


Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS St. Louis, MO
Issued by NWS St. Louis, MO
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644 FXUS63 KLSX 090326 AFDLSX Area Forecast Discussion...Updated Aviation National Weather Service Saint Louis MO 1026 PM CDT Wed Oct 8 2025 .KEY MESSAGES... - Mostly dry weather will persist through at least this weekend. - A warming trend will kick off Friday with highs in the 80s beginning Saturday. && .SHORT TERM... (Through Late Thursday Night) Issued at 300 PM CDT Wed Oct 8 2025 Surface high pressure currently centered over the Upper Midwest will push into New England by Thursday night. Despite the high never centering directly over the CWA, this feature will still have enough influence to keep both high and low temperatures dampened through the short term. With cold, dry air settled into the Mid-Mississippi Valley and efficient radiational cool conditions expected tonight, lows will tank into the upper 30s to low 40s. Low-lying and sheltered areas will see the brunt of the cold and can expect to fall a degree or two cooler than our forecast lows. Conditions will be more favorable for at least steam fog tonight given the cooler air and position relative to the surface high. Expect patchy fog again, especially in river valleys. Similar conditions are expected for most of the area tomorrow night. The exception will be west- central Illinois through central Missouri as increased cloud cover will impede radiational cooling. In the interim, a cool start to the morning and ongoing cold air advection will keep high temperatures near average again tomorrow afternoon. Expect highs in the low to mid-70s with very little humidity. Jaja && .LONG TERM... (Friday through Next Wednesday) Issued at 300 PM CDT Wed Oct 8 2025 A mid-level closed low will shunt southeastward through the Great Lakes late this week, dragging a cold front through the Upper Midwest. Ahead of this feature in the Mid to Upper Mississippi Valley, southerly low-level flow, warm air advection, and meager moisture return will establish itself Thursday night into early Friday morning. The increase in warmth and moisture may provide enough instability for elevated showers and thunderstorms Friday morning in portions of west-central Illinois southwestward through central Missouri. The mitigating factor to any precipitation will be moisture return. Without sufficient moisture, 1) instability will be lacking and 2) anything that does develop will be quickly snuffed out by the dry environment they`ll exist in. The latest ensembles suggest there may be a middle ground in which there is enough moisture to promote elevated convection but not enough to sustain it for long. This is represented by an increase to a 45 - 80% probability of measurable rain on Friday with a relatively tight gradient decreasing from west to east. If it does rain, these same probabilities only call for a 20 - 30% chance of >0.1" of 24 hour precipitation, so it will not be beneficial. This is our greatest chance of rain through at least this weekend. The same warm air advection promoting rain chances on Friday will aid in our return to above normal warmth Friday through early next week. Mid-level ridging will dominate our sensible weather, allowing us to heat without the threat of precipitation at least through the weekend. Precipitation chances do increase slightly again early next week as shortwaves ride the ridge into the Mid-Mississippi Valley, but differences in the timing, strength, and location of these features preclude high confidence in any one solution. Jaja && .AVIATION... (For the 06z TAFs through 06z Thursday Night) Issued at 1024 PM CDT Wed Oct 8 2025 River valley steam fog is expected to develop over the next several hours. Dewpoint depressions are lowest at KSUS, so expect the lowest visibilities (LIFR) there. IFR conditions are forecast at KCPS/KJEF late tonight into early Thursday. Fog should quickly dissipate within a couple of hours after sunrise, if not a bit earlier. Outside of the fog, look for dry/VFR conditions with light winds to continue through the period. Gosselin && .LSX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MO...None. IL...None. && $$ WFO LSX