945  
FXUS63 KDVN 170905  
AFDDVN  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL  
305 AM CST TUE DEC 17 2024  
   
KEY MESSAGES
 
 
- WARM AND DRY TODAY, WITH INCREASING CLOUDS.  
 
- CHANCE (30-50%) OF SNOW TONIGHT PRIMARILY NORTH OF I-80, WITH  
SNOWFALL AMOUNTS LESS THAN AN INCH. SOME SLICK SPOTS MAY  
DEVELOP PRIOR TO THE WED AM COMMUTE.  
 
- STRONG CLIPPER THURSDAY MAY BRING LIGHT ACCUMULATING SNOW FOR  
AREAS NORTH OF HIGHWAY 30.  
 
- COLDER AND MAINLY DRY FRIDAY AND INTO THE WEEKEND, WITH ABOVE  
NORMAL TEMPERATURES RETURNING NEXT WEEK.  
 

 
   
SHORT TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/
 
 
ISSUED AT 254 AM CST TUE DEC 17 2024  
 
MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES WERE SEEN ACROSS MOST OF THE CWA EARLY THIS  
AM PER GOES 16 NIGHTTIME MICROPHYSICS CHANNEL. THE EXCEPTION WAS  
ALONG AND NORTH OF THE HIGHWAY 20 CORRIDOR, WHERE AN EXPANSIVE  
DECK OF STRATUS OVER NORTHEAST IA AND SOUTHERN WI WAS MOVING  
EAST SOUTHEAST. WATER VAPOR SATELLITE LOOPS SHOW SUBTLE  
SHORTWAVES OVER SOUTHERN ID AND SOUTHERN ALBERTA. THESE WAVES  
WILL MOVE EAST IN THE FLOW ALOFT BRINGING RAIN/SNOW CHANCES  
TONIGHT AND INTO WEDNESDAY. TEMPERATURES AT 3AM, RANGED FROM 29  
DEGREES IN INDEPENDENCE, TO 35 DEGREES IN BURLINGTON.  
 
MID-HIGH LEVEL CLOUDS WILL INCREASE THROUGH THE DAY TODAY,  
AHEAD OF THE APPROACHING WAVES. THIS WILL DAMPEN THE HIGHS  
SOMEWHAT TODAY, WITH AFTERNOON READINGS ONLY REACHING THE UPPER  
30S NORTH OF I-80, TO THE LOWER 40S SOUTH.  
 
LATE EVENING/TONIGHT...A POSITIVELY TILTED SHORTWAVE TROUGH  
WILL SWING THROUGH THE MIDWEST AND AIDED BY A STRONG 120KT JET  
STREAK, WILL PROVIDE LARGE SCALE FORCING FOR ASCENT. MODELS  
CONTINUE TO SUGGEST A STRONG FGEN BAND DEVELOPING IN NORTHERN IA  
AND TRACKING EAST SOUTHEAST INTO EASTERN IA. THERMAL PROFILES  
SUGGEST SNOW WILL BE THE DOMINANT PTYPE NORTH OF I-80, WITH THE  
PRECIPITATION ARRIVING IN THE 00-10Z WED TIMEFRAME. SNOWFALL  
AMOUNTS LESS THAN AN INCH ARE FORECAST, MAINLY ON ELEVATED AND  
GRASSY SURFACES. THE LATEST NBM EXCEEDANCE PROBABILITIES OF A  
TENTH OF AN INCH OF SNOW OR GREATER ALSO SUPPORT THIS NOTION AND  
ARE ONLY IN THE 20-40% RANGE. THE STRENGTH OF THE FORCING AND  
SUBSEQUENT SNOWFALL RATES, AND MARGINAL SUB-FREEZING PAVEMENT  
TEMPS PER METRO FORECAST WILL BE THE LIMITING FACTORS FOR ANY  
IMPACTS. HOWEVER WITH ALL THAT BEING SAID, A VERY NARROW BAND OF  
1"+ AMOUNTS IS STILL A POSSIBILITY ALONG AND NORTH OF HIGHWAY  
20. SOME SLICK SPOTS MAY OCCUR ON ROADS PRIOR TO AM COMMUTE AND  
AN SPS MAY BE NEEDED. THIS IS SOMETHING WE WILL CLOSELY MONITOR  
TODAY, AS THE SYSTEM MOVES ACROSS THE PLAINS. A RAIN/SNOW MIX OR  
EVEN JUST RAIN IS FORECAST SOUTH OF I-80. RAIN AMOUNTS WILL BE  
LIGHT AND UNDER A TENTH OF AN INCH. ALL PRECIPITATION SHOULD BE  
EAST OF THE AREA BY 12Z WED.  
 

 
   
LONG TERM /WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY/
 
 
ISSUED AT 254 AM CST TUE DEC 17 2024  
 
THURSDAY-THURSDAY NIGHT...THE LATEST 00Z DETERMINISTIC AND  
ENSEMBLE MODELS HAVE COME INTO BETTER AGREEMENT ON THE TRACK OF  
A RATHER POTENT CLIPPER SYSTEM PROGGED TO DROP SOUTHEAST TOWARDS  
THE REGION THURSDAY AND THURSDAY NIGHT. WHILE TIMING AND  
STRENGTH DIFFERENCES STILL EXIST, THE GENERAL TRACK OF THE  
SURFACE LOW WOULD BE A PATH FROM THE DAKOTAS AT 12Z THU TO  
NORTHEAST IA BY 00Z FRI. THIS WOULD KEEP THE BULK OF THE SNOW  
AND THE GREATER IMPACTS TO OUR NORTH, WHICH IS ALSO SHOWN BY THE  
TIGHTENING GRADIENT OF THE NBM EXCEEDANCE PROBABILITIES OF 1"  
SNOW OR GREATER ACROSS NORTHEAST IA AND SOUTHERN WI. LOCALLY,  
THE HIGHEST 1" PROBABILITIES (15-25%) IS ALONG AND NORTH OF  
HIGHWAY 20. MEASURABLE SNOW PROBABILITIES FROM THE NBM (GREATER  
THAN 0.1") ARE HIGHER AND ARE CURRENTLY IN THE 30- 50% RANGE  
FROM INDEPENDENCE, IA TO STERLING, IL. STILL NOT THAT GREAT FOR  
THOSE SNOW LOVERS OUT THERE.  
 
FRIDAY-SUNDAY...ANY SNOW WILL QUICKLY EXIT THE AREA BEFORE SUNRISE  
FRIDAY, REPLACED BY STRONG CAA. BRISK NORTH WINDS AND A RETURN TO  
MORE SEASONABLE HIGH TEMPERATURES IN THE UPPER 20S IS FORECAST. A  
LARGE AREA OF HIGH PRESSURE WILL BRING MAINLY DRY CONDITIONS FOR  
THE REST OF THE WEEKEND.  
 
EARLY NEXT WEEK...RETURN FLOW DEVELOPS WITH HIGH CONFIDENCE  
(GREATER THAN 70%) OF ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES PER CPC 8-14 DAY  
TEMPERATURE OUTLOOK. THE PROSPECTS FOR A WHITE CHRISTMAS THIS  
YEAR IS LOOKING QUITE BLEAK.  
 

 
   
AVIATION /06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z WEDNESDAY/
 
 
ISSUED AT 1039 PM CST MON DEC 16 2024  
 
MVFR CLOUDS WILL MOVE ACROSS NORTHEAST IOWA AND ALONG THE WI/IL  
BORDER THROUGH AT LEAST 17Z/17 WITH SOME BRIEF PERIODS OF VFR  
ALONG THE SOUTHERN EDGE OF THE CLOUDS. VERY SHORT TERM MODELS  
ARE STRUGGLING WITH THESE CLOUDS BUT NBM IS CAPTURING THE 2-3  
KFT AGL CIGS. OTHERWISE LLWS PROGGED BY THE RAP MODEL IS NOW  
MARGINAL WITH THE MAIN JUMP IN WINDS MAINLY ABOVE 2KFT AGL.  
ELSEWHERE ACROSS THE REST OF EASTERN IOWA AND NORTHERN ILLINOIS  
EXPECT VFR CONDITIONS AS CLOUDS SLOWLY LOWER THROUGH 06Z/18 WITH  
THE APPROACH OF A STORM SYSTEM.  
 

 
   
DVN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
IA...NONE.  
IL...NONE.  
MO...NONE.  
 

 
 

 
 
SHORT TERM...GROSS  
LONG TERM...GROSS  
AVIATION...08  
 
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