707  
FXUS63 KLSX 212343  
AFDLSX  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED AVIATION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAINT LOUIS MO  
543 PM CST SAT DEC 21 2024  
   
KEY MESSAGES  
 
- A WARM-UP WILL COMMENCE ON SUNDAY WITH ABOVE NORMAL  
TEMPERATURES EXPECTED FOR THE DURATION OF THE UPCOMING WEEK.  
 
- THE UPCOMING WEEK WILL ALSO BE ACTIVE FEATURING MULTIPLE RAIN  
CHANCES MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY, INCLUDING ON CHRISTMAS EVE AND  
CHRISTMAS DAY.  
 
 
   
SHORT TERM  
(THROUGH LATE SUNDAY NIGHT)  
ISSUED AT 140 PM CST SAT DEC 21 2024  
 
GRADUAL LARGE SCALE DEAMPLIFICATION WILL BEGIN TONIGHT WITH WEAK  
HEIGHT RISES ALOFT AS THE EASTERN LONGWAVE TROF MOVES INTO THE  
WESTERN ATLANTIC. THIS PROGRESSION WILL PROMPT THE EASTWARD  
RETREAT OF THE SURFACE HIGH CURRENTLY DOMINATING THE AREA AND THE  
ONSET OF EAST-SOUTHEAST SURFACE WINDS AND WEAK WAA ALOFT. LOWS  
TONIGHT WILL BE COOLEST IN SE MO AND SRN IL IN CLOSEST PROXIMITY  
TO THE RETREATING HIGH WHERE WINDS ARE LIGHTEST AND THE MOST  
EFFICIENT RADIATIONAL COOLING WILL OCCUR.  
 
WE SHOULD SEE A NOTED WARM-UP ON SUNDAY AS A RESULT OF CONTINUED  
DEAMPLIFICATION ACROSS THE CONUS AND MORE PROGRESSIVE ZONAL FLOW,  
AND THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A PROMINENT WAA REGIME. WE MAINTAIN A S-SE  
WIND COMPONENT IN THE BOUNDARY LAYER (WHICH IS SOMEWHAT SHALLOW WITH  
MIXED LAYER DEPTHS BELOW 2.5 KFT), WITH MORE PREFERENTIAL SW FLOW  
ATOP IT. WHILE NOT AN OPTIMAL SET-UP, THE COMBO OF WAA ALONG WITH  
AMPLE SUNSHINE SHOULD STILL RESULT IN HIGHS IN THE 40S, WHICH IS  
5+ DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL FROM CENTRAL/NORTHEAST MO INTO WEST-  
CENTRAL IL.  
 
MINIMUM TEMPERATURES ON SUNDAY NIGHT SHOULD BE A GOOD DEAL WARMER  
THAN THE PAST FEW NIGHTS. SOUTHERLY WINDS SHOULD "STAY UP" AND LOW-  
LEVEL SOUTHWEST FLOW IS EXPECTED TO BRING A RETURN OF STRATUS  
OVERNIGHT INTO MONDAY MORNING.  
 
GLASS  
 
 
   
LONG TERM  
(MONDAY THROUGH NEXT SATURDAY)  
ISSUED AT 140 PM CST SAT DEC 21 2024  
 
ALL GUIDANCE CONTINUES TO INDICATE AN ACTIVE WEEK AHEAD WITH  
MULTIPLE RAIN CHANCES STILL ON THE PLATE.  
 
WHILE THERE COULD BE SOME SPRINKLES EARLY MONDAY MORNING ASSOCIATED  
WITH THE INITIAL THRUST OF STRATUS RETURN AND WAA, THE REAL INITIAL  
CHANCE OF MEASURABLE RAIN STILL REMAINS CENTERED ON MONDAY AFTERNOON  
AND NIGHT WITH THE PRIMARY FOCUS ACROSS THE SOUTHERN CWA CENTERED  
THROUGH SOUTHEAST MO AND SOUTHERN IL. LITTLE HAS CHANGED IN THE  
OVERALL SCENARIO WITH LIGHT RAIN/SHOWERS INITIATING MONDAY AFTERNOON  
AND EVENING WELL AHEAD OF AN ADVANCING COLD FRONT, NEAR THE TAIL  
END OF A PROGRESSIVE UPPER TROF MOVING THROUGH THE GREAT  
LAKES/OHIO VALLEY AND LARGELY IN ASSOCIATION WITH LOW-LEVEL WAA  
AND LOW-LEVEL MOISTURE CONVERGENCE AND TRANSPORT. THERE HAS BEEN  
SOME SIGNS THAT THE INITIAL RAIN ACROSS THE SOUTH MAY BE SLOWER TO  
INITIATE OWING TO INITIALLY WEAKER MOISTURE TRANSPORT AND  
MOISTENING, HOWEVER PROBABILITIES AND COVERAGE SHOULD INCREASE ON  
MONDAY NIGHT AS THE COLD FRONT CONTINUES TO SAG SOUTHWARD INTO THE  
SOUTHERN CWA AND BOTH FORCING AND MOISTURE IMPROVE.  
 
THE LAST GUIDANCE CYCLE CONTINUES TRENDS FROM YESTERDAY WITH  
INCREASING RAINFALL CHANCES AND AN INCREASING AREAL FOOTPRINT OF  
RAIN CHRISTMAS EVE INTO CHRISTMAS MORNING AS THE FIRST IN A SERIES  
OF UPPER TROFS APPROACHES AND EJECTS ACROSS THE MID MS VALLEY. THE  
EJECTING SHORT-WAVE TROF WILL BE WEAKENING BUT THE ACCOMPANYING  
LARGE SCALE ASCENT AND ATTENDANT IMPROVED THERMAL/MOISTURE  
ADVECTIONS AND FORCING SHOULD LEAD TO A PERIOD OF MORE WIDESPREAD  
RAIN. TIMING/POSITION AND STRENGTH DIFFERENCES ARE STILL PRESENT  
WITH THIS LIFTING TROF THAT ULTIMATELY IMPACT THE ONSET OF RAIN AND  
THE NORTHERN EXTENT OF THE RAIN SHIELD WITHIN THE CWA, AS WELL AS  
THE LONGEVITY OF RAIN INTO CHRISTMAS DAY. SOME SOLUTIONS NEVER  
GET RAIN INTO NC AND NE MO AND ALSO HAVE THE RAIN DEPARTING BY  
MIDDAY, WHILE OTHERS HAVE THE RAIN IMPACTING THE ENTIRE CWA AND  
NOT ENDING IN THE EASTERN COUNTIES UNTIL CHRISTMAS EVENING.  
CONFIDENCE IN RAIN IS HIGHEST ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST 2/3RDS OF THE  
CWA WHERE THE LATEST LREF HAS EXCEEDANCE PROBABILITIES OF 90+  
PERCENT FOR MEASURABLE RAINFALL, LARGELY CENTERED ON THE 00-12Z/25  
WINDOW WITH AROUND 50 PERCENT CHANCE FROM EASTERN MO INTO  
SOUTHWEST IL FROM 12-18Z/25.  
 
ANOTHER AND MUCH STRONGER UPPER LOW/TROF IS STILL ON TRACK TO IMPACT  
THE AREA LATE NEXT WEEK IN THE THURSDAY-FRIDAY TIME FRAME. THE  
LATEST ENSEMBLES AND LREF SHOW THE SAME ISSUES AS YESTERDAY WITH  
SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES IN THE POSITION/TIMING AND DEPTH OF THE  
UPPER SYSTEM AS IT LIFTS NORTHEASTWARD THROUGH THE MISSISSIPPI  
VALLEY. THE TROF POSITION DIFFERENCES ARE LARGE AS WELL. THE  
CLUSTER ANALYSIS HAS ONE CLUSTER WITH A TROF AXIS POSITION AT 12Z  
FRIDAY WELL NORTHEAST OF THE CWA, WHILE ANOTHER CLUSTER HAS THE  
TROF AXIS FROM EASTERN KS TO THE ARKLATEX. DESPITE THESE  
DIFFERENCES, THE LATEST LREF SUGGESTS THAT LATE THURSDAY NIGHT-  
FRIDAY MORNING IS THE MOST-FAVORED WINDOW FOR RAIN WITH 50-60% OF  
THE MEMBERSHIP PRODUCING MEASURABLE RAINFALL.  
 
THE NBM TEMPERATURE GUIDANCE MAINTAINS IT WILL BE A MILD WEEK WITH  
ABOVE TO WELL ABOVE NORMAL VALUES. CONFIDENCE IS HIGH (>90%) WITH  
THE ENTIRE INTERQUARTILE RANGE (IQR) OF THE NBM MAX TEMP GUIDANCE  
ABOVE NORMAL TUE-SAT, AND HIGHS WELL INTO THE 50S WITH SOME  
LOCATIONS MAYBE IN THE LOWER 60S THURSDAY AND BEYOND.  
 
GLASS  
 
GLASS  
 
 
   
AVIATION  
(FOR THE 00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z SUNDAY EVENING)  
ISSUED AT 542 PM CST SAT DEC 21 2024  
 
DRY AND VFR FLIGHT CONDITIONS WILL PERSIST THROUGH SUNDAY EVENING  
ACROSS THE ENTIRE REGION. LIGHT SOUTHEASTERLY TO VARIABLE WINDS WILL  
BECOME SOUTHERLY SUNDAY MORNING AND STRENGTHEN SLIGHTLY WITH A FEW  
SPORADIC GUSTS OF 15 TO 20 KT BECOMING LIKELY.  
 
PFAHLER  
 
 
   
LSX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
MO...NONE.  
IL...NONE.  
 
 
 
 
WFO LSX  
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