Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Green Bay, WI
Issued by NWS Green Bay, WI
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897 FXUS63 KGRB 211101 AFDGRB Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Green Bay WI 601 AM CDT Tue Jul 21 2026 Updated aviation portion for 12Z TAF issuance .KEY MESSAGES... - Cooler and less humid today with gusty northwest winds reaching 20 to 30 mph. Small craft advisories are in effect through early Wednesday morning. - Scattered showers and an isolated thunderstorm will spread across northeast and east-central Wisconsin late this morning through this afternoon. No severe weather is expected. - Comfortable and quiet conditions through Friday, followed by increasing heat, humidity, and thunderstorm chances (30 to 50 percent) over the weekend. && .DISCUSSION... Issued at 140 AM CDT Tue Jul 21 2026 The latest surface analysis and satellite/radar imagery show a primary cold front exiting northeast Wisconsin early this morning, while a secondary cold front extends from western Lake Superior into central Minnesota. Upper-level troughing is settling across the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes while an amplified ridge builds over the Intermountain West. This pattern leaves the region under cool, cyclonic northwest flow aloft today into midweek. Upstream, a broad area of stratocumulus with bases between 1500 and 3500 feet exists behind the secondary front, with moderately strong cold air advection dropping 850mb temperatures into the lower teens Celsius. A high-pressure system across the central Plains will gradually shift eastward toward the Mid-Mississippi Valley through Wednesday, eventually anchoring stable and comfortable weather over the Western Great Lakes through the end of the work week. As the secondary cold front drops southeast across northern Wisconsin today, mid-level height falls will cool temperatures aloft into the tenth percentile. Strong daytime heating will steepen low-level lapse rates, producing diurnal instability in the 300 to 600 J/kg range across northeast and east-central Wisconsin. Scattered showers currently confined to far north- central Wisconsin will expand southward through late morning and afternoon. An isolated rumble of thunder cannot be ruled out within the stronger convective cores, but severe weather is not expected due to weak instability. In addition, deep boundary- layer mixing will tap into stronger winds aloft, generating gusty northwest winds of 20 to 30 mph across the forecast area this afternoon. These winds will generate hazardous waves in the nearshore waters, prompting Small Craft Advisories on the Bay of Green Bay and nearshore waters of Lake Michigan into early Wednesday morning. Showers will quickly wane late this afternoon and evening with loss of heating. Clearing skies tonight will clear the way for a sunny and comfortable Wednesday with high temperatures in the mid 70s. Models show minimal potential for near-surface smoke or visibility reductions, so smoke has been excluded from the forecast. For the long-term period from Thursday through Monday, the western Great Lakes will remain positioned downstream of the broad ridge building over the Intermountain West, maintaining northwest flow aloft through Friday. This persistent northwest flow will keep the main reservoir of deep instability suppressed well south of the region, ensuring seasonable temperatures and pleasant humidity levels. Highs through Friday will reside in the upper 70s to low 80s under mostly clear to partly cloudy skies. By Saturday and Sunday, the upper-level flow pattern begins to flatten, allowing Gulf moisture and an unstable airmass to surge northward. High temperatures will climb into the upper 80s to near 90 in central Wisconsin on Sunday, accompanied by rising dewpoints in the upper 60s. Precipitation chances will gradually increase this weekend (30 to 50 percent chance) as shortwave impulses embedded within the flattening flow interact with the returning instability. While machine learning guidance indicates only a subtle severe weather threat at this time, details on timing and mesoscale organization will need to be monitored in upcoming forecast updates. && .AVIATION...for 12Z TAF Issuance Issued at 600 AM CDT Tue Jul 21 2026 Upper troughing will settle over the western Great Lakes today as a secondary cold front drops southeast across the area. Beneath this cyclonic flow, convective clouds are expected to become more widespread with daytime heating this morning. Cloud bases will start out in the MVFR range over north-central WI, and in the high MVFR to low VFR elsewhere. As instability builds, scattered showers and perhaps an isolated thunderstorm are expected to pass across the area from late morning through the end of the afternoon. Added a tempo group for showers at RHI and a prob30 at GRB, ATW, MTW. Clearing skies and diminishing winds are forecast this evening. VFR conditions are therefore expected from about 00-03Z through the end of the taf period. Northwest winds will become breezy today with gusts of 20 to 25 kts at the TAF sites. These winds should subside during the evening. .KOSH... Clear skies will start out the period, but expect clouds to build with daytime heating this morning. Brief MVFR ceilings will be possible, but should quickly rise to VFR by 16Z. Scattered showers are likely to develop across the area so added a prob30 group for the most likely time period. There is a very low chance of a thunderstorm and left it out of the forecast. Clearing skies are forecast this evening. Northwest winds under 10 kts at the start of the taf period will increase by 14-15Z. Gusts up to 25 kts will be possible from late morning until early evening before subsiding. && .GRB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && $$ DISCUSSION.....MPC AVIATION.......MPC