Forecast Discussions mentioning any of "HRRR" "RAP" "RUC13" "RUC" "RR" received at GSD on 01/09/23


Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Denver/Boulder CO
820 PM MST Sun Jan 8 2023 .UPDATE... Issued at 820 PM MST Sun Jan 8 2023 No significant updates needed for tonight`s forecast. There is still a little mountain wave activity going on per latest GOES-E satellite water vapor imagery. The reflection at the surface extends from the Boulder-JeffCo line east to DIA, but west winds are 15-25 kts at this time and shouldn`t increase. Winds across the north metro area should weaken in the next 2 hours as the inversion above ridgetop weakens. Modest increases in winds were made to account for the last bit of mountain wave activity impacts the surface. Otherwise, the forecast for most of the area was left intact. One final update was to PoPs in the mountains. A check of all the webcams and AWOS sites in the highest elevations (Rabbit Ears, Dakota Hill, Berthoud Pass, Copper Mountain), shows a dry airmass with no snow noted anywhere yet. With it being a little drier upstream than we originally had in the forecast, just dropped PoPs across the highest ridges down 20 percent or so to the lowest of slight chance categories through the morning hours. We do not expect any impacts from any light snow that falls tonight. && .SHORT TERM...(This evening through Monday) Issued at 255 PM MST Sun Jan 8 2023 Weak ridging in the west-southwest flow aloft will prevail over Colorado today and tonight. Water vapor satellite imagery showing and a weakening wave over the Great Basin. This wave continues to weaken as it lifts north of Colorado. Expect this to increase cloud cover tonight and bring a few light snow showers to the northern mountains. A few snow showers could linger into Monday morning, otherwise dry conditions are expected for Monday. Airmass continues to slowly warm with highs in the 50s across the Front Range. HRRR shows an inversion remaining over the plains where highs will be cooler, upper 30s to 40s. .LONG TERM...(Monday night through Sunday) Issued at 255 PM MST Sun Jan 8 2023 No major impacts expected for the period. Snow expected in the high country through Weds evening with a chance for snow showers for portions of the plains Wednesday. High winds are possible Tues for the high mountains, mainly in the morning. With the exception of Weds, temperatures stay above normal for the period. Mon evening, the flat upper level ridge weakens and pushes to the east as an approaching trough advects in lower heights. Ensembles show WSW flow aloft advecting above normal moisture into the region that evening. Model cross sections show a similar story with moisture depth increasing over the high country. Although lacking in large scale ascent, light orographic snow showers develop in the high country overnight continuing Tues. Flow aloft will be enhanced as well with cross-barrier flow increasing to 40-50 kts by Tues AM. Initially, this indicates potential for mountain wave/high winds for the front range mountains. High- resolution ens guidance follows suit with gusts potentially up to 65 mph in spots. One thing working against this is the lack of defined stable layer close to ridge top as well as moisture to the west in the high country. Still increased the winds from the NBM to reflect this potential and settled on gusts up to 50-60 mph for the high peaks Tues morning for now. The lower elevations will remain dry Tues with highs above normal in the 40s to near 50. Areas of the east plains are more likely to stick in the 40s, especially if any snowpack remains about. A quick moving trough moves through overnight into Weds. There is general agreement shown by ensembles in regards to the position of the low provides as it moves through SE CO by the afternoon. The approaching system will result in QG ascent ahead of it. Lapse rates in those areas improve into the early evening, increasing snow chances in the high country overnight into Weds. Most model guidance shows potential for snow showers to develop over the plains Tues morning. Model guidance shows hints of a easterly surge across the eastern plains in the late afternoon/early evening period as the surface low moves across SE CO. If this "surge" gets far enough west, a brief period of upslope component may enhance the showers before drier air works in that evening. Showers will taper off by throughout the evening period. For totals, 2-6 inches for most of the mountains with locally higher amounts up to a foot for the Park Range across the entire event. The plains will see an inch or two at most. An upper level ridge builds in Thurs continuing through much of the weekend. This will bring a drying and warming trend to the region. && .AVIATION...(For the 00Z TAFS through 00Z Monday evening) Issued at 443 PM MST Sun Jan 8 2023 VFR and light winds through Monday. Light SE winds should go more SSW at DEN and APA after 7 PM, and remain around 8-12 kts. BJC should be west more or less. Winds from late morning through mid afternoon should be southerly at DEN and APA, around 10 kts. West winds may pick up a bit at BJC 10-15 kts during the afternoon. By evening winds should be light and variable before returning to SSW at DEN and APA, SW at BJC. && .BOU WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && $$ UPDATE...Schlatter SHORT TERM...Meier LONG TERM...Mensch AVIATION...Schlatter
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Quad Cities IA IL
859 PM CST Sun Jan 8 2023 .UPDATE... Issued at 850 PM CST Sun Jan 8 2023 Will continue to monitor fog potential tonight. What is different from last night is we`ve got more wind just off the surface and from a westerly /drier/ direction. While warm advection will be increasing overnight, this coupled with a developing light southerly surface wind may help to limit dense fog and keep it more shallow in vertical extent /ground fog/. If dense fog were to develop it would be most favored over far northeast Iowa and northwest Illinois, which has also been hinted at by the HRRR for the past several runs. Temps continue to plunge with the ideal radiational cooling setup this evening, and have lowered Mins in most areas by 1-3 degrees., We may see readings level off overnight in the developing WAA regime, and possibly even come up a bit in western areas within the better strengthening southerly wind. && .SYNOPSIS... Issued at 207 PM CST Sun Jan 8 2023 Drier air will continue to filter in from the southwest, which has helped lead to dissipating cloud cover. Areas over southeast Iowa, far northeast Missouri, and extreme west-central Illinois are seeing abundant sunshine this afternoon, which will only expand to the northeast. Overcast skies are hanging tough over the northeastern half of the region, but, as mentioned, these clouds should continue to erode. With that being said, temperatures have ranged between the lower to middle 20s to the north, with lower to middle 30s to the south. && .SHORT TERM...(This Evening through Monday) Issued at 207 PM CST Sun Jan 8 2023 Key Messages... 1) Dry conditions will prevail through Monday afternoon and into at least the middle of the week, with a warming trend Monday 2) Patchy fog expected tonight, mainly over northeastern Iowa As a mid-level shortwave continues to translate eastward this afternoon, drier air will continue to filter in from the west, which is bringing some sunshine across our southwestern areas. This clearing trend should continue into the evening hours. An area of high pressure will settle just south of our region, keeping dry conditions in place tonight. However, with light winds, and the clearing skies, some patchy fog will be possible tonight. Models aren`t too bullish on visibility reductions, so dense fog potential should remain limited. Warmer temperatures will filter into the area Monday, thanks to southerly return flow on the western side of the high pressure ridge axis as it shifts eastward, resulting in highs warming to the upper 30s north to the middle 40s south. .LONG TERM...(Monday Night through Sunday) Issued at 207 PM CST Sun Jan 8 2023 [Key Messages] 1) Quiet weather from early through mid next week 2) Evolution for Thursday system is trending more south of the area 3) Temperatures hold above early January normals [Discussion] Monday Night through Wednesday Night... Quiet weather is expected for this period with zonal flow aloft in place over the Plains and Midwest. In the lower levels, flow will generally be out of the south, promoting a period of well above normal temperatures. Look for highs Tuesday and Wednesday to climb into the upper 30s to low 40s, with lows only falling into the mid 20s to low 30s. This will be occurring despite partly to mostly cloudy skies favored with a weak passing disturbance and increasing moisture aloft from the southerly flow. Thursday... Robust shortwave trough will arrive on the California coast, and will undergo strengthening as it crosses over the Rockies and traverses the Plains. Low pressure will develop in response to this across the south central Plains, and is forecast to track into the mid-Mississippi River and Ohio River Valley Thursday. As this system tracks east, it will phase with another shortwave over the Great Lakes with a track into the northeastern U.S. by Thursday night. Model guidance across the board has been consistent in a southward trend of this system, likely due to a delay in phasing the shortwaves over the Ohio River Valley vs. the Midwest. Ultimately, this favors precipitation to be more focused into Missouri and central Illinois vs. into Iowa and northwest Illinois, leaving much of us completely dry. However, this is still low confidence given how far out this is and potential for a change in the phasing, so have kept chance POPs in the forecast for now during the day Thursday. Stay tuned. Friday into the Weekend... A dry end to the week is favored with high pressure moving into the Midwest. Despite that, temperatures look to remain slightly above normal. && .AVIATION...(For the 00Z TAFS through 00Z Monday evening) Issued at 625 PM CST Sun Jan 8 2023 Clearing of stratus and IFR/LIFR ceilings at DBQ will occur over the next hour or so. 00z DVN RAOB shows a very dry profile with deep WNW winds, thereby decreasing the threat for much in the way of fog at most of the terminals aside from patchy MVFR visibilities. However, KDBQ will need to be watched for more prevalent fog and lower visibilities of IFR to possibly LIFR/VLIFR in the wake of departing stratus in the reservoir of small temp/dew point depressions. The departing ridge late tonight and Monday morning will be accompanied by a gradual strengthening of southerly flow, which will foster a return of widespread VFR conditions. Southerly winds should become sustained at around 10-15 kts by mid morning Monday. && .CLIMATE... Issued at 236 AM CST Sat Jan 7 2023 Week 2: The Climate Prediction Center has a very high likelihood (85% or greater) of above normal temperatures across the Upper Mississippi Valley region for the January 14th-20th timeframe. Above normal precipitation is slightly favored. This would mean several days with highs well above freezing, occurring right when we normally see the coldest temperatures of the year. && .DVN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... IA...NONE. IL...NONE. MO...NONE. && $$ UPDATE...McClure SYNOPSIS...Schultz SHORT TERM...Schultz LONG TERM...Speck AVIATION...McClure CLIMATE...Speck
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Grand Forks ND
625 PM CST Sun Jan 8 2023 .UPDATE... Issued at 614 PM CST Sun Jan 8 2023 Question tonight is fog development. Very uncertain, which is not unusual for fog development. Skies clear and there is a light south or southwest wind tonight. Some high clouds moving thru the RRV early this evening but overall a generally clear sky. There was no snow melt and hasnt been for a long time to add moisture to the lower levels. There are some higher dew pts in SW MN (20-23) near the Minnesota River in a small area around Canby/Madison MN south of our forecast area. This possibly could advect northeast some tonight and bring increased low level moisture into WC MN. MAV and and a few other short terms indicate a bit higher chances for fog in WC MN than other areas. HRRR and NBM development blotches of low vsbys pretty much all over. Fcst grids for fog with patchy and areas look good and no changes. && .SHORT TERM...(This evening through Monday night) Issued at 329 PM CST Sun Jan 8 2023 Fog, yet again, will be the primary concern for the short term period and where dense fog develops the potential for freezing fog and flurries. A weak mid level wave passes through the region overnight and weak surface troughing also transitions through our area. There isn`t enough moisture aloft or forcing to result in measurable precipitation, but in the BL or near the surface inversion southerly and southeasterly flow may lead to weak WAA/weak moisture advection and when combined with radiational cooling additional fog will likely develop. There won`t be high predictability on locations of dense fog/freezing fog, however the signal is strong for at least fog development once again tonight into Monday morning. The surface layer isn`t going to see a strong shift in flow, so stratus/fog may linger or redevelop once again Monday into Monday night. As with previous days, where low level saturation or stratus is high enough we could see flurries and localized dusting of snowfall (again low confidence in location/occurrence. Temperatures will (as usual) be impacted by clouds/fog. Where cloud cover/fog persists lows will remain in the teens, where there is more persistent clearing they may drop to near zero. During the daytime if there is less clearing then they will hold in the low teens, but with more clearing/sun they should reach the 20s (especially in forested areas). .LONG TERM...(Tuesday through Sunday) Issued at 329 PM CST Sun Jan 8 2023 Little to no impacts are expected during the long term as a flattened ridge remains over the region. Temperatures remain above average early to middle portion of the week. There are slight chances for weak waves to shift across Canada and bring chances for flurries or a light snow shower at times over the course of the next several days. One chance appears Tuesday night into Wednesday. Chances are slim, but still possible (20%) for areas east of the Red River Valley. Little to no accumulation is expected. The cold front associated with the weak system helps bring temperatures to seasonal averages end of the week, but guidance continues to depict continued warm air coming from the south near the end of the long term. Temperatures have the chance to reach the lower 30s for portions MN, but this is all dependent on the current snowpack. We have a large dense snowpack across the area that will help to keep temperatures cooler near the surface. None the less temperatures will be well above average to end the work week and begin the weekend. The cooler temperatures near the surface and warmer air aloft bring the possibility for patchy fog due to the inversion aloft. This is only a possibility at this time as guidance is not in great agreement on fog development outside of the short term. && .AVIATION...(For the 00Z TAFS through 00Z Monday evening) Issued at 614 PM CST Sun Jan 8 2023 Higher than usual uncertainity in regards to fog development across the area overnight into Mon AM. We are starting the evening off with good vsby unlike past days. There will be a light south or southwest wind but also pockets of calm. Low level moisture from snow melt is lacking so fog formation may be tied more toward ground fog at first and thus making it very localized/spotty in coverage at first. How widespread it may get late tonight/Mon AM is highly uncertain. Thus TAF forecasts out show some fog development after 06z but what values for vsby in there as the forecast is low confidence. && .FGF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... ND...None. MN...None. && $$ UPDATE...Riddle SHORT TERM...DJR LONG TERM...Spender AVIATION...JR
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Grand Junction CO
430 PM MST Sun Jan 8 2023 .SHORT TERM...(Tonight through Monday night) Issued at 312 PM MST Sun Jan 8 2023 Satellite imagery shows widespread high level clouds moving east as a shortwave moving through the flow nudges the northern portion of the CWA this evening and overnight. Due to minimal lift, this could lead to some very light (a few hundredths of an inch) QPF across northern portions of the forecast area as it passes through our region. By Monday evening / overnight, expect precipitation to spread into the area and become fairly widespread across eastern Utah and western Colorado by midnight as another larger wave in the flow approaches. Although, the low valleys (below around 5-6K feet) are likely to see rainfall initially as the system begins. Even in the high country, snow to liquid ratios will likely struggle to climb to or above 10 to 1 through the first half of the event. At any rate, get used to more time away from the sun with fairly persistent clouds behind the shortwave tonight and leading up to the real disturbance approaching tomorrow. See the long term for more details about accumulations (likely near advisory thresholds) by the time this system wraps up. Temperatures will climb slightly warmer tomorrow thanks to the WAA. Above normal (5-15+ degrees) warmth will continue tonight thanks to persistent thick cloud cover with even warmer (15-20+ degrees) conditions Monday night CWA-wide. .LONG TERM...(Tuesday through Sunday) Issued at 312 PM MST Sun Jan 8 2023 Little change to current thinking with regards to the long term period. A relatively weak short wave trough will be moving across the CWA Tuesday morning and will bring precip to the region through Tuesday evening. Previous runs kept QPF and snow amounts in the sub- advisory level but this latest run has bumped up snow amounts enough where some low-end highlights might be warranted. The NAMNest and HRRR are the likely culprits for this increase in precip. Later shifts will need to see how the models resolve themselves and if these amounts stay consistent or fluctuate. Of note, QG forcing is rather light with this trough though an upper level jet streak of around 90kts will be moving overhead. The left exit region of said jet will allow for some divergence aloft and thus, some large scale ascent is likely. Still a few moving parts with this little system and confidence just not there yet to issue any winter weather products. Areas to watch would be the Park and Gore Ranges, Flat Tops, and to a lesser extent the Grand Mesa and other central mountains. Latest forecast snowfall amounts look to be in the 4 to 8 range for said locations. A lull will occur Tuesday evening until a more robust, stand-up front moves across the area Wednesday morning. Important to mention that all this precip will be the remnants of Atmospheric Rivers...yes, plural...that have consistently been transporting anomalously high amounts of moisture to the West Coast. This next push of moisture will favor southern portions of the forecast area as the best upper level support moves through that area. Current thinking brings snowfall amounts from early Wednesday morning through Thursday morning of about 4 to 8 inches to the San Juans and somewhat lesser amounts for the northern/central mountains and Uncompahgre Plateau. Height rises then kick in during the day Thursday as a high amplitude ridge axis sets up across the West. Another AR will be bringing precip to the West Coast but the location of the ridge axis will keep any precip in that same general location. Our CWA will remain dry as the ridge gets nudged eastward Friday and Saturday. Ample moisture will remain aloft, however, so we can expect some high clouds for the weekend. Even with those clouds, highs will generally run just at or a few degrees above climatological normals. Looking further ahead, looks fairly active as disturbances move through with plenty of moisture. Not a bad start to 2023, all things considered. && .AVIATION...(For the 00Z TAFS through 00Z Monday evening) Issued at 430 PM MST Sun Jan 8 2023 Scattered to broken mid and high level clouds with bases around 10K feet will continue to stream across eastern Utah and western Colorado through tonight and into Monday. Some light snow may break out across the northern Colorado mountains from these clouds, but this is highly unlikely to affect TAF sites. Otherwise, we continue to monitor KVEL where fog and low clouds remain concerns. Visibility has improved this afternoon, but ceilings continue to hover around LIFR/IFR. Ceilings should not change much through the TAF period. Visibility on the other hand likely drops to IFR overnight... with LIFR not ruled out. Elsewhere, expect VFR conditions to persist for the next 24 hours with light, terrain driven winds. && .GJT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... CO...None. UT...None. && $$ SHORT TERM...SS LONG TERM...TGR AVIATION...MDM
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Lincoln IL
734 PM CST Sun Jan 8 2023 .SYNOPSIS... Issued at 304 PM CST Sun Jan 8 2023 Mild and dry weather will prevail across central Illinois for the next few days, with high temperatures in the lower to middle 40s on Monday climbing into the upper 40s and lower 50s by Wednesday. The next chance for precipitation will hold off until late Wednesday night into Thursday. && .UPDATE... Issued at 734 PM CST Sun Jan 8 2023 Clearing line has pushed across most of the northern CWA, while some redevelopment has been taking place around Springfield and Lincoln lately. Evening balloon sounding from our office shows the atmosphere has scoured out nicely. RAP 925 mb humidity analysis, which is closest to the cloud heights which are around 1000-1500 feet, shows the clouds lingering near the Indiana border through about midnight, and the HRRR cloud heights suggest some redevelopment after midnight near and east of I-57. This is somewhat of a shift from HRRR runs of a few hours ago which had the redevelopment much further west. However, the latest NBM ceiling probabilities still have 30-40% chances of mostly cloudy conditions as far west as I-55 by 3 am. Have been a little hesitant on putting a wholesale clearing trend in the evening forecast update, but have backed down some from earlier forecasts and kept partly cloudy skies from I-55 west overnight. With the clearing over the western CWA, temperatures are only a couple degrees above the forecast lows. However, with winds starting to come around to the southwest as the ridge axis slides into eastern Illinois, temperatures should level out soon and stay fairly steady overnight. && .SHORT TERM...(This evening through Monday) ISSUED AT 304 PM CST Sun Jan 8 2023 A very light rain/snow mix lingers along the Indiana border this afternoon: however, the precipitation will come to an end within the next 1 to 2 hours. Synoptic subsidence behind the departing short-wave trough responsible for the precip earlier today has led to clearing across southern Iowa/northern Missouri...with 20z/2pm satellite imagery showing the clearing now punching into western Illinois. The big question is how quickly the clearing line will advance eastward across the KILX CWA. Several synoptic models suggest skies will become partly to mostly clear as far east as I-57 by sunset, while other mesoscale models such as the RAP/HRRR feature a much slower clearing trend. Despite steady eastward progress of clearing on visible satellite imagery, think slower is the way to go. Once the sun goes down, am expecting the clearing line to come to a halt as low clouds re-develop along its leading edge as per the RAP/HRRR. As a result, think skies will be partly cloudy across the Illinois River Valley tonight...with mostly cloudy conditions persisting further east. Lows will drop into the middle 20s. Clouds will thin/dissipate on Tuesday, with partly to mostly sunny skies expected everywhere by afternoon. High temperatures will rise into the lower to middle 40s. && .LONG TERM...(Monday night through Sunday) ISSUED AT 304 PM CST Sun Jan 8 2023 Warm and dry weather will be the rule for both Tuesday and Wednesday. Highs will be well into the 40s on Tuesday, then will reach the upper 40s and lower 50s by Wednesday. Main weather story in the extended continues to be a storm system expected to impact the region late Wednesday night into Thursday. The short-wave trough in question is still well off the California coast, so has not yet been adequately sampled by surface/upper air data networks. As such, its evolution and the exact track of its associated surface low are still somewhat in question. 12z Jan 8 models have all trended further south with the low track...with consensus now taking the low between I-70 and the Ohio River during the day Thursday. This particular trajectory would allow cooler air to settle southward and introduce some precip type challenges across the W/NW CWA. Still think enough warm air will be present to produce mainly a rain event across the area:however, confidence is growing that rain will mix with and/or change to snow Thursday afternoon/evening before ending. Do not think this will be a major snow event by any means, but will need to keep an eye on the low track and thermal field as minor snow accumulations north of the I-70 corridor are not out of the question. Once the low departs, a return to seasonable temperatures in the 30s is expected for Friday and Saturday before readings once again climb back into the 40s by next Sunday. && .AVIATION...(For the 00Z TAFS through 00Z Monday evening) Issued at 520 PM CST Sun Jan 8 2023 Main TAF concern will be with the eastward progression of the clearing line in central Illinois. 23Z satellite imagery shows areas from KPIA-KDEC west are clear to partly cloudy, however ensemble guidance suggests potential for that area to fill in again for a time tonight. Cloud heights remain MVFR at this time but have some potential to dip below 1,000 feet in eastern Illinois. A more wholesale improvement to VFR conditions is more likely to begin late morning, but may take much of the day to spread east to KCMI. && .ILX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && $$ UPDATE...Geelhart SYNOPSIS...Barnes SHORT TERM...Barnes LONG TERM...Barnes AVIATION...Geelhart
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Memphis TN
816 PM CST Sun Jan 8 2023 ...New UPDATE... .UPDATE... Issued at 802 PM CST Sun Jan 8 2023 Current temperatures across the Mid-South are in the upper 30s to mid 40s, with gradually clearing skies. Temperatures tonight are expected to drop to near freezing. In addition, light winds and clear skies could aid in patchy fog development across the region. As such, freezing fog could develop in regions of extreme northeast Arkansas and the Missouri Bootheel as temperatures drop overnight. Otherwise, the forecast remains on track and does not need additional updates at this time. ANS && .SYNOPSIS... Dry weather and clearing skies will prevail for the rest of the day. Dense fog is possible across much of the Mid-South overnight, with a possibility of freezing fog in extreme northeast AR. A more potent system will move into the region late Wednesday night into Thursday with more showers and thunderstorms and possibly a few strong to severe storms. Near normal temperatures will gradually warm to above normal by midweek followed by cooler and drier weather for Friday and Saturday. && .DISCUSSION... (This evening through next Saturday) Issued at 339 PM CST Sun Jan 8 2023 Skies are gradually clearing from west to east this afternoon as a cold front exits the region into central Mississippi and Alabama. Though we should remain dry, the combination of lingering moisture and light winds could lead to fog development overnight. Dewpoint depressions across the area only look to be about 1 or 2 degrees through early tomorrow morning around sunrise. Temperatures in extreme northeastern AR and the MO Bootheel may get down to freezing while this fog develops overnight, thus leading to a chance for freezing fog. CAMs don`t quite have a good enough handle on the intensity or spatial distribution for a Dense Fog Advisory quite yet, but for now will just continue to mention dense fog in the HWO with a chance of freezing fog. We`re looking at a very pleasant and mild next few days as high pressure builds in. By tomorrow afternoon, a 1026 mb surface high should be sitting directly over the Mid-South, leading to mostly clear skies with mild temperatures near normal in the 50s. As the week progresses, upper level ridging will build in, further reinforcing a warming trend and nudging temperatures above normal by midweek. An occluded low pressure system with an associated cold front looks to approach Wednesday evening, increasing PoPs to the 20-30% range overnight into Thursday morning. The bulk of the precip should arrive during the day Thursday, quickly exiting by midnight that same night. Due to the occluded nature of the Thursday system, the dynamics do not look particularly supportive of severe weather. However, GEPS ensembles do show probabilities of CAPE >= 500 J/kg around 30% in north Mississippi in a simultaneously well-sheared environment, so it`s worthy of being denoted as an area to watch in the coming days. The more supportive environment for severe weather looks to be farther south along the Gulf Coast in the open warm sector, but we could certainly see some stronger thunderstorms as the cold front moves through the Mid-South. The rest of next week into the weekend looks cool and dry as high pressure builds back in. Expect afternoon high temperatures to return to near normal around 50 degrees with overnight lows near freezing. Our next shot at a chance of rain arrives early next week as another low pressure system approaches from the Plains. CAD && .AVIATION... (00Z TAFS) Issued at 545 PM CST Sun Jan 8 2023 Primary concern is patchy fog after 09Z, in the wake of exiting MVFR cloud deck, and with a surface pressure ridge center expected along the MS River. Earlier HRRR runs had only depicted fog over northeast AR, but the 22Z HRRR run was likely correctly depicting fog potential in and around MKL and TUP. Given the almost purely radiative formation of the fog, MEM sub-VFR visibility potential appears limited. By 15Z, light winds and VFR will prevail areawide. PWB && .MEG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AR...None. MO...None. MS...None. TN...None. && $$ PUBLIC FORECAST...CAD AVIATION...PWB
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Pendleton OR
248 PM PST Sun Jan 8 2023 .SHORT TERM...Tonight through Tuesday...A shortwave trough now traversing central OR continues to push light rain and mountain snow bands across the far northeast Oregon and eastern WA this afternoon. With the frontal boundary now well north of the forecast area, winds along the Blue Mountain foothills as well as in the Grande Ronde valley have finally weakened below advisory criteria, though occasional gusty conditions along Cabbage Hill in OR are still occurring. Tonight, the shortwave trough will continue to push north across the PacNW and exit the area late this evening. As the axis moves overhead, expect precip chances to diminish greatly, though some light snow will still be possible in the interior northern Blues and along the Cascade Crests. Behind the shortwave axis, a quick moving transient ridge will enter the area, resulting in a brief reprieve from snow/rain and from breezy conditions. Monday, the transient ridge will quickly be kicked north and east by a shortwave trough rounding a deepening parent low in the eastern Pacific. This coupled with a surface low pushing another front across the PacNW will result in widespread rain showers and mountain snow spreading southwest to northeast across the forecast area throughout the day. This system will be a bit more robust compared today, as a healthier moisture plume aloft and stronger front at the surface will be present. Up to a tenth of an inch of rain will be possible across portions of the Basin into central OR, while snow amounts will range from 1 to 4 inches in the mountains. Light snow up to a half inch and few hundreths of an inch of ice accumulations will also be possible in the Kittitas valley and along the I-82 corridor, though impacts from the ice will be very low. Turning our attention over the foothills of the Blues, the accompanying frontal passage tomorrow will result in tightening pressure gradients across the mountains. Expect breezy to gusty downsloping winds along the Blue Mountain foothills as well as through the Grande Ronde valley in the morning through the afternoon. The strongest winds will once again be around the immediate foothills and western/northern slopes of the Blues in OR, with strong winds especially impacting I-84 on Cabbage Hill, Highway 395, and Highway 11. By Monday evening, the shortwave trough and frontal boundary will exit into ID, with precip tapering off and winds becoming light. Tuesday, model guidance wants to build a ridge along the ID/OR/WA border which would result in at least dry and benign conditions in the morning. However, the parent low in the eastern Pacific will push into the west coast and encounter a split flow due to the building ridge. The main shortwave energy and moisture will mostly dive south of the forecast area, however some rap around bands of light rain (central OR) and mountain snow will push into the southern periphery of the forecast area. That said, model guidance only wants to bring in a trace to a couple hundreths of inch of light rain and only a couple tenths of an inch of snow accumulations as far north as Horse Heaven Hills in WA. Otherwise, downsloping winds will redevelop along the base of the Blues Tuesday, but are anticipated to be only locally breezy and not as strong as today/tomorrow. Lawhorn/82 .LONG TERM...Wednesday through Sunday...Ensemble mean 500 mb heights suggest reasonable to excellent agreement regarding the longwave pattern during the extended period. While the ensemble mean smooths details in the pattern, the general idea is a weak shortwave trough affecting the Pacific Northwest Wednesday morning with upper-level ridging building over the Intermountain West and Inland Northwest for Thursday before another trough returns for the weekend. Primary impacts currently look to be focused on the Wednesday and Thursday timeframe with south-southwesterly flow aloft, mountain snow of 4-6" in the Washington Cascades, and breezy to windy conditions for the Blue Mountain foothills and Grande Ronde Valley. Diving into ensemble clusters reveals some slight differences in the longitudinal placement of the closed upper-level low for Wednesday and Thursday; this difference in placement will modulate how much precipitation the forecast area receives with a more eastward placement yielding more precipitation for eastern Oregon and Washington. Confidence is high in precipitation for the Washington Cascades and their eastern slopes with a signal in the ECMWF ensemble for climatologically unusual precipitation extending into the Yakima and Kittitas Valleys. Impacts are not expected to be anything above minor at this time. Still focused on Wednesday night and Thursday, the ECMWF EFI shows a strong signal for climatologically abnormal winds for portions of central Oregon into the northeast mountains and their foothills and through the Grande Ronde Valley. Currently expecting gusts of 30-45 mph for the aforementioned locations. Southerly flow aloft continues with troughing offshore for Friday, though more uncertainty creeps in for Saturday and Sunday with guidance not sure whether to take the closed low onshore into the Pacific Northwest or to track it down the California coast into the Southwest. Clusters show a roughly even split among ensemble members with neither solution strongly favored. Plunkett/86 && .AVIATION...00Z TAFs...A weather system will produce periods of showers across the forecast area today with showers decreasing and ending late afternoon and evening. Expecting mostly VFR conditions with brief MVFR conditions related to passing showers. Exception is YKM where some fog is forecast to continue through the period producing MVFR, IFR, or LIFR conditions. Forecast winds are light and mostly variable at DLS, YKM, and PSC. Breezy southwest to southeast winds of 10-20 kts with gusts of 25-30 kts are on tap for PDT, RDM, BDN, and ALW are forecast to decrease this evening to 10 kts or less. Another weather system will bring lowering ceilings and increasing precipitation chances Monday morning. Plunkett/86 && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... PDT 36 50 36 44 / 10 50 20 10 ALW 36 49 37 44 / 20 60 30 10 PSC 31 40 31 41 / 10 70 10 10 YKM 29 36 27 37 / 10 80 20 10 HRI 34 47 31 41 / 10 60 10 10 ELN 25 32 25 32 / 10 80 30 10 RDM 34 47 30 42 / 30 70 10 20 LGD 31 40 30 39 / 10 60 20 10 GCD 31 44 27 43 / 10 70 10 20 DLS 35 43 32 41 / 20 80 30 30 && .PDT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... OR...Wind Advisory from 4 AM to 4 PM PST Monday for ORZ049-508. High Wind Warning from 4 AM to 4 PM PST Monday for ORZ507. WA...Wind Advisory from 4 AM to 4 PM PST Monday for WAZ029. && $$ SHORT TERM...82 LONG TERM....86 AVIATION...86