847 FXUS63 KLSX 121030 AFDLSXArea Forecast Discussion...Updated Aviation National Weather Service Saint Louis MO 530 AM CDT Fri Sep 12 2025
.KEY MESSAGES...
- Seasonally hot temperatures will continue through at least the middle of next week. The hottest temperatures are expected this weekend.
- There is a slight chance (10 - 20%) of showers and thunderstorms each day from Sunday through Wednesday.
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.SHORT TERM... (Through Late Saturday Afternoon) Issued at 337 AM CDT Fri Sep 12 2025
Continued mid-level ridging, plenty of sun, and warm air advection along low-level southwest winds will boost temperatures into the low to mid-90s this afternoon. Tomorrow, the ridge will be almost directly overhead and 850 mb temperatures will climb into the low 20s C, translating to mid-90s at the surface. Thankfully, the lack of high humidity will keep heat index values within a couple of degrees of the actual temperature, making triple digit heat index values an uncommon occurrence across the area.
Jaja
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.LONG TERM... (Saturday Night through Thursday) Issued at 337 AM CDT Fri Sep 12 2025
On Sunday the mid-level ridge axis will be directly overhead with troughing over the central and northern Plains. The temperature forecast will be on par with Saturday, though there will be a slight gradient increasing from west to east due to incoming high clouds. The continued influence of the ridge will keep temperatures in the 90s through at least the middle of next week. This is corroborated by a tight NBM interquartile temperature spread of 2 - 3 degrees each day.
There is a slight chance (10 - 20%) of diurnally driven isolated showers and thunderstorms from Sunday through Wednesday as instability increases. The mid-levels won`t see the same degree of warming as the low-levels. This removes capping as a hindrance for convection, but a lack of significant forcing will keep coverage low.
A pattern change is in store late in the week as mid-level ridging breaks down ahead of an incoming shortwave. Ensemble and deterministic guidance agree in the existence of this feature, but details vary which directly impacts how long the heat will last. The NBM interquartile range expresses confidence in Thursday being another hot day, with a spread of 4 degrees at KSTL and 5 degrees at KIRK, slightly closer to the influence of the shortwave. This is consistent with most members in the WPC cluster analysis favoring a less amplified shortwave and suggests that a return to seasonally average temperatures (77-80) may come more gradually than most of us would prefer.
Jaja
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.AVIATION... (For the 12z TAFs through 12z Saturday Morning) Issued at 528 AM CDT Fri Sep 12 2025
Any fog that has developed this morning will dissipate shortly after sunrise. Otherwise, dry and VFR conditions will prevail through the TAF period. Winds will remain light and veer to southerly today.
Jaja
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.CLIMATE... Issued at 218 PM CDT Wed Sep 10 2025
Record daily highs Friday 9/12 through Monday 9/15:
9/12 | 9/13 | 9/14 | 9/15 STL 98 100 101 101 COU 100 99 104 101 UIN 99 100 99 100
Delia
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.LSX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MO...None. IL...None. &&
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WFO LSX
NWS LSX Office Area Forecast Discussion