254  
FXUS63 KMPX 230526  
AFDMPX  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN  
1226 AM CDT THU JUL 23 2026  
   
KEY MESSAGES  
 
- TEMPERATURES WARM AFTER TODAY, WITH ANOTHER HEAT WAVE EXPECTED  
TO ARRIVE THIS WEEKEND LASTING THROUGH MUCH OF NEXT WEEK.  
 
- A COUPLE CHANCES FOR ISOLATED STORMS FRIDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY  
NIGHT, OTHERWISE NO SIGNIFICANT PRECIPITATION EXPECTED.  
 
 
   
DISCUSSION  
 
ISSUED AT 157 PM CDT WED JUL 22 2026  
 
THE CUMULUS FIELD THAT WAS PRESENT EARLY THIS MORNING HAS SHOWN NO  
SIGNS OF DISSIPATING WITH EXPANSIVE CUMULUS ACROSS ALL OF WI AND  
INTO MUCH OF MN, WITH THE CLEARING LINE STRETCHING FROM ROUGHLY  
ALEXANDRIA SOUTH THROUGH WILLMAR AND TOWARDS REDWOOD FALLS AS OF  
AROUND 2PM. FORECAST SOUNDINGS SHOW ENOUGH SATURATION FROM 5-7KFT  
THAT AS LONG AS WE CONTINUE TO MIX THIS FIELD OF CLOUDS IS UNLIKELY  
TO CHANGE, MEANING WE WILL PROBABLY SEEM THEM LINGERING THROUGH 8-  
9PM BEFORE BEGINNING TO DISSIPATE. THE OVERNIGHT HOURS WILL BE  
UNEVENTFUL WITH LIGHT WINDS AND CLEARING SKIES, WITH SOME PATCHY FOG  
POSSIBLE MAINLY IN WESTERN WI FROM ROUGHLY 4AM THROUGH 9AM. TOMORROW  
WILL BE SIMILAR TO TODAY BUT WITH NEAR NORMAL TEMPERATURES IN THE  
LOW 80S AMIDST PARTLY CLOUDY SKIES WITH FAIR WEATHER CUMULUS ONCE  
AGAIN.  
 
WE WARM UP SIGNIFICANTLY BY SATURDAY AS ANOTHER WESTERN CONUS RIDGE  
BEGINS TO STRENGTHEN WITH RISING HEIGHTS CENTERED OVER COLORADO  
RESULTING IN A SIMILAR PATTERN TO OUR LAST HEAT WAVE, AS HIGHS LOOK  
TO REACH THE LOW 90S BY SATURDAY AND REMAIN IN THE 90S INTO EARLY  
NEXT WEEK. THERE IS STILL SOME FAIRLY SIGNIFICANT SPREAD IN THE  
GREATER ENSEMBLE GUIDANCE FOR TEMPERATURES THROUGHOUT NEXT WEEK,  
WITH THE ECMWF/EPS ON THE HOTTER SIDE COMPARED TO THE GFS/GEFS, WITH  
THE PRIMARY DIFFERENCE BEING HOW FAR NORTHEAST THE RIDGE ENDS UP.  
BOTH SETS OF GUIDANCE WOULD FAVOR HEIGHTS AT 500MB BUILDING TOWARDS  
THAT 600DM MARK THAT WE REACHED WITH OUR LAST HEAT WAVE, AND AS OF  
THE 12/18Z RUNS SUGGEST 597DM HEIGHTS AT ITS PEAK FOR NOW. THE  
GFS/GEFS KEEP THE RIDGE A TAD FARTHER WEST, WHICH LINES UP  
NORTHWESTERLY FLOW AT 500MB ACROSS THE AREA AND GIVES US A CHANCE  
FOR RIDGE RIDER SHORTWAVES WHICH COULD PRODUCE SOME ISOLATED TO  
SCATTERED CONVECTION, WHICH WOULD EAT INTO OUR TEMPERATURES VIA  
PRECIPITATION OR CLOUD COVER. THE ECMWF/EPS PRODUCE A SLIGHTLY  
STRONGER RIDGE AND ALSO PLACE IT FAR EAST, WHICH WOULD RESULT IN  
LOWER CHANCES FOR STORMS AND CLEARER SKIES, RESULTING IN WARMER  
TEMPERATURES. THE NBM TOOK THE MIDDLE GROUND AND KEEPS US IN THE LOW  
TO MID 90S THROUGH MONDAY BEFORE DROPPING BACK TO UPPER 80S TO NEAR  
90 FOR THE REST OF NEXT WEEK, WHICH SEEMS LIKE A HAPPY MEDIUM FOR  
NOW. MOST GUIDANCE WOULD SUGGEST CONTINUED ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES  
THROUGH THE REST OF THE MONTH AND INTO EARLY AUGUST, WITH THE MAIN  
DIFFERENCE BEING ARE WE AROUND 5 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL LIKE THE GEFS  
OR 10-15 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL LIKE THE EPS. THE FORECAST  
TEMPERATURES ARE BY NO MEANS LOCKED IN BUT BEING ABOVE NORMAL IS ALL  
BUT A CERTAINTY AT THIS POINT.  
 
 
   
AVIATION /06Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z FRIDAY/  
 
ISSUED AT 1225 AM CDT THU JUL 23 2026  
 
CALM TO LIGHT AND VARIABLE WINDS OVERNIGHT INTO THE EARLY  
MORNING. WINDS WILL REMAIN UNDER 10 KNOTS, BUT WILL PICK UP FROM  
CALM IN THE LATE MORNING. VFR CLEAR SKY TO MOSTLY CLEAR SKY OVER  
THE PERIOD. WITH THE CALM WIND AND CLEAR SKY SETUP WE COULD SEE  
SOME MIST OR FOG SETUP. OF THE TERMINALS THE GREATEST CHANCE  
WOULD BE RNH AND EAU. CONFIDENCE WAS NOT HIGH ENOUGH FOR  
INCLUSION IN THE TAFS, BUT THIS IS WHERE ATTENTION WILL BE PAID  
FOR POSSIBLE AMENDMENTS.  
 
KMSP...NO ADDITIONAL CONCERNS.  
 
/OUTLOOK FOR KMSP/  
FRI...VFR. WIND S 10-15 KTS.  
SAT...VFR. WIND SW TO W 7-12 KTS.  
SUN...VFR, -TSRA POSSIBLE LATE. WIND S 7-12 KTS.  
 
 
   
MPX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
MN...NONE.  
WI...NONE.  
 
 
 
 
 
DISCUSSION...TDH  
AVIATION...NDC  
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