Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS St. Louis, MO
Issued by NWS St. Louis, MO
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417 FXUS63 KLSX 300419 AFDLSX Area Forecast Discussion...Updated Aviation National Weather Service Saint Louis MO 1019 PM CST Sat Nov 29 2025 .KEY MESSAGES... - Parts of the Winter Storm Warning and most of the Winter Weather Advisory have been cancelled. Precipitation will end from west to east this afternoon into this evening as a cold front passes through the area. - Another system will bring the area snow Monday into Monday night. This could produce additional significant snow accumulations. - Temperatures are expected to remain below normal through the end of next week. && .SHORT TERM... (Through Late Sunday Night) Issued at 241 PM CST Sat Nov 29 2025 Precipitation will taper off from west to east through the remainder of the afternoon into this evening. Nearly the entire forecast area is above freezing at 200 PM, and the rain/snow line, which stalled earlier, looks like it`s moving northward again. Have therefore dropped most of the Advisory and a bit of the warning early, and I anticipate being able to drop the remainder of the headlines early as well. The short wave causing our wintry weather has taken on a negative tilt, and the surface low is lifting northeast through Missouri at this time. This will continue to pull the warm front north, and continue to increase temperatures this afternoon. The latest RAP shows the cold front moving from near Columbia MO at 23Z to near Salem Illinois by about 04Z. Cold dry air behind the front will bring an end to any lingering precipitation. The dry air should help roads dry out as well, particularly with the strong and gusty winds expected behind the front. However, temperatures are expected to fall below freezing within 2-4 hours after the front passes, so any remaining water on roadways will be in danger of freezing. Expect lows ranging from the mid teens to the low 20s across the area. Strong and gusty winds will diminish on Sunday as high pressure builds into the Midwest. Highs on Sunday will be around 10 degrees colder on Sunday in the mid 20s to low 30s. Lows Sunday night drop into the teens in most locations. Carney && .LONG TERM... (Monday through Next Saturday) Issued at 241 PM CST Sat Nov 29 2025 Attention turns to the next upstream short wave which looks increasingly likely to bring us another round of snow on Monday and Monday night. The atmosphere will be cold enough through this event that all the precipitation will be snow, and snow/liquid ratios are forecast to be in the 10-15:1 range. Additionally, the ground will be cold leading into the event due to the cold airmass which builds in the day before, so everything that falls will accumulate. There now looks to be an initial wave of warm advection snow forced by southerly 850mb flow ahead of the wave. However, the surface high will be over the Ohio Valley, pushing dry air at low levels back into our area. This will make it difficult for the snow to reach the ground, at least initially. The low levels will eventually moisten up enough for the snow to reach the ground late Monday morning into the afternoon...generally along and north of the I-70 corridor. Another round of snow will develop as the short wave move through Monday evening/overnight forced by mid-level frontogenesis. NBM probability of 1 inch or greater from 6 AM Monday to 6 AM Tuesday is 60+ percent along and north of I-70, and as high as 80-85 percent in a band across northern Missouri into central Illinois. The probability of 2 inches or greater drops to around 60 percent in this band and only 30-50 percent farther south. This may be under done. Frontogenetical forcing tends to produce bands of heavier precipitation which can linger over one spot for long periods of time. There are early indications in the CAMs that go out that far, particularly the HiRes-FV3. The NBM is unlikely to pick up on f-gen bands that far out. I would not be surprised to see snowfall totals in excess of 3 inches in some spots by the time the snow ends. The short wave pushes another cold airmass into the Mississippi Valley into the Gulf. Temperatures on Tuesday will struggle to reach the upper 20s to mid 30s again as the high builds across the region. Temperatures will be warmer Wednesday on the northwest side of the high in return flow. Current indications are that most of the area will warm above freezing into the the mid 30s in northeast Missouri and west central Illinois to the mid 40s across the eastern Ozarks. Ensemble guidance begins to show divergence in the pattern beyond Wednesday. Another short wave moves into the Midwest Wednesday/Wednesday night which could produce another round of light precip. However, there are signs that the high to our southeast will block moisture return, so the wave may not have much to work with. One way or another, the wave ushers another cold high pressure system into the Mississippi Valley. It`s unclear how far south the cold air will push therefore there is a great deal of uncertainty in the temperature forecast. LREF temperature IQRs increase from only 3-4 degrees on Wednesday to as much as 8-12 degrees on Thursday through Saturday. Carney && .AVIATION... (For the 06z TAFs through 06z Sunday Night) Issued at 1004 PM CST Sat Nov 29 2025 Lingering rain continues to exit the CWA. Meanwhile, as of 04z a cold front is nearly completely through the CWA, with gusty winds out of the west behind it. Winds will remain gusty overnight before gradually diminishing and veering to the northwest during the day Sunday. Flight conditions will improve during the day, but there is uncertainty regarding how quickly and if/how quickly MVFR ceilings return. Jaja && .LSX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MO...None. IL...None. && $$ WFO LSX