


Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Twin Cities, MN
Issued by NWS Twin Cities, MN
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558 FXUS63 KMPX 181119 AFDMPX Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Twin Cities/Chanhassen MN 619 AM CDT Mon Aug 18 2025 .KEY MESSAGES... - Additional showers and storms will lead to a chance for additional flooding and flash flooding through this morning. The Twin Cities metro could be impact during the morning commute. - Behind the cold front moving through today, conditions look to dry out and cool down this week. && .DISCUSSION... Issued at 243 AM CDT Mon Aug 18 2025 Radar is quite active this morning with clusters of storms present across much of the area, although a lack of severe storms is expected to remain the trend. Heavy rain and lightning will remain the primary risks with additional storms through the rest of this morning in addition to an isolated wind gust or two, with the best potential for gusts generally in southwestern Minnesota. The Flood Watch remains over the entire area as there is still a significant amount of moisture within the atmosphere and a combination of the forcing from the incoming cold front alongside instability for storms will keep the area active through at least midday today. The hardest hit areas over the last 12 to 24 hours will be very susceptible to further rainfall such that flooding and flash flooding could occur with as little as 1 to 2 inches of rain over 3- 6 hours and will be something we have to monitor closely over the coming hours. PWATs continue to exceed 1.8-2 inches as efficient 850mb moisture transport is evident per SPC mesoanalysis due to the low level jet present within the warm sector ahead of the cold front and south of the warm front. The surface low is still expected to migrate northwards which places most of the MPX CWA within the low level jet`s influence, which will allow for efficient rainfall production and heavy rainfall with additional storms. We likely will have to issue additional Flash Flood Warnings should we see storms moving into areas already hit due to how saturated the ground already is, favoring areas of southern MN to western WI. Thankfully we have had just enough of a lull from roughly 11pm to 3am to recover enough such that water has receded from most of the afternoon/evening areas with the main exception being Waseca County which saw significant rains already yesterday morning in addition to the afternoon. Short range guidance continues to show a line of showers and storms along the cold front progressing across the region this morning, arriving in western MN shortly after this discussion goes out and reaching the Twin Cities metro by the latter half of the morning commute hours and western WI by the late morning. Activity will continue along the cold front as it pushes through this morning, with a significant pattern shift behind the front through the rest of this week and into the weekend with temperatures dropping back to upper 70s to low 80s close to normal for late August as well as dry conditions. Surface high pressure will build beneath an incoming ridge behind the departing cold front through at least Friday at which point a Hudson Bay low being picked up within most of the global guidance will drag a weak cold front across the region which would give minor chances for rain, with surface high pressure and subsidence returning afterwards. After the active last few weeks as far as showers and storms go, it will be nice to have a break as we begin to deal with swollen rivers and river flooding due to the rainfall over the last few days. The longer range GEFS/EPS both show relatively dry weather continuing until later next week, with sporadic precipitation beyond the 28th or 29th with a lack of a dominant weather pattern in the longer time ranges leading to uncertainty. && .AVIATION /12Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z TUESDAY/... Issued at 608 AM CDT Mon Aug 18 2025 The first 3 to 4 hours of the TAF period will generally see -SHRA with embedded -TSRA along a cold front, with most sites seeing MVFR or even IFR visibility as it passes. Improvement to VFR is likely after 18z with most locations drying out, with a drop back to MVFR or IFR due to fog possible later in the period. Winds shift from 150-180 ahead of the cold front early to 270-330 behind the front before weakening below 5kts. KMSP...The overall precipitation intensity has diminished over the last few hours, and thus our visibility reduction due to -SHRA/-TSRA should be a bit better than previously forecast. We improve to VFR behind the cold front, with a chance at MVFR again later in the period as fog returns with weak winds overnight. /OUTLOOK FOR KMSP/ TUE...VFR. Wind N 5kts. WED...VFR. Wind NE 5kts. THU...VFR. Wind S 5-10kts. && .MPX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MN...Flood Watch until 7 AM CDT this morning for Blue Earth-Brown- Chippewa-Douglas-Faribault-Kandiyohi-Lac Qui Parle-Martin- McLeod-Meeker-Nicollet-Pope-Redwood-Renville-Sibley- Stearns-Stevens-Swift-Todd-Watonwan-Yellow Medicine. Flood Watch until 10 AM CDT this morning for Anoka-Benton- Carver-Chisago-Dakota-Freeborn-Goodhue-Hennepin-Isanti- Kanabec-Le Sueur-Mille Lacs-Morrison-Ramsey-Rice-Scott- Sherburne-Steele-Waseca-Washington-Wright. WI...Flood Watch until 10 AM CDT this morning for Barron-Chippewa- Dunn-Eau Claire-Pepin-Pierce-Polk-Rusk-St. Croix. && $$ DISCUSSION...TDH AVIATION...TDH