


Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS St. Louis, MO
Issued by NWS St. Louis, MO
Versions:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
107 FXUS63 KLSX 222320 AFDLSX Area Forecast Discussion...Updated Aviation National Weather Service Saint Louis MO 620 PM CDT Fri Aug 22 2025 .KEY MESSAGES... - Fall like conditions start Sunday behind a cold front and continue through the end of next week. && .SHORT TERM... (Through Late Saturday Night) Issued at 236 PM CDT Fri Aug 22 2025 A ridge of surface high pressure remains in place across the mid- Mississippi and Ohio Valleys. Diurnal cumulus/stratocumulus should largely dissipate after sunset, leaving a mostly clear sky and light winds into the early overnight hours. These conditions are very favorable for radiational cooling, and should allow for temperatures to drop back into the low 60s overnight. Exceptions include parts of metropolitan St. Louis (urban heat island) and northeast Missouri and west-central Illinois (increasing mid/high level clouds). An area of showers and a few thunderstorms is expected to be ongoing across the mid-Missouri Valley. This activity does not look like it will be particularly organized nor strong, and is still expected to weaken and dissipate before it reaches parts of central and northeast Missouri. This dissipation is expected due to the showers/storms moving into a less favorable environment (low instability) and weakening moisture convergence as the nocturnal low- level jet fades after sunrise. The cold front moves through the CWA during the afternoon/evening hours from northwest to southeast. Ahead of this front, temperatures are expected to warm into the mid to upper 80s or near to slightly above normal for the date. The front is expected to pass through largely dry, though some increasing instability and weak surface convergence suggests a few isolated showers (and perhaps even a rumble of thunder) are possible along the front very late Saturday afternoon into the evening hours. Gosselin && .LONG TERM... (Sunday through Next Friday) Issued at 236 PM CDT Fri Aug 22 2025 The transition to abnormally cool temperatures gets underway on Sunday as strong low-level cold air advection intensifies behind the initial cold front. The mid/upper level pattern across the CONUS is quite amplified for late August, with anomalous mid/upper level troughing across the Great Lakes/southeast Canada. Individual shortwaves continue to rotate cyclonically around the periphery of the longwave trough, providing reinforcing shots of cool Canadian air into the region. The overall air mass coming in early next week continues to look very impressive. Multiple indicators such as 850-hPa temperatures ~1st percentile of climatology), surface high pressure (>99th percentile), and dewpoints (near daily record lows) all point toward very cool temperatures through much of next week. The most anomalous temperatures are expected between Monday and Wednesday as 850-hPa temperatures drop below 10C across much of the mid-Mississippi Valley. The dryness of the air mass and the incoming surface high also suggest that low temperatures will be more anomalous than daytime highs. Lows ranging from the upper 40s to low 50s are expected both Monday and Tuesday night, and these readings may threaten daily record lows each day. Please see the CLIMO section below for more details. As alluded to above, the air mass certainly seems capable of producing at least near-record lows, and if the timing of this strong surface high is favorable and the sky is clear, it would not surprise me at all if at least one record is tied/broken next week. The pattern across the CONUS deamplifies a bit heading toward late next week, with 850-hPa temperatures climbing back closer to +15C on the EPS/GEFS mean. This points toward moderating temperatures, though they should still stay at least slightly cooler than normal. Even the 75th percentile of the NBM stays slightly below normal for temperatures all the way through Friday. Rain chances are very low through Wednesday, with cool/dry air across our region near the center of the surface anticyclone. Chances may return later in the work week as a northwest flow midlevel shortwave trough moves out of the mid-Missouri Valley/Upper Midwest. Guidance differs quite a bit however with the timing/track of this feature as well as the availability of moisture associated with this system. Probabilities for measurable rainfall ending Friday evening over a 24-hour period from the grand ensemble are only in the 20-30% range, mainly confined to parts of central and southeast Missouri. Gosselin && .AVIATION... (For the 00z TAFs through 00z Saturday Evening) Issued at 616 PM CDT Fri Aug 22 2025 River valley fog is forecast tonight in portions of eastern Missouri including KSUS. IFR conditions are expected while fog is in place and conditions will improve shortly after sunrise. A cold front will move through the forecast area tomorrow, and winds will switch to northwesterly as it approaches. Jaja && .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