035  
FXUS63 KLSX 282357  
AFDLSX  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED AVIATION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAINT LOUIS MO  
557 PM CST TUE JAN 28 2025  
   
KEY MESSAGES  
 
- MILD TEMPERATURES IN THE MID 40S TO MID 50S WILL CONTINUE  
THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK.  
 
- RAIN WILL OVERSPREAD THE AREA THURSDAY MORNING AND CONTINUE  
THROUGH FRIDAY. THE HIGHEST AMOUNTS OF RAIN ARE EXPECTED ACROSS  
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI AND SOUTHWEST ILLINOIS. TOTAL RAINFALL OF AN  
INCH OR MORE IS LIKELY IN THESE AREAS.  
 
 
   
SHORT TERM  
(THROUGH LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT)  
ISSUED AT 219 PM CST TUE JAN 28 2025  
 
A BROAD UPPER LEVEL LONG WAVE TROUGH REMAINS OVER EASTERN NORTH  
AMERICA TODAY. WATER VAPOR IMAGERY IS SHOWING A SHORT WAVE OVER  
SOUTH CENTRAL CANADA EMBEDDED IN THE FLOW AROUND THE LONG WAVE. THIS  
SHORT WAVE WILL DIVE SOUTHEAST ACROSS THE GREAT LAKES THROUGH  
WEDNESDAY MORNING. A RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE LIES TO OUR SOUTH ALONG  
THE GULF COAST, AND THE PRESSURE GRADIENT BETWEEN THE HIGH TO OUR  
SOUTH AND THE SURFACE REFLECTION OF THE SHORT WAVE TO OUR NORTH IS  
PRODUCING WARM WESTERLY FLOW. THE WARM DRY PATTERN WILL CONTINUE  
THROUGH WEDNESDAY, ALTHOUGH WINDS WILL BECOME LIGHT AND VARIABLE BY  
EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING AS THE RIDGE AXIS SHIFTS FROM A EAST-WEST  
ORIENTATION ALONG THE GULF COAST TO A MORE NORTH-SOUTH ORIENTATION  
ALONG THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. TEMPERATURES WILL CONTINUE ABOVE  
NORMAL WITH HIGHS IN THE UPPER 40S TO MID 50S AND LOWS IN THE LOW TO  
MID 30S.  
 
CARNEY  
 
 
   
LONG TERM  
(THURSDAY THROUGH NEXT TUESDAY)  
ISSUED AT 219 PM CST TUE JAN 28 2025  
 
THE LARGE CUT OFF UPPER LOW WHICH IS CURRENTLY SPINNING OVER THE  
DESERT SOUTHWEST WILL BE CREEPING EASTWARD OVER THE NEXT DAY AND  
HALF, AND SHOULD BE CENTERED OVER EASTERN COLORADO OR WESTERN KANSAS  
BY 12Z WEDNESDAY MORNING. MEANWHILE, THE SURFACE RIDGE WILL ALSO BE  
DRIFTING EAST WHICH TURNS LOW LEVEL FLOW ALONG THE GULF BACK TO A  
SOUTHERLY DIRECTION, OPENING IT UP FOR MOISTURE TRANSPORT. THE LOW  
LEVEL CYCLOGENESIS OVER THE PLAINS PRODUCES A STRONG LOW LEVEL JET  
WHICH DRAWS THIS MOISTURE UP INTO THE MID MISSISSIPPI VALLEY BY  
THURSDAY MORNING. DETERMINISTIC GUIDANCE SHOWS MODERATE TO STRONG  
MOISTURE CONVERGENCE ON THE NOSE OF THIS LOW LEVEL JET, WHICH GETS  
AS STRONG AS 50-60KTS. DETERMINISTIC GUIDANCE BRINGS PRECIPITABLE  
WATER VALUES UP TO 1-1.25 INCHES ACROSS MOST OF THE FORECAST AREA,  
AND THIS JIVES WELL WITH BOTH GEFS AND ENS MEAN VALUES. THIS IS UP  
AROUND THE 99TH PERCENTILE OF NORMAL CLIMATE P-WAT VALUES FOR THIS  
TIME OF YEAR. WPC QPF FOR THURSDAY THROUGH FRIDAY RANGES FROM 0.50  
TO ALMOST 2 INCHES FROM NORTH TO SOUTH ACROSS THE AREA. THIS LOOKS  
REASONABLE GIVEN THE FORCING AND AVAILABLE MOISTURE, AND IS ALSO  
SOMEWHERE IN BETWEEN THE LREF MEAN AND 75TH PERCENTILE QPF. LUCKILY,  
TEMPERATURES SHOULD BE WELL ABOVE FREEZING IN THE 40S+ FOR THURSDAY  
AND FRIDAY, SO NO FREEZING/FROZEN PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED.  
 
THE LOW EXITS THE REGION BY LATE FRIDAY AFTERNOON/EARLY EVENING  
BRINGING PRECIP TO AN END. ZONAL FLOW ALOFT DOMINATES THE WEEKEND  
WEATHER PATTERN WHICH WILL HELP CONTINUE OUR LATE JANUARY THAW.  
MEDIUM RANGE GUIDANCE SHOWS 850MB TEMPERATURES REACHING UP TO 4-8C  
SATURDAY, AND THE ECMWF PUSHES IT UP TO 12-14C ON SUNDAY. HOWEVER,  
THE GFS SHOWS A FAST-MOVING SHORT WAVE TROUGH MOVING ACROSS THE  
MISSISSIPPI VALLEY SATURDAY NIGHT, WHICH PRODUCES A WEAK SURFACE LOW  
THAT DRAGS A COLD FRONT SOUTH THROUGH THE FORECAST AREA ON SUNDAY.  
THE EC ALSO SHOWS THE SHORTWAVE, BUT LITTLE IF ANY SURFACE  
REFLECTION AND NO COLD FRONT UNTIL AT LEAST NEXT TUESDAY. OBVIOUSLY  
THESE DIFFERENCES WILL HAVE A LARGE IMPACT ON TEMPERATURES FOR THIS  
PERIOD. INDEED, THE LREF INTERQUARTILE HIGH TEMPERATURE RANGE AT  
LAMBERT ON MONDAY IS 13 DEGREES, AND ON TUESDAY IT'S 10 DEGREES.  
LOOKING DEEPER, MOST OF THE ENSEMBLE MEMBERS ARE LATCHING ON TO  
COLDER TEMPERATURES FOR MONDAY AND TUESDAY, SO THE COLDER FORECAST  
OF THE NBM IS REASONABLE. HOWEVER, MY CONFIDENCE IN THE ACTUAL  
VALUES IN THE FORECAST IS LOW AT THIS TIME.  
 
CARNEY  
 
 
   
AVIATION  
(FOR THE 00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z WEDNESDAY EVENING)  
ISSUED AT 549 PM CST TUE JAN 28 2025  
 
VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED THROUGHOUT THE 00Z TAF PERIOD. THE  
PRIMARY CONCERN IS THE POTENTIAL FOR 3 TO 6 HOURS OF LOW LEVEL  
WIND SHEAR AT THE START OF THE PERIOD, DUE TO STRENGTHENING WEST  
TO NORTHWEST WINDS JUST ABOVE THE SURFACE. WINDS WILL INCREASE  
SHARPLY WITH HEIGHT, REACHING NEARLY 50 KNOTS BETWEEN 1500 AND  
2000 FEET ABOVE GROUND LEVEL. MEANWHILE, THERE MAY ALSO BE A  
SLIGHT DIRECTIONAL SHIFT BETWEEN WESTERLY SURFACE WINDS AND  
NORTHWESTERLY WINDS ALOFT. THE MAGNITUDE OF THIS LLWS WILL DEPEND  
LARGELY WHETHER SURFACE WINDS DECOUPLE AND WEAKEN, WHICH WOULD  
INCREASE THE WIND SHEAR. THIS WILL LIKELY VARY BY LOCATION AND  
FLUCTUATE, BUT IT HAS BEEN INCLUDED IN ALL LOCAL TAF SITES.  
 
WIND SHEAR IS LIKELY TO DIMINISH BETWEEN 06-08Z, AND SURFACE WINDS  
WILL CONTINUE TO WEAKEN TO NEARLY CALM AND VARIABLE BY LATE  
TOMORROW MORNING.  
 
BRC  
 
 
   
LSX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
MO...NONE.  
IL...NONE.  
 
 
 
 
WFO LSX  
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