821  
FXUS63 KARX 230505  
AFDARX  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI  
1105 PM CST FRI NOV 22 2024  
   
KEY MESSAGES  
 
- CLOUDS LIKELY HOLDING THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING  
 
- RAIN/SNOW CHANCES (20-50%) RETURN SUNDAY NIGHT INTO MONDAY  
WITH MINOR WET SNOW ACCUMULATION POSSIBLE IN TAYLOR AND  
NORTHERN CLARK COUNTIES  
 
- TURNING MUCH COLDER IN THE COMING WEEK, ESPECIALLY AROUND  
THANKSGIVING; NOT MUCH ACTIVE WEATHER LOCALLY TO IMPACT  
HOLIDAY TRAVEL  
 
 
   
DISCUSSION  
 
ISSUED AT 204 PM CST FRI NOV 22 2024  
 
CLOUDS LIKELY HOLDING THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING:  
 
NORTH TO NORTHWEST FLOW PERSISTS OVER THE REGION BEHIND A DEEP  
DEPARTING CYCLONE EAST OF THE GREAT LAKES AND AN UPPER RIDGE OVER  
THE PLAINS. SHALLOW MOISTURE AND WEAK LOW LEVEL FLOW HAS LED TO A  
PERSISTENT WIDESPREAD LOW STRATUS SHIELD OVER THE REGION, THOUGH THE  
CLEARING LINE IS NOT FAR OFF IN SOUTH-CENTRAL MINNESOTA AND  
CENTRAL IOWA. THE CLOUD COVER IS EXPECTED TO HOLD IN PLACE  
TONIGHT, BASED ON A PLAN VIEW OF RAP 950MB RH AND ALSO RAP/HRRR  
FORECAST SOUNDINGS. IN FACT, PARTIAL CLEARING LOOKS UNLIKELY TO  
ARRIVE UNTIL CLOSER TO MIDDAY SATURDAY WHEN THE 850MB RIDGE AXIS  
FINALLY ARRIVES. THUS, WITH MORE CLOUD COVER TONIGHT THAN  
ORIGINALLY EXPECTED, HAVE NUDGED TONIGHT'S MINIMUM TEMPERATURES  
UP BY GENERALLY A COUPLE DEGREES.  
 
WHILE THE WEEKEND STILL LOOKS TO TREND DRY OVERALL, THERE ARE SOME  
SIGNALS SUGGESTING WEAK WARM AIR ADVECTION AND FGEN FORCING COULD  
TRY TO INTERACT WITH A BIT OF INCOMING MID-LEVEL MOISTURE. FORECAST  
SOUNDINGS ARE RATHER DRY THROUGH ROUGHLY 950MB TO 700MB, SO THIS MAY  
BE MORE OF A VIRGA SETUP, OR PERHAPS A FEW SPRINKLES AT MOST. WILL  
MAINTAIN A DRY SATURDAY FORECAST FOR NOW, BUT SOMETHING WE'LL BE  
MONITORING.  
 
RAIN/SNOW CHANCES RETURN SUNDAY NIGHT INTO MONDAY:  
 
SUNDAY NIGHT INTO MONDAY BRINGS OUR NEXT MAIN CHANCE OF  
PRECIPITATION AS THE UPPER RIDGE EXITS. A DIGGING UPPER TROUGH IN  
THE LEE OF THE ROCKIES WILL ENCOUNTER A FAVORABLE PLUME OF MOISTURE  
EXTENDING NORTHWARD FROM THE GULF. IT LOOKS LIKELY THAT THERE WILL  
BE AN OPEN SHORTWAVE THAT ADVANCES OVERHEAD ON MONDAY, ALONG WITH A  
CLOSED LOW RIDING MINNESOTA'S NORTHERN BORDER. SOME SOLUTIONS TRY TO  
PHASE THESE TWO FEATURES AS THEY APPROACH THE GREAT LAKES, WHILE  
OTHERS KEEP THEM SEPARATE. REGARDLESS, PRECIP CHANCES ARE  
INCREASING, RANGING FROM 50% IN TAYLOR AND CLARK COUNTIES TO 20% IN  
OUR FAR SOUTHERN/WESTERN COUNTIES. GEFS MEMBERS ARE A LITTLE MORE  
AGGRESSIVE WITH A SOUTHWESTWARD TRAIL OF LIGHT QPF EXTENDING BACK  
INTO CENTRAL IOWA MONDAY BETWEEN 6AM AND NOON, WHEREAS ENS AND GEPS  
ENSEMBLES CUT OFF PRECIP CHANCES MORE ALONG OUR SOUTHERN BORDER.  
DEPENDING ON TEMPERATURES (WHICH SHOULD CLIMB ABOVE FREEZING FOR  
MUCH OF THE AREA), MUCH OF THE PRECIP MAY FALL IN THE FORM OF RAIN  
BEFORE MIXING WITH OR CHANGING TO ALL SNOW. ANY ACCUMULATING SNOW  
POTENTIAL, THOUGH MINOR, LOOKS TO BE MAINLY FAVORED ACROSS NORTH  
CENTRAL WISCONSIN WHERE WE CURRENTLY HAVE 0.5 TO 1.5" ACROSS TAYLOR  
AND NORTHERN CLARK COUNTIES.  
 
HOLIDAY TRAVEL AND THANKSGIVING OUTLOOK:  
 
THE REST OF THE COMING WEEK DOESN'T LOOK TO BE QUITE AS UNSETTLED AS  
IT HAD BEEN LOOKING EARLIER. A COUPLE WEAK SHORTWAVES WITH LIMITED  
MOISTURE COULD CLIP NORTHERN AREAS THANKSGIVING DAY INTO FRIDAY, BUT  
OTHERWISE THE MORE ROBUST STORM SYSTEM LOOKS TO PASS JUST SOUTH OF  
THE OHIO VALLEY WITH IMPACTS LIKELY TO STAY SOUTH OF OUR AREA.  
 
THE BIGGER STORY FOR NEXT WEEK WILL BE AN INTRUSION OF COLDER AIR,  
WITH A GLANCING BLOW MONDAY AND TUESDAY BEFORE WE GET DEEPER IN THE  
COLD 850MB BLOB AROUND THANKSGIVING. BY FRIDAY, ENSEMBLE GUIDANCE  
KEEPS HIGHS BELOW 30 DEGREES AREA WIDE WITH LOWS HEADING INTO THE  
WEEKEND IN THE TEENS TO SINGLE DIGITS.  
 
 
   
AVIATION /06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z SUNDAY/  
 
ISSUED AT 1105 PM CST FRI NOV 22 2024  
 
MAIN TAF CONCERN CONTINUES TO REVOLVE AROUND THE LOW STRATUS AND  
IN TURN MVFR TO IFR CIGS CURRENTLY OVER MUCH OF THE FORECAST  
AREA. HAVE NOTED IN MOST RECENT SATELLITE TRENDS THE LOW STRATUS  
HAS STARTED TO ERODE A BIT FASTER SO HAVE MADE SOME ADJUSTMENTS  
IN TIMING FROM PREVIOUS ISSUANCES, THOUGH WILL BE MONITORING  
THESE CLOSELY AS SOME ADJUSTMENTS MAY STILL BE NEED IF TRENDS  
HOLD. WILL NOTE THAT A COUPLE MODELS TRY TO SHOW SOME RE-  
DEVELOPMENT TOWARDS THE KRST AREA, BUT BASED ON CURRENT  
OBSERVATIONS VERSUS MODEL GUIDANCE THIS REMAINS LOWER  
CONFIDENCE AT THIS TIME. OTHERWISE, MID LEVEL CLOUDS WILL BE ON  
THE INCREASE ACROSS THE AREA, WITH WINDS REMAINING LIGHT  
THROUGH THE PERIOD.  
 
 
   
ARX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
WI...NONE.  
MN...NONE.  
IA...NONE.  
 
 
 
 
 
DISCUSSION...RIECK  
AVIATION...EMS  
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