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000
FXUS63 KDLH 272048
AFDDLH

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DULUTH MN
248 PM CST TUE JAN 27 2015

.SHORT TERM...(THIS EVENING THROUGH WEDNESDAY)
ISSUED AT 247 PM CST TUE JAN 27 2015

MAIN CONCERNS IN THE SHORT TERM ARE FOCUSED AROUND THE POTENTIAL
FOR LIGHT SNOW ALONG THE BORDERLAND TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY
MORNING...AND THE NEXT SHOT OF A WINTRY MIX WEDNESDAY AND WED
NIGHT. A MIX OF SNOW...SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN IS POSSIBLE...AND
WINTER WEATHER HEADLINES MAY BE NEEDED.

WEAK UPPER LEVEL RIDGE ORIENTED FROM WRN QUEBEC INTO THE UPPER
MIDWEST THIS AFTERNOON WITH AN ASSOCIATED SFC RIDGE AXIS FURTHER
TO THE E/SE. ON THE WRN EDGE OF THIS RIDGE THERE IS AN AREA OF
FAIRLY STRONG WAA OVER THE NRN PLAINS. INDICATIVE OF THIS WARM
AIR ARE THE UPPER 60 AND LOWER 70 DEGREE TEMPERATURES IN WRN SOUTH
DAKOTA. CONDITIONS ARE NOT AS PLEASANT ACROSS THE NORTHLAND WITH
MUCH OF THE REGION ENSHROUDED IN CLOUD COVER AND TEMPERATURES IN
THE UPPER 20S AND LOWER 30S. STILL NOT TOO BAD FOR LATE JANUARY.

THE DOME OF WARM AIR OVER THE PLAINS TODAY WILL GRADUALLY SHIFT
TO THE SOUTHEAST AS THE RIDGE BREAKS DOWN AND THE NEXT UPPER S/W
AND SFC LOW MOVE IN FROM THE NW. A WEAK LEAD WAVE...AHEAD OF THE
MAIN TROUGH WILL PASS THROUGH WRN ONTARIO AND BRUSH PORTIONS OF
THE ARROWHEAD AND BORDERLAND REGION WITH LIGHT SNOW TONIGHT AND
WEDNESDAY MORNING. ONLY LIGHT SNOW AMTS ARE EXPECTED.

THE BRUNT NEXT WINTER SYSTEM WILL BEGIN TO MOVE INTO N-CENTRAL MN
LATE WEDNESDAY MORNING WITH A MIX OF SNOW AND FREEZING
RAIN/DRIZZLE...THAT WILL SPREAD TO THE SOUTH THROUGH THE
AFTERNOON. AS THE PRECIPITATION MOVES IN...A COLDER AIR MASS WILL
AS WELL. BUT NOT BEFORE THE WEDGE OF WARM AIR IN THE MID LEVELS
CAN ALTER THE PRECIPITATION TYPE TO A WINTRY MIX...MAINLY ALONG
AND SOUTH OF A LINE PARALLEL TO HIGHWAY 2. THE BULK OF THE
PRECIP...NAMELY HEAVY SNOW...WITH THIS SYSTEM WILL FALL NORTH OF
THE INTERNATIONAL BORDER...CLOSER TO THE UPPER LEVEL FORCING AND
ALONG A AREA OF ENHANCED MID LEVEL F-GEN. HOWEVER...NE MN AND NW
WI WILL SEE LIGHTER PRECIP...BUT STILL ENOUGH TO CAUSE POTENTIALLY
HAZARDOUS TRAVEL/ROAD CONDITIONS DURING THE DAY WED AND WED NIGHT.
COULD SEE 1 TO 2 INCHES OF SNOW ACROSS THE ARROWHEAD...AND LIGHT
ICE ACCUMULATIONS POSSIBLE FROM WASKISH TO THE TWIN PORTS AND INTO
NW WI. ANOTHER ROUND OF WINTER WEATHER ADVISORIES COULD BE NEEDED.

.LONG TERM...(THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY)
ISSUED AT 247 PM CST TUE JAN 27 2015

A STRONG COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH THE NORTHLAND EARLY THURSDAY
IN THE WAKE OF A PASSING CLIPPER SYSTEM. THERE WILL BE STRONG COLD
AIR ADVECTION DURING THE DAY. PARTLY TO MOSTLY CLOUDY SKIES SHOULD
ENSURE THAT THE CAA RESULTS IN FALLING TEMPERATURES THROUGH THE
DAY...SO HIGHS WILL BE IN THE MORNING. THE NAM12 AND GFS MODEL
SOUNDINGS ARE SHOWING A MIXING LAYER PACKING QUITE A BIT OF
NORTHERLY WIND. NOT SURE IF THE LAPSE RATES WILL BE SUFFICIENT
ENOUGH TO DRAW DOWN THE 35 TO 40 KNOTS OF WIND THOSE SOUNDINGS ARE
SHOWING IN THE MIXING LAYER...BUT SUBSTANTIALLY INCREASING THE
SUSTAINED WIND AND WIND GUST FORECAST OVER THE PREVIOUS FORECAST
SEEMED WARRANTED. THERE WILL LIKELY BE AT LEAST WIDESPREAD NNW WINDS
OF 10 TO 20 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 30 MPH. THERE COULD BE SNOW
FLURRIES AND LIGHT ACCUMULATING SNOW...PRIMARILY IN NW WISCONSIN DUE
TO LAKE ENHANCEMENT. OVERALL...THURSDAY LOOKS LIKE A BLUSTERY DAY
WHICH WILL PUT AN END TO OUR RECENT RELATIVELY WARM WEATHER.

HIGH PRESSURE WILL MOVE INTO THE NORTHLAND THURSDAY NIGHT. THE LIGHT
WINDS WILL PROMOTE RADIATIONAL COOLING...BUT LINGERING CLOUD COVER
COULD PROMOTE THE OPPOSITE. IT APPEARS THERE WILL BE NW TO WNW WINDS
OF 10 TO 15 KNOTS ALOFT THROUGH THE NIGHT...DESPITE THE SURFACE
WINDS BECOMING VERY LIGHT. THE NW WINDS ALOFT COULD MAINTAIN THE
CLOUD COVER. NONETHELESS...LOWERED THE THURSDAY NIGHT LOW
TEMPERATURES BASED ON A WIDE BLEND. LOWS WILL LIKELY BE NEAR OR UP
TO SEVERAL DEGREES BELOW ZERO.

SOUTHWEST FLOW WILL DEVELOP FRIDAY IN THE WAKE OF THE PASSING HIGH
PRESSURE AND IN ADVANCE OF AN APPROACHING CLIPPER IN SASKATCHEWAN
AND MANITOBA. THE INFLUX OF WARMER AIR SHOULD ALLOW TEMPERATURES TO
RECOVER 15 TO 20 DEGREES BY FRIDAY AFTERNOON. HIGHS WILL BE ABOUT 5
DEGREES BELOW NORMAL.

ANOTHER WEAK CLIPPER SYSTEM WILL MOVE THROUGH THE NORTHLAND FRIDAY
NIGHT AND EARLY SATURDAY. THIS COULD BRING ANOTHER DUSTING OF SNOW
TO THE FORECAST AREA. THE NORTHERN FA APPEARS TO HAVE THE BEST
CHANCE OF SEEING THIS DUSTING.

A PROLONGED PERIOD OF COLD N TO NW FLOW WILL DEVELOP SATURDAY IN THE
WAKE OF THE CLIPPER AND ITS COLD FRONT...AND CONTINUE THROUGH
MONDAY. THIS WILL LEAD TO ANOTHER COOLING TREND. TEMPERATURES WILL
LIKELY BE 15 TO 20 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL DURING THIS TIME. WIND CHILL
TEMPERATURES MIGHT FLIRT WITH READINGS OF -20 DEGREES OR COLDER AT
NIGHT...BOTH SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY NIGHT. THE SNOWBELT REGION OF
NW WISCONSIN WILL LIKELY GET LIGHT LAKE EFFECT SNOW SUNDAY INTO
MONDAY DUE TO THE COLD NW FLOW OVER WESTERN LAKE SUPERIOR.

&&

.AVIATION...(FOR THE 18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON)
ISSUED AT 1205 PM CST TUE JAN 27 2015

THE LATEST FORECASTS REFLECT INCREASING CONFIDENCE THAT THE
WIDESPREAD IFR/MVFR CIGS OVER NE MINNESOTA AND NW WISCONSIN EARLY
THIS AFTERNOON WILL CONTINUE THROUGH EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING.
THE PREVIOUS 12Z FORECASTS ISSUED EARLY THIS MORNING WERE CALLING
FOR AN EVENTUAL RETURN TO VFR CONDITIONS THIS AFTERNOON OR
TONIGHT. NOT ONLY WILL THE IFR/MVFR CIGS LIKELY CONTINUE THROUGH
EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING...BUT THE CONDITIONS WILL LIKELY
DETERIORATE TO LIFR LATE WEDNESDAY MORNING AS S TO SE WINDS PUMP
WARM AND MOIST AIR INTO THE REGION.


&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
DLH  25  33  23  24 /   0  30  50  10
INL  27  32  14  16 /  20  30  60  10
BRD  27  34  21  22 /  10  20  40   0
HYR  24  34  27  27 /   0  10  50  20
ASX  25  36  27  28 /   0  10  50  20

&&

.DLH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
MN...NONE.
WI...NONE.
LS...NONE.
&&

$$

SHORT TERM...BJT
LONG TERM...GROCHOCINSKI
AVIATION...GROCHOCINSKI