Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Amarillo, TX

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177 FXUS64 KAMA 121055 AFDAMA Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Amarillo TX 555 AM CDT Wed Jun 12 2024 ...New AVIATION... .SHORT TERM ... (Today through Thursday night) Issued at 249 AM CDT Wed Jun 12 2024 A high pressure system is pushing across the panhandles becoming the dominate feature across the southern plains. This will keep drier air over the panhandles today leading to fair weather. There is a small exception this morning as moisture at the surface is proving sufficient to cause some patchy fog. This fog should be fairly shallow and quickly evaporate after sunrise. Thursday may see a small shift in the fair weather as some mid level moisture pushes across the panhandles. This small amount of moisture can spark off a few isolated rain showers and thunderstorms. Being that this is mid level moisture the bases of any rain shower or thunderstorm would be very high and sitting a top a large sub cloud dry layer. This would make it more likely that instead of any meaningful rainfall these would cause gusty downbursts instead. Temperatures under the high pressure system will be on the rise with highs today in the 80s to 90s. These will increase for Thursday with highs in the 90s to 100s. In fact the warmest spots such as the Canadian River valley and Palo Duro Canyon will get close to Heat Advisory levels. Even if it doesn`t get that hot it will still be best to practise heat safety as heat illness can still occur. SH && .LONG TERM ...
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(Friday through Tuesday) Issued at 249 AM CDT Wed Jun 12 2024 The long-term period begins Friday morning when an upper-level ridge will be set up over the Panhandles. Friday looks to be another hot day across the area, though not as hot as Thursday as temperatures will reach into the 90s. An upper-level trough begins to approach the Panhandles Friday evening and thunderstorms are expected to develop to the west in New Mexico in the higher terrain. Forcing associated with the trough should help maintain a chance for showers and thunderstorms through Friday night across the Panhandles, but the higher chances are more in the western Panhandles. Not expecting much more than elevated thunderstorms given limited instability. Saturday looks a few degrees cooler than Friday, but still looking at highs in the low to mid-90s across the area. With the current timing of the trough, there is a chance for showers and thunderstorms to develop in the northeastern Panhandles Saturday evening as the upper-level trough moves away. Again, instability looks limited thus not expecting anything more than elevated thunderstorms. Forecast soundings show relatively high PWATs around 1.30" to 1.60" and high freezing levels which would favor heavy rain. Temperatures warm back up to the mid to upper-90s on Sunday as an upper-level trough dips into the Western US. The trough moves eastward Monday and lee cyclogenesis occurs in northeastern Colorado, creating a surface low somewhere in the 980mb-990mb range. This creates a steep surface pressure gradient across the region, making for a breezy Monday. Chances for rain do not look promising as the track of the trough (and any chance for meaningful forcing mechanisms) is well to the north of the Panhandles. Depending on how the trough departs, there is a low chance that the favorable forcing associated with being in the right entrance region of the jet streak could provide enough forcing for a shower or thunderstorm in the northern Panhandles Monday night. Looking at another day with highs in the 90s for Tuesday as southwesterly flow aloft continues to dominate. Subtle shortwaves in the flow aloft may provide enough forcing for a chance for thunderstorms through Tuesday night. Vanden Bosch
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&& .AVIATION...
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(12Z TAFS) Issued at 536 AM CDT Wed Jun 12 2024 Low clouds and fog are causing IFR conditions mainly in the SE half of the TX panhandle including KAMA. This fog and stratus will burn off with sunrise leading to VFR conditions that will then prevail through the rest of the day. Southerly winds will be gusty for the late morning and afternoon hours before it become weak again.
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&& .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Amarillo TX 91 66 101 68 / 0 0 0 10 Beaver OK 96 68 103 67 / 0 0 0 20 Boise City OK 97 64 103 64 / 10 10 10 10 Borger TX 97 69 103 70 / 0 0 0 20 Boys Ranch TX 97 67 103 69 / 0 0 0 20 Canyon TX 91 65 100 67 / 0 0 0 10 Clarendon TX 87 64 96 67 / 0 0 0 10 Dalhart TX 95 63 102 64 / 10 0 10 20 Guymon OK 96 66 103 65 / 0 0 10 20 Hereford TX 93 66 101 67 / 0 0 0 10 Lipscomb TX 93 67 102 68 / 0 0 0 10 Pampa TX 90 66 100 68 / 0 0 0 10 Shamrock TX 89 66 97 67 / 0 0 0 10 Wellington TX 89 66 98 68 / 0 0 0 0 && .AMA WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... TX...None. OK...None. && $$ SHORT TERM...98 LONG TERM....52 AVIATION...98