FXUS63 KMPX 252337
AFDMPX

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
537 PM CST WED NOV 25 2009

.DISCUSSION...

SINCE NOON...RADAR RETURNS NORTH OF THE TWIN CITIES HAVE
INDICATED A GENERAL INCREASE IN AREAL COVERAGE OF THE -RA/-DZ.
HOWEVER...SEVERAL FACTORS HAS LIMITED -SN ACROSS MOST OF
CENTRAL/EAST- CENTRAL/PORTIONS OF SOUTH-CENTRAL MN...AS WELL AS
WEST-CENTRAL WISCONSIN.

THESE FACTORS ARE...
FIRST...PERSISTENT WARM BOUNDARY LAYER ACROSS THE EASTERN 1/2 OF
CWA. THIS CONTINUES TO BE NOTED ON THE 13KM RUC WHICH HAS THE MAX
WET-BULB LAYER (0-500M) OVER +1.5C BISECTING THE CWA FROM THE
WEST TO EAST. THIS IS USUALLY IS A GOOD INDICATOR OF WHERE THE
TRANSITION OF SN TO RA IS. SECONDLY...SATELLITE TRENDS AND IMAGERY
NOTED THAT NOT ALL OF THE CLOUDS ACROSS THE CWA HAD CLOUD ICE
NUCLEI...WHICH IS NEEDED FOR -SN. THERE HAS BEEN A FEW REPORTING
STATIONS IN WESTERN MN WHICH HAD -SN BECOME -RA BUT CRITICAL
TEMPERATURES REMAINED THE SAME (BASICALLY CLOUDS TEMPERATURES WERE
ABOVE -10C). NOW...USING THE RUC 13KM MAX WET-BULB LAYER...IT
REMAINS TOO WARM FOR MOST OF THE EASTERN 1/4 OF CWA TO SWITCH OVER
TO -SN UNTIL THIS EVENING. THE TWIN CITIES METRO AREA WILL BE
TRANSITIONING BETWEEN THE -SN IN THE WESTERN SUBURBS BY 5 PM...BUT
IT MAY BE UNTIL 7 OR 8 PM UNTIL THE EASTERN SUBURBS TURN OVER TO
ALL SNOW. THEREFORE...WITH MOST OF THE DEEP LAYER MOISTURE QUICKLY
EXITING THE STATE FROM NW TO SE...SNOWFALL AMTS WILL BE LIMITED
AND MAINLY FOR THE FAR SE CWA WHERE THE MOISTURE/TEMPERATURES AND
LIFT WILL BE MAXIMIZED LATER TODAY/THIS EVENING. A QUICK ONE TO
TWO INCHES WILL BE POSSIBLE AROUND OWATONNA...CANNON FALLS AND
NORTHFIELD.

BY 06Z...NEARLY ALL OF THE DEEP MOISTURE AND SYNOPTIC SCALE LIFT
WILL BE ACROSS SOUTHERN WISCONSIN. SO HAVE TRENDED TO JUST
FLURRIES IN THE FAR SE AFTER MIDNIGHT.

NOT MUCH CHANGE IN THE EXTENDED PERIOD AS MOST OF THE ENERGY WILL
BE ACROSS CANADA AND THE SOUTHERN U.S. FOR THE BULK OF THE 7 DAY
PERIOD AFTER TONIGHT. SOME MODIFICATION ARE NOTED IN TEMPERATURES
FOR FRI/SAT...AS THICKNESS VALUES INDICATE MID TO UPPER 40S
POSSIBLE ACROSS SOUTHERN MN. 

AS WITH PREVIOUS DISCUSSION...THE MEDIUM RANGE FORECAST PERIOD IS
HIGHLY DEPENDENT ON HOW THE SOUTHERN/NORTHERN JET STREAMS PHASES
OR DO NOT. TYPICALLY...DURING THE EL NINO YEARS...THE SOUTHERN JET
IS MORE LIKELY TO INFLUENCE THE MAIN WEATHER ELEMENTS ACROSS THE
LOWER 48 STATES. THESE TRENDS IN THE CURRENT MODELS SEEM TO BE
TRUE...AT LEAST THRU NEXT WEDNESDAY. ONE ITEM TO NOTE...PAST
WEDNESDAY OF NEXT WEEK...LONGER RANGE MODELS ARE INDICATING A
SIGNIFICANT CHANCE IN THE UPPER LEVEL FLOW. WITH THE FLOW
CURRENTLY MORE MODIFIED AND PACIFIC AIRMASS ORIENTED...BY THE END
OF NEXT WEEK...THERE COULD BE MORE OF AN ARCTIC TYPE OF AIRMASS
MOVING INTO THE UPPER MIDWEST. TIME WILL TELL! ..JLT..

&&

.AVIATION.../00Z TAF ISSUANCE/ 

TWO UPPER LOWS ARE PHASING INTO ONE ACROSS WI THROUGH EARLY THIS
EVE. ON THE NORTHWEST SIDE OF THIS SYSTEM...AN AREA OF ENHANCED
RAIN AND INTERMITTENT LIGHT SNOW DEVELOPED LATE THIS AFTN JUST
SOUTH OF KMSP AND WILL TRANSLATE SOUTHEAST THROUGH THIS EVE. OTHER
SIMILAR POCKETS OR BANDS OF MODERATE RAIN AND INTERMITTENT LIGHT
SNOW MAY DEVELOP OVER WRN WI THROUGH 04Z GIVEN THE ATMOSPHERIC
SETUP. RAIN IS STILL EXPECTED TO BE THE DOMINANT TYPE OF PRECIP
AT KMSP AND WI TAF SITES THROUGH THIS EVE BEFORE IT ENDS. MVFR
CIGS WILL PREVAIL MUCH OF TONIGHT AT TAF SITES...WITH POSSIBLE IFR
AT TIMES AT KEAU. MOST CONFIDENT IN THESE LOWER IFR CIGS SHOWING
UP EARLY ON IN THE TAF PERIOD DURING THE ONGOING PRECIP. A HOLE OF
VFR CIGS HAS DEVELOPED NEAR KSTC AND THE NORTHWEST METRO AND COULD
CLIP KMSP HERE SHORTLY. THE SUPPRESSION THAT HAS CAUSED THIS WILL
GRADUALLY WEAKEN THIS EVE...SO BELIEVE THIS HOLE WILL BE SHORT-
LIVED AND MVFR WILL BE THE DOMINANT CLOUD CATEGORY TONIGHT.
LIFTING AND SCATTERING OF CLOUDS IS EXPECTED TO REACH KMSP
SOMETIME BETWEEN 11Z AND 16Z AND CONTINUE WITH THE MIDDLE OF THAT
WINDOW AS IN PREV TAF. VFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED FOR THANKSGIVING
LATE MORNING AND AFTERNOON. WINDS WILL REMAIN BREEZY THROUGH
TONIGHT AND INTO THANKSGIVING MORNING THANKS TO A TIGHTENING
PRESSURE GRADIENT AND A COLD AIR ADVECTION PATTERN. WINDS SHOULD
REMAIN BETWEEN 320 AND 340 DEGREES TONIGHT THEN BACK SLIGHTLY
DURING THE DAY TOMORROW.

&&

.MPX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
MN...NONE.
WI...NONE.
&&

$$

JLT/MTF