139  
FXUS63 KDVN 150836  
AFDDVN  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL  
336 AM CDT THU MAY 15 2025  
   
KEY MESSAGES  
 
- A CONDITIONAL THREAT FOR SEVERE STORMS (LEVEL 2 OF 5) REMAINS  
THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING ACROSS NORTHWEST AND NORTH  
CENTRAL IL.  
 
- HUMID AND BREEZY CONDITIONS WITH NEAR RECORD HIGHS TODAY,  
WITH MOST LOCATIONS HITTING 90 DEGREES OR HIGHER.  
 
- ACTIVE WEATHER RETURNS EARLY NEXT WEEK, WITH WIDESPREAD  
BENEFICIAL RAIN POSSIBLE.  
 
 
   
SHORT TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/  
 
ISSUED AT 213 AM CDT THU MAY 15 2025  
 
A WARM NIGHT ACROSS THE REGION AHEAD OF A DEVELOPING STORM  
SYSTEM IN THE PLAINS. TEMPERATURES AT 3 AM RANGE FROM 66  
DEGREES AT VINTON AND DUBUQUE TO 71 DEGREES AT BURLINGTON AND  
CEDAR RAPIDS.AT 2 AM, AN ARCING LINE OF SHOWERS AND ISOLATED  
THUNDERSTORMS STRETCHES FROM VINTON TO NEAR ELDRIDGE IS  
ASSOCIATED WITH ARM ADVECTION ALOFT THAT IS LIFTING ACROSS THE  
AREA EARLY THIS MORNING. THIS LINE IS EXPECTED TO EXIT INTO  
NORTHEAST IOWA AND SOUTHERN WISCONSIN BEFORE SUNRISE ON  
THURSDAY.  
 
A NEGATIVELY TILTED 500 MB TROUGH CURRENTLY CENTERED OVER THE  
CENTRAL DAKOTAS IS FORECAST TO LIFT NORTHWARD INTO NORTHERN  
MINNESOTA THROUGH 12 UTC ON FRIDAY. THIS SYSTEM IS NEARLY  
VERTICALLY STACKED SO THE SURFACE LOW WILL FOLLOW A SIMILAR  
PATH. THE WARM FRONT ASSOCIATED WITH THE SURFACE LOW IS FORECAST  
TO LIFT NORTHWARD INTO NORTHERN IOWA AND SOUTHERN WISCONSIN BY  
18 UTC TODAY. THEN A DRY LINE WILL MOVE ACROSS THE AREA BETWEEN  
18 UTC AND 00 UTC FRIDAY SWITCHING WINDS FROM THE SOUTH TO  
SOUTHWEST. DEWPOINTS ARE FORECAST TO SURGE INTO THE MID TO UPPER  
60S AHEAD OF THE DRYLINE THEN QUICKLY FALL INTO THE 50S. ONCE  
THE DEWPOINTS DROP INTO THE 50S, THIS WILL END ANY STORM  
CHANCES. HIGH TEMPERATURES TODAY WILL BE THE WARMEST OF THE  
SEASON TO DATE WITH HIGHS RANGING FROM AROUND 90 TO 94 DEGREES  
ACROSS THE AREA. THESE ARE NEAR TO ABOVE RECORD HIGH  
TEMPERATURES FOR THIS DATE. PLEASE SEE THE CLIMATE SECTION  
BELOW.  
 
THERE CONTINUES TO BE UNCERTAINTY AS TO WHETHER OR NOT THE CAP  
WILL HOLD ACROSS THE AREA TODAY. CAMS CONTINUE TO SHOW A SMALL 4  
TO 6 HOUR WINDOW FOR CONVECTIVE INITIATION ACROSS THE AREA  
ROUGHLY BETWEEN 2 PM TO 7 PM. THERE ARE LARGE DIFFERENCES  
BETWEEN THE MODELS ON THE DEWPOINTS ACROSS THE AREA WHICH  
IMPACTS CAPE. THE NAM IS SHOWING DEWPOINTS IN THE LOWER 70S  
ACROSS A LARGE AREA RESULTING IN MU CAPE VALUES OVER 5000 J.KG  
WHILE OTHER MODELS VARY BETWEEN 2000 TO 4000 J/KG. IF STORMS CAN  
DEVELOP DESPITE THE CAP, STORM COVERAGE SHOULD BE ISOLATED TO  
SCATTERED ACROSS THE AREA. THINK THAT THE MOSTLY LIKELY AREA TO  
SEE STORMS IS ALONG AND EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND NORTH  
OF INTERSTATE 80. IF STORMS DO DEVELOP, ALL MODES OF SEVERE  
WEATHER ARE POSSIBLE BUT IT LOOKS LIKE LARGE HAIL WILL BE THE  
PRIMARY THREAT. THERE IS A MARGINAL (LEVEL 1 OUT OF 5) RISK FOR  
SEVERE STORMS EAST OF A MANCHESTER TO MOLINE TO PEORIA LINE WITH  
A SLIGHT (LEVEL 2 OUT OF 5) RISK EAST OF A GALENA TO STERLING  
ROCK FALLS TO PRINCETON ILLINOIS LINE.  
 
 
   
LONG TERM /FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/  
 
ISSUED AT 213 AM CDT THU MAY 15 2025  
 
FRIDAY...CLOSED UPPER LOW OVER MN WILL TRACK EAST TOWARDS LAKE  
SUPERIOR, WHILE ANOTHER SHORTWAVE TROUGH MOVES EAST OVER THE CENTRAL  
PLAINS. A WEAK SURFACE LOW WILL RIDE ALONG A COLD FRONT FROM  
EASTERN KS INTO NORTHERN MO. MODELS CONTINUE TO GO BACK AND  
FORTH ON DEWPOINTS ACROSS THE AREA. THE ECMWF HAS BEEN  
CONSISTENT IN KEEPING HIGHER DEWPOINTS TO THE SOUTH OF THE AREA  
RESULTING IN DEWPOINTS ACROSS THE AREA IN THE 40S AND RH VALUES  
LATE MORNING INTO THE AFTERNOON AND DROPPING TO 20 TO 30 PERCENT AHEAD  
OF MOISTURE POOLING ALONG THE FRONT. DEPENDING ON WHICH MODEL  
SOLUTION IS CORRECT, THIS COULD RESULT IN SHOWERS AND STORMS OR  
A DRY FRONTAL PASSAGE. THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS SHIFTED  
THE SEVERE THREAT TO THE SOUTH AND EAST OF THE AREA ON FRIDAY.  
BEHIND THE FRONT, DEEP MIXING UP TO 800MB AND A STRONG PRESSURE  
GRADIENT WILL BRING GUSTY WESTERLY WINDS OVER 30 MPH AT TIMES IN  
THE LATE MORNING AND AFTERNOON. SOME BUFR SOUNDINGS EVEN SHOW  
SOME NEAR ADVISORY LEVEL WINDS COULD BE POSSIBLE WITH 45KT WINDS  
AT THE TOP OF THE MIXED LAYER FOR LATER SHIFTS TO MONITOR.  
AFTERNOON HIGHS TO TOP OUT IN THE LOW TO MID 80S.  
 
THIS WEEKEND...BROAD UPPER LEVEL RIDGE ACROSS THE CENTRAL CONUS TO  
BRING US DRY AND PLEASANT CONDITIONS WITH COMFORTABLE HUMIDITY.  
FORECAST HIGHS ARE IN THE 70S AND LOWS IN THE UPPER 40S/LOW 50S.  
 
EARLY NEXT WEEK...A DIGGING WESTERN CONUS LONGWAVE TROUGH TO TRACK  
INTO THE CENTRAL PLAINS, SETTING THE STAGE FOR MORE ACTIVE WEATHER.  
A FAVORABLE THERMODYNAMIC AND KINEMATIC SETUP FOR SEVERE WEATHER IS  
EXPECTED MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY JUST TO OUR WEST WITH CSU ML  
GUIDANCE HIGHLIGHTING WESTERN IA AND WESTERN MO UNDER A SLIGHT RISK.  
FURTHER DETAILS ON THIS WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE IN LATER FORECASTS.  
IN ADDITION, NBM/ECE/GEFS 24-HR RAINFALL PROBABILITIES GREATER  
THAN 0.50" ARE IN THE 50-70% RANGE AT THIS TIME, WHICH WOULD BE  
GREAT NEWS FOR SOME MUCH NEEDED RAIN FOR THE CWA.  
 
 
   
AVIATION /06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z FRIDAY/  
 
ISSUED AT 1232 AM CDT THU MAY 15 2025  
 
VFR TAFS ARE FORECAST THROUGH THE PERIOD. FEW TO SCATTERED  
CLOUDS AROUND 9 KFT HAVE DEVELOPED ACROSS THE AREA AHEAD OF A  
WARM FRONT THAT SITS TO OUR SOUTH. ISOLATED SHOWERS AND STORMS  
ARE POSSIBLE TONIGHT BUT CONFIDENCE REMAINS LOW THAT THEY WILL  
IMPACT ANY TAF SITES. SOUTHEAST WINDS AROUND 5 TO 10 KNOTS  
OVERNIGHT WILL INCREASE TO 10 TO 15 KNOTS WITH GUTS UP TO 25  
KNOTS AROUND 12 UTC. WINDS SHIFT TO THE SOUTH AROUND 15 UTC  
WITH WINDS SUSTAINED AROUND 20 KNOTS AND GUSTS UP NEAR 30 KNOTS.  
A FRONT IS FORECAST TO MOVE ACROSS THE AREA DURING THE  
AFTERNOON AND SWITCH WINDS TO THE SOUTHWEST. WINDS WILL BEGIN TO  
DIMINISH TO AROUND 10 KNOTS AFTER 00 UTC. CONFIDENCE REMAINS  
LOW IN ANY STORM DEVELOPMENT IN THE 20 TO 00 UTC TIMEFRAME. IF  
STORMS DID DEVELOP THAT WOULD BE IN THE VICINITY OF KDBQ AND  
KMLI.  
 
 
   
CLIMATE  
 
ISSUED AT 220 PM CDT WED MAY 14 2025  
 
RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURES:  
 
MAY 15:  
KBRL: 93 / 1944  
KCID: 94 / 1941  
KDBQ: 90 / 1944  
KMLI: 91 / 1941  
 
RECORD WARM LOW TEMPERATURES:  
 
MAY 15:  
KDBQ: 67 / 2001  
KMLI: 69 / 2001  
 
 
   
DVN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
IA...NONE.  
IL...NONE.  
MO...NONE.  
 
 
 
 
 
SHORT TERM...COUSINS  
LONG TERM...GROSS  
AVIATION...COUSINS  
CLIMATE...GROSS  
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