438  
FXUS63 KIWX 080535  
AFDIWX  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA  
1235 AM EST THU JAN 8 2026  
   
KEY MESSAGES  
 
- ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES PERSIST THROUGH FRIDAY, ESPECIALLY  
LATE THURSDAY INTO FRIDAY MORNING WHEN TEMPERATURES REACH  
WELL INTO THE 50S TO NEAR 60 DEGREES.  
 
- SHOWERS POTENTIALLY CLIP MAINLY NW IN AND SW MI THURSDAY  
AFTERNOON.  
 
- MORE WIDESPREAD RAIN (80-100%) AND A SLIGHT CHANCE FOR THUNDER  
THURSDAY NIGHT, WITH LIGHT RAIN POTENTIALLY LINGERING INTO  
FRIDAY MORNING.  
 
- RAIN CHANCES (60-80%) RETURN LATE FRIDAY NIGHT INTO SATURDAY.  
 
- COLDER AND BREEZY WITH PERIODS OF SNOW SHOWERS SATURDAY NIGHT  
INTO SUNDAY. LIGHT SNOW ACCUMS POSSIBLE, MAINLY NEAR LAKE MI.  
 
 
   
DISCUSSION  
 
ISSUED AT 113 PM EST WED JAN 7 2026  
 
LOW STRATUS TRAPPED BENEATH A SUBSIDENCE INVERSION SHOULD  
SCATTER OUT FROM SW TO NE THIS AFTERNOON INTO EARLY THIS EVENING  
AS DRIER AIR CONTINUES TO ADVECT IN UNDER RETURN SOUTHWEST  
FLOW. MILD/DRY OTHERWISE INTO TONIGHT AS HIGH CLOUDS OVERSPREAD  
IN ADVANCE OF AN APPROACHING STORM SYSTEM.  
 
PATTERN THEN BECOMES MORE ACTIVE LATER THURSDAY THROUGH THIS WEEKEND  
AS A SERIES OF UPPER LEVEL WAVES AND DEVELOPING SFC REFLECTIONS LIFT  
NORTH THROUGH THE MIDWEST AND GREAT LAKES. THE FIRST UPPER WAVE AND  
SUBTROPICAL MOISTURE PLUME JUST OFF THE BAJA CALIFORNIA COAST WILL  
GET BOOTED QUICKLY NORTHEAST THROUGH THE CENTRAL PLAINS AND  
WESTERN GREAT LAKES THURSDAY INTO THURSDAY NIGHT IN RESPONSE TO  
AN UPPER TROUGH DIGGING INTO THE WESTERN US. TRACK OF THE SFC  
REFLECTION HAS TRENDED A BIT WEST IN THE LAST SEVERAL MODEL  
CYCLES SUGGESTING THE SWATH OF HEAVIER/STEADIER RAINFALL WILL  
PASS WEST OF THE AREA, AND FOR A SLIGHTLY LATER ARRIVAL TIME OF  
BETTER RAIN CHANCES LOCALLY FROM WEST TO EAST LATER THURSDAY  
INTO THURSDAY NIGHT. REGARDLESS, DEEP AND STRONG SOUTHWEST FLOW  
WILL TRANSPORT A MOISTURE-LADEN 1" PLUS PWAT AIR MASS INTO THE  
AREA DURING THIS TIME WITH NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND PERHAPS SOME  
EMBEDDED THUNDER (HEAVIER GUSTY SHOWERS) TRACKING THROUGH (QPF  
GENERALLY 0.25-0.50", LOCALLY HEAVIER WITH ANY LOW TOPPED  
CONVECTIVE ELEMENTS). SURFACE TEMPS WILL ALSO SURGE INTO THE 50S  
TO NEAR 60 THURSDAY NIGHT WITHIN THE LOW LEVEL JET CORE.  
 
SYSTEM COOL FRONT DOES SHIFT EAST-SOUTHEAST OF THE AREA DURING THE  
DAY ON FRIDAY WITH A TREND TOWARD DRY AND COOLER CONDITIONS. ANOTHER  
ROUND OF MORE ORGANIZED RAIN THEN REENTERS THE PICTURE LATER FRIDAY  
NIGHT INTO SATURDAY AS PHASING OF THE NORTHERN AND SOUTHERN STREAM  
BRANCH INDUCES CYCLOGENESIS NORTHWARD INTO THE GREAT LAKES REGION. A  
BRIEF SHOT OF COLDER AIR AND WRAP AROUND SNOW SHOWERS THEN FOLLOW IN  
SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY NIGHT WITH MINOR SNOW ACCUMS/IMPACTS  
MAINLY FOCUSED IN OUR WNW FLOW LES BELTS THANKS TO SOME ENHANCEMENT.  
TRANQUIL WX THEN TO FOLLOW INTO MONDAY AND TUESDAY.  
 
 
   
AVIATION /06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z FRIDAY/  
 
ISSUED AT 1226 AM EST THU JAN 8 2026  
 
KFWA COULD STILL SEE PERIODS OF 5SM BR EARLY THIS MORNING WITH A  
NARROW DEW POINT DEPRESSION NOTED THERE. IN CONTRAST, KSBN HAS  
MIXED OUT A BIT AND THUS BR IS NOT EXPECTED THERE. OTHERWISE,  
TODAY, VFR CONDITIONS GIVE WAY TO RAIN AND DETERIORATING  
CONDITIONS BEYOND 00Z AS A LOW TRACKS THROUGH IOWA, SENDING A  
WARM FRONT THROUGH OUR AREA. THE LOW-LEVEL WIND FIELD AMPLIFIES  
AHEAD OF THIS WARM FRONT PROMPTING LLWS AT KSBN. AT KFWA, THE  
FLOW IS RATHER UNIDIRECTIONAL REDUCING THE CONCERN THERE.  
FURTHERMORE, THE CORE OF THE 925MB JET IS CLOSER TO KSBN.  
 
 
   
IWX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
IN...NONE.  
OH...NONE.  
MI...NONE.  
MARINE...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FROM 7 PM THIS EVENING TO 10 AM EST  
FRIDAY FOR LMZ043-046.  
 
 
 
 
 
DISCUSSION...STEINWEDEL  
AVIATION...BROWN  
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