


Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS St. Louis, MO
Issued by NWS St. Louis, MO
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021 FXUS63 KLSX 241723 AFDLSX Area Forecast Discussion...Updated Aviation National Weather Service Saint Louis MO 1223 PM CDT Sun Aug 24 2025 .KEY MESSAGES... - -Fall like conditions will kick off today and linger into the mid week period. && .SHORT TERM... (Through Late Sunday Afternoon) Issued at 127 AM CDT Sun Aug 24 2025 The cold front is exiting the forecast area this morning, and cool, dry air is making its way into the region. As of 1 AM temperatures range from the upper 50s across northeast Missouri and west- central Illinois to the mid 60s across the St. Louis metro, southeast Missouri, and southwest Illinois. These temperatures will continue to cool through the night before reaching their minimums around sunrise. As the cold air advection continues today, 850 mb temperatures will drop into the low teens (C), resulting in high temperatures in the mid 70s to low 80s today despite the mostly clear sky. The unseasonably cool and dry air is driven in part by an anomalously deep mid-level trough that will continue to dig into the eastern half of the CONUS into next week. At the surface a strong high is pushing southeast into the region from the Northern Plains, and is the other contributing factor to our fall like temperatures. 850 mb temperatures will continue to cool on Monday as the main mass of the cool Canadian air settles into the mid- Mississippi Valley. 850 mb temperatures will be roughly 8-11 degrees (C), and will result in high temperatures solidly in the 70s. Areas that see heavier cloud cover Monday may drop an additional degree or two. Delia && .LONG TERM... (Sunday Night through Friday) Issued at 127 AM CDT Sun Aug 24 2025 Through Wednesday the anomalously strong mid-level trough and surface high pressure will keep the cool, dry Canadian airmass fixed over the region. High temperatures through the mid-week period will be similar to Monday, though overnight lows will be considerably cooler than normal thanks to the low dewpoints within this airmass. As mentioned in previous forecasts, we`ll be dancing with record low minimum temperatures Tuesday and Wednesday morning (see Climate Section below), particularly at KUIN. The strength of the surface high will keep the area rain free through Wednesday. By Thursday the mid-level pattern will start to weaken, but the mid- Mississippi Valley will remain in mid-level northwesterly flow. The surface high will slide eastward during the same period, and the result will be a rebound of temperatures and moisture across the region for the end of the work week and into the holiday weekend. Guidance is starting to key in on a shortwave sliding down the mid- level northwesterly flow into the region over the weekend, and there will be enough available moisture to generate some rain where it tracks. However, a lot of uncertainty remains in the strength, timing, and location of this feature, and so uncertainty remains in who, if anyone, sees rain and how much. 850 mb temperatures will warm as the surface high shifts eastward, returning to near normal (14-16C). How warm high temperatures get will depend on the timing and location of rain and associated cloud cover, and the uncertainty in these details is highlighted in the 5F+ interquartile spread in high temperatures. Despite this uncertainty, there is a clear signal for warming into the weekend. Delia && .AVIATION... (For the 18z TAFs through 18z Monday Afternoon) Issued at 1223 PM CDT Sun Aug 24 2025 Predominantly dry and VFR flight conditions are expected through the TAF period at all terminals with a nearby high pressure center dominating. Patchy river valley fog cannot be entirely ruled out Monday morning, but confidence is low that there will be enough moisture. Winds will remain generally northwesterly with gusts of 17 to 22 kt through this afternoon, but winds will become lighter and periodically variable tonight. Pfahler && .CLIMATE... Issued at 236 PM CDT Fri Aug 22 2025 Daily record lows for: KSTL KCOU KUIN Tuesday 8/26 53F (1934) 48F (1910) 46F (1910) Wednesday 8/27 51F (1968) 46F (1910) 48F (1986) && .LSX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MO...None. IL...None. && $$ WFO LSX