Forecast Discussions mentioning "ACARS", "MDCRS", "AIRCRAFT", "TAMDAR", or "AMDAR" received at FSL on 02/20/07


AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS SAN DIEGO CA
230 PM PST SUN FEB 18 2007 .SYNOPSIS... AN APPROACHING PACIFIC STORM WILL BRING A CHANCE OF SHOWERS LATE TONIGHT...BECOMING LIKELY MONDAY AND TAPERING OFF MONDAY NIGHT. THERE WILL ALSO BE A SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS MONDAY. DRY AND A LITTLE WARMER TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY UNDER WEAK HIGH PRESSURE. ANOTHER PACIFIC STORM WILL CAUSE A CHANCE OF SHOWERS THURSDAY INTO FRIDAY FOLLOWED BY DRY NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT NEXT WEEKEND. && .DISCUSSION...FOR EXTREME SOUTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA INCLUDING ORANGE... SAN DIEGO...WESTERN RIVERSIDE AND SOUTHWESTERN SAN BERNARDINO COUNTIES. .SHORT TERM (TONIGHT-WED)... THERE WAS VARIABLE HIGH CLOUDINESS TODAY. STRATUS IN THE COASTAL WATERS WAS STARTING TO MOVE ONSHORE THIS AFTERNOON. EARLY AFTERNOON ACARS SOUNDINGS SHOWED S TO SW WINDS THROUGH THE COLUMN. INCREASING ONSHORE GRADIENTS WITH 4-5 MB SAN-IPL. NAM HAS BEEN INCONSISTENT WITH THE TROUGH APPROACHING FROM THE NW...ALTHOUGH IT IS CURRENTLY BACK IN BETTER AGREEMENT WITH OTHER MODEL SOLUTIONS. PRIMARILY WENT WITH THE GFS. THE ACROSS TROUGH WILL MOVE THROUGH MON WITH A COUPLE OF VORT MAXS ROTATING TROUGH. THE CHANCE OF SHOWERS WILL GRADUALLY INCREASE TONIGHT...BECOMING LIKELY OVER AND W OF THE MOUNTAINS MON. SHOWERS WILL TAPER OFF MONDAY NIGHT. RAINFALL TOTALS SHOULD RANGE FROM ABOUT A QUARTER TO HALF AN INCH W OF THE MOUNTAINS EXCEPT LOCAL AMOUNTS TO NEAR AN INCH ON SW FACING MOUNTAIN SLOPES. THERE COULD ALSO BE LOCAL BRIEF HEAVY SHOWERS IN CONVECTION WITH POSSIBLE THUNDERSTORMS...WATERSPOUT AND FUNNEL CLOUDS MON AS COLDER UNSTABLE AIR MOVES IN ALOFT. THE SW FACING SLOPES OF THE SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY MOUNTAINS WILL BE A FAVORED AREA FOR GETTING THE MOST PRECIP. THE SNOW LEVEL WILL LOWER TO ABOUT 5500 FT BY LATE MON AND COULD BE LOCALLY LOWER IN CONVECTION. SNOWFALL AMOUNTS SHOULD MOSTLY BE LESS THAN 4 INCHES BUT THERE COULD BE ISOLATED TOTALS TO SEVERAL INCHES AT THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS. GUSTY WINDS WILL ACCOMPANY THIS SYSTEM...MAINLY IN THE MOUNTAINS AND DESERTS. THERE HAS ALREADY BEEN A LOT OF COOLING NEAR THE COAST AND MORE COOLING WILL SPREAD INLAND MON. DRY WITH DECREASING CLOUDINESS AND WARMING TUE UNDER A SHORT WAVE RIDGE. THE RIDGE SHIFTS E WED WITH FLAT W TO SW FLOW ALOFT FOR GRADUALLY INCREASING CLOUDINESS AND A LITTLE COOLING. .LONG TERM (THU-SUN)... ANOTHER PAC TROUGH WILL BRING A CHANCE OF SHOWERS THU INTO FRI WITH ASSOCIATED CLOUDS...COOLING AND LOCAL GUSTY WINDS. DRY NW FLOW ALOFT AND WEAK OFFSHORE GRADIENTS NEXT WEEKEND FOR GENERALLY FAIR AND WARMER WEATHER. && .AVIATION... LARGE STRONG EDDY CENTERED OVER SAN NICOLAS ISLAND CAUSING 10-15 KT SOUTH WINDS ALONG THE COAST AND COASTAL WATERS THIS AFTERNOON. THIS ALSO CAUSING LARGE PATCHES OF 1000 FT BASE STRATUS TO DEVELOP NEAR AND ON SHORE. EXPECT THE STRATUS TO BECOME QUITE EXTENSIVE AND MOVE INLAND LATE THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH EVENING. MARINE LAYER WILL DEEPEN OVERNIGHT...SO BASES MAY LIFT TO 1500 FT MSL. 550 UPPER LOW AND ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT WILL BRING LIKELY SHOWERS AND A SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS STARTING AT ABOUT 4 TO 6 AM...AND CONTINUE INTO MONDAY EVENING. MID AND HIGH CLOUDS ABOVE THE STRATUS WILL INCREASE AROUND MIDNIGHT AS THE FRONT APPROACHES FROM THE WEST. CLOUD BASE DURING FRONTAL PASSAGE AND MOST OF THE DAY MONDAY WILL BE AROUND 2500 FT MSL EXCEPT LOWER WITH HEAVIER SHOWERS. S-SW 10-15 KT SURFACE WINDS WILL CONTINUE THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH MONDAY. SURGE IN SW WINDS AND MOISTURE AT 700 MB WILL CONTINUE TO CAUSE WAVE CLOUDS AND TURBULENCE OVER THE MOUNTAINS TODAY AND TONIGHT. && .MARINE... INCREASING WEST SWELL WILL REACH PEAK HEIGHT OF 8 FEET EARLY MONDAY MORNING...WITH THE LARGE SWELL CONTINUING THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT AND SUBSIDING TO 6 FEET ON TUESDAY. THIS WILL CAUSE HIGH SURF MAINLY ON THE SAN DIEGO COUNTY COAST. && .SGX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT. SEE LAXSPSSGX. HIGH RIP CURRENT RISK AT THE BEACHES THROUGH MON. SEE LAXSRFSGX HIGH SURF ADVISORY IN EFFECT FOR SAN DIEGO BEACHES UNTIL 2 PM TUE. SEE LAXCFWSGX. && $$ PUBLIC...DVA AVIATION/MARINE...MACKECHNIE
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS JACKSON KY
935 PM EST MON FEB 19 2007 .SHORT TERM.../THE REST OF TONIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT/...UPDATED CONSIDERABLE MID AND HIGH LEVEL CLOUDINESS CONTINUES TO WAFT OVERHEAD AS ISENTROPIC UPGLIDE STRENGTHENS ALOFT. THERE MAY BE A FEW BREAKS FROM TIME TO TIME... HOWEVER LATEST SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOWS MID LEVEL STUFF REDEVELOPING UPSTREAM OVER WESTERN KENTUCKY AND TENNESSEE SO BELIEVE A MOSTLY CLOUDY REST OF TONIGHT IS ON TAP. DESPITE THE CLOUDS... RIDGE/VALLEY TEMP DIFFERENCES ARE BEING ESTABLISHED OVER THE EASTERN HALF OF THE FORECAST AREA AS VALLEY WINDS HAVE GONE NEARLY CALM. PRESTONSBURG AND PIKEVILLE REPORTED 39 AND 40 DEGREES RESPECTIVELY AT 9 PM WHILE THE RIDGES REMAIN IN THE MID 40S. WILL THUS NEED TO ADJUST OVERNIGHT WIND SPEEDS AND TEMPS BASED ON CURRENT TRENDS. EXPECT MIXING TO INCREASE IN THE NEXT FEW HOURS THEREFORE LOWS SHOULDN/T TUMBLE TOO FAR EVEN IN OUR VALLEYS. IN ADDITION...WILL MAKE ONE ADJUSTMENT TO THE FORECAST SUITE BEYOND TONIGHT. WITH GROUND TEMPS VERY COLD AND A MILD AND VERY MOIST AIRMASS ADVECTING IN TOMORROW AND TOMORROW NIGHT... ALONG WITH RAINFALL... BELIEVE THE STAGE IS SET FOR AT LEAST PATCHY FOG LATE TUESDAY AFTERNOON INTO TUESDAY NIGHT AND THIS WILL BE ADDED TO THE FORECAST. PERTINENT PARTS OF THE PREVIOUS SHORT TERM DISCUSSION FOLLOW BELOW... BIG QUESTION IS WHEN WILL THE PRECIPITATION BEGIN. THE GFS IS QUICKER WITH THE FRONT...HOWEVER THE NAM MAY ACTUALLY BE THE BETTER SOLUTION. THE NAM IS IN BETTER AGREEMENT WITH THE ECMWF AND THE GFS ENSEMBLE. THE REASON FOR DELAYING THE FRONT IS THAT THERE WILL BE SOME WAVES FORMING ON THE FRONT OUT TO THE SOUTHWEST OF KY. THIS SHOULD HOLD UP THE FRONT SO THAT THE PRECIPITATION DOES NOT MOVE INTO THE AREA UNTIL TUESDAY MORNING. THE MODELS ARE ALSO SHOWING THAT THE STRONGEST PORTION OF THE FRONT WILL BE COMING THROUGH ON TUESDAY EVENING AFTER ABOUT 7 PM. THERE IS SOME ELEVATED INSTABILITY ASSOCIATED WITH THE SYSTEM AND THE MODEL TOTAL TOTALS WERE 54. HOWEVER CONSIDERING THE TIME OF DAY THE FRONT IS COMING THROUGH AND THE TIME OF THE YEAR...I HELD OFF PUTTING ANY THUNDERSTORMS IN THE FORECAST FOR TUESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THE FRONT WILL STALL OVER THE AREA ON WEDNESDAY AND WILL ALLOW THE TEMPERATURE TO MAKE IT INTO THE 50S ON WEDNESDAY. FOR THE TEMPERATURE FORECAST...JUST MADE MINOR ADJUSTMENTS TO THE MOS. .LONG TERM.../THURSDAY THROUGH MONDAY/ THE LONG TERM PORTION OF THE FORECAST STARTS OUT WITH A WEAK COOL FRONT MOVING THROUGH THE AREA DURING THE DAY ON THURSDAY. THE MODELS DO NOT SHOW ENOUGH MOISTURE WITH THIS FEATURE TO PRODUCE ANY PRECIP. LEFT THE FORECAST DRY...WITH PARTLY CLOUDY SKIES. FRIDAY SOME WEAK CAA OCCURS WITH HIGH PRESSURE BUILDING BACK IN. THE MODEL SOLUTIONS BEGIN TO DIVERGE BY FRIDAY NIGHT...WITH THE 00Z GFS AND ECMWF MORE AGGRESSIVE WITH MOISTURE RETURN OVER THE AREA...AND PRECIP. A CLOSED H5 LOW IS FORECAST TO MOVE NORTHEAST OUT OF TEXAS TO IOWA FROM LATE SATURDAY INTO SUNDAY...WITH A RESULTANT SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW AT H5 OUT AHEAD OF THE LOW. A SURFACE LOW IS PROGGED TO MOVE NORTHEAST OUT OF THE SOUTHERN PLAINS DURING THIS SAME TIME PERIOD. A WARM FRONT EXTENDING FROM THE LOW SHOULD MOVE NORTH THROUGH THE AREA ON SATURDAY. THERE DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE A LOT OF DYNAMICS WITH THIS FRONT...BUT DID MENTION A CHANCE OF SHOWERS FOR SATURDAY. I BELIEVE THE 00Z ECMWF AND GFS MOVE THE COLD FRONT ASSOCIATED WITH THE SURFACE LOW TOO FAST TO THE EAST. THE 00Z MODELS BRING THE FRONT THROUGH EASTERN KENTUCKY LATE SATURDAY NIGHT INTO EARLY SUNDAY MORNING. I PREFER THE 06Z GFS SOLUTION...WHICH IS SLOWER. THE 06Z GFS BRINGS THE FRONT THROUGH LATE SUNDAY AFTERNOON. BROUGHT LIKELY POPS FOR SHOWERS IN DURING THAT TIME PERIOD...AND KEPT A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS MENTIONED. THE LATEST MODELS DO NOT SHOW AS MUCH INSTABILITY WITH THE FRONT AS YESTERDAYS RUNS...BUT I BELIEVE THERE WILL STILL BE ENOUGH INSTABILITY FOR SOME THUNDER WITH THE FRONT. A QUICK LOOK AT THE 12Z GFS HAS A SLIGHTLY FASTER MOVEMENT WITH THE FRONT...BRINGING IT THROUGH EARLY SUNDAY AFTERNOON...HOWEVER I PREFER THE SLOWER MOVEMENT WITH THE SOUTHWESTERLY H5 FLOW AND A CLOSED LOW TO OUR NORTHWEST. THIS FLOW WOULD RESULT IN LESS OF AN EASTWARD PUSH OF THE COLD FRONT. AFTER THE FRONT MOVES THROUGH LATE SUNDAY AFTERNOON OR EARLY EVENING...DRIER AND COOLER AIR SHOULD FILTER IN BEHIND THE FRONT. TEMPS WILL REMAIN WARM THROUGH MUCH OF THE EXTENDED PERIOD. WENT HIGHER THAN HPC AND MOS TEMPS FOR THE WEEKEND...WITH A DELAYED FROPA TIMING. && .AVIATION.../00Z TO 24Z/ THICK ALTOSTRATUS LAYER HAS OVERSPREAD THE AREA... INDICATIVE OF STRENGTHENING ISENTROPIC UPGLIDE TAKING PLACE ALOFT IN ADVANCE OF APPROACHING COLD FRONT OVER THE UPPER MIDWEST. LOW LEVEL JET WILL INCREASE THIS EVENING AND MODEL PROGS ARE PROBABLY HANDLING THIS PRETTY WELL AS LATEST ACARS SOUNDINGS REVEAL A 50 KT 85H JET PRESENTLY OVER SDF... IN GOOD AGREEMENT WITH LATEST MODEL SOUNDINGS. WILL THEREFORE CONTINUE TO ADVERTISE LLWS OVERNIGHT INTO THE EARLY MORNING HOURS. LOW LEVEL JET IS PROGGED TO WEAKEN SUFFICIENTLY ENOUGH TO END LLWS HAZARD BY MID MORNING TOMORROW. WAVE OF LOW PRESSURE WILL DEVELOP ON THE FRONT OVER OKLAHOMA LATE TONIGHT AND PUSH EASTWARD TOMORROW. ATMOSPHERIC COLUMN WILL MOISTEN FROM THE TOP DOWN LATE TONIGHT WITH MVFR CIGS EXPECTED BY 12Z OR SHORTLY THEREAFTER. THE MOISTENING PROCESS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE DAY WITH CIGS EXPECTED TO GRADUALLY LOWER INTO THE IFR RANGE AFTER 21Z. SHRA SHOULD REMAIN SPARSE UNTIL THE COLD FRONT NEARS VERY LATE IN THE PERIOD. && .JKL WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. && $$ SHORT TERM...JJ/ABE LONG TERM....WJM AVIATION...ABE
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS JACKSON KY
640 PM EST MON FEB 19 2007 .SHORT TERM.../TONIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT/ THE LEADING EDGE OF THE MIDDLE AND HIGH CLOUDS ASSOCIATED WITH THE NEXT SYSTEM HAVE BEGUN TO MOVE INTO THE AREA. A WARM FRONT ALSO PASSED THROUGH THE AREA AND BROUGHT IN SOME WELCOME WARM AIR. MOST PLACES IN THE FORECAST REGION HAD HIGHS NEAR 50 DEGREES TODAY. THE BIG QUESTION IS WHEN WILL THE PRECIPITATION BEGIN. THE GFS IS QUICKER WITH THE FRONT...HOWEVER THE NAM MAY ACTUALLY BE THE BETTER SOLUTION. THE NAM IS IN BETTER AGREEMENT WITH THE ECMWF AND THE GFS ENSEMBLE. THE REASON FOR DELAYING THE FRONT IS THAT THERE WILL BE SOME WAVES FORMING ON THE FRONT OUT TO THE SOUTHWEST OF KY. THIS SHOULD HOLD UP THE FRONT SO THAT THE PRECIPITATION DOES NOT MOVE INTO THE AREA UNTIL TUESDAY MORNING. THE MODELS ARE ALSO SHOWING THAT THE STRONGEST PORTION OF THE FRONT WILL BE COMING THROUGH ON TUESDAY EVENING AFTER ABOUT 7 PM. THERE IS SOME ELEVATED INSTABILITY ASSOCIATED WITH THE SYSTEM AND THE MODEL TOTAL TOTALS WERE 54. HOWEVER CONSIDERING THE TIME OF DAY THE FRONT IS COMING THROUGH AND THE TIME OF THE YEAR...I HELD OFF PUTTING ANY THUNDERSTORMS IN THE FORECAST FOR TUESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THE FRONT WILL STALL OVER THE AREA ON WEDNESDAY AND WILL ALLOW THE TEMPERATURE TO MAKE IT INTO THE 50S ON WEDNESDAY. FOR THE TEMPERATURE FORECAST...JUST MADE MINOR ADJUSTMENTS TO THE MOS. .LONG TERM.../THURSDAY THROUGH MONDAY/ THE LONG TERM PORTION OF THE FORECAST STARTS OUT WITH A WEAK COOL FRONT MOVING THROUGH THE AREA DURING THE DAY ON THURSDAY. THE MODELS DO NOT SHOW ENOUGH MOISTURE WITH THIS FEATURE TO PRODUCE ANY PRECIP. LEFT THE FORECAST DRY...WITH PARTLY CLOUDY SKIES. FRIDAY SOME WEAK CAA OCCURS WITH HIGH PRESSURE BUILDING BACK IN. THE MODEL SOLUTIONS BEGIN TO DIVERGE BY FRIDAY NIGHT...WITH THE 00Z GFS AND ECMWF MORE AGGRESSIVE WITH MOISTURE RETURN OVER THE AREA...AND PRECIP. A CLOSED H5 LOW IS FORECAST TO MOVE NORTHEAST OUT OF TEXAS TO IOWA FROM LATE SATURDAY INTO SUNDAY...WITH A RESULTANT SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW AT H5 OUT AHEAD OF THE LOW. A SURFACE LOW IS PROGGED TO MOVE NORTHEAST OUT OF THE SOUTHERN PLAINS DURING THIS SAME TIME PERIOD. A WARM FRONT EXTENDING FROM THE LOW SHOULD MOVE NORTH THROUGH THE AREA ON SATURDAY. THERE DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE A LOT OF DYNAMICS WITH THIS FRONT...BUT DID MENTION A CHANCE OF SHOWERS FOR SATURDAY. I BELIEVE THE 00Z ECMWF AND GFS MOVE THE COLD FRONT ASSOCIATED WITH THE SURFACE LOW TOO FAST TO THE EAST. THE 00Z MODELS BRING THE FRONT THROUGH EASTERN KENTUCKY LATE SATURDAY NIGHT INTO EARLY SUNDAY MORNING. I PREFER THE 06Z GFS SOLUTION...WHICH IS SLOWER. THE 06Z GFS BRINGS THE FRONT THROUGH LATE SUNDAY AFTERNOON. BROUGHT LIKELY POPS FOR SHOWERS IN DURING THAT TIME PERIOD...AND KEPT A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS MENTIONED. THE LATEST MODELS DO NOT SHOW AS MUCH INSTABILITY WITH THE FRONT AS YESTERDAYS RUNS...BUT I BELIEVE THERE WILL STILL BE ENOUGH INSTABILITY FOR SOME THUNDER WITH THE FRONT. A QUICK LOOK AT THE 12Z GFS HAS A SLIGHTLY FASTER MOVEMENT WITH THE FRONT...BRINGING IT THROUGH EARLY SUNDAY AFTERNOON...HOWEVER I PREFER THE SLOWER MOVEMENT WITH THE SOUTHWESTERLY H5 FLOW AND A CLOSED LOW TO OUR NORTHWEST. THIS FLOW WOULD RESULT IN LESS OF AN EASTWARD PUSH OF THE COLD FRONT. AFTER THE FRONT MOVES THROUGH LATE SUNDAY AFTERNOON OR EARLY EVENING...DRIER AND COOLER AIR SHOULD FILTER IN BEHIND THE FRONT. TEMPS WILL REMAIN WARM THROUGH MUCH OF THE EXTENDED PERIOD. WENT HIGHER THAN HPC AND MOS TEMPS FOR THE WEEKEND...WITH A DELAYED FROPA TIMING. && .AVIATION.../00Z TO 24Z/...UPDATED THICK ALTOSTRATUS LAYER HAS OVERSPREAD THE AREA... INDICATIVE OF STRENGTHENING ISENTROPIC UPGLIDE TAKING PLACE ALOFT IN ADVANCE OF APPROACHING COLD FRONT OVER THE UPPER MIDWEST. LOW LEVEL JET WILL INCREASE THIS EVENING AND MODEL PROGS ARE PROBABLY HANDLING THIS PRETTY WELL AS LATEST ACARS SOUNDINGS REVEAL A 50 KT 85H JET PRESENTLY OVER SDF... IN GOOD AGREEMENT WITH LATEST MODEL SOUNDINGS. WILL THEREFORE CONTINUE TO ADVERTISE LLWS OVERNIGHT INTO THE EARLY MORNING HOURS. LOW LEVEL JET IS PROGGED TO WEAKEN SUFFICIENTLY ENOUGH TO END LLWS HAZARD BY MID MORNING TOMORROW. WAVE OF LOW PRESSURE WILL DEVELOP ON THE FRONT OVER OKLAHOMA LATE TONIGHT AND PUSH EASTWARD TOMORROW. ATMOSPHERIC COLUMN WILL MOISTEN FROM THE TOP DOWN LATE TONIGHT WITH MVFR CIGS EXPECTED BY 12Z OR SHORTLY THEREAFTER. THE MOISTENING PROCESS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE DAY WITH CIGS EXPECTED TO GRADUALLY LOWER INTO THE IFR RANGE AFTER 21Z. SHRA SHOULD REMAIN SPARSE UNTIL THE COLD FRONT NEARS VERY LATE IN THE PERIOD. && .JKL WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. && $$ SHORT TERM...JJ LONG TERM....WJM AVIATION...ABE
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS MARQUETTE MI
440 PM EST SUN FEB 18 2007 .SHORT TERM (TONIGHT AND MON)... WATER VAPOR IMAGERY AND RUC ANALYSIS SHOW A PATTERN CHANGE UNDERWAY ACROSS NAMERICA AS FLOW IS BECOMING MORE PROGRESSIVE/ZONAL... SIGNALING A RETURN TO NORMAL/ABOVE NORMAL TEMPS HERE THIS WEEK. A TROF HAS MOVED ONSHORE OVER THE WRN CONUS...FORCING DOWNSTREAM RIDGE E INTO THE PLAINS. COLD TROF OVER ERN NAMERICA IS ALSO BEING FORCED EWD. SHORTWAVE ENERGY IN THE NRN END OF WRN TROF IS THE MAIN FEATURE OF INTEREST IN THE SHORT TERM AS IT WILL SUPPORT A SFC LOW MOVING ACROSS SRN CANADA TO VCNTY OF LAKE SUPERIOR BY MON EVENING. STRONG WAA/ISENTROPIC ASCENT REGIME IS DEVELOPING ACROSS THE PLAINS. 12Z RAOBS SHOWED 850MB TEMP OF +7C IN ERN MT WHILE IT WAS STILL -20C AT KINL. THE WAA IS CREATING AN EXTENSIVE SHIELD OF MID/HIGH CLOUDS ACROSS THE DAKOTAS/MN INTO SCNTRL CANADA. RIBBON OF STRATUS/STRATOCU IS ALSO PRESENT FROM NE IA/SW WI TO SRN MANITOBA. CANADIAN RADARS SHOW A BAND OF ECHOES IN SRN MANITOBA TOWARD LAKE OF THE WOODS...BUT ONLY A COUPLE OF OBS HAVE INDICATED ANY -SN REACHING THE GROUND. CLOSER TO HOME...DIMINISHING LES GENERALLY FROM MUNISING TO SENEY AND EWD CONTINUES TO WIND DOWN. GOING HEADLINES ARE SCHEDULED TO EXPIRE AT 00Z...BUT WILL CANCEL THEM WITH THIS FCST ISSUANCE AS ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATIONS WILL BE LESS THAN 1 INCH. THERE WILL BE A BRIEF WINDOW FOR TEMPS TO CRASH THIS EVENING WITH SFC HIGH PRES RIDGE QUICKLY SLIDING ACROSS THE AREA. IT APPEARS THE ERN FCST AREA WILL HAVE THE BEST OPPORTUNITY TO CHILL BEFORE MID/HIGH CLOUDS INCREASE AND RETURN FLOW KICKS IN. FRESH SNOW COVER WILL ALSO AID THE TEMP DROP. HAVE THUS GONE SLIGHTLY BLO GUIDANCE... LOWERING MINS TO AROUND ZERO THERE. EXPECT WARMEST READINGS OUT W WHERE TEMPS SHOULD ONLY DROP A FEW DEGREES THIS EVENING. OVERALL... TEMPS SHOULD REACH THEIR LOW POINT IN THE MID/LATE EVENING AND THEN RISE SLOWLY THRU THE NIGHT. AS FOR SNOW...EXPECT LES TO END OVER THE NE FCST AREA BY MID EVENING. THEN ATTENTION IS ON ISENTROPIC ASCENT. BAND OF RADAR RETURNS ACROSS SE MANITOBA MATCHES WELL WITH ISENTROPIC ASCENT ON GFS 290K SFC. THE STRONG ASCENT/RIBBON OF LOW CONDENSATION PRES DEFICITS EXPANDS SE INTO UPPER MI TONIGHT. THERE IS ALWAYS THE QUESTION OF HOW MUCH LIFT WILL BE SUFFICIENT TO OVERCOME THE INITIAL DRY LOW-LEVEL AIRMASS (NOTE VERY DRY PROFILE ON 12Z KINL SOUNDING). EARLY AFTN TAMDAR SOUNDING FROM KINL HAS NOT SHOWN MUCH MOISTENING YET. IN ANYCASE...THINK INDICATED ASCENT IS SUFFICIENT TO WARRANT A LOW CHC POP MENTION ACROSS LAKE SUPERIOR/KEWEENAW AND EVENTUALLY TO THE NE FCST AREA LATE TONIGHT. THERE MAYBE A FEW FLURRIES S OF THAT AREA. INITIAL COLD AIRMASS MAY YIELD SOME LES OFF LAKE MICHIGAN INTO SCHOOLCRAFT COUNTY LATE TONIGHT AS WINDS BACK SRLY OVER THE LAKE. HAVE INCLUDED LOW CHC POPS FOR THIS POSSIBILITY. LOW-LEVEL JET OF 40-50KT WILL SHIFT ACROSS FCST AREA LATE TONIGHT THRU EARLY MON AFTN. AIRMASS IS STABLE...SO THOSE SPEEDS WILL NOT BE MIXING TO THE SFC. HOWEVER...HAVE INCLUDED 25-35MPH GUSTS MON MORNING/EARLY AFTN FOR PORTIONS OF NCNTRL AND ERN FCST AREA THAT TYPICALLY SEE STRONG WINDS IN SRLY FLOW. SRLY GALES ARE A GOOD BET ON ERN LAKE SUPERIOR. AS FOR PCPN...UNDER PERSISTENT ISENTROPIC ASCENT...HAVE MAINTAINED LOW RANGE POPS FOR -SN MON PER INHERITED FCST. WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF SOME ENHANCMENT OFF LAKE MICHIGAN IN SRLY FLOW...KEPT POPS IN THE HIGH CHC RANGE FOR THE FAR ERN FCST AREA. THERE STILL APPEARS TO BE SUFFICIENT MIDLEVEL DRYING TO MENTION PATCHY -FZDZ OVER THE SW HALF OF FCST AREA MON AFTN AS TEMP IN THE LOW-LEVEL MOIST LAYER RISES TO -10C OR HIGHER. .LONG TERM (MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY)... THE SHORTWAVE WILL SWEEP THROUGH THE FORECAST AREA MONDAY NIGHT WHILE THE SURFACE LOW MOVES INTO EAST CENTRAL ONTARIO. THE WINDS WILL BECOME ORGANIZED WITH A NORTHWEST FLOW OVER THE LAKE LATE. DELTA-T`S WILL AROUND 14C OVER EASTERN PART OF THE LAKE. THE AIR MASS CONTINUES TO BE FAIRLY DRY OVER CENTRAL CANADA...SO THE LES WILL BE VERY LIMITED. WILL KEEP JUST A CHANCE OF FLURRIES LATE MONDAY INTO TUESDAY AS A SURFACE RIDGE WILL SHIFT OVER THE U.P. ON TUESDAY. THIS WILL BACK THE WINDS TO THE SOUTHWEST LATE TUESDAY WHICH SHOULD END THE LES OVER LAKE SUPERIOR. WARM AIR ADVECTION WITH THE SOUTHWEST FLOW OVER THE AREA WILL FURTHER REDUCE CHANCES OF LES. A WEAK SHORTWAVE WILL MOVE QUICKLY ACROSS SOUTHERN CANADA TO WESTERN ONTARIO ON WEDNESDAY. AS THE SURFACE RIDGE MOVES EAST ANOTHER SURFACE LOW WILL MOVE INTO NORTHWEST ONTARIO. ISENTROPIC ASCENT AHEAD OF THE SURFACE LOW COULD SQUEEZE SOME MOISTURE OUT OF THE AIR MASS OVER THE FORECAST AREA SO WILL KEEP A SLIGHT CHANCE GOING THROUGH THE DAY ON WEDNESDAY. THE SHORTWAVE TRAPPED IN THE ZONAL FLOW ACROSS NORTHERN CONUS WILL SWEEP ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND REACH NEW ENGLAND ON THURSDAY. THE STRONGEST 850-500MB Q-VECTOR CONVERGENCE WILL BE NORTH OF LAKE SUPERIOR. A RIDGE WILL BEGIN TO BUILD OVER THE NORTHERN PLAINS. THE SURFACE LOW OVER WESTERN ONTARIO WILL REACH EASTERN CENTRAL ONTARIO BY THURSDAY MORNING DRAGGING A COLD FRONT THROUGH THE FORECAST AREA. THE LOW WILL REACH THE EAST COAST BY THURSDAY EVENING ALLOWING A SURFACE RIDGE TO BUILD OVER THE UPPER MISSISSIPPI RIVER VALLEY. DRY AIR ADVECTING INTO THE AREA WILL END THE CHANCE OF SNOW. THE DELTA-T`S OVER EASTERN LAKE SUPERIOR WILL BE AROUND 13C AND THE WINDS WILL SHIFT TO THE WEST NORTHWEST JUST ENOUGH TO GENERATE SOME LES OVER PART OF THE FORECAST AREA WEDNESDAY NIGHT. THE SURFACE RIDGE WILL RELOCATE OVER THE FORECAST THURSDAY NIGHT. AS THE MID LEVEL RIDGE MOVES OVER THE UPPER GREAT LAKES REGION...THE SURFACE RIDGE WILL SHIFT INTO EASTERN ONTARIO ON FRIDAY. WEAK SHORTWAVE WILL ATTEMPT TO NAVIGATE THROUGH THE RIDGE. A SURFACE LOW WILL DEEPEN OVER COLORADO. DEEP MOISTURE WILL SPREAD INTO NORTHERN MINNESOTA AND WISCONSIN AND INTO THE WESTERN U.P. BRINGING SOME SNOWS OVER THAT AREA. THE MID LEVEL RIDGE WILL BUILD OVER THE UPPER GREAT LAKES...WHILE THE TROUGH DEEPENS OVER THE SOUTHERN ROCKIES FRIDAY NIGHT. SEVERAL WEAK SHORTWAVE WILL WORK ITS WAY THROUGH THE RIDGE OVER THE UPPER GREAT LAKES. 850MB TEMPERATURE WILL BE AROUND -5C. WARM AIR ADVECTION WILL BE PUSHING THE 850MB TEMPERATURES WELL ABOVE FREEZING. HOWEVER...BELOW 875MB TEMPERATURES WILL BE WELL BELOW FREEZING. THUS GRAPPLE OR SNOW WILL STILL BE EXPECTED. THIS IS AROUND A CRITICAL POINT...THERE IS EVEN A POSSIBILITY OF SOME FREEZING RAIN. THUS THIS SHOULD BE MONITORED CLOSELY. THE MID LEVEL LOW WILL SHIFT FROM NEW MEXICO ON SATURDAY MORNING TO EASTERN KANSAS BY MIDNIGHT TO WESTERN IOWA BY NOON ON SUNDAY AND INTO MINNESOTA BY MIDNIGHT SUNDAY NIGHT. MEANWHILE...AT THE SURFACE...THE LOW WILL MOVE INTO WESTERN KANSAS BY NOON SATURDAY...INTO NORTHWEST MISSOURI BY MIDNIGHT SUNDAY NIGHT AND INTO NORTHERN WISCONSIN BY MIDNIGHT SUNDAY NIGHT. THE LOW WILL DRAG A COLD FRONT THROUGH THE SOUTHERN PLAINS INTO THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER VALLEY. THE COLD FRONT WILL DIRECT DEEP GULF MOISTURE NORTHWARD INTO THE FORECAST AREA. FOLLOWING THE 06Z GFS IT LOOKS AS IF THERE WILL BE A MIX OF SNOW CHANGING TO RAIN. BECAUSE OF THE UNCERTAINTY OF THE TEMPERATURES 7 DAYS OUT WILL STAY WITH A MIX. IT MAY BE POSSIBLE TO BE ALL RAIN BY MIDNIGHT SUNDAY NIGHT. && .MQT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... GALE WARNING E HALF OF LAKE SUPERIOR. HEAVY FREEZING SPRAY WARNING LAKE SUPERIOR. && $$ ROLFSON (SHORT TERM) DLG (LONG TERM)

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...CORRECTED
NWS SAN DIEGO CA
621 AM PST TUE FEB 20 2007 .SYNOPSIS... RESIDUAL MOISTURE WILL CAUSE A FEW CLOUDS AND LATE NIGHT AND EARLY MORNING FOG...OTHERWISE FAIR AND WARMER THROUGH WEDNESDAY UNDER WEAK HIGH PRESSURE. A STORM APPROACHING FROM THE NORTHWEST WILL BRING ANOTHER ROUND OF MODERATE PRECIPITATION LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH EARLY FRIDAY WITH SNOW LEVELS IN THE MOUNTAINS LOWERING TO AROUND 5000 FEET. NORTHWEST FLOW PATTERN FOR NEXT WEEKEND WILL BRING FAIR AND A LITTLE WARMER WEATHER WITH LOCALLY BREEZY CONDITIONS IN THE MOUNTAINS AND DESERTS AT TIMES. && .DISCUSSION...FOR EXTREME SOUTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA INCLUDING ORANGE... SAN DIEGO...WESTERN RIVERSIDE AND SOUTHWESTERN SAN BERNARDINO COUNTIES... .SHORT TERM (TODAY THROUGH THURSDAY)... WEAKENING LOW PRESSURE OVER ARIZONA AND NEW MEXICO WILL MOVE EAST TODAY WITH SHORTWAVE RIDGING BUILDING OVER CALIFORNIA TODAY. THIS HIGH PRESSURE WILL WEAKEN WEDNESDAY IN ADVANCE OF ANOTHER PACIFIC STORM SYSTEM. THIS SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO MOVE SLOWLY ACROSS SOUTHWEST CALIFORNIA FROM LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH EARLY FRIDAY. IN THE NEAR TERM...AREAS ALONG AND WEST OF THE MOUNTAINS WILL SEE SOME CLOUDS THIS MORNING AS RESIDUAL MOISTURE LINGERS. THERE WILL ALSO BE SOME PATCHY FOG...SOME LOCALLY DENSE...IN LOWER LYING AREAS WEST OF THE MOUNTAINS. MORE CONSISTENT ECMWF IS PREFERRED WITH THE NEXT SYSTEM. GFS ISN`T TOO DIFFERENT INITIALLY...BUT IS SLOWER MOVING THE SYSTEM EAST ON FRIDAY. CURRENT TIMING WOULD BRING ARRIVAL OF PRECIPITATION LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT WITH PRECIPITATION CONTINUING THURSDAY...DECREASING THURSDAY NIGHT...AND ENDING EARLY FRIDAY. UNLIKE THE DEPARTING SYSTEM THAT PRODUCED HEAVIEST AMOUNTS OVER CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN SAN DIEGO COUNTY WITH LIGHTER AMOUNTS TO THE NORTH...AMOUNTS WITH THIS NEXT SYSTEM MAY BE MORE UNIFORMLY DISTRIBUTED FROM NORTH TO SOUTH WITH A DISTRIBUTION FROM THE COAST TO THE COASTAL SLOPES SIMILAR TO CLIMATOLOGY. PRELIMINARY TOTALS WITH THIS NEXT SYSTEM OF ONE HALF TO ONE INCH AT THE COAST TO AROUND 2 INCHES ON SOUTHWEST FACING SLOPES. LOCALLY GREATER AMOUNTS ARE POSSIBLE. SNOW LEVELS WILL LOWER TO AROUND 5000 FEET OR LOCALLY LOWER THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND NIGHT. && .LONG TERM (FRIDAY THROUGH MONDAY)... PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED TO END EARLY FRIDAY. WEAKLY CYCLONIC NORTHWEST FLOW PATTERN WILL FOLLOW FOR NEXT WEEKEND. THIS WILL BRING DRYING...MINOR WARMING...WITH GUSTY WINDS IN THE MOUNTAINS AND DESERTS AT TIMES. ECWMF GENERALLY FAVORED. THERE`S ALSO A SLIGHT CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION EARLY NEXT WEEK AS NORTHWEST FLOW PATTERN MAY SAG SOUTHWARD INTO SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA AND ENTRAIN SOME MOISTURE OFF THE PACIFIC. && .AVIATION...CORRECTED LATE EVENING ACARS SOUNDINGS INDICATE THE DEPTH OF THE MOISTURE WAS AROUND 7500 FEET OVER THE AREA WITH MOST OF THE CLOUDS COVERING THE SOUTHERN HALF OF SAN DIEGO COUNTY AND THE MOUNTAINS. MULTIPLE LAYERS WITH THE LOWEST SCATTERED TO BROKEN LAYER AROUND 1500 FEET MSL WITH ADDITIONAL LAYERS AROUND 3000 FEET AND 5000 FEET. EXPECT SLOW CLEARING THROUGH THE LATE MORNING WITH SCATTERED CONDITIONS MOST AREAS DURING THE AFTERNOON. MOSTLY CLEAR CONDITIONS TONIGHT EXCEPT FOR AREAS OF VALLEY FOG ESPECIALLY VICINITY OF KCNO AND KONT. && .SGX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... CA...HIGH SURF ADVISORY UNTIL 2 PM PST THIS AFTERNOON FOR SAN DIEGO COUNTY COASTAL AREAS. PZ...NONE. && $$ PUBLIC...MARTIN AVIATION/MARINE...HORTON NWS ON THE WEB AT WEATHER.GOV/SANDIEGO

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS MARQUETTE MI
1205 PM EST TUE FEB 20 2007 .UPDATE... GOING FCST JUST NEEDED A COUPLE TWEAKS. PUBLISHED GRIDS AND ZFPMQT UPDATE ALREADY SENT. UPDATED TO DECREASE SKY COVER OVR WEST HALF OF CWA AND AS A RESULT...INCREASED TEMPS A FEW DEGREES UPWARD. ONGOING LES IS WEAK WITH MINIMAL INVERSION AND ONLY MARGINAL TEMPS AT INVERSION TOP (-10C). KERY STILL HAD FLURRIES AN HOUR AGO. LES SHOULD FADE AS TEMPS AT INVERSION TOP WARM FURTHER. SFC TROUGH IS LINGERING FM SFC LOW OVR QUEBEC ACROSS LK SUPERIOR AND WEST TO SFC LOW IN NORTHEAST NORTH DAKOTA. DESPITED WEAK WINDS WITHIN TROUGH AXIS...MORNING TAMDAR SOUNDINGS INDICATED MOIST LAYER OVER CWA WAS BTWN 925MB AND 875MB...PRETTY THIN. SUNSHINE HAS DIMINISHED MOST OF THIS LAYER WITH IT JUST LINGERING OVR KEWEENAW AND OVR NORTHEAST CWA WHERE THIS IS STILL ON ONSHORE COMPONENT TO THE WINDS. JUST NORTH OF TROUGH OVR SOUTHERN MANITOBA INTO ONTARIO THERE IS A TIGHT GRADIENT IN H85 TEMPS WITH -19C AT CWPL AND -8C AT KINL. THIS BAROCLINIC ZONE HAS BEEN FOCUS OF SWATH OF LGT SNOW THIS MORNING. THE SNOW IS NOW AS FAR EAST AS CYQT. RUC/NAM KEEP BAROCLINIC ZONE OVR FAR NORTHERN LK SUPERIOR TODAY...SO DO NOT EXPECT ANY SYNOPTIC SNOW TO MAKE IT INTO CWA. SHORTWAVE AND WARM AIR ADVECTION OVR SOUTHWEST MANITOBA WILL SLIDE ESE WITHIN ZONAL FLOW AND REACH WESTERN LAKE SUPERIOR THIS EVENING. GREATER MOISTURE WITH THE FEATURE WILL REMAIN MOSTLY OVR KEWEENAW INTO LK SUPERIOR. TO THE SOUTH OF THAT AREA...GFS SOUNDINGS SHOW LAYER BLO 750MB REMAINS DRY. SO...THERE WILL BE SOME CUTOFF TO THE SNOW FM NORTH TO SOUTH. CURRENT GRIDS SHOW THIS WELL. ANOTHER GROWING CONCERN IS STRONGER SHORTWAVE CURRENTLY MOVING INTO WASHINGTON STATE. THIS WAVE CRUISES EAST IN ZONAL FLOW MOVES INTO UPR MI WED EVENING. GFS/UKMET ARE NOW QUITE STRONG WITH THIS SYSTEM AND BACK EARLIER TRENDS. TRACK OF THE WAVE AND ASSOCATED CLIPPER LOW PRES MAY PRODUCE WIDESPREAD SNOW OVR PORTIONS OF CWA LATE WED INTO WED NIGHT. WILL BE CHECKING THIS OUT FURTHER THIS AFTN AND MAKE ANY CHANGES TO GRIDS AT THAT TIME. && .PREV DISCUSSION (405 AM EST)... MAIN FCST CONCERNS ARE LOW CLOUDS TODAY...SHRTWV TROUGH FOR WED/WED NIGHT AND STORM SYSTEM FOR THE WEEKEND. TODAY...WEAK UPPER TROUGH OVER MINNESOTA IS PROGGED TO SLIDE ACROSS THE CWA EARLY THIS AFTERNOON...ALLOWING THE SURFACE RIDGE OVER THE DAKOTAS TO BUILD IN. THEREFORE THROUGH THE DAY...WE SHOULD SEE DIMINISHING/BACKING WINDS AND GRADUAL WARMING OF THE LOW LEVELS. THEREFORE ONGOING LAKE EFFECT IS EXPECTED TO DIMINISH. THERE ARE INDICATIONS THAT A SHRTWV ON THE WEST SIDE OF THIS WEAK TROUGH WILL BRING A POCKET OF SOME MID LEVEL MOISTURE ACROSS...ENOUGH THAT SOME LIGHT SNOW OR FLURRIES MAY FALL. MOST OF THIS LOOKS TO FALL ACROSS LAKE SUPERIOR...THOUGH. THE MAIN QUESTION FOR TODAY IS WHETHER OR NOT WE CAN BREAK OUT OF THE LOW CLOUDS. ALTHOUGH THE 00Z BISMARCK SOUNDING IS DRIER...GFS/NAM LOW LEVEL RH FIELDS SUGGEST THAT THE DRY AIR WILL BE SHUNTED TO THE SOUTH. FIND IT HARD TO BELIEVE THAT SINCE WINDS ARE PROGGED TO BACK TO THE WEST AND THEN SW LATE THIS AFTERNOON...WHICH SHOULD BRING THE DRIER AIR IN. ALTHOUGH IT IS ONLY MID FEBRUARY...DAYTIME HEATING SHOULD HELP SOME TOO. 06Z RUC SEEMS TO FIT BOTH THE OBSERVED CLOUD COVER AND ALSO SUGGESTS MORE CLEARING...THEREFORE HAVE ADJUSTED SKY GRIDS TO ITS SCENARIO. GIVEN THE SUNSHINE...TEMPERATURES ALONG THE WISCONSIN BORDER SHOULD REBOUND TO YESTERDAYS HIGHS. EVEN FARTHER NORTH...TEMPERATURES SHOULD COME CLOSE SINCE THE AIRMASS IS NOT THAT MUCH COLDER THAN YESTERDAY AND READINGS ARE RELATIVELY MILD TO BEGIN WITH. TONIGHT...SHRTWV TROUGH OVER SOUTHERN BRITISH COLUMBIA IS PROGGED TO REACH SOUTHERN MANITOBA BY 12Z WED...WITH A 993MB SURFACE LOW ASSOCIATED WITH IT LOCATED NEAR WINNIPEG. ISENTROPIC LIFT DEPICTED ON THE 285 AND 290K SURFACES AHEAD OF THIS SHRTWV OVER THE CWA SUGGESTS THE DEVELOPMENT OF AT LEAST A MID CLOUD DECK. GFS/NAM SOUNDINGS SUGGESTS THAT THERE WILL BE ENOUGH MOISTENING TO RESULT IN SOME LIGHT SNOW FROM THE ISENTROPIC LIFT...PARTICULARLY IN THE NORTHERN U.P. AND OVER LAKE SUPERIOR. THE PREVIOUS FCST REFLECTS THIS WELL AND THE ONLY CHANGE BEING MADE IS TO SPEED UP THE TIMING FOR THE LIGHT SNOW BY 3 HOURS. WITH THE MID CLOUDS AROUND AND A LIGHT SW WIND...TEMPERATURES AGAIN SHOULD NOT DROP MUCH. RAISED TEMPERATURES A FEW DEGREES FROM THE PREVIOUS FCST. WED INTO WED NIGHT...SHRTWV TROUGH OVER SOUTHERN MANITOBA IS NOW PROGGED TO DROP FARTHER SOUTH...MOVING INTO NORTHERN WISCONSIN AND WESTERN UPPER MICHIGAN BY 00Z THU AND TO LAKE ERIE AND NIAGARA FALLS BY 12Z THU. THIS SOUTHWARD DROP ALSO RESULTS IN THE SURFACE LOW DROPPING FARTHER SOUTH...CROSSING THE TIP OF THE KEWEENAW WED EVENING. THE NAM WAS THE ONLY MODEL THAT DID NOT SHOW THIS TRACK... STAYING FARTHER NORTH. HOWEVER...SINCE IT WAS THE ONLY MODEL AND THE FACT THAT THE SHRTWV TROUGH LOOKS PRETTY IMPRESSIVE AT THE MOMENT... THINK A FARTHER SOUTH TRACK WILL PROBABLY VERIFY. WHAT IS MOST IMPRESSIVE WITH THIS SHRTWV TROUGH ARE 60 METER HEIGHT FALLS AT 500MB AND STEEP MID LEVEL LAPSE RATES THAT ARE ADVECTED IN AHEAD OF IT. THEREFORE THE 700-300MB Q-VECTOR CONVERGENCE WITH THIS SHRTWV IS FAIRLY STRONG. HOWEVER...MOISTURE DOES APPEAR TO BE LACKING...AS NOTED BY 850MB DEWPOINT DEPRESSIONS AROUND 5C AND MODEL QPF FIELDS NOT SHOWING A LOT. STILL...GIVEN THE IMPRESSIVE DYNAMICS AND 700-500MB LAPSE RATES AROUND 7.5C/KM...THERE SHOULD BE SOME BAND OR BANDS OF CONVECTIVE SNOW AHEAD OF THE SHRTWV. THEREFORE HAVE EXPANDED POPS DURING THIS TIME PERIOD AND INCREASED THEM ACROSS THE NORTH WHERE THE BEST JUXTAPOSITION OF DYNAMICS AND MOISTURE COME TOGETHER. A DRY SLOT MOVING IN WED EVENING MAY BRIEFLY END THE SNOW WEST TO EAST...THEN A COMBINATION OF WRAP-AROUND SNOW AND LAKE ENHANCED SNOW LOOKS POSSIBLE AS 850MB TEMPS COOL TO -10C. AS FAR AS TEMPERATURES GO...THE DEVELOPMENT OF CLOUDS ON WED WILL LIKELY HAMPER TEMPERATURES FROM CLIMBING TOO FAR ABOVE NORMAL...AS 850MB TEMPS MIGHT SUGGEST (AROUND 0C). THEREFORE HAVE STAYED TOWARDS THE COOLER MAV GUIDANCE. PREVIOUS FCST LOWS LOOK REASONABLE. THU THROUGH FRI...COLD ADVECTION CONTINUES INTO THU BEHIND THE SHRTWV TROUGH...850MB TEMPS DROPPING TO -8 TO -13C OVER LAKE SUPERIOR...BUT THE AIR BECOMES INCREASING ANTICYCLONIC AND DRIER AS A STRONG SURFACE RIDGE BUILDS IN FROM THE PLAINS. THEREFORE THE PREVIOUS FCST INDICATING LAKE EFFECT DIMINISHING BY THU NIGHT STILL LOOKS OKAY AT THIS POINT. HOWEVER...GIVEN THE COLDER AIR...DID LOWER BOTH HIGHS AND LOWS DURING THIS PERIOD. IN FACT...TEMPERATURES COULD GET RELATIVELY COLD IN THE EASTERN U.P. THU NIGHT WITH THE SURFACE FLOW DRAINING COLD AIR OUT OF ONTARIO. HAVE LOWERED NEWBERRYS LOWS CLOSER TO MEX GUIDANCE...BUT THIS MAY NOT BE LOW ENOUGH. BEYOND FRI...AFTER QUITE A FEW MODEL RUNS OVER THE PAST COUPLE DAYS SUGGESTING THE STORM SYSTEM THAT DEVELOPS IN THE CENTRAL PLAINS MOVING TOWARDS UPPER MICHIGAN...THE BEGINNINGS OF A FARTHER SOUTH TRACK ARE BEGINNING TO CREEP IN. THIS EVENING...EXTRA UPPER AIR OBSERVATIONS WERE INCLUDED INTO THE 00Z MODEL SUITE OVER THE EASTERN PACIFIC AND WESTERN U.S. FROM C-130 AIRCRAFT. NOW ALL OF THE 00Z MODELS...INCLUDING THE 00Z GFS ENSEMBLES...HAVE SHIFTED FARTHER SOUTH WITH THE TRACK OF THE STORM SYSTEM...WITH ONLY 1 GFS ENSEMBLE MEMBER ACTUALLY TAKING THE SURFACE LOW ACROSS UPPER MICHIGAN. NOT SURE WHETHER OR NOT THE AIRCRAFT DATA WAS THE CULPRIT FOR CAUSING THE MODELS TO SHIFT THE TRACK SOUTH...BUT IT IS A POSSIBILITY. NEVERTHELESS...THIS SOUTHWARD TREND MEANS THAT ANY PRECIPITATION THAT DOES FALL WILL HAVE TO BE SNOW SINCE NOT ENOUGH WARM AIR IS ABLE TO WRAP AROUND IT. THEREFORE...FOR THE HWO AND FCST PURPOSES... HAVE REMOVED ANY MIXED PCPN MENTION. IN ADDITION...HAVE ADJUSTED WIND AND TEMPERATURE FORECASTS AROUND DUE TO MORE EASTERLY FLOW BETWEEN A HUDSON BAY SURFACE HIGH AND THE STORM SYSTEM. ANOTHER MAJOR CONCERN IS THE POSSIBILITY FOR THE SYSTEM TO GO SO FAR SOUTH THAT WE SEE NO PCPN AT ALL. THE 00Z UKMET SHOWS THIS AND THE 00Z CANADIAN IS SIMILAR...THOUGH SLIGHTLY FARTHER NORTH. WILL NOT CHANGE THE FCST TOWARDS THESE MODELS...BUT THE FACT THAT THEY ARE ALLOWING THE SYSTEM TO PUSH DUE EASTWARD INTO AN UPPER RIDGE AHEAD OF IT...INSTEAD OF LIFTING IT NE OVER THE TOP OF THE RIDGE...IS SOMETHING THAT NEEDS TO BE WATCHED. && .MQT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. && $$ UPDATE...JLA PREV DISCUSSION...AJ
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS SEATTLE WA
830 AM PST TUE FEB 20 2007 .SYNOPSIS...POST FRONTAL ONSHORE FLOW WILL CONTINUE TO PRODUCE SHOWERS TODAY...MAINLY IN THE MOUNTAINS AND ALONG THE COAST. SCATTERED SHOWER ACTIVITY WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT AS A COOL UPPER LEVEL TROUGH SETTLES IN OVER THE AREA. THE AIR MASS WILL BE COOL ENOUGH THAT PRECIPITATION THAT FALLS ON HIGHER HILLS DURING THE LATE NIGHT AND MORNING HOURS COULD BE IN THE FORM OF SNOW. BUT NO SIGNIFICANT ACCUMULATIONS ARE EXPECTED. AFTER A MAINLY DRY DAY ON FRIDAY...ANOTHER FRONTAL SYSTEM WILL BRING RAIN AND LOCALLY WINDY CONDITIONS TO THE AREA FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY. && .SHORT TERM...THE LONG WAVE PATTERN IS TRANSITIONING TO A WEST COAST TROUGH. THIS IS BRINGING A RETURN TO WINTER IN THE MOUNTAINS...AND AFTER OUR SPRINGLIKE DAY SATURDAY...IT APPEARS THAT TRADITIONAL PAC NW WINTER HAS RETURNED FOR THE NEXT COUPLE WEEKS IN THE LOWLANDS AS WELL. THE COLD FRONT THAT BROUGHT RAIN...HEAVY MOUNTAIN SNOW...AND WINDY CONDITIONS TO THE AREA HAS NOW MOVED WELL TO THE EAST. WE ARE NOW LEFT IN COOL ONSHORE FLOW WITH MOST SHOWER ACTIVITY CONFINED TO THE MOUNTAINS...THE COAST...AND TO A PUGET SOUND CONVERGENCE ZONE THAT SITS ACROSS NORTHERN SNOHOMISH COUNTY. SNOWFALL IN THE MOUNTAINS CONTINUES...WITH HEAVIEST ACTIVITY IN THE CONVERGENCE ZONE TO THE NORTH OF THE MAIN PASSES. ACARS SOUNDINGS SHOW SNOW LEVELS NEAR THE 2000 FT LEVEL. SNOWFALL RATES IN THE MAIN PASSES APPEAR TO SUPPORT THE CURRENT ADVISORY...AND THAT WILL BE CONTINUED THRU 4 PM THIS AFTERNOON. THE COLDEST AIR ALOFT APPEARS TO BE SLIDING EAST ALONG ABOUT 49N. A ROGUE TSTM CAN`T BE RULED OUT...BUT THEY SHOULD BE CONFINED MAINLY TO VANCOUVER ISLAND AND THE BRITISH COLUMBIA COASTAL RANGES AS THE UPPER TROUGH ALONG 128W MOVES E. ANY WET SNOW MIXED WITH RAIN SHOWERS THIS MORNING...AS IS BEING REPORTED AT PORT ANGELES...WILL GO TO ALL RAIN SHOWER ACTIVITY IN THE LOWLANDS WITH INSOLATION OVER THE NEXT COUPLE HOURS. UPPER TROUGHING IS DIGGING OFFSHORE. HENCE THE CONVERGENCE ZONE SHOULD STAY N OF SEATTLE. IT DOES APPEAR THE DOWNTOWN SEATTLE SOUTHWARD WILL BE EXPOSED TO SHOWERS SNEAKING IN TO THE S OF THE OLYMPICS THRU THE CHEHALIS GAP AS THE FLOW ALOFT BECOMES MORE SWLY. PRECIPITATION TYPE WILL BE A CHALLENGE DURING THE LATE NIGHT AND MORNING HOURS. THE AIR MASS ALOFT IS RATHER COOL. FREEZING LEVELS NEAR 2000 FT WITH A NEARLY ISOTHERMAL LAYER AT +1 TO +2C AND DEWPOINT TEMPERATURES -2C SUGGEST THAT HEAVIER SHOWERS DURING THE PERIOD FROM 3 AM TO 10 AM COULD BE A MIX OF SNOW AND RAIN...OR SNOW WITH LIGHT ACCUMULATIONS POSSIBLE ON HIGHER HILLS AWAY FROM WATER. THIS WILL BE THE CASE BOTH WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY MORNINGS. SHOWER ACTIVITY MAY BE A LITTLE MORE WIDESPREAD THURSDAY MORNING THAN ON WEDNESDAY MORNING AS AN IMPULSE ROTATES AROUND THE DIGGING TROUGH JUST OFFSHORE. AT THIS POINT IT APPEARS THAT FRIDAY WILL BE THE NICEST DAY OF THE WEEK AS A SHORT WAVE TROUGH MOVES ACROSS THE AREA. DAYTIME TEMPERATURES WILL STRUGGLE TO REACH 50 THOUGH IN THE COOL AIR MASS IN PLACE. WHILE SNOW LEVELS APPEAR TO BE A FEW HUNDRED FEET HIGH DURING THE EARLY MORNING HOURS...WILL AWAIT MAKING UPDATES UNTIL THIS AFTERNOON AFTER LOOKING AT ALL NEW GUIDANCE. ALBRECHT .LONG TERM...PREVIOUS LONG TERM DISCUSSION...THE BROAD UPPER LEVEL TROUGH ALONG THE WEST COAST SHIFTS INLAND ON FRIDAY. THIS COULD LEAD TO A REASONABLY DRY DAY FOR THE REGION...BUT THAT IS SHORT-LIVED AS THE EXTENDED MODELS REMAIN CONSISTENT WITH BRINGING A STRONG FRONT INTO THE REGION SATURDAY MORNING...WITH ANOTHER COOL SHOWERY TROUGH AND MORE LOW SNOW LEVELS TO BEGIN NEXT WEEK. 27 && .AVIATION...A PGTSND CONVERGENCE ZONE WAS LOCATED BETWEEN KPAE AND MOUNT VERNON OR ESSENTIALLY ON TOP OF KAWO. THE CONVERGENCE ZONE WILL LIKELY REMAIN N OF KPAE AS CONTINUED SLY WINDS TO NEAR 4K FT WILL TEND TO PREVENT THE CONVERGENCE ZONE FROM SAGGING TO THE S. ALSO...THE WLY FLOW THRU THE STRAIT HAS ALREADY PEAKED AND IS EXPECTED TO SLOLY WEAKEN AS THE DAY PROGRESSES. MEANWHILE...EXPECT SCATTERED SHRA TODAY. CIGS WILL GENERALLY BE AT OR ABOVE 5K FT...EXCEPT NEAR 1500 FT WITH THE HEAVIER SHOWERS IN THE CONVERGENCE ZONE. GRAUPEL OR SMALL HAIL IS ALSO POSSIBLE WITHIN THE CONVERGENCE ZONE. AT KSEA...EXPECT SCATTERED TO BROKEN CLOUDS AT OR ABOVE 5K FT. THERE MAY BE A BRIEF PERIOD OF BROKEN CIGS NEAR 1K FT TIL 19Z. THE BEST CHANCE OF SHOWERS WILL BE BETWEEN 21Z AND 02Z. WINDS WILL REMAIN S OR SW AT 11-16 KT WITH OCCASIONAL GUSTS NEAR 25 KT TIL 00Z. $$ .SEW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... .SNOW ADVISORY FOR THE OLYMPICS AND THE CASCADES THROUGH 4 PM. .SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY ALL WATERS. $$ WEATHER.GOV/SEATTLE