685  
FXUS63 KLSX 172033  
AFDLSX  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAINT LOUIS MO  
233 PM CST TUE DEC 17 2024  
   
KEY MESSAGES
 
 
- LIGHT RAINFALL IS EXPECTED ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA TONIGHT, ENDING  
BY SUNRISE WEDNESDAY MORNING.  
 
- TEMPERATURES WILL TREND COLDER THROUGH SATURDAY BEFORE WARMING  
GRADUALLY NEXT WEEK.  
 

 
   
SHORT TERM
 
(THROUGH LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT)  
ISSUED AT 230 PM CST TUE DEC 17 2024  
 
AFTERNOON WATER VAPOR IMAGERY SHOWS A TROUGH DIGGING EQUATORWARD  
OVER THE HIGH PLAINS. AHEAD OF THIS TROUGH MOVING EASTWARD THIS  
EVENING AND TONIGHT, SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE HAS SHIFTED EASTWARD OUT  
OF THE AREA DEEPER INTO THE OHIO VALLEY. BETWEEN THAT AND A  
DEEPENING SURFACE LOW OVER THE CENTRAL PLAINS, LOW-LEVEL FLOW HAS  
BECOME SOUTHERLY, ADVECTING WARM, MOIST AIR INTO THE MIDDLE  
MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. THIS HAS RESULTED IN TEMPERATURES WARMING INTO  
THE MID-50S FOR MOST LOCATIONS AND THE INCREASING CLOUD COVER FROM  
SOUTHWEST TO NORTHEAST THIS AFTERNOON PER VISIBLE SATELLITE.  
 
AS THE LOW DEEPENS FURTHER AND MOVES TOWARD THE MIDDLE MISSISSIPPI  
VALLEY, WARM AIR ADVECTION WILL ONLY INCREASE ACROSS THE REGION  
AMONG WEAK FORCING, CAUSING WIDELY SCATTERED LIGHT RAIN TO DEVELOP  
THIS EVENING, WITH THE FIRST HINTS OF THIS ACTIVITY SHOWING UP ON  
RADAR ACROSS SOUTHWESTERN MISSOURI. THE CENTER OF THE LOW WILL SLIP  
THROUGH SOUTHERN PORTIONS OF THE CWA TONIGHT, DRAGGING A COLD FRONT  
WITH IT. AS BOTH THE LOW AND FRONT ENTER THE OHIO VALLEY, FORCING  
ALOFT VIA THE TROUGH AND A JET STREAK WILL AMPLIFY LIFT AND PRODUCE  
MORE WIDESPREAD RAINFALL ACROSS FAR SOUTHEASTERN MISSOURI AND  
SOUTHWESTERN ILLINOIS JUST SOUTHEAST OF THE CWA. RAINFALL IS  
EXPECTED TO END ACROSS THE CWA BY AROUND DAYBREAK WEDNESDAY, WITH  
THE 12Z HREF PROBABILITY OF 0.01" OF ACCUMULATION TOPPING OUT AT 90%  
BUT FALLING OF QUICKLY WITH INCREASING ACCUMULATION THRESHOLDS. SO  
WHILE CONFIDENCE IS HIGH THAT MOST LOCATIONS WILL SEE RAIN, A  
SOAKING RAIN IS NOT EXPECTED.  
 
IN THE WAKE OF TONIGHT'S SYSTEM, DEEP NORTHWESTERLY FLOW WILL SETTLE  
INTO THE REGION, PUSHING TEMPERATURES DOWN CLOSER TO CLIMATOLOGICAL  
NORMALS. THIS NORTHWESTERLY FLOW WILL ALSO USHER IN DRIER AIR, WITH  
CLOUDS GRADUALLY CLEARING FROM NORTH TO SOUTH THROUGH THE DAY.  
 
ELMORE  
 

 
   
LONG TERM
 
(THURSDAY THROUGH NEXT TUESDAY)  
ISSUED AT 230 PM CST TUE DEC 17 2024  
 
AN AMPLIFYING SHORTWAVE WILL BE DIVING SOUTHEASTWARD THROUGH THE  
MIDWEST ON THURSDAY PER GUIDANCE CONSENSUS. A MAJORITY OF ENSEMBLE  
MEMBERS FAVOR ITS ASSOCIATED SURFACE LOW AND PRECIPITATION SHIELD  
PASSING JUST NORTH OF THE CWA, WITH ENSEMBLE-BASED PROBABILITIES OF  
0.01" OF QPF TOPPING OUT AT 25% ACROSS FAR NORTHEASTERN PORTIONS OF  
THE CWA THURSDAY EVENING. GIVEN THE EXPECTED TRAJECTORY OF THE  
SURFACE LOW, THE CWA WILL BE WITHIN THE WARM SECTOR FOR MUCH OF THE  
DAY, WITH SOUTHERLY FLOW HELPING BOOST TEMPERATURES ABOVE WHAT IS  
FORECAST FOR WEDNESDAY. WHILE THERE IS STILL ABOUT 5-7 DEGREES  
BETWEEN THE 25TH AND 75TH PERCENTILE AMONG ENSEMBLE GUIDANCE,  
MEMBERSHIP IS CLUSTERED AROUND HIGHS IN THE MID 40S FOR MUCH OF THE  
CWA.  
 
A COLD FRONT WILL ACCOMPANY THE AFOREMENTIONED SURFACE LOW, PUSHING  
TEMPERATURES DOWN TO AT OR JUST BELOW CLIMATOLOGICAL NORMALS FOR  
FRIDAY, WHICH IS SET TO BE THE COLDEST DAY OF THE FORECAST PERIOD.  
DEEP NORTHWESTERLY FLOW WILL PERSIST OVER THE REGION THROUGH  
SATURDAY, KEEPING TEMPERATURES AT OR BELOW SEASONAL NORMALS.  
ENSEMBLE CLUSTERS AND DETERMINISTIC GUIDANCE CONTINUE TO SUPPORT  
UPPER-LEVEL RIDGING BUILDING INTO THE REGION STARTING SUNDAY INTO  
EARLY NEXT WEEK, CAUSING TEMPERATURES TO GRADUALLY REBOUND.  
 
ELMORE  
 

 
   
AVIATION
 
(FOR THE 18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON)  
ISSUED AT 1107 AM CST TUE DEC 17 2024  
 
VFR FLIGHT CONDITIONS AND LIGHT WINDS ARE EXPECTED THROUGH THE  
AFTERNOON INTO THE EARLY EVENING. THEN, A WEATHER SYSTEM WILL MOVE  
INTO THE REGION, PRODUCING SCATTERED LIGHT RAINFALL. THIS RAINFALL  
HAS THE BEST CHANCE OF IMPACTING KSUS, KSTL, KCPS AND KUIN THROUGH  
THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. ACCOMPANYING THIS RAIN FOR MOST OF THE LOCAL  
TERMINALS IS MVFR CEILINGS THAT WILL GRADUALLY IMPROVE ONCE RAIN  
MOVES OUT WEDNESDAY MORNING. THERE IS A LOW CHANCE THAT THESE  
CEILINGS COULD REMAIN THROUGH THE EARLY AFTERNOON, BUT GIVEN THE  
TIMING AND LOW PROBABILITY, THESE IMPACTS HAVE BEEN LEFT OUT OF  
THE TAFS FOR NOW.  
 
ELMORE  
 

 
   
LSX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
MO...NONE.  
IL...NONE.  

 
 

 
 
WFO LSX  
 
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