536  
FXUS63 KIWX 220420  
AFDIWX  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA  
1220 AM EDT TUE SEP 22 2026  
   
KEY MESSAGES  
 
- A MAINLY DRY WEATHER PATTERN AHEAD. SOME POCKETS OF LIGHT RAIN  
OR DRIZZLE ARE POSSIBLE TODAY, WITH JUST A LOW CHANCE (20-40%)  
OF LIGHT RAIN SHOWERS EAST OF INTERSTATE 69 CONTINUING TONIGHT  
INTO WEDNESDAY.  
 
- BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES THROUGH THE END OF THE WORK WEEK  
FOLLOWED BY SOME MODERATION IN TEMPERATURES.  
 
- DANGEROUS SWIMMING CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED ON SOUTHERN LAKE  
MICHIGAN BEACHES TODAY.  
 
 
   
DISCUSSION  
 
ISSUED AT 235 PM EDT MON SEP 21 2026  
 
THE TRANSITION TO A MUCH QUIETER WEATHER PATTERN WILL CONTINUE  
THIS WEEK. ANY ADDITIONAL RAIN CHANCES THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF  
THE WEEK WILL HAVE NO IMPACT ON CURRENT RIVER STAGE/FLOODING  
SITUATION ACROSS THE AREA. DRY WEATHER IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE  
FOR THE THURSDAY THROUGH SUNDAY PERIOD.  
 
UPPER LEVEL FLOW PATTERN TODAY IS CHARACTERIZED BY A CUT-OFF  
NEGATIVE UPPER HEIGHT ANOMALY EJECTING OUT OF THE  
NEBRASKA/SOUTH DAKOTA VICINITY WITH A LOW AMPLITUDE DOWNSTREAM  
CHARACTER OF FLOW ACROSS THE SOUTHERN GREAT LAKES AND OHIO  
VALLEY. SMALLER SCALE PERTURBATIONS CONTINUE TO WORK THROUGH  
THIS LOW AMPLITUDE FLOW LOCALLY WITH THE MORE DISTINCT OF THESE  
SHORT WAVES TRACKING ACROSS FAR NORTHEAST INDIANA/NORTHWEST OHIO  
THIS AFTERNOON. SOME SLIGHTLY DRY MID LEVEL AIR IS ADVECTING  
INTO THE REGION THIS AFTERNOON WHICH MAY CONTINUE TO PROVIDE  
SOME POCKETS OF LIGHT RAIN/DRIZZLE IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE  
DEPARTING SHORT WAVE INTO EARLY THIS EVENING. ADDITIONAL  
RAINFALL AMOUNTS GENERALLY EXPECTED TO BE ONE TENTH OF AN INCH  
OR LESS, ALTHOUGH CANNOT COMPLETELY DISCOUNT POSSIBILITY OF AN  
ISOLATED HIGHER AMOUNT (SOUTH OF US 24 ACROSS NW OHIO) GIVEN  
RELATIVELY STALLED POSITION OF 850 MB FRONT AND SOME LINGERING  
RESPECTABLE PWATS OF 1.25 TO 1.4 INCHES. HOWEVER, ADDITIONAL  
RAINFALL TODAY INTO TONIGHT IS NOT EXPECTED TO PROVIDE ANY  
MEANINGFUL IMPACT TO ONGOING RIVER LEVELS AND STATUS OF  
MINOR/MODERATE FLOODING ACROSS PORTIONS OF WABASH/MAUMEE BASINS.  
 
A SECONDARY AREA OF LIGHT RAIN/DRIZZLE TODAY HAS BEEN ACROSS EXTREME  
NW INDIANA INTO MAINLY NE ILLINOIS WHERE SOME INVERTED TROUGHING HAS  
BEEN ENHANCED BY LAKE INDUCED LOW LEVEL THICKNESS RIDGING ACROSS  
WESTERN PORTIONS OF LAKE MICHIGAN. GIVEN NATURE OF NORTHEASTERLY  
FLOW PROFILES, HIGHER CHANCES OF RAIN IN THIS FORCING PATTERN SHOULD  
STAY OVER THE OPEN WATERS OR ACROSS NORTHEAST ILLINOIS. THE PATTERN  
OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS WITH PERSISTENT EASTERLY FLOW AND FAVORING OF  
MID LEVEL SUBSIDENCE WILL LIKELY KEEP A FRONTAL INVERSION IN PLACE  
RESULTING IN A LIKELY DIFFICULT TIME ERODING LOW CLOUDS FROM MUCH OF  
THE AREA.  
 
FOR TEMPERATURES TONIGHT, A WEAK SECONDARY COOL FRONTAL BOUNDARY IS  
EXPECTED TO DROP ACROSS THE SOUTHERN GREAT LAKES AND SHOULD  
PROVIDE THE COOLEST TEMPERATURES TO SOUTHERN LOWER MICHIGAN.  
HOWEVER, POSSIBILITY THAT CLOUD COVER COULD LINGER FOR MUCH OF  
THE AREA, FAIRLY WELL MIXED NEAR SFC LEVELS, AND WIND GUSTS  
REMAINING ABOVE 10 MPH OVERNIGHT, SUGGEST TEMPERATURES WILL NOT  
BOTTOM OUT TOO MUCH WITH EXPECTATION OF LOWS FROM UPPER 40S TO  
LOWER 50S MOST AREAS.  
 
A PERSISTENCE FORECAST HAS BEEN MAINTAINED FOR TUESDAY IN TERMS OF  
TEMPERATURES WITH THERMAL ADVECTIONS GRADUALLY WANING TONIGHT INTO  
EARLY TUESDAY. FROM A LARGE SCALE SYNOPTIC PERSPECTIVE, THE UPPER  
TROUGH ACROSS THE PLAINS WILL SLOWLY PUSH EASTWARD TO THE MID MS  
VALLEY WITH AN EVENTUAL BEGINNING OF PHASING WITH SECONDARY NEGATIVE  
UPPER HEIGHT ANOMALY ACROSS OHIO. ANY PRECIP SHOULD BE QUITE  
LIMITED TUE/TUE NIGHT WITH LINGERING DRY MID LEVEL AIR A  
DETERRENT. COULD SEE SCENARIO AGAIN WHERE THERMALLY INDUCED  
THICKNESS RIDGE OVER LAKE MICHIGAN HELPS FOCUS A FEW SHOWERS  
ACROSS NORTHWEST INDIANA, AND PERHAPS ALONG/EAST OF I-69 WHERE  
SOME LINGERING LOW LEVEL MOISTURE COULD RESIDE. HAVE MAINTAINED  
SOME SLIGHT CHANCE POPS THESE PERIODS.  
 
LOOKING TOWARD THE MIDDLE OF THE WEEK, CONTINUED PHASING OF THE TWO  
NEGATIVE UPPER HEIGHT ANOMALIES SHOULD EVENTUALLY ALLOW LOW-MID  
LEVEL THETA-E RIDGE TO WRAP BACK NORTHWESTWARD TO THE SOUTHERN GREAT  
LAKES. THIS COULD BE ENOUGH TO YIELD POCKETS OF LIGHT RAIN SHOWERS  
MAINLY ALONG/EAST OF I-69 WED BUT CONFIDENCE IS QUITE LOW.  
 
AN OVERALL QUIET WEATHER REGIME STILL LOOKS TO MAINTAIN ITS HOLD  
THURSDAY TO THE WEEKEND WITH EVENTUAL DEPARTURE OF THIS PHASED UPPER  
LOW ALLOWING FOR MID/UPPER LEVEL HEIGHT RECOVERY AND GRADUAL  
MODIFICATION OF LOW LEVEL TEMPERATURES BY SATURDAY AND SUNDAY AS LOW  
LEVEL SOUTHWESTERLIES ARE FINALLY ABLE TO DEVELOP. PRECIP PROSPECTS  
LOOK LOW THROUGH MONDAY AS ANY PACIFIC WAVES TRYING TO TOP THE  
CENTRAL CONUS RIDGE WILL LIKELY ENCOUNTER LESS THAN IDEAL MOISTURE  
PROFILES LOCALLY DURING THIS PERIOD.  
 
 
   
AVIATION /06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z WEDNESDAY/  
 
ISSUED AT 1219 AM EDT TUE SEP 22 2026  
 
SOMEWHAT BREEZY EAST-NORTHEAST LOW LEVEL FLOW WILL LINGER ON THE  
SOUTHERN FRINGES OF HIGH PRESSURE THROUGH THE PERIOD, WITH GUSTS  
UP TO NEAR 20 KNOTS COMMON MID MORNING INTO THIS AFTERNOON.  
SLIGHTLY DRIER CONDITIONS AT KSBN SHOULD ENSURE VFR THROUGH MUCH  
OF THE PERIOD, WHILE MVFR CIGS LIKELY LINGER AT KFWA CLOSER TO  
AN INVERTED TROUGH. THIS FEATURE IN TANDEM WITH AN INCOMING VORT  
MAX MAY ALLOW POCKETS OF LIGHT RAIN TO IMPACT KFWA THIS  
AFTERNOON INTO TONIGHT, THOUGH CHANCES REMAIN TOO LOW FOR A  
MENTION AT THIS TIME.  
 
 
   
IWX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
IN...BEACH HAZARDS STATEMENT THROUGH LATE TUESDAY NIGHT FOR INZ103.  
OH...NONE.  
MI...NONE.  
MARINE...NONE.  
 
 
 
 
 
DISCUSSION...MARSILI  
AVIATION...STEINWEDEL  
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