023  
FXUS63 KIWX 041736  
AFDIWX  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA  
136 PM EDT SAT MAY 4 2024  
   
KEY MESSAGES
 
 
- ACTIVE WEATHER PATTERN FOR THIS WEEK, WITH CHANCES FOR SHOWERS  
AND STORMS EVERY DAY. THE BEST CHANCES WILL BE TUESDAY INTO  
THURSDAY WHEN A STRONGER LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM MOVES THROUGH THE  
AREA. A FEW STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS ARE POSSIBLE TUESDAY  
AFTERNOON INTO WEDNESDAY, BUT CONFIDENCE IS LOW AT THIS TIME.  
 
- TEMPERATURES LINGER IN THE 70S AND LOW 80S THROUGH MOST OF THE  
WEEK, EXCEPT SUNDAY WHEN HIGHS NORTH OF US 24 WILL BE IN THE  
50S AND 60S, COLDEST NEAR LAKE MICHIGAN. NEXT WEEKEND LOWS  
WILL BE IN THE 60S.  
 

 
   
DISCUSSION
 
 
ISSUED AT 458 AM EDT SAT MAY 4 2024  
 
MOSTLY DRY TODAY AS A WEAK SURFACE HIGH LINGERS IN PLACE, WITH MID  
LEVEL RIDGING BREAKING DOWN SOMEWHAT LATE THIS AFTERNOON THANKS TO  
AN APPROACHING TROUGH. THERE IS A STATIONARY FRONT SETTLED JUST TO  
THE SOUTHEAST OF OUR CWA, ORIENTED FROM ROUGHLY SOUTHERN ONTARIO  
SOUTHWEST TOWARDS LIMA, OH AND DOWN INTO SAINT LOUIS, MO. THIS WILL  
BE A FOCUS FOR SHOWER ACTIVITY, MAYBE A FEW STORMS, INTO THE  
AFTERNOON-WITH THE BEST CHANCES AFTER 18Z AS WE BUILD UP SOME  
INSTABILITY. GOING BY THE NAM, IT LOOKS LIKE WE'LL HAVE AROUND 500-  
1000 J/KG OF SFC BASED CAPE BY 21Z LARGELY EAST OF I 69 (MORE LIKE  
200-500 J/KG WEST), IN ADDITION TO WEAK MOISTURE ADVECTION FROM THE  
SOUTHEAST AND MID LEVEL LAPSE RATES OF AROUND 7 C/KM. WE HAVE A  
SUBSIDENCE INVERSION TO OVERCOME AND WEAK FORCING OVERALL, BUT FELT  
20-30 PERCENT POPS WERE WARRANTED FOR THE EAST. LUCKILY THE BULK  
EFFECTIVE SHEAR FOR THE AFTERNOON TIME PERIOD IS LESS THAN 20 KNOTS,  
SO IF ANY STORMS DEVELOP, DON'T EXPECT MUCH IN THE WAY OF SEVERE  
WEATHER. OTHERWISE, EXPECT PARTLY TO MOSTLY SUNNY SKIES WITH  
INCREASING CLOUDS TOWARDS THE EVENING. HIGHS WILL BE IN THE 70S.  
 
LATE THIS AFTERNOON INTO TONIGHT, A SURFACE LOW AND MID LEVEL TROUGH  
WILL MOVE THROUGH, BRINGING BETTER CHANCES FOR RAIN AND SOME STORMS  
THAT DWINDLE WITH EASTWARD PROGRESSION. SPC DAY 1 OUTLOOK HAS ALL OF  
OUR AREA IN GENERAL THUNDER, WITH THE MARGINAL RISK FOR SEVERE  
WEATHER TO THE WEST OF OUR CWA ASSOCIATED WITH THE SYSTEM, WHERE  
WIND SHEAR IS MORE ON THE ORDER OF 25-35 KNOTS AND THE COLD FRONT IS  
MOVING THROUGH DURING MORE FAVORABLE TIME OF DAY. FOR US, THE SHEAR  
WEAKENS TO ABOUT 20-30 KNOTS, WITH WANING INSTABILITY-SO WHILE I  
HAVE HIGHER POPS WEST TONIGHT (40-60 PERCENT) I DROPPED THEM OFF TO  
20-35 PERCENT FURTHER EAST WITH LESSER CHANCES FOR THUNDER. SEVERE  
WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. LOWS WILL BE IN THE 50S AND  
60S, WARMEST INLAND FROM LAKE MICHIGAN.  
 
ISOLATED/SCATTERED SHOWERS & STORMS WILL PERSIST EAST OF I 69  
THROUGH SUNDAY EVENING-LARGELY ASSOCIATED WITH THE SLOWLY EXITING  
COLD FRONT. AGAIN, MINIMAL SHEAR WITH AROUND 500-1000 J/KG OF SFC  
BASED CAPE BY SUNDAY AFTERNOON IN THE EAST WARRANTS 20-30 PERCENT  
POPS, HOWEVER, SEVERE WEATHER IS UNLIKELY. HIGHS WILL BE IN THE 50S  
AND 60S NORTH OF US 24 (COLDEST NEAR LAKE MI) AND THE LOW TO MID 70S  
SOUTH. OTHERWISE, EXPECT PARTLY TO MOSTLY SUNNY SKIES.  
 
FOR MOST AREAS, SUNDAY NIGHT INTO LATE MONDAY NIGHT WILL BE DRY  
THANKS TO AN AMPLIFYING MID LEVEL RIDGE AND AN EXPANSIVE SURFACE  
HIGH SPRAWLING OVER THE GREAT LAKES. A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM  
APPROACHING FROM THE SOUTHWEST MONDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING WILL  
BRING INCREASING CHANCES FOR SHOWERS AND MAYBE A FEW THUNDERSTORMS  
SOUTH OF US 24, BUT CONFIDENCE IS LOW (IT COULD MISS US TO THE SOUTH  
ALL TOGETHER). HIGHS WILL BE IN THE UPPER 60S AND LOW TO MID 70S.  
 
TUESDAY INTO WEDNESDAY WILL BE THE BEST SHOT AT MORE SIGNIFICANT  
PRECIPITATION AND EVEN THUNDERSTORM CHANCES. AN UPPER LEVEL LOW  
DIVES INTO THE NORTH CENTRAL CONUS AND DEVELOPS A SURFACE LOW  
SOMEWHERE OVER IA/MO/KS TUESDAY AFTERNOON, LIFTING IT THROUGH THE  
GREAT LAKES AS IT DEEPENS. THE LOW IS FORECAST TO REACH SOUTHERN  
ONTARIO ROUGHLY WEDNESDAY EVENING. THE WARM FRONT MOVES THROUGH  
TUESDAY, FOLLOWED BY THE COLD FRONT ON TUE NIGHT/WED AM, WITH DECENT  
MOISTURE TRANSPORT OUT AHEAD OF THE LOW. KEPT THE 50-90 PERCENT  
CHANCES TUESDAY INTO TUESDAY NIGHT, WITH THUNDERSTORMS LIKELY. I  
SUSPECT THAT WE HAVE POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE WEATHER IF THIS PANS OUT  
AS THE MODELS CURRENTLY SUGGEST, WITH 40-65 KNOTS OF BULK EFFECTIVE  
SHEAR AND 500-1500 J/KG SURFACE BASED CAPE BY TUESDAY  
AFTERNOON/EVENING. AT THIS TIME, WE ARE IN THE 15 PERCENT FOR THE  
WESTERN HALF OF THE CWA FOR THE DAY 4 SPC OUTLOOK, AND THINK IT'S  
DEFINITELY WORTH MONITORING.  
 
THE UPPER LOW OVER THE CENTRAL CONUS WILL GRADUALLY MIGRATE EASTWARD  
INTO THE GREAT LAKES BY FRIDAY AFTERNOON, LINGERING THROUGH THE  
WEEKEND AND BRINGING ADDITIONAL CHANCES FOR SHOWERS AND STORMS,  
PARTICULARLY THURSDAY. A SECONDARY LOW DEVELOPS BEHIND THE TUE/WED  
SYSTEM IN MUCH THE SAME LOCATION, DRIFTING OVER THE FORECAST AREA  
THROUGH THE DAY AND BRINGING POTENTIALLY HEAVY RAIN-BUT TOO FAR  
OUT TO ADD MUCH DETAIL AT THIS POINT (WE ARE IN THE WPC  
EXCESSIVE RAINFALL OUTLOOK MARGINAL CATEGORY FOR WED/THU).  
TEMPERATURES LINGER IN THE 70S AND LOW 80S UNTIL THE WEEKEND,  
WHEN WE COOL INTO THE 60S FOR HIGHS (40S AND 50S FOR LOWS).  
 

 
   
AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z SUNDAY/
 
 
ISSUED AT 133 PM EDT SAT MAY 4 2024  
 
TWO BOUNDARIES COLLOCATED WITH MID LEVEL VORTICITY AND AREAS OF LOW  
LEVEL CONVERGENCE ALLOW FOR TIMES OF CLOUD COVER AND RAIN BETWEEN  
THE START AND END OF THIS TAF PERIOD. A BOUNDARY PUSHED NORTH  
AND WEST THIS MORNING ALLOWING CLOUD COVER AT FWA. CIGS RISING  
FROM MVFR TO VFR START THIS TAF PERIOD THERE AS A RESULT. LIGHT  
RAIN AND DRIZZLE WAS OBSERVED UNDER THAT CLOUD THIS MORNING,  
BUT WITH THE RAISING CEILINGS EXPECT TO SEE LESS OF THAT FOR THE  
AFTERNOON. EXPECT VFR CONDITIONS TO CONTINUE INTO LATER PORTION  
OF THE OVERNIGHT. ON THE OTHER HAND, AN AREA OF VORTICITY AND  
SURFACE CONVERGENCE ASSOCIATED WITH A LINE OF CONVECTIVE SHOWERS  
MOVING EASTWARD FROM IL ENCROACHES ON SBN THIS EVENING. WITH  
MUCH OF THE INSOLATION STAYING WEST OF IN-15 TODAY, LOW LEVEL  
LAPSE RATES STEEPEN AND INSTABILITY INCREASES AHEAD OF THE LINE.  
EVEN STILL MODELS, DISSIPATE IT AS IT MOVES INLAND FROM LAKE  
MI. WOULDN'T BE SURPRISED TO SEE A BRIEF INCREASE OF WINDS FROM  
THE OUTFLOW BOUNDARY AS WELL AS SOME SHOWERS OR PERHAPS A  
THUNDERSTORM AT SBN BEFORE IT DISSIPATES. GUIDANCE INDICATES THE  
COLD POOL ASSOCIATED WITH THIS MAY LEAVE SOME MVFR CIGS BEHIND  
AT SBN FOR LATE TONIGHT/EARLY SUNDAY MORNING AND PERHAPS FWA FOR  
SUNDAY MORNING. IFR CIGS MAY ALSO BE POSSIBLE AT SBN, BUT  
CONFIDENCE ON THAT IS LOW AT THIS TIME.  
 

 
   
IWX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
IN...NONE.  
OH...NONE.  
MI...NONE.  
MARINE...NONE.  
 

 
 

 
 
DISCUSSION...MCD  
AVIATION...ROLLER  
 
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