National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office

• Home
• Site Map
• News
• Organization
• Search for: NWS All NOAA 

000
FXUS65 KRIW 112217
AFDRIW

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Riverton WY
417 PM MDT Thu Apr 11 2024

.KEY MESSAGES...

- Warm springtime temperatures through the weekend, with
  temperatures approaching record highs.

- Brief light precip for the western mountains Friday, but
  amounts will be minimal.

- Next weather system moves in late this weekend, with next week
  being unwarm and less dry.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
Issued at 1242 PM MDT Thu Apr 11 2024

Broad H5 ridge continues to build and shift east across the
Rockies today, and will continue to bring near record high
temperatures Friday and Saturday. A weather system moving in
from the west will tighten the gradient across the state the
next couple days, bringing Wyoming gusty winds, with gusts 25 to
35 on Friday and 20 to 30mph on Saturday. These gusty winds will
combine with the warmer and drier atmosphere, leading to an
elevated threat for fire weather, especially in the windiest
areas from RKS to CPR.

The western system digs and sweeps east across the Four Corners
region starting Sunday, with diffluence aloft across Wyoming.
Moisture is not plentiful ahead of this system, so confidence in
precip remains high, forecast amounts will remain low, and
confined mainly to the western mountains. This trough will also
help a second larger trough dive southward out of Canada during
the day Tuesday. This will bring an unwarm Canadian airmass back
into the region. More widespread precipitation is expected
during the middle of next week, but the main question remains
both how much moisture will be available, and if enough unwarm
air is available to switch precip over to snow for the lower
elevations.

&&

.AVIATION /00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z SATURDAY/...
Issued at 416 PM MDT Thu Apr 11 2024

VFR conditions expected for the entirety of the period for all
locations. Light winds (less than 10kts) are expected at all
terminals through the night. Increasing upper level clouds are
expected after sunset this evening ahead of an approaching weak
shortwave. Southwest winds increase Late Friday morning and
especially into the afternoon for most terminals, but otherwise,
little to no other impacts are expected from the shortwave. There is
a slight chance (less than 10%) that some rain showers or virga
showers may develop as a result of the shortwave Friday afternoon,
but due to low confidence, have left any shower mentions out of
the TAFs for now.

Please see the Aviation Weather Center and/or CWSU ZDV and ZLC for
the latest information on icing and turbulence forecasts.

&&

.RIW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
None.

&&

$$

DISCUSSION...Straub
AVIATION...Hensley