  
THURSDAY AS THE COLD FRONT MOVES THROUGH AND THE MID LEVEL  
MOISTURE BECOMES DISPLACED TO THE EAST/SOUTHEAST OF THE REGION.  
 
FRIDAY INTO THE WEEKEND: DRIER AND TRENDING COOLER  
 
IN THE WAKE OF THE COLD FRONTAL PASSAGE, TEMPERATURES SHOULD SLOWLY  
TREND COOLER THIS UPCOMING WEEKEND AS BROAD SCALE TROUGHING ATTEMPTS  
TO DIG SOUTH OVER THE GREAT LAKES REGION. DAYTIME HIGHS ARE NOT  
FORECAST TO BE ALL THAT MUCH COOLER, WITH TEMPERATURES REMAINING IN  
THE MID 60S. WHERE THE COOLER AIR WILL BE MORE NOTICEABLE WILL  
BE OVERNIGHT, WITH OVERNIGHT LOWS DROP INTO THE LOWER 40S TO MID  
30S. DRY CONDITIONS ARE CURRENTLY EXPECTED BUT THERE MAY BE A  
LOW CHANCE FOR LIGHT RAIN ON SATURDAY IF MOISTURE MOVES IN QUICK  
ENOUGH OUT AHEAD OF ANOTHER SOUTHERN SURGE IN THE UPPER LEVEL  
TROUGH.  
 

 
   
AVIATION /00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z WEDNESDAY/
 
 
ISSUED AT 629 PM CDT MON SEP 28 2026  
 
A NORTHERN STREAM SHORTWAVE TROUGH WILL MOVE THROUGH THE REGION  
ON TUESDAY. SHOWERS AND MAYBE A FEW STORMS WILL MOVE INTO  
NORTHEAST IOWA AND SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA BETWEEN 29.15Z AND  
29.17Z AND INTO WESTERN WISCONSIN BETWEEN 29.18Z AND 29.20Z.  
THESE SHOWERS WILL GRADUALLY CAUSE CEILINGS AND VISIBILITIES TO  
BECOME MVFR ON TUESDAY AFTERNOON.  
 

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

 
 

 
 
DISCUSSION...MUSCHA  
AVIATION...BOYNE  
 
CLICK HERE TO GO TO PREVIOUS BULLETINS.

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