Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Marquette, MI
Issued by NWS Marquette, MI
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785 FXUS63 KMQT 091816 AFDMQT Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Marquette MI 216 PM EDT Thu May 9 2024 .KEY MESSAGES... - Clipper system brings chances for thunderstorms to the far western areas of Upper Michigan Friday afternoon and Friday evening. - Chances for thunderstorms return on Sunday for the west and central portions of the Upper Peninsula. - Multiple passing low pressure systems will keep rain and thunder chances in the forecast next week, but uncertainty on timing and track remains. && .SHORT TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... Issued at 216 PM EDT Thu May 9 2024 Deeper moisture associated with a midlevel trough pivoting through the Lower Great Lakes continues to settle south of the forecast area. Meanwhile, a shortwave ridge axis extends northeastward from eastern MT to near Hudson Bay. Strong subsidence between these features continues to spread into the UP, and surface ridging will continue to build in overnight. Very dry airmass evident on low- level water vapor imagery supports model forecast PWATs falling to around 0.25 inches, or -1 to -2 standard deviations tonight. Diurnal cu/sc exist in various areas across the UP this afternoon, including along a convergence boundary where better low-level moisture still exists on the inland side of the Lake Michigan lake breeze circulation. These should quickly dissipate with the loss of diurnal heating tonight, leaving mostly clear skies aside from possibly a bit of midlevel cloudiness over the eastern UP. It looks like an ideal setup for radiational cooling, especially over the western half where the high will be centered, so took low temps down a couple of notches by blending in METMOS guidance. This should yield upper 20s over the west half and low/mid 30s elsewhere. && .LONG TERM /TONIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... Issued at 447 AM EDT Thu May 9 2024 Dry weather ends Friday afternoon as shortwave over the Manitoba/Ontario province line dives southeast into Upper MI and WI. Mixing ahead of the shortwave is expected to result in lower RHs into the upper 20s to 30s. That being said, there are no major fire weather concerns as highs for the day are expected in the mid 50s to mid 60s (cooler near the lakeshores), winds are expected to remain light below 15 mph, and precip is on the way. Some lake breezes are also likely late morning/early afternoon off both lakes which should help RHs recover some and result in some variable winds. PVA kicks off showers mainly after 2 PM EDT over the far west. As the cold front moves east over the UP then, showers move east with it. With mid level lapse rates ~7C/km and the 5/9 0z HREF mean MUCAPE around 100j/kg (individual models plotting up to 200-400j/kg) there is a slight chance for thunderstorms over the far western UP. That said, bulk shear is lacking (mainly below 25 kts) and the forcing mechanisms do not appear as strong later in the day. Severe weather is not expected. Chances for showers continue east across the UP Friday night as temps fall into the mid 30s to mid 40s. As the trough moves southeast toward New England on Saturday, additional shortwave energy advects over the UP suppling enough forcing for some slight chances of showers, mainly over the east on Saturday. Chances for showers and thunderstorms return again on Sunday as a sfc low over northern Ontario moves east, tracking a cold front across the UP. As we move into next week, there are discrepancies on precip timing and track and thus confidence diminishes. The GFS has a weak shortwave for later in the day Monday forcing some showers and potentially thunderstorms while the ECMWF stays dry with sfc ridging extending over the UP through Tuesday. The next best chances for showers and thunderstorms arrive mid to late next week when a shortwave riding east along the U.S./Canada border earlier in the week arrives at the Great Lakes. With current spread in the guidance, opted to leave NBM chance PoPs as is. && .AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z FRIDAY/... Issued at 153 PM EDT Thu May 9 2024 VFR conditions are expected to prevail throughout the TAF period. A patch of SCT/BKN stratocu around 3.5kft will likely linger through the evening, but clear skies will return overnight. Northerly to northeasterly winds will continue to gust around 20 kt for the remainder of the daylight hours before becoming light and variable overnight. && .MARINE... Issued at 447 AM EDT Thu May 9 2024 Northeast winds of 15-25 kts will diminish this morning, falling back below 20 kts across the lake as high pressure builds over the lake and stability increases. With this weak high pressure maintaining over the lake through tonight, winds likely will remain below 15 kts into the weekend as the stability remains. The exception to this is Friday night behind the cold front when the combination of cold air advection and downsloping off the northwestern shores of the lake may result in some gusts nearing 20 kts along the lakeshore areas. Some thunderstorms over the far western portions of the lake are also possible with the passing cold front. Winds increase to around 15-20 kts on Sunday as another cold front passes over the lake; some thunderstorms over the west half of the lake are possible with this cold front as well. Winds otherwise hold around 10-20 kts into the early parts of next week. && .MQT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Upper Michigan... None. Lake Superior... None. Lake Michigan... None. && $$ SHORT TERM...Thompson LONG TERM...Jablonski AVIATION...Thompson MARINE...Jablonski