952
FXUS63 KDMX 221017
AFDDMX
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
417 AM CST SUN FEB 22 2026
KEY MESSAGES
- COLD TEMPERATURES THROUGH MONDAY. BELOW WIND CHILLS AT TIMES
THIS MORNING AND AGAIN TONIGHT/MONDAY MORNING.
- WARMER ON TUESDAY BUT HAVE TEMPERED THE WARM UP IN AREAS WITH
SNOW COVER AND SNOW MELT WILL BE A SLOW PROCESS THIS WEEK.
- A STRONGER SYSTEM POSSIBLE WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO THURSDAY. A
WINTRY MIX OF PRECIPITATION AND POSSIBLY ACCUMULATING
SNOWFALL.
DISCUSSION
ISSUED AT 412 AM CST SUN FEB 22 2026
UPPER LEVEL SHORT WAVE #1 IS PASSING OVER THE STATE CURRENTLY. A FEW
FLURRIES HAVE BEEN OCCURRING WITH AN AREA OF STRATUS DROPPING SOUTH
OVER PARTS OF WESTERN/CENTRAL IOWA. AN ASSOCIATED SURFACE BOUNDARY
HAS BROUGHT COLD ADVECTION AND GUSTY NORTHWEST WINDS TO THE STATE.
SHORT WAVE #2 WILL ARRIVE TODAY AND WILL BRING ANOTHER ROUND OF COLD
ADVECTION TO THE REGION. WHILE SOME VERY THIN STRATUS, IN ADDITION
THE THE MORE WELL FORMED STRATUS MENTIONED ABOVE, IS NOW OVER IOWA,
ANOTHER BROAD AREA OF CLOUDS IS MOVING SOUTH OVER CENTRAL MINNESOTA
AND EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA. THESE CLOUDS ARE FOLLOWING THE 900 MB
FLOW, WHICH IS FROM AROUND 350 DEGREES AT 30 KTS. THAT SPEED WOULD
PLACE THIS AREA OF CLOUDS INTO NORTHERN IOWA AT 12-13Z. ONE FORECAST
CHALLENGE TODAY WILL BE THE RESIDENCE TIME OF THESE CLOUDS AND HOW
FAR SOUTH IT WILL REACH. MUCH OF THE FORECAST GUIDANCE HAS THIS
CLOUD LAYER ERODING FROM WEST TO EAST LATE THIS MORNING AND INTO THE
AFTERNOON. TRYING TO FIND THE REASON FOR THIS EROSION WITHIN THE
MODELS. MODEL GUIDANCE DOES HAVE A FAIR AMOUNT OF DRYING IN THE 800-
850 MB RANGE BUT NOT WITHIN THE CURRENT CLOUD LAYER. ALSO, DESPITE
THE SECOND SHORT WAVE PASSAGE, THERE IS NOT A SIGNIFICANT SUBSIDENCE
SIGNAL IN THE WAKE OF THAT SYSTEM. FAVOR A MORE CLOUDY SOLUTION FOR
TODAY WITH THIS STRATUS LAYER STUCK UNDER THE INVERSION AND DRYING
ABOVE THIS LAYER AND THE FAVORABLE STEERING FLOW. SOME EROSION MAY
OCCUR ON THE WEST EDGE BUT NOT TO THE EXTENT SUGGESTED BY MOST MODEL
GUIDANCE. GUSTY NORTHWEST WINDS WILL PERSIST MUCH OF THE DAY
WITH GUSTS OF 25 TO 35 MPH EXPECTED. WHILE THE WIND WILL
DIMINISH TONIGHT, IT WILL STILL BE IN THE 8-13 MPH RANGE AND
COMBINED WITH LOW TEMPERATURES IN THE SINGLE DIGITS ABOVE AND
BELOW ZERO, WILL PRODUCE WIND CHILL VALUES OF 10 TO 15 BELOW
ZERO.
THE AREA WITH SNOW COVER ACROSS IOWA WILL HAVE A DIFFICULT TIME
WARMING THIS WEEK WHILE THE SNOW FREE AREAS MAY WARM NICELY ON
TUESDAY ANYWAY. OTHERWISE, TAP ON THE BRAKES ABOUT THIS WARMING
HYPE. STILL HAVING DIFFICULTY FORESEEING HOW A SIGNIFICANT WARMUP CAN
OCCUR OVER THE SNOW AREA WHERE THERE WILL BE LOWER TEMPERATURES TO
BEGIN WITH. THE LOWER DEW POINTS ALONG WITH THE COOLER TEMPERATURES
WILL RESULT IN LOWER SURFACE WET BULBS THAT WON'T BE EFFICIENT AT
SNOW MELT. A SHORT WAVE WILL MOVE ACROSS MINNESOTA AND WISCONSIN ON
TUESDAY AND WILL BRING LIGHT SNOW CHANCES TO NORTHEAST IOWA.
MONITORING THE SYSTEM FOR WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY AS A MORE
SIGNIFICANT SHORT WAVE MOVES THROUGH THE STATE. THIS SYSTEM MAY
BRING A WINTRY MIX TO THE STATE AND POTENTIALLY MORE ACCUMULATING
SNOWFALL. THE NBM IS FORECASTING HIGHS IN THE 40S AND 50S ON FRIDAY.
AT THIS POINT, THAT IS VERY OPTIMISTIC AT BEST. FINAL PONDERING
THOUGHTS IN THE DAY 6-10 RANGE, WHY IS THE POLAR VORTEX SHIFTING
SOUTH INTO THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE?
AVIATION /06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z MONDAY/
ISSUED AT 1042 PM CST SAT FEB 21 2026
MID-LEVEL CLOUDS ACROSS THE NORTHEAST HALF TO TWO-THIRDS OF
IOWA WILL CONTINUE TO PASS OVERHEAD THROUGH THE MORNING, PAIRED
WITH BROKEN AREAS OF LOW STRATUS THAT ARE EXPECTED TO IMPACT
THE MAJORITY OF TERMINALS, WITH PERIODS OF LOW CEILINGS AT KFOD
AND KDSM UNTIL MID TO LATE MORNING, AND UNTIL THE AFTERNOON AT
KMCW AND KALO. OTHERWISE, WINDS WILL BE BREEZY OUT OF THE
NORTHWEST, ESPECIALLY THROUGH THE MORNING WITH GUSTS UP TO 25-30
KNOTS, AND ISOLATED TO 35 KNOTS MAINLY NORTH ON OCCASION. VFR
CONDITIONS RETURN FOR ALL SITES BY LATE IN THE PERIOD, ALONG
WITH GRADUALLY DECREASING WINDS.
DMX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
NONE.
DISCUSSION...DONAVON
AVIATION...BURY
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