Forecast Discussions mentioning any of "HRRR" "RAP" "RR" "RUC13" "RUC" received at GSD on 10/20/13


AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS PUEBLO CO
1134 AM MDT FRI OCT 18 2013 .UPDATE... ISSUED AT 732 AM MDT FRI OCT 18 2013 UPDATED FRONT END OF FORECASTS TO REFLECT CURRENT OBSERVATIONS AND TRENDS. NO MAJOR CHANGES TO FORECAST AT THIS TIME. LW && .SHORT TERM...(TODAY AND TONIGHT) ISSUED AT 527 AM MDT FRI OCT 18 2013 ...HIT AND RUN STORM ON THE WAY... IT`S ON OUR DOORSTEP. THE SHORTWAVE THAT HAS BEEN HEADED OUR WAY IS ABOUT TO ARRIVE. MULTIPLE LATE NIGHT TWEETS INDICATE SNOW HAS SPREAD QUICKLY SOUTH ACROSS THE NORTHERN FRONT RANGE URBAN CORRIDOR AND NORTHEAST PLAINS THIS MORNING. RADAR AND SURFACE REPORTS INDICATE THAT SNOW HAS ALREADY SPREAD INTO THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS...INCLUDING LEADVILLE AND MONARCH PASS...AND IT IS JUST NOW CROSSING THE PALMER DIVIDE INTO NORTHERN TELLER AND NORTHERN EL PASO COUNTIES. ALL FORECAST MODELS AGREE THAT SNOW WILL MOVE INTO TELLER AND EL PASO COUNTIES THIS MORNING...WITH A MIXTURE OF RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS SPREADING SOUTH ACROSS THE REST OF THE EASTERN MOUNTAINS AND PLAINS. THE GFS...AND TO A LESSER EXTENT...THE NAM HAVE BEEN GRADUALLY TRENDING BACK TOWARD BETTER CHANCES FOR PRECIPITATION OVER THE EASTERN MOUNTAINS AND PLAINS THAN THEY WERE 24 HOURS AGO. ADDITIONALLY...SHORT RANGE FORECASTS OFF OF THE HIGH RESOLUTION MODELS...INCLUDING THE HRRR AND THE WRF...ALSO SHOW AT LEAST SOME PRECIPITATION SPREADING SOUTH ACROSS MOST OF THE EASTERN MOUNTAINS AND PLAINS THIS MORNING. NONE OF THE MODELS HAVE ANYTHING VERY HEAVY...BUT THEY DO HAVE SOME LIGHT TO LOCALLY MODERATE AMOUNTS. RIGHT NOW...BEST BET IS FOR 1 TO 3 INCHES OF SNOW OVER THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS AND PIKES PEAK...LOCAL 1 TO 2 INCHES AMOUNTS ACROSS TELLER AND EL PASO COUNTIES...AND GENERALLY AN INCH OR LESS ACROSS THE REST OF THE EASTERN MOUNTAINS AND PLAINS. PRECIP BELOW 5500 FEET WILL PROBABLY COME AS A MIXTURE OF RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS...WHICH SHOULD HELP TO LIMIT ACCUMULATIONS. ELEVATIONS ABOVE 5500 FEET WILL SEE MOSTLY SNOW AND THE BEST CHANCES FOR ACCUMULATION. SECOND ONLY TO THE PIKES PEAK REGION...THE FAR EASTERN PLAINS ALONG THE KANSAS BORDER WILL SEE SOME OF THE BETTER ODDS FOR PRECIPITATION TODAY. LIGHT SNOW IS ALREADY FALLING AT BURLINGTON AND RADAR SHOWS DEVELOPING PRECIPITATION OVER NORTHEAST KIOWA COUNTY AT THIS TIME. THIS DEVELOPMENT SHOULD CONTINUE SOUTHWARD THROUGH THE MORNING INTO THE EARLY AFTERNOON HOURS. TEMPERATURES WILL BE A BIT BORDERLINE FOR MUCH IN THE WAY OF SNOW ACCUMULATION...BUT COULD BE SOME SPOTTY LIGHT AMOUNTS...ESPECIALLY ON GRASSY AREAS. EVERYTHING SHIFTS EAST OF THE AREA AFTER ABOUT 2 OR 3 IN THE AFTERNOON...SETTING THE STAGE FOR ANOTHER COLD NIGHT ACROSS SOUTHERN COLORADO. A FREEZE WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR A LARGE PART OF SOUTHEAST COLORADO FOR TONIGHT. LW .LONG TERM...(SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY) ISSUED AT 527 AM MDT FRI OCT 18 2013 NOT MANY METEOROLOGICAL LONGER TERM ADJUSTMENTS NEEDED FROM EARLIER FORECAST THINKING AS A GENERALLY DRY AND MILD LONGER TERM PATTERN IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP OVER THE FORECAST DISTRICT. FROM SATURDAY INTO THURSDAY...LATER COMPUTER SIMULATIONS CONTINUE TO SUGGEST THAT A GENERALLY DRY AND MILD NORTHWESTERLY TO NORTHERLY UPPER FLOW PATTERN WILL BE NOTED OVER THE CWFA THANKS TO AN UPPER RIDGING PATTERN BUILDING OVER THE WESTERN UNITED STATES DURING THIS TIME-FRAME. AT THIS TIME...IT APPEARS THAT THE HIGHEST POTENTIAL FOR SHOWER ACTIVITY DURING THE LONGER TERM OVER THE FORECAST DISTRICT WILL OCCUR FROM LATER SUNDAY INTO MONDAY...ESPECIALLY OVER NORTHERN SECTIONS AS AN UPPER DISTURBANCE INTERACTS WITH A SURFACE NORTHERLY TO NORTHEASTERLY SURGE. MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM TEMPERATURES DURING THE LONGER TERM SHOULD BASICALLY RUN NEAR TO A FEW DEGREES ABOVE LATE OCTOBER CLIMATOLOGICAL AVERAGES...ALTHOUGH TEMPERATURES BELOW SEASONAL AVERAGES ARE ANTICIPATED MONDAY IN WAKE OF NORTHERLY/NORTHEASTERLY SURGE AND UPPER DISTURBANCE. FINALLY...LOW-GRADE GRADIENT WINDS ARE STILL ANTICIPATED OVER THE MAJORITY OF THE FORECAST DISTRICT DURING THE LONGER TERM. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z SATURDAY AFTERNOON) ISSUED AT 1130 AM MDT FRI OCT 18 2013 VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED THE REST OF THE DAY AT KCOS AND INTO SATURDAY MORNING...ALTHOUGH SOME SCATTERED LOW CLOUDS WILL STILL BE IN THE VCNTY THIS AFTERNOON. IFR CONDITIONS AT KPUB WILL TRANSITION TO VFR AS THE CLOUD COVER DECREASE THIS AFTERNOON. KALS WILL CONTINUE TO HAVE VFR CONDITIONS THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING...WITH SOME GUSTY NW WINDS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGH THE AFTERNOON. && .PUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... FREEZE WATCH FROM LATE TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING FOR COZ083-086-089-093>099. && $$ UPDATE...LW AVIATION...28
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS PUEBLO CO
734 AM MDT FRI OCT 18 2013 .UPDATE... ISSUED AT 732 AM MDT FRI OCT 18 2013 UPDATED FRONT END OF FORECASTS TO REFLECT CURRENT OBSERVATIONS AND TRENDS. NO MAJOR CHANGES TO FORECAST AT THIS TIME. LW && .SHORT TERM...(TODAY AND TONIGHT) ISSUED AT 527 AM MDT FRI OCT 18 2013 ...HIT AND RUN STORM ON THE WAY... IT`S ON OUR DOORSTEP. THE SHORTWAVE THAT HAS BEEN HEADED OUR WAY IS ABOUT TO ARRIVE. MULTIPLE LATE NIGHT TWEETS INDICATE SNOW HAS SPREAD QUICKLY SOUTH ACROSS THE NORTHERN FRONT RANGE URBAN CORRIDOR AND NORTHEAST PLAINS THIS MORNING. RADAR AND SURFACE REPORTS INDICATE THAT SNOW HAS ALREADY SPREAD INTO THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS...INCLUDING LEADVILLE AND MONARCH PASS...AND IT IS JUST NOW CROSSING THE PALMER DIVIDE INTO NORTHERN TELLER AND NORTHERN EL PASO COUNTIES. ALL FORECAST MODELS AGREE THAT SNOW WILL MOVE INTO TELLER AND EL PASO COUNTIES THIS MORNING...WITH A MIXTURE OF RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS SPREADING SOUTH ACROSS THE REST OF THE EASTERN MOUNTAINS AND PLAINS. THE GFS...AND TO A LESSER EXTENT...THE NAM HAVE BEEN GRADUALLY TRENDING BACK TOWARD BETTER CHANCES FOR PRECIPITATION OVER THE EASTERN MOUNTAINS AND PLAINS THAN THEY WERE 24 HOURS AGO. ADDITIONALLY...SHORT RANGE FORECASTS OFF OF THE HIGH RESOLUTION MODELS...INCLUDING THE HRRR AND THE WRF...ALSO SHOW AT LEAST SOME PRECIPITATION SPREADING SOUTH ACROSS MOST OF THE EASTERN MOUNTAINS AND PLAINS THIS MORNING. NONE OF THE MODELS HAVE ANYTHING VERY HEAVY...BUT THEY DO HAVE SOME LIGHT TO LOCALLY MODERATE AMOUNTS. RIGHT NOW...BEST BET IS FOR 1 TO 3 INCHES OF SNOW OVER THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS AND PIKES PEAK...LOCAL 1 TO 2 INCHES AMOUNTS ACROSS TELLER AND EL PASO COUNTIES...AND GENERALLY AN INCH OR LESS ACROSS THE REST OF THE EASTERN MOUNTAINS AND PLAINS. PRECIP BELOW 5500 FEET WILL PROBABLY COME AS A MIXTURE OF RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS...WHICH SHOULD HELP TO LIMIT ACCUMULATIONS. ELEVATIONS ABOVE 5500 FEET WILL SEE MOSTLY SNOW AND THE BEST CHANCES FOR ACCUMULATION. SECOND ONLY TO THE PIKES PEAK REGION...THE FAR EASTERN PLAINS ALONG THE KANSAS BORDER WILL SEE SOME OF THE BETTER ODDS FOR PRECIPITATION TODAY. LIGHT SNOW IS ALREADY FALLING AT BURLINGTON AND RADAR SHOWS DEVELOPING PRECIPITATION OVER NORTHEAST KIOWA COUNTY AT THIS TIME. THIS DEVELOPMENT SHOULD CONTINUE SOUTHWARD THROUGH THE MORNING INTO THE EARLY AFTERNOON HOURS. TEMPERATURES WILL BE A BIT BORDERLINE FOR MUCH IN THE WAY OF SNOW ACCUMULATION...BUT COULD BE SOME SPOTTY LIGHT AMOUNTS...ESPECIALLY ON GRASSY AREAS. EVERYTHING SHIFTS EAST OF THE AREA AFTER ABOUT 2 OR 3 IN THE AFTERNOON...SETTING THE STAGE FOR ANOTHER COLD NIGHT ACROSS SOUTHERN COLORADO. A FREEZE WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR A LARGE PART OF SOUTHEAST COLORADO FOR TONIGHT. LW .LONG TERM...(SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY) ISSUED AT 527 AM MDT FRI OCT 18 2013 NOT MANY METEOROLOGICAL LONGER TERM ADJUSTMENTS NEEDED FROM EARLIER FORECAST THINKING AS A GENERALLY DRY AND MILD LONGER TERM PATTERN IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP OVER THE FORECAST DISTRICT. FROM SATURDAY INTO THURSDAY...LATER COMPUTER SIMULATIONS CONTINUE TO SUGGEST THAT A GENERALLY DRY AND MILD NORTHWESTERLY TO NORTHERLY UPPER FLOW PATTERN WILL BE NOTED OVER THE CWFA THANKS TO AN UPPER RIDGING PATTERN BUILDING OVER THE WESTERN UNITED STATES DURING THIS TIME-FRAME. AT THIS TIME...IT APPEARS THAT THE HIGHEST POTENTIAL FOR SHOWER ACTIVITY DURING THE LONGER TERM OVER THE FORECAST DISTRICT WILL OCCUR FROM LATER SUNDAY INTO MONDAY...ESPECIALLY OVER NORTHERN SECTIONS AS AN UPPER DISTURBANCE INTERACTS WITH A SURFACE NORTHERLY TO NORTHEASTERLY SURGE. MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM TEMPERATURES DURING THE LONGER TERM SHOULD BASICALLY RUN NEAR TO A FEW DEGREES ABOVE LATE OCTOBER CLIMATOLOGICAL AVERAGES...ALTHOUGH TEMPERATURES BELOW SEASONAL AVERAGES ARE ANTICIPATED MONDAY IN WAKE OF NORTHERLY/NORTHEASTERLY SURGE AND UPPER DISTURBANCE. FINALLY...LOW-GRADE GRADIENT WINDS ARE STILL ANTICIPATED OVER THE MAJORITY OF THE FORECAST DISTRICT DURING THE LONGER TERM. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 12Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z SATURDAY MORNING) ISSUED AT 527 AM MDT FRI OCT 18 2013 FALL STORM SYSTEM WILL MOVE THROUGH CENTRAL AND EASTERN COLORADO THROUGH EARLY AFTERNOON...AND THEN SHIFT EAST OF THE AREA AFTER ABOUT 21Z. STORM SYSTEM WILL BRING SNOW SHOWERS TO THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS AND PIKES PEAK REGION 12Z-18Z...WITH ACTIVITY LINGERING OVER THE EASTERN PLAINS AS LATE AS 21Z. AREAS OF MVFR/IFR/LIFR CONDITIONS WILL BE POSSIBLE IN CLOUDS AND PRECIPITATION. THIS INCLUDES THE KCOS TAF...AND WITH LESS CERTAINTY...THE KPUB TAF. CONDITIONS WILL LIKELY RETURN TO VFR AT THESE 2 SITES...ROUGHLY 16Z-18Z...AS THE SYSTEM SHIFTS EAST OF THE AREA. KALS SHOULD BE WEST OF THE ACTION WITH THIS EVENT...AND REMAIN VFR FOR THE DURATION. THIS GOES FOR THE BULK OF THE SAN LUIS VALLEY AND SOUTHWEST MOUNTAIN AREAS...WHERE ONLY SOME SPOTTY LIGHT RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS PARTICULAR STORM. LW && .PUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... FREEZE WATCH FROM LATE TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING FOR COZ083-086-089-093>099. && $$ UPDATE...LW
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS PUEBLO CO
533 AM MDT FRI OCT 18 2013 .SHORT TERM...(TODAY AND TONIGHT) ISSUED AT 527 AM MDT FRI OCT 18 2013 ...HIT AND RUN STORM ON THE WAY... IT`S ON OUR DOORSTEP. THE SHORTWAVE THAT HAS BEEN HEADED OUR WAY IS ABOUT TO ARRIVE. MULTIPLE LATE NIGHT TWEETS INDICATE SNOW HAS SPREAD QUICKLY SOUTH ACROSS THE NORTHERN FRONT RANGE URBAN CORRIDOR AND NORTHEAST PLAINS THIS MORNING. RADAR AND SURFACE REPORTS INDICATE THAT SNOW HAS ALREADY SPREAD INTO THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS...INCLUDING LEADVILLE AND MONARCH PASS...AND IT IS JUST NOW CROSSING THE PALMER DIVIDE INTO NORTHERN TELLER AND NORTHERN EL PASO COUNTIES. ALL FORECAST MODELS AGREE THAT SNOW WILL MOVE INTO TELLER AND EL PASO COUNTIES THIS MORNING...WITH A MIXTURE OF RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS SPREADING SOUTH ACROSS THE REST OF THE EASTERN MOUNTAINS AND PLAINS. THE GFS...AND TO A LESSER EXTENT...THE NAM HAVE BEEN GRADUALLY TRENDING BACK TOWARD BETTER CHANCES FOR PRECIPITATION OVER THE EASTERN MOUNTAINS AND PLAINS THAN THEY WERE 24 HOURS AGO. ADDITIONALLY...SHORT RANGE FORECASTS OFF OF THE HIGH RESOLUTION MODELS...INCLUDING THE HRRR AND THE WRF...ALSO SHOW AT LEAST SOME PRECIPITATION SPREADING SOUTH ACROSS MOST OF THE EASTERN MOUNTAINS AND PLAINS THIS MORNING. NONE OF THE MODELS HAVE ANYTHING VERY HEAVY...BUT THEY DO HAVE SOME LIGHT TO LOCALLY MODERATE AMOUNTS. RIGHT NOW...BEST BET IS FOR 1 TO 3 INCHES OF SNOW OVER THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS AND PIKES PEAK...LOCAL 1 TO 2 INCHES AMOUNTS ACROSS TELLER AND EL PASO COUNTIES...AND GENERALLY AN INCH OR LESS ACROSS THE REST OF THE EASTERN MOUNTAINS AND PLAINS. PRECIP BELOW 5500 FEET WILL PROBABLY COME AS A MIXTURE OF RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS...WHICH SHOULD HELP TO LIMIT ACCUMULATIONS. ELEVATIONS ABOVE 5500 FEET WILL SEE MOSTLY SNOW AND THE BEST CHANCES FOR ACCUMULATION. SECOND ONLY TO THE PIKES PEAK REGION...THE FAR EASTERN PLAINS ALONG THE KANSAS BORDER WILL SEE SOME OF THE BETTER ODDS FOR PRECIPITATION TODAY. LIGHT SNOW IS ALREADY FALLING AT BURLINGTON AND RADAR SHOWS DEVELOPING PRECIPITATION OVER NORTHEAST KIOWA COUNTY AT THIS TIME. THIS DEVELOPMENT SHOULD CONTINUE SOUTHWARD THROUGH THE MORNING INTO THE EARLY AFTERNOON HOURS. TEMPERATURES WILL BE A BIT BORDERLINE FOR MUCH IN THE WAY OF SNOW ACCUMULATION...BUT COULD BE SOME SPOTTY LIGHT AMOUNTS...ESPECIALLY ON GRASSY AREAS. EVERYTHING SHIFTS EAST OF THE AREA AFTER ABOUT 2 OR 3 IN THE AFTERNOON...SETTING THE STAGE FOR ANOTHER COLD NIGHT ACROSS SOUTHERN COLORADO. A FREEZE WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR A LARGE PART OF SOUTHEAST COLORADO FOR TONIGHT. LW .LONG TERM...(SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY) ISSUED AT 527 AM MDT FRI OCT 18 2013 NOT MANY METEOROLOGICAL LONGER TERM ADJUSTMENTS NEEDED FROM EARLIER FORECAST THINKING AS A GENERALLY DRY AND MILD LONGER TERM PATTERN IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP OVER THE FORECAST DISTRICT. FROM SATURDAY INTO THURSDAY...LATER COMPUTER SIMULATIONS CONTINUE TO SUGGEST THAT A GENERALLY DRY AND MILD NORTHWESTERLY TO NORTHERLY UPPER FLOW PATTERN WILL BE NOTED OVER THE CWFA THANKS TO AN UPPER RIDGING PATTERN BUILDING OVER THE WESTERN UNITED STATES DURING THIS TIME-FRAME. AT THIS TIME...IT APPEARS THAT THE HIGHEST POTENTIAL FOR SHOWER ACTIVITY DURING THE LONGER TERM OVER THE FORECAST DISTRICT WILL OCCUR FROM LATER SUNDAY INTO MONDAY...ESPECIALLY OVER NORTHERN SECTIONS AS AN UPPER DISTURBANCE INTERACTS WITH A SURFACE NORTHERLY TO NORTHEASTERLY SURGE. MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM TEMPERATURES DURING THE LONGER TERM SHOULD BASICALLY RUN NEAR TO A FEW DEGREES ABOVE LATE OCTOBER CLIMATOLOGICAL AVERAGES...ALTHOUGH TEMPERATURES BELOW SEASONAL AVERAGES ARE ANTICIPATED MONDAY IN WAKE OF NORTHERLY/NORTHEASTERLY SURGE AND UPPER DISTURBANCE. FINALLY...LOW-GRADE GRADIENT WINDS ARE STILL ANTICIPATED OVER THE MAJORITY OF THE FORECAST DISTRICT DURING THE LONGER TERM. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 12Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z SATURDAY MORNING) ISSUED AT 527 AM MDT FRI OCT 18 2013 FALL STORM SYSTEM WILL MOVE THROUGH CENTRAL AND EASTERN COLORADO THROUGH EARLY AFTERNOON...AND THEN SHIFT EAST OF THE AREA AFTER ABOUT 21Z. STORM SYSTEM WILL BRING SNOW SHOWERS TO THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS AND PIKES PEAK REGION 12Z-18Z...WITH ACTIVITY LINGERING OVER THE EASTERN PLAINS AS LATE AS 21Z. AREAS OF MVFR/IFR/LIFR CONDITIONS WILL BE POSSIBLE IN CLOUDS AND PRECIPITATION. THIS INCLUDES THE KCOS TAF...AND WITH LESS CERTAINTY...THE KPUB TAF. CONDITIONS WILL LIKELY RETURN TO VFR AT THESE 2 SITES...ROUGHLY 16Z-18Z...AS THE SYSTEM SHIFTS EAST OF THE AREA. KALS SHOULD BE WEST OF THE ACTION WITH THIS EVENT...AND REMAIN VFR FOR THE DURATION. THIS GOES FOR THE BULK OF THE SAN LUIS VALLEY AND SOUTHWEST MOUNTAIN AREAS...WHERE ONLY SOME SPOTTY LIGHT RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS PARTICULAR STORM. LW && .PUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... FREEZE WATCH FROM LATE TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING FOR COZ083-086-089-093>099. && $$
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS TAUNTON MA
655 AM EDT FRI OCT 18 2013 .SYNOPSIS... AFTER SHOWERS AND CLOUDS CLEAR OUT EARLY THIS MORNING DRY WEATHER RETURNS INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK...OTHER THAN A FEW SHOWERS POSSIBLE SATURDAY NIGHT. UNSEASONABLY CHILLY WEATHER FOR LATE OCTOBER WILL ARRIVE BY LATE NEXT WEEK. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 PM THIS EVENING/... 7 AM UPDATE... COLD FRONT IS MOVING OFFSHORE ALONG THE EAST MASS COAST. SOME LINGERING CLOUDS IN RI AND EASTERN MASS BUT MOSTLY OVER THE CAPE AND ISLANDS. THESE CLOUDS SHOULD MOVE OFFSHORE THIS MORNING. ANOTHER AREA OF CLOUDS MOVING FROM NEW YORK STATE INTO WESTERN MASS AND VERMONT...AND WILL REACH PORTIONS OF CT AND SOUTHWEST NH THIS MORNING. EXPECT THESE CLOUDS TO DIMINISH DURING THE MORNING. FORECAST TEMPS AND DEWPTS WERE ABOUT 3F TOO COOL AT 6 AM. WE ADJUSTED THEM HIGHER WITH HELP FROM THE HRRR FIELDS. NO CHANGE TO FORECAST HIGH TEMPS AT THIS TIME. PREVIOUS DISCUSSION... GIVEN SKIES SHOULD TEND TOWARD SKC EVERYWHERE NOT LONG AFTER SUNRISE...MIXING TO H85 IS EXPECTED AS A RIDGE OF HIGH PRES APPROACHES FROM THE SW. TEMPS AT H85 AVERAGE AROUND +5C...SO EXPECT ANOTHER MILD MID OCTOBER DAY WITH HIGH TEMPS IN THE UPPER 60S AND LOWER 70S. MAY FEEL A BIT COOLER HOWEVER...AS BRISK W FLOW DEVELOPS. BL MIXING SHOULD BE ABLE TO TAP A 20-30 KT LLJ...SO WIND GUSTS OF 20-30 MPH ARE POSSIBLE THROUGHOUT THE DAY. && .SHORT TERM /6 PM THIS EVENING THROUGH 6 PM SATURDAY/... TONIGHT... RIDGE OF HIGH PRES BOTH AT THE SFC AND ALOFT WILL GRADUALLY CREST OVER THE REGION DURING THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. DRY SOUNDINGS SUGGEST MAINLY CLEAR TO PARTLY CLOUDY SKIES ARE A GOOD BET FOR THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. MASS FIELDS ALSO SUPPORT A RAPIDLY SLACKENING PRES GRADIENT AFTER 00Z...SO DO EXPECT A DECENT SETUP FOR OVERNIGHT RADIATIONAL COOLING. THEREFORE...DESPITE WARM DAY TEMPS TODAY...MINS ARE LIKELY TO DIP INTO THE LOW TO MID 40S AT SEVERAL LOCATIONS /WARMER...CLOSER TO 50 IN URBAN AREAS/. WHILE THESE WILL LIKELY FEEL COOL IN RELATION TO THE LAST COUPLE OF NIGHTS...THEY ARE FAIRLY CLOSE TO NORMAL FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR. SAT... A SEASONABLY COOL START WITH A FAIR AMOUNT OF SUNSHINE WILL GRADUALLY GIVE WAY TO INCREASING CLOUDINESS FROM BOTH THE S AND THE W AS TWO SEPARATE SHORTWAVE APPROACH FROM EACH OF THESE DIRECTIONS. ATTM...SAT SHOULD REMAIN MOSTLY DRY AS THESE WAVES ARE UNLIKELY TO PHASE AND HIGH PRES RIDGING REMAINS IN CONTROL WITH DECENT SUBSIDENCE ALOFT. MIXING LOOKS TO REACH CLOSE TO H85 AGAIN SUN...WITH TEMPS AT THIS LVL SIMILAR TO FRI. HOWEVER...THE INCREASE IN LATE DAY CLOUDS AND A COOLER START MAY MITIGATE DIURNAL TEMP INCREASE A BIT. THEREFORE...HAVE HIGHS A SHADE COOLER THAN FRI. MAINLY MID TO UPPER 60S. && .LONG TERM /SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY/... BIG PICTURE... THE PATTERN FOR NEXT WEEK IS DOMINATED BY MIDCONTINENT UPPER TROUGH WHICH SHIFTS EASTWARD MIDWEEK. ONE SHORTWAVE EJECTS FROM THE TROUGH AND MOVES ACROSS NEW ENGLAND SATURDAY NIGHT/SUNDAY MORNING. A SECOND SHORTWAVE MOVES SOUTH FROM THE CANADIAN ARCTIC AND THEN DIGS INTO THE BASE OF THE TROUGH MONDAY NIGHT...THEN EJECTS THROUGH NEW ENGLAND TUESDAY/TUESDAY NIGHT. THIS PATTERN FAVORS COLDER THAN NORMAL TEMPERATURES ESPECIALLY WEDNESDAY- THURSDAY. THE DAILIES... SATURDAY NIGHT... THE FIRST SHORTWAVE NOTED ABOVE PUSHES A COLD FRONT ACROSS THE REGION. BOTH GFS AND ECMWF SHOW A STRONG 140 KNOT UPPER JET MOVING FROM THE OHIO VALLEY ACROSS NEW ENGLAND. NORTHERN NEW ENGLAND IS FAVORED FOR UPPER VENTING IN THE LEFT EXIT REGION OF THIS JET. THE TRAILING RIGHT ENTRANCE REGION OF THE JET MOVES ACROSS SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND DURING THE LATTER PART OF THE NIGHT. MODEL CROSS SECTIONS ALSO SHOW A DEEP BUT THREADY COLUMN OF MOISTURE LEADING THE COLD FRONT WITH A WEAK 1-2 MICROBAR/SEC LIFT. THIS ALLOWS CONFIDENCE OF SCATTERED SHOWERS/CHANCE POPS WITH THE FRONTAL PASSAGE BUT WITH HIGHER VALUES IN UPSTATE NY/VERMONT/NORTHERN NEW HAMPSHIRE. THIS PATTERN BEARS RESEMBLANCE TO THE FRONTAL PASSAGE OCCURRING AS THIS IS WRITTEN. TEMPS ARE A BLEND OF MOS VALUES. SUNDAY... COLD ADVECTION ON WEST TO NORTHWEST WINDS WILL BRING DRYING AND CLEARING SKIES. THE PASSING SHORTWAVE HAS A NOTICEABLE COLD POOL THAT MOVES ACROSS NORTHERN NEW ENGLAND...AND WHICH COULD CLIP OUR AREA ESPECIALLY NORTH OF THE MASS PIKE. MOISTURE FIELDS SHOW 70+% RELATIVE HUMIDITY IN THE 800-900 MB LAYER. THE MOISTURE AND DESTABILIZATION SHOULD LEAD TO SOME CLOUD DEVELOPMENT DURING THE DAY. TEMPS ALOFT AT THE TOP OF THE MIXED LAYER SHOULD SUPPORT MAX SURFACE TEMPS IN THE UPPER 50S TO MID 60S. WINDS IN THIS MIXED LAYER ARE FORECAST AT 15-20 KNOTS WHICH IS MUCH HIGHER THAN MODEL WIND GUST FORECASTS...WE BUMPED GUSTS UP ABOUT 5-8KTS TO REFLECT THIS WIND POTENTIAL. SUNDAY NIGHT...HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS IN FROM THE SOUTHWEST. THIS SHOULD PROVIDE MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES AND LIGHT WINDS. DEWPOINTS WILL BE IN THE MID 30S...SO MIN TEMPS SHOULD REACH THIS LEVEL ACROSS A WIDE AREA. POTENTIAL FOR WIDESPREAD FROST. MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY... HIGH PRESSURE IN CONTROL MONDAY WITH DRY COOL WEATHER. THE SECOND UPPER SHORTWAVE PUSHES A COLD FRONT ACROSS NEW ENGLAND TUESDAY OR TUESDAY EVENING. UPPER SUPPORT IS SUFFICIENT FOR SHOWERS BUT MOISTURE IS LIMITED. SO WE HAVE LOW-END CHANCE POPS. THE UPPER TROUGH AND COLD POOL WILL LINGER IN THE VICINITY WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY WHICH MAY LEAD TO MORE SKY COVER THAN IS CURRENTLY IN THE FORECAST. IT WILL ALSO MEAN COLDER TEMPS THAN ON MONDAY AND TUESDAY. && .AVIATION /12Z FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/... FORECASTER CONFIDENCE LEVELS... LOW...LESS THAN 30 PERCENT. MODERATE...30 TO 60 PERCENT. HIGH...GREATER THAN 60 PERCENT. SHORT TERM /THROUGH SATURDAY/... HIGH CONFIDENCE IN TRENDS. LOWER CONFIDENCE IN EXACT TIMING OF IMPROVEMENT THIS MORNING. LINGERING CIGS 500-1000 FEET OVER THE CAPE AND ISLANDS AT SUNRISE. BUT THE CLEARING LINE IS PROGRESSING EAST AND SHOULD MOVE OFFSHORE BY 8 AM. A SECOND BATCH OF LOW CLOUDS OVER THE BERKSHIRES IS MOVING INTO THE CT VALLEY. BUT EXPECT THE DOWNHILL MOTION TO WARM THE AIR AND EVAPORATE THE LOWER PORTIONS OF THESE CLOUDS...SO EXPECT VFR CIGS OVER THE CT VALLEY THIS MORNING. THESE CLOUDS SHOULD BREAK AS THEY MOVE EAST. VFR THE REMAINDER OF THE DAY. PATCHY FOG POSSIBLE TONIGHT IN THE USUAL PROTECTED VALLEYS. CIGS AT OR BELOW 500 FEET IN FOG AREAS AND VSBYS 1 MILE OR LESS. INCREASING CLOUDS SATURDAY AS A COLD FRONT APPROACHES FROM THE GREAT LAKES. BUT MOSTLY HIGH-BASED CLOUDS THROUGH THE DAY. VFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED. WEST WINDS WILL DRAW GUSTS OF 20-30 KT TO THE SURFACE...DIMINISHING THIS EVENING. WEAKER WIND TONIGHT AND SAT. KBOS TERMINAL...HIGH CONFIDENCE IN TAF TRENDS...WEST WINDS GUST 20-30 KT AT TIMES TODAY...ABOUT 10 TO 20 DEGREES EITHER SIDE OF 270. KBDL TERMINAL...HIGH CONFIDENCE IN TRENDS...WEST WINDS GUST UP TO 20-25 KT AT TIMES TODAY. OUTLOOK...SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY... MODERATE CONFIDENCE. COLD FRONTS WILL MOVE ACROSS THE REGION ON SATURDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY WITH POTENTIAL MVFR/IFR CIGS/VSBYS IN SHOWERS EACH TIME. OTHERWISE VFR THROUGH THE PERIOD. WEST TO NORTHWEST WINDS SUNDAY MAY GUST AROUND 20 KNOTS. SOUTHWEST WINDS TUESDAY MAY GUST 20-25 KNOTS. && .MARINE... FORECASTER CONFIDENCE LEVELS... LOW...LESS THAN 30 PERCENT. MODERATE...30 TO 60 PERCENT. HIGH...GREATER THAN 60 PERCENT. SHORT TERM /THROUGH SATURDAY/...HIGH CONFIDENCE. THROUGH TONIGHT... BUILDING SEAS WILL CONTINUE RISE THROUGH MID AFTERNOON BUT THEN BEGIN TO DECLINE UNDER WESTERLY BREEZES. SEAS WILL DROP BELOW 5 FT ON OCEAN WATERS LATE TONIGHT. OTHERWISE...W WINDS INCREASE DURING THE DAYLIGHT HOURS TODAY...WITH SOME GUSTS 25-30 KT POSSIBLE...ESPECIALLY NEAR SHORES. SMALL CRAFT ADVISORIES CONTINUE THROUGH THE DAY TODAY OVER ALL WATERS. THEN DROP OFF DURING THE OVERNIGHT TONIGHT. SATURDAY... HIGH PRES OVER THE WATERS WILL LEAD TO GENERALLY QUIET BOATING WEATHER...SEAS WILL REMAIN BELOW 5 FT AND SW WINDS GUST UP TO 15 KT. OUTLOOK...SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY... MODERATE CONFIDENCE SATURDAY NIGHT-SUNDAY...A COLD FRONT MOVES ACROSS THE WATERS SATURDAY NIGHT. WEST TO NORTHWEST WINDS TRAILING THE FRONT MAY GUST TO 25 KNOTS ON SUNDAY. A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY MAY BE NEEDED. MONDAY-TUESDAY...HIGH PRESSURE AND FAIR WEATHER MONDAY SHOULD KEEP WINDS AND SEAS QUIET. AN APPROACHING COLD FRONT TUESDAY WILL BRING SCATTERED SHOWERS. SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL INCREASE AHEAD OF THE FRONT WITH GUSTS OF 25-30 KNOTS. THIS WILL BUILD SEAS WITH 5 TO 7 FOOT HEIGHTS ON THE EXPOSED WATERS. A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY MAY BE NEEDED TUESDAY. && .BOX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... CT...NONE. MA...NONE. NH...NONE. RI...NONE. MARINE...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 8 PM EDT THIS EVENING FOR ANZ231>234-251. SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FROM 11 AM THIS MORNING TO 8 PM EDT THIS EVENING FOR ANZ230-236. SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 2 AM EDT SATURDAY FOR ANZ235-237. SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 5 AM EDT SATURDAY FOR ANZ250- 254>256. && $$ SYNOPSIS...WTB/DOODY NEAR TERM...WTB/DOODY SHORT TERM...DOODY LONG TERM...WTB AVIATION...WTB/DOODY MARINE...WTB/DOODY
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS COLUMBIA SC
1015 PM EDT SAT OCT 19 2013 .SYNOPSIS... DRYING WILL OCCUR BEHIND A COLD FRONT TONIGHT. HIGH PRESSURE WILL DOMINATE SUNDAY INTO MONDAY. LOW PRESSURE WILL DEVELOP ON A STALLED FRONTAL BOUNDARY OFFSHORE BY LATE MONDAY BRINGING ANOTHER CHANCE FOR RAIN TUESDAY. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM SUNDAY MORNING/... THE LATEST ANALYSIS SHOWED DRY AIR ADVECTION. SCATTERED SHOWERS AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT HAVE SHIFTED EAST OF THE FORECAST AREA. FURTHER DRYING WILL OCCUR BEHIND THE COLD FRONT DURING THE EARLY MORNING HOURS. THERE MAY BE JUST ENOUGH MOISTURE FOR A FEW ADDITIONAL SHOWERS AS THE COLD FRONT REACHES THE EAST PART OF THE FORECAST AREA. THE HRRR INDICATES SHOWER COVERAGE INCREASING IN THE LOWCOUNTRY. WE HAVE KEPT A SMALL SHOWER CHANCE IN THE EAST PART OVERNIGHT. THE TEMPERATURE GUIDANCE MAY BE A LITTLE TOO COOL BECAUSE OF MIXING. && .SHORT TERM /6 AM SUNDAY MORNING THROUGH MONDAY/... DRY HIGH PRESSURE WILL BRING MORE SEASONABLE CONDITIONS TO THE REGION. TEMPERATURES SHOULD BE CLOSE TO NORMAL WITH HIGHS IN THE LOWER TO MIDDLE 70S. LOWS WILL BE BELOW NORMAL SUNDAY NIGHT...FALLING INTO THE 40S IN MANY LOCATIONS. && .LONG TERM /MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY/... AN UPPER-LEVEL LOW OVER THE GREAT LAKES REGION WILL MOVE NORTHEAST ACROSS EASTERN CANADA DURING THE EXTENDED PERIOD. SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE WILL MOVE OFF THE EAST COAST MONDAY NIGHT AS A COLD FRONT APPROACHES FROM THE WEST. ISENTROPIC LIFT/MOISTURE FLUX WILL INCREASE FROM THE SOUTH DUE TO A STALLED FRONT ACROSS THE GULF COAST STATES. ALSO FORCING WILL BE PROVIDED BY UPPER DIVERGENCE IN THE RIGHT ENTRANCE REGION OF A STRENGTHENING JET. THESE FACTORS WILL BRING A CHANCE OF SHOWERS TO THE FORECAST AREA MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY. THE COLD FRONT WILL CROSS OUR AREA BY LATE TUESDAY. COOL AND DRY HIGH PRESSURE WILL RETURN WEDNESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. EXPECT BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES FOR THE LATTER HALF OF THE WEEK. && .AVIATION /02Z SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/... VFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED THROUGH THE NEXT 24 HOURS. A WEAK COLD FRONT WILL CROSS THE AREA AFTER 06Z TURNING WINDS MORE NORTHERLY AND EVENTUALLY NORTHEASTERLY AFTER 12Z AS HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS IN FROM THE NORTH. WESTERLY FLOW ABOVE THE SURFACE YIELDING WEAK DOWNSLOPE COMPONENT WITH DRIER AIR WORKING IN SO DO NOT EXPECT ANY RESTRICTIONS WITH THE FRONT OR POST FRONT. SHOWERS HAVE ALL SHIFTED EAST OF THE AREA SO ONLY BROKEN MID AND HIGH CLOUDS EXPECTED THROUGH THE PERIOD. LOW LEVEL JET OVERNIGHT WILL HELP KEEP BOUNDARY LAYER MIXED PREVENTING FOG FORMATION. NORTHEAST WINDS AROUND 5 TO 8 MPH AFTER 14Z. EXTENDED AVIATION OUTLOOK...NO IMPACTS TO AVIATION EXPECTED THROUGH MONDAY. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND ASSOCIATED RESTRICTIONS TUESDAY. && .CAE WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... SC...NONE. GA...NONE. && $$
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS COLUMBIA SC
825 PM EDT SAT OCT 19 2013 .SYNOPSIS... A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH THE AREA TONIGHT. LOW PRESSURE WILL DEVELOP ON A STALLED FRONTAL BOUNDARY OFFSHORE BY LATE MONDAY BRINGING ANOTHER CHANCE FOR RAIN TUESDAY. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM SUNDAY MORNING/... CONVERGENCE ASSOCIATED WITH THE COLD FRONT AND A MID-LEVEL SHORTWAVE TROUGH WERE HELPING TO SUPPORT A FEW SHOWERS IN THE EAST PART OF THE FORECAST AREA. THE HRRR KEEPS SHOWERS IN THE EAST PART FOR MUCH OF THE NIGHT. THE SPC WRF SHOWS ISOLATED SHOWERS EXITING THE EAST PART BY MIDNIGHT. RADAR TRENDS SUPPORT THE FASTER TIMING. EXPECT FURTHER DRYING BEHIND THE FRONT OVERNIGHT. THE TEMPERATURE GUIDANCE MAY BE A LITTLE TOO COOL BECAUSE OF MIXING. && .SHORT TERM /6 AM SUNDAY MORNING THROUGH MONDAY/... DRY HIGH PRESSURE WILL BRING MORE SEASONABLE CONDITIONS TO THE REGION. TEMPERATURES SHOULD BE CLOSE TO NORMAL WITH HIGHS IN THE LOWER TO MIDDLE 70S. LOWS WILL BE BELOW NORMAL SUNDAY NIGHT...FALLING INTO THE 40S IN MANY LOCATIONS. && .LONG TERM /MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY/... AN UPPER-LEVEL LOW OVER THE GREAT LAKES REGION WILL MOVE NORTHEAST ACROSS EASTERN CANADA DURING THE EXTENDED PERIOD. SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE WILL MOVE OFF THE EAST COAST MONDAY NIGHT AS A COLD FRONT APPROACHES FROM THE WEST. ISENTROPIC LIFT/MOISTURE FLUX WILL INCREASE FROM THE SOUTH DUE TO A STALLED FRONT ACROSS THE GULF COAST STATES. ALSO FORCING WILL BE PROVIDED BY UPPER DIVERGENCE IN THE RIGHT ENTRANCE REGION OF A STRENGTHENING JET. THESE FACTORS WILL BRING A CHANCE OF SHOWERS TO THE FORECAST AREA MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY. THE COLD FRONT WILL CROSS OUR AREA BY LATE TUESDAY. COOL AND DRY HIGH PRESSURE WILL RETURN WEDNESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. EXPECT BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES FOR THE LATTER HALF OF THE WEEK. && .AVIATION /01Z SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/... VFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED THROUGH THE NEXT 24 HOURS. A WEAK COLD FRONT WILL CROSS THE AREA AFTER 06Z TURNING WINDS MORE NORTHERLY AND EVENTUALLY NORTHEASTERLY AFTER 12Z AS HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS IN FROM THE NORTH. WESTERLY FLOW ABOVE THE SURFACE YIELDING WEAK DOWNSLOPE COMPONENT WITH DRIER AIR WORKING IN SO DO NOT EXPECT ANY RESTRICTIONS WITH THE FRONT OR POST FRONT. SHOWERS HAVE ALL SHIFTED EAST OF THE AREA SO ONLY BROKEN MID AND HIGH CLOUDS EXPECTED THROUGH THE PERIOD. LOW LEVEL JET OVERNIGHT WILL HELP KEEP BOUNDARY LAYER MIXED PREVENTING FOG FORMATION. NORTHEAST WINDS AROUND 5 TO 8 MPH AFTER 14Z. EXTENDED AVIATION OUTLOOK...NO IMPACTS TO AVIATION EXPECTED THROUGH MONDAY. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND ASSOCIATED RESTRICTIONS TUESDAY. && .CAE WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... SC...NONE. GA...NONE. && $$
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS COLUMBIA SC
745 PM EDT SAT OCT 19 2013 .SYNOPSIS... A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH THE AREA TONIGHT. LOW PRESSURE WILL DEVELOP ON A STALLED FRONTAL BOUNDARY OFFSHORE BY LATE MONDAY BRINGING ANOTHER CHANCE FOR RAIN TUESDAY. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM SUNDAY MORNING/... CONVERGENCE ASSOCIATED WITH THE COLD FRONT AND A MID-LEVEL SHORTWAVE TROUGH WERE HELPING TO SUPPORT SCATTERED SHOWERS. EXPECT COVERAGE WILL REMAIN SCATTERED BECAUSE OF LIMITED MOISTURE. THE HRRR KEEPS SHOWERS IN THE EAST PART FOR MUCH OF THE NIGHT. THE SPC WRF SHOWS ISOLATED SHOWERS EXITING THE EAST PART BY MIDNIGHT. RADAR TRENDS SUPPORT THE FASTER TIMING. EXPECT FURTHER DRYING BEHIND THE FRONT OVERNIGHT. THE TEMPERATURE GUIDANCE MAY BE A LITTLE TOO COOL BECAUSE OF MIXING. && .SHORT TERM /6 AM SUNDAY MORNING THROUGH MONDAY/... DRY HIGH PRESSURE WILL BRING MORE SEASONABLE CONDITIONS TO THE REGION. TEMPERATURES SHOULD BE CLOSE TO NORMAL WITH HIGHS IN THE LOWER TO MIDDLE 70S. LOWS WILL BE BELOW NORMAL SUNDAY NIGHT...FALLING INTO THE 40S IN MANY LOCATIONS. && .LONG TERM /MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY/... AN UPPER-LEVEL LOW OVER THE GREAT LAKES REGION WILL MOVE NORTHEAST ACROSS EASTERN CANADA DURING THE EXTENDED PERIOD. SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE WILL MOVE OFF THE EAST COAST MONDAY NIGHT AS A COLD FRONT APPROACHES FROM THE WEST. ISENTROPIC LIFT/MOISTURE FLUX WILL INCREASE FROM THE SOUTH DUE TO A STALLED FRONT ACROSS THE GULF COAST STATES. ALSO FORCING WILL BE PROVIDED BY UPPER DIVERGENCE IN THE RIGHT ENTRANCE REGION OF A STRENGTHENING JET. THESE FACTORS WILL BRING A CHANCE OF SHOWERS TO THE FORECAST AREA MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY. THE COLD FRONT WILL CROSS OUR AREA BY LATE TUESDAY. COOL AND DRY HIGH PRESSURE WILL RETURN WEDNESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. EXPECT BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES FOR THE LATTER HALF OF THE WEEK. && .AVIATION /00Z SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/... VFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED THROUGH THE NEXT 24 HOURS. A WEAK COLD FRONT WILL CROSS THE AREA AFTER 06Z TURNING WINDS MORE NORTHERLY AND EVENTUALLY NORTHEASTERLY AFTER 12Z AS HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS IN FROM THE NORTH. WESTERLY FLOW ABOVE THE SURFACE YIELDING WEAK DOWNSLOPE COMPONENT WITH DRIER AIR WORKING IN SO DO NOT EXPECT ANY RESTRICTIONS WITH THE FRONT OR POST FRONT. SHOWERS HAVE ALL SHIFTED EAST OF THE AREA SO ONLY BROKEN MID AND HIGH CLOUDS EXPECTED THROUGH THE PERIOD. LOW LEVEL JET OVERNIGHT WILL HELP KEEP BOUNDARY LAYER MIXED PREVENTING FOG FORMATION. NORTHEAST WINDS AROUND 5 TO 8 MPH AFTER 14Z. EXTENDED AVIATION OUTLOOK...NO IMPACTS TO AVIATION EXPECTED THROUGH MONDAY. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND ASSOCIATED RESTRICTIONS TUESDAY. && .CAE WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... SC...NONE. GA...NONE. && $$
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS CHARLESTON SC
1051 AM EDT FRI OCT 18 2013 .SYNOPSIS... A WEAK COLD FRONT WILL MOVE INTO THE AREA TODAY AND LINGER TONIGHT...AS A WAVE OF LOW PRESSURE DEVELOPS ALONG THE FRONT. THE FRONT WILL REMAIN POSITIONED ALONG THE SOUTHEAST COAST ON SATURDAY...SHIFTING OFFSHORE SUNDAY AS HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS EARLY NEXT WEEK. A WEAK WAVE OF LOW PRESSURE WILL MOVE NORTHEAST ALONG THE REMNANT OFFSHORE FRONT THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK. MUCH COOLER CANADIAN HIGH PRESSURE WILL MOVE IN FOR THE LATTER PART OF THE WEEK. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... LATEST SURFACE ANALYSIS PLACES A TROUGH ALONG THE SOUTHEAST COASTLINE THIS MORNING...WITH A WEAK FRONT HAVING PROGRESSED INTO THE FORECAST AREA. MOISTURE CONVERGENCE ALONG THE FRONTAL ZONE HAS ALLOWED A SWATH OF THICK CLOUD COVER TO SHIFT INTO THE REGION...AS PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES HAVE INCREASED TO AROUND 1.85 INCHES ACCORDING TO THE CHARLESTON SOUNDING. LIMITED UPPER LEVEL SUPPORT WITHIN SOME NEGATIVE VORTICITY ADVECTION HAS CONFINED SHOWER ACTIVITY TO A NARROW LINE CURRENTLY STRETCHING FROM SOUTHERN GEORGIA INTO CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA. THE WEAK FRONT WILL REMAIN STALLED OVER THE FORECAST AREA DURING THE DAYTIME HOURS AS IT BECOMES PARALLEL TO THE FLOW ALOFT AND FEELS THE EFFECTS OF A BLOCKING RIDGE FAR TO THE EAST/SOUTHEAST. DESPITE MOSTLY CLOUDY SKIES PREVAILING FOR MUCH OF THE DAY...TEMPERATURES WILL RISE WELL ABOVE SEASONAL NORMALS DUE TO PRE-FRONTAL COMPRESSION AND A MORE PERSISTENT WARM WESTERLY FLOW REGIME AHEAD OF THE SLOWING FRONT. A SEABREEZE CIRCULATION WILL ACTUALLY BECOME WELL-DEFINED AS A RESULT OF BOTH THESE WARMER CONDITIONS AND THE WEAK PRESSURE PATTERN WITHIN THE SURFACE TROUGH. THE MAIN QUESTION THEN BECOMES WHETHER INCREASED FORCING PRODUCED BY THE COMBINED EFFECTS OF THE SEABREEZE...LINGERING FRONT AND SURFACE TROUGH WILL BE SUFFICIENT TO SPREAD PRECIPITATION COVERAGE ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA DURING THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS. SHORT RANGE MODEL SOLUTIONS VARY IN COVERAGE DETAILS AND FAVORED LOCATIONS...YET THE GENERAL TREND IS FOR AT LEAST LIGHT SHOWER ACTIVITY TO GENERALLY SHIFT EAST/NORTHEAST AS THE DAY PROGRESSES...PERHAPS CONCENTRATING JUST INLAND OF THE COAST NEAR THE SEABREEZE. ONGOING PRECIPITATION FORECAST APPEARS ON TRACK WITH THIS SCENARIO...AND WILL LIKELY MAKE NO CHANGES WITH THE LATE MORNING UPDATE. RAP MODEL FORECAST FOR THIS AFTERNOON HINTS AT A SMALL AREA OF SLIGHTLY HIGHER INSTABILITY SLIPPING NORTH OF THE ALTAMAHA RIVER IN GEORGIA...WHERE LESS CLOUD COVER CURRENTLY PREVAILS THIS MORNING. THUS ISOLATED THUNDER COULD OCCUR GENERALLY SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 16...ESPECIALLY WHERE AN INTERACTION WITH THE SEABREEZE TAKES PLACE. HOWEVER...OVERALL RAINFALL AMOUNTS STILL LOOK RATHER UNIMPRESSIVE IN THE 0.05 TO 0.15 INCH RANGE. TONIGHT...A DEEP FEED OF SUB-TROPICAL MOISTURE WILL EXTEND ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST STATES...RESULTING IN PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES THAT WILL CLIMB TO NEARLY 2 STANDARD DEVIATIONS ABOVE MID OCTOBER LEVELS. THE COLD FRONT WILL INCH ITS WAY TOWARD THE COAST...ALTHOUGH THIS WILL BE A LABORING PROCESS AS SHORT WAVE ENERGY WILL ARRIVE FROM THE GULF AND TRIGGER THE DEVELOPMENT OF WEAK LOW PRESSURE ALONG THE FRONT. WATER VAPOR SATELLITE IMAGERY IS CLEARLY DEPICTING THE SHORT WAVE ENERGY AND FEED OF MOISTURE FROM TEXAS AND OLD MEXICO. THE WAVE OF LOW PRESSURE WILL RIDE NORTHEAST OVER THE EASTERN ZONES FROM ABOUT 03-09Z...BEFORE IT LIFTS AWAY LATE. THIS WILL ALLOW FOR THE COLD FRONT TO FINALLY SWING INTO THE NEARBY ATLANTIC BY 12Z SATURDAY. GIVEN BETTER DYNAMICS ALOFT...HAVE INCREASED RAIN CHANCES INTO THE 30-60 PERCENT RANGE...GREATEST NEAR THE TRACK OF THE SURFACE WAVE OVER EASTERN ZONES...MOST ESPECIALLY OVER CHARLESTON AND BERKELEY COUNTIES. LOW TEMPERATURES WILL BE AT THE WARMEST LEVELS FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE FORECAST PERIOD...DROPPING NO LOWER THAN THE LOW/MID 60S INLAND...TO THE UPPER 60S TO AROUND 70 CLOSER TO THE OCEAN. && .SHORT TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH MONDAY/... SATURDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT...THE PERIOD BEGINS WITH MUCH OF THE COUNTRY UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF A LONGWAVE MID/UPPER LEVEL TROUGH CENTERED ALONG THE MS VALLEY. THE EMBEDDED SHORTWAVE WILL DAMPEN OUT AS IT LIFTS TO THE NORTHEAST WITH THE FORECAST AREA REMAINING UNDER SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT THROUGH THE PERIOD. A COLD FRONT WILL START THE DAY IN THE VICINITY OF THE AREA...ROUGHLY ORIENTED ALONG THE SOUTHEAST COASTLINE. THE FRONT WILL SHIFT EASTWARD THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT AS HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE SOUTHERN PLAINS BUILDS IN FROM THE WEST. THE BEST TIME FOR PRECIP WILL BE SATURDAY MORNING ALONG THE SC COASTLINE THANKS TO SOME LOW LEVEL ISENTROPIC LIFT AND THE PRESENCE OF UPPER DIVERGENCE IN THE RIGHT ENTRANCE REGION OF A 130+ KT 300 MB JET. THE TREND IS THEN FOR POPS TO DECREASE THROUGH THE DAY AS DRIER AIR FILTERS IN AND THE FRONT SHIFTS OFFSHORE. I HAVE FAVORED POPS ALONG THE COAST IN THE HIGH CHANCE RANGE WITH A SMALL AREA OF LIKELY POPS FOR EASTERN BERKELEY AND CHARLESTON COUNTIES. TEMPS WILL BE HELD DOWN THANKS TO PLENTIFUL CLOUDS AND MORNING PRECIP...KEEPING HIGHS IN THE MID/UPPER 70S. OVERNIGHT...CLOUDS WILL GRADUALLY THIN AND DECREASE IN COVERAGE WITH A PRIMARILY DRY FORECAST OVER LAND. LOWS WILL FALL INTO THE UPPER 50S INLAND AND LOW 60S CLOSER TO THE BEACHES. SUNDAY THROUGH MONDAY...THE FLOW ALOFT WILL BECOME NEARLY ZONAL FOR A TIME BEFORE STARTING TO AMPLIFY EARLY NEXT WEEK AS A DEEP CLOSED LOW DIVES SOUTHWARD AND INTO THE GREAT LAKES REGION. HIGH PRESSURE WILL EXPAND ACROSS THE REGION ON SUNDAY AND THEN SHIFT OFFSHORE MONDAY. EXPECT A DRY AND TRANQUIL DAY ON SUNDAY. MONDAY WILL GENERALLY BE QUIET AS WELL...THOUGH WITH THE HIGH SHIFTING OFFSHORE THE REMNANT FRONT OVER THE ADJACENT WATERS WILL BEGIN TO SHIFT BACK TOWARDS LAND. AS IT DOES SOME MOISTURE RETURN WILL SET UP AND WE MAY EVEN SEE A FEW SHOWERS DEVELOPING ACROSS FAR SOUTHEAST GA NEAR THE ALTAMAHA. SLIGHT CHANCE POPS TO CREEP IN FROM THE SOUTH...THOUGH MUCH OF ANY ACTIVITY WILL BE LATE IN THE DAY. TEMPS WILL BE RIGHT AROUND CLIMO WHICH MEANS MID/UPPER 70S IN MOST AREAS FOR HIGHS AND LOW/MID 50S FOR LOWS. && .LONG TERM /MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY/... OVERALL CONFIDENCE IN THE LONG TERM PERIOD IS RELATIVELY GOOD. MOST OF THE ACTIVITY IN THE PERIOD WILL BE EARLY ON...WITH THE LATTER PORTION DOMINATED BY HIGH PRESSURE. THE AFOREMENTIONED REMNANT FRONT WILL BE ORIENTED ALONG AND NEAR THE AREA MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY. DEEP MOISTURE WILL INCREASE ACROSS THE REGION AND MUCH OF THE FORCING WILL BE PROVIDED BY UPPER DIVERGENCE IN THE RIGHT ENTRANCE REGION OF A STRENGTHENING JET THAT IS EXPECTED TO STRETCH FROM THE SOUTHERN APPALACHIANS TO THE MID ATLANTIC. THE TIME PERIOD FOR THE BEST CHANCES WILL OCCUR LATE MONDAY NIGHT AND INTO TUESDAY. POPS HAVE BEEN KEPT IN THE HIGH CHANCE RANGE FOR NOW AND MAY NEED AN UPWARD ADJUSTMENT IF THIS FORECAST SCENARIO CONTINUES TO PLAY OUT. BY WEDNESDAY...EXPANSIVE CANADIAN HIGH PRESSURE WILL SINK SOUTHWARD ACROSS THE PLAINS AND BEGIN TO BUILD INTO THE REGION. THIS WILL BRING ABOUT CLEARING SKIES AND THE POTENTIAL FOR MUCH COOLER TEMPERATURES. IN FACT...850 MB TEMPS ARE PROGGED TO FALL WELL INTO THE SINGLE DIGITS AND BRING ABOUT THE COOLEST TEMPS OF THE SEASON THUS FAR. IT IS WORTH NOTING THAT MODEL LOW LEVEL THICKNESS VALUES WOULD ONLY SUPPORT LOW/MID 60S FOR HIGHS BY LATE IN THE WEEK. && .AVIATION /14Z FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/... KCHS...A COLD FRONT WILL STALL IN THE VICINITY THROUGH TONIGHT...AS A WAVE OF LOW PRESSURE RIDES NORTHEAST ALONG THE FRONT. THIS WILL TRIGGER THE DEVELOPMENT OF SCATTERED SHRA WITH A LOW-END CHANCE OF ISOLATED TSRA. ALTHOUGH PREFER TO KEEP FLIGHT RESTRICTIONS OUT OF THE FORECAST AT THIS POINT DUE TO TIMING/COVERAGE UNCERTAINTIES...PERIODIC MVFR WEATHER IS STILL POSSIBLE. LATER TAF ISSUANCES WILL LIKELY BE ABLE TO BECOME MORE DETERMINISTIC. KSAV...VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL THROUGH LATE TODAY...UNTIL SCATTERED SHRA AND ISOLATED TSRA DEVELOP IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE SEA BREEZE AND AN APPROACHING COLD FRONT/WAVE OF LOW PRESSURE INTO TONIGHT. THERE IS A LOW TO MODERATE RISK OF PERIODIC FLIGHT RESTRICTIONS WITHIN ANY CONVECTION AND EVENTUALLY IN LATE NIGHT MIST. EXTENDED AVIATION...MVFR CONDITIONS MAY LINGER THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING. VFR FOR SUNDAY AND MONDAY. ANOTHER ROUND OF RESTRICTIONS WILL BE POSSIBLE ON TUESDAY AS A FRONT AFFECTS THE AREA. && .MARINE... TODAY AND TONIGHT...A WEAK PRESSURE PATTERN WILL PREVAIL...AS THE LOCAL WATERS BECOME LOCATED BETWEEN A SLOW MOVING COLD FRONT TO THE NW AND WEAKENING HIGH PRESSURE OFF TO THE SE. WINDS WILL BE MAINLY SOUTH OR SOUTHWEST AT 15 KT OR LESS TODAY INTO EARLY TONIGHT...THEN VEER AROUND TO THE SOUTHWEST AND WEST OVERNIGHT. WIND SPEEDS WILL ALSO INCREASE A FEW KNOTS...AS A WEAK LOW LEVEL JET CROSSES THE MARINE AREA. WAVE ENERGY IS MAINLY COMPRISED OF 8-10 SECOND SWELLS...AND WITH SIGNIFICANT WAVE HEIGHTS WILL ACHIEVE NO MORE THAN 2 OR 3 FT. MARINERS ARE ADVISED THAT ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS COULD OCCUR TONIGHT IN ADVANCE OF THE COLD FRONT. SATURDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY...A COLD FRONT WILL WORK ITS WAY ACROSS THE WATERS SATURDAY WITH HIGH PRESSURE BUILDING IN FROM THE WEST ON SUNDAY. THE HIGH WILL REMAIN THE DOMINANT FEATURE THROUGH THE WEEKEND...BEFORE THE FRONT WORKS ITS WAY BACK TOWARD THE AREA LATE IN THE PERIOD. WIND/SEAS ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN BELOW SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY THRESHOLDS THROUGH THE PERIOD. WINDS WILL PRIMARILY SEE SHIFTING DIRECTIONS AS THE HIGH BUILDS IN...PASSES BY TO THE NORTH...AND THEN OFF THE MID ATLANTIC COAST. WINDS WILL PREDOMINANTLY BECOME NE AND THEN E SUNDAY THROUGH MONDAY...THEN AROUND TO THE NW BY MID WEEK. && .TIDES/COASTAL FLOODING... CONDITIONS WILL PROBABLY FALL SHORT OF COASTAL FLOODING CRITERIA WITH THE EVENING HIGH TIDE...DESPITE THE OCCURRENCE OF THE FULL HUNTERS MOON AT 2338 UTC. ALTHOUGH WINDS WILL NOT BE MUCH OF A FACTOR...LINGERING ASTRONOMICAL INFLUENCES WILL RESULT IN ELEVATED TIDES THIS WEEKEND. WINDS WILL INCREASE AND VEER AROUND TO THE NORTHEAST EARLY NEXT WEEK...COMPENSATING FOR THE WANING EFFECTS OF THE FULL MOON. AS A RESULT...COASTAL FLOOD ADVISORIES ARE POSSIBLE INTO MONDAY OR EVEN POSSIBLY TUESDAY. && .CHS WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... GA...NONE. SC...NONE. MARINE...NONE. && $$ NEAR TERM...WMS SHORT TERM...BSH LONG TERM...BSH AVIATION...WMS MARINE...WMS/BSH TIDES/COASTAL FLOODING...
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS PEACHTREE CITY GA
222 AM EDT FRI OCT 18 2013 .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 731 PM EDT THU OCT 17 2013/ EVENING UPDATE... THE COLD FRONT HAS JUST PUSHED SOUTH OF ATLANTA WITH PATCHY SHOWERS...LIGHT RAIN AND DRIZZLE ALONG AND AHEAD OF THE FRONT... NOW MOSTLY ACROSS CENTRAL GA. NOT SUFFICIENT LIFT NOR INSTABILITY TO WARRANT MENTION OF THUNDER THE REST OF TONIGHT... SO HAVE UPDATED ZONES TO REMOVE THUNDER WORDING. CLOUDS STRETCH WELL BACK INTO TN AND NW AL... SO HAVE TWEAKED CLOUDS TO SHOW A SLOW SCATTERING OVER NORTH GA THIS EVENING AND OVERNIGHT... THEN HELD ONTO MOSTLY CLOUDY SKIES ACROSS MUCH OF CENTRAL GA THROUGH TONIGHT. ADJUSTED POPS TO BETTER ALIGN WITH RADAR TRENDS. OTHERWISE... FORECAST IS ON TRACK WITH SCATTERED SKIES AND COOLER LOWS IN THE 40S STILL EXPECTED TO SPREAD INTO NORTH GA BY MORNING. /39 SHORT TERM /TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT/... /ISSUED AT 344 PM EDT THU OCT 17 2013/ SHORT TERM MODELS IN FAIRLY GOOD AGREEMENT...SHOWING WEAKEN FRONT WASHING OUT AS IT MOVES ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. LATEST RAP HAS INITIALIZED AREA OF SHOWERS WELL AND NEAR TERM FORECAST WILL LEAN HEAVILY TOWARD RAP AS SHOWERS DISSIPATE IN THE ATL AREA BY 4-5PM AND OVER THE GVL-AHN AREA BY THIS EVENING. WILL GO AHEAD AND DROP MENTION OF THUNDER FROM FORECAST AS INSTABILITY LIMITED AS WEAK WAVES MOVES ACROSS THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING AND THE SHOWER ACTIVITY IS PUSHING OUT OF FORECAST AREA AS THE SHORTWAVE APPROACHES. MODELS BRINGING DRIER AIR INTO THE AREA THIS EVENING WITH CLEARING SKIES BY MORNING. LATEST SATELLITE SHOWING CLOUDS CONTINUE BACK INTO PORTIONS OF MISSISSIPPI AND EXPECT THAT WHILE THERE WILL BE DRYING WE CAN ALSO EXPECT SOME COOL AREA STRATUS TO DEVELOP AS WELL. WILL COMPROMISE FOR NOW AND SETTLED ON SCATTERING CLOUDS OUT THIS EVENING BUT DID NOT CLEAR THEM OUT ALTOGETHER. BASED UPON HOLDING SOME CLOUDS IN HAVE GONE WARMER THAN GUIDANCE TEMPERATURES BY A DEGREE OR SO OVERNIGHT WITH HIGHS TOMORROW SLIGHTLY WARMER THAN TODAY. ATWELL LONG TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/... /ISSUED AT 344 PM EDT THU OCT 17 2013/ NO MAJOR CHANGES MADE TO THE EXTENDED FORECAST. MODELS CONSISTENT INDICATING THE COLD FRONT WITH BE SE OF THE FORECAST AREA TO START FRIDAY NIGHT. HOWEVER GFS/NAM/EUROPEAN SOMEWHAT DIFFERENT WITH THE PLACEMENT OF THE DEEPER MOISTURE AXIS THROUGH THE NIGHT. GFS/NAM SIMILAR WITH SPREADING DEEPER MOISTURE BACK OVER MAINLY CENTRAL GA AND THE EUROPEAN IS MORE BROADLY SPREADING MOISTURE ACROSS THE ENTIRE AREA BY NIGHTS END. ALL IN ALL THIS SEEMS TO KEEP BEST SHOWER CHANCES ACROSS MAINLY CENTRAL GA. GFS/NAM KEEPS THE BEST MOISTURE AND SHOWER CHANCES ACROSS CENTRAL GA FOR SATURDAY WHILE THE EUROPEAN SPREADS MOISTURE AND SHOWER CHANCES ACROSS THE ENTIRE AREA. EITHER WAY THE BEST CHANCES FOR SHOWERS WILL BE ACROSS CENTRAL GA AND POSSIBLY PORTIONS OF N GA. THE MOISTURE COMING N DUE MAINLY TO THE APPROACH OF A SHORT WAVE. THE MOISTURE WILL HAVE EXITED ALL BUT THE FAR SE CWA TO START SUNDAY BUT WILL EXIT THAT AREA QUICKLY. SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE MOVES INTO THE ATLANTIC ON MONDAY WHICH BEGINS TO SPREAD MOISTURE INTO THE FAR SE CWA WITH SMALL SHOWER CHANCES ASSOCIATED. A WEAK COLD FRONT MOVES TO THE AREA ON TUESDAY WITH INCREASED SHOWER CHANCES ACROSS THE AREA TUESDAY/TUESDAY NIGHT. SMALL SHOWER CHANCES WILL BE CONFINED TO THE FAR SE CWA TO START THE DAY ON WEDNESDAY BEFORE ENDING. TEMPERATURES WILL BE TRENDING TO A LITTLE BELOW NORMAL FOR MUCH OF THE EXTENDED PERIOD. BDL/01 01 && .AVIATION... 06Z UPDATE... LATEST SURFACE ANALYSIS INDICATES THAT AT LEAST AS FAR AS THE WIND SHIFT IS CONCERNED...COLD FRONT HAS MADE IT THROUGH ALL THE TERMINALS. DRIER AIR MOVING IN IS MUCH DELAYED...ESPECIALLY LOW LEVEL MOISTURE WHICH IS PRODUCING LIFR FOG OVER PORTIONS OF ALABAMA AND TENNESSEE. GUIDANCE SUGGESTS MOST OF THIS WILL REMAIN NORTH OF THE TERMINALS WITH JUST CONTINUED MVFR FOR ATL TAF SITES THROUGH MID MORNING. FOR CSG AND MCN...POTENTIAL IS THERE FOR IFR AND HAVE ADVERTISED IN 06Z SET FOR THE MORNING HOUR. //ATL CONFIDENCE...06Z UPDATE... MEDIUM TO HIGH CONFIDENCE ON ALL ELEMENTS. DEESE && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... ATHENS 74 55 72 49 / 5 20 20 10 ATLANTA 73 59 71 49 / 5 10 20 10 BLAIRSVILLE 68 48 72 42 / 5 5 10 5 CARTERSVILLE 72 52 75 45 / 5 5 10 5 COLUMBUS 79 61 74 51 / 10 30 30 10 GAINESVILLE 69 56 74 48 / 5 5 20 5 MACON 77 61 74 51 / 10 40 30 10 ROME 73 50 75 43 / 5 5 10 5 PEACHTREE CITY 73 54 72 46 / 5 10 20 10 VIDALIA 82 65 77 59 / 30 50 30 30 && .FFC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && $$ SHORT TERM...DEESE LONG TERM....20 AVIATION...DEESE
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS CHICAGO/ROMEOVILLE IL
1022 PM CDT SAT OCT 19 2013 .DISCUSSION... 927 PM CDT NO CHANGES TO CURRENT FROST ADVISORY. LATEST SATELLITE/RADAR IMAGERY DEPICTING CLOUD COVER ISOLATED LIGHT SHOWERS STILL ACROSS THE CWA...ASSOCIATED WITH UPPER LEVEL WAVE/TROUGH AND SURFACE REFLECTION. ALTHOUGH LATEST RAP ANALYSIS IS INDICATING SOME PERSISTENT WEAK WAA ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL ILLINOIS...THIS SHOULD WEAKEN OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS AS TROUGH DEPARTS TO THE EAST. CLEARING SKIES AND DIMINISHING WINDS SHOULD ALLOW FOR TEMPS TO STILL DROP OVERNIGHT...WITH THIS ALREADY BEING OBSERVED IN LOCATIONS THAT SAW SOME PARTIAL CLEARING EARLY ON. SO HAVE MADE MINOR ADJUSTMENTS TO TEMPS TONIGHT WITH CURRENT ADVISORY LOCATION STILL APPEARING TO BE ON TRACK. DESPITE THIS BEING THE PREFERRED LOCATION FOR BETTER FROST DEVELOPMENT...PATCHY FROST CANNOT BE RULED OUT BRIEFLY LATE TONIGHT INTO EARLY SUNDAY MORNING FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE CWA. ALSO...LATEST DEWPOINT TRENDS COINCIDING WITH TEMPS TONIGHT COULD ALLOW FOR PATCHY FOG...AND HAVE ADDED TO THE GRIDS PRIMARILY FOR NORTHERN ILLINOIS. RODRIGUEZ //PREV DISCUSSION... 243 PM CDT REST OF THE WEEKEND...TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT... WEATHER TO BE CONTROLLED BY THE LARGE UPPER TROUGH EXTENDING ACROSS WESTERN HUDSON BAY SOUTHWARD TO THE OZARKS EARLY THIS AFTERNOON MOVING TO EASTERN CANADA AND NEW ENGLAND OVERNIGHT AND DURING SUNDAY. THIS WILL ALLOW WEAK UPPER RIDGING TO OCCUR OVER THE GREAT LAKES AND MIDWEST SUNDAY AS THIS UPPER TROUGH ROTATES NORTHEASTWARD AND ANOTHER UPPER TROUGH DEEPENS OVER THE UPPER MIDWEST AND THE UPPER AND MID MS VALLEY DURING SUNDAY AND SUNDAY NIGHT. HAVE RETAINED MENTION OF FROST ACROSS ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST IL OUTSIDE OF THE METRO AREA THOUGH CONFIDENCE IS NOT PARTICULARLY HIGH AS WARM AIR ADVECTION CLOUDS CONTINUE TO SPREAD FROM IA ACROSS NORTHERN IL LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT SHOULD BE ENOUGH BREAKS DURING THE OVERNIGHT FOR AREAS OF FROST. A BACKING AND INCREASING LOW LEVEL FLOW DURING SUNDAY WILL ALLOW SOME MODERATION IN TEMPERATURES AS SIGNIFICANT WARM AIR ADVECTION OCCURS. WHILE CLOUDS ARE EXPECTED TO GRADUALLY BE ON THE INCREASE DURING THE DAY THE WARM AIR ADVECTION ITSELF SHOULD PUSH SUNDAY HIGH TEMPERATURES UP TO THE UPPER 50S NORTH TO MID 60S SOUTHWEST. DESPITE THE INCREASING CLOUDINESS AS THE UPPER WAVE ROTATES ACROSS FROM THE NORTHERN PLAINS TO OVER MN AND IA ANY REAL THREAT OF RAIN WILL REMAIN NORTH OF THE WI BORDER WHERE THE BEST FORCING WILL BE. AS THE UPPER TROUGH MOVES TO WESTERN WI AND NORTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL IL DURING SUNDAY NIGHT POPS WILL RISE TO SLIGHT CHANCE AS THE UPPER TROUGH APPROACHES AND AN ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT PUSHES SOUTHEASTWARD ACROSS THE LOCAL FORECAST AREA. MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY... THE MODERATION IN TEMPERATURES WILL BE SHORT LIVED AS THE UPPER FLOW STARTS TO RETURN TO STRONG NORTHWESTERLY ACROSS THE AREA BY MONDAY NIGHT WITH A SERIES OF SHORT WAVES ROTATING THROUGH THE UPPER TROUGH PROVIDING REINFORCING SHOTS OF VERY COOL AIR THROUGH THE WEEK KEEPING HIGH TEMPERATURES DOWN TO MID 40S TO LOWER 50S...WITH LOWS FROM UPPER 20S TO MID 30S. USING THE 12Z ECMWF AS A GOOD COMPROMISE BETWEEN MODEL SOLUTIONS THE MAIN PERIODS FOR A THREAT OF PRECIPITATION ARE FROM LATER TUESDAY INTO WEDNESDAY AS A SHORT WAVE APPROACHES AND MOVES ACROSS THE AREA AND THEN NEXT SATURDAY AS AN UPPER TROUGH MOVES EAST OVER THE UPPER MIDWEST AND THE MID AND LOWER MO VALLEY REGIONS PUSHING ANOTHER COLD FRONT INTO THE LOCAL AREA DURING THE DAY. WITH THE TUESDAY-TUESDAY NIGHT SHORT WAVE TROUGH PASSAGE THE COLUMN COOLS TO BELOW 0C ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL AND FAR NORTHEAST IL DURING THURSDAY NIGHT SO ANY REMAINING RAIN MAY MIX WITH OR CHANGE TO SNOW BEFORE ENDING. WITH SEVERAL SHORT WAVES TO BE ROTATING THROUGH THE MEAN UPPER TROUGH THERE COULD BE OTHER TIME-FRAMES WHEN THERE WOULD BE AT LEAST A SLIGHT CHANCE TO LOW END CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION BUT TIMING OF ANY ONE OF THESE SMALLER DISTURBANCES IS PRETTY MUCH FUTILE THESE FEATURES TYPICALLY GET LOST IN THE NOISE OF THE PROGS. TRS && .AVIATION... //ORD AND MDW CONCERNS...UPDATED 03Z... * PERIOD OF STRONG SOUTH WINDS PROBABLE SUNDAY AFTERNOON IZZI //DISCUSSION...UPDATED 03Z... HAVE ADDED A PROB30 FOR SHRA SUNDAY EVENING FOR ORD...SOME OF THE LATEST GUIDANCE COMING IN IS LOOKING A BIT MORE PROMISING FOR SOME SHOWERS WITH THE COLD FRONT SUNDAY EVENING. ALSO...LATEST GUIDANCE A BIT MORE SUPPORTIVE OF THE IDEA OF STRONG SOUTH WINDS SUNDAY WHICH DOES AID IN CONFIDENCE IN THIS SCENARIO A BIT...THOUGH CLOUD COVER IS WORRISOME. IZZI UPDATED 00Z... UPPER DISTURBANCE PRODUCING SCTD SHRA AND VFR CIGS SHOULD MOVE EAST OF THE REGION THIS EVENING WITH SHRA ENDING EARLY THIS EVENING FOLLOWED BY AT LEAST PARTIAL CLEARING OVERNIGHT. VFR CIGS ROLL BACK IN SUNDAY MORNING IN ADVANCE OF THE NEXT FAST MOVING SYSTEM MOVING INTO THE REGION. FAST MOVING SURFACE LOW WILL TRACK EAST ALONG IA/MN BORDER INTO SOUTHERN WI SUNDAY INTO SUNDAY EVENING RESULTING IN LIGHT WINDS TONIGHT BECOMING SOUTH OR SOUTHEAST SUNDAY MORNING BEFORE VEERING MORE SOUTH TO SOUTH- SOUTHWEST SUNDAY AFTERNOON. WINDS WILL BE ON THE INCREASE LATE SUNDAY MORNING AND PARTICULARLY SUNDAY AFTERNOON AS STRONG PRESSURE FALLS EAST OF THE SFC LOW RESULT IN A HEALTHY INCREASE IN WIND SPEEDS. DOES APPEAR AS THOUGH SKIES SHOULD BE OVC WHICH MAY LIMIT MIXING AND RESULT STRENGTH AND GUSTINESS OF THE WINDS. CONFIDENCE IS NOT HIGH BUT OPTED TO MAINTAIN 15G25KT FOR A PERIOD SUNDAY AFTERNOON/EARLY EVENING. STRONG SOUTH WINDS WOULD CAUSE PRETTY GOOD CROSSWIND FOR ORD AND DID NOT WANT TO FLIP-FLOP ON THE FORECAST. WILL LIKELY BE SOME VIRGA IF NOT LIGHT SHOWERS/SPRINKLES AROUND SUNDAY EVENING BUT IMPACT WILL BE MINIMAL AND COVERAGE LOW SO KEPT PRECIP OUT OF THE TAFS. IZZI //ORD AND MDW CONFIDENCE...UPDATED 03Z... * MEDIUM CONFIDENCE IN WINDS SUNDAY AFTERNOON * HIGH CONFIDENCE IN REMAINDER OF THE FORECAST IZZI //OUTLOOK FOR ORD/MDW FOR 12Z MONDAY-12Z SATURDAY...UPDATED 00Z... MONDAY...MVFR CIGS LIKELY. TUESDAY...MVFR CIGS POSSIBLE. CHANCE OF -RA OR -RSSN. WEDNESDAY...MVFR CIGS POSSIBLE...MAINLY EARLY. THURSDAY AND FRIDAY...PROBABLY VFR. IZZI && .MARINE... 334 PM CDT A VERY ACTIVE PERIOD ON THE WAY ACROSS THE LAKE AS A SERIES OF LOW PRESSURE SYSTEMS AND A UNSEASONABLY COLD AIR MASS COMBINE TO BRING STRONG WINDS MOST OF THE FORECAST PERIOD. WEST WINDS OVER THE SOUTH HALF WILL RAMP UP TO 30 KT THIS EVENING BEFORE DIMINISHING SOME LATE. THERE WILL BE A BRIEF PERIOD OF LIGHTER SOUTH WINDS SUNDAY MORNING BEFORE LOW PRESSURE APPROACHES FROM THE WEST LATER SUNDAY AND SOUTHERLY WINDS INCREASE. SOME UNCERTAINTY EXISTS AS TO THE TRACK AND TIMING OF THE LOW...BUT THERE IS GOOD AGREEMENT AMONGST GUIDANCE FOR SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST WINDS UP TO GALE FORCE SOMETIME SUNDAY EVENING INTO THE OVERNIGHT FOR THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN PORTION OF THE LAKE. THEREFORE HAVE ISSUED A GALE WATCH FOR THE CENTRAL AND SOUTH STARTING AT 00Z SUNDAY. A VERY STRONG COLD FRONT WILL SWEEP ACROSS THE LAKE AS THE LOW LIFTS TO EASTERN LAKE SUPERIOR BY EARLY MONDAY AND DEEPENS. SOUTHWEST GALES WILL QUICKLY TRANSITION TO WESTERLY GALES ON THE CENTRAL AND SOUTH...WHILE WESTERLY GALES WILL DEVELOP OVER THE NORTH TOWARD EARLY MONDAY MORNING. A WINTER LIKE AIRMASS WILL POUR ACROSS THE LAKE...SUPPORTING EXTREMELY UNSTABLE CONDITIONS AND EFFICIENT MIXING. WEST GALES WILL INCREASE TO 40 KT ON THE NORTH PART OF THE LAKE ON MONDAY...WITH 35 KT CONTINUING TO THE SOUTH. THERE THEN APPEARS TO BE ANOTHER COLD FRONT OR SECONDARY SURGE OF COLD AIR MONDAY NIGHT EXPECTED TO KEEP GALES GOING ON THE NORTH ALL THE WAY INTO TUESDAY MORNING. THUS HAVE EXTENDED THE GALE WATCH THERE UNTIL 15Z TUESDAY. FOR THE NEARSHORE WATERS...HAVE EXTENDED THE SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR GARY AND POINTS EAST UNTIL 9Z SUNDAY AS WAVES WILL BE SLOWER TO SUBSIDE. WILL THEN LIKELY NEED A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR ALL THE NEARSHORE ZONES SOMETIME SUNDAY EVENING THROUGH MONDAY EVENING...THEN AT LEAST A PORTION OF THE INDIANA NEARSHORE ALL THE WAY THROUGH TUESDAY EVENING DUE TO WAVES. RC && .LOT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... IL...FROST ADVISORY...ILZ003-ILZ004-ILZ005-ILZ006-ILZ008-ILZ010- ILZ011-ILZ012 UNTIL 8 AM SUNDAY. IN...NONE. LM...GALE WATCH...LMZ080-LMZ567-LMZ669-LMZ671-LMZ673-LMZ675-LMZ777- LMZ779-LMZ868-LMZ870-LMZ872-LMZ874-LMZ876-LMZ878...7 PM SUNDAY TO 4 AM TUESDAY. GALE WATCH...LMZ261-LMZ362-LMZ364-LMZ366-LMZ563-LMZ565...3 AM MONDAY TO 10 AM TUESDAY. SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY...NEARSHORE GARY TO MICHIGAN CITY IN UNTIL 4 AM SUNDAY. && $$ VISIT US AT HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/CHICAGO (ALL LOWERCASE) FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK...TWITTER...AND YOUTUBE AT: WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/US.NATIONALWEATHERSERVICE.CHICAGO.GOV WWW.TWITTER.COM/NWSCHICAGO WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/NWSCHICAGO
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS CHICAGO/ROMEOVILLE IL
940 PM CDT SAT OCT 19 2013 .DISCUSSION... 927 PM CDT NO CHANGES TO CURRENT FROST ADVISORY. LATEST SATELLITE/RADAR IMAGERY DEPICTING CLOUD COVER ISOLATED LIGHT SHOWERS STILL ACROSS THE CWA...ASSOCIATED WITH UPPER LEVEL WAVE/TROUGH AND SURFACE REFLECTION. ALTHOUGH LATEST RAP ANALYSIS IS INDICATING SOME PERSISTENT WEAK WAA ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL ILLINOIS...THIS SHOULD WEAKEN OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS AS TROUGH DEPARTS TO THE EAST. CLEARING SKIES AND DIMINISHING WINDS SHOULD ALLOW FOR TEMPS TO STILL DROP OVERNIGHT...WITH THIS ALREADY BEING OBSERVED IN LOCATIONS THAT SAW SOME PARTIAL CLEARING EARLY ON. SO HAVE MADE MINOR ADJUSTMENTS TO TEMPS TONIGHT WITH CURRENT ADVISORY LOCATION STILL APPEARING TO BE ON TRACK. DESPITE THIS BEING THE PREFERRED LOCATION FOR BETTER FROST DEVELOPMENT...PATCHY FROST CANNOT BE RULED OUT BRIEFLY LATE TONIGHT INTO EARLY SUNDAY MORNING FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE CWA. ALSO...LATEST DEWPOINT TRENDS COINCIDING WITH TEMPS TONIGHT COULD ALLOW FOR PATCHY FOG...AND HAVE ADDED TO THE GRIDS PRIMARILY FOR NORTHERN ILLINOIS. RODRIGUEZ && .PREV DISCUSSION... 243 PM CDT REST OF THE WEEKEND...TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT... WEATHER TO BE CONTROLLED BY THE LARGE UPPER TROUGH EXTENDING ACROSS WESTERN HUDSON BAY SOUTHWARD TO THE OZARKS EARLY THIS AFTERNOON MOVING TO EASTERN CANADA AND NEW ENGLAND OVERNIGHT AND DURING SUNDAY. THIS WILL ALLOW WEAK UPPER RIDGING TO OCCUR OVER THE GREAT LAKES AND MIDWEST SUNDAY AS THIS UPPER TROUGH ROTATES NORTHEASTWARD AND ANOTHER UPPER TROUGH DEEPENS OVER THE UPPER MIDWEST AND THE UPPER AND MID MS VALLEY DURING SUNDAY AND SUNDAY NIGHT. HAVE RETAINED MENTION OF FROST ACROSS ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST IL OUTSIDE OF THE METRO AREA THOUGH CONFIDENCE IS NOT PARTICULARLY HIGH AS WARM AIR ADVECTION CLOUDS CONTINUE TO SPREAD FROM IA ACROSS NORTHERN IL LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT SHOULD BE ENOUGH BREAKS DURING THE OVERNIGHT FOR AREAS OF FROST. A BACKING AND INCREASING LOW LEVEL FLOW DURING SUNDAY WILL ALLOW SOME MODERATION IN TEMPERATURES AS SIGNIFICANT WARM AIR ADVECTION OCCURS. WHILE CLOUDS ARE EXPECTED TO GRADUALLY BE ON THE INCREASE DURING THE DAY THE WARM AIR ADVECTION ITSELF SHOULD PUSH SUNDAY HIGH TEMPERATURES UP TO THE UPPER 50S NORTH TO MID 60S SOUTHWEST. DESPITE THE INCREASING CLOUDINESS AS THE UPPER WAVE ROTATES ACROSS FROM THE NORTHERN PLAINS TO OVER MN AND IA ANY REAL THREAT OF RAIN WILL REMAIN NORTH OF THE WI BORDER WHERE THE BEST FORCING WILL BE. AS THE UPPER TROUGH MOVES TO WESTERN WI AND NORTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL IL DURING SUNDAY NIGHT POPS WILL RISE TO SLIGHT CHANCE AS THE UPPER TROUGH APPROACHES AND AN ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT PUSHES SOUTHEASTWARD ACROSS THE LOCAL FORECAST AREA. MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY... THE MODERATION IN TEMPERATURES WILL BE SHORT LIVED AS THE UPPER FLOW STARTS TO RETURN TO STRONG NORTHWESTERLY ACROSS THE AREA BY MONDAY NIGHT WITH A SERIES OF SHORT WAVES ROTATING THROUGH THE UPPER TROUGH PROVIDING REINFORCING SHOTS OF VERY COOL AIR THROUGH THE WEEK KEEPING HIGH TEMPERATURES DOWN TO MID 40S TO LOWER 50S...WITH LOWS FROM UPPER 20S TO MID 30S. USING THE 12Z ECMWF AS A GOOD COMPROMISE BETWEEN MODEL SOLUTIONS THE MAIN PERIODS FOR A THREAT OF PRECIPITATION ARE FROM LATER TUESDAY INTO WEDNESDAY AS A SHORT WAVE APPROACHES AND MOVES ACROSS THE AREA AND THEN NEXT SATURDAY AS AN UPPER TROUGH MOVES EAST OVER THE UPPER MIDWEST AND THE MID AND LOWER MO VALLEY REGIONS PUSHING ANOTHER COLD FRONT INTO THE LOCAL AREA DURING THE DAY. WITH THE TUESDAY-TUESDAY NIGHT SHORT WAVE TROUGH PASSAGE THE COLUMN COOLS TO BELOW 0C ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL AND FAR NORTHEAST IL DURING THURSDAY NIGHT SO ANY REMAINING RAIN MAY MIX WITH OR CHANGE TO SNOW BEFORE ENDING. WITH SEVERAL SHORT WAVES TO BE ROTATING THROUGH THE MEAN UPPER TROUGH THERE COULD BE OTHER TIME-FRAMES WHEN THERE WOULD BE AT LEAST A SLIGHT CHANCE TO LOW END CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION BUT TIMING OF ANY ONE OF THESE SMALLER DISTURBANCES IS PRETTY MUCH FUTILE THESE FEATURES TYPICALLY GET LOST IN THE NOISE OF THE PROGS. TRS && .AVIATION... //ORD AND MDW CONCERNS...UPDATED 00Z... * PERIOD OF STRONG SOUTH WINDS POSSIBLE SUNDAY AFTERNOON IZZI //DISCUSSION...UPDATED 00Z... UPPER DISTURBANCE PRODUCING SCTD SHRA AND VFR CIGS SHOULD MOVE EAST OF THE REGION THIS EVENING WITH SHRA ENDING EARLY THIS EVENING FOLLOWED BY AT LEAST PARTIAL CLEARING OVERNIGHT. VFR CIGS ROLL BACK IN SUNDAY MORNING IN ADVANCE OF THE NEXT FAST MOVING SYSTEM MOVING INTO THE REGION. FAST MOVING SURFACE LOW WILL TRACK EAST ALONG IA/MN BORDER INTO SOUTHERN WI SUNDAY INTO SUNDAY EVENING RESULTING IN LIGHT WINDS TONIGHT BECOMING SOUTH OR SOUTHEAST SUNDAY MORNING BEFORE VEERING MORE SOUTH TO SOUTH- SOUTHWEST SUNDAY AFTERNOON. WINDS WILL BE ON THE INCREASE LATE SUNDAY MORNING AND PARTICULARLY SUNDAY AFTERNOON AS STRONG PRESSURE FALLS EAST OF THE SFC LOW RESULT IN A HEALTHY INCREASE IN WIND SPEEDS. DOES APPEAR AS THOUGH SKIES SHOULD BE OVC WHICH MAY LIMIT MIXING AND RESULT STRENGTH AND GUSTINESS OF THE WINDS. CONFIDENCE IS NOT HIGH BUT OPTED TO MAINTAIN 15G25KT FOR A PERIOD SUNDAY AFTERNOON/EARLY EVENING. STRONG SOUTH WINDS WOULD CAUSE PRETTY GOOD CROSSWIND FOR ORD AND DID NOT WANT TO FLIP-FLOP ON THE FORECAST. WILL LIKELY BE SOME VIRGA IF NOT LIGHT SHOWERS/SPRINKLES AROUND SUNDAY EVENING BUT IMPACT WILL BE MINIMAL AND COVERAGE LOW SO KEPT PRECIP OUT OF THE TAFS. IZZI //ORD AND MDW CONFIDENCE...UPDATED 00Z... * LOW CONFIDENCE IN WINDS SUNDAY AFTERNOON * HIGH CONFIDENCE IN REMAINDER OF THE FORECAST IZZI //OUTLOOK FOR ORD/MDW FOR 12Z MONDAY-12Z SATURDAY...UPDATED 00Z... MONDAY...MVFR CIGS LIKELY. TUESDAY...MVFR CIGS POSSIBLE. CHANCE OF -RA OR -RSSN. WEDNESDAY...MVFR CIGS POSSIBLE...MAINLY EARLY. THURSDAY AND FRIDAY...PROBABLY VFR. IZZI && .MARINE... 334 PM CDT A VERY ACTIVE PERIOD ON THE WAY ACROSS THE LAKE AS A SERIES OF LOW PRESSURE SYSTEMS AND A UNSEASONABLY COLD AIR MASS COMBINE TO BRING STRONG WINDS MOST OF THE FORECAST PERIOD. WEST WINDS OVER THE SOUTH HALF WILL RAMP UP TO 30 KT THIS EVENING BEFORE DIMINISHING SOME LATE. THERE WILL BE A BRIEF PERIOD OF LIGHTER SOUTH WINDS SUNDAY MORNING BEFORE LOW PRESSURE APPROACHES FROM THE WEST LATER SUNDAY AND SOUTHERLY WINDS INCREASE. SOME UNCERTAINTY EXISTS AS TO THE TRACK AND TIMING OF THE LOW...BUT THERE IS GOOD AGREEMENT AMONGST GUIDANCE FOR SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST WINDS UP TO GALE FORCE SOMETIME SUNDAY EVENING INTO THE OVERNIGHT FOR THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN PORTION OF THE LAKE. THEREFORE HAVE ISSUED A GALE WATCH FOR THE CENTRAL AND SOUTH STARTING AT 00Z SUNDAY. A VERY STRONG COLD FRONT WILL SWEEP ACROSS THE LAKE AS THE LOW LIFTS TO EASTERN LAKE SUPERIOR BY EARLY MONDAY AND DEEPENS. SOUTHWEST GALES WILL QUICKLY TRANSITION TO WESTERLY GALES ON THE CENTRAL AND SOUTH...WHILE WESTERLY GALES WILL DEVELOP OVER THE NORTH TOWARD EARLY MONDAY MORNING. A WINTER LIKE AIRMASS WILL POUR ACROSS THE LAKE...SUPPORTING EXTREMELY UNSTABLE CONDITIONS AND EFFICIENT MIXING. WEST GALES WILL INCREASE TO 40 KT ON THE NORTH PART OF THE LAKE ON MONDAY...WITH 35 KT CONTINUING TO THE SOUTH. THERE THEN APPEARS TO BE ANOTHER COLD FRONT OR SECONDARY SURGE OF COLD AIR MONDAY NIGHT EXPECTED TO KEEP GALES GOING ON THE NORTH ALL THE WAY INTO TUESDAY MORNING. THUS HAVE EXTENDED THE GALE WATCH THERE UNTIL 15Z TUESDAY. FOR THE NEARSHORE WATERS...HAVE EXTENDED THE SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR GARY AND POINTS EAST UNTIL 9Z SUNDAY AS WAVES WILL BE SLOWER TO SUBSIDE. WILL THEN LIKELY NEED A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR ALL THE NEARSHORE ZONES SOMETIME SUNDAY EVENING THROUGH MONDAY EVENING...THEN AT LEAST A PORTION OF THE INDIANA NEARSHORE ALL THE WAY THROUGH TUESDAY EVENING DUE TO WAVES. RC && .LOT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... IL...FROST ADVISORY...ILZ003-ILZ004-ILZ005-ILZ006-ILZ008-ILZ010- ILZ011-ILZ012...1 AM SUNDAY TO 8 AM SUNDAY. IN...NONE. LM...GALE WATCH...LMZ080-LMZ567-LMZ669-LMZ671-LMZ673-LMZ675-LMZ777- LMZ779-LMZ868-LMZ870-LMZ872-LMZ874-LMZ876-LMZ878...7 PM SUNDAY TO 4 AM TUESDAY. GALE WATCH...LMZ261-LMZ362-LMZ364-LMZ366-LMZ563-LMZ565...3 AM MONDAY TO 10 AM TUESDAY. SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY...NEARSHORE GARY TO MICHIGAN CITY IN UNTIL 4 AM SUNDAY. && $$ VISIT US AT HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/CHICAGO (ALL LOWERCASE) FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK...TWITTER...AND YOUTUBE AT: WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/US.NATIONALWEATHERSERVICE.CHICAGO.GOV WWW.TWITTER.COM/NWSCHICAGO WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/NWSCHICAGO
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS DES MOINES IA
322 PM CDT FRI OCT 18 2013 .SHORT TERM /TONIGHT/... ISSUED AT 323 PM CDT FRI OCT 18 2013 IN A NEAR REPEAT OF YESTERDAY AFTERNOONS FORECAST...ANOTHER 500 MB SHORTWAVE EMBEDDED IN THE MEAN CENTRAL NORTH AMERICAN LONGWAVE TROUGH IS POISED TO TRACK THROUGH IOWA LATE TONIGHT AND INTO TOMORROW MORNING. AS WITH ITS PREDECESSOR...FORCING AND MOISTURE WILL BE SPARSE AND ANY RAIN SHOWERS OVERNIGHT WILL BE CONFINED TO NORTHERN IOWA. THIS SCENARIO WAS HANDLED WELL BY THE HIGH RES WRF ARW AND RAP...THUS USED A BLEND OF THESE TWO MODELS FOR THE PRECIPITATION FORECAST. A SECOND IMPULSE/VORT MAX SLIDES DOWN THE REAR FLANK OF THE LONGWAVE TROUGH IN WESTERN MINNESOTA AND NORTHWEST IOWA TOWARDS THE END OF THE PERIOD. MOISTURE PROFILES ARE SLIGHTLY MORE CONDUCIVE FOR RAINFALL AND HAVE INCREASED POPS ACCORDINGLY IN THE NORTHWEST TOWARDS 12Z SAT. 290 TO 300K ISENTROPIC ACCENT GENERATED A BAND RAIN AND SNOW ACROSS KANSAS AND NORTHERN MISSOURI TODAY. THE ASSOCIATED SHIELD OF CIRROSTRATUS AND ALTOSTRATUS CLOUDS PROPAGATED INTO IOWA THIS MORNING AND PUT A DAMPER ON HIGHS ACROSS THE SOUTHERN HALF OF THE CWA. THIS SYSTEM WILL PULL ENE THIS EVENING AS THE UPPER LEVEL TROUGH DIGS INTO THE CENTRAL PLAINS. THERE IS SOME UNCERTAINTY WITH HOW MUCH OF THE CLOUD COVER OVER SOUTHERN IOWA WILL CLEAR OUT BETWEEN THE 06 AND 12Z TIMEFRAME. BOTH THE NAM AND RAP SOUNDINGS HINT AT SOME CLEARING TOWARDS MORNING...SO LOWERED MIN TEMPS IN THE NISH VALLEY AND OTHER PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST IOWA. .LONG TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/... ISSUED AT 323 PM CDT FRI OCT 18 2013 BROAD LONG WAVE TROF WILL REMAIN ENTRENCHED ACROSS THE EASTERN HALF OF THE UNITED STATES DURING THIS FORECAST PERIOD. THEREFORE...BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED FOR MUCH OF THE NEXT WEEK. THERE WILL ALSO BE THREATS FOR LIGHT PRECIPITATION FROM TIME TO TIME AS SYSTEMS PASS THROUGH THE STRONG NORTHWEST FLOW. FIRST WEAK SYSTEM GLANCES THE NORTH TOMORROW MORNING ALTHOUGH THE BULK OF THE FORCING WILL REMAIN NORTH OF IOWA. HAVE CONTINUED THE THREAT FOR SOME ISOLATED/SCATTERED SHOWERS IN THE MORNING BUT WITH SUBSIDENCE ARRIVING BY AFTERNOON...SHOULD SEE ANY ACTIVITY QUICKLY ENDING. WARM ADVECTION INTO SUNDAY WILL MAKE IT THE WARMEST DAY OVER THE NEXT WEEK. THE WARMER AIR IS AHEAD OF THE NEXT SYSTEM DIVING SOUTHEAST INTO THE REGION. ONCE AGAIN...THE FORCING ASSOCIATED WITH THIS SYTEM REMAINS NORTH OF IOWA WITH ANY PCPN THREAT RESIDING NEAR THE MINNESOTA BORDER. STRONG COLD ADVECTION WILL ARRIVE BY LATE IN THE DAY WITH A MUCH COLDER AIRMASS BECOMING ESTABLISHED ACROSS THE STATE ON MONDAY. ONE FINAL SYSTEM DROPS SOUTHEAST TOWARD THE STATE LATE MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY. THE EURO IS MOST AGGRESSIVE WITH SATURATION AND LIFT ACROSS IOWA WITH A FEW TENTHS OF PCPN ON TUESDAY. GIVEN RELATIVELY COLD THERMAL PROFILES DURING THIS EVENT...WOULDNT BE SURPRISED TO SEE SOME SNOW MIXED WITH RAIN WITH STRONG DYNAMICAL COOLING SUGGESTED BY THE LIFT. THE COLDER AIRMASS WILL THEN REMAIN ESSENTIALL IN PLACE THROUGH THE END OF NEXT WEEK. THIS SHOULD EFFECTIVELY END THE GROWING SEASON ACROSS CENTRAL IOWA FOR THOSE LOCATIONS THAT HAVENT ALREADY SEEN A FREEZE. && .AVIATION...18/18Z ISSUED AT 1240 PM CDT FRI OCT 18 2013 VFR CONDITIONS SHOULD PREVAIL OVER CENTRAL IOWA THROUGH MUCH OF THE TAF PERIOD. A FRONT PUSHING SOUTHEAST MIGHT BRING SOME LOW CLOUDS AND SHOWERS TO NORTHERN IOWA TOMORROW MORNING...BUT DRIER AIR NEAR THE SURFACE SHOULD LIMIT THE EXTENT OF LOWER CEILINGS. WINDS WILL REMAIN OUT OF THE WEST TO NORTHWEST THROUGH THE PERIOD WITH DIURNAL FLUCTUATIONS IN WIND SPEED. && .DMX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. && $$ SHORT TERM...SKOW LONG TERM...COGIL AVIATION...SKOW
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS TOPEKA KS
307 PM CDT Fri Oct 18 2013 .SHORT TERM...(This Evening through Saturday) Issued at 307 PM CDT FRI OCT 18 2013 20z water vapor imagery shows a shortwave propagating across the state. The forcing from this wave has brought widespread rain and snow with some light accumulations across portions of north central KS. Surface obs indicate a mesoscale high is centered over southwest KS. Areas where precipitation has persisted through the day have had temps holding steadily in the 30s. For tonight the forcing from the upper wave should move to the east of the forecast area with precipitation coming to an end over east central KS by mid evening. Snow is likely to remain mixed with the precip, but since the intensity of the snowfall has been light due to partial melting as it falls. accumulations should remain mainly trace amounts. As the upper wave moves east, subsidence should increase allowing skies to become mostly clear. Models do not show a great deal of cold air advection overnight, but with dewpoints in the lower 30s and 20s expected to move in think radiational cooling could drop overnight lows to around 30 for most areas. Because of this have issued a freeze warning. Saturday looks to be mostly sunny and warmer as northwest flow aloft is free of shortwaves and westerly low level flow advects warm air back into the region. All the models are showing 850 temps in the +6 to +7C range with good mixing of the boundary layer. This should yield highs in the lower 60s east to the mid 60s across north central KS. .LONG TERM...(Saturday Night through Friday) Issued at 307 PM CDT FRI OCT 18 2013 There were not many changes made to the medium and extended range periods, though this is not because of high confidence. Strong north-northwest flow over the central portions of the nation will be the rule through these periods, with minor alterations in trajectories of these winds and timing of waves moving through the flow creating opportunities for much cooler northerly flow tapping airmasses from Alaska or northern Canada, or warmer northwest flow allowing modified continental air to push in from the west. MOS temperature output from both the GFS and ECMWF ensembles showing this issue with large spreads. Sunday still looking to be the warmest with west to southwest low level flow from Saturday night into at least early Sunday ahead of a cold front. Cold air advection is not terribly strong immediately behind the front so despite northwest winds taking hold over northwestern areas by mid afternoon and considerable high clouds, still expect middle 60s to around 70 for maxes. Will keep temps a bit cooler than normal otherwise. Lows still have the potential to be in the frost/freeze range, mainly Monday night and Tuesday night. There is good agreement in one wave rotating through the Central Plains late Monday night into late Tuesday, and will keep small precipitation chances going with it. Just how strong and moist this system will dictate how much cooling can occur both before and after its passage. && .AVIATION...(For the 18Z TAFs through 18Z Saturday Afternoon) Issued at 1224 PM CDT FRI OCT 18 2013 NAM forecast soundings show only about the lowest 1000 ft above freezing through the afternoon, so there remains the possibility for mixed precip. RAP and HRRR are in reasonable agreement in the precip pushing east of TOP and FOE around 00Z. For the most part, think conditions will be VFR unless some Mixed precip moves in temporarily lowering CIGS and VSBY to MVFR. Once the precip ends, Conditions should be VFR with dry air and subsidence increasing behind the upper wave. && .TOP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... FREEZE WARNING from 10 PM this evening to 9 AM CDT Saturday FOR KSZ008>012-020>024-026-034>040-054>056-058-059. && $$ SHORT TERM...Wolters LONG TERM...65 AVIATION...Wolters
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS GOODLAND KS
118 PM MDT FRI OCT 18 2013 .UPDATE... ISSUED AT 114 PM MDT FRI OCT 18 2013 UPDATED FORECAST FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF RAIN SHOWERS AHEAD OF THE 500MB TROUGH AXIS OUTSIDE OF THE HIGHER SNOWFALL AMOUNTS. THE T-Q INDEX FROM THE RUC PLACES AN AREA OF BETTER INSTABILITY OVER THE NORTHEAST PART OF THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON...SO AM ANTICIPATING THE SHOWERS OVER THE NORTHERN PART OF THE AREA TO INCREASE IN COVERAGE/INTENSITY. THE SHOWERS SHOULD COME TO AN END BY LATE AFTERNOON OR EARLY EVENING WHEN SURFACE HEATING COMES TO AN END. && .SHORT TERM...(TODAY THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT) ISSUED AT 200 AM MDT FRI OCT 18 2013 TODAY-TONIGHT...AS HAS BEEN ADVERTISED FOR A FEW DAYS AGO UPPER DISTURBANCE WITH A MIX OF RAIN OR SNOW HAS MOVED THROUGH THE NORTHWEST 1/2 OF THE FORECAST AREA EARLY THIS MORNING AND WILL CONTINUE SOUTHEAST THROUGH THE DAY EXITING THE AREA SHORTLY BEFORE SUNSET. PREVIOUS FORECAST HAD A REALLY GOOD HANDLE ON PRECIP TIMING SO ONLY MINOR ADJUSTMENTS NEEDED. BIGGEST CHANGE WAS TO LOWER SNOWFALL AMOUNTS A BIT. SREF SHOWING RATIOS AROUND 5:1 WHICH PRODUCES AMOUNTS AROUND AN INCH EXCEPT IN YUMA...CHEYENNE KS AND CO WHERE AROUND 2 INCHES EXPECTED. LATEST WEB CAM IN YUMA CO SHOWING SNOW JUST NOW STARTING TO STICK TO THE ROADS WITH PERHAPS AN INCH OR SO ON OTHER SURFACES...THIS MATCHES PRETTY WELL WITH THE ONE TO TWO INCHES EXPECTED THROUGH 12Z. WILL LET THE WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY CONTINUE GIVEN ITS THE FIRST SNOW OF THE SEASON AND THE POSSIBILITY THAT PERHAPS A BIT HIGHER AMOUNTS ARE POSSIBLE. HIGHS TODAY UPPER 30S TO MID 40S IN FAR EASTERN COLORADO WITH MID 40S TO LOW 50S ELSEWHERE. LOWS TONIGHT MID 20S TO LOW 30S (WEST TO EAST). FOR SATURDAY THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT THE FORECAST AREA WILL BE UNDER NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT. HIGH TEMPERATURES SATURDAY WARM INTO THE UPPER 50S TO MID 60S WITH LOWS GENERALLY IN THE 30S. SOME COOLER AIR MOVES THROUGH THE NORTHWEST 2/3 OF THE AREA SUNDAY AS AN UPPER DISTURBANCE WITHIN THE LARGE UPPER TROUGH MOVES INTO THE AREA. SHOULD SEE AN INCREASE IN CLOUDINESS AND POSSIBLY SOME LIGHT RAIN AND/OR SNOW SUNDAY NIGHT. FOR NOW KEEPING THINGS DRY. HIGHS MID 50S TO AROUND 60 IN EASTERN COLORADO WITH LOW TO MID 60S ELSEWHERE. LOWS SUNDAY NIGHT IN THE 30S. .LONG TERM...(MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY) ISSUED AT 230 AM MDT FRI OCT 18 2013 MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY...THE CWA REMAINS UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF THE UPPER TROUGH OVER THE MIDWEST/CENTRAL PLAINS MONDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY...WITH THE UPPER RIDGE OVER THE ROCKIES MOVING EAST AND BECOMING LESS AMPLIFIED AS IT APPROACHES THE CWA WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO THURSDAY. THE EXTENDED LOOKS DRY...SINCE MODELS NOW HAVE THE UPPER TROUGH MOVING FURTHER EAST ON WEDNESDAY WITHOUT THE STRONGER VORT LOBE ROTATING THROUGH THE EASTERN PART OF THE CWA EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING. CLOUD COVER WILL INCREASE ON TUESDAY WITH SOME WEAK VORTICITY MOVING THROUGH THE CWA...WITH PARTLY CLOUDY SKIES RETURNING DUE TO INCREASING SUBSIDENCE ON WEDNESDAY INTO THURSDAY AS THE RIDGE MOVES OVER THE CWA. MONDAY APPEARS TO BE THE COOLEST DAY AFTER THE COLD FROPA LATE SUNDAY/EARLY MONDAY MORNING WITH HIGHS IN THE MID TO UPPER 50S. TEMPERATURES SLOWLY WARM-UP THROUGHOUT THE EXTENDED...WHICH IS A CHANGE FROM YESTERDAY`S MODEL RUNS. SINCE THE MODELS MOVE THE UPPER TROUGH FURTHER EAST BY WEDNESDAY...THE COLD CANADIAN SURFACE HIGH IS FURTHER EAST. THE UPPER RIDGE ALSO BEGINS TO MOVE IN ALONG WITH SMALL HEIGHT RISES...SO HIGHS TUESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY WILL RISE FROM THE LOW 60S TO THE MID TO UPPER 60S. LOW TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL IN THE UPPER 30S TO LOW 40S....DUE TO CLOUD COVER OVERNIGHT FOR THE FIRST PART OF THE EXTENDED AND DUE TO SLOWLY RISING TEMPERATURES LATER IN THE EXTENDED. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z SATURDAY AFTERNOON) ISSUED AT 1122 AM MDT FRI OCT 18 2013 VFR CONDITIONS FORECAST FOR THE 18Z TAFS. CLOUDS WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE SOUTHEAST TODAY RESULTING IN CLEARING SKIES. UPSTREAM OF KMCK CEILINGS ARE MVFR. AM THINKING THE CEILINGS SHOULD RAISE ABOVE MVFR BEFORE MOVING OVER KMCK. LATE TONIGHT FOG MAY DEVELOP OVER AREAS THAT RECEIVED 2-3 INCHES OR MORE...SO HAVE INCLUDED A SLIGHT REDUCTION IN VISIBILITY FOR KGLD. && .GLD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... KS...NONE. CO...NONE. NE...NONE. && $$ UPDATE...JTL SHORT TERM...99 LONG TERM...ALW AVIATION...JTL
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS TOPEKA KS
1224 PM CDT Fri Oct 18 2013 ...AVIATION UPDATE... .UPDATE... Issued at 954 AM CDT FRI OCT 18 2013 Getting a few reports of big snow flakes mixing in with the rain within the band of higher reflectivity. RAP13 soundings near MHK shows the column above 2 KFT below freezing while the surface temp remains around +3 to +6C. So the bright banding between 500 and 3000 ft is likely from snow melting. Intensity is expected to remain on the light side, although cross sections suggested there is some weak instability and the chance for a brief period of stronger precip. As long as the intensity is light, no accumulation of snow is anticipated. If a band of moderate precip could lead to some light accumulations on grass since surface temps are expected to hold in the lower 40s. && .SHORT TERM...(Today and Tonight) Issued at 420 AM CDT FRI OCT 18 2013 Main focus for the short term is on the advancing shortwave that will bring periods of rain showers across the region today. The mid-level trough that is situated over central Canada and the Dakotas will continue to dig further south into the Central Plains today. Water vapor imagery at 09z showed the main shortwave on the lee side of the Rockies with increasing moisture over northeast Colorado and southwest Nebraska. As the trough deepens today, this shortwave will progress southeastward into western Kansas and round out around the base of the trough over southern Kansas before ejecting into southern Missouri/northern Arkansas tonight as the trough quickly pivots eastward. The regional radar loop showed scattered precipitation developing across northwest Kansas and along the KS/NE border early this morning, tracking eastward toward north central Kansas. This precipitation was being supported by decent mid-level forcing and some isentropic lift. With temperatures in the lower to middle 30s, several locations in northwest Kansas were reporting light snow with this activity early this morning. For this morning, short-range models show some of this scattered early morning activity extending eastward into portions of north central Kansas, however this precipitation is expected to become more widespread across central Kansas by mid/late morning as both the mid-level forcing and isentropic lift in the 300K-310K layer noticeably amplify. This decent forcing and lift will continue to progress into east central and southeast Kansas through the afternoon hours. Still one area of uncertainty is with regards to how well or how quickly this shortwave will be able to overcome the drier air in place over portions of northeast Kansas. Dewpoint depressions this morning are roughly around 5F degrees, and model soundings match up well with the mid-levels quickly saturating this morning with a dry low-layer in place. Several short-range models are trending a bit further north with the northern extent of the precipitation today, compared to the last few runs of many synoptic models. With the early morning precipitation trends across NW Kansas, have trended the pop forecast today toward this more northern solution. While the best potential for precipitation continues to be focused generally along and south of interstate 70 due to the location of the best forcing and lift, have extended low-end chance pops up to the KS/NE border today to account for the potential of more widely scattered showers. As this mid-level trough begins to quickly pivot eastward this afternoon, expect conditions to dry out from northwest to southeast across the CWA during the afternoon hours with a few lingering showers still possible generally along and southeast of the I-35 corridor early this evening. Since this will be a fairly fast-moving system, QPF amounts should generally be less than one-quarter inch. As for temperatures, early morning temperatures as of 09z ranged from the middle 30s to lower 40s. As cloud cover quickly overspreads the area this morning, it will significantly limit the amount of daytime heating that can occur. In fact, expect the high temperatures for the day to be reached by late morning/early afternoon with dropping temperatures through the afternoon hours as precipitation overspreads the region and northwesterly winds usher cooler air into the region. It is worth noting that model soundings show the deep layer of saturation today below 0C degrees. So while precipitation aloft will begin as snow, it is expected to melt and reach the ground as rain as ground temperatures should remain generally in the 3-6C degree range. High temperatures today will struggle to get out of the 40s with readings near 50F degrees possible near the NE/KS border. For tonight, precipitation should be east of the area by midnight with cloud cover quickly diminishing through the overnight hours. These clearing skies combined with already cool temperatures will allow for some decent radiational cooling and low temperatures plummeting into the middle 30s and possibly even into the lower 30s in some of the valleys. These conditions, combined with light westerly winds will provide the potential for some patchy frost across the entire CWA early Saturday morning. .LONG TERM...(Saturday through Thursday) Issued at 420 AM CDT FRI OCT 18 2013 The mid and long term time frame will be dominated by long wave troughing over the Great Lakes region with fast, cold north to northwest flow over the northern half of the Plains. Short wave troughs will frequently move through the flow pattern, and while the bulk of lift and moisture with these systems will be focused northeast of the local forecast area, each trough will bring a cold front through Kansas with reinforcing cold air. One of these fast moving troughs appears that it will focus its energy a bit farther southwest, closer to the local forecast area, on Tuesday. Have added a slight chance of rain on Tuesday for this system, but the remainder of the forecast is dry at this time. Saturday and Sunday may be the warmest days of the coming week with highs in the 60s as a period of warm advection is expected in advance of a late Sunday cold front. Otherwise, expect high temperatures only in the 50s on Monday through Wednesday, and perhaps back into the lower 60s by the end of the week. There may also be several chances for frost, or even freezing temperatures. The primary uncertainty in forecasting a solid freeze on any given night lies in the timing of the fast moving short wave troughs and their impact on night time winds and cloud cover. Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday morning all appear to be fine candidates for a frost or freeze, if skies clear and winds become calm, but model guidance is currently out of phase regarding timing of the cold fronts and surface high pressure beyond Monday. && .AVIATION...(For the 18Z TAFs through 18Z Saturday Afternoon) Issued at 1224 PM CDT FRI OCT 18 2013 NAM forecast soundings show only about the lowest 1000 ft above freezing through the afternoon, so there remains the possibility for mixed precip. RAP and HRRR are in reasonable agreement in the precip pushing east of TOP and FOE around 00Z. For the most part, think conditions will be VFR unless some Mixed precip moves in temporarily lowering CIGS and VSBY to MVFR. Once the precip ends, Conditions should be VFR with dry air and subsidence increasing behind the upper wave. && .TOP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. && $$ UPDATE...Wolters SHORT TERM...Hennecke LONG TERM...Barjenbruch AVIATION...Wolters
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NWS GRAY ME
1233 PM EDT FRI OCT 18 2013 .SYNOPSIS... HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS BACK ACROSS THE AREA THROUGH SATURDAY BEFORE A COLD FRONT BRINGS SHOWERS AND A SHOT OF COLDER AIR SATURDAY NIGHT. HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS EAST THROUGH MONDAY BEFORE ANOTHER STRONGER FRONT CROSSES THE AREA LATE TUESDAY. UNSETTLED WEATHER WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE END OF THE WORK WEEK. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 PM THIS EVENING/... .UPDATE... POPS HAVE BEEN DECREASED DRASTICALLY AS LEAST OF THE PRECIPITATION MOVES OUT OF THE AREA. TEMPERATURES HAVE REACHED THE MID 60S WHERE SUBSIDENCE WAS LOCATED THIS MORNING. THIS AREA IS NOW BECOMING INCREASINGLY CLOUDY WITH COLD AIR STRATOCUMULUS AND SOME FAIR WEATHER CUMULUS. MORE CLOUDY LOCATIONS ARE IN THE MID TO UPPER 50S. HAVE ADJUSTED TEMPERATURES SLIGHTLY FOR CURRENT TRENDS. && .PREVIOUS DISCUSSION... LATEST HRRR MODEL RUN CONTINUES TO SHOW THE SHOWER ACTIVITY RAPIDLY EXITING THE FORECAST AREA THIS MORNING. ANY REMAINING PRECIPITATION LIES EAST OF THE ME/NH LINE AS OF 11Z. WILL ADJUST PROBABILITY OF PRECIPITATION ACCORDINGLY. WILL ALSO ALLOW FOR ADJUSTMENTS TO THE WIND FIELDS AS DRAINAGE WINDS CONTINUE NORTH AND EAST OF PORTLAND. FOG CONTINUES ACROSS THE REGION AS WELL...HOWEVER VISIBILITIES WILL SLOWLY IMPROVE WITH TIME EARLY THIS MORNING. WITH COLD AIR ADVECTION AND INCREASING MIXING VALUES...WINDS MAY BE GUSTY AT TIMES. TEMPERATURES WILL STILL MANAGE TO MAKE IT INTO THE 60S IN MOST AREAS. USED A BLEND OF MET/MAV GUIDANCE FOR DAYTIME MAXES THIS AFTERNOON. && .SHORT TERM /6 PM THIS EVENING THROUGH 6 PM SATURDAY/... MAINLY CLEAR SKIES WILL CONTINUE DURING THE OVERNIGHT PERIOD...WITH STILL SOME UPSLOPE CLOUDINESS IN THE WNW FACING HIGHER TERRAIN. THERE WILL BE SOME PATCHY FOG IN THE MORE SHELTERED VALLEYS. A WEAK AND FAST MOVING RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE WILL CROSS NORTHERN NEW ENGLAND EARLY SATURDAY MORNING. THIS WILL BE FOLLOWED BY A DISTURBANCE EMBEDDED IN THE INCREASING SW FLOW ALOFT. CLOUDS WILL BE ON THE INCREASE DURING THE DAY AS A WEAK AREA OF LOW PRESSURE FORMS OFF THE MID ATLANTIC COAST. && .LONG TERM /SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY/... HIGH PRESSURE MOVES OFFSHORE SATURDAY AND ALLOWS A WARMER SOUTHWEST FLOW TO DEVELOP ACROSS THE AREA SATURDAY IN ADVANCE OF THE NEXT FRONTAL SYSTEM WHICH WILL MOVE THROUGH THE REGION SATURDAY NIGHT. SCATTERED SHOWERS WILL SPREAD ACROSS THE REGION LATE SATURDAY AND SAT NIGHT IN ADVANCE OF THE COLD FRONT. HIGH PRESSURE QUICKLY BUILDS IN FOR SUNDAY AND MONDAY. TEMPERATURES STAY NEAR SEASONAL NORMALS WITH A FAIR AMOUNT OF SUNSHINE. THE NEXT FRONT IS EXPECTED TO MOVE ACROSS THE REGION LATE TUESDAY INTO TUESDAY NIGHT. SHOWERS ONCE AGAIN CAN BE EXPECTED ALONG AND AHEAD OF THE FRONT. BEHIND THE FRONT A MUCH COLDER AIR MASS WILL FILTER ACROSS THE AREA WITH SNOW SHOWERS IN THE MOUNTAINS EXPECTED ON WEDNESDAY. BY WED NIGHT OR THU NIGHT FROST OR FREEZING CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO REACH THE COASTAL AREAS. && .AVIATION /18Z FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... SHORT TERM...CEILINGS AND VISIBILITIES WILL REMAIN LOW THROUGH DAYBREAK AS A COLD FRONT PUSHES THROUGH. MANY SITES WILL SEE IFR/LIFR CONDITIONS BETWEEN 08Z AND 14Z. CONDITIONS WILL RAPIDLY IMPROVE THEREAFTER. LONG TERM... VFR SATURDAY. COULD SEE MVFR/IFR IN SHOWERS SATURDAY NIGHT. SHOULD BE VFR AGAIN SUNDAY THROUGH EARLY TUESDAY. && .MARINE... SHORT TERM...SCA CONTINUES AND HAS BEEN EXTENDED THROUGH TONIGHT...AS A COLD FRONTAL PASSAGE INCREASES WIND GUSTS AND WAVE HEIGHTS. LONG TERM... WINDS/SEAS TO REMAIN BLO SCA CONDS THROUGH MONDAY. WINDS/SEAS WILL INCREASE AND REACH SCA CONDS TUES DUE TO AN INCRG SLY GRADIENT AHEAD OF AN APPROACHING CDFNT. THE COLD FRONT MOVES ACROSS THE WATERS TUES NIGHT WITH GSTY WLY WINDS BEHIND THE FROPA THAT WILL CONTINUE THROUGH WED. && .GYX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... ME...NONE. NH...NONE. MARINE...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 2 AM EDT SATURDAY FOR ANZ150-152- 154. && $$ UPDATE...HANES
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS GRAY ME
652 AM EDT FRI OCT 18 2013 .SYNOPSIS... HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS BACK ACROSS THE AREA THROUGH SATURDAY BEFORE A COLD FRONT BRINGS SHOWERS AND A SHOT OF COLDER AIR SATURDAY NIGHT. HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS EAST THROUGH MONDAY BEFORE ANOTHER STRONGER FRONT CROSSES THE AREA LATE TUESDAY. UNSETTLED WEATHER WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE END OF THE WORK WEEK. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... UPDATE... LATEST HRRR MODEL RUN CONTINUES TO SHOW THE SHOWER ACTIVITY RAPIDLY EXITING THE FORECAST AREA THIS MORNING. ANY REMAINING PRECIPITATION LIES EAST OF THE ME/NH LINE AS OF 11Z. WILL ADJUST PROBABILITY OF PRECIPITATION ACCORDINGLY. WILL ALSO ALLOW FOR ADJUSTMENTS TO THE WIND FIELDS AS DRAINAGE WINDS CONTINUE NORTH AND EAST OF PORTLAND. FOG CONTINUES ACROSS THE REGION AS WELL...HOWEVER VISIBILITIES WILL SLOWLY IMPROVE WITH TIME EARLY THIS MORNING. HYDRO SITUATION FOR THE GORHAM DAM... HAVE EXTENDED THE FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR THE GORHAM AREA FOR A COUPLE MORE HOURS THIS MORNING AS WE AWAIT NEW INFORMATION ON THE GORHAM DAM. FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS NOW IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 AM. PREV DISC... A FAST MOVING AREA OF LOW PRESSURE WILL RACE EAST OF OUR REGION THIS MORNING. THIS WILL ALLOW FOR CLEARING SKIES INITIALLY OVER DOWNSLOPE AREAS...FOLLOWED BY SLOW CLEARING IN THE MOUNTAINS. WITH COLD AIR ADVECTION AND INCREASING MIXING VALUES...WINDS MAY BE GUSTY AT TIMES. TEMPERATURES WILL STILL MANAGE TO MAKE IT INTO THE 60S IN MOST AREAS. USED A BLEND OF MET/MAV GUIDANCE FOR DAYTIME MAXES THIS AFTERNOON. && .SHORT TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT/... MAINLY CLEAR SKIES WILL CONTINUE DURING THE OVERNIGHT PERIOD...WITH STILL SOME UPSLOPE CLOUDINES IN THE WNW FACING HIGHER TERRAIN. THERE WILL BE SOME PATCHY FOG IN THE MORE SHELTERED VALLEYS. A WEAK AND FAST MOVING RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE WILL CROSS NORTHERN NEW ENGLAND EARLY SATURDAY MORNING. THIS WILL BE FOLLOWED BY A DISTURBANCE EMBEDDED IN THE INCREASEING SW FLOW ALOFT. CLOUDS WILL BE ON THE INCREASE DURING THE DAY AS A WEAK AREA OF LOW PRESSURE FORMS OFF THE MID ATLANTIC COAST. && .LONG TERM /SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/... HIGH PRESSURE MOVES OFFSHORE SATURDAY AND ALLOWS A WARMER SOUTHWEST FLOW TO DEVELOP ACROSS THE AREA SATURDAY IN ADVANCE OF THE NEXT FRONTAL SYSTEM WHICH WILL MOVE THROUGH THE REGION SATURDAY NIGHT. SCATTERED SHOWERS WILL SPREAD ACROSS THE REGION LATE SATURDAY AND SAT NIGHT IN ADVANCE OF THE COLD FRONT. HIGH PRESSURE QUICKLY BUILDS IN FOR SUNDAY AND MONDAY. TEMPERATURES STAY NEAR SEASONAL NORMALS WITH A FAIR AMOUNT OF SUNSHINE. THE NEXT FRONT IS EXPECTED TO MOVE ACROSS THE REGION LATE TUESDAY INTO TUESDAY NIGHT. SHOWERS ONCE AGAIN CAN BE EXPECTED ALONG AND AHEAD OF THE FRONT. BEHIND THE FRONT A MUCH COLDER AIR MASS WILL FILTER ACROSS THE AREA WITH SNOW SHOWERS IN THE MOUNTAINS EXPECTED ON WEDNESDAY. BY WED NIGHT OR THU NIGHT FROST OR FREEZING CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO REACH THE COASTAL AREAS. && .AVIATION /12Z FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/... SHORT TERM...CEILINGS AND VISIBILITIES WILL REMAIN LOW THROUGH DAYBREAK AS A COLD FRONT PUSHES THROUGH. MANY SITES WILL SEE IFR/LIFR CONDITIONS BETWEEN 08Z AND 14Z. CONDITIONS WILL RAPIDLY IMPROVE THEREAFTER. LONG TERM... VFR SATURDAY. COULD SEE MVFR/IFR IN SHOWERS SATURDAY NIGHT. SHOULD BE VFR AGAIN SUNDAY THROUGH EARLY TUESDAY. && .MARINE... SHORT TERM...SCA CONTINUES AND HAS BEEN EXTENDED THROUGH TONIGHT...AS A COLD FRONTAL PASSAGE INCREASES WIND GUSTS AND WAVE HEIGHTS. LONG TERM... WINDS/SEAS TO REMAIN BLO SCA CONDS THROUGH MONDAY. WINDS/SEAS WILL INCREASE AND REACH SCA CONDS TUES DUE TO AN INCRG SLY GRADIENT AHEAD OF AN APPROACHING CDFNT. THE COLD FRONT MOVES ACROSS THE WATERS TUES NIGHT WITH GSTY WLY WINDS BEHIND THE FROPA THAT WILL CONTINUE THROUGH WED. && .GYX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... ME...NONE. NH...FLASH FLOOD WATCH UNTIL 9 AM EDT THIS MORNING FOR NHZ002. MARINE...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 2 AM EDT SATURDAY FOR ANZ150-152- 154. && $$
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS WAKEFIELD VA
828 PM EDT SAT OCT 19 2013 .SYNOPSIS... A COLD FRONT CROSSES THE REGION AND MOVES OFF THE COAST OVERNIGHT. HIGH PRESSURE SETTLES OVER THE MID ATLANTIC STATES SUNDAY AND MOVES OFF THE COAST MONDAY. ANOTHER COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH WEDNESDAY. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM SUNDAY MORNING/... UPPER LEVEL ANALYSIS HAS A LONG WAVE TROUGH FROM CENTRAL CANADA SOUTH THROUGH THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. SOUTHERN JET STREAM FROM LOUISIANA TO THE MID ATLANTIC COAST WAS BRINGING MID LEVEL MOISTURE ACROSS THE CWA. A COLD FRONT EXTENDED FROM LOW PRESSURE OVER THE NORTHERN GREAT LAKES SOUTH THROUGH EASTERN OHIO AND INTO MISSISSIPPI. A STATIONARY FRONT EXTENDED ALONG THE CAROLINA COAST SOUTHWEST INTO THE GULF OF MEXICO. THE MID LEVEL MOISTURE IN COMBINATION WITH A WEAK SURFACE/LOW LEVEL TROUGH OVER EASTERN WV WAS RESULTING IN SCATTERED VERY LIGHT SHOWERS ACROSS MUCH OF THE CWA. MODELS HAVE HANDLED THIS ACTIVITY RATHER POORLY BUT THE RUC SEEMS TO HAVE THE BEST HANDLE ON IT CURRENTLY. STARTING THE FORECAST THROUGH 00Z WITH AT LEAST 30 PERCENT POPS. PCPN AMOUNTS WILL CONTINUE TO BE QUITE LIGHT...GENERALLY A FEW HUNDREDTHS OF AN INCH AT THE MOST. DRIER AIR WILL GRADUALLY FILTER IN FROM THE SW WITH A CHC FOR PCPN CONTINUING OVER NORTHERN PORTIONS TIL 04Z AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT. THE COLD FRONT WILL BEGIN TO PASS THROUGH SHORTLY AFTER MIDNIGHT AND REACH THE COAST BY AROUND 4 AM EDT. THIS WILL BRING SHARP CLEARING AND SWEEP MUCH OF THE MOISTURE OFF TO THE EAST. KEPT HOURLY TEMPERATURES ELEVATED THIS EVENING FROM A NORMAL DIURNAL CURVE THEN LOWERED THEM MORE QUICKLY FOLLOWING THE FRONTAL PASSAGE. MAINLY USED THE SREF FOR LOW TEMPERATURES SUNDAY MORNING WHICH VERIFIED WELL FRIDAY MORNING. LOWS ARE FORECAST TO RANGE FROM THE LWR 40S ACROSS THE PIEDMONT TO MID AND UPR 50S IN THE SE. && .SHORT TERM /6 AM SUNDAY MORNING THROUGH TUESDAY/... SFC HIGH PRESSURE PERSISTS THROUGH SUNDAY/SUNDAY NIGHT AND SLIDES OFFSHORE ON MONDAY. A MOSTLY CLEAR SKY AND COOL TEMPERATURES WILL PERSIST. WITH HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE AREA SUNDAY...SUBSIDENCE WILL HOLD TEMPERATURES DOWN FROM THEIR POTENTIAL. HIGHS ARE FORECAST TO RANGE FROM AROUND 60 IN THE NORTHERN NECK AND THE MD EASTERN SHORE TO THE MID 60S ALONG THE NC BORDER. IDEAL RADIATIONAL COOLING WILL THEN BRING THE COOLEST NIGHT SO FAR THIS SEASON. LOWS MONDAY MORNING RANGE FROM THE UPR 30S WELL INLAND TO THE MID 40S AT THE COAST. AS HIGH PRESSURE SLIDES OFF THE COAST...TEMPERATURES WARM A BIT MONDAY WITH HIGHS IN THE MID TO UPR 60S. WITH THE SOUTHERLY WINDS AND AN INCREASE IN CLOUDINESS...LOW TEMPERATURES WILL BE MILDER TUESDAY MORNING...RANGING FROM THE MID 40S INLAND TO THE MID 50S NEAR THE COAST. DUE TO LOW PRESSURE DEVELOPMENT ON THE FRONT OFF THE CAROLINA COAST...THERE IS A SLIGHT TO LOW CHC FOR RAIN OVER SE PORTIONS. THERE IS UNCERTAINTY AS TO WHETHER THIS WILL EVEN MAKE IT INTO OUR AREA. FOR NOW HAVE A 30 PERCENT CHANCE FOR SHOWERS NEAR THE ALBEMARLE SOUND WITH 20 PERCENT POPS INTO SOUTHEAST VIRGINIA. HIGH TEMPERATURES ACROSS THE AREA ON TUESDAY RANGE FROM 65 TO 70. && .LONG TERM /TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY/... WILL LEAN TOWARD THE 12Z ECMWF MODEL FOR THE EXTENDED PERIOD. ANOTHER SRN STREAM WEAK LO PRES AREA WILL MOVE OFF THE SE AND MID ATLC CST LATE TUE INTO WED MORNG...FOLLOWED BY A COLD FRONT PUSHING OFF THE CST BY WED EVENG. THIS SCENARIO WILL PROVIDE A SLGT CHC OR SML CHC FOR SHOWERS ACRS THE AREA. THEN...A VERY DRY/COOL AIRMASS WILL DOMINATE THE REGION WED NGT THRU SAT...AS HI PRES WILL BLD TWD AND INTO THE AREA FM THE W. MIN TEMPS WILL RANGE FM THE LWR 40S TO LWR 50S WED MORNG...IN THE UPR 30S TO MID 40S THU MORNG...AND MAINLY IN THE MID 30S TO LWR 40S FRI AND SAT MORNGS. MAX TEMPS WILL MAINLY RANGE FM THE UPR 50S TO MID 60S THRU THE PERIOD. && .AVIATION /01Z SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/... MOISTURE FROM DEPARTING LOW PRESSURE OFF THE MID ATLANTIC COAST AND AHEAD OF APPROACHING COLD FRONT HAS RESULTED IN SPORADIC IFR CIGS PAST FEW HOURS ALONG WITH AREAS OF LIGHT RAIN. EXPECT THESE CONDITIONS TO CONTINUE FOR THE NEXT 1-3 HRS EAST OF I-95 BEFORE WINDS TURN MORE SW AHEAD OF THE FRONT. EXPECT DECREASING CLOUDINESS ALONG WITH A WIND SHIFT TO THE N LATE TONIGHT. OUTLOOK...VFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED SUN AND MON AS HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS INTO THE AREA. ANOTHER WEAK SYSTEM PASSES OFF THE NC COAST TUE AND COULD BRING CIGS DOWN TO 3K FT OR LESS AT KECG/KORF. && .MARINE... WILL MAINTAIN SCA HEADLINES FOR ALL ZNS EXCEPT SRN TWO CSTL WTRS. A COLD FRONT WILL PUSH OFF THE CST TNGT...AS HI PRES BLDS IN FM THE W. SSW WINDS LESS THAN 15 KT WILL SHIFT TO THE NW LATE TNGT AND INCREASE TO 15 TO 25 KT...WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 30 KT BY SUN MORNG. THIS NW OR N SURGE WILL LAST THRU SUN MORNG...THEN DIMINISH RATHER QUICKLY SUN AFTN...AS SFC HI PRES BLDS RIGHT OVR THE AREA. FAIRLY QUIET SUN NGT INTO TUE...AS FCST AREA WILL BE BETWEEN ANOTHER SFC LO WELL TO THE S AND ANOTHER LO PRES SYSTEM MOVING ACRS THE GRT LKS. A STRONG COLD FRONT WILL EVENTUALLY PUSH THRU LATE WED/WED NGT...BRINGING ANOTHER ROUND OF SCA OR POSSIBLY EVEN GALE CONDITIONS. && .AKQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MD...NONE. NC...NONE. VA...NONE. MARINE...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FROM 4 AM TO NOON EDT SUNDAY FOR ANZ632>638-650-652-654. SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FROM 1 AM TO NOON EDT SUNDAY FOR ANZ630- 631. && $$ SYNOPSIS...LSA NEAR TERM...LSA SHORT TERM...LSA LONG TERM...TMG AVIATION...MPR/DAP MARINE...TMG
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS MARQUETTE MI
155 PM EDT FRI OCT 18 2013 .UPDATE... ISSUED AT 1014 AM EDT FRI OCT 18 2013 SFC LOW CURRENTLY OVER EASTERN LK SUPERIOR BETWEEN CARIBOU ISLAND AND WHITEFISH POINT. TROUGH EXTENDING WEST FROM THE LOW WITH NNW WINDS ALREADY NEAR THE SHORE AT MQT AND PUSHING TOWARD MUNISING. COOLING IN WAKE OF TROUGH IS SPILLING ACROSS LK SUPERIOR LEADING TO INCREASING OVERWATER INSTABILITY. BASED ON H85 TEMPS FM RUC THE DELTA T/S RIGHT NOW OVER LK SUPERIOR ARE 12-14C. SHOWERS STREAMING IN OFF LK SUPERIOR BTWN MARQUETTE AND MUNISING ARE LIKELY A RESULT OF INSTABILITY AND LOW-LEVEL CONVERGENCE. ELSEWHERE...WIDESPREAD RAIN IS OCCURRING OVER MUCH OF THE NORTHERN CWA. RAIN AMOUNTS LIGHT WITH AVAILABLE AUTOMATED STATIONS SHOWING ONLY A HUNDREDTH OR TWO IN AN HOUR. AS SHORTWAVE TO THE WEST SLIDES ACROSS THROUGH EARLY THIS AFTN AND INTERACTS WITH NNW CYCLONIC FLOW AND THE INCREASING INSTABILITY...EXPECT SHOWERS OVER THE WEST TO INCREASE OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN. RUC13 MAY BE OVERDONE WITH ITS QPF AMOUNTS...BUT IS PROBABLY ON THE RIGHT TRACK WITH AT LEAST THE AREAL DEPICTION. MAIN ADJUSTMENT WAS TO INCREASE POPS ALL AREAS THROUGH THE MORNING FOR THE WIDESPREAD LIGHT RAIN...THEN KEEP HIGHER POPS LONGER OVER THE WEST THIS AFTN DUE TO THE LK EFFECT. PRECIP WILL TREND DOWN THIS EVENING AS SFC TROUGH MOVES EAST OF THE AREA. && .SHORT TERM...(TODAY AND TONIGHT) ISSUED AT 507 AM EDT FRI OCT 18 2013 RAIN SHOWERS OVER THE WRN CWA AND PARTS OF MN AND WI ARE BEING DRIVEN BY A COLD FRONT ALONG THE LEADING EDGE OF THE SHOWERS...SUCH AS WHERE HIGHER RADAR REFLECTIVITIES AND GRADIENTS ARE OVER SCENTRAL LAKE SUPERIOR/NCENTRAL UPPER MI AT THE CURRENT TIME /0730Z/. BEHIND THE INITIAL COLD FRONTAL PRECIP...THE WIDESPREAD RAIN IS BEING DRIVEN BY A SHORTWAVE NEAR MPX AND UPPER LEVEL HEIGHT FALLS FROM A STRONG UPPER TROUGH PUSHING INTO THE REGION FROM THE N. EVEN WITH SUB FREEZING 850MB TEMPS BEHIND THE COLD FRONT...THERE IS NO SNOW BEING REPORTED AS LOW LEVEL TEMPS BELOW 850MB ARE TOO WARM FOR FROZEN PRECIP TO MAKE IT TO THE GROUND. EXPECT BEST COVERAGE OF RAIN TO BE OVER WRN UPPER MI THROUGH MOST OF THE MORNING AS THE COLD FRONT OUTRUNS BEST UPPER LEVEL SUPPORT /KEEPING RAIN COVERAGE LOWER AS THE FRONT MOVES E/ AND THE SHORTWAVE MOVES OVER WRN UPPER MI AROUND 18Z. BEHIND THE SHORTWAVE AND AHEAD OF THE UPPER TROUGH AXIS...A BRIEF RIDGE PASSES THROUGH TONIGHT...WHICH SHOULD PROVIDE A LULL IN PRECIP. HOWEVER...AFTER THE RIDGE PASSES...CONDITIONS BECOME MORE FAVORABLE FOR LAKE EFFECT/ENHANCED PRECIP AS 850MB TEMPS WILL BE AROUND -3C OVER THE RELATIVELY WARM 8-10C WATERS OF LAKE SUPERIOR WITH NW LOW LEVEL WINDS. THINK THE INCREASE IN SHOWER COVERAGE WILL BE LATE TONIGHT AFTER 03Z. WITH THE COLDER 850MB TEMPS...SOME SNOW COULD MIX IN WITH THE RAIN LAT TONIGHT WHEN NEAR SFC TEMPS ARE COOLER. STILL NOT EXPECTING ANY SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS IN THE SHORT TERM.. .LONG TERM...(SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY) ISSUED AT 507 AM EDT FRI OCT 18 2013 SATURDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT...THE MODELS WERE IN REASONABLE AGREEMENT IN DROPPING A SHORTWAVE INTO THE REGION WITH THE STRONGEST 850-500 MB QVECTOR CONV TO THE SOUTH OF UPPER MI. HOWEVER...THE FORCING AHEAD OF THE SHRTWV ALONG WITH RELATIVELY STEEP 900-600 MB LAPSE RATES WILL BE STRONG ENOUGH TO SUPPORT SCT/NMRS SHOWERS SPREADING FROM WEST TO EAST THROUGH THE CWA. FCST SOUNDINGS SUGGEST THAT A RAIN/SNOW MIX WILL BE POSSIBLE IN THE MORNING BEFORE DIURNAL WARMING AND WEAK WAA CHANGES THE PCPN OVER TO RAIN. WITH MAINLY W OR WNW WINDS BY SAT NIGHT AND 850 MB TEMPS DOWN TO AROUND -4C...THE BEST CHANCE FOR ENHANCED SHOWERS ARE EXPECTED MAINLY OVER THE KEWEENAW AND LOCATIONS EAST OF MUNISING. SUN INTO MON...THE GFS AND ECMWF REMAINED IN GOOD AGREEMENT WITH A STRONGER SHRTWV DROPPING TO THE SOUTH FROM NRN MANITOBA. AS THE ASSOCIATED SFC LOW MOVES FROM WI TO ERN UPPER MI...AN AREA OF 285K-295 ISENTROPIC LIFT WILL SUPPORT AN AREA OF PCPN MOVING INTO SW UPPER MI SUN AFTERNOON AND ACROSS THE CWA SUN NIGHT. FCST SOUNDINGS...AND WET-BULB ZERO HEIGHTS SUPPORT POTENTIAL FOR ACCUMULATING SNOW OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN OF THE WEST HALF OF UPPER MI. WITH ONLY LIGHT TO MODERATE SNOWFALL RATES EXPECTED...AND RELATIVELY LOW SNOW/WATER RATIO VALUES AOB 10/1...ANY ACCUMULATIONS SHOULD REMAIN MAINLY BELOW AN INCH. MODELS SHOWED GREATER DIFFERENCES BY LATER MONDAY AS THE GFS WAS MORE AGGRESSIVE IN DIGGING THE SHRTWV TO THE SOUTH ALLOWING LOW LEVEL WINDS TO VEER MORE NRLY COMPARED TO THE ECMWF. EITHER SOLUTION SUGGESTS THAT WITH DEEP MOISTURE AND CYCLONIC FLOW AND 850 MB TEMPS TO AROUND -6C...LAKE ENHANCED PCPN WILL AFFECT THE NORTH HALF OF UPPER MI THROUGH MON NIGHT. THERE SHOULD ALSO BE ENOUGH LOW LEVEL COLD AIR FOR SOME ACCUMULATING SNOW...ESPECIALLY WHERE UPSLOPE NW TO NNW FLOW PREVAILS. CONFIDENCE IN PCPN/SNOW AMOUNTS IS LOW GIVEN MODEL DIFFERENCES WITH THE DETAILS OF LOW LEVEL WINDS. TUE-THU...WITH THE MEAN LONG WAVE TROUGH POSITION REMAINING OVER THE GREAT LAKES AND ERN CONUS...NW FLOW AND WEAK CLIPPER SHRTWVS ARE EXPECTED TO MOVE THROUGH THE WRN LAKES. THIS WILL BRING PERIODS OF LIGHT PCPN THAT WILL BE ENHANCED BY LAKE SUPERIOR AS 850 MB TEMPS REMAIN IN THE -6C TO -9C RANGE. LOCATIONS FAVORED BY WNW TO NW FLOW ARE LIKELY TO SEE THE GREATEST PCPN CHANCES. SOME ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATING SNOW MAY BE POSSIBLE ALTHOUGH THE AS IS TYPICAL IN EARLY SEASON LAKE EFFECT REGIMES...GRAUPEL WILL LIKELY ALSO BE MIXED WITH ANY RAIN/SNOW SHOWERS. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z SATURDAY AFTERNOON) ISSUED AT 152 PM EDT FRI OCT 18 2013 SHOWERS WITH VFR VSBY AND MVFR CIGS DIMINISH LATER TODAY AS LOW PRESSURE MOVES TO THE EAST OF LK SUPERIOR. LOW CIGS MAY LINGER THROUGH MUCH OF THE NIGHT BUT SHOULD SCATTER OUT LATER TONIGHT AT CMX AND SAW. CLOUDS THICKEN ON SATURDAY WITH THE APPROACH OF ANOTHER LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM. CONDITIONS WILL MAINLY STAY VFR UNTIL LATER SATURDAY. SOME SHOWERS MAY START TO IMPACT IWD BY LATE SATURDAY MORNING. && .MARINE...(FOR THE 4 AM LAKE SUPERIOR FORECAST ISSUANCE) ISSUED AT 507 AM EDT FRI OCT 18 2013 A TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE AND ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT MOVING ACROSS EASTERN LAKE SUPERIOR TODAY WILL SHIFT EASTWARD TODAY...WITH A BRIEF RIDGE BUILDING BACK IN TONIGHT. WINDS JUST BEHIND THE FRONT MAY BRIEFLY GUST TO 20 TO 30KTS FRIDAY INTO FRIDAY EVENING. DURING THE DAY SATURDAY THROUGH MUCH OF SUNDAY ANOTHER AREA OF LOW PRESSURE WILL APPROACH LAKE SUPERIOR...CAUSING THE PRESSURE GRADIENT TO INCREASE ONCE AGAIN. THIS MAY CAUSE WINDS TO INCREASE TO 20 TO 30 KNOTS...ESPECIALLY SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY. MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY...ANOTHER...MORE INTENSE AREA OF LOW PRESSURE...IS SET TO SHIFT INTO THE REGION ALLOWING WINDS TO INCREASE OVER THE LAKE ONCE AGAIN. DURING THIS TIME FRAME WINDS MAY GUST TO NEAR GALES OF 35 KNOTS. && .MQT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... UPPER MICHIGAN... NONE. LAKE SUPERIOR... NONE. LAKE MICHIGAN... NONE. && $$ UPDATE...JLA SHORT TERM...TITUS LONG TERM...JLB AVIATION...JLA MARINE...TITUS
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NWS MARQUETTE MI
1016 AM EDT FRI OCT 18 2013 .UPDATE... ISSUED AT 1014 AM EDT FRI OCT 18 2013 SFC LOW CURRENTLY OVER EASTERN LK SUPERIOR BETWEEN CARIBOU ISLAND AND WHITEFISH POINT. TROUGH EXTENDING WEST FROM THE LOW WITH NNW WINDS ALREADY NEAR THE SHORE AT MQT AND PUSHING TOWARD MUNISING. COOLING IN WAKE OF TROUGH IS SPILLING ACROSS LK SUPERIOR LEADING TO INCREASING OVERWATER INSTABILITY. BASED ON H85 TEMPS FM RUC THE DELTA T/S RIGHT NOW OVER LK SUPERIOR ARE 12-14C. SHOWERS STREAMING IN OFF LK SUPERIOR BTWN MARQUETTE AND MUNISING ARE LIKELY A RESULT OF INSTABILITY AND LOW-LEVEL CONVERGENCE. ELSEWHERE...WIDESPREAD RAIN IS OCCURRING OVER MUCH OF THE NORTHERN CWA. RAIN AMOUNTS LIGHT WITH AVAILABLE AUTOMATED STATIONS SHOWING ONLY A HUNDREDTH OR TWO IN AN HOUR. AS SHORTWAVE TO THE WEST SLIDES ACROSS THROUGH EARLY THIS AFTN AND INTERACTS WITH NNW CYCLONIC FLOW AND THE INCREASING INSTABILITY...EXPECT SHOWERS OVER THE WEST TO INCREASE OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN. RUC13 MAY BE OVERDONE WITH ITS QPF AMOUNTS...BUT IS PROBABLY ON THE RIGHT TRACK WITH AT LEAST THE AREAL DEPICTION. MAIN ADJUSTMENT WAS TO INCREASE POPS ALL AREAS THROUGH THE MORNING FOR THE WIDESPREAD LIGHT RAIN...THEN KEEP HIGHER POPS LONGER OVER THE WEST THIS AFTN DUE TO THE LK EFFECT. PRECIP WILL TREND DOWN THIS EVENING AS SFC TROUGH MOVES EAST OF THE AREA. && .SHORT TERM...(TODAY AND TONIGHT) ISSUED AT 507 AM EDT FRI OCT 18 2013 RAIN SHOWERS OVER THE WRN CWA AND PARTS OF MN AND WI ARE BEING DRIVEN BY A COLD FRONT ALONG THE LEADING EDGE OF THE SHOWERS...SUCH AS WHERE HIGHER RADAR REFLECTIVITIES AND GRADIENTS ARE OVER SCENTRAL LAKE SUPERIOR/NCENTRAL UPPER MI AT THE CURRENT TIME /0730Z/. BEHIND THE INITIAL COLD FRONTAL PRECIP...THE WIDESPREAD RAIN IS BEING DRIVEN BY A SHORTWAVE NEAR MPX AND UPPER LEVEL HEIGHT FALLS FROM A STRONG UPPER TROUGH PUSHING INTO THE REGION FROM THE N. EVEN WITH SUB FREEZING 850MB TEMPS BEHIND THE COLD FRONT...THERE IS NO SNOW BEING REPORTED AS LOW LEVEL TEMPS BELOW 850MB ARE TOO WARM FOR FROZEN PRECIP TO MAKE IT TO THE GROUND. EXPECT BEST COVERAGE OF RAIN TO BE OVER WRN UPPER MI THROUGH MOST OF THE MORNING AS THE COLD FRONT OUTRUNS BEST UPPER LEVEL SUPPORT /KEEPING RAIN COVERAGE LOWER AS THE FRONT MOVES E/ AND THE SHORTWAVE MOVES OVER WRN UPPER MI AROUND 18Z. BEHIND THE SHORTWAVE AND AHEAD OF THE UPPER TROUGH AXIS...A BRIEF RIDGE PASSES THROUGH TONIGHT...WHICH SHOULD PROVIDE A LULL IN PRECIP. HOWEVER...AFTER THE RIDGE PASSES...CONDITIONS BECOME MORE FAVORABLE FOR LAKE EFFECT/ENHANCED PRECIP AS 850MB TEMPS WILL BE AROUND -3C OVER THE RELATIVELY WARM 8-10C WATERS OF LAKE SUPERIOR WITH NW LOW LEVEL WINDS. THINK THE INCREASE IN SHOWER COVERAGE WILL BE LATE TONIGHT AFTER 03Z. WITH THE COLDER 850MB TEMPS...SOME SNOW COULD MIX IN WITH THE RAIN LAT TONIGHT WHEN NEAR SFC TEMPS ARE COOLER. STILL NOT EXPECTING ANY SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS IN THE SHORT TERM.. .LONG TERM...(SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY) ISSUED AT 507 AM EDT FRI OCT 18 2013 SATURDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT...THE MODELS WERE IN REASONABLE AGREEMENT IN DROPPING A SHORTWAVE INTO THE REGION WITH THE STRONGEST 850-500 MB QVECTOR CONV TO THE SOUTH OF UPPER MI. HOWEVER...THE FORCING AHEAD OF THE SHRTWV ALONG WITH RELATIVELY STEEP 900-600 MB LAPSE RATES WILL BE STRONG ENOUGH TO SUPPORT SCT/NMRS SHOWERS SPREADING FROM WEST TO EAST THROUGH THE CWA. FCST SOUNDINGS SUGGEST THAT A RAIN/SNOW MIX WILL BE POSSIBLE IN THE MORNING BEFORE DIURNAL WARMING AND WEAK WAA CHANGES THE PCPN OVER TO RAIN. WITH MAINLY W OR WNW WINDS BY SAT NIGHT AND 850 MB TEMPS DOWN TO AROUND -4C...THE BEST CHANCE FOR ENHANCED SHOWERS ARE EXPECTED MAINLY OVER THE KEWEENAW AND LOCATIONS EAST OF MUNISING. SUN INTO MON...THE GFS AND ECMWF REMAINED IN GOOD AGREEMENT WITH A STRONGER SHRTWV DROPPING TO THE SOUTH FROM NRN MANITOBA. AS THE ASSOCIATED SFC LOW MOVES FROM WI TO ERN UPPER MI...AN AREA OF 285K-295 ISENTROPIC LIFT WILL SUPPORT AN AREA OF PCPN MOVING INTO SW UPPER MI SUN AFTERNOON AND ACROSS THE CWA SUN NIGHT. FCST SOUNDINGS...AND WET-BULB ZERO HEIGHTS SUPPORT POTENTIAL FOR ACCUMULATING SNOW OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN OF THE WEST HALF OF UPPER MI. WITH ONLY LIGHT TO MODERATE SNOWFALL RATES EXPECTED...AND RELATIVELY LOW SNOW/WATER RATIO VALUES AOB 10/1...ANY ACCUMULATIONS SHOULD REMAIN MAINLY BELOW AN INCH. MODELS SHOWED GREATER DIFFERENCES BY LATER MONDAY AS THE GFS WAS MORE AGGRESSIVE IN DIGGING THE SHRTWV TO THE SOUTH ALLOWING LOW LEVEL WINDS TO VEER MORE NRLY COMPARED TO THE ECMWF. EITHER SOLUTION SUGGESTS THAT WITH DEEP MOISTURE AND CYCLONIC FLOW AND 850 MB TEMPS TO AROUND -6C...LAKE ENHANCED PCPN WILL AFFECT THE NORTH HALF OF UPPER MI THROUGH MON NIGHT. THERE SHOULD ALSO BE ENOUGH LOW LEVEL COLD AIR FOR SOME ACCUMULATING SNOW...ESPECIALLY WHERE UPSLOPE NW TO NNW FLOW PREVAILS. CONFIDENCE IN PCPN/SNOW AMOUNTS IS LOW GIVEN MODEL DIFFERENCES WITH THE DETAILS OF LOW LEVEL WINDS. TUE-THU...WITH THE MEAN LONG WAVE TROUGH POSITION REMAINING OVER THE GREAT LAKES AND ERN CONUS...NW FLOW AND WEAK CLIPPER SHRTWVS ARE EXPECTED TO MOVE THROUGH THE WRN LAKES. THIS WILL BRING PERIODS OF LIGHT PCPN THAT WILL BE ENHANCED BY LAKE SUPERIOR AS 850 MB TEMPS REMAIN IN THE -6C TO -9C RANGE. LOCATIONS FAVORED BY WNW TO NW FLOW ARE LIKELY TO SEE THE GREATEST PCPN CHANCES. SOME ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATING SNOW MAY BE POSSIBLE ALTHOUGH THE AS IS TYPICAL IN EARLY SEASON LAKE EFFECT REGIMES...GRAUPEL WILL LIKELY ALSO BE MIXED WITH ANY RAIN/SNOW SHOWERS. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 12Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z SATURDAY MORNING) ISSUED AT 745 AM EDT FRI OCT 18 2013 A SHORTWAVE MOVING THROUGH THE REGION THIS MORNING WILL CONTINUE TO PRODUCE RAIN SHOWERS AND REDUCED CIGS. EXPECT A SLOW IMPROVING TREND TODAY AND ESPECIALLY TONIGHT AS A WEAK RIDGE QUICKLY MOVES THROUGH. PRECIPITATION AND REDUCED CIGS THEN MOVE BACK IN LATE IN THE FORECAST PERIOD FROM THE W /JUST INCLUDED AT IWD AT THIS TIME/ AS AN UPPER TROUGH MOVES INTO THE AREA. && .MARINE...(FOR THE 4 AM LAKE SUPERIOR FORECAST ISSUANCE) ISSUED AT 507 AM EDT FRI OCT 18 2013 A TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE AND ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT MOVING ACROSS EASTERN LAKE SUPERIOR TODAY WILL SHIFT EASTWARD TODAY...WITH A BRIEF RIDGE BUILDING BACK IN TONIGHT. WINDS JUST BEHIND THE FRONT MAY BRIEFLY GUST TO 20 TO 30KTS FRIDAY INTO FRIDAY EVENING. DURING THE DAY SATURDAY THROUGH MUCH OF SUNDAY ANOTHER AREA OF LOW PRESSURE WILL APPROACH LAKE SUPERIOR...CAUSING THE PRESSURE GRADIENT TO INCREASE ONCE AGAIN. THIS MAY CAUSE WINDS TO INCREASE TO 20 TO 30 KNOTS...ESPECIALLY SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY. MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY...ANOTHER...MORE INTENSE AREA OF LOW PRESSURE...IS SET TO SHIFT INTO THE REGION ALLOWING WINDS TO INCREASE OVER THE LAKE ONCE AGAIN. DURING THIS TIME FRAME WINDS MAY GUST TO NEAR GALES OF 35 KNOTS. && .MQT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... UPPER MICHIGAN... NONE. LAKE SUPERIOR... NONE. LAKE MICHIGAN... NONE. && $$ UPDATE...JLA SHORT TERM...TITUS LONG TERM...JLB AVIATION...TITUS MARINE...TITUS
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NWS ST LOUIS MO
1257 PM CDT Fri Oct 18 2013 .UPDATE: Issued at 1239 PM CDT Fri Oct 18 2013 Coverage of rain has continued to expand this morning across ern KS with a finger extending into nw and n cntrl MO. This finger exist due to strong frontogenetical forcing. This forcing is expected to work east across ne MO and w cntrl IL this aftn and continue into the evening before weakening. This will cause this band to continue to work slowly east this aftn and then dsspt this evening. By 3Z, the forcing shifts south along the I70 corridor which will cause the rest of the precip shield to overspread the rest of the CWA overnight. This caused a fairly significant change in the fcst. POPs were shifted north and increased for this aftn. The other fcst elements seemed to be in decent shape. 2% && .SHORT TERM: (Through Late This Afternoon) Issued at 320 AM CDT Fri Oct 18 2013 A weak cold front was moving through the region early this morning, but its only effect across the LSX CWA will be a wind shift from southwest to northwest after fropa. Early morning water vapor imagery along with recent RAP analyses of the 1.5 PVU surface both depict a positively tilted trough over the central CONUS with a couple of stout disturbances sliding down the western side of the trough. Increasing large scale ascent ahead of these vorticity centers will support scattered rain showers from this afternoon into tonight. Since it may take some time to saturate the initially dry air mass, precipitation chances look higher after 19/00z compared to earlier in the afternoon. Kanofsky .LONG TERM: (Tonight through Thursday) Issued at 320 AM CDT Fri Oct 18 2013 Precipitation threat overnight is expected to transition from very light showers during the early evening attempting to stream east- northeast from mid MO, to a broader area of rain developing over the southeast half of the CWA during the overnight hours as upstream shortwave begins to push into mid Mississippi Valley and the large scale ascent is realized over the CWA. Believe the NAM is too far southeast with its QPF in the 06-12z time frame, as almost all over solutions have northern fringes of QPF north of STL. While specifics may be a bit off, the 3 hourly PoP trends from the 03z SREF look very reasonable. This rain should wind down late tonight or very early Saturday morning over our southeast counties as shortwave exits to the east. The brief cool-down in the wake of this feature will quickly give way to WAA in advance of the next shortwave from late Saturday afternoon, with fairly strong warming forecast over most of the CWA from late Saturday night into Sunday. By Sunday afternoon all short range models are forecasting at least 8C 850mb temps over the CWA, with thermal ridge extending from southeast Kansas into ne MO possibly pushing temps to around 10C. Given this trend have upped temps about a category from going forecasts, and most areas should push the 70 degree mark. Heading into the medium range, upper level trof is forecast to deepen over the eastern CONUS in the wake of the aforementioned shortwave, and this will bring even colder air into the region for the start of the new week. The airmass that pushes into the area Monday night and Tuesday will be the coldest so far of this fall, and its certainly possible that the growing season could come to an end in some areas either Tuesday or Wednesday morning. However, the frost threat will depend on timing of surface ridge and any clouds that advect into the region on the fairly dirty northwest flow, and specifics with both the high and clouds are not clear at this time. Based on progged 850mb temps it appears that during the Tuesday-Thursday time frame highs will only be in the 50s with lows in the 30s. At this time have kept PoPs in the slight chance range with the passage of the cold front Sunday night and Monday due to very limited moisture. Have also continued slight chance PoPs over the area on Tuesday night as another weak shortwave drops into the area. Truett && .AVIATION: (For the 18z TAFs through 18z Saturday Afternoon) Issued at 1239 PM CDT Fri Oct 18 2013 A strong upper level disturbance will affect the terminals this period. Clouds and eventually rain will overspread the area NW to SE from late this aftn near KUIN to the STL metro area shortly before midnight. The rain should last 3-6 hrs with skies clearing fairly quickly after the rain ends. There is the potential for IFR CIGS with the precip but am not confident on timing and coverage to include attm. With recent rainfall and clearing skies prior to sunrise, think there may be a limited fog potential. The potential is limited due to winds in the 5-10 kt range and drier air moving into the area behind the rain. KCOU and KUIN have the best chance of seeing fog due to the time skies are expected to be clear prior to sunrise. Uncertainties preclude mentioning attm. Specifics for KSTL: MVFR CIGS fcst/VFR VSBY fcst. Clouds will increase this aftn and evening with rain beginning before midnight and lasting several hours. Skies should clear around sunrise. 2% && .LSX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES: MO...NONE. IL...NONE. && $$ WFO LSX
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS KANSAS CITY/PLEASANT HILL MO
1232 PM CDT Fri Oct 18 2013 .SHORT TERM...(Today through Sunday Night) Issued at 405 AM CDT FRI OCT 18 2013 Long wave troughing persisted across the central CONUS early this morning, and this pattern appears locked in for the next couple of weeks. Embedded within the the large scale dip, the third in a recent sequence of shortwave impulses was tracking southward through Wyoming, and remains on track to target the southern half of the CWA later today. Front Range, CO radar shows an impressive band of snow expanding over NE Colorado, while satellite imagery shows mid cloud rapidly expanding eastward across srn Nebraska and most of Kansas. These trends suggest that the axis of strong elevated frontogenesis will likely come in a bit further north than earlier progged. This is supported by a northward shift in the 00Z model solutions and more recently the hourly RAP output. For today, cloud cover will quickly overspread the CWA from west to east this morning. Forecast soundings and model cross sections show a rapid top- down saturation as sloped 700-500mb frontogenesis increases in response to large scale height falls isentropic ascent. Despite clear skies presently, precipitation could begin over ern KS/west central MO as early noon. As discussed yesterday, the sub- cloud layer will initially be very dry while 850-700mb temperatures fall sharply as the shortwave approaches. In fact, if not for the boundary layer, we would likely be dealing with wet snow! Nonetheless, once the rain begins, surface temps will immediately respond to diabatic cooling and fall back through the 40s. Hourly temperatures reflect a non-diurnal curve for the afternoon. Precipitation should reach a local maximum between 18-00Z, steadily shifting southward with time as a small 700-500mb jet streak develops and shifts the axis of greatest mid level forcing. QPF amounts will average between one and two tenths of an inch, generally along and south of I-70. The mid level trough axis will quickly pivot across the CWA overnight, with skies gradually clearing from west to east. Temps will fall into the mid 30s by daybreak, and although conditions are not optimal for a widespread frost, the moist boundary layer and diminishing winds could enhance the potential. Next shift may want to consider headlines for all or portions of the region tonight. After a chilly day Saturday, strengthening west winds will develop south of a progressive shortwave trough moving across the Upper Midwest. Strong low level warm advection will begin Saturday night and continue into Sunday, with a deep layer Chinook component expected to rapidly spread some mild air eastward across the Plains. Given upward trends in 850mb temp progs, have bumped highs into the upper 60s to around 70 for Sunday, and made a significant increase to the surface winds/gusts over the srn half of the CWA. A dry cold front will sweep across the area Sunday night, leading to a very challenging low temperature forecast that hinges entirely on where the front ends up by 8AM. Current forecast projects a near 15 degree gradient from mid 30s along the Iowa border to near 50 across mid Missouri, and significant adjustments remain possible. .LONG TERM...(Monday through Thursday) Issued at 403 AM CDT FRI OCT 18 2013 Later half of the forecast will continue the cool trend as negative height anomalies persist across the Lower Missouri River Valley through much of next week. As Monday arrives a significant trough will be digging in across the center of the nation providing cold air from the Canadian Plains with plenty of opportunity to rush south through the northern and central Plains. Resulting cold air with the northwest flow will keep temperatures ranging below normal through the week. This is supported by 850mb model output which advertises subzero centigrade temperatures sweeping into the region Monday, and again Wednesday behind a small shortwave trough zipping through the flow. This should make for some cool fall conditions next week with highs only the 50s expected Monday through Wednesday. As for overnight low, a bit of a frost might be in the offing. Overnight lows will drop into the 30s Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings. Currently, areas along and north of highway 36 look to have the greatest chance for seeing repeated frost. Otherwise, have included a silent slight chance for showers Wednesday into Thursday. Models continue to advertise a shortwave trough zipping through the northwest flow mid-week, providing a little reinforcing shot of cold air for Thursday mornings lows. Models might be over doing the amount of moisture, thus confusing low cloud cover with QPF, though disturbances in the northwest flow often squeeze some light precipitation out across eastern Kansas or Missouri. Have left the silent slight chance POPs characterized as showers for now, though if confidence in Tuesdays quick shortwave improves some consideration might be needed for including snow in the precipitation forecast. && .AVIATION...(For the 18Z TAFS through 18Z Saturday Afternoon) Issued at 1232 PM CDT FRI OCT 18 2013 Areas of light to moderate rain will spread northeast early this afternoon, before beginning to push southeastward during the late afternoon and evening hours. Although ceilings are expected to stay VFR, visibilities could briefly drop below 5 miles in the heavier rain. Precipitation should end from northwest to southeast between 00z and 03z, leaving behind VFR conditions and light winds tonight. && .EAX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... KS...NONE. MO...NONE. && $$ SHORT TERM...Bookbinder LONG TERM...Cutter AVIATION...Laflin
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED AVIATION
NWS ST LOUIS MO
631 AM CDT Fri Oct 18 2013 .SHORT TERM: (Through Late This Afternoon) Issued at 320 AM CDT Fri Oct 18 2013 A weak cold front was moving through the region early this morning, but its only effect across the LSX CWA will be a wind shift from southwest to northwest after fropa. Early morning water vapor imagery along with recent RAP analyses of the 1.5 PVU surface both depict a positively tilted trough over the central CONUS with a couple of stout disturbances sliding down the western side of the trough. Increasing large scale ascent ahead of these vorticity centers will support scattered rain showers from this afternoon into tonight. Since it may take some time to saturate the initially dry air mass, precipitation chances look higher after 19/00z compared to earlier in the afternoon. Kanofsky .LONG TERM: (Tonight through Thursday) Issued at 320 AM CDT Fri Oct 18 2013 Precipitation threat overnight is expected to transition from very light showers during the early evening attempting to stream east- northeast from mid MO, to a broader area of rain developing over the southeast half of the CWA during the overnight hours as upstream shortwave begins to push into mid Mississippi Valley and the large scale ascent is realized over the CWA. Believe the NAM is too far southeast with its QPF in the 06-12z time frame, as almost all over solutions have northern fringes of QPF north of STL. While specifics may be a bit off, the 3 hourly PoP trends from the 03z SREF look very reasonable. This rain should wind down late tonight or very early Saturday morning over our southeast counties as shortwave exits to the east. The brief cool-down in the wake of this feature will quickly give way to WAA in advance of the next shortwave from late Saturday afternoon, with fairly strong warming forecast over most of the CWA from late Saturday night into Sunday. By Sunday afternoon all short range models are forecasting at least 8C 850mb temps over the CWA, with thermal ridge extending from southeast Kansas into ne MO possibly pushing temps to around 10C. Given this trend have upped temps about a category from going forecasts, and most areas should push the 70 degree mark. Heading into the medium range, upper level trof is forecast to deepen over the eastern CONUS in the wake of the aforementioned shortwave, and this will bring even colder air into the region for the start of the new week. The airmass that pushes into the area Monday night and Tuesday will be the coldest so far of this fall, and its certainly possible that the growing season could come to an end in some areas either Tuesday or Wednesday morning. However, the frost threat will depend on timing of surface ridge and any clouds that advect into the region on the fairly dirty northwest flow, and specifics with both the high and clouds are not clear at this time. Based on progged 850mb temps it appears that during the Tuesday-Thursday time frame highs will only be in the 50s with lows in the 30s. At this time have kept PoPs in the slight chance range with the passage of the cold front Sunday night and Monday due to very limited moisture. Have also continued slight chance PoPs over the area on Tuesday night as another weak shortwave drops into the area. Truett && .AVIATION: (For the 12z TAFs through 12z Saturday Morning) Issued at 620 AM CDT Fri Oct 18 2013 MVFR ceilings are possible at KUIN for the next couple of hours based on upstream satellite and METAR trends however conditions should return to VFR by mid-morning. VFR conditions are expected elsewhere along with increasing clouds during the day. Light rain showers will spread eastward towards the terminals tonight, however no cig/vis restrictions are forecast at this time due to the initially dry air mass and the anticipated light rain intensity. Specifics for KSTL: VFR through at least the first 6 hours and probably longer, although clouds will be increasing throughout the day. Light rain showers are expected to develop across central MO later tonight and spread eastward towards KSTL. No cig/vis restrictions are forecast at this time due to the initially dry air mass and the anticipated light rain intensity. Kanofsky && .LSX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES: MO...NONE. IL...NONE. && $$ WFO LSX
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS KANSAS CITY/PLEASANT HILL MO
627 AM CDT Fri Oct 18 2013 .SHORT TERM...(Today through Sunday Night) Issued at 405 AM CDT FRI OCT 18 2013 Long wave troughing persisted across the central CONUS early this morning, and this pattern appears locked in for the next couple of weeks. Embedded within the the large scale dip, the third in a recent sequence of shortwave impulses was tracking southward through Wyoming, and remains on track to target the southern half of the CWA later today. Front Range, CO radar shows an impressive band of snow expanding over NE Colorado, while satellite imagery shows mid cloud rapidly expanding eastward across srn Nebraska and most of Kansas. These trends suggest that the axis of strong elevated frontogenesis will likely come in a bit further north than earlier progged. This is supported by a northward shift in the 00Z model solutions and more recently the hourly RAP output. For today, cloud cover will quickly overspread the CWA from west to east this morning. Forecast soundings and model cross sections show a rapid top- down saturation as sloped 700-500mb frontogenesis increases in response to large scale height falls isentropic ascent. Despite clear skies presently, precipitation could begin over ern KS/west central MO as early noon. As discussed yesterday, the sub- cloud layer will initially be very dry while 850-700mb temperatures fall sharply as the shortwave approaches. In fact, if not for the boundary layer, we would likely be dealing with wet snow! Nonetheless, once the rain begins, surface temps will immediately respond to diabatic cooling and fall back through the 40s. Hourly temperatures reflect a non-diurnal curve for the afternoon. Precipitation should reach a local maximum between 18-00Z, steadily shifting southward with time as a small 700-500mb jet streak develops and shifts the axis of greatest mid level forcing. QPF amounts will average between one and two tenths of an inch, generally along and south of I-70. The mid level trough axis will quickly pivot across the CWA overnight, with skies gradually clearing from west to east. Temps will fall into the mid 30s by daybreak, and although conditions are not optimal for a widespread frost, the moist boundary layer and diminishing winds could enhance the potential. Next shift may want to consider headlines for all or portions of the region tonight. After a chilly day Saturday, strengthening west winds will develop south of a progressive shortwave trough moving across the Upper Midwest. Strong low level warm advection will begin Saturday night and continue into Sunday, with a deep layer Chinook component expected to rapidly spread some mild air eastward across the Plains. Given upward trends in 850mb temp progs, have bumped highs into the upper 60s to around 70 for Sunday, and made a significant increase to the surface winds/gusts over the srn half of the CWA. A dry cold front will sweep across the area Sunday night, leading to a very challenging low temperature forecast that hinges entirely on where the front ends up by 8AM. Current forecast projects a near 15 degree gradient from mid 30s along the Iowa border to near 50 across mid Missouri, and significant adjustments remain possible. .LONG TERM...(Monday through Thursday) Issued at 403 AM CDT FRI OCT 18 2013 Later half of the forecast will continue the cool trend as negative height anomalies persist across the Lower Missouri River Valley through much of next week. As Monday arrives a significant trough will be digging in across the center of the nation providing cold air from the Canadian Plains with plenty of opportunity to rush south through the northern and central Plains. Resulting cold air with the northwest flow will keep temperatures ranging below normal through the week. This is supported by 850mb model output which advertises subzero centigrade temperatures sweeping into the region Monday, and again Wednesday behind a small shortwave trough zipping through the flow. This should make for some cool fall conditions next week with highs only the 50s expected Monday through Wednesday. As for overnight low, a bit of a frost might be in the offing. Overnight lows will drop into the 30s Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings. Currently, areas along and north of highway 36 look to have the greatest chance for seeing repeated frost. Otherwise, have included a silent slight chance for showers Wednesday into Thursday. Models continue to advertise a shortwave trough zipping through the northwest flow mid-week, providing a little reinforcing shot of cold air for Thursday mornings lows. Models might be over doing the amount of moisture, thus confusing low cloud cover with QPF, though disturbances in the northwest flow often squeeze some light precipitation out across eastern Kansas or Missouri. Have left the silent slight chance POPs characterized as showers for now, though if confidence in Tuesdays quick shortwave improves some consideration might be needed for including snow in the precipitation forecast. && .AVIATION...(For the 12Z TAFS through 12Z Saturday Morning) Issued at 626 AM CDT FRI OCT 18 2013 VFR conditions will great the last day of the work week, however these conditions might deteriorate as we transit the morning hours as showers spread east across the region. Currently showers are expect from east central Kansas through central Missouri around noon today. This leaves the terminals in Kansas City with the highest potential to see some rain with ceilings floating around the high end of the MVFR range. Otherwise, northwest winds will adjust more to the southwest behind the storms system that moves through today. && .EAX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... KS...NONE. MO...NONE. && $$ SHORT TERM...Bookbinder LONG TERM...Cutter AVIATION...Cutter
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS KANSAS CITY/PLEASANT HILL MO
408 AM CDT Fri Oct 18 2013 .SHORT TERM...(Today through Sunday Night) Issued at 405 AM CDT FRI OCT 18 2013 Long wave troughing persisted across the central CONUS early this morning, and this pattern appears locked in for the next couple of weeks. Embedded within the the large scale dip, the third in a recent sequence of shortwave impulses was tracking southward through Wyoming, and remains on track to target the southern half of the CWA later today. Front Range, CO radar shows an impressive band of snow expanding over NE Colorado, while satellite imagery shows mid cloud rapidly expanding eastward across srn Nebraska and most of Kansas. These trends suggest that the axis of strong elevated frontogenesis will likely come in a bit further north than earlier progged. This is supported by a northward shift in the 00Z model solutions and more recently the hourly RAP output. For today, cloud cover will quickly overspread the CWA from west to east this morning. Forecast soundings and model cross sections show a rapid top- down saturation as sloped 700-500mb frontogenesis increases in response to large scale height falls isentropic ascent. Despite clear skies presently, precipitation could begin over ern KS/west central MO as early noon. As discussed yesterday, the sub- cloud layer will initially be very dry while 850-700mb temperatures fall sharply as the shortwave approaches. In fact, if not for the boundary layer, we would likely be dealing with wet snow! Nonetheless, once the rain begins, surface temps will immediately respond to diabatic cooling and fall back through the 40s. Hourly temperatures reflect a non-diurnal curve for the afternoon. Precipitation should reach a local maximum between 18-00Z, steadily shifting southward with time as a small 700-500mb jet streak develops and shifts the axis of greatest mid level forcing. QPF amounts will average between one and two tenths of an inch, generally along and south of I-70. The mid level trough axis will quickly pivot across the CWA overnight, with skies gradually clearing from west to east. Temps will fall into the mid 30s by daybreak, and although conditions are not optimal for a widespread frost, the moist boundary layer and diminishing winds could enhance the potential. Next shift may want to consider headlines for all or portions of the region tonight. After a chilly day Saturday, strengthening west winds will develop south of a progressive shortwave trough moving across the Upper Midwest. Strong low level warm advection will begin Saturday night and continue into Sunday, with a deep layer Chinook component expected to rapidly spread some mild air eastward across the Plains. Given upward trends in 850mb temp progs, have bumped highs into the upper 60s to around 70 for Sunday, and made a significant increase to the surface winds/gusts over the srn half of the CWA. A dry cold front will sweep across the area Sunday night, leading to a very challenging low temperature forecast that hinges entirely on where the front ends up by 8AM. Current forecast projects a near 15 degree gradient from mid 30s along the Iowa border to near 50 across mid Missouri, and significant adjustments remain possible. .LONG TERM...(Monday through Thursday) Issued at 403 AM CDT FRI OCT 18 2013 Later half of the forecast will continue the cool trend as negative height anomalies persist across the Lower Missouri River Valley through much of next week. As Monday arrives a significant trough will be digging in across the center of the nation providing cold air from the Canadian Plains with plenty of opportunity to rush south through the northern and central Plains. Resulting cold air with the northwest flow will keep temperatures ranging below normal through the week. This is supported by 850mb model output which advertises subzero centigrade temperatures sweeping into the region Monday, and again Wednesday behind a small shortwave trough zipping through the flow. This should make for some cool fall conditions next week with highs only the 50s expected Monday through Wednesday. As for overnight low, a bit of a frost might be in the offing. Overnight lows will drop into the 30s Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings. Currently, areas along and north of highway 36 look to have the greatest chance for seeing repeated frost. Otherwise, have included a silent slight chance for showers Wednesday into Thursday. Models continue to advertise a shortwave trough zipping through the northwest flow mid-week, providing a little reinforcing shot of cold air for Thursday mornings lows. Models might be over doing the amount of moisture, thus confusing low cloud cover with QPF, though disturbances in the northwest flow often squeeze some light precipitation out across eastern Kansas or Missouri. Have left the silent slight chance POPs characterized as showers for now, though if confidence in Tuesdays quick shortwave improves some consideration might be needed for including snow in the precipitation forecast. && .AVIATION...(For the 06Z TAFS through 06Z Friday Night) Issued at 1130 PM CDT THU OCT 17 2013 Evening data packages show good continuity from previous model runs and continue to spread an area of rain eastward across KS reaching into west central MO around the noon hour. Best rain chances will be along and south of the MO River with a high confidence of this occurring. Made only minor changes on timing of rain into the KC terminals with KSTJ remaining dry. Still anticipate a lowering of VFR ceilings although the northern edge of MVFR ceilings could reach as far north as KMKC. Won`t be able to make that decision until the rain band sets up Friday morning. Otherwise, after the rain exits west central MO by late afternoon only expect VFR conditions with winds switching to the southwest ahead of a fast moving surface trough. Could see some light rain move into northwest MO Friday evening but not affect the terminals. && .EAX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... KS...NONE. MO...NONE. && $$ SHORT TERM...Bookbinder LONG TERM...Cutter AVIATION...MJ
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS ST LOUIS MO
324 AM CDT Fri Oct 18 2013 .SHORT TERM: (Through Late This Afternoon) Issued at 320 AM CDT Fri Oct 18 2013 A weak cold front was moving through the region early this morning, but its only effect across the LSX CWA will be a wind shift from southwest to northwest after fropa. Early morning water vapor imagery along with recent RAP analyses of the 1.5 PVU surface both depict a positively tilted trough over the central CONUS with a couple of stout disturbances sliding down the western side of the trough. Increasing large scale ascent ahead of these vorticity centers will support scattered rain showers from this afternoon into tonight. Since it may take some time to saturate the initially dry air mass, precipitation chances look higher after 19/00z compared to earlier in the afternoon. Kanofsky .LONG TERM: (Tonight through Thursday) Issued at 320 AM CDT Fri Oct 18 2013 Precipitation threat overnight is expected to transition from very light showers during the early evening attempting to stream east- northeast from mid MO, to a broader area of rain developing over the southeast half of the CWA during the overnight hours as upstream shortwave begins to push into mid Mississippi Valley and the large scale ascent is realized over the CWA. Believe the NAM is too far southeast with its QPF in the 06-12z time frame, as almost all over solutions have northern fringes of QPF north of STL. While specifics may be a bit off, the 3 hourly PoP trends from the 03z SREF look very reasonable. This rain should wind down late tonight or very early Saturday morning over our southeast counties as shortwave exits to the east. The brief cool-down in the wake of this feature will quickly give way to WAA in advance of the next shortwave from late Saturday afternoon, with fairly strong warming forecast over most of the CWA from late Saturday night into Sunday. By Sunday afternoon all short range models are forecasting at least 8C 850mb temps over the CWA, with thermal ridge extending from southeast Kansas into ne MO possibly pushing temps to around 10C. Given this trend have upped temps about a category from going forecasts, and most areas should push the 70 degree mark. Heading into the medium range, upper level trof is forecast to deepen over the eastern CONUS in the wake of the aforementioned shortwave, and this will bring even colder air into the region for the start of the new week. The airmass that pushes into the area Monday night and Tuesday will be the coldest so far of this fall, and its certainly possible that the growing season could come to an end in some areas either Tuesday or Wednesady morning. However, the frost threat will depend on timing of surface ridge and any clouds that advect into the region on the fairly dirty northwest flow, and specifics with both the high and clouds are not clear at this time. Based on progged 850mb temps it appears that during the Tuesday-Thursday time frame highs will only be in the 50s with lows in the 30s. At this time have kept PoPs in the slight chance range with the passage of the cold front Sunday night and Monday due to very limited moisture. Have also continued slight chance PoPs over the area on Tuesday night as another weak shortwave drops into the area. Truett && .AVIATION: (For the 06z TAFs through 06z Friday Night) Issued at 1140 PM CDT Thu Oct 17 2013 VFR conditions will prevail thru the valid TAF period for most of the sites. Exception is expected to be in KUIN where band of post- frontal MVFR CIGs will affect the terminal late tonight and early Friday morning. Otherwise, cold front over central IA and NW MO will move thru the forecast area dry late tonight but will veer surface winds from SW to W-NW. An approaching upper level disturbance on Friday will result in increasing clouds in the afternoon with light rain by late evening. Specifics for KSTL: VFR conditions to prevail thru the valid period. Surface winds will veer early Friday morning with a cold front, expected to move thru dry, but will see clouds and rain chances increase with approaching upper level disturbance late Friday. Clouds and rain anticipated to exit before sunrise Saturday morning. TES && .LSX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES: MO...NONE. IL...NONE. && $$ WFO LSX
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS NORTH PLATTE NE
1250 PM CDT FRI OCT 18 2013 .SYNOPSIS... ISSUED AT 333 AM CDT FRI OCT 18 2013 H5 ANALYSIS FROM EARLIER THIS EVENING CONTINUES TO INDICATE A LONGWAVE TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE LOCATED ACROSS THE CONUS WITH RIDGING OFF THE PACIFIC COAST OF THE US AND CANADA. RIDGING EXTENDED FROM THE WESTERN ATLANTIC INTO GREENLAND. EMBEDDED SHORTWAVES WERE NOTED ACROSS THE NORTHERN CONUS ATTM...WITH ONE LOCATED OVER THE EASTERN DAKOTAS...AND A SECOND ACROSS THE NORTHERN ROCKIES. THE SECOND FEATURE CONTINUES TO TRACK TO THE SOUTH SOUTHEAST INTO WYOMING...COLORADO AND WESTERN PORTIONS OF KANSAS THIS MORNING PER WV IMAGERY. ENHANCED FRONTOGENESIS ALONG AN AXIS EXTENDING FROM CHEYENNE WYOMING INTO NWRN KS...HAS LED TO RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS ACROSS NERN COLORADO...SERN WYOMING...NWRN KS...SWRN NEBRASKA AND THE SOUTHERN NEBRASKA PANHANDLE. ACROSS SOUTHWESTERN NEBRASKA...SOME LIGHT SNOW WAS BEING REPORTED AT IMPERIAL OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF HOURS...WITH ONLY A FEW HUNDREDTHS OF AN INCH OF PRECIPITATION REPORTED. ELSEWHERE...COLD TEMPERATURES WERE PRESENT ACROSS CENTRAL AND NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA WITH 2 AM CDT READINGS RANGING FROM 25 AT BROKEN BOW...TO 32 AT NORTH PLATTE AND ONEILL. VERY DRY AIR WAS IN PLACE ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA TONIGHT WITH DEW POINTS IN THE MID 20S. THIS DRY AIR EXTENDED WELL NORTH OF THE AREA INTO SOUTH DAKOTA. && .UPDATE... ISSUED AT 1134 AM CDT FRI OCT 18 2013 UPDATE TO THE FORECAST TO ACCOUNT FOR THE CLEARING SKIES ACROSS THE HEART OF THE SANDHILLS AND THE POTENTIAL OF LIGHT SHOWERS OF RAIN ACROSS OUR FAR SOUTHWEST. UPSTREAM OBSERVATIONS/HIGHWAY CAMERAS AT KSNY AND KIMB HAVE SHOWN -SN AT BOTH LOCATIONS AS INCREASING CLOUDS INVADE FROM THE WEST WITH AN APPROACHING MID LEVEL WAVE. THE HRRR WOULD SUGGEST THE PRECIPITATION THREAT ENDING ACROSS THE SOUTHWEST AROUND 20Z...WILL GO WITH THIS IDEA. THE HRRR ALSO INDICATES THE POTENTIAL OF ADDITIONAL -SHRA OR SPRINKLES LATER THIS AFTERNOON FOR MUCH OF THE SANDHILLS REGION...IN AN ATMOSPHERE CHARACTERIZED AS DRY BUT WITH STEEP LOWER LEVEL LAPSE RATES. PREVIOUS FORECAST HAS THIS SITUATION HANDLED WELL WITH A BROAD ISOLATED MENTION...THUS NO OTHER CHANGES NEEDED AT THIS TIME. && .SHORT TERM...(TODAY AND TONIGHT) ISSUED AT 333 AM CDT FRI OCT 18 2013 THIS MORNING...PRECIPITATION WILL CONTINUE TO SHIFT TO THE SOUTH AND EAST INTO EAST CENTRAL COLORADO AND NORTHERN KANSAS THROUGH MIDDAY. AS OF FCST ISSUANCE TIME...THE NRN PERIPHERY OF PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED TO BE SOUTH OF THE NEBR PANHANDLE...AND CONFINED TO PERKINS...CHASE...HAYES...WESTERN FRONTIER AND SWRN LINCOLN COUNTIES. THIS AREA OF PCPN IS EXPECTED TO CLEAR THE SWRN FCST AREA BY MID MORNING. FOR THE REST OF TODAY...A SECONDARY SHORTWAVE WILL TRACK ACROSS THE DAKOTAS AND NEBRASKA THIS AFTERNOON. INHERITED FORECAST HAD SLIGHT CHANCE POPS LATER THIS MORNING AND THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS A LARGE CHUNK OF CENTRAL AND NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA. DECIDED TO SCALE THIS BACK SOMEWHAT TO MAINLY SPRINKLES...AND ISOLATED SHOWERS DURING THE MID TO LATE AFTERNOON HOURS. FCST SOUNDINGS ACROSS THE CENTRAL AND NRN CWA...CONTINUE TO INDICATE VERY DRY CONDS IN THE SURFACE TO 5000-7000 FT AGL LAYER...WITH LAYER PW`S A MERE .3 INCHES...SO FEEL SPRINKLES ARE WARRANTED HERE. ACROSS FAR NORTHEASTERN AREAS...WILL CONTINUE ISOLATED SHOWERS DURING THE MID TO LATE AFTERNOON HOURS...AS STEEP LAPSE RATES REMAIN IN PLACE...AND MOISTURE IS A LITTLE BETTER ACROSS THE NORTHEASTERN CWA. HIGHS THIS AFTERNOON WILL RANGE FROM THE UPPER 40S IN THE NORTHWEST...TO THE LOWER 50S ELSEWHERE. FOR TONIGHT...THE UPPER LEVEL SHORTWAVE...WILL SLIDE EAST OF THE FORECAST AREA LEADING TO CLEARING SKIES IN THE CENTRAL AND WEST...AS WELL AS COLD TEMPERATURES. WITH DRY AIR IN PLACE AND FAIRLY LIGHT WESTERLY WINDS...LOWS WILL BOTTOM OUT MID TO UPPER 20S IN THE WEST...AROUND 30 IN THE CENTRAL AND LOWER 30S IN THE NORTHEAST WHERE CLOUD COVER WILL BE MORE PREVALENT. .LONG TERM...(SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY) ISSUED AT 333 AM CDT FRI OCT 18 2013 SATURDAY AND SUNDAY THE EASTERN PAC RIDGE WILL SLOWLY SHIFT ONSHORE AND BEGIN TO AMPLIFY...NOSING INTO WESTERN CANADA. FLOW BECOMES NORTHWESTERLY THEN MORE NORTHERLY. A LONG WAVE TROUGH WILL SET UP ACROSS THE GREAT LAKES REGION. THIS WILL BRING AN ACTIVE PATTERN WITH SEVERAL DISTURBANCE TO MOVE ACROSS THE NORTHERN PLAINS. TWO MAJOR CONCERNS WITH THE FORECAST FOR THE WEEKEND INTO NEXT WEEK. AVAILABILITY OF MOISTURE IS ONE. 00Z KLBF SOUNDING LAST NIGHT ONLY HAD 0.37 INCHES OF PWATS...AND NW FLOW WILL CONTINUE TO LIMIT MOISTURE RETURN. EACH PASSING DISTURBANCE WILL SEE STEEP LAPSE RATES AND POCKETS OF GOOD FRONTOGENESIS...HOWEVER LACK OF MOISTURE IS EXPECTED TO RESULT IN ONLY PASSING CLOUDS AND ISOLATE LIGHT RAIN/SNOW SHOWERS. GENERALLY LIQUID DURING THE DAYTIME...WHILE OVERNIGHT MAY SEE A MIX OF RAIN AND SNOW AS TEMPS DROP INTO THE LOWER TO MID 30S. TIMING OF WAVES IS SUNDAY AND ANOTHER SUNDAY NIGHT INTO MONDAY...FOLLOWED BY ONE MORE ON TUESDAY. THE RIDGE BY MID WEEK WILL BEGIN TO PUSH THE WAVES FURTHER EAST AND SHOULD SEE DRY CONDITIONS PREVAIL FOR REST OF THE WEEK. THE SECOND CONCERN FOCUSES ON TEMPERATURES. COLD AIR WILL DEFINITELY BE DRAW OVER THE GREAT LAKES...WHILE WARM AIR BUILDS ACROSS THE SW CONUS. THE HIGH PLAINS WILL BE IN THE BATTLE GROUND WITH TEMPS HIGHLY DEPENDENT ON CLOUD COVER AND THE WESTWARD PUSH OF THE COLD AIR. THE MODELS ARE STRUGGLING WITH THE COLD AIR AT THE SFC NEXT WEEK...EVIDENT BY THE LATEST MEX GUIDANCE. TUESDAY MOS GUIDANCE TEMPS JUMPED FROM UPPER 40S TO LOWER 50S...TO THE LOWER AND MID 60S. OVER THE WEEKEND NOT EXPECTING TO MUCH VARIATION FROM MOS GUIDANCE AS POCKETS OF CLOUDS TO KEEP HIGHS AT OR BELOW SEASONAL NORMALS...MID TO UPPER 50S. BY MID WEEK...AS THE UPPER LEVEL RIDGE INCREASES HEIGHTS...TEMPS SHOULD GO UP. WOULD BE MORE CONCERNED ABOUT THE COLD AIR REMAINING IN PLACE IF THERE WAS A SNOW PACK...HOWEVER WITH NOT SNOW WILL FAVOR A UPWARD TREND IN THE FORECAST...TRENDING TOWARDS THE NEW GFS SOLUTION. STILL WOULD LIKE TO SEE MORE CONSISTENCY WITH THE MODELS AS CONFIDENCE IS LOW FOR THE MID NEXT WEEK FORECAST. TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY MODEL 850 MB TEMPS HAVE A RANGE OF MORE THAN 10 DEGREES C AMONGST THE MANY MEMBERS. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z SATURDAY AFTERNOON) ISSUED AT 1250 PM CDT FRI OCT 18 2013 AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE CONTINUES TO TRACK ACROSS THE DAKOTAS TODAY...BRINGING INCREASING CLOUDINESS BACK ACROSS THE SANDHILLS REGION OF NEBRASKA. THERE IS A SIGNAL FOR ISOLATED SHOWERS THIS AFTERNOON...HOWEVER SHORT GUIDANCE IS SPLIT AS ENOUGH DRY AIR IS IN PLACE TO LIMIT COVERAGE. THUS WILL MAINTAIN A DRY FORECAST AT BOTH THE KLBF AND KVTN TERMINALS...AND UPDATE IF NEEDED. WINDS TODAY WILL BE GUSTY AND OUT OF THE NORTHWEST...BUT SHOULD WEAKEN OVERNIGHT. && .LBF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && $$ UPDATE...JACOBS SYNOPSIS...CLB SHORT TERM...CLB LONG TERM...MASEK AVIATION...JACOBS
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS NORTH PLATTE NE
1134 AM CDT FRI OCT 18 2013 .SYNOPSIS... ISSUED AT 333 AM CDT FRI OCT 18 2013 H5 ANALYSIS FROM EARLIER THIS EVENING CONTINUES TO INDICATE A LONGWAVE TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE LOCATED ACROSS THE CONUS WITH RIDGING OFF THE PACIFIC COAST OF THE US AND CANADA. RIDGING EXTENDED FROM THE WESTERN ATLANTIC INTO GREENLAND. EMBEDDED SHORTWAVES WERE NOTED ACROSS THE NORTHERN CONUS ATTM...WITH ONE LOCATED OVER THE EASTERN DAKOTAS...AND A SECOND ACROSS THE NORTHERN ROCKIES. THE SECOND FEATURE CONTINUES TO TRACK TO THE SOUTH SOUTHEAST INTO WYOMING...COLORADO AND WESTERN PORTIONS OF KANSAS THIS MORNING PER WV IMAGERY. ENHANCED FRONTOGENESIS ALONG AN AXIS EXTENDING FROM CHEYENNE WYOMING INTO NWRN KS...HAS LED TO RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS ACROSS NERN COLORADO...SERN WYOMING...NWRN KS...SWRN NEBRASKA AND THE SOUTHERN NEBRASKA PANHANDLE. ACROSS SOUTHWESTERN NEBRASKA...SOME LIGHT SNOW WAS BEING REPORTED AT IMPERIAL OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF HOURS...WITH ONLY A FEW HUNDREDTHS OF AN INCH OF PRECIPITATION REPORTED. ELSEWHERE...COLD TEMPERATURES WERE PRESENT ACROSS CENTRAL AND NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA WITH 2 AM CDT READINGS RANGING FROM 25 AT BROKEN BOW...TO 32 AT NORTH PLATTE AND ONEILL. VERY DRY AIR WAS IN PLACE ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA TONIGHT WITH DEW POINTS IN THE MID 20S. THIS DRY AIR EXTENDED WELL NORTH OF THE AREA INTO SOUTH DAKOTA. && .UPDATE... ISSUED AT 1134 AM CDT FRI OCT 18 2013 UPDATE TO THE FORECAST TO ACCOUNT FOR THE CLEARING SKIES ACROSS THE HEART OF THE SANDHILLS AND THE POTENTIAL OF LIGHT SHOWERS OF RAIN ACROSS OUR FAR SOUTHWEST. UPSTREAM OBSERVATIONS/HIGHWAY CAMERAS AT KSNY AND KIMB HAVE SHOWN -SN AT BOTH LOCATIONS AS INCREASING CLOUDS INVADE FROM THE WEST WITH AN APPROACHING MID LEVEL WAVE. THE HRRR WOULD SUGGEST THE PRECIPITATION THREAT ENDING ACROSS THE SOUTHWEST AROUND 20Z...WILL GO WITH THIS IDEA. THE HRRR ALSO INDICATES THE POTENTIAL OF ADDITIONAL -SHRA OR SPRINKLES LATER THIS AFTERNOON FOR MUCH OF THE SANDHILLS REGION...IN AN ATMOSPHERE CHARACTERIZED AS DRY BUT WITH STEEP LOWER LEVEL LAPSE RATES. PREVIOUS FORECAST HAS THIS SITUATION HANDLED WELL WITH A BROAD ISOLATED MENTION...THUS NO OTHER CHANGES NEEDED AT THIS TIME. && .SHORT TERM...(TODAY AND TONIGHT) ISSUED AT 333 AM CDT FRI OCT 18 2013 THIS MORNING...PRECIPITATION WILL CONTINUE TO SHIFT TO THE SOUTH AND EAST INTO EAST CENTRAL COLORADO AND NORTHERN KANSAS THROUGH MIDDAY. AS OF FCST ISSUANCE TIME...THE NRN PERIPHERY OF PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED TO BE SOUTH OF THE NEBR PANHANDLE...AND CONFINED TO PERKINS...CHASE...HAYES...WESTERN FRONTIER AND SWRN LINCOLN COUNTIES. THIS AREA OF PCPN IS EXPECTED TO CLEAR THE SWRN FCST AREA BY MID MORNING. FOR THE REST OF TODAY...A SECONDARY SHORTWAVE WILL TRACK ACROSS THE DAKOTAS AND NEBRASKA THIS AFTERNOON. INHERITED FORECAST HAD SLIGHT CHANCE POPS LATER THIS MORNING AND THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS A LARGE CHUNK OF CENTRAL AND NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA. DECIDED TO SCALE THIS BACK SOMEWHAT TO MAINLY SPRINKLES...AND ISOLATED SHOWERS DURING THE MID TO LATE AFTERNOON HOURS. FCST SOUNDINGS ACROSS THE CENTRAL AND NRN CWA...CONTINUE TO INDICATE VERY DRY CONDS IN THE SURFACE TO 5000-7000 FT AGL LAYER...WITH LAYER PW`S A MERE .3 INCHES...SO FEEL SPRINKLES ARE WARRANTED HERE. ACROSS FAR NORTHEASTERN AREAS...WILL CONTINUE ISOLATED SHOWERS DURING THE MID TO LATE AFTERNOON HOURS...AS STEEP LAPSE RATES REMAIN IN PLACE...AND MOISTURE IS A LITTLE BETTER ACROSS THE NORTHEASTERN CWA. HIGHS THIS AFTERNOON WILL RANGE FROM THE UPPER 40S IN THE NORTHWEST...TO THE LOWER 50S ELSEWHERE. FOR TONIGHT...THE UPPER LEVEL SHORTWAVE...WILL SLIDE EAST OF THE FORECAST AREA LEADING TO CLEARING SKIES IN THE CENTRAL AND WEST...AS WELL AS COLD TEMPERATURES. WITH DRY AIR IN PLACE AND FAIRLY LIGHT WESTERLY WINDS...LOWS WILL BOTTOM OUT MID TO UPPER 20S IN THE WEST...AROUND 30 IN THE CENTRAL AND LOWER 30S IN THE NORTHEAST WHERE CLOUD COVER WILL BE MORE PREVALENT. .LONG TERM...(SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY) ISSUED AT 333 AM CDT FRI OCT 18 2013 SATURDAY AND SUNDAY THE EASTERN PAC RIDGE WILL SLOWLY SHIFT ONSHORE AND BEGIN TO AMPLIFY...NOSING INTO WESTERN CANADA. FLOW BECOMES NORTHWESTERLY THEN MORE NORTHERLY. A LONG WAVE TROUGH WILL SET UP ACROSS THE GREAT LAKES REGION. THIS WILL BRING AN ACTIVE PATTERN WITH SEVERAL DISTURBANCE TO MOVE ACROSS THE NORTHERN PLAINS. TWO MAJOR CONCERNS WITH THE FORECAST FOR THE WEEKEND INTO NEXT WEEK. AVAILABILITY OF MOISTURE IS ONE. 00Z KLBF SOUNDING LAST NIGHT ONLY HAD 0.37 INCHES OF PWATS...AND NW FLOW WILL CONTINUE TO LIMIT MOISTURE RETURN. EACH PASSING DISTURBANCE WILL SEE STEEP LAPSE RATES AND POCKETS OF GOOD FRONTOGENESIS...HOWEVER LACK OF MOISTURE IS EXPECTED TO RESULT IN ONLY PASSING CLOUDS AND ISOLATE LIGHT RAIN/SNOW SHOWERS. GENERALLY LIQUID DURING THE DAYTIME...WHILE OVERNIGHT MAY SEE A MIX OF RAIN AND SNOW AS TEMPS DROP INTO THE LOWER TO MID 30S. TIMING OF WAVES IS SUNDAY AND ANOTHER SUNDAY NIGHT INTO MONDAY...FOLLOWED BY ONE MORE ON TUESDAY. THE RIDGE BY MID WEEK WILL BEGIN TO PUSH THE WAVES FURTHER EAST AND SHOULD SEE DRY CONDITIONS PREVAIL FOR REST OF THE WEEK. THE SECOND CONCERN FOCUSES ON TEMPERATURES. COLD AIR WILL DEFINITELY BE DRAW OVER THE GREAT LAKES...WHILE WARM AIR BUILDS ACROSS THE SW CONUS. THE HIGH PLAINS WILL BE IN THE BATTLE GROUND WITH TEMPS HIGHLY DEPENDENT ON CLOUD COVER AND THE WESTWARD PUSH OF THE COLD AIR. THE MODELS ARE STRUGGLING WITH THE COLD AIR AT THE SFC NEXT WEEK...EVIDENT BY THE LATEST MEX GUIDANCE. TUESDAY MOS GUIDANCE TEMPS JUMPED FROM UPPER 40S TO LOWER 50S...TO THE LOWER AND MID 60S. OVER THE WEEKEND NOT EXPECTING TO MUCH VARIATION FROM MOS GUIDANCE AS POCKETS OF CLOUDS TO KEEP HIGHS AT OR BELOW SEASONAL NORMALS...MID TO UPPER 50S. BY MID WEEK...AS THE UPPER LEVEL RIDGE INCREASES HEIGHTS...TEMPS SHOULD GO UP. WOULD BE MORE CONCERNED ABOUT THE COLD AIR REMAINING IN PLACE IF THERE WAS A SNOW PACK...HOWEVER WITH NOT SNOW WILL FAVOR A UPWARD TREND IN THE FORECAST...TRENDING TOWARDS THE NEW GFS SOLUTION. STILL WOULD LIKE TO SEE MORE CONSISTENCY WITH THE MODELS AS CONFIDENCE IS LOW FOR THE MID NEXT WEEK FORECAST. TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY MODEL 850 MB TEMPS HAVE A RANGE OF MORE THAN 10 DEGREES C AMONGST THE MANY MEMBERS. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 12Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z SATURDAY MORNING) ISSUED AT 634 AM CDT FRI OCT 18 2013 AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE WILL TRACK ACROSS THE DAKOTAS AND NEBRASKA TODAY AND THIS EVENING...SPREADING ABUNDANT MID LEVEL CLOUDINESS TO WESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA. FOR THE KVTN TERMINAL...BROKEN CIGS AROUND 5000 FT AGL WILL BE POSSIBLE THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON WITH BROKEN CIGS AROUND 10000 FT AGL EXPECTED TONIGHT. FOR THE KLBF TERMINAL...BROKEN CIGS RANGING FROM 7000 TO 15000 FT AGL ARE EXPECTED TODAY...WITH SCATTERED HIGH CLOUDINESS POSSIBLE OVERNIGHT. WINDS TODAY WILL BE FROM THE WEST NORTHWEST AT 10 TO 20 KTS...DECREASING TO UNDER 10 KTS TONIGHT. && .LBF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && $$ UPDATE...JACOBS SYNOPSIS...CLB SHORT TERM...CLB LONG TERM...MASEK AVIATION...CLB
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS OMAHA/VALLEY NE
1137 PM CDT THU OCT 17 2013 .AVIATION...06Z TAFS FOR KOMA...KLNK AND KOFK. VFR CONDITIONS THROUGH THE PERIOD MID BROKEN MID DECK CLOUDS. COULD SEE A FEW SPRINKLES AT ALL 3 TAF SITES...BY 22Z AT KOFK/KLNK AND 01Z AT KOMA. DEWALD && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 636 PM CDT THU OCT 17 2013/ AVIATION...00Z TAFS FOR KOMA...KLNK AND KOFK. MVFR CONDITIONS PREVAIL EARLY IN THE TAF PERIOD...AND BIG QUESTION IS WHETHER THESE LOWER CLOUDS WILL SCATTER OUT AS SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE CONTINUES TO BUILD IN FROM THE WEST. OVERALL LOW CONFIDENCE ON TIMING...BUT HAVE FORECAST 05Z...AND WILL ADJUST AS NECESSARY IF CLOUDS DON`T SHOW ANY SIGNS OF BREAKING. PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 322 PM CDT THU OCT 17 2013/ SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY. NORTHWESTERLY FLOW WITH A SERIES OF EMBEDDED WAVES WILL PREVAIL OVER FORECAST AREA THROUGH THE WEEKEND WITH SOME WARMING EXPECTED. FOR TONIGHT...FIRST IN SEVERAL WAVES WILL BE TRACKING FM DAKOTAS INTO MINNESOTA SPREADING CLOUDS ACROSS AREA INTO EARLY TONIGHT BEFORE PROBABLY DECREASING AFT 06Z. 18Z RAP AND 12Z 4KM WRF AND SOME HOP WRF MEMBERS SUGGESTED SOME VERY LIGHT PRECIP COULD CLIP NERN ZONES EARLY. ANOTHER WAVE MOVING TOWARD KS BY MORNING COULD SPREAD SOME MID/HIGH CLOUDS TOWARD SRN AND ESPECIALLY SWRN ZONES BY MORNING. THE VARIABLE CLOUDS...SOME WIND AND INITIALLY MODEST DWPTS WL LEAD TO KEEPING MOST LOWS A BIT ABOVE GUIDANCE. LITTLE CHANGE TO FRIDAY...KEPT IN SMALL POPS EXTREME SOUTH DUE TO SRN WAVE...ALTHOUGH APPEARS BULK OF ANY PRECIP COULD REMAIN TO OUR SOUTH. ALSO SHARP MID LVL TROUGH AXIS MOVING INTO ERN NEBRASKA TOWARD 00Z COULD ALLOW SOME SHOWER DEVELOPMENT AS H5 TEMPS IN MINUS UPPER 20S C MOVE OVER AREA. SPREAD SMALL CHANCES A BIT FARTHER S. SOMEWHAT DISCOUNTED NAM IN DOWNSLOPE MOISTURE LACKING FLOW BUT THIS COULD FACILITATE FUTURE CHANGES. DID TRIM TEMPS BACK A FEW DEGREES DUE TO EXPECTED CLOUDS...BUT KEPT THEM ON HIGH SIDE OF GUIDANCE. AFTER TROUGH PASSES FRIDAY TEMPERATURES SHOULD BE WARMING SATURDAY AND SUNDAY AHEAD OF A STRONGER WAVE THAT WILL ARRIVE LATE SUNDAY. KEPT FORECAST DRY IN WARM ADVECTION AHEAD OF THIS WAVE...BUT CAN NOT RULE OUT SOME NEED IN LATER FORECASTS. TRENDED MOST MAX TEMPERATURES UPWARD BOTH DAYS TO REFLECT FORECAST H85 TEMPS...BUT DIDN/T MIX TO THAT DEPTH DUE TO POSSIBLE CLOUDS. CHERMOK LONG TERM...SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY. THE REGION WILL REMAIN IN NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT AS A BROAD TROUGH REMAINS IN PLACE TO OUR EAST WHILE AN AMPLIFIED RIDGE REMAINS OVER THE WESTERN STATES. THIS WILL ALLOW A COLD CANADIAN AIRMASS TO DROP INTO THE NORTHERN PLAINS AND UPPER MIDWEST. THERE CONTINUES TO BE SOME DISAGREEMENT AS TO HOW FAR WEST THE COLD AIRMASS WILL REACH...HOWEVER THE TREND CONTINUES TO BE COLD FOR NEXT WEEK WITH HIGHS IN THE LOW 50S AND LOWS IN THE LOWER TO MID 30S. SOME WEAK RECOVERY BY THURSDAY MAY BRING HIGHS UP INTO THE MID TO UPPER 50S. KERN && .OAX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NE...NONE. IA...NONE. && $$
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NWS ALBUQUERQUE NM
1158 AM MDT FRI OCT 18 2013 .AVIATION... 18Z TAF CYCLE EXPECTING MVFR/IFR CIGS FOR KTCC...KLVS AND REMAINDER OF EASTERN PLAINS CENTRAL HIGHLANDS THROUGH LATE EVENING AS A SHALLOW BACKDOOR COLD FRONT TRAVELS WSW TOWARD THE CENTRAL MTN CHAIN AND ACROSS THE SE PLAINS. KABQ WILL EXPERIENCE BRIEF EASTERLY CANYON WINDS BETWEEN 03 AND 06Z. GUSTY NE WINDS BEHIND THE FRONT FOR KROW THIS AFTERNOON. AS THE SFC HIGH SHIFTS SOUTHWEST LATE TONIGHT INTO TOMORROW MORNING WINDS WILL DECREASE AS WEAKENING SFC HIGH TRAVELS SE INTO SOUTHERN TX. 33 && .PREV DISCUSSION...330 AM MDT FRI OCT 18 2013... SFC LOW/TROUGH ACROSS FAR EAST CENTRAL NM AND INTO THE ADJACENT PORTION OF TX HAS CIRCULATED LOW LEVEL MOISTURE INTO SE NM WITH ATTENDANT LOW CLOUDS/FOG OVER LEA/EDDY AND SE ROOSEVELT COUNTIES...WHICH IS FARTHER WEST THAN WAS INDICATED 24 HRS AGO. EXPECT THIS WILL MAKE A LITTLE MORE PROGRESS NORTH AND WWD BEFORE THE COLD FRONT...CURRENTLY FROM CAO TO RTN...AND WITH IT/S STRATUS...PUSHES FARTHER SOUTH. RUC INDICATES THE MOISTURE IN THE SOUTHEAST SHOULD EXIT BY MID MORNING WHILE THE STRATUS CONTINUES TO INVADE THE NE AND TO SOME EXTENT THE EAST CENTRAL. TODAY/S AREAL COVERAGE OF POPS DIDN/T CHANGE MUCH FROM PREVIOUS MODEL RUNS. FORECAST HIGHS HOWEVER DID COOL SEVERAL DEGREES IN THE NORTHEAST AND EAST CENTRAL NO DOUBT IN PART TO THE EXTENSIVE LOW CLOUDS THAT MAY LINGER THROUGH EARLY/MID AFTERNOON ACCORDING TO THE RUC. THE AREA FROM RATON TO CLAYTON MAY NOT GET ANY WARMER THAN MID 40S...WHICH IS 20 TO 25 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL IF THE GUIDANCE IS CLOSE. OVERALL HIGHS TODAY RANGE FROM NEAR NORMAL FAR SOUTHWEST TO 10 TO 15 DEGREES BELOW AVERAGE FAR NORTHWEST TO THE FAR SOUTHEAST. THE COOLER THAN AVERAGE HIGHS SET THE STAGE FOR POTENTIAL FOR NEAR TO BELOW FREEZING LOWS TONIGHT. GUIDANCE FOR PORTIONS OF THE EAST CENTRAL CLOSER TO THE TX BORDER AND ROW AREAS HAS COOLED A COUPLE MORE DEGREES...SO A FREEZE WATCH WILL BE ISSUED. SOME LOW LEVEL MOISTURE MAY BE PARKED ALONG THE EAST SLOPES OF THE CENTRAL MT CHAIN THIS EVENING BUT DEWPOINTS STILL EVENTUALLY LOWER SUFFICIENTLY FOR THE THREAT OF A FREEZE. MODELS NOW INDICATE AT LEAST SOME POTENTIAL FOR AN EAST WIND TO BREAK INTO THE MIDDLE RGV THIS EVENING...WHICH COMPLICATES A FREEZE/NO FREEZE DECISION THAT MUCH MORE ESPECIALLY IN THE ABQ METRO. CURRENT THOUGHTS ARE THE WIND COULD DIMINISH AFTER MIDNIGHT...SO DECIDED TO ISSUE A FREEZE WATCH FOR THE MIDDLE AND LOWER RGV AS WELL AS FOR THE UPPER TULAROSA VALLEY...WHERE SOME LOCALES HAVE NOT YET FROZEN. FOR THE REST OF THE WEEKEND...A WARMING TREND WILL COMMENCE WITH HIGHS ACHIEVING NEAR NORMAL STATUS SUNDAY. ANOTHER FRONT COULD ARRIVE IN THE EASTERN PLAINS AS SOON AS LATE SUNDAY...SO HIGHS WILL BE KNOCKED DOWNWARD MONDAY. THIS FRONT LOOKS MORE LIKELY TO PRODUCE AN EAST WIND INTO THE RGV EARLY MONDAY. EXTENDED FORECAST MODEL TRENDS FOR MID TO LATE NEXT WEEK LEAN TOWARDS MORE OF A RIDGE OVER NEW MEXICO. LATEST ECMWF DEPICTS A DECENT SFC HIGH INVADING ERN NM DESPITE THE RIDGE WHILE THE GFS LOCATES IT WELL TO THE EAST...WREAKING HAVOC ON FORECAST TEMPERATURE DECISIONS. BOTH GFS AND ECMWF INDICATE A WEAK DISTURBANCE TRACKING INTO WRN NM FROM THE WEST AROUND THURSDAY OF NEXT WEEK...NOT CONFIDENT AT ALL IT WILL AMOUNT TO MUCH. IN ANY CASE WENT CLOSER TO THE ECMWF SOLUTION FOR TEMPS AND WITH A GFS/ECMWF BLEND FOR POPS. .FIRE WEATHER... COOLER AIR WILL INVADE NEW MEXICO TODAY AS NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT DRAGS A TROUGH INTO THE STATE ALONG WITH A BACK DOOR SURFACE FRONT. THE PLAINS WILL OBSERVE THE SHARPEST TEMPERATURE DIFFERENTIAL FROM YESTERDAY ALONG WITH GUSTY NORTHEAST WINDS THROUGH THE DAY AS THE FRONT SPILLS IN. THE CENTRAL TO WESTERN ZONES WILL ALSO BECOME BREEZY TO WINDY WITH A NORTHWESTERLY DIRECTION. SURFACE GRADIENT APPEARS A BIT STRONGER THAN PREVIOUS MODEL RUNS WERE ADVERTISING...SO FORECAST SPEEDS WERE INCREASED TO REFLECT THIS. VENTILATION RATES LOOK TO REMAIN GOOD TO EXCELLENT WITH THESE STRONGER BOUNDARY LAYER BREEZES...BUT WINDS DO NOT APPEAR TO BE CRITICALLY HIGH. DEWPOINTS DROP INTO THE LOWER TEENS AND SINGLE DIGITS IN THE WEST CENTRAL TO SOUTHWESTERN ZONES OF THE FORECAST AREA THIS AFTERNOON...DROPPING MINIMUM RH TO 12 TO 15 PERCENT. THIS AREA OF CRITICALLY LOW RH WILL NOT BE JUXTAPOSED OVER THE AREA WHERE THE STRONGEST WINDS WILL BE...AND THE COOLER TEMPERATURE REGIME DOES NOT FIT INTO THE MOLD OF A CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER EVENT EITHER. MAX TEMPERATURES WILL RUN ABOUT 8 TO 20 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL IN MOST AREAS TODAY. BETTER RH RECOVERY IS EXPECTED TONIGHT WITH COOLER TEMPERATURES. DEWPOINTS MAY LOWER A BIT IN THE PLAINS BY TONIGHT...BUT THEY WILL ACTUALLY RISE A BIT IN THE CENTRAL AREAS OF THE STATE. THIS WILL ALLOW MOST OF THE NORTHERN AND EASTERN TIERS OF THE STATE TO OBSERVE EXCELLENT RH RECOVERY WHILE CENTRAL TO WESTERN ZONES STAY IN THE FAIR TO GOOD CATEGORIES. ANOTHER SIGNIFICANT ASPECT OF TONIGHT/S FORECAST WILL BE THE POTENTIAL FOR FREEZING TEMPERATURES IN MUCH OF THE EAST CENTRAL PLAINS WHERE THE FREEZING MARK HAS YET TO BE REACHED. THIS WILL EXACERBATE FINE FUEL CURING. THERE WILL ALSO BE POTENTIAL FOR FREEZING TEMPERATURES ALONG THE MIDDLE RIO GRANDE AND TULAROSA VALLEYS...PRIMARILY IN THE LOWEST ELEVATIONS. SOME OF THESE VALLEY AREAS HAVE FLIRTED WITH FREEZING ON A COUPLE OF OCCASIONS THIS SEASON...BUT A WIDESPREAD HARD FREEZE HAS STILL NOT HAPPENED. NORTHWEST FLOW WILL NOT BE AS STRONG ON SATURDAY...AND ONLY SOME ISOLATED BREEZY TO WINDY CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED OVER THE CENTRAL HIGHLANDS. TEMPERATURES WILL WARM A FEW DEGREES IN MOST OF THE FORECAST AREA AND SEVERAL DEGREES IN THE NORTHEASTERN PLAINS...BUT STILL DAYTIME HIGHS IN ALL AREAS WILL FALL JUST SHY OF CLIMATOLOGY. LOWEST DEWPOINTS WILL STAY CONFINED TO WEST CENTRAL NM SATURDAY...BUT THESE WILL MIX AND ADVANCE EASTWARD INTO SUNDAY. THIS WILL SPREAD SOME CRITICAL RH OVER THE CENTRAL HIGHLANDS WHERE A BRIEF BOUT OF CRITICAL WINDS WILL ALSO DEVELOP SUNDAY AFTERNOON. THE NEXT COLD FRONT WILL ARRIVE SUNDAY NIGHT AND INTO MONDAY MORNING. THIS BOUNDARY WILL LIKELY ADVANCE BEYOND THE CENTRAL MOUNTAIN CHAIN AND INTO THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY...PRODUCING SOME GUSTY WINDS ALONG THE BOUNDARY AND THROUGH CENTRAL GAPS/CANYONS WHILE TEMPERATURES PLUMMET BACK BELOW AVERAGE. OVERALL A DRIER AND MORE TRANQUIL PATTERN IS EXPECTED THROUGH TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY OF NEXT WEEK...HOWEVER THERE IS SOME UNCERTAINTY REGARDING ANOTHER POTENTIAL FRONT. FORECAST MODELS HAVE DIFFERING NOTIONS ON HOW THE UPPER RIDGE WILL BREAK DOWN...AND MODELS HISTORICALLY HAVE SOME NOTORIOUS DEFICIENCIES IN THESE HIGH AMPLITUDE PATTERNS. 52 && .ABQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... FREEZE WATCH FROM LATE TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES...NMZ519-520-525-533>538. && $$ SHY
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS ALBUQUERQUE NM
550 AM MDT FRI OCT 18 2013 .AVIATION... 12Z TAF CYCLE SOME LOW STRATUS CLOUDS AND PATCHY FOG HAVE DEVELOPED AGAIN IN THE EAST CENTRAL TO SOUTHEASTERN PLAINS OF NEW MEXICO EARLY THIS MORNING. MVFR TO IFR CEILINGS AND VISIBILITIES SHOULD STAY EAST OF A KROW TO KCVS LINE WHERE LOW LAYER MOISTURE HAS BEEN TRANSPORTED. IN THE NORTHEAST CORNER OF THE STATE A BACK DOOR COLD FRONT IS INVADING WITH GUSTY WINDS NOTED ALONG AND BEHIND THE BOUNDARY. ALSO...SOME LOWER CEILINGS OF GENERALLY 2000 TO 3000 FEET ARE ACCOMPANYING THE FRONT. THESE CLOUDS IN THE NORTHEAST MAY PERSIST AND EXPAND OVER THE REMAINDER OF THE NORTHEASTERN QUADRANT OF NEW MEXICO THROUGH THE MID AFTERNOON WHILE THE LOWER STRATUS CLOUDS AND FOG IN EAST CENTRAL AND SOUTHEASTERN AREAS SHOULD DISSIPATE BEFORE 18/1800UTC. VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL ELSEWHERE WITH MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES. 52 && .PREV DISCUSSION...330 AM MDT FRI OCT 18 2013... SFC LOW/TROUGH ACROSS FAR EAST CENTRAL NM AND INTO THE ADJACENT PORTION OF TX HAS CIRCULATED LOW LEVEL MOISTURE INTO SE NM WITH ATTENDANT LOW CLOUDS/FOG OVER LEA/EDDY AND SE ROOSEVELT COUNTIES...WHICH IS FARTHER WEST THAN WAS INDICATED 24 HRS AGO. EXPECT THIS WILL MAKE A LITTLE MORE PROGRESS NORTH AND WWD BEFORE THE COLD FRONT...CURRENTLY FROM CAO TO RTN...AND WITH IT/S STRATUS...PUSHES FARTHER SOUTH. RUC INDICATES THE MOISTURE IN THE SOUTHEAST SHOULD EXIT BY MID MORNING WHILE THE STRATUS CONTINUES TO INVADE THE NE AND TO SOME EXTENT THE EAST CENTRAL. TODAY/S AREAL COVERAGE OF POPS DIDN/T CHANGE MUCH FROM PREVIOUS MODEL RUNS. FORECAST HIGHS HOWEVER DID COOL SEVERAL DEGREES IN THE NORTHEAST AND EAST CENTRAL NO DOUBT IN PART TO THE EXTENSIVE LOW CLOUDS THAT MAY LINGER THROUGH EARLY/MID AFTERNOON ACCORDING TO THE RUC. THE AREA FROM RATON TO CLAYTON MAY NOT GET ANY WARMER THAN MID 40S...WHICH IS 20 TO 25 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL IF THE GUIDANCE IS CLOSE. OVERALL HIGHS TODAY RANGE FROM NEAR NORMAL FAR SOUTHWEST TO 10 TO 15 DEGREES BELOW AVERAGE FAR NORTHWEST TO THE FAR SOUTHEAST. THE COOLER THAN AVERAGE HIGHS SET THE STAGE FOR POTENTIAL FOR NEAR TO BELOW FREEZING LOWS TONIGHT. GUIDANCE FOR PORTIONS OF THE EAST CENTRAL CLOSER TO THE TX BORDER AND ROW AREAS HAS COOLED A COUPLE MORE DEGREES...SO A FREEZE WATCH WILL BE ISSUED. SOME LOW LEVEL MOISTURE MAY BE PARKED ALONG THE EAST SLOPES OF THE CENTRAL MT CHAIN THIS EVENING BUT DEWPOINTS STILL EVENTUALLY LOWER SUFFICIENTLY FOR THE THREAT OF A FREEZE. MODELS NOW INDICATE AT LEAST SOME POTENTIAL FOR AN EAST WIND TO BREAK INTO THE MIDDLE RGV THIS EVENING...WHICH COMPLICATES A FREEZE/NO FREEZE DECISION THAT MUCH MORE ESPECIALLY IN THE ABQ METRO. CURRENT THOUGHTS ARE THE WIND COULD DIMINISH AFTER MIDNIGHT...SO DECIDED TO ISSUE A FREEZE WATCH FOR THE MIDDLE AND LOWER RGV AS WELL AS FOR THE UPPER TULAROSA VALLEY...WHERE SOME LOCALES HAVE NOT YET FROZEN. FOR THE REST OF THE WEEKEND...A WARMING TREND WILL COMMENCE WITH HIGHS ACHIEVING NEAR NORMAL STATUS SUNDAY. ANOTHER FRONT COULD ARRIVE IN THE EASTERN PLAINS AS SOON AS LATE SUNDAY...SO HIGHS WILL BE KNOCKED DOWNWARD MONDAY. THIS FRONT LOOKS MORE LIKELY TO PRODUCE AN EAST WIND INTO THE RGV EARLY MONDAY. EXTENDED FORECAST MODEL TRENDS FOR MID TO LATE NEXT WEEK LEAN TOWARDS MORE OF A RIDGE OVER NEW MEXICO. LATEST ECMWF DEPICTS A DECENT SFC HIGH INVADING ERN NM DESPITE THE RIDGE WHILE THE GFS LOCATES IT WELL TO THE EAST...WREAKING HAVOC ON FORECAST TEMPERATURE DECISIONS. BOTH GFS AND ECMWF INDICATE A WEAK DISTURBANCE TRACKING INTO WRN NM FROM THE WEST AROUND THURSDAY OF NEXT WEEK...NOT CONFIDENT AT ALL IT WILL AMOUNT TO MUCH. IN ANY CASE WENT CLOSER TO THE ECMWF SOLUTION FOR TEMPS AND WITH A GFS/ECMWF BLEND FOR POPS. .FIRE WEATHER... COOLER AIR WILL INVADE NEW MEXICO TODAY AS NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT DRAGS A TROUGH INTO THE STATE ALONG WITH A BACK DOOR SURFACE FRONT. THE PLAINS WILL OBSERVE THE SHARPEST TEMPERATURE DIFFERENTIAL FROM YESTERDAY ALONG WITH GUSTY NORTHEAST WINDS THROUGH THE DAY AS THE FRONT SPILLS IN. THE CENTRAL TO WESTERN ZONES WILL ALSO BECOME BREEZY TO WINDY WITH A NORTHWESTERLY DIRECTION. SURFACE GRADIENT APPEARS A BIT STRONGER THAN PREVIOUS MODEL RUNS WERE ADVERTISING...SO FORECAST SPEEDS WERE INCREASED TO REFLECT THIS. VENTILATION RATES LOOK TO REMAIN GOOD TO EXCELLENT WITH THESE STRONGER BOUNDARY LAYER BREEZES...BUT WINDS DO NOT APPEAR TO BE CRITICALLY HIGH. DEWPOINTS DROP INTO THE LOWER TEENS AND SINGLE DIGITS IN THE WEST CENTRAL TO SOUTHWESTERN ZONES OF THE FORECAST AREA THIS AFTERNOON...DROPPING MINIMUM RH TO 12 TO 15 PERCENT. THIS AREA OF CRITICALLY LOW RH WILL NOT BE JUXTAPOSED OVER THE AREA WHERE THE STRONGEST WINDS WILL BE...AND THE COOLER TEMPERATURE REGIME DOES NOT FIT INTO THE MOLD OF A CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER EVENT EITHER. MAX TEMPERATURES WILL RUN ABOUT 8 TO 20 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL IN MOST AREAS TODAY. BETTER RH RECOVERY IS EXPECTED TONIGHT WITH COOLER TEMPERATURES. DEWPOINTS MAY LOWER A BIT IN THE PLAINS BY TONIGHT...BUT THEY WILL ACTUALLY RISE A BIT IN THE CENTRAL AREAS OF THE STATE. THIS WILL ALLOW MOST OF THE NORTHERN AND EASTERN TIERS OF THE STATE TO OBSERVE EXCELLENT RH RECOVERY WHILE CENTRAL TO WESTERN ZONES STAY IN THE FAIR TO GOOD CATEGORIES. ANOTHER SIGNIFICANT ASPECT OF TONIGHT/S FORECAST WILL BE THE POTENTIAL FOR FREEZING TEMPERATURES IN MUCH OF THE EAST CENTRAL PLAINS WHERE THE FREEZING MARK HAS YET TO BE REACHED. THIS WILL EXACERBATE FINE FUEL CURING. THERE WILL ALSO BE POTENTIAL FOR FREEZING TEMPERATURES ALONG THE MIDDLE RIO GRANDE AND TULAROSA VALLEYS...PRIMARILY IN THE LOWEST ELEVATIONS. SOME OF THESE VALLEY AREAS HAVE FLIRTED WITH FREEZING ON A COUPLE OF OCCASIONS THIS SEASON...BUT A WIDESPREAD HARD FREEZE HAS STILL NOT HAPPENED. NORTHWEST FLOW WILL NOT BE AS STRONG ON SATURDAY...AND ONLY SOME ISOLATED BREEZY TO WINDY CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED OVER THE CENTRAL HIGHLANDS. TEMPERATURES WILL WARM A FEW DEGREES IN MOST OF THE FORECAST AREA AND SEVERAL DEGREES IN THE NORTHEASTERN PLAINS...BUT STILL DAYTIME HIGHS IN ALL AREAS WILL FALL JUST SHY OF CLIMATOLOGY. LOWEST DEWPOINTS WILL STAY CONFINED TO WEST CENTRAL NM SATURDAY...BUT THESE WILL MIX AND ADVANCE EASTWARD INTO SUNDAY. THIS WILL SPREAD SOME CRITICAL RH OVER THE CENTRAL HIGHLANDS WHERE A BRIEF BOUT OF CRITICAL WINDS WILL ALSO DEVELOP SUNDAY AFTERNOON. THE NEXT COLD FRONT WILL ARRIVE SUNDAY NIGHT AND INTO MONDAY MORNING. THIS BOUNDARY WILL LIKELY ADVANCE BEYOND THE CENTRAL MOUNTAIN CHAIN AND INTO THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY...PRODUCING SOME GUSTY WINDS ALONG THE BOUNDARY AND THROUGH CENTRAL GAPS/CANYONS WHILE TEMPERATURES PLUMMET BACK BELOW AVERAGE. OVERALL A DRIER AND MORE TRANQUIL PATTERN IS EXPECTED THROUGH TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY OF NEXT WEEK...HOWEVER THERE IS SOME UNCERTAINTY REGARDING ANOTHER POTENTIAL FRONT. FORECAST MODELS HAVE DIFFERING NOTIONS ON HOW THE UPPER RIDGE WILL BREAK DOWN...AND MODELS HISTORICALLY HAVE SOME NOTORIOUS DEFICIENCIES IN THESE HIGH AMPLITUDE PATTERNS. 52 && .ABQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... FREEZE WATCH FROM LATE TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES...NMZ519-520-525-533>538. && $$
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS ALBUQUERQUE NM
330 AM MDT FRI OCT 18 2013 .DISCUSSION... SFC LOW/TROUGH ACROSS FAR EAST CENTRAL NM AND INTO THE ADJACENT PORTION OF TX HAS CIRCULATED LOW LEVEL MOISTURE INTO SE NM WITH ATTENDANT LOW CLOUDS/FOG OVER LEA/EDDY AND SE ROOSEVELT COUNTIES...WHICH IS FARTHER WEST THAN WAS INDICATED 24 HRS AGO. EXPECT THIS WILL MAKE A LITTLE MORE PROGRESS NORTH AND WWD BEFORE THE COLD FRONT...CURRENTLY FROM CAO TO RTN...AND WITH IT/S STRATUS...PUSHES FARTHER SOUTH. RUC INDICATES THE MOISTURE IN THE SOUTHEAST SHOULD EXIT BY MID MORNING WHILE THE STRATUS CONTINUES TO INVADE THE NE AND TO SOME EXTENT THE EAST CENTRAL. TODAY/S AREAL COVERAGE OF POPS DIDN/T CHANGE MUCH FROM PREVIOUS MODEL RUNS. FORECAST HIGHS HOWEVER DID COOL SEVERAL DEGREES IN THE NORTHEAST AND EAST CENTRAL NO DOUBT IN PART TO THE EXTENSIVE LOW CLOUDS THAT MAY LINGER THROUGH EARLY/MID AFTERNOON ACCORDING TO THE RUC. THE AREA FROM RATON TO CLAYTON MAY NOT GET ANY WARMER THAN MID 40S...WHICH IS 20 TO 25 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL IF THE GUIDANCE IS CLOSE. OVERALL HIGHS TODAY RANGE FROM NEAR NORMAL FAR SOUTHWEST TO 10 TO 15 DEGREES BELOW AVERAGE FAR NORTHWEST TO THE FAR SOUTHEAST. THE COOLER THAN AVERAGE HIGHS SET THE STAGE FOR POTENTIAL FOR NEAR TO BELOW FREEZING LOWS TONIGHT. GUIDANCE FOR PORTIONS OF THE EAST CENTRAL CLOSER TO THE TX BORDER AND ROW AREAS HAS COOLED A COUPLE MORE DEGREES...SO A FREEZE WATCH WILL BE ISSUED. SOME LOW LEVEL MOISTURE MAY BE PARKED ALONG THE EAST SLOPES OF THE CENTRAL MT CHAIN THIS EVENING BUT DEWPOINTS STILL EVENTUALLY LOWER SUFFICIENTLY FOR THE THREAT OF A FREEZE. MODELS NOW INDICATE AT LEAST SOME POTENTIAL FOR AN EAST WIND TO BREAK INTO THE MIDDLE RGV THIS EVENING...WHICH COMPLICATES A FREEZE/NO FREEZE DECISION THAT MUCH MORE ESPECIALLY IN THE ABQ METRO. CURRENT THOUGHTS ARE THE WIND COULD DIMINISH AFTER MIDNIGHT...SO DECIDED TO ISSUE A FREEZE WATCH FOR THE MIDDLE AND LOWER RGV AS WELL AS FOR THE UPPER TULAROSA VALLEY...WHERE SOME LOCALES HAVE NOT YET FROZEN. FOR THE REST OF THE WEEKEND...A WARMING TREND WILL COMMENCE WITH HIGHS ACHIEVING NEAR NORMAL STATUS SUNDAY. ANOTHER FRONT COULD ARRIVE IN THE EASTERN PLAINS AS SOON AS LATE SUNDAY...SO HIGHS WILL BE KNOCKED DOWNWARD MONDAY. THIS FRONT LOOKS MORE LIKELY TO PRODUCE AN EAST WIND INTO THE RGV EARLY MONDAY. EXTENDED FORECAST MODEL TRENDS FOR MID TO LATE NEXT WEEK LEAN TOWARDS MORE OF A RIDGE OVER NEW MEXICO. LATEST ECMWF DEPICTS A DECENT SFC HIGH INVADING ERN NM DESPITE THE RIDGE WHILE THE GFS LOCATES IT WELL TO THE EAST...WREAKING HAVOC ON FORECAST TEMPERATURE DECISIONS. BOTH GFS AND ECMWF INDICATE A WEAK DISTURBANCE TRACKING INTO WRN NM FROM THE WEST AROUND THURSDAY OF NEXT WEEK...NOT CONFIDENT AT ALL IT WILL AMOUNT TO MUCH. IN ANY CASE WENT CLOSER TO THE ECMWF SOLUTION FOR TEMPS AND WITH A GFS/ECMWF BLEND FOR POPS. && .FIRE WEATHER... COOLER AIR WILL INVADE NEW MEXICO TODAY AS NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT DRAGS A TROUGH INTO THE STATE ALONG WITH A BACK DOOR SURFACE FRONT. THE PLAINS WILL OBSERVE THE SHARPEST TEMPERATURE DIFFERENTIAL FROM YESTERDAY ALONG WITH GUSTY NORTHEAST WINDS THROUGH THE DAY AS THE FRONT SPILLS IN. THE CENTRAL TO WESTERN ZONES WILL ALSO BECOME BREEZY TO WINDY WITH A NORTHWESTERLY DIRECTION. SURFACE GRADIENT APPEARS A BIT STRONGER THAN PREVIOUS MODEL RUNS WERE ADVERTISING...SO FORECAST SPEEDS WERE INCREASED TO REFLECT THIS. VENTILATION RATES LOOK TO REMAIN GOOD TO EXCELLENT WITH THESE STRONGER BOUNDARY LAYER BREEZES...BUT WINDS DO NOT APPEAR TO BE CRITICALLY HIGH. DEWPOINTS DROP INTO THE LOWER TEENS AND SINGLE DIGITS IN THE WEST CENTRAL TO SOUTHWESTERN ZONES OF THE FORECAST AREA THIS AFTERNOON...DROPPING MINIMUM RH TO 12 TO 15 PERCENT. THIS AREA OF CRITICALLY LOW RH WILL NOT BE JUXTAPOSED OVER THE AREA WHERE THE STRONGEST WINDS WILL BE...AND THE COOLER TEMPERATURE REGIME DOES NOT FIT INTO THE MOLD OF A CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER EVENT EITHER. MAX TEMPERATURES WILL RUN ABOUT 8 TO 20 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL IN MOST AREAS TODAY. BETTER RH RECOVERY IS EXPECTED TONIGHT WITH COOLER TEMPERATURES. DEWPOINTS MAY LOWER A BIT IN THE PLAINS BY TONIGHT...BUT THEY WILL ACTUALLY RISE A BIT IN THE CENTRAL AREAS OF THE STATE. THIS WILL ALLOW MOST OF THE NORTHERN AND EASTERN TIERS OF THE STATE TO OBSERVE EXCELLENT RH RECOVERY WHILE CENTRAL TO WESTERN ZONES STAY IN THE FAIR TO GOOD CATEGORIES. ANOTHER SIGNIFICANT ASPECT OF TONIGHT/S FORECAST WILL BE THE POTENTIAL FOR FREEZING TEMPERATURES IN MUCH OF THE EAST CENTRAL PLAINS WHERE THE FREEZING MARK HAS YET TO BE REACHED. THIS WILL EXACERBATE FINE FUEL CURING. THERE WILL ALSO BE POTENTIAL FOR FREEZING TEMPERATURES ALONG THE MIDDLE RIO GRANDE AND TULAROSA VALLEYS...PRIMARILY IN THE LOWEST ELEVATIONS. SOME OF THESE VALLEY AREAS HAVE FLIRTED WITH FREEZING ON A COUPLE OF OCCASIONS THIS SEASON...BUT A WIDESPREAD HARD FREEZE HAS STILL NOT HAPPENED. NORTHWEST FLOW WILL NOT BE AS STRONG ON SATURDAY...AND ONLY SOME ISOLATED BREEZY TO WINDY CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED OVER THE CENTRAL HIGHLANDS. TEMPERATURES WILL WARM A FEW DEGREES IN MOST OF THE FORECAST AREA AND SEVERAL DEGREES IN THE NORTHEASTERN PLAINS...BUT STILL DAYTIME HIGHS IN ALL AREAS WILL FALL JUST SHY OF CLIMATOLOGY. LOWEST DEWPOINTS WILL STAY CONFINED TO WEST CENTRAL NM SATURDAY...BUT THESE WILL MIX AND ADVANCE EASTWARD INTO SUNDAY. THIS WILL SPREAD SOME CRITICAL RH OVER THE CENTRAL HIGHLANDS WHERE A BRIEF BOUT OF CRITICAL WINDS WILL ALSO DEVELOP SUNDAY AFTERNOON. THE NEXT COLD FRONT WILL ARRIVE SUNDAY NIGHT AND INTO MONDAY MORNING. THIS BOUNDARY WILL LIKELY ADVANCE BEYOND THE CENTRAL MOUNTAIN CHAIN AND INTO THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY...PRODUCING SOME GUSTY WINDS ALONG THE BOUNDARY AND THROUGH CENTRAL GAPS/CANYONS WHILE TEMPERATURES PLUMMET BACK BELOW AVERAGE. OVERALL A DRIER AND MORE TRANQUIL PATTERN IS EXPECTED THROUGH TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY OF NEXT WEEK...HOWEVER THERE IS SOME UNCERTAINTY REGARDING ANOTHER POTENTIAL FRONT. FORECAST MODELS HAVE DIFFERING NOTIONS ON HOW THE UPPER RIDGE WILL BREAK DOWN...AND MODELS HISTORICALLY HAVE SOME NOTORIOUS DEFICIENCIES IN THESE HIGH AMPLITUDE PATTERNS. 52 && .AVIATION... 06Z TAF CYCLE VFR CONDITIONS SHOULD PREVAIL THROUGH THE NEXT 24 HOURS AT ALL TAF SITES. BACK DOOR COLD FRONT IN FAR NE NOW WILL DROP SOUTH AND WEST OVERNIGHT INTO FRIDAY. HAVE A WIND SHIFT IN KTCC AT 12Z FRIDAY AND KROW AT 15Z FRIDAY. LOW CLOUDS...BKN030...ALREADY FORMING AROUND CAO AND COULD IMPACT TCC LATER TONIGHT. NOT ENOUGH CONFIDENCE TO PUT IN THE TAF THOUGH. GOOD CHANCE SE WIND AT SAF SAF FROM 01Z TO 06Z FRIDAY EVENING AND BRIEF E WIND POSSIBLE IN ABQ BETWEEN 02Z AND 06Z...PUT IN TEMPO GROUP FOR ABQ. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... FARMINGTON...................... 58 26 61 30 / 0 0 0 0 DULCE........................... 55 21 59 24 / 0 0 0 0 CUBA............................ 55 24 58 27 / 0 0 0 0 GALLUP.......................... 58 17 62 22 / 0 0 0 0 EL MORRO........................ 56 18 60 24 / 0 0 0 0 GRANTS.......................... 59 20 62 26 / 0 0 0 0 QUEMADO......................... 60 23 65 29 / 0 0 0 0 GLENWOOD........................ 70 30 71 35 / 0 0 0 0 CHAMA........................... 49 18 54 19 / 0 0 5 5 LOS ALAMOS...................... 55 26 59 29 / 0 0 0 0 PECOS........................... 53 26 59 29 / 5 5 5 0 CERRO/QUESTA.................... 50 17 56 19 / 5 5 5 5 RED RIVER....................... 43 17 48 23 / 10 5 5 5 ANGEL FIRE...................... 47 18 55 20 / 10 5 5 5 TAOS............................ 52 18 58 22 / 5 5 0 0 MORA............................ 50 21 59 26 / 5 5 5 5 ESPANOLA........................ 59 24 62 28 / 0 0 0 0 SANTA FE........................ 56 25 59 29 / 0 0 0 0 SANTA FE AIRPORT................ 58 27 61 32 / 0 0 0 0 ALBUQUERQUE FOOTHILLS........... 59 31 59 36 / 0 0 0 0 ALBUQUERQUE HEIGHTS............. 62 35 62 40 / 0 0 0 0 ALBUQUERQUE VALLEY.............. 64 29 63 37 / 0 0 0 0 ALBUQUERQUE WEST MESA........... 63 33 63 38 / 0 0 0 0 LOS LUNAS....................... 66 34 66 39 / 0 0 0 0 RIO RANCHO...................... 62 34 62 40 / 0 0 0 0 SOCORRO......................... 68 37 67 41 / 0 0 0 0 SANDIA PARK/CEDAR CREST......... 60 28 57 34 / 0 0 5 0 TIJERAS......................... 61 29 59 34 / 0 0 0 0 MORIARTY/ESTANCIA............... 59 27 61 31 / 0 0 5 0 CLINES CORNERS.................. 56 29 59 34 / 5 5 5 0 GRAN QUIVIRA.................... 61 29 62 34 / 0 5 5 0 CARRIZOZO....................... 66 32 64 36 / 0 0 0 0 RUIDOSO......................... 60 36 59 41 / 0 5 5 0 CAPULIN......................... 43 19 59 26 / 20 5 5 5 RATON........................... 46 21 62 28 / 20 5 5 5 SPRINGER........................ 50 22 62 30 / 10 5 5 5 LAS VEGAS....................... 51 23 62 32 / 5 5 5 5 CLAYTON......................... 44 30 65 36 / 20 5 5 5 ROY............................. 50 28 62 36 / 5 5 5 5 CONCHAS......................... 55 30 66 34 / 5 5 5 5 SANTA ROSA...................... 56 30 69 36 / 0 5 5 5 TUCUMCARI....................... 54 30 69 37 / 5 5 5 5 CLOVIS.......................... 55 30 64 37 / 5 5 5 5 PORTALES........................ 58 31 65 38 / 5 5 5 5 FORT SUMNER..................... 61 32 67 38 / 0 5 5 5 ROSWELL......................... 73 36 68 43 / 0 5 5 0 PICACHO......................... 69 33 67 39 / 0 5 5 0 ELK............................. 66 33 65 38 / 0 5 5 0 && .ABQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... FREEZE WATCH FROM LATE TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES...NMZ519-520-525-533>538. && $$
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS WILMINGTON NC
743 PM EDT SAT OCT 19 2013 .SYNOPSIS... A LINGERING COLD FRONT OVER THE COASTAL CAROLINAS WILL MOVE OFF SHORE AS HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS IN THROUGH SUNDAY. THE FRONT WILL SHIFT BACK TOWARD THE COAST AS HIGH PRESSURE MOVES OFF TO THE NORTHEAST LATE MONDAY INTO TUESDAY. COLDER HIGH PRESSURE WILL SLOWLY BUILD INTO THE AREA MID THROUGH LATE OF NEXT WEEK. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM SUNDAY MORNING/... AS OF 6 PM SATURDAY...THE LATEST RADAR TRENDS SUGGEST FAVORABLE DYNAMICS ALOFT ARE BEGINNING TO PLAY A ROLE IN THE UPTREND IN SHOWER ACTIVITY PRESENTLY. AN UPPER JET CROSSING THE APPALACHIANS IS PRODUCING A ZONE OF DIFFLUENCE ALOFT OVER CENTRAL CAROLINAS WHICH IS GRADUALLY EDGING EASTWARD. INITIALLY HIGHER POP VALUES THIS EVENING ARE PLACED ACROSS OUR WESTERN ZONES...SPREADING OVER MUCH OF THE FORECAST AREA OVERNIGHT. INSTABILITY OVER THE REGION REMAINS WEAK AND PRECIPITABLE WATERS HIGH...SO WILL MAINTAIN A MENTION OF ISOLATED SHOWERS THROUGH 12Z SUNDAY. THE LATEST NAM MODEL RUN DEPICTS EXPANDING STRATIFORM RAIN OVER THE EASTERN CAROLINAS AFTER 6Z/2AM TONIGHT INTO DAYBREAK SUNDAY...AS MOISTURE ALOFT FROM THE SW OVER-RUNS THE LEADING EDGE OF BUILDING HIGH PRESSURE AND NORTHERLY WIND FLOW IN THE LOW-LEVELS. THIS IS FEASIBLE AND THE ISENTROPIC OMEGA WOULD HELP SATURATE THE LOW AND MID LEVELS. WITH THIS IN MIND WE MAY NEED TO BRING POP VALUES UP WITH THE MID EVENING UPDATE FOR THE DAYBREAK SUNDAY TIME FRAME. WILL ALSO NEED TO TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT MINIMUMS FOR DAYBREAK SUNDAY AS THE RUC UPDATES SUGGEST OVERNIGHT WILL REMAIN MILDER THAN FORECAST WITH CLOUDS AND POTENTIAL STRATIFORM RAIN IN THE PRE-DAWN HOURS. && .SHORT TERM /6 AM SUNDAY MORNING THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT/... AS OF 3 PM SATURDAY...COLD FRONT WILL SHIFT SLIGHTLY FURTHER SOUTH AND EAST OFF THE COAST THROUGH SUNDAY AS HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS IN BEHIND IT. THIS WILL ALLOW AREA TO DRY OUT THROUGH SUNDAY. LOOKS LIKE DRYING OUT MAY BE SLOWER THAN PREVIOUS THOUGHT WITH INCREASING SUNSHINE THROUGH THE LATE MORNING INTO EARLY AFTERNOON FROM WEST TO EAST ACROSS FORECAST AREA. STILL A DISCREPANCY OF 5 TO 10 DEGREES BETWEEN NAM AND MAV GUIDANCE FOR DEWPOINT TEMPS SUNDAY AFTERNOON WITH THE NAM BEING DRIER. EITHER WAY...SUNDAY LOOKS TO BE SHAPING UP TO BE A NICE FALL-LIKE DAY WITH A GOOD DEAL OF AFTERNOON SUNSHINE. THE HIGH PRESSURE WILL SLIP OFF THE DELMARVA COAST BY MONDAY MORNING ALLOWING THIS LINGERING FRONT TO SHIFT BACK TOWARD THE COAST PLAGUING THE AREA WITH CLOUDS AND PCP ONCE AGAIN. COASTAL SECTIONS MAY BE INTO THE CLOUDS BY DAYBREAK BUT THE CLOUDS AND PCP WILL SPREAD BACK TOWARD THE NORTH. PERTURBATIONS IN THE SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT WILL AID IN GENERATING CLOUDS AND A WAVE OF LOW PRESSURE AT THE SURFACE WILL ALSO MOVE ALONG THE BOUNDARY FROM SOUTHWEST TO NORTHEAST INCREASING PCP CHANCES BY LATE MONDAY NIGHT. EXPECT MORE IN THE WAY OF CLOUDS THROUGH MONDAY WITH LIGHT PCP MAINLY OFF SHORE AND CLOSE TO THE COAST BY LATE DAY AND BETTER CHC OF MEASURABLE PCP OVERNIGHT MONDAY. COOL AND DRY AIR ADVECTION THROUGH SUNDAY WILL KEEP DAY TIME HIGHS CLOSER TO 70 AND OVERNIGHT LOWS WILL DROP OUT IN MORE IDEAL RADIATIONAL COOLING CONDITIONS. CLOUDS TOWARD DAYBREAK COULD HAMPER TEMP FALLS BUT FOR NOW WILL KEEP WITH READINGS BETWEEN 45 AND 50 MOST PLACES. CLOUDS WILL KEEP TMPS SLIGHTLY COOLER ON MONDAY ONCE AGAIN AND WARMER OVERNIGHT WITH READINGS IN THE MID TO UPPER 50S BY MONDAY NIGHT. && .LONG TERM /TUESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/... AS OF 300 PM SATURDAY...UNSETTLED WEATHER TO BEGIN THE PERIOD...BUT THE STORY OF THE EXTENDED WILL FOCUS PRIMARILY ON THE COLD OUTBREAK EXPECTED FOR THE END OF THE WEEK. BROAD MID-LEVEL TROUGHING BEGINS TO SHARPEN AT THE START OF THE PERIOD...BUT THE TROUGH AXIS REMAINS WEST OF THE LOCAL AREA ON TUESDAY. THIS DRIVES MOIST SW FLOW THROUGH MUCH OF THE COLUMN...WHICH IS TAPPED BY WEAK WAVES OF LOW PRESSURE WHICH WILL MOVE ALONG A STALLED BOUNDARY JUST OFF THE SE COAST. THESE WILL WORK TOGETHER TO CREATE DECENT PRECIP CHANCES TUESDAY. ONLY LIGHT RAIN IS EXPECTED WITH .1 TO .25 QPF LIKELY...HIGHEST ALONG THE COAST...BEFORE DRYING BEGINS LATE TUESDAY NIGHT AS SOME NVA DEVELOPS ALOFT AND SURFACE FLOW VEERS TO THE W/NW. THE REST OF THE PERIOD WILL BE DRY...BUT THE COOLEST AIR OF THE SEASON IS EXPECTED TO FLOOD INTO THE CAROLINAS BEGINNING THURSDAY. WEDNESDAY WILL BE A TRANSITIONAL DAY WITH DRYING OCCURRING...BUT CAA DELAYED UNTIL LATE AS THE UPPER TROUGH AXIS MOVES EAST OF THE AREA. WHILE THIS HAPPENS...STRONG CYCLOGENESIS OCCURS OFF THE NEW ENGLAND COAST...WHICH DRIVES THE SECONDARY COLD FRONT OVER THE AREA AND HELPS STRONG CAA DEVELOP IN ADVANCE OF A CANADIAN HIGH SINKING SOUTH ACROSS THE CENTRAL PLAINS. THIS HIGH WILL THEN SLOWLY MIGRATE EAST...BECOMING OVERHEAD THE CAROLINAS SATURDAY. WHILE TUESDAY WILL BE UNSETTLED WITH TEMPS AROUND CLIMO...AND WEDNESDAY WILL BE SIMILAR BUT DRY...MUCH COOLER AIR EXPECTED THU-SAT. GUIDANCE DISAGREES ON JUST HOW COLD IT WILL GET HERE...BUT ATTM SUPPORT THE COOLER GFS DUE TO STRONG CAA BEHIND THE LOW PRESSURE OFF THE NE COAST. THIS DRAGS 850MB TEMPS BELOW 0C...SUPPORTING HIGHS IN THE MID 60S AND LOWS IN THE 40S. AS THE HIGH MOVES OVERHEAD FRI INTO SAT...GRADIENT WILL RELAX...AND SATURDAY MAY END UP BEING THE COLDEST OF THE PERIOD...WITH SATURDAY MORNING LOWS IN SOME PLACES DROPPING INTO THE 30S. && .AVIATION /00Z SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/... AS OF 00Z...EXPECT VFR THROUGH THE VALID TAF PERIOD...THOUGH A BRIEF PERIOD OF MVFR DUE TO LINGERING LOW CIG OVERNIGHT. CONDITIONS ARE FAIRLY QUIET ACROSS THE AREA THIS EVENING AS LIGHT SHOWERS...NEARLY CALM WINDS...AND MID TO HIGH LEVEL CLOUDS PUSH ACROSS THE AREA AHEAD OF AN APPROACHING COLD FRONT. ANTICIPATE THE WEAK SYSTEM TO PUSH THROUGH THE INLAND SITES AROUND 06Z...REACHING THE COAST AROUND 09Z. COULD NOT RULE OUT SOME LOWERED CIGS AND LIGHT RAIN ALONG THE COAST IN THE EARLY MORNING HOURS. ONCE THE FRONT PUSHES THROUGH...VFR WILL PREVAIL AS CLOUDS WILL GRADUALLY SCATTER OUT FROM WEST TO EAST. WINDS WILL SHIFT BECOMING NORTH-NORTHWESTERLY...WITH GUSTY WINDS UP TO NEAR 18 KTS AS COLD AIR ADVECTION MOVES INTO THE AREA. INTO THE EVENING HOURS...GUSTS WILL SUBSIDE AND WINDS WILL BECOME NORTH-NORTHEAST AOB 11 KTS. EXTENDED OUTLOOK...VFR THROUGH THE EXTENDED. LIGHT RAIN DEVELOPING TUESDAY MORNING INTO WEDNESDAY IN ASSOCIATION WITH AN APPROACHING FRONTAL SYSTEM. && .MARINE... NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... AS OF 6 PM SATURDAY...HIGH PRESSURE APPROACHING FROM THE WEST WILL BRING A WIND-SHIFT TO NORTH TO THE COASTAL WATERS AROUND 2AM OVER THE NC WATERS AND BY 5AM SOUTH CAROLINA WATERS. THIS SURGE OF NORTH WIND WILL BRING INCREASING WIND SPEEDS OF 15 KT AND GUSTY INTO EARLY SUNDAY...ALTHOUGH THE MAINLY NORTH TRAJECTORY/OFFSHORE WILL KEEP SEAS RELATIVELY SMALL INSHORE...WITH LARGEST SEAS OUTER PORTION. THE MODERATE NORTH CHOP WILL INTERACT WITH 2 FT OF ESE WAVES IN 8-9 SECOND INTERVALS. SHOWERS AND ISOLATED TSTMS WILL BE POSSIBLE OVERNIGHT. SHORT TERM /SUNDAY THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT/... AS OF 3 PM SATURDAY...FRONT WILL BE SHIFTING SOUTH AND EAST AND SHOULD CLEAR LOCAL WATERS BY SUNDAY MORNING. HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD IN BEHIND IT WITH NORTHERLY WINDS AROUND 10 TO 15 KTS. WINDS WILL VEER AROUND TO THE NORTHEAST SUNDAY NIGHT INTO MONDAY AS HIGH PRESSURE MOVES OFF THE DELMARVA COAST. MAY SEE SLIGHT SPIKE IN WINDS AND SEAS SUNDAY NIGHT IN COOL AND DRY ADVECTION. WINDS WILL WEAKEN THROUGH MONDAY INTO MONDAY NIGHT AS FRONT SHIFTS BACK NORTHWEST TOWARD THE CAPE FEAR COAST. OVERALL LIGHT WIND FLOW WILL MAINTAIN SEAS 2 TO 3 FT BUT MAY SEE A FEW 4 FTERS IN OUTER WATERS SUNDAY NIGHT. LONG TERM /TUESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/... AS OF 3 PM SATURDAY...STALLED BOUNDARY ACROSS THE WATERS WILL KEEP WINDS LIGHT AND GENERALLY OUT OF THE NORTH TUE. PASSAGE OF WEAK SURFACE WAVE DURING THE DAY TUE MAY RESULT IN WINDS BECOMING MORE VARIABLE BUT LITTLE CHANGE TO GRADIENT...AND THUS WIND SPEED...IS EXPECTED. NORTHWEST FLOW DEVELOPS IN ERNEST WED WITH WINDS BECOMING 10 TO 15 KT. WINDS COULD BECOME GUSTY WED NIGHT AS FIRST ROUND OF COLD ADVECTION BEGINS. && .ILM WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... SC...NONE. NC...NONE. MARINE...NONE. && $$ NEAR TERM...MJC SHORT TERM...RGZ LONG TERM...JDW AVIATION...SGL
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...COR
NWS WILMINGTON NC
335 PM EDT FRI OCT 18 2013 .SYNOPSIS... A WAVE OF LOW PRESSURE WILL LIFT NORTHEAST ALONG A STALLED COLD FRONT OVER THE COASTAL CAROLINAS TONIGHT INTO EARLY SATURDAY. HIGH PRESSURE WILL FORCE THE FRONT TO OUR SOUTH SUNDAY AND MONDAY. THE FRONT MAY RETURN NORTHWARD AS HIGH PRESSURE MOVES OFFSHORE MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY. A LARGE AREA OF COOL HIGH PRESSURE WILL SLOWLY BUILD INTO THE AREA LATE NEXT WEEK. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... AS OF 3 PM FRIDAY...A SLOW EVOLUTION OF SHOWERS HAS MATERIALIZED SO FAR ACROSS THE REGION...REMAINING ISOLATED THIS AFTERNOON AND TRACKING PRIMARILY ACROSS OUR CENTRAL ZONES FROM SW TO NE. RAIN PROBABILITIES AND QPF BOTH WILL TAKE A TURN UPWARD TONIGHT AS A WAVE OF LOW PRESSURE TRACKS NE ALONG OUR COAST LATE TONIGHT INTO EARLY SATURDAY. THIS DEVELOPING AREA OF LOW PRESSURE HAS EMERGED AND CURRENTLY IS POSITIONED ALONG THE SE GEORGIA COAST. A RIBBON OF ENHANCED PRECIPITABLE WATERS REMAINED STRETCHED ALONG THE GA/SC COAST...TROPICAL MOISTURE REMNANTS OF FORMER PACIFIC SYSTEM OCTAVE. FORCING AND INSTABILITY HAS REMAINED FEEBLE ACROSS THE AREA AND THIS WILL CONTINUE INTO EVENING. CONVERGENCE HOWEVER WILL BE ON THE UPSWING LATE TONIGHT THROUGH DAYBREAK SATURDAY AS THE LOW PRESSURE WAVE NEARS AND TRACKS UP OUR COAST. THIS SHOULD TAP INTO A RICH MOISTURE SOURCE TO PRODUCE MORE WIDESPREAD AND HEAVIER SHOWERS. SINCE THE WAVE WILL TRACK NEAR AND ALONG THE COAST LATE TONIGHT...THIS IS WHERE WE HAVE FAVORED THE HIGHER POP VALUES. A MYRIAD OF QPF SOLUTIONS ARE OFFERED BUT BY CONSENSUS AND WPC DEPICTIONS 0.25-0.50" INCHES OF RAIN REMAINS A GOOD BET ALONG OUR COASTAL ZONES THROUGH DAYBREAK SATURDAY...WITH LESS AMOUNTS AND MORE STRATIFORM TYPE -RA FARTHER INLAND AWAY FROM THE PASSING WAVE. MINIMUMS SHOULD HOLD IN THE LOW TO MIDDLE 60S NEAR THE COAST IN BETTER MIXING...WHILE DEEP INLAND AN INVERSION AND LOW-LEVEL COOLING WILL BRING TEMPERATURES INTO THE UPPER 50S BY DAYBREAK SATURDAY. && .SHORT TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT/... AS OF 3 PM FRIDAY...WE WILL SEE A COMPLETE TRANSITION TO A DRIER AND MORE FALL LIKE AIR MASS BY THE LATTER HALF OF THE WEEKEND. THE FRONT STALLED ALONG THE COAST SATURDAY WILL GET A PUSH TO THE SOUTHEAST BY SATURDAY NIGHT WITH COOLER AND DRIER AIR ADVECTING IN OVERNIGHT SAT INTO SUNDAY. GFS SHOWS A SECONDARY COLD FRONT EXTENDING DOWN FROM THE GREAT LAKES SAT EVENING. THIS FRONT WILL PUSH SOUTHEAST DRIVING THE STALLED BOUNDARY TO THE SOUTHEAST AS HIGH PRESSURE AT THE SURFACE BUILDS IN BEHIND IT BY SUNDAY. STRONG LOW TO MID LEVEL WINDS OUT OF THE SOUTHWEST WILL KEEP A DEEPER MOISTURE FEED INTO THE AREA THROUGH MUCH OF SAT ....MAINLY ALONG THE COAST. THIS WILL COMBINE WITH SOME UPPER LEVEL DYNAMICS TO ENHANCE CHC OF PCP THROUGH AT LEAST EARLY SAT AFTN. THEREFORE WILL KEEP CLOUDS AND POPS UP THROUGH EARLY SAT AFTN AS PCP WATER VALUES REMAIN OVER 1.75 INCHES ALONG THE COAST. EXPECT GREATEST CHC ALONG THE COAST AND WILL SHOW A GRADIENT TO LOWER END POPS INLAND. EXPECT DRYING TREND THROUGH SAT AFTN INTO SUNDAY. AS BROAD MID TO UPPER TROUGH GIVES SECONDARY BOUNDARY A PUSH FROM THE NW...WINDS WILL VEER AROUND IN THE LOW TO MID LEVELS BECOMING W-NW AND NORTHERLY AT THE SURFACE THROUGH SAT NIGHT. THIS WILL BRING PLENTY OF DRY AIR INTO AREA THROUGH THE LOW TO MID LEVELS. PCP WATER VALUES DROP DOWN TO LESS THAN A HALF INCH THROUGH SUN MORNING. THE NORTHERLY SURGE OF DRY AND COOL AIR WILL BRING A GOOD 15 TO 20 DEGREE DROP IN DEWPOINT TEMPS. DEWPOINT TEMPS IN THE MID 60S EARLY SATURDAY WILL DROP TO LESS THAN 50 DEGREES BY SUNDAY WITH THE NAM SHOWING VALUES IN THE 30S. THE WINDS ALOFT WILL REMAIN MORE WESTERLY THROUGH THE PERIOD AS BROAD UPPER TROUGH LIFTS TO THE NORTHEAST AND RIDGE BUILDS UP FROM FLORIDA. THIS WILL PRODUCE PLENTY OF DRY AIR AND SUBSIDENCE IN THE MID LEVELS WITH A COOL NORTHERLY FLOW AT THE SURFACE KEEPING A SHALLOW COOL AIR MASS IN PLACE ON SUNDAY. THE BROAD UPPER LEVEL FLOW OUT OF THE W-SW WILL ALLOW SOME HIGH LEVEL MOISTURE AND CIRRUS CLOUDS TO STREAM IN...BUT OVERALL EXPECT A DRY FALL LIKE SUNDAY. THE SURFACE HIGH WILL PROGRESS SLOWLY EAST THROUGH EARLY MONDAY KEEPING A COOL N-NE WIND FLOW. EXPECT FAIRLY DECENT RADIATIONAL COOLING SUNDAY NIGHT IN CLEAR SKIES AND VERY LIGHT WINDS. THE GRADIENT MAY REMAIN SLIGHTLY MORE PINCHED ALONG THE COAST ALLOWING WINDS TO SPIKE UP OVERNIGHT WHICH IN TURN MAY COMBINE WITH WATER TEMPS AROUND 70 TO KEEP TEMPS RIGHT ALONG THE COAST A LITTLE HIGHER BUT OVERALL EXPECT TEMPS TO DROP OUT SUNDAY NIGHT WITH READINGS MAKING IT DOWN NEAR 50 AND SOME 40S IN TRADITIONALLY COOLER SPOTS ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA. THEREFORE TEMPS WILL START OUT IN THE MID TO UPPER 70S ON SAT IN CLOUDS AND SHOWERS AND WILL END IN THE LOW TO MID 70S IN A DRY AND COOLER AIR MASS ON SUNDAY. && .LONG TERM /MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/... AS OF 300 PM FRIDAY...FIRST COLD OUTBREAK OF THE YEAR ANTICIPATED AT THE END OF THE PERIOD AS A STRONG VORT AND COLD FRONT DIVE ACROSS THE EASTERN HALF OF THE CONUS. ONLY CHANCE FOR PRECIP OCCURS LATE MONDAY AND TUESDAY. A WAVE OF LOW PRESSURE BENEATH A WEAK VORT IMPULSE DEVELOPS ALONG A BOUNDARY STALLED OFFSHORE. THIS LOW PUSHES THE FRONT BACK TOWARDS THE COAST...AND ASSOCIATED THETA-E RIDGING AND COLUMN SATURATION OCCURS FROM SE TO NW. THIS PROMOTES THE POTENTIAL FOR LIGHT RAIN ACROSS THE AREA...HIGHEST CHANCES ACROSS THE EASTERN HALF OF THE CWA. GFS AND ECMWF DIFFER IN STRENGTH AND COVERAGE OF RAINFALL...AND WILL LEAN ON THE DRIER ECMWF WHICH KEEPS THE MAJORITY OF THE RAINFALL OFFSHORE. STILL...LATE MONDAY INTO EARLY WED WILL BE UNSETTLED WITH CLOUDS/SHOWERS/AND TEMPS AROUND CLIMO. SURGE OF COOL AIR PUSHES THE FRONT OFFSHORE BY WEDNESDAY...AND THIS WILL BE THE LEADING EDGE OF MUCH COOLER AIR FOR THE END OF THE WEEK. WHILE WEDNESDAY WILL BECOME SUNNY AND DRY...CAA THROUGH THE DAY WILL KEEP TEMPS BELOW CLIMO. STRONG VORT THEN DIVES TOWARDS THE AREA THURSDAY...AND IS REINFORCED ON FRIDAY. TEMPS WILL FALL TO WELL BELOW NORMAL...AND BOTH THE ECMWF/GFS SHOW THE 850MB 0C LINE APPROACHING THE NW CORNER OF THE CWA...WITH 1000-500MB THICKNESSES DROPPING INTO THE 550`S. MEX/ECE NUMBERS ARE ALREADY SUGGESTING LOWS FALLING INTO THE LOW 40S...AND THESE OF COURSE ARE BEING PULLED UP BY CLIMO. TOO SOON TO SETTLE ON SPECIFICS FOR THE END OF NEXT WEEK...BUT THE COLDEST AIR OF THE SEASON LOOKS LIKELY HEADING INTO NEXT WEEKEND. && .AVIATION /18Z FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... AS OF 18Z...FRONTAL BOUNDARY DRAPED OVER THE CWA WITH A MIXTURE OF LOW AND MIDDLE CLOUDS ONGOING. SKIES WILL BE PREDOMINATELY VFR THIS AFTERNOON...WITH AREAS OF MVFR. HRRR MODEL SHOWS A BAND OF LIGHT TO MODERATE CONVECTION DEVELOPING AND TRAVELING NORTHEAST THROUGH THE CENTRAL PORTION OF THE REGION. WENT WITH VCSH AT ALL TERMINALS DUE TO THE PROXIMITY OF THE CONVECTION. LIGHT NORTHEAST FLOW WILL BECOME SOUTHEASTERLY ALONG THE COAST. TONIGHT...SOME UNCERTAINTY WITH RESPECT TO CEILINGS. STARTING TO LEAN TO THE NAM WHICH IS MORE PESSIMISTIC WITH BOTH VISIBILITIES AND CEILINGS. COULD SEE SOME WIDESPREAD IFR CONDITIONS AFTER MIDNIGHT. SATURDAY...FRONTAL BOUNDARY WAVES BACK TO THE NORTH...WITH MAINLY STRATIFORM PRECIPITATION EXPECTED ALONG THE COAST WITH SHOWERS MOVING OFF TO THE NE THROUGH THE DAY. EXTENDED OUTLOOK...PRECIPITATION ENDING LATE SATURDAY. VFR DEVELOPING SUNDAY. LIGHT RAIN DEVELOPING TUESDAY MORNING INTO WEDNESDAY WITH DEVELOPING FRONTAL SYSTEM. && .MARINE... NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... AS OF 3 PM FRIDAY...NO ADVISORIES PLANNED THROUGH DAYBREAK SATURDAY DESPITE A WAVE OF LOW PRESSURE IMPACTING THE COASTAL WATERS LATE TONIGHT. WINDS HOWEVER WILL BECOME CHANGEABLE WITH LIGHT SE FLOW EARLY THIS EVENING...BECOMING SW AND INCREASING TO 15 KT AND GUSTY AFTER MIDNIGHT AS THE WAVE CENTER MOVES NEAR CAPE FEAR. SEAS MAINLY 2-3 FEET OVERNIGHT BUT UP TO 4 FT OFFSHORE BETWEEN MIDNIGHT AND DAYBREAK SATURDAY. ISOLATED TSTMS WILL BE POSSIBLE OVERNIGHT ACROSS OUR COASTAL WATERS. SHORT TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT/... AS OF 3 PM FRIDAY...A STALLED FRONT WILL KEEP WINDS WEST TO SOUTHWEST EARLY SATURDAY. AS A WAVE ALONG FRONT MOVES OFF TO THE NORTHEAST THE WINDS WILL SHIFT MORE WESTERLY THROUGH SAT AFTN, THEN A SECONDARY BOUNDARY MOVES IN FROM THE NW SAT NIGHT DRIVING THE STALLED FRONT TO THE SOUTH AND BRINGING WINDS AROUND TO THE NORTH TO NORTHEAST THROUGH SUNDAY. HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD INTO THE WATERS THROUGH SUNDAY MAINTAINING NORTHERLY WINDS THROUGH SUNDAY. MODELS SHOWING DECENT SHALLOW COOL AND DRY PUSH WHICH MAY KICK UP WITH THE SEAS A BIT IN NORTHERLY SURGE EARLY SUNDAY. FOR NOW WILL HOLD WINDS AT 10 TO 15 KTS BUT MAY SEE A LARGER SPIKE THROUGH SUNDAY INTO EARLY MONDAY. SEAS WILL SPIKE UP SAT MORNING AND AGAIN SUNDAY...BUT SHOULD REMAIN LESS THAN 4 FT. LONG TERM /MONDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... AS OF 300 PM FRIDAY...SHIFTING WINDS MON AND TUE WILL FORTUNATELY REMAIN RATHER LIGHT...AROUND 10 KTS (ALTHOUGH BRIEF INCREASE TO 15 KTS POSSIBLE EARLY IN THE PERIOD)...SHIFTING FROM NE MUCH OF MONDAY...TO LIGHT AND VARIABLE...AND THEN W/NW ON TUESDAY. THESE SHIFTING WINDS ARE DUE TO A STALLED BOUNDARY WHICH WILL WAVER NEAR THE WATERS AS A WEAK LOW PRESSURE MOVES ALONG IT. AS THIS LOW MOVES AWAY ON WEDNESDAY...IT DRAGS THE FRONT BACK SE AS A COLD FRONT...WITH WINDS INCREASING TO 10-15 KTS FROM THE NW. WAVE HEIGHTS WILL BE 2-3 FT EACH DAY THROUGH THE PERIOD...BUT WITH A WIND WAVE SHIFTING TO FOLLOW THE MEAN DIRECTION EACH DAY. && .TIDES/COASTAL FLOODING... AS OF 3 PM FRIDAY...CFW ISSUED FOR THE CAPE FEAR AT DOWNTOWN WILMINGTON FOR MINOR FLOODING DUE TO ELEVATED ASTRONOMICAL TIDES. THIS WILL BE COINCIDENT WITH THIS EVENINGS HIGH TIDE AND THE ADVISORY WILL RUN FROM 9PM-11PM AS SEVERAL INCHES OF WATER BEGINS TO COVER WATER STREET AND THE BATTLESHIP AREA...AND OTHER LOW- LYING LOCATIONS ALONG THE LOWER CAPE FEAR RIVER. && .ILM WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... SC...NONE. NC...COASTAL FLOOD ADVISORY FROM 9 PM TO 11 PM EDT THIS EVENING FOR NCZ107. MARINE...NONE. && $$ NEAR TERM...MJC SHORT TERM...RGZ LONG TERM...JDW AVIATION...MJC/DL TIDES/COASTAL FLOODING...MJC
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS WILMINGTON NC
100 PM EDT FRI OCT 18 2013 .SYNOPSIS... A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE ACROSS THE AREA THIS MORNING AND THEN STALL JUST OFFSHORE AS A WAVE OF LOW PRESSURE DEVELOPS TO OUR SOUTH AND LIFTS NORTHEAST ALONG THE FRONT AND ACROSS THE AREA TONIGHT AND SATURDAY MORNING. HIGH PRESSURE WILL FORCE THE FRONT TO OUR SOUTH SUNDAY AND MONDAY. HIGH PRESSURE WILL MOVE OFFSHORE MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY AND THIS MAY ALLOW THE FRONT TO OUR SOUTH TO RETURN NORTHWARD. A LARGE AREA OF COOL HIGH PRESSURE WILL SLOWLY BUILD INTO THE AREA LATE NEXT WEEK. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... AS OF 10 AM FRIDAY...VARIABLE CLOUDINESS WILL STRADDLE THE CENTRAL ZONES THIS MORNING AS BREAKS IN THE OVERCAST SAIL SWIFTLY OVERHEAD FROM SW TO NE...BUT MOSTLY CLOUDY SKY CONDITION APPEARS STILL ON TARGET FOR TODAY. THE CLOUD BREAKS ARE DISCONCERTING WITH REGARD TO MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE FORECASTS TODAY...BUT MID AND MAYBE A FEW UPPER 70S STILL LOOKS GOOD SINCE SUNSHINE WILL NOT LAST LONG IN ANY ONE LOCATION. VWP SHOWING WSW WIND 20-30 KT BETWEEN 800-700 MB PRESENTLY. A RIBBON OF HIGH PRECIPITABLE WATER WAS STREAMING SW TO NE WITH TROPICAL REMNANTS OF PACIFIC SYSTEM OCTAVE IN THE MIX. CHS REPORTED 1.85 PWAT VALUES WITH THE 12Z UPPER AIR SOUNDING. FORCING WILL REMAIN WEAK TODAY WITH ISOLATED SHOWERS ANTICIPATED. FARTHER INLAND WEAK ISENTROPIC LIFT MAY RESULT IN LOWER CEILINGS AND -RA/DZ ALONG THE LEADING EDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE BUILDING IN BEHIND THE FRONT OVER OUR WESTERN AND NORTHERN ZONES...ALTHOUGH AGAIN LOW QPFS EXPECTED MUCH OF TODAY. TONIGHT UNFOLDS WITH A BUMP UPWARD IN RAIN CHANCES AND AMOUNTS AS LOW-LEVEL CONVERGENCE INCREASES IN VICINITY OF A WAVE OF SURFACE LOW PRESSURE ALONG THE FRONT. HOWEVER SINCE THIS FEATURE MAY RESIDE OVER THE COASTAL WATERS WHILE MIGRATING NE...SHOWERS SHOULD BECOME MOST FAVORED ALONG AND NEAR THE COASTAL ZONES TONIGHT INTO SATURDAY MORNING WHERE HIGHER RAINFALL AMOUNTS COULD OCCUR DUE TO THE RICH AMOUNTS OF MOISTURE AVAILABLE. && .SHORT TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT/... AS OF 3 AM FRIDAY...THE WEEKEND WILL SEE ONE WET DAY AND ONE DRY DAY AS A FRONT AND MID LEVEL FORCING IMPACT THE AREA SATURDAY. 0000 UTC GUIDANCE HAD TRENDED WETTER FOR SATURDAY ESPECIALLY ALONG COASTAL AREAS VIA MID LEVEL FORCING COMPRISED OF JET DYNAMICS COUPLED WITH A SURFACE FRONT. MOISTURE PROFILES HAVE SHAPED UP AS WELL WITH PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES NEARING TWO INCHES ALBEIT BRIEFLY ALONG THE COAST. THIS SEEMS PLAUSIBLE LOOKING AT WATER VAPOR LOOPS UPSTREAM. I INCREMENTALLY INCREASED THE ALREADY LIKELY POPS ALONG THE COAST TO REPRESENT THIS TREND AND INCREASED POPS TO CHANCE INLAND. THE BIG DIFFERENCE WILL BE QPF AMOUNTS WHICH WILL LIKELY BE PALTRY INLAND BUT THE COASTAL AREAS COULD SCORE ONE HALF TO ONE INCH. MODELS HAVE TRENDED DRIER FOR SUNDAY AND HAVE REMOVED ANY MENTION OF POPS FOR SUNDAY AND SCALED BACK CLOUD COVER. HOWEVER WITH THE SUBTROPICAL JET/SOUTHWEST FLOW INTACT AREAS OF MID AND HIGH LEVEL CLOUDS WILL PRECLUDE A SUNNY TO MOSTLY SUNNY DAY. I MADE ONLY MINOR MODIFICATIONS TO THE TEMPERATURE FORECAST WALKING BACK HIGHS SATURDAY CITING THE INCREASED POPS. JUST THE OPPOSITE FOR SUNDAY WITH DRIER CONDITIONS THEREFORE I TRENDED SLIGHTLY WARMER. && .LONG TERM /MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/... AS OF 3 AM FRIDAY...MEDIUM RANGE GUIDANCE CONTINUES TO SHOW A BROAD CYCLONIC FLOW ACROSS THE LOWER 48 THROUGH THE PERIOD. WE MAY GET BRUSHED BY A SYSTEM THAT MOVES QUICKLY THROUGH THE SUBTROPICAL JET LATE MONDAY AND TUESDAY AND LOW CHANCE POPS REMAIN IN THE FORECAST FOR THIS TIME. INLAND COUNTIES MAY NOT SEE ANY IMPACTS FROM THIS FEATURE. AFTER THIS A POTENT VORT DEEPENS THE LONG WAVE TROUGH AND BRINGS ALONG WITH IT SOME OF THE COOLEST AIR OF THE SEASON. 850MB TEMPERATURES AT LEAST FROM THE GFS DROP TO JUST OVER THE FREEZING LEVEL. AS USUAL A MIXED BOUNDARY LAYER WILL MITIGATE MORNING LOWS BUT PROBABLY A BIT TOO FAR OUT IN TIME TO FINE TUNE TEMPERATURES IN DEPTH. && .AVIATION /18Z FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... AS OF 18Z...FRONTAL BOUNDARY DRAPED OVER THE CWA WITH A MIXTURE OF LOW AND MIDDLE CLOUDS ONGOING. SKIES WILL BE PREDOMINATELY VFR THIS AFTERNOON...WITH AREAS OF MVFR. HRRR MODEL SHOWS A BAND OF LIGHT TO MODERATE CONVECTION DEVELOPING AND TRAVELING NORTHEAST THROUGH THE CENTRAL PORTION OF THE REGION. WENT WITH VCSH AT ALL TERMINALS DUE TO THE PROXIMITY OF THE CONVECTION. LIGHT NORTHEAST FLOW WILL BECOME SOUTHEASTERLY ALONG THE COAST. TONIGHT...SOME UNCERTAINTY WITH RESPECT TO CEILINGS. STARTING TO LEAN TO THE NAM WHICH IS MORE PESSIMISTIC WITH BOTH VISIBILITIES AND CEILINGS. COULD SEE SOME WIDESPREAD IFR CONDITIONS AFTER MIDNIGHT. SATURDAY...FRONTAL BOUNDARY WAVES BACK TO THE NORTH...WITH MAINLY STRATIFORM PRECIPITATION EXPECTED ALONG THE COAST WITH SHOWERS MOVING OFF TO THE NE THROUGH THE DAY. EXTENDED OUTLOOK...PRECIPITATION ENDING LATE SATURDAY. VFR DEVELOPING SUNDAY. LIGHT RAIN DEVELOPING TUESDAY MORNING INTO WEDNESDAY WITH DEVELOPING FRONTAL SYSTEM. && .MARINE... NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... AS OF 10 AM FRIDAY...A COLD FRONT WILL STALL NEAR THE COAST AS A WAVE OF LOW PRESSURE BEGINS TO DEVELOP TO OUR S LATER TODAY. THE FRONT WILL LIKELY RETROGRADE SLIGHTLY AS THE WAVE MIGRATES NE ACROSS THE AREA TONIGHT. THIS WILL MAKE FOR A DIFFICULT WIND DIRECTION FORECAST. WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO VEER TO THE N LATER THIS MORNING. WINDS WILL BE FROM THE NE OR ENE FOR THE AFTERNOON HOURS AND THEN VEER ALL THE WAY AROUND TO S AND SW OVERNIGHT. WIND SPEEDS WILL BE 10 KT OR LESS...PERHAPS AS HIGH AS 10 TO 15 KT TOWARD MORNING ACROSS THE OUTER WATERS ALONG AND AHEAD OF THE WAVE OF LOW PRESSURE. SEAS WILL BE 2 TO 3 FT...WITH AROUND 4 FT AT FRYING PAN SHOALS BUOY. SHORT TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT/... AS OF 3 AM FRIDAY...A STALLED FRONT WILL KEEP WINDS WEST TO SOUTHWEST EARLY SATURDAY. AS A WAVE DEVELOPS AND MOVES TO THE NORTHEAST OF THE AREA LATER IN THE DAY...WINDS WILL TAKE A MORE CONSISTENT WESTERLY DIRECTION. WITH CLOUD COVER KEEPING SURFACE TEMPERATURES IN CHECK...THE SEABREEZE SHOULD NOT DEVELOP. SPEEDS WILL HOVER AROUND TEN KNOTS. HIGH PRESSURE...INITIALLY OVER THE TENNESSEE VALLEY MOVES CLOSER SUNDAY TURNING WINDS TO THE NORTHEAST. WITH SUBTLE COLD AIR ADVECTION...SPEEDS INCREASE TO 10-15 KNOTS BUT PROBABLY MORE TOWARD THE LOWER END OF THE RANGE. LONG TERM /MONDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/... AS OF 3 AM FRIDAY...INITIALLY WINDS WILL BE FROM THE NORTHEAST ACROSS THE COASTAL WATERS IN A RANGE OF 10-15 KNOTS. WIND FIELDS WILL DECREASE THROUGH THE DAY MONDAY INTO TUESDAY MORNING AS THE GRADIENT WEAKENS CONSIDERABLY. LOW PRESSURE WILL MOVE WELL OFFSHORE DURING THIS TIME. WINDS MAY NEED TO BE ADJUSTED DEPENDING ON THE EXACT TRACK AND STRENGTH OF THIS FEATURE. A NORTHERLY FLOW WILL ENSUE AFTER THE LOW MOVES BY AT THE END OF THE PERIOD. MODEST WIND FIELDS CONTINUE TO EQUATE TO MINIMAL SEAS WITH GENERALLY 1-3 FEET. && .TIDES/COASTAL FLOODING... AS OF 3 AM FRIDAY...A COASTAL FLOOD ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT THIS MORNING FOR PORTIONS OF THE CAPE FEAR RIVER. THE DOWNTOWN WILMINGTON TIDE GAUGE IS EXPECTED TO PEAK AT ABOUT 6 FT. HIGH TIDE ALONG THE RIVER IS AT 930 AM. ALONG THE BEACHES...WATER LEVELS WILL BE ELEVATED ONCE AGAIN AND ACTION STAGES WILL LIKELY BE REACHED. HOWEVER... GAUGES ARE NOT EXPECTED TO REACH MINOR COASTAL FLOOD THRESHOLDS. HOWEVER...THERE MAY BE A FEW VERY LOW SPOTS NEAR THE IMMEDIATE COAST THAT EXPERIENCE PONDING OF SALT WATER BETWEEN 630 AND 830 AM AS THE WATER COMES WELL UP ONTO THE BEACHES. && .ILM WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... SC...NONE. NC...NONE. MARINE...NONE. && $$ NEAR TERM...MJC SHORT TERM...SHK LONG TERM...SHK AVIATION...DL/MJC TIDES/COASTAL FLOODING...RJD
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS BISMARCK ND
524 PM CDT FRI OCT 18 2013 .UPDATE... ISSUED AT 524 PM CDT FRI OCT 18 2013 LATEST WATER VAPOR SHOWS A SHORTWAVE ALONG THE SOUTHERN SASKATCHEWAN AND MANITOBA BORDER DIVING SOUTH WITH TIME. AN AREA OF VERTICAL MOTION/H85-H3 OMEGA AHEAD OF THIS WAVE CONTINUES TO RESULT IN SURFACE PRESSURE FALLS AND SCATTERED RAINSHOWERS IN NORTH CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA. THE LATEST HRRR FORECASTS THIS AREA TO SHIFT SOUTH AND INCREASE IN AREAL COVERAGE FOR SOUTH CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA THROUGH 04Z. CONCUR WITH THIS IDEA PER LATEST RADAR RETURNS. THERE COULD BE SOME SNOW OR GRAUPEL WITHIN HEAVIER CONVECTIVE SHOWERS THIS EVENING AS THE SHALLOW SURFACE WARM LAYER COOLS WITH SUPERCOOLED WATER DROPLETS DOMINATING ABOVE. MAIN FORECAST REMAINS ON TRACK WITH MINOR UPDATES TO HOURLY GRIDDED DATA. && .SHORT TERM...(THIS EVENING THROUGH SATURDAY) ISSUED AT 251 PM CDT FRI OCT 18 2013 SMALL POCKETS OF LIGHT RAIN WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP AND PUSH SOUTHEAST THROUGH THE AFTERNOON HOURS. THE HIGHEST PRECIPITATION COVERAGE IS EXPECTED NORTHEAST OF A LINE FROM KENMARE TO BISMARCK AND ELLENDALE. AS NEAR SURFACE TEMPS DROP OFF TONIGHT...EXPECT RAIN TO BECOME MIXED WITH OR CHANGE OVER TO ALL SNOW. THERE MAY BE SOME VERY MINOR ACCUMULATIONS ON GRASSY SURFACES...MAINLY FROM BOTTINEAU...TO CARRINGTON AND JAMESTOWN. ON SATURDAY...A WARM FRONT WILL PUSH INTO WESTERN NORTH DAKOTA DURING THE MORNING HOURS. A BAROCLINIC ZONE NEAR THE BOUNDARY MAY BE ENOUGH TO SUPPORT A FEW LIGHT SNOW SHOWERS...MAINLY DURING THE MORNING HOURS. AGAIN...LITTLE OR NO ACCUMULATION IS EXPECTED. .LONG TERM...(SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY) ISSUED AT 251 PM CDT FRI OCT 18 2013 THE LONG TERM FORECAST WILL BE DOMINATED BY NORTH/NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT WITH A TROUGH OVER EASTERN CANADA/US AND A WESTERN RIDGE OVER WESTERN CANADA/US. THE MAIN FOCUS IN THE LONG TERM WILL BE SNOW AMOUNTS IN THE NORTHEAST PART OF THE FORECAST AREA...BOTTINEAU-ROLLA-RUGBY-HARVEY LATE SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY MORNING. OTHER THAN THAT THERE WILL BE A CHANCE OF LIGHT PRECIPITATION MONDAY/MONDAY NIGHT. REGARDING THIS SATURDAY NIGHT/SUNDAY CLIPPER EVENT...TODAY`S MODELS ARE INDICATING WARM AIR ADVECTION AHEAD OF THE SURFACE CLIPPER - ENOUGH SUCH THAT PRECIPITATION SATURDAY EVENING AND INTO VERY EARLY SUNDAY MORNING WOULD BE AHEAD AND EAST OF THE SURFACE LOW AND IN THE FORM OF RAIN. RAIN WOULD NOT BE CHANGING TO SNOW UNTIL ROUGHLY 3 AM IN THE TURTLE MOUNTAINS...THOUGH FARTHER WEST THE CHANGE TO SNOW MAY OCCUR AROUND MIDNIGHT SATURDAY NIGHT. A GOOD AMOUNT OF THE PRECIPITATION ASSOCIATED WITH THIS SYSTEM IS PROGGED TO BEGIN LATE AFTERNOON/EARLY EVENING...WITH THE BEST LIFT AND MORE INTENSE PRECIPITATION OCCURRING BEFORE MIDNIGHT. THE SURFACE LOW IS PROGGED TO MOVE SOUTH FROM SASKATCHEWAN AND CROSS THE NORTH DAKOTA BORDER BETWEEN 10 PM AND MIDNIGHT. THUS THE BULK OF THE ASSOCIATED PRECIPITATION SHOULD BE IN THE FORM OF RAIN. REGARDING SNOW AMOUNTS...THE LATEST EXPECTATION IS THAT THE TURTLE MOUNTAINS MAY RECEIVE UP TO 2 INCHES OF SNOW FROM SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY...WITH HALF AN INCH TO AN INCH IN THE SURROUNDING AREAS FROM BOTTINEAU TO NORTHERN MCHENRY TO PIERCE COUNTIES. LESSER AMOUNTS EXPECTED ACROSS NORTHWESTERN NORTH DAKOTA TO THE NORTHERN JAMES RIVER VALLEY. WINDY AS WELL SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY AS THE CLIPPER LOW MOVES FROM THE NORTH CENTRAL TO SOUTHEASTERN NORTH DAKOTA. NORTHWEST WINDS OF 20 TO 30 MPH EARLY SUNDAY MORNING IN THE WEST...AND DAYTIME SUNDAY OVER WESTERN AND CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA. A NEXT WEAKER WAVE IS THROUGH ON MONDAY / TUESDAY...FOLLOWED BY THE BUILDING H5 RIDGE WITH DRIER AND MORE SEASONAL TEMPERATURES. THE REST OF THE LONG TERM WILL SEE HIGHS IN THE 30S AND 40S OVER CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA...AND 40S TO LOWER 50S OVER WESTERN NORTH DAKOTA. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z SATURDAY EVENING) ISSUED AT 524 PM CDT FRI OCT 18 2013 LOW VFR TO MVFR CIGS NEXT 24HR AS ISOLATED TO SCATTERED RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS MOVE FROM NORTH TO SOUTH. FOR THURSDAY EVENING...IT APPEARS KBIS/KJMS WILL HAVE THE HIGHEST PROBABILITY FOR SHOWERS WITH A VCSH IN THE REST OF THE TERMINALS. CIGS WILL LIFT TO VFR SATURDAY AFTERNOON AS A WARM FRONT MOVES THROUGH CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA. && .BIS WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && $$ UPDATE...KS SHORT TERM...RP KINNEY LONG TERM...JV AVIATION...KS
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS STATE COLLEGE PA
1132 PM EDT SAT OCT 19 2013 .SYNOPSIS... A COLD FRONT WILL PASS THROUGH THE REGION THIS EVENING FOLLOWED BY A VISIT FROM HIGH PRESSURE ON SUNDAY AND MONDAY. THE PATTERN WILL TURN NOTICEABLY COOLER AND UNSETTLED NEXT WEEK AS AN UPPER TROUGH ESTABLISHES ITSELF OVER THE EASTERN UNITED STATES. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM SUNDAY MORNING/... REGIONAL RADAR LOOP AT 02Z SHOWS A DWINDLING LINE OF SHOWERS ASSOC WITH COLD FRONT ENTERING THE SUSQ VALLEY. DESPITE A DECENT AMT OF MOISTURE POOLING AHEAD OF FRONT...UPPER LVL SHORTWAVE AND ASSOC LG SCALE FORCING IS LIFTING NORTH OF THE BORDER...SO LITTLE CHC OF MORE THAN AN ISOLD SHOWER AS FRONT PUSHES THRU THE EASTERN COUNTIES BTWN 02Z-04Z. LATEST RAP OUTPUT INDICATES CDFRONT WILL CLEAR THE EASTERNMOST COUNTIES /SCHUYLKILL AND LANCASTER/ BY MIDNIGHT. BEHIND FRONT...ONLY REMAINING PRECIP WILL BE IN THE FORM OF LAKE EFFECT RAIN SHOWERS COMING OFF OF LK ERIE. CURRENT RADAR TRENDS AND RAP/NAM OUTPUT SUGGEST SHOWERS ACROSS WARREN/MCKEAN COS WILL SHIFT NORTH OF THE BORDER AFTER 06Z...AS BLYR FLOW BACKS TO THE WSW. CLEARING SKIES ALREADY DEVELOPING EAST OF THE MTNS AT 02Z AND EXPECT THAT TREND TO CONTINUE OVERNIGHT...AS DRIER WEST FLOW OVERSPREADS CENTRAL PA. STRATOCU MAY LINGER FOR A WHILE ACROSS THE LAUREL HIGHLANDS...BUT EXPECT CLEARING EVEN THERE LATE TONIGHT. THE INITIALLY GUSTY WEST WINDS SHOULD SLACKEN LATE TONIGHT...AS HIGH PRES RIDGE BUILDS IN FROM THE OHIO VALLEY. BLEND OF LATEST LAMP AND RAP GUIDANCE SUGGEST TEMPS WILL BOTTOM OUT IN THE M30S ACROSS THE ALLEGHENY PLATEAU...TO THE L40S OVR THE SUSQ VALLEY. && .SHORT TERM /6 AM SUNDAY MORNING THROUGH 6 PM SUNDAY/... HIGH PRESSURE WILL PASS JUST SOUTH OF THE STATE ON SUNDAY...PROVIDING THE AREA WITH SEASONABLY COOL AND DRY WX. ALTHOUGH A WSW BLYR FLOW WILL KEEP LINGERING LAKE EFFECT ACTIVITY NORTH OF THE BORDER...COLD TEMPS ALOFT SHOULD YIELD A GOOD AMT OF DIURNAL STRATOCU ACROSS THE NW MTNS. WIND WILL INCREASE A BIT FROM A MORNING LULL...AS THE ATMOS MIXES. MDL SOUNDINGS SUPPORT AFTN GUSTS BTWN 20-25KTS ACROSS THE NW MTNS...AND BTWN 10-15KTS ACROSS THE LOWER SUSQ VALLEY. HIGH TEMPS UNDER THE RATHER HOMOGENEOUS 0C-M2C 8H TEMPS WILL BE ALMOST ENTIRELY DEPENDENT ON ELEVATION AND DOWNSLOPE WARMING. MAXES SHOULD BE CLOSE TO 50F IN THE NW MTNS AND NEAR 60F IN THE VALLEYS/LOWER ELEVS OF THE SUSQ VALLEY. && .LONG TERM /SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY/... CENTRAL PA WILL BE ON NORTHERN EDGE OF ERODING HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE SUN NIGHT INTO MON...WITH A WARM FRONT LIFTING THROUGH OHIO VALLEY AND SKIRTING W PA. THIS WILL KEEP WEATHER FAIR AND MILD...WITH HIGHS MONDAY SLIPPING INTO THE 60S /ABOUT 4-8F ABOVE NORMAL/. THINGS START TO GO DOWNHILL MONDAY NIGHT AS NEW ENERGY STARTS DIVING OUT OF SOUTHERN CANADA ON THE WAY TO CARVING OUT A LARGE SCALE PERSISTENT TROF OVER THE EASTERN U.S. A BUILDING RIDGE OVER THE WEST COAST WILL HELP DEEPEN AN ADVANCING LOW...WHICH WILL DELIVER A STEADY FEED OF INCREASINGLY MORE CHILLY AIR ACROSS THE UPPER MIDWEST NEXT WEEK. THIS COLD AIR WILL PROPAGATE INTO THE LOWER LAKES AND LOCAL AREA IN THE WAKE OF A COLD FRONTAL BOUNDARY PROGGED FOR TUESDAY...AND REINFORCED BY SECONDARY TROUGH ON WEDNESDAY /AS ANOTHER LOW FORMS ALONG THE BOUNDARY AND SLIDES ACROSS MID ATLANTIC STATES JUST TO OUR SOUTH BEFORE SLIDING OFF THE COAST OF NEW ENGLAND/. SOME DIFFERENCES CONTINUE IN MODEL SOLUTIONS STARTING AROUND WEDNESDAY WHEN THE ECMWF BRINGS A STRONG SHORTWAVE OUT OF THE OHIO VALLEY. THE OPERATIONAL GFS AND THE GEFS /PREVIOUSLY WITH A FLATTER TROUGH/ ARE COMING MORE IN LINE WITH THE EC...WHICH WILL INCREASE OUR POP CHANCES FOR WED WITH A STEADY LIGHT RAIN POSS. AFTER THAT...CYCLONIC FLOW WILL CONTINUE TO ALLOW INCREASINGLY COOLER AIR TO FILTER IN ON NW FLOW. PLENTY OF COLD ADVECTION STRATOCU AND LAKE/OROGRAPHIC SHOWERS LOOKING LIKELY IN THE HIGHER WESTERN TERRAIN MID/LATE WEEK...WITH DOWNSLOPE COMPONENT TO WINDS KEEPING PRECIP AT A MIN FOR THE SE. LOW LEVEL TEMPS GET COLD ENOUGH /850MB TEMPS DIP BELOW 0C/ THAT LIGHT SHOWERS COULD BE MIXED WITH WET SNOW DURING THE CHILLIEST PART OF THE DAY AND OVERNIGHT. HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS IN LOW LEVELS FOR THE WEEKEND...BRINGING QUITE CHILLY MORNING TEMPS. BUT AN OVERALL MORE SETTLED WEATHER PATTERN. REINFORCING SHOT OF COLDER AIR POSS EARLY NEXT WEEK. && .AVIATION /04Z SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/... COLD FRONT JUST ABOUT TO CLEAR LAST OF TAF LOCATIONS OF KMDT AND KLNS DURING THE NEXT HOUR. A BAND OF MVFR TO ISOLATED IFR CIGS ACCOMPANIES THE FRONT...AND EXTENDS FOR 75 TO 100 MILES BEHIND THE FRONT. THIS BAND OF CLOUDS WILL CONTINUE TO SWEEP EASTWARD...AND EXPECT MOST AIRFIELDS TO RETURN TO VFR CONDITIONS BETWEEN 04Z AND 08Z. EXCEPTION WILL BE KBFD...WHERE LAKE EFFECT SHOWERS CONTINUE TO STREAM ACROSS THE NORTHWEST COUNTIES. THIS WILL KEEP MVFR TO IFR CIGS OVER KBFD MOST OF THE NIGHT. WHILE KJST HAS CLEARED AS OF 04Z...WILL HAVE TO WATCH FOR REDEVELOPMENT OF LOWER CLOUDS WITH MOIST UPSLOPE WESTERLY FLOW FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS. ON SUNDAY...HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS IN WEST OF THE AREA FROM THE TENNESSEE VALLEY...BUT STAYS FAR ENOUGH AWAY TO KEEP SOME GRADIENT WIND...GENERALLY 10 TO 15 KTS...DURING THE DAY. OTHERWISE...AFTER SOME LINGERING LOWER CIGS EARLY AT KBFD AND KJST...VFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED SUNDAY. MONDAY LOOKS FAIR/VFR AS HIGH PRESSURE SLIDES TO THE EAST COAST AND RETURN FLOW BEGINS. MORE COLD AIR ARRIVES WITH THE NEXT COLD FRONT MON NIGHT AND TUESDAY. OUTLOOK... TUE...FROPA. MVFR/IFR POSS DUE TO SHOWERS/CLOUDS...ESP NW. WED...MVFR POSS IN SHRA...ESP NW. THURS...BREEZY...MVFR CLOUDS/SHRA N/W. && .CTP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && $$ SYNOPSIS...LA CORTE NEAR TERM...FITZGERALD SHORT TERM...DANGELO/FITZGERALD LONG TERM...RXR AVIATION...JUNG
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS STATE COLLEGE PA
1035 PM EDT SAT OCT 19 2013 .SYNOPSIS... A COLD FRONT WILL PASS THROUGH THE REGION THIS EVENING FOLLOWED BY A VISIT FROM HIGH PRESSURE ON SUNDAY AND MONDAY. THE PATTERN WILL TURN NOTICEABLY COOLER AND UNSETTLED NEXT WEEK AS AN UPPER TROUGH ESTABLISHES ITSELF OVER THE EASTERN UNITED STATES. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM SUNDAY MORNING/... REGIONAL RADAR LOOP AT 02Z SHOWS A DWINDLING LINE OF SHOWERS ASSOC WITH COLD FRONT ENTERING THE SUSQ VALLEY. DESPITE A DECENT AMT OF MOISTURE POOLING AHEAD OF FRONT...UPPER LVL SHORTWAVE AND ASSOC LG SCALE FORCING IS LIFTING NORTH OF THE BORDER...SO LITTLE CHC OF MORE THAN AN ISOLD SHOWER AS FRONT PUSHES THRU THE EASTERN COUNTIES BTWN 02Z-04Z. LATEST RAP OUTPUT INDICATES CDFRONT WILL CLEAR THE EASTERNMOST COUNTIES /SCHUYLKILL AND LANCASTER/ BY MIDNIGHT. BEHIND FRONT...ONLY REMAINING PRECIP WILL BE IN THE FORM OF LAKE EFFECT RAIN SHOWERS COMING OFF OF LK ERIE. CURRENT RADAR TRENDS AND RAP/NAM OUTPUT SUGGEST SHOWERS ACROSS WARREN/MCKEAN COS WILL SHIFT NORTH OF THE BORDER AFTER 06Z...AS BLYR FLOW BACKS TO THE WSW. CLEARING SKIES ALREADY DEVELOPING EAST OF THE MTNS AT 02Z AND EXPECT THAT TREND TO CONTINUE OVERNIGHT...AS DRIER WEST FLOW OVERSPREADS CENTRAL PA. STRATOCU MAY LINGER FOR A WHILE ACROSS THE LAUREL HIGHLANDS...BUT EXPECT CLEARING EVEN THERE LATE TONIGHT. THE INITIALLY GUSTY WEST WINDS SHOULD SLACKEN LATE TONIGHT...AS HIGH PRES RIDGE BUILDS IN FROM THE OHIO VALLEY. BLEND OF LATEST LAMP AND RAP GUIDANCE SUGGEST TEMPS WILL BOTTOM OUT IN THE M30S ACROSS THE ALLEGHENY PLATEAU...TO THE L40S OVR THE SUSQ VALLEY. && .SHORT TERM /6 AM SUNDAY MORNING THROUGH 6 PM SUNDAY/... HIGH PRESSURE WILL PASS JUST SOUTH OF THE STATE ON SUNDAY...PROVIDING THE AREA WITH SEASONABLY COOL AND DRY WX. ALTHOUGH A WSW BLYR FLOW WILL KEEP LINGERING LAKE EFFECT ACTIVITY NORTH OF THE BORDER...COLD TEMPS ALOFT SHOULD YIELD A GOOD AMT OF DIURNAL STRATOCU ACROSS THE NW MTNS. WIND WILL INCREASE A BIT FROM A MORNING LULL...AS THE ATMOS MIXES. MDL SOUNDINGS SUPPORT AFTN GUSTS BTWN 20-25KTS ACROSS THE NW MTNS...AND BTWN 10-15KTS ACROSS THE LOWER SUSQ VALLEY. HIGH TEMPS UNDER THE RATHER HOMOGENEOUS 0C-M2C 8H TEMPS WILL BE ALMOST ENTIRELY DEPENDENT ON ELEVATION AND DOWNSLOPE WARMING. MAXES SHOULD BE CLOSE TO 50F IN THE NW MTNS AND NEAR 60F IN THE VALLEYS/LOWER ELEVS OF THE SUSQ VALLEY. && .LONG TERM /SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY/... CENTRAL PA WILL BE ON NORTHERN EDGE OF ERODING HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE SUN NIGHT INTO MON...WITH A WARM FRONT LIFTING THROUGH OHIO VALLEY AND SKIRTING W PA. THIS WILL KEEP WEATHER FAIR AND MILD...WITH HIGHS MONDAY SLIPPING INTO THE 60S /ABOUT 4-8F ABOVE NORMAL/. THINGS START TO GO DOWNHILL MONDAY NIGHT AS NEW ENERGY STARTS DIVING OUT OF SOUTHERN CANADA ON THE WAY TO CARVING OUT A LARGE SCALE PERSISTENT TROF OVER THE EASTERN U.S. A BUILDING RIDGE OVER THE WEST COAST WILL HELP DEEPEN AN ADVANCING LOW...WHICH WILL DELIVER A STEADY FEED OF INCREASINGLY MORE CHILLY AIR ACROSS THE UPPER MIDWEST NEXT WEEK. THIS COLD AIR WILL PROPAGATE INTO THE LOWER LAKES AND LOCAL AREA IN THE WAKE OF A COLD FRONTAL BOUNDARY PROGGED FOR TUESDAY...AND REINFORCED BY SECONDARY TROUGH ON WEDNESDAY /AS ANOTHER LOW FORMS ALONG THE BOUNDARY AND SLIDES ACROSS MID ATLANTIC STATES JUST TO OUR SOUTH BEFORE SLIDING OFF THE COAST OF NEW ENGLAND/. SOME DIFFERENCES CONTINUE IN MODEL SOLUTIONS STARTING AROUND WEDNESDAY WHEN THE ECMWF BRINGS A STRONG SHORTWAVE OUT OF THE OHIO VALLEY. THE OPERATIONAL GFS AND THE GEFS /PREVIOUSLY WITH A FLATTER TROUGH/ ARE COMING MORE IN LINE WITH THE EC...WHICH WILL INCREASE OUR POP CHANCES FOR WED WITH A STEADY LIGHT RAIN POSS. AFTER THAT...CYCLONIC FLOW WILL CONTINUE TO ALLOW INCREASINGLY COOLER AIR TO FILTER IN ON NW FLOW. PLENTY OF COLD ADVECTION STRATOCU AND LAKE/OROGRAPHIC SHOWERS LOOKING LIKELY IN THE HIGHER WESTERN TERRAIN MID/LATE WEEK...WITH DOWNSLOPE COMPONENT TO WINDS KEEPING PRECIP AT A MIN FOR THE SE. LOW LEVEL TEMPS GET COLD ENOUGH /850MB TEMPS DIP BELOW 0C/ THAT LIGHT SHOWERS COULD BE MIXED WITH WET SNOW DURING THE CHILLIEST PART OF THE DAY AND OVERNIGHT. HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS IN LOW LEVELS FOR THE WEEKEND...BRINGING QUITE CHILLY MORNING TEMPS. BUT AN OVERALL MORE SETTLED WEATHER PATTERN. REINFORCING SHOT OF COLDER AIR POSS EARLY NEXT WEEK. && .AVIATION /03Z SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/... COLD FRONT EVIDENT ON RADAR THIS EVENING...EXTENDING FROM ABOUT KBFD TO KJST AT 00Z. FRONT WILL SWEEP THROUGH CENTRAL AIRFIELDS DURING THE NEXT 3 HOURS OR SO. EXPECT A BAND OF MVFR TO ISOLATED IFR CIGS TO ACCOMPANY THE FRONT. PRECIPITATION SHOULD END RAPIDLY AFTER FROPA...WITH IMPROVING CIGS. DO EXPECT MVFR CIGS TO PERSIST IN KBFD AND KJST WELL AFTER MIDNIGHT...WITH MOIST UPSLOPE WESTERLY FLOW. ON SUNDAY...HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS IN WEST OF THE AREA FROM THE TENNESSEE VALLEY...BUT STAYS FAR ENOUGH AWAY TO KEEP SOME GRADIENT WIND...GENERALLY 10 TO 15 KTS...DURING THE DAY. OTHERWISE...AFTER SOME LINGERING LOWER CIGS EARLY AT KBFD AND KJST...VFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED SUNDAY. MONDAY LOOKS FAIR/VFR AS HIGH PRESSURE SLIDES TO THE EAST COAST AND RETURN FLOW BEGINS. MORE COLD AIR ARRIVES WITH THE NEXT COLD FRONT MON NIGHT AND TUESDAY. OUTLOOK... TUE...FROPA. MVFR/IFR POSS DUE TO SHOWERS/CLOUDS...ESP NW. WED...MVFR POSS IN SHRA...ESP NW. THURS...BREEZY...MVFR CLOUDS/SHRA N/W. && .CTP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && $$ SYNOPSIS...LA CORTE NEAR TERM...FITZGERALD SHORT TERM...DANGELO/FITZGERALD LONG TERM...RXR AVIATION...JUNG
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS STATE COLLEGE PA
909 PM EDT SAT OCT 19 2013 .SYNOPSIS... A COLD FRONT WILL PASS THROUGH THE REGION THIS EVENING FOLLOWED BY A VISIT FROM HIGH PRESSURE ON SUNDAY AND MONDAY. THE PATTERN WILL TURN NOTICEABLY COOLER AND UNSETTLED NEXT WEEK AS AN UPPER TROUGH ESTABLISHES ITSELF OVER THE EASTERN UNITED STATES. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM SUNDAY MORNING/... EVENING REGIONAL RADAR LOOP SHOWS A DWINDLING LINE OF SHOWERS ASSOC WITH COLD FRONT OVR THE CENTRAL MTNS. DESPITE A DECENT AMT OF MOISTURE POOLING AHEAD OF FRONT...UPPER LVL SHORTWAVE AND ASSOC LG SCALE FORCING IS LIFTING NORTH OF THE BORDER...SO EXPECT LINE OF SHOWERS TO CONTINUE DISSIPATING AS IT PUSHES THRU THE EASTERN COUNTIES BTWN 01Z-03Z. LATEST RAP OUTPUT INDICATES CDFRONT WILL CLEAR THE EASTERNMOST COUNTIES /SCHUYLKILL AND LANCASTER/ BY MIDNIGHT. BEHIND FRONT...ONLY CHC OF PRECIP WILL BE FROM LAKE EFFECT BAND AFFECTING THE NW MTNS. CURRENT RADAR TRENDS AND RAP/NAM OUTPUT SUGGEST A GOOD CHC OF SHOWERS ACROSS NW WARREN COUNTY BTWN 01Z-06Z...AFTER WHICH BACKING BLYR FLOW SHOULD SHIFT BAND NORTH OF THE BORDER. CLEARING SHOULD TAKE PLACE OVER THE DOWNSLOPE AREAS OF THE CWA IN THE POST-FRONTAL FLOW. THE INITIALLY GUSTY WEST WINDS SHOULD SLACKEN LATE TONIGHT AS HIGH PRES RIDGE BUILDS IN FROM THE OHIO VALLEY. BLEND OF LATEST LAMP AND RAP GUIDANCE SUGGEST TEMPS WILL BOTTOM OUT IN THE M30S ACROSS THE ALLEGHENY PLATEAU...TO THE L40S OVR THE SUSQ VALLEY. && .SHORT TERM /6 AM SUNDAY MORNING THROUGH 6 PM SUNDAY/... HIGH PRESSURE WILL PASS JUST SOUTH OF THE STATE ON SUNDAY...PROVIDING THE AREA WITH SEASONABLY COOL AND DRY WX. ALTHOUGH A WSW BLYR FLOW WILL KEEP LINGERING LAKE EFFECT ACTIVITY NORTH OF THE BORDER...COLD TEMPS ALOFT SHOULD YIELD A GOOD AMT OF DIURNAL STRATOCU ACROSS THE NW MTNS. WIND WILL INCREASE A BIT FROM A MORNING LULL...AS THE ATMOS MIXES. MDL SOUNDINGS SUPPORT AFTN GUSTS BTWN 20-25KTS ACROSS THE NW MTNS...AND BTWN 10-15KTS ACROSS THE LOWER SUSQ VALLEY. HIGH TEMPS UNDER THE RATHER HOMOGENEOUS 0C-M2C 8H TEMPS WILL BE ALMOST ENTIRELY DEPENDENT ON ELEVATION AND DOWNSLOPE WARMING. MAXES SHOULD BE CLOSE TO 50F IN THE NW MTNS AND NEAR 60F IN THE VALLEYS/LOWER ELEVS OF THE SUSQ VALLEY. && .LONG TERM /SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY/... CENTRAL PA WILL BE ON NORTHERN EDGE OF ERODING HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE SUN NIGHT INTO MON...WITH A WARM FRONT LIFTING THROUGH OHIO VALLEY AND SKIRTING W PA. THIS WILL KEEP WEATHER FAIR AND MILD...WITH HIGHS MONDAY SLIPPING INTO THE 60S /ABOUT 4-8F ABOVE NORMAL/. THINGS START TO GO DOWNHILL MONDAY NIGHT AS NEW ENERGY STARTS DIVING OUT OF SOUTHERN CANADA ON THE WAY TO CARVING OUT A LARGE SCALE PERSISTENT TROF OVER THE EASTERN U.S. A BUILDING RIDGE OVER THE WEST COAST WILL HELP DEEPEN AN ADVANCING LOW...WHICH WILL DELIVER A STEADY FEED OF INCREASINGLY MORE CHILLY AIR ACROSS THE UPPER MIDWEST NEXT WEEK. THIS COLD AIR WILL PROPAGATE INTO THE LOWER LAKES AND LOCAL AREA IN THE WAKE OF A COLD FRONTAL BOUNDARY PROGGED FOR TUESDAY...AND REINFORCED BY SECONDARY TROUGH ON WEDNESDAY /AS ANOTHER LOW FORMS ALONG THE BOUNDARY AND SLIDES ACROSS MID ATLANTIC STATES JUST TO OUR SOUTH BEFORE SLIDING OFF THE COAST OF NEW ENGLAND/. SOME DIFFERENCES CONTINUE IN MODEL SOLUTIONS STARTING AROUND WEDNESDAY WHEN THE ECMWF BRINGS A STRONG SHORTWAVE OUT OF THE OHIO VALLEY. THE OPERATIONAL GFS AND THE GEFS /PREVIOUSLY WITH A FLATTER TROUGH/ ARE COMING MORE IN LINE WITH THE EC...WHICH WILL INCREASE OUR POP CHANCES FOR WED WITH A STEADY LIGHT RAIN POSS. AFTER THAT...CYCLONIC FLOW WILL CONTINUE TO ALLOW INCREASINGLY COOLER AIR TO FILTER IN ON NW FLOW. PLENTY OF COLD ADVECTION STRATOCU AND LAKE/OROGRAPHIC SHOWERS LOOKING LIKELY IN THE HIGHER WESTERN TERRAIN MID/LATE WEEK...WITH DOWNSLOPE COMPONENT TO WINDS KEEPING PRECIP AT A MIN FOR THE SE. LOW LEVEL TEMPS GET COLD ENOUGH /850MB TEMPS DIP BELOW 0C/ THAT LIGHT SHOWERS COULD BE MIXED WITH WET SNOW DURING THE CHILLIEST PART OF THE DAY AND OVERNIGHT. HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS IN LOW LEVELS FOR THE WEEKEND...BRINGING QUITE CHILLY MORNING TEMPS. BUT AN OVERALL MORE SETTLED WEATHER PATTERN. REINFORCING SHOT OF COLDER AIR POSS EARLY NEXT WEEK. && .AVIATION /01Z SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/... COLD FRONT EVIDENT ON RADAR THIS EVENING...EXTENDING FROM ABOUT KBFD TO KJST AT 00Z. FRONT WILL SWEEP THROUGH CENTRAL AIRFIELDS DURING THE NEXT 3 HOURS OR SO. EXPECT A BAND OF MVFR TO ISOLATED IFR CIGS TO ACCOMPANY THE FRONT. PRECIPITATION SHOULD END RAPIDLY AFTER FROPA...WITH IMPROVING CIGS. DO EXPECT MVFR CIGS TO PERSIST IN KBFD AND KJST WELL AFTER MIDNIGHT...WITH MOIST UPSLOPE WESTERLY FLOW. ON SUNDAY...HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS IN WEST OF THE AREA FROM THE TENNESSEE VALLEY...BUT STAYS FAR ENOUGH AWAY TO KEEP SOME GRADIENT WIND...GENERALLY 10 TO 15 KTS...DURING THE DAY. OTHERWISE...AFTER SOME LINGERING LOWER CIGS EARLY AT KBFD AND KJST...VFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED SUNDAY. MONDAY LOOKS FAIR/VFR AS HIGH PRESSURE SLIDES TO THE EAST COAST AND RETURN FLOW BEGINS. MORE COLD AIR ARRIVES WITH THE NEXT COLD FRONT MON NIGHT AND TUESDAY. OUTLOOK... TUE...FROPA. MVFR/IFR POSS DUE TO SHOWERS/CLOUDS...ESP NW. WED...MVFR POSS IN SHRA...ESP NW. THURS...BREEZY...MVFR CLOUDS/SHRA N/W. && .CTP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && $$ SYNOPSIS...LA CORTE NEAR TERM...FITZGERALD SHORT TERM...DANGELO/FITZGERALD LONG TERM...RXR AVIATION...JUNG
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS STATE COLLEGE PA
826 PM EDT SAT OCT 19 2013 .SYNOPSIS... A COLD FRONT WILL PASS THROUGH THE REGION THIS EVENING FOLLOWED BY A VISIT FROM HIGH PRESSURE ON SUNDAY AND MONDAY. THE PATTERN WILL TURN NOTICEABLY COOLER AND UNSETTLED NEXT WEEK AS AN UPPER TROUGH ESTABLISHES ITSELF OVER THE EASTERN UNITED STATES. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM SUNDAY MORNING/... EARLY EVENING REGIONAL RADAR LOOP SHOWING WIDESPREAD SHOWERS FALLING ACROSS MOST OF CENTRAL PA...ALONG AXIS OF SOUTHERLY LL JET/HIGHEST PWATS AHEAD OF APPROACHING COLD FRONT. FINE LINE OF HIGHER RETURNS ALONG COLD FRONT NOTED ON THE OH/PA BORDER. AS CD FRONT SWEEPS EAST...WOULDN/T BE SURPRISED TO SEE A COUPLE LIGHTNING STRIKES ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL PA...WHERE NR TERM MDLS PLACE SOME MARGINAL INSTABILITY. LATEST RAP OUTPUT TIMES CDFRONT INTO THE W MTNS ARND 01Z AND CLEARING THE EASTERNMOST COUNTIES /SCHUYLKILL AND LANCASTER/ BY MIDNIGHT. WESTERLY FLOW OF MUCH DRIER AIR BEHIND THE FRONT WILL SHUT OFF RAINFALL OVER NEARLY ALL OF THE AREA LATER THIS EVENING...WITH THE POSSIBLE EXCEPTION OF THE NW MTNS...WHERE LAKE EFFECT -SHRA COULD LINGER BEHIND FRONT. A MID-LAKE BAND WILL PROBABLY DEVELOP ON GOOD INSTABILITY UNDER THE COLD AIR...AND WRLY FLOW WILL MAKE IT JUST BRUSH AREAS N OF ROUTE 6 TONIGHT AND INTO SUN MORNING. CLEARING SHOULD TAKE PLACE OVER THE DOWNSLOPE AREAS OF THE CWA IN THE POST-FRONTAL FLOW. THE INITIALLY GUSTY WEST WINDS WILL STAY UP FOR MUCH OF THE NIGHT...BUT COULD SLACKEN IN THE DEEPER VALLEYS. WILL LEAVE OUT MENTIONS OF VALLEY FOG AT THIS POINT WITH DEWPOINTS FALLING INTO THE 30S AND WIND STILL GOING ALL NIGHT. BUT IT IS TOUGH TO KEEP IT FROM FORMING WHEN AIR TEMP IS IN THE 30S AND WATER MUCH WARMER. && .SHORT TERM /6 AM SUNDAY MORNING THROUGH 6 PM SUNDAY/... HIGH PRESSURE TO THE SOUTH OF THE STATE LOOKS VERY SIMILAR TO WHAT THE PATTERN WAS ON FRIDAY. BUT...MUCH LESS MOISTURE AROUND...SO THIS SHOULD LEAD TO MORE SUNSHINE. DIURNAL CU IS LIKELY OVER THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF THE ALLEGHENIES...BUT COVERAGE SHOULD BE SCT AT WORST. THE CLOUDS AND ANY SPRINKLES IN THE FAR NRN TIER SHOULD LIFT TO THE NORTH THROUGH THE MORNING AND LEAVE A FAIR DAY THERE AS WELL. WIND WILL INCREASE A BIT FROM ANY MORNING LULL AS THE ATMOS MIXES. MAXES UNDER THE RATHER HOMOGENEOUS 0C-M2C 8H TEMPS WILL BE ALMOST ENTIRELY DEPENDENT ON ELEVATION AND DOWNSLOPE WARMING. THUS...MAXES CLOSE TO 50F IN THE NW MTS AND NEAR 60F IN THE VALLEYS/LOWER ELEVS OF THE SUSQ VALLEY. && .LONG TERM /SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY/... CENTRAL PA WILL BE ON NORTHERN EDGE OF ERODING HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE SUN NIGHT INTO MON...WITH A WARM FRONT LIFTING THROUGH OHIO VALLEY AND SKIRTING W PA. THIS WILL KEEP WEATHER FAIR AND MILD...WITH HIGHS MONDAY SLIPPING INTO THE 60S /ABOUT 4-8F ABOVE NORMAL/. THINGS START TO GO DOWNHILL MONDAY NIGHT AS NEW ENERGY STARTS DIVING OUT OF SOUTHERN CANADA ON THE WAY TO CARVING OUT A LARGE SCALE PERSISTENT TROF OVER THE EASTERN U.S. A BUILDING RIDGE OVER THE WEST COAST WILL HELP DEEPEN AN ADVANCING LOW...WHICH WILL DELIVER A STEADY FEED OF INCREASINGLY MORE CHILLY AIR ACROSS THE UPPER MIDWEST NEXT WEEK. THIS COLD AIR WILL PROPAGATE INTO THE LOWER LAKES AND LOCAL AREA IN THE WAKE OF A COLD FRONTAL BOUNDARY PROGGED FOR TUESDAY...AND REINFORCED BY SECONDARY TROUGH ON WEDNESDAY /AS ANOTHER LOW FORMS ALONG THE BOUNDARY AND SLIDES ACROSS MID ATLANTIC STATES JUST TO OUR SOUTH BEFORE SLIDING OFF THE COAST OF NEW ENGLAND/. SOME DIFFERENCES CONTINUE IN MODEL SOLUTIONS STARTING AROUND WEDNESDAY WHEN THE ECMWF BRINGS A STRONG SHORTWAVE OUT OF THE OHIO VALLEY. THE OPERATIONAL GFS AND THE GEFS /PREVIOUSLY WITH A FLATTER TROUGH/ ARE COMING MORE IN LINE WITH THE EC...WHICH WILL INCREASE OUR POP CHANCES FOR WED WITH A STEADY LIGHT RAIN POSS. AFTER THAT...CYCLONIC FLOW WILL CONTINUE TO ALLOW INCREASINGLY COOLER AIR TO FILTER IN ON NW FLOW. PLENTY OF COLD ADVECTION STRATOCU AND LAKE/OROGRAPHIC SHOWERS LOOKING LIKELY IN THE HIGHER WESTERN TERRAIN MID/LATE WEEK...WITH DOWNSLOPE COMPONENT TO WINDS KEEPING PRECIP AT A MIN FOR THE SE. LOW LEVEL TEMPS GET COLD ENOUGH /850MB TEMPS DIP BELOW 0C/ THAT LIGHT SHOWERS COULD BE MIXED WITH WET SNOW DURING THE CHILLIEST PART OF THE DAY AND OVERNIGHT. HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS IN LOW LEVELS FOR THE WEEKEND...BRINGING QUITE CHILLY MORNING TEMPS. BUT AN OVERALL MORE SETTLED WEATHER PATTERN. REINFORCING SHOT OF COLDER AIR POSS EARLY NEXT WEEK. && .AVIATION /01Z SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/... COLD FRONT EVIDENT ON RADAR THIS EVENING...EXTENDING FROM ABOUT KBFD TO KJST AT 00Z. FRONT WILL SWEEP THROUGH CENTRAL AIRFIELDS DURING THE NEXT 3 HOURS OR SO. EXPECT A BAND OF MVFR TO ISOLATED IFR CIGS TO ACCOMPANY THE FRONT. PRECIPITATION SHOULD END RAPIDLY AFTER FROPA...WITH IMPROVING CIGS. DO EXPECT MVFR CIGS TO PERSIST IN KBFD AND KJST WELL AFTER MIDNIGHT...WITH MOIST UPSLOPE WESTERLY FLOW. ON SUNDAY...HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS IN WEST OF THE AREA FROM THE TENNESSEE VALLEY...BUT STAYS FAR ENOUGH AWAY TO KEEP SOME GRADIENT WIND...GENERALLY 10 TO 15 KTS...DURING THE DAY. OTHERWISE...AFTER SOME LINGERING LOWER CIGS EARLY AT KBFD AND KJST...VFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED SUNDAY. MONDAY LOOKS FAIR/VFR AS HIGH PRESSURE SLIDES TO THE EAST COAST AND RETURN FLOW BEGINS. MORE COLD AIR ARRIVES WITH THE NEXT COLD FRONT MON NIGHT AND TUESDAY. OUTLOOK... TUE...FROPA. MVFR/IFR POSS DUE TO SHOWERS/CLOUDS...ESP NW. WED...MVFR POSS IN SHRA...ESP NW. THURS...BREEZY...MVFR CLOUDS/SHRA N/W. && .CTP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && $$ SYNOPSIS...LA CORTE NEAR TERM...DANGELO/FITZGERALD SHORT TERM...DANGELO LONG TERM...RXR AVIATION...JUNG
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS STATE COLLEGE PA
1127 AM EDT FRI OCT 18 2013 .SYNOPSIS... HIGH PRESSURE WILL CONTINUE TO BUILD IN THIS AFTERNOON. HOWEVER...THE FAIR WEATHER WILL BE SHORT-LIVED AS THE WEATHER PATTERN WILL BE UNSETTLED OVER THE NEXT WEEK AS A SERIES OF FRONTS MOVE THROUGH THE REGION. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... CLOUDS ARE DISSIPATING AND SLIDING ENE. RH PROGS DO INDICATE A GRADUAL DRYING...AND HAVE FOLLOWED RUC SKY FOR THE NEXT 12 HRS. MID-LAKE BAND SHOULD REMAIN JUST TO THE NORTH OF THE NY BORDER. SFC HIGH TO THE SOUTH WILL EAT AWAY AT THE CLOUDS. BUT UPSLOPE FLOW COMPONENT AND PROXIMITY TO THE HIGH AND RELATED SUBSIDENCE WILL DICTATE THE DEGREE AND RAPIDITY OF CLEARING. WELL MIXED MDL SOUNDINGS ARE SUPPORTIVE OF WEST WINDS BTWN 10-20KTS...BUT THESE SHOULD GET A LITTLE LIGHTER ON THE WHOLE DURING THE LATE AFTN. TEMPS STILL EXPECTED TO TOP OUT IN THE M50S-M60S...PRETTY CLOSE TO NORMAL FOR MID OCT. THE OVERNIGHT WILL BE FAIR AND DRY WITH JUST A FEW HIGH CLOUDS STARTING TO INVADE THE NW TOWARD MORNING. IT WILL NOT BE PARTICULARLY COLD...WITH LOWS IN THE 40S BEING NEAR OR EVEN SLIGHTLY WARMER THAN NORMAL. && .SHORT TERM /SATURDAY/... A NEW COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH THE REGION SATURDAY SPREADING MORE SHOWERS OUR WAY...ESPECIALLY LATER IN THE MORNING INTO THE AFTERNOON. THE ATMOSPHERE WILL NOT HAVE MUCH TIME TO RECOVER SO THE FRONT WILL NOT HAVE A GREAT DEAL OF MOISTURE TO WORK WITH. MARGINALLY STEEP MID LEVEL LAPSE RATES SHOULD PROVIDE JUST ENOUGH INSTABILITY TO GIVE MOST AREAS SOME LIGHT SHOWERS. ENSEMBLE QPF SHOWS AMOUNTS GENERALLY .10" OR LESS WITH THE NW HAVING A LOW PROBABILITY OF AS MUCH AS .25" IN SOME SPOTS. THE MAIN THING TO BE SAID OF THE NEXT COLD FRONT IS THAT WILL BE THE HARBINGER OF A COOLER MORE UNSETTLED PATTERN SETTING UP FOR THE NEXT WEEK OR SO. && .LONG TERM /SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY/... A SIGNIFICANT PATTERN CHANGE IS IN STORE FOR THE REGION DURING THE EXTENDED PERIOD WITH MUCH OF THE EAST COAST COMING UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF AN ANOMALOUSLY DEEP UPPER TROUGH THAT WILL MOVE OUR WAY OUT OF THE GR LAKES. A STRONG TYPHOON THAT PASSED EAST OF JAPAN SEVERAL DAYS AGO IS NOW BEING ABSORBED INTO THE FLOW OVER THE NORTHERN PACIFIC...HELPING PUMP UP THE WESTERN NORTH AMERICAN RIDGE. THIS WILL HELP DELIVER INCREASINGLY CHILLY AIR DOWN INTO FIRST THE UPPER MID WEST AND EVENTUALLY INTO THE LOWER LAKES AND LOCAL AREA BY THE TUESDAY-WEDNESDAY TIMEFRAME. PRECIP CHANCES WILL BE MANY...BUT MAINLY FROM MOISTURE-STARVED CLIPPER TYPE SYSTEMS. TIMING WITH THESE ALWAYS PRESENTS A PROBLEM...BUT WITH THE COLD AIR EXPECTED TO MOVE OUR WAY...ANY LIGHT SHOWERS THAT FALL DURING THE COLD PART OF THE DAY COULD ACTUALLY MIX WITH SOME WET SNOW. AN EARLY SEASON REMINDER OF WHAT IS IN STORE. && .AVIATION /15Z FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/... ONE THICKER/LONGER BAND OF CLOUDS ALONG THE MIDDLE OF THE LAKE AND NOW SLIDING TO THE NORTH. CLOUD BASES NOT LIFTING ALL THAT MUCH WITH STRONG COLD ADVECTION AND ONLY BALANCED SFC HEATING. OVERALL AREA/COVERAGE OF CLOUDS IS ON THE DECREASE THOUGH. EXPECT VFR FOR UNV - AND PERHAPS JST AS THEY LOSE THEIR THICKEST CLOUD COVER. DIURNAL CU IS POPPING TO PARTIALLY REPLACE THE STRATUS THOUGH. SHOULD STAY BREEZY THROUGH THE DAY WITH THE SFC HIGH TO OUR SOUTH AND WESTERLIES JUST AS CLOSE. ANOTHER COLD FRONT WILL BRING A CHANCE OF SHOWERS TO THE AREA ON SATURDAY INTO SUNDAY MORNING. GUSTY WINDS AND LAKE EFFECT CLOUDS WILL BE LIKELY EARLY SUNDAY...BULK OF THE SHOWERS WILL BE NORTH OF OUR AREA...PERHAPS AN ISSUE FOR MAINLY N PA...SPOTS LIKE BFD EARLY. THE NEXT COLD FRONT MOVES IN LATE MONDAY INTO TUE. THIS AIRMASS WILL BE COLDER AND DEEPER...THUS MORE OF THE WAY OF LAKE EFFECT CLOUDS AND SHOWERS WILL PERSIST INTO MID WEEK. OUTLOOK... SAT...BECOMING CLOUDY WITH SHOWERS...MVFR AND POCKETS OF IFR. SUN...MVFR CIGS/CHC OF LK EFFECT RAIN SHOWERS MAINLY NW. VFR ELSEWHERE. MON...NO SIG WX. TUE...FROPA. MVFR/IFR POSS DUE TO SHOWERS/CLOUDS...ESP NW. && .CTP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && $$ SYNOPSIS...LA CORTE NEAR TERM...DANGELO SHORT TERM...LA CORTE LONG TERM...LA CORTE AVIATION...DANGELO/MARTIN
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
345 PM CDT FRI OCT 18 2013 .DISCUSSION... WIDESPREAD SHOWERS WITH ISOLATED THUNDER HAVE BEEN GOING ON OVER THE WATERS TODAY. ISOLATED TO SCATTERED COVERAGE HAS BEEN OBSERVED ALONG THE COASTAL COUNTIES. THIS IS ALL IN THANKS TO WIDESPREAD ISENTROPIC LIFT. THE 850MB MOISTURE AXIS HAS CONTINUED TO PUSH TO THE NORTHEAST FROM THE SOUTHWEST THIS AFTERNOON ALLOWING FOR MORE OF THE RAIN TO REACH THE GROUND THIS AFTERNOON. INSTABILITY REMAINS LIMITED THOUGH SO THUNDER LOOKS TO BE ISOLATED. A SOUNDING FROM KCLL AT 15Z SHOWS A SATURATED LAYER JUST ABOVE 800MB TO ABOUT 600MB. INSTABILITY IS LIMITED. LOW LEVEL DRY AIR SHOULD START TO ERODE AS THE THE WARM FRONT LIFTS NORTHWARDS. COMPARING A 250MB HAND ANALYSIS FROM THIS MORNING THE ECMWF SEEMS TO HAVE THE POSITION OF THE JET BEST. BOTH MODELS ARE CLOSE THOUGH. EITHER WAY SOUTHEAST TEXAS IS IN THE RRQ OR DIVERGENT REGION OF THE JET STREAK. THIS IN COMBINATION WITH A COLD FRONT WILL HELP PROVIDE THE LIFTING MECHANISMS FOR RAIN THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS. THE TEXAS TECH WRF HAS PRECIP LIMITED WITH THE FRONT WHILE THE HRRR HAS WIDESPREAD RAIN AHEAD OF THE FRONT. BOTH MODELS SEEMED TO HAVE INITIALIZED WELL. GIVEN SPOTTY COVERAGE NOW HAVE LEANED TOWARDS THE WETTER SOLUTION. WAS A BIT HESITANT THOUGH GIVEN WIDESPREAD CONVECTION ONGOING OVER WATERS. THIS COULD HINDER THE DEVELOPMENT INLAND. BEHIND THIS FRONT BOTH ECMWF AND GFS POSITION THE SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE OVER CENTRAL TEXAS SUNDAY MORNING. THIS WILL ALLOW TEMPERATURES TO DROP INTO THE 40S FOR MOST INLAND LOCATIONS. THIS FRONT WILL AGAIN BE SHORT LIVED THOUGH AS IT BEGINS TO PULL NORTHWARDS ON MONDAY. A SIMILAR SET UP TO THIS EVENING WILL AGAIN BE ON TAP MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY. THE GFS AND ECMWF APPEAR TO BE IN AGREEMENT WITH THE BEST UPPER LEVEL DIVERGENCE TO BE OFF THE COAST AND THEN MOVING INTO LA. BEHIND THIS FRONT A SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE WILL MOVE DOWN ALLOWING FOR PLEASANT CONDITIONS BEHIND THE FRONT. THE GFS AND ECMWF HAVE THE BULK OF THE HIGH PRESSURE MOVING OFF TOWARDS THE EAST IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE LONG WAVE TROUGH. THIS SHOULD STILL ALLOW FOR NICE CONDITIONS TO CONTINUE THOUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE WORK WEEK. 23 && .MARINE... DIFFICULT MARINE FORECAST THIS AFTERNOON...AND MARINERS ARE URGED TO CLOSELY MONITOR THE WEATHER AND WEATHER FORECASTS OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS FOR POSSIBLE CHANGES. WINDS THAT HAVE BEEN AT CAUTION LEVELS OFF THE COAST FOR SEVERAL HOURS NOW SHOULD COME DOWN LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING AS THE NEXT COLD FRONT APPROACHES THE AREA. AFTER THE FRONTAL PASSAGE LATE TONIGHT THROUGH EARLY TOMORROW MORNING...WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO STRENGTHEN AGAIN TO CAUTION LEVELS FOR THE BAYS AND CLOSE TO ADVISORY LEVELS OFF THE COAST. INSTEAD OF CARRYING FLAGS THIS AFTERNOON THEN LOWERING THEM THIS EVENING THEN RAISING THEM AGAIN BEFORE SUNRISE...DECIDED TO JUST KEEP FLAGS UP THROUGH TOMORROW AS THIS STORM SYSTEM AND ASSOCIATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS MOVE ON THROUGH. WINDS AND SEAS SHOULD COME DOWN LATE SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND ON INTO SATURDAY NIGHT...THEN PICK UP AGAIN ON MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY AFTER THE PASSAGE OF THE NEXT STORM SYSTEM AND COLD FRONT. ELEVATED WINDS AND SEAS EXPECTED TO THEN PERSIST INTO THE MIDDLE OF THE WEEK SHOULD COME DOWN DURING THE SECOND HALF OF THE WEEK AS HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS INTO THE AREA AND THE GRADIENT RELAXES. 42 && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... COLLEGE STATION (CLL) 53 69 47 75 58 / 60 20 10 0 20 HOUSTON (IAH) 59 73 50 78 60 / 60 30 10 0 20 GALVESTON (GLS) 68 75 62 76 68 / 70 50 10 10 50 && .HGX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... TX...NONE. GM...SMALL CRAFT SHOULD EXERCISE CAUTION FROM LATE TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY AFTERNOON FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES: GALVESTON BAY... MATAGORDA BAY. SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FROM 4 AM TO 6 PM CDT SATURDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES: WATERS FROM FREEPORT TO THE MATAGORDA SHIP CHANNEL 20 NM TO 60 NM...WATERS FROM FREEPORT TO THE MATAGORDA SHIP CHANNEL OUT 20 NM...WATERS FROM HIGH ISLAND TO FREEPORT 20 TO 60 NM...WATERS FROM HIGH ISLAND TO FREEPORT OUT 20 NM. SMALL CRAFT SHOULD EXERCISE CAUTION THROUGH LATE TONIGHT FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES: WATERS FROM FREEPORT TO THE MATAGORDA SHIP CHANNEL 20 NM TO 60 NM...WATERS FROM FREEPORT TO THE MATAGORDA SHIP CHANNEL OUT 20 NM...WATERS FROM HIGH ISLAND TO FREEPORT 20 TO 60 NM...WATERS FROM HIGH ISLAND TO FREEPORT OUT 20 NM. && $$ DISCUSSION...23 AVIATION/MARINE...42
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS LUBBOCK TX
1134 PM CDT THU OCT 17 2013 .AVIATION... EXPECT RAPIDLY DETERIORATING CONDITIONS AT LBB SHORTLY AFTER MIDNIGHT AS LOW CIGS AND EVENTUALLY SOME DENSE FOG EMERGE IN A VERY MOIST UPSLOPE REGIME. HAVE ALREADY NOTICED FEW CLOUDS AROUND 1500 FT AT LBB WITH LIGHT FOG REPORTED AT PVW. SATELLITE SHOWS A DENSE LAYER OF MVFR AND IFR CIGS NEAR MIDLAND THAT WILL EXPAND NORTH THROUGH THE NIGHT...SO OVERALL THIS PATTERN FAVORS IFR/LIFR CIGS WITH OCCASIONAL DENSE FOG AND DRIZZLE ON THE CAPROCK. CDS WILL FARE COMPARABLY BETTER WITH PREDOMINANTLY MVFR CIGS FOR THE BETTER PART OF THE DAY. WE STILL EXPECT VFR CONDS TO RETURN TO LBB AROUND 18Z OR SO ONCE MOIST SOUTH WINDS VEER WESTERLY AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT. BUMPED FROPA TIME BACK A TOUCH AT BOTH LBB AND CDS...BUT STILL KEPT NLY GUSTS AROUND 30 KNOTS FOR MID-TO-LATE AFTERNOON. OUTSIDE OF A STRAY SHRA BEHIND THE FRONT NEAR CDS...PRECIP WILL BE LIMITED. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 932 PM CDT THU OCT 17 2013/ UPDATE... UPDATED TO BOOST LOW CLOUD COVERAGE AFTER MIDNIGHT AND ALSO TO ADD MENTION OF FOG AND DRIZZLE ON THE CAPROCK EARLY FRI MORNING. THE 02Z SURFACE PATTERN PAINTS A PRETTY CLASSIC PICTURE FOR SUCH A SCENARIO LATER TONIGHT AS DEWPOINTS IN THE PERMIAN BASIN ARE ALREADY PUSHING 60 DEGREES WITH TEMPS ON THE SOUTH PLAINS IN THE MID AND UPPER 50S. LATEST NAM AND RECENT RUNS OF THE RAP ARE CONSISTENT IN BREAKING OUT STRATUS AROUND 09Z ACROSS MUCH OF THE CAPROCK AND WESTERN PERMIAN BASIN...A BIT SIMILAR TO WHAT WE SAW LAST NIGHT IN SERN NEW MEXICO. MODEL SOUNDINGS SHOW SUFFICIENTLY THICK STRATUS HERE FOR DRIZZLE BY 12Z AND THIS IS REFLECTED BY THE NAM`S SPOTTY LIGHT QPF. DENSE FOG POTENTIAL IS A BIT LESS CERTAIN...BUT THIS WILL BE REVISITED BY THE MIDNIGHT SHIFT. ALSO REMOVED SHOWER MENTION ON THE CAPROCK FROM 12-17Z FRI AS DRIZZLE WOULD BE THE MOST WE CAN SQUEEZE OUT BEFORE THE COLD FRONT AND A BRIEF WINDOW FOR SHOWERS DEVELOP EARLY IN THE AFTERNOON JUST BEHIND THE FRONT. GIVEN MILD LOWS AND MOIST ADVECTION...RAISED OVERNIGHT LOWS SEVERAL DEGREES ON THE CAPROCK WHILE KEEPING AREAS FARTHER EAST INTACT IN LIGHT OF DRIER AIR CHARACTERIZED BY DEWPOINTS IN THE LOW/MID 40S. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... FRIONA 38 55 28 64 39 / 10 10 0 0 0 TULIA 47 53 32 65 41 / 10 20 10 0 0 PLAINVIEW 48 57 32 65 41 / 10 20 10 0 0 LEVELLAND 49 61 33 66 41 / 10 10 10 0 0 LUBBOCK 50 58 34 65 42 / 10 20 10 0 0 DENVER CITY 51 64 35 65 43 / 0 10 10 10 0 BROWNFIELD 52 63 35 65 43 / 10 10 10 0 0 CHILDRESS 51 56 36 69 44 / 20 30 20 0 0 SPUR 50 63 37 67 44 / 10 20 20 10 0 ASPERMONT 51 66 38 67 45 / 10 30 20 10 0 && .LUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && $$ 93
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS GRAND JUNCTION CO
331 AM MDT SUN OCT 20 2013 .SHORT TERM...(TODAY THROUGH MONDAY) ISSUED AT 331 AM MDT SUN OCT 20 2013 A FAST MOVING SHORTWAVE IN THE NORTHWESTERLIES WILL IMPACT THE NORTHERN AND PORTIONS OF THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS TODAY. HIGH CLOUDS AHEAD OF THE SYSTEM BEGAN SWEEPING OVER THE NORTH LAST EVENING. EXPECT SHOWERS WILL HOLD OFF UNTIL AFTER 12Z PER CONSENSUS OF GFS40...NAM12...RAP13...AND HRRR MODELS. THEREFORE ...PARED BACK POPS EARLY THIS MORNING. AS THE SHORTWAVE SWEEPS SOUTHEASTWARD ACROSS SOUTHWEST WYOMING SHOWERS WILL DEVELOP OVER THE ELKHEADS AROUND SUNRISE. THIS ACTIVITY WILL SPREAD TO THE PARK AND GORE RANGES...FLAT TOPS...AND ELK MOUNTAINS AS THE AXIS OF THE SHORTWAVE SWEEPS INTO NORTHWEST COLORADO THIS AFTERNOON. UPWARD FORCING...OROGRAPHIC LIFT AND SUFFICIENTLY STEEP LAPSE RATES WILL BRING ACCUMULATING SNOW TO THE NORTHERN AND CENTRAL MOUNTAINS. SNOW LEVELS WILL SETTLE AROUND MOUNTAIN BASES IN THE NORTH AND NEAR 8500 FEET IN THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS THIS AFTERNOON. MOISTURE LACKING WITH THIS SYSTEM SO WILL CONTINUE WITH 1 TO 2 INCH ACCUMULATIONS IN THE MOUNTAIN AREAS MENTIONED PREVIOUSLY. LOWER ELEVATIONS EAST OF KCAG-KASE LINE COULD SEE BRIEF SHOWERS BUT CHANCES NOT GREAT GIVEN LIMITED MOISTURE. ELSEWHERE...EXPECT DRY WEATHER TO CONTINUE WITH PARTLY SUNNY TO MOSTLY SUNNY SKIES AND HIGHS CONTINUING TO RUN A BIT COOL FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR. A PUSH OF COOLER AIR COMBINED WITH CLOUDS AND SHOWERS WILL DECREASE TEMPERATURES AROUND 5 DEGREES ACROSS NORTH- CENTRAL COLORADO THIS AFTERNOON. SNOW GRADUALLY TAPERS OFF OVERNIGHT FROM THE NORTH AS THE BULK OF PRECIPITATION HANGS OVER THE DIVIDE THROUGH THE MORNING HOURS MONDAY WITH FAVORABLE WIND DIRECTION FOR LINGERING LIGHT SNOW STRETCHING ALONG THE CENTRAL MOUNTAIN CORRIDOR. SNOW LEVEL WILL DECREASE TO AROUND 6500 FEET BY EARLY MONDAY MORNING WITH THE ADVECTION OF COLD NORTHERLY AIR. 1 TO 3 INCHES OF SNOW IS EXPECTED OVER THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS AND PORTIONS OF THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS THROUGH EARLY MONDAY MORNING...WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS. THE SHORTWAVE IS FORECAST TO PROGRESS TO THE VERY EASTERN PART OF CENTRAL COLORADO BY NOON MONDAY...SO ALL PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED TO HAVE CEASED OVER THE DIVIDE WITH BRISK NORTHERLY AIR FILTERING IN BEHIND IN AN AREA OF SUBSIDENCE. .LONG TERM...(MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY) ISSUED AT 331 AM MDT SUN OCT 20 2013 CLEAR SKIES AND SLIGHTLY BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES WILL REIGN AS HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS INTO THE REGION MONDAY NIGHT. WINDS WILL REMAIN LIGHT...ALLOWING INVERSIONS TO DEVELOP IN VALLEY BOTTOMS OVERNIGHT AND KEEP LOW TEMPERATURES BELOW NORMAL. A WEAK MID-LEVEL LOW PRESSURE TROUGH OVER THE WEST COAST UNDERCUTS THE RIDGE...MOVING EASTWARD ACROSS THE GREAT BASIN AND DESERT SOUTHWEST TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY. MODELS TAKE THE BULK OF THE ENERGY ASSOCIATED WITH THIS FEATURE SOUTH OF THE FORECAST AREA FROM THURSDAY NIGHT INTO FRIDAY BEFORE PUSHING IT ONTO THE SOUTHERN PLAINS SATURDAY. LATEST ECMWF FARTHER SOUTH WITH THIS FEATURE THAN YESTERDAY/S 00Z RUN WHICH LIMITS CHANCES FOR ANY SENSIBLE WEATHER OVER THE SAN JUANS FRIDAY. LESS ENERGETIC GFS SHOWED LITTLE CHANGE AND ALSO DRY FRIDAY. AS A RESULT...KEPT MENTION OF PRECIPITATION CHANCES OUT OF THE FORECAST THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE EXTENDED PERIOD. EXPECT TEMPERATURES WILL HOVER NEAR NORMAL THROUGH THE COMING WEEK. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 12Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z MONDAY MORNING) ISSUED AT 331 AM MDT SUN OCT 20 2013 A SOUTHEASTWARD PROPAGATING UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE WILL BRUSH NORTH-CENTRAL COLORADO TODAY. SNOW WILL DEVELOP OVER THE ELKHEAD MOUNTAINS THIS MORNING THEN SPREADS SOUTHEAST WHILE INCREASING IN INTENSITY THIS AFTERNOON. AS A RESULT...EXPECT AREAS OF MOUNTAIN OBSCURATION OVER THE ELKHEAD...PARK...AND PORTIONS OF THE PARK RANGE THIS MORNING...BECOMING WIDESPREAD THIS AFTERNOON. THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE THAT KCAG...KEEO...KHDN...KSBS...AND KEGE WILL EXPERIENCE BRIEF MVFR CIGS IN LIGHT SHOWERS FROM 18Z TO 00Z. ELSEWHERE...EXPECT VFR CONDITIONS TO PERSIST THROUGH THE NEXT 24 HOURS. && .GJT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... CO...NONE. UT...NONE. && $$ SHORT TERM...NL/JAM LONG TERM...JAM/NL AVIATION...NL
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS CHICAGO/ROMEOVILLE IL
1219 AM CDT SUN OCT 20 2013 .DISCUSSION... 927 PM CDT NO CHANGES TO CURRENT FROST ADVISORY. LATEST SATELLITE/RADAR IMAGERY DEPICTING CLOUD COVER ISOLATED LIGHT SHOWERS STILL ACROSS THE CWA...ASSOCIATED WITH UPPER LEVEL WAVE/TROUGH AND SURFACE REFLECTION. ALTHOUGH LATEST RAP ANALYSIS IS INDICATING SOME PERSISTENT WEAK WAA ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL ILLINOIS...THIS SHOULD WEAKEN OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS AS TROUGH DEPARTS TO THE EAST. CLEARING SKIES AND DIMINISHING WINDS SHOULD ALLOW FOR TEMPS TO STILL DROP OVERNIGHT...WITH THIS ALREADY BEING OBSERVED IN LOCATIONS THAT SAW SOME PARTIAL CLEARING EARLY ON. SO HAVE MADE MINOR ADJUSTMENTS TO TEMPS TONIGHT WITH CURRENT ADVISORY LOCATION STILL APPEARING TO BE ON TRACK. DESPITE THIS BEING THE PREFERRED LOCATION FOR BETTER FROST DEVELOPMENT...PATCHY FROST CANNOT BE RULED OUT BRIEFLY LATE TONIGHT INTO EARLY SUNDAY MORNING FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE CWA. ALSO...LATEST DEWPOINT TRENDS COINCIDING WITH TEMPS TONIGHT COULD ALLOW FOR PATCHY FOG...AND HAVE ADDED TO THE GRIDS PRIMARILY FOR NORTHERN ILLINOIS. RODRIGUEZ //PREV DISCUSSION... 243 PM CDT REST OF THE WEEKEND...TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT... WEATHER TO BE CONTROLLED BY THE LARGE UPPER TROUGH EXTENDING ACROSS WESTERN HUDSON BAY SOUTHWARD TO THE OZARKS EARLY THIS AFTERNOON MOVING TO EASTERN CANADA AND NEW ENGLAND OVERNIGHT AND DURING SUNDAY. THIS WILL ALLOW WEAK UPPER RIDGING TO OCCUR OVER THE GREAT LAKES AND MIDWEST SUNDAY AS THIS UPPER TROUGH ROTATES NORTHEASTWARD AND ANOTHER UPPER TROUGH DEEPENS OVER THE UPPER MIDWEST AND THE UPPER AND MID MS VALLEY DURING SUNDAY AND SUNDAY NIGHT. HAVE RETAINED MENTION OF FROST ACROSS ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST IL OUTSIDE OF THE METRO AREA THOUGH CONFIDENCE IS NOT PARTICULARLY HIGH AS WARM AIR ADVECTION CLOUDS CONTINUE TO SPREAD FROM IA ACROSS NORTHERN IL LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT SHOULD BE ENOUGH BREAKS DURING THE OVERNIGHT FOR AREAS OF FROST. A BACKING AND INCREASING LOW LEVEL FLOW DURING SUNDAY WILL ALLOW SOME MODERATION IN TEMPERATURES AS SIGNIFICANT WARM AIR ADVECTION OCCURS. WHILE CLOUDS ARE EXPECTED TO GRADUALLY BE ON THE INCREASE DURING THE DAY THE WARM AIR ADVECTION ITSELF SHOULD PUSH SUNDAY HIGH TEMPERATURES UP TO THE UPPER 50S NORTH TO MID 60S SOUTHWEST. DESPITE THE INCREASING CLOUDINESS AS THE UPPER WAVE ROTATES ACROSS FROM THE NORTHERN PLAINS TO OVER MN AND IA ANY REAL THREAT OF RAIN WILL REMAIN NORTH OF THE WI BORDER WHERE THE BEST FORCING WILL BE. AS THE UPPER TROUGH MOVES TO WESTERN WI AND NORTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL IL DURING SUNDAY NIGHT POPS WILL RISE TO SLIGHT CHANCE AS THE UPPER TROUGH APPROACHES AND AN ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT PUSHES SOUTHEASTWARD ACROSS THE LOCAL FORECAST AREA. MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY... THE MODERATION IN TEMPERATURES WILL BE SHORT LIVED AS THE UPPER FLOW STARTS TO RETURN TO STRONG NORTHWESTERLY ACROSS THE AREA BY MONDAY NIGHT WITH A SERIES OF SHORT WAVES ROTATING THROUGH THE UPPER TROUGH PROVIDING REINFORCING SHOTS OF VERY COOL AIR THROUGH THE WEEK KEEPING HIGH TEMPERATURES DOWN TO MID 40S TO LOWER 50S...WITH LOWS FROM UPPER 20S TO MID 30S. USING THE 12Z ECMWF AS A GOOD COMPROMISE BETWEEN MODEL SOLUTIONS THE MAIN PERIODS FOR A THREAT OF PRECIPITATION ARE FROM LATER TUESDAY INTO WEDNESDAY AS A SHORT WAVE APPROACHES AND MOVES ACROSS THE AREA AND THEN NEXT SATURDAY AS AN UPPER TROUGH MOVES EAST OVER THE UPPER MIDWEST AND THE MID AND LOWER MO VALLEY REGIONS PUSHING ANOTHER COLD FRONT INTO THE LOCAL AREA DURING THE DAY. WITH THE TUESDAY-TUESDAY NIGHT SHORT WAVE TROUGH PASSAGE THE COLUMN COOLS TO BELOW 0C ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL AND FAR NORTHEAST IL DURING THURSDAY NIGHT SO ANY REMAINING RAIN MAY MIX WITH OR CHANGE TO SNOW BEFORE ENDING. WITH SEVERAL SHORT WAVES TO BE ROTATING THROUGH THE MEAN UPPER TROUGH THERE COULD BE OTHER TIME-FRAMES WHEN THERE WOULD BE AT LEAST A SLIGHT CHANCE TO LOW END CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION BUT TIMING OF ANY ONE OF THESE SMALLER DISTURBANCES IS PRETTY MUCH FUTILE THESE FEATURES TYPICALLY GET LOST IN THE NOISE OF THE PROGS. TRS && .AVIATION... //ORD AND MDW CONCERNS...UPDATED 06Z... * PERIOD OF STRONG SOUTH WINDS WITH GUSTS AROUND 25 KT THIS AFTERNOON AND POSSIBLY INTO THIS EVE. * SCATTERED -SHRA WITH POSSIBLE TEMPORARY MVFR CONDITIONS THIS EVE. * GUSTY WEST WINDS LATE SUNDAY NIGHT. //DISCUSSION...UPDATED 06Z... TEMPORARY RIDGING WILL PREVAIL THROUGH SUNRISE BEFORE SOUTHERLY WINDS ENSUE. THESE WILL INCREASE IN SPEED THIS AFTERNOON AS STRONG LOW PRESSURE DEVELOPS ACROSS THE UPPER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. SOME PERIODIC GUSTINESS MAY CONTINUE IN THE EVE. AS A STRONG COLD FRONT WRAPS AROUND THIS LOW AND APPROACHES THE TAF SITES THIS EVE...SCATTERED SHOWERS ARE ALSO POSSIBLE. IF THESE MATERIALIZE...TEMPORARY MVFR CONDITIONS COULD EASILY ACCOMPANY THEM. THE STRONG COLD FRONT WILL MOVE FROM WEST TO EAST ACROSS THE TAF SITES SUNDAY NIGHT AND TURN THE WINDS WESTERLY WITH A RE- INCREASE IN GUSTINESS. A BRIEF PERIOD OF MVFR CIGS ARE ALSO POSSIBLE WITH THIS FEATURE. //ORD AND MDW CONFIDENCE...UPDATED 06Z... * MEDIUM IN WINDS THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. HIGH CONFIDENCE THAT WINDS WILL BE BETWEEN 160 AND 210 THIS AFTERNOON. * LOW IN SHRA THIS EVE AND POSSIBLE MVFR CONDITIONS. //OUTLOOK FOR ORD/MDW FOR 12Z MONDAY-12Z SATURDAY...UPDATED 00Z... MONDAY...MVFR CIGS LIKELY. TUESDAY...MVFR CIGS POSSIBLE. CHANCE OF -RA OR -RSSN. WEDNESDAY...MVFR CIGS POSSIBLE...MAINLY EARLY. THURSDAY AND FRIDAY...PROBABLY VFR. MTF/IZZI && .MARINE... 334 PM CDT A VERY ACTIVE PERIOD ON THE WAY ACROSS THE LAKE AS A SERIES OF LOW PRESSURE SYSTEMS AND A UNSEASONABLY COLD AIR MASS COMBINE TO BRING STRONG WINDS MOST OF THE FORECAST PERIOD. WEST WINDS OVER THE SOUTH HALF WILL RAMP UP TO 30 KT THIS EVENING BEFORE DIMINISHING SOME LATE. THERE WILL BE A BRIEF PERIOD OF LIGHTER SOUTH WINDS SUNDAY MORNING BEFORE LOW PRESSURE APPROACHES FROM THE WEST LATER SUNDAY AND SOUTHERLY WINDS INCREASE. SOME UNCERTAINTY EXISTS AS TO THE TRACK AND TIMING OF THE LOW...BUT THERE IS GOOD AGREEMENT AMONGST GUIDANCE FOR SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST WINDS UP TO GALE FORCE SOMETIME SUNDAY EVENING INTO THE OVERNIGHT FOR THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN PORTION OF THE LAKE. THEREFORE HAVE ISSUED A GALE WATCH FOR THE CENTRAL AND SOUTH STARTING AT 00Z SUNDAY. A VERY STRONG COLD FRONT WILL SWEEP ACROSS THE LAKE AS THE LOW LIFTS TO EASTERN LAKE SUPERIOR BY EARLY MONDAY AND DEEPENS. SOUTHWEST GALES WILL QUICKLY TRANSITION TO WESTERLY GALES ON THE CENTRAL AND SOUTH...WHILE WESTERLY GALES WILL DEVELOP OVER THE NORTH TOWARD EARLY MONDAY MORNING. A WINTER LIKE AIRMASS WILL POUR ACROSS THE LAKE...SUPPORTING EXTREMELY UNSTABLE CONDITIONS AND EFFICIENT MIXING. WEST GALES WILL INCREASE TO 40 KT ON THE NORTH PART OF THE LAKE ON MONDAY...WITH 35 KT CONTINUING TO THE SOUTH. THERE THEN APPEARS TO BE ANOTHER COLD FRONT OR SECONDARY SURGE OF COLD AIR MONDAY NIGHT EXPECTED TO KEEP GALES GOING ON THE NORTH ALL THE WAY INTO TUESDAY MORNING. THUS HAVE EXTENDED THE GALE WATCH THERE UNTIL 15Z TUESDAY. FOR THE NEARSHORE WATERS...HAVE EXTENDED THE SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR GARY AND POINTS EAST UNTIL 9Z SUNDAY AS WAVES WILL BE SLOWER TO SUBSIDE. WILL THEN LIKELY NEED A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR ALL THE NEARSHORE ZONES SOMETIME SUNDAY EVENING THROUGH MONDAY EVENING...THEN AT LEAST A PORTION OF THE INDIANA NEARSHORE ALL THE WAY THROUGH TUESDAY EVENING DUE TO WAVES. RC && .LOT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... IL...FROST ADVISORY...ILZ003-ILZ004-ILZ005-ILZ006-ILZ008-ILZ010- ILZ011-ILZ012 UNTIL 8 AM SUNDAY. IN...NONE. LM...GALE WATCH...LMZ080-LMZ567-LMZ669-LMZ671-LMZ673-LMZ675-LMZ777- LMZ779-LMZ868-LMZ870-LMZ872-LMZ874-LMZ876-LMZ878...7 PM SUNDAY TO 4 AM TUESDAY. GALE WATCH...LMZ261-LMZ362-LMZ364-LMZ366-LMZ563-LMZ565...3 AM MONDAY TO 10 AM TUESDAY. SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY...NEARSHORE GARY TO MICHIGAN CITY IN UNTIL 4 AM SUNDAY. && $$ VISIT US AT HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/CHICAGO (ALL LOWERCASE) FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK...TWITTER...AND YOUTUBE AT: WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/US.NATIONALWEATHERSERVICE.CHICAGO.GOV WWW.TWITTER.COM/NWSCHICAGO WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/NWSCHICAGO
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS MARQUETTE MI
512 AM EDT SUN OCT 20 2013 .SHORT TERM...(TODAY AND TONIGHT) ISSUED AT 510 AM EDT SUN OCT 20 2013 WV IMAGERY AND RUC ANALYSIS INDICATED A RIDGE OFF THE WEST COAST AND A BROAD MID/UPPER LEVEL TROUGH ACROSS THE CNTRL AND ERN CONUS. ONE UPSTREAM SHORTWAVE TROUGH WAS LOCATED OVER THE DAKOTAS WHILE ANOTHER STRONGER PV ANOMALY WAS DROPPING TO THE SSE THROUGH CNTRL MANITOBA. 290K ISENTROPIC LIFT AHEAD OF A SFC LOW OVER THE CNTRL DAKOTAS SUPPORTED AREAS OF RAIN OVER THE ERN DAKOTAS INTO WRN MN. 850 MB TEMPS AROUND -4C HELPED TO MAINTAIN A LAKE INDUCED TROUGH OVER LAKE SUPERIOR IN THE LIGHT WIND REGIME. ISOLD LAKE EFFECT -SHRA LINGERED INTO NW UPPER MI AND ERN LAKE SUPERIOR. THE MODELS WERE IN RELATIVELY GOOD AGREEMENT WITH THE SHORTWAVES AND SFC LOW MOVING INTO THE WRN GREAT LAKES. AS THE SFC LOW TRACKS FROM WRN MN SUNDAY MORNING TO THE SE END OF LAKE SUPERIOR EARLY MON MORNING...DEEP LAYER QVECTOR CONV AND 285K-295K ISENTROPIC LIFT WILL SUPPORT AN AREA OF PCPN MOVING INTO SW UPPER MI SUN AFTERNOON AND ACROSS THE CWA SUN NIGHT. PCPN AMOUNTS IN THE 0.25 TO 0.50 INCH RANGE ARE EXPECTED. MODEL FCST SOUNDINGS...AND WET-BULB ZERO HEIGHTS SUPPORT THE POTENTIAL FOR A SOME SNOW ACCUMULATION OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN OF THE WEST HALF OF UPPER MI. WITH ONLY LIGHT TO MODERATE SNOWFALL RATES EXPECTED...AND RELATIVELY LOW SNOW/WATER RATIO VALUES BELOW 10/1...ANY SNOW ACCUMULATION SHOULD GENERALLY REMAIN AT OR BELOW 2 INCHES. THERE MAY ALSO BE SOME ADDITIONAL LAKE ENHANCED SNOW INTO NW UPPER MI LATE AS WNW WINDS STRENGTHEN BEHIND THE LOW. .LONG TERM...(MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY) ISSUED AT 337 AM EDT SUN OCT 20 2013 AN ACTIVE WEATHER PATTERN IS IN STORE FOR THE UPPER GREAT LAKES REGION FOR THE UPCOMING WORK WEEK. THE UPPER TROUGH THAT IS AFFECTING THE UPPER GREAT LAKES WILL BE RE-ENFORCED BY A SHORTWAVE CURRENTLY DROPPING SOUTH OVER LAKE WINNIPEG. THIS WAVE WILL CATCH UP WITH THE SURFACE LOW AND SHORTWAVE IN SOUTHERN MINNESOTA (CURRENTLY IN WESTERN NORTH DAKOTA) AND INTENSIFY THE LOW TONIGHT AS THE SHORTWAVES PHASE...CAUSING THE LOW TO LIFT NORTHEAST AND OVER EASTERN LAKE SUPERIOR BY 12Z MONDAY. MODELS SEEM TO BE COMING INTO BETTER AGREEMENT ON THE TRACK/INTENSITY OF THE LOW AS IT MOVES NORTH FROM EASTERN LAKE SUPERIOR ON MONDAY...WHILE LEAVING A SURFACE TROUGH BACK OVER THE LAKE THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT. EXPECT THE INITIAL SURGE OF PRECIPITATION THAT MOVES THROUGH SUNDAY AFTERNOON/NIGHT TO BE PUSHING NORTHEAST OF UPPER MICHIGAN. THUS...WITH COLD AIR SURGING EAST ACROSS UPPER MICHIGAN UNDER THE GUSTY WESTERLY FLOW...EXPECT THE MAIN WEATHER TO START MONDAY TO BE WESTERLY WIND LAKE ENHANCED PRECIPITATION. THIS IS DUE TO 850MB TEMPS FALLING TO -8C OVER WESTERN UPPER MICHIGAN BY 18Z MONDAY. WILL HIGHLIGHT THE HIGHEST POPS OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN FROM THE KEWEENAW THROUGH THE GOGEBIC RANGE AND ALSO OVER THE HURON MOUNTAINS. WESTERLY WINDS LOOK TO BACK SLIGHTLY IN THE AFTERNOON AHEAD OF TROUGH DROPPING SOUTH ACROSS WESTERN LAKE SUPERIOR DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON. THIS MAY CAUSE THE BEST PRECIPITATION TO BE FOCUSED MORE OVER THE KEWEENAW DURING THE AFTERNOON. THEREFORE...DID OPT TO TRIM POP/QPF AMOUNTS OVER GOGEBIC/ONTONAGON COUNTIES SOME DURING THE AFTERNOON HOURS. SINCE WETBULB ZERO VALUES FALL OVER THE WEST AS THE COLD AIR SURGES EAST ACROSS THE U.P. EXPECT PRECIP TO FALL AS SNOW OVER THE WEST...BUT COULD MIX WITH RAIN AT TIMES NEAR LAKE SUPERIOR. SNOWFALL AMOUNTS DURING THE MORNING AND MOST OF THE AFTERNOON SHOULD BE LIGHT...WITH LOCATIONS SEEING AMOUNTS UNDER AN INCH. OVER THE REST OF UPPER MICHIGAN DURING THIS PERIOD...EXPECT BREEZY WESTERLY WINDS AND CLOUDY CONDITIONS...BUT LITTLE TO NO PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED. THE BEST OPPORTUNITY WOULD BE OVER THE EAST RIGHT ALONG THE LAKE SUPERIOR/MICHIGAN SHORELINES AS LAKE ENHANCED PRECIPITATION WILL TRY TO PARALLEL THOSE AREAS. THEN TOWARDS SUNSET...THE SURFACE TROUGH WILL DROP SOUTH ONTO THE WESTERN U.P. SHORELINE AND BRING AN ENHANCED AREA OF CONVERGENCE AND PRECIPITATION. EXPECT THERE TO BE MODERATE TO HEAVY PRECIPITATION AS THIS TROUGH SLIDES THROUGH THE WESTERN U.P. DURING THE EVENING HOURS AND THEN THROUGH CENTRAL UPPER MICHIGAN DURING THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. 850MB TEMPS WILL ACTUALLY WARM A COUPLE DEGREES BEHIND THE TROUGH...BUT THE DEEP MOISTURE AND CYCLONIC FLOW ON THE BACK SIDE OF THE SURFACE AND 850MB LOW...ALONG WITH UPSLOPE WINDS...WILL SUPPORT LAKE ENHANCED PRECIPITATION THROUGH A GOOD PORTION OF THE NIGHT OVER THE WESTERN CWA AND INTO TUESDAY MORNING OVER THE NORTH CENTRAL CWA. THE PRECIPITATION DURING THIS PERIOD SHOULD FALL AS SNOW EXCEPT FOR LOCATIONS RIGHT ALONG THE LAKE SUPERIOR SHORELINE WHERE THE NORTH-NORTHWEST WINDS WOULD PRODUCE SOME HEAT TRANSFER FROM THE LAKE AND LEAD TO SOME RAIN/SNOW MIX. AS FOR RATIOS/AMOUNTS...THINKING THE SNOW RATIOS WILL BE AROUND OR JUST BELOW 10-1 WITH THE BEST FORCING BEING BELOW THE DGZ AND SNOW FLAKES FALLING FROM ALOFT CLUMPING TOGETHER AS THEY REACH THE STRONG UPWARD MOTION NEAR THE SURFACE. AS FOR QPF AMOUNTS...HPC INDICATES NAM IS THE COLDER SOLUTION IN THE MID LEVELS (BY AROUND 2C) BEHIND THE LOW...WHICH MAY BE PART OF THE REASON IT IS MUCH HIGHER ON QPF AMOUNTS WITH THE LAKE ENHANCED SNOW BEHIND THE TROUGH. SINCE THE HIGHER RESOLUTION OF THE NAM AND 4KM NEST PICK UP THE TERRAIN ENHANCEMENT...DID BLEND THAT WITH THE PREFERRED WARMER AND COARSER MODELS FOR QPF MONDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING. THIS CREATES 24HR VALUES OF 0.5-0.75IN FROM IRONWOOD THROUGH THE KEWEENAW AND ALSO OVER THE WESTERN SIDE OF THE HURON MOUNTAINS. AT 10-1 SLR VALUE...SNOWFALL AMOUNTS IN THE 3-6 INCH RANGE SEEM REASONABLE IN THOSE AREAS AFTER FACTORING SOME MELTING INITIALLY ON MONDAY WHEN THE SNOWFALL RATES ARE LIGHTER. THAT SEEMS TO FIT IN WITH OUR ADVISORY CRITERIA AND WILL LIKELY END UP JUST UNDER THE 6INCH IN 12HR MARK FOR WARNINGS. CIPS TOP ANALOGS (BASED OFF THE SLIGHTLY COLDER NAM SOLUTION) SHOW MEAN SNOWFALL AMOUNTS OF 4-8 INCHES OF A 72HR PERIOD AND PROBABILITIES OF SEEING 6IN OF SNOW AROUND 60 PERCENT. THINK THE FORECAST MATCHES UP PRETTY WELL WITH THAT IDEA (ALONG WITH HPC GUIDANCE) AND WILL CONTINUE TO HIGHLIGHT THIS MEASUREABLE SNOW EVENT IN THE HWO AND ISSUE AN SPS TO HIGHTEN THE AWARENESS. SURFACE TROUGH WILL QUICKLY SHIFT EAST OF THE AREA ON TUESDAY...AS AN AREA OF HIGH PRESSURE SLIDES INTO THE NORTHERN PLAINS. EXPECT A DIMINISHING PRECIPITATION TREND FROM WEST TO EAST ACROSS THE CWA WITH THE DEEPER MOISTURE DEPARTING. THROUGH THE REST OF THE WEEK...EXPECT NORTHWESTERLY FLOW TO BE IN PLACE AS THE LOW SITS OVER QUEBEC AND A SERIES OF HIGHS DROP SOUTHEAST THROUGH THE NORTHERN PLAINS. 850MB TEMPS THROUGH THE REST OF THE PERIOD SHOULD BE RIGHT AROUND -8C WHICH LEADS TO PLENTY OF LAKE INSTABILITY. WILL CONTINUE TO HIGHLIGHT CHANCE POPS OR HIGHER IN THE TRADITIONAL NORTHWEST FLOW LOCATIONS THROUGH FRIDAY. HIGHEST POPS AND POTENTIAL FOR ACCUMULATION SNOWFALL WILL BE OVER THE EASTERN U.P. WITH THE LONGER FETCH AND CLOSER PROXIMITY TO THE BETTER MOISTURE UNDER THE UPPER LOW. THERE WILL BE A COUPLE BRIEF PERIODS WHERE THE LAKE EFFECT PRECIPITATION WILL PICKUP AS WEAK SHORTWAVES AND BETTER MOISTURE SWEEP THROUGH. CIPS TOP ANALOGS FOR THE MID WEEK PERIOD UNDER PERSISTENT LAKE EFFECT SNOWFALL SHOWS PROBABILITY FOR 4IN OF SNOW IN A 72HR PERIOD BEING AROUND 60 PERCENT IN THE TRADITIONAL FAVORED NORTHWEST FLOW LOCATIONS. BEING THAT IS OVER A 3 DAY PERIOD...THING THOSE VALUES ARE REASONABLE WITH LIGHT ACCUMULATIONS OCCURRING THROUGH THE END OF THE WORK WEEK. THE UPPER TROUGHS INFLUENCE ON THE UPPER GREAT LAKES LOOKS TO WEAKEN THIS WEEKEND AS IT SHIFTS EAST INTO THE NEW ENGLAND STATES. BUT ANOTHER SHORTWAVE ROUNDING THE UPPER RIDGE OVER THE ROCKIES WILL TRY TO MOVE INTO THE AREA FOR THE SECOND HALF OF THE WEEKEND. WILL JUST GO WITH A GENERAL CONSENSUS AND HAVE CHANCE POPS WITH TEMPERATURES REMAINING BELOW NORMAL. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z SUNDAY NIGHT) ISSUED AT 129 AM EDT SUN OCT 20 2013 WITH AN UPSLOPE W WIND COMPONENT AND FAIRLY MOIST/CHILLY AIRMASS FLOWING OVER THE RELATIVELY WARM WATERS OF WRN LK SUP...SOME LO CLDS AND AT LEAST OCNL MVFR CIGS WL IMPACT IWD AND ESPECIALLY CMX THRU MUCH OF THE NGT. DOWNSLOPE NATURE OF THE FLOW SHOULD MAINTAIN VFR CONDITIONS AT SAW. ARRIVAL OF WEAK HI PRES RDG SHOULD BRING VFR WX TO ALL THE SITES FOR MUCH OF THE DAY SUN...BUT THICKER CLDS/RA WL ARRIVE SW TO NE SUN AFTN/EVNG AHEAD OF LO PRES MOVING THRU THE UPR LKS. EXPECT CONDITIONS TO DETERIORATE TO MVFR AT ALL 3 SITES AND EVEN IFR AT IWD UNDER STEADY RA WITH UPSLOPE N WIND. && .MARINE...(FOR THE 4 AM LAKE SUPERIOR FORECAST ISSUANCE) ISSUED AT 510 AM EDT SUN OCT 20 2013 LOW PRESSURE MOVEING OUT OF THE DAKOTAS WILL BEGIN TO INTENSIFY OVER THE UPPER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY TODAY AND THEN MOVE THROUGH THE UPPER GREAT LAKES TONIGHT AND MONDAY. AS THIS OCCURS...WINDS WILL STRENGTHEN ACROSS THE LAKE...FIRST OUT OF THE SOUTH TO SOUTHEAST AHEAD OF THE LOW THIS EVENING AND THEN OUT OF THE WEST BEHIND THE LOW LATE TONIGHT INTO MONDAY. THERE STILL ARE SOME DIFFERENCES IN THE EXACT TRACK AND STRENGTH OF THE LOW AS IT MOVES ACROSS LAKE SUPERIOR ON MONDAY...SO WIND SPEED/DIRECTIONS ARE STILL UNCERTAIN. AT THIS TIME...IT APPEARS THE STRONGEST WINDS WILL BE BEHIND THE LOW ON MONDAY AND MONDAY NIGHT...WHEN WEST GALES TO 35-40KTS VEERING TO THE NORTH ARE EXPECTED. ONCE THE LOW DEPARTS THE AREA...EXPECT NORTHWESTERLY WINDS UP TO 25KTS TO REMAIN OVER LAKE SUPERIOR INTO WEDNESDAY. && .MQT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... UPPER MICHIGAN... NONE. LAKE SUPERIOR... GALE WATCH FROM MONDAY MORNING THROUGH TUESDAY AFTERNOON FOR LSZ265>267. GALE WATCH FROM MONDAY EVENING THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING FOR LSZ264. GALE WATCH FROM MONDAY MORNING THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING FOR LSZ263. LAKE MICHIGAN... NONE. && $$ SHORT TERM...JLB LONG TERM...SRF AVIATION...KC MARINE...JLB
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS GAYLORD MI
338 AM EDT SUN OCT 20 2013 .SYNOPSIS... ISSUED AT 335 AM EDT SUN OCT 20 2013 COOL WEATHER WITH PERIODS OF LAKE EFFECT SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE INTO NEXT WEEK...AS A BROAD TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE REMAINS OVER THE GREAT LAKES. EVEN COLDER AIR WILL ENGULF THE GREAT LAKES AND UPPER MIDWEST BY MONDAY...AS ANOTHER WEAK STORM SYSTEM EXITS NORTHEAST INTO QUEBEC EARLY IN THE WORK WEEK. TEMPERATURES MAY GET COLD ENOUGH TO BRING THE FIRST SNOWFALL OF THE SEASON...ESPECIALLY TO INTERIOR SECTIONS OF EASTERN UPPER AND NORTHERN LOWER MICHIGAN. && .SHORT TERM...(TODAY THROUGH TONIGHT) ISSUED AT 335 AM EDT SUN OCT 20 2013 MUCH DISCUSSED DEEP TROUGHING CONTINUES TO DOMINATE GREAT LAKES WEATHER AT THIS EARLY HOUR...DOWNSTREAM OF EQUALLY IMPRESSIVE RIDGING POCKING UP AND BEYOND THE NORTHWEST TERRITORIES. SUBTLE WAVE TRAVERSING WITHIN THIS FLOW...NOW IN THE PROCESS OF FURTHER DEAMPLIFYING AND CUTTING ACROSS THE NORTHERN LAKES. THIS...COMBINED WITH STILL MORE THAN SUPPORTIVE OVER-WATER INSTABILITY (H8 TEMPERATURES RIGHT AROUND -2C PER HIGH RES RAP AND 00Z SOUNDING ANALYSIS)...CONTINUES TO KICK OFF LAKE ENHANCED RAIN SHOWERS OFF NORTHERN LAKE MICHIGAN (EVEN HAD SOME LEGITIMATE SNOWFLAKES MIX IN WITH THE RAIN HERE ON TOP OF THE HILL). OTHERWISE...A RATHER QUIET AND TOUCH CHILLY NIGHT...WITH CURRENT READINGS MAINLY IN THE 30S AND LOWER 40S. MAIN SYSTEM OF INTEREST THROUGH THE SHORT TERM IS WELL DEFINED SHORTWAVE/VORT LOBE DROPPING STRAIGHT SOUTH THROUGH CENTRAL MANITOBA. THIS SYSTEM WILL DRUM UP A RATHER RESPECTABLE AREA OF LOW PRESSURE TONIGHT AS IT DROPS INTO MINNESOTA. GOOD MID LEVEL SUPPORT AND LOW LEVEL ENERGY SUPPLIED BY WARM LAKE WATERS WILL HELP DEEPEN THIS SURFACE LOW AS IT MOVES UP INTO EASTERN LAKE SUPERIOR BY MONDAY MORNING. THIS SYSTEM WILL BRING MORE WIDESPREAD RAINS HEADING INTO TONIGHT...AND PERHAPS A GALE EVENT ON PARTS OF THE BIG WATERS. SHORT TERM FORECAST CONCERNS CENTER ON ADDRESSING THE IMPACTS OF THIS SYSTEM. BY AND LARGE...A RATHER NON-EVENTFUL WEATHER DAY EXPECTED TODAY. CURRENT OVERHEAD WAVE WILL HAVE EXITED STAGE RIGHT BY SUNRISE...LEAVING PURE LAKE PROCESSES FOR ANY ADDITIONAL SHOWER DEVELOPMENT THROUGH MID AFTERNOON. EXPECT THERE WILL BE SOME ONGOING TO START THE DAY...ESPECIALLY ALONG THE NORTHWEST LOWER COASTLINE WHERE WIND CONVERGENCE WILL BE MAXIMIZED. LAKE PROCESSES WILL BE A DOWNWARD ONE HEADING THROUGH THE DAY AS WINDS BACK SOUTHERLY AND WEAK MID LEVEL RIDGING BUILDS OVERHEAD. ATTENTION LATE THIS AFTERNOON INTO THE OVERNIGHT TURNS TO STRONG WAA RESPONSE AHEAD OF EARLIER MENTIONED DEEPENING SURFACE LOW. RATHER IMPRESSIVE ISENTROPIC UPGLIDE SIGNATURE VIA FORCED ASCENT ON NOSE OF 40+ KNOT LOW LEVEL JET...WITH WELL OVER HALF INCH PWATS ALSO SURGING NORTH INTO THE AREA WITH THIS JET. ABOVE LOOKS TO KICK OFF A RATHER LARGE AREA OF RAIN...WHICH WILL SPREAD RAPIDLY NORTHEAST ACROSS OUR AREA LATE THIS AFTERNOON INTO THIS EVENING. PER FULL 00Z GUIDANCE ANALYSIS...MAY AMP UP RAIN CHANCES SOME SOUTHWEST THIRD OF THE AREA AFTER 21Z TODAY...WITH INHERITED CATEGORICAL WORDING INTO THIS EVENING LOOKING GREAT. DRY SLOT PUNCHES IN FROM THE SOUTHWEST THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT...LIKELY ABRUPTLY ENDING RAINS AS IT DOES SO. MAY SEE SOME LAKE SHOWERS ATTEMPT TO FIRE FAR NORTHERN LAKE MICHIGAN TOWARDS MORNING WHERE MOISTURE WILL REMAIN DEEPER AND POST-COLD FRONT CAA REGIME ONCE AGAIN DROPS H8 READINGS TO JUST BELOW 0C. && .LONG TERM...(MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY) ISSUED AT 335 AM EDT SUN OCT 20 2013 CLASSIC LATE AUTUMN WX WILL REMAIN IN PLACE FOR THE UPCOMING WEEK...A BIT AHEAD OF SCHEDULE. PLENTY OF UPPER TROFFING WILL REMAIN IN PLACE IN CENTRAL CANADA AND ADJOINING PARTS OF THE STATES. THE LOWEST HEIGHTS WILL BE OVERHEAD MONDAY EVENING...AS AN UPPER LOW CROSSES EASTERN SUPERIOR. HOWEVER...HEIGHT RECOVERY AFTER THAT LOW EJECTS TO THE NE WILL BE ANEMIC. THAT WILL MAINTAIN MIXED PRECIP AS A SIGNIFICANT FORECAST CONCERN...ESPECIALLY DURING THE LATE NIGHT/ EARLY MORNING HOURS. PRECIP TRENDS ARE THE MAIN CONCERN. MONDAY...500MB LOW MOVES FROM INL TO MQT. 999MB SURFACE LOW OVER EASTERN SUPERIOR WILL LIFT NE TO SSW OF JAMES BAY...WITH A NEW LOW SPINNING UP ALONG A SECONDARY COLD FRONT IN CENTRAL SUPERIOR DURING THE AFTERNOON. THE BACK EDGE OF THE WARM CONVEYOR BELT WILL BE ABOUT TO EXIT NE LOWER MI AT 12Z...WITH DRIER MID LEVEL AIR IN THE PROCESS OF POURING INTO NORTHERN LOWER. HOWEVER...OVERLAKE INSTABILITY WILL BE INCREASING CONSIDERABLY AS COLDER LOW LEVEL AIR POURS IN. 850MB TEMPS OVER NORTHERN LAKE MI WILL NEAR -6C BY 18Z...-8C BY 00Z. MEANWHILE...EASTERN UPPER WILL REMAIN ON THE SOUTHERN PERIPHERY OF THE DEEPER WRAPAROUND MOISTURE. COULD STILL BE SOME FRONTAL SHRA IN FAR EASTERN SECTIONS TO START THE MORNING. SCT SHRA WILL GET GOING IN WSW-FLOW AREAS (ESPECIALLY FROM LEELANAU NORTHWARD) DURING THE MORNING...AS WELL AS IN EASTERN UPPER. THESE COULD BECOME MORE NUMEROUS IN THE AFTERNOON...AS INSTABILITY INCREASES (DELTA T/S IN THE LOWER 20S) AND THE CORE OF THE DRY SLOT MOVES EAST. 1000-850MB WINDS WILL VEER TO THE WEST DURING THE AFTERNOON...WITH INVERSION HEIGHTS A REASONABLY HEALTHY 6-7K FT. WILL INTRODUCE A SMALL CHANCE FOR A MIX VERY LATE IN THE DAY IN THE INTERIOR OF EASTERN UPPER...WHERE THE SURFACE-BASED MELTING LAYER IS NARROWING BELOW 1K FT. MAX TEMPS IN THE 40S (TO LOWER 50S NE LOWER) AND EARLY...WITH FALLING TEMPS IN THE PM. BRISK TO WINDY...ESPECIALLY NEAR LAKE MI. MON NIGHT/TUESDAY...UPPER LOW WILL GRADUALLY LIFT OUT TOWARD JAMES BAY...THOUGH WITH A SUBSTANTIAL SHORTWAVE ROUNDING IT/S SOUTHERN FLANK LATE MONDAY NIGHT. THAT WILL DRIVE THE SECONDARY FRONT INTO EASTERN UPPER MI LATE MONDAY NIGHT...AND ACROSS THE REST OF THE FORECAST AREA ON TUESDAY. 1000-850MB WINDS WILL BRIEFLY BACK MORE WSW AGAIN JUST AHEAD OF THIS TROF...ALLOWING THE INITIAL 850MB THERMAL TROF TO MOVE EAST AND BOOSTING 850MB TEMPS TO -5C. WINDS RAPIDLY VEER NW BEHIND THE TROF...AND COLD ADVECTION RESUMES. AFTER CONTINUED LOW-END-ISH LAKE EFFECT MONDAY EVENING (THOUGH WITH MORE SNOW MIXING IN AS DIURNAL HEATING IS LOST)...PRECIP WILL SUBSTANTIALLY RAMP UP OVERNIGHT AS THE SECONDARY FRONT AND SHARP 1000-850MB CONVERGENCE ARRIVES. SLUSHY ACCUMS UP TO AN INCH SEEM A DISTINCT POSSIBILITY MONDAY NIGHT NEAR GLR/BOYNE CITY/MANCELONA... AND IN WESTERN CHIP. TUESDAY WILL SEE A WOBBLY NW FLOW...BUT WITH MID-LEVEL DRYING/SUBSIDENCE AS THE VORT LOBE MOVES EAST. SOME LAKE EFFECT WILL CONTINUE...ESPECIALLY IN THE MORNING...WITH DISRUPTIVE DIURNAL HEATING DISORGANIZING THINGS IN THE PM. SOME SLOPPY LIGHT ACCUMS ARE AGAIN POSSIBLE IN THE MOST FAVORED AREAS OF BOTH PENINSULAS IN THE MORNING. MIN TEMPS WITHIN A FEW DEGREES OF 30F. MAX TEMPS NEAR 40F TO THE MID 40S. AND IT WILL REMAIN BRISK TO WINDY. REST OF THE FORECAST...FEW CHANGES NEEDED...AS COLD AND SHOWERY WX WILL PERSIST AS CURRENTLY FORECAST. NEW ECMWF IS FLAT-OUT COLD STRAIGHT THRU 240HRS. (PROBABLY BEST FOR MOTHER NATURE TO GET THIS OUT OF HER SYSTEM NOW.) && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z SUNDAY NIGHT) ISSUED AT 1100 PM EDT SAT OCT 19 2013 SCT/NMRS LAKE ENHANCED RAIN SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE TO IMPACT NRN LWR MICHIGAN TAF SITES THRU SUNDAY NIGHT THANKS TO DEEP CYCLONIC FLOW...COLD AIR ACTIVATING THE LAKES AND AMPLE LOW LEVEL MOISTURE. OVERALL...CIGS WILL REMAIN LOW VFR...BUT MAY BRIEFLY DROP TO HIGH MVFR WITHIN SOME OF THE HEAVIER SHOWER ACTIVITY. WESTERLY WINDS UNDER 10 KTS TONIGHT WILL SHIFT TO THE S/SW ON SUNDAY AHEAD OF DEEPENING LOW PRESSURE SLIDING INTO THE UPPER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. && .MARINE... ISSUED AT 335 AM EDT SUN OCT 20 2013 RELATIVELY LIGHT WINDS THIS MORNING GIVES WAY TO INCREASINGLY GUSTY SOUTH FLOW LATER THIS AFTERNOON...AND ESPECIALLY TONIGHT...AS LOW PRESSURE INTENSIFIES AND PUSHES INTO EASTERN LAKE SUPERIOR BY MONDAY MORNING. TIGHTENING PRESSURE GRADIENT AND ONSET OF IMPRESSIVE SURGE OF CAA WILL LEAD TO VERY GUSTY WEST TO SOUTHWEST WINDS DURING THE DAY MONDAY...WITH THE STRONGEST WINDS EXPECTED OVER NORTHERN LAKE MICHIGAN. GALE FORCE WIND GUSTS APPEAR INCREASINGLY LIKELY...RESULTING IN AN UPGRADE TO INHERITED NORTHERN LAKE MICHIGAN GALE WATCH TO A WARNING. IN ADDITION...WIND GUST MAY REACH GALE FORCE ACROSS WHITEFISH BAY AND THE ST. MARYS RIVER LATER MONDAY MORNING THROUGH THE AFTERNOON. CONFIDENCE NOT HIGH ENOUGH TO WARRANT A GALE WARNING...BUT ENOUGH CONCERN TO HOIST A GALE WATCH FOR THESE AREAS. ADDITIONAL SCA/S WILL LIKELY BE NEEDED FOR OTHER NEARSHORE ZONES...BUT WILL FOCUS ON GALE CONDITIONS AND PUNT ADVISORY ISSUANCES TO FUTURE FORECAST SHIFTS. WELCOME TO FALL ON THE GREAT LAKES! && .APX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MI...NONE. LH...GALE WARNING FROM 5 AM MONDAY TO 11 AM EDT TUESDAY FOR LHZ345. LM...GALE WARNING FROM 5 AM MONDAY TO 11 AM EDT TUESDAY FOR LMZ341- 342-344>346. LS...GALE WATCH FROM MONDAY MORNING THROUGH MONDAY EVENING FOR LSZ321- 322. && $$ SYNOPSIS...JZ SHORT TERM...MB LONG TERM...JZ AVIATION...MR MARINE...MB
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
435 AM CDT SUN OCT 20 2013 .SHORT/LONG TERM...(TODAY THROUGH SATURDAY) ISSUED AT 433 AM CDT SUN OCT 20 2013 PERSISTENT NORTHWEST FLOW WILL REMAIN IN TACT THROUGHOUT THE PERIOD...LEADING TO BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES AND PERIODIC CHANCES FOR LIGHT PRECIP. GIVEN THE COLD AIR EXPECTED TO BE IN PLACE...WILL SEE THE POTENTIAL FOR FROZEN PRECIP CARRY ON THROUGH NEXT WEEK. ARGUABLY THE MOST INTRIGUING FEATURE IN THE EXTENDED IS THE CLIPPER SYSTEM CURRENTLY APPROACHING THE UPPER MIDWEST. THE LATEST HIRES MODELS PORTRAY MORE OF A SOUTHERLY TRACK...SO HAVE BROUGHT THE HIGHEST POPS AND QPF SOUTH TO REFLECT THIS TREND. HOWEVER...BUFR FORECAST SOUNDINGS OFF THE RAP ONLY HAVE AROUND AN INCH OF SNOW AT MORA...AND BRAINERD...WITH LESS AT ALEXANDRIA AND ST CLOUD. THE NAM IS CONTINUES TO ADVERTISE 4 INCHES AT MORA...BUT THIS IS LIKELY OVERDONE CONSIDERING THAT ACCORDING TO THE NAM AS OF 5AM 1-2 INCHES SHOULD HAVE ALREADY FALLEN AT FARGO..AND THEY HAVE YET TO RECEIVE ANY SNOW. THE MAIN REASON FOR THE SLOW CHANGEOVER SEEMS TO BE THE LACK OF STRONG FGEN AND FOCUSED VERTICAL MOTION IN THE WAA REGIME...RATHER GRADUAL ISENTROPIC ASCENT WAS THE DRIVING FORCE BEHIND THE PRECIP. THROUGHOUT THE MORNING HOURS...THE NAM DOES INCREASE THE FGEN FORCING...WHILE THE RAP IS WEAKER. AFTER WEEDING THROUGH THE DIFFERENT SCENARIOS...DO NOT HAVE THE CONFIDENCE IN ANY SNOWFALL AMOUNTS EXCEEDING 3 INCHES DESPITE THE SOUTHERLY SHIFT IN QPF. RATHER SHOULD SEE A MODEST BAND OF SNOW TRACK NORTH OF I-94...WITH PERHAPS AN INCH OR 2 ON GRASSY SURFACES THIS MORNING...BEFORE TRANSITIONING TO MORE OF RAIN/SNOW OR EVEN ALL RAIN MIX LATER THIS AFTERNOON AS 1)THE BOUNDARY LAYER WARMS...AND 2) WE LOSE THE DEEP SATURATION AND TRANSITION TO MORE OF LIGHT RAIN/DRIZZLE SCENARIO. BRISK NORTHWEST WINDS WILL FOLLOW ONCE THIS SYSTEM MOVES EASTWARD AS COOLER AIR AS EVIDENT BY THE -7 TO -10C H850 TEMPS ADVECT ACROSS THE REGION SUNDAY NIGHT INTO MONDAY. THE NORTHWEST FLOW WILL PERSIST ACROSS THE REGION...WITH A FEW SHORTWAVES TRACKING DOWN THE POLEWARD SIDE OF THE JET. THESE WILL INDUCE LOW LEVEL CIRCULATIONS...THE NEXT OF WHICH IS EXPECTED TO TRACK SOUTHWEST OF THE CWA ALONG THE MISSOURI RIVER VALLEY MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY. COLD AIR WILL AGAIN BE REINFORCED BEHIND THIS SYSTEM...WILL NO WARM UP POTENTIAL IN SIGHT UNTIL PERHAPS THE END OF THE WEEK AS ANOTHER WAVE MOVES ACROSS THE REGION. DEPENDING ON THE TRACK OF THIS SYSTEM...THE UPPER MIDWEST COULD SEE ONE DAY OF WARMER TEMPERATURES...BUT THE GUIDANCE IS CONSISTENT THAT THIS WILL BE SHORT LIVED AS ANOTHER ARCTIC AIRMASS WILL FOLLOW BEHIND THIS PASSING WAVE. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z SUNDAY NIGHT) ISSUED AT 1141 PM CDT SAT OCT 19 2013 A COMPLEX TAF PERIOD IS AHEAD AS A CLIPPER SYSTEM DIVES SOUTHEAST ACROSS SOUTHERN MINNESOTA SUNDAY. PRECIPITATION WILL BEGIN TO PUSH INTO WESTERN MN LATE TONIGHT AND SPREAD EAST INTO WISCONSIN LATE SUNDAY MORNING. THERMAL PROFILES INDICATE SNOW FOR MUCH OF CENTRAL MN...WITH A BIT OF SNOW POSSIBLE AT THE ONSET ACROSS EASTERN MN AND WESTERN WI. THINK TEMPERATURES ARE OVERDONE ON MOS...WHICH LEADS TO LOWER RH NEAR THE SURFACE AND THUS HIGHER CIGS. WENT MUCH MORE PESSIMISTIC WITH THE CIGS NORTH OF THE LOW TRACK AS INDICATED BY FORECAST SOUNDINGS AND HOPWRF MODEL. KMSP...ONSET OF PRECIP CONTINUES TO LOOK LIKE 13 OR 14Z WITH SNOW POSSIBLY MIXED WITH THE RAIN FOR A BRIEF TIME. BIGGEST UNCERTAINTY WILL BE CIGS SUNDAY. THE WARM FRONT WILL BISECT THE METRO AND MSP WILL BE SOMEWHERE BETWEEN THE IFR CIGS TO THE NORTH AND VFR OR MVFR CIGS TO THE SOUTH IN THE WARMER AIR. A SLIGHT NORTHWARD SHIFT OF THE FORECAST TRACK HAS LED TO A CONTINUATION OF MVFR CIGS. /OUTLOOK FOR KMSP/ MON...VFR WITH -RA/SN POSSIBLE. WINDS NW AT 15G25KT. TUE...VFR WITH MVFR CIGS POSSIBLE EARLY. WINDS NW AT 5-10 KTS. WED...MVFR CIGS POSSIBLE. WINDS W AT 5-10 KTS. && .MPX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MN...NONE. WI...NONE. && $$ SHORT TERM...JRB LONG TERM...JRB AVIATION...BORGHOFF
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS STATE COLLEGE PA
204 AM EDT SUN OCT 20 2013 .SYNOPSIS... A COLD FRONT WILL PASS THROUGH THE REGION THIS EVENING FOLLOWED BY A VISIT FROM HIGH PRESSURE ON SUNDAY AND MONDAY. THE PATTERN WILL TURN NOTICEABLY COOLER AND UNSETTLED NEXT WEEK AS AN UPPER TROUGH ESTABLISHES ITSELF OVER THE EASTERN UNITED STATES. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM THIS MORNING/... REGIONAL RADAR LOOP AT 02Z SHOWS A DWINDLING LINE OF SHOWERS ASSOC WITH COLD FRONT ENTERING THE SUSQ VALLEY. DESPITE A DECENT AMT OF MOISTURE POOLING AHEAD OF FRONT...UPPER LVL SHORTWAVE AND ASSOC LG SCALE FORCING IS LIFTING NORTH OF THE BORDER...SO LITTLE CHC OF MORE THAN AN ISOLD SHOWER AS FRONT PUSHES THRU THE EASTERN COUNTIES BTWN 02Z-04Z. LATEST RAP OUTPUT INDICATES CDFRONT WILL CLEAR THE EASTERNMOST COUNTIES /SCHUYLKILL AND LANCASTER/ BY MIDNIGHT. BEHIND FRONT...ONLY REMAINING PRECIP WILL BE IN THE FORM OF LAKE EFFECT RAIN SHOWERS COMING OFF OF LK ERIE. CURRENT RADAR TRENDS AND RAP/NAM OUTPUT SUGGEST SHOWERS ACROSS WARREN/MCKEAN COS WILL SHIFT NORTH OF THE BORDER AFTER 06Z...AS BLYR FLOW BACKS TO THE WSW. CLEARING SKIES ALREADY DEVELOPING EAST OF THE MTNS AT 02Z AND EXPECT THAT TREND TO CONTINUE OVERNIGHT...AS DRIER WEST FLOW OVERSPREADS CENTRAL PA. STRATOCU MAY LINGER FOR A WHILE ACROSS THE LAUREL HIGHLANDS...BUT EXPECT CLEARING EVEN THERE LATE TONIGHT. THE INITIALLY GUSTY WEST WINDS SHOULD SLACKEN LATE TONIGHT...AS HIGH PRES RIDGE BUILDS IN FROM THE OHIO VALLEY. BLEND OF LATEST LAMP AND RAP GUIDANCE SUGGEST TEMPS WILL BOTTOM OUT IN THE M30S ACROSS THE ALLEGHENY PLATEAU...TO THE L40S OVR THE SUSQ VALLEY. && .SHORT TERM /6 AM THIS MORNING THROUGH 6 PM MONDAY/... HIGH PRESSURE WILL PASS JUST SOUTH OF THE STATE ON SUNDAY...PROVIDING THE AREA WITH SEASONABLY COOL AND DRY WX. ALTHOUGH A WSW BLYR FLOW WILL KEEP LINGERING LAKE EFFECT ACTIVITY NORTH OF THE BORDER...COLD TEMPS ALOFT SHOULD YIELD A GOOD AMT OF DIURNAL STRATOCU ACROSS THE NW MTNS. WIND WILL INCREASE A BIT FROM A MORNING LULL...AS THE ATMOS MIXES. MDL SOUNDINGS SUPPORT AFTN GUSTS BTWN 20-25KTS ACROSS THE NW MTNS...AND BTWN 10-15KTS ACROSS THE LOWER SUSQ VALLEY. HIGH TEMPS UNDER THE RATHER HOMOGENEOUS 0C-M2C 8H TEMPS WILL BE ALMOST ENTIRELY DEPENDENT ON ELEVATION AND DOWNSLOPE WARMING. MAXES SHOULD BE CLOSE TO 50F IN THE NW MTNS AND NEAR 60F IN THE VALLEYS/LOWER ELEVS OF THE SUSQ VALLEY. && .LONG TERM /MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY/... CENTRAL PA WILL BE ON NORTHERN EDGE OF ERODING HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE SUN NIGHT INTO MON...WITH A WARM FRONT LIFTING THROUGH OHIO VALLEY AND SKIRTING W PA. THIS WILL KEEP WEATHER FAIR AND MILD...WITH HIGHS MONDAY SLIPPING INTO THE 60S /ABOUT 4-8F ABOVE NORMAL/. THINGS START TO GO DOWNHILL MONDAY NIGHT AS NEW ENERGY STARTS DIVING OUT OF SOUTHERN CANADA ON THE WAY TO CARVING OUT A LARGE SCALE PERSISTENT TROF OVER THE EASTERN U.S. A BUILDING RIDGE OVER THE WEST COAST WILL HELP DEEPEN AN ADVANCING LOW...WHICH WILL DELIVER A STEADY FEED OF INCREASINGLY MORE CHILLY AIR ACROSS THE UPPER MIDWEST NEXT WEEK. THIS COLD AIR WILL PROPAGATE INTO THE LOWER LAKES AND LOCAL AREA IN THE WAKE OF A COLD FRONTAL BOUNDARY PROGGED FOR TUESDAY...AND REINFORCED BY SECONDARY TROUGH ON WEDNESDAY /AS ANOTHER LOW FORMS ALONG THE BOUNDARY AND SLIDES ACROSS MID ATLANTIC STATES JUST TO OUR SOUTH BEFORE SLIDING OFF THE COAST OF NEW ENGLAND/. SOME DIFFERENCES CONTINUE IN MODEL SOLUTIONS STARTING AROUND WEDNESDAY WHEN THE ECMWF BRINGS A STRONG SHORTWAVE OUT OF THE OHIO VALLEY. THE OPERATIONAL GFS AND THE GEFS /PREVIOUSLY WITH A FLATTER TROUGH/ ARE COMING MORE IN LINE WITH THE EC...WHICH WILL INCREASE OUR POP CHANCES FOR WED WITH A STEADY LIGHT RAIN POSS. AFTER THAT...CYCLONIC FLOW WILL CONTINUE TO ALLOW INCREASINGLY COOLER AIR TO FILTER IN ON NW FLOW. PLENTY OF COLD ADVECTION STRATOCU AND LAKE/OROGRAPHIC SHOWERS LOOKING LIKELY IN THE HIGHER WESTERN TERRAIN MID/LATE WEEK...WITH DOWNSLOPE COMPONENT TO WINDS KEEPING PRECIP AT A MIN FOR THE SE. LOW LEVEL TEMPS GET COLD ENOUGH /850MB TEMPS DIP BELOW 0C/ THAT LIGHT SHOWERS COULD BE MIXED WITH WET SNOW DURING THE CHILLIEST PART OF THE DAY AND OVERNIGHT. HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS IN LOW LEVELS FOR THE WEEKEND...BRINGING QUITE CHILLY MORNING TEMPS. BUT AN OVERALL MORE SETTLED WEATHER PATTERN. REINFORCING SHOT OF COLDER AIR POSS EARLY NEXT WEEK. && .AVIATION /06Z SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/... MOST OF THE SHOWERS OFF LAKE ERIE WILL BE NORTH OF OUR AREA... BUT CLOUDS WILL LINGER INTO LATE MORNING OR EARLY AFT...GIVEN THE STRONG FLOW OF COLD AIR OVER THE LAKE. THE AIRMASS IS COLD ENOUGH TO RESLULT IN RADAR RETURNS OF ALMOST 50 DBZ ALONG THE LAKE ERIE SHORELINE. ANYWAY...AS WINDS SHIFT MORE TO THE SW THIS AFTERNOON AND WEAKEN...CLOUDS WILL THIN OUT. CLOUDS INCREASE ACROSS THE AREA BY MONDAY MORNING...AS ANOTHER LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM LIFTS NE ACROSS THE LOWER LAKES REGION. SOME SHOWERS WILL BE POSSIBLE LATER MONDAY AFT INTO TUE...AS THE NEXT COLD FRONT MOVES ACROSS THE AREA. OUTLOOK... TUE...FROPA. MVFR/IFR POSS DUE TO SHOWERS/CLOUDS...ESP NW. WED...MVFR POSS IN SHRA...ESP NW. THURS...BREEZY...MVFR CLOUDS/SHRA N/W. && .CTP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && $$ SYNOPSIS...LA CORTE NEAR TERM...FITZGERALD SHORT TERM...DANGELO/FITZGERALD LONG TERM...RXR AVIATION...JUNG/MARTIN
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS MIAMI FL
1022 AM EDT SUN OCT 20 2013 .UPDATE... DO NOT PLAN ANY CHANGES TO MORNING UPDATES WITH THE 12Z MFL SOUNDING INDICATING SUBSIDENCE CAP STILL IN PLACE WITH A STABLE LAYER BETWEEN 800 AND 650 MB. ATMOSPHERE ALSO REMAINS QUITE DRY WITH PWAT AT AROUND 1.5 INCHES. THE LOWER LAYERS HAVE MOISTENED UP WITH DEW POINTS BACK INTO THE LOWER AND MID 70S SO CU FIELD ALREADY FORMING AND COULD HAVE SOME EARLY ONSET OF LOW TOPPED SHOWERS AND IF ANY CAN OVERCOME THE CAP, THEN A THUNDERSTORM CANNOT BE RULED OUT WITH QUITE A BIT OF LIGHTNING LATE YESTERDAY OVER WESTERN PALM BEACH COUNTY. THE HRRR DOES SHOW THIS TREND WITH LATE AFTERNOON CONVECTION OVER THE SAME AREA. WILL WAIT FOR EARLIER THIS AFTERNOON, BUT MAY NEED TO EXPAND THE CHANCE POP COVERAGE A LITTLER FARTHER TO THE EAST BUT NOTHING MORE DRASTIC THAN THAT PLANNED AT THIS TIME. KOB && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 657 AM EDT SUN OCT 20 2013/ AVIATION... A WEAK, DIFFUSE BOUNDARY ACROSS THE FLORIDA PENINSULA HAS BEEN A FOCAL POINT FOR SOME ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHOWERS. THIS BOUNDARY WILL CONTINUE TO AFFECT THE WEATHER TODAY, WITH A CHANCE OF SHOWERS, MAINLY IN THE LAKE REGION OF SOUTH FLORIDA, WHICH SHOULD NOT IMPACT ANY TAF SITES. HOWEVER, THERE IS A VERY LOW POSSIBILITY THAT A BRIEF CONVECTIVE CELL COULD IMPACT ANY GIVEN TAF SITE. OTHERWISE, VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED. ALSO, BEING SOUTH OF THE BOUNDARY WILL KEEP WINDS GENERALLY SOUTHERLY TODAY, PICKING UP TO 5 TO 10 KTS. THEY WILL GO LIGHT AND VARIABLE AGAIN TONIGHT. PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 358 AM EDT SUN OCT 20 2013/ DISCUSSION... A WEAK SURFACE TROUGH JUST WEST OF THE FLORIDA KEYS CONTINUES TO GENERATE A FEW SHOWERS WEST AND SOUTH OF KEY WEST EARLY THIS MORNING. THIS TROUGH IS EXPECTED TO LINGER THROUGH THE DAY AND ACT AS A FOCUS FOR ADDITIONAL SHOWERS MAINLY ACROSS THE GULF WATERS. FOR SOUTH FLORIDA...SHOWERS AND POSSIBLY A FEW THUNDERSTORMS WILL AGAIN BE POSSIBLE THROUGH THE AFTERNOON HOURS. SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT WILL CONTINUE TO FUNNEL LOW LEVEL MOISTURE INTO THE AREA. THIS COMBINED WITH WEAK SEA BREEZE INTERACTIONS SHOULD BE ENOUGH TO SPARK A FEW SHOWERS AND STORMS MAINLY ACROSS THE INTERIOR. FOR MONDAY INTO TUESDAY...UPPER RIDGING ENTRENCHED ACROSS THE FLORIDA PENINSULA WILL SLOWLY BEGIN TO BREAK DOWN AS A BROAD H5 SHORTWAVE BEGINS TO SWING DOWN THROUGH THE MIDSOUTH STATES. SLIGHT CHANCES FOR AFTERNOON SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE PREVALENT EACH DAY AS A SLIGHTLY DEEPER MOISTURE AXIS PUSHES INTO SOUTH FLORIDA AHEAD OF AN APPROACHING COLD FRONT. THE COLD FRONT IS STILL EXPECTED TO PUSH INTO THE SOUTH FLORIDA AREA BY WEDNESDAY. MODELS TEND TO BE IN GOOD AGREEMENT ON THE TIMING OF THE FRONTAL PASSAGE. NORTH TO NORTHEASTERLY SURFACE FLOW WILL THEN PREVAIL AND INCREASE THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK DUE TO A RATHER TIGHT PRESSURE GRADIENT BETWEEN LOWER PRESSURE TO THE SOUTH AND STRONG HIGH PRESSURE ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST STATES. THIS WILL ALLOW NOTICEABLY MILDER TEMPERATURES TO FILTER ACROSS THE AREA THURSDAY INTO NEXT WEEKEND. WOULD NOT BE SURPRISED TO SEE MORNING LOWS IN THE 50S ACROSS INTERIOR AREAS FRIDAY MORNING. THE SOUTHWARD EXTENT OF THE DRY AIR PUSH IN THE WAKE OF THE FRONTAL PASSAGE IS UNCLEAR AT THIS TIME. BOTH THE GFS AND ECMWF SEEM TO KEEP AN OVERRUNNING MOISTURE AXIS JUST SOUTH OF THE AREA ACROSS THE FLORIDA STRAITS. ANY FLUCTUATION OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS WOULD GREATLY INFLUENCE RAIN CHANCES TOWARD THE END OF THE WEEK. SUBSEQUENT MODEL RUNS WILL NEED TO BE MONITORED CLOSELY FOR CONSISTENCY. MARINE... TRANQUIL MARINE CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK WITH A PREVAILING E-SE WIND AT 10 KNOTS OR LESS WITH CORRESPONDING SEAS AT 3 FEET OR LESS. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... WEST PALM BEACH 89 75 88 74 / 20 10 20 20 FORT LAUDERDALE 88 78 88 77 / 20 20 20 20 MIAMI 87 77 88 76 / 20 20 20 20 NAPLES 88 74 87 72 / 20 10 20 20 && .MFL WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... FL...NONE. AM...NONE. GM...NONE. && $$
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS GAYLORD MI
1036 AM EDT SUN OCT 20 2013 .SYNOPSIS... ISSUED AT 335 AM EDT SUN OCT 20 2013 COOL WEATHER WITH PERIODS OF LAKE EFFECT SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE INTO NEXT WEEK...AS A BROAD TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE REMAINS OVER THE GREAT LAKES. EVEN COLDER AIR WILL ENGULF THE GREAT LAKES AND UPPER MIDWEST BY MONDAY...AS ANOTHER WEAK STORM SYSTEM EXITS NORTHEAST INTO QUEBEC EARLY IN THE WORK WEEK. TEMPERATURES MAY GET COLD ENOUGH TO BRING THE FIRST SNOWFALL OF THE SEASON...ESPECIALLY TO INTERIOR SECTIONS OF EASTERN UPPER AND NORTHERN LOWER MICHIGAN. && .UPDATE... ISSUED AT 1036 AM EDT SUN OCT 20 2013 GOT A BIT OF A BREAK DURING THE OVERNIGHT HOURS WITH CLOUDS THINNING/ CLEARING OUT OVER A GOOD PART OF CWA...WELL DOWNWIND OF THE LAKES. BUT MEANWHILE...LAKE AGGREGATE TROUGH ANALYZED FROM WESTERN LAKE SUPERIOR DOWN INTO NRN LAKE MICHIGAN THIS MORNING. MESOSCALE SFC LOW HAS DEVELOPED OVER NRN LAKE MICHIGAN GIVEN THE WEAKER SYNOPTIC WIND REGIME/SHORELINE ORIENTATION AND OFFSHORE WIND COMPONENT. A FEW POCKETS OF LAKE INDUCED SHOWERS LINGER WITHIN THIS FEATURE ACROSS NRN LAKE MICHIGAN (CAN SEE THE LOW LEVEL SPIN IN THE RADAR DATA...PUSHING UP INTO PARTS OF NW LOWER INTO THE STRAITS AND EASTERN UPPER. REST OF TODAY...POTENT SHORT WAVE AND POCKET OF COLDEST AIR OF THE SEASON ON TRACK TO DROP INTO THE UPPER MIDWEST...THAT WILL ULTIMATELY DRIVE A DEEPENING SFC LOW/POTENT COLD FRONT THROUGH THE REGION...LATE TONIGHT AND MONDAY MORNING. AHEAD OF THIS DEVELOPING SYSTEM...LOW LEVEL FLOW WILL BACK MORE SOUTHERLY AS WE GO THROUGH THE AFTERNOON...PUSHING REMAINING LAKE INDUCED SHOWERS UP THROUGH EASTERN UPPER MICHIGAN. PULSE OF LOW-MID LEVEL WARM ADVECTION FORCING AHEAD OF THAT DEVELOPING SYSTEM ALREADY PRODUCING A BAND OF PRECIP EXPANDING INTO WESTERN WISCONSIN THIS MORNING. FORCING LOOKING TO DEVELOP INTO THE W/SW PART OF THE CWA BY LATE AFTERNOON. GOING FORECAST ALREADY HAS CHANCY POPS OVER THE SW COUNTIES AND A SLIVER OF EASTERN UPPER MICHIGAN...WHICH LOOKS FINE FOR NOW. HAVE TWEAKED SKY FORECASTS FOR THE BALANCE OF THE DAY BASED ON TRENDS...TO HAVE A LITTLE MORE SUNSHINE THROUGH MIDDAY. ALSO TWEAKED TEMP CURVE FOR TONIGHT. BIG SURGE OF WARM AIR ALOFT AND INCREASING SOUTHERLY WINDS SHOULD ACTUALLY RESULT IN FLAT LINE OR EVEN WARMING TEMPS TONIGHT. JUST HOW WARM DEPENDS ON HOW FAR NORTH THE SFC WARM FRONT CAN GET...BUT CAN ENVISION SOME LOCATIONS PUSHING THE HIGH 40S TO NEAR 50 OVERNIGHT...BEFORE IT ALL CRASHES ON MONDAY WITH FROPA. UPDATE ISSUED AT 657 AM EDT SUN OCT 20 2013 CLOUDS HAVE OPENED UP CONSIDERABLY IN PARTS OF NE LOWER AND EASTERN UPPER MI. THIS WILL TEND TO SELF-DESTRUCT WITH HEATING TODAY...THE SUB-800MB AIRMASS REMAINS ON THE MOIST SIDE. SOME ADJUSTMENTS MADE TO EARLY-MORNING CLOUD COVER. && .SHORT TERM...(TODAY THROUGH TONIGHT) ISSUED AT 335 AM EDT SUN OCT 20 2013 MUCH DISCUSSED DEEP TROUGHING CONTINUES TO DOMINATE GREAT LAKES WEATHER AT THIS EARLY HOUR...DOWNSTREAM OF EQUALLY IMPRESSIVE RIDGING POCKING UP AND BEYOND THE NORTHWEST TERRITORIES. SUBTLE WAVE TRAVERSING WITHIN THIS FLOW...NOW IN THE PROCESS OF FURTHER DEAMPLIFYING AND CUTTING ACROSS THE NORTHERN LAKES. THIS...COMBINED WITH STILL MORE THAN SUPPORTIVE OVER-WATER INSTABILITY (H8 TEMPERATURES RIGHT AROUND -2C PER HIGH RES RAP AND 00Z SOUNDING ANALYSIS)...CONTINUES TO KICK OFF LAKE ENHANCED RAIN SHOWERS OFF NORTHERN LAKE MICHIGAN (EVEN HAD SOME LEGITIMATE SNOWFLAKES MIX IN WITH THE RAIN HERE ON TOP OF THE HILL). OTHERWISE...A RATHER QUIET AND TOUCH CHILLY NIGHT...WITH CURRENT READINGS MAINLY IN THE 30S AND LOWER 40S. MAIN SYSTEM OF INTEREST THROUGH THE SHORT TERM IS WELL DEFINED SHORTWAVE/VORT LOBE DROPPING STRAIGHT SOUTH THROUGH CENTRAL MANITOBA. THIS SYSTEM WILL DRUM UP A RATHER RESPECTABLE AREA OF LOW PRESSURE TONIGHT AS IT DROPS INTO MINNESOTA. GOOD MID LEVEL SUPPORT AND LOW LEVEL ENERGY SUPPLIED BY WARM LAKE WATERS WILL HELP DEEPEN THIS SURFACE LOW AS IT MOVES UP INTO EASTERN LAKE SUPERIOR BY MONDAY MORNING. THIS SYSTEM WILL BRING MORE WIDESPREAD RAINS HEADING INTO TONIGHT...AND PERHAPS A GALE EVENT ON PARTS OF THE BIG WATERS. SHORT TERM FORECAST CONCERNS CENTER ON ADDRESSING THE IMPACTS OF THIS SYSTEM. BY AND LARGE...A RATHER NON-EVENTFUL WEATHER DAY EXPECTED TODAY. CURRENT OVERHEAD WAVE WILL HAVE EXITED STAGE RIGHT BY SUNRISE...LEAVING PURE LAKE PROCESSES FOR ANY ADDITIONAL SHOWER DEVELOPMENT THROUGH MID AFTERNOON. EXPECT THERE WILL BE SOME ONGOING TO START THE DAY...ESPECIALLY ALONG THE NORTHWEST LOWER COASTLINE WHERE WIND CONVERGENCE WILL BE MAXIMIZED. LAKE PROCESSES WILL BE A DOWNWARD ONE HEADING THROUGH THE DAY AS WINDS BACK SOUTHERLY AND WEAK MID LEVEL RIDGING BUILDS OVERHEAD. ATTENTION LATE THIS AFTERNOON INTO THE OVERNIGHT TURNS TO STRONG WAA RESPONSE AHEAD OF EARLIER MENTIONED DEEPENING SURFACE LOW. RATHER IMPRESSIVE ISENTROPIC UPGLIDE SIGNATURE VIA FORCED ASCENT ON NOSE OF 40+ KNOT LOW LEVEL JET...WITH WELL OVER HALF INCH PWATS ALSO SURGING NORTH INTO THE AREA WITH THIS JET. ABOVE LOOKS TO KICK OFF A RATHER LARGE AREA OF RAIN...WHICH WILL SPREAD RAPIDLY NORTHEAST ACROSS OUR AREA LATE THIS AFTERNOON INTO THIS EVENING. PER FULL 00Z GUIDANCE ANALYSIS...MAY AMP UP RAIN CHANCES SOME SOUTHWEST THIRD OF THE AREA AFTER 21Z TODAY...WITH INHERITED CATEGORICAL WORDING INTO THIS EVENING LOOKING GREAT. DRY SLOT PUNCHES IN FROM THE SOUTHWEST THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT...LIKELY ABRUPTLY ENDING RAINS AS IT DOES SO. MAY SEE SOME LAKE SHOWERS ATTEMPT TO FIRE FAR NORTHERN LAKE MICHIGAN TOWARDS MORNING WHERE MOISTURE WILL REMAIN DEEPER AND POST-COLD FRONT CAA REGIME ONCE AGAIN DROPS H8 READINGS TO JUST BELOW 0C. .LONG TERM...(MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY) ISSUED AT 335 AM EDT SUN OCT 20 2013 CLASSIC LATE AUTUMN WX WILL REMAIN IN PLACE FOR THE UPCOMING WEEK...A BIT AHEAD OF SCHEDULE. PLENTY OF UPPER TROFFING WILL REMAIN IN PLACE IN CENTRAL CANADA AND ADJOINING PARTS OF THE STATES. THE LOWEST HEIGHTS WILL BE OVERHEAD MONDAY EVENING...AS AN UPPER LOW CROSSES EASTERN SUPERIOR. HOWEVER...HEIGHT RECOVERY AFTER THAT LOW EJECTS TO THE NE WILL BE ANEMIC. THAT WILL MAINTAIN MIXED PRECIP AS A SIGNIFICANT FORECAST CONCERN...ESPECIALLY DURING THE LATE NIGHT/ EARLY MORNING HOURS. PRECIP TRENDS ARE THE MAIN CONCERN. MONDAY...500MB LOW MOVES FROM INL TO MQT. 999MB SURFACE LOW OVER EASTERN SUPERIOR WILL LIFT NE TO SSW OF JAMES BAY...WITH A NEW LOW SPINNING UP ALONG A SECONDARY COLD FRONT IN CENTRAL SUPERIOR DURING THE AFTERNOON. THE BACK EDGE OF THE WARM CONVEYOR BELT WILL BE ABOUT TO EXIT NE LOWER MI AT 12Z...WITH DRIER MID LEVEL AIR IN THE PROCESS OF POURING INTO NORTHERN LOWER. HOWEVER...OVERLAKE INSTABILITY WILL BE INCREASING CONSIDERABLY AS COLDER LOW LEVEL AIR POURS IN. 850MB TEMPS OVER NORTHERN LAKE MI WILL NEAR -6C BY 18Z...-8C BY 00Z. MEANWHILE...EASTERN UPPER WILL REMAIN ON THE SOUTHERN PERIPHERY OF THE DEEPER WRAPAROUND MOISTURE. COULD STILL BE SOME FRONTAL SHRA IN FAR EASTERN SECTIONS TO START THE MORNING. SCT SHRA WILL GET GOING IN WSW-FLOW AREAS (ESPECIALLY FROM LEELANAU NORTHWARD) DURING THE MORNING...AS WELL AS IN EASTERN UPPER. THESE COULD BECOME MORE NUMEROUS IN THE AFTERNOON...AS INSTABILITY INCREASES (DELTA T/S IN THE LOWER 20S) AND THE CORE OF THE DRY SLOT MOVES EAST. 1000-850MB WINDS WILL VEER TO THE WEST DURING THE AFTERNOON...WITH INVERSION HEIGHTS A REASONABLY HEALTHY 6-7K FT. WILL INTRODUCE A SMALL CHANCE FOR A MIX VERY LATE IN THE DAY IN THE INTERIOR OF EASTERN UPPER...WHERE THE SURFACE-BASED MELTING LAYER IS NARROWING BELOW 1K FT. MAX TEMPS IN THE 40S (TO LOWER 50S NE LOWER) AND EARLY...WITH FALLING TEMPS IN THE PM. BRISK TO WINDY...ESPECIALLY NEAR LAKE MI. MON NIGHT/TUESDAY...UPPER LOW WILL GRADUALLY LIFT OUT TOWARD JAMES BAY...THOUGH WITH A SUBSTANTIAL SHORTWAVE ROUNDING IT/S SOUTHERN FLANK LATE MONDAY NIGHT. THAT WILL DRIVE THE SECONDARY FRONT INTO EASTERN UPPER MI LATE MONDAY NIGHT...AND ACROSS THE REST OF THE FORECAST AREA ON TUESDAY. 1000-850MB WINDS WILL BRIEFLY BACK MORE WSW AGAIN JUST AHEAD OF THIS TROF...ALLOWING THE INITIAL 850MB THERMAL TROF TO MOVE EAST AND BOOSTING 850MB TEMPS TO -5C. WINDS RAPIDLY VEER NW BEHIND THE TROF...AND COLD ADVECTION RESUMES. AFTER CONTINUED LOW-END-ISH LAKE EFFECT MONDAY EVENING (THOUGH WITH MORE SNOW MIXING IN AS DIURNAL HEATING IS LOST)...PRECIP WILL SUBSTANTIALLY RAMP UP OVERNIGHT AS THE SECONDARY FRONT AND SHARP 1000-850MB CONVERGENCE ARRIVES. SLUSHY ACCUMS UP TO AN INCH SEEM A DISTINCT POSSIBILITY MONDAY NIGHT NEAR GLR/BOYNE CITY/MANCELONA... AND IN WESTERN CHIP. TUESDAY WILL SEE A WOBBLY NW FLOW...BUT WITH MID-LEVEL DRYING/SUBSIDENCE AS THE VORT LOBE MOVES EAST. SOME LAKE EFFECT WILL CONTINUE...ESPECIALLY IN THE MORNING...WITH DISRUPTIVE DIURNAL HEATING DISORGANIZING THINGS IN THE PM. SOME SLOPPY LIGHT ACCUMS ARE AGAIN POSSIBLE IN THE MOST FAVORED AREAS OF BOTH PENINSULAS IN THE MORNING. MIN TEMPS WITHIN A FEW DEGREES OF 30F. MAX TEMPS NEAR 40F TO THE MID 40S. AND IT WILL REMAIN BRISK TO WINDY. REST OF THE FORECAST...FEW CHANGES NEEDED...AS COLD AND SHOWERY WX WILL PERSIST AS CURRENTLY FORECAST. NEW ECMWF IS FLAT-OUT COLD STRAIGHT THRU 240HRS. (PROBABLY BEST FOR MOTHER NATURE TO GET THIS OUT OF HER SYSTEM NOW.) && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 12Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z MONDAY MORNING) ISSUED AT 657 AM EDT SUN OCT 20 2013 SCT/NMRS LAKE ENHANCED RAIN SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE TO IMPACT NRN LWR MICHIGAN TAF SITES THRU SUNDAY NIGHT THANKS TO DEEP CYCLONIC FLOW...COLD AIR ACTIVATING THE LAKES AND AMPLE LOW LEVEL MOISTURE. OVERALL...CIGS WILL REMAIN LOW VFR...BUT MAY BRIEFLY DROP TO HIGH MVFR WITHIN SOME OF THE HEAVIER SHOWER ACTIVITY...ESPECIALLY TONIGHT. WESTERLY WINDS UNDER 10 KTS TONIGHT WILL SHIFT TO THE S/SW ON SUNDAY AHEAD OF DEEPENING LOW PRESSURE SLIDING INTO THE UPPER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. LLWS TONIGHT AT ALL TAF SITES FOR PART OF TONIGHT. && .MARINE... ISSUED AT 335 AM EDT SUN OCT 20 2013 RELATIVELY LIGHT WINDS THIS MORNING GIVES WAY TO INCREASINGLY GUSTY SOUTH FLOW LATER THIS AFTERNOON...AND ESPECIALLY TONIGHT...AS LOW PRESSURE INTENSIFIES AND PUSHES INTO EASTERN LAKE SUPERIOR BY MONDAY MORNING. TIGHTENING PRESSURE GRADIENT AND ONSET OF IMPRESSIVE SURGE OF CAA WILL LEAD TO VERY GUSTY WEST TO SOUTHWEST WINDS DURING THE DAY MONDAY...WITH THE STRONGEST WINDS EXPECTED OVER NORTHERN LAKE MICHIGAN. GALE FORCE WIND GUSTS APPEAR INCREASINGLY LIKELY...RESULTING IN AN UPGRADE TO INHERITED NORTHERN LAKE MICHIGAN GALE WATCH TO A WARNING. IN ADDITION...WIND GUST MAY REACH GALE FORCE ACROSS WHITEFISH BAY AND THE ST. MARYS RIVER LATER MONDAY MORNING THROUGH THE AFTERNOON. CONFIDENCE NOT HIGH ENOUGH TO WARRANT A GALE WARNING...BUT ENOUGH CONCERN TO HOIST A GALE WATCH FOR THESE AREAS. ADDITIONAL SCA/S WILL LIKELY BE NEEDED FOR OTHER NEARSHORE ZONES...BUT WILL FOCUS ON GALE CONDITIONS AND PUNT ADVISORY ISSUANCES TO FUTURE FORECAST SHIFTS. WELCOME TO FALL ON THE GREAT LAKES! && .APX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MI...NONE. LH...GALE WARNING FROM 5 AM MONDAY TO 11 AM EDT TUESDAY FOR LHZ345. LM...GALE WARNING FROM 5 AM MONDAY TO 11 AM EDT TUESDAY FOR LMZ341- 342-344>346. LS...GALE WATCH FROM MONDAY MORNING THROUGH MONDAY EVENING FOR LSZ321- 322. && $$ UPDATE...BA SYNOPSIS...JZ SHORT TERM...MB LONG TERM...JZ AVIATION...JZ MARINE...MB
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS MARQUETTE MI
734 AM EDT SUN OCT 20 2013 .SHORT TERM...(TODAY AND TONIGHT) ISSUED AT 510 AM EDT SUN OCT 20 2013 WV IMAGERY AND RUC ANALYSIS INDICATED A RIDGE OFF THE WEST COAST AND A BROAD MID/UPPER LEVEL TROUGH ACROSS THE CNTRL AND ERN CONUS. ONE UPSTREAM SHORTWAVE TROUGH WAS LOCATED OVER THE DAKOTAS WHILE ANOTHER STRONGER PV ANOMALY WAS DROPPING TO THE SSE THROUGH CNTRL MANITOBA. 290K ISENTROPIC LIFT AHEAD OF A SFC LOW OVER THE CNTRL DAKOTAS SUPPORTED AREAS OF RAIN OVER THE ERN DAKOTAS INTO WRN MN. 850 MB TEMPS AROUND -4C HELPED TO MAINTAIN A LAKE INDUCED TROUGH OVER LAKE SUPERIOR IN THE LIGHT WIND REGIME. ISOLD LAKE EFFECT -SHRA LINGERED INTO NW UPPER MI AND ERN LAKE SUPERIOR. THE MODELS WERE IN RELATIVELY GOOD AGREEMENT WITH THE SHORTWAVES AND SFC LOW MOVING INTO THE WRN GREAT LAKES. AS THE SFC LOW TRACKS FROM WRN MN SUNDAY MORNING TO THE SE END OF LAKE SUPERIOR EARLY MON MORNING...DEEP LAYER QVECTOR CONV AND 285K-295K ISENTROPIC LIFT WILL SUPPORT AN AREA OF PCPN MOVING INTO SW UPPER MI SUN AFTERNOON AND ACROSS THE CWA SUN NIGHT. PCPN AMOUNTS IN THE 0.25 TO 0.50 INCH RANGE ARE EXPECTED. MODEL FCST SOUNDINGS...AND WET-BULB ZERO HEIGHTS SUPPORT THE POTENTIAL FOR A SOME SNOW ACCUMULATION OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN OF THE WEST HALF OF UPPER MI. WITH ONLY LIGHT TO MODERATE SNOWFALL RATES EXPECTED...AND RELATIVELY LOW SNOW/WATER RATIO VALUES BELOW 10/1...ANY SNOW ACCUMULATION SHOULD GENERALLY REMAIN AT OR BELOW 2 INCHES. THERE MAY ALSO BE SOME ADDITIONAL LAKE ENHANCED SNOW INTO NW UPPER MI LATE AS WNW WINDS STRENGTHEN BEHIND THE LOW. .LONG TERM...(MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY) ISSUED AT 337 AM EDT SUN OCT 20 2013 AN ACTIVE WEATHER PATTERN IS IN STORE FOR THE UPPER GREAT LAKES REGION FOR THE UPCOMING WORK WEEK. THE UPPER TROUGH THAT IS AFFECTING THE UPPER GREAT LAKES WILL BE RE-ENFORCED BY A SHORTWAVE CURRENTLY DROPPING SOUTH OVER LAKE WINNIPEG. THIS WAVE WILL CATCH UP WITH THE SURFACE LOW AND SHORTWAVE IN SOUTHERN MINNESOTA (CURRENTLY IN WESTERN NORTH DAKOTA) AND INTENSIFY THE LOW TONIGHT AS THE SHORTWAVES PHASE...CAUSING THE LOW TO LIFT NORTHEAST AND OVER EASTERN LAKE SUPERIOR BY 12Z MONDAY. MODELS SEEM TO BE COMING INTO BETTER AGREEMENT ON THE TRACK/INTENSITY OF THE LOW AS IT MOVES NORTH FROM EASTERN LAKE SUPERIOR ON MONDAY...WHILE LEAVING A SURFACE TROUGH BACK OVER THE LAKE THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT. EXPECT THE INITIAL SURGE OF PRECIPITATION THAT MOVES THROUGH SUNDAY AFTERNOON/NIGHT TO BE PUSHING NORTHEAST OF UPPER MICHIGAN. THUS...WITH COLD AIR SURGING EAST ACROSS UPPER MICHIGAN UNDER THE GUSTY WESTERLY FLOW...EXPECT THE MAIN WEATHER TO START MONDAY TO BE WESTERLY WIND LAKE ENHANCED PRECIPITATION. THIS IS DUE TO 850MB TEMPS FALLING TO -8C OVER WESTERN UPPER MICHIGAN BY 18Z MONDAY. WILL HIGHLIGHT THE HIGHEST POPS OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN FROM THE KEWEENAW THROUGH THE GOGEBIC RANGE AND ALSO OVER THE HURON MOUNTAINS. WESTERLY WINDS LOOK TO BACK SLIGHTLY IN THE AFTERNOON AHEAD OF TROUGH DROPPING SOUTH ACROSS WESTERN LAKE SUPERIOR DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON. THIS MAY CAUSE THE BEST PRECIPITATION TO BE FOCUSED MORE OVER THE KEWEENAW DURING THE AFTERNOON. THEREFORE...DID OPT TO TRIM POP/QPF AMOUNTS OVER GOGEBIC/ONTONAGON COUNTIES SOME DURING THE AFTERNOON HOURS. SINCE WETBULB ZERO VALUES FALL OVER THE WEST AS THE COLD AIR SURGES EAST ACROSS THE U.P. EXPECT PRECIP TO FALL AS SNOW OVER THE WEST...BUT COULD MIX WITH RAIN AT TIMES NEAR LAKE SUPERIOR. SNOWFALL AMOUNTS DURING THE MORNING AND MOST OF THE AFTERNOON SHOULD BE LIGHT...WITH LOCATIONS SEEING AMOUNTS UNDER AN INCH. OVER THE REST OF UPPER MICHIGAN DURING THIS PERIOD...EXPECT BREEZY WESTERLY WINDS AND CLOUDY CONDITIONS...BUT LITTLE TO NO PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED. THE BEST OPPORTUNITY WOULD BE OVER THE EAST RIGHT ALONG THE LAKE SUPERIOR/MICHIGAN SHORELINES AS LAKE ENHANCED PRECIPITATION WILL TRY TO PARALLEL THOSE AREAS. THEN TOWARDS SUNSET...THE SURFACE TROUGH WILL DROP SOUTH ONTO THE WESTERN U.P. SHORELINE AND BRING AN ENHANCED AREA OF CONVERGENCE AND PRECIPITATION. EXPECT THERE TO BE MODERATE TO HEAVY PRECIPITATION AS THIS TROUGH SLIDES THROUGH THE WESTERN U.P. DURING THE EVENING HOURS AND THEN THROUGH CENTRAL UPPER MICHIGAN DURING THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. 850MB TEMPS WILL ACTUALLY WARM A COUPLE DEGREES BEHIND THE TROUGH...BUT THE DEEP MOISTURE AND CYCLONIC FLOW ON THE BACK SIDE OF THE SURFACE AND 850MB LOW...ALONG WITH UPSLOPE WINDS...WILL SUPPORT LAKE ENHANCED PRECIPITATION THROUGH A GOOD PORTION OF THE NIGHT OVER THE WESTERN CWA AND INTO TUESDAY MORNING OVER THE NORTH CENTRAL CWA. THE PRECIPITATION DURING THIS PERIOD SHOULD FALL AS SNOW EXCEPT FOR LOCATIONS RIGHT ALONG THE LAKE SUPERIOR SHORELINE WHERE THE NORTH-NORTHWEST WINDS WOULD PRODUCE SOME HEAT TRANSFER FROM THE LAKE AND LEAD TO SOME RAIN/SNOW MIX. AS FOR RATIOS/AMOUNTS...THINKING THE SNOW RATIOS WILL BE AROUND OR JUST BELOW 10-1 WITH THE BEST FORCING BEING BELOW THE DGZ AND SNOW FLAKES FALLING FROM ALOFT CLUMPING TOGETHER AS THEY REACH THE STRONG UPWARD MOTION NEAR THE SURFACE. AS FOR QPF AMOUNTS...HPC INDICATES NAM IS THE COLDER SOLUTION IN THE MID LEVELS (BY AROUND 2C) BEHIND THE LOW...WHICH MAY BE PART OF THE REASON IT IS MUCH HIGHER ON QPF AMOUNTS WITH THE LAKE ENHANCED SNOW BEHIND THE TROUGH. SINCE THE HIGHER RESOLUTION OF THE NAM AND 4KM NEST PICK UP THE TERRAIN ENHANCEMENT...DID BLEND THAT WITH THE PREFERRED WARMER AND COARSER MODELS FOR QPF MONDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING. THIS CREATES 24HR VALUES OF 0.5-0.75IN FROM IRONWOOD THROUGH THE KEWEENAW AND ALSO OVER THE WESTERN SIDE OF THE HURON MOUNTAINS. AT 10-1 SLR VALUE...SNOWFALL AMOUNTS IN THE 3-6 INCH RANGE SEEM REASONABLE IN THOSE AREAS AFTER FACTORING SOME MELTING INITIALLY ON MONDAY WHEN THE SNOWFALL RATES ARE LIGHTER. THAT SEEMS TO FIT IN WITH OUR ADVISORY CRITERIA AND WILL LIKELY END UP JUST UNDER THE 6INCH IN 12HR MARK FOR WARNINGS. CIPS TOP ANALOGS (BASED OFF THE SLIGHTLY COLDER NAM SOLUTION) SHOW MEAN SNOWFALL AMOUNTS OF 4-8 INCHES OF A 72HR PERIOD AND PROBABILITIES OF SEEING 6IN OF SNOW AROUND 60 PERCENT. THINK THE FORECAST MATCHES UP PRETTY WELL WITH THAT IDEA (ALONG WITH HPC GUIDANCE) AND WILL CONTINUE TO HIGHLIGHT THIS MEASUREABLE SNOW EVENT IN THE HWO AND ISSUE AN SPS TO HIGHTEN THE AWARENESS. SURFACE TROUGH WILL QUICKLY SHIFT EAST OF THE AREA ON TUESDAY...AS AN AREA OF HIGH PRESSURE SLIDES INTO THE NORTHERN PLAINS. EXPECT A DIMINISHING PRECIPITATION TREND FROM WEST TO EAST ACROSS THE CWA WITH THE DEEPER MOISTURE DEPARTING. THROUGH THE REST OF THE WEEK...EXPECT NORTHWESTERLY FLOW TO BE IN PLACE AS THE LOW SITS OVER QUEBEC AND A SERIES OF HIGHS DROP SOUTHEAST THROUGH THE NORTHERN PLAINS. 850MB TEMPS THROUGH THE REST OF THE PERIOD SHOULD BE RIGHT AROUND -8C WHICH LEADS TO PLENTY OF LAKE INSTABILITY. WILL CONTINUE TO HIGHLIGHT CHANCE POPS OR HIGHER IN THE TRADITIONAL NORTHWEST FLOW LOCATIONS THROUGH FRIDAY. HIGHEST POPS AND POTENTIAL FOR ACCUMULATION SNOWFALL WILL BE OVER THE EASTERN U.P. WITH THE LONGER FETCH AND CLOSER PROXIMITY TO THE BETTER MOISTURE UNDER THE UPPER LOW. THERE WILL BE A COUPLE BRIEF PERIODS WHERE THE LAKE EFFECT PRECIPITATION WILL PICKUP AS WEAK SHORTWAVES AND BETTER MOISTURE SWEEP THROUGH. CIPS TOP ANALOGS FOR THE MID WEEK PERIOD UNDER PERSISTENT LAKE EFFECT SNOWFALL SHOWS PROBABILITY FOR 4IN OF SNOW IN A 72HR PERIOD BEING AROUND 60 PERCENT IN THE TRADITIONAL FAVORED NORTHWEST FLOW LOCATIONS. BEING THAT IS OVER A 3 DAY PERIOD...THING THOSE VALUES ARE REASONABLE WITH LIGHT ACCUMULATIONS OCCURRING THROUGH THE END OF THE WORK WEEK. THE UPPER TROUGHS INFLUENCE ON THE UPPER GREAT LAKES LOOKS TO WEAKEN THIS WEEKEND AS IT SHIFTS EAST INTO THE NEW ENGLAND STATES. BUT ANOTHER SHORTWAVE ROUNDING THE UPPER RIDGE OVER THE ROCKIES WILL TRY TO MOVE INTO THE AREA FOR THE SECOND HALF OF THE WEEKEND. WILL JUST GO WITH A GENERAL CONSENSUS AND HAVE CHANCE POPS WITH TEMPERATURES REMAINING BELOW NORMAL. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 12Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z MONDAY MORNING) ISSUED AT 733 AM EDT SUN OCT 20 2013 ARRIVAL OF A WEAK HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE SHOULD BRING VFR CONDITIONS TO ALL THE SITES FOR MUCH OF THE DAY TODAY...BUT THICKER CLOUDS AND RAIN WILL ARRIVE SW TO NE SUN AFTERNOON AND EVENING AHEAD OF LOW PRES MOVING THROUGH THE UPPER LAKES. EXPECT CONDITIONS TO DETERIORATE TO MVFR AT ALL 3 SITES AND EVEN IFR AT IWD UNDER STEADY RA WITH UPSLOPE NE WIND. SAW AND CMX ARE ALSO EXPECTED TO DROP TO IFR WITH THE PERSISTENT LIGHT RAIN. && .MARINE...(FOR THE 4 AM LAKE SUPERIOR FORECAST ISSUANCE) ISSUED AT 510 AM EDT SUN OCT 20 2013 LOW PRESSURE MOVEING OUT OF THE DAKOTAS WILL BEGIN TO INTENSIFY OVER THE UPPER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY TODAY AND THEN MOVE THROUGH THE UPPER GREAT LAKES TONIGHT AND MONDAY. AS THIS OCCURS...WINDS WILL STRENGTHEN ACROSS THE LAKE...FIRST OUT OF THE SOUTH TO SOUTHEAST AHEAD OF THE LOW THIS EVENING AND THEN OUT OF THE WEST BEHIND THE LOW LATE TONIGHT INTO MONDAY. THERE STILL ARE SOME DIFFERENCES IN THE EXACT TRACK AND STRENGTH OF THE LOW AS IT MOVES ACROSS LAKE SUPERIOR ON MONDAY...SO WIND SPEED/DIRECTIONS ARE STILL UNCERTAIN. AT THIS TIME...IT APPEARS THE STRONGEST WINDS WILL BE BEHIND THE LOW ON MONDAY AND MONDAY NIGHT...WHEN WEST GALES TO 35-40KTS VEERING TO THE NORTH ARE EXPECTED. ONCE THE LOW DEPARTS THE AREA...EXPECT NORTHWESTERLY WINDS UP TO 25KTS TO REMAIN OVER LAKE SUPERIOR INTO WEDNESDAY. && .MQT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... UPPER MICHIGAN... NONE. LAKE SUPERIOR... GALE WATCH FROM MONDAY MORNING THROUGH TUESDAY AFTERNOON FOR LSZ265>267. GALE WATCH FROM MONDAY EVENING THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING FOR LSZ264. GALE WATCH FROM MONDAY MORNING THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING FOR LSZ263. LAKE MICHIGAN... NONE. && $$ SHORT TERM...JLB LONG TERM...SRF AVIATION...JLB MARINE...JLB
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS GAYLORD MI
700 AM EDT SUN OCT 20 2013 .SYNOPSIS... ISSUED AT 335 AM EDT SUN OCT 20 2013 COOL WEATHER WITH PERIODS OF LAKE EFFECT SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE INTO NEXT WEEK...AS A BROAD TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE REMAINS OVER THE GREAT LAKES. EVEN COLDER AIR WILL ENGULF THE GREAT LAKES AND UPPER MIDWEST BY MONDAY...AS ANOTHER WEAK STORM SYSTEM EXITS NORTHEAST INTO QUEBEC EARLY IN THE WORK WEEK. TEMPERATURES MAY GET COLD ENOUGH TO BRING THE FIRST SNOWFALL OF THE SEASON...ESPECIALLY TO INTERIOR SECTIONS OF EASTERN UPPER AND NORTHERN LOWER MICHIGAN. && .UPDATE... ISSUED AT 657 AM EDT SUN OCT 20 2013 CLOUDS HAVE OPENED UP CONSIDERABLY IN PARTS OF NE LOWER AND EASTERN UPPER MI. THIS WILL TEND TO SELF-DESTRUCT WITH HEATING TODAY...THE SUB-800MB AIRMASS REMAINS ON THE MOIST SIDE. SOME ADJUSTMENTS MADE TO EARLY-MORNING CLOUD COVER. && .SHORT TERM...(TODAY THROUGH TONIGHT) ISSUED AT 335 AM EDT SUN OCT 20 2013 MUCH DISCUSSED DEEP TROUGHING CONTINUES TO DOMINATE GREAT LAKES WEATHER AT THIS EARLY HOUR...DOWNSTREAM OF EQUALLY IMPRESSIVE RIDGING POCKING UP AND BEYOND THE NORTHWEST TERRITORIES. SUBTLE WAVE TRAVERSING WITHIN THIS FLOW...NOW IN THE PROCESS OF FURTHER DEAMPLIFYING AND CUTTING ACROSS THE NORTHERN LAKES. THIS...COMBINED WITH STILL MORE THAN SUPPORTIVE OVER-WATER INSTABILITY (H8 TEMPERATURES RIGHT AROUND -2C PER HIGH RES RAP AND 00Z SOUNDING ANALYSIS)...CONTINUES TO KICK OFF LAKE ENHANCED RAIN SHOWERS OFF NORTHERN LAKE MICHIGAN (EVEN HAD SOME LEGITIMATE SNOWFLAKES MIX IN WITH THE RAIN HERE ON TOP OF THE HILL). OTHERWISE...A RATHER QUIET AND TOUCH CHILLY NIGHT...WITH CURRENT READINGS MAINLY IN THE 30S AND LOWER 40S. MAIN SYSTEM OF INTEREST THROUGH THE SHORT TERM IS WELL DEFINED SHORTWAVE/VORT LOBE DROPPING STRAIGHT SOUTH THROUGH CENTRAL MANITOBA. THIS SYSTEM WILL DRUM UP A RATHER RESPECTABLE AREA OF LOW PRESSURE TONIGHT AS IT DROPS INTO MINNESOTA. GOOD MID LEVEL SUPPORT AND LOW LEVEL ENERGY SUPPLIED BY WARM LAKE WATERS WILL HELP DEEPEN THIS SURFACE LOW AS IT MOVES UP INTO EASTERN LAKE SUPERIOR BY MONDAY MORNING. THIS SYSTEM WILL BRING MORE WIDESPREAD RAINS HEADING INTO TONIGHT...AND PERHAPS A GALE EVENT ON PARTS OF THE BIG WATERS. SHORT TERM FORECAST CONCERNS CENTER ON ADDRESSING THE IMPACTS OF THIS SYSTEM. BY AND LARGE...A RATHER NON-EVENTFUL WEATHER DAY EXPECTED TODAY. CURRENT OVERHEAD WAVE WILL HAVE EXITED STAGE RIGHT BY SUNRISE...LEAVING PURE LAKE PROCESSES FOR ANY ADDITIONAL SHOWER DEVELOPMENT THROUGH MID AFTERNOON. EXPECT THERE WILL BE SOME ONGOING TO START THE DAY...ESPECIALLY ALONG THE NORTHWEST LOWER COASTLINE WHERE WIND CONVERGENCE WILL BE MAXIMIZED. LAKE PROCESSES WILL BE A DOWNWARD ONE HEADING THROUGH THE DAY AS WINDS BACK SOUTHERLY AND WEAK MID LEVEL RIDGING BUILDS OVERHEAD. ATTENTION LATE THIS AFTERNOON INTO THE OVERNIGHT TURNS TO STRONG WAA RESPONSE AHEAD OF EARLIER MENTIONED DEEPENING SURFACE LOW. RATHER IMPRESSIVE ISENTROPIC UPGLIDE SIGNATURE VIA FORCED ASCENT ON NOSE OF 40+ KNOT LOW LEVEL JET...WITH WELL OVER HALF INCH PWATS ALSO SURGING NORTH INTO THE AREA WITH THIS JET. ABOVE LOOKS TO KICK OFF A RATHER LARGE AREA OF RAIN...WHICH WILL SPREAD RAPIDLY NORTHEAST ACROSS OUR AREA LATE THIS AFTERNOON INTO THIS EVENING. PER FULL 00Z GUIDANCE ANALYSIS...MAY AMP UP RAIN CHANCES SOME SOUTHWEST THIRD OF THE AREA AFTER 21Z TODAY...WITH INHERITED CATEGORICAL WORDING INTO THIS EVENING LOOKING GREAT. DRY SLOT PUNCHES IN FROM THE SOUTHWEST THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT...LIKELY ABRUPTLY ENDING RAINS AS IT DOES SO. MAY SEE SOME LAKE SHOWERS ATTEMPT TO FIRE FAR NORTHERN LAKE MICHIGAN TOWARDS MORNING WHERE MOISTURE WILL REMAIN DEEPER AND POST-COLD FRONT CAA REGIME ONCE AGAIN DROPS H8 READINGS TO JUST BELOW 0C. .LONG TERM...(MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY) ISSUED AT 335 AM EDT SUN OCT 20 2013 CLASSIC LATE AUTUMN WX WILL REMAIN IN PLACE FOR THE UPCOMING WEEK...A BIT AHEAD OF SCHEDULE. PLENTY OF UPPER TROFFING WILL REMAIN IN PLACE IN CENTRAL CANADA AND ADJOINING PARTS OF THE STATES. THE LOWEST HEIGHTS WILL BE OVERHEAD MONDAY EVENING...AS AN UPPER LOW CROSSES EASTERN SUPERIOR. HOWEVER...HEIGHT RECOVERY AFTER THAT LOW EJECTS TO THE NE WILL BE ANEMIC. THAT WILL MAINTAIN MIXED PRECIP AS A SIGNIFICANT FORECAST CONCERN...ESPECIALLY DURING THE LATE NIGHT/ EARLY MORNING HOURS. PRECIP TRENDS ARE THE MAIN CONCERN. MONDAY...500MB LOW MOVES FROM INL TO MQT. 999MB SURFACE LOW OVER EASTERN SUPERIOR WILL LIFT NE TO SSW OF JAMES BAY...WITH A NEW LOW SPINNING UP ALONG A SECONDARY COLD FRONT IN CENTRAL SUPERIOR DURING THE AFTERNOON. THE BACK EDGE OF THE WARM CONVEYOR BELT WILL BE ABOUT TO EXIT NE LOWER MI AT 12Z...WITH DRIER MID LEVEL AIR IN THE PROCESS OF POURING INTO NORTHERN LOWER. HOWEVER...OVERLAKE INSTABILITY WILL BE INCREASING CONSIDERABLY AS COLDER LOW LEVEL AIR POURS IN. 850MB TEMPS OVER NORTHERN LAKE MI WILL NEAR -6C BY 18Z...-8C BY 00Z. MEANWHILE...EASTERN UPPER WILL REMAIN ON THE SOUTHERN PERIPHERY OF THE DEEPER WRAPAROUND MOISTURE. COULD STILL BE SOME FRONTAL SHRA IN FAR EASTERN SECTIONS TO START THE MORNING. SCT SHRA WILL GET GOING IN WSW-FLOW AREAS (ESPECIALLY FROM LEELANAU NORTHWARD) DURING THE MORNING...AS WELL AS IN EASTERN UPPER. THESE COULD BECOME MORE NUMEROUS IN THE AFTERNOON...AS INSTABILITY INCREASES (DELTA T/S IN THE LOWER 20S) AND THE CORE OF THE DRY SLOT MOVES EAST. 1000-850MB WINDS WILL VEER TO THE WEST DURING THE AFTERNOON...WITH INVERSION HEIGHTS A REASONABLY HEALTHY 6-7K FT. WILL INTRODUCE A SMALL CHANCE FOR A MIX VERY LATE IN THE DAY IN THE INTERIOR OF EASTERN UPPER...WHERE THE SURFACE-BASED MELTING LAYER IS NARROWING BELOW 1K FT. MAX TEMPS IN THE 40S (TO LOWER 50S NE LOWER) AND EARLY...WITH FALLING TEMPS IN THE PM. BRISK TO WINDY...ESPECIALLY NEAR LAKE MI. MON NIGHT/TUESDAY...UPPER LOW WILL GRADUALLY LIFT OUT TOWARD JAMES BAY...THOUGH WITH A SUBSTANTIAL SHORTWAVE ROUNDING IT/S SOUTHERN FLANK LATE MONDAY NIGHT. THAT WILL DRIVE THE SECONDARY FRONT INTO EASTERN UPPER MI LATE MONDAY NIGHT...AND ACROSS THE REST OF THE FORECAST AREA ON TUESDAY. 1000-850MB WINDS WILL BRIEFLY BACK MORE WSW AGAIN JUST AHEAD OF THIS TROF...ALLOWING THE INITIAL 850MB THERMAL TROF TO MOVE EAST AND BOOSTING 850MB TEMPS TO -5C. WINDS RAPIDLY VEER NW BEHIND THE TROF...AND COLD ADVECTION RESUMES. AFTER CONTINUED LOW-END-ISH LAKE EFFECT MONDAY EVENING (THOUGH WITH MORE SNOW MIXING IN AS DIURNAL HEATING IS LOST)...PRECIP WILL SUBSTANTIALLY RAMP UP OVERNIGHT AS THE SECONDARY FRONT AND SHARP 1000-850MB CONVERGENCE ARRIVES. SLUSHY ACCUMS UP TO AN INCH SEEM A DISTINCT POSSIBILITY MONDAY NIGHT NEAR GLR/BOYNE CITY/MANCELONA... AND IN WESTERN CHIP. TUESDAY WILL SEE A WOBBLY NW FLOW...BUT WITH MID-LEVEL DRYING/SUBSIDENCE AS THE VORT LOBE MOVES EAST. SOME LAKE EFFECT WILL CONTINUE...ESPECIALLY IN THE MORNING...WITH DISRUPTIVE DIURNAL HEATING DISORGANIZING THINGS IN THE PM. SOME SLOPPY LIGHT ACCUMS ARE AGAIN POSSIBLE IN THE MOST FAVORED AREAS OF BOTH PENINSULAS IN THE MORNING. MIN TEMPS WITHIN A FEW DEGREES OF 30F. MAX TEMPS NEAR 40F TO THE MID 40S. AND IT WILL REMAIN BRISK TO WINDY. REST OF THE FORECAST...FEW CHANGES NEEDED...AS COLD AND SHOWERY WX WILL PERSIST AS CURRENTLY FORECAST. NEW ECMWF IS FLAT-OUT COLD STRAIGHT THRU 240HRS. (PROBABLY BEST FOR MOTHER NATURE TO GET THIS OUT OF HER SYSTEM NOW.) && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 12Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z MONDAY MORNING) ISSUED AT 657 AM EDT SUN OCT 20 2013 SCT/NMRS LAKE ENHANCED RAIN SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE TO IMPACT NRN LWR MICHIGAN TAF SITES THRU SUNDAY NIGHT THANKS TO DEEP CYCLONIC FLOW...COLD AIR ACTIVATING THE LAKES AND AMPLE LOW LEVEL MOISTURE. OVERALL...CIGS WILL REMAIN LOW VFR...BUT MAY BRIEFLY DROP TO HIGH MVFR WITHIN SOME OF THE HEAVIER SHOWER ACTIVITY...ESPECIALLY TONIGHT. WESTERLY WINDS UNDER 10 KTS TONIGHT WILL SHIFT TO THE S/SW ON SUNDAY AHEAD OF DEEPENING LOW PRESSURE SLIDING INTO THE UPPER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. LLWS TONIGHT AT ALL TAF SITES FOR PART OF TONIGHT. && .MARINE... ISSUED AT 335 AM EDT SUN OCT 20 2013 RELATIVELY LIGHT WINDS THIS MORNING GIVES WAY TO INCREASINGLY GUSTY SOUTH FLOW LATER THIS AFTERNOON...AND ESPECIALLY TONIGHT...AS LOW PRESSURE INTENSIFIES AND PUSHES INTO EASTERN LAKE SUPERIOR BY MONDAY MORNING. TIGHTENING PRESSURE GRADIENT AND ONSET OF IMPRESSIVE SURGE OF CAA WILL LEAD TO VERY GUSTY WEST TO SOUTHWEST WINDS DURING THE DAY MONDAY...WITH THE STRONGEST WINDS EXPECTED OVER NORTHERN LAKE MICHIGAN. GALE FORCE WIND GUSTS APPEAR INCREASINGLY LIKELY...RESULTING IN AN UPGRADE TO INHERITED NORTHERN LAKE MICHIGAN GALE WATCH TO A WARNING. IN ADDITION...WIND GUST MAY REACH GALE FORCE ACROSS WHITEFISH BAY AND THE ST. MARYS RIVER LATER MONDAY MORNING THROUGH THE AFTERNOON. CONFIDENCE NOT HIGH ENOUGH TO WARRANT A GALE WARNING...BUT ENOUGH CONCERN TO HOIST A GALE WATCH FOR THESE AREAS. ADDITIONAL SCA/S WILL LIKELY BE NEEDED FOR OTHER NEARSHORE ZONES...BUT WILL FOCUS ON GALE CONDITIONS AND PUNT ADVISORY ISSUANCES TO FUTURE FORECAST SHIFTS. WELCOME TO FALL ON THE GREAT LAKES! && .APX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MI...NONE. LH...GALE WARNING FROM 5 AM MONDAY TO 11 AM EDT TUESDAY FOR LHZ345. LM...GALE WARNING FROM 5 AM MONDAY TO 11 AM EDT TUESDAY FOR LMZ341- 342-344>346. LS...GALE WATCH FROM MONDAY MORNING THROUGH MONDAY EVENING FOR LSZ321- 322. && $$ UPDATE...JZ SYNOPSIS...JZ SHORT TERM...MB LONG TERM...JZ AVIATION...JZ MARINE...MB
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
654 AM CDT SUN OCT 20 2013 .SHORT/LONG TERM...(TODAY THROUGH SATURDAY) ISSUED AT 433 AM CDT SUN OCT 20 2013 PERSISTENT NORTHWEST FLOW WILL REMAIN IN TACT THROUGHOUT THE PERIOD...LEADING TO BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES AND PERIODIC CHANCES FOR LIGHT PRECIP. GIVEN THE COLD AIR EXPECTED TO BE IN PLACE...WILL SEE THE POTENTIAL FOR FROZEN PRECIP CARRY ON THROUGH NEXT WEEK. ARGUABLY THE MOST INTRIGUING FEATURE IN THE EXTENDED IS THE CLIPPER SYSTEM CURRENTLY APPROACHING THE UPPER MIDWEST. THE LATEST HIRES MODELS PORTRAY MORE OF A SOUTHERLY TRACK...SO HAVE BROUGHT THE HIGHEST POPS AND QPF SOUTH TO REFLECT THIS TREND. HOWEVER...BUFR FORECAST SOUNDINGS OFF THE RAP ONLY HAVE AROUND AN INCH OF SNOW AT MORA...AND BRAINERD...WITH LESS AT ALEXANDRIA AND ST CLOUD. THE NAM IS CONTINUES TO ADVERTISE 4 INCHES AT MORA...BUT THIS IS LIKELY OVERDONE CONSIDERING THAT ACCORDING TO THE NAM AS OF 5AM 1-2 INCHES SHOULD HAVE ALREADY FALLEN AT FARGO..AND THEY HAVE YET TO RECEIVE ANY SNOW. THE MAIN REASON FOR THE SLOW CHANGEOVER SEEMS TO BE THE LACK OF STRONG FGEN AND FOCUSED VERTICAL MOTION IN THE WAA REGIME...RATHER GRADUAL ISENTROPIC ASCENT WAS THE DRIVING FORCE BEHIND THE PRECIP. THROUGHOUT THE MORNING HOURS...THE NAM DOES INCREASE THE FGEN FORCING...WHILE THE RAP IS WEAKER. AFTER WEEDING THROUGH THE DIFFERENT SCENARIOS...DO NOT HAVE THE CONFIDENCE IN ANY SNOWFALL AMOUNTS EXCEEDING 3 INCHES DESPITE THE SOUTHERLY SHIFT IN QPF. RATHER SHOULD SEE A MODEST BAND OF SNOW TRACK NORTH OF I-94...WITH PERHAPS AN INCH OR 2 ON GRASSY SURFACES THIS MORNING...BEFORE TRANSITIONING TO MORE OF RAIN/SNOW OR EVEN ALL RAIN MIX LATER THIS AFTERNOON AS 1)THE BOUNDARY LAYER WARMS...AND 2) WE LOSE THE DEEP SATURATION AND TRANSITION TO MORE OF LIGHT RAIN/DRIZZLE SCENARIO. BRISK NORTHWEST WINDS WILL FOLLOW ONCE THIS SYSTEM MOVES EASTWARD AS COOLER AIR AS EVIDENT BY THE -7 TO -10C H850 TEMPS ADVECT ACROSS THE REGION SUNDAY NIGHT INTO MONDAY. THE NORTHWEST FLOW WILL PERSIST ACROSS THE REGION...WITH A FEW SHORTWAVES TRACKING DOWN THE POLEWARD SIDE OF THE JET. THESE WILL INDUCE LOW LEVEL CIRCULATIONS...THE NEXT OF WHICH IS EXPECTED TO TRACK SOUTHWEST OF THE CWA ALONG THE MISSOURI RIVER VALLEY MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY. COLD AIR WILL AGAIN BE REINFORCED BEHIND THIS SYSTEM...WILL NO WARM UP POTENTIAL IN SIGHT UNTIL PERHAPS THE END OF THE WEEK AS ANOTHER WAVE MOVES ACROSS THE REGION. DEPENDING ON THE TRACK OF THIS SYSTEM...THE UPPER MIDWEST COULD SEE ONE DAY OF WARMER TEMPERATURES...BUT THE GUIDANCE IS CONSISTENT THAT THIS WILL BE SHORT LIVED AS ANOTHER ARCTIC AIRMASS WILL FOLLOW BEHIND THIS PASSING WAVE. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 12Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z MONDAY MORNING) ISSUED AT 621 AM CDT SUN OCT 20 2013 A COMPLEX AND MESSY TAF PERIOD IS AHEAD AS A CLIPPER SYSTEM DIVES SOUTHEAST ACROSS SOUTHERN MINNESOTA TODAY. PRECIPITATION CONTINUES TO MOVE EAST AND IS NOW APPROACHING KMSP. IT SHOULD BEGIN AS SNOW...CHANGE QUICKLY TO RAIN WITH MAYBE SOME SNOW MIXED IN AT THE TAF SITES FOR AN HOUR OR SO THIS MORNING AS WELL AS SOME DRIZZLE. DONT REALLY HAVE STRONG UPWARD VERTICAL MOTION SO DO NOT EXPECT DYNAMIC COOLING OF ANY SORT TO FOUL UP THE PRECIPITATION TYPE. BOUNDARY LAYER TEMPS WARM THIS MORNING WITH WARM AIR ADVECTION IN PLACE AND THERMAL PROFILES SUPPORT A QUICK CHANGE FROM SNOW TO RAIN. QUICK PEEK AT THE KMPX SOUNDING SHOWS A LOT MORE MOISTURE ABOVE 700MB AS COMPARED TO LAST EVENINGS SOUNDING. HIGH RES MODELS INDICATE DRY AIR TO WORK IN FROM THE SOUTHWEST AFTER 20Z AND AS A RESULT PRECIP SHOULD END AROUND 20-21Z IN MOST AREAS...MAYBE SOME DRIZZLE CONTINUING AT AXN/STC AND OVER INTO WESTERN WISCONSIN. GUIDANCE WANTS TO RAISE CIGS TOO MUCH FOR THE EVENING AND OVERNIGHT HOURS. MUCH DRIER AIR COMES IN ALOFT HOWEVER THE LOWEST 4000 FEET OF THE ATMOSPHERE REMAIN QUITE MOIST SO WILL HOLD ON TO MVRF CIGS THROUGH THE PERIOD. WINDS WILL BE QUITE GUSTY AT AXN/RWF THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING. KMSP...ONSET OF PRECIP WILL OCCUR BY 12Z AND THAT SHOULD BE SNOW PELLETS...SNOW AND OR DRIZZLE. AFTER 13Z WILL SEE A MIX AT TIMES OF RAIN AND SNOW AND ALL RAIN BY 14Z AS THE BOUNDARY LEVEL WARMS SLIGHTLY. WARM AIR ADVECTION PATTERN FEATURES A SLOW UPWARD ASCENT OF AIR HENCE THE OPPORTUNITIES FOR DRIZZLE OR LIGHT RAIN. BIGGEST UNCERTAINTY WILL BE CIGS TODAY THROUGH MONDAY MORNING. WAS OPTIMISTIC FOR TODAY AND PESSIMISTIC FOR THE OVERNIGHT HOURS AS COMPARED TO GUIDANCE. HOWEVER COULD EASILY SEE LOWER CIGS THIS MORNING AND AFTERNOON AND THAT WILL HAVE TO BE WATCHED CLOSELY AS THE WARM FRONT WILL BE JUST NORTH OF THE METRO AND MSP WILL BE SOMEWHERE BETWEEN THE IFR CIGS TO THE NORTH AND VFR OR MVFR CIGS TO THE SOUTH IN THE WARMER AIR. /OUTLOOK FOR KMSP/ MON...MVFR IN AM...VFR IN AFTERNOON. WINDS NW AT 10-15KT. TUE...VFR WITH MVFR CIGS POSSIBLE EARLY. WINDS NW AT 5-10 KTS. WED...MVFR CIGS POSSIBLE. WINDS W AT 5-10 KTS. && .MPX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MN...NONE. WI...NONE. && $$ SHORT TERM...JRB LONG TERM...JRB AVIATION...DRL
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NWS MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI
716 AM CDT SUN OCT 20 2013 .UPDATE... DENSE FOG HAS FORMED OVER A FEW OF THE NORTHERN COUNTIES AND IN SPOTTY LOCATIONS NEAR JANESVILLE AND ALONG THE WISCONSIN RIVER VALLEY. HRRR HAS FOG LIFTING AROUND 10 AM. GIVEN SUNRISE IS COMING AND MARGINAL LENGTH OF ABOUT 3 HOURS...DECIDED TO GO WITH SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT RATHER THAN ZERO LEAD TIME DENSE FOG ADVISORY. TEMPERATURES ARE RIGHT AROUND FREEZING SO SOME RIMING AND SLIPPERY SPOTS POSSIBLE. MEANWHILE FROST AND FROZEN DEW DID FORM AT THE BUZZER WITH THE FOG HELPING THINGS OUT. WILL LET FROST ADVISORY EXPIRE ON TIME. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 336 AM CDT SUN OCT 20 2013/ TODAY...FORECAST CONFIDENCE IS HIGH. STRONG UPSTREAM SHORTWAVE TROUGH DIGGING INTO LONG WAVE TROUGH POSITION TODAY. THIS ALLOWS FLOW TO TURN FROM NORTHWEST TO WESTERLY DURING THE DAY ALOFT. SURFACE LOW OF CLIPPER LIKE SYSTEM CURRENTLY EAST OF BIS ND EXPECTED TO MOVE FROM SOUTHEAST SOUTH DAKOTA TO SOUTHERN MINNESOTA THIS MORNING...THEN MOVE INTO CENTRAL WISCONSIN THIS AFTERNOON. DECENT BAROCLINIC ZONE WITH THIS FEATURE WITH STRONG WARM ADVECTION SPREADING ACROSS WISCONSIN DURING THE DAY. THE STRONGEST WARM ADVECTION AND DEEPEST MOISTURE IS SHOWN TO CLIP THE FAR NORTH DURING THE DAY...SO MUCH OF THE DAY MAY BE DRY IN THE SOUTH. THE LACK OF RAIN IN THE SOUTH AND STRONG WARM ADVECTION REGIME COULD RESULT IN TEMPERATURES WELL INTO THE 50S AND PERHAPS EVEN LOWER 60S ALONG THE ILLINOIS BORDER. STRONG MOISTURE TRANSPORT DEVELOPS JUST AHEAD OF SURFACE COLD FRONT IN THE LATE AFTERNOON...WITH MODELS SHOWING RAPID INCREASE IN MOISTURE IN THE SOUTHEAST. PRECIPITABLE WATERS RISE TO ABOUT 0.75" AND THE MODELS SHOW ADDITIONAL BANDS OF PRECIPITATION FORMING AT THE BUZZER BEFORE THE FRONT MOVES THROUGH IN THE EVENING. TIMING OF THIS WILL BE CRITICAL AS IT WILL RUN ITS COURSE BETWEEN ABOUT 21-03Z...MAKING POP FORECASTS SOMEWHAT TRICKY. TONIGHT...FORECAST CONFIDENCE IS HIGH. DEEP CLOSED LOW DIGS INTO NORTHERN MINNESOTA WITH -34C 500 MB COLD CORE. THIS RESULTS IN 70 METER HEIGHT FALLS CENTERED NEAR LAKE SUPERIOR. SURFACE LOW TURNS TO THE NORTHEAST AND DEEPENS AS IT MOVES ACROSS THE UP INTO EASTERN LAKE SUPERIOR. THIS USHERS IN SIGNIFICANT COLD ADVECTION...SUBSIDENCE...AND DEEP DRYING. LINGERING RAIN IN THE EVENING SHOULD QUICKLY MOVE EAST. MONDAY THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT...FORECAST CONFIDENCE IS MEDIUM. SHORT TERM MODELS IN DECENT AGREEMENT WITH FEATURES DURING THIS PERIOD...THOUGH THEY DO SHOW SOME DIFFERENCES. DEEP LOW PRESSURE SHIFTS FROM EASTERN LAKE SUPERIOR INTO ONTARIO CANADA MONDAY...THEN BRINGS A SURFACE TROUGH SOUTHEAST THROUGH NORTHEAST WISCONSIN MONDAY NIGHT. DEEP 500MB LOW SHIFTS FROM NORTHERN/NORTHEAST MINNESOTA TO EASTERN LAKE SUPERIOR MONDAY...THEN TO THE EAST MONDAY NIGHT. GFS/ECMWF/CANADIAN BRING STRONG VORTICITY MAXIMUM EASTWARD BUT JUST NORTH OF THE AREA MONDAY...WITH SHEARED VORTICITY IN THE AREA MONDAY NIGHT. THE NAM BRINGS THESE FEATURES SOUTHEAST THROUGH THE AREA LATER MONDAY AND MONDAY NIGHT. SIDED MORE WITH GFS/ECMWF/CANADIAN MODELS DURING THIS TIME. AREA FORECAST SOUNDINGS SHOWING DIURNAL CUMULUS CLOUDS MONDAY...THEN CLEARING OUT SOMEWHAT MONDAY NIGHT. THERE MAY BE SOME MIDDLE TO HIGH CLOUDS MONDAY NIGHT...THOUGH CONFIDENCE IS LOW AT THIS TIME. TIGHT PRESSURE GRADIENT MONDAY WILL ALLOW FOR GUSTY WEST WINDS...WITH GRADIENT REMAINING FAIRLY TIGHT MONDAY NIGHT. COOL HIGHS IN THE 40S ARE EXPECTED MONDAY PER 925MB TEMPERATURE FIELDS AND COLD AIR ADVECTION REGIME. THEY SHOULD DROP LOW ENOUGH MONDAY NIGHT FOR UPPER 20S TO LOWER 30S ACROSS THE ENTIRE AREA...ALLOWING FOR A KILLING FREEZE ACROSS THE AREA. DAY SHIFT SHOULD CONSIDER A FREEZE WATCH FOR MONDAY NIGHT...AND WILL CONTINUE TO HIGHLIGHT IN HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK. GFS HAS TRENDED A BIT SOUTHWARD WITH THE PASSING LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM TUESDAY INTO TUESDAY EVENING. 00Z ECMWF ALSO IS SHOWING A SIMILAR LOW TRACK...WITH QPF JUST CLIPPING THE SOUTHWEST COUNTIES TUESDAY. THEY BOTH BRING A SHORTWAVE TROUGH THROUGH THE AREA AT 00Z WEDNESDAY. THE NAM/CANADIAN MODELS KEEP THE LOW AND ASSOCIATED QPF TO THE SOUTHWEST OF THE AREA. ADDED LOW POPS IN THE FAR SOUTHWEST COUNTIES TUESDAY GIVEN THE GFS/ECMWF LOW TRACKS. KEPT THE DRY FORECAST GOING ELSEWHERE TUESDAY INTO TUESDAY NIGHT. KEPT ANY POPS WITH POSSIBLE LAKE EFFECT PRECIPITATION OVER THE NEARSHORE WATERS ONLY TUESDAY NIGHT...AS LOW LEVEL WINDS LOOK TO REMAIN PARALLEL TO SHORE AT BEST. COOL HIGHS IN THE 40S LINGER WITH DIURNAL CUMULUS TUESDAY...WITH ANOTHER COLD NIGHT/KILLING FREEZE TUESDAY NIGHT IN THE UPPER 20S TO LOWER 30S. WEDNESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY...FORECAST CONFIDENCE IS MEDIUM. ECMWF/GFS SHOWING SIMILAR GENERAL TRENDS DURING THIS PERIOD...WITH SOME DIFFERENCES IN SPECIFIC FEATURES. THEY SHOW A GENERAL NORTHWEST FLOW AT 500MB CONTINUING ACROSS THE REGION WEDNESDAY INTO FRIDAY...WITH SEVERAL SHEARED VORTICITY MAXIMA PASSING THROUGH. HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEMS SHIFT SOUTHEAST ACROSS THE NORTHERN AND CENTRAL PLAINS DURING THIS TIME...MAINTAINING THE COLD AIRMASS OVER THE REGION. GFS FORECAST SOUNDINGS SHOWING SOME DIURNAL CUMULUS DEVELOPMENT EACH DAY...WITH LIMITED MOISTURE. THUS...PERIOD SHOULD BE FAIRLY DRY. GFS THEN BRINGS LOW PRESSURE SOUTHEAST ACROSS THE REGION FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY...WITH A STRONG SHORTWAVE TROUGH PASSAGE. THE ECMWF KEEPS THE AREA DRY FRIDAY NIGHT...WITH THE SHORTWAVE TROUGH PASSING THROUGH THE REGION SATURDAY. THE SURFACE LOW TAKES A SIMILAR PATH TO THE GFS...BUT IS ABOUT 12 TO 18 HOURS SLOWER. BOTH SYSTEMS BRING QPF TO THE AREA. GIVEN SOME UNCERTAINTY HERE...USED CONSENSUS POPS AND TEMPERATURES FOR THIS PERIOD. AVIATION/12Z TAFS/... PATCHY FOG MAY IMPACT THE TAF SITES BRIEFLY THIS MORNING WITH LIGHT WINDS UNDER WEAK SURFACE HIGH. MUCH OF THE RAIN WILL STAY NORTH OF THE TAF SITES THIS AFTERNOON AND WILL BE DEVELOPING OVER SOUTHERN WISCONSIN AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT LATE IN THE AFTERNOON AND EARLY IN THE EVENING. THERE IS SUFFICIENT LOW LEVEL DRY AIR TO KEEP CEILINGS IN VFR RANGE IF IT DOES RAIN. WINDS WILL INCREASE FROM THE SOUTH TODAY AND THEN TURN WESTERLY TONIGHT AND BECOME GUSTY IN THE WAKE OF THE COLD FRONT. MARINE... STRONG PRESSURE FALLS IN THE LATE AFTERNOON AND EVENING AHEAD OF THE SURFACE LOW WILL USHER IN GUSTY SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST WINDS THAT WILL RAPIDLY INCREASE LATE IN THE AFTERNOON. THE WINDS WILL TURN TO THE SOUTHWEST AND THEN WEST TONIGHT AND THEN NORTHWEST MONDAY AND TUESDAY. THE COLD FRONT WILL CROSS LAKE MICHIGAN LATER TONIGHT. IT WILL BE UNSTABLE AS THE COLD AIR POURS IN TONIGHT SO EXPECT GUSTY WINDS AND HIGH WAVES IN THE COASTAL WATERS REQUIRING THE ISSUANCE OF SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FROM TONIGHT INTO TUESDAY MORNING. GALE FORCE WINDS ARE EXPECTED AND MUCH HIGHER WAVES TOWARD OPEN WATERS. && .MKX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WI...FROST ADVISORY UNTIL 8 AM CDT THIS MORNING FOR WIZ046-047-051- 052-056>060-062>072. LM...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FROM 7 PM THIS EVENING TO 10 AM CDT TUESDAY FOR LMZ643>646. && $$ TODAY/TONIGHT AND AVIATION/MARINE...CRAVEN MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY...WOOD
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS GRAND JUNCTION CO
234 PM MDT SUN OCT 20 2013 .SHORT TERM...(TONIGHT THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT) ISSUED AT 233 PM MDT SUN OCT 20 2013 IN NW FLOW ALOFT THE INITIAL VORTICITY MAXIMUM HAS PASSED TO THE SE OF THE STEAMBOAT-VAIL LINE PRODUCING ENHANCEMENT EAST OF VAIL PASS THIS EARLY AFTERNOON. SNOTELS SHOW 2 INCHES IN THE MTNS EAST OF STEAMBOAT SPRINGS WITH HIGHER AMOUNTS IN THE PARK RANGE NEAR THE WYOMING BORDER. SNOW ACCUMULATION LEVEL THIS AFTERNOON IS AROUND 9KFT THERE. SOME LESS ORGANIZED ENERGY WILL ROLL OVER THE ELKHEADS-PARK-GORE RANGES THIS AFTERNOON BUT THIS FORCING ENDS BY SUNSET. LITTLE EXTRA ACCUMULATION IS EXPECTED EXCEPT PERHAPS IN THE HIGHEST ELEVATIONS OF THE ZIRKEL WILDERNESS. THE 18Z RAP AND HRRR END SHOWERS BY 6PM BUT THE NAM HOLDS ONTO SOME LIGHT OROGRAPHIC SNOW ON NORTH-FACING SLOPES INTO THE EVENING. ALL AGREE ITS ALL DONE BY MIDNIGHT. THEREFORE HAVE CUT BACK POPS FOR TONIGHT. SOME LOW-MID CLOUDS WILL LINGER OVERNIGHT MAINLY EAST OF A LINE FROM CRAIG SOUTH TO MONARCH PASS. OTHERWISE PARTIALLY CLEARING SKIES WILL KEEP TEMPERATURES BELOW NORMAL TONIGHT AND MONDAY. WITH THE PASSING OF THESE FINAL DISTURBANCES THIS EVENING THE WEST COAST RIDGE RELAXES INTO THE INTERMOUNTAIN WEST. BENIGN AND DRY NW FLOW CONTINUES THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT AND BEYOND. .LONG TERM...(TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY) ISSUED AT 233 PM MDT SUN OCT 20 2013 DRY WITH A GRADUAL WARMING TREND AS THE LARGE-SCALE PATTERN CHANGES LITTLE. A BLOCKING UPPER RIDGE NEAR THE WEST COAST DRIFTS OVER THE GREAT BASIN BY MIDWEEK BEFORE RETREATING BACK WESTWARD...WHILE A LARGE TROUGH REMAINS OVER THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN PART OF THE COUNTRY. NORTHWEST FLOW ON TUESDAY BECOMES WEST TO SOUTHWEST WEDNESDAY-THURSDAY AS A WEAK WAVE UNDERCUTS THE RIDGE AND CROSSES THE SOUTHERN GREAT BASIN...SWITCHING BACK TO NORTHWEST FRIDAY AS THE WAVE PASSES BY TO OUR SOUTH. THIS WILL BRING SOME CLOUDS TO CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN PARTS OF THE FORECAST AREA BUT LITTLE OR NO PRECIPITATION...AND WILL KEEP THE FORECAST DRY. DAYTIME TEMPERATURES WILL BE NEAR TO A LITTLE ABOVE NORMAL WHILE THE NIGHTS AVERAGE NEAR NORMAL. AN UPPER LOW IS EXPECTED TO PINCH OFF FROM THE NORTHERN JET STREAM OVER THE NERN PACIFIC OCEAN AND GRADUALLY SETTLE OFF THE CA COAST AND UNDERNEATH THE RIDGE BY LATE FRIDAY. MODELS OFTEN HAVE DIFFICULTY HANDLING THESE CUT-OFF LOWS...AND THE GFS AND ECMWF SHOW DIFFERENT SOLUTIONS BY NEXT MONDAY. BOTH INDICATE DRY WEATHER STILL NEXT WEEKEND SO WILL CONTINUE WITH THAT FOR NOW...BUT CONFIDENCE IS LOWERING BY SUNDAY. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z MONDAY EVENING) ISSUED AT 233 PM MDT SUN OCT 20 2013 EXPECT AREAS OF MOUNTAIN OBSCURATION OVER THE ELKHEAD...PARK...GORE...AND PORTIONS OF THE ELK RANGES THIS AFTERNOON. THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE THAT KCAG...KEEO... KHDN...KSBS...AND KEGE WILL EXPERIENCE BRIEF MVFR CIGS IN LIGHT SHOWERS THROUGH 03Z THEN VFR CONDITIONS WILL DOMINATE. ELSEWHERE...EXPECT VFR CONDITIONS TO PERSIST THROUGH THE NEXT 24 HOURS AND BEYOND. && .GJT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... CO...NONE. UT...NONE. && $$ SHORT TERM...JOE LONG TERM...JAD AVIATION...JOE
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS GRAND JUNCTION CO
1111 AM MDT SUN OCT 20 2013 .UPDATE... ISSUED AT 1110 AM MDT SUN OCT 20 2013 SNOW SHOWERS HAVE WORKED INTO NW COLORADO THIS EARLY MORNING. SPOTTERS BETWEEN STEAMBOAT SPRINGS AND CLARK REPORT SNOW FLURRIES. SNOTEL SITES HAVE NOT RESPONDED YET AND ARE HOVERING NEAR 32 DEGREES. THE MORNING MODELS ARE CONSISTENT WITH PREVIOUS RUNS PRODUCING 1-3 INCHES IN THE ELKHEAD AND ZIRKEL MOUNTAINS WITH LESS INTO THE PARK AND FLATTOPS MOUNTAINS...WITH SOME LIGHT SNOW INTO THE ELK MTNS THROUGH THE AFTERNOON INCLUDING INDEPENDENCE AND COTTONWOOD PASSES. CRAIG MAY SEE A FLURRY...AND PUT A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS IN THE I-70 CORRIDOR EAST OF GLENWOOD SPRINGS. THE BEST FORCING PASSES OVER THE ELKHEADS THIS AFTERNOON BUT COLD ADVECTIVE NW FLOW MAY PRODUCE LIGHT SNOW ACROSS THE MENTIONED NORTHERN CO MTNS THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS WHEN THE -22C COLD CORE PASSES. SOME CLOUDS WILL LINGER OVERNIGHT IN NW CO... OTHERWISE CLEARING SKIES WILL KEEP TEMPERATURES BELOW NORMAL TONIGHT AND MONDAY. && .SHORT TERM...(TODAY THROUGH MONDAY) ISSUED AT 331 AM MDT SUN OCT 20 2013 A FAST MOVING SHORTWAVE IN THE NORTHWESTERLIES WILL IMPACT THE NORTHERN AND PORTIONS OF THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS TODAY. HIGH CLOUDS AHEAD OF THE SYSTEM BEGAN SWEEPING OVER THE NORTH LAST EVENING. EXPECT SHOWERS WILL HOLD OFF UNTIL AFTER 12Z PER CONSENSUS OF GFS40...NAM12...RAP13...AND HRRR MODELS. THEREFORE ...PARED BACK POPS EARLY THIS MORNING. AS THE SHORTWAVE SWEEPS SOUTHEASTWARD ACROSS SOUTHWEST WYOMING SHOWERS WILL DEVELOP OVER THE ELKHEADS AROUND SUNRISE. THIS ACTIVITY WILL SPREAD TO THE PARK AND GORE RANGES...FLAT TOPS...AND ELK MOUNTAINS AS THE AXIS OF THE SHORTWAVE SWEEPS INTO NORTHWEST COLORADO THIS AFTERNOON. UPWARD FORCING...OROGRAPHIC LIFT AND SUFFICIENTLY STEEP LAPSE RATES WILL BRING ACCUMULATING SNOW TO THE NORTHERN AND CENTRAL MOUNTAINS. SNOW LEVELS WILL SETTLE AROUND MOUNTAIN BASES IN THE NORTH AND NEAR 8500 FEET IN THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS THIS AFTERNOON. MOISTURE LACKING WITH THIS SYSTEM SO WILL CONTINUE WITH 1 TO 2 INCH ACCUMULATIONS IN THE MOUNTAIN AREAS MENTIONED PREVIOUSLY. LOWER ELEVATIONS EAST OF KCAG-KASE LINE COULD SEE BRIEF SHOWERS BUT CHANCES NOT GREAT GIVEN LIMITED MOISTURE. ELSEWHERE...EXPECT DRY WEATHER TO CONTINUE WITH PARTLY SUNNY TO MOSTLY SUNNY SKIES AND HIGHS CONTINUING TO RUN A BIT COOL FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR. A PUSH OF COOLER AIR COMBINED WITH CLOUDS AND SHOWERS WILL DECREASE TEMPERATURES AROUND 5 DEGREES ACROSS NORTH- CENTRAL COLORADO THIS AFTERNOON. SNOW GRADUALLY TAPERS OFF OVERNIGHT FROM THE NORTH AS THE BULK OF PRECIPITATION HANGS OVER THE DIVIDE THROUGH THE MORNING HOURS MONDAY WITH FAVORABLE WIND DIRECTION FOR LINGERING LIGHT SNOW STRETCHING ALONG THE CENTRAL MOUNTAIN CORRIDOR. SNOW LEVEL WILL DECREASE TO AROUND 6500 FEET BY EARLY MONDAY MORNING WITH THE ADVECTION OF COLD NORTHERLY AIR. 1 TO 3 INCHES OF SNOW IS EXPECTED OVER THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS AND PORTIONS OF THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS THROUGH EARLY MONDAY MORNING...WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS. THE SHORTWAVE IS FORECAST TO PROGRESS TO THE VERY EASTERN PART OF CENTRAL COLORADO BY NOON MONDAY...SO ALL PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED TO HAVE CEASED OVER THE DIVIDE WITH BRISK NORTHERLY AIR FILTERING IN BEHIND IN AN AREA OF SUBSIDENCE. .LONG TERM...(MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY) ISSUED AT 331 AM MDT SUN OCT 20 2013 CLEAR SKIES AND SLIGHTLY BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES WILL REIGN AS HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS INTO THE REGION MONDAY NIGHT. WINDS WILL REMAIN LIGHT...ALLOWING INVERSIONS TO DEVELOP IN VALLEY BOTTOMS OVERNIGHT AND KEEP LOW TEMPERATURES BELOW NORMAL. A WEAK MID-LEVEL LOW PRESSURE TROUGH OVER THE WEST COAST UNDERCUTS THE RIDGE...MOVING EASTWARD ACROSS THE GREAT BASIN AND DESERT SOUTHWEST TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY. MODELS TAKE THE BULK OF THE ENERGY ASSOCIATED WITH THIS FEATURE SOUTH OF THE FORECAST AREA FROM THURSDAY NIGHT INTO FRIDAY BEFORE PUSHING IT ONTO THE SOUTHERN PLAINS SATURDAY. LATEST ECMWF FARTHER SOUTH WITH THIS FEATURE THAN YESTERDAY/S 00Z RUN WHICH LIMITS CHANCES FOR ANY SENSIBLE WEATHER OVER THE SAN JUANS FRIDAY. LESS ENERGETIC GFS SHOWED LITTLE CHANGE AND ALSO DRY FRIDAY. AS A RESULT...KEPT MENTION OF PRECIPITATION CHANCES OUT OF THE FORECAST THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE EXTENDED PERIOD. EXPECT TEMPERATURES WILL HOVER NEAR NORMAL THROUGH THE COMING WEEK. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z MONDAY MORNING) ISSUED AT 1110 AM MDT SUN OCT 20 2013 IN NW FLOW ALOFT A WEAK PASSING DISTURBANCE WILL BRUSH NORTH- CENTRAL COLORADO THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING. SNOW HAS DEVELOPED EAST OF A LINE FROM KCAG SE TO KASE AND WILL INCREASE IN INTENSITY THIS AFTERNOON. EXPECT AREAS OF MOUNTAIN OBSCURATION OVER THE ELKHEAD...PARK...GORE...AND PORTIONS OF THE ELK RANGES THIS AFTERNOON. THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE THAT KCAG...KEEO... KHDN...KSBS...AND KEGE WILL EXPERIENCE BRIEF MVFR CIGS IN LIGHT SHOWERS THROUGH 06Z. ELSEWHERE...EXPECT VFR CONDITIONS TO PERSIST THROUGH THE NEXT 24 HOURS AND BEYOND. && .GJT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... CO...NONE. UT...NONE. && $$ UPDATE...JOE SHORT TERM...NL/JAM LONG TERM...JAM/NL AVIATION...NL
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS MARQUETTE MI
342 PM EDT SUN OCT 20 2013 .SHORT TERM...(TODAY AND TONIGHT) ISSUED AT 510 AM EDT SUN OCT 20 2013 WV IMAGERY AND RUC ANALYSIS INDICATED A RIDGE OFF THE WEST COAST AND A BROAD MID/UPPER LEVEL TROUGH ACROSS THE CNTRL AND ERN CONUS. ONE UPSTREAM SHORTWAVE TROUGH WAS LOCATED OVER THE DAKOTAS WHILE ANOTHER STRONGER PV ANOMALY WAS DROPPING TO THE SSE THROUGH CNTRL MANITOBA. 290K ISENTROPIC LIFT AHEAD OF A SFC LOW OVER THE CNTRL DAKOTAS SUPPORTED AREAS OF RAIN OVER THE ERN DAKOTAS INTO WRN MN. 850 MB TEMPS AROUND -4C HELPED TO MAINTAIN A LAKE INDUCED TROUGH OVER LAKE SUPERIOR IN THE LIGHT WIND REGIME. ISOLD LAKE EFFECT -SHRA LINGERED INTO NW UPPER MI AND ERN LAKE SUPERIOR. THE MODELS WERE IN RELATIVELY GOOD AGREEMENT WITH THE SHORTWAVES AND SFC LOW MOVING INTO THE WRN GREAT LAKES. AS THE SFC LOW TRACKS FROM WRN MN SUNDAY MORNING TO THE SE END OF LAKE SUPERIOR EARLY MON MORNING...DEEP LAYER QVECTOR CONV AND 285K-295K ISENTROPIC LIFT WILL SUPPORT AN AREA OF PCPN MOVING INTO SW UPPER MI SUN AFTERNOON AND ACROSS THE CWA SUN NIGHT. PCPN AMOUNTS IN THE 0.25 TO 0.50 INCH RANGE ARE EXPECTED. MODEL FCST SOUNDINGS...AND WET-BULB ZERO HEIGHTS SUPPORT THE POTENTIAL FOR A SOME SNOW ACCUMULATION OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN OF THE WEST HALF OF UPPER MI. WITH ONLY LIGHT TO MODERATE SNOWFALL RATES EXPECTED...AND RELATIVELY LOW SNOW/WATER RATIO VALUES BELOW 10/1...ANY SNOW ACCUMULATION SHOULD GENERALLY REMAIN AT OR BELOW 2 INCHES. THERE MAY ALSO BE SOME ADDITIONAL LAKE ENHANCED SNOW INTO NW UPPER MI LATE AS WNW WINDS STRENGTHEN BEHIND THE LOW. .LONG TERM...(MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY) ISSUED AT 342 PM EDT SUN OCT 20 2013 MON NIGHT...MODELS SHOW THE ELONGATED SFC TROUGH FM LOW JUST SOUTH OF JAMES BAY WILL BE SITUATED OVER NRN LAKE SUPERIOR ON MONDAY. AS THE STRONG SHORTWAVE/CLOSED MID-UPR LVL LOW FM MANITOBA BEGINS TO MOVE ACROSS LAKE SUPERIOR AND UPPER MI MON NIGHT THIS WILL PROPEL THE SFC TROF ACROSS WRN LAKE SUPERIOR AND WRN UPR MI MON EVENING AND ACROSS ERN LAKE SUPERIOR AND CENTRAL/ERN UPR MI LATE MON NIGHT. THE TIMING OF THIS TROUGH WILL BE IMPORTANT AS WINDS WILL SHIFT FM WESTERLY TO NNW AND BRING STRONGLY CONVERGENT CYCLONIC FLOW TO FOCUS LAKE EFFECT SHOWERS INTO WESTERN UPPER MI MON EVENING AND ACROSS THE REST OF THE NORTH HALF UPPER MI LATE MON NIGHT. 850 MB TEMPS AROUND -6C OVER LAKE SUPERIOR ALONG WITH DEEP MOISTURE AND STRONG CYCLONIC FLOW WILL RESULT IN PLENTY OF LAKE ENHANCED PCPN OVER THE NORTHERN HALF OF THE UPPER MI MON NIGHT INTO TUE MORNING. MODEL SOUNDINGS INDICATE THERE SHOULD BE ENOUGH LOW LEVEL COLD AIR FOR AT LEAST SEVERAL INCHES OF WET ACCUMULATING SNOW OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN OF WEST HALF OF UPPER MI...ESPECIALLY WHERE UPSLOPE NW TO NNW FLOW PREVAILS. CONFIDENCE IN SNOW AMOUNTS IS STILL ONLY AVERAGE GIVEN THE MODEL DIFFERENCES WITH TIMING OF THE TROUGH AND SHIFT OF LOW LEVEL WINDS. THE BEST CHANCE FOR SIGNIFICANT SNOW ACCUMULATIONS WILL BE OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN OF THE WEST FROM NEAR IRONWOOD TROUGH ROCKLAND TO TWIN LAKES AND MOHAWK AND OVER THE HURON MOUNTAINS OF BARAGA AND MARQUETTE COUNTIES. SOME ACCUMULATING SNOW WILL ALSO BE LIKELY FROM THE HURON MOUNTAINS TO NEGAUNEE MON NIGHT. AT THIS POINT...IT APPEARS THAT SNOW ACCUMULATION WILL STAY BELOW WARNING CRITERIA FOR TWO MAIN REASONS. ONE...MODEL SNDGS SUGGEST THE BEST DENDRITIC SNOW GROWTH LAYER WILL BE ABOVE THE BEST MODEL OMEGA/LIFT WITH SYSTEM WHICH WILL LIKELY LIMIT SNOW/WATER RATIOS TO AROUND 8/1. TWO...MODEL DEEP LAYER Q-VECT CONV INDICATES THAT THE BEST ENHANCEMENT/SYNOPTIC SCALE FORCING FOR LAKE SNOW SHOWERS WILL BE BEFORE THE PASSAGE OF THE TROUGH OR BEFORE THE WINDS SHIFT FROM W TO NNW. I DON`T DOUBT THAT THERE COULD BE A QUICK INCH OR TWO OF SNOW WITH GOOD CONVERGENCE AND A BAND OF HEAVIER SNOW RIGHT ALONG THE TROUGH PASSAGE. BUT AFTER THE TROUGH PASSAGE...PURE LAKE EFFECT WILL TAKE OVER...AND GIVEN THAT 850 MB TEMPS FALL AT BEST TO -7C OVER WRN LAKE SUPERIOR EQUATING TO A LAKE DELTA-T OF 16C...WOULD EXPECT NO MORE THAN UP TO 3 INCHES OF ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATION AT BEST THROUGH TUE MORNING OVER FAVORED HIGHER TERRAIN LOCATIONS. FOR THIS REASON WILL NOT ISSUE A WATCH BUT WILL CONTINUE TO HIGHLIGHT SNOW ACCUMULATION IN A SPS. TUE-FRI...WITH THE MEAN LONG WAVE TROUGH REMAINING OVER THE GREAT LAKES AND ERN CONUS...NW FLOW AND A SERIES OF WEAK CLIPPER SHRTWVS ARE EXPECTED TO MOVE THROUGH THE UPPER LAKES. THIS WILL BRING PERIODS OF SNOW SHOWERS...MIXED WITH RAIN AT TIMES...THAT WILL BE ENHANCED BY LAKE SUPERIOR AS 850 MB TEMPS CONTINUE TO FALL INTO THE -8C TO -10C RANGE. LOCATIONS GENERALLY FAVORED BY NW FLOW WILL SEE BEST CHANCE FOR PCPN. SOME ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATING SNOW IS POSSIBLE AND AS IS TYPICAL IN EARLY SEASON LAKE EFFECT REGIMES...GRAUPEL WILL LIKELY ALSO BE MIXED WITH ANY RAIN/SNOW SHOWERS. LAKE EFFECT PCPN WILL DIMINISH BY FRIDAY AS UPPER TROUGH MOVES EAST AND RIDGING BUILDS IN FM THE WEST. NEXT WEEKEND...MODELS SHOW PLENTY OF VARIABILITY OUT TO DAYS 6 AND 7 OF THE FCST. ALL MODELS SHOW ANOTHER CLIPPER SHORTWAVE ROUNDING THE WRN CONUS RIDGE AND DIVING INTO THE NRN PLAINS AND UPPER GREAT LAKES REGION BUT TRACK AND TIMING OF SHORTWAVE IS UNCERTAIN AT THIS TIME. FOR NOW WILL GO WITH A GENERAL CONSENSUS FCST AND INCLUDE CHC POPS FOR RAIN/SNOW SHOWERS AND TEMPS REMAINING BLO NORMAL FOR NEXT SAT-SUN. THE 00Z ECMWF ADVERTISES YET ANOTHER CLIPPER SHORTWAVE MOVING IN FOR THE EARLY PART OF THE FOLLOWING WORK WEEK WHICH WOULD USHER IN THE COLDEST AIRMASS YET OF THE SEASON WITH 850 MB TEMPS FALLING AOB -12C. IF THIS SOLUTION HOLDS TRUE...THE LAST FEW DAYS OF OCTOBER WILL FEATURE CONTINUED BELOW NORMAL TEMPS AND MORE LAKE EFFECT PCPN. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z MONDAY AFTERNOON) ISSUED AT 242 PM EDT SUN OCT 20 2013 TIMING OF THE APPROACHING SNOW AND LOWER CEILINGS HAS BEEN VERY TRICKY TODAY...MADE TRICKIER BY FOG/STRATUS THIS MORNING ACROSS THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF THE W HALF OF UPPER MI. THIS MAINLY INFLUENCED SAW...WHICH WAS RIGHT ON THE CLEARING LINE THANKS TO LIGHT DOWNSLOPE WINDS MUCH OF THE MORNING. CEILINGS HAVE BEEN HOVERING BETWEEN HIGH END MVFR AND VFR EARLY THIS AFTERNOON...WITH THE RAIN/SNOW LINE AND MVFR TO IFR CEILINGS NEARING FROM N CENTRAL WI THIS AFTERNOON. EXPECT DETERIORATING CONDITIONS AT ALL 3 SITES...WITH RAIN SLOWLY MIXING WITH SNOW OVERNIGHT. THE MIX OF RAIN AND SNOW WILL LIKELY CHANGE OVER TO ALL SNOW AT IWD SHORTLY BEFORE DAYBREAK AS COOLER AIR RUSHES IN ON FAVORABLE W-NW WINDS. THE CHANGE OVER SHOULD TAKE A COUPLE MORE HOURS AT CMX...WITH A LOW TEMP IN THE MID 30S OVERNIGHT. STRONGER W WINDS WILL BE COMMON STARTING 09-15Z W TO E...WITH GUSTS OF 25-30KTS /STRONGEST AT CMX/...AS CEILINGS SLOWLY IMPROVE AS THE BULK OF THE MOISTURE EXITS AS THE SFC LOW PUSHES INTO E QUEBEC. && .MARINE...(FOR THE 4 AM LAKE SUPERIOR FORECAST ISSUANCE) ISSUED AT 510 AM EDT SUN OCT 20 2013 LOW PRESSURE MOVEING OUT OF THE DAKOTAS WILL BEGIN TO INTENSIFY OVER THE UPPER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY TODAY AND THEN MOVE THROUGH THE UPPER GREAT LAKES TONIGHT AND MONDAY. AS THIS OCCURS...WINDS WILL STRENGTHEN ACROSS THE LAKE...FIRST OUT OF THE SOUTH TO SOUTHEAST AHEAD OF THE LOW THIS EVENING AND THEN OUT OF THE WEST BEHIND THE LOW LATE TONIGHT INTO MONDAY. THERE STILL ARE SOME DIFFERENCES IN THE EXACT TRACK AND STRENGTH OF THE LOW AS IT MOVES ACROSS LAKE SUPERIOR ON MONDAY...SO WIND SPEED/DIRECTIONS ARE STILL UNCERTAIN. AT THIS TIME...IT APPEARS THE STRONGEST WINDS WILL BE BEHIND THE LOW ON MONDAY AND MONDAY NIGHT...WHEN WEST GALES TO 35-40KTS VEERING TO THE NORTH ARE EXPECTED. ONCE THE LOW DEPARTS THE AREA...EXPECT NORTHWESTERLY WINDS UP TO 25KTS TO REMAIN OVER LAKE SUPERIOR INTO WEDNESDAY. && .MQT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... UPPER MICHIGAN... NONE. LAKE SUPERIOR... GALE WATCH FROM MONDAY MORNING THROUGH TUESDAY AFTERNOON FOR LSZ265>267. GALE WATCH FROM MONDAY EVENING THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING FOR LSZ264. GALE WATCH FROM MONDAY MORNING THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING FOR LSZ263. LAKE MICHIGAN... NONE. && $$ SHORT TERM...JLB LONG TERM...VOSS AVIATION...KF MARINE...JLB
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS MARQUETTE MI
243 PM EDT SUN OCT 20 2013 .SHORT TERM...(TODAY AND TONIGHT) ISSUED AT 510 AM EDT SUN OCT 20 2013 WV IMAGERY AND RUC ANALYSIS INDICATED A RIDGE OFF THE WEST COAST AND A BROAD MID/UPPER LEVEL TROUGH ACROSS THE CNTRL AND ERN CONUS. ONE UPSTREAM SHORTWAVE TROUGH WAS LOCATED OVER THE DAKOTAS WHILE ANOTHER STRONGER PV ANOMALY WAS DROPPING TO THE SSE THROUGH CNTRL MANITOBA. 290K ISENTROPIC LIFT AHEAD OF A SFC LOW OVER THE CNTRL DAKOTAS SUPPORTED AREAS OF RAIN OVER THE ERN DAKOTAS INTO WRN MN. 850 MB TEMPS AROUND -4C HELPED TO MAINTAIN A LAKE INDUCED TROUGH OVER LAKE SUPERIOR IN THE LIGHT WIND REGIME. ISOLD LAKE EFFECT -SHRA LINGERED INTO NW UPPER MI AND ERN LAKE SUPERIOR. THE MODELS WERE IN RELATIVELY GOOD AGREEMENT WITH THE SHORTWAVES AND SFC LOW MOVING INTO THE WRN GREAT LAKES. AS THE SFC LOW TRACKS FROM WRN MN SUNDAY MORNING TO THE SE END OF LAKE SUPERIOR EARLY MON MORNING...DEEP LAYER QVECTOR CONV AND 285K-295K ISENTROPIC LIFT WILL SUPPORT AN AREA OF PCPN MOVING INTO SW UPPER MI SUN AFTERNOON AND ACROSS THE CWA SUN NIGHT. PCPN AMOUNTS IN THE 0.25 TO 0.50 INCH RANGE ARE EXPECTED. MODEL FCST SOUNDINGS...AND WET-BULB ZERO HEIGHTS SUPPORT THE POTENTIAL FOR A SOME SNOW ACCUMULATION OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN OF THE WEST HALF OF UPPER MI. WITH ONLY LIGHT TO MODERATE SNOWFALL RATES EXPECTED...AND RELATIVELY LOW SNOW/WATER RATIO VALUES BELOW 10/1...ANY SNOW ACCUMULATION SHOULD GENERALLY REMAIN AT OR BELOW 2 INCHES. THERE MAY ALSO BE SOME ADDITIONAL LAKE ENHANCED SNOW INTO NW UPPER MI LATE AS WNW WINDS STRENGTHEN BEHIND THE LOW. .LONG TERM...(MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY) ISSUED AT 337 AM EDT SUN OCT 20 2013 AN ACTIVE WEATHER PATTERN IS IN STORE FOR THE UPPER GREAT LAKES REGION FOR THE UPCOMING WORK WEEK. THE UPPER TROUGH THAT IS AFFECTING THE UPPER GREAT LAKES WILL BE RE-ENFORCED BY A SHORTWAVE CURRENTLY DROPPING SOUTH OVER LAKE WINNIPEG. THIS WAVE WILL CATCH UP WITH THE SURFACE LOW AND SHORTWAVE IN SOUTHERN MINNESOTA (CURRENTLY IN WESTERN NORTH DAKOTA) AND INTENSIFY THE LOW TONIGHT AS THE SHORTWAVES PHASE...CAUSING THE LOW TO LIFT NORTHEAST AND OVER EASTERN LAKE SUPERIOR BY 12Z MONDAY. MODELS SEEM TO BE COMING INTO BETTER AGREEMENT ON THE TRACK/INTENSITY OF THE LOW AS IT MOVES NORTH FROM EASTERN LAKE SUPERIOR ON MONDAY...WHILE LEAVING A SURFACE TROUGH BACK OVER THE LAKE THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT. EXPECT THE INITIAL SURGE OF PRECIPITATION THAT MOVES THROUGH SUNDAY AFTERNOON/NIGHT TO BE PUSHING NORTHEAST OF UPPER MICHIGAN. THUS...WITH COLD AIR SURGING EAST ACROSS UPPER MICHIGAN UNDER THE GUSTY WESTERLY FLOW...EXPECT THE MAIN WEATHER TO START MONDAY TO BE WESTERLY WIND LAKE ENHANCED PRECIPITATION. THIS IS DUE TO 850MB TEMPS FALLING TO -8C OVER WESTERN UPPER MICHIGAN BY 18Z MONDAY. WILL HIGHLIGHT THE HIGHEST POPS OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN FROM THE KEWEENAW THROUGH THE GOGEBIC RANGE AND ALSO OVER THE HURON MOUNTAINS. WESTERLY WINDS LOOK TO BACK SLIGHTLY IN THE AFTERNOON AHEAD OF TROUGH DROPPING SOUTH ACROSS WESTERN LAKE SUPERIOR DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON. THIS MAY CAUSE THE BEST PRECIPITATION TO BE FOCUSED MORE OVER THE KEWEENAW DURING THE AFTERNOON. THEREFORE...DID OPT TO TRIM POP/QPF AMOUNTS OVER GOGEBIC/ONTONAGON COUNTIES SOME DURING THE AFTERNOON HOURS. SINCE WETBULB ZERO VALUES FALL OVER THE WEST AS THE COLD AIR SURGES EAST ACROSS THE U.P. EXPECT PRECIP TO FALL AS SNOW OVER THE WEST...BUT COULD MIX WITH RAIN AT TIMES NEAR LAKE SUPERIOR. SNOWFALL AMOUNTS DURING THE MORNING AND MOST OF THE AFTERNOON SHOULD BE LIGHT...WITH LOCATIONS SEEING AMOUNTS UNDER AN INCH. OVER THE REST OF UPPER MICHIGAN DURING THIS PERIOD...EXPECT BREEZY WESTERLY WINDS AND CLOUDY CONDITIONS...BUT LITTLE TO NO PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED. THE BEST OPPORTUNITY WOULD BE OVER THE EAST RIGHT ALONG THE LAKE SUPERIOR/MICHIGAN SHORELINES AS LAKE ENHANCED PRECIPITATION WILL TRY TO PARALLEL THOSE AREAS. THEN TOWARDS SUNSET...THE SURFACE TROUGH WILL DROP SOUTH ONTO THE WESTERN U.P. SHORELINE AND BRING AN ENHANCED AREA OF CONVERGENCE AND PRECIPITATION. EXPECT THERE TO BE MODERATE TO HEAVY PRECIPITATION AS THIS TROUGH SLIDES THROUGH THE WESTERN U.P. DURING THE EVENING HOURS AND THEN THROUGH CENTRAL UPPER MICHIGAN DURING THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. 850MB TEMPS WILL ACTUALLY WARM A COUPLE DEGREES BEHIND THE TROUGH...BUT THE DEEP MOISTURE AND CYCLONIC FLOW ON THE BACK SIDE OF THE SURFACE AND 850MB LOW...ALONG WITH UPSLOPE WINDS...WILL SUPPORT LAKE ENHANCED PRECIPITATION THROUGH A GOOD PORTION OF THE NIGHT OVER THE WESTERN CWA AND INTO TUESDAY MORNING OVER THE NORTH CENTRAL CWA. THE PRECIPITATION DURING THIS PERIOD SHOULD FALL AS SNOW EXCEPT FOR LOCATIONS RIGHT ALONG THE LAKE SUPERIOR SHORELINE WHERE THE NORTH-NORTHWEST WINDS WOULD PRODUCE SOME HEAT TRANSFER FROM THE LAKE AND LEAD TO SOME RAIN/SNOW MIX. AS FOR RATIOS/AMOUNTS...THINKING THE SNOW RATIOS WILL BE AROUND OR JUST BELOW 10-1 WITH THE BEST FORCING BEING BELOW THE DGZ AND SNOW FLAKES FALLING FROM ALOFT CLUMPING TOGETHER AS THEY REACH THE STRONG UPWARD MOTION NEAR THE SURFACE. AS FOR QPF AMOUNTS...HPC INDICATES NAM IS THE COLDER SOLUTION IN THE MID LEVELS (BY AROUND 2C) BEHIND THE LOW...WHICH MAY BE PART OF THE REASON IT IS MUCH HIGHER ON QPF AMOUNTS WITH THE LAKE ENHANCED SNOW BEHIND THE TROUGH. SINCE THE HIGHER RESOLUTION OF THE NAM AND 4KM NEST PICK UP THE TERRAIN ENHANCEMENT...DID BLEND THAT WITH THE PREFERRED WARMER AND COARSER MODELS FOR QPF MONDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING. THIS CREATES 24HR VALUES OF 0.5-0.75IN FROM IRONWOOD THROUGH THE KEWEENAW AND ALSO OVER THE WESTERN SIDE OF THE HURON MOUNTAINS. AT 10-1 SLR VALUE...SNOWFALL AMOUNTS IN THE 3-6 INCH RANGE SEEM REASONABLE IN THOSE AREAS AFTER FACTORING SOME MELTING INITIALLY ON MONDAY WHEN THE SNOWFALL RATES ARE LIGHTER. THAT SEEMS TO FIT IN WITH OUR ADVISORY CRITERIA AND WILL LIKELY END UP JUST UNDER THE 6INCH IN 12HR MARK FOR WARNINGS. CIPS TOP ANALOGS (BASED OFF THE SLIGHTLY COLDER NAM SOLUTION) SHOW MEAN SNOWFALL AMOUNTS OF 4-8 INCHES OF A 72HR PERIOD AND PROBABILITIES OF SEEING 6IN OF SNOW AROUND 60 PERCENT. THINK THE FORECAST MATCHES UP PRETTY WELL WITH THAT IDEA (ALONG WITH HPC GUIDANCE) AND WILL CONTINUE TO HIGHLIGHT THIS MEASUREABLE SNOW EVENT IN THE HWO AND ISSUE AN SPS TO HIGHTEN THE AWARENESS. SURFACE TROUGH WILL QUICKLY SHIFT EAST OF THE AREA ON TUESDAY...AS AN AREA OF HIGH PRESSURE SLIDES INTO THE NORTHERN PLAINS. EXPECT A DIMINISHING PRECIPITATION TREND FROM WEST TO EAST ACROSS THE CWA WITH THE DEEPER MOISTURE DEPARTING. THROUGH THE REST OF THE WEEK...EXPECT NORTHWESTERLY FLOW TO BE IN PLACE AS THE LOW SITS OVER QUEBEC AND A SERIES OF HIGHS DROP SOUTHEAST THROUGH THE NORTHERN PLAINS. 850MB TEMPS THROUGH THE REST OF THE PERIOD SHOULD BE RIGHT AROUND -8C WHICH LEADS TO PLENTY OF LAKE INSTABILITY. WILL CONTINUE TO HIGHLIGHT CHANCE POPS OR HIGHER IN THE TRADITIONAL NORTHWEST FLOW LOCATIONS THROUGH FRIDAY. HIGHEST POPS AND POTENTIAL FOR ACCUMULATION SNOWFALL WILL BE OVER THE EASTERN U.P. WITH THE LONGER FETCH AND CLOSER PROXIMITY TO THE BETTER MOISTURE UNDER THE UPPER LOW. THERE WILL BE A COUPLE BRIEF PERIODS WHERE THE LAKE EFFECT PRECIPITATION WILL PICKUP AS WEAK SHORTWAVES AND BETTER MOISTURE SWEEP THROUGH. CIPS TOP ANALOGS FOR THE MID WEEK PERIOD UNDER PERSISTENT LAKE EFFECT SNOWFALL SHOWS PROBABILITY FOR 4IN OF SNOW IN A 72HR PERIOD BEING AROUND 60 PERCENT IN THE TRADITIONAL FAVORED NORTHWEST FLOW LOCATIONS. BEING THAT IS OVER A 3 DAY PERIOD...THING THOSE VALUES ARE REASONABLE WITH LIGHT ACCUMULATIONS OCCURRING THROUGH THE END OF THE WORK WEEK. THE UPPER TROUGHS INFLUENCE ON THE UPPER GREAT LAKES LOOKS TO WEAKEN THIS WEEKEND AS IT SHIFTS EAST INTO THE NEW ENGLAND STATES. BUT ANOTHER SHORTWAVE ROUNDING THE UPPER RIDGE OVER THE ROCKIES WILL TRY TO MOVE INTO THE AREA FOR THE SECOND HALF OF THE WEEKEND. WILL JUST GO WITH A GENERAL CONSENSUS AND HAVE CHANCE POPS WITH TEMPERATURES REMAINING BELOW NORMAL. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z MONDAY AFTERNOON) ISSUED AT 242 PM EDT SUN OCT 20 2013 TIMING OF THE APPROACHING SNOW AND LOWER CEILINGS HAS BEEN VERY TRICKY TODAY...MADE TRICKIER BY FOG/STRATUS THIS MORNING ACROSS THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF THE W HALF OF UPPER MI. THIS MAINLY INFLUENCED SAW...WHICH WAS RIGHT ON THE CLEARING LINE THANKS TO LIGHT DOWNSLOPE WINDS MUCH OF THE MORNING. CEILINGS HAVE BEEN HOVERING BETWEEN HIGH END MVFR AND VFR EARLY THIS AFTERNOON...WITH THE RAIN/SNOW LINE AND MVFR TO IFR CEILINGS NEARING FROM N CENTRAL WI THIS AFTERNOON. EXPECT DETERIORATING CONDITIONS AT ALL 3 SITES...WITH RAIN SLOWLY MIXING WITH SNOW OVERNIGHT. THE MIX OF RAIN AND SNOW WILL LIKELY CHANGE OVER TO ALL SNOW AT IWD SHORTLY BEFORE DAYBREAK AS COOLER AIR RUSHES IN ON FAVORABLE W-NW WINDS. THE CHANGE OVER SHOULD TAKE A COUPLE MORE HOURS AT CMX...WITH A LOW TEMP IN THE MID 30S OVERNIGHT. STRONGER W WINDS WILL BE COMMON STARTING 09-15Z W TO E...WITH GUSTS OF 25-30KTS /STRONGEST AT CMX/...AS CEILINGS SLOWLY IMPROVE AS THE BULK OF THE MOISTURE EXITS AS THE SFC LOW PUSHES INTO E QUEBEC. && .MARINE...(FOR THE 4 AM LAKE SUPERIOR FORECAST ISSUANCE) ISSUED AT 510 AM EDT SUN OCT 20 2013 LOW PRESSURE MOVEING OUT OF THE DAKOTAS WILL BEGIN TO INTENSIFY OVER THE UPPER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY TODAY AND THEN MOVE THROUGH THE UPPER GREAT LAKES TONIGHT AND MONDAY. AS THIS OCCURS...WINDS WILL STRENGTHEN ACROSS THE LAKE...FIRST OUT OF THE SOUTH TO SOUTHEAST AHEAD OF THE LOW THIS EVENING AND THEN OUT OF THE WEST BEHIND THE LOW LATE TONIGHT INTO MONDAY. THERE STILL ARE SOME DIFFERENCES IN THE EXACT TRACK AND STRENGTH OF THE LOW AS IT MOVES ACROSS LAKE SUPERIOR ON MONDAY...SO WIND SPEED/DIRECTIONS ARE STILL UNCERTAIN. AT THIS TIME...IT APPEARS THE STRONGEST WINDS WILL BE BEHIND THE LOW ON MONDAY AND MONDAY NIGHT...WHEN WEST GALES TO 35-40KTS VEERING TO THE NORTH ARE EXPECTED. ONCE THE LOW DEPARTS THE AREA...EXPECT NORTHWESTERLY WINDS UP TO 25KTS TO REMAIN OVER LAKE SUPERIOR INTO WEDNESDAY. && .MQT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... UPPER MICHIGAN... NONE. LAKE SUPERIOR... GALE WATCH FROM MONDAY MORNING THROUGH TUESDAY AFTERNOON FOR LSZ265>267. GALE WATCH FROM MONDAY EVENING THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING FOR LSZ264. GALE WATCH FROM MONDAY MORNING THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING FOR LSZ263. LAKE MICHIGAN... NONE. && $$ SHORT TERM...JLB LONG TERM...SRF AVIATION...KF MARINE...JLB
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS GAYLORD MI
202 PM EDT SUN OCT 20 2013 .SYNOPSIS... ISSUED AT 335 AM EDT SUN OCT 20 2013 COOL WEATHER WITH PERIODS OF LAKE EFFECT SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE INTO NEXT WEEK...AS A BROAD TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE REMAINS OVER THE GREAT LAKES. EVEN COLDER AIR WILL ENGULF THE GREAT LAKES AND UPPER MIDWEST BY MONDAY...AS ANOTHER WEAK STORM SYSTEM EXITS NORTHEAST INTO QUEBEC EARLY IN THE WORK WEEK. TEMPERATURES MAY GET COLD ENOUGH TO BRING THE FIRST SNOWFALL OF THE SEASON...ESPECIALLY TO INTERIOR SECTIONS OF EASTERN UPPER AND NORTHERN LOWER MICHIGAN. && .UPDATE... ISSUED AT 201 PM EDT SUN OCT 20 2013 SCT-BKN STCU DECK HAS EXPANDED ACROSS THE CWA OVER THE LAST FEW HOURS...LEADING TO PARTLY SUNNY SKIES FOR MOST AREAS. REMAINING SMALL BATCH OF LAKE INDUCED SHOWERS CONTINUES TO WORK UP THROUGH THE STRAITS INTO EASTERN UPPER MICHIGAN...AS ANTICIPATED. BUT DRY WEATHER ELSEWHERE. UPSTREAM...SFC LOW PRESSURE SLIDING SOUTHEASTWARD THROUGH THE UPPER MIDWEST IN RESPONSE TO SMALL UPPER JET CORE PUSHING ACROSS IOWA...AND SUBSTANTIALLY STRONGER SHORT WAVE ENERGY DIVING SOUTHWARD OUT OF SOUTH-CENTRAL CANADA. INCREASING WARM ADVECTION AHEAD OF THE LOW ALREADY PUSHING A BAND OF PRECIP THROUGH WISCONSIN. THIS BATCH OF WARM ADVECTION FORCED PRECIP WILL PIVOT SW-NE UP INTO NRN MICHIGAN OVER THE NEXT FEW HOURS LEADING TO A PERIOD RAINFALL ACROSS THE CWA THIS EVENING. MAIN PERIOD OF RAINFALL LOOKING TO OCCUR BETWEEN 00Z AND 06Z AS SUBSTANTIALLY WARM AIR SURGES UP INTO NRN MICHIGAN. WILL CATCH A BIT OF A BREAK DURING THE OVERNIGHT HOURS BEFORE STRONG SHORT WAVE DRIVES ACROSS NRN MICHIGAN LATE OVERNIGHT THROUGH MONDAY MORNING...AND WRAP AROUND MOISTURE/COLDER AIR ROTATE INTO THE REGION. TRANSITION DAY ON MONDAY. UPDATE ISSUED AT 1036 AM EDT SUN OCT 20 2013 GOT A BIT OF A BREAK DURING THE OVERNIGHT HOURS WITH CLOUDS THINNING/ CLEARING OUT OVER A GOOD PART OF CWA...WELL DOWNWIND OF THE LAKES. BUT MEANWHILE...LAKE AGGREGATE TROUGH ANALYZED FROM WESTERN LAKE SUPERIOR DOWN INTO NRN LAKE MICHIGAN THIS MORNING. MESOSCALE SFC LOW HAS DEVELOPED OVER NRN LAKE MICHIGAN GIVEN THE WEAKER SYNOPTIC WIND REGIME/SHORELINE ORIENTATION AND OFFSHORE WIND COMPONENT. A FEW POCKETS OF LAKE INDUCED SHOWERS LINGER WITHIN THIS FEATURE ACROSS NRN LAKE MICHIGAN (CAN SEE THE LOW LEVEL SPIN IN THE RADAR DATA...PUSHING UP INTO PARTS OF NW LOWER INTO THE STRAITS AND EASTERN UPPER. REST OF TODAY...POTENT SHORT WAVE AND POCKET OF COLDEST AIR OF THE SEASON ON TRACK TO DROP INTO THE UPPER MIDWEST...THAT WILL ULTIMATELY DRIVE A DEEPENING SFC LOW/POTENT COLD FRONT THROUGH THE REGION...LATE TONIGHT AND MONDAY MORNING. AHEAD OF THIS DEVELOPING SYSTEM...LOW LEVEL FLOW WILL BACK MORE SOUTHERLY AS WE GO THROUGH THE AFTERNOON...PUSHING REMAINING LAKE INDUCED SHOWERS UP THROUGH EASTERN UPPER MICHIGAN. PULSE OF LOW-MID LEVEL WARM ADVECTION FORCING AHEAD OF THAT DEVELOPING SYSTEM ALREADY PRODUCING A BAND OF PRECIP EXPANDING INTO WESTERN WISCONSIN THIS MORNING. FORCING LOOKING TO DEVELOP INTO THE W/SW PART OF THE CWA BY LATE AFTERNOON. GOING FORECAST ALREADY HAS CHANCY POPS OVER THE SW COUNTIES AND A SLIVER OF EASTERN UPPER MICHIGAN...WHICH LOOKS FINE FOR NOW. HAVE TWEAKED SKY FORECASTS FOR THE BALANCE OF THE DAY BASED ON TRENDS...TO HAVE A LITTLE MORE SUNSHINE THROUGH MIDDAY. ALSO TWEAKED TEMP CURVE FOR TONIGHT. BIG SURGE OF WARM AIR ALOFT AND INCREASING SOUTHERLY WINDS SHOULD ACTUALLY RESULT IN FLAT LINE OR EVEN WARMING TEMPS TONIGHT. JUST HOW WARM DEPENDS ON HOW FAR NORTH THE SFC WARM FRONT CAN GET...BUT CAN ENVISION SOME LOCATIONS PUSHING THE HIGH 40S TO NEAR 50 OVERNIGHT...BEFORE IT ALL CRASHES ON MONDAY WITH FROPA. UPDATE ISSUED AT 657 AM EDT SUN OCT 20 2013 CLOUDS HAVE OPENED UP CONSIDERABLY IN PARTS OF NE LOWER AND EASTERN UPPER MI. THIS WILL TEND TO SELF-DESTRUCT WITH HEATING TODAY...THE SUB-800MB AIRMASS REMAINS ON THE MOIST SIDE. SOME ADJUSTMENTS MADE TO EARLY-MORNING CLOUD COVER. && .SHORT TERM...(TODAY THROUGH TONIGHT) ISSUED AT 335 AM EDT SUN OCT 20 2013 MUCH DISCUSSED DEEP TROUGHING CONTINUES TO DOMINATE GREAT LAKES WEATHER AT THIS EARLY HOUR...DOWNSTREAM OF EQUALLY IMPRESSIVE RIDGING POCKING UP AND BEYOND THE NORTHWEST TERRITORIES. SUBTLE WAVE TRAVERSING WITHIN THIS FLOW...NOW IN THE PROCESS OF FURTHER DEAMPLIFYING AND CUTTING ACROSS THE NORTHERN LAKES. THIS...COMBINED WITH STILL MORE THAN SUPPORTIVE OVER-WATER INSTABILITY (H8 TEMPERATURES RIGHT AROUND -2C PER HIGH RES RAP AND 00Z SOUNDING ANALYSIS)...CONTINUES TO KICK OFF LAKE ENHANCED RAIN SHOWERS OFF NORTHERN LAKE MICHIGAN (EVEN HAD SOME LEGITIMATE SNOWFLAKES MIX IN WITH THE RAIN HERE ON TOP OF THE HILL). OTHERWISE...A RATHER QUIET AND TOUCH CHILLY NIGHT...WITH CURRENT READINGS MAINLY IN THE 30S AND LOWER 40S. MAIN SYSTEM OF INTEREST THROUGH THE SHORT TERM IS WELL DEFINED SHORTWAVE/VORT LOBE DROPPING STRAIGHT SOUTH THROUGH CENTRAL MANITOBA. THIS SYSTEM WILL DRUM UP A RATHER RESPECTABLE AREA OF LOW PRESSURE TONIGHT AS IT DROPS INTO MINNESOTA. GOOD MID LEVEL SUPPORT AND LOW LEVEL ENERGY SUPPLIED BY WARM LAKE WATERS WILL HELP DEEPEN THIS SURFACE LOW AS IT MOVES UP INTO EASTERN LAKE SUPERIOR BY MONDAY MORNING. THIS SYSTEM WILL BRING MORE WIDESPREAD RAINS HEADING INTO TONIGHT...AND PERHAPS A GALE EVENT ON PARTS OF THE BIG WATERS. SHORT TERM FORECAST CONCERNS CENTER ON ADDRESSING THE IMPACTS OF THIS SYSTEM. BY AND LARGE...A RATHER NON-EVENTFUL WEATHER DAY EXPECTED TODAY. CURRENT OVERHEAD WAVE WILL HAVE EXITED STAGE RIGHT BY SUNRISE...LEAVING PURE LAKE PROCESSES FOR ANY ADDITIONAL SHOWER DEVELOPMENT THROUGH MID AFTERNOON. EXPECT THERE WILL BE SOME ONGOING TO START THE DAY...ESPECIALLY ALONG THE NORTHWEST LOWER COASTLINE WHERE WIND CONVERGENCE WILL BE MAXIMIZED. LAKE PROCESSES WILL BE A DOWNWARD ONE HEADING THROUGH THE DAY AS WINDS BACK SOUTHERLY AND WEAK MID LEVEL RIDGING BUILDS OVERHEAD. ATTENTION LATE THIS AFTERNOON INTO THE OVERNIGHT TURNS TO STRONG WAA RESPONSE AHEAD OF EARLIER MENTIONED DEEPENING SURFACE LOW. RATHER IMPRESSIVE ISENTROPIC UPGLIDE SIGNATURE VIA FORCED ASCENT ON NOSE OF 40+ KNOT LOW LEVEL JET...WITH WELL OVER HALF INCH PWATS ALSO SURGING NORTH INTO THE AREA WITH THIS JET. ABOVE LOOKS TO KICK OFF A RATHER LARGE AREA OF RAIN...WHICH WILL SPREAD RAPIDLY NORTHEAST ACROSS OUR AREA LATE THIS AFTERNOON INTO THIS EVENING. PER FULL 00Z GUIDANCE ANALYSIS...MAY AMP UP RAIN CHANCES SOME SOUTHWEST THIRD OF THE AREA AFTER 21Z TODAY...WITH INHERITED CATEGORICAL WORDING INTO THIS EVENING LOOKING GREAT. DRY SLOT PUNCHES IN FROM THE SOUTHWEST THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT...LIKELY ABRUPTLY ENDING RAINS AS IT DOES SO. MAY SEE SOME LAKE SHOWERS ATTEMPT TO FIRE FAR NORTHERN LAKE MICHIGAN TOWARDS MORNING WHERE MOISTURE WILL REMAIN DEEPER AND POST-COLD FRONT CAA REGIME ONCE AGAIN DROPS H8 READINGS TO JUST BELOW 0C. .LONG TERM...(MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY) ISSUED AT 335 AM EDT SUN OCT 20 2013 CLASSIC LATE AUTUMN WX WILL REMAIN IN PLACE FOR THE UPCOMING WEEK...A BIT AHEAD OF SCHEDULE. PLENTY OF UPPER TROFFING WILL REMAIN IN PLACE IN CENTRAL CANADA AND ADJOINING PARTS OF THE STATES. THE LOWEST HEIGHTS WILL BE OVERHEAD MONDAY EVENING...AS AN UPPER LOW CROSSES EASTERN SUPERIOR. HOWEVER...HEIGHT RECOVERY AFTER THAT LOW EJECTS TO THE NE WILL BE ANEMIC. THAT WILL MAINTAIN MIXED PRECIP AS A SIGNIFICANT FORECAST CONCERN...ESPECIALLY DURING THE LATE NIGHT/ EARLY MORNING HOURS. PRECIP TRENDS ARE THE MAIN CONCERN. MONDAY...500MB LOW MOVES FROM INL TO MQT. 999MB SURFACE LOW OVER EASTERN SUPERIOR WILL LIFT NE TO SSW OF JAMES BAY...WITH A NEW LOW SPINNING UP ALONG A SECONDARY COLD FRONT IN CENTRAL SUPERIOR DURING THE AFTERNOON. THE BACK EDGE OF THE WARM CONVEYOR BELT WILL BE ABOUT TO EXIT NE LOWER MI AT 12Z...WITH DRIER MID LEVEL AIR IN THE PROCESS OF POURING INTO NORTHERN LOWER. HOWEVER...OVERLAKE INSTABILITY WILL BE INCREASING CONSIDERABLY AS COLDER LOW LEVEL AIR POURS IN. 850MB TEMPS OVER NORTHERN LAKE MI WILL NEAR -6C BY 18Z...-8C BY 00Z. MEANWHILE...EASTERN UPPER WILL REMAIN ON THE SOUTHERN PERIPHERY OF THE DEEPER WRAPAROUND MOISTURE. COULD STILL BE SOME FRONTAL SHRA IN FAR EASTERN SECTIONS TO START THE MORNING. SCT SHRA WILL GET GOING IN WSW-FLOW AREAS (ESPECIALLY FROM LEELANAU NORTHWARD) DURING THE MORNING...AS WELL AS IN EASTERN UPPER. THESE COULD BECOME MORE NUMEROUS IN THE AFTERNOON...AS INSTABILITY INCREASES (DELTA T/S IN THE LOWER 20S) AND THE CORE OF THE DRY SLOT MOVES EAST. 1000-850MB WINDS WILL VEER TO THE WEST DURING THE AFTERNOON...WITH INVERSION HEIGHTS A REASONABLY HEALTHY 6-7K FT. WILL INTRODUCE A SMALL CHANCE FOR A MIX VERY LATE IN THE DAY IN THE INTERIOR OF EASTERN UPPER...WHERE THE SURFACE-BASED MELTING LAYER IS NARROWING BELOW 1K FT. MAX TEMPS IN THE 40S (TO LOWER 50S NE LOWER) AND EARLY...WITH FALLING TEMPS IN THE PM. BRISK TO WINDY...ESPECIALLY NEAR LAKE MI. MON NIGHT/TUESDAY...UPPER LOW WILL GRADUALLY LIFT OUT TOWARD JAMES BAY...THOUGH WITH A SUBSTANTIAL SHORTWAVE ROUNDING IT/S SOUTHERN FLANK LATE MONDAY NIGHT. THAT WILL DRIVE THE SECONDARY FRONT INTO EASTERN UPPER MI LATE MONDAY NIGHT...AND ACROSS THE REST OF THE FORECAST AREA ON TUESDAY. 1000-850MB WINDS WILL BRIEFLY BACK MORE WSW AGAIN JUST AHEAD OF THIS TROF...ALLOWING THE INITIAL 850MB THERMAL TROF TO MOVE EAST AND BOOSTING 850MB TEMPS TO -5C. WINDS RAPIDLY VEER NW BEHIND THE TROF...AND COLD ADVECTION RESUMES. AFTER CONTINUED LOW-END-ISH LAKE EFFECT MONDAY EVENING (THOUGH WITH MORE SNOW MIXING IN AS DIURNAL HEATING IS LOST)...PRECIP WILL SUBSTANTIALLY RAMP UP OVERNIGHT AS THE SECONDARY FRONT AND SHARP 1000-850MB CONVERGENCE ARRIVES. SLUSHY ACCUMS UP TO AN INCH SEEM A DISTINCT POSSIBILITY MONDAY NIGHT NEAR GLR/BOYNE CITY/MANCELONA... AND IN WESTERN CHIP. TUESDAY WILL SEE A WOBBLY NW FLOW...BUT WITH MID-LEVEL DRYING/SUBSIDENCE AS THE VORT LOBE MOVES EAST. SOME LAKE EFFECT WILL CONTINUE...ESPECIALLY IN THE MORNING...WITH DISRUPTIVE DIURNAL HEATING DISORGANIZING THINGS IN THE PM. SOME SLOPPY LIGHT ACCUMS ARE AGAIN POSSIBLE IN THE MOST FAVORED AREAS OF BOTH PENINSULAS IN THE MORNING. MIN TEMPS WITHIN A FEW DEGREES OF 30F. MAX TEMPS NEAR 40F TO THE MID 40S. AND IT WILL REMAIN BRISK TO WINDY. REST OF THE FORECAST...FEW CHANGES NEEDED...AS COLD AND SHOWERY WX WILL PERSIST AS CURRENTLY FORECAST. NEW ECMWF IS FLAT-OUT COLD STRAIGHT THRU 240HRS. (PROBABLY BEST FOR MOTHER NATURE TO GET THIS OUT OF HER SYSTEM NOW.) && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z MONDAY AFTERNOON) ISSUED AT 201 PM EDT SUN OCT 20 2013 VFR CONDITIONS ANTICIPATED THROUGH THE BALANCE OF THE AFTERNOON HOURS WITH SCT-BKN CLOUDS. LOW PRESSURE OVER THE UPPER MIDWEST WINDS UP THIS AFTERNOON BEFORE SWINGING UP THROUGH THE REGION TONIGHT. SURGE OF WARM AIR AND RESULTING RAINFALL ARRIVES EARLY THIS EVENING AHEAD OF THE LOW...LOWERING CIGS/VSBYS TO MVFR FOR MUCH OF THE EVENING HOURS. LOW LEVEL WIND SHEAR ALSO A GOOD BET THIS EVENING AS LOW LEVEL WINDS RAMP UP. MAIN BATCH OF RAINFALL EXITS QUICKLY OVERNIGHT...AFTER 06Z...BUT WITH VFR CIGS PERSISTING THROUGH THE BALANCE OF THE NIGHT. COLD FRONT SWEEPS THROUGH MONDAY MORNING LEADING TO GUSTIER WESTERLY WINDS THROUGH MONDAY. MVFR CIGS PERSIST WITH SHOWERS NEAR LAKE MICHIGAN. && .MARINE... ISSUED AT 335 AM EDT SUN OCT 20 2013 RELATIVELY LIGHT WINDS THIS MORNING GIVES WAY TO INCREASINGLY GUSTY SOUTH FLOW LATER THIS AFTERNOON...AND ESPECIALLY TONIGHT...AS LOW PRESSURE INTENSIFIES AND PUSHES INTO EASTERN LAKE SUPERIOR BY MONDAY MORNING. TIGHTENING PRESSURE GRADIENT AND ONSET OF IMPRESSIVE SURGE OF CAA WILL LEAD TO VERY GUSTY WEST TO SOUTHWEST WINDS DURING THE DAY MONDAY...WITH THE STRONGEST WINDS EXPECTED OVER NORTHERN LAKE MICHIGAN. GALE FORCE WIND GUSTS APPEAR INCREASINGLY LIKELY...RESULTING IN AN UPGRADE TO INHERITED NORTHERN LAKE MICHIGAN GALE WATCH TO A WARNING. IN ADDITION...WIND GUST MAY REACH GALE FORCE ACROSS WHITEFISH BAY AND THE ST. MARYS RIVER LATER MONDAY MORNING THROUGH THE AFTERNOON. CONFIDENCE NOT HIGH ENOUGH TO WARRANT A GALE WARNING...BUT ENOUGH CONCERN TO HOIST A GALE WATCH FOR THESE AREAS. ADDITIONAL SCA/S WILL LIKELY BE NEEDED FOR OTHER NEARSHORE ZONES...BUT WILL FOCUS ON GALE CONDITIONS AND PUNT ADVISORY ISSUANCES TO FUTURE FORECAST SHIFTS. WELCOME TO FALL ON THE GREAT LAKES! && .APX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MI...NONE. LH...GALE WARNING FROM 5 AM MONDAY TO 11 AM EDT TUESDAY FOR LHZ345. LM...GALE WARNING FROM 5 AM MONDAY TO 11 AM EDT TUESDAY FOR LMZ341- 342-344>346. LS...GALE WATCH FROM MONDAY MORNING THROUGH MONDAY EVENING FOR LSZ321- 322. && $$ UPDATE...BA SYNOPSIS...JZ SHORT TERM...MB LONG TERM...JZ AVIATION...BA MARINE...MB
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS GRAND RAPIDS MI
146 PM EDT SUN OCT 20 2013 LATEST UPDATE... AVIATION .SYNOPSIS... ISSUED AT 344 AM EDT SUN OCT 20 2013 INTERVALS OF SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE MAJORITY OF THE WEEK THIS WEEK AS A STRONG SURGE OF COLD CANADIAN AIR TAKES HOLD OF THE AREA. WAVES OF LOW PRESSURE WILL COMBINE WITH LAKE EFFECT TO BRING THE OCCASIONAL SHOWERS TO THE AREA. COLD ENOUGH AIR IS EXPECTED TO MOVE IN TO ALLOW FOR SOME SNOW TO MIX IN AT TIMES WITH THE RAIN SHOWERS. HIGHS WILL LIKELY REMAIN ONLY IN THE 40S MANY TIMES THIS WEEK. && .UPDATE... ISSUED AT 1205 PM EDT SUN OCT 20 2013 I ADDED THUNDERSTORMS TO OUR ZONE FORECASTS TONIGHT. AFTER LOOKING AT THE 1000 J/KG OF MOST UNSTABLE CAPE OVER LAKE MICHIGAN EARLY THIS EVENING. RAP AND NAM SOUNDINGS THIS EVENING INTO THE OVERNIGHT SHOW NO INVERSION TO CAPE THE INSTABILITY...WHICH IS UNLIKE LAST NIGHT WHEN WE HAD THUNDERSTORMS BUT THE INSTABILITY WAS CAPED AROUND 120000 FT. THE SOUNDINGS GIVE EQUILIBRIUM LEVELS AS HIGH AS 350000 FT THIS EVENING. THE CAPE IS SKINNY...BUT GIVEN THE 50 KNOT LOW LEVEL JET THAT POKES INTO OUR SOUTHWEST CWA BETWEEN 8 PM AND 11 PM... PLUS OUR AREA BEING IN THE EXIT REGION OF THE POLAR JET TONIGHT. THE NAM THUNDERSTORMS PROBABILITY PROG HAS NUMBERS AS HIGH AS 60 PCT OVER LAKE MICHIGAN AND 40 PCT INLAND NORTH OF HOLLAND TO US-131 JUST BEFORE MIDNIGHT. THE SPC 03Z SREF ALSO FORECASTS THUNDERSTORMS OVER LAKE MICHIGAN INTO SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN SIMILAR TO THE NAM THUNDERSTORM PROP CHART. ALL OF THIS TELLS ME WE SHOULD SEE THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING OVER LAKE MICHIGAN EARLY TONIGHT THEY WILL THEN MOVE INLAND DURING THE MID EVENING HOURS JUST AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT. DUE TO THE SOUTHWEST WINDS THE BEST INSTABILITY (AIDED BY THE WARMTH OF LAKE MICHIGAN) WILL MOSTLY BE NORTH OF A LINE FROM HOLLAND TO ALMA. I ALSO INCREASED THE POP TONIGHT SINCE THERE IS LITTLE QUESTION GIVEN THE WARM LAKE AND DYNAMICS PLUS A DECENT SHOT AT DEEP MOISTURE THAT THERE WILL BE SHOWERS TONIGHT. ANY STORMS MAY HAVE SMALL HAIL GIVEN THE FREEZING LEVEL BEING BELOW 7000 FT. && .SHORT TERM...(TODAY THROUGH TUESDAY) ISSUED AT 344 AM EDT SUN OCT 20 2013 PCPN TRENDS AND TYPE ARE THE MAIN FOCUS OF THE FCST PACKAGE TODAY. THE SHOWER ACTIVITY THAT WAS WIDESPREAD ACROSS THE AREA LAST EVENING IS SCATTERING OUT AND DISSIPATING EARLY THIS MORNING. THIS IS DUE TO MAINLY THE UPPER FLOW TRANSITIONING TO ANTI-CYCLONIC AS THE LAST SHORT WAVE IN THIS SEQUENCE IS NOW LIFTING TO THE E/NE THIS MORNING. WE EXPECT THE SHOWER ACTIVITY TO PRETTY MUCH END FOR A FEW HOURS AS SHORT WAVE RIDGING BUILDS IN AND WE LOSE THE LOW LEVEL MOISTURE. SOME BREAKS IN THE CLOUDS WILL BE LIKELY ONCE AGAIN...HOWEVER JUST AS THE LOW LEVEL MOISTURE MOVES OUT...MID AND HIGH LEVEL MOISTURE FROM THE NEXT SYSTEM MOVES RIGHT IN. THE NEXT SYSTEM IN THE SEQUENCE WILL BE BRINGING PCPN TO THE FAR NW CORNER OF THE CWFA AS EARLY AS LATE THIS AFTERNOON. THIS WAVE IS CURRENTLY LOCATED NORTH OF LAKE WINNIPEG AND DROPPING SOUTHEAST QUICKLY. IT WILL MERGE WITH ANOTHER SHORT WAVE COMING INTO THE DAKOTAS. THE TRACK OF THE SHORT WAVE AND SFC LOW WILL FAVOR THE NRN SECTION OF THE CWFA FOR THE BEST PCPN CHCS. IT DOES LOOK LIKE THE ENTIRE CWFA WILL HAVE A CHC OF RAIN AS THE COLD FRONT PASSES THROUGH THE AREA VERY LATE TONIGHT AND MON MORNING. THE THREAT OF LAKE EFFECT RAIN SHOWERS WILL BE THERE ON MON WITH DELTA T/S EXPECTING TO BE AROUND 20C. THE THREAT DOES NOT LOOK TO BE VERY BIG HOWEVER AS THE DRY SLOT WILL AFFECT THE AREA BEHIND THE FRONT. MOISTURE PROFILES INDICATE THAT THEY WILL BE DEEP ENOUGH FOR SOME PCPN TO BE GENERATED AS THE DGZ WILL BARELY BE SATURATED. INVERSION HEIGHTS ARE SOMEWHAT LOW AS THE UPPER LOW AND CORE OF THE CYCLONIC FLOW STAYS MAINLY NORTH OF THE AREA. THE THREAT OF SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE TO BE POSSIBLE MON NIGHT AND EARLY TUE. THIS IS THE PERIOD WHEN IT LOOKS LIKE WE WILL SEE A POTENTIAL OF PCPN MIXING WITH OR CHANGING TO SNOW WITH H850 TEMPS DROPPING TO ALMOST -7C AND FREEZING LEVELS DROPPING BELOW 2000 FT. THE BEST POTENTIAL OF SEEING SOME SNOW WILL BE UP ACROSS CENTRAL LOWER MICHIGAN AT THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS. IN ADDITION TO THE POSSIBILITY OF SNOW...WE CAN NOT RULE OUT THUNDER ALONG THE LAKESHORE WITH LAKE MODIFIED PARCELS GENERATING OVER 1000 J/KG OF CAPE AND PARCELS REACHING TO -20C ISOTHERM. WATERSPOUTS WILL ALSO REMAIN POSSIBLE. .LONG TERM...(TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY) ISSUED AT 344 AM EDT SUN OCT 20 2013 THERE SEEMS TO BE NO END IN SIGHT TO THE COOL AND UNSETTLED PATTERN AS DEEP UPPER TROUGHING PERSISTS OVER THE GREAT LAKES REGION THROUGH ALL OF NEXT WEEK. TEMPERATURES WILL AVERAGE AROUND 10 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL. H8 TEMPS ARE PROGGED TO REMAIN RIGHT AROUND -6C THROUGH MOST OF THE WEEK CREATING EXTREME LAKE INSTABILITY WITH DELTA T/S IN EXCESS OF 20C. OCCASIONAL SHORTWAVES PIVOTING THROUGH THE REGION WILL PERIODICALLY BOOST INVERSION HEIGHTS AND BRING SLUGS OF DEEPER MOISTURE THROUGH WHICH WILL ENHANCE THE SHOWER ACTIVITY. THE FREEZING LEVEL WILL BE AROUND 1500 FT SO WOULD EXPECT TO SEE A MIXTURE OF RAIN/SNOW/GRAUPEL... ESPECIALLY INLAND FROM WARMING EFFECTS OF LK MI INCLUDING THE HWY 131 CORRIDOR. SOME ACCUMULATING WET SNOW LOOKS TO BE A REALISTIC THREAT FOR WEDNESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT WHEN BOTH THE GFS AND ECMWF INDICATE THAT WE WILL BE ON THE CYCLONIC SHEAR SIDE OF THE UPPER JET CORE WHICH WILL BE POSITIONED TO OUR WEST AND SOUTH. WARM ADVECTION IS CURRENTLY PROGGED FOR NEXT SATURDAY AHEAD OF A SYSTEM DROPPING DOWN FROM THE NORTHWEST. THIS WOULD END THE LAKE EFFECT TEMPORARILY BUT THE CHANCE OF RAIN WILL CONTINUE DUE TO ISENTROPIC LIFT. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z MONDAY AFTERNOON) ISSUED AT 146 PM EDT SUN OCT 20 2013 VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGH THIS EVENING EVEN THOUGH A FEW RAIN SHOWERS WILL BE MOVING IN. THERE IS THE OUTSIDE CHANCE THAT A THUNDERSTORM COULD MOVE THROUGH THE TAF SITES AFTER 00Z...BUT THESE ARE EXPECTED TO BE VERY ISOLATED AND THEY WERE NOT PUT IN THE TAFS AT THIS POINT. A STRONG COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH TOWARD DAYBREAK MON. THERE SHOULD BE A PERIOD OF MVFR AS THIS FRONT COMES THROUGH...ALONG WITH SCATTERED SHOWERS. THIS SHOULD IMPROVE TO VFR TOWARD MID DAY MON. WINDS WILL BE INCREASING THIS EVENING AND CONTINUE INTO MON AS THE FRONT COMES THROUGH. SSW WINDS AROUND 15 KTS WILL SHIFT TO THE WEST TOWARD DAYBREAK. PILOTS SHOULD ALSO KEEP IN MIND THE RISK OF IN-CLOUD ICING INTO MON. FREEZING LEVELS WILL BE DROPPING AFTER 12Z BEHIND THE COLD FRONT...TO 2K TO 3K FEET. CLOUD TOPS WILL BE AROUND 6K FEET. IN- CLOUD TEMPS WILL CONTINUE TO BECOME MORE FAVORABLE FOR ICING BEYOND 18Z MON. && .MARINE... ISSUED AT 1205 PM EDT SUN OCT 20 2013 I CONTINUED THE SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY INTO THIS EVENING AND THE GALE WARNING TONIGHT AND MONDAY. IT SEEMS TO ME THROUGH THAT THE WINDS WILL START TO DIMINISH MONDAY AFTERNOON. WE MAY BE ABLE TO DROP THE GALES BY MID AFTERNOON MONDAY. WATER SPOUTS WILL BE AN ISSUE ONCE THE WINDS DIMINISH BELOW GALES... SO I CONTINUED THE WATER SPOUTS IN THE NEAR SHORE FOR MONDAY NIGHT. && .HYDROLOGY... ISSUED AT 344 AM EDT SUN OCT 20 2013 WE ARE NOT ANTICIPATING ANY HYDROLOGY ISSUES IN THE NEXT WEEK. THE MAJORITY OF THE PCPN OVER THE NEXT WEEK WILL BE IN THE FORM OF SCATTERED SHOWERS. THIS TYPE OF PATTERN IS NOT CONDUCIVE FOR HEAVY RAINFALL WITH PRECIPITABLE WATERS RUNNING AROUND AVERAGE FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR. MOST LOCATIONS WILL NOT SEE PCPN OVER HALF AN INCH OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS. && .GRR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MI...NONE. LM...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 8 PM EDT THIS EVENING FOR LMZ844>849. GALE WARNING FROM 8 PM THIS EVENING TO 5 AM EDT TUESDAY FOR LMZ844>849. && $$ UPDATE...WDM SYNOPSIS...NJJ SHORT TERM...NJJ LONG TERM...MEADE AVIATION...JK HYDROLOGY...NJJ MARINE...WDM
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS GRAND RAPIDS MI
1205 PM EDT SUN OCT 20 2013 LATEST UPDATE... UPDATE/MARINE .SYNOPSIS... ISSUED AT 344 AM EDT SUN OCT 20 2013 INTERVALS OF SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE MAJORITY OF THE WEEK THIS WEEK AS A STRONG SURGE OF COLD CANADIAN AIR TAKES HOLD OF THE AREA. WAVES OF LOW PRESSURE WILL COMBINE WITH LAKE EFFECT TO BRING THE OCCASIONAL SHOWERS TO THE AREA. COLD ENOUGH AIR IS EXPECTED TO MOVE IN TO ALLOW FOR SOME SNOW TO MIX IN AT TIMES WITH THE RAIN SHOWERS. HIGHS WILL LIKELY REMAIN ONLY IN THE 40S MANY TIMES THIS WEEK. && .UPDATE... ISSUED AT 1205 PM EDT SUN OCT 20 2013 I ADDED THUNDERSTORMS TO OUR ZONE FORECASTS TONIGHT. AFTER LOOKING AT THE 1000 J/KG OF MOST UNSTABLE CAPE OVER LAKE MICHIGAN EARLY THIS EVENING. RAP AND NAM SOUNDINGS THIS EVENING INTO THE OVERNIGHT SHOW NO INVERSION TO CAPE THE INSTABILITY...WHICH IS UNLIKE LAST NIGHT WHEN WE HAD THUNDERSTORMS BUT THE INSTABILITY WAS CAPED AROUND 120000 FT. THE SOUNDINGS GIVE EQUILIBRIUM LEVELS AS HIGH AS 350000 FT THIS EVENING. THE CAPE IS SKINNY...BUT GIVEN THE 50 KNOT LOW LEVEL JET THAT POKES INTO OUR SOUTHWEST CWA BETWEEN 8 PM AND 11 PM... PLUS OUR AREA BEING IN THE EXIT REGION OF THE POLAR JET TONIGHT. THE NAM THUNDERSTORMS PROBABILITY PROG HAS NUMBERS AS HIGH AS 60 PCT OVER LAKE MICHIGAN AND 40 PCT INLAND NORTH OF HOLLAND TO US-131 JUST BEFORE MIDNIGHT. THE SPC 03Z SREF ALSO FORECASTS THUNDERSTORMS OVER LAKE MICHIGAN INTO SOUTHWEST LOWER MICHIGAN SIMILAR TO THE NAM THUNDERSTORM PROP CHART. ALL OF THIS TELLS ME WE SHOULD SEE THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING OVER LAKE MICHIGAN EARLY TONIGHT THEY WILL THEN MOVE INLAND DURING THE MID EVENING HOURS JUST AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT. DUE TO THE SOUTHWEST WINDS THE BEST INSTABILITY (AIDED BY THE WARMTH OF LAKE MICHIGAN) WILL MOSTLY BE NORTH OF A LINE FROM HOLLAND TO ALMA. I ALSO INCREASED THE POP TONIGHT SINCE THERE IS LITTLE QUESTION GIVEN THE WARM LAKE AND DYNAMICS PLUS A DECENT SHOT AT DEEP MOISTURE THAT THERE WILL BE SHOWERS TONIGHT. ANY STORMS MAY HAVE SMALL HAIL GIVEN THE FREEZING LEVEL BEING BELOW 7000 FT. && .SHORT TERM...(TODAY THROUGH TUESDAY) ISSUED AT 344 AM EDT SUN OCT 20 2013 PCPN TRENDS AND TYPE ARE THE MAIN FOCUS OF THE FCST PACKAGE TODAY. THE SHOWER ACTIVITY THAT WAS WIDESPREAD ACROSS THE AREA LAST EVENING IS SCATTERING OUT AND DISSIPATING EARLY THIS MORNING. THIS IS DUE TO MAINLY THE UPPER FLOW TRANSITIONING TO ANTI-CYCLONIC AS THE LAST SHORT WAVE IN THIS SEQUENCE IS NOW LIFTING TO THE E/NE THIS MORNING. WE EXPECT THE SHOWER ACTIVITY TO PRETTY MUCH END FOR A FEW HOURS AS SHORT WAVE RIDGING BUILDS IN AND WE LOSE THE LOW LEVEL MOISTURE. SOME BREAKS IN THE CLOUDS WILL BE LIKELY ONCE AGAIN...HOWEVER JUST AS THE LOW LEVEL MOISTURE MOVES OUT...MID AND HIGH LEVEL MOISTURE FROM THE NEXT SYSTEM MOVES RIGHT IN. THE NEXT SYSTEM IN THE SEQUENCE WILL BE BRINGING PCPN TO THE FAR NW CORNER OF THE CWFA AS EARLY AS LATE THIS AFTERNOON. THIS WAVE IS CURRENTLY LOCATED NORTH OF LAKE WINNIPEG AND DROPPING SOUTHEAST QUICKLY. IT WILL MERGE WITH ANOTHER SHORT WAVE COMING INTO THE DAKOTAS. THE TRACK OF THE SHORT WAVE AND SFC LOW WILL FAVOR THE NRN SECTION OF THE CWFA FOR THE BEST PCPN CHCS. IT DOES LOOK LIKE THE ENTIRE CWFA WILL HAVE A CHC OF RAIN AS THE COLD FRONT PASSES THROUGH THE AREA VERY LATE TONIGHT AND MON MORNING. THE THREAT OF LAKE EFFECT RAIN SHOWERS WILL BE THERE ON MON WITH DELTA T/S EXPECTING TO BE AROUND 20C. THE THREAT DOES NOT LOOK TO BE VERY BIG HOWEVER AS THE DRY SLOT WILL AFFECT THE AREA BEHIND THE FRONT. MOISTURE PROFILES INDICATE THAT THEY WILL BE DEEP ENOUGH FOR SOME PCPN TO BE GENERATED AS THE DGZ WILL BARELY BE SATURATED. INVERSION HEIGHTS ARE SOMEWHAT LOW AS THE UPPER LOW AND CORE OF THE CYCLONIC FLOW STAYS MAINLY NORTH OF THE AREA. THE THREAT OF SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE TO BE POSSIBLE MON NIGHT AND EARLY TUE. THIS IS THE PERIOD WHEN IT LOOKS LIKE WE WILL SEE A POTENTIAL OF PCPN MIXING WITH OR CHANGING TO SNOW WITH H850 TEMPS DROPPING TO ALMOST -7C AND FREEZING LEVELS DROPPING BELOW 2000 FT. THE BEST POTENTIAL OF SEEING SOME SNOW WILL BE UP ACROSS CENTRAL LOWER MICHIGAN AT THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS. IN ADDITION TO THE POSSIBILITY OF SNOW...WE CAN NOT RULE OUT THUNDER ALONG THE LAKESHORE WITH LAKE MODIFIED PARCELS GENERATING OVER 1000 J/KG OF CAPE AND PARCELS REACHING TO -20C ISOTHERM. WATERSPOUTS WILL ALSO REMAIN POSSIBLE. .LONG TERM...(TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY) ISSUED AT 344 AM EDT SUN OCT 20 2013 THERE SEEMS TO BE NO END IN SIGHT TO THE COOL AND UNSETTLED PATTERN AS DEEP UPPER TROUGHING PERSISTS OVER THE GREAT LAKES REGION THROUGH ALL OF NEXT WEEK. TEMPERATURES WILL AVERAGE AROUND 10 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL. H8 TEMPS ARE PROGGED TO REMAIN RIGHT AROUND -6C THROUGH MOST OF THE WEEK CREATING EXTREME LAKE INSTABILITY WITH DELTA T/S IN EXCESS OF 20C. OCCASIONAL SHORTWAVES PIVOTING THROUGH THE REGION WILL PERIODICALLY BOOST INVERSION HEIGHTS AND BRING SLUGS OF DEEPER MOISTURE THROUGH WHICH WILL ENHANCE THE SHOWER ACTIVITY. THE FREEZING LEVEL WILL BE AROUND 1500 FT SO WOULD EXPECT TO SEE A MIXTURE OF RAIN/SNOW/GRAUPEL... ESPECIALLY INLAND FROM WARMING EFFECTS OF LK MI INCLUDING THE HWY 131 CORRIDOR. SOME ACCUMULATING WET SNOW LOOKS TO BE A REALISTIC THREAT FOR WEDNESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT WHEN BOTH THE GFS AND ECMWF INDICATE THAT WE WILL BE ON THE CYCLONIC SHEAR SIDE OF THE UPPER JET CORE WHICH WILL BE POSITIONED TO OUR WEST AND SOUTH. WARM ADVECTION IS CURRENTLY PROGGED FOR NEXT SATURDAY AHEAD OF A SYSTEM DROPPING DOWN FROM THE NORTHWEST. THIS WOULD END THE LAKE EFFECT TEMPORARILY BUT THE CHANCE OF RAIN WILL CONTINUE DUE TO ISENTROPIC LIFT. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 12Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z MONDAY MORNING) ISSUED AT 750 AM EDT SUN OCT 20 2013 HIGH CONFIDENCE EXISTS FOR WIDESPREAD VFR CONDITIONS TODAY. THE NEXT WEATHER MAKER ARRIVES AFTER 00Z TONIGHT WITH WIDESPREAD SHOWERS AND MVFR CONDITIONS DEVELOPING AT KMKG AND KGRR BY 03Z-06Z. THE SHOWERS SHOULD SPREAD INLAND OVER THE REST OF THE AREA AFTER 06Z TONIGHT... ALTHOUGH CONDITIONS SOUTH AND EAST OF GRR WILL LIKELY REMAIN VFR AS THE SHOWERS SHOULD NOT BE AS HEAVY AND PERSISTENT AS THEY WILL BE AT KMKG AND KGRR. WINDS WILL INCREASE OUT OF THE SOUTH TO 10 TO 20 KNOTS LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND BECOME SOUTHWEST OVERNIGHT. && .MARINE... ISSUED AT 1205 PM EDT SUN OCT 20 2013 I CONTINUED THE SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY INTO THIS EVENING AND THE GALE WARNING TONIGHT AND MONDAY. IT SEEMS TO ME THROUGH THAT THE WINDS WILL START TO DIMINISH MONDAY AFTERNOON. WE MAY BE ABLE TO DROP THE GALES BY MID AFTERNOON MONDAY. WATER SPOUTS WILL BE AN ISSUE ONCE THE WINDS DIMINISH BELOW GALES... SO I CONTINUED THE WATER SPOUTS IN THE NEAR SHORE FOR MONDAY NIGHT. && .HYDROLOGY... ISSUED AT 344 AM EDT SUN OCT 20 2013 WE ARE NOT ANTICIPATING ANY HYDROLOGY ISSUES IN THE NEXT WEEK. THE MAJORITY OF THE PCPN OVER THE NEXT WEEK WILL BE IN THE FORM OF SCATTERED SHOWERS. THIS TYPE OF PATTERN IS NOT CONDUCIVE FOR HEAVY RAINFALL WITH PRECIPITABLE WATERS RUNNING AROUND AVERAGE FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR. MOST LOCATIONS WILL NOT SEE PCPN OVER HALF AN INCH OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS. && .GRR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MI...NONE. LM...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 8 PM EDT THIS EVENING FOR LMZ844>849. GALE WARNING FROM 8 PM THIS EVENING TO 5 AM EDT TUESDAY FOR LMZ844>849. && $$ UPDATE...WDM SYNOPSIS...NJJ SHORT TERM...NJJ LONG TERM...MEADE AVIATION...MEADE HYDROLOGY...NJJ MARINE...WDM
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NWS TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
131 PM CDT SUN OCT 20 2013 .SHORT/LONG TERM...(TODAY THROUGH SATURDAY) ISSUED AT 433 AM CDT SUN OCT 20 2013 PERSISTENT NORTHWEST FLOW WILL REMAIN IN TACT THROUGHOUT THE PERIOD...LEADING TO BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES AND PERIODIC CHANCES FOR LIGHT PRECIP. GIVEN THE COLD AIR EXPECTED TO BE IN PLACE...WILL SEE THE POTENTIAL FOR FROZEN PRECIP CARRY ON THROUGH NEXT WEEK. ARGUABLY THE MOST INTRIGUING FEATURE IN THE EXTENDED IS THE CLIPPER SYSTEM CURRENTLY APPROACHING THE UPPER MIDWEST. THE LATEST HIRES MODELS PORTRAY MORE OF A SOUTHERLY TRACK...SO HAVE BROUGHT THE HIGHEST POPS AND QPF SOUTH TO REFLECT THIS TREND. HOWEVER...BUFR FORECAST SOUNDINGS OFF THE RAP ONLY HAVE AROUND AN INCH OF SNOW AT MORA...AND BRAINERD...WITH LESS AT ALEXANDRIA AND ST CLOUD. THE NAM IS CONTINUES TO ADVERTISE 4 INCHES AT MORA...BUT THIS IS LIKELY OVERDONE CONSIDERING THAT ACCORDING TO THE NAM AS OF 5AM 1-2 INCHES SHOULD HAVE ALREADY FALLEN AT FARGO..AND THEY HAVE YET TO RECEIVE ANY SNOW. THE MAIN REASON FOR THE SLOW CHANGEOVER SEEMS TO BE THE LACK OF STRONG FGEN AND FOCUSED VERTICAL MOTION IN THE WAA REGIME...RATHER GRADUAL ISENTROPIC ASCENT WAS THE DRIVING FORCE BEHIND THE PRECIP. THROUGHOUT THE MORNING HOURS...THE NAM DOES INCREASE THE FGEN FORCING...WHILE THE RAP IS WEAKER. AFTER WEEDING THROUGH THE DIFFERENT SCENARIOS...DO NOT HAVE THE CONFIDENCE IN ANY SNOWFALL AMOUNTS EXCEEDING 3 INCHES DESPITE THE SOUTHERLY SHIFT IN QPF. RATHER SHOULD SEE A MODEST BAND OF SNOW TRACK NORTH OF I-94...WITH PERHAPS AN INCH OR 2 ON GRASSY SURFACES THIS MORNING...BEFORE TRANSITIONING TO MORE OF RAIN/SNOW OR EVEN ALL RAIN MIX LATER THIS AFTERNOON AS 1)THE BOUNDARY LAYER WARMS...AND 2) WE LOSE THE DEEP SATURATION AND TRANSITION TO MORE OF LIGHT RAIN/DRIZZLE SCENARIO. BRISK NORTHWEST WINDS WILL FOLLOW ONCE THIS SYSTEM MOVES EASTWARD AS COOLER AIR AS EVIDENT BY THE -7 TO -10C H850 TEMPS ADVECT ACROSS THE REGION SUNDAY NIGHT INTO MONDAY. THE NORTHWEST FLOW WILL PERSIST ACROSS THE REGION...WITH A FEW SHORTWAVES TRACKING DOWN THE POLEWARD SIDE OF THE JET. THESE WILL INDUCE LOW LEVEL CIRCULATIONS...THE NEXT OF WHICH IS EXPECTED TO TRACK SOUTHWEST OF THE CWA ALONG THE MISSOURI RIVER VALLEY MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY. COLD AIR WILL AGAIN BE REINFORCED BEHIND THIS SYSTEM...WILL NO WARM UP POTENTIAL IN SIGHT UNTIL PERHAPS THE END OF THE WEEK AS ANOTHER WAVE MOVES ACROSS THE REGION. DEPENDING ON THE TRACK OF THIS SYSTEM...THE UPPER MIDWEST COULD SEE ONE DAY OF WARMER TEMPERATURES...BUT THE GUIDANCE IS CONSISTENT THAT THIS WILL BE SHORT LIVED AS ANOTHER ARCTIC AIRMASS WILL FOLLOW BEHIND THIS PASSING WAVE. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z MONDAY AFTERNOON) ISSUED AT 1259 PM CDT SUN OCT 20 2013 THIS TAF CYCLE HAS PROVED DIFFICULT...WITH A FEW AMENDMENTS/ CORRECTIONS REQUIRED WITHIN MINUTES OF THE INITIAL SET BEING ISSUED. A DRY SLOT ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL MN HAS BROUGHT VFR CONDITIONS THERE TEMPORARILY...BUT IT IS ALREADY BEGINNING TO FILL BACK IN WITH CLOUDS ON THE BACKSIDE OF THE LOW WHICH ARE ACCELERATING EASTWARD. CIGS WITHIN THIS AREA OF WRAP AROUND CLOUDS ARE SOLIDLY MVFR...WITH SOME LOCATIONS AS LOW AS IFR...PARTICULARLY OVER NORTHEASTERN SOUTH DAKOTA AND WEST CENTRAL MN. FURTHER EAST...SNOW CONTINUES ACROSS EAST CENTRAL MN WHERE VSBYS REMAIN LESS THAN 1 MILE. THE STEADY PRECIPITATION WILL TAPER OFF EARLY THIS AFTERNOON WITH THE TAF SITES BECOMING MAINLY SPORADIC -RA OR -DZ FOR THE REST OF THE AFTERNOON. CONFIDENCE REMAINS QUITE LOW WITH REGARD TO HOW LOW CIGS WILL BECOME THIS EVENING BEFORE DRIER AIR ARRIVES FROM EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA. MUCH OF THE GUIDANCE APPEARS TOO OPTIMISTIC GIVEN CURRENT CONDITIONS SO WILL CONTINUE THE TREND DOWNWARD INTO EARLY EVENING. THE DRIER AIR SHOULD ERODE THE LOWER CIGS OVERNIGHT AND MONDAY MORNING. KMSP...THE SHORT STINT OF VFR CIGS IS OVER FOR NOW. CIGS CONTINUE TO CRASH TO THE WEST WITH MVFR AND SUB 017 CIGS EXPECTED A LITTLE LATER THIS AFTERNOON. EVENTUALLY DRIER AIR WILL ERODE THE LOWER CIGS OVERNIGHT...BUT CONFIDENCE IS QUITE LOW AS TO WHEN THIS WILL OCCUR. /OUTLOOK FOR KMSP/ MON NIGHT...VFR. WINDS WNW 5-10 KTS. TUE...VFR WITH MVFR CIGS POSSIBLE EARLY. WINDS NW AT 10 KTS. WED...MVFR CIGS POSSIBLE. WINDS NW AT 5-10 KTS. && .MPX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MN...NONE. WI...NONE. && $$ SHORT TERM...JRB LONG TERM...JRB AVIATION...BORGHOFF
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS GRAND FORKS ND
316 PM CDT SUN OCT 20 2013 .SHORT TERM...(THIS EVENING THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT) ISSUED AT 316 PM CDT SUN OCT 20 2013 CHALLENGES THROUGH THE PERIOD INCLUDE LOW END PRECIPITATION CHANCES AND TEMPERATURES. GFS/NAM/ECMWF/GEM IN REASONABLE AGREEMENT AND WILL FOLLOW AND BLENDED MODEL SOLUTION. 20 UTC SURFACE ANALYSIS SHOWS THE SURFACE LOW SOUTHWEST OF MINNEAPOLIS AND MOST OF ITS ASSOCIATED PRECIPITATION ACROSS THE MN ARROWHEAD INTO NORTHWEST WI. A COUPLE SURFACE OBS ACROSS WEST CENTRAL MN STILL REPORTING LIGHT RAIN...BUT WITH VISIBILITY OF 10 SM...MOST LIKELY JUST SOME LINGERING SPRINKLES. WILL CONTINUE THIS DRYING TREND INTO THE EARLY EVENING WITH ONLY SOME 20 POPS ACROSS THE LAKE OF THE WOODS REGION OVERNIGHT AS THE SURFACE LOW PIVOTS BACK TO THE NORTH AND ITS INVERTED TROUGH PINWHEELS ABOUT THE INTERNATIONAL BORDER. THERE IS ABUNDANT CLOUD COVER UPSTREAM...BUT IT IS MORE CELLULAR IN NATURE...SO IT/S DIFFICULT TO SAY HOW MUCH CLEARING WILL OCCUR OVERNIGHT...ESPECIALLY WHEN THE RAP 925 HPA RH SHOWS SATURATED CONDITIONS THROUGH MONDAY MORNING. WILL SHOW SOME CLEARING WEST OF THE VALLEY BY 12 UTC MONDAY...BUT THIS MAY BE OVERLY OPTIMISTIC. EITHER WAY...WITH HIGHS THIS AFTERNOON IN THE 30S...NIGHTTIME LOWS IN THE 20S SEEM REASONABLE. BEST CHANCE FOR PRECIPITATION MONDAY WILL CONTINUE ACROSS THE LAKE OF THE WOODS REGION WITH ALL OTHER AREAS DRY. SHOULD SEE A BIT MORE SUN TO THE SOUTH AND WEST...BUT COLD AIR MASS WILL KEEP HIGH TEMPERATURES IN THE 30S. NORTH-NORTHWEST WIND WILL PERSIST... BUT WITH A WEAKENING PRESSURE GRADIENT...SHOULD BE A BIT LOWER FROM 10 TO 15 MPH. .LONG TERM...(TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY) ISSUED AT 316 PM CDT SUN OCT 20 2013 CANADIAN HIGH PRESSURE DIVES SOUTH ACROSS THE NORTHERN PLAINS TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY FOR MOSTLY DRY CONDITIONS. HOWEVER... PERSISTENT CYCLONIC FLOW ALOFT COMBINED WITH HIGHER MID-LEVEL MOISTURE WILL RESULT IN QUITE A BIT OF CLOUDS. MID-LEVEL THERMAL RIDGE WILL NUDGE EASTWARD...ALLOWING FOR A LITTLE WARMING EACH DAY...SO THAT HIGHS BY WEDNESDAY SHOULD APPROACH 40 DEGREES. THIS IS STILL 10 TO 15 DEGREES BELOW MID-LATE OCTOBER NORMALS. WED NIGHT-SUNDAY...NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT THOUGH THE PERIOD. 12Z MODELS ARE IN GOOD AGREEMENT INITIALLY...BUT QUICKLY DISAGREE WITH A STRONGER WAVE FRIDAY INTO SUNDAY. THE GFS/GEM ARE MUCH QUICKER AND FURTHER WEST WITH THIS WAVE THAN THE ECMWF. THE GFS/GEM BRING PRECIP INTO NORTHWEST MINNESOTA WITH THIS FEATURE...WHILE THE ECMWF IS BASICALLY DRY THROUGH THE PERIOD. TEMPERATURES WOULD ALSO BE AFFECTED WITH EXACTLY WHERE THIS WAVE TRACKS. THE BLEND OF MODELS IS LIKELY THE BEST COURSE OF ACTION. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z MONDAY AFTERNOON) ISSUED AT 117 PM CDT SUN OCT 20 2013 THE GENERAL TREND WILL BE IMPROVING CONDITIONS THROUGH THE PERIOD. FOLLOWED THE 15Z RAP FOR GUIDANCE ON TIMING THE IMPROVEMENT. SITES ALONG AND WEST OF THE VALLEY EXPECTED TO EVENTUALLY BE VFR BY LATER THIS EVENING...WHILE SITES EAST OF THE VALLEY WILL LIKELY REMAIN MVFR. GUSTY NORTHERLY WINDS THIS AFTERNOON WILL SUBSIDE A BIT TONIGHT. && .FGF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... ND...NONE. MN...NONE. && $$ SHORT TERM...ROGERS LONG TERM...ROGERS/TG AVIATION...TG
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NWS GRAND FORKS ND
117 PM CDT SUN OCT 20 2013 .UPDATE... ISSUED AT 117 PM CDT SUN OCT 20 2013 WILL ALLOW THE REMAINING COUNTIES IN THE WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY TO EXPIRE AT 1 PM CDT. PERIODS OF LIGHT RAIN OR SNOW ARE POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON MAINLY ACROSS SOUTHEAST ND INTO WEST CENTRAL MN... BUT NOT EXPECTING MUCH IF ANY ADDITIONAL SNOW ACCUMULATION. VISIBILITIES HAVE RISEN ABOVE A MILE AND SURFACE TEMPERATURES NOW IN THE MID TO UPPER 30S ARE HELPING PRECIPITATION CHANGE BACK TO RAIN. SOME SLICK SPOTS ON AREA ROADWAYS STILL POSSIBLE...SO MOTORISTS SHOULD DRIVE WITH CAUTION. CLOUDS ARE STARTING TO BREAK ACROSS THE DEVILS LAKE BASIN AND PORTIONS OF THE FAR NORTHERN VALLEY...BUT WITH LOW CONVECTIVE TEMPERATURES AND CYCLONIC FLOW ALOFT...THINK THERE SHOULD BE A FAIR AMOUNT OF CU TO FILL BACK-IN. NORTHERLY WINDS NOW INCREASING TO NEAR 20 KTS ALONG AND WEST OF THE RED RIVER VALLEY AND THIS IS HANDLED WELL IN CURRENT GRIDS. REST OF THE FORECAST IN GOOD SHAPE WITH NO CHANGES AT THIS TIME. UPDATE ISSUED AT 1023 AM CDT SUN OCT 20 2013 MAIN QUESTION THIS MORNING IS WHAT TO DO WITH ONGOING WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY. AREA WEBCAMS SHOW WET ROADWAYS WITH LITTLE TO NO SNOW ACCUMULATION. THE MAJORITY OF MORNING SNOW REPORTS HAVE BEEN A HALF INCH OR LESS ON GRASSY SURFACES AND DO NOT ANTICIPATE MUCH MORE ACCUMULATION WITH CURRENT VISIBILITIES ABOVE ONE MILE. THE EXCEPTION BEING IN THE PARK RAPIDS/WADENA/DETROIT LAKES AREA WHERE SOME ACCUMULATION ON ROADWAYS IS VISIBLE ON MNDOT WEBCAMS. RAP/HRRR/LOCAL WRF SUGGEST THESE AREAS STAND THE BEST CHANCE OF ADDITIONAL SNOW THROUGH THE MORNING AS THE SURFACE LOW RAPIDLY MOVES INTO SOUTH-CENTRAL MN. ANOTHER 1-2 INCHES IS NOT OUT OF THE QUESTION. ALL THIS SAID...WILL CANCEL THE ADVISORY ACROSS ALL OF EASTERN ND AND MOST OF NORTHWEST MN...LEAVING IT INTACT FOR AREAS SOUTH AND EAST OF A LINE FROM FERGUS FALLS TO MAHNOMEN TO JUST SOUTH OF BEMIDJI. ROADS MAY STILL BE SLICK...HOWEVER...WITH SURFACE TEMPERATURES AT OR JUST ABOVE FREEZING. ADJUSTED POPS TO FOLLOW THIS THINKING...BUT REST OF FORECAST IS IN GOOD SHAPE WITH NO MAJOR CHANGES AT THIS TIME. UPDATE ISSUED AT 635 AM CDT SUN OCT 20 2013 THE CHALLENGE FOR THIS UPDATE WILL BE WINTER WEATHER HEADLINES. THIS VERY CHALLENGING EVENT CONTINUES TO UNFOLD...WITH SNOW NOW OCCURRING AT THE OFFICE HERE AND SNOW TO THE NORTH OF US. IT IS STILL RAIN IN THE FARGO AREA...BUT OBS JUST EAST OF FARGO INTO THE PKD/BJI/FSE AREA ARE ALL SNOW. OVER THE NEXT FEW HOURS...COLDER AIR SHOULD CHANGE RAIN TO SNOW IN THE FARGO AREA. WE HAVE HAD A REPORT OF AROUND AN INCH IN NE ND...WITH TEMPS AROUND FREEZING. NOT EXPECTING TOO MUCH SNOW ACCUMULATION FOR MOST OF ND COUNTIES WITH WARM GROUND TEMPS AND FAIRLY WEAK SNOW RATES...BUT AN INCH OF SNOW AND SOME ICY ROADS POSSIBLE THIS MORNING. EXPECT THE 1-2 INCH AMOUNTS IN THE HIGHER TERRAIN AWAY FROM THE VALLEY FLOOR IN ND AND MN. THERE SHOULD BE A BETTER CHANCE AT A FEW INCHES OF SNOW FROM MAHNOMEN TO PKD...AND THE ADVY LOOKS GOOD HERE. CAN/T EVEN RULE OUT AN INCH OR SO FROM FSE EAST TO BJI...BUT FOR NOW WON/T EXPAND ADVISORY BUT MONITOR. THEREFORE...FOR NOW WON/T ADJUST THE ADVISORY AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THROUGH THE MORNING FOR ANY NEEDED CHANGES. && .SHORT TERM...(TODAY THROUGH MONDAY) ISSUED AT 345 AM CDT SUN OCT 20 2013 THE MAIN CHALLENGE THIS MORNING WILL BE CURRENT HEADLINES AND PRECIP FOR THE REST OF TONIGHT AND SUNDAY. MODELS HAVE COME INTO BETTER AGREEMENT WITH THE OVERALL TRACK OF THE QPF BAND...BUT STILL SOME DIFFERENCES IN THERMAL FIELDS EVEN WITH MESOSCALE MODELS. THEREFORE...STILL SOME QUESTIONS AS TO WHO ACTUALLY GETS SOME ACCUMULATION. FOR THE NEAR TERM...GETTING JUST PLAIN RAIN AT THE OFFICE AND THIS WILL LIMIT ANY SNOW ACCUMS AT LEAST INITIALLY. THERE IS SOME MINOR ACCUMS LIKELY NEAR LANGDON SINCE THEY HAVE BEEN 32 FOR THE PAST FEW HOURS AND VSBYS BELOW 3SM. ALSO...WHEN LOOKING AT DUAL POL DATA...IT SEEMS THE CHANGEOVER TO SNOW AROUND AND NORTH OF GFK SHOULD OCCUR BY 9Z. WE WILL MONITOR CLOSELY THROUGH THE MORNING HOURS...AND MAY NEED TO CANCEL PORTIONS OF THE ADVISORY IF SNOW ACCUMS DO NOT OCCUR. TEMPS WILL STILL FALL BELOW FREEZING THROUGH THE PRE DAWN HOURS IN THE NORTHERN VALLEY...AND SOME SLICK SPOTS ON ROADS ARE POSSIBLE. EARLY THIS MORNING AND TODAY...EXPECT MOST OF THE PRECIPITATION TO HAVE CHANGED OVER TO SNOW BY 12Z...EXCEPT PERHAPS IN THE FAR SOUTH WHERE MAINLY RAIN SHOULD FALL. THERE SHOULD BE A TIME WHERE SOME SNOW ACCUMULATES MAINLY NORTH OF A DEVILS LAKE TO FARGO TO PARK RAPIDS LINE FROM AROUND 10Z-15Z. THERE COULD BE A FEW REPORTS OF AN INCH...PERHAPS 2...BUT WITH WARM BOUNDARY LAYER TEMPS LIMITING SNOW FALL INITIALLY...ACCUMS SHOULD BE LIGHT. WE WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR ANY EXPECTED CHANGES IN THIS THINKING...SINCE ELEVATION WILL PLAY A ROLE IN SNOW ACCUMS AS THE BAND PROGRESSES INTO MN EARLY THIS MORNING. THERE IS ALSO AN AREA IN EASTERN POLK COUNTY INTO SOUTHERN CLEARWATER/BELTRAMI COUNTIES WHERE TEMPS ARE BELOW FREEZING. IF RAIN OCCURS HERE INITIALLY...COULD BE SOME ICING...ALTHOUGH LOOKING AT RWIS SITES SHOWS ROAD SFC TEMPS ARE IN THE MID 30S...SO FOR NOW WON/T EXTEND ADVISORY EAST BUT WILL MONITOR. NORTHERLY WINDS WILL INCREASE BEHIND THE FRONT AND GUST OVER 30 MPH IN THE VALLEY...AND IT WILL BE A BLUSTERY DAY. AFTER 18Z...EXPECT MORE OF A RAIN/SNOW MIX IN THE EAST AND ANY POTENTIAL FOR ACCUMS SHOULD END. FOR TONIGHT AND MONDAY...EXPECT THE POTENTIAL FOR SOME WRAPAROUND LIGHT SNOWS MAINLY IN THE EAST. TEMPS WILL CONTINUE TO BE VERY COLD...WITH WINDS FAIRLY STRONG TONIGHT AND MONDAY. .LONG TERM...(MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY) ISSUED AT 345 AM CDT SUN OCT 20 2013 FOR MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUE NIGHT...IT SHOULD BE MAINLY DRY WITH PERHAPS A FEW LIGHT SNOW SHOWERS IN THE FAR NORTHEAST MON NIGHT. IT WILL REMAIN COLD WITH TEMPS WELL BELOW NORMAL. FOR WEDNESDAY-SATURDAY...LITTLE CHANGE IN THE LONGWAVE PATTERN IS ANTICIPATED THROUGH NEXT WEEKEND. WITH STRONG POSITIVE 500 MB HEIGHT ANOMALIES INTO THE NORTHEAST PACIFIC AND TROUGHING INTO THE EASTERN CONUS...THE NORTHERN PLAINS WILL REMAIN UNDER CHILLY NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT. SHORTWAVE TROUGHS RIDING THE PERIPHERY OF THE WESTERN CONUS RIDGE WILL DIVE SOUTHWARD...ALLOWING REINFORCING SURGES OF COOL AIR TO SPILL INTO THE REGION...WITH DAY-TO-DAY TEMP VARIATIONS DEPENDENT ON THE TIMING OF THESE WAVES. HOWEVER...TEMPS LOOK TO REMAIN PRIMARILY BELOW NORMAL. NO SIGNIFICANT PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED...WITH ONLY LOW CHANCES FOR SOME LIGHT RAIN/SNOW ASSOCIATED WITH ANY PROGRESSIVE SHORTWAVE TROUGHS. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z MONDAY AFTERNOON) ISSUED AT 117 PM CDT SUN OCT 20 2013 THE GENERAL TREND WILL BE IMPROVING CONDITIONS THROUGH THE PERIOD. FOLLOWED THE 15Z RAP FOR GUIDANCE ON TIMING THE IMPROVEMENT. SITES ALONG AND WEST OF THE VALLEY EXPECTED TO EVENTUALLY BE VFR BY LATER THIS EVENING...WHILE SITES EAST OF THE VALLEY WILL LIKELY REMAIN MVFR. GUSTY NORTHERLY WINDS THIS AFTERNOON WILL SUBSIDE A BIT TONIGHT. && .FGF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... ND...NONE. MN...NONE. && $$ UPDATE...ROGERS SHORT TERM...DK LONG TERM...DK/MAKOWSKI AVIATION...TG