Forecast Discussions mentioning any of "HRRR" "RAP" "RUC13" "RUC" "RR" received at GSD on 09/09/24


Area Forecast Discussion...UPDATED
National Weather Service Aberdeen SD
906 PM CDT Sun Sep 8 2024 .KEY MESSAGES... - Dry conditions will continue through mid-week. - Above average temperatures for the next several days, with highs/lows running about 10 to 20 degrees above normal. && .UPDATE... Issued at 905 PM CDT Sun Sep 8 2024 Current forecast is on track, therefore no changes made at this time. && .SHORT TERM /THIS EVENING THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT/... Issued at 352 PM CDT Sun Sep 8 2024 The main forecast challenges in this period will revolve around temperatures and potential impacts wildfire smoke aloft may have on them. The forecast area has seen plenty of sunshine again today with very mild temperatures in the 70s and 80s. We have seen a batch of wildfire smoke aloft basically stagnant or trapped over parts of our CWA from around the Leola Hills area southeast into the James Valley into east central SD. So, this has put a veil on the sunshine so to speak. Temperatures haven`t really responded through the daytime as we anticipated they might. Perhaps some of this is due to the smoke aloft but low to mid level flow isn`t all that strong either, so we haven`t seen much in the way of warm air advection take place. Nevertheless, there really hasn`t been much of an impact on overall conditions. We`ll likely see some of the this smoke aloft to stick around through the evening, but it is anticipated to thin and/or move back to the east and southeast. A sfc high pressure ridge remains extending into eastern SD and western MN this afternoon and will likely continue into tonight. This will set up another quiet overnight with mainly clear skies and mild temperatures. Temperature readings will not be quite as cool by tomorrow morning with lows in the mid to upper 50s. An upper ridge will also remain present overhead across the Dakotas tonight. This will continue to aid in delivering persistent dry conditions to our area through most of this period. Temperatures on Monday are expected to be very warm to hot considering the time of year we are in. Flow at the sfc and aloft is expected to pick up a bit more by Monday afternoon which should help to draw in a warmer air mass. Latest runs of the HRRR smoke product show a higher concentration of smoke aloft across the western CONUS will shift east into the Dakotas on Monday. This is progged to begin to move into our western zones closer to midday and afternoon before continuing eastward with time later in the day through the end of this period. It remains to be seen how much this could have an effect on afternoon temperature readings. Perhaps it will somewhat but the incoming warmer air mass could overcome any impact. Ensemble probs for reaching or exceeding 90 degrees on Monday remain the highest across the Missouri Valley and points west, especially west river. So, have tailored tomorrow`s highs accordingly to this. An upper trough progged by guidance is anticipated to crash over the top of the upper ridge late Monday into early Tuesday. This may bring a slight chance for an isolated shower or storm across north central SD. Although, not too confident in this coming to fruition and BUFKIT soundings in that area are very dry in the low to mid levels. && .LONG TERM /TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/... Issued at 352 PM CDT Sun Sep 8 2024 The upper pattern transitions from zonal flow overtop of a ridge, with an initial weak wave traversing the Dakotas, to a southwest flow regime as an upper low over the western CONUS briefly deepens before lifting northeast as it becomes an open wave. The ridge over the eastern CONUS hints at becoming a block as a tropical system meanders across the southeast CONUS, which essentially keeps us in southwest flow or under the western extension of the upper ridge into next week, but by this point confidence in the upper pattern is decreasing as deterministic guidance show variations on the overall regime and there is a wide disbursement of the days 5-7 clusters. The initial wave Tuesday still looks to pull in some elevated mixed moisture associated with the Desert Southwest Monsoon, with warm advection aiding in elevated convective development. The issue is the height of this moisture still remains above 10kft, meaning a deep dry layer and limited depth will probably still only result in virga showers. NAM BUFKIT profiles even suggest this occurring above the freezing level, so could even consider a dry-microburst risk. As an aside, there is a good signal with zonal flow that smoke from western wildfires will also get pulled into the region, but this is aloft and not near surface smoke. Otherwise, heat in the mid levels will steadily ramp up, with 850/700mb temperatures running generally about a standard deviation above climo through Friday. Still some uncertainty, but for the mid- range there is good consensus on highs/lows with the greatest spread on Wednesday with a 25th/75th range of 4-7 degrees, and closer to 3- 5 degrees Tuesday/Thursday before the aforementioned wave and divergences in solutions begins to influence temperature outcomes. The main take-away here is that NBM forecast temperatures are about 10 to 20 degrees above normal through the week. The surface pattern will feature a weak boundary over central South Dakota early Tuesday, with generally weak flow. Canadian air will trickle into North Dakota and thus the aforementioned spread in highs/lows Wednesday, with the surface flow tacking towards easterly and then southeasterly as a lee low develops to the west. As this low deepens, the gradient increases, with around 8-12mb across the state (again, uncertainty is on the increase when this begins to occur). The end result, and the main forecast concern before precipitation moves in will be the fire weather potential with the continued above normal temperatures, relatively low humidity with NBM dewpoints generally between 50 and 60 degrees, increasing southeast winds and ambient dry conditions and desiccating grasses/crops. As for precipitation chances, and again will need to re-iterate uncertainty on the increase, the surface trough will outrun upper level forcing with the wave headed northeast across the western Dakotas, and into a CAP with deterministic 700mb temperatures above +10C. NBM continues to downward trend POPs Thursday/Friday. && .AVIATION /00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z MONDAY/... Issued at 622 PM CDT Sun Sep 8 2024 Terminals KABR,KATY,KPIR,KMBG VFR conditons will prevail across the area tonight and through the day Monday. Smoke aloft currently over the eastern part of the region will slowly dissipate tonight, but will see another layer of smoke aloft move over central South Dakota Monday afternoon. && .ABR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... SD...None. MN...None. && $$ UPDATE...Parkin SHORT TERM...Vipond LONG TERM...Connelly AVIATION...Parkin
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
National Weather Service Albany NY
1031 PM EDT Sun Sep 8 2024 .SYNOPSIS... Isolated to scattered showers will diminish early this evening with cool conditions and variable clouds overnight. A weak disturbance will bring a chance of showers and isolated thunderstorms tomorrow. Fair and dry weather returns on Tuesday with seasonable temperatures with high pressure bringing above normal temperatures through the week and into next weekend. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM MONDAY MORNING/... .UPDATE...Few changes were needed with this update as the forecast remains on track. Minor adjustments were made to the temperatures and sky cover to reflect latest obs and trends, but all else remains unchanged. Additional details on tonight`s forecast can be found in the previous discussion below. .PREVIOUS DISCUSSION... As of 358 pm EDT...A closed H500 low continues to move slowly northeast toward the Gulf of St Lawrence late this afternoon into tonight. The lake effect and instability showers tied to the diurnal heating and cold pool will diminish into the early evening north of the Capital Region. The winds will diminish and the skies will become partly to mostly cloudy. Some radiative cooling is possible from the Capital Region south and east with light winds and some clearing. Lows will be in the 40s once again with some upper 30s over the southern Greens, southern Dacks and eastern Catskills. Some mid and high clouds will increase ahead of the next short- wave diving into the central and eastern Great Lakes after 06Z/TUE. && .SHORT TERM /6 AM MONDAY MORNING THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT/... Tomorrow...The short-wave will swing around the base of the mid and upper level trough over the eastern CONUS. The mid level lapse rates will remain steep ahead of the disturbance. Sfc dewpoints will be mainly in the upper 40s to mid 50s. Some weak instability will be in place with MUCAPEs around 500 J/kg. MLCAPEs on the CAMs are generally under 250 J/kg. The placement of the impulse is further south across the region on the 3-km NAMnest vs the 3-km HRRR and ARW-WRF. We placed a slight chance of thunderstorms across the forecast area in the afternoon to early evening. Some may have small hail M&M size or less and gusty winds, but we do not believe they will severe. SPC has only "General Thunderstorms" in the forecast for the ALY area. Max temps were accepted close the ECM MOS with upper 60s to lower 70s in the valley areas and mid 50s to mid 60s over the hill and mtns. The short-wave impulse passes downstream of the area Mon night. Some lake effect showers may briefly occur. High pressure will build in quickly from the OH Valley. Some radiational mist is possible in and near the major river valleys. Lows fall into the 40s to lower 50s. Tuesday will start the extended stretch of fair and dry weather. A sfc anticyclone ridges in over NY and New England with seasonable temps and abundant sunshine. Mid and upper level height rise aloft. Max temps in the valleys will be in the lower to mid 70s (a few upper 70s in the mid Hudson Valley) and 60s over the higher terrain. A good radiative cooling night will occur Tue night with lows clear/mostly clear skies and light to calm winds. Some patchy mist/fog is possible again. Lows will be in the 40s to around 50F. && .LONG TERM /WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/... An extended period of benign and dry late summer weather is expected in the extended forecast from mid week into next weekend for eastern NY and western New England. High pressure will build in at the surface and aloft over the Northeast by Wed into Thu. A blocking mid and upper level ridge will build in from the Midwest and Great Lakes Region over upstate NY and New England by late in the week into the weekend. Low and mid level heights, as well as H850 temps, will be about 1 to 2 STDEVs above normal based on latest NAEFS/GEFS guidance. Temps will rise from near to slightly above normal readings on Wed to about 10 degrees above normal by Thu and Fri with with low to mid 80s in the valleys and 70s over the higher terrain. There could be some upper 80s in the mid Hudson Valley. Lows will be in the 50s to around 60F. Humidity levels will be moderate with dewpoints in the 50s to lower 60s. The forecast remains dry with above normal temps with a Rex Block set-up on the weekend, but a back door cold front may bring some clouds and a slight cool down of temps closer to mid Sept normals by Sunday. && .AVIATION /03Z MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/... Through 00z Tuesday...VFR conditons prevail across all terminals this evening with variable cloud cover across eastern New York and western New England. Favorable flight rules should prevail across the terminals for the majority of the 00z TAF cycle, though some MVFR to IFR patchy fog could develop at KGFL and KPOU early tomorrow morning courtesy of radiational cooling. Confidence is higher in this probability at KGFL as recent rainfall has maintained moist soil conditions and anticipated breaks in cloud cover will therefore promote ample cooling processes. However, dry conditions were maintained at KPOU throughout the last 24 hours so it`s possible that drier soil conditions could inhibit fog development despite mainly clear skies. Any fog that develops should burn off relatively quickly tomorrow morning, yielding VFR conditions once again. Such conditions will remain in place into the afternoon tomorrow before being threatened by scattered showers and possible thunderstorms. Included PROB30 groups at KGFL and KALB for afternoon showers to allude this possibility, but confidence remains low in timing and location of showers tomorrow afternoon. Winds throughout the period will be lighter out of the southwest, ranging from sustained speeds of 5-10 kt throughout the day tomorrow and from calm to about 3 kt overnight tonight. Outlook... Monday Night: Moderate Operational Impact. Chance of SHRA...FG. Tuesday to Friday: No Operational Impact. NO SIG WX. && .ALY WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... CT...None. NY...None. MA...None. VT...None. && $$ SYNOPSIS...Wasula NEAR TERM...Gant/Wasula SHORT TERM...Wasula LONG TERM...Wasula AVIATION...Gant
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Denver/Boulder CO
858 PM MDT Sun Sep 8 2024 .KEY MESSAGES... - Warm again Monday with 10-30% pops, highest over the mountains. - Above normal temperature trend continues through the upcoming week. Mostly dry across the area all week other than low chances (10-40%) for showers and thunderstorms across the mountains. - Best chance (20-50%) for showers and thunderstorms will be Wednesday afternoon and evening, including 20% across portions of the plains. && .UPDATE... Issued at 842 PM MDT Sun Sep 8 2024 The latest radar scan shows showers have diminished across the CWA. Little adjustments were made to the current forecast. Contemplated adding some smoke into the northeastern portion of the state as the HRRR Vertically Integrated Smoke was picking up on the plume from the many fires burning across Idaho and Montana making its way into the area via the northwest flow aloft. However, the highest concentrations have migrated eastward at this time, so decided to keep it out for now. Everything else looks good for the current forecast to remain on track. && .SHORT TERM /Through Monday/... Issued at 240 PM MDT Sun Sep 8 2024 Area radars are showing widely scattered convective coverage over the mountains, high valleys and foothills at this time. There is isolated coverage over the plains south of I-70 as well. What rain is falling is pretty light. Most of the plains have dew points in the 30s F to mid 40s F at this time, with some 50s F over the northeast corner. Models keep the upper ridging over the CWA tonight and Monday. The QG Omega fields show weak downward vertical velocity for the CWA later tonight through Monday morning. Precipitable water proggs show values in the 0.40 to 0.80 inch range for the CWA tonight and Monday. Surface dew points are in progged in the 30s and 40s over the plains on Monday. Concerning instability, there is limited CAPE progged for Monday afternoon, with the highest values over the far northeast corner. Will go with 10-30% pops late day Monday; greatest over the high country. It has reached 89 F at DIA so far this afternoon for a high. For Monday`s highs, thickness grids show readings about 0.5 - 1.5 C warmer then this afternoon`s. && .LONG TERM /Monday night through Sunday/... Issued at 219 PM MDT Sun Sep 8 2024 For Monday evening through Wednesday, upper level ridge across the southwest part of the country begins to shift eastward Tuesday as an upper level trough approaches the west coast. Warm temperatures will continue Tuesday under this pattern with another +90F high temperature for Denver very likely. Precipitable water values will be around a half inch (100-120% of normal) over the higher terrain and three-quarters inch (near normal) across the plains Monday evening through Tuesday. SBCAPE climbs up to 500 J/kg in places. Because of this, expect to see isolated to scattered showers and thunderstorms over the higher terrain. Some of these should progress eastward onto the nearby plains. Subcloud layer over the lower elevations will be dry, so expect most or possibly all of the rainfall to be light across the lower elevations Monday evening and Tuesday. The 12Z NAM, GFS, and Canadian, all show weak convection along the Palmer Divide and into Lincoln County late Tuesday. Will increase PoPs for this. On Wednesday, a short wave trough lifts northeast across the region and should increase the amount of showers and thunderstorms. There will be an uptick in moisture as well helping to increase chances for precipitation. With the increase in moisture and clouds, temperatures take a step back, but remain above normal with highs reaching the mid to upper 80s over northeast Colorado. Southwest flow aloft ramps up Thursday and Friday as the upper level low/trough tracks east across the Pacific Northwest, Northern Rockies, and by Friday the Northern Plains. This pulls drier desert air into the area. Expect temperatures to top 90F across most of northeast Colorado. A lee side surface trough forms east of the Rockies, resulting in gusty south winds. On Friday, some lift will be over Colorado as the main trough passes north of Colorado. Limited moisture will make it difficult for showers and storms to develop, but enough for a slight chance over the northeast plains. For next weekend, another upper level trough moves onto the west coast and induces ridge over the Central Plains. This will bring southwest flow aloft to Colorado. Temperatures cool a little, but stay above normal with highs in the lower to mid 80s over northeast Colorado. && .AVIATION /00Z TAFS through 00Z Tuesday/... Issued at 535 PM MDT Sun Sep 8 2024 VFR conditions are expected through the TAF period. Afternoon convection today has lead to some outflow boundaries currently heading towards all Denver area TAF sites. These VRB and gusty winds are expected to last until the environment stabilizes in the next few hours. Winds are then expected to transition to a more diurnal SSW pattern for the overnight hours. Confidence is high that tomorrow will see similar conditions to today, with high- based afternoon showers bringing gusty outflows to all Denver TAF sites. && .BOU WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && $$ UPDATE...Bonner SHORT TERM...RJK LONG TERM....Meier AVIATION...Bonner
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Quad Cities IA IL
610 PM CDT Sun Sep 8 2024 .KEY MESSAGES... - Upper level smoke will linger into Monday. - Quiet pattern for much of the week with temperatures warming above normal. - NBM is mainly dry over the weekend, but uncertainty with the the track of tropical remnants and likely development of a blocking ridge in the eastern CONUS leads to overall low confidence. && .SHORT TERM /THROUGH MONDAY/... Issued at 218 PM CDT Sun Sep 8 2024 N/NW flow aloft will continue to funnel upper level smoke down into the area into Monday. Based on the HRRR vertically integrated smoke it looks like the greatest coverage will be across the northeast half of the service area. With the smoke remaining aloft we`re not anticipating any impacts at the surface, but it should make for a colorful sunset tonight and sunrise on Monday for some. Otherwise, tranquil conditions will persist as mid level ridging builds into western Great Lakes. For tonight, weak surface winds and dry air will provide another favorable night for diurnal cooling with lows likely closer to blend of 10th & 25th percentile of NBM and ranging from the lower 40s to around 50. Not quite as chilly as those of this morning (a few upper 30s with widespread lower 40s), but still seasonably cool. We may also see some patchy fog develop once again in the river valleys and low lying areas. Warm advection on Monday, with 850 hPa temperatures soaring into the range of 16c to 19c, coupled with a favorable warm SW surface wind component will support highs several degrees warmer over those of today. Given all the above along with the dry ground and thinning upper level smoke I favored near a blend of 75th & 90th percentile of NBM with highs in the low to mid 80s. && .LONG TERM /MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY/... Issued at 218 PM CDT Sun Sep 8 2024 Broad upper level ridging will largely dominate through the rest of the week leading to a continuation of dry conditions and above average temperatures. Broad southerly flow and warming low/mid level temperatures will boost highs well into the 80s area-wide, and possibly near 90 for some Thursday and Friday. Dew points are forecast in the 50s/around 60 so humidity should not be a factor staying fairly low. Lows at night should cool off into the 50s to around 60 with decoupling. A weak shortwave trough is depicted to move through the region Tuesday and Tuesday night. The main low level jet and any moisture advection looks to focus from portions of Kansas to northern Wisconsin, thus limiting any rain chances, albeit still low with Gulf moisture lacking, well to our north/west. By late week and next weekend, uncertainty between the track of a remnant tropical system from the Lower Mississippi Valley and an expansive blocking ridge across the eastern CONUS leads to overall lower forecast confidence, particularly with precipitation chances and temperatures. The blocking ridge centered over the eastern Great Lakes and Ohio Valley could act to keep the tropical remnants stalled/suppressed to our south/east and also slow/weaken an ejecting western trough. Should this occur the result would likely be a continuation of mainly dry weather and above average temperatures, which is in line with the latest NBM. If the blocking ridge is weaker or displaced further north/east this could allow for some precipitation potential with a more northwesterly drift of the tropical remnants fostering more moisture. To this idea, the ECS and GEFS ensemble probabilities are 30-40% for 24 hr QPF >=0.01 inch Friday and Saturday particularly across the south/east service area. && .AVIATION /00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z MONDAY/... Issued at 608 PM CDT Sun Sep 8 2024 VFR conditions are expected to be in place through the period, while periods of upper level smoke continue to move down across the area making for hazy skies, but not expecting any impacts at the surface. Patchy river valley fog is possible again late tonight and early Monday morning (09-13z). Confidence is too low on occurrence/impact at the river sites (DBQ, MLI, BRL) and thus left out mention. && .DVN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... IA...None. IL...None. MO...None. && $$ SHORT TERM...McClure LONG TERM...McClure AVIATION...Ervin
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Sioux Falls SD
1049 PM CDT Sun Sep 8 2024 .KEY MESSAGES... - Smoke is moving into the region on upper level winds. Expect skies to be partially obscured by smoke through at least Tuesday. - A mostly dry forecast expected for this week, with above average temperatures. - Next chance for widespread showers and thunderstorms is Friday night into Saturday. Details remain uncertain at this time. && .DISCUSSION... Issued at 224 PM CDT Sun Sep 8 2024 An upper ridge continues to build in and then flatten out slightly over the next 24-48 hours. This flow pattern will usher in more smoke from wildfires over the western United States and Canada. Smoke will result in milky looking skies, especially Tuesday when thicker smoke is expected to arrive. While most of the smoke will remain aloft, some minor air quality impacts may be noted at the surface. Sensitive populations will want to keep aware for the next few days. Tonight, lows will dip into the 50s. Monday will continue the warming trend we started Sunday. Temperatures at 850 to 700 mb are in the 90th percentile for climatology per the ESATS tables. Good mixing will bring these warmer temperatures down, helping bolster surface temperatures for Monday. Highs expected to reach the mid 80s along and east of the I-29 corridor, and upper 80s to the west. Some 90s are possible in south central South Dakota, but due to smoke aloft, confidence in breaking 90 degrees is low. In addition, cluster analysis indicates only a 10-40% probability of breaking 90 degrees. Taking all this into consideration, have knocked the area of possible 90 degrees back a bit from the NBM. Monday afternoon a weak mid-upper wave approaches from the west, tightening the SPG as it does. Winds will continue to be out of the south, increasing in the afternoon. Gusts 20 to 25 mph are expected west of I-29 and will continue overnight into Tuesday morning. There is a low chance for some showers Monday night into Tuesday morning, but model soundings are all dry and well capped. Any instability is elevated above 10 kft, so much more than sprinkles will be difficult to generate. Overnight lows will be warm, in the low to mid 60s. As Tuesday morning progresses, the wave continues to move east, and so will the strongest wind gusts. By Tuesday afternoon gusts 25 to 30 mph are expected from the James River eastward, decreasing rapidly after sunset. A strong area of subsidence follows the wave, pushing 850 mb temperatures into he 97th percentile for climatology. While mixing isn`t expected to be as deep as Monday, the subsidence combined with continued southerly flow will usher in widespread high temperatures into the mid to upper 80s, with the possibility of 90s again west of the James River. Cluster analysis indicates a slightly higher probability (40-50%) of breaking 90 degrees in this area. However, uncertainty in 90 degree temperatures is again high due to the thick smoke indicated in the HRRR and RAP models. As such, have again limited the coverage of NBM 90 degree temperatures. Lows will be warm in the low to mid 60s. Wednesday, the upper ridge will strengthen and the SPG at the surface will tighten in response. Highs will be similar to the past couple days with widespread upper 80s with a low probability (30%) of breaking 90 degrees. Meanwhile, a strong upper trough will be digging over the Pacific Northwest. As it progresses eastward Thursday, winds will increase with gusts Thursday afternoon peaking around 30-35 mph. West of the James River gusts could even approach 40 mph. Highs Thursday will be cooler in the mid to upper 80s. Friday the trough begins to traverse the region. This system is expected to bring the next chance for widespread showers and thunderstorms. Current model runs have the system taking a more northerly track, but high variance in model solutions leaves confidence in any one solution low at this time. The most likely timeframe for showers and storms will be Friday night into Saturday. A break Sunday followed by a more active pattern for next week has the potential to bring more shower chances. && .AVIATION /06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z TUESDAY/... Issued at 1044 PM CDT Sun Sep 8 2024 Smoke layer aloft will impact our forecast area through much of this forecast period, though exact coverage and height of the smoke layer is low confidence. VFR conditions will prevail, with mostly clear skies (aside from the smoke layer) into Monday morning, then scattered mid-level clouds at or above 10kft AGL possible from midday Monday onward.South to southeast winds generally at or below 10kt through sunrise Monday, with gusts 18-25kt developing after 15Z Monday. Gusts may subside with sunset Monday evening, but if boundary layer decouples, low level jet could result in marginal low level wind shear. Confidence in strength of the low level wind shear is not high enough to include in this TAF forecast, but may be considered for later updates. && .FSD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... SD...None. MN...None. IA...None. NE...None. && $$ DISCUSSION...AJP AVIATION...JH
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Goodland KS
928 PM MDT Sun Sep 8 2024 .KEY MESSAGES... - Low chance (less than 15%) of showers/storms this evening and overnight. Severe weather is not expected. - Above normal temperatures are forecast to continue through the week. - A storm system bringing gusty to strong winds resulting in fire weather concerns mid through late week. && .SHORT TERM /THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT/... Issued at 135 PM MDT Sun Sep 8 2024 Northwest upper level flow continues across the area as ridging across the western CONUS continues. Mid to upper level smoke remains maintaining the hazy look to the clouds; 12Z run of the HRRR Vertically Integrated Smoke suggests that this should begin to come to an end tomorrow as the western CONUS ridging begins to break down. An overall similar day to yesterday is expected for the remainder of the afternoon as SSE winds look to be around 10 knots with occasional wind gusts up to 20-25 mph. Heading into this evening and overnight, any precipitation signals have virtually disappeared compared to what I was seeing 24 hours ago. If storms would be able to develop eastern Colorado would be most favorable for development, additional storms that are currently across the Front Range may be able to make it into western portions of Kit Carson county before dissipating this evening. Severe weather is not expected, although some gusty to locally strong winds would be the main hazard. Do agree with the previous shift that some sprinkles may be able to develop overnight mainly for north of Interstate 70 as a strong 40-45 knot LLJ develops. I used the NAM 700-500mb moisture to indicate the ares that favor the sprinkles. Monday, the western ridging begins to break down, a surface trough develops across the eastern portion of the CWA allowing the pressure gradient to tighten again leading to the development of breezy winds. To the west of the trough winds look to be light around 10 knots. The main question for the day is which direction will the winds be blowing will it be more southerly (~180 degrees) or will it be more SSW (210-230 degrees). If its the latter then temperatures will exceed 95 degrees (as that direction can be considered more of a "heater" wind which climatologically does favor temperatures to increase more. As of now the only guidance that is suggesting this is the HRRR and RAP, will be interesting to see if other guidance starts trending this way. This is a significant mesoscale feature as if it were to happen then near critical to locally critical fire weather may become a concern along and east of a Red Willow to Thomas county line as winds are currently forecasted to gust around 25-30 mph. && .LONG TERM /TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/... Issued at 135 PM MDT Sun Sep 8 2024 The extended period continues to show strong signals of temperatures remaining well above normal with highs in the 90s and little relief overnight. Tuesday currently appears to be the least active of the week as the region will be in between systems with light winds currently forecasted. Some weak moisture advection may lead to some shower and storm development along and south of I-70 across eastern Colorado during the evening hours. Wednesday, will see a upper level trough begin to take shape across the western CONUS. The low level wind field will also begin to increase as well which will begin the first of multiple days of fire weather concerns as winds will begin to ramp up during the late morning hours with gusts of 25-35 mph currently forecasted. Thursday will see the trough begin to deepen which will tighten the pressure gradient across the area as southerly winds are currently forecasted to gust 35-45 mph across the area there is potential as well for gusts across eastern Colorado to reach the 50 mph range. Near critical to critical fire weather conditions remain a concern for areas along and west of Highway 25, the main question will be how far east will the drier air push; this will all depend on the positioning of the trough. Into Friday the trough will push to the north as winds wont be as intense as Thursday but will still be gusty around 30-40 mph resulting in another day of fire concerns. Overall there area still some considerations that need to be taken into account. 1) The overall track and location of the trough. If it can further deepen and take a more southerly track then drier air than forecasted will move into the area. 2) A tropical disturbance in the Gulf of Mexico. How will this affect the overall synoptic pattern and how will it impact moisture quality as well. Storm chances with this system don`t appear as likely based on the current northward path that guidance is suggesting plus the tropical system perhaps pulling moisture away from the region won`t help either. Nevertheless the potential remains for an active mid to late work week across the region. Later in the weekend and into the following week (just outside of this forecast period) deterministic and now even ensembles are latching out to a potentially stronger trough that may have some severe potential, wind, fire and dust potential all with it. It`s way to far out to jump to any conclusions at this time plus a lot most likely will change with details but there are signals that the active pattern will continue. && .AVIATION /06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z TUESDAY/... Issued at 926 PM MDT Sun Sep 8 2024 Both terminals will see VFR conditions through the forecast period. The passage of a low level jet will create wind shear at both terminals from 06z to about 13z-15z Monday at 190@40-45kts. Winds for KGLD, south 10kts through 13z, then becoming south- southwest around 10-20kts. strongest gust potential from 18z Mon-00z Tue. By 00z Tuesday, shifting southeast. Winds for KMCK, southeast around 10kts through 09z Monday, then light/variable. By 15z, becoming south 10-20kts with strongest gusts from 18z Mon-03z Tue. && .GLD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... KS...None. CO...None. NE...None. && $$ SHORT TERM...Trigg LONG TERM...Trigg AVIATION...JN
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
National Weather Service Wilmington OH
957 PM EDT Sun Sep 8 2024 .SYNOPSIS... High pressure and a dry airmass will remain in place across the region through mid week. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM THIS MORNING/... Northwest flow aloft with a large area of surface high pressure over the Ohio Valley. Continue to observe a fair amount of smoke aloft across the area which will likely continue to drift southeast overnight into Monday. Otherwise, with high pressure centered over the area, skies will be mostly clear with light winds. Expect another cool night with lows generally in the lower to middle 40s, although a few upper 30s will be possible in outlying typically colder areas. Also, some areas of river valley fog will be possible late tonight. && .SHORT TERM /6 AM THIS MORNING THROUGH 6 PM TUESDAY/... The surface high will remain centered over the Ohio Valley Monday through Monday night. The HRRR smoke model is showing the potential for some additional smoke aloft to drop down across the area on Monday so this could lead to some filtered sunshine at times during the day. Otherwise, expect mostly clear skies to prevail. Temperatures will continue to moderate with highs on Monday in the upper 70s to lower 80s. Lows Monday night will be in the upper 40s to lower 50s. && .LONG TERM /TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY/... A prolonged period of dry weather will continue through the early part of the long term as high pressure settles slowly across the Eastern CONUS. There will be a chance for some relief from the drought conditions starting Friday with the possibility of increasing moisture and forcing associated with a developing tropical system over the Western Gulf. Right now the model blend suggests chances for showers and thunderstorms mainly over southern locations from Friday through Sunday. Later model runs will better pinpoint the potential effects from this system that is forming over waters east of Texas. High temperatures begin in the mid and upper 80s Tuesday, increasing to around 90 Wednesday and Thursday in the warm circulation around the high pressure. A retreat due to possible clouds and precip is indicated for Friday through Sunday, when highs are forecast to range from the upper 70s to mid 80s. && .AVIATION /02Z MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/... Surface high pressure will remain in control of the weather through the period. This will lead to dry weather, mostly clear skies, and light winds. Some fog development will be possible late tonight - mainly in the river valleys. Have MVFR to IFR vsby restrictions at KLUK valley location late tonight into early Monday morning. Fog will burn off quickly Monday morning with only a few fair weather cumulus clouds and continued high level clouds. OUTLOOK...No significant weather expected. && .ILN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... OH...None. KY...None. IN...None. && $$ SYNOPSIS...JGL NEAR TERM...AR SHORT TERM...JGL LONG TERM...Coniglio AVIATION...AR
Area Forecast Discussion...Updated
National Weather Service Lincoln IL
801 PM CDT Sun Sep 8 2024 .KEY MESSAGES... - Temperatures climb the next several days, turning much warmer by the middle of the week. - An extended period of dry weather appears likely until possibly late in the week or weekend as a remnant tropical system lifts toward the area. && .UPDATE... Issued at 801 PM CDT Sun Sep 8 2024 Temperatures are falling a bit quicker than expected early this evening as clear skies (but hazy due to smoke from distant wildfires) allow good radiational cooling. High pressure centered nearly overhead is allowing for lighter winds than yesterday as well, limiting any mixing that would help keep temperatures from falling rapidly. Nighttime lows should approach last night`s low temperature values given the similar air mass and good radiational cooling setup. Have therefore lower temperatures a degree or two for tonight, with generally mid 40s lows expected. 37 && .DISCUSSION... Issued at 213 PM CDT Sun Sep 8 2024 Surface analysis early this afternoon depicts high pressure centered over central Illinois, keeping things cool and dry to close out the weekend. Sunshine is filtered due to wildfire smoke/some high cirrus, which is noted on satellite imagery from North Dakota southward into southern Illinois/Indiana. The HRRR smoke model shows these concentrations continuing through the remainder of today, with thicker amounts sinking south across the area overnight into Monday. Manually adjusted the sky cover grids to account for the hazy, smoky skies through much of Monday. The surface high will slowly start to push east of here on Monday as upper ridging begins to work into the central CONUS. Temperatures will climb the next few days, becoming much warmer by midweek as upper ridging builds further east and amplifies. High temperatures by Wednesday and Thursday will approach or exceed or 90 degrees. There is a 20-50% chance (NBM) that temperatures will exceed 90 degrees on Wednesday, with lesser chances on Thursday. A drier airmass will keep heat indices near the air temperature, though the abnormally warm temperatures could still pose a limited threat to those who have sensitivity to heat. Temperatures drop a few degrees by next weekend, but still remain warmer than normal through the extended period. Dry weather will continue through much of the week as we remain locked underneath amplified flow aloft. Guidance continues to show the remnants of a tropical system lifting toward the Ohio Valley late in the week or weekend, possibly bringing our next chance for rain. Blended ensemble guidance shows <30% chance for 0.25" of rain through the weekend, which would do little to improve our ongoing precipitation deficit especially in southern Illinois. NMA && .AVIATION... (For the 00z TAFs through 00z Monday Evening) Issued at 611 PM CDT Sun Sep 8 2024 Mostly cloud free skies are expected over the upcoming 24 hours, however periods of smoke aloft are expected to produce hazy skies. Otherwise, high pressure at the surface shifting slowly southeastward will allow southwest winds to spread over the area, becoming 4-8 kts by Monday afternoon. 37 && .ILX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && $$
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Louisville KY
907 PM EDT Sun Sep 8 2024 .KEY MESSAGES... * Fair weather this afternoon and Monday with one more chilly morning. Some filtered sunshine Monday with mid-level smoke from Canadian fires dropping southeast into our area. * Overnight lows tonight will dip into the 40s. Temperatures in the low to mid 40s could approach or break low temperature records at Lexington and Frankfort. * Dry weather is expected through Wednesday night. A tropical system is expected to bring showers to the region Thursday night through much of next weekend. Forecast confidence on rainfall amounts remains below average at this time. && .UPDATE... Issued at 907 PM EDT Sun Sep 8 2024 Hazy skies will continue through the overnight hours as some smoke from Central Canada drifts over the region. Most of the mesonet sites have already dipped into the upper 50s, therefore, have lowered Min Ts over the region by about a degree. Models are still showing quite a bit of uncertainty with Min Ts for Monday morning. It is unclear how much the upper level smoke will prohibit cooling. However, still have a good shot at seeing temperatures similar to the previous morning in the low 40s and a decent shot at breaking or getting close to record low temperatures. Have added some thin, patchy fog in the river valleys given persistence, light winds, and mostly clear skies. Otherwise, the current forecast remains on track with high pressure and pleasant fall conditions. && .SHORT TERM /THROUGH MONDAY/... Issued at 250 PM EDT Sun Sep 8 2024 Very dry airmass in place for this time of the year, with 12Z Nashville sounding showing a precipitable water of 0.46", very close to the min for this date. Unfortunately the brilliant blue skies of yesterday appear to have taken on a hazy form, with latest Smoke HRRR model showing some smoke aloft dropping down from central Canada. GOES Natural Color imagery is showing this haze, being a littler thicker now over central IL/IN/OH, and that area is headed southward. Expect the hazy skies to continue this period. Otherwise, no concerns in this forecast cycle. Surface high pressure centered just to our northwest will wobble to a position over the mid Ohio Valley by tomorrow afternoon, bring very light and variable winds. Expect another cool night. Temperature comparisions from this morning to tomorrow will depend on how the balance between calm conditions works with that smoky layer aloft. For this package, will lean towards it being 1-3 degrees warmer for most locations, with coldest spots likely in the low-mid 40s. Highs tomorrow under that filtered sunshine should be several degrees warmer than today, as low-level thicknesses quickly increase. Should be in the low to mid 80s for most. && .LONG TERM /MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY/... Issued at 250 PM EDT Sun Sep 8 2024 Monday Night through Wednesday Night... Upper troughing over the Ohio Valley currently is forecast to lift well off to the northeast by Monday night with heights building across the area in its wake. The flow pattern is forecast to remain unremarkable with dry and tranquil weather expected through the period. Lows Monday night will generally be in the very low 50s across much of the area. A few of our deeper valley locations probably will drop into the mid-upper 40s. Temps will rebound rather quickly on Tuesday with highs in the mid-upper 80s and lows Tuesday night in the low-mid 50s. As heights continue to build on Wednesday, we should see most locations get into upper 80s to around 90 for highs. Lows Wednesday night look to drop back into the upper 50s and lower 60s. Thursday through Sunday... By mid-week, large scale hemispheric pattern will find mainly zonal flow over the northern CONUS. A well advertised tropical cyclone should be in progress in the northwest Gulf. This cyclone, may make a landfall somewhere in the LA area late Wednesday/early Thursday. The multi-model consensus continues to tighten up here with all three (GFS/CMC/Euro) tracking the system northward along the MS River and having it located in NE AR by Friday morning. Given the multi-model consensus, it appears this system will bring much needed rainfall to the region beginning as early as Thursday afternoon and continuing through the weekend as the system may end up stalling out across portions of the TN/OH Valleys. QPF amounts from the models still contain substantial uncertainty and contain a large amount of spread. The Canadian is the wettest of the bunch suggesting several inches of rain being possible. The GFS and Euro are not as robust as the Canadian, but offer some helpful QPF for our drought areas. Overall, forecaster confidence is a bit higher than 12 hours ago with regards to seeing some QPF, but confidence in amounts (at days 5-7) remains below normal. Highs on Thursday should feature a gradient with warmer temps up across southern IN and northern KY where lesser amounts of cloud cover will be found. Highs in the upper 80s look likely here, but mid 80s will be likely over southern KY. Highs Friday and Saturday will be quite cooler with expected cloud cover and precipitation around. Will go with upper 70s to the very low 80s for highs here. Temps probably will not change too much for Sunday with highs staying in the upper 70s to the very low 80s. && .AVIATION /00Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z TUESDAY/... Issued at 716 PM EDT Sun Sep 8 2024 VFR weather expected. Sfc high pressure currently centered over western IL will drift ESE over the Lower OH Valley tonight. Expect clear skies and light and variable tonight and Monday. && .LMK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... KY...None. IN...None. && $$ UPDATE...SRM SHORT TERM...RJS LONG TERM...MJ AVIATION...SRM
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Chicago/Romeoville, IL
627 PM CDT Sun Sep 8 2024 .KEY MESSAGES... - There is an expected warming and drying trend that will feature summer-like temperatures through the week. && .DISCUSSION... Issued at 200 PM CDT Sun Sep 8 2024 Mid level water vapor imagery shows a clear cinnamon roll low spinning over southern Quebec east of a ridge over the Great Plains, keeping northwesterly flow aloft over the Western Great Lakes. With wildfires burning in Western Canada, this has translated in upper-level smoke moving over northern Illinois. The HRRR smoke model has the thickest plume moving overhead later today and through Monday morning while staying safely above the ground. As a result, the forecast was updated to mention partly cloudy skies through at least Monday afternoon to account for the smoke mixing in with the mid level stratus and higher cirrus clouds aloft. Temperatures are expected to still cool through the partly cloudy skies overnight, with lows tomorrow morning in the upper 40s and low 50s. As the upper level ridge grows and drifts east through the week, surface high pressure will develop and park over the region. Guidance projects a weak embedded wave with a slug of upper-level moisture ejecting out of the Plains around Tuesday, but with a lack of instability, it should only translate into some increased cloud cover. As 850 mb temperatures gradually move into the upper teens (Celsius) through the week, surface temperatures will be on the rise for more summer-like conditions with highs in the upper 80s and isolated areas near 90. The one bit of uncertainty is how models are handling dew points. Depending on the degree of mixing each afternoon, there is the potential for afternoon relative humidity values to dip into the sub-20 percent range especially during the Monday to Wednesday timeframe. Dew points were adjusted down, but taking a look upstream at current obs of dew points in the 30s in southern Missouri, there is a concern that the dew points/RHs on Tuesday and Wednesday are still too high. Relatively light winds (speeds generally in the 10 to 15 mph range) should temper the overall fire weather threat, although drying fine fuels may become receptive to increased grass/brush fire starts through the end of the week. There is also an eye being kept on the Gulf of Mexico and the potential development of a tropical system this week. Long range models have whatever develops moving northward toward the Ohio River toward the end of the week, though differ on how far north it can actually reach. For that reason, felt no reason to change the slight (15 to 24 percent) chance for some showers advertised by the NBM. DK && .AVIATION /00Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z MONDAY/... Issued at 627 PM CDT Sun Sep 8 2024 The only forecast concern is gusty west/southwest winds Monday. Southwest winds will continue through the period and will diminish under 10kts with sunset this evening. Low level winds will steadily increase overnight and its possible speeds may increase back into the 10-12kt range prior to sunrise along with a few gusts. These low level winds will be diminishing through the mid/late morning on Monday, but prevailing gusts are expected to develop after sunrise, perhaps becoming less frequent by mid/late afternoon. Speeds are expected to diminish quickly with sunset Monday evening. cms && .LOT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... IL...None. IN...None. LM...Small Craft Advisory from 1 AM to 9 AM CDT Monday for the IL nearshore waters. && $$ Visit us at weather.gov/chicago
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Spokane WA
308 PM PDT Sun Sep 8 2024 .SYNOPSIS... Showers will linger over southeast Washington and lower Idaho, as well as near the Cascades, this evening, with a small risk for thunderstorms. Mild temperatures will linger through early this week. Skies will be smoky through early Monday as wildfire smoke from Oregon and Central Idaho spreads across the Inland Northwest. A cooler weather pattern, featuring the chance of showers, is expected Wednesday and Thursday. && .DISCUSSION... Tonight: The threat of showers and isolated embedded thunderstorms will be found over some of the region, but as whole the area will see dry weather. A shortwave will continue to lift across the region this evening, shifting east into Montana by Monday morning. Showers will be possible over southeast WA and the central and southern Panhandle, with a small risk reaching as far north of southeast Spokane and Kootenai county. Other showers will be possible near the Cascades and north-central WA. A few t-storms are possible, with the potential near the Blue Mountains/Camas Prairie associated with the best lift and instability. A few could also pop near the Cascades but the risk is small. Overall the precipitation potential wanes after dark and generally ends heading into the overnight. Outside of any of the isolated t-storms, precipitation (if any) looks light. Wildfires around Oregon and southern and central Idaho will continue to contribute to some haze around the region, with the higher concentration over the Palouse into southern Shoshone county, near to south of I-90 into the Camas Prairie. HRRR guidance shows this start so decrease a bit this evening, but another surge of spread across the region later tonight into early Monday as the shortwave trough shifts through. Then it starts to decrease throughout the region heading into later Monday morning and afternoon. Monday and Tuesday: A weak ridge is squeezed between another shortwave system moving across Canada, with a jet brushing along the Canadian border, bringing in the next shortwave later Monday into Tuesday. A modest westerly flow in this set-up will allow for dry, breezy conditions Monday. Temperatures will remain above normal, but are projected to cool relative to Sunday. The breezy/dry/hot conditions are contributing to fire weather concerns and the Red Flag Warning in place for portions of the Upper Columbia Basin/Spokane area and Palouse for winds and low RH for Monday afternoon/early evening. Otherwise the day looks precipitation free, with a mix of clouds and sun. By Monday night the winds wane over most of the region, but will still be breezy from the north through the Okanogan Valley to western basin. Clouds being to increase by Monday night into Tuesday too as the next shortwave pivoting in. Shower chances come to the far northeast WA and north ID mountains, but for the large part it will remain dry. Any precipitation that may fall looks light as the brunt of the moisture and energy stays north of the Canadian border. Temperatures cool even further Tuesday, still slightly above normal. Tuesday night to Thursday: A more notable pattern change occurs this period as a deeper trough moves into the area. This system takes a more direct path through the region and taps some of the available moisture. Precipitation chances start to increase over the region Tuesday overnight, becoming likely for at least some of the Wednesday into Tuesday. The highest potential lays southeast WA and the ID Panhandle and near the immediate Cascade crest, while the lowest risk will be in the lee of the Cascades/western basin. The potential for wetting rains (>=0.10") will be modest around the Panhandle, outside of the typically drier L-C Valley, with 24-hour potential of wetting rains around 50-80%. In the 48-hour period between Wednesday morning and Thursday night there will be the potential for a 0.50 to 1.0" of rain over parts of the ID Panhandle, with that higher end of that range in the mountains. The eastern third of WA could see 0.10" to 0.40" in that same 48 period, while central WA into the Cascades is more likely to see trace amounts to less than an tenth of inch. Precise details are apt to change, but this is the general potential for now. Some embedded t-storms are also possible, but the risk is low and at this time anything that may develop at all look weak. Winds will be a little breezy near the Cascades and western basin and near and downwind of the Blue Mountains, with winds gusting near 15-20 mph possible. Temperatures are expected to be notably cooler with highs around the 60s and 70s, with some areas struggling to get out of the 50s around the Panhandle mountains. The warmer readings are largely expected near the lee of the Cascades and deeper basin. Lastly this cooler pattern will come with some moisture and the potential for patchy fog around the northeast valleys during the overnight/early morning hours Friday to Sunday: Toward Friday a weak ridge builds in before the next trough starts to into the region heading into the weekend. The overall threat of showers will retreat to the mountains zones Friday and Saturday, then expand out more Sunday into next Sunday night. Right now any precipitation during this time frame looks light and the overall risk for wetting rain is less than 20 percent. Expect a mix of sun and clouds and overall cooler than normal temperatures. Values recover a bit after Wednesday and Thursday, but not by much. /Solveig && .AVIATION... 00Z TAFS: Low pressure pushes through middle to high clouds and isold to sct -shra near Cascades, SE WA and lower to central ID Panhandle. Isold -tsra possible, including in the vcnty of LWS/PUW, with smaller chances near OMK and EAT. A few showers could skim by GEG/SFF/COE. Mainly VFR, except local MVFR with haze/smoke over SE WA/lower ID through early afternoon. FORECAST CONFIDENCE AND/OR ALTERNATE SCENARIOS: Moderate to high confidence in VFR conditions. Low to moderate confidence in MVFR conditions due to smoke/haze near PUW, LWS, GEG, SFF, COE, EAT; Low confidence in -tsra at TAF sites. ----------------------- Confidence descriptors: Low - Less than a 30 percent chance Moderate - 30 to 70 percent chance High - Greater than a 70 percent chance For additional probabilistic information for NWS Spokane airports, please refer to the Aviation Dashboard on our webpage: https:/www.weather.gov/otx/avndashboard && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Spokane 60 87 57 81 53 68 / 10 0 0 0 10 50 Coeur d`Alene 59 85 56 81 53 70 / 20 0 0 0 20 70 Pullman 55 84 53 78 49 64 / 20 0 0 0 30 70 Lewiston 64 94 62 87 58 72 / 20 0 0 0 40 70 Colville 50 86 46 81 47 70 / 10 10 10 0 10 50 Sandpoint 55 83 52 78 49 67 / 10 0 0 0 20 70 Kellogg 62 83 59 79 55 64 / 20 0 0 0 30 80 Moses Lake 57 89 55 82 53 72 / 0 0 0 0 0 30 Wenatchee 65 87 61 81 58 71 / 0 0 0 0 10 30 Omak 61 90 56 83 54 76 / 0 0 0 0 10 30 && .OTX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... ID...None. WA...Red Flag Warning from noon to 7 PM PDT Monday for Eastern Columbia Basin -Palouse -Spokane Area (Zone 708)-Lower Palouse -Snake River (Zone 709). && $$
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Pueblo CO
507 PM MDT Sun Sep 8 2024 .KEY MESSAGES... - Isolated thunderstorms mainly mountains/valleys/I-25 corridor this evening, ending by midnight. - Little change Monday, with warm temperatures and isolated afternoon showers and thunderstorms once again. - At and above seasonal temperatures with daily afternoon showers and storms, mainly over and near the higher terrain through the middle of the week. - Drier and breezy conditions leading to increasing fire danger for the end of week into next weekend. && .SHORT TERM /THROUGH MONDAY/... Issued at 244 PM MDT Sun Sep 8 2024 Currently...Isolated thunderstorms across the area again today, with most storms over/near the higher terrain as of 2 pm. Low levels look slightly drier today than 24 hrs ago, while mid-levels have warmed a touch with building upper ridge, suggesting storm strength and coverage will be slightly reduced versus yesterday. Temps have crept upward this afternoon, and most of the plains/I-25 corridor were in the 80s to low 90s, with 70s/low 80s valleys and 60s/70s mountains. For the remainder of the afternoon into this evening, expect isolated to scattered storms to continue, mainly over the mountains/valleys and I-25 corridor. Did spread low pops a little farther east to encompass more of the plains for early evening, given radar trends of some enhanced activity along the Palmer Divide, while HRRR shows gust front and some weakening activity making it eastward through Colorado City and Walsenburg toward sunset. Wind/lightning and gusty winds will be the main storm features into this evening, though like yesterday, a stronger cell could produce some hail and a brief downpour. Convection then ends by midnight, with clearing skies and seasonably cool min temps expected. On Monday, little change in the pattern with ridge overhead, and just a subtle increase in heights/mid level temps and a small decrease in surface moisture. Still enough recycled moisture from Sunday`s storms for another round of afternoon convection over the mountains, though lack of any significant forcing and slightly less favorable thermodynamic profiles suggest rather weak/sparse activity. Models again favor the ern San Juans for highest pops, isolated coverage at best elsewhere, and more wind that rain with many storms. Max temps likely to drift up a degf or two at many areas given slightly warmer mid-levels, and some mid 90s look likely over the lower Arkansas Valley. && .LONG TERM /MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY/... Issued at 244 PM MDT Sun Sep 8 2024 Modest west to southwest flow aloft continues across the region through the day Wednesday, with upper level ridging across the Rockies slowly sliding south ahead of an Eastern Pacific system moving into the Pacific Northwest. Latest model data in good agreement of increasing available moisture within the westerly flow aloft will bring increasing coverage of afternoon showers and thunderstorms to areas over the higher terrain both Tuesday and Wednesday, with the albeit weak westerly flow, allowing for some storms to push east across the high mountain valleys and immediate adjacent plains. The proximity to the upper ridge will keep temperatures at and above seasonal levels through the period, with highs in the 80s to lower 90s expected across the Plains, and mainly in 60s and 70s across the higher terrain, save 50s at the peaks. Beyond Wednesday, models are starting to come into better agreement, especially ensemble mean data, which dig the Eastern Pacific system into the Great Basin region on Thursday. These brings increasing southwest flow across the Rockies, with latest model data indicating much drier air embedded within the increasing southwest flow aloft. The warm, breezy and dry conditions expected across the region on Thursday will bring the potential for critical fire weather conditions across the region, especially across portions of the southeast Plains, where recent rainfall has been more spotty. Models continue to indicate moderate to strong west to southwest flow aloft across the Rockies on Friday, as the system lifts out across the Northern Rockies, with moderating westerly flow in place on Saturday and Sunday behind the passing system. This will keep the area mainly dry and warm through the period, save for chances of orographic precipitation along and west of the Continental Divide on Friday. Fire weather concerns remain on Friday, especially across the plains, with only slightly cooler temperatures in place for the weekend, behind the passing systems front. && .AVIATION /00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z MONDAY/... Issued at 507 PM MDT Sun Sep 8 2024 VFR conditions expected at COS, PUB and ALS over the next 24 hours. Isolated -shra/-trsa over the higher terrain brings a low risk of occurence at the terminals through 02Z, with PUB seeing the best chances of breezy outflow winds this evening. Clearing skies overnight with light diurnal wind regimes expected through the rest of the taf period. Will see building clouds again aft 18Z, with low probability of a vcsh/vcts aft 20Z. && .PUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && $$ SHORT TERM...PETERSEN LONG TERM...MW AVIATION...MW