Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Riverton, WY
Issued by NWS Riverton, WY
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667 FXUS65 KRIW 082324 AFDRIW Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Riverton WY 524 PM MDT Wed May 8 2024 .KEY MESSAGES... - The upper low continues to rotate through the region, bringing more rain and mountain snow to much of the region today and tonight. Northeasterly upslope flow will cause showers to linger through much of the day Thursday across favored areas, particularly the east slopes of the Wind River Mountains. - Northerly winds will continue to decrease through the evening as the low weakens. Strongest winds through the rest of today will be post-frontal northerly winds across the Bighorn Basin. - Warmer, drier, and much less windy weather will finally arrive Friday and continue through the weekend. - A series of shortwaves look to move through next week, which could produce scattered afternoon showers and thunderstorms, but confidence is low regarding locations or intensity of any of these shortwaves and associated shower activity. && .DISCUSSION... Issued at 330 PM MDT Wed May 8 2024 Rain and snow have spread across most areas east of the Divide late this morning into the early part of the afternoon. The precipitation is associated with the same upper low that has persistently been plaguing the region for the past several days. , we should be largely done with the wind impacts that have been the most persistent, it seems, with this upper low. Now that we have moved on from wind, we will now be dealing with some rain and snow that will persist through tomorrow and even into Thursday night for some areas. We are not entirely done with the wind, as gusty post-frontal north to northeast winds will persist across the Bighorn Basin through this evening. The Wind River Basin and locations across the southwest will also see some breezy winds through the rest of the afternoon, but these will continue to decrease through evening hours and be mostly light by Friday morning. Then, easterly winds will develop across the south tomorrow late morning, gusting through the afternoon, but gusts will be in the 25 to 35 mph range, rather than the 45 to 55 mph range that we have seen over the past few days. As for precipitation, northeasterly flow over the next few days will enhance the precipitation across favored east slopes, particularly in the Winds and Casper Mountain. Note that precipitation amounts have increased significantly across the Wind River Range, and thus, snowfall amounts have also increased rather significantly. Peaks of the eastern Winds could see over 2 feet of snow through Friday as a result of the upslope. Hence, have upgraded that zone to a Winter Storm Warning. Meanwhile, to the north, precipitation across the Bighorns is not expected to be as heavy as previously thought. Have thus decided to downgrade to an Advisory for those zones. All other highlights remain the same from the previous shift. Snow will be mostly relegated to the mountains, however, evaporative cooling, particularly in foothill locations along the east slopes of certain ranges (Lander, Casper) could lead to a period of wet snow. Other higher low elevation areas such as the higher elevations of 20/26 between Shoshoni and Casper, as well as across Sweetwater County could also see some snowfall. Overall, given time of year, snow accumulations in these areas will be minimal and will mostly be on grassy surfaces, while road surfaces should remain mostly wet, especially during daylight hours. The bulk of the precip will fall this evening through tonight. Thursday, precipitation becomes more showery in nature, but steady rain and mountain snow will still be ongoing for upslope favored locations (Wind River Mountains, Casper Mountain, Lander Foothills, Green Mountain/Rattlesnake Ranges, east slopes of the Absarokas) through Thursday afternoon and even lasting through Thursday night across the east slopes of the Winds. Elsewhere, precipitation will mostly end by Thursday night, though lingering light showers are certainly not out of the question. Friday, we finally begin to see a warming and drying trend, which will continue through the weekend. Temps climb to above normal values by the weekend and winds will remain light as well. Temperatures remain warm through about mid-week next week, but a series of shortwaves could bring some scattered showers and thunderstorms to the region through much of the week. Confidence remains low regarding intensity or location of these showers. Models hint at a cooler, more potent shortwave for mid-week, but again, low confidence at this time. && .AVIATION /00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z FRIDAY/... Issued at 524 PM MDT Wed May 8 2024 West of the Divide...KBPI/KJAC/KPNA/KRKS Terminals. Multiple shortwaves and associated moisture will move southwest across the region tonight and Thursday morning. Downsloping flow should limit precipitation chances at KJAC, KBPI, and KPNA. VFR prevails at these terminals with an outside chance of brief MVFR and light rain or snow overnight. KRKS sees a northeast surface wind arrive around 06Z/Thursday, which should encourage IFR/MVFR conditions with light snow for several hours. Conditions and ceilings improve late Thursday morning with VFR at all terminals through the afternoon. Gusty east to northeast surface wind 15-30kts will be common at KRKS by late Thursday morning. KBPI and KPNA see easterly wind 12-25kts develop around midday. Mountain tops frequently obscured. East of the Divide...KCOD/KCPR/KLND/KRIW/KWRL Terminals. Multiple shortwaves rotate southwest through the region tonight and Thursday morning. Favorable north to northeast flow leads to upslope precipitation at all terminals, the exception begin KWRL where passing showers and low clouds allow -RA to linger. IFR/MVFR to be common Wednesday evening with most areas still seeing rain. Dynamic cooling and the loss of solar insolation should enable light snow or a mix to develop at KCPR, KRIW, and KLND. The upslope lingers longest at KCPR and KLND Thursday, and conditions will be slow to improve. VFR likely does not return on a widespread basis until 16Z-20Z/Thursday. Mountains obscured, especially above 8K ft MSL. 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... Winter Weather Advisory until 6 AM MDT Thursday for WYZ002-008- 009-022. Winter Storm Warning until 6 PM MDT Thursday for WYZ015. && $$ DISCUSSION...Hensley AVIATION...CNJ