847  
FXUS63 KDVN 172344  
AFDDVN  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL  
544 PM CST WED DEC 17 2025  
   
KEY MESSAGES
 
 
- RAIN LIKELY EARLY THURSDAY, WITH HIGHEST PROBABILITIES  
(40-60%) OF GREATER THAN 0.25" AMOUNTS EAST OF MISSISSIPPI  
RIVER. SLIGHT CHANCE (15-25%) OF AFTERNOON/EARLY EVENING SNOW  
SHOWERS, WITH RAPIDLY FALLING TEMPERATURES THAT MAY CREATE  
SLICK SPOTS DURING THE EVENING COMMUTE.  
 
- WINDY CONDITIONS THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING, WITH A 40-50%  
CHANCE OF WIND GUSTS OVER 40 MPH.  
 
- DRY CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY, WITH SOME  
LARGE TEMPERATURE SWINGS. A PERSISTENT TREND OF ABOVE NORMAL  
TEMPERATURES WILL BE SEEN NEXT WEEK.  
 

 
   
SHORT TERM /THROUGH THURSDAY/
 
 
ISSUED AT 209 PM CST WED DEC 17 2025  
 
A MIX OF SUN AND CLOUDS WAS SEEN TODAY, WITH TEMPERATURES RISING  
ABOVE FREEZING AREA-WIDE ALLOWING FOR SOME SNOW MELT. TEMPERATURES  
AT 1PM RANGED FROM 33 DEGREES IN INDEPENDENCE, TO 41 DEGREES IN  
FORT MADISON AND KEOKUK. STRONG 977MB SURFACE LOW WAS ANALYZED  
OVER SOUTHERN ALBERTA AT 18Z, WHICH WILL DRAG A STRONG COLD  
FRONT THROUGH THE REGION THURSDAY MORNING.  
 
INCREASING CLOUDS AND SOUTHERLY WINDS ARE FORECAST THIS EVENING AND  
OVERNIGHT WITH SLOWLY RISING TEMPS. STRONG WAA AND MOISTURE  
TRANSPORT EVIDENT BY PWS RISING INTO THE 0.6-0.8" RANGE AND  
DEWPOINTS RISING INTO THE LOWER 40S IN OUR SOUTH WILL SUPPORT  
SCATTERED RAIN SHOWERS BLOSSOMING JUST PRIOR TO DAYBREAK THURSDAY.  
STILL CAN'T RULE OUT A RUMBLE OF THUNDER OR TWO AS STEEP MID LEVEL  
LAPSE RATES WILL BE PRESENT. CAMS HAVE RAIN CONTINUING FOR MUCH OF  
THE MORNING ENDING FROM WEST TO EAST BY EARLY AFTERNOON.  
 
ATTENTION THEN TURNS TO THE STRENGTHENING WEST NORTHWEST WINDS AND  
FALLING TEMPS BEHIND THE COLD FRONT. 12Z HREF ENSEMBLE MAX  
PROBABILITIES HAVE INCREASED IN THE PAST 12 HOURS WITH SPORADIC 40KT  
GUSTS AT A FEW SITES WITHIN THE CWA. BUFKIT SOUNDINGS ALSO SHOW  
44KTS AT THE TOP OF THE MIXED LAYER AND WITH A STRONG PRESSURE  
GRADIENT IN PLACE (6MB 3-HR PRESSURE RISES) WILL SEE WIND GUSTS  
BETWEEN 35-45 MPH DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THIS  
IS JUST BELOW WIND ADVISORY CRITERIA AND AFTER COLLABORATION  
WITH NEIGHBORING OFFICES HAVE DECIDED TO HOLD OFF ON ANY  
HEADLINES FOR NOW WITH JUST A FEW SITES HITTING CRITERIA FOR AN  
HOUR OR TWO. AN SPS MAY AT LEAST BE NEEDED FOR THIS HAZARD  
TOMORROW. WE STILL HAVE SOME TIME TO REEVALUATE THE MODELS  
BEFORE THESE STRONG WINDS DEVELOP, SO STAY TUNED FOR UPDATES.  
 
STRONG CAA WILL ALSO COMMENCE IN THE LATE AFTERNOON AND EVENING WITH  
TEMPERATURES FALLING 6-7 DEGREES IN UNDER 2 HOURS BEHIND THE FRONT.  
BELOW FREEZING TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED AND WITH THE MORNING RAIN  
WASHING AWAY MUCH OF THE SALT OR TREATMENT ON ROADS AND SIDEWALKS,  
WE COULD SEE SOME SLICK SPOTS DEVELOP DURING THE EVENING COMMUTE IF  
THE WINDS DON'T EVAPORATE ALL THE WATER FROM THE ROADS. MOTORISTS  
SHOULD USE EXTRA CAUTION TOMORROW NIGHT WHILE DRIVING DUE TO  
POSSIBLE ICY CONDITIONS. IN ADDITION, THERE CONTINUES TO BE A  
SIGNAL FOR SNOW SHOWERS MID AFTERNOON/EARLY EVENING. STRONG LOW  
LEVEL FGEN COMBINED WITH SOME WEAK INSTABILITY OFF THE RAP MAY  
SUPPORT A BRIEF WINDOW OF RATHER ROBUST SNOW SHOWERS (SNOW  
SQUALLS?) SOMETIME BETWEEN 2-6PM. ONE THING GOING AGAINST THIS  
POSSIBILITY IS THE SNOW SHOWERS MAY OUTRUN THE COLDER AIR AT THE  
SURFACE (FLASH FREEZE COMPONENT) TO MAKE FOR A HIGHER THREAT.  
WILL CONTINUE TO MESSAGE SNOW SHOWER AND REDUCED VISIBILITY  
POTENTIAL DURING THE THURSDAY EVENING COMMUTE AND WILL RAMP UP  
MESSAGING IN THREAT INCREASES FURTHER IN THE NEXT 24 HRS. WINDS  
WILL REMAIN BREEZY OVERNIGHT, DROPPING WIND CHILLS BELOW ZERO  
FRIDAY MORNING.  
 

 
   
LONG TERM /THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY/
 
 
ISSUED AT 209 PM CST WED DEC 17 2025  
 
THE COLDER SIDE OF THE THURSDAY STORM SYSTEM WILL CONTINUE TO  
PROGRESS THROUGH THE AREA THURSDAY NIGHT, LINGERING CHANCES (20-30%)  
OF SNOW SHOWERS IN THE EVENING AND PLUNGING TEMPERATURES WITH  
CONTINUED GUSTY WINDS INTO FRIDAY MORNING. THE COLDER TEMPERATURES  
AND WINDS SHOULD COUPLE WITH THE SNOW SHOWERS TO RESULT IN REDUCED  
VISIBILITIES AS WELL AS SLICK ROAD CONDITIONS DUE TO WET ROADS  
BECOMING ICY. THE LATEST HREF ENSEMBLES SUGGEST GUSTS UP TO 45 MPH  
ARE STILL POSSIBLE IN THE EARLY EVENING, AND THE ECMWF EFI VALUES  
FOR WIND GUSTS AFTER 00Z/6 PM FRIDAY RANGE BETWEEN 0.7 TO 0.9, WHICH  
IS A GOOD SIGNAL FOR STRONG WIND GUSTS TO CONTINUE FROM THURSDAY  
AFTERNOON. WITH ALL THIS SAID, HAZARDOUS TRAVEL IS POSSIBLE FOR THE  
EVENING COMMUTE - SOMETHING TO KEEP A CLOSE EYE ON. FRIDAY MORNING'S  
LOW TEMPERATURES SHOULD FALL TO THE SINGLE DIGITS ABOVE ZERO NORTH  
OF INTERSTATE 80, WITH LOWER/MIDDLE TEENS TO THE SOUTH. WIDESPREAD  
WIND CHILLS SHOULD ALSO FALL BETWEEN 0 TO -15 DEGREES FOR MOST  
LOCATIONS, SO BE READY FOR A VERY COLD START FRIDAY MORNING. A HIGH  
PRESSURE RIDGE AXIS WILL SWEEP THROUGH THE AREA DURING THE DAYLIGHT  
HOURS FRIDAY, LEADING TO SOUTHERLY RETURN FLOW BUILDING IN BEHIND  
THE RIDGING. THIS WILL HELP TEMPERATURES REBOUND IN THE AFTERNOON,  
WITH HIGHS IN MIDDLE 20S NORTHEAST TO THE MIDDLE 30S SOUTHWEST.  
 
FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH THE REST OF THE WEEKEND: WE WILL SEE A FEW  
SYSTEMS PASS NEAR OR OVER THE LOCAL AREA, BUT A LACK OF MOISTURE  
WILL KEEP PRECIPITATION CHANCES AT BAY. THE FIRST SYSTEM WILL REMAIN  
NORTH OF THE AREA WHERE BETTER MOISTURE WILL REMAIN. FOR US, THIS  
WILL ONLY RESULT IN SOME CLOUDY SKIES OVERNIGHT. THE OTHER SYSTEM IS  
PROGGED IN THE FORM OF A WEAK COLD FRONT, WHICH LOOKS TO SWEEP  
THROUGH THE AREA DURING THE DAY SATURDAY. AGAIN, HIGHER MOISTURE  
SHOULD REMAIN NORTH OF THE AREA, SO ONLY SOME CLOUDY SKIES ARE MOST  
LIKELY TO RESULT FROM THE FROPA. TEMPERATURES WILL WARM UP TO THE  
UPPER 30S NORTH TO THE MIDDLE 40S SOUTH FOR HIGHS SATURDAY. ANOTHER  
COLD NIGHT LOOKS POSSIBLE SATURDAY NIGHT IN THE WAKE OF THE FRONT,  
WITH LOWS DIPPING TO THE LOWER TEENS NORTH TO LOWER 20S SOUTH.  
 
MONDAY AND TUESDAY: MODEL SOLUTIONS DIFFER QUITE A BIT REGARDING  
PRECIPITATION CHANCES FOR THE EARLY PART OF NEXT WEEK. HOWEVER,  
CONFIDENCE IS MUCH HIGHER FOR A WARMING TREND, WITH THE LREF  
ENSEMBLE PROBABILITIES OF DAYTIME HIGHS ABOVE FREEZING AROUND 70-90+  
PERCENT FOR BOTH MONDAY AND TUESDAY. FOR THOSE OF YOU HOPING FOR A  
WHITE CHRISTMAS THIS YEAR, THESE TEMPERATURES AREN'T A GOOD SIGN AS  
MUCH OF OUR SNOWPACK IS VERY LIKELY TO MELT FURTHER IF THESE  
TEMPERATURES COME TO FRUITION.  
 

 
   
AVIATION /00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z FRIDAY/
 
 
ISSUED AT 529 PM CST WED DEC 17 2025  
 
TAFS ARE VFR TO START THE PERIOD WITH SOUTHERLY WINDS AROUND 5  
TO 10 KNOTS. LLWS IS FORECAST TO DEVELOP BY 3 UTC AT ALL TAF  
SITES AT 1500 FT WITH SOUTHWEST WINDS IN THAT LAYER AROUND 40  
KNOTS. THE SPEED OF THE WINDS IN THAT LAYER IS FORECAST TO  
INCREASE TO 50 KNOTS BY 6 UTC BEFORE LLWS COMES TO AN END BY 12  
UTC. AFTER 06 UTC CEILINGS ARE FORECAST TO QUICKLY DETERIORATE  
TO IFR AT ALL TAF SITES FROM WEST TO EAST WITH RAIN DEVELOPING  
AT ALL TAF SITES BY 12 UTC AND CONTINUING THROUGH 18 UTC. MVFR  
TO IFR VISIBILITIES ARE POSSIBLE IN RAIN THROUGH THE MORNING.  
WEST WINDS ARE FORECAST TO INCREASE TO 20 TO 25 KNOTS WITH  
GUSTS UP TO 35 KNOTS AFTER 18 UTC ESPECIALLY AT KCID. CEILINGS  
ARE FORECAST TO LIFT TO VFR AFTER 18 UTC. THERE IS LOW  
CONFIDENCE IN THE TIMING AND PLACEMENT OF SNOW SHOWERS AFTER 18  
UTC.  
 

 
   
CLIMATE
 
 
ISSUED AT 1204 PM CST TUE DEC 16 2025  
 
A BROAD AND ANOMALOUS 500MB RIDGE (588 DM OR 99TH PERCENTILE  
PER CLIMATOLOGY FOR LATE DECEMBER) WILL BE ACROSS THE CENTRAL  
CONUS NEXT WEEK. THE 8-14 DAY TEMPERATURE OUTLOOK FROM THE  
CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER SHOWS 85-90% COMBINED PROBABILITIES OF  
NEAR/ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES FOR THE DECEMBER 23RD-29TH TIME  
FRAME. NORMAL HIGHS FOR THIS PERIOD ARE IN THE LOWER 30S AND  
NORMAL LOWS ARE IN THE MIDDLE TEENS. SHOULD SEE SOME SUBSTANTIAL  
MELTING TAKE PLACE BEFORE AND DURING CHRISTMAS ACROSS THE  
FORECAST AREA.  
 

 
   
DVN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
IA...NONE.  
IL...NONE.  
MO...NONE.  
 

 
 

 
 
SHORT TERM...GROSS  
LONG TERM...SCHULTZ  
AVIATION...COUSINS  
CLIMATE...GROSS  
 
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