020  
FXUS63 KDMX 162143  
AFDDMX  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA  
343 PM CST THU JAN 16 2025  
   
KEY MESSAGES
 
 
- CONTINUED WARM INTO FRIDAY, BUT TURNING WINDY AND COLDER  
FRIDAY NIGHT  
 
- MOST SIGNIFICANT ARCTIC AIR OF THE SEASON COMING WITH  
PROLONGED BITTER COLD THIS WEEKEND THROUGH TUESDAY  
 
- <=30% CHANCE OF MEASURABLE LIGHT RAIN OR LIGHT SNOW FRIDAY  
AFTERNOON AND EVENING, OTHERWISE MAINLY DRY THROUGH THE PERIOD  
(THU 23RD).  
 

 
   
DISCUSSION
 
 
ISSUED AT 342 PM CST THU JAN 16 2025  
 
MILD, ZONAL FLOW WAS IN PLACE ACROSS THE MIDWEST BUT THAT WILL  
TURN TO A COLD, EXPANSIVE CENTRAL CONUS MEAN TROUGH WITH H5  
HEIGHTS DOWN TO 516 DAM OR LESS BY LATE THE WEEKEND. THE  
INTRODUCTORY MECHANISM WILL BE AN ELONGATED PV ANOMALY ACROSS  
THE SOUTHWESTERN CANADIAN PROVINCES THIS AFTERNOON WITH AN  
ASSOCIATED SURFACE LOW JUST AHEAD. BY MIDDAY TOMORROW THE  
SURFACE LOW SHOULD BE OVER SOUTHERN ONTARIO WITH ITS ATTENDANT  
SURFACE TROUGH AND WIND SHIFT PASSING THROUGH IOWA. TEMPS TODAY  
WERE TOWARD THE EXTREME HIGH END OF THE GUIDANCE ENVELOP AND  
EXPECT SIMILAR CONDITIONS FRIDAY WITH HIGHS WELL INTO THE 40S.  
THE TRUE COLD FRONT WILL ARRIVE ACROSS NORTHERN IOWA BY SUNSET  
HOWEVER USHERING IN MUCH COLDER TEMPERATURES AND GUSTY NORTHWEST  
WINDS. THE COLD ADVECTION AND STEEP LOW LEVEL LAPSE RATES MAY  
TRIGGER SOME WEAK CONVECTION WITH EITHER LIGHT SNOW OR RAIN  
SHOWERS DEPENDING ON TEMPS, WHICH MAY LINGER INTO THE EVENING  
SOUTH IN THE FORM OF FLURRIES OR LIGHT SNOW SHOWERS. WINDS MAY  
GUST TO 35 MPH OR MORE NORTH FRIDAY NIGHT.  
 
THE MAIN WEATHER STORY OF THE PERIOD, A PROLONGED PERIOD OF  
ARCTIC AIR, WILL BECOMING ENTRENCHED ACROSS IOWA AND THE MIDWEST  
THIS WEEKEND THROUGH TUESDAY, DRIVEN BY ANOMALOUSLY HIGH  
NORTHERN ROCKIES/CANADIAN SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE AND AN EXTENDED  
PERIOD OF REINFORCING NORTHWEST FLOW AT LOW LEVELS. WIDESPREAD  
BELOW ZERO LOWS ARE EXPECTED FOR THREE NIGHTS (SAT NIGHT-MON  
NIGHT) WITH HIGHS NO BETTER THAN THE SINGLE DIGITS ABOVE ZERO  
SUN AND MON. COLD WEATHER ADVISORIES (REPLACEMENT OF WIND CHILL  
ADVISORIES) WILL LIKELY BE NEEDED AT LEAST OFF AND ON THROUGH  
THIS PERIOD.  
 
THE PATTERN SHOULD BEGIN TO MODIFY HEADING INTO TUESDAY WHEN THE  
LAST SHORT WAVE ENTERS THE BASE OF THE LONG WAVE TROUGH FOLLOWED  
BY RISING HEIGHTS INTO MIDWEEK. CONFIDENCE IN HOW THIS EVOLVES  
IS NOT GREAT WITH CLUSTER ANALYSIS SHOWING A FAIRLY EVEN  
DISTRIBUTION AMONG MEMBERS, HOWEVER MOST SOLUTIONS SUGGEST A  
MILDER TREND BACK TOWARD NORMAL TEMPS. WITH NO GREAT FEEL ON  
SHORT WAVE TRACK OR STRENGTH, THE FORECAST REMAINS DRY FOR THE  
MOMENT. HOWEVER ONE WINDOW TO WATCH IS WED NIGHT INTO THU. 12Z  
EPS AND GEFS PROBABILITIES FOR MEASURABLE PRECIPITATION ARE  
AROUND 40% NORTH, SO THIS WOULD BE A WINDOW TO MONITOR IF THOSE  
TRENDS PERSIST THROUGH FUTURE MODEL CYCLES.  
 

 
   
AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z FRIDAY/
 
 
ISSUED AT 1158 AM CST THU JAN 16 2025  
 
AREA OF STRATUS ACROSS NORTHEAST IOWA MANAGED TO JUST CLIP KALO  
AROUND 1630Z. SATELLITE PIX SHOW AREA OF HIGH CLOUDS PUSHING  
EAST, EFFECTIVELY ERODING THE WESTERN FLANK. EVEN SO, OPTED TO  
LINGER MVFR CIGS AT KALO THRU 1830Z BEFORE RETURNING TO VFR FOR  
THE REMAINDER. OTHERWISE, WINDS WILL TRANSITION FROM NW TO  
SOUTHERLY THIS AFTERNOON, WITH SOUTH WINDS PREVAILING TONIGHT  
THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING. TRENDED WIND SHEAR MENTION A LITTLE  
LATER TOMORROW MORNING IN TERMINALS AS WELL.  
 

 
   
DMX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
NONE.  
 

 
 

 
 
DISCUSSION...SMALL  
AVIATION...HAHN  
 
CLICK HERE TO GO TO PREVIOUS BULLETINS.

The Nexlab IA Page Main Text Page