Expires:No;;246948 FXUS63 KLSX 252332 AFDLSX AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED AVIATION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO 532 PM CST WED NOV 25 2009 .DISCUSSION... /353 PM CST WED NOV 25 2009/ ...SYNOPSIS... TEMPS REACHED THE UPPER 40S TO LOWER 50S IN ADVANCE OF A COLD FRONT ATTACHED TO A UPPER LOW/VORT MAX EVIDENT IN WATER VAPOR IMAGERY OVER IA. COLD FRONT IS CURRENTLY LOCATED ROUGHLY ALONG THE MS RIVER. BAND OF CLOUDS AND RADAR ECHO ACCOMPANY THE FRONT...THOUGH NOT MUCH OF THE PRECIP HAS BEEN REACHING THE SURFACE. THERE IS A BREAK IN THE CLOUDS BEHIND THE FRONT...BUT THIS SHOULD BE REPLACED BY A STATUS DECK OVERNIGHT AS WRAP-AROUND MOISTURE CONTINUES TO PUSH SE. ...SHORT TERM (TONIGHT THRU SATURDAY)... CLOSED LOW OVER IA THIS AFTERNOON WILL CONTINUE TO DROP SE OVERNIGHT..THEN EXIT EAST TOMORROW. THERE/S A DECENT SHOT OF COLD AIR FOLLOWING THE SYSTEM WITH 850 TEMPS -4 TO -6 OVER THE CWA BY 12Z THURSDAY. TEMPS DON/T BOTTOM OUT TONIGHT DUE TO CLOUD COVER AND GUSTY WINDS. TEMPS WILL STRUGGLE TO RISE THANKSGIVING GIVEN CONTINUED CLOUD COVER AND CAA. THERE MAY BE SOME LIGHT QPF IN THE FORM OF RAIN/SNOW OVER THE NORTHERN AND EASTERN CWA TONIGHT AND TOMORROW. THIS SHOULD NOT BE A BIG DEAL AND MAY ONLY BE SPRINKLES OR FLURRIES. NO ACCUM IS EXPECTED. OVERALL...THE HOLIDAY LOOKS TO BE A PRETTY RAW DAY. THURSDAY NIGHT/FRIDAY MORNING WILL BE THE COLDEST OF THE SEASON WITH CLEAR SKIES AND LIGHT WINDS. MOST LOCATIONS WILL DROP INTO THE 20S WITH THE EXCEPTION BEING THE STL METRO WHERE AT LEAST LOW 30S LOOK LIKELY. THE COLD AIR INTRUSION IS BRIEF WITH RETURN FLOW BEGINNING AS EARLY AS LATE THURSDAY NIGHT ACROSS CENTRAL MO. IF THIS OCCURS...THEN LOWS IN THE COU/JEF AREA MAY NOT BOTTOM OUT AS CURRENTLY INDICATED. WARMING IS IN RESPONSE TO A H500 RIDGE THAT BUILDS INTO THE CENTRAL CONUS. THE WARMING CONTINUES FRIDAY AND PEAKS SATURDAY WITH 850 TEMPS NEAR +12. THERE SHOULD BE A RATHER STEEP TEMP GRADIENT FROM E-W ON FRIDAY WITH SOUTHERN ILLINOIS REMAINING NEAR 50 AND CENTRAL MO NEAR 60. HIGHS ON SATURDAY SHOULD BE AT LEAST IN THE MID TO UPPER 50S WITH LOW 60S POSSIBLE ALONG THE MO RIVER FROM CENTRAL MO INTO THE STL METRO. WENT A LITTLE ABOVE GUIDANCE TONIGHT WITH CLOUDS AND WIND...EXCEPT FOR CENTRAL MO...WENT CLOSER TO GUIDANCE AS THEY HAVE THE BEST CHANCE OF PARTIAL CLEARING TOWARDS DAYBREAK. THURSDAY/NIGHT WENT BELOW GUIDANCE. CLOUDS TOMORROW SHOULD HELP KEEPS TEMPS DOWN AND OPTIMAL RADIATIONAL COOLING CONDITIONS BY FRIDAY MORNING SHOULD ALLOW TEMPS TO PLUNGE. WENT BACK ABOVE GUIDANCE FOR FRIDAY AND SATURDAY WITH MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES AND SWLY FLOW AT THE SURFACE AND ALOFT. ...EXTENDED (SATURDAY NIGHT THRU WEDNESDAY)... MODELS IN DECENT AGREEMENT THRU MONDAY MORNING. LONG WAVE TROUGH CONTINUES TO DIG IN THE DESERT SW. THE UPPER PATTERN TRANSITIONS TO SW FLOW AS UPPER RIDGE AXIS TRANSLATES EAST. FLOW BECOMES SPLIT EARLY NEXT WEEK WITH NORTHERN STREAM SW DRAGGING A COLD FRONT THRU THE AREA SUNDAY. PRECIP DEVELOPS LATE SUNDAY AND CONTINUES INTO MONDAY NIGHT. BULK OF THE PRECIP LOOKS TO STAY SOUTH AND EAST OF THE STL METRO. THERE MAY BE ENOUGH COLD AIR ON THE BACK SIDE OF THIS SYSTEM TO MIX WITH OR CHANGE TO SNOW AS THE SYSTEM DEPARTS. WAY TOO EARLY TO TALK ACCUMS. ECMWF IS FURTHEST NORTH WITH QPF PLACEMENT. NEW 12Z GFS KEEPS BULK OF MEASURABLE PRECIP JUST SOUTH OF THE CWA...WHICH IS SIMILAR TO THE CMC. SO...MAY HAVE TOO HIGH OF POPS TOO FAR NORTH DURING THE PERIOD. HAVE TIME TO REFINE THOUGH. BASE OF THE TROUGH CLEARS THE AREA TUESDAY...THEN ATTENTION TURNS TO SOUTHERN STREAM SW. THE SOUTHERN STREAM ENERGY IS MORE PROBLEMATIC. THE ECMWF PASSES THE UPPER LOW FROM TX THROUGH THE OHIO VALLEY AND KEEPS THE PRECIP WELL EAST THE AREA. THE GFS HOWEVER...TRACKS THE UPPER LOW THROUGH THE MID-MIS VLY AND INTO THE CENTRAL GREAT LAKES. IT SIGNIFICANTLY DEEPENS THE ASSOC SFC LOW IN THE PROCESS. THIS WOULD PUT MORE PRECIP IN THE AREA WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY. THIS IS A SIMILAR BUT SLOWER SOLUTION TO THE 00Z RUN. OVERNIGHT TEMPS COULD MAKE THINGS INTERESTING FOR P-TYPE...BUT LEFT THE FCST DRY UNTIL THERE IS MORE RUN-TO-RUN CONTINUITY. TEMPS THRU THE PERIOD SHOULD REMAIN NEAR SEASONABLE LEVELS AS AIR MASS SOURCE REGION IS OFF THE PACIFIC. THIS MEANS HIGHS IN THE 40S TO LOW 50S AND LOWS IN THE UPPER 20S TO MID 30S. MILLER && .AVIATION... /521 PM CST WED NOV 25 2009/ FOR THE 00Z TAFS...MINOR IF ANY CHANGES MADE TO PREV FORECAST FOR COU/STL/SUS. FOR THESE SITES...EXPECT CIGS TO GRADUALLY LOWER DURING THE OVERNIGHT HOURS AS UPPER LEVEL LOW APPROACHES THE REGION. COU WILL BE ON THE EDGE OF THESE CLOUDS...BUT PRECIP SHUD REMAIN FURTHER E. STL/SUS MAY SEE SPRINKLES AND/OR FLURRIES AROUND SUNRISE THURSDAY. HAVE KEPT OUT OF CURRENT TAF UNTIL TIMING CAN BE PINNED DOWN A LITTLE BETTER. MAIN FOCUS WILL BE UIN. AREA OF -RA WILL CONTINUE TO DROP SEWD DURING THE EVENING HOURS. AT UIN...EXPECT PRECIP TO START OUT AS -RA...MIX AT TIMES WITH SN BEFORE CHANGING OVER TO ALL SN. AM SOMEWHAT UNCERTAIN HOW LONG THE SHSN WILL LAST AT UIN...BUT SHUD BE COMING TO AN END AROUND SUNRISE. THURSDAY WILL BE GUSTY AT ALL SITES AS THIS SYSTEM PULLS OUT OF THE AREA. WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO DIMINISH THURS EVENING AS THE PRESSURE GRADIENT WEAKENS WITH SKIES BECOMING CLEAR. TILLY && .LSX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MO...NONE. IL...NONE. && $$ WFO LSX