Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Green Bay, WI
Issued by NWS Green Bay, WI
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139 FXUS63 KGRB 281659 AFDGRB Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Green Bay WI 1059 AM CST Fri Nov 28 2025 Updated aviation portion for 18Z TAF issuance .KEY MESSAGES... - A winter storm will impact the region Saturday and Saturday night. Heavy snow is expected across central and east-central Wisconsin, where 6 to 9 inches of accumulation is forecast. Locally higher amounts exceeding 10 inches are possible near Lake Michigan. - A Winter Storm Warning has been issued from Wood County to Door County. A Winter Storm Watch is in effect for Marathon, Shawano, Menominee, Oconto, and Southern Marinette counties where there is greater uncertainty in snowfall totals. - Much colder air will arrive for the start of next week. Wind chills may fall to 10 below zero or colder Monday morning. && .DISCUSSION... Issued at 348 AM CST Fri Nov 28 2025 The latest RAP analysis shows a deep upper cyclone spinning over Quebec to the eastern Great Lakes this morning, keeping the Great Lakes region in cyclonic flow. To the west, high pressure stretches north to south across the Great Plains. Between these features, a thermal troughing regime resides over Wisconsin. Upstream, a potent shortwave trough is moving across the Pacific Northwest while a lead shortwave traverses Montana. As energy from the Pacific Northwest moves into the center of the country and triggers surface cyclogenesis, impacts from a strong winter system remain the focus of this forecast. Short Term (Today through Saturday Night): Relatively quiet weather is in store for today as weak high pressure builds into the region. Light lake effect snow showers will continue over the snowbelt of north-central WI, but these are on track to end this afternoon with less than an inch of additional accumulation. Attention then turns to the approaching winter storm. Clouds will rapidly return and lower tonight into early Saturday morning ahead of the system. While light snow may spread across the northern Mississippi Valley late tonight in a warm advection pattern, dry air associated with the arctic high is expected to hold off precipitation in our area until Saturday morning. Increasing isentropic ascent and the arrival of the right rear quadrant of a jet streak will provide the necessary forcing for precipitation to overspread the region on Saturday morning. Forcing and moisture parameters will intensify Saturday afternoon and evening. The track of the surface low has shifted slightly further north in recent guidance, placing a greater portion of the forecast area into the potential for heavy snow. Consequently, QPF and snow amount forecasts have increased. The heaviest snow is expected to track across east-central WI from late Saturday afternoon through Saturday evening, where probabilities of 1 inch per hour snowfall rates reach upwards of 40%. This intensity is due in part to lake enhancement and the presence of an inverted trough along the western shoreline of Lake Michigan. Lake-induced instability parameters are impressive, with delta-Ts upwards of 16-17C. Forecast soundings also depict a deep dendritic snow growth zone of 150-200mb depth, which should lead to efficient snowfall production. Probabilities for greater than 6 inches of snow now exceed 80% from Wood County to Door County. Given this high confidence, a busy travel weekend, and coordination with surrounding offices, a Winter Storm Warning has been issued for this corridor. A Winter Storm Watch has been maintained on the northern flank of the warning (Marathon, Shawano, Menominee, Oconto, and southern Marinette counties) where uncertainty regarding in QPF remains higher. The heaviest snow will depart after midnight Saturday night. Current forecast totals range from 1 to 2 inches over Vilas County to 6 to 9 inches over east-central WI, with locally higher amounts in excess of 10 inches possible near Lake Michigan in Kewaunee and Manitowoc counties. Long Term (Sunday through next Thursday): Low pressure will exit the eastern Great Lakes into Quebec on Sunday. Light snow will diminish across the region Sunday morning, with up to a half inch of additional accumulation possible. Scattered light lake effect snow showers will likely linger over far north-central WI until Sunday night. By this point, arctic air will be firmly entrenched, with high pressure dominating the pattern through Monday. Chilly temperatures are in store for this period, with lows expected to drop below zero across the Northwoods Sunday night. Wind chills are forecast to range from 0 to 10 below zero region-wide, except near Lake Michigan. We will be monitoring a system passing to the south of the area on Monday and Monday night. While this system has trended slightly north in some models, prompting the addition of low chances for light snow Monday night, the majority of guidance keeps precipitation south of the area. Therefore, confidence remains low that snow will impact the region early next week. An arctic front will approach the area by midweek, bringing the next chance of snow next Wednesday. && .AVIATION...for 18Z TAF Issuance Issued at 1053 AM CST Fri Nov 28 2025 Scattered light snow showers or flurries north and west of the Fox Valley will come to an end this afternoon, by 22z. Attention then turns to a winter storm that will impact the area, beginning between 14z and 18z Saturday for much of the area and continue into Sunday morning, probability of snow from 85-100%. The heaviest snow will fall Saturday afternoon and Saturday night. Behind the system, gusty northerly winds are expected late Saturday night and Sunday, with gusts of 25-30 kts that could produce some blowing and drifting of the snow. && .GRB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Winter Storm Watch from Saturday morning through late Saturday night for WIZ020-021-030-031-073-074. Winter Storm Warning from 9 AM Saturday to 6 AM CST Sunday for WIZ022-035>040-045-048>050. && $$ DISCUSSION.....MPC AVIATION.......Eckberg