553  
FXUS63 KARX 302017  
AFDARX  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI  
217 PM CST THU JAN 30 2025  
   
KEY MESSAGES  
 
- RAIN EXPECTED OVERNIGHT INTO FRIDAY MORNING, MAINLY ACROSS  
NORTHEAST IOWA AND FAR SOUTHWESTERN WISCONSIN. AMOUNTS  
GENERALLY UP TO 0.1" EXPECTED IN FAR SOUTHWEST WISCONSIN.  
 
- WINTRY PRECIPITATION CHANCES SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY  
(20-75%). HIGHER CONFIDENCE IN ACCUMULATING SNOW NORTH OF  
I-94, BUT LESS CONFIDENCE IN PRECIPITATION TYPE FURTHER SOUTH.  
 
 
   
DISCUSSION  
 
ISSUED AT 216 PM CST THU JAN 30 2025  
 
RAIN OVERNIGHT INTO FRIDAY MORNING  
 
A MATURING MID-LATITUDE CYCLONE ACROSS THE CENTRAL UNITED STATES AS  
SEEN ON CURRENT WATER VAPOR IMAGERY CONTINUES MOVING NORTHWARD  
THIS AFTERNOON. VARIOUS ENSEMBLE BLENDS, INCLUDING THE 30.13Z  
NBM, 30.12Z HREF, AND 30.06Z EPS, SUGGEST PRECIPITATION CHANCES  
OF 20-40% ACROSS OUR FAR SOUTH AS THIS SYSTEM MOVES TOWARDS THE  
UPPER MIDWEST. THE 30.06Z GEFS/GEPS HOWEVER, BRINGS THE SYSTEM  
A LITTLE FURTHER NORTH AND INTO OUR AREA, WITH THE ENSEMBLE  
MEANS SUGGESTING ROUGHLY 1/4" OF QPF. THIS SOLUTION SEEMS TO BE  
AN OUTLIER ON THE HIGH END, AND THINKING A "GLANCING BLOW" IS  
THE MOST APPROPRIATE FOR THIS SCENARIO. DETERMINISTIC QPF IS  
LIGHT, WITH AROUND 0.1" EXPECTED, MAINLY IN FAR SOUTHWEST  
WISCONSIN. THE LOW MOVES EAST OF THE AREA TONIGHT INTO FRIDAY,  
WITH CLEARING SKIES.  
 
WINTRY PRECIPITATION THIS WEEKEND  
 
ANOTHER 700-500HPA TROUGH SWINGS THROUGH THE UPPER MIDWEST SATURDAY  
INTO SUNDAY. ASSOCIATED WITH IT ARE SEVERAL AREAS OF FRONTOGENESIS  
AS A SURFACE LOW BEGINS TO DEVELOP IN THE NORTHERN GREAT PLAINS.  
WITH COLD AIR ADVECTION ON THE BACKSIDE OF TONIGHT'S LOW,  
TEMPERATURES TREND BACK TO NEAR OR BELOW FREEZING AS WE GET TOWARDS  
SATURDAY NIGHT, ESPECIALLY IN AREAS NORTH OF I-94.  
 
GIVEN MODEST MOISTURE TRANSPORT AND A SATURATED COLUMN IN AREAS  
NORTH OF I-94 COINCIDING WITH THE AFOREMENTIONED SHORTWAVES AND  
FRONTOGENESIS ENERGY AS WELL AS MID LEVEL WARM AIR ADVECTION, THERE  
IS A HIGHER CONFIDENCE THAT ACCUMULATING SNOWFALL WILL OCCUR IN  
THESE AREAS GIVEN THE AMPLE FORCING DURING THE SATURDAY EVENING INTO  
SUNDAY MORNING TIMEFRAME. THE 30.13Z NBM INDICATES A 30-70%  
PROBABILITY OF GREATER THAN 1 INCH OF SNOW AND A 20-40% PROBABILITY  
OF GREATER THAN 3 INCHES, WITH EVEN SOME SMALL CHANCES (10-20%) TO  
EXCEED 5 INCHES OF SNOW, ASSUMING A 10:1 RATIO.  
 
HOWEVER, CONFIDENCE IN SNOWFALL AND OVERALL PRECIPITATION TYPE  
DECREASES FURTHER SOUTH, CLOSER TO I-90. THERE CONTINUES TO BE THE  
INDICATION OF DRYING MID-LEVELS ACROSS THE AREA AS THESE FORCING  
MECHANISMS MOVE THROUGH THE REGION WHILE LEAVING THE LOWEST ~6KFT  
SATURATED AND BELOW FREEZING. THIS SETS UP THE POTENTIAL FOR  
FREEZING DRIZZLE ACROSS THE AREA MAINLY DURING THE  
SATURDAY EVENING INTO SUNDAY MORNING TIMEFRAME.  
 
MODEL SOUNDINGS VARY IN THEIR TEMPERATURE AND MOISTURE PROFILES  
DURING THIS TIMEFRAME, SPECIFICALLY BETWEEN THE GFS AND NAM. THE GFS  
SOUNDINGS SUGGEST DRIER MID TO UPPER LEVELS (700HPA AND ABOVE) WHILE  
THE LOW LEVELS REMAIN SATURATED AND BELOW FREEZING INDICATING  
FREEZING DRIZZLE WOULD BE THE DOMINANT PRECIPITATION TYPE. THE NAM  
SOUNDINGS KEEP UPPER LEVELS (600HPA AND ABOVE) DRY SATURDAY  
AFTERNOON AND OVERNIGHT (INDICATIVE OF FREEZING DRIZZLE) BEFORE  
BECOMING SATURATED BUT LEAVING A ~5KFT DRY LAYER LEAVING THE LOW  
LEVELS SATURATED. THIS WOULD SUGGEST THE POSSIBILITY OF A MORE  
SEEDER-FEEDER SETUP AND A FAR MORE MESSY SCENARIO PRECIPITATION TYPE  
WISE. HOWEVER, THIS DRY LAYER IS FAIRLY DEEP AND WOULD BE  
CHALLENGING TO PRECIPITATE ALL THE WAY THROUGH TO ALLOW THIS  
SCENARIO. IT IS INTERESTING TO NOTE THAT THE 30.00Z LREF IS THE  
ONLY ENSEMBLE SUGGESTING FREEZING PRECIPITATION PROBABILITIES  
AT THIS TIME ARE 10-20%.  
 
REGARDLESS OF THE ULTIMATE PRECIPITATION TYPE, CONFIDENCE REMAINS IN  
THE OCCURRENCE PRECIPITATION SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY, WITH  
SNOW ACCUMULATIONS NORTH OF I-94.  
 
 
   
AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z FRIDAY/  
 
ISSUED AT 1126 AM CST THU JAN 30 2025  
 
VFR CONDITIONS THROUGH THE TAF PERIOD AT KRST/KLSE WITH SOME  
VARIABLE HIGH CLOUDS. A STORM SYSTEM WILL PASS TO THE SOUTH TODAY  
AND TONIGHT, WITH MVFR CONDITIONS AND LIGHT RAIN OR A RAIN/SNOW MIX  
CLIPPING OUR SOUTHERN AREAS TOWARD KDBQ TONIGHT INTO FRIDAY MORNING.  
MEANWHILE, A SURFACE TROUGH WILL BE MOVING THROUGH THE AREA.  
SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL INCREASE FOR A TIME THROUGH EARLY TO MID  
AFTERNOON (6 TO 12KTS WITH SOME GUSTS 15 TO 20KTS), THEN BECOME  
LIGHT WEST THEN NORTHWEST. NORTHEAST WINDS INCREASE TONIGHT 6 TO  
12KTS AFTER 04Z THIS EVENING.  
 
 
   
ARX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
WI...NONE.  
MN...NONE.  
IA...NONE.  
 
 
 
 
 
DISCUSSION...FALKINHAM  
AVIATION...ZAPOTOCNY  
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