textproduct: La Crosse

KEY MESSAGES

- Temperatures remain in a roller coaster pattern into early next week: 60s for highs on Wednesday, then largely in the 40s by Friday, then back into 60s Sunday into Monday.

- Small chances (20 to 30%) for some light rain on Thursday, otherwise mostly dry into early next week.

DISCUSSION

Issued at 1116 AM CDT Tue Mar 24 2026

Temperature Roller Coaster Through The Weekend

As high pressure pushes toward the Eastern Seaboard, our region will be locked in a strengthening warm air advection regime into Wednesday. Temperatures will respond accordingly, climbing through the 50s this afternoon and into the 60s on Wednesday. Southern areas will have about a 40 to 70% chance of reaching 70 degrees on Wednesday. The broad upper ridge flattens out heading into Thursday with a cold front dropping through. This will usher in a brief return to cooler than normal conditions for Friday before temperatures rebound over the weekend into Monday. Overnight lows in the 20s are expected for Thursday and Friday nights.

Small Chances for Light Rain Thursday, Otherwise Mostly Dry

The aforementioned broad upper ridge will keep any precipitation chances well to the north through Wednesday. Increasing moisture into the region on Wednesday will prime the atmosphere a bit ahead of Thursday's approaching cold front. Our far northern counties will be clipped by some weak positive vorticity advection towards daybreak Thursday that will bring a chance of rain in the morning hours. NBM keeps chances for measurable rain around 30% mainly north of I-94, but long range guidance is weighted higher due to ENS probabilities of 60 to 90+% north of I-90, with highest probabilities centered over north-central WI.

As the day progresses and the front drops south on Thursday, frontogenetic forcing tries to develop overhead but doesn't really get organized until it advances more into southern Iowa and Illinois in the later afternoon-evening timeframe. Coupled with some drier mid-level air over our forecast area, it looks like the main opportunity for rain will be focused mainly south of our forecast area. However, smaller rain chances (20-30%) look to brush our southeastern counties in the Thursday afternoon to early evening timeframe.

Mainly dry conditions thereafter heading into the weekend as another surface high builds in from Canada and broad ridging takes hold aloft.

AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z WEDNESDAY/

Issued at 1220 PM CDT Tue Mar 24 2026

VFR conditions expected through the TAF period with broken mid to high level cloud decks. Winds will remain out of the southwest to southeast through the period, breezy at times. A developing low level jet tonight will bring 30 to 35 knot winds around 1000 ft AGL roughly between 06Z to 15Z, but surface winds should be enough to mitigate LLWS concerns.

HYDROLOGY

Issued at 1116 AM CDT Tue Mar 24 2026

A handful of rivers continue to rise or are still running at elevated levels due to recent rapid snow melt. The Black River at Galesville continues to rise and will crest around minor flood stage tonight. The Yellow River at Necedah also continues to rise and will see minor flooding begin tonight. Very little rainfall is in the forecast over the next week to add any additional runoff into area river basins.

ARX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

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