Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Denver/Boulder, CO
Issued by NWS Denver/Boulder, CO
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358 FXUS65 KBOU 130011 AFDBOU Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Denver/Boulder CO 611 PM MDT Sun May 12 2024 .KEY MESSAGES... - Drier/warmer Monday, with scattered mountain showers/storms and more isolated coverage for lower elevations. Snow levels should be around 11,000 ft MSL - Scattered showers and a few thunderstorms on Tuesday. Cooler and more widespread precipitation expected on Wednesday into early Thursday. - Turning warmer and drier again late in the work week. && .SHORT TERM /Through Monday/... Issued at 150 PM MDT Sun May 12 2024 GOES-16 shows the trough responsible for the localized extremely wet weather has finally moved east and is along the CO/KS border in southeast Colorado. The deformation band of precipitation has likewise shifted south and will exit our area this evening. Rain showers should continue across the Palmer Divide and east of a Sterling to Fort Morgan to Castle Rock line for several hours, as well as snow above 8500 ft in Park County. Another inch or two of snow is possible into this evening in Park County, but road conditions have improved quite a bit other than around Wilkerson Pass. The advisory will be allowed to expire at 3 PM. Tonight things dry out and clear out, but temperatures don`t drop too far given some warming aloft. Expect lows in the low to mid 40s across the plains, and around 30 degrees in the mountain valleys. South Park should cool into the 20s with the impressive snow cover from the last 18 hours. On Monday, a 500 mb ridge begins to build into Colorado, and 700 mb temperatures increase from 0 degC to +6 degC, and combined with mostly sunny skies through midday, temperatures will warm up nicely. Expect mid 70s for highs across the plains and urban corridor, and temps around 60 degrees for North and Middle Park. South Park`s temperatures may lag behind on Monday due to the snow cover, but still should get into the 50s. The low level warming combined with residual moisture looks to result in 100-400 J/kg CAPE, primarily for the mountains/valleys and foothills. Scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms (20-50% for the high country) will form over the mountains and drift southeast during the afternoon, weakening as they encounter less instability and dry low level air. The chances of those storms dropping measurable precip east of I-25 are very slim (<20%). Expect gusty winds and virga for the most part across and east of the I-25 corridor. && .LONG TERM /Monday night through Sunday/... Issued at 150 PM MDT Sun May 12 2024 Weak zonal flow should spread across the region by Tuesday with plenty of mid-level moisture in place across the area. Despite the increase in moisture, temperatures should be reach the mid 70s across the plains, aided by weak downslope from the westerly flow. Though CAPE values will be modest, there should be a good enough combination of moisture and surface heating to allow for widely scattered showers and storms, spreading east from the high country into the plains during the afternoon hours. Main concern would be gusty outflow winds and lightning, with organized severe weather unlikely. Warmer weather will be short lived, as a cold front drops into the forecast area sometime Wednesday. Moisture and upslope flow increase behind the front, which should result in widespread stratiform rain. There is still some uncertainty about the timing of the front and the moisture quality behind it, but ensemble guidance has consistently dialed in on the Wednesday afternoon/Wednesday night period. Across the high country, some of this precipitation may fall as snow, with snow levels slowly falling down to ~9000ft. Suppose we`ll need to watch this potential as spring storms don`t always cooperate (as we`ve seen today). Cool/unsettled weather may linger into Thursday, but the general trend will be towards a warmer and drier pattern as a ridge builds off the West Coast. Guidance generally agrees on a return to mid/upper 70s by Friday into next weekend. As we transition to more of a summer-like pattern, widely scattered, fairly weak afternoon showers/storms will likely be the theme across the high country, with mostly quiet conditions for the plains. && .AVIATION /00Z TAFS through 00Z Tuesday/... Issued at 611 PM MDT Sun May 12 2024 A batch of showers is moving southward mainly toward DEN within the next hour. This may temporarily shift light and variable winds to a more northerly component. Showers have been dissipating quite a bit as they move south, so any showers around early this evening will be weak and unorganized. 01-02z most showers dissipate around the terminals, winds at DEN and APA become SSW/SW by midnight at less than 10 kts. Light and variable winds Monday morning becoming light N/NE in the afternoon. There is a low chance (< 20%) for a few showers after 20Z. If they do develop, it will mainly be virga and some brief variable gusts. && .BOU WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && $$ SHORT TERM...Schlatter LONG TERM...Hiris AVIATION...Mensch