


Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Marquette, MI
Issued by NWS Marquette, MI
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136 FXUS63 KMQT 080659 AFDMQT Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Marquette MI 259 AM EDT Wed Oct 8 2025 .KEY MESSAGES... - Frost and/or freeze conditions will be possible tonight for inland areas of Upper Michigan. - Primarily dry conditions prevail until Thursday night and Friday. && .DISCUSSION... Issued at 258 AM EDT Wed Oct 8 2025 Mostly clear conditions have been observed across Upper Michigan, save for isolated to scattered lake effect clouds pressing southeast within northwest flow moving into the associated favored locations of the Keweenaw and central and eastern Upper Michigan. Light radar returns have been observed and some light rain may occasionally be reaching the ground, including here at NWS Marquette, which observed 0.01 inches of rain between 1 and 2am EDT. The cloud cover has been wreaking havoc on temperatures. For example, our office was observing 34 degrees and then warmed to 41 very quickly as a shower moved overhead. This same trend is being observed elsewhere, where cloud cover is hindering significant cooling or resulting in warming at times. Elsewhere, light winds and dry air have allowed overnight temperatures to plummet into the 20s and 30s interior central. For the remainder of this overnight period, off and on lake effect showers/clouds will move through central and eastern Upper Michigan and the Keweenaw. These clouds may continue to prevent significant cooling near the Lake Superior lakeshores, but interior locations should continue cooling. Widespread upper 20s or low 30s are on track for most interior locations by sunrise. Those moderated by the Great Lakes or cloud cover may only dip into the low 40s. Dry conditions prevail today and Thursday as mid-level ridging inches eastward into the forecast area and a surface high transits Upper Michigan. Light warm air advection between the days will result in a slight warming trend, with today peaking in the mid to upper 50s for most and Thursday in the low to mid 60s. Tonight the transiting high will result in continued light winds, plenty of subsidence, and the dry airmass, providing another night of effective radiational cooling. Occasional lake effect cloud cover may move over the east, but this should be limited by the transiting high. Opted to follow the theme in the previous forecast package, bringing widespread upper 20s to low 30s for most areas removed from the lakeshores. 30s still look good for the most lakeshore communities too. Since we currently have Freeze Warnings and Frost Advisories out, will hold off on issuing freeze/frost headlines in this forecast cycle. Thursday may be a little breezy as well, with widespread 15-20 mph southwest winds, potentially higher in downslope prone locations along the Lake Superior lakeshore. Thursday night, a sharp shortwave/upper level low will dive southeast through Manitoba into Ontario. As it reaches Lake Superior and Upper Michigan on Friday, a surface low will develop along the eastern lakeshores followed by the pair continuing southeast into the lower Great Lakes Saturday/Sunday. The system will pull a weak cold front through the region which will be the focus for the developing surface low. This will help support scattered rain shower activity Thursday night into Friday morning across the west and Friday into Friday evening in the east. Mid-level ridging builds in afterwards, stretching atop the departing closed low and spanning much of middle CONUS. The departing system may interact with a tropical system in the eastern Atlantic, eventually resulting in a closed low hovering along the east coast into next week. Upstream, another shortwave lifts northeast along the ridge`s western periphery, which brings the next chance of rain showers in the late Sunday/Monday timeframe. && .AVIATION /06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z THURSDAY/... Issued at 124 AM EDT Wed Oct 8 2025 VFR will be the primary flight category, but cannot rule out some brief MVFR at SAW early this morning as lake effect cloud cover returns. Confidence remains too low, though, to include mention at this time. Northwesterly winds will be light in the 4 to 8 kt range. && .MARINE... Issued at 258 AM EDT Wed Oct 8 2025 Winds are coming down over Lake Superior, but at the time of this writing, a handful of northerly or northeasterly wind observations are still occuring over eastern Lake Superior, specifically STDM4 blowing ~25kts and the James R. Barker observed 19kts at 6z northeast of the STDM4. As high pressure slides into the region today, winds should continue lightening, largely remaining below 20kts through tonight. Thursday, an upstream cold front will press closer to the region as the high departs to the south and east. This will support increasing southwesterly to southerly winds through the day to near 25kts. Thursday night when the front is moving into the region, these winds increase to near 30kts. Some guidance suggests the potential for low end gales, namely the GFS and EC. The latter`s ensemble system currently suggests ~30% for gales across parts of western and eastern Lake Superior, which is an upward trend. Will need to monitor this for consistency in the next few days. After this system exits Friday, northwest winds shift to northeasterlies as the departing system begins stalling and interacting with a potential tropical off the east coast, and another wave approaches from the west. During this period, primarily winds below 20kts should prevail. By Sunday, the upstream system moves closer to the region, resulting in southeasterlies increasing to near 25-30kts. These elevated winds gradually subside Monday. && .MQT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Upper Michigan... Frost Advisory until 10 AM EDT this morning for MIZ001-003-006- 007-014-085. Freeze Warning until 10 AM EDT /9 AM CDT/ this morning for MIZ002-004-005-009>013-084. Lake Superior... None. Lake Michigan... None. && $$ DISCUSSION...JTP AVIATION...TDUD MARINE...JTP