Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS St. Louis, MO
Issued by NWS St. Louis, MO
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069 FXUS63 KLSX 201112 AFDLSX Area Forecast Discussion...Updated Aviation National Weather Service Saint Louis MO 512 AM CST Tue Jan 20 2026 .KEY MESSAGES... -While temperatures will be close to normal today and Wednesday, bitterly cold air will return this weekend. -There is a slight chance (20%) of a wintry mix late tonight and early Wednesday over southeast Missouri, with a better chance (30- 50%) chance of snow this weekend. && .SHORT TERM... (Through Late Wednesday Afternoon) Issued at 341 AM CST Tue Jan 20 2026 Temperatures early this morning have dropped into the single digits and teens. Winds have already switched out of the southwest behind a surface high centered over the Mid South which will move off to the east today. While there will be some clouds early on today, it should turn out to be at least a partly sunny day across most of the area. This combined with south-southwest winds will push highs into the 30s and lower 40s this afternoon, with the warmest highs in central Missouri. Expect tonight to be mainly dry until late before there is an increase in low level moisture ahead of mid level trough that will move across the Midwest. The NAM develops some light QPF with this system, while the RAP/HRRR/GFS develops QPF just to the southeast of the CWA. Have introduced 20 PoPs for a light wintry mix with no accumulation after 3 am over the far southern CWA. This slight chance will linger into Wednesday morning before the system moves off to the east. A cold front associated with the mid level trough will move through the area late tonight and early on Wednesday. Winds will turn out of the west behind the front and advection will be weak allowing highs to warm back up into the 40s on Wednesday afternoon. Britt && .LONG TERM... (Wednesday Night through Monday) Issued at 341 AM CST Tue Jan 20 2026 The global models remain dry late Wednesday through Friday as we will be in west-northwesterly flow aloft with a strong surface high dropping southeast out of Canada. The latest model guidance is showing that the high will move across the Midwest and Great Lakes Friday into Sunday which will supply very cold and dry air to the region. High temperatures are looking to be 15 to 25 degrees below normal during this timeframe with lows in the single digits including below zero values in the north. There remains quite a spread in the southern stream system that looks to affect the area Saturday night into Sunday night. The global models are showing more spread with how far north the QPF will get with this system, though the latest run has shown a general northern shift with the precipitation in the CWA. With this said, it will be fighting the very dry air being advected in from the surface high, and the LREF is still showing a wide spread in snowfall amounts, with most ensemble members pointing toward the low end of any accumulating snow over the southern part of CWA. Britt && .AVIATION... (For the 12z TAFs through 12z Wednesday Morning) Issued at 504 AM CST Tue Jan 20 2026 Dry and VFR conditions are expected through the period. Southwest winds will pick up between 14-18Z between 10-14 knots, and then increase again with gusts to 20 knots this evening. A southwesterly low level jet between 45-50 knots will cause LLWS after 04Z. Britt && .LSX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MO...None. IL...None. && $$ WFO LSX