835  
FXUS63 KARX 251736  
AFDARX  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI  
1236 PM CDT FRI SEP 25 2026  
   
KEY MESSAGES  
 
- CHANCES (30-60%) FOR VERY LIGHT RAIN OVERNIGHT THURSDAY NIGHT. ADDITIONAL  
LIGHT RAIN CHANCES (30-70%) FOR SATURDAY INTO SATURDAY NIGHT.  
 
- DRY CONDITIONS TO START THE UPCOMING WEEK GIVE WAY TO  
WIDESPREAD RAIN POTENTIAL FOR TUESDAY AND ONWARD.  
 
- TEMPERATURES REMAIN FAIRLY STEADY OVER THE NEXT WEEK WITH  
HIGHS IN THE 60S TO LOWER 70S.  
 
 
   
DISCUSSION  
 
ISSUED AT 1015 PM CDT THU SEP 24 2026  
 
VERY LIGHT RAIN OVERNIGHT, LIGHT AGAIN SATURDAY AFTERNOON INTO  
SATURDAY NIGHT  
 
BELT OF VERY LIGHT RAIN HAS BEEN SLIDING EASTWARD THIS EVENING AHEAD  
OF A LONGWAVE UPPER TROUGH SEEN ON IR OVER MN AS OF 03Z. WEAK  
FORCING OVERALL AND NO INSTABILITY TO SPEAK OF HAS LED TO VERY LOW  
RAIN RATES WITH MANY SITES STRUGGLING TO GET TO 0.01". HAVE THUS  
CONTINUED TO GO WITH A MODERATE POP BUT VERY LOW QPF FORECAST FOR  
THE RAIN OVERNIGHT TONIGHT.  
 
SHORT LIVED UPPER HEIGHT RISES WILL LEAD TO A DRY FRIDAY BUT, BY  
SATURDAY, ANOTHER LONGWAVE RIDGE MOVES OVER THE UPPER MIDWEST WITH A  
LEAD IMPULSE SLOWLY ROLLING EASTWARD AROUND MIDDAY AND A SECOND  
WAVE DURING THE NIGHTTIME HOURS. PROGGED MOISTURE REMAINS AN ISSUE  
EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI DUE THE INFLUENCE OF A DRY HIGH PRESSURE  
SYSTEM IN THE GREAT LAKES AND VERY DRY MID-LEVELS AND SOMEWHAT DRY  
CONDITIONS NEAR THE SURFACE SHOULD EAT INTO RAIN TOTALS, IF ANY.  
FARTHER WEST, ENOUGH MOISTURE SHOULD (70-80%) SNEAK AROUND THE  
SOUTHWESTERN EDGE OF THE HIGH TO LEAD TO LIGHT RAIN WITH WEAK  
FORCING AND LACK OF INSTABILITY ONCE AGAIN KEEPING RAIN INTENSITY  
AND CONCERNS FOR HAZARDS FOR THOSE OUTDOORS LOOKING AHEAD TO OCTOBER  
VERY LOW.  
 
NEXT WEEK: MILD, WIDESPREAD RAIN LIKELY TUESDAY  
 
CONTINUED SOUTHEASTERLY SURFACE FLOW WILL ALLOW FOR SOME EVER SO  
SLIGHT WARMING INTO MONDAY WITH HIGHS POTENTIALLY REACHING INTO THE  
70S FOR MORE OF THE AREA. HOWEVER, DRY CONDITIONS ON MONDAY WILL  
GIVE WAY TO INCREASING PROBABILITIES FOR WIDESPREAD RAINFALL ON  
TUESDAY AS A LONGWAVE TROUGH AND ASSOCIATED SURFACE COLD FRONT WILL  
SWEEP THROUGH THE LOCAL AREA THROUGHOUT THE DAY ON TUESDAY WITH  
ALREADY FAIRLY HIGH PROBABILITIES (50-70%) FOR RAINFALL AMOUNTS OVER  
0.25" ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA IN THE GRAND ENSEMBLE  
(GEFS/EC/CANADIAN ENSEMBLE). MUCH OF THESE HIGHER PROBABILITIES ARE  
IN PART DUE TO A STRONG AXIS OF 850MB MOISTURE TRANSPORT SURGING  
NORTH OUT AHEAD OF THIS FRONT WITH ANOMALOUS PRECIPITABLE WATERS AS  
SHOWN IN GRAND ENSEMBLE (GEFS/EC/CANADIAN ENSEMBLE) WITH RESPECTABLE  
PROBABILITIES (40-70%) FOR PRECIPITABLE WATERS OVER 1.5" ON TUESDAY.  
SO COULD CERTAINLY SEE SOME HEALTHY RAINFALL TOTALS FROM THIS  
SYSTEM, PARTICULARLY IF WE CAN GET SOME ELEVATED INSTABILITY TO WORK  
ITS WAY INTO THE REGION.  
 
FORECAST CONFIDENCE BEGINS TO LESSEN AS WE HEAD INTO WEDNESDAY AND  
BEYOND AS THIS MOISTURE FETCH WILL BATTLE AGAINST THE NORTHWESTERLY  
COOLER AND DRIER AIR IN LIGHT OF THE AFOREMENTIONED FRONT. THE KEY  
MECHANISMS FOR PRECIPITATION POTENTIAL MID-WEEK WILL BE TIED TO A  
FAIRLY ROBUST UPPER-LEVEL TROUGH EJECTING INTO THE SOUTH-CENTRAL  
GREAT PLAINS DURING THE SECOND HALF OF THE WORK WEEK. THIS SYSTEM  
WILL LIKELY SEE A BIT OF A "BOOST" IN MOISTURE AS WELL GIVEN IT WILL  
BE INGESTING MOISTURE FROM THE REMNANTS OF HURRICANE POLO IN THE  
SOUTHWEST CONUS. AS A RESULT, NOTING A FOOTPRINT IN THE SHIFT OF  
TAILS OF 0 IN THE EC EXTREME FORECAST INDEX QPF FOR WEDNESDAY,  
SUGGESTING THERE ARE A FEW EC MEMBERS SHOWING QPF REACHING THE 99TH  
PERCENTILE OF CLIMATOLOGY FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR. MUCH TOO EARLY TO  
DEDUCE IF THE LOCAL AREA MAY SEE ADDITIONAL RAINFALL FROM THIS  
FEATURE AS IT MAY REMAIN TOO OUR SOUTH, BUT SOMETHING TO MONITOR  
NEVERTHELESS.  
 
 
   
AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z SATURDAY/  
 
ISSUED AT 1235 PM CDT FRI SEP 25 2026  
 
VFR CONDITIONS ARE MOSTLY EXPECTED THROUGH THIS TAF PERIOD  
OUTSIDE OF A POSSIBLE ROGUE MVFR CEILING DIP OR SOME SHOWER  
VISIBILITY IMPACTS TOWARD THE END OF THE PERIOD. LOWER  
STRATOCUMULUS DECK OVERHEAD THIS AFTERNOON WILL GRADUALLY THIN  
HEADING INTO THE EVENING HOURS, BUT MEANWHILE HIGH LEVEL CLOUDS  
WILL BE SPILLING IN FROM THE WEST. WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI  
RIVER, CEILINGS WILL GRADUALLY DECLINE SATURDAY MORNING AS THE  
NEXT SYSTEM APPROACHES. SOME LIGHT SHOWERS WILL BE POSSIBLE  
(30-50% CHANCE) AT RST BY LATE MORNING. GENERALLY SOUTHEASTERLY  
WINDS THROUGH THE PERIOD AROUND 10 KNOTS OR LESS.  
 
 
   
ARX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
WI...NONE.  
MN...NONE.  
IA...NONE.  
 
 
 
 
 
DISCUSSION...FERGUSON/NAYLOR  
AVIATION...KURZ  
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