textproduct: La Crosse

KEY MESSAGES

- Cool for the remainder of the week with a few passing shots at light rain or sprinkles. Potential for frost/freeze Thursday through Sunday mornings. Warming back to near normal Sunday afternoon into the middle of next week.

- Small chance for thunderstorms Tuesday

DISCUSSION

Issued at 1207 AM CDT Wed Apr 29 2026

Cool ahead with frost/freeze potential, then potentially near normal

Large scale upper troughing over at least the eastern half of the CONUS will keep things cooler than normal for late April and early May with highs mainly in the 50s and lower 60s through Saturday. A few disturbances within this flow will bring potential (15-20%) for near-zero impact light rain and sprinkles to the region. These will also reinforce the cooler air and may bring frost and freeze conditions to the region. There is at least some chance for freeze conditions each of Thursday through Saturday mornings with Saturday morning having the highest chance (30% in the Mississippi valley up to 90% in Clark/Taylor Counties) for a freeze and very likely (80- 95%) a frost.

Flow aloft is favored to become a bit more zonal and a ridge builds over the Rockies. Temperatures may moderate Sunday into the middle of next week. However, interquartile ranges increase from a narrow 5 degrees on Sunday to around 15 degrees by next Wednesday and NBM deterministic highs are a bit above the 50th percentile across all inputs, putting this warm up in some doubt.

Small chance for thunderstorms next Tuesday

Potential breakdown of the eastern half of the CONUS upper trough may lead to a short period of southerly return flow Monday night into Tuesday across the central third of the CONUS. 28.18z GFS suggests enough instability and just enough shear for perhaps a strong thunderstorm. That said, 28.12z LREF probabilities suggest this is an outlier and keep appreciable ingredients for organized convection south of a line defined by the Iowa-Missouri border.

AVIATION /12Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z THURSDAY/

Issued at 544 AM CDT Wed Apr 29 2026

VFR conditions are expected through the TAF period with scattering low-VFR cigs this morning. Northwest winds will increase to around 15 kts with gusts to around 25 kts from this afternoon before decreasing to under 10 kts by evening.

ARX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

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