Area Forecast Discussion
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000
FXUS63 KLOT 111942
AFDLOT

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHICAGO/ROMEOVILLE IL
242 PM CDT MON MAY 11 2009

.DISCUSSION...
226 PM CDT

DIURNAL CU FIELD SHOULD FLATTEN AND THIN THIS EVENING. WEAK SHORT
WAVE RESPONSIBLE FOR WEAK CONVECTION OVER MN SHOULD DAMPEN AS IT
MOVES THROUGH BUILDING UPPER RIDGE TONIGHT AND TUE. REMAINING MID
CLOUD DECK SHOULD STAY MAINLY NORTH OF CHICAGO-ROCKFORD AREAS
TONIGHT. THEREFORE SHOULD SEE GRADUAL CLEARING OVERNIGHT. SURFACE
HIGH WILL DRIFT ACROSS THE REGION OVERNIGHT WITH LIGHT TO CALM
WINDS. GOOD RADIATIONAL COOLING SET UP AND SHOULD SEE TEMPERATURES
SIMILAR TO LAST NIGHTS WITH LOWS MOSTLY IN THE UPPER 30S TO LOWER
40S. SOME PATCHY MID 30S WITH LIGHT FROST POSSIBLE IN OUTLYING
AREAS BUT DON`T EXPECT IT TO BE WIDESPREAD ENOUGH TO WARRANT ANY
HEADLINES.

STRONG TROF NOW SLAMMING INTO THE PAC NW WILL MOVE ACROSS
NORTHERN TIER OF STATES INTO UPPER MIDWEST/WESTERN GREAT LAKES BY
MID WEEK. INFLUX OF WARM MOIST AIR WILL TRIGGER SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS ALONG MS RIVER VALLEY BY LATE TUE INTO TUE
NIGHT...AND THIS WILL TRANSITION INTO NE IL AND NW IN LATE TUE
NIGHT INTO WED MORNING. THEN AS TROF MOVES THROUGH GREAT LAKES...A
STRONG COLD FRONT WILL SWEEP ACROSS THE AREA WED EVENING. MU CAPES
FORECAST TO BE IN THE 1000-1500 RANGE BY LATE WED WITH 0-6 KM BULK
SHEAR 40 KTS+. AMOUNT OF DESTABILIZATION THIS FAR NORTH WILL
DEPEND ON HOW MUCH MORNING CLOUDS AND SHOWERS OCCUR WITH WARM
FRONT. POSSIBILITY OF A LINE OF STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WED
EVENING. MODELS INDICATING STRONG DRYING AND SUBSIDENCE IN THE
WAKE OF THIS TROF BY THU MORNING.

ALLSOPP

LONG TERM
THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY...MODELS/ENSEMBLES IN REASONABLE
AGREEMENT AT THE START OF THE PERIOD...BUT MODEL SPREAD INCREASES
FROM THERE ON OUT. THE MODEL DIFFERENCES ARISE AS THEY STRUGGLE WITH
A TRANSITION FROM ZONAL FLOW OVER THE LOWER 48...TO A MUCH MORE
AMPLIFIED RIDGE WEST/TROF EAST PATTERN ACROSS NORTH AMERICA. AT THIS
POINT...ONLY ONE SYSTEM OF CONSEQUENCE IS EXPECTED TO IMPACT THE
REGION DURING THE PERIOD...AND IT HAS BEEN TRENDING SLOWER OVERALL
THE PAST FEW RUNS. A WARM FRONT...ASSOCIATED WITH DEVELOPING LOW
PRESSURE OVER THE PLAINS...WILL LIFT NORTH THROUGH THE REGION
FRIDAY/FRIDAY NIGHT WITH AN ASSOCIATED RISK OF THUNDERSTORMS. AS THE
LOW LIFTS INTO THE GREAT LAKES REGION ON SATURDAY...THE TRAILING
COLD FRONT WILL SWING THROUGH THE FORECAST AREA SATURDAY/SATURDAY
EVENING AND BRING A CONTINUED RISK OF SHOWERS/STORMS WITH IT.
QUIETER/COOLER WEATHER WILL FOLLOW THE COLD FRONT SATURDAY NIGHT AND
LINGER THROUGH THE REST OF THE PERIOD AS HIGH PRESSURE DOMINATES AT
THE SURFACE.

&&

.AVIATION...

1800 UTC TAFS...
LARGE PATCH OF MID LEVEL CLOUDS AFFECTING THE CHICAGOLAND TAF
SITES HAS STARTED BREAKING UP A BIT...JUST IN TIME FOR DIURNAL
CUMULUS TO FORM. AM EXPECTING BROKEN CLOUD COVER TO CONTINUE
THROUGH THE AFTERNOON...BEFORE FADING EARLY EVENING. LATEST NAM-
WRF MODEL CONTINUES TO SHOW THE LAKE BREEZE PUSHING WESTWARD
THROUGH THE AFTERNOON...WITH WINDS TRENDING TOWARD THE SOUTHEAST
THROUGH THE NIGHT AS HIGH PRESSURE PUSHES OUT OF THE AREA. MODEL
CROSS-SECTIONS SHOWING MAINLY CLEAR SKIES TO PREVAIL OVERNIGHT...
WITH JUST SOME HIGH CLOUDS BEGINNING TO MOVE IN TOWARD THE END OF
THE TAF PERIOD.

GEELHART

&&

.MARINE...
343 AM CDT

LIGHT VARIABLE WINDS ON LAKE MI THE FIRST PART OF TODAY WITH BROAD
HIGH PRESSURE EXTENDING FROM THE PLAINS TO THE CENTRAL GREAT LAKES.
SYNOPTIC FLOW FAVORS A SOUTH TO SOUTHEAST DIRECTION LATE TODAY AS
THE ANTICYCLONE WILL BE CENTERED OVER THE SOUTHERN GREAT LAKES AND
OHIO VALLEY TONIGHT. LOCAL INFLUENCES AND LAKE BREEZES WILL LIKELY
OBSCURE THIS WEAK SYNOPTIC FLOW AND PREVAIL BY MIDDAY.

WITH THE HIGH MOVING EAST OVER NEW ENGLAND TUESDAY AND TUESDAY
NIGHT AND LOW PRESSURE DEEPENS AS IT MOVES EAST SOUTHEAST TO FAR
SOUTHERN MANITOBA BY WEDNESDAY MORNING WINDS OVER THE WESTERN GREAT
LAKES WILL FRESHEN OUT OF THE SOUTHEAST AND SOUTH THOUGH VERY STRONG
WARM AIR ADVECTION TO BE TAKING PLACE WITH 30 TO 40 KT SOUTH WINDS
PROGGED AT 1K FT ABOVE THE SURFACE BY 00Z WED...STRENGTHENING
FURTHER TO 35 TO 45 KTS BY WED MORNING. HOWEVER...STRONG INVERSION
DUE TO THE COLD WATER WILL SEVERELY LIMIT MOMENTUM TRANSFER DOWN
TO THE NEAR THE WATER SURFACE.

MODELS DEPICT THE LOW TURNING TO THE NORTHEAST DURING WED AND AS
IT APPROACHES JAMES BAY LATE IN THE DAY A STRONG COLD FRONT
TRAILING SOUTHWESTWARD FROM THIS LOW BACK INTO THE PLAINS WILL
PUSH EAST ACROSS THE UPPER MIDWEST...AND INTO THE WESTERN GREAT
LAKES WEDNESDAY EVENING.

BY THE TIME LOW LEVEL AIR COLD ENOUGH REMOVE THE INVERSION ARRIVES
OVER LAKE MICHIGAN DURING THE DAY THURSDAY...THE CENTER OF THE LOW
IS FAR REMOVED HAVING MOVED TO NORTHERN QUEBEC BY THEN. THE RESULT
IS A MUCH RELAXED PRESSURE GRADIENT OVER THE WESTERN LAKES BY
MIDDAY AND THUS ONLY MODERATE WEST WINDS OF 20 KTS AND DECREASING
WITH TIME EXPECTED THU.

TRS

&&

.LOT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
IL...NONE.
IN...NONE.
LM...NONE.
&&

$$








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