Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Cheyenne, WY
Issued by NWS Cheyenne, WY
Versions:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
160 FXUS65 KCYS 131749 AFDCYS Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Cheyenne WY 1150 AM MDT Mon May 13 2024 .KEY MESSAGES... - Trending warmer through Monday, but remaining unsettled with daily chances for showers and storms through mid-week. - A cold frontal passage is expected on Wednesday, with much of the region returning to below-normal temperatures and increased chances for rain and high-elevation snow. - Warming temperatures through the end of the week with a dry start to the weekend expected. && .SHORT TERM /THROUGH TUESDAY/... Issued at 400 AM MDT Mon May 13 2024 As the low in the southern plains continues to depart eastward, satellite imagery shows the next shortwave stretching across the PACNW into ID and MT. Being positioned between the two, southeast Wyoming is looking mostly dry and breezy. With warmer temperatures today, there`s a bit more instability out there and 20 to 30 knots of shear. However, since the better moisture has departed eastward, we`re still looking at deep inverted-v soundings with a very dry surface layer. There`s still a chance for isolated to widely scattered rain showers and thunderstorms, mainly along the higher terrain, but we can`t rule out a light shower or weak thunderstorm in the high plains. Afternoon high temperatures Monday are forecast to be a few degrees warmer than they were Sunday with overnight low temperatures nearly the same. Tuesday, a stronger shortwave begins to enter the forecast area, bringing cooler temperatures and increasing precipitation chances. HiRes guidance is not too excited about the precipitation chances Tuesday afternoon, and global models are split between the GFS keeping shallow ridging across most of southeast Wyoming and western Nebraska through Tuesday afternoon, not allowing the shortwave to push through until Tuesday night; and the ECMWF which brings the shortwave all the way through southeast Wyoming and western Nebraska Tuesday morning/afternoon, which is a much wetter, cooler signal. Overall, impacts are not expected to be major with either solution. For now, opted to keep areas north of the North Platte River Valley cooler and wetter through Tuesday afternoon, and south of the North Platte River Valley warmer and drier until Tuesday evening/night. && .LONG TERM /TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY/... Issued at 400 AM MDT Mon May 13 2024 A cold front will sag southward as a shortwave trough passes east through the region on Tuesday evening into Wednesday. Expect much cooler temperatures on Wednesday on the order of 5-8 degrees below average. Cooler temperatures aloft combined with daytime heating will result in enough instability for scattered showers across the area, especially as a secondary weak vort max pivots through during the afternoon hours. With cooler temperatures in place, will have to watch for the potential for snow accumulations in the mountains. Current guidance supports the potential for a light event in the Snowy and Sierra Madres of an inch or two or less. However, farther north closer to the upper level low, favorable upslope flow may result in 3 to 6 inches in the northern Laramie Range if current trends remain on track. Following this system, expect a drying and warming trend as west-northwest flow remains in place. Widespread mid-70s are likely east of I-25 on Saturday with high confidence of near-80 degree readings in the NE panhandle. By the Saturday night- Sunday timeframe, differences in ensemble guidance emerge with the GEFS favoring troughing returning to the west coast and the EPS suggesting a flatter system. Temperatures look to remain above average through the weekend. && .AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z TUESDAY/... Issued at 1150 AM MDT Mon May 13 2024 A stationary front is forecast to drift east today across the high plains, but then return westward towards the Laramie Range early tonight. Convergence and instability near this boundary will result in scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms into this evening, mainly for southeast Wyoming. HAZARDS/WEATHER TRENDS: VFR conditions are expected to continue this afternoon and tonight with occasional mid to high cloudiness. KCYS has the best chance to see an isolated thunder shower this afternoon and this evening, with lower probabilities for KLAR and KBFF. Breezy conditions expected this afternoon for the southeast Wyoming terminals, with increasing south winds between 04z and 11z tonight for KCDR. && .CYS WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WY...None. NE...None. && $$ SHORT TERM...LEG LONG TERM...MAC AVIATION...TJT