887  
FXUS63 KARX 171843  
AFDARX  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI  
143 PM CDT SUN AUG 17 2025  
   
KEY MESSAGES
 
 
- WIDESPREAD HEAVY RAIN PROGRESSES FROM WEST TO EAST OVERNIGHT  
THROUGH MONDAY. AN ADDITIONAL 0.5" TO 1.5"+ IS EXPECTED FOR  
MUCH OF THE AREA.  
 
- COOLER AND DRIER CONDITIONS RETURN TUESDAY AND CONTINUE INTO  
NEXT WEEKEND.  
 

 
   
DISCUSSION
 
 
ISSUED AT 134 PM CDT SUN AUG 17 2025  
 
TODAY - MONDAY: DRY THIS AFTERNOON, WIDESPREAD CHANCES FOR RAIN  
RETURNING TONIGHT  
 
THE BAND OF PRECIPITATION THAT DROPPED 5-8 INCHES OVERNIGHT IN  
SOME LOCATIONS HAS FINALLY DISSIPATED WITH DRY CONDITIONS  
PRESENT ACROSS THE AREA. LOW CLOUDS WILL ERODE INTO THE  
AFTERNOON WITH HIGH CLOUDS LIKELY STICKING AROUND INTO THIS  
EVENING. A SURFACE LOW AND MCV ACROSS THE DAKOTAS, ALONG WITH A  
PERTURBATION IN THE CREST OF THE RIDGE ALOFT, ARE SETTING OFF  
SHOWERS AND STORMS ACROSS THE NORTHERN PLAINS THIS AFTERNOON.  
ALL MEMBERS OF THE 17.12Z HREF ARE INDICATING THAT THESE STORMS  
WILL GROW UPSCALE INTO A MORE MCS/LINEAR TYPE FEATURE AS THEY  
MOVE EAST INTO THE EVENING/OVERNIGHT HOURS. THE SEVERE THREAT  
OVERALL LOOKS TO BE LIMITED WITH A MUCH MORE STABLE AIRMASS  
OVERHEAD AND STRONG CAPPING IN THE LOW/MID LEVELS. SOME STRONG  
TO POTENTIALLY ISOLATED DAMAGING WIND GUSTS, ESPECIALLY FOR  
AREAS WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI, WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH AMPLE DCAPE  
(1000+ J/KG) EXPECTED TO BE PRESENT. THE 850 MB LLJ SHOULD KEEP  
THE STORMS GOING THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT HOURS WITH PLENTY OF  
MOISTURE STILL AVAILABLE ACROSS THE REGION. PWATS ARE STILL  
EXPECTED TO BE IN THE 1.5-2"+ RANGE INTO TONIGHT WHICH WILL  
ALLOW FOR EFFICIENT RAINFALL PRODUCTION WITH THESE STORMS. THIS  
MAIN LINE OF STORMS LOOKS TO MOVE INTO OUR AREA OVERNIGHT,  
POTENTIALLY CONTINUING INTO THE MORNING HOURS EAST OF THE  
MISSISSIPPI.  
 
THE AFOREMENTIONED SURFACE LOW IS EXPECTED TO BE IN OUR  
VICINITY THROUGH THE DAY TOMORROW, KEEPING OUR AREA IN THE WARM  
SECTOR. DEPENDING ON HOW WELL OUR AREA CAN DESTABILIZE INTO THE  
AFTERNOON, SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WOULD BE POSSIBLE GIVEN THE  
LOW LEVEL SYNOPTIC LIFT NEAR THE TRIPLE POINT. INSTABILITY WILL  
BE BETTER FURTHER TO THE SOUTH AND WEST ACROSS IOWA BUT THE  
SHEAR IS EXPECTED TO BE WEAKER. OVERALL, NEBULOUS MID LEVEL  
FORCING AND NO REAL LOW LEVEL FOCI PRECLUDE AN ORGANIZED SEVERE  
THREAT BUT ENOUGH CONFIDENCE REMAINS TO KEEP OUR AREA IN THE DAY  
2 MARGINAL RISK FOR SEVERE WEATHER.  
 
QPF WISE, THE 17.12Z HREF GRAND ENSEMBLE IS SHOWING A BROAD  
0.5-1.5 INCHES OF RAIN ACROSS OUR AREA THROUGH 7 AM TUESDAY.  
CONFIDENCE IS A LITTLE LOWER ON AMOUNTS GREATER THAN 1 INCH  
WITH PROBABILITIES IN THE 20-40% RANGE WITH SOME HIGHER POCKETS.  
THIS SEEMS TO BE A REASONABLE ESTIMATION THOUGH AS PER USUAL,  
LOCALIZED HIGHER AMOUNTS COULD BE POSSIBLE IN THE STRONGER  
STORMS WITH HIGHER RAINFALL RATES.  
 
TUESDAY - END OF THE WEEK: DRIER AND COOLER  
 
BY TUESDAY, RIDGING IS EXPECTED TO BECOME MORE PROMINENT ACROSS  
THE ROCKIES, PUTTING OUR AREA IN NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT. THE  
SURFACE LOW IS FINALLY EXPECTED TO MAKE SOME MORE PROGRESS  
THROUGH THE AREA WITH THE ATTACHED COLD FRONT FINALLY MOVING  
THROUGH LATE MONDAY INTO TUESDAY. THIS WILL BRING A COOLER AND  
DRIER AIRMASS BEHIND IT AS A SURFACE HIGH DROPS INTO THE REGION.  
THIS SHOULD HELP TO KEEP CONDITIONS DRY THROUGH THE END OF THE  
WORK-WEEK. HIGH TEMPERATURES THROUGH THE WEEK LOOK TO REMAIN  
SEASONABLE MILD IN THE UPPER 70S TO LOWER 80S. A DRY COLD FRONT  
ATTACHED TO A SURFACE LOW WELL TO OUR NORTH ACROSS ONTARIO IS  
EXPECTED TO MOVE THROUGH THE AREA LATE FRIDAY. CURRENT FORECASTS  
HAVE HIGH TEMPERATURES FOR NEXT WEEKEND IN THE UPPER 60S TO LOW  
70S, ALMOST A TASTE OF EARLY FALL. THIS IS STILL A WAYS OUT AND  
THERE IS PLENTY OF TIME FOR THE DETAILS TO CHANGE BUT OVERALL  
AFTER A VERY SOGGY WEEK OR SO, WE'LL FINALLY SEE SOME REPRIEVE  
FOR THE BACK HALF OF THIS UPCOMING WORK WEEK.  
 

 
   
AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z MONDAY/
 
 
ISSUED AT 1236 PM CDT SUN AUG 17 2025  
 
MVFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA THROUGH THE  
TAF PERIOD WITH PERIODS OF BRIEF IFR CEILINGS AND VFR BREAKS IN  
THE CLOUDS. ANOTHER ROUND OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE  
EXPECTED TO SHIFT FROM WEST TO EAST ACROSS THE AREA TONIGHT. AS  
THESE STORMS MOVE THROUGH, EXPECT PERIODS OF IFR VSBYS WITHIN  
THE HEAVY RAIN FALL. THERE IS A CHANCE (30 TO 40%) FOR IFR  
CEILINGS BEHIND THE STORMS EARLY MONDAY MORNING UNTIL DAYTIME  
HEATING BRINGS A RETURN TO MVFR BY MID MORNING AND VFR BY THE  
AFTERNOON. THERE IS A 20 TO 30% CHANCE MVFR CEILINGS LINGER  
THROUGH THE DAY MONDAY.  
 

 
   
HYDROLOGY
 
 
ISSUED AT 134 PM CDT SUN AUG 17 2025  
 
A NARROW BAND OF TRAINING PRECIPITATION SET UP ACROSS OUR AREA  
OVERNIGHT, EXTENDING FROM NW MOWER COUNTY, MN ALL THE WAY TO SE  
GRANT COUNTY, WI. TOTALS IN THIS AREA RANGED ANYWHERE FROM 2-8  
INCHES, WITH THE HIGHEST TOTALS ACROSS PORTIONS OF FILLMORE  
COUNTY, MN TO ALLAMAKEE COUNTY, IA. THIS BAND OF PRECIPITATION  
LASTED FOR MUCH OF THE NIGHT BEFORE FINALLY DISSIPATING THROUGH  
THE MORNING HOURS AS THE LOW LEVEL JET TAPERED OFF. THIS COMES  
IN ADDITION TO THE 2-6 INCHES THAT FELL ACROSS PORTIONS OF WEST  
CENTRAL WISCONSIN A COUPLE DAYS AGO. MANY LOCATIONS ACROSS THE  
COULEE REGION ARE SEEING PONDING AND REMAIN SUSCEPTIBLE TO  
FLOODING FROM ADDITIONAL RAINFALL. WITH AN ADDITIONAL 0.5-1.5+  
INCHES EXPECTED FROM TONIGHT/MONDAYS ACTIVITY, THIS COULD  
EXACERBATE PROBLEMS IN SOME AREAS. OVERALL, THIS UPCOMING SYSTEM  
LOOKS TO BE MORE PROGRESSIVE IN NATURE WHICH WILL LIMIT  
RESIDENCE TIME OVER ANY GIVEN AREA BUT IN SOME AREAS WHERE FFGS  
ARE NOW BELOW 0.5 INCHES, ANY RAIN COULD CREATE CONCERNS.  
 
RIVERS HAVE RESPONDED GENERALLY AS EXPECTED ACROSS THE REGION.  
SHARP RISES AT LOCATIONS ON THE CEDAR, ROOT, YELLOW (IA), AND  
UPPER IOWA RIVERS HAVE BEEN NOTED FROM GAUGE OBSERVATIONS.  
OVERALL, RISES HAVE STAYED WITHIN THEIR BANKS, ONLY MAKING IT TO  
ACTION STAGE OR JUST BARELY MAKING IT INTO MINOR FLOOD STAGE  
BEFORE DROPPING BACK DOWN. LOOKING AT ENSEMBLE RIVER FORECASTS,  
MOST RIVERS WOULD NEED AN ADDITIONAL 2+ INCHES TO EVEN BREAK  
ACTION STAGE WHICH DOESN'T SEEM ALL THAT LIKELY. THE EXCEPTION  
LOOKS TO BE THE CEDAR RIVER WHICH COULD REACH MINOR FLOOD STAGE  
WITH A LITTLE BETWEEN 1-1.5 INCHES. THIS RIVER IN PARTICULAR  
WILL NEED TO BE MONITORED THROUGH TOMORROW GIVEN ITS FLASHY  
NATURE AND QPF WELL WITHIN REASON FOR POTENTIALLY REACHING FLOOD  
STAGE.  
 

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

 
 

 
 
DISCUSSION...BARENDSE  
AVIATION...JAW  
HYDROLOGY...BARENDSE  
 
CLICK HERE TO GO TO PREVIOUS BULLETINS.

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