textproduct: La Crosse

KEY MESSAGES

- More rain for tonight, mainly for northeast Iowa and southwest Wisconsin where 0.25 to 0.75" will be possible. For locations along and north of I-90, generally 0.05 to 0.2" will be possible with the higher amounts closer to I-90.

- Warming into the weekend and early next week as highs get into the 70s for Sunday through Tuesday.

- Periodic rain and thunderstorms expected Saturday into Tuesday. There is a potential for heavy rain and strong to severe storms that will continue to monitor.

DISCUSSION

Issued at 159 PM CDT Thu Apr 9 2026

Today and Friday: Cooler, Rain Today Mainly South of I-90

The cold front that moved through the area yesterday is currently in southern Iowa. This front will shift slightly northward by this evening. A shortwave dips down into the Upper Midwest this evening interacting with this front. During this interaction, moisture transport increases ahead of this wave as southwesterly flow help to push moisture northward. There has been a slight northward trend in how far the moisture gets and how there is now precipitation associated with the shortwave itself. There is now a widespread precipitation chance (40 to 60%) for areas along and north of I-90 for this evening and early overnight. Rainfall amounts are generally in the 0.05 to 0.2" range for these locations. Areas south of I-90 will see rain for a longer period of time and this is where the better moisture transport will be located, resulting in 0.25 to 0.75" with the highest amounts in southern portions of Fayette, Clayton, and Grant counties. Temperatures stay on the cooler side for today and Friday with highs in the low to mid 50s.

Saturday-Tuesday: Warming Up, Periodic Storms

By the weekend, southwesterly flow aloft returns with a longwave trough set up over the western US and a ridge over the eastern US. Warm air advection will help to warm temperatures up into the 70s for Sunday through Tuesday for most locations. EFI values are already in the 0.8 to 0.9 range for both Monday and Tuesday. While temperatures will be on the rise, moisture transport and theta-e advections increase each day helping to increase storm chances. The first wave does come up Saturday bringing widespread rain. Minimal storm chances are expected with this first wave as not much instability would have built in quite yet. By Sunday and continuing through Tuesday, the instability and moisture is there for storms to develop. The only lacking ingredient is a solid forcing mechanism to get storms to fire. There remains quite a bit of uncertainty regarding the timing and exact location of features that move up into the Upper Midwest to help kick off storms. The best chance for storms seems to be Monday night and Tuesday with a surface low just off to our west. There looks to be enough instability and shear for strong to severe storms to occur and as a result, SPC has issued a slight risk (15%) for severe weather for Monday and Tuesday which is line with the CSU ML and AI guidance, so we will continue to monitor. All of these ingredients also suggest the potential for heavy rainfall to occur, but over a period of a few days and not all at once. This means rivers will see rises, but as far as how much they rise, that is too soon to tell.

AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z FRIDAY/

Issued at 1218 PM CDT Thu Apr 9 2026

VFR conditions will deteriorate to MVFR conditions overnight as low- level cigs and showers move in this evening. Overall, the bulk of the shower activity will likely remain south of I-90 however could see some periodic MVFR vsbys reductions at KRST and KLSE, consequently have maintained the prob30 group at both sites for this evening. Otherwise, low-level moisture behind this will likely (60-90% chance in the HREF) result in MVFR cigs overnight and into Friday morning with some chances (30-50% chance in the HREF) for IFR cigs at KRST. Cigs will likely improve to VFR by middle to late morning on Friday. Winds will shift from westerly to northerly this afternoon but will remain steady around 5-10 kts.

ARX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

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