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000
FXUS63 KMPX 311827 AAB
AFDMPX

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
1227 PM CST SAT JAN 31 2015

.SHORT TERM...(TODAY AND TONIGHT)
ISSUED AT 313 AM CST SAT JAN 31 2015

A VERY POTENT STORM SYSTEM WILL BEGIN TO ORGANIZE ACROSS THE CENTRAL
CONUS OVER THE NEXT 24-36 HRS. THE MAIN CONCERN IN MN IS WHETHER THE
MUCH DRIER AIR FROM CANADA WILL SUPPRESS THE DEEPER MOISTURE TO OUR
SOUTH...LEADING TO ONLY FLURRIES ACROSS SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL
MN...WITH THE BULK OF ANY MEASURABLE PRECIPITATION ALONG AND SOUTH
OF THE IA/MN BORDER.

ALTHOUGH SHORT TERM MODELS HAVE DONE A GOOD JOB WITH THE SPREAD OF
PRECIPITATION ACROSS KS/NE...THE COLD FRONT THAT WAS MOVING ACROSS
SOUTHERN MN EARLY THIS MORNING HAS BROUGHT MUCH DRIER AIR INTO
NORTHERN MN. REGIONAL SATELLITE IMAGERY NOTED THIS MUCH DRIER AIR
ERODING THE CLOUD COVER ACROSS THE FAR NW CORNER OF MN. USUALLY
MODELS HAVE A HARD TIME SPREADING TOO MUCH MOISTURE NORTHWARD IN
THIS TYPE OF SCENARIO WITH A COLD/DRY N/NE FLOW DEVELOPING.
ESPECIALLY CONSIDERING WIND SPDS WILL INCREASE DURING THE
AFTN/EVENING...LEADING TO FURTHER DRYING IN THE LOW LEVELS. WITH
THIS IN MIND...THERE WILL BE A VERY SHARP CUTOFF ON MEASURABLE
PRECIPITATION...TO FLURRIES AT BEST FROM SOUTH TO NORTH. CONSIDERING
QPF AMTS ALONG THE MN/IA BORDER AND THE AMT OF FORCING EXPECTED LATE
TONIGHT AND INTO SUNDAY MORNING...THERE COULD BE A PERIOD OF
MODERATE SNOWFALL ALONG THE IA/MN BORDER. CURRENT GRIDS HAVE
SNOWFALL AMTS OF 3-5 INCHES IN THE FAR SOUTHERN TIER OF MPX CWA.
THIS IS TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THE DRIER AIR AND SNOWFALL RATIOS VS.
QPF AMTS. LATER SHIFTS COULD ISSUE A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR FAR
SOUTHERN MN...BUT THE UNCERTAINTY OF THE AMT OF DRY AIR VS. FORCING
REMAINS LOW. NO OTHER CONCERNS THRU SUNDAY MORNING AS THE STORM
SYSTEM BEGINS TO MOVE OFF TO THE E/SE INTO THE OHIO VALLEY.

.LONG TERM...(SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY)
ISSUED AT 313 AM CST SAT JAN 31 2015

LONG TERM FORECAST CONCERNS ARE RATHER MINIMAL...AND PRIMARILY
REVOLVE AROUND SNOWFALL CHANCES ON TUESDAY ALONG WITH THE COLD
START TO FEBRUARY.

IN THE WAKE OF THE SYSTEM ON SUNDAY...SEMI-ZONAL MID LEVEL FLOW
WILL DEVELOP INTO THE BEGINNING OF NEXT WEEK. AT THE
SURFACE...THE HIGH PRESSURE AREA OF ARCTIC ORIGIN WILL YIELD
TEMPERATURES RANGING FROM 5 TO 15 DEGREES BELOW CLIMATOLOGICAL
NORMALS.

ON MONDAY...THE AFOREMENTIONED SURFACE HIGH SLIPS OFF TO THE
SOUTHEAST AS ANOTHER CLIPPER-LIKE SYSTEM APPROACHES FROM THE
NORTHWEST. LOW LEVEL WARM AIR ADVECTION AHEAD OF THE ASSOCIATED
TROUGH WILL INITIATE A WEAK MODERATION IN TEMPERATURES ON
TUESDAY...WITH HIGHS SNEAKING CLOSER TO NORMAL...BUT STILL
SLIGHTLY BELOW WITH READINGS RANGING FROM AROUND 20 TO 25
DEGREES. WHILE WE COULD SEE SNOW DEVELOP AS EARLY AS MONDAY
EVENING AS A WEAK POTENTIAL VORTICITY ELEMENT PASSES OVER...THE
BETTER FORCING AND MOISTURE ADVECTION ARRIVE AS THE TROUGH PASSES
ON TUESDAY. ACCUMULATIONS IN THE HALF INCH TO 2 INCH RANGE APPEAR
APPROPRIATE.

AFTER TUESDAY...THE REMAINDER OF THE WORK WEEK LOOKS TO BE DRY
OVERALL...WITH TEMPERATURES WARMING BACK TO NEAR OR ABOVE NORMAL
VALUES FOR NEXT WEEKEND.

&&

.AVIATION...(FOR THE 18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z SUNDAY AFTERNOON)
ISSUED AT 1203 PM CST SAT JAN 31 2015

IFR OR MVFR CIGS IN PLACE ACROSS SRN MN AND WI...WITH AGGRESSIVE
CLEARING SINKING SOUTH INTO CENTRAL MN. IT IS UNCLEAR HOW FAR
SOUTH THE CLEARING WILL GET BEFORE STALLING THIS EVENING.
HOWEVER...IT COULD REACH MSP AND RWF BY LATE AFTERNOON FOR A TIME.
MOISTURE WILL ADVANCE NORTHWARD THIS EVENING WITH SNOW INCHING
INTO FAR SRN MN AROUND 00Z. RWF WILL BE IMPACTED THE MOST WITH
LITTLE OR NO SNOW AT THE OTHER TAF LOCATIONS. MAY SEE AN INCH OR
TWO AT RWF BY SUNDAY AFTERNOON.

KMSP...MVFR CIG LIKELY TO CONTINUE THROUGH AT LEAST MID
AFTERNOON...BUT COULD VERY WELL PERSIST THROUGH MOST OF THE PERIOD
DEPENDING HOW THE CLEARING EVOLVES TO THE NORTH. WILL CONTINUE TO
MONITOR FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS.

/OUTLOOK FOR KMSP/
MON...VFR. WIND SW 5-10KT.
TUE...CHC MVFR/-SN. WIND W 5 KT.
WED...VFR. WIND NW 10-15 KT.

&&

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

$$

SHORT TERM...JLT
LONG TERM...LS
AVIATION...BORGHOFF