858  
FXUS63 KLSX 200410 RRA  
AFDLSX  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...DELAYED  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAINT LOUIS MO  
1010 PM CST THU DEC 19 2024  
   
KEY MESSAGES
 
 
- ASIDE FROM A STRAY FLURRY EAST OF I-55 IN ILLINOIS EARLY FRIDAY  
MORNING, DRY WEATHER CONTINUES THROUGH SUNDAY. RAIN RETURNS TO  
THE AREA MONDAY.  
 
- COLDER TEMPERATURES ARRIVE TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY. MILDER  
TEMPERATURES RETURN EARLY NEXT WEEK AND CONTINUE TO WARM THROUGH  
MIDWEEK.  
 

 
   
SHORT TERM
 
(THROUGH LATE FRIDAY NIGHT)  
ISSUED AT 220 PM CST THU DEC 19 2024  
 
REGIONAL SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOWS LOW PRESSURE ROTATING EAST-  
SOUTHEAST INTO THE GREAT LAKES THIS AFTERNOON. A TRAILING COLD FRONT  
EXTENDS WESTWARD FROM THE SYSTEM INTO THE PLAINS. THIS FRONT IS  
EXPECTED TO PUSH THROUGH THE REGION FROM THE NORTH TONIGHT WITH THE  
POTENTIAL FOR A FEW FLURRIES BEHIND THE FRONT OVER FAR EASTERN  
SECTIONS OF THE CWA EARLY FRIDAY MORNING. SHORT RANGE GUIDANCE  
VARIES ON THE DEPTH OF SATURATION, BUT IN GENERAL, CROSS SECTIONS  
SHOW 90% RH RESIDING BETWEEN 950-800HPA. WEAK FRAGMENTS OF MID-LEVEL  
LIFT NAVIGATE AROUND WESTERN PERIPHERY OF CYCLONIC FLOW, WHICH MAY  
BE ENOUGH TO LEAD TO TRACE AMOUNTS OF PRECIPITATION FRIDAY MORNING  
IN THE 09Z-13Z TIMEFRAME. DESPITE LOW CHANCES (20% OR LESS), GREATER  
THAN HALF OF THE GFS/ECM/CAN ENSEMBLE MEMBERS (IN TOTAL) SHOW TRACE  
AMOUNTS FROM TAYLORVILLE, IL THROUGH SALEM, IL. THEREFORE, ADDED  
MENTIONABLE FLURRIES TO THESE AREAS WITH NO MEASURABLE PRECIPITATION.  
 
STRONG COLD AIR ADVECTION ARRIVES WITH NORTHWEST FLOW FRIDAY. A  
MARKEDLY COLDER DAY IS IN STORE AS NBM SPREADS ARE ABOUT AS GOOD AS  
THEY GET. THERE IS ONLY ABOUT 3 DEGREES OF SEPARATION BETWEEN THE  
25TH-75TH PERCENTILES WITH HIGHS IN THE LOW TO MID-30S. TO ADD TO  
THE COLD, WINDS WILL INCREASE ALONG THE PRESSURE GRADIENT AT THE  
BACK SIDE OF THE DEPARTING SYSTEM. BUFKIT PROFILES SHOW 30-40 KNOTS  
OF WIND JUST OFF THE SURFACE AROUND 925HPA AND ALOFT FROM THERE.  
BLUSTERY CONDITIONS WILL BE NOTICEABLE, ESPECIALLY ALONG AND EAST OF  
THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. COLD AIR ADVECTION AND CLOUD COVER DOESN'T  
ALLOW TEMPERATURES TO MOVE MUCH DURING THE DAY. GUSTS PEAKING  
BETWEEN 30-35 MPH AND COLD TEMPERATURES RESULT IN APPARENT  
TEMPERATURES STARTING OUT IN THE LOW TO MID-TEENS. IT DOESN'T GET  
MUCH BETTER FROM THERE AS APPARENT TEMPERATURES DON'T RISE ABOVE THE  
LOW TO MID-20S.  
 
A WEAK UPPER SHORTWAVE QUIETLY PASSES OVERHEAD FRIDAY NIGHT INTO  
SATURDAY WITH A LOT OF DRY AIR BELOW 8K FEET. SOME MID TO HIGH  
CLOUDS LINGER, WHICH MAY KEEP US FALLING ANY FURTHER THAN THE 20S  
SATURDAY MORNING. WHILE IT REMAINS CHILLY, HIGH PRESSURE LEADS TO  
CLEARING SKIES AND LIGHT SURFACE FLOW. THIS WILL CERTAINLY FEEL  
BETTER THAN FRIDAY WITH HIGHS INCHING UP BY A FEW DEGREES.  
 
MAPLES  
 

 
   
LONG TERM
 
(SATURDAY THROUGH NEXT THURSDAY)  
ISSUED AT 220 PM CST THU DEC 19 2024  
 
SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE KEEPS SKIES MOSTLY CLEAR SATURDAY NIGHT WITH  
LIGHT EASTERLY FLOW. IT'S EXPECTED TO BE THE LAST OF THE COLD AIR  
WITH LOWS IN THE LOW TO MID-20S SUNDAY MORNING. RETURN FLOW SETS UP  
SUNDAY AS THE SURFACE HIGH MOVES INTO THE OHIO VALLEY AND MID-LEVEL  
RIDGING AMPLIFIES FROM THE GULF OF MEXICO OVER THE EASTERN CONUS.  
SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW ALOFT WILL STRENGTH WARM AIR ADVECTION THROUGH  
THE DAY, MARKING THE BEGINNING OF A WARMING TREND THAT WILL CONTINUE  
THROUGH MIDWEEK.  
 
IMPACTS HOLD OFF UNTIL MONDAY WHEN RAIN CHANCES INCREASE OVER THE  
REGION. A COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED TO EXTENDED SOUTHWEST OF LOW  
PRESSURE THAT TRACKS WEST TO EAST ACROSS THE UPPER MIDWEST AT THE  
BEGINNING OF THE WEEK. MEANWHILE, A MID-LEVEL SHORTWAVE ROUNDS THE  
BASE OF AN AMPLIFIED UPPER LEVEL TROUGH EXTENDING NORTH TO SOUTH  
THROUGH THE PLAINS. THIS INTRODUCES LOBES OF VORTICITY THAT RIDE THE  
FRONTAL COMPONENTS FROM WEST TO EAST THROUGH MIDWEEK. THE NBM SHOWS  
A RAPID INCREASE IN SPREADS WITH TIME. THIS CAN BE ATTRIBUTED TO  
QUESTIONS WITH THE SOUTHWARD PROGRESS AND EVENTUAL PLACEMENT OF THE  
SURFACE FRONT AND THE EVOLUTION OF THE MID-LEVEL RIDGE OVER THE  
SOUTHEASTERN U.S. WHILE THERE CERTAINLY IS MOISTURE RETURN,  
SATURATION LOOKS DEEPEST 12Z MONDAY THROUGH 18Z TUESDAY, WHEN  
SATURATION IS PRESENT BELOW 700HPA. CONVERGENCE AND FORCING OVER THE  
FRONTAL BOUNDARIES WILL PLAY A KEY ROLE IN THE DURATION AND  
PLACEMENT OF PRECIPITATION. IT'S POSSIBLE NBM PROBABILITIES ARE TOO  
SPREAD OUT, THANKS IN PART TO THE DIFFERING SOLUTIONS OF THE LONG  
RANGE GUIDANCE. GFS AND ECM DEPICT THIS WELL AS THE GFS CONFINES  
RAIN CHANGES TO THE BACK EDGE OF THE MID-LEVEL RIDGE, WHILE THE ECM  
LIFTS A WARM FRONT ACROSS THE REGION THAT RESULTS IN WIDER  
DISPERSION OF POPS. THIS ALL LEADS TO A HIGH PROBABILITY (GREATER  
THAN 60%), A REASONABLY LOW QPF EVENT. LREF GUIDANCE SHOWS  
PROBABILITIES FOR GREATER THAN 0.25 INCHES AT OR BELOW 40% NORTH  
OF I-44 IN MO AND NORTH OF I-64 IN IL WITH PROBABILITIES PEAKING  
AT 55% TO THE SOUTH.  
 
FORTUNATELY, TEMPERATURES LOOK TOO WARM TO SUPPORT WINTER  
PRECIPITATION WITH ABOVE-FREEZING AIR THROUGHOUT MUCH OF THE LONG  
TERM PERIOD. THE ONLY TIME IT COMES CLOSE IS MONDAY MORNING, BUT LOW  
TEMPERATURES MAY OCCUR EARLIER IN THE NIGHT AS WARM AIR ADVECTION  
TAKES OVER. BY THE TIME LOW AND MID LEVELS SATURATION OCCURS,  
TEMPERATURES RISE INTO THE MID AND UPPER 30S.  
 
DESPITE BEING A DIVERGING DATASET THE FURTHER WE GET INTO THE LONG  
TERM PERIOD, CHRISTMAS DAY IS TRENDING DRIER THROUGH THE DAY. LREF  
PROBABILITIES FOR MEASURABLE RAINFALL (0.01" OR GREATER) START THE  
DAY BETWEEN 30-50% AND TREND DOWNWARD THROUGH THE LATE MORNING.  
BUT AGAIN, THIS WILL ALL DEPENDENT ON THE AFOREMENTIONED PATTERN  
IN THE PRIOR PARAGRAPHS. THE GENERAL TREND LOOKS LIKE THE NORTHERN  
2/3RDS OF THE FORECAST AREA COULD VERY WELL BE DRY, WHILE RAIN  
CHANCES LINGER ALONG THE NORTHERN PERIPHERY OF THE MID-LEVEL RIDGE  
OVER SOUTHERN SECTIONS OF THE CWA. REGARDLESS OF THE  
PRECIPITATION CHANCES, IT SHOULD BE MORE OF A NUISANCE THAN AN  
IMPACT AS IT ALL REMAINS LIQUID WITH TEMPERATURES RANGING FROM THE  
MID-40S TO MID- 50S.  
 
MAPLES  
 

 
   
AVIATION
 
(FOR THE 06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z FRIDAY NIGHT)  
ISSUED AT 1004 PM CST THU DEC 19 2024  
 
THE PRIMARY CONCERNS DURING THE 06Z TAF PERIOD CONTINUE TO BE  
LOWERING CEILINGS AND GUSTY NORTHWESTERLY WINDS FOLLOWING A COLD  
FRONTAL PASSAGE THIS EVENING. THIS COLD FRONT HAS ALREADY REACHED  
COU AND UIN AS OF 04Z (10PM CST) AND HAS BROUGHT GUSTY SURFACE  
WINDS TO THESE TERMINALS ALREADY. WINDS WILL REMAIN GUSTY THROUGH  
THE NIGHT AND FOR MUCH OF DAYLIGHT HOURS TOMORROW BEFORE  
DIMINISHING LATE IN THE AFTERNOON OR NEAR SUNSET.  
 
LOW CLOUDS HAVE LAGGED THE INITIAL WIND SHIFT BY A COUPLE OF  
HOURS, BUT SURFACE AND SATELLITE OBSERVATIONS INDICATE THAT  
WIDESPREAD MVFR STRATOCUMULUS IS NEARING UIN AND IS LIKELY TO  
SPREAD OVER ALL LOCAL TERMINALS OVER THE FIRST SEVERAL HOURS OF  
THE TAF PERIOD, AND PERSIST FOR MUCH OF THE DAY TOMORROW. THERE  
REMAINS ONLY LOW CONFIDENCE REGARDING WHEN THESE CLOUDS WILL  
DIMINISH TOMORROW AFTERNOON, AND THEY MAY LINGER UNTIL SUNSET AT  
ST. LOUIS TERMINALS AND UIN. A FEW NON-IMPACTFUL SNOW FLURRIES  
WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE OVERNIGHT THROUGH TOMORROW MORNING.  
 
BRC  
 

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

 
 

 
 
WFO LSX  
 
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