151  
FXUS63 KMQT 200613  
AFDMQT  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MARQUETTE MI  
113 AM EST WED NOV 20 2024  
   
KEY MESSAGES
 
 
- SCATTERED SHOWERS THIS AFTERNOON DIMINISH THROUGH LATE TONIGHT  
FROM SOUTHWEST TO NORTHEAST.  
 
- A SLOW MOVING SYSTEM WILL USHER IN A WET PATTERN INTO THE  
WEEKEND. PRECIP WILL MAINLY BE RAIN, BUT SOME SNOW WILL BE  
POSSIBLE WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO THURSDAY MORNING ACROSS THE WEST  
HALF.  
 
- NORTHERLY GALES TO 35 KNOTS WILL BE POSSIBLE THURSDAY.  
 

 
   
UPDATE
 
 
ISSUED AT 917 PM EST TUE NOV 19 2024  
 
INCREASINGLY QUIET WEATHER IS EXPECTED TONIGHT. THE FORECAST HAS  
BEEN ADJUSTED TO ACCOUNT FOR LINGERING SPOTTY SPRINKLES AND LIGHT  
RAIN SHOWERS - MAINLY ACROSS THE NORTHERN AND EASTERN UP. OTHERWISE,  
WE REMAIN UNDER A BLANKET OF LOW CLOUDS WITH WINDS QUICKLY FALLING  
OFF. THIS SHOULD HELP TO CONTAIN OVERNIGHT LOWS IN THE 30S TO LOWER  
40S THE REST OF TONIGHT.  
 

 
   
SHORT TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/
 
 
ISSUED AT 310 PM EST TUE NOV 19 2024  
 
AT THE MID LEVELS, A NEGATIVELY TILTED TROUGH IS SITUATED OVER THE  
NORTHERN PLAINS WITH A RIDGE OVER THE SOUTHEASTERN STATES. THE SFC  
LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM RESPONSIBLE FOR THE SCT RAIN SHOWERS CURRENTLY  
DECORATING THE UPPER GREAT LAKES RADAR MOSAIC IS CENTERED OVER  
NORTHERN MN THIS AFTERNOON AT 985 MB PER THE LATEST RAP ANALYSIS; AN  
ASSOCIATED OCCLUDED FRONT IS APPROACHING THE MI/WI STATE LINE. THIS  
SFC LOW IS PROGGED TO LIFT NORTH TOWARD, SLIGHTLY RETROGRADING TO  
SOUTHEASTERN MANITOBA AT 994 MB AS THE MID LEVEL TROUGH DEVELOPS  
INTO A CLOSED LOW OVER THE UPPER MIDWEST. THIS HELPS THE OCCLUDED  
FRONT PUSH NORTHEAST OVER THE AREA THROUGH THIS EVENING.  
 
GUSTY SOUTHEAST WINDS (OBSERVED UP TO 30-50 MPH EARLIER IN THE DAY)  
AHEAD OF THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY CAUSED PLENTY OF POWER OUTAGES IN THE  
KEWEENAW AS WELL SCATTERED AREAS OF POWER OUTAGE IMPACTS ACROSS THE  
UP. THESE WINDS HAVE ALREADY STARTED WEAKENING, ESPECIALLY CLOSE TO  
THE FRONT. AS THE FRONT PUSHES NORTH OVER THE AREA THROUGH THIS  
EVENING, THE LULL IN WINDS WILL MOVE NORTH WITH IT, SHIFTING WINDS  
OUT OF THE SOUTHWEST FOR TONIGHT. 11/19 12Z HREF INDICATES A 30-60%  
CHANCE FOR SOME GUSTS UP TO 30 MPH AGAIN THIS EVENING AS A 35-40 KT  
LOW LEVEL JET INCREASES OVER WESTERN LAKE SUPERIOR AND THE WESTERN  
SHORES. MODEL SOUNDINGS ALSO SUPPORT THIS MIXING DOWN EARLY ON THIS  
EVENING BEFORE WINDS WEAKEN TO 5 TO 15 MPH BY WEDNESDAY MORNING  
CALMER WINDS IN THE EAST. WITH WINDS AND RESULTING WAVES  
DIMINISHING, OPTED TO ALLOW WIND AND LAKESHORE FLOOD ADVISORIES TO  
FALL OFF AS SCHEDULED.  
 
SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE LIFTING NORTHEAST THROUGH THIS EVENING WITH A  
DRY SLOW BEHIND THE FRONT RESULTING IN DRY WEATHER RETURNING LATE  
THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH LATE TONIGHT FROM SOUTHWEST TO NORTHEAST.  
ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATIONS SHOULD REMAIN BELOW 0.25 INCHES. OTHERWISE,  
LOWS ARE EXPECTED IN THE LOW 30S TO LOW 40S, WARMER IN THE EAST  
WHERE SHOWERS HOLD ON THE LONGEST.  
 

 
   
LONG TERM /WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY/
 
 
ISSUED AT 234 PM EST TUE NOV 19 2024  
 
THERE CONTINUES TO BE VERY GOOD AGREEMENT AMONG THE DETERMINISTIC  
MODELS AND THEIR RESPECTIVE ENSEMBLE PACKAGES THIS MORNING,  
SUGGESTING THE MAIN ITEM OF INTEREST WILL BE THE EVOLUTION OF A  
CLOSED MID-LEVEL LOW AND MULTIPLE SURFACE LOWS THROUGH THE GREAT  
LAKES INTO THE WEEKEND. CURRENT WATER VAPOR IMAGERY FROM GOES 16,  
MSAS ANALYSIS, AND RAP HEIGHT ANALYSIS SHOW THE INITIAL CLOSED  
CIRCULATION OVER MINNESOTA, WITH AN OCCLUDED FRONT EXTENDING  
SOUTHEAST FROM THE SURFACE FEATURE ACROSS NORTHERN WISCONSIN.  
TONIGHT, THE MID-LEVEL LOW WILL PROGRESS SOUTHEAST WHILE THE DRY  
SLOT OF THIS SYSTEM MOVES OVERHEAD BEHIND THE NORTHWARD LIFTING  
FRONT AND THE SURFACE FRONT FIZZLES. AS THE MID-LEVEL FEATURE  
MIGRATES EAST, IT WILL AGAIN AMPLIFY, RESULTING IN A SECOND SURFACE  
LOW DEVELOPING NEAR MICHIGAN'S THUMB BY WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. THE LOW  
WILL LIFT NORTH TO THE NORTHERN SHORES OF LAKE HURON IN THE EVENING,  
BEFORE RETROGRADING WESTWARD, AND THEN BACK SOUTH DOWN LAKE MICHIGAN  
OR WESTERN LOWER MICHIGAN. THIS SURFACE REFLECTION WILL WEAKEN LATE  
THURSDAY WHILE A THIRD SURFACE LOW DEVELOPS OFF THE MID-ATLANTIC  
COAST IN RESPONSE TO THE MID-LEVEL LOW AGAIN, AMPLIFYING AS IT  
SHIFTS EASTWARD. THE SYSTEM WILL OCCLUDE FRIDAY THEN SLOWLY EXIT  
THROUGH NEW ENGLAND ON SATURDAY, PERHAPS DEEPENING AGAIN SATURDAY  
EVENING AS IT LIFTS INTO THE CANADIAN MARITIMES. THIS WILL SUPPORT A  
PROLONGED WET PERIOD ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA WITH SYNOPTIC PRECIP  
SHIFTING OVER TO LAKE ENHANCED AND EVENTUALLY LAKE EFFECT THROUGH AT  
LEAST SATURDAY. THE MAIN FORECASTING CHALLENGES IN THIS PERIOD  
CONTINUE TO REVOLVE AROUND THE EXACT WESTWARD EDGE THE SECOND  
SURFACE LOW'S POSITION WHILE IT WOBBLES AROUND THE GREAT LAKES AND  
THE SUBSEQUENT POSITION OF THE LOW'S DEFORMATION AXIS/INVERTED  
TROUGH WHILE COOLING OCCURS WEDNESDAY NIGHT.  
 
FOLLOWING THE EROSION OF THE DRY SLOT WEDNESDAY MORNING, INCREASING  
MID-LEVEL CONVERGENCE WILL SUPPORT AND PRECIP SPREADING INTO EASTERN  
UPPER MICHIGAN WHILE THE SECOND SURFACE LOW DEVELOPS. THE CONSENSUS  
AMONG THE GEPS, GEFS, AND EPS SURFACE LOW CLUSTERING IS THAT THE LOW  
WILL DRIFT NORTH THEN RETROGRADE WEST, BEFORE MIGRATING SOUTH.  
CURRENT TIMING OF THIS EVOLUTION WILL BE OVERNIGHT WEDNESDAY INTO  
THURSDAY WHEN SURFACE TEMPERATURES DIP NEAR OR BELOW FREEZING AND  
WETBULB ZERO HEIGHTS FALL LESS THAN 600FEET, WHICH WILL SUPPORT A  
RAIN TO WET SNOW TRANSITION OVER WESTERN UPPER MICHIGAN. THERE'S  
ENOUGH SPREAD AMONG THESE SYSTEMS ON THE NORTHWARD AND WESTWARD  
POSITION TO QUESTION HOW FAR WEST HIGHER QPF AXIS WILL BE, WHICH  
IMPACTS SNOWFALL AMOUNTS. MIDDLE OF THE ROAD OPTION CONFORMS TO MOST  
DETERMINISTIC SOLUTIONS, WHILE THE MOST NOTABLE OUTLIER IS THE  
EASTWARD NAMNEST. THIS FORECAST REPRESENTS THE CONSENSUS OPTION  
WHERE CONFIDENCE IS HIGHEST. ENSEMBLES SUGGEST A 50% CHANCE OR  
HIGHER OF A MAJORITY OF THE FORECAST AREA GETTING ANOTHER 0.5" OF  
QPF AND THE EPS SUGGESTS A 20-60% CHANCE OF EXCEEDING 1.0" IN THE  
HIGHER TERRAIN REGIONS OF BARAGA AND MARQUETTE COUNTIES. WITH  
ANTICIPATED SNOW RATIOS APPROXIMATELY 10:1 OR LESS, THIS WOULD YIELD  
A COUPLE INCHES OF WET SNOW. SNOW AMOUNTS AMONG THE VARIOUS ENSEMBLE  
AND DETERMINISTIC ARE MIXED AND LARGELY DEPEND ON THE RATE OF  
COOLING, THE POSITION OF THE LOW, AND THE QPF SPREAD. CURRENT  
FORECAST REFLECTS ~1 INCH ACROSS MOST OF WESTERN UPPER MICHIGAN AWAY  
FROM THE LAKESHORES AND A SWATH OF 2 TO 4 INCHES FROM THE HURON  
MOUNTAINS SOUTHWESTWARD TOWARD SIDNAW/WATTON. TIMING CURRENTLY LOOKS  
LIKE IN THE OVERNIGHT PERIOD AFTER MIDNIGHT FOR THE BULK OF THE  
POTENTIAL.  
 
EVENTUALLY, THE MID-LEVEL LOW EXITS EAST, LEAVING BEHIND CONTINUED  
CYCLONIC FLOW WITH 850MB TEMPS OF -4 TO -1C. THIS SHOULD KEEP LAKE  
EFFECT RAIN/SNOW SHOWERS DOWNWIND OF LAKE SUPERIOR INTO SATURDAY  
WHEN ITS POSSIBLE A COOLER AIRMASS MAY BUILD IN. MID-LEVEL RIDGING  
WILL EVENTUALLY FILTER IN FROM WEST TO EAST LATE SATURDAY/SUNDAY,  
WITH A MORE UNCERTAIN PATTERN DEVELOPING AFTERWARDS. A BRIEF, PSEUDO-  
ZONAL FLOW PATTERN LOOKS TO DEVELOP ACROSS CONUS AFTERWARDS BUT THIS  
LOOKS SHORT LIVED AS AN EASTWARD MIGRATING SHORTWAVE INTERRUPTS THIS  
FOR OUR FORECAST AREA SUNDAY NIGHT INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. THERE  
CONTINUES TO BE PLENTY OF UNCERTAINTY WITH THIS WAVE, BUT GUIDANCE  
CONTINUES TO SUGGEST THE AIRMASS BEHIND IT OF 850MB TEMPS IN THE -10  
TO -5C FOR THE START OF NEXT WEEK.  
 

 
   
AVIATION /06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z THURSDAY/
 
 
ISSUED AT 113 AM EST WED NOV 20 2024  
 
A BLANKET OF LOW STRATUS REMAINS OVER THE UP TONIGHT, WITH MVFR  
RESTRICTIONS PERSISTING INTO THE PRE-DAWN HOURS AT IWD AND CMX AND  
LINGERING THROUGH THE REST OF THE FORECAST PERIOD AT SAW. AFTER A  
BRIEF IMPROVEMENT TO VFR AT IWD AND CMX WEDNESDAY MORNING, CEILINGS  
LOWER TO MVFR ONCE AGAIN DURING THE EVENING HOURS AS RAIN (EVENTUALLY  
MIXING WITH SNOW) SPREADS IN FROM THE EAST. THIS MAY LEAD TO DROPS  
IN VISIBILITY INTO THE EVENING HOURS, MAINLY AT CMX AND SAW WHERE  
PRECIPITATION WILL BE MORE LIKELY. OTHERWISE, EXPECT WINDS OUT OF  
THE SW TONIGHT TO SHIFT MORE TO THE NW AT AROUND 5-10KTS FOR  
WEDNESDAY.  
 

 
   
MARINE
 
 
ISSUED AT 234 PM EST TUE NOV 19 2024  
 
STRONG GALES WITH SOME STORM FORCE GUSTS WILL SETTLE DOWN THIS  
AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM SOUTH TO NORTH WITH THE PASSAGE OF AN  
OCCLUDED FRONT. EXPECT THE SOUTHEAST WINDS TO SHIFT TO SOUTHWEST  
IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE FRONT AND CONTINUE TO BLOW GALES OF 35KTS OVER  
THE WEST HALF INTO THE EVENING HOURS. WINDS WILL SETTLE FURTHER  
OVERNIGHT, FALLING TO NEAR 20KTS BY MORNING LAKE-WIDE. ATTENTION  
THEN TURNS TO A DEVELOPING SURFACE LOW OVER LAKE HURON THAT WILL  
LIFT NORTH WEDNESDAY NIGHT THEN SHIFT WEST AND SOUTH OVER LOWER  
MICHIGAN INTO THURSDAY. THERE CONTINUES TO BE DIFFERENCES IN THE  
DETERMINISTIC AND ENSEMBLE GUIDANCE PACKAGES OF WHERE EXACTLY THE LOW  
WILL WOBBLE AND HOW DEEP IT WILL BE, AND THUS THE IMPACT OF THE  
INCREASING PRESSURE GRADIENT FORCES. HOWEVER, CONFIDENCE CONTINUES  
TO GROW THAT A WIDESPREAD GALE EVENT TO AT LEAST 35KNOTS WILL BE  
POSSIBLE THURSDAY. INTERNAL PROBABILISTIC GUIDANCE SUGGESTS 30-50%  
CHANCE OF AT LEAST 34KTS WHICH IS REINFORCED BY EPS PROBABILITIES  
SUGGESTING >50% ACROSS LAKE SUPERIOR. ITS POSSIBLE THAT A GALE WATCH  
MAY BE ISSUED LATER THIS EVENING OR BY WEDNESDAY MORNING.  
 
WINDS SHOULD LIGHTEN LATE THURSDAY BUT REMAIN GENERALLY NORTH AT 20-  
30KTS INTO THE WEEKEND. CURRENT THINKING IS FOR WINDS TO FALL BELOW  
20KTS FROM WEST TO EAST SATURDAY INTO THE EVENING HOURS. LIGHT WINDS  
LOOK TO REMAIN INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK, BUT A SYSTEM MOVING THROUGH THE  
REGION LATE SUNDAY/MONDAY WITH TRAILING COLD AIR MAY RESULT IN  
INCREASING WINDS AGAIN MONDAY/TUESDAY.  
 

 
   
MQT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
UPPER MICHIGAN...  
NONE.  
LAKE SUPERIOR...  
NONE.  
LAKE MICHIGAN...  
NONE.  
 

 
 

 
 
UPDATE...  
SHORT TERM...JABLONSKI  
LONG TERM...JTP  
AVIATION...LC  
MARINE...JTP  
 
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