907  
FXUS63 KDVN 210001  
AFDDVN  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL  
701 PM CDT TUE MAY 20 2025  
   
KEY MESSAGES  
 
- A CONDITIONAL SEVERE THREAT (LEVEL 1/2 OUT OF 5) REMAINS IN  
PLACE THIS AFTERNOON ALONG/SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 80 AND EAST OF  
HIGHWAY 218. THE PRIMARY RISKS LOOK TO BE DAMAGING WINDS AND  
TORNADOES.  
 
- GENERALLY COOLER CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED THROUGH THE UPCOMING  
WEEKEND, WITH HIGHS WARMING BACK TO THE UPPER 60S BY FRIDAY  
THROUGH THE UPCOMING WEEKEND.  
 
- CHANCES OF LIGHT RAIN WILL REMAIN FOR WEDNESDAY NIGHT, AND  
AGAIN SATURDAY THROUGH MONDAY, WITH SOME DRY PERIODS IN  
BETWEEN.  
 
 
   
SHORT TERM /THROUGH WEDNESDAY/  
 
ISSUED AT 250 PM CDT TUE MAY 20 2025  
 
AFTER SOME SOAKING RAINFALL, WITH SEVERAL LOCATIONS RECEIVING  
BETWEEN 1-2" (ISOLATED 3+" WERE SEEN AROUND MACOMB, IL), WE ARE  
SEEING AN ONGOING ROUND OF NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS  
THIS AFTERNOON, WHICH WILL CONTINUE INTO THE EARLY EVENING.  
ALOFT, A LONGWAVE UPPER-LEVEL TROUGH OVER THE CENTRAL PLAINS  
REGION WILL CONTINUE TO APPROACH OUR REGION, BECOMING MORE  
NEGATIVELY-TILTED WITH TIME. AN ATTENDANT SURFACE LOW PRESSURE  
SYSTEM WAS OBSERVED VIA SFC WIND FIELDS OVER EASTERN IOWA, WITH  
A WARM FRONT LIFTING NORTHWARD AHEAD OF IT ALONG THE I-80  
CORRIDOR. SOME BREAKS IN THE CLOUD COVER HAS SUPPORTED  
DESTABILIZATION TO THE TUNE OF 1000-1500 J/KG OF SBCAPE PER  
RAP13/SPC MESOANALYSIS. PRIMARILY A TORNADO THREAT WILL  
CONTINUE DUE TO THE PROXIMITY TO THE SURFACE LOW AND WARM FRONT,  
WITH SOME MARGINAL LOW-LEVEL SHEAR OF AROUND 50 TO 150 M2/S2 OF  
0-1 KM SRH. DAMAGING WINDS REMAIN A SECONDARY THREAT WITH ANY  
STRONG/SEVERE STORMS.  
 
AS WE HEAD INTO THE EVENING, LOW-LEVEL INSTABILITY IS EXPECTED TO  
DECREASE WITH SUNSET, ALONG WITH THE SURFACE LOW EXITING THE REGION  
TO THE EAST TONIGHT. DESPITE THIS, WE WILL KEEP SOME CHANCES (30-  
60%) OF SHOWERS AND PERHAPS A FEW LINGERING THUNDERSTORMS AS THE  
UPPER-LEVEL TROUGH LINGERS OVER THE UPPER MIDWEST. A PVA MAXIMA IS  
PROGGED TO SWEEP THROUGH THE AREA LATE THIS EVENING THROUGH AFTER  
MIDNIGHT TONIGHT, SUPPORTING THE ACTIVITY MAINLY ACROSS NORTHEASTERN  
IA INTO NORTHWESTERN IL. SEVERE WEATHER ISN'T EXPECTED TONIGHT.  
ALSO, EXPECT A COOL NIGHT TONIGHT, WITH LOWS IN THE MIDDLE  
40S/LOWER 50S FOR MOST LOCATIONS. NOT A LOT OF CHANGE THROUGH  
THE DAY WEDNESDAY, WITH LINGERING CHANCES (30-60%) OF SHOWERS  
OVER OUR NORTHEASTERN AREAS. HIGHS EXPECTED TO WARM TO THE  
MIDDLE 50S NORTH TO THE LOWER 60S SOUTH.  
 
 
   
LONG TERM /WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY/  
 
ISSUED AT 250 PM CDT TUE MAY 20 2025  
 
WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY  
ASSESSMENT...VERY HIGH (>90%) CONFIDENCE OF COOLER THAN NORMAL  
TEMPERATURES.  
 
THE PROXIMITY OF THE UPPER LOW COMBINED WITH STEEP MID-LEVEL LAPSE  
RATES WILL KEEP PLENTY OF CLOUDS ACROSS THE AREA ON WEDNESDAY WITH  
CLOUDS SLOWLY BREAKING UP THURSDAY. AS A RESULT, TEMPERATURES WILL  
BE WELL BELOW NORMAL.  
 
WRAP AROUND RAIN WILL BE SEEN ACROSS THE AREA WEDNESDAY INTO  
WEDNESDAY EVENING AS THE STORM SYSTEM SLOWLY EXITS THE AREA. THE  
BEST CHANCES FOR RAIN WILL BE NORTH OF I-80 WITH LITTLE IF ANY RAIN  
SOUTH OF AN OTTUMWA, IA TO GALESBURG, IL LINE.  
 
RAIN MAY LINGER INTO LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT ACROSS THE AREA.  
 
ON THURSDAY, MID-LEVEL LAPSE RATES REMAIN QUITE STEEP WITH COLD AIR  
ALOFT. THUS DIURNAL CLOUDS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP DURING THE DAY  
AND PRODUCE SOME ISOLATED SHOWERS, MAINLY NORTH OF I-80.  
 
THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT  
ASSESSMENT...HIGH (>80%) CONFIDENCE ON COOLER THAN NORMAL  
TEMPERATURES  
 
THE MODEL CONSENSUS HAS COOL CANADIAN HIGH PRESSURE MOVING THROUGH  
THE MIDWEST BRINGING COOLER THAN NORMAL AND DRY CONDITIONS TO THE  
AREA.  
 
SATURDAY THROUGH MONDAY  
ASSESSMENT...MEDIUM (40-60%) CONFIDENCE ON PRECIP FOR SATURDAY AND  
SATURDAY NIGHT. LOW (<25%) CONFIDENCE BEYOND SATURDAY NIGHT  
 
ALTHOUGH THERE ARE DIFFERENCES IN THE DETAILS, THE GLOBAL MODELS  
GENERAL SHOW BOUNDARIES, EITHER AT THE SURFACE OR ALOFT, THAT A  
STORM SYSTEM WILL FOLLOW THROUGH THE MIDWEST SATURDAY/SATURDAY  
NIGHT. SUBTLE TIMING DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE SOLUTIONS HAVE RESULTED  
IN SOMEWHAT LOWER POPS BUT THE MODEL CONSENSUS OF 20-50 PERCENT RAIN  
CHANCES LOOK REASONABLE THIS FAR OUT.  
 
THE BIGGER QUESTIONS IS WHAT HAPPENS SUNDAY INTO MONDAY.  
 
THE CMC SLOWS THE SATURDAY SYSTEM TO A CRAWL AND HAS IT LINGERING  
OVER THE MIDWEST FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE HOLIDAY WEEKEND. THE ECMWF  
AND ICON MODELS ARE ESSENTIALLY DRY SUNDAY INTO MONDAY.  
 
THE GFS/UKMET HAVE A VERY WEAK SYSTEM RIGHT ON THE HEELS OF THE  
SATURDAY SYSTEM THAT HAS RAIN FOR SUNDAY/SUNDAY NIGHT. THE UKMET HAS  
A TERTIARY SYSTEM, ALBEIT VERY WEAK, IN THE CYCLONIC FLOW ALOFT  
MOVING THROUGH THE AREA ON MONDAY PRODUCING SOME RAIN WHILE THE GFS  
IS DRY.  
 
SOME BUT CERTAINLY NOT A MAJORITY OF THE ENSEMBLE MEMBERS FROM THE  
GLOBAL MODELS LINGER PRECIPITATION SUNDAY THROUGH MONDAY ACROSS THE  
AREA.  
 
THUS THE MODEL CONSENSUS IS BIASED BY THE CMC/UKMET SOLUTIONS AND  
THE ENSEMBLES OF THE GLOBAL MODELS IN KEEPING 30-40 PERCENT RAIN  
CHANCES SUNDAY THROUGH MONDAY ACROSS THE AREA.  
 
 
   
AVIATION /00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z THURSDAY/  
 
ISSUED AT 645 PM CDT TUE MAY 20 2025  
 
WIDESPREAD MVFR TO LIFR CEILINGS ARE IN PLACE ACROSS THE AREA  
AS A STORM SYSTEM CONTINUES TO SLOWLY LIFT NORTHEASTWARD ACROSS  
IOWA AND INTO LOWER GREAT LAKES. PERIODS OF SHOWERS ARE  
POSSIBLE THROUGH THE EVENING WITH POTENTIAL FOR PERIODS OF LIFR  
CEILINGS AND MVFR VISIBILITIES. IFR TO LIFR CEILINGS WILL  
PREVAIL THROUGH THE PERIOD AS LOW CLOUDS LINGER ACROSS THE  
REGION IN THE WAKE OF THIS STORMS. AS THE SURFACE LOW DEPARTS  
THE AREA TONIGHT, SURFACE WINDS ARE FORECAST TO TURN MORE TO THE  
NORTH WITH SPEEDS AROUND 10 KNOTS. AFTER 12 UTC ON WEDNESDAY,  
NORTH WINDS WILL INCREASE TO 10 TO 15 KNOTS WITH GUSTS UP TO 25  
KNOTS.  
 
 
   
DVN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
IA...NONE.  
IL...NONE.  
MO...NONE.  
 
 
 
 
 
SHORT TERM...SCHULTZ  
LONG TERM...08/SCHULTZ  
AVIATION...COUSINS  
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