Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Denver/Boulder, CO

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000 FXUS65 KBOU 150337 AFDBOU AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER/BOULDER CO 937 PM MDT TUE MAY 14 2013 .UPDATE... && .SHORT TERM...
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SHOWERS SLOWLY DIMINISHING AS EXPECTED THIS EVENING. THIS TREND SHOULD CONTINUE WITH ONLY SLIGHT DECREASE IN THE HIGHER CLOUD COVER OVERNIGHT. CURRENT FORECAST IS LOOKING GOOD. STILL SOME THREAT OF SLOW MOVING THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE FOOTHILLS WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON...THOUGH CLOUD COVER AND LIMITED MOISTURE AND INSTABILITY DIMINISH THE THREAT. IT ALSO LOOKS LIKE WINDS ALOFT MAY BE INCREASING IN THE AFTERNOON...AND EARLY CONVECTION MAY PRODUCE OUTFLOW BOUNDARIES TO MOVE THE SHOWERS AROUND. ON THE PLAINS THE CLOUD COVER AND COOL LOW LEVELS SHOULD DELAY CONVECTION UNTIL LATE IN THE DAY.
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&& .AVIATION...
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VFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED THROUGH WEDNESDAY. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED IN THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THERE COULD BE LOCALIZED MVFR CEILINGS/VISIBILITIES BUT THESE ARE EXPECTED TO BE LIMITED IN TIME AND AREAL COVERAGE. THERE IS A BETTER CHANCE OF NEEDING INSTRUMENT APPROACHES TO KDEN DUE TO CEILINGS OF 5-7 THOUSAND FEET AGL.
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&& .PREV DISCUSSION...
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/ISSUED 328 PM MDT TUE MAY 14 2013/ SHORT TERM...WEAK FLOW ALOFT WILL CONTINUE OVERNIGHT. LOW LEVEL MOISTURE WILL GRADUALLY INCREASE FROM THE EAST FOLLOWING THE PASSAGE OF A COOL FRONT. FOR TONIGHT...WILL CONTINUE WITH SLGT CHC OF TSTMS THROUGH THE EVENING. THE STORMS WILL BE FAIRLY BASED SO GUSTY WINDS TO 50 MPH AND LIGHTNING THE MAIN THREAT...RAINFALL WILL GENERALLY BE AOB ONE TENTH OF AN INCH. ON WEDNESDAY... PRECIPITABLE WATERS WILL BE BETTER VS TODAY WITH VALUES AROUND 0.75 INCHES. STORM MOTIONS WILL AGAIN BE LESS THAN 10 KTS. A WEAK SHORT WAVE TROUGH WILL BE OVER CENTRAL UT IN THE AFTERNOON AND IS PROGGED TO CONTINUE TO SHIFT SLOWLY EASTWARD. TEMPERATURES WILL BE CLOSER TO SEASONAL NORMALS ON WEDNESDAY. FORECAST CAPES IN THE AFTN WILL GENERALLY BE IN THE 1000-1400 J/KG RANGE. OVERALL SHEAR PRETTY WEAK SO THE STORM WILL BE PULSE TYPE PRODUCING WET VS DRY MICROBURSTS...AND COULD PRODUCE MODERATE TO HEAVY RAINFALL ALONG WITH GUSTY OUTFLOW WINDS. MAIN CONCERN IN THE AFTN WILL BE OVER THE FOOTHILLS NEAR THE BURN AREAS SO WL NEED TO MONITOR THIS SITUATION CLOSELY. LONG TERM...CHANCE OF STORMS WEDNESDAY EVENING WITH CAPES AROUND 500-1000 J/KG. BEST CHANCE FOR STORMS LOOKS TO BE ACROSS MOUNTAINS AND ALONG THE PALMER DIVIDE AS WELL AS ALONG A WEAK SURFACE CONVERGENCE AREA OVER CENTRAL ADAMS AND CENTRAL ARAPAHOE COUNTIES. PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES HOVERING AROUND THREE QUARTERS OF AN INCH. SHEAR STILL FAIRLY WEAK SO STORMS TO PRODUCE GUSTY WINDS AND BRIEF HEAVY RAIN. FLOW ALOFT INCREASES A BIT SO STORMS TO BE MOVING A BIT QUICKER THAT WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. STORMS TO END AROUND MIDNIGHT AS AIRMASS STABILIZES. ON THURSDAY...FLOW ALOFT BECOME SOUTHWEST AS UPPER TROUGH BUILDS INTO THE GREAT BASIN. MODELS SHOW SHORTWAVE MOVING ACROSS COLORADO DURING THE DAY ALONG WITH MID LEVEL QG ASCENT. SHOULD BE ENOUGH TO GENERATE A FEW THUNDERSTORMS DURING THE AFTERNOON. NAM SHOWS PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES LOWERING TO AROUND SIX TENTHS OF AN INCH ACROSS THE PLAINS WHILE THE GFS KEEPS VALUES CLOSE TO THREE QUARTERS OF AN INCH. LOW LEVELS FAIRLY DRY WITH SURFACE DEWPOINTS IN THE 30S ACROSS MUCH OF THE PLAINS. STORMS THAT DO DEVELOP WILL PRODUCE GUSTY WINDS AND LIGHT TO BRIEF MODERATE RAINFALL. MODELS DO SUGGEST THE DEVELOPMENT OF A DRY LINE ACROSS EASTERN WASHINGTON COUNTY SOUTH INTO NORTHEAST LINCOLN COUNTY WITH SURFACE DEWPOINTS IN THE 40S EAST OF THIS LINE. THERE APPEARS TO BE SOME LOW LEVEL CONVERGENCE IN THIS AREA AS WELL...SO THERE MAY BE A BIT MORE CONVERAGE OF STORMS THERE WHICH COULD PRODUCE HEAVY RAINFALL. FOR NOW WILL GO WITH SLIGHT CHANCE POPS. WAVE EXITS THE AREA DURING THE EVENING WITH SUBSIDENCE MOVING OVER THE AREA. ANY STORMS SHOULD END BY MIDNIGHT WITH CLEARING SKIES. ON FRIDAY...SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT INCREASES AS UPPER TROUGH MOVES INTO THE GREAT BASIN. DRIER AND WARMER AIR SPREADS OVER THE AREA...WITH TEMPERATURES WARMING INTO THE MID 80S ACROSS THE PLAINS. AIRMASS LOOKS A BIT TOO DRY FOR STORMS...THOUGH A FEW STORMS COULD DEVELOP OVER THE FAR EASTERN PLAINS DURING THE AFTERNOON WITH SOME LINGERING MOISTURE AND DAYTIME HEATING. ON SATURDAY TROUGH MOVES CLOSER TO COLORADO WITH SOME INFLUX OF MOISTURE. DAYTIME HEATING ALONG WITH AN INCREASE IN MID LEVEL QG ASCENT SHOULD BE SUFFICIENT TO GENERATE SOME AFTERNOON AND EVENING THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE AREA. TEMPERATURES TO COOL INTO THE MIDDLE 70S ACROSS THE PLAINS. MODELS SHOW THE TROUGH MOVING ACROSS THE STATE SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY WITH COOLER AIR AND MID LEVEL ASCENT. IN ADDITION A SURGE MOVES ACROSS THE PLAINS SATURDAY NIGHT AIDING IN FURTHER COOLING. ASCENT SHOULD HELP WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF THUNDERSTORMS DURING THE AFTERNOON HOURS...WITH SHOWERS OVERNIGHT SATURDAY. COULD BE COLD ENOUGH FOR SOME SNOW ABOVE 11000 FEET EARLY SUNDAY MORNING. ON SUNDAY...TEMPERATURES LOOK TO COOL TO AROUND 70 DEGREES ACROSS THE PLAINS. ON MONDAY...MODELS SHOW UPPER TROUGH STILL OVER THE STATE WITH COOL CONDITIONS AND WEAK ASCENT. WILL CONTINUE A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND AFTERNOON STORMS. BY TUESDAY...THE TROUGH MOVES INTO THE CENTRAL PLAINS WITH NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT OVER COLORADO. THIS WILL RESULT IN DRIER AND SLIGHTLY WARMER CONDITIONS...BUT ENOUGH MOISTURE OVER THE MOUNTAINS FOR A SLIGHT CHANCE OF AFTERNOON STORMS. AVIATION...VFR CONDITIONS OVER THE NEXT 24 HRS. NE-ELY WINDS THIS EVENING THEN SWLY OVERNIGHT. TSTMS THIS AFTN AND EARLY EVENING COULD PRODUCE OUTFLOW WINDS 35-45 KTS. ON WEDNESDAY...THE CLOUD BASES WILL BE LOWER AND COULD SEE BKN CIGS OF 050-060 AGL IN THE AFTN WITH THE STORMS. HYDROLOGY...JUST LIGHT RAINFALL EXPECTED THIS AFTN AND EVENING. INCREASED LOW LEVEL MOISTURE AND STORM MOTIONS UNDER 10 KTS COULD POSE A PROBLEMS FOR THE BURN AREAS WEDNESDAY AFTN WITH GREATER POTENTIAL FOR BRIEF HEAVY RAINFALL...0.50 INCHES IN 30 MINUTES. AS A RESULT...WILL NEED TO MONITOR THE DEVELOPING STORMS OVER THE FOOTHILLS MORE CLOSELY.
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&& .BOU WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && $$ SHORT TERM...COOPER LONG TERM....D-L AVIATION/UPDATE...GIMMESTAD

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