Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Topeka, KS

Home | Current Version | Previous Version | Graphics & Text | Print | Product List | Glossary On
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
000
FXUS63 KTOP 140448
AFDTOP

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Topeka KS
1148 PM CDT Wed Mar 13 2024

.KEY MESSAGES...

- Thunderstorms remain likely (60-90%) across the area this evening.

- The main hazard with any thunderstorm is very large hail, though
  damaging winds and a few tornadoes are also possible.

- Showers and storms become more isolated into Thursday,
  followed by drier and cooler weather late this week into the
  weekend.

&&

.UPDATE...
Issued at 1148 PM CDT Wed Mar 13 2024

The environment across east central Kansas remains supportive of
severe thunderstorms since there hasn`t been a lot of activity
so far this evening. Many of the CAMs show new development
within the next hour along the KS Turnpike with storms moving
east of the area around 4 am. These storms should be elevated so
the risk for tornadoes has diminished from earlier this evening.
But steep lapse rates and sufficient bulk shear for supercells
suggests any new development could produce damaging hail and
wind gusts. This is the reasoning behind the new severe
thunderstorm watch.

Across north central KS where severe thunderstorms currently
are producing damaging winds, this activity appears to be on the
northern periphery of the instability axis where inhibition is
at a minimum. These storms are expected to move to the northeast
and into less stable air with a weakening trend. May have to do
a local extension of the severe thunderstorm watch across
northern KS for another hour until these storms fall apart.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
Issued at 255 PM CDT Wed Mar 13 2024

19Z water vapor imagery shows a 500mb speed max rounding the base of
the upper trough as it crosses the Rockies. The associated sfc low
is centered in the TX/OK panhandles into far southwest KS with its
warm front stretched near the I-70 corridor early this afternoon.
Dew points in the warm sector in southeast and east central KS have
increased into the mid to upper 50s, with 60-degree readings still
mainly in OK outside of a few isolated locations in far eastern KS.
Of note is the fact that the low-level moisture appears to have
stalled somewhat behind the warm front, as dew points along I-70 are
still in the 40s.

For the rest of this afternoon into the evening, the focus for
convective initiation has been along the warm front with
thunderstorms quickly moving northeastward. However, subtle changes
in trends (such as that noted in the previous paragraph about
lagging moisture) lead to lingering questions on exactly how far
north or south storms will initiate and exactly what time. Most CAMs
continue to highlight supercells firing along the front around 01Z,
but some guidance has showed discrete cells developing as early as
22-23Z closer to the triple point towards central KS and that
possibility cannot be discounted. RAP/HRRR forecast soundings
indicate the cap should erode by 21-22Z, and sfc winds along the
warm front are forecast to back slightly between this time and 00Z.
This would act to increase low-level SRH with hodographs becoming
increasingly favorable to ingest streamwise vorticity. The better
upper-level support still looks to arrive as the 500mb jet streak
approaches with the area set in the exit region, and as the LLJ
strengthens after 00Z, which is likely the reason for higher storm
coverage by that time. It is also worth noting that while the RAP
has 0-1km SRH as high as 300-400 m2/s2 this evening, it is south of
the warm front and more associated with the LLJ. All of this is to
say, the time window for tornadoes remains quite narrow, but if a
discrete storm were to develop in the aforementioned
environment late this afternoon, it would become severe quickly.
The bigger concern with any storms throughout the afternoon or
evening is large or very large hail with instability, mid-level
lapse rates, and deep-layer shear well supportive of that
threat.

The severe weather threat should come to an end by midnight as
instability wanes and the majority of convection moves northeast
into NE. There looks to still be some isolated activity behind the
cold front associated with the sfc low, and that boundary is slow to
move across the area. It looks to potentially stall in central KS
overnight and slowly move across the area Thursday morning and
eventually exit by mid-afternoon.

Sfc high pressure builds in by Friday, with cooler and drier air
filtering in for the end of the week into the weekend. Highs in the
60s are forecast Friday and Saturday, then cooling into the 50s for
Sunday and Monday behind a secondary push of cooler air from
the northern stream trough while a cut-off low circulates over
the southwestern CONUS. A warm-up then looks to arrive by next
Tuesday.

&&

.AVIATION /06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z FRIDAY/...
Issued at 1148 PM CDT Wed Mar 13 2024

Thunderstorm chances at the terminals is expected to diminish
through the early morning hours. Confidence in TS impacting the
terminals over the next few hours is only good enough for VCTS
and that may be at MHK. Otherwise MVFR stratus is forecast to
move in as the cold front slips southeast. There may be some
improvement over the afternoon to VFR, but the MVFR CIGS are
forecast to return this evening.

&&

.TOP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
None.

&&

$$

UPDATE...Wolters
DISCUSSION...Picha
AVIATION...Wolters


USA.gov is the U.S. government's official web portal to all federal, state and local government web resources and services.