682  
FXUS63 KARX 130846  
AFDARX  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI  
346 AM CDT TUE MAY 13 2025  
   
KEY MESSAGES
 
 
- ISOLATED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TODAY  
AND TOMORROW. ASIDE FROM THE LIGHTNING RISK, NO IMPACTS ARE  
EXPECTED.  
 
- SEVERE STORMS CONTINUE TO LOOK POSSIBLE FOR THURSDAY AFTERNOON  
WITH A RISK FOR LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS. DETAILS THAT  
WILL DETERMINE IF A TORNADO RISK WILL BE PRESENT REMAIN  
UNCERTAIN. MONITOR FUTURE FORECASTS AS THURSDAY APPROACHES.  
 

 
   
DISCUSSION
 
 
ISSUED AT 343 AM CDT TUE MAY 13 2025  
 
SPOTTY ORDINARY THUNDERSTORMS TODAY AND TOMORROW:  
 
TODAY, DISTURBANCES IN THE EASTERLY FLOW ALOFT ON THE NORTH SIDE OF  
AN UPPER LOW CENTERED OVER THE TN VALLEY MAY KICK OFF ISOLATED TO  
SCATTERED CONVECTION, PRIMARILY THIS AFTERNOON AS BOTH SURFACE  
HEATING IS MAXIMIZED AND THE CONTINUED SOUTH-SOUTHEASTERLY SURFACE  
WINDS BEGIN TO ADVECT MOISTURE NORTHWARD. WHILE GUIDANCE BROADLY  
DEPICTS AROUND 500-750 J/KG OF SBCAPE PER 13.00Z HREF AND INSPECTION  
OF INDIVIDUAL MODEL RUNS SUGGESTS THIS SHOULD BE REALIZED WITH  
MINIMAL CIN, RESULTING INSTABILITY PROFILES ARE SKINNY. THUS,  
EXPECTATION IS THAT MANY CONVECTIVE ATTEMPTS WILL OCCUR BUT  
ULTIMATELY FAIL WITH AT LEAST A FEW STORMS MANAGING TO DEVELOP WITH  
THE RELATIVE PROBABILITY OF SUCCESS HIGHEST EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI  
RIVER. PAST 3 RUNS ARW/FV3/NAMNEST ALONG WITH SEVERAL HRRR/RAP RUNS  
HAVE CONSISTENTLY REFLECTED THIS - EACH HAS VERY SPOTTY CONVECTION,  
MAINLY ALONG AND EAST OF THE RIVER. AM THUS CONFIDENT THERE WILL BE  
CONVECTION THAT WILL BE LIMITED IN SCOPE - HAVE THEREFORE ELECTED TO  
BROAD BRUSH 15-20 POPS ACROSS A GOOD CHUNK OF THE CWA AND SWITCHED  
TO COVERAGE WORDING IN WEATHER OUTPUT. AS FOR IMPACTS, PROGGED DEEP  
SHEAR VALUES IN THE 13.00Z SUITE ARE GENERALLY 5 KNOTS OR LESS, SO  
ORGANIZED CONVECTION IS NOT EXPECTED.  
 
WEDNESDAY, DEPARTING DISTURBANCE AND MARGINALLY HIGHER LOW LEVEL  
MOISTURE MAY ALLOW FOR MORE CONVECTIVE COVERAGE TO DEVELOP DURING  
THE AFTERNOON, ONCE AGAIN PRIMARILY IN OUR EAST. HAVE THUS GONE WITH  
RELATIVELY HIGHER POPS, WITH NBM VALUES OF 15-35% DEEMED SUFFICIENT.  
ONCE AGAIN, MINIMAL SHEAR SUGGESTS ANY IMPACTS FROM THUNDERSTORMS  
WILL ALSO BE MINIMAL.  
 
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM POTENTIAL THURSDAY:  
 
LARGE SCALE PATTERN REMAINS ON TRACK FOR THURSDAY WITH AN AXIS OF  
LOW LEVEL MOISTURE BEING ADVECTED NORTHWARD AHEAD OF A STRONG UPPER  
WAVE AND AN ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT. COOLING ALOFT ASSOCIATED WITH  
THIS WAVE AND LOW LEVEL CONVERGENCE ALONG THE FRONT SHOULD ALLOW FOR  
WIDESPREAD SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP DURING THE AFTERNOON  
HOURS WHERE WEAK CONVECTIVE INHIBITION ALLOWS PARCELS TO RISE. ROBUST  
INSTABILITY SHOULD BE IN PLACE BY THE AFTERNOON WITH MEAN 12.12Z  
LREF VALUES SUGGESTING GREATER THAN 2000 J/KG WILL BE PRESENT  
FOLLOWING A MORNING FREE OF CONVECTION DUE TO A STRONG INVERSION IN  
THE 600-900MB LAYER. WITH INCREASING WINDS ALOFT LEADING TO SFC-6KM  
BULK SHEAR OF AROUND 45 KNOTS, SEVERE STORMS WOULD BE POSSIBLE. FOR  
THIS RISK TO BE REALIZED IN OUR NECK OF THE WOODS, UNCERTAINTY  
FOCUSES ON HOW FAR EAST THE COLD FRONT WILL ADVANCE BY THE TIME  
ENOUGH INSTABILITY IS PRESENT TO OVERCOME THE AFOREMENTIONED  
INVERSION. OPERATIONAL 13.00Z GFS/NAM/CMC/EC RUNS ARE BROADLY  
ILLUSTRATIVE OF THE WIDE RANGE OF OUTCOMES, WITH CMC/EC PLACING A  
MAJORITY OF THE CWA IN PLAY, THE NAM OUR EASTERN TWO THIRDS, AND THE  
GFS LIMITING RISK TO AREAS EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. 12.12Z TO  
13.00Z NAM AND 11.12Z TO 13.00Z EC TREND HAS SLOWED THE PROGRESSION  
OF THIS FRONT. THUS, AM INCREASINGLY CONFIDENT AT LEAST OUR WI  
COUNTIES WILL END UP WITH A RISK FOR SEVERE STORMS AND THIS RISK  
EVENTUALLY ENCOMPASSING AREAS WEST OF THE RIVER SEEMS TO BE A DECENT  
BET.  
 
AS FOR WHICH SEVERE HAZARDS WOULD BE IN PLAY, PROGGED INSTABILITY  
AND SHEAR APPEAR SUFFICIENT FOR ROTATING UPDRAFTS WITH AN ATTENDANT  
RISK FOR LARGE HAIL. RAPID - PERHAPS 50 MPH - FORWARD MOTION OF  
STORMS COUPLED WITH DCAPE AROUND 1000 J/KG SUGGEST DAMAGING WINDS  
WOULD BE IN PLAY AS WELL. ON THE SUBJECT OF TORNADOES, ORIENTATION  
OF DEEP SHEAR IN RELATION TO THE COLD FRONT WILL BE CRITICAL IN  
DETERMINING WHETHER OR NOT DISCRETE CONVECTION AND THUS A NOTABLE  
TORNADO RISK DEVELOPS. ORIENTATION REMAINS UNCERTAIN - THE 13.00Z  
GFS SUGGESTS A MORE ALONG-BOUNDARY ORIENTATION WHILE THE  
CORRESPONDING NAM RUN SUGGESTS THIS VECTOR WILL BE NEARLY ORTHOGONAL  
TO THE FRONT, LEADING TO RAPID UPSCALE GROWTH OR DISCRETE  
CONVECTION, RESPECTIVELY. THIS SUGGESTS THAT, AS IS USUALLY THE  
CASE, WILL NEED TO WAIT FOR DETAILS TO BECOME CLEARER - OFTEN  
WITHIN 24 HOURS OF THE EVENT - TO MAKE LARGE PRONOUNCEMENTS  
ABOUT TORNADO RISK.  
 

 
   
AVIATION /06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z WEDNESDAY/
 
 
ISSUED AT 1222 AM CDT TUE MAY 13 2025  
 
VFR CONDITIONS SHOULD PREVAIL OVER THE MAJORITY OF THE TAF  
PERIOD. ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED FROM  
MID-MORNING TUESDAY THROUGH AROUND 00Z. CONFIDENCE IN EXACT  
LOCATION OF THESE STORMS AT ANY GIVEN TIME IS VERY LOW BUT BRIEF  
REDUCTIONS COULD OCCUR IF ONE PASSES OVER AN AIRFIELD. HAVE  
CONTINUED TO HOLD A PROB30 FOR TS FOR SEVERAL HOURS AT LSE TO  
COVER THIS POSSIBILITY. OTHERWISE, SOUTH-SOUTHEASTERLY WINDS AND  
SLOWLY INCREASING AMOUNTS OF MID TO UPPER LEVEL (5+ KFT) CLOUDS  
ARE EXPECTED OVER THE NEXT 24 HOURS.  
 

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

 
 

 
 
DISCUSSION...FERGUSON  
AVIATION...FERGUSON  
 
CLICK HERE TO GO TO PREVIOUS BULLETINS.

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