ALERT NIGHT: Chance of Frost in Parts of Our Area -Bill Graul

Tonight’s Forecast Low: 44F / Friday’s Forecast High: 62F…

The autumnal equinox occurs this evening at 8:03 p.m. CDT… marking the start of “astronomical Fall”. This is when the sun is directly over the equator, and we have close to equal length of daylight and night. Right on cue, it’s going to be a rather chilly, “fall-like” night across the region.

Partly cloudy skies, light winds and high pressure centered over the region… will all combine to cause a chilly night across the region with lows in the 30s and 40s. The coldest readings will be in traditional colder parts of our area to the north/east, where lows in the low-mid 30s are possible. As a result, the NWS has issued a FROST ADVISORY for Clark, Jackson, Monroe, Juneau & Adams counties from 1:00 to 8:00 a.m. Friday. By the way, it’s common for these areas to see their first frost of the season in mid to late September.

Thursday Night Forecast

Increasing clouds Friday with a chance of scattered showers midday into the afternoon hours. Expect highs in the 57-63F range, so continued on the cool side. Rain chances increase somewhat into Friday night, so have the rain gear handy for those prep football games… just in case.

Slight chance of showers Saturday, then just isolated showers possible Sunday. Expect highs both days this weekend in the upper 60s. Also looks rather windy for Sunday, with NW winds 10-25 mph and gusts around 30 mph possible.

Looking Ahead… Most of next week is looking dry at this time, with mostly sunny to partly cloudy skies. Still breezy Monday with highs in the mid 60s, then another cold front will knock highs into the upper 50s to low 60s for Tuesday and Wednesday. Frost could once again be possible in parts of the area on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights. Expect mid-upper 60s for highs later in the week for the start of Oktoberfest in La Crosse.

Have a good night! -Meteorologist Bill Graul