545
FXUS63 KLBF 210525
AFDLBF

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service North Platte NE
1225 AM CDT Tue May 21 2024

.KEY MESSAGES...

- An all hazards severe weather situation including flooding
  appears likely tonight.

- Tornado potential appears to be focused south of Interstate 80.

- Very strong winds aloft and dry air moving in from Colorado will
  support the potential for very large hail and wind gusts 75 mph
  or stronger. This is most likely along and south of Interstate
  80.

- The flood potential appears to be focused along and south of
  Interstate 80 including Custer county.

&&

.MESOSCALE...
Issued at 929 PM CDT Mon May 20 2024

A cold front has sagged south into the central Sandhills this
evening and as of 9 PM CT, this feature was oriented from south
of Alliance, to south of Thedford, to near Ord Nebraska. Low
level easterly winds were present south of the front from the
I-80 corridor into northern Kansas. Currently two areas of
potential severe modes are anticipated across the far southern
Sandhills and southwestern Nebraska. First: A tandem of
supercell thunderstorms is currently just west of Yuma County
Colorado. This activity may touch Chase, Hayes and Frontier
counties over the next 2 to 5 hours. Tornado potential is
highest in these areas. Second: The tornado threat will
diminish further north toward Interstate 80. However, the threat
for very large hail and intense wind gusts up to 80 MPH remain
possible. The latest WoFS initiates convection just west of Lake
McConaughy in the next hour and translates this east along I-80
over the next 2 to 4 hours. Composite reflectivity indicates
some bowing segments traversing along and south of I-80.
Ensemble probabilities for hail > 1" in diameter are near 100%
from Perkins and Chase counties, east to southern Lincoln, Hayes
and Frontier counties. SW Nebraska needs to monitor the weather
situation closely into the early overnight hours!

&&

.SHORT TERM /THROUGH WEDNESDAY/...
Issued at 342 PM CDT Mon May 20 2024

All eyes are on the progress of a sfc low across the Colo Rockies
this afternoon. The sfc low should move on to the plains early
this evening setting up return moisture into Nebraska. An upper
level plume of subtropical moisture across the srn Rockies this
afternoon will move over Nebraska tonight raising the specter of
heavy rain as storms repeat across swrn Nebraska. The HRRR has
been predicting storm development near Denver 21-22z this
afternoon. This lead storm will move east along a predicted
stationary front across swrn Nebraska with more storms
developing across the cntl high Plains to move through swrn
Nebraska overnight. Arrival time in swrn Nebraska for the lead
storm is 02-03z this evening and all hazards are possible with
this storm.

A disturbance across srn ID this afternoon will move east and set
off a second area of thunderstorms across the Panhandle this
evening. These storms will generally be elevated or post-frontal
mainly posing a large or very large hail threat.

Jet stream winds will be very strong, 50-70kts at h300mb, with deep
layer shear well above 50kts. The MLCAPE will be confined to srn
Nebraska and the BRN south of Interstate 80 is generally less than
25 tonight. This would seem to suggest isolated sfc based severe
storm coverage but repeat storms shown by the CAMs increases
coverage to scattered along and south of I-80.

Storms over swrn Nebraska will be ingesting subtropical moisture
aloft and a mix of very dry air from the southwest and moist air
from the southeast. This is the basis for the SPC 75 mph+
significant wind gust threat. The very strong deep layer shear
supports the 2+ inch hail threat.

The risk of upscale storm growth leading to an organized "high end"
wind event across swrn Nebraska is uncertain; the CAMs don`t show
it. The CAMs do show the cap weakening and storms developing across
cntl Nebraska late this evening. One or both of the storm
complexes across wrn Nebraska are expected to merge over cntl
Nebraska forming large complex of thunderstorms lasting
overnight.

&&

.LONG TERM /WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY/...
Issued at 342 PM CDT Mon May 20 2024

Two more storm systems are in the forecast Thursday and Sunday.
Chance-likely POPs for thunderstorms are in place Thursday
night. High-end chance POPs are in place for the system Sunday.

The models are in very good agreement tracking a system across nrn
British Columbia through the nrn Plains Thursday night into Friday.
The focus for storms Thursday evening is a cold front moving through
wrn Nebraska. The GFS and ECM show the front lighting up along and
east of highway 83 near or after 00z Thursday evening.

Another system across the Bering Sea this afternoon could track
through the nrn Plains Sunday setting off thunderstorms across wrn
and ncntl Nebraska.

Both systems will be operating in a strongly sheared environment
featuring h500mb winds around 50kts and instability appears to be
limiting storm coverage. A check on the GFS in CONRAD in Bufkit
shows potential for severe weather Thursday nonetheless. The
situation next Sunday is beyond the reach of Bufkit and the ECM is
fairly quiet in terms of QPF.

&&

.AVIATION /06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z WEDNESDAY/...
Issued at 1224 AM CDT Tue May 21 2024

Expect occasional thunderstorms for both the KLBF and KVTN
terminals through daybreak. Wind gusts up to 45 KTS are possible
at the KLBF terminal through 08z overnight. The threat for
showers will continue through Tuesday morning with ceilings
below 1000 FT AGL at the KLBF and KVTN terminals. Ceilings will
climb to MVFR levels Tuesday afternoon before clouds scatter out
Tuesday evening.

&&

.HYDROLOGY...
Issued at 1116 AM CDT Mon May 20 2024

The HRRR suggests repeating storms across swrn and scntl
Nebraska tonight which will likely be supercellular. This could
lead to 3 inches of rainfall. A single storm putting down 1.5
inches in less than an hour isn`t a big problem but the second
storm of the same caliber a few hours later would probably cause
flooding.

The RAP model viz Bufkit suggests deep moisture extending to
300 mb will be in place supporting heavy rainfall and it is
worth noting satellite shows an expansive plume of subtropical
moisture feeding in through the srn Rockies and Mexico. Some of
this moisture will be drawn into a developing upper low across
Nebraska tonight.

The h850-700mb moisture transport in the RAP model is perhaps modest
but the theta-e advection looks strong. Winds at h850mb are very
modest at just 10-20kts so this doesn`t appear to be a blockbuster
heavy rain event. Moisture availability and repeating storms are the
basis for a Flood Watch across swrn and scntl Nebraska tonight. The
watch outline generally follows the 100 percent probability of 1
inch of rain in 12hr shown by the HREF.

&&

.LBF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
Flood Watch until 10 AM CDT /9 AM MDT/ this morning for NEZ038-
057>059-069>071.

&&

$$

MESOSCALE...Buttler
SHORT TERM...CDC
LONG TERM...CDC
AVIATION...Buttler
HYDROLOGY...CDC