textproduct: La Crosse

KEY MESSAGES

- Periodic overnight showers gradually shift to the east and weaken through the day on Thursday.

- Drier for the end of the week and well into next week.

- Seasonal temperatures on the docket to end the week with another stretch of warmer weather to start next week.

DISCUSSION

Issued at 824 PM CST Wed Nov 4 2026

Tonight into Thursday: Rain Finally Comes to an End

The stacked low responsible for our prolonged stretch of wet and dreary weather to start November finally opens into a wave and lifts northeastward early Thursday morning. The lower tropospheric deformation zone/surface low gradually elongates and dissipates over the region by sunset with the departure of its upper level support. The accompanying rain showers likewise wane and shift east through the day. Overall additional rainfall amounts for most locales look to be less than a tenth of an inch. Low clouds will be a bit slower to dissipate with a trailing upper tropospheric wave sliding down across the MN Arrowhead and into Wisconsin later Thursday and Thursday night, keeping cyclonic flow in place into Friday afternoon.

Friday into Next Week: Drier, Seasonal Temps till Sat, Warmer Early Next Week

Large scale descent in the wake of our the upper wave will lead to clearing skies and cooler temperatures for Friday. The entire region will almost certainly (>95%) drop below freezing Friday night into Saturday morning. Users should note that, since the growing season has already ended, no Freeze Watches, Frost Advisories, or Freeze Warnings will be issued until spring.

After a northern and southern stream wave pass well to our northeast and southwest, respectively, on Sunday, heights aloft rise into the new work week. Temperatures will once again rise to above normal for this time of year, likely (70-90% per 05.01z NBM) above 60 for Monday and the upper 50s into the middle of next week. The next chance of noteworthy precipitation may not arrive until the end of next week at the earliest.

AVIATION /00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z FRIDAY/

Issued at 550 PM CST Wed Nov 4 2026

An upper low spinning over southern MN will slowly rotate overhead through this TAF period, bringing occasional light showers/drizzle. Flight categories will gradually deteriorate this evening as the first wave of showers pushes in, with MVFR giving way to IFR. A few hour window of LIFR is likely (60-70% chance) across portions of southeast MN and northeast IA overnight, including at RST. Conditions will begin to slowly improve and dry out from west to east after daybreak Thursday but will remain at least MVFR across the area through late afternoon. Southwest winds will be around 10 knots this evening before shifting around to the north-northwest overnight behind the passing low. Wind speeds will ramp up to around 15 knots on Thursday with gusts approaching 20-25 knots through late afternoon.

ARX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

WI...None. MN...None. IA...None.