Forecast Discussions mentioning any of "HRRR" "RAP" "RUC13" "RUC" "RR" received at GSD on 03/06/25


Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Des Moines IA
534 PM CST Wed Mar 5 2025 ...Updated for the 00z Aviation Discussion... .KEY MESSAGES... - Strong winds gradually wane late this afternoon and more so this evening, but blowing snow and difficult travel conditions remain, especially north, into at least early evening. - Band of moderate snowfall over central Iowa Thursday night into Friday. 1" per hour snowfall rates possible, especially Friday morning. Snow amounts trending towards need for another winter headline. - Weekend into early next week turns dry and warmer with highs pushing 20 degrees above normal. Will need to monitor for break-up ice jams - see hydrology section. && .DISCUSSION... Issued at 255 PM CST Wed Mar 5 2025 REST OF TODAY/TONIGHT: Strong low pressure system has moved northeast of the state early this afternoon with snow having come to an end by around midday. Snow amounts with today`s system have been exceptionally hard to measure, as expected with the winds, but reports have ranged from 1- 8" in a band covering much of west central into north central Iowa, with lighter amounts to the east. However, impacts remain across much of the area with many roads partially to fully covered, and a number of roadways also with `travel not advised` designations per the Iowa DOT. Area road and plow cameras continue to show snow blowing across roadways, in some cases causing them to be completely drifted over, with visibility reductions also remaining at a number of locations, especially north, with blowing snow ongoing early this afternoon. With visibilities all improved over 1/4 to 1/2 mile, did transition the blizzard headline to a Winter Weather Advisory which remains in effect until 6 PM at this point, though may need to be extended if blowing snow remains a problem after that time. Will let next shift evaluate. Regardless, travel impacts will continue in many areas through the evening commute so caution is certainly advised. The strong winds have also started to diminish, especially west and south, though winds remain quite gusty with gusts of 40-50 mph or more in areas west and south changed over to a Wind Advisory. Meanwhile, some near 60 mph gusts have been noted in northeast areas this afternoon with mixing still quite efficient even though the pressure gradient itself has started to relax a bit compared to last night into this morning. A High Wind Warning remains in the northeast for where these stronger gusts are still ongoing, but both wind headlines also continue until 6pm at this point. Winds will gradually decrease through the rest of the evening hours becoming fairly light overnight into Thursday as a quick surface ridge moves through the area. This will ultimately mean a quiet night for us in central Iowa, however the calm winds, surface ridge, and fresh snowpack will lead to more efficient cooling as skies continue to clear west to east tonight. This translates to low temperatures tonight back in the teens to 20s with the lowest temperatures west to north where radiational cooling is likely to be more efficient. THURSDAY AND BEYOND: The wave analyzed this morning over Montana at 850mb will dive southeast along the northwest flow into the state by midday Thursday. Meanwhile, thanks to the influence of an inbound longwave trough in the Rockies, lee cyclogenesis will commence and continue to churn moisture up into the Upper Mississippi Valley. Strong isentropic ascent ramps moisture into the state. In regards to the first minor wave, soundings insist on delaying boundary layer saturation until late Thursday evening, so precipitation chances remain low for that first wave. This is due to its projected weakening as it arrives in Iowa. However, this wave will have implications on high temperatures Thursday, affecting the temperature profile for the precipitation later in the evening. 12z deterministic guidance also lowers the bar further as it ingests snow depth from the blizzard last night, holding temperatures near freezing across west central and northern Iowa (NAM being an outlier at this time due to outlier surface temperatures). This then sets the stage for the surface cyclone passing to the south, its frontogenetical zone producing all snow north. The far south will be warm enough to have rain for the majority of the event. So, what does this all mean for the forecast? Firstly, temperatures are lowered below NBM guidance in the north and west. This also means that higher SLRs continue to be supported. Have raised them to where at least 13:1 SLRs are found north of I-80. Snowfall amounts of 4-6 inches are expected across north central Iowa, so north of I- 80 and up to just north of Highway 20. Some more confidence boosters come from what`s evident in cross sections and soundings. The cross sections have an overlap of CSI, frontogenesis, and -15 microbars of lift in the dgz. Upon sampling parcel path in soundings from the RAP and GFS, there is some CAPE present in the DGZ. All these signals point to high snowfall rates and localized amounts exceeding what is forecasted currently. With wind gusts up to around 20-25mph, blowing and drifting snow will be a possibility, but thankfully not to the magnitude found today. Headlines will be needed and will be issued once the current winter storm concludes. In the extended, an upper level closed low will favor a more southern stream pathway, locking us in northwesterly to zonal flow through the weekend. An upper level ridge will follow and bring above normal temperatures back into the picture to start next week. However, we will have to watch two systems moving nearby. The first of which will be midweek, the second of which at the end of next week. && .AVIATION /00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z FRIDAY/... Issued at 528 PM CST Wed Mar 5 2025 Flight conditions continue to steadily improve this evening, with the MVFR cloud deck departing to the east and giving way to clear skies early this evening. Strong northwesterly winds remain, but are diminishing as well, especially in the west. Expect this trend to continue into the evening as the sun goes down and winds taper off from west to east. As a result of diminishing winds, visibility reductions due to blowing snow will be coming to an end. Winds become light and more westerly by tomorrow, with VFR conditions prevailing through the day on Thursday. && .HYDROLOGY... Issued at 255 PM CST Wed Mar 5 2025 Main hydrologic concerns will shift to break-up ice jam potential especially this weekend into next week. Snowmelt runoff from the new snowpack as well as from more potential snow later this week will add more water to area streams thus increasing the potential for ice break-up. Localized flooding from any break-up ice jams will be possible (30% confidence overall). The most likely areas to experience issues would be those areas that have historically experienced ice jam flooding. River stages may fluctuate rapidly and in localized areas in response to any ice activity. In the shorter term, although no flash flooding occurred from the seasonally moderate to heavy rainfall which occurred from yesterday through last night, some ponding did occur especially in urban areas. Also, mostly moderate within-bank rises occurred on area streams as well. Some smaller streams have already peaked in their responses and are on their way back down. Other streams will take longer to trend toward pre-event levels. && .DMX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Wind Advisory until 6 PM CST this evening for IAZ004-005-015- 023-024-033>035-044>046-057>059-070>075-081>086-092>097. Winter Weather Advisory until 6 PM CST this evening for IAZ004>007-015>017-023>028-033>039-044>050-057>062. High Wind Warning until 6 PM CST this evening for IAZ006-007- 016-017-025>028-036>039-047>050-060>062. && $$ DISCUSSION...KCM/Jimenez AVIATION...Dodson HYDROLOGY...Zogg
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Detroit/Pontiac MI
708 PM EST Wed Mar 5 2025 .KEY MESSAGES... - Wind advisory overnight into Thursday afternoon for northwest winds gusting around 45 mph, particularly in the 5-10 AM Thursday morning time frame. - Temperatures drop from the upper 40s-lower 50s this evening to the upper 20s by the Thursday morning commute. Standing water will likely freeze, leading to potential icy spots for the Thursday morning commute. In addition, light snow accumulating less than 1 inch will likely occur over the northern half of the CWA tonight. - Minor accumulating snow possible on Friday south of M-59. && .AVIATION... Convective showers continue to stream north across the terminals this evening with the Metro terminals (PTK south) better positioned for reoccurring showers that feature gusty winds and MVFR ceilings. This pattern persists until late evening as the governing low`s reservoir of cold air spills in from the southwest brining a brief reduction in ceiling heights to near IFR. Precipitation type concerns arise overnight as the column cools aggressively and introduces potential for ice nuclei aloft. Expect a period of showers composed of a rain/snow mix for most sites before changing over to just light snow for a few hours Thursday morning. Meanwhile, a nocturnal mixed-layer arises due to low-level cold air advection that provides renewed gusty flow, tapping into 35+ knot winds in the lowest 4 kft AGL. This turbulent layer continues through the midday hours, increasing with time as surface flow veers toward 300 degrees and the low-level jet maximizes overhead. North-south oriented runways will likely be impacted by strong crosswinds. For DTW...Some additional gusty convective rain showers this evening. P-type changes over to rain/snow mix after midnight, then just snow early Thursday morning. Winds from 300-310 degrees for most of Thursday with gusts up to 40 knots possible. .DTW THRESHOLD PROBABILITIES... * High in ceiling at or below 5000 feet tonight until early afternoon Thursday. * High in precipitation type as rain this evening, then transitioning to a rain/snow mix overnight before becoming all snow early Thursday morning. * High in crosswind exceedence Thursday. * Low in thunder through 05Z this evening. && .PREV DISCUSSION... Issued at 308 PM EST Wed Mar 5 2025 DISCUSSION... Highly amplified upper level flow over North America, with multiple vortices rotating about the strong and deep low pressure system over the Great Lakes region. This system has pretty much bottomed out and looks to hold steady or slowly fill tonight, as model consensus is for the surface low (982-984 MB) to track through northern Lake Huron/Georgian Bay. Winds gusting to 40 MPH this afternoon in the warm sector with temperatures in the mid to upper 50s. The slight thunderstorm chance is just about to end shortly as the occlusion has exited east and surface base capes mainly aob 250 J/kg now. Winds will diminish a bit this evening before a cold front crosses southeast Michigan late in the evening/by midnight, with then stellar cold advection kicking in, lowering 850 MB temps to -10 to -12 C by around 12z Thursday. As far as the snow goes tonight, deformation/modest wrap-around moisture looks fairly short lived tonight, and with lift/saturation mainly below the DGZ, accumulations look to be less than 1 inch. However, with surface temperatures falling into the upper 20s by the Thursday morning commute, there could be some icy spots on untreated roads from residual standing water. As far as wind goes, boundary layer depths look to approach 850 MB Thursday morning, and with 12z HRRR/NAM/15z Rap all indicating 50 knots of flow, have elected to issue a wind advisory (7-21z) for wind gusts around 45 mph, peaking in the 5 AM - 10 AM window. Despite the cold airmass, late afternoon early March insolation should allow temps to respond back into the mid to upper 30s. 500 MB low over Central Canada will be approaching the northern Great Lakes on Friday. Strong west-northwest upper level confluent flow over Lower Michigan will attempt to deflect the weakening storm system coming out of the Central Plains. It is none-the-less a close call toward the southern Michigan border with the tight baroclinic zone in place, as the 500 MB shortwave coming out of the Midwest may be just strong enough. With 850 MB temps aob -6 C, precip would likely fall mostly as snow. A light snow accumulation is thus possible for areas south of M-59. Euro ensembles indicating a 10-40 percent chance of qpf aoa a tenth of an inch for areas along the southern Michigan border to the I-94 corridor. Even if this was to occur, with surface temps solidly above freezing during the day, would expect main roads to be just wet. One more shortwave embedded in the northwest flow to track through late Saturday before heights begin to build with a large upper level ridge encompassing the central Conus early next week supporting a big warm up. With increasing low level southwest flow and 925 MB temps progged to reach in the low to mid teens on Tuesday, per 12z Euro, temps well into the 60s appear likely. MARINE... The center of strong low pressure is now over Grand Traverse Bay, producing scattered showers and isolated storms this afternoon with southerly winds gusting mainly in the 20 to 25 knot range. A brief lull in winds will occur as the low center tracks over northern Lake Huron this evening. As the system begins to move into Georgian Bay and Ontario around and after midnight, strong cold advection will commence and spread southeast through the early morning. Deep mixing into a layer of stronger winds aloft will bring northwest gales across Lake Huron late tonight through Thursday and a Gale Warning remains in effect. A Heavy Freezing Spray Warning is also in effect for northern and central Lake Huron. Rain will transition to snow after midnight and continue through the morning before tapering off midday tomorrow. Gales subside by Thursday evening, but moderate west to northwest flow of 20 to 25 knots will persist through the end of the week. && .DTX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MI...Wind Advisory from 2 AM to 3 PM EST Thursday for MIZ047>049-053>055- 060>063-068>070-075-076-082-083. Lake Huron...Gale Warning from 2 AM to 10 PM EST Thursday for LHZ361>363-442-443- 462>464. Heavy Freezing Spray Warning from 2 AM to 4 PM EST Thursday for LHZ361-362. Gale Warning from 2 AM to 4 PM EST Thursday for LHZ421-422-441. Lake St Clair...None. Michigan waters of Lake Erie...Small Craft Advisory until 10 PM EST Thursday for LEZ444. && $$ AVIATION.....KGK DISCUSSION...SF MARINE.......TF You can obtain your latest National Weather Service forecasts online at www.weather.gov/detroit.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Grand Rapids MI
858 PM EST Wed Mar 5 2025 .KEY MESSAGES... - Very windy tonight/Thu morning with rain changing to snow - Cooler Fri-Sun with a couple small chances of precipitation - Mainly dry and increasingly warmer next week && .UPDATE... Issued at 859 PM EST Wed Mar 5 2025 Strong northwesterly winds are working their way into the area. Muskegon County Airport gusted to 52 mph in the past hour. The strongest gusts up to 55 mph are expected along the lakeshore with 45 mph gusts inland. Wind will gradually weaken Thursday morning. As the night goes on, snow will focus more along the lakeshore with 1-3 inches expected with the highest amounts in Allegan and Van Buren counties. Farther inland amounts of an inch or less are expected. && .DISCUSSION... Issued at 311 PM EST Wed Mar 5 2025 - Very windy tonight/Thu morning with rain changing to snow We will be expanding the Wind Advisory from just the lakeshore, to the remainder of the forecast area from 10 pm this evening through noon on Thursday. The last couple of sets of synoptic model data, and short term model data like the SREF and HRRR support wind gusts around 45 mph for just about all of the inland areas beginning toward midnight tonight, and lasting into the first part of Thursday morning. The winds along the lakeshore will pick up a little earlier, and the starting time for their advisory looks good. Forecast soundings from various model sets show 40 knots of wind as low as 1k ft agl, which should be able to be mixed down easily with the strong cold air advection on the backside of the system. The arrival of the wind with the colder air will also change residual rain showers this afternoon and early evening to light snow/snow showers for the overnight hours. The snow shower activity will be focused near the lakeshore with some lake enhancement. However all areas will likely see some light snow before the deformation precipitation on the back side of the system completely moves out. We are not expecting lake effect to be anything more than a few slick spots on the roads and light accums on grassy areas for any location. Road sfcs are in the upper 40s to lower 50s, so it will take a while for them to cool as sfc temps are forecast to drop to around freezing toward daybreak. As far as lake effect chances are concerned, 850 mb temps are forecast to drop to around -12C, giving delta t`s of around 14-15C. The deeper moisture will be peeling away fairly quick for the second half of the night, and inversion heights will drop to below 5k ft agl by morning. Any showers will wind down Thursday morning as the upper shear axis/jet core lifts NE out of the area. - Cooler Fri-Sun with a couple small chances of precipitation The weekend is looking mainly dry and cool for the period, but there will be multiple chances of some light precipitation. We will remain under the influence of NW flow aloft through the weekend. This will allow the cooler air to hold in for this period. What it will also do is allow two or three weaker short waves to either clip, or pass right through the area. These waves will not have really any moisture to work with, and temperatures aloft will not be cold enough for any kind of noticeable lake effect as 850 mb temps are forecast to stay mainly warmer than -10C. - Mainly dry and increasingly warmer next week Once the final wave in the series for the weekend moves by just north of the area on Sunday, we will see a fairly broad area of high pressure aloft slowly build toward the area. This ridge will bring fairly strong subsidence to the area, likely allowing for some sunshine for at least Monday and Tuesday. This ridge will also help to bring much warmer temperatures to the area. 850 mb temps will warm up to almost +10C by next Tuesday. If this comes to fruition, 60s will be likely by then. && .AVIATION /00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z FRIDAY/... Issued at 652 PM EST Wed Mar 5 2025 IFR ceilings and/or visibility is becoming more common for at least the next few hours as rain changes to snow on the back side of this strong low-pressure weather system. Later tonight, MVFR ceilings will become more common, and MVFR to IFR visibilities will occur within lake-enhanced snow showers, most frequently near Lake Michigan. Winds becoming northwest tonight will gust 30 to 40 knots. Wind speeds gradually relax but stay gusty on Thursday. By afternoon, the MVFR clouds are favored scatter out to VFR, though the HRRR is currently the odd model out that maintains ceilings. && .MARINE... Issued at 311 PM EST Wed Mar 5 2025 Gales are a certainty tonight and Thursday morning as the colder air rushes in on the backside of the system over the region today. In fact, a few Storm Force wind gusts may be briefly possible tonight as the cold air arrives. The duration and confidence of Storm Force winds are not high enough to upgrade at this time. Winds will come down below Gales Thursday morning. && .GRR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MI...Wind Advisory until 7 AM EST Thursday for MIZ037-043-050-056-064- 071. Wind Advisory until noon EST Thursday for MIZ038>040-044>046-051- 052-057>059-065>067-072>074. MARINE...Gale Warning until 10 AM EST Thursday for LMZ844>849. && $$ UPDATE...RAH DISCUSSION...NJJ AVIATION...CAS MARINE...NJJ
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Chicago/Romeoville, IL
922 PM CST Wed Mar 5 2025 .KEY MESSAGES... - A band of snow crossing northern Illinois and northwest Indiana this afternoon may result in some slippery spots on roads through early evening. - A Wind Advisory is in effect areawide this afternoon and evening. A Lakeshore Flood Advisory is in effect for Lake and Porter counties in IN this evening. - Snow and/or rain expected across the area on Friday. A corridor of wet snow accumulation is expected across portions of northern Illinois and northwest Indiana. - Spring-like warmth expected early next week. && .UPDATE... Issued at 922 PM CST Wed Mar 5 2025 No significant changes made to going forecast, with current Wind Advisories and Lakeshore Flood Advisories remaining in effect. Surface low pressure of 983 mb was analyzed over Lake Huron/Georgian Bay at mid-evening, moving slowly east-northeast into southern Ontario. Strong pressure and isallobaric (6-7 mb rises in 3 hours) gradients persist in the wake of the low across WI/IL/LM and IN, with surface wind gusts still peaking in the 45 mph range across northeast IL/northwest IN. Gusts have eased a bit into the 35-40 mph range south of I-80, though RAP forecast soundings still support the potential for sporadic gusts near 45 mph there as well. With no change to the message with respect to winds, have maintained Wind Advisory and Lake Shore Flood Advisory headlines as is, with winds expected to only gradually diminish overnight. Regional radar mosaic depicts persistent light snow/snow showers generally along/east of about a Harvard to Gibson City IL line as of 9 pm, in association with additional mid-level DPVA within the trailing portion of the parent mid-level trough. This area of light snow showers will continue to move to the east over the next few hours, diminishing to isolated flurries and eventually ending overnight from west to east as substantial subsidence develops and breaks up and erodes the low-level stratus deck which lingers across the Mississippi Valley. Can`t rule out a couple of tenths of additional snow accumulation mainly east of the IL/IN state line through midnight or so, with no additional accumulation expected over northern IL. The exception to this may be northeast Porter county where some lake-effect/enhancement may produce up to an additional inch, though rapidly lowering inversion heights and strong low-level drying will work increasingly against this after midnight. Otherwise, cloud cover will eventually decrease from west to east late tonight. Ratzer && .DISCUSSION... Issued at 349 PM CST Wed Mar 5 2025 Through Thursday: A band of precipitation along and behind a sharpening cold front across southern Wisconsin into northern Illinois has mostly switched over from rain to snow as it nears the Chicago metro as of 2pm. Though deep-layer forcing from the passing mid- level trough axis will quickly shift east over the next several hours, most locations across northern Illinois into northwest Indiana will see an approximately three hour window of light to briefly moderate snow through early evening. Slushy accumulations up to 1 inch across the northwest CWA and a half inch for the Chicago metro are possible during this time. With temps falling below freezing, some slippery spots are possible on area roadways. With the surface low now shifting northeast across southern Lake Michigan this afternoon, strong northwest winds have started to spread across much of the forecast area. Significant pressure rises this afternoon into early evening combined with stout CAA will continue to support frequent northwest gusts of 45-50 mph through at least mid-evening. Winds will then steadily ease overnight through Thursday, though blustery conditions with gusts to 30 mph will be prevalent during the morning. No changes have been made to the Wind Advisory across the entire forecast area and Lakeshore Flood Advisory along the Indiana shore with this forecast. Drier air will begin advecting across the area from the northwest later this evening and overnight as inversion heights gradually lower. Lingering scattered snow showers this evening should either fully dissipate or transition to flurries as the remaining stratus deck thins under the inversion. Some shallow stratus may persist through daybreak Thursday, but expectations are for mostly sunny skies for much of the day with some cirrus filtering in from the west late in the day. Kluber Thursday Night through Tuesday: Late Thursday night into Friday, a shortwave trough will track eastward from the central Plains into the southern Great Lakes, flattening and shearing out in the process. At the surface, a compact and weakening surface low will track across the Lower Missouri River Valley into the Ohio River Valley with a narrow, but elongated band of precipitation flanking it to its north. Forecast guidance is in nearly unanimous agreement on this precipitation band affecting our forecast area, but there is still a non-insignificant spread in both the width of the band and where the core of it will set up shop -- both of which are critical details for how Friday`s weather will pan out as dry air to our north will be pressing southward and will likely result in a sharp cut-off to the precipitation somewhere across southern Wisconsin or northern Illinois. Air temperatures are expected to range from the low 30s to the low 40s over the duration of this precipitation event, coldest farther north and mildest farther south. This means that both rain and snow will be possible precipitation types, with snow generally more likely farther north and rain generally more likely farther south. Such temperatures will likely require snow to fall at a decent rate in order for anything more than a dusting or light coating of snow accumulation to be realized, and with model guidance suggesting that the mid-level frontogenesis powering this precipitation band should be fairly robust, resulting in fairly steep lapse rates and formidable ascent through the dendritic growth zone (at least for a few hours), such rates appear to be achievable. However, with the weakening nature of the shortwave and surface low, large-scale forcing for ascent away from the stronger frontogenetical circulations may not be strong enough on its own to churn snow out at a steady enough clip to overcome the marginal surface temperatures and produce much of any snow accumulations. Thus, the current expectation is for most of the snow accumulation here to occur across a narrow corridor whose precise placement likely won`t be able to be pinned down until we are able to see how radar trends are unfolding upstream. The expected wet/low snow-to-liquid ratio type of snow should tend to temper overall snow amounts, but the relatively long duration of the precipitation (from early Friday morning through Friday evening) should help compensate for that and allow for some locations to pick up an inch or more of snow if the progged frontogenesis pans out more or less as advertised. Over the weekend, an upper-level ridge will become established over the western CONUS, resulting in northwest flow aloft over the Midwest. One upper-level shortwave embedded in this northwest flow will pass close by late Saturday/early Sunday and could bring an additional period of flurries or light snow to the region. However, with most of the latest ensemble guidance keeping any measurable precipitation with this wave to our north and northeast, and with forecast soundings showing that there will be a good bit of dry low- to mid-level air to work through here, have maintained a dry forecast for this time period as output by the NBM. Early next week, the western CONUS ridge will slide eastward, while the surface pressure configuration will generally promote southerly winds and warm air advection across the central CONUS. While there are still some finer-scale uncertainties that will need to be ironed out over the coming the days (including the influence of the still-cold Lake Michigan and how far north any warm fronts will surge), on the whole, the first half of next week looks very much spring-like with widespread 60+ degree temperatures likely to make an appearance in the area. With a longwave trough replacing the ridge out west, there is a fairly strong signal in ensemble guidance for lee cyclogenesis occurring in the Plains next week. Whatever comes of that will likely lead to our next precipitation chances sometime in the Wednesday to Thursday time frame. Ogorek && .AVIATION /00Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z FRIDAY/... Issued at 521 PM CST Wed Mar 5 2025 The main aviation weather concerns for the 00Z TAF period include: * Gusty NW winds this evening and tonight. * MVFR cigs through the night and into early Thursday. * Occasional flurries or light snow showers possible this evening. The snow showers falling on the Chicagoland sites late this afternoon will be off to the east by 00Z. A few additional flurries or light snow showers may materialize this evening, but we should be largely precip-free after dark. NW winds will gust to around 40 kt for the better part of this evening and between 30 and 35 kt overnight. Winds will remain NW and very gradually subside during the day on Thursday. Finally, MVFR cigs will remain through the night and are expected to scatter out in the early-mid morning on Thursday. VFR conditions are then expected during rest of Thursday. Doom && .MARINE... Issued at 203 PM CST Wed Mar 5 2025 A strong mid-latitude cyclone currently crossing southern Lake Michigan will result in a period of northwest gales to 45 knots through early Thursday morning. A few storm force gusts in excess of 50 knots may occur as well, especially east of Gary and on high-platform observation stations. A Gale Warning remains in effect for the Illinois and Indiana nearshore waters of Lake Michigan. NWS Chicago && .LOT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... IL...Wind Advisory until midnight CST tonight for ILZ003-ILZ004- ILZ005-ILZ006-ILZ008-ILZ010-ILZ011-ILZ012-ILZ013-ILZ019- ILZ020-ILZ021-ILZ023-ILZ032-ILZ033-ILZ039-ILZ103-ILZ104- ILZ105-ILZ106-ILZ107-ILZ108. IN...Lakeshore Flood Advisory until 6 AM CST Thursday for INZ001- INZ002. Wind Advisory until 3 AM CST /4 AM EST/ Thursday for INZ001- INZ002-INZ010-INZ011-INZ019. LM...Gale Warning until 6 AM CST Thursday for the IL and IN nearshore waters. && $$ Visit us at weather.gov/chicago
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Marquette MI
746 PM EST Wed Mar 5 2025 .KEY MESSAGES... - Dangerous travel conditions continue past midnight tonight, especially Baraga/Marquette and points east, with reduced visibility due to a combination of falling and blowing snow. - An additional 2-5" from 8 pm through the rest of the night for the western UP and Baraga/Marquette/Alger. Up to 2" elsewhere. - Strong winds up to 45 mph (strongest in the Keweenaw and Lake Superior counties) will continue to result in whiteout conditions, possible tree damage, and potential for power outages. Winds will gradually decrease after midnight. && .UPDATE... Issued at 745 PM EST Wed Mar 5 2025 Dangerous travel conditions continue past midnight tonight, especially Baraga/Marquette and points east. As of 730 pm EST, 984 mb low analyzed over far NE Lower. Dominant, nearly steady-state 925-700mb fgen band over the north-central UP has started to shift east and break down somewhat, with steadiest snow over Alger and Delta. However pure lake effect with upslope enhancement is noted over Marquette and Baraga Counties as 850 mb temps fall to around -13C and inversion heights up around 5kft. This will prolong the snowfall with around 2-4" additional through 06Z for these areas as well as east to Alger and over the western UP as well. Winds continue to be impressive especially in the central and east, with gusts of 30-40kt. So dangerous travel conditions continue past midnight tonight, especially Baraga/Marquette and points east, before gradually improving for the remainder of the night. Extended the Winter Storm Warning for Iron/Dickinson through 06Z due to a combination of lingering falling and blowing snow. Also added southern Schoolcraft to the Winter Weather Advisory through 06Z as they will see a couple hours of decent snowfall rates and reduced vsby due to blowing snow. && .SHORT TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... Issued at 251 PM EST Wed Mar 5 2025 RAP analysis reveals deep 982mb low pressure is moving across the northern Lower Peninsula this afternoon, with a surface front stalled out just south of the UP. Of note on water vapor sounding is a dry sector nosing into the far eastern UP. This may be cutting into our precip rates out there, but out ahead of it in the central and western UP, strong deformation continues to lead to moderate to occasionally heavy embedded snow banding. Snow is turning fluffier across the western UP with surface temperatures in the lower/mid 20s and model soundings already turning quite cool with the top of the inversion height reaching into the DGZ. Across the central UP, however, snow is still on the wetter side with a much warmer (though still subfreezing) column. In the far eastern UP, temperatures remain warm enough that rain is occasionally mixing in with snow. In any heavier banding, snowfall rates in excess of 1in/hr will be possible, with the heaviest snowfall rates (potentially up to 1- 2in/hr) still looking to be across the higher terrain of the western and north-central UP courtesy of orographic enhancement amid blustery northerly winds. Between now and 00Z, this may lead to as much as another 6-8in in northern Marquette and Baraga counties with a widespread 3-6in elsewhere across the warned areas. Still, there is a "bust" potential as SLRs so far have come in slightly lower than expected this afternoon. Otherwise, 30-40mph wind gusts are becoming more common across the UP this afternoon, with even higher gusts up to 50mph possible along the Superior shoreline. This is leading to areas of blowing and drifting snow, and blizzard-like conditions at times as many sites throughout the UP are reporting persistent visibility of a half mile or lower. The surface low continues to make an exit over Lake Huron tonight, and as we gradually lose out on strong dynamical support, snowfall rates will slowly fall back with another few inches of fluffier snow possible before midnight. After 06Z, light lake effect snow will linger in the NNW Wind snow belts with amounts peaking at around 1- 2in. While winds should slowly fall back from west to east tonight, winds still remain elevated enough that blowing snow remains a concern. Otherwise, expect temperatures to quickly drop back into the teens across most of the UP tonight. With at least several more inches of snow expected the rest of this afternoon to around midnight as well as blizzard-like conditions, will allow the winter headlines to continue. && .LONG TERM /THURSDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... Issued at 353 PM EST Wed Mar 5 2025 Lingering LES showers over E Upper MI Thu morning supported by cyclonic flow and marginal Lake Superior sfc-850mb delta-ts diminishes through the morning as warmer air and drier air advects in from the W. A weak clipper drops SE from far NW Ontario Thu morning toward S Ontario by Fri morning. This kicks up a light round of snow progressing W to E Thu afternoon and evening. With weak forcing, limited moisture and sparse coverage, accumulations will be limited to a few tenths at best and no impacts are expected. Otherwise highs are expected in the upper 20s to upper 30s. With 850mb temps dropping down to between -14C and -20C (colder over the NE portion of Lake Superior) behind the shortwave, trailing LES over the NW wind snow belts of E Upper MI is possible through Fri night. With delta-ts only decreasing Fri night onward and model sounding showing a lack of low level moisture, coverage likely will gradually diminish into Sat. Light and fluffy accumulations of up to 1-2" are possible by Sat morning, but most will see less than 0.5" of snow with no impacts. Lows Thu night are expected mainly in the teens with highs on Fri in the mid 20s to mid 30s. Weak sfc ridging briefly extending over the UP Fri night will allow for some radiative cooling to bring lows into the single digits above 0F in the west, elsewhere should expect lows in the low to mid teens. A shortwave on Sat may bring another light round of snow overnight into Sun, but better chances hold off until Sun as a deeper shortwave and associated clipper low track over N Ontario. There still is a significant spread in sfc low track with this system, so accumulation amounts will depend on where the system ends up tracking. Currently there is a 15-30% chance over the N tier of Upper MI for 1"/24hr with this system. Will monitor trends with future fcst packages, however impacts are not expected at this time. This pattern almost repeats perfectly Mon night through Tue, however probabilities for 1"/24hr are even less with this system as a further N track is favored. Drier weather is favored into mid next week as temps warm well above normal with mid level ridging over the W CONUS tracks E over the CONUS and flattens out. Highs Mon-Wed are expected in the 40s with some 50s possible on Tue. && .AVIATION /00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z FRIDAY/... Issued at 617 PM EST Wed Mar 5 2025 Winter storm continues to bring whiteout conditions and strong winds to the terminals early on due to a combination of snow and blowing snow. Gradual improvement is expected through the night into the day Thursday as the system moves out. Expect LIFR to occasional below airport min vsby at CMX/SAW for the first 1-3 hours of the TAF period before gradually improving to IFR and then MVFR late tonight. IWD will improve a little faster from IFR to MVFR. Northerly winds will continue to gust near 40 kt at SAW/CMX for the first part of the night before gradually decreasing to 25-30 kt by morning. Winds have already decreased below 30 kt at IWD, but northerly gusts to 25 kt can be expected at times through the night. && .MARINE... Issued at 251 PM EST Wed Mar 5 2025 Northerly high-end gales to 40-45 kts across much of the lake this afternoon continue into this evening as a strong low pressure tracks over northern Lower Michigan and Lake Huron. The strongest winds are expected over the east half of the lake where a few storm force gusts to 50 kts are possible (~50% chance). Winds gradually back northwest tonight through Thursday morning and eventually west by Thursday afternoon as the low pressure continues northeast to Quebec. Winds over the western third of the lake fall below gales around midnight tonight while the middle third of the lake falls below gales by sunrise. Some gales to 34 kts are likely to linger on through late Thursday morning over the eastern third of the lake. Through Thursday morning, moderate to occasionally heavy freezing spray is expected. Peak wave heights are expected through this evening around 15-20ft with the highest waves over the southern half of the lake, particularly near the Keweenaw. West winds 20-30 kts Thursday afternoon veer northwest Thursday evening, continuing northwest 20-30 through much of the day Friday as a weak clipper system moves overhead. Northwest winds settle to 20 kts or less Friday night remaining less than 20 kts through Saturday night out of the west. Westerly winds of 15-25 kts are likely on Sunday. && .MQT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Upper Michigan... Blizzard Warning until 1 AM EST Thursday for MIZ001>006-084. Lakeshore Flood Advisory until 1 AM EST Thursday for MIZ001>003. Lakeshore Flood Advisory until 7 AM EST Thursday for MIZ005- 006. Winter Weather Advisory until 4 AM EST Thursday for MIZ007-085. Winter Storm Warning until midnight CST tonight for MIZ009>011. Winter Weather Advisory until 1 AM EST /midnight CST/ Thursday for MIZ012>014. Lake Superior... Gale Warning until 7 AM EST /6 AM CST/ Thursday for LSZ240>244- 263-264. Gale Warning until 10 PM EST /9 PM CST/ this evening for LSZ162. Gale Warning until 1 PM EST Thursday for LSZ245>251-265>267. Lake Michigan... Gale Warning until 7 AM EST Thursday for LMZ248-250. && $$ UPDATE...Thompson SHORT TERM...LC LONG TERM...Jablonski AVIATION...Thompson MARINE...Jablonski
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service San Francisco CA
718 PM PST Wed Mar 5 2025 ...New UPDATE... .SYNOPSIS... Issued at 120 PM PST Wed Mar 5 2025 Isolated to scattered rain showers are expected tonight into Thursday morning before diminish by Thursday evening. Dry conditions and a slight warming trend returns for the upcoming weekend. Unsettled conditions return by next week with periods of wet weather continuing potentially into late week. && .UPDATE... Issued at 706 PM PST Wed Mar 5 2025 After a break this evening, showers will return overnight and continue through Thursday morning. The 00Z sounding found a sharp tropopause fold. From the 12Z to 00Z soundings, the tropopause dropped from 250 mb to 400 mb, bringing in much drier air that helped shut off the precipitation behind the cold front. This dry air is now being modified by more moisture from the Eastern Pacific, while the high 6.8-7.0 C/km lapse rates remain. The latest WPC prog charts show a new occluded front will develop over the Bay Area late Thursday morning, which will provide a trigger for stronger showers and potential thunderstorms. The best chance for storms tonight is over the coastal waters, where the SST is around 53 degrees. This will provide more low-level instability than the cooling land areas. HRRR brings the surface CAPE to 450 J/kg over the Monterey Bay around mid-night, while it stays less than 200 J/kg over land areas, with temperatures dropping into the low 40s and a shallow inversion developing. && .SHORT TERM... (This evening through Thursday) Issued at 120 PM PST Wed Mar 5 2025 Light to occasionally moderate rain persists over the Central Coast this afternoon with minimal impacts. This rain will being to diminish later this afternoon and evening as the frontal boundary diminishes and weakens. Temperatures this afternoon will be warmest across the North Bay with mid 50s to lower 60s and mid 50s across the rest of the region (aside from 40s in the higher elevations). Tonight and into Thursday morning we will see isolated to scattered rain showers and possibly isolated thunderstorms (10-20% chance) as the colder air mass arrives and creates a more unstable atmosphere. Any thunderstorms or heavier rain showers will be capable of producing small hail and brief heavy downpours. In addition, we are expecting snow to fall in the region`s highest peaks, especially those in the higher terrain of the Central Coast as snow levels drop to as low as 3,000 feet. Rain/snow showers will diminish Thursday afternoon and more so into the evening. Temperature for tomorrow afternoon will be similar to those today region wide, yet slightly cooler for the higher elevations. && .LONG TERM... (Thursday night through next Tuesday) Issued at 120 PM PST Wed Mar 5 2025 Dry and mostly sunny/clear conditions return on Friday and will continue through much of the weekend as a shortwave ridge builds in across the region. By Saturday and/or Sunday, the warmest interior spots will reach up to 70 degrees with low-to-upper 60s elsewhere. Over the weekend, with clear skies and light winds, expect overnight lows the be in the mid 30s to mid 40s. Rain looks to make a return late Sunday with periods of light to moderate rain continuing at least into the middle of next week. The rainfall next week looks to be more impactful at this time, yet details remain difficult to nail down this far out. Be sure to keep checking back for additional updates! && .AVIATION... (00Z TAFS) Issued at 343 PM PST Wed Mar 5 2025 After the cold front passage this morning, the main band of rain has moved into southern California. Strong westerly winds will continue through the afternoon today. After a break in precipitation this evening, scattered showers will return overnight and continue through Thursday morning. With cold air aloft, there is a slight chance some of these showers could be be strong enough to become thunderstorms. Icing conditions will also exist in these cold clouds. Conditions will gradually improve through the day Thursday with less shower coverage and more sun breaks. Vicinity of SFO...Higher clouds associated with the cold front will soon clear out, with windy VFR conditions expected through the evening. Overnight, scattered showers will move in from the west, with possible brief impacts to SFO and OAK, and likely impacts to SJC through Thursday afternoon. Otherwise strong westerly winds will continue this afternoon before decreasing overnight. SFO Bridge Approach...Similar to SFO. Monterey Bay Terminals...FEW to SCT low to mid-level clouds are expected this afternoon, with more impactful showers moving in overnight. The Monterey Bay Terminals have the best chance at seeing thunderstorm development Thursday. && .MARINE... (Today through Monday) Issued at 1011 AM PST Wed Mar 5 2025 A fresh northwesterly breeze and moderate seas will prevail today. Showers will continue through tomorrow. There`s a slight chance for thunderstorms tomorrow with the primary hazards being locally heavy rainfall and gusty winds, lightning, and small hail. A strong northwesterly breeze and rough to very rough seas will prevail Thursday and Friday. Moderate seas and winds are expected Saturday before building and increasing respectively Sunday. && .MTR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... CA...None. PZ...Small Craft Advisory until 9 AM PST Thursday for Mry Bay-SF Bay N of Bay Bridge. Small Craft Advisory until 3 AM PST Friday for Pigeon Pt to Pt Pinos 10-60 NM-Pt Arena to Pt Reyes 0-10 nm-Pt Arena to Pt Reyes 10-60 NM-Pt Pinos to Pt Piedras Blancas 0-10 nm-Pt Reyes to Pigeon Pt 0-10 nm. Small Craft Advisory until 9 PM PST Thursday for Pigeon Pt to Pt Pinos 0-10 nm. && $$ SHORT TERM...RGass LONG TERM....RGass AVIATION...Flynn MARINE...Canepa Visit us at www.weather.gov/sanfrancisco Follow us on Facebook, X, and YouTube at: www.facebook.com/nwsbayarea x.com/nwsbayarea www.youtube.com/nwsbayarea
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Pocatello ID
214 PM MST Wed Mar 5 2025 .SHORT TERM...Tonight and Thursday Afternoon satellite imagery shows cloud cover beginning to increase as a developing area of low pressure moves across the Great Basin and is poised to impact eastern Idaho beginning later this evening. Trying to forecast impacts has been mildly frustrating to say the least and this is a VERY LOW confidence forecast as each model run shows slightly different scenarios which will have much bigger impacts on how things transpire. Bottom line up front, there have been NO changes to the Winter Weather headlines given the great amount of uncertainty that still continues. The latest forecast snow amounts are slightly higher or lower depending on one`s location. Flirted with upgrading to a Winter Storm Warning across the Arco Desert where the latest forecast shows potential for warning level snowfall but NBM probabilities of reaching criteria are MUCH lower compared to those of the HREF suite and I just don`t have a feel for which model solution(s) will win out. Latest 18Z runs of the HRRR and NAM have higher snowfall totals compared to their 12Z counterparts, including in the lower valleys of the Snake River Plain and Magic Valley. Thermal profiles certainly support at least a rain/snow mix (if not all rain) from around Blackfoot down the interstate corridor into the Magic Valley after daybreak tomorrow and into the early evening before things will likely change over to snow. This will likely be the best time to get some accumulations into the lower Snake Plain and Magic Valley zones but as I said before, each model has a different opinion as to when this will happen and just how warm we`ll actually get during the daytime hours. All that being said, we`ve reached the point where now we just waiting to now-cast the event once it begins as opposed to having a high confidence forecast. Confidence is highest for elevations above 5500-6000 ft where p-type will certainly be all snow and accumulations across the central mountains, eastern highlands and into the higher terrain of the south hills will certainly cause impacts throughout the day tomorrow and into the first half of the day on Friday. .LONG TERM...Friday through Wednesday. Remnants of upper system lingers into Friday with light snow showers mainly southeast half of forecast area. That precipitation should diminish through the day. Drying and slow/weak warming trend onset for the weekend as ridge of high pressure builds across the western states, shifting east on Monday. Ensemble clusters are very close on timing of the upper trough moving in beginning late Monday/Tuesday. There is however quite a bit of spread on the depth of the system. Overall precipitation at this point does not look overly impactful, but a trend toward a colder system could lead to higher snow totals for lower elevations. The unsettled conditions look to continue into the latter half of the week. DMH && .AVIATION... Early morning fog has finally broken up over the Teton Valley and KDIJ. VFR conditions across the region this afternoon will begin to transition toward MVFR this evening as deeper moisture and precipitation move north into East Idaho, currently located over northern Nevada per regional radar imagery. KBYI the first to transition CIGS lower, with -SHRA beginning this evening. The remaining sites transition late evening or overnight. Moving through the night, with cooler overnight temperatures, expect a mix with or change to -RASN or even -SN. This would signal the transition to IFR or even LIFR with lower VIS as well. DMH && .PIH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Winter Weather Advisory from 8 PM this evening to 11 AM MST Friday for IDZ051>055-061>065. Winter Storm Warning until 11 AM MST Friday for IDZ056>060. Winter Weather Advisory from 11 PM this evening to 5 AM MST Friday for IDZ066>069-073>075. && $$
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Raleigh NC
848 PM EST Wed Mar 5 2025 .SYNOPSIS... A cold front will push eastward through the area this evening. Cool high pressure will build across the Southeast Thursday, then a weak warm front lifts northward through the area Friday. A surface low will track west to east over North Carolina Friday night and Saturday, helping to push this front back southward through the area as a backdoor cold front Saturday evening. As this front settles to our south, another low tracking along the front will bring a chance for unsettled weather Saturday night through Sunday. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... As of 846 PM Wednesday... The main moisture axis and associated convection from earlier has moved offshore this evening. However, residual mid-level vorticity perturbations continue to move east generating isolated showers across the mountains and foothills. Drying and subsidence behind the exiting vorticity features should largely promote dry conditions for central NC tonight. However, a few stray showers will be possible the next hour or so primarily in the Triad. Additionally, a strong vort max currently over eastern AL/western GA will skirt to just our south, but may generate some light rain across the far eastern Coastal Plain near sunrise tomorrow (recent runs of the HRRR simulate this potential). Otherwise, the sfc cold front currently entering the mountains should sweep through overnight. Modest CAA will dip temperatures down into the mid 30s to lower 40s (NW to SE). Residual pre-frontal gusts of 15 to 25 mph will persist (strongest in the Triad) through early tonight. Similar gustiness will persist as flow turns nwly post-frontal passage through sunrise Thursday. && .SHORT TERM /THURSDAY AND THURSDAY NIGHT/... As of 340 PM Wednesday... * Cooler and blustery once again... We may see some morning clouds in E NC into the Coastal Plain Thu morning as a prominent vorticity lobe swings through the base of the deep and negatively tilted mid level trough, but overall, as this trough shifts ENE away from the CWA, we`ll see fair to mostly sunny skies. CAA and a fairly tight MSLP gradient will result in sustained 12-20 mph winds with gusts up to 25-35 mph. This is largely below wind advisory criteria, but it`ll be close. As drier air pours in, our RH will bottom out at 25-35%, which, along with the winds, might bring some fire weather concerns if not for today`s rainfall, which has helped by moistening some of the smaller fuels. Thicknesses will be 20-30 m below normal, supporting highs in the 50s when factoring in considerable insolation. Much of Thu night will be clear, but expect increasing high and mid clouds late in the W ahead of the next low over the Plains. Expect lows mostly in the mid 30s. -GIH && .LONG TERM /FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... As of 155 PM Wednesday... No significant hazards are expected during this time frame, but we`ll see couple bouts of clouds through this weekend, and there is a low-confidence chance of rain Sat night into Sun. Fri-Sat: Expect dry weather Fri, but with increasing and thickening clouds. Surface high pressure over GA/FL early Fri will push E off the Southeast coast, ramping up our SW low level flow as a diffuse warm frontal zone lifts NE into the area and stalls somewhere across VA or NC. Our mid level flow will remain rather flat and unperturbed Fri, as a flat/broad polar low sits over Ont/Que and a southern stream trough sits over the far Desert Southwest, with energy stretching NE into the central Plains, corresponding to a surface low. As this vorticity shears eastward through the Ohio Valley and Mid Atlantic through Sat, the surface low will quickly weaken as it tracks eastward along the frontal zone, although as this energy enters the broad polar trough, it will kick the front back southward through NC as a cold front. Some model guidance is indicating spotty showers ahead of and with this frontal passage Fri night into Sat, mainly N, there doesn`t appear to be enough deep saturation, esp in the low levels, for any impactful precip, plus forcing for ascent is weak at best. Will keep it dry through Sat, although a few sprinkles can`t be ruled out across the NE. Expect seasonable highs Fri in the upper 50s to lower 60s, then Sat looks pretty mild as we get into the warm sector for at least part of the day, with highs in the upper 60s to upper 70s. Sat night-Mon: This looks to be our best and only chance for decent rain during this period, although confidence is not high. The Desert Southwest low, located over NM Sat morning, will open a bit and shift E as a positively tilted shortwave trough through the Gulf and Southeast states and Carolinas through Mon, with a corresponding surface low tracking E along the frontal zone. The latest models and ensemble output generally agree on a rain shield accompanying this low, however they remain varied as to the track, speed, and amplitude of the shortwave trough. There is enough general agreement, however, that there will be sufficient sheared vorticity spreading through the Carolinas to support at least a 30-40% chance of rain, mainly across our SSE half, Sat evening through Sun, with a lower chance across the NW. The expected cloudiness on the cool side of the front should hold temps down in the 50s areawide Sun, and if our rain chances trend higher as we get closer in, these may even be too warm. Expect decreasing clouds from the W Sun night/Mon as the low pushes offshore, allowing mild high pressure to begin building in from the SW. Highs Mon should be in the 60s to near 70. Mon night-Wed: Quiet and warm weather expected under surface high pressure, with flat ridging over the Gulf states and Southeast. The next shortwave trough is expected to track into the S Plains Wed, which should result in increasing clouds late Wed, but expect it to stay dry here through Wed. -GIH && .AVIATION /00Z THURSDAY THROUGH MONDAY/... As of 703 PM Wednesday... Gusty winds will remain an issue this evening, with SW winds becoming west at 15-25kt, a few gusts to 30kt lingering through around 06z. Otherwise, VFR conditions expected. Looking beyond 12z Thu, gusty WNW winds will persist through Thu afternoon. Otherwise, VFR conditions will largely dominate through Mon. We`ll have increasing and thickening high and mid clouds late Thu night through much of Fri, mainly N, as a front approaches from the N with a low pressure center tracking along the front. This front will drop through late Sat, bringing another round of clouds and light rain chances, mainly SE, Sat evening into early Sun as another low pressure center tracks along the front to our south, but still expect VFR conditions to hold. Fair skies and high chances for VFR conditions return Mon under high pressure. -GIH && .RAH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && $$ SYNOPSIS...Hartfield NEAR TERM...Luchetti/Heaphy SHORT TERM...Hartfield LONG TERM...Hartfield AVIATION...Badgett/Hartfield