Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Green Bay, WI

Current Version |  Previous Version |  Text Only |  Print | Product List |  Glossary On
Versions: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42
-- Remove Highlighting --
-- Discussion containing changed information from previous version are highlighted. --
037 FXUS63 KGRB 101150 AFDGRB Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Green Bay WI 650 AM CDT Fri May 10 2024 Updated aviation portion for 12Z TAF issuance .KEY MESSAGES... - A quick moving cold front will bring showers and a few storms to the region late this afternoon into this evening. A few storms may contain gusty winds to 40 mph and small hail, but severe weather is not expected. - An unsettled weather pattern will bring intermittent chances of showers and a few thunderstorms this weekend. Severe weather is not expected with any of these thunderstorms, but we will be watching for the potential for strong storms on Sunday. - Due to the recent rainfall, river levels remain elevated. Some rivers may reach or surpass bankfull. && .DISCUSSION... Issued at 348 AM CDT Fri May 10 2024 Short Term...Today...Tonight...and Saturday Lingering showers had finally dissipated, but cloud cover was still prevalent over the southeast third of the forecast area early this morning. Mostly clear skies and light winds over far northern WI had allowed temperatures to drop into the upper 20s to middle 30s where frost/freeze headlines were in effect. A mix of clouds and sun will be found across the region this morning, but increasing clouds and showers will overspread the region from NW to SE as a cold front and potent short-wave trough move through this afternoon and early evening. SBCAPE is weak and confined to our far western counties in the late afternoon and early evening, but 700-500 mb lapse rates of 7-7.5 C/km overspread the forecast area, so isolated to scattered embedded storms are a good bet with the main rain band. Forecast soundings show inverted-v signatures supportive of gusty winds, and low wet-bulb zero heights of 5500-6000 feet indicative of small hail potential with the stronger storms. The main bulk of the precipitation will shift east of the region by mid to late evening, with just a few lingering showers expected over N WI. On Saturday, partly to mostly cloudy skies will prevail, and a slight chance of showers will accompany a short-wave trough, especially in eastern WI. Highs today should be in the lower 60s northwest, and mid to upper 60s southeast, except near Lake Michigan, where highs will only be in the middle to upper 50s. Lows tonight will be in the upper 30s to middle 40s. Highs on Saturday should be in the lower to middle 60s, except middle to upper 50s lakeside. Long Term...Saturday Night Through Thursday Impact potential is greatest during the Sunday afternoon and Sunday night timeframe when a cold front crosses the region near peak heating. Focus of this forecast therefore revolves around precip trends and severe weather potential during this period. Precipitation and Thunderstorm Chances...The weather system moving across the region during this time period continues to have an earlier arrival time. As a potent upper trough digs across northwest Ontario, a warm front will quickly advance across Wisconsin late on Saturday night into Sunday morning. Showers will be possible along the warm front, but little to no instability likely means the thunderstorm threat is low. Thunderstorm parameters turn more interesting on Sunday afternoon and evening when a cold front can interact with a very unstable airmass in the warm sector. The gfs in particular points to robust surface based instability developing on the order of 2000-3000 j/kg although ensemble means are considerably less (up to 1000 j/kg). This discrepancy may be due to an over-zealous moisture profile in which the GFS brings dewpoints in the upper 50s into the region compared to the ensemble means of around 50 degrees. Something to watch for in subsequent forecasts. Deep layer shear of 20-25 kts remains a limiting factor for severe weather. Given the potential for robust instability, think pulse type storms could become strong at times, but the threat of organized severe weather is low. The next chance of precip following this system will arrive in the late Wednesday-Thursday time frame. Temperatures: After a warm day on Sunday (mid and upper 70s), temperatures cool closer to normal (60s) for the rest of the period. && .AVIATION...
-- Changed Discussion --
for 12Z TAF Issuance Issued at 643 AM CDT Fri May 10 2024 Patchy fog in NC/C WI will mix out early in the TAF period and localized MVFR stratus will gradually erode or lift to VFR this morning, so initial aviation concerns will be short-lived. However, a band of showers and embedded thunderstorms will overspread the forecast area from mid-afternoon through the evening, in association with a cold frontal passage. SW-W winds will turn NW after the front passes through, and most of the rain should end. There is a chance for some MVFR ceilings to drop into NC WI, including the RHI TAF site, late tonight.
-- End Changed Discussion --
&& .GRB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
-- Changed Discussion --
None.
-- End Changed Discussion --
&& $$ DISCUSSION.....Kieckbusch/MPC AVIATION.......Kieckbusch