Forecast Discussions mentioning "ACARS", "MDCRS", "AIRCRAFT", "TAMDAR", or "AMDAR" received at FSL on 02/21/07


AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NWS UPTON NY
1005 AM EST MON FEB 19 2007 .NEAR TERM (THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT)... TROUGH AXIS EAST OF THE AREA THIS MORNING...AND STRONG COLD AIR ADVECTION WILL BE SHUTTING DOWN SOON AS RIDGE BUILDS IN QUICKLY. IN FACT...EXPECT RIDGE AXIS OVER AREA BY THIS EVENING...THEN WARM AIR ADVECTION PREVAILS ON W/SW RETURN FLOW OVERNIGHT. HAVE UPDATED GRIDS TO REFLECT LATEST CONDITIONS...AND AFTERNOON HIGH TEMPS LOOK REASONABLE WITH MAYBE A DEGREE OR TWO CUT WITH THIS UPDATE. OTHERWISE...I DO EXPECT WINDS TO GRADUALLY DIMINISH...ALONG WITH LITTLE CLOUD COVER THIS AFTERNOON (MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES WITH JUST A BIT OF INSTABILITY STRATO-CU GIVING WAY TO INCREASING CIRRUS LATE IN THE DAY AHEAD OF RIDGING). GUSTY NW WINDS WILL QUICKLY DIMINISH THIS EVENING AND THEN BACK TO THE SW AFTER MIDNIGHT AS SURFACE RIDGE AXIS SLIDES ACROSS THE REGION AS MENTIONED EARLIER. TEMPS SHOULD INITIALLY RADIATE WELL TONIGHT...ESPECIALLY EASTERN HALF OF CWA...WITH LIGHT WINDS AND BEFORE CIRRUS THICKENS. BUT STRENGTHENING RETURN FLOW AND WAA LATE TONIGHT AND THICKENING CIRRUS SHOULD HAVE TEMPS CLIMBING LATE TONIGHT...ESPECIALLY CITY/COAST. WILL STAY CLOSE TO MAV NUMBERS TO ACCOUNT FOR RADIATIONAL COOLING EARLY. && .SHORT TERM (TUESDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY)... NEAR ZONAL FLOW BECOMES SLIGHTLY RIDGED ON EAST COAST AS MODELS ARE COMING INTO BETTER AGREEMENT WITH A NORTHERN STREAM SHORTWAVE CROSSING THE NORTHERN PLAINS MONDAY NIGHT AND INTO THE NORTHEAST TUESDAY NIGHT...WHILE SOUTHERN STREAM CUTOFF GETS SHEARED FROM SOUTHWEST INTO SOUTHERN PLAINS DURING THIS TIME. NAM APPEARS TO BE OUTLIER WITH LEAVING SOUTHERN STREAM SYSTEM ACROSS THE SW STATES...LEADING TO A DRIER AND QUICKER SYSTEM FOR TUESDAY NIGHT. WILL GO WITH LESS PROGRESSIVE AND WETTER ECMWF/CANREG/GFS/UKMET SOLUTION. LOW PRESSURE TRACKING THROUGH THE GREAT LAKES MONDAY NIGHT WILL WEAKEN AS IT TRACKS EAST THROUGH CENTRAL NY AND NEW ENGLAND ON TUESDAY. SW FLOW AHEAD OF THE SYSTEM WILL PROVIDE ENOUGH THETA-E ADVECTION AND ISENTROPIC LIFT FOR CLOUDS TO LOWER AND THICKEN AND SCATTERED SHOWER TO DEVELOP IN THE MORNING. WITH FORCING WEAK EXPECT ACTIVITY TO BE LIGHT BUT TAPPING ENOUGH GULF MOISTURE WITH SOUTHERN STREAM WAVE CONTRIBUTION TO HAVE A WIDESPREAD MEASURABLE EVENT. SREF IN AGREEMENT WITH THIS THINKING AND OPERATIONAL SUITE...DEPICTING HIGH LIKELY CONFIDENCE FOR AT LEAST .05" QPF. SO WILL GO INCREASING CHANCE POPS THROUGH THE LATE AFTERNOON AND THEN LIKELY TUESDAY NIGHT WITH BEST MOISTURE CONVERGENCE/LIFT AHEAD OF THE APPROACHING SHORTWAVE AND AS WEAK LOW PRESSURE AND ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT CROSS THE REGION. MODELS INITIALLY SUPPORT SNOW/SLEET EARLY TUESDAY...MAINLY ACROSS NORTHERN SECTIONS...BUT THEN CHANGING TO RAIN FROM S TO N WITH CONTINUED WAA IN THE AFTERNOON. WAA FLOW RAISES 950 HPA TEMPS TO 2 TO 3 C BY TUESDAY AFTERNOON...WHICH WITH FULL MIXING TO THAT LEVEL WOULD MEAN MID TO UPPER 40S. BUT WITH CLOUD COVER AND SHOWER ACTIVITY WILL GO MORE IN THE LOWER TO MID 40 RANGE. A DEGREE OR TWO BELOW GUIDANCE. AS COLD FRONT CROSSES THE REGION LATE TUESDAY EVENING...MODEL SOUNDINGS ARE SHOWING SUFFICIENT COLUMN COOLING ACROSS INTERIOR LOWER HUDSON VALLEY AND THEN INTERIOR SOUTHERN CONNECTICUT FOR A CHANGEOVER TO A BRIEF PERIOD OF SNOW BEFORE LIFT/MOISTURE AXIS SLIDES OFFSHORE. THIS WOULD GENERALLY AMOUNT TO AN INCH OR LESS OF SNOW ACCUMULATION. COULD EVEN HAVE A FEW WET SNOW FLAKES MIX IN ALL THE WAY TO THE CITY/COAST...WITH NO ACCUM. HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS IN FOR WEDNESDAY WITH MOSTLY SUNNY SKIES. AIRMASS BEHIND COLD FRONT IS OF PAC ORIGIN...AND WITH DOWNSLOPE COMPONENT TO FLOW TEMPERATURES SHOULD RISE TO NEAR OR SLIGHTLY ABOVE SEASONABLE (LOW TO MID 40S). && .LONG TERM (WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY)... HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS INTO THE CWA ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND REMAINS IN PLACE FOR MUCH OF THE LONG TERM PERIOD. WEATHER WILL BE DRY AND HIGH TEMPERATURES WILL BE IN THE UPPER 30S AND 40S. THE NEXT CHANCE OF SIGNIFICANT WEATHER COULD COME LATE NEXT WEEKEND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK AS A LARGE AREA OF LOW PRESSURE IS EXPECTED TO MOVE ACROSS THE MIDSECTION OF THE COUNTRY. && .AVIATION... HIGH PRESSURE IS QUICKLY BUILDING TOWARD TERMINALS THIS MORNING. LOW PRESSURE WILL APPROACH FROM THE GREAT LAKES TOMORROW. UNLIMITED VISIBILITY TODAY AND SCATTERED STRATO CUMULUS (RESIDUAL LAKE EFFECT STREAMERS). WINDS REMAIN THE IMPACT THIS AFTERNOON WITH A TIGHT PRESSURE GRADIENT BETWEEN THE DEPARTING LOW AND THE UPSTREAM HIGH. WINDS DO SUBSIDE THIS AFTERNOON AS THE RIDGE OF THE HIGH PRESSURE REACHES THE REGION AND THE DIRECTION BACKS TO THE WEST. THIS FAVORS THE 22`S AT KEWR. EXPECT LOW LEVEL LIGHT TO MODERATE TURBC FOR THE GA FOLKS - CHECK FOR AWC AIRMETS. ACARS AND MORNING OFFICE SOUNDING INDICATE 50 KTS UP A FEW THOUSAND FEET. OUTLOOK...TOMORROW REMAINS VFR WITH CIGS AROUND 050 WITH SOUTHWEST (230) FLOW GUSTING INTO THE UPPER 20S IN THE AFTERNOON. CIGS FALL IN THE AFTERNOON WITH MVFR PERHAPS SOME IFR AS EARLY AS TUESDAY EVENING. && .MARINE... THE TIGHT PRESSURE GRADIENT BETWEEN THE DEPARTING LOW AND HIGH TO THE WEST CONTINUES TO PRODUCE GALES FOR ALL WATERS AT THIS TIME. THE PRESSURE GRADIENT WILL RELAX THIS AFTERNOON AS THE RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS IN. SEAS GRADUALLY SUBSIDE INTO THE OVERNIGHT PERIOD. FREEZING SPRAY CONTINUES UNTIL WINDS RELAX BY EARLY AFTERNOON. LOW WATER ADVISORY WILL BE AN ISSUE THROUGH THE NEXT LOW TIDE CYCLE...WHICH IS MID AFTERNOON ACROSS WESTERN OCEAN AND NY HARBOR ZONES...AND EARLY EVENING FOR WESTERN LI SOUND. WINDS WILL PICK UP ONCE AGAIN ON TUESDAY (SMALL CRAFT CONDITIONS)...WITH A RETURN SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW (AROUND THE HIGH) AS THE HIGH MOVES OFFSHORE WELL TO OUR SOUTH. APPROACHING LOW MOVING THROUGH THE GREAT LAKES REGION WILL MOVE ACROSS THE REGION TUE NIGHT...BEFORE WEAK HIGH PRESSURE SETTLES ACROSS THE AREA BY LATE WED AFTERNOON AND NIGHT. ANOTHER WEAK AREA OF LOW PRESSURE WILL MOVE ACROSS NEW ENGLAND THU AFTERNOON. HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS IN FROM THE WEST ON FRIDAY. && .HYDROLOGY... DRY WEATHER IS THEN EXPECTED UNTIL TUE/TUES NIGHT...WHEN ONE TO TWO TENTHS QPF AMOUNTS ARE EXPECTED. PART OF THAT MAY BE IN FORM OF SNOW ACROSS INTERIOR LOWER HUDSON VALLEY AND INTERIOR SOUTHERN CONN. WITH ICE ON AREA RIVERS AND STREAMS...STAGE LEVELS MAY FLUCTUATE. && .OKX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... CT...NONE. NY...NONE. NJ...NONE. MARINE...LOW WATER ADVISORY UNTIL 5 PM EST THIS AFTERNOON FOR ANZ338- 355. GALE WARNING UNTIL 6 PM EST THIS AFTERNOON FOR ANZ330-335-338- 350-353-355. LOW WATER ADVISORY UNTIL 8 PM EST THIS EVENING FOR ANZ335. && $$ NEAR TERM UPDATE/AVIATION/MARINE...PW
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS NORTHERN INDIANA
949 PM EST TUE FEB 20 2007 .UPDATE... EVE SOUNDINGS INDICATED A LITTLE MORE FAVORABLE LOW LEVEL HYDROLAPSE FOR DENSE FOG DEVELOPMENT THAN SUGGESTED BY PRE-00Z TAMDAR DATA. PATCHY DENSE FOG BEING REPORTED ALREADY THIS EVENING BY AUTOMATED SURFACE OBS AND SPOTTERS. SOME CIRRUS MOVG INTO THE AREA ATTM BUT SHOULD BE SHORT LIVED AND NOT EXPECTED TO BE SUFFICIENT TO LIMIT FURTHER RADIATIONAL COOLING. THUS, EXPECT FOG TO CONT TO LOWER VSBYS AND BECOME MORE WIEDSPREAD OVERNIGHT AS SFC HIGH MOVES ACROSS THE AREA. OTHER PROBLEM THIS EVENING IS WITH BLACK ICE. MELTING SNOW WAS RAPIDLY REFREEZING THIS EVENING DUE TO THE STRONG RADIATIONAL COOLING, ESPECIALLY ON BLACKTOP. THIS WILL RESULT IN ICY SPOTS ON ROADS/SIDEWALKS OVERNIGHT AND WED MORNING. DENSE FOG SHOULD ALSO RESULT IN SOME ADDITIONAL GLAZING WITH GROUND SURFACES ALREADY VERY MOIST AND TEMPERATURES FALLING WELL BLO FREEZING. THUS, ISSUED A FREEZING FOG ADVISORY OVERNIGHT UNTIL 15Z WED. NO OTHER SGFNT CHANGES ATTM AS GOING LOWS IN THE L-M20S LOOK REASONABLE. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 644 PM EST TUE FEB 20 2007/ UPDATE... UPDATED MAINLY TO FRESHEN WORDING IN ZONES AS SHOWERS HAVE MOVED EAST OUT OF THE CWA EARLY THIS EVENING. REST OF THE NIGHT SHOULD BE DRY WITH RADIATIONAL COOLING FOG/STRATUS DVLPG AS SFC HIGH MOVES ACROSS THE AREA. PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 630 PM EST TUE FEB 20 2007/ AVIATION... SKIES HAVE CLEARED OVER NRN INDIANA THIS EVENING IN THE WAKE OF A WK SHRTWV WHICH MOVED THROUGH THE AREA THIS AFTN. A WK AREA OF HIGH PRESSURE WILL MOVE ACROSS THE AREA TONIGHT PROVIDING LIGHT WINDS. SFC DWPTS HAVE NOT LOWERED SIGNIFICANTLY OVER NRN INDIANA THIS AFTN, AND WITH LIGHT WINDS OVER THE AREA TONIGHT SGFNT DRY ADVECTION AT THE SFC NOT EXPECTED. HWVR, RECENT NEARBY TAMDAR DATA WAS INDICATING A NEGATIVE HYDROLAPSE IN THE LOW LEVELS SUGGESTING THAT THE MOIST LAYER OVER THE AREA IS QUITE SHALLOW. THUS, DIDN`T CHANGE PREVIOUS FCST DRASTICALLY BUT GIVEN LACK OF DRIER AIR MOVG IN AT THE SFC THIS AFTN, DID LOWER VSBYS TO 1SM IN BR AT BOTH TERMINALS OVERNIGHT. INCREASING SWLY GRADIENT AHEAD OF ANOTHER CDFNT DROPPING SEWD INTO WI/IL SHOULD ALLOW FOG/STRATUS TO MIX OUT DURING THE DAY WED, HWVR WITH WK FLOW CONTINUING IN THE MORNING EXPECT IMPROVEMENT WILL BE SLOW. PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 311 PM EST TUE FEB 20 2007/ SHORT TERM... SEVERAL FORECAST CHALLENGES FOR THE SHORT TERM PACKAGE. SHORT WAVE RACING OUT OF ILLINOIS WILL EXIT THE AREA EARLY THIS EVENING. VIS IMAGES SHOWING CLEARING NEAR THE IN/IL STATE LINE. THIS CLEARING SHOULD PROGRESS EAST ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA THIS EVENING. HIGH PRESSURE WILL SETTLE ACROSS THE AREA LEADING TO LIGHT OR CALM WINDS. THE COMBINATION OF THESE FACTORS WITH MELTING SNOWPACK AND SOME LIGHT RAINFALL TODAY WILL SET THE STAGE FOR POSSIBLE FOG AND STRATUS DEVELOPMENT TONIGHT. NAM AND GFS HAVE DIFFERENT IDEAS ON WHAT WILL OCCUR...WITH THE NAM MORE PESSIMISTIC...SHOWING A STRONG RADIATION INVERSION DEVELOPING AND STRATUS AND FOG FORMING UNDER IT. GFS DOES NOT DEVELOP THIS. THE ONLY NEGATIVE FACTOR FOR FOG AND STRATUS IS THE DRYING OCCURING UPSTREAM THIS AFTERNOON WITH SURFACE DEWPOINTS DROPPING INTO THE MID AND UPPER 20S. HOWEVER...GIVEN ALL THE OTHER POSITIVE FACTORS AND STAYING WITH PERSISTENCE AND CONTINUITY OF PRESENT FORECAST...WILL CONTINUE FOG AND STRATUS FORMATION OVERNIGHT. HENCE SKIES BECOMING MOSTLY CLEAR THIS EVENING...THEN MOSTLY CLOUDY AFTER MIDNIGHT WITH STRATUS AND FOG DEVELOPMENT. SHOULD TAKE SOME TIME TO BURN OFF FOG AND STRATUS WEDNESDAY. INCREASING FLOW IN THE AFTERNOON SHOULD HELP SCATTER THINGS OUT. WITH CLEAR SKIES THIS EVENING AND STILL RESIDUAL SNOWPACK...SHOULD SEE TEMPS DROP QUICKLY THEN LEVEL OUT WHEN FOG FORMS. TEMPS TRICKY ON WEDNESDAY DEPENDING ON HOW FAST FOG MIXES OUT. AGAIN STAYED WITH PERSISTENCE FOR NOW WHICH FALLS NEAR THE LOW END OF MOS GUIDANCE. LONG TERM.... WEDNESDAY THROUGH TUESDAY... WEATHER PATTERN CONTINUES TO DEAMPLIFY ACROSS THE UNITED STATES. A FAIRLY STRONG SHORT WAVE SYSTEM WILL PASS NORTH OF THE AREA WEDNESDAY NIGHT WITH ANOTHER COLD FRONT EXPECTED TO PASS ACROSS THE AREA. MOISTURE IS LIMITED BEING MOSTLY TRAPPED IN THE LOWEST 5KFT. MODEL GUIDANCE PUSHES SOME LIFT ACROSS THE AREA AT THE SAME TIME...BUT WITH LIMITED MOISTURE...ELECTED TO KEEP WEDNESDAY NIGHT DRY. MINOR CHANGES WERE MADE TO THE LOW TEMPERATURE FORECAST. ONCE THIS SYSTEM IS PAST...A STRONG MID LEVEL RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE WILL PASS ACROSS THE AREA THURSDAY AND FRIDAY. COLD AIR WILL MOVE ACROSS THE AREA...BUT ARCTIC AIR MASSES WILL REMAIN WELL NORTH OF THE WESTERN LOWER GREAT LAKES REGION. MADE MINOR CHANGES TO TEMPERATURES FORECASTS FOR THURSDAY AND FRIDAY. THIS RIDGE IS BEING GENERATED BY A STRONG SHORT WAVE TROF DIGGING INTO THE WEST COAST AREA. THESE TWO SYSTEMS WILL DEVELOP A MAJOR SURFACE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM OVER EASTERN COLORADO AND WESTERN KANSAS. BOTH THE ECMWF/GFS PLACE THE SYSTEM THERE...WITH THE ECMWF MOVING THE LOW FASTER THAN THE GFS. WITH TIMING UNCERTAINTY HAVE ELECTED TO KEEP THE CURRENT FORECAST OF RAIN DURING THE DAY SATURDAY AND INTO SUNDAY. HOWEVER...THERE CHANCES ARE INCREASING THAT THE PRECIPITATION MAY HOLD OFF INTO SATURDAY AFTERNOON. MINOR CHANGES WERE MADE TO THE HIGH TEMPERATURE FORECAST FOR SATURDAY...LOWERING THEM IN OUR NORTH. THE POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR HEAVY RAIN BOTH SATURDAY AND SUNDAY ALONG WITH AN INCREASED CHANCE OF FLOODING. WITH A MORE PROGRESSIVE ZONAL FLOW EXPECTED TO CONTINUE ACROSS THE AREA ANOTHER...SHORT WAVE SYSTEM WILL FOLLOW BRINGING A CHANCE OF SNOW ON MONDAY AND SNOW WITH RAIN SOUTH ON TUESDAY. && .IWX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... IN...FREEZING FOG ADVISORY UNTIL 10 AM EST /9 AM CST/ WEDNESDAY FOR INZ003>009-012>018-020-022>027-032>034. MI...FREEZING FOG ADVISORY UNTIL 10 AM EST WEDNESDAY FOR MIZ077>081. OH...FREEZING FOG ADVISORY UNTIL 10 AM EST WEDNESDAY FOR OHZ001-002- 004-005-015-016-024-025. LM...NONE. && $$ SHORT TERM...LASHLEY LONG TERM....LAMBERTY AVIATION/UPDATE...TAYLOR
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS NORTHERN INDIANA
644 PM EST TUE FEB 20 2007 .UPDATE... UPDATED MAINLY TO FRESHEN WORDING IN ZONES AS SHOWERS HAVE MOVED EAST OUT OF THE CWA EARLY THIS EVENING. REST OF THE NIGHT SHOULD BE DRY WITH RADIATIONAL COOLING FOG/STRATUS DVLPG AS SFC HIGH MOVES ACROSS THE AREA. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 630 PM EST TUE FEB 20 2007/ AVIATION... SKIES HAVE CLEARED OVER NRN INDIANA THIS EVENING IN THE WAKE OF A WK SHRTWV WHICH MOVED THROUGH THE AREA THIS AFTN. A WK AREA OF HIGH PRESSURE WILL MOVE ACROSS THE AREA TONIGHT PROVIDING LIGHT WINDS. SFC DWPTS HAVE NOT LOWERED SIGNIFICANTLY OVER NRN INDIANA THIS AFTN, AND WITH LIGHT WINDS OVER THE AREA TONIGHT SGFNT DRY ADVECTION AT THE SFC NOT EXPECTED. HWVR, RECENT NEARBY TAMDAR DATA WAS INDICATING A NEGATIVE HYDROLAPSE IN THE LOW LEVELS SUGGESTING THAT THE MOIST LAYER OVER THE AREA IS QUITE SHALLOW. THUS, DIDN`T CHANGE PREVIOUS FCST DRASTICALLY BUT GIVEN LACK OF DRIER AIR MOVG IN AT THE SFC THIS AFTN, DID LOWER VSBYS TO 1SM IN BR AT BOTH TERMINALS OVERNIGHT. INCREASING SWLY GRADIENT AHEAD OF ANOTHER CDFNT DROPPING SEWD INTO WI/IL SHOULD ALLOW FOG/STRATUS TO MIX OUT DURING THE DAY WED, HWVR WITH WK FLOW CONTINUING IN THE MORNING EXPECT IMPROVEMENT WILL BE SLOW. PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 311 PM EST TUE FEB 20 2007/ SHORT TERM... SEVERAL FORECAST CHALLENGES FOR THE SHORT TERM PACKAGE. SHORT WAVE RACING OUT OF ILLINOIS WILL EXIT THE AREA EARLY THIS EVENING. VIS IMAGES SHOWING CLEARING NEAR THE IN/IL STATE LINE. THIS CLEARING SHOULD PROGRESS EAST ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA THIS EVENING. HIGH PRESSURE WILL SETTLE ACROSS THE AREA LEADING TO LIGHT OR CALM WINDS. THE COMBINATION OF THESE FACTORS WITH MELTING SNOWPACK AND SOME LIGHT RAINFALL TODAY WILL SET THE STAGE FOR POSSIBLE FOG AND STRATUS DEVELOPMENT TONIGHT. NAM AND GFS HAVE DIFFERENT IDEAS ON WHAT WILL OCCUR...WITH THE NAM MORE PESSIMISTIC...SHOWING A STRONG RADIATION INVERSION DEVELOPING AND STRATUS AND FOG FORMING UNDER IT. GFS DOES NOT DEVELOP THIS. THE ONLY NEGATIVE FACTOR FOR FOG AND STRATUS IS THE DRYING OCCURING UPSTREAM THIS AFTERNOON WITH SURFACE DEWPOINTS DROPPING INTO THE MID AND UPPER 20S. HOWEVER...GIVEN ALL THE OTHER POSITIVE FACTORS AND STAYING WITH PERSISTENCE AND CONTINUITY OF PRESENT FORECAST...WILL CONTINUE FOG AND STRATUS FORMATION OVERNIGHT. HENCE SKIES BECOMING MOSTLY CLEAR THIS EVENING...THEN MOSTLY CLOUDY AFTER MIDNIGHT WITH STRATUS AND FOG DEVELOPMENT. SHOULD TAKE SOME TIME TO BURN OFF FOG AND STRATUS WEDNESDAY. INCREASING FLOW IN THE AFTERNOON SHOULD HELP SCATTER THINGS OUT. WITH CLEAR SKIES THIS EVENING AND STILL RESIDUAL SNOWPACK...SHOULD SEE TEMPS DROP QUICKLY THEN LEVEL OUT WHEN FOG FORMS. TEMPS TRICKY ON WEDNESDAY DEPENDING ON HOW FAST FOG MIXES OUT. AGAIN STAYED WITH PERSISTENCE FOR NOW WHICH FALLS NEAR THE LOW END OF MOS GUIDANCE. LONG TERM.... WEDNESDAY THROUGH TUESDAY... WEATHER PATTERN CONTINUES TO DEAMPLIFY ACROSS THE UNITED STATES. A FAIRLY STRONG SHORT WAVE SYSTEM WILL PASS NORTH OF THE AREA WEDNESDAY NIGHT WITH ANOTHER COLD FRONT EXPECTED TO PASS ACROSS THE AREA. MOISTURE IS LIMITED BEING MOSTLY TRAPPED IN THE LOWEST 5KFT. MODEL GUIDANCE PUSHES SOME LIFT ACROSS THE AREA AT THE SAME TIME...BUT WITH LIMITED MOISTURE...ELECTED TO KEEP WEDNESDAY NIGHT DRY. MINOR CHANGES WERE MADE TO THE LOW TEMPERATURE FORECAST. ONCE THIS SYSTEM IS PAST...A STRONG MID LEVEL RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE WILL PASS ACROSS THE AREA THURSDAY AND FRIDAY. COLD AIR WILL MOVE ACROSS THE AREA...BUT ARCTIC AIR MASSES WILL REMAIN WELL NORTH OF THE WESTERN LOWER GREAT LAKES REGION. MADE MINOR CHANGES TO TEMPERATURES FORECASTS FOR THURSDAY AND FRIDAY. THIS RIDGE IS BEING GENERATED BY A STRONG SHORT WAVE TROF DIGGING INTO THE WEST COAST AREA. THESE TWO SYSTEMS WILL DEVELOP A MAJOR SURFACE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM OVER EASTERN COLORADO AND WESTERN KANSAS. BOTH THE ECMWF/GFS PLACE THE SYSTEM THERE...WITH THE ECMWF MOVING THE LOW FASTER THAN THE GFS. WITH TIMING UNCERTAINTY HAVE ELECTED TO KEEP THE CURRENT FORECAST OF RAIN DURING THE DAY SATURDAY AND INTO SUNDAY. HOWEVER...THERE CHANCES ARE INCREASING THAT THE PRECIPITATION MAY HOLD OFF INTO SATURDAY AFTERNOON. MINOR CHANGES WERE MADE TO THE HIGH TEMPERATURE FORECAST FOR SATURDAY...LOWERING THEM IN OUR NORTH. THE POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR HEAVY RAIN BOTH SATURDAY AND SUNDAY ALONG WITH AN INCREASED CHANCE OF FLOODING. WITH A MORE PROGRESSIVE ZONAL FLOW EXPECTED TO CONTINUE ACROSS THE AREA ANOTHER...SHORT WAVE SYSTEM WILL FOLLOW BRINGING A CHANCE OF SNOW ON MONDAY AND SNOW WITH RAIN SOUTH ON TUESDAY. && .IWX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... IN...NONE. MI...NONE. OH...NONE. LM...NONE. && $$ SHORT TERM...LASHLEY LONG TERM....LAMBERTY AVIATION/UPDATE...TAYLOR
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS NORTHERN INDIANA
630 PM EST TUE FEB 20 2007 .AVIATION... SKIES HAVE CLEARED OVER NRN INDIANA THIS EVENING IN THE WAKE OF A WK SHRTWV WHICH MOVED THROUGH THE AREA THIS AFTN. A WK AREA OF HIGH PRESSURE WILL MOVE ACROSS THE AREA TONIGHT PROVIDING LIGHT WINDS. SFC DWPTS HAVE NOT LOWERED SIGNIFICANTLY OVER NRN INDIANA THIS AFTN, AND WITH LIGHT WINDS OVER THE AREA TONIGHT SGFNT DRY ADVECTION AT THE SFC NOT EXPECTED. HWVR, RECENT NEARBY TAMDAR DATA WAS INDICATING A NEGATIVE HYDROLAPSE IN THE LOW LEVELS SUGGESTING THAT THE MOIST LAYER OVER THE AREA IS QUITE SHALLOW. THUS, DIDN`T CHANGE PREVIOUS FCST DRASTICALLY BUT GIVEN LACK OF DRIER AIR MOVG IN AT THE SFC THIS AFTN, DID LOWER VSBYS TO 1SM IN BR AT BOTH TERMINALS OVERNIGHT. INCREASING SWLY GRADIENT AHEAD OF ANOTHER CDFNT DROPPING SEWD INTO WI/IL SHOULD ALLOW FOG/STRATUS TO MIX OUT DURING THE DAY WED, HWVR WITH WK FLOW CONTINUING IN THE MORNING EXPECT IMPROVEMENT WILL BE SLOW. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 311 PM EST TUE FEB 20 2007/ SHORT TERM... SEVERAL FORECAST CHALLENGES FOR THE SHORT TERM PACKAGE. SHORT WAVE RACING OUT OF ILLINOIS WILL EXIT THE AREA EARLY THIS EVENING. VIS IMAGES SHOWING CLEARING NEAR THE IN/IL STATE LINE. THIS CLEARING SHOULD PROGRESS EAST ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA THIS EVENING. HIGH PRESSURE WILL SETTLE ACROSS THE AREA LEADING TO LIGHT OR CALM WINDS. THE COMBINATION OF THESE FACTORS WITH MELTING SNOWPACK AND SOME LIGHT RAINFALL TODAY WILL SET THE STAGE FOR POSSIBLE FOG AND STRATUS DEVELOPMENT TONIGHT. NAM AND GFS HAVE DIFFERENT IDEAS ON WHAT WILL OCCUR...WITH THE NAM MORE PESSIMISTIC...SHOWING A STRONG RADIATION INVERSION DEVELOPING AND STRATUS AND FOG FORMING UNDER IT. GFS DOES NOT DEVELOP THIS. THE ONLY NEGATIVE FACTOR FOR FOG AND STRATUS IS THE DRYING OCCURING UPSTREAM THIS AFTERNOON WITH SURFACE DEWPOINTS DROPPING INTO THE MID AND UPPER 20S. HOWEVER...GIVEN ALL THE OTHER POSITIVE FACTORS AND STAYING WITH PERSISTENCE AND CONTINUITY OF PRESENT FORECAST...WILL CONTINUE FOG AND STRATUS FORMATION OVERNIGHT. HENCE SKIES BECOMING MOSTLY CLEAR THIS EVENING...THEN MOSTLY CLOUDY AFTER MIDNIGHT WITH STRATUS AND FOG DEVELOPMENT. SHOULD TAKE SOME TIME TO BURN OFF FOG AND STRATUS WEDNESDAY. INCREASING FLOW IN THE AFTERNOON SHOULD HELP SCATTER THINGS OUT. WITH CLEAR SKIES THIS EVENING AND STILL RESIDUAL SNOWPACK...SHOULD SEE TEMPS DROP QUICKLY THEN LEVEL OUT WHEN FOG FORMS. TEMPS TRICKY ON WEDNESDAY DEPENDING ON HOW FAST FOG MIXES OUT. AGAIN STAYED WITH PERSISTENCE FOR NOW WHICH FALLS NEAR THE LOW END OF MOS GUIDANCE. LONG TERM.... WEDNESDAY THROUGH TUESDAY... WEATHER PATTERN CONTINUES TO DEAMPLIFY ACROSS THE UNITED STATES. A FAIRLY STRONG SHORT WAVE SYSTEM WILL PASS NORTH OF THE AREA WEDNESDAY NIGHT WITH ANOTHER COLD FRONT EXPECTED TO PASS ACROSS THE AREA. MOISTURE IS LIMITED BEING MOSTLY TRAPPED IN THE LOWEST 5KFT. MODEL GUIDANCE PUSHES SOME LIFT ACROSS THE AREA AT THE SAME TIME...BUT WITH LIMITED MOISTURE...ELECTED TO KEEP WEDNESDAY NIGHT DRY. MINOR CHANGES WERE MADE TO THE LOW TEMPERATURE FORECAST. ONCE THIS SYSTEM IS PAST...A STRONG MID LEVEL RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE WILL PASS ACROSS THE AREA THURSDAY AND FRIDAY. COLD AIR WILL MOVE ACROSS THE AREA...BUT ARCTIC AIR MASSES WILL REMAIN WELL NORTH OF THE WESTERN LOWER GREAT LAKES REGION. MADE MINOR CHANGES TO TEMPERATURES FORECASTS FOR THURSDAY AND FRIDAY. THIS RIDGE IS BEING GENERATED BY A STRONG SHORT WAVE TROF DIGGING INTO THE WEST COAST AREA. THESE TWO SYSTEMS WILL DEVELOP A MAJOR SURFACE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM OVER EASTERN COLORADO AND WESTERN KANSAS. BOTH THE ECMWF/GFS PLACE THE SYSTEM THERE...WITH THE ECMWF MOVING THE LOW FASTER THAN THE GFS. WITH TIMING UNCERTAINTY HAVE ELECTED TO KEEP THE CURRENT FORECAST OF RAIN DURING THE DAY SATURDAY AND INTO SUNDAY. HOWEVER...THERE CHANCES ARE INCREASING THAT THE PRECIPITATION MAY HOLD OFF INTO SATURDAY AFTERNOON. MINOR CHANGES WERE MADE TO THE HIGH TEMPERATURE FORECAST FOR SATURDAY...LOWERING THEM IN OUR NORTH. THE POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR HEAVY RAIN BOTH SATURDAY AND SUNDAY ALONG WITH AN INCREASED CHANCE OF FLOODING. WITH A MORE PROGRESSIVE ZONAL FLOW EXPECTED TO CONTINUE ACROSS THE AREA ANOTHER...SHORT WAVE SYSTEM WILL FOLLOW BRINGING A CHANCE OF SNOW ON MONDAY AND SNOW WITH RAIN SOUTH ON TUESDAY. && .IWX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... IN...NONE. MI...NONE. OH...NONE. LM...NONE. && $$ SHORT TERM...LASHLEY LONG TERM....LAMBERTY AVIATION...TAYLOR
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS LOUISVILLE KY
250 PM EST MON FEB 19 2007 .SHORT TERM (TONIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT)... A BREEZY AFTERNOON ACROSS THE ENTIRE LOWER OHIO VALLEY...AHEAD OF LOW PRES/COLD FRONT CURRENTLY OVER MIDWEST AND PLAINS STATES. BASED ON BUFKIT DIAGNOSTICS...EXPECT WIND GUSTS TO 30 OR 35 MPH THROUGH THE BALANCE OF THE AFTERNOON...WILL CONTINUE MENTIONING IN HWO. CONSENSUS OF 12Z NAM/GFS/RUC OUTPUT INDICATES THAT WINDS WILL LIKELY STAY UP TONIGHT ASSOC WITH STRONG LLJ (50-60KTS BETWEEN 800-900MB). THIS WOULD RESULT IN TEMPS FALLING WITH SUNSET...BUT THEN STEADYING OUT FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE OVERNIGHT HOURS...EVEN RISING SLIGHTLY TOWARD 12Z/TUE AS FRONT APPROACHES. PCPN IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP INTO THE MORNING HOURS TUESDAY ASSOC WITH LIFT FROM COLD FRONT AND STRONG UPPER LEVEL JET STREAK. MODELS HAVE SLOWED DOWN PCPN AS COMPARED TO YESTERDAY`S SOLUTIONS...AND THERE ARE A NUMBER OF DIFFERENCES IN PRECIP SOLUTIONS TUESDAY IN THE VARIOUS MODELS...WITH GFS EVEN PRODUCING SOME -SHRA AFTER MIDNIGHT TONIGHT OVER THE REGION WITHIN STRONG WAA. WILL CONTINUE SLIGHT CHANCE FOR -SHRA OVERNIGHT GIVEN THIS POSSIBILITY...BUT THE MOST WIDESPREAD PCPN WILL BE TUESDAY INTO TUESDAY EVENING. GFS PRODUCES A STREAK OF QPF OVER THE N 1/2 OF THE CWA TUE AFTN...WHILE NAM PRODUCES THAT SAME FEATURE OVER SRN KY...AND MORE INTO THE EVENING HOURS. WILL BLEND THESE SOLUTIONS WHICH YIELDS 70-80% POPS OVER NEARLY THE WHOLE CWA TUESDAY (MAINLY AFTER 15Z)...WITH PCPN CHANCES DIMINISHING RAPIDLY FROM NW-SE AFTER 3Z TUES EVENING. AT LEAST A FEW THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED OVER SRN KY TUES AFTN/EVE...AS BOTH NAM/GFS BRING INSTABILITY INTO THE CWA JUST AHEAD OF THE FRONT. NAM BRINGS A PLUME OF SUB-ZERO 850MB LI`S ACROSS DOWNSTATE KY...WHILE GFS EVEN HAS SFC-LI ZERO LINE NEAR BWG AT 0Z/WED. THEREFORE WILL FCST THUNDER CHANCES OVER SRN KY TUES AFTN/EVE...AND MENTION SOME LOCALIZED GUSTY WINDS GIVEN STRONG DYNAMICS/SHEAR WITH THIS SYSTEM. SPC DAY TWO SLIGHT RISK IS JUST ACROSS THE BORDER INTO WRN/CNTRL TENN. CS .LONG TERM (WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY)... DECENT CONSISTENCY FROM THE LAST FEW DAYS IN THE LONG TERM PERIOD...THOUGH SOME TIMING DIFFERENCES FOR THE LARGE SYSTEM OVER THE WEEKEND HAVE NOT CLOSED ANY...ALSO SOME MINOR CHANGES IN THE MODELS WITH RESPECT TO THE SYSTEMS IN THE NORTHERN STREAM MOVING WELL NORTH OF THE AREA HAVING SOME INFLUENCE ON THE REGION. WITH MANY DETAILS STILL BLURRED BY THE MANY DIFFERENT SOLUTIONS...WILL TRY TO FOCUS THEM BY USING A CONSISTENT GFS MODEL THROUGH THE FRIDAY TIMEFRAME THEN THE MREF MEAN MAINLY INTO NEXT WEEK...IT HAS SOLID SUPPORT FROM THE OPERATIONAL ECMWF AND THE UKMET. WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY... WEAK SURFACE HIGH MOVING ACROSS THE OHIO VALLEY WITH FAIRLY ZONAL FLOW OVER THE CONUS...WITH TROUGH STARTING TO DIG ACROSS THE WEST COAST WITH INCREASING HEIGHTS OVER THE PLAINS...AND WEAK TROUGHING ACROSS THE EAST AS SYSTEM EXITS THE NORTHERN GREAT LAKES AND MOVES INTO THE FAR NE STATES. RIDGING STARTS TO DRIFT EAST AS THE DEEPENING LOW MOVES ONSHORE. WAA LOOKS TO START TO DEVELOP LATER FRIDAY AS THE RIDGING MOVES INTO THE OHIO VALLEY. H850 TEMPS LOOK TO BE STEADY WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY...AND GRADUALLY WARM FRIDAY. EACH DAY LOOKS TO BE DRY THROUGHOUT...SO HAVE REMOVED ALL POPS FOR FRIDAY WITH THE SLOWER MOISTURE RETURN AND SLOWER H500 LOW EJECTING FROM THE DESERT SW. SATURDAY AND SUNDAY... MAIN FOCUS THIS PERIOD FALLS WITHIN THESE TWO DAYS...STRONG STORM SYSTEM TO DEVELOP OVER THE CENTRAL PLAINS. STRONG WAA AHEAD OF THE DEEPENING CYCLONE WITH WARM FRONT PUSHING ACROSS THE REGION SATURDAY...MOST LIKELY IN THE MORNING/EARLY AFTERNOON. SFC LOW LOOKS TO TRACK FROM NEAR THE PANHANDLE OF OK TO NEAR NW MO/SW IA BY EVENING AND ON TOWARDS THE ARROWHEAD OF MN BY SUN LATE AFTERNOON...DEEPENING AS IT PROGRESSES ACROSS THE PLAINS AND UPPER MS VALLEY. GUSTY SOUTH WINDS LOOK TO REMAIN THROUGH THE DAY SATURDAY INTO SUNDAY...THE GFS SHOWS GRADIENT WINDS NEARING 20 MPH THROUGH THE NIGHT. HAVE RAISED TEMPS BOTH SATURDAY FOR HIGHS AND OVERNIGHT INTO SUNDAY...AS WELL AS RAISING DEWPOINTS WITH RAIN BECOMING LIKELY. PWATS NEAR 1 TO 1.1 INCHES LATE SATURDAY INTO SUNDAY...WHICH IS CLOSE TO 3 STD DEVIATIONS ABOVE NORMAL...WITH A LIKELY SQUALL LINE DEVELOPING IF THE MODEL SOLUTIONS/FORECAST HOLDS...RAINFALL TOTALS WILL SURPASS .75 TO 1 INCH ACROSS MUCH OF THE FORECAST AREA. COLD FRONT MOST LIKELY WILL PASS THROUGH THE FORECAST AREA SOMETIME SUNDAY MORNING OR EARLY AFTERNOON AT THE LATEST...STILL SIGNIFICANT TIMING DIFFERENCES AMONG THE MODELS. STRONG LOW LEVEL JET CLOSE TO 60 OR 70 KTS WILL BE PRESENT BY EARLY SUNDAY...ALONG WITH STRONG UPPER LEVEL JET MAX. SO DYNAMICS ARE THERE...WILL BE JUST NEEDING SOME INSTABILITY AS MODELS ARE ONLY HINTING AT THE SLIGHTEST OF CAPES/MARGINAL LIS ALONG A THIN LINE MOVING ACROSS THE REGION SUNDAY MORNING. THERE IS SOME PRECEDENT FOR THIS TO CREATE DECENT WINDS...A VERY SIMILAR LOOKING CASE ON 10 NOV 1998. THAT EVENT LOOKED JUST THE SAME WITH SLIGHT INVERTED UPPER TROUGH WORKING ACROSS THE PLAINS INTO THE UPPER MS VALLEY...DEEP SFC LOW AND STRONG WAA AHEAD OF THE SYSTEM...SOME CURRENT DIFFERENCES ARE THAT THE UPPER LEVEL JET AND LOW LEVEL JET MAY BE SLIGHTLY LESS THAN THE 98 CASE...AND H850 TEMPS REACHED JUST ABOVE 12C IN 98... CURRENT MODELS SUGGEST ABOUT 10 TO 12C. THE 10 NOV 98 CASE PRODUCED 45 TO 60 KT WINDS ACROSS THE REGION WITH A THIN SQUALL LINE...22 STRONG WIND REPORTS IN KENTUCKY WITH 69 STRONG WIND REPORTS IN INDIANA. SOMETHING TO CONTINUE TO WATCH THE NEXT FEW DAYS ON HOW THIS STORM SYSTEM TRENDS. MONDAY INTO NEXT WEEK... COOLER AIR PUSHES INTO THE REGION BEHIND THE WEEKEND SYSTEM...WITH DRAMATIC DROP IN H850 TEMPS FROM 10 TO 12 C TO AROUND -1 OR -2C BY MONDAY MORNING. STRONG RIDGING ACROSS THE NORTHEAST CONUS AND THE CANADIAN MARITIMES CREATES A SLIGHT BLOCK TO THE CLOSED LOW TRYING TO MOVE NORTHEAST. HOLDING IT TEMPORARILY ACROSS THE NORTHERN GREAT LAKES...BLOCKING RIDGE APPEARS TO BREAK DOWN WITH SE RIDGE BUILDING AGAIN BY THE MIDDLE OF THE WEEK AND RETURN OF NORMAL TO ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES LOOKS LIKELY. SOME STRONG SUPPORT FROM THE INDICES...THE NAO IS TRENDING POSITIVE...THE PNA REMAINS NEGATIVE AND THE EPO POSITIVE THROUGH THE FIRST FEW DAYS OF MARCH. SCHOTT && .AVIATION (18Z TAFS)... GUSTY SOUTHERLY WINDS WILL MAKE FOR A BUMPY RIDE THIS AFTN ACROSS THE CWA. GUSTS NEARING 20-25KTS AS OF 17Z...AND BASED ON RECENT NAM/RUC BUFKIT PROFILES EXPECT GUSTS TO 25-28KTS THIS AFTN AT THE TAF SITES. LOW LEVEL JET FCST TO INCREASE THIS AFTN...LASTING INTO TONIGHT...IN FACT 1655Z ACARS SOUNDING AT SDF ALREADY SHOWING CLOSE TO 50KTS AT 3500FT MSL. LLJ WIND SPEEDS OF 40-50KTS LIKELY DOWN TO 2KFT AGL THROUGH TONIGHT. CIGS EXPECTED TO LOWER INTO MVFR CATEGORY AFTER 6Z TONIGHT AHEAD OF SFC COLD FRONT. GFS IS QUICKER IN DEVELOPING PRECIP OVERNIGHT...WHILE NAM DELAYS UNTIL AFTER 12Z/TUE. WILL HOLD OFF MENTIONING PREVAILING -RA UNTIL AFTER 12Z...THOUGH A FEW LIGHT -SHRA ARE POSSIBLE BETWEEN 9-12Z. CS && .LMK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... KY...NONE. IN...NONE. && $$
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS LOUISVILLE KY
1210 PM EST MON FEB 19 2007 COR TIMESTAMP .AVIATION (18Z TAFS)... GUSTY SOUTHERLY WINDS WILL MAKE FOR A BUMPY RIDE THIS AFTN ACROSS THE CWA. GUSTS NEARING 20-25KTS AS OF 17Z...AND BASED ON RECENT NAM/RUC BUFKIT PROFILES EXPECT GUSTS TO 25-28KTS THIS AFTN AT THE TAF SITES. LOW LEVEL JET FCST TO INCREASE THIS AFTN...LASTING INTO TONIGHT...IN FACT 1655Z ACARS SOUNDING AT SDF ALREADY SHOWING CLOSE TO 50KTS AT 3500FT MSL. LLJ WIND SPEEDS OF 40-50KTS LIKELY DOWN TO 2KFT AGL THROUGH TONIGHT. CIGS EXPECTED TO LOWER INTO MVFR CATEGORY AFTER 6Z TONIGHT AHEAD OF SFC COLD FRONT. GFS IS QUICKER IN DEVELOPING PRECIP OVERNIGHT...WHILE NAM DELAYS UNTIL AFTER 12Z/TUE. WILL HOLD OFF MENTIONING PREVAILING -RA UNTIL AFTER 12Z...THOUGH A FEW LIGHT -SHRA ARE POSSIBLE BETWEEN 9-12Z. CS && .UPDATE... PRIMARY WX IMPACT OVER NEXT 6-9 HOURS WILL BE STRONG/GUSTY SOUTHERLY WINDS DEVELOPING AHEAD OF SFC LOW PRES OVER UPPER MIDWEST. LATEST BUFKIT DIAGNOSTICS FROM NAM/RUC INDICATE POTENTIAL FOR GUSTS TO NEAR 30 MPH TODAY IN OUR CWA. WILL MENTION THIS IN THE ZFP/HWO. REST OF FORECAST LOOKS ON TRACK. NOT ENOUGH SNOW LEFT ON THE GROUND TO REALLY AFFECT TEMPS...WHICH ARE FCST TO WARM TO SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL VALUES TODAY. MOST LOCATIONS HAVE NOT BEEN THIS WARM SINCE JANUARY 27TH...23 DAYS AGO. UPDATED FCST OUT BY 1030 AM EST. CS && .SHORT TERM (TODAY AND TONIGHT)... SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE MOVING OFF THE GEORGIA COAST TODAY WILL PROVIDE US WITH DRY WEATHER AND A GOOD AMOUNT OF SUNSHINE THROUGH SCATTERED HIGH THIN CLOUDS. REMAINING SNOW COVER IS SHALLOW AND PATCHY. VISIBLE SATELLITE LOOPS FROM YESTERDAY SHOW SNOWFIELD DISAPPEARING QUICKLY OVER CENTRAL KENTUCKY WEST OF THE BLUE GRASS...WITH TEMPERATURES ONLY RISING INTO THE LOWER AND MIDDLE 30S. WITH GUSTY SOUTHWEST WINDS OF 15 TO 25 MPH AND GOOD SUN TODAY THE SNOW PACK SHOULD NOT BE A MAJOR HINDRANCE TO RISING TEMPERATURES. WILL KEEP THE BLUE GRASS AND SOME OF SOUTHERN INDIANA IN THE MIDDLE 40S BUT OTHER AREAS SHOULD SEE LOWER TO MIDDLE 50S. TONIGHT A WEAKENING COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH FROM THE PLAINS...AND BY 12Z TUESDAY WILL STRETCH FROM DETROIT TO SAINT LOUIS TO AMARILLO. A FEW SMALL LIGHT RAIN SHOWERS MAY BREAK OUT AFTER MIDNIGHT AS MOISTURE INCREASES AHEAD OF THE FRONT...BUT BY FAR THE MAIN RAIN CHANCES WILL WAIT UNTIL THE DAYLIGHT HOURS TUESDAY. 13 .LONG TERM (TUESDAY-SUNDAY)... SOUTHERLY FLOW AROUND RETREATING HIGH WILL KEEP GOOD SUPPLY OF MOISTURE OVER THE AREA AHEAD OF ADVANCING COLD FRONT. SHOWERS THAT BEGIN OVERNIGHT WILL QUICKLY INCREASE TO BECOME LIKELY OVER MUCH OF THE AREA BY EARLY AFTERNOON. HIGHEST POPS WILL BE DURING THE AFTERNOON HOURS. GFS IS INDICATING GOOD LIFT AHEAD OF FRONT. WILL KEEP PRECIPITATION IN FORM OF RAIN SHOWERS. SPC INDICATED THUNDER ONLY OVER THE EXTREME SOUTHERN PART OF FORECAST AREA AND WILL LEAVE ANY MENTION OF THUNDER OUT OF FORECAST. NAM IS QUICKEST BRINGING FRONT INTO FORECAST AREA FOLLOWED BY GFS THEN ECMWF...UKMET AND GEM. WILL GO CLOSER TO THE MODEL CONSENSUS WITH FRONT REACHING OHIO RIVER CLOSE TO 00Z. SHOWERS WILL DECREASE RAPIDLY BEHIND THE FRONT WITH SHOWERS ENDING ACROSS ENTIRE AREA BY SHORTLY AFTER 06Z. TEMPERATURES ON TUESDAY WILL BE SIMILAR TO OR A DEGREE OR SO COOLER THAN DAY BEFORE WITH CLOUDS AND SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS OVER THE AREA. CLOUDS WILL DECREASE FROM THE NORTHWEST LATE TUESDAY NIGHT WITH READINGS REACHING LOWER 30S ACROSS THE NORTH. HOWEVER PRECIPITATION WILL HAVE ALREADY ENDED BEFORE TEMPERATURES WILL BE COOL ENOUGH FOR A CHANGEOVER TO SNOW. HIGH PRESSURE WILL PROVIDE PLENTY OF SUNSHINE WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY AND WITH ZONAL FLOW TEMPERATURES WILL STAY ON THE MILD SIDE. NEXT SYSTEM MOVES IN ON FRIDAY THROUGH MUCH OF THE WEEKEND AND THIS HAS POTENTIAL FOR THUNDERSTORMS SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. WILL NOT MAKE CHANGES TO LATER PART OF FORECAST FOR NOW. SCHOLZ && .LMK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... KY...NONE. IN...NONE. && $$
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS LOUISVILLE KY
1210 AM EST MON FEB 19 2007 .AVIATION (18Z TAFS)... GUSTY SOUTHERLY WINDS WILL MAKE FOR A BUMPY RIDE THIS AFTN ACROSS THE CWA. GUSTS NEARING 20-25KTS AS OF 17Z...AND BASED ON RECENT NAM/RUC BUFKIT PROFILES EXPECT GUSTS TO 25-28KTS THIS AFTN AT THE TAF SITES. LOW LEVEL JET FCST TO INCREASE THIS AFTN...LASTING INTO TONIGHT...IN FACT 1655Z ACARS SOUNDING AT SDF ALREADY SHOWING CLOSE TO 50KTS AT 3500FT MSL. LLJ WIND SPEEDS OF 40-50KTS LIKELY DOWN TO 2KFT AGL THROUGH TONIGHT. CIGS EXPECTED TO LOWER INTO MVFR CATEGORY AFTER 6Z TONIGHT AHEAD OF SFC COLD FRONT. GFS IS QUICKER IN DEVELOPING PRECIP OVERNIGHT...WHILE NAM DELAYS UNTIL AFTER 12Z/TUE. WILL HOLD OFF MENTIONING PREVAILING -RA UNTIL AFTER 12Z...THOUGH A FEW LIGHT -SHRA ARE POSSIBLE BETWEEN 9-12Z. CS && .UPDATE... PRIMARY WX IMPACT OVER NEXT 6-9 HOURS WILL BE STRONG/GUSTY SOUTHERLY WINDS DEVELOPING AHEAD OF SFC LOW PRES OVER UPPER MIDWEST. LATEST BUFKIT DIAGNOSTICS FROM NAM/RUC INDICATE POTENTIAL FOR GUSTS TO NEAR 30 MPH TODAY IN OUR CWA. WILL MENTION THIS IN THE ZFP/HWO. REST OF FORECAST LOOKS ON TRACK. NOT ENOUGH SNOW LEFT ON THE GROUND TO REALLY AFFECT TEMPS...WHICH ARE FCST TO WARM TO SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL VALUES TODAY. MOST LOCATIONS HAVE NOT BEEN THIS WARM SINCE JANUARY 27TH...23 DAYS AGO. UPDATED FCST OUT BY 1030 AM EST. CS && .SHORT TERM (TODAY AND TONIGHT)... SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE MOVING OFF THE GEORGIA COAST TODAY WILL PROVIDE US WITH DRY WEATHER AND A GOOD AMOUNT OF SUNSHINE THROUGH SCATTERED HIGH THIN CLOUDS. REMAINING SNOW COVER IS SHALLOW AND PATCHY. VISIBLE SATELLITE LOOPS FROM YESTERDAY SHOW SNOWFIELD DISAPPEARING QUICKLY OVER CENTRAL KENTUCKY WEST OF THE BLUE GRASS...WITH TEMPERATURES ONLY RISING INTO THE LOWER AND MIDDLE 30S. WITH GUSTY SOUTHWEST WINDS OF 15 TO 25 MPH AND GOOD SUN TODAY THE SNOW PACK SHOULD NOT BE A MAJOR HINDRANCE TO RISING TEMPERATURES. WILL KEEP THE BLUE GRASS AND SOME OF SOUTHERN INDIANA IN THE MIDDLE 40S BUT OTHER AREAS SHOULD SEE LOWER TO MIDDLE 50S. TONIGHT A WEAKENING COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH FROM THE PLAINS...AND BY 12Z TUESDAY WILL STRETCH FROM DETROIT TO SAINT LOUIS TO AMARILLO. A FEW SMALL LIGHT RAIN SHOWERS MAY BREAK OUT AFTER MIDNIGHT AS MOISTURE INCREASES AHEAD OF THE FRONT...BUT BY FAR THE MAIN RAIN CHANCES WILL WAIT UNTIL THE DAYLIGHT HOURS TUESDAY. 13 .LONG TERM (TUESDAY-SUNDAY)... SOUTHERLY FLOW AROUND RETREATING HIGH WILL KEEP GOOD SUPPLY OF MOISTURE OVER THE AREA AHEAD OF ADVANCING COLD FRONT. SHOWERS THAT BEGIN OVERNIGHT WILL QUICKLY INCREASE TO BECOME LIKELY OVER MUCH OF THE AREA BY EARLY AFTERNOON. HIGHEST POPS WILL BE DURING THE AFTERNOON HOURS. GFS IS INDICATING GOOD LIFT AHEAD OF FRONT. WILL KEEP PRECIPITATION IN FORM OF RAIN SHOWERS. SPC INDICATED THUNDER ONLY OVER THE EXTREME SOUTHERN PART OF FORECAST AREA AND WILL LEAVE ANY MENTION OF THUNDER OUT OF FORECAST. NAM IS QUICKEST BRINGING FRONT INTO FORECAST AREA FOLLOWED BY GFS THEN ECMWF...UKMET AND GEM. WILL GO CLOSER TO THE MODEL CONSENSUS WITH FRONT REACHING OHIO RIVER CLOSE TO 00Z. SHOWERS WILL DECREASE RAPIDLY BEHIND THE FRONT WITH SHOWERS ENDING ACROSS ENTIRE AREA BY SHORTLY AFTER 06Z. TEMPERATURES ON TUESDAY WILL BE SIMILAR TO OR A DEGREE OR SO COOLER THAN DAY BEFORE WITH CLOUDS AND SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS OVER THE AREA. CLOUDS WILL DECREASE FROM THE NORTHWEST LATE TUESDAY NIGHT WITH READINGS REACHING LOWER 30S ACROSS THE NORTH. HOWEVER PRECIPITATION WILL HAVE ALREADY ENDED BEFORE TEMPERATURES WILL BE COOL ENOUGH FOR A CHANGEOVER TO SNOW. HIGH PRESSURE WILL PROVIDE PLENTY OF SUNSHINE WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY AND WITH ZONAL FLOW TEMPERATURES WILL STAY ON THE MILD SIDE. NEXT SYSTEM MOVES IN ON FRIDAY THROUGH MUCH OF THE WEEKEND AND THIS HAS POTENTIAL FOR THUNDERSTORMS SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. WILL NOT MAKE CHANGES TO LATER PART OF FORECAST FOR NOW. SCHOLZ && .LMK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... KY...NONE. IN...NONE. && $$
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS BALTIMORE MD/WASHINGTON DC
940 PM EST TUE FEB 20 2007 .UPDATE... DEW POINTS CONTINUE TO CREEP UP WITH ARRIVAL OF RAIN AND WARM ADVECTION THIS EVENING. COLD FRONTAL PASSAGE WILL BRING WEAK COLD ADVECTION...ENOUGH TO BRING DEW POINT DEPRESSIONS NEAR ZERO IN SOME LOCATIONS. CONSIDERING THIS WILL OCCUR ATOP A SNOW/SLEET PACK...PATCHY OF FOG MAY OCCUR. GFS/ETA/NGM MOS GUIDANCE DOES NOT SHOW MUCH IN THE WAY OF FOG...WHILE THE UPS FOG TECHNIQUE IS NOT APPLICABLE GIVEN THE WARM ADVECTION TODAY AND COLD ADVECTION EXPECTED LATER TONIGHT. THE 21Z KLWX 6KM WRF-NMM DEPICTS PATCHY FOG DEVELOPING EAST OF THE MOUNTAINS AFTER MIDNIGHT...WHILE THE 21Z RUC METEOGRAMS DEPICT VISIBILITIES FALLING TO A MILE FROM KIAD NORTHEAST. ADDED MENTION OF PATCHY FOG ACROSS THE NORTHERN FORECAST AREA...WHERE DEW POINT DEPRESSIONS ARE EXPECTED TO BE THE LOWEST...AND MOST OF THE SNOW/SLEET PACK REMAINS. NO CHANGES TO THE FORECAST THINKING BELOW. && .SHORT TERM... WATER VAPOR LOOP SHOWS A SHEARED SHORT WAVE IS MOVING EAST ACROSS THE LOWER GREAT LAKES. ACARS 400-250MB WIND OBSERVATIONS REVEAL A POSITIVELY TILTED TROUGH ACROSS THE FOUR CORNERS...WITH A 170-190KT WESTERLY JET FROM THE PLAINS THROUGH THE CAROLINAS. 20Z SURFACE ANALYSIS PLACED A COLD FRONT FROM THE EASTERN GREAT LAKES SOUTHWEST TOP A 1004MB CYCLONE ACROSS SOUTHERN MISSOURI. A WARM FRONT HAD LIFTED NORTH INTO NEW ENGLAND. A TROUGH WAS LOCATED IN THE LEE OF THE APPALACHIANS. HAVE UPDATED THE FORECAST TO INCREASE POPS AS RAIN CROSSES THE MOUNTAINS. BEST CHANCE FOR MEASURABLE PRECIPITATION IS ACROSS THE WESTERN AND NORTHERN FORECAST AREA AS DEVELOPING DOWNSLOPE FLOW AND SHEARING ALOFT SHOULD ACT TO DECREASE PRECIPITATION WITH TIME ACROSS CENTRAL VIRGINIA AND LOWER SOUTHERN MARYLAND. TIMING WAS ALSO ADJUSTED BASED ON FASTER RADAR TRENDS. UPDATED FORECAST IS CONSISTENT WITH TRENDS INDICATED BY THE 15Z SHORT RANGE ENSEMBLES AS WELL. WIND SHIFT WILL OCCUR WITH THE COLD FRONTAL PASSAGE OVERNIGHT FROM NORTHWEST TO SOUTHEAST ACROSS THE REGION. TIMING OF THE COLD FRONT AND MEAGER COLD AIR BEHIND THE BOUNDARY SHOULD PREVENT TEMPERATURES FROM FALLING TOO QUICKLY. WILL HAVE TO MONITOR FOR POSSIBLE FOG FORMATION OVERNIGHT AS MOISTURE INCREASES ATOP THE SNOW/SLEET PACK. && .AVIATION... CEILINGS AND VISIBILITIES WILL DETERIORATE MOST LIKELY INTO TO MVFR FLIGHT CATEGORY THIS EVENING AND EARLY TONIGHT AS AN AREA OF RAIN MOVES INTO THE REGION. A COLD FRONTAL PASSAGE WILL TAKE PLACE FROM THE NORTHWEST DURING THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT...PROVIDING A WIND SHIFT TO THE NORTHWEST. && .MARINE... 12Z MET/18Z MAV MOS AT THOMAS POINT INDICATE SUSTAINED WINDS DECREASE TO ABOUT 10KT THROUGH THE NIGHT. PROXIMITY 12Z GFS/18Z NAM BUFKIT FORECAST SOUNDINGS INDICATE A 17-24KT WIND GUST POTENTIAL NEAR KNHK THROUGH THE NIGHT. ICE COVERAGE HAS DECREASED DUE TO THE WARMER TEMPERATURES. && .TIDES... CURRENT TIDAL DEPARTURES ARE A HALF FOOT BELOW ASTRONOMICAL PREDICTIONS. THE LUNAR CYCLE IS WAXING TOWARD A QUARTER MOON (14 PERCENT FULL). THE CHESAPEAKE BAY OPERATIONAL FORECAST SYSTEM AND THE NOAA EXTRATROPICAL STORM SURGE MODEL INDICATE DEPARTURES MAY INCREASE TO A FOOT BELOW PREDICTED VALUES BY THE MORNING. && .LWX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... DC...NONE. MD...NONE. VA...NONE. WV...NONE. MARINE...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 4 AM EST WEDNESDAY FOR ANZ534-537. && SHORT TERM/AVIATION/MARINE/TIDES...ROGOWSKI
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NWS BALTIMORE MD/WASHINGTON DC
640 PM EST TUE FEB 20 2007 .SHORT TERM... WATER VAPOR LOOP SHOWS A SHEARED SHORT WAVE IS MOVING EAST ACROSS THE LOWER GREAT LAKES. ACARS 400-250MB WIND OBSERVATIONS REVEAL A POSITIVELY TILTED TROUGH ACROSS THE FOUR CORNERS...WITH A 170-190KT WESTERLY JET FROM THE PLAINS THROUGH THE CAROLINAS. 20Z SURFACE ANALYSIS PLACED A COLD FRONT FROM THE EASTERN GREAT LAKES SOUTHWEST TOP A 1004MB CYCLONE ACROSS SOUTHERN MISSOURI. A WARM FRONT HAD LIFTED NORTH INTO NEW ENGLAND. A TROUGH WAS LOCATED IN THE LEE OF THE APPALACHIANS. HAVE UPDATED THE FORECAST TO INCREASE POPS AS RAIN CROSSES THE MOUNTAINS. BEST CHANCE FOR MEASURABLE PRECIPITATION IS ACROSS THE WESTERN AND NORTHERN FORECAST AREA AS DEVELOPING DOWNSLOPE FLOW AND SHEARING ALOFT SHOULD ACT TO DECREASE PRECIPITATION WITH TIME ACROSS CENTRAL VIRGINIA AND LOWER SOUTHERN MARYLAND. TIMING WAS ALSO ADJUSTED BASED ON FASTER RADAR TRENDS. UPDATED FORECAST IS CONSISTENT WITH TRENDS INDICATED BY THE 15Z SHORT RANGE ENSEMBLES AS WELL. WIND SHIFT WILL OCCUR WITH THE COLD FRONTAL PASSAGE OVERNIGHT FROM NORTHWEST TO SOUTHEAST ACROSS THE REGION. TIMING OF THE COLD FRONT AND MEAGER COLD AIR BEHIND THE BOUNDARY SHOULD PREVENT TEMPERATURES FROM FALLING TOO QUICKLY. WILL HAVE TO MONITOR FOR POSSIBLE FOG FORMATION OVERNIGHT AS MOISTURE INCREASES ATOP THE SNOW/SLEET PACK. && .AVIATION... CEILINGS AND VISIBILITIES WILL DETERIORATE MOST LIKELY INTO TO MVFR FLIGHT CATEGORY THIS EVENING AND EARLY TONIGHT AS AN AREA OF RAIN MOVES INTO THE REGION. A COLD FRONTAL PASSAGE WILL TAKE PLACE FROM THE NORTHWEST DURING THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT...PROVIDING A WIND SHIFT TO THE NORTHWEST. && .MARINE... 12Z MET/18Z MAV MOS AT THOMAS POINT INDICATE SUSTAINED WINDS DECREASE TO ABOUT 10KT THROUGH THE NIGHT. PROXIMITY 12Z GFS/18Z NAM BUFKIT FORECAST SOUNDINGS INDICATE A 17-24KT WIND GUST POTENTIAL NEAR KNHK THROUGH THE NIGHT. ICE COVERAGE HAS DECREASED DUE TO THE WARMER TEMPERATURES. && .TIDES... CURRENT TIDAL DEPARTURES ARE A HALF FOOT BELOW ASTRONOMICAL PREDICTIONS. THE LUNAR CYCLE IS WAXING TOWARD A QUARTER MOON (14 PERCENT FULL). THE CHESAPEAKE BAY OPERATIONAL FORECAST SYSTEM AND THE NOAA EXTRATROPICAL STORM SURGE MODEL INDICATE DEPARTURES MAY INCREASE TO A FOOT BELOW PREDICTED VALUES BY THE MORNING. && .LWX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... DC...NONE. MD...NONE. VA...NONE. WV...NONE. MARINE...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 4 AM EST WEDNESDAY FOR ANZ534-537. && SHORT TERM/AVIATION/MARINE/TIDES...ROGOWSKI
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS MARQUETTE MI
415 PM EST MON FEB 19 2007 .DISCUSSION... .SYNOPSIS... ZONAL FLOW PRESENT ALOFT SUPPORTS QUICK MOVING SHORTWAVES AND SFC LOWS TRACKING WEST TO EAST ACROSS SOUTHERN CANADA INTO NORTHERN UPR GREAT LAKES. AT LEAST THAT IS THE THEME THROUGH MOST OF THE UPCOMING WEEK. MUCH MORE AMPLIFIED UPR AIR PATTERN DEVELOPS BY NEXT WEEKEND AS DEEP TROUGH PRESENTLY OVR GULF OF ALASKA (00Z AIRCRAFT REPORT OF 200KT AT H3) DIGS TOWARD FAR SW CONUS FRI AND LIFTS TOWARD THE GREAT LAKES THIS UPCOMING WEEKEND. EXACT TRACK OF SFC LOW IS STILL IN QUESTION AND WILL HAVE LARGE IMPACT ON PCPN TYPE...BUT THERE IS CONSENSUS THAT SYSTEM WILL LEAD TO THE FIRST LARGE SCALE PCPN EVENT OVR UPR LAKES IN QUITE A WHILE. MORE ON THIS SYSTEM LATER. SHORTWAVE IN NORTHERN STREAM IS MOVING ACROSS LK SUPERIOR ATTM WITH ASSOCIATED SFC LOW OVR FAR NORTHERN LK SUPERIOR. DESPITE A FAIRLY LOW PRES OF 29.3 INCHES OR 994MB...NOT MUCH IN WAY OF PCPN TODAY OVR UPR MI. WIDESPREAD PCPN STAYED WELL TO NORTH OVR MANITOBA AND ONTARIO ALONG THE WARM FRONT. EVEN A COUPLE OF 1/4SM +SN REPORTS EARLY AFTN JUST NORTH OF LK SUPERIOR. TO THE SOUTH IN THE WARM SECTOR OVR UPR MI... DRY AIR BLO H9 AND ABOVE H85 HAS RESULTED IN A PERSISTENT BKN-OVC STRATUS DECK. A FEW LIGHT LK EFFECT SNOW SHOWERS ARE NOTED CLOSE TO LK MI WITH THE S/SW WINDS AND LINGERING INSTABILITY. GOOD DISPLAY OF SUNSHINE ALLOWED TEMPS TO ECLIPSE THE FREEZING MARK AT A FEW SOUTH CENTRAL UPR MI SITES...INCLUDING 36 DEGREES THUS FAR AT MENOMINEE. CLOUDS AND PERSISTENT COOLER LOW LEVEL COLD AIR HAS KEPT THE ERN PORTION OF UPR MI STUCK IN THE LWR 20S. && .SHORT TERM (TONIGHT AND TUESDAY)... GENERALLY TRANQUIL WX EXPECTED NEXT 24 HRS. LOW PRES PRESSES STEADILY INTO QUEBEC LATE TONIGHT WITH SLIGHTLY COOLER AIR PUSHING ACROSS LK SUPERIOR ON W-NW WINDS. GFS/NAM SOUNDINGS AT CMX/STDM4 SHOW INVERSION HEIGHTS NEARING 850MB BY 12Z WITH TEMPS AT INVERSION TOP AROUND -10C. PRETTY MARGINAL FOR LES. NO HELP FM ANY LARGE SCALE FORCING EITHER AS THERE IS ONLY Q-VECTOR DIVERGENCE AND DRY AIR ABOVE 850MB. EXTENSIVE ICE COVERAGE OVR WESTERN LK SUPERIOR PER MODIS IMAGE FM YDY AFTN SHOULD ALSO INHIBIT LES. IN REALITY...ABOUT THE ONLY THING GOING FOR LES IS FAIRLY MOIST MIXED LAYER AS UNLIKE THE LAST MONTH...THIS IS DEFINETELY NOT DRY/ARCTIC AIR ADVECTING ACROSS THE LAKE. HAVE ONLY FLURRIES OVR NW CWA DUE TO LIMITING FACTORS BUT DID KEEP SOME SNOW SHOWERS IN GRIDS OVR NORTHEAST CWA LATE TONIGHT INTO TUE AS NW WINDS ALLOW FOR LONGER OVER WATER AND LESS ICE COVERED FETCH. MARGINAL SETUP AND POOR SNOW GROWTH RESULT IN LITTLE IF ANY ACCUM. SHORTWAVE OVR SW SASKATCHEWAN MAKES RUN AT UPR LAKES LATE TUE. MOISTURE REMAINS LIMITED SO NOT EXPECTING ANY SYNOPTIC PCPN DESPITE WEAK ISENTROPIC LIFT. IF IT WAS A BIT COOLER AT H9-H85 LES WOULD LIKELY GET A BOOST OVR NW. BUT SINCE IT IS ACTUALLY WARM ADVECTING SLIGHTLY DURING THIS PERIOD...WILL JUST KEEP FLURRIES NORTHWEST AND LIGHT LES IN THE NORTHEAST. CLOUDS SHOULD REMAIN LOCKED IN EVERYWHERE...AS LOWER LEVEL MOISTURE REMAINS TRAPPED BLO INVERSION NEAR H85. WARMER GUIDANCE TEMPS PREFERRED TONIGHT AS LOWER LEVEL COLD AIR ADVECTION IS WEAK AND UPSTREAM TEMPS IN WAKE OF LOW PRES ARE STILL IN THE 20S/30S. H9 TEMPS CHANGE LITTLE OVR MAJORITY OF AREA ON TUE SO EXPECT MAX TEMPS TO BE A FEW DEGREES EITHER SIDE OF READINGS SEEN THIS AFTN. && .LONG TERM...(TUE NIGHT THROUGH MON) MAIN FCST CONCERNS TURN FROM NEXT CLIPPER SKIMMING THE UPPER GREAT LAKES TO STORM SYSTEM FCST TO DEVELOP OVER THE CNTRL CONUS. TUE NIGHT INTO WED... 12Z NAM/GFS PROGS SHOW AN ININITAL WEAK SHRTWV AND ASSOCIATED 850-700 MB TROF MOVING THROUGH THAT IS NOT EXPECTED TO PPODUCE ANY MORE THAN FLURRIES. THEN...INCREASING 280K-290K ISENTROPIC LIFT WILL SPREAD ACRS THE CWA BTWN 06Z-18Z. WITH ONLY MODERATE LIFT AND SINCE THE 280K LEVEL (900-800 MB LAYER) REMAINS FAIRLY DRY...POPS WERE TAPERED FROM 40 TO 20 FROM NE TO SW. EXPECT ANY ACCUMULATONS WILL REMAIN IN THE INCH OR LESS RANGE. WAA SHOULD PUSH TEMPS WELL INTO THE 30S OVER MOST OF THE CWA WITH READINGS CLOSE TO 40 POSSIBLE OVER THE SOUTH AND WEST IF ENOUGH SUNSHINE DEVELOPS...PER 12Z NAM. WED NIGHT INTO THU... MODERATE 700-500 MB QVECTOR CONV WITH THE SHRTWV COULD ALSO BRING SOME SNOW SHOWERS OR FLURRIES THROUGH THE NORTH HALF OF THE AREA IN THE EVENING. COLD AIR FOR LES OVERNIGHT INTO THU WILL BE MARGINAL WITH 850 MB TEMPS FCST INTO THE -10C TO -12C RANGE BY 12Z/THU. HOWEVER...WITH CYCLONIC FLOW AND LINGERING MOISTURE IN THE WAKE OF THE LOW...SOME LES OR LAKE ENHANCED SNOW WILL STILL BE POSSIBLE. THE BEST CHANCE FOR ANY LIGHT ACCUMULATIONS WILL BE OVER THE EAST WITH THE LONGER FETCH IN FLOW VEERING FROM WNW TO NNW. SHARP PRES RISE OF 10-12 MB/6 HRS...PER GFS ALSO POINTS TO POTENTIAL FOR GALES OVER THE LAKE AND STRONG WINDS FOR EXPOSED HIGHER TERRAIN(KEWEENAW PENSINULA) AND SHORELINE AREAS. FRI-MON... THE GLOBAL MODELS AGREE THAT A SHRTWV EMERGING FROM THE SW CONUS WILL LEAD TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF A CLOSE MID/UPPER LEVEL LOW OVER THE PLAINS THAT WILL LIFT TOWARD THE UPPER MS VALLEY AND EVENTUALLY THE WRN GREAT LAKES. WHILE DIFFERENCES IN THE DETAILS ARE NOT AS PRONOUNCED AS IN EARLIER RUNS...SIGNFICANT DIFFERENCES REMAIN. THE FCST WILL TOWARD A COMBINATION OF THE 00Z/12Z/19 ECMWF IN LINE WITH THE HPC PREFERENCE. THE 12Z/19 GFS HAS TRENDED TOWARD THIS SOLUTION AND BACKED AWAY FROM THE 06Z/19 FARTHER W SFC LOW TRACK AND STRONG INFLUX OF WARM AIR BY SUN. THE INTITIAL WAA SURGE OF MOISTURE WITH 290K-295K ISENTROPIC LIFT SHOULD BEGIN TO AFFECT SW CWA BY LATE FRI AND SPREAD ACRS THE CWA THROUGH SAT. THE SECOND AND STRONGER BATCH OF DYNAMICS WILL ARRIVE TOWARD SUN AS THE MID/UPPER LEVEL LOW NEAR THE AREA. ALTHOUGH THE 12Z GFS MODEL FCST SNDGS SHOW THE TEMP PROFILE BLO 0C...SUPPORTING SNOW...CANNOT RULE OUT THE POSSIBILITY THAT AN ELEVATED WARM LAYER AND/OR ENOUGH SFC WARMING WILL MOVE MOVE IN BY SUN FOR FZRZ/RA/PL CHANCES SUN AS INDICATED IN PREVIOUS RUNS. THE GFS ALSO OFTEN UNDERPLAYS THE AMOUNT OF WARMING IN SUCH PATTERNS. HOWEVER...IF 12Z MODEL TRENDS HOLD UP...THE BULD OF RAIN OR MIXED PCPN WOULD LIKELY OCCUR S OF UPPER MI OR IN THE SRN PORTION OF THE CWA. && .MQT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. && $$ JLA(SHORT TERM) JLB(LONG TERM)
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS GAYLORD MI
1058 AM EST MON FEB 19 2007 .UPDATE...12Z SURFACE ANALYSIS THIS MORNING HAS A SURFACE WARM FRONT STRETCHED ACROSS NORTHERN LAKE HURON...THROUGH EASTERN UPPER MICHIGAN...AND INTO SOUTHWESTERN ONTARIO. LIGHT SNOWS ASSOCIATED WITH ISENTROPIC ASCENT ALONG THIS BOUNDARY ARE NOW PUSHING NORTH AND EAST OF EASTERN UPPER MICHIGAN. A SECONDARY WARM FRONT IS LIFTING NORTHWARD THROUGH SOUTHEASTERN MINNESOTA...NORTHERN ILLINOIS...BAND INTO WESTERN INDIANA. VERY LITTLE IN THE WAY OF MOISTURE SEEN WITH THE SECONDARY WARM FRONT TO THE SOUTH. JUST SOME HIGH TO MID LEVEL CLOUDINESS. STRONG SOUTHERLY FLOW HAS DEVELOPED ACROSS THE AREA IN RESPONSE TO THE TIGHTENING GRADIENT ON THE BACK SIDE OF THE SURFACE RIDGE...NOW LOCATED ACROSS NEW ENGLAND. FORECAST ISSUES THIS AFTERNOON STILL REVOLVE AROUND DRIZZLE/LIGHT SNOW POTENTIAL. SO FAR THIS MORNING...CURRENT OBSERVATIONS TO THE WEST ARE NOT VERY SUPPORTIVE OF ANY DRIZZLE. MATTER OF FACT...SKIES HAVE BEEN CLEARING OUT ACROSS LOWER MICHIGAN. THE WIDESPREAD LOW CEILINGS DEPICTED BY THE MODELS OVER THE PAST FEW DAYS ARE NOWHERE TO BE SEEN. THERE ARE SOME LOWER CEILINGS...MAINLY ACROSS EXTREME NORTHERN WISCONSIN...AND UPPER MICHIGAN. DULUTH...WHERE LOWER CEILINGS AND REDUCED VISIBILITIES HAVE BEEN OCCURING...IS CURRENTLY REPORTING NO FREEZING DRIZZLE OR LIGHT SNOW. MOISTURE DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE DEEP ENOUGH...AS ACARS SOUNDINGS SHOW MOISTURE ONLY UP TO AROUND 900MB. MODEL SOUNDINGS GET THE MOISTURE UP TO AROUND 800MB. THUS...MODEL DATA IS NOT REALLY AGREEING WITH CURRENT OBSERVATIONS. WITH THIS ALL SAID...WILL REMOVE MENTION OF FREEZING DRIZZLE FOR THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT ACROSS NORTHERN LOWER MICHIGAN. WILL KEEP A CHANCE OF LIGHT SNOW IN EASTERN UPPER MICHIGAN TO ACCOUNT FOR STRONG ISENTROPIC ASCENT AND FORCING WITH A WEAK SHORTWAVE IMPULSE COMING THROUGH. LOWER LEVEL MOISTURE IS A BIT DEEPER IN THE NORTH AS WELL...AS SUPPORTED BY THE LOWER CEILINGS ACROSS THE DLH AND MQT AREAS. TEMPERATURES LOOK ON TRACK WITH THE CURRENT FORECAST... TOPPING OUT GENERALLY IN THE UPPER 20S TO AROUND 30. KAS && .PREV DISCUSSION...ISSUED AT 443 AM EST MON FEB 19 DEEP UPPER TROUGH ACROSS THE EASTERN CONUS DURING THE WEEKEND CONTINUING TO SLIDE TOWARD THE ATLANTIC...WITH A LESS AMPLIFIED QUICK FLOW EMERGING OVER NOAM. SHORT WAVE MID LEVEL RIDGE BUILDING ACROSS THE WESTERN GREAT LAKES THIS MORNING WHILE ASSOCIATED SHARP SFC RIDGE AXIS ALREADY EAST OF THE STATE. UPSTREAM...MID LEVEL SHORT WAVE NOTED NEAR LAKE WINNIPEG AND ASSOCIATED BROAD SFC LOW CENTERED OVER THE DAKOTAS. FRONTOGENETIC FORCING WELL AHEAD OF THIS APPROACHING CLIPPER SYSTEM HAS BEEN RAMPING UP THROUGHOUT THE NIGHT ACROSS THE WESTERN GREAT LAKES WITH ABUNDANT MID/HIGH CLOUD COVER NOW ACROSS MICHIGAN AND BAND OF MAINLY MID LEVEL RADAR RETURNS (TELLTALE RING AROUND THE RADAR LOOK) OVER THE CWA. PER SFC OBS NOTHING REACHING THE GROUND THUS FAR BUT BEST POSSIBILITIES OF SOME LIGHT SNOW LOOKING TO BE ACROSS EASTERN UPPER MICHIGAN AND THE TIP OF THE MITT COUNTIES. FORECAST CONCERNS IN THE NEAR TERM REVOLVE AROUND SNOW CHANCES WITH THE WARM ADVECTION FORCING TODAY...AND FREEZING DRIZZLE POSSIBILITIES LATER IN THE DAY THROUGH TONIGHT. TODAY AND TONIGHT...AFOREMENTIONED MID LEVEL WAVE AND ASSOCIATED SFC LOW EXPECTED TO PASS THROUGH NRN MICHIGAN LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING...FOLLOWED BY A WEAK COLD FRONT MOVING THROUGH DURING THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. STRONGEST FORCING WITH THIS SYSTEM LOOKING TO BE ENTIRELY ON THE FRONT END WITH WARM ADVECTION SURGE MOVING THROUGH THE REGION FROM NOW THROUGH MID AFTERNOON OR SO. HOWEVER... GIVEN WEDGE OF DRY AIR BLO 800 MB DURING THIS TIME...NOT EXPECTING VERY MUCH IN TERMS OF MEASURABLE SNOW. BEST SHOT LOOKING TO REMAIN OVER THE NRN THIRD OF THE CWA WHERE SLIGHTLY BETTER MOISTURE AND FORCING WILL COME TOGETHER. NEXT ISSUE REVOLVES AROUND FREEZING DRIZZLE POSSIBILITIES. WITHIN THE DEVELOPING STRONG WARM ADVECTION REGIME...NAM/GFS FORECAST SOUNDINGS AND RH PROGS REMAIN ADAMANT SATURATING THE LOWER LAYERS BLO 800 MB DURING THE AFTERNOON...PARTICULARLY OVER THE NRN HALF OF THE CWA... WITH A THERMAL PROFILE WARMER THAN -10C ACROSS MOST OF NRN LOWER MICHIGAN. FORECAST DATA CERTAINLY HAS A FREEZING DRIZZLE LOOK ACROSS NRN LOWER MICHIGAN AND WILL MAINTAIN THIS IDEA FOR NOW...ALTHOUGH LOOKING UPSTREAM NO REAL SIGN OF THIS AS OF YET. A COLDER PROFILE TO THE NORTH SHOULD KEEP ANY PRECIP THAT FALLS AS SNOW. LATE TONIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT...CLIPPER SYSTEM EXITS THE REGION BY EARLY TUESDAY MORNING WITH HIGH PRESSURE...DRIER AND SLIGHTLY COOLER LOW LEVEL AIR SPREADING INTO THE REGION. STILL JUST COLD ENOUGH (850 MB TEMPS AROUND -12C) FOR SOME LIGHT SNOW SHOWER POSSIBILITIES OFF LAKE SUPERIOR INTO THE EVENING BEFORE THE FLOW BACKS AROUND IN ADVANCE OF YET ANOTHER CLIPPER SYSTEM FOR WEDNESDAY. WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY...WITH OVERALL ZONAL FLOW ESTABLISHED A MILDER STRETCH OF WEATHER LOOKING TO CONTINUE THROUGH THE WEEK...BEFORE FLOW RE-AMPLIFICATION TAKES SHAPE TOWARD THE WEEKEND AND POSSIBLY BRINGING A STRONG SRN STREAM STORM UP THROUGH THE GREAT LAKES FOR THIS WEEKEND. UNTIL THEN...ANOTHER CLIPPER SYSTEM SLATED TO PASS THROUGH NRN MICHIGAN WEDNESDAY INTO EARLY THURSDAY BRINGING ANOTHER CHANCE FOR LIGHT SNOW MAINLY TO THE UPPER PENINSULA. HIGH PRESSURE ESTABLISHES OVER THE REGION LATER THURSDAY THROUGH THE DAY FRIDAY WITH DRY WEATHER ANTICIPATED. LATEST GFS SOLUTION SUGGESTS WARM ADVECTION PRECIP (IN ADVANCE OF WEEKEND STORM) MAY DEVELOP INTO PORTIONS OF LOWER MICHIGAN AS EARLY AS FRIDAY AFTERNOON. BUT THIS FAR OUT MODELS ARE USUALLY FAST WITH SYSTEMS LIFTING OUT OF THE PLAINS. STILL QUITE A BIT OF TIME TO REFINE THE DETAILS AND HAVE MAINTAINED PRECIP CHANCES BEGINNING FRIDAY NIGHT ONWARD. ADAM && .APX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. && $$
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS SEATTLE WA
845 AM PST MON FEB 19 2007 .SYNOPSIS...A PACIFIC WEATHER SYSTEM WILL BRING RAIN TODAY THROUGH EARLY TUESDAY...AND HEAVY SNOW IN THE MOUNTAINS. THEN COOL MOIST UNSTABLE AIR WILL PRODUCE UNSETTLED SHOWERY CONDITIONS FOR MUCH OF THE REST OF THE WEEK. && .SHORT TERM...PRECIPITATION HAS PRETTY MUCH SPREAD ACROSS THE ENTIRE AREA. THE ONLY AREA WITHOUT ANY RAIN IS THE REGION DOWNWIND OF THE OLYMPICS WHICH AT THE MOMENT IS THE AREA FROM PORT ANGELES AROUND THE NORTHEAST PART OF THE PENINSULA AND SOUTH NEARLY TO BREMERTON. AFTER THE WARM FRONT PASSES BY...THIS AREA WILL ROTATE CLOCKWISE AROUND THE OLYMPICS AS THE WINDS ALOFT BECOME MORE WESTERLY RATHER THAN SOUTHWEST. FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE AREA FAIRLY STEADY RAIN THROUGH TONIGHT...LIGHTER NEAR THE OLYMPIC HOLE AND HEAVIER OUTSIDE THIS REGION. THE BIGGER STORY WITH THIS SYSTEM WILL BE THE HEAVY SNOW THAT WILL FALL OVER THE MOUNTAINS OVER THE NEXT 24 HOURS OR SO. SO FAR THE MAIN MOUNTAIN GAGES ARE PICKING UP AROUND A HALF INCH OF SNOW PER HOUR BUT THIS RATE WILL PICK UP LATER TODAY WITH MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOW CONTINUING THROUGH TONIGHT. THE STEADY PRECIP WILL CONTINUE UNTIL THE COLD FRONT SAGS SOUTH OF THE AREA TUESDAY. MODELS CONTINUE TO PUNCH OUT 2-3 INCHES LIQUID FOR THE MOUNTAINS WITH A COUPLE OF MESOSCALE RUNS INDICATING LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS FOR STORM TOTALS. THIS LOOKS REASONABLE GIVEN THE PERSISTENT AND FAIRLY STRONG WESTERLY FLOW...WHICH IS ALSO PLENTY MOIST AND CONDITIONALLY UNSTABLE. THUS THE CURRENT WARNING AND FORECAST LOOKS GOOD WITH THE IDEA OF A SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL FOR THE MOUNTAINS. STORM TOTAL AMOUNTS WILL RANGE FROM 2-4 FEET DEPENDING ON LOCATION (MORE NORTH) AND EXPOSURE (MORE WITH WESTERLY EXPOSURE). CURRENT SNOW LEVELS BASED ON ACARS DATA STILL SHOWS ABOUT 2500 FEET AND THIS SHOULD ONLY RISE TO AROUND 3000 FEET IN THE CASCADES AND MAYBE TO AROUND 3500 FEET IN THE OLYMPICS. THIS HEAVY SNOW COMBINED WITH WINDY CONDITIONS WILL MAKE FOR SOME NASTY CONDITIONS IN THE MOUNTAINS OVER THE NEXT 24-30 HOURS. THERE IS ALSO THE INCREASED POTENTIAL FOR AVALANCHES AS THIS WILL BE A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF SNOW ON TOP OF WHAT BASICALLY AMOUNTS TO A HARD SLAB OF SNOW/ICE THAT IS ALREADY THERE. FOR MORE ON THIS PLEASE REFER TO THE AVALANCHE CENTER FORECAST AT HTTP://NWAC.US AT LEAST WE WILL BE ADDING TO THE SUMMER WATER SNOWPACK. AS OF THE 15TH THE SNOW PACK WAS NEAR NORMAL LEVELS...BUT TRENDING UNDER THE NORMAL LINE OVERALL. THIS WEEKS SNOWFALL WILL HELP THAT SITUATION. FORECAST LOOKS GREAT AND AT THIS POINT SEE NO REASON TO FOOL WITH IT. NO UPDATES PLANNED. CERNIGLIA .LONG TERM...FROM PREVIOUS DISCUSSION...THE EXTENDED PERIOD BEGINS WITH THE UPPER LEVEL TROUGH ALONG THE WEST COAST DIGGING FURTHER SOUTHWARD AND CONDITIONS REMAINING COOL AND UNSETTLED. WEAK UPPER LEVEL RIDGING MAY LEAD TO A BRIEF MOSTLY DRY DAY ON FRIDAY. THE EXTENDED MODELS HAVE BEEN PRETTY CONSISTENT OF LATE WITH ANOTHER SIGNIFICANT FRONT APPROACHING THE COAST LATE FRIDAY INTO SATURDAY. THE UPCOMING WEEKEND IS LOOKING COOL AND SHOWERY WITH ANOTHER COLD TROUGH OVER THE REGION. 27 && .AVIATION...WARM FRONT WILL MOVE THRU THE AREA BY 21Z THIS AFTN WITH COLD FRONT PUSHING SE ACROSS THE AREA 12Z-18Z TIME FRAME TUE. LIGHT TO MODERATE PRECIPITATION WILL CONTINUE FOR MUCH OF THE NEXT 24 HOURS...BUT STRONG WSW FLOW ALOFT WILL INTERACT WITH THE TERRAIN KEEPING PRECIPITATION LIGHT N OF KSEA. GUSTY S WINDS ON THE COAST WITH BARRIER JET AND IN THE PUGET SOUND LOWLANDS AS MESOLOW BECOMES ESTABLISHED NE OF OLYMPICS UNTIL FRONTAL PASSAGE TUE MORNING. CIGS GENERALLY 010-015 THRU THE PERIOD...BUT LOCALLY LOWER IN HEAVIER PRECIPITATION. AT KSEA...STEADY -RA WITH CIGS DROPPING TO BKN015 22Z-00Z THIS AFTN. LOWEST VIS 06Z-14Z TIME FRAME AHEAD OF INCOMING CDFNT. WIND AT KSEA 19012KT...INCRG TO 19018G25KT 06Z-15Z TIME FRAME...THEN DROPPING OFF TO 20010KT BEHIND CDFNT. ALBRECHT $$ .SEW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... .GALE WARNING COAST. .SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY REMAINING WATERS. .SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY GRAYS HARBOR FOR ROUGH BAR CONDITIONS. .WINTER STORM WARNING FOR THE OLYMPICS AND THE CASCADES. $$ WEATHER.GOV/SEATTLE
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS GREEN BAY WI
400 AM CST MON FEB 19 2007 .SHORT TERM...TODAY THROUGH TUESDAY. STRONG LOW LEVEL JET IS BRINGING MUCH MILDER AIR NORTHWARD THROUGH THE PLAINS STATES EARLY TODAY. AIRCRAFT SOUNDINGS FROM MSP/MCI/RFD SHOW AS MUCH AS 55 KNOTS BETWEEN 850 AND 925MB. SURFACE TEMPERATURES HAD CLIMBED INTO THE 30S IN WESTERN IOWA AND SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA AS OF 330 AM. THE ATMOSPHERE IS QUITE DRY AND THERE HAS BEEN NO REPORTS OF LIGHT SNOW OR FREEZING DRIZZLE FROM THE CLOUDS OVER NORTHERN WISCONSIN SO FAR. WILL LEAVE A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SNOW FLURRIES OR FREEZING DRIZZLE IN THE NORTH AS THE AIR MOISTENS FURTHER TODAY. TIMING OF LOW CLOUDS IS DIFFICULT...AS LOW LEVELS QUITE DRY TO OUR SOUTH OVER ILLINOIS. IT MAY TAKE UNTIL THE AFTERNOON OR EVENING HOURS. TEMPERATURES WILL PROBABLY RISE TO NEAR FREEZING IN THE SOUTHERN PART OF THE FORECAST AREA WITH UPPER 20S IN THE NORTH. WEAK COLD ADVECTION ARRIVES LATE TONIGHT AND TUESDAY TO TEMPER THE WARM UP... WITH HIGH TEMPERATURES CLOSE TO WHAT WE HAVE TODAY. .LONG TERM...TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH NEXT SUNDAY. QUIET PATTERN EXPECTED THROUGH THURSDAY AS HIGH PRESSURE REMAINS OVER THE AREA. TEMPERATURES SHOULD BE NEAR OR EVEN SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL. TRENDED DOWNWARD A LITTLE IN THE SKY COVER GRIDS AND MADE MINOR ADJUSTMENTS TO MATCH UP WITH SURROUNDING OFFICES. ATTENTION TURNS TO THE UPCOMING STORM THIS WEEKEND WITH A PROLONGED PERIOD OF PRECIPITATION FRIDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY. SYSTEM EJECTING OUT OF THE PLAINS APPEARS TO BE A LITTLE SLOWER ON THE CANADIAN/ECMWF THAN THE GFS. WITH CANADIAN HIGH TO THE NORTHEAST...ONSET OF PRECIPITATION SHOULD BE SOMEWHAT SLOW THAN WHAT THE GFS IS SUGGEST. AS EXPECTED LAST NIGHT...GFS 850MB TEMPERATURES ARE COOLER THAN LAST NIGHTS RUN AND LOOKS MORE LIKE THE 00Z ECMWF RUN LAST NIGHT. WITH EVAPORATIVE COOLING TAKING PLACE...PRECIPITATION SHOULD START AS SNOW EVERYWHERE THEN BECOME MIXED WITH OR CHANGE OVER TO FREEZING RAIN OR SLEET. THE 00Z GFS TONIGHT TRENDED FURTHER SOUTH WITH THE SURFACE LOW AND LOOKED MORE LIKE THE 00Z ECMWF FROM THE LAST NIGHT. THE 00Z ECMWF TONIGHT SHIFTED THE SURFACE LOW TRACK FURTHER WEST AND IS NOW WEST OF GREEN BAY ON SUNDAY. WITH THIS MUCH UNCERTAINTY IN THE SURFACE LOW TRACK AND THE LOW LEVEL THERMAL PROFILE... CURRENT GRIDS/TEXT PRODUCTS WILL SUFFICE UNTIL WE GET CLOSER TO THE EVENT. DID LOOK AT THE 00Z GFS QPF/SNOW FIELDS AND THE GFS BUFKIT SOUNDINGS... THE GFS QPF TOTALS ARE DOWN RIGHT SCARY. THE GFS WAS GIVING CLOSE TO TWO INCHES OF QPF AT RHINELANDER...WHICH WOULD POSSIBLY MEAN OVER A FOOT OF SNOW ALTHOUGH SLEET COULD MIX IN AT TIMES. AT GREEN BAY... THE GFS BUFKIT SOUNDING INDICATED OVER AN INCH OF FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET AFTER A PERIOD OF SEVERAL INCHES OF SNOW. SOMETHING TO WATCH UNTIL THE WRF MODEL CAN CATCH ONTO SYSTEM FOR THE LOW LEVEL THERMAL AND MOISTURE PROFILES. STAY TUNED! && .AVIATION...ISENTROPIC LIFT ACROSS WESTERN WISCONSIN AND MINNESOTA WILL GRADUALLY SPREAD MVFR CEILINGS ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA FROM WEST TO EAST THIS EVENING AND OVERNIGHT. A BRIEF PERIOD OF 5000 TO 6000 FT CEILINGS CAN BE EXPECTED BEFORE THE LOWER CLOUDS ARRIVE. WINDS SHOULD BE LIGHT EARLY...BUT THEN INCREASE LATER IN THE NIGHT AS A SURFACE RIDGE PASSES EAST OF THE AREA AND WINDS SHIFT TO THE SOUTH. CONFIDENCE IN PCPN FORECAST...BOTH TYPE AND CHANCES...DURING THE LAST 6 TO 9 HOURS OF THE TAFS IS RELATIVELY LOW. && .GRB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && $$ RDM/ECKBERG WEATHER.GOV/GREENBAY

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS LINCOLN IL
328 AM CST WED FEB 21 2007 .DISCUSSION... HEAVY RAIN FOR THE WEEKEND WITH STRONG SPRING-LIKE SYSTEM REMAINS THE GREATEST FORECAST CONCERN WITH THIS PACKAGE. SHORT TERM...WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY... TODAY...DENSE FREEZING FOG ACROSS MOST OF THE CWA THIS MORNING IS BRINGING WITH IT A NICE FROST DEPOSIT. YOU MAY SEE SOME NICE FROST FORMATIONS ON YOUR CAR WINDSHIELDS THIS MORNING. MORNING COMMUTERS NEED TO BE AWARE OF BLACK ICE THREAT ON ROADS AND SIDEWALKS... IN ADDITION TO NEAR ZERO VISIBILITY AT TIMES. FOG WILL BE AT ITS MOST DENSE IN OPEN RURAL AREAS WHERE MELTING SNOWPACK IS OTHERWISE UNDISTURBED/UNPLOWED. WE EXPECT THE FOG TO BURN OFF BY MID-MORNING AS RIDGE AXIS SHIFTS SOUTHEAST... ALLOWING SOUTHERLY FLOW TO MIX UP THE BOUNDARY LAYER A BIT. SUNSHINE SHOULD ALSO HELP AS THERE IS LITTLE IN THE WAY OF CLOUD COVER OVERHEAD. FOG IS ALSO RELATIVELY SHALLOW... 88D RADOME LIGHT STILL SHARPLY VISIBLE OUTSIDE. SHOULD CONTINUE TO SEE SNOWMELT THIS AFTERNOON... ADDING TO THE BOUNDARY LAYER MOISTURE... BUT A CLIPPER SYSTEM MOVING ACROSS LAKE SUPERIOR TONIGHT SHOULD KEEP GRADIENT TIGHT ENOUGH TO KEEP WINDS AROUND 6-10 KTS OVERNIGHT... WHICH SHOULD MINIMIZE FOG POTENTIAL. THURSDAY...NORTHWEST LOW LEVEL FLOW WILL CONTINUE... WHICH SHOULD RESULT IN TEMPERATURES ABOUT 5 DEGREES LOWER THAN TODAY. STILL WE WILL BE IN LOWER TO UPPER 40S NORTH TO SOUTH... AND CONTINUED SNOWMELT IS EXPECTED. RIDGE AXIS MOVES OVER THE WESTERN HALF OF THE CWA THURSDAY NIGHT... AND ANOTHER FOGGY NIGHT LOOKS LIKELY UNLESS WE CAN GET SIGNIFICANT HIGH LEVEL CLOUD COVER TO MOVE IN. FRIDAY/SATURDAY STORM SYSTEM... POTENT STORM SYSTEM WILL BE TAKING SHAPE IN THE LEE OF THE ROCKIES FRIDAY MORNING AS A POWER TROUGH MOVES INTO THE WESTERN U.S. HAVE BEEN NOTICING A DIURNAL FLIP-FLOP BETWEEN THE 00Z AND 12Z RUNS OF THE ECMWF AND GFS MODELS THE PAST FEW NIGHTS. 00Z GFS RUNS HAVE BEEN BENEFITING FROM EXTRA AIRCRAFT/DROPSONDE DATA OVER THE OTHERWISE DATA-SPARSE NORTH PACIFIC... COURTESY OF THE WINTER STORM RECONNAISSANCE /WSR07/ PROJECT. IT IS UNKNOWN WHETHER OR NOT THESE EXTRA DATA HAVE BEEN INGESTED INTO THE ECMWF OR GEM. 00Z RUNS OF THE ECMWF HAVE BEEN TENDING TO DEVELOP OUR LEE SIDE LOW OVER NORTHEASTERN COLORADO... WHEREAS THE THE 12Z RUNS HAVE BEEN DEVELOPING THE LOW IN SOUTHEAST CO...DITTO FOR ALL RUNS OF THE GFS AND THE GEM. THE GEM AND ECMWF ARE PREFERRED HERE DUE TO THEIR SUPERIOR RESOLUTION PER NCEP. ALSO UNLESS THINGS HAVE RECENTLY BEEN TWEAKED... THE GFS MODEL ITSELF TENDS TO HAVE TROUBLE WITH LEE SIDE LOW FORMATION JUST AS A FUNCTION OF MODEL PHYSICS/COORDINATE SYSTEM. 00Z RUNS OF BOTH THE ECMWF AND GFS... AS WELL AS THE GEM... HAVE BEEN ADVERTISING A SLIGHTLY FARTHER SOUTH SOLUTION TO THE SFC LOW TRACK VERSUS THE 12Z GFS/ECMWF. WOULD NORMALLY PREFER THE FARTHER NORTH SOLUTION AS RIDGING OUT AHEAD OF THIS SYSTEM SHOULD BE FAIRLY STRONG GIVEN THE HIGHLY AMPLIFIED PATTERN AND BLOCKING LOW OVER THE MARITIMES. NCEP SUGGESTING THE FARTHER SOUTH TRACK GIVEN THE EXTRA DATA... BUT NEED TO BE CAUTIOUS HERE AS DROPSONDE DATA PROBABLY WOULD NOT IMPACT FORECASTS DOWNSTREAM OF THE SYSTEM... AND POSITION OF LONGWAVE TROUGH OVER THE MARITIMES MAY BE JUST AS IMPORTANT HERE. OVERALL... THE DISAGREEMENTS IN TRACK MAKE LITTLE DIFFERENCE FOR OUR FORECAST... BUT A FARTHER NORTH SOLUTION WOULD TEND TO FAVOR SVR WX THREAT MORE ON SATURDAY... AND MAY ALSO MEAN QUICKER DRY SLOTTING AND LESS WRAP AROUND PRECIP. SUCH DETAILS ARE NEVER SET IN STONE THIS FAR OUT IN THE FORECAST. FOR NOW... WILL TAKE THE PROVERBIAL BLEND OF THE AVAILABLE GUIDANCE. NORMALLY WOULD PREFER ECMWF IN SUCH CASES... BUT IT HAS BEEN A LITTLE UNSTABLE WITH THE FORWARD SPEED OF THIS SYSTEM... AND THE MOST RECENT 00Z RUN IS ABOUT 12 HOURS FASTER THAN THE GFS... WHICH AGAIN IS NOT FAVORED GIVEN THE BLOCKY PATTERN. WITH THE SLOWER SOLUTION IN MIND... I AM STILL A LITTLE SHY ABOUT INCREASING POPS WITH THE WARM ADVECTION ON FRIDAY... AND WILL CONTINUE TO FOCUS POPS TOWARDS SATURDAY AND ESPECIALLY SATURDAY NIGHT. SATURDAY NIGHT LOOKS LIKE THE BEST BET FOR HEAVIEST PRECIP NO MATTER WHICH SOLUTION ONE GOES WITH NOW. THEREFORE... HAVE DECIDED TO BOOST POPS INTO THE CATEGORICAL RANGE... WHICH IS A LITTLE UNUSUAL FOR DAY 4. LONG TERM...SUNDAY THROUGH TUESDAY... WILL CONTINUE WITH CHANCE POPS SUNDAY WITH POSSIBLE WRAP AROUND COMING IN BEHIND THE DRY SLOT. COULD EVEN BE IN THE FORM OF SNOW AS COLD AIR WRAPS IN SUNDAY AFTERNOON ACROSS THE NORTH. FORECAST BEYOND DAY 5 UNCHANGED WITH THIS PACKAGE. .HYDROLOGY... HYDRO DISCUSSION BELOW UNCHANGED FROM 3 PM TUE PACKAGE. GROUND TEMPS ARE BELOW FREEZING WITH AN AMPLE SNOW COVER ACROSS MOST OF CENTRAL AND EASTERN IL. OBSERVER REPORTS INDICATED AN AVERAGE OF AN INCH OR MORE OF WATER CONTENT IN THE SNOW COVER. THIS SNOW IS EXPECTED TO MELT THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS...WITH MUCH OF THE WATER RUNNING OFF INTO AREA WATERSHEDS. WHATEVER SNOW DOES NOT MELT BY THIS WEEKEND WILL RAPIDLY DISSIPATE WITH MODERATE TO HEAVY RAINFALL FORECAST FOR SATURDAY INTO EARLY SUNDAY. FORECAST RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 1.00 TO 1.50 INCHES...ALONG WITH THE MELTING SNOW COULD CAUSE PROBLEMS FOR AREA RIVERS THIS WEEKEND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. SEE THE HYDROLOGIC OUTLOOK /CHIESFILX/ ISSUED BY OUR OFFICE AT 1240 PM TODAY FOR MORE DETAILS. ANOTHER CONSIDERATION IS FOR URBAN FLOODING THIS WEEKEND. THE RAINFALL MAY NOT BE ABLE TO REACH STORM SEWERS THAT ARE CLOGGED BY UNMELTED SNOW OR OTHER DEBRIS. THUS...FLASH FLOODING COULD BE A PROBLEM SATURDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT. && .ILX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... FREEZING FOG ADVISORY UNTIL 10 AM CST THIS MORNING FOR ILZ027>031-036>038-040>057-061>063-066>068. && $$ SHORT/LONG TERM...HARDIMAN HYDRO...MILLER
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS NORTHERN INDIANA
111 AM EST WED FEB 21 2007 .AVIATION... DENSE FREEZING FOG HAS FORMED ACROSS THE AREA AND AT BOTH SBN AND FWA. THIS FOG IS NOT EXPECTED TO BEGIN DISSIPATING UNTIL AFTER SUNRISE. THE FOG COULD THEN LIFT INTO A LOW STRATUS LAYER BEFORE SKIES BECOME PARTLY CLOUDY FOR THE REST OF THE TAF PERIOD. THE WIND IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN AROUND MID MORNING WHICH SHOULD ALSO HELP DISPEL THE FREEZING FOG. ONCE THE WIND DOES BEGIN...IT WILL THEN BE BLOWING OUT OF THE SOUTHWEST. && .UPDATE... /ISSUED 949 PM EST TUE FEB 20 2007/ EVE SOUNDINGS INDICATED A LITTLE MORE FAVORABLE LOW LEVEL HYDROLAPSE FOR DENSE FOG DEVELOPMENT THAN SUGGESTED BY PRE-00Z TAMDAR DATA. PATCHY DENSE FOG BEING REPORTED ALREADY THIS EVENING BY AUTOMATED SURFACE OBS AND SPOTTERS. SOME CIRRUS MOVING INTO THE AREA ATTM BUT SHOULD BE SHORT LIVED AND NOT EXPECTED TO BE SUFFICIENT TO LIMIT FURTHER RADIATIONAL COOLING. THUS, EXPECT FOG TO CONT TO LOWER VSBYS AND BECOME MORE WIDESPREAD OVERNIGHT AS SFC HIGH MOVES ACROSS THE AREA. OTHER PROBLEM THIS EVENING IS WITH BLACK ICE. MELTING SNOW WAS RAPIDLY REFREEZING THIS EVENING DUE TO THE STRONG RADIATIONAL COOLING, ESPECIALLY ON BLACKTOP. THIS WILL RESULT IN ICY SPOTS ON ROADS/SIDEWALKS OVERNIGHT AND WED MORNING. DENSE FOG SHOULD ALSO RESULT IN SOME ADDITIONAL GLAZING WITH GROUND SURFACES ALREADY VERY MOIST AND TEMPERATURES FALLING WELL BLO FREEZING. THUS, ISSUED A FREEZING FOG ADVISORY OVERNIGHT UNTIL 15Z WED. NO OTHER SGFNT CHANGES ATTM AS GOING LOWS IN THE L-M20S LOOK REASONABLE. && .UPDATE... /ISSUED 644 PM EST TUE FEB 20 2007/ UPDATED MAINLY TO FRESHEN WORDING IN ZONES AS SHOWERS HAVE MOVED EAST OUT OF THE CWA EARLY THIS EVENING. REST OF THE NIGHT SHOULD BE DRY WITH RADIATIONAL COOLING FOG/STRATUS DVLPG AS SFC HIGH MOVES ACROSS THE AREA. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 311 PM EST TUE FEB 20 2007/ SHORT TERM... SEVERAL FORECAST CHALLENGES FOR THE SHORT TERM PACKAGE. SHORT WAVE RACING OUT OF ILLINOIS WILL EXIT THE AREA EARLY THIS EVENING. VIS IMAGES SHOWING CLEARING NEAR THE IN/IL STATE LINE. THIS CLEARING SHOULD PROGRESS EAST ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA THIS EVENING. HIGH PRESSURE WILL SETTLE ACROSS THE AREA LEADING TO LIGHT OR CALM WINDS. THE COMBINATION OF THESE FACTORS WITH MELTING SNOWPACK AND SOME LIGHT RAINFALL TODAY WILL SET THE STAGE FOR POSSIBLE FOG AND STRATUS DEVELOPMENT TONIGHT. NAM AND GFS HAVE DIFFERENT IDEAS ON WHAT WILL OCCUR...WITH THE NAM MORE PESSIMISTIC...SHOWING A STRONG RADIATION INVERSION DEVELOPING AND STRATUS AND FOG FORMING UNDER IT. GFS DOES NOT DEVELOP THIS. THE ONLY NEGATIVE FACTOR FOR FOG AND STRATUS IS THE DRYING OCCURRING UPSTREAM THIS AFTERNOON WITH SURFACE DEWPOINTS DROPPING INTO THE MID AND UPPER 20S. HOWEVER...GIVEN ALL THE OTHER POSITIVE FACTORS AND STAYING WITH PERSISTENCE AND CONTINUITY OF PRESENT FORECAST...WILL CONTINUE FOG AND STRATUS FORMATION OVERNIGHT. HENCE SKIES BECOMING MOSTLY CLEAR THIS EVENING...THEN MOSTLY CLOUDY AFTER MIDNIGHT WITH STRATUS AND FOG DEVELOPMENT. SHOULD TAKE SOME TIME TO BURN OFF FOG AND STRATUS WEDNESDAY. INCREASING FLOW IN THE AFTERNOON SHOULD HELP SCATTER THINGS OUT. WITH CLEAR SKIES THIS EVENING AND STILL RESIDUAL SNOWPACK...SHOULD SEE TEMPS DROP QUICKLY THEN LEVEL OUT WHEN FOG FORMS. TEMPS TRICKY ON WEDNESDAY DEPENDING ON HOW FAST FOG MIXES OUT. AGAIN STAYED WITH PERSISTENCE FOR NOW WHICH FALLS NEAR THE LOW END OF MOS GUIDANCE. LONG TERM.... WEDNESDAY THROUGH TUESDAY... WEATHER PATTERN CONTINUES TO DEAMPLIFY ACROSS THE UNITED STATES. A FAIRLY STRONG SHORT WAVE SYSTEM WILL PASS NORTH OF THE AREA WEDNESDAY NIGHT WITH ANOTHER COLD FRONT EXPECTED TO PASS ACROSS THE AREA. MOISTURE IS LIMITED BEING MOSTLY TRAPPED IN THE LOWEST 5KFT. MODEL GUIDANCE PUSHES SOME LIFT ACROSS THE AREA AT THE SAME TIME...BUT WITH LIMITED MOISTURE...ELECTED TO KEEP WEDNESDAY NIGHT DRY. MINOR CHANGES WERE MADE TO THE LOW TEMPERATURE FORECAST. ONCE THIS SYSTEM IS PAST...A STRONG MID LEVEL RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE WILL PASS ACROSS THE AREA THURSDAY AND FRIDAY. COLD AIR WILL MOVE ACROSS THE AREA...BUT ARCTIC AIR MASSES WILL REMAIN WELL NORTH OF THE WESTERN LOWER GREAT LAKES REGION. MADE MINOR CHANGES TO TEMPERATURES FORECASTS FOR THURSDAY AND FRIDAY. THIS RIDGE IS BEING GENERATED BY A STRONG SHORT WAVE TROF DIGGING INTO THE WEST COAST AREA. THESE TWO SYSTEMS WILL DEVELOP A MAJOR SURFACE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM OVER EASTERN COLORADO AND WESTERN KANSAS. BOTH THE ECMWF/GFS PLACE THE SYSTEM THERE...WITH THE ECMWF MOVING THE LOW FASTER THAN THE GFS. WITH TIMING UNCERTAINTY HAVE ELECTED TO KEEP THE CURRENT FORECAST OF RAIN DURING THE DAY SATURDAY AND INTO SUNDAY. HOWEVER...THERE CHANCES ARE INCREASING THAT THE PRECIPITATION MAY HOLD OFF INTO SATURDAY AFTERNOON. MINOR CHANGES WERE MADE TO THE HIGH TEMPERATURE FORECAST FOR SATURDAY...LOWERING THEM IN OUR NORTH. THE POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR HEAVY RAIN BOTH SATURDAY AND SUNDAY ALONG WITH AN INCREASED CHANCE OF FLOODING. WITH A MORE PROGRESSIVE ZONAL FLOW EXPECTED TO CONTINUE ACROSS THE AREA ANOTHER...SHORT WAVE SYSTEM WILL FOLLOW BRINGING A CHANCE OF SNOW ON MONDAY AND SNOW WITH RAIN SOUTH ON TUESDAY. && .IWX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... IN...FREEZING FOG ADVISORY UNTIL 10 AM EST /9 AM CST/ THIS MORNING FOR INZ003>009-012>018-020-022>027-032>034. MI...FREEZING FOG ADVISORY UNTIL 10 AM EST THIS MORNING FOR MIZ077>081. OH...FREEZING FOG ADVISORY UNTIL 10 AM EST THIS MORNING FOR OHZ001- 002-004-005-015-016-024-025. LM...NONE. && $$ SHORT TERM...LASHLEY LONG TERM....LAMBERTY AVIATION...LOTHAMER UPDATE...TAYLOR

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS SAN DIEGO CA
420 AM PST WED FEB 21 2007 .SYNOPSIS... RESIDUAL MOISTURE AND A WEAK COASTAL EDDY WILL CAUSE A FEW CLOUDS AND PATCHY FOG WEST OF THE MOUNTAINS EARLY THIS MORNING...OTHERWISE FAIR UNDER WEAKENING HIGH PRESSURE. A STORM APPROACHING FROM THE NORTHWEST WILL LIKELY BRING RAIN AND MOUNTAIN SNOW LATE THURSDAY INTO FRIDAY WITH GUSTY WINDS IN THE MOUNTAINS AND DESERTS. SNOW LEVELS MAY LOWER ENOUGH TO BRING SNOW TO THE HIGH DESERT LATE THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING. FAIR AND WARMER NEXT WEEKEND...THEN MORE CLOUDS AND COOLING EARLY NEXT WEEK. && .DISCUSSION...FOR EXTREME SOUTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA INCLUDING ORANGE... SAN DIEGO...WESTERN RIVERSIDE AND SOUTHWESTERN SAN BERNARDINO COUNTIES... .SHORT TERM (TODAY THROUGH FRIDAY)... FAIR AND DRY TODAY UNDER WEAKENING HIGH PRESSURE. WEAK COASTAL EDDY MAY BRING SOME PATCHY STRATUS TO AREAS NEAR THE COAST THIS MORNING WITH RESIDUAL LOWER LEVEL MOISTURE BRINGING PATCHY RADIATIONAL FOG TO THE VALLEYS THIS THIS MORNING. OTHERWISE SKIES WILL BE MOSTLY CLEAR TODAY. STORM SYSTEM DEVELOPING OVER THE EASTERN PACIFIC IS MOVING STEADILY EASTWARD AND IS HANDLED SIMILARLY BY THE MODELS. ONSET OF PRECIPITATION MAY HOLD OFF UNTIL LATE IN THE DAY THURSDAY FOR NORTHWEST SECTIONS WITH THE COLD FRONT SWEEPING QUICKLY EASTWARD ACROSS SOUTHWEST CALIFORNIA EARLY THURSDAY EVENING. THIS WILL BRING A PERIOD OF MODERATE PRECIPITATION TO MOST AREAS ALONG AND WEST OF THE MOUNTAINS ALONG WITH A SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS. SHOWERS AND A SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL LINGER THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING...DECREASING FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND ENDING FRIDAY EVENING. SNOW LEVEL WILL START OUT ABOVE 7000 FEET...BUT LOWER TO 5000 FEET THURSDAY EVENING AND TO AROUND 3500 FEET BY FRIDAY MORNING. WINDS IN THE MOUNTAINS AND UPPER DESERTS WILL INCREASE TO NEAR ADVISORY STRENGTH FROM THURSDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING. BELOW THE SNOW LEVEL...RAINFALL OF ONE THIRD TO TWO THIRDS INCHES IS EXPECTED AT THE COAST TO AROUND 2 INCHES ON SOUTHWEST FACING COASTAL SLOPES BELOW 6000 FEET. LOCALLY GREATER AMOUNTS ARE POSSIBLE. HIGHER ELEVATIONS MAY RECEIVE FROM A FEW INCHES TO AS MUCH AS TWO FEET OF SNOWFALL...MOSTLY ABOVE 5000 FEET WITH LIGHTER ACCUMULATIONS DOWN TO 3500 TO 4000 FEET. HIGH DESERT AREAS MAY SEE LOCAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF A FEW INCHES LATE THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING. THE LOWERING OF THE SNOW LEVEL TO 3500 TO 4000 FEET MAY IMPACT TRAVEL THROUGH THE CAJON PASS LATE THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING. && .LONG TERM (SATURDAY THROUGH TUESDAY)... ECWMF WEAKLY PREFERRED. NORTHWEST TO WEST NORTHWEST FLOW PATTERN WILL BRING DRYING AND MINOR WARMING FOR THE WEEKEND WITH LOCALLY GUSTY NORTHWEST TO NORTH WINDS IN THE MOUNTAINS AND DESERTS AT TIMES. FOR TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY...AS SHOWN BY DGEX/ECMWF...A WEAK WEATHER SYSTEM MAY DEVELOP OFF THE COAST AND MOVE INLAND ACROSS CALIFORNIA BRINGING A SLIGHT CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION TO SOUTHWEST CALIFORNIA AS WELL AS SOME COOLING WITH GUSTY WINDS IN THE MOUNTAINS AND DESERTS. HOWEVER...INCREASING SPREAD IN THE MODEL FORECASTS AFTER FRIDAY MAKES THIS A LOWER CONFIDENCE FORECAST. && .AVIATION... 210920Z...LATE EVENING ACARS SOUNDINGS INDICATED THE MARINE LAYER WAS STILL DISRUPTED OVER THE AREA BUT A WEAK INVERSION WAS APPARENT AROUND 1500 FEET MSL WITH ANOTHER AROUND 4500 FEET MSL. SCATTERED TO LOCALLY BROKEN STRATOCU WILL CONTINUE THROUGH MID MORNING WITH BASES AROUND 1500 TO 2000 FEET MSL. LOCAL LIFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED IN THE INLAND VALLEY AREAS WITH DENSE FOG UNTIL AN HOUR OR TWO AFTER SUNRISE. VFR CONDITIONS SHOULD PREVAIL DURING THE AFTERNOON. BROKEN TO OVERCAST STRATOCU WITH BASES AROUND 2000 FEET MSL ARE EXPECTED TO MOVE BACK OVER THE COASTAL AIRPORTS LATE THIS EVENING AND OVERNIGHT TONIGHT. && .SGX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... CA...NONE. PZ...NONE. && $$ PUBLIC...MARTIN AVIATION/MARINE...HORTON NWS ON THE WEB AT WEATHER.GOV/SANDIEGO
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS NORTHERN INDIANA
933 AM EST WED FEB 21 2007 .UPDATE... THE FOG WAS STARTING TO MIX OUT SOUTH OF THE AREA PER LATEST SATELLITE AND SURFACE REPORTS. HOWEVER...AN ACARS REPORT INDICATED DEEP SATURATION OVER NORTHERN IL. HAVE EXTENDED THE DENSE FREEZING FOG ADVISORY UNTIL 17Z. SNOW COVER BELOW A RELATIVELY DEEP RADIATION INVERSION WILL CAUSE DENSE FOG TO PERSIST LONGER. && .AVIATION... VERY DENSE FREEZING FOG HAS FORMED ACROSS THE AREA. IT WILL TAKE A LITTLE BIT OF TIME FOR THE FOG TO DISSIPATE...AND IS NOT EXPECTED TO DISSIPATE TIL MID TO LATE MORNING. DO NOT EXPECT VFR CONDITIONS UNTIL THIS AFTERNOON. IT IS POSSIBLE FOR RUNWAYS TO BE ICY THIS MORNING TIL TEMPERATURES WARM UP ABOVE THE FREEZING MARK. TEMPERATURES ARE NOT EXPECTED TO REACH ABOVE FREEZING TIL NOON AND AFTER. THE WIND SHOULD BEGIN TO BLOW AROUND MID MORNING...WHICH SHOULD HELP TO DISSIPATE THIS FOG. BUT WITH SUCH A DENSE FOG...IT WILL TAKE A BIT TO DISSIPATE. THEN TONIGHT THE WIND WILL TURN TO THE SOUTHWEST TO WEST AND INCREASE IN SPEED. VISIBILITIES AND CEILINGS ARE EXPECTED TO BE VFR TONIGHT. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 458 AM EST WED FEB 21 2007/ SHORT TERM... THE BIG STORY FOR THE TODAY AND TONIGHT TIME FRAME IS THE DENSE FREEZING FOG THIS MORNING AND SUBSEQUENTLY WHAT THE FREEZING FOG AND SNOW PACK WILL DO TO TODAYS HIGH TEMPERATURES. DENSE FREEZING FOG HAS DEVELOPED ACROSS THE CWA REDUCING VISIBILITIES TO NEAR ZERO IN MANY PLACES. THEREFORE WILL BE KEEPING THE DENSE FREEZING FOG ADVISORY GOING TIL 15Z. THEN WITH SUCH A DENSE FOG...HOW QUICKLY OR SLOWLY WILL IT DISSIPATE LATER THIS MORNING AFTER SUNRISE. THE WIND IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN BLOWING AROUND MID MORNING AND SOUNDINGS ALSO NEAR THE SURFACE ARE SHOWING THE FOG TO LIFT AROUND THIS TIME. SO HAVE THE SKY COVERAGE DECREASING QUICKLY AFTER MID MORNING WITH THE FOG DISSIPATING. THE FOG MAY LIFT AS STRATUS LAYER FIRST BEFORE SKY ARE PARTLY CLOUDY THIS AFTERNOON...BUT THIS WILL HAVE TO BE WATCHED. THE SNOW ON THE GROUND IS EXPECTED TO KEEP TEMPERATURES LOWER THAN WHAT THEY WOULD NORMALLY BE WITHOUT ANY SNOW ON THE GROUND...AND ALSO LOWER THAN MOS GUIDANCE...BUT THE FOG WILL ALSO BE A FACTOR. 850MB TEMPERATURES DO NOT REALLY CHANGE THAT MUCH FOR TODAY. FORECASTED HIGH TEMPERATURES FOR TODAY WERE ALREADY BELOW MOS GUIDANCE AND WITH THINKING THAT THE FREEZING FOG AND SNOW ON THE GROUND ARE GOING TO BE PLAYERS FOR TODAY...JUST DROPPED TODAYS HIGHS BY ONE. THIS COULD BE TOO HIGH BUT WILL LET LATER SHIFT MONITOR TEMPERATURES TO SEE IF THEY REALLY ARE INCREASING OR ARE STRUGGLING TO INCREASE. THIS AFTERNOON THEN IS EXPECTED TO BE PARTLY CLOUDY. A SURFACE AND UPPER LEVEL TROUGH MOVE THROUGH THE AREA TONIGHT. THE GFS IS SHOWING JUST A LITTLE BIT OF QPF WITH IT AND THE NAM IS DRY WITH THE TROUGH. WILL STAY CONSISTENT WITH OUR DRY FORECAST AND KEEP TONIGHT DRY. IF THE GFS IS CORRECT...ANY PRECIP WILL STILL BE VERY LIGHT. LONG TERM... THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. ..SIGNIFICANT RIVER FLOODING RISK FOR THIS WEEKEND INTO NEXT WEEK... 00Z NAM-WRF AND 00Z GFS ARE IN FAIRLY SIMILAR AGREEMENT SYNOPTIC WISE IN THE IMMEDIATE LONG TERM PERIOD THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT...SO WILL USE A BLEND OF BOTH. BIGGEST CONCERN ON THURSDAY WILL BE THE WIND. FAST MOVING S/WV AND ASSOCIATED SFC LOW PRESSURE WILL MOVE FROM ERN MICHIGAN TO OFF THE SRN NEW ENGLAND COAST BY THURSDAY EVENING. THE PRESSURE GRADIENT BETWEEN THE SFC LOW AND HIGH PRESSURE BUILDING INTO THE NRN PLAINS WILL BRING BREEZY TO WINDY CONDITIONS. WINDS ALOFT WILL BE QUITE STRONG...AROUND 40 KNOTS AS SEEN AT 925 MB. WITH CAA AND DAY TIME MIXING...SOME OF THESE WINDS WILL BE TRANSFERRED TO THE SFC. WILL EMPLOY 35 TO 40 MPH GUSTS IN THE ZONES. THE NAM-WRF AND THE GFS CONTINUE TO DIFFER ON THE AMOUNT OF LOW LVL MOISTURE THAT WILL BE FOUND ACRS THE REGION ON THURSDAY. THE NAM-WRF IS FAIRLY DRY WHILE THE GFS IS FAIRLY MOIST WITHIN THE 925 MB TO 850 MB LAYER. INSTEAD OF PICKING ONE OVER THE OTHER...BELIEVE THAT A BLEND OF THE TWO IS IN ORDER. SKIES MAY START OUT PARTLY CLOUDY TO PERHAPS MOSTLY CLEAR. THEN...WITH DAY TIME HEATING...CUMULUS/STRATOCUMULUS CLOUDS SHOULD FORM...BEING MOST NUMEROUS ACRS THE NE CWFA. WILL LAYER SKY CONDITION FROM PARTLY CLOUDY SOUTHWEST TO MOSTLY CLOUDY NE. 850 MB TEMPS FALL BETWEEN -4 C TO -9 C ACRS THE REGION. PREVIOUS FCST HIGHS SEEM TOO WARM...AND HAVE THUS LOWERED THEM ACRS THE BOARD INTO THE MID AND UPPER 30S. FOR THURSDAY NIGHT INTO FRIDAY...HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD EASTWARD ACRS THE WESTERN GREAT LAKES. SKIES WILL BECOME MOSTLY CLEAR THURSDAY NIGHT...WITH MOSTLY SUNNY CONDITIONS EXPECTED THROUGH THE MORNING HOURS ON FRIDAY. SOME WAA INDUCED MID AND HIGH LVL CLOUDS WILL CREATE PARTLY CLOUDY CONDITIONS DURING FRIDAY AFTERNOON. AGAIN...PREVIOUS FCST TEMPS APPEAR TO BE TOO WARM THURSDAY NIGHT AND FRIDAY...SO HAVE ALSO LOWERED. FOR THE PERIOD FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY...LONG RANGE MODELS CONTINUE TO ADVERTISE A SIGNIFICANT STORM SYSTEM WHICH WILL AFFECT MUCH OF THE LOWER 48 UNITED STATES THIS WEEKEND. THE GFS HAS OSCILLATED THE MOST ON THE FCST TRACK OF DEEPENING LOW PRESSURE ACRS THE PLAINS INTO THE WRN GREAT LAKES SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY NIGHT. THE ECMWF AND CANADIAN HAVE BEEN MORE CONSISTENT. IN EITHER CASE...DEEPENING SFC LOW PRESSURE IS FCST TO MOVE FROM ERN KANSAS SATURDAY NIGHT TO A POSITION ACRS WRN WISCONSIN BY SUNDAY NIGHT. WAA INDUCED PCPN WELL AHEAD OF THIS SYSTEM APPEARS THAT IT WILL BE DELAYED UNTIL AT LEAST SATURDAY AFTN AND HAVE THUS REMOVED MORNING PCPN FROM THE FCST. HAVE KEPT THE CHC OF RAIN ACRS THE REGION FOR SATURDAY AFTN. DEPENDING ON HOW TEMPS WARM ON SATURDAY AND HOW FAST WAA INDUCED PCPN REACHES THE REGION...THERE COULD STILL BE SOME PCPN TYPE ISSUES ACRS OUR NRN TIER ZONES. HAVE OPTED TO NOT TRY AND PIN DOWN THIS POTENTIAL PROBLEM ATTM...AND WILL ALLOW A FEW MORE FUTURE MODEL RUNS TO COME IN BEFORE TAKING A DIFFERENT COURSE OF ACTION. WHAT DOES SEEM DEFINITE AT THIS POINT IN TIME WILL BE THE POTENTIAL FOR HEAVY RAIN SATURDAY NIGHT INTO THE FIRST PART OF SUNDAY. SIGNIFICANT LOW LVL AND UPR LVL DYNAMICS WILL COMBINE WITH A DEEP MOISTURE SURGE STRAIGHT OUT OF THE GULF OF MEXICO TO BRING SUCH A THREAT. HAVE RAISED POPS TO THE LIKELY CATEGORY SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY. THE REGION CONTINUES TO HAVE A SNOW COVER WITH ABOUT ONE TO TWO INCHES OF WATER EQUIVALENT. IN ADDITION...THE GROUND WILL CONTINUE TO BE SEMI FROZEN THROUGH SATURDAY AS TEMPERATURES FALL BELOW FREEZING AT NIGHT. FURTHERMORE...ICE CONTINUES ACRS MANY RIVERS...CREEKS AND STREAMS ACRS THE REGION. ALL THE ABOVE INGREDIENTS POINT TO A SIGNIFICANT FLOODING EVENT SOMETIME THIS WEEKEND...CONTINUING INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. THE SEVERITY OF FLOODING WILL BE HIGHLY DEPENDENT ON HOW MUCH SNOW WATER EQUIVALENT THE REGION CAN LOSE BETWEEN NOW AND WHEN IT RAINS AND HOW MUCH ICE REMAINS ACRS AREA RIVERS AND TRIBUTARIES. WILL UPDATE FLOOD POTENTIAL OUTLOOK THIS MORNING TO HIGHLIGHT AND EMPHASIZE THE FLOOD THREAT. FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE EXTENDED...SUNDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY...COLDER AIR WILL FILTER BACK INTO THE REGION IN THE WAKE OF A COLD FRONT SUNDAY AFTN/EVENING. WRAP AROUND MOISTURE AND EMBEDDED UPR LVL DISTURBANCES WITHIN MAIN UPR LVL LOW WILL BRING A THREAT OF RAIN/SNOW SUNDAY NIGHT...AND SNOW SHOWERS ON MONDAY. SOME OF THE EXTENDED MODELS INDICATE THAT PERHAPS THE REGION WILL DRY OUT BY TUESDAY. BEING THAT THIS IS DAY SEVEN IN THE EXTENDED...HAVE OPTED TO LEAVE THIS PERIOD ALONE FOR NOW. && .IWX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... IN...FREEZING FOG ADVISORY UNTIL NOON /11 AM CST/ THIS MORNING FOR FOR INZ003>009-012>018-020-022>027-032>034. MI...FREEZING FOG ADVISORY UNTIL NOON FOR MIZ077>081. OH...FREEZING FOG ADVISORY UNTIL NOON FOR OHZ001- 002-004-005-015-016-024-025. LM...NONE. && $$ UPDATE...SKIPOPER SHORT TERM...LOTHAMER LONG TERM....HICKMAN AVIATION...LOTHAMER

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS LINCOLN IL
1020 AM CST WED FEB 21 2007 .DISCUSSION... ZONE UPDATE ALREADY SENT OUT TO LET FOG ADVISORY GO AT 10 AM. VSBYS ACRS THE AREA HAVE COME UP DRAMATICALLY OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF HOURS WITH LOCATIONS EAST OF INTERSTATE 57 SLOW TO IMPROVE. RANTOUL OVER THE PAST HALF HOUR HAS COME UP TO ONE HALF MILE AND WINDS TO THE WEST HAVE BACKED INTO THE SOUTHWEST AHEAD OF NRN PLAINS SHORTWAVE AND FRONTAL SYSTEM. 12Z ILX SOUNDING AND NAM FORECAST SOUNDINGS CONTINUE TO SHOW MOISTURE LIMITED TO BELOW 950 MB AND THAT WILL CONTINUE THRU TNT. MIXING DOWN FROM ABOUT 925MB THIS AFTN SHOULD GET US INTO THE UPPER 40S TO LOWER 50S...WHICH IS REFLECTED IN THE CURRENT ZONE FCSTS. ONLY PROBLEM AREA WILL BE ACRS THE FAR EAST...ESPECIALLY IF THE FOG IS SLOW TO BURN OFF EARLY THIS AFTN. MAY HAVE TO ADJUST THE NUMBERS DOWN THERE IF WE SEE THOSE TRENDS UNFOLD THE FIRST FEW HOURS OF THE AFTN. OTHER THAN SOME MINOR TWEEKS TO HOURLY TEMPS AND WINDS...NO OTHER CHANGES MADE TO ZONES. HYDRO ISSUES WITH WEEKEND SYSTEM WL BE ADDRESSED WITH AN UPDATED ESF EARLY THIS AFTERNOON. && .PREV DISCUSSION... HEAVY RAIN FOR THE WEEKEND WITH STRONG SPRING-LIKE SYSTEM REMAINS THE GREATEST FORECAST CONCERN WITH THIS PACKAGE. SHORT TERM...WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY... TODAY...DENSE FREEZING FOG ACROSS MOST OF THE CWA THIS MORNING IS BRINGING WITH IT A NICE FROST DEPOSIT. YOU MAY SEE SOME NICE FROST FORMATIONS ON YOUR CAR WINDSHIELDS THIS MORNING. MORNING COMMUTERS NEED TO BE AWARE OF BLACK ICE THREAT ON ROADS AND SIDEWALKS... IN ADDITION TO NEAR ZERO VISIBILITY AT TIMES. FOG WILL BE AT ITS MOST DENSE IN OPEN RURAL AREAS WHERE MELTING SNOWPACK IS OTHERWISE UNDISTURBED/UNPLOWED. WE EXPECT THE FOG TO BURN OFF BY MID-MORNING AS RIDGE AXIS SHIFTS SOUTHEAST... ALLOWING SOUTHERLY FLOW TO MIX UP THE BOUNDARY LAYER A BIT. SUNSHINE SHOULD ALSO HELP AS THERE IS LITTLE IN THE WAY OF CLOUD COVER OVERHEAD. FOG IS ALSO RELATIVELY SHALLOW... 88D RADOME LIGHT STILL SHARPLY VISIBLE OUTSIDE. SHOULD CONTINUE TO SEE SNOWMELT THIS AFTERNOON... ADDING TO THE BOUNDARY LAYER MOISTURE... BUT A CLIPPER SYSTEM MOVING ACROSS LAKE SUPERIOR TONIGHT SHOULD KEEP GRADIENT TIGHT ENOUGH TO KEEP WINDS AROUND 6-10 KTS OVERNIGHT... WHICH SHOULD MINIMIZE FOG POTENTIAL. THURSDAY...NORTHWEST LOW LEVEL FLOW WILL CONTINUE... WHICH SHOULD RESULT IN TEMPERATURES ABOUT 5 DEGREES LOWER THAN TODAY. STILL WE WILL BE IN LOWER TO UPPER 40S NORTH TO SOUTH... AND CONTINUED SNOWMELT IS EXPECTED. RIDGE AXIS MOVES OVER THE WESTERN HALF OF THE CWA THURSDAY NIGHT... AND ANOTHER FOGGY NIGHT LOOKS LIKELY UNLESS WE CAN GET SIGNIFICANT HIGH LEVEL CLOUD COVER TO MOVE IN. FRIDAY/SATURDAY STORM SYSTEM... POTENT STORM SYSTEM WILL BE TAKING SHAPE IN THE LEE OF THE ROCKIES FRIDAY MORNING AS A POWER TROUGH MOVES INTO THE WESTERN U.S. HAVE BEEN NOTICING A DIURNAL FLIP-FLOP BETWEEN THE 00Z AND 12Z RUNS OF THE ECMWF AND GFS MODELS THE PAST FEW NIGHTS. 00Z GFS RUNS HAVE BEEN BENEFITING FROM EXTRA AIRCRAFT/DROPSONDE DATA OVER THE OTHERWISE DATA-SPARSE NORTH PACIFIC... COURTESY OF THE WINTER STORM RECONNAISSANCE /WSR07/ PROJECT. IT IS UNKNOWN WHETHER OR NOT THESE EXTRA DATA HAVE BEEN INGESTED INTO THE ECMWF OR GEM. 00Z RUNS OF THE ECMWF HAVE BEEN TENDING TO DEVELOP OUR LEE SIDE LOW OVER NORTHEASTERN COLORADO... WHEREAS THE THE 12Z RUNS HAVE BEEN DEVELOPING THE LOW IN SOUTHEAST CO...DITTO FOR ALL RUNS OF THE GFS AND THE GEM. THE GEM AND ECMWF ARE PREFERRED HERE DUE TO THEIR SUPERIOR RESOLUTION PER NCEP. ALSO UNLESS THINGS HAVE RECENTLY BEEN TWEAKED... THE GFS MODEL ITSELF TENDS TO HAVE TROUBLE WITH LEE SIDE LOW FORMATION JUST AS A FUNCTION OF MODEL PHYSICS/COORDINATE SYSTEM. 00Z RUNS OF BOTH THE ECMWF AND GFS... AS WELL AS THE GEM... HAVE BEEN ADVERTISING A SLIGHTLY FARTHER SOUTH SOLUTION TO THE SFC LOW TRACK VERSUS THE 12Z GFS/ECMWF. WOULD NORMALLY PREFER THE FARTHER NORTH SOLUTION AS RIDGING OUT AHEAD OF THIS SYSTEM SHOULD BE FAIRLY STRONG GIVEN THE HIGHLY AMPLIFIED PATTERN AND BLOCKING LOW OVER THE MARITIMES. NCEP SUGGESTING THE FARTHER SOUTH TRACK GIVEN THE EXTRA DATA... BUT NEED TO BE CAUTIOUS HERE AS DROPSONDE DATA PROBABLY WOULD NOT IMPACT FORECASTS DOWNSTREAM OF THE SYSTEM... AND POSITION OF LONGWAVE TROUGH OVER THE MARITIMES MAY BE JUST AS IMPORTANT HERE. OVERALL... THE DISAGREEMENTS IN TRACK MAKE LITTLE DIFFERENCE FOR OUR FORECAST... BUT A FARTHER NORTH SOLUTION WOULD TEND TO FAVOR SVR WX THREAT MORE ON SATURDAY... AND MAY ALSO MEAN QUICKER DRY SLOTTING AND LESS WRAP AROUND PRECIP. SUCH DETAILS ARE NEVER SET IN STONE THIS FAR OUT IN THE FORECAST. FOR NOW... WILL TAKE THE PROVERBIAL BLEND OF THE AVAILABLE GUIDANCE. NORMALLY WOULD PREFER ECMWF IN SUCH CASES... BUT IT HAS BEEN A LITTLE UNSTABLE WITH THE FORWARD SPEED OF THIS SYSTEM... AND THE MOST RECENT 00Z RUN IS ABOUT 12 HOURS FASTER THAN THE GFS... WHICH AGAIN IS NOT FAVORED GIVEN THE BLOCKY PATTERN. WITH THE SLOWER SOLUTION IN MIND... I AM STILL A LITTLE SHY ABOUT INCREASING POPS WITH THE WARM ADVECTION ON FRIDAY... AND WILL CONTINUE TO FOCUS POPS TOWARDS SATURDAY AND ESPECIALLY SATURDAY NIGHT. SATURDAY NIGHT LOOKS LIKE THE BEST BET FOR HEAVIEST PRECIP NO MATTER WHICH SOLUTION ONE GOES WITH NOW. THEREFORE... HAVE DECIDED TO BOOST POPS INTO THE CATEGORICAL RANGE... WHICH IS A LITTLE UNUSUAL FOR DAY 4. LONG TERM...SUNDAY THROUGH TUESDAY... WILL CONTINUE WITH CHANCE POPS SUNDAY WITH POSSIBLE WRAP AROUND COMING IN BEHIND THE DRY SLOT. COULD EVEN BE IN THE FORM OF SNOW AS COLD AIR WRAPS IN SUNDAY AFTERNOON ACROSS THE NORTH. FORECAST BEYOND DAY 5 UNCHANGED WITH THIS PACKAGE. .HYDROLOGY... HYDRO DISCUSSION BELOW UNCHANGED FROM 3 PM TUE PACKAGE. GROUND TEMPS ARE BELOW FREEZING WITH AN AMPLE SNOW COVER ACROSS MOST OF CENTRAL AND EASTERN IL. OBSERVER REPORTS INDICATED AN AVERAGE OF AN INCH OR MORE OF WATER CONTENT IN THE SNOW COVER. THIS SNOW IS EXPECTED TO MELT THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS...WITH MUCH OF THE WATER RUNNING OFF INTO AREA WATERSHEDS. WHATEVER SNOW DOES NOT MELT BY THIS WEEKEND WILL RAPIDLY DISSIPATE WITH MODERATE TO HEAVY RAINFALL FORECAST FOR SATURDAY INTO EARLY SUNDAY. FORECAST RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 1.00 TO 1.50 INCHES...ALONG WITH THE MELTING SNOW COULD CAUSE PROBLEMS FOR AREA RIVERS THIS WEEKEND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. SEE THE HYDROLOGIC OUTLOOK /CHIESFILX/ ISSUED BY OUR OFFICE AT 1240 PM TODAY FOR MORE DETAILS. ANOTHER CONSIDERATION IS FOR URBAN FLOODING THIS WEEKEND. THE RAINFALL MAY NOT BE ABLE TO REACH STORM SEWERS THAT ARE CLOGGED BY UNMELTED SNOW OR OTHER DEBRIS. THUS...FLASH FLOODING COULD BE A PROBLEM SATURDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT. && .ILX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && $$ SMITH/HARDIMAN
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS NORTHERN INDIANA
105 PM EST WED FEB 21 2007 .AVIATION...THE EDGE OF DENSE FOG WAS RETREATING NORTHEAST...SO HAVE ADJUSTED CLEARING TIMES IN TAFS TO COINCIDE WITH EXPECTED TIME OF CLEARING AT TERMINALS. CONCERN FOR FOG TO TRY TO REFORM THIS EVENING...BUT LOW LEVEL WINDS PICKING UP FROM THE SW...CONDITIONS SHOULD BECOME VFR OR CLOSE TO VFR LATE OVERNIGHT. && .UPDATE... THE FOG WAS STARTING TO MIX OUT SOUTH OF THE AREA PER LATEST SATELLITE AND SURFACE REPORTS. HOWEVER...AN ACARS REPORT INDICATED DEEP SATURATION OVER NORTHERN IL. HAVE EXTENDED THE DENSE FREEZING FOG ADVISORY UNTIL 17Z. SNOW COVER BELOW A RELATIVELY DEEP RADIATION INVERSION WILL CAUSE DENSE FOG TO PERSIST LONGER. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 458 AM EST WED FEB 21 2007/ SHORT TERM... THE BIG STORY FOR THE TODAY AND TONIGHT TIME FRAME IS THE DENSE FREEZING FOG THIS MORNING AND SUBSEQUENTLY WHAT THE FREEZING FOG AND SNOW PACK WILL DO TO TODAYS HIGH TEMPERATURES. DENSE FREEZING FOG HAS DEVELOPED ACROSS THE CWA REDUCING VISIBILITIES TO NEAR ZERO IN MANY PLACES. THEREFORE WILL BE KEEPING THE DENSE FREEZING FOG ADVISORY GOING TIL 15Z. THEN WITH SUCH A DENSE FOG...HOW QUICKLY OR SLOWLY WILL IT DISSIPATE LATER THIS MORNING AFTER SUNRISE. THE WIND IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN BLOWING AROUND MID MORNING AND SOUNDINGS ALSO NEAR THE SURFACE ARE SHOWING THE FOG TO LIFT AROUND THIS TIME. SO HAVE THE SKY COVERAGE DECREASING QUICKLY AFTER MID MORNING WITH THE FOG DISSIPATING. THE FOG MAY LIFT AS STRATUS LAYER FIRST BEFORE SKY ARE PARTLY CLOUDY THIS AFTERNOON...BUT THIS WILL HAVE TO BE WATCHED. THE SNOW ON THE GROUND IS EXPECTED TO KEEP TEMPERATURES LOWER THAN WHAT THEY WOULD NORMALLY BE WITHOUT ANY SNOW ON THE GROUND...AND ALSO LOWER THAN MOS GUIDANCE...BUT THE FOG WILL ALSO BE A FACTOR. 850MB TEMPERATURES DO NOT REALLY CHANGE THAT MUCH FOR TODAY. FORECASTED HIGH TEMPERATURES FOR TODAY WERE ALREADY BELOW MOS GUIDANCE AND WITH THINKING THAT THE FREEZING FOG AND SNOW ON THE GROUND ARE GOING TO BE PLAYERS FOR TODAY...JUST DROPPED TODAYS HIGHS BY ONE. THIS COULD BE TOO HIGH BUT WILL LET LATER SHIFT MONITOR TEMPERATURES TO SEE IF THEY REALLY ARE INCREASING OR ARE STRUGGLING TO INCREASE. THIS AFTERNOON THEN IS EXPECTED TO BE PARTLY CLOUDY. A SURFACE AND UPPER LEVEL TROUGH MOVE THROUGH THE AREA TONIGHT. THE GFS IS SHOWING JUST A LITTLE BIT OF QPF WITH IT AND THE NAM IS DRY WITH THE TROUGH. WILL STAY CONSISTENT WITH OUR DRY FORECAST AND KEEP TONIGHT DRY. IF THE GFS IS CORRECT...ANY PRECIP WILL STILL BE VERY LIGHT. LONG TERM... THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. ..SIGNIFICANT RIVER FLOODING RISK FOR THIS WEEKEND INTO NEXT WEEK... 00Z NAM-WRF AND 00Z GFS ARE IN FAIRLY SIMILAR AGREEMENT SYNOPTIC WISE IN THE IMMEDIATE LONG TERM PERIOD THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT...SO WILL USE A BLEND OF BOTH. BIGGEST CONCERN ON THURSDAY WILL BE THE WIND. FAST MOVING S/WV AND ASSOCIATED SFC LOW PRESSURE WILL MOVE FROM ERN MICHIGAN TO OFF THE SRN NEW ENGLAND COAST BY THURSDAY EVENING. THE PRESSURE GRADIENT BETWEEN THE SFC LOW AND HIGH PRESSURE BUILDING INTO THE NRN PLAINS WILL BRING BREEZY TO WINDY CONDITIONS. WINDS ALOFT WILL BE QUITE STRONG...AROUND 40 KNOTS AS SEEN AT 925 MB. WITH CAA AND DAY TIME MIXING...SOME OF THESE WINDS WILL BE TRANSFERRED TO THE SFC. WILL EMPLOY 35 TO 40 MPH GUSTS IN THE ZONES. THE NAM-WRF AND THE GFS CONTINUE TO DIFFER ON THE AMOUNT OF LOW LVL MOISTURE THAT WILL BE FOUND ACRS THE REGION ON THURSDAY. THE NAM-WRF IS FAIRLY DRY WHILE THE GFS IS FAIRLY MOIST WITHIN THE 925 MB TO 850 MB LAYER. INSTEAD OF PICKING ONE OVER THE OTHER...BELIEVE THAT A BLEND OF THE TWO IS IN ORDER. SKIES MAY START OUT PARTLY CLOUDY TO PERHAPS MOSTLY CLEAR. THEN...WITH DAY TIME HEATING...CUMULUS/STRATOCUMULUS CLOUDS SHOULD FORM...BEING MOST NUMEROUS ACRS THE NE CWFA. WILL LAYER SKY CONDITION FROM PARTLY CLOUDY SOUTHWEST TO MOSTLY CLOUDY NE. 850 MB TEMPS FALL BETWEEN -4 C TO -9 C ACRS THE REGION. PREVIOUS FCST HIGHS SEEM TOO WARM...AND HAVE THUS LOWERED THEM ACRS THE BOARD INTO THE MID AND UPPER 30S. FOR THURSDAY NIGHT INTO FRIDAY...HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD EASTWARD ACRS THE WESTERN GREAT LAKES. SKIES WILL BECOME MOSTLY CLEAR THURSDAY NIGHT...WITH MOSTLY SUNNY CONDITIONS EXPECTED THROUGH THE MORNING HOURS ON FRIDAY. SOME WAA INDUCED MID AND HIGH LVL CLOUDS WILL CREATE PARTLY CLOUDY CONDITIONS DURING FRIDAY AFTERNOON. AGAIN...PREVIOUS FCST TEMPS APPEAR TO BE TOO WARM THURSDAY NIGHT AND FRIDAY...SO HAVE ALSO LOWERED. FOR THE PERIOD FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY...LONG RANGE MODELS CONTINUE TO ADVERTISE A SIGNIFICANT STORM SYSTEM WHICH WILL AFFECT MUCH OF THE LOWER 48 UNITED STATES THIS WEEKEND. THE GFS HAS OSCILLATED THE MOST ON THE FCST TRACK OF DEEPENING LOW PRESSURE ACRS THE PLAINS INTO THE WRN GREAT LAKES SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY NIGHT. THE ECMWF AND CANADIAN HAVE BEEN MORE CONSISTENT. IN EITHER CASE...DEEPENING SFC LOW PRESSURE IS FCST TO MOVE FROM ERN KANSAS SATURDAY NIGHT TO A POSITION ACRS WRN WISCONSIN BY SUNDAY NIGHT. WAA INDUCED PCPN WELL AHEAD OF THIS SYSTEM APPEARS THAT IT WILL BE DELAYED UNTIL AT LEAST SATURDAY AFTN AND HAVE THUS REMOVED MORNING PCPN FROM THE FCST. HAVE KEPT THE CHC OF RAIN ACRS THE REGION FOR SATURDAY AFTN. DEPENDING ON HOW TEMPS WARM ON SATURDAY AND HOW FAST WAA INDUCED PCPN REACHES THE REGION...THERE COULD STILL BE SOME PCPN TYPE ISSUES ACRS OUR NRN TIER ZONES. HAVE OPTED TO NOT TRY AND PIN DOWN THIS POTENTIAL PROBLEM ATTM...AND WILL ALLOW A FEW MORE FUTURE MODEL RUNS TO COME IN BEFORE TAKING A DIFFERENT COURSE OF ACTION. WHAT DOES SEEM DEFINITE AT THIS POINT IN TIME WILL BE THE POTENTIAL FOR HEAVY RAIN SATURDAY NIGHT INTO THE FIRST PART OF SUNDAY. SIGNIFICANT LOW LVL AND UPR LVL DYNAMICS WILL COMBINE WITH A DEEP MOISTURE SURGE STRAIGHT OUT OF THE GULF OF MEXICO TO BRING SUCH A THREAT. HAVE RAISED POPS TO THE LIKELY CATEGORY SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY. THE REGION CONTINUES TO HAVE A SNOW COVER WITH ABOUT ONE TO TWO INCHES OF WATER EQUIVALENT. IN ADDITION...THE GROUND WILL CONTINUE TO BE SEMI FROZEN THROUGH SATURDAY AS TEMPERATURES FALL BELOW FREEZING AT NIGHT. FURTHERMORE...ICE CONTINUES ACRS MANY RIVERS...CREEKS AND STREAMS ACRS THE REGION. ALL THE ABOVE INGREDIENTS POINT TO A SIGNIFICANT FLOODING EVENT SOMETIME THIS WEEKEND...CONTINUING INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. THE SEVERITY OF FLOODING WILL BE HIGHLY DEPENDENT ON HOW MUCH SNOW WATER EQUIVALENT THE REGION CAN LOSE BETWEEN NOW AND WHEN IT RAINS AND HOW MUCH ICE REMAINS ACRS AREA RIVERS AND TRIBUTARIES. WILL UPDATE FLOOD POTENTIAL OUTLOOK THIS MORNING TO HIGHLIGHT AND EMPHASIZE THE FLOOD THREAT. FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE EXTENDED...SUNDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY...COLDER AIR WILL FILTER BACK INTO THE REGION IN THE WAKE OF A COLD FRONT SUNDAY AFTN/EVENING. WRAP AROUND MOISTURE AND EMBEDDED UPR LVL DISTURBANCES WITHIN MAIN UPR LVL LOW WILL BRING A THREAT OF RAIN/SNOW SUNDAY NIGHT...AND SNOW SHOWERS ON MONDAY. SOME OF THE EXTENDED MODELS INDICATE THAT PERHAPS THE REGION WILL DRY OUT BY TUESDAY. BEING THAT THIS IS DAY SEVEN IN THE EXTENDED...HAVE OPTED TO LEAVE THIS PERIOD ALONE FOR NOW. && .IWX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... IN...FREEZING FOG ADVISORY UNTIL 3 PM EST /1 PM CST/ FOR INZ005>009-015>018-024-025. MI...FREEZING FOG ADVISORY UNTIL 3PM FOR MIZ079>080. OH...FREEZING FOG ADVISORY UNTIL 3 PM FOR OHZ001-002-004-005-015-016-024-025. LM...NONE. && $$ UPDATE...SKIPPER SHORT TERM...LOTHAMER LONG TERM....HICKMAN AVIATION...SKIPPER
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS MARQUETTE MI
415 PM EST WED FEB 21 2007 .SYNOPSIS... WV IMAGERY AND RUC ANALYSIS INDICATED A ZONAL PATTERN ACRS THE CONUS WITH A POTENT SHRTWV AND TIGHT CIRCULATION OVER NW MN. AT THE SFC(20Z)...A 998 MB LOW WAS LOCATED NEAR KINL WITH A FRONT DRAPED TO THE SOUTH THROUGH ERN MN. A 6 MB/3 HR PRES RISE MAX OVER NRN ND TRAILED A SECONDARY COLD FRONT FROM NW MN INTO S CNTRL ND. RADARS INDICATED THE INITIAL PCPN BAND...SUPPORTED BY STRONG 700-500 QVECTOR CONV AND 295K ISENTROPIC LIFT...WAS MOVING INTO W UPR MI. SO FAR...ONLY SCT PCPN LIGHT PCPN WAS NOTED OVER THE NRN MN. CANADIAN RADARS SHOWED THE MAIN SNOW BAND FROM NEAR CYQT TO THE WNW. WITH SFC TEMPS INTO THE UPPER 40S OVER NW WI INTO W UPR MI AND WARM PROFILE INDICATED ON AREA TAMDAR SNDGS...RAIN WAS NOTED OVER MOST OF THE AREA WITH SNOW FROM NE MN...KCKC TO CYQT. .SHORT TERM(TONIGHT AND THU) EXPECT THE INITIAL BAND OF PCPN TO SWING QUICKLY ACRS THE AREA WITH MAINLY RAIN BECOMING MIXED WITH OR CHANGING TO SNOW THIS EVENING AS THE PCPN MOVES INTO THE COLDER AIR TO THE NORTHEAST. SOME EVAPORATIVE COOLING INTO THE 950-700 DRY LAYER ALONG WITH DYNAMICS LIFT AS THE AREA OF STRONG QVECTOR CONV AND HEIGHT FALLS MOVE IN SHOULD ALSO AID IN TRANSITION TO SNOW. UPSTREAM TRENDS AND NAM/GFS/LAPSWRF-ARW SUGGEST QPF TO AROUND 0.10 INCH WOULD BE POSSIBLE FROM LATE AFTERNOON THROUGH EARLY EVENING. HOWEVER...WITH WARM TEMPS ANY SNOWFALL THIS EVENING SHOULD REMAIN LESS THAN INCH...EXCEPT OVER THE NRN KEWEENAW WHERE A QUICK INCH OR TWO MAY BE POSSIBLE. AS THE LOW MOVES THROUGH ERN LK SUPERIOR AROUND 06Z AND TO NEAR THE NORTH END OF LK HURON BY 12Z STRONG WINDS AND WRAP-ROUND MOISTURE WILL MOVE INTO NORTH AND EAST UPPER MI. THE 12Z/18Z NAM IN GENERALLY AGREEMENT WITH THE GFS/CANADIAN GEM SHOWED A REASONABLE DEPICTION OF THE EXPECTED LOW TRACK AND WAS USED FOR THE DETAILS. THE STRONGEST ISALLOBARIC PUSH AHEAD OF A 7 MB/3 HR PRES RISE MAX LINED UP BEST WITH THE PREVAILING NW OR NNW WINDS NEAR 12Z FROM MARQUETTE EASTWARD. THE KEWEENAW IS ALSO CLOSE ENOUGH TO THIS FEATURE TO SEE STRONG WINDS AFTER MIDNIGHT. SO...EXPECT WINDS INTO THE 20-30 MPH RANGE WITH SOME GUSTS TO 40-50 MPH FOR SEVERAL HOURS...ESPECIALLY THE LAKE SHORE AND OVER EXPPOSED HIGHER TERRAIN. ALTHOUGH THE 850 MB TEMPS TO AROUND -10C WILL ONLY PROVIDE MARGINAL INSTABILITY...THE CONVERGENT CYCLONIC FLOW AND DEEP MOISTURE SHOULD BE ENOUGH TO PRODUCE LAKE ENHANCED SNOW WITH AMOUNTS IN THE 1-3 INCH RANGE. SO...SN/BLSN ADVY WAS ISSUED TO COVER THE COMBINATION OF HAZARDS EXPECTED LATE TONIGHT INTO THU MORNING. AS THE DEEPER MOISTURE DEPARTS BY MIDDAY AND THE SFC RDG BUILDS TOWARD THE AREA ANY LES SHOULD TAPER OFF QUICKLY WITH ONLY MINIMAL ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATIONS. && .LONG TERM (THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY)... MAIN FORECAST DILEMMA THIS PERIOD WILL BE OUR WEEKEND STORM SYSTEM...WINDS ACROSS THE LAKES AND SNOW. NO LARGE SCALE CHANGES WERE MADE WITH THIS FORECAST PACKAGE...AND SINCE THIS STORM IS STILL SEVERAL DAYS AWAY...WILL NOT DO MUCH MORE THAN REFRESH THE WORDING IN THE HWO TO HIGHLIGHT THE SCALE OF THE SYSTEM. WILL BEGIN THE PERIOD THURSDAY NIGHT WITH THE SURFACE LOW AND INVERTED TROUGH CONTINUING TO SLOWLY EXIT THE AREA...AS HIGH PRESSURE SLIDES IN FROM NORTHWESTERN ONTARIO. EVEN WITH THE RIDGE OVERHEAD...A FEW LAKE EFFECT FLURRIES ALONG THE AREA MAY STILL BE POSSIBLE...GIVEN NE WINDS DEVELOPING AS COOL 850MB TEMPS SLIDE IN. 850MB TEMPS WILL BE THE COOLEST...AT LEAST COMPARED TO THE PAST SEVERAL DAYS...WITH LAKESHORE READINGS AROUND -15C THURSDAY EVENING. AFTERWARD...WITH THE LARGE RIDGE TAKING HOLD...YET ANOTHER WARMING TREND IS FIGURED...WITH 850MB TEMPERATURE READINGS BECOMING TOO WARM TO PRODUCE LAKE EFFECT PRECIPITATION. HIGH CLOUDS ARE FIGURED TO ENCROACH ON THE REGION FRIDAY AFTERNOON...WITH A SLOW THICKENING AND LOWERING THROUGH SATURDAY AFTERNOON. HIGH PRESSURE WILL THEN GENERALLY BE IN CONTROL OF THE REGION THROUGH THE END OF THE WORK WEEK...BEFORE BEING SQUEEZED OUT OF THE PICTURE AHEAD OF OUR NEXT STORM SYSTEM. DID MAKE MINOR CHANGES TO OVERNIGHT LOW TEMPERATURES FRIDAY NIGHT INTO SATURDAY MORNING...COOLER EAST AND WARMER WEST UNDER MORE ABUNDANT CLOUDS. THE 500MB RIDGE WILL BE DIRECTLY OVERHEAD FROM 12Z SATURDAY THROUGH 12Z SUNDAY. WE WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SYSTEM ACROSS THE FOUR CORNERS REGION FRIDAY NIGHT INTO SATURDAY. ONCE AGAIN AT 500MB...THE NAM IS THE FIST OF THE OUTLIERS TO BE NOTED...DEVELOPING THE CUT OFF LOW MUCH FURTHER SOUTH AND EASTWARD BY 06Z SATURDAY. AT THIS POINT...12Z SATURDAY...THE CANADIAN AND ECMWF...SLOWER AND SLIGHTLY MORE NORTHWEST WITH THIS FEATURE SEEM TO BE ON THE MARK. THE GFS IS BEING SINGLED OUT WITH POSSIBLE FEEDBACK ISSUES OVER THE SOUTHERN PLAINS STATES TO START OUT THE WEEKEND. THIS MAY BE RESULTING IN A SOLUTION THAT IS CLOSER TO THE NAM. IT TOO HAS BEEN DISCREDITED FOR OUR WEEKEND STORM SYSTEM. AS A RESULT...HAVE UTILIZED HPC GRIDS...WHICH IS A COMBINATION OF THE SLOWER AND MORE NORTHWESTWARD ECMWF AND TO A LESSER EXTEND THE CANADIAN MODEL. THE 12Z GFS SEEMED TO HAVE AN EVEN BETTER GRASP ON THE SITUATION...BEING CONSISTENT WITH ITS 06Z RUN...AND NOT TOO FAR FROM THE PREVIOUSLY FAVORED ECMWF SOLUTION. TAKING A BETTER LOOK AT THE SURFACE PATTERN...THE LOW DEVELOPING OFF THE ROCKIES FRIDAY NIGHT INTO SATURDAY MORNING WILL PROGRESS OUR WAY. IT IS ANTICIPATED TO BE OVER SOUTHERN WISCONSIN BY 00Z MONDAY...BEFORE SLIDING ACROSS CENTRAL LAKE MICHIGAN OVERNIGHT AND OVER THE NORTHCENTRAL MICHIGAN BY 12Z MONDAY. WITH THE LOW TRACKING THAT FAR TO THE SOUTH OF THE UPPER PENINSULA...IT WILL BE DIFFICULT TO WRAP ENOUGH WARM AIR AROUND...TO PRODUCED ANY MIXED PRECIPITATION. THE WARMEST 850MB TEMPS OVER THIS TIME PERIOD ARE -3 TO -4C 00-12Z SUNDAY ACROSS LUCE...EASTERN ALGER AND DELTA COUNTIES. SO...HAVE KEPT SNOW ONLY. AFTER THIS SYSTEM KICKS OUT OF THE FORECAST AREA MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY...A ZONAL TO MORE RIDGE TYPE PATTERN WILL SET UP ACROSS THE NATION...AND IN PARTICULAR THE UPPER PENINSULA. && .MQT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW ADVISORY FROM 5 AM TO 1 PM EST THURSDAY FOR MIZ006-007-014-085. SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW ADVISORY FROM 3 AM TO 11 AM EST THURSDAY FOR MIZ005. SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW ADVISORY FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 11 AM EST THURSDAY FOR MIZ001-003. GALE WARNING LAKE SUPERIOR AND LAKE MICHIGAN. && $$ .SHORT TERM...JLB .LONG TERM...KF