Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Dallas/Fort Worth, TX
Issued by NWS Dallas/Fort Worth, TX
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254 FXUS64 KFWD 172252 AFDFWD Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Fort Worth TX 552 PM CDT Tue Sep 17 2024 ...New Short Term, Aviation... .SHORT TERM... /NEW/ /Through Wednesday Evening/ The axis of a mid level ridge centered over Mexico stretches north through Central and North Texas, with the northern edge extending into the Southern Plains. The ridge will remain largely stationary for the next few days, keeping temperatures around 10 degrees above normal through the midweek period. Tonight`s lows will remain in the lower 70s for most locations, with the exception of areas north and east of the DFW Metroplex where upper 60s are most likely. Wednesday will be hotter with all locations likely exceeding 90 degrees for the daily high. It does look like a moist layer around 850mb will support another day of widespread cumulus development Wednesday afternoon, which should provide occasional breaks from the sun. Wednesday night`s temperatures should remain in the 70s area-wide. 30 && .LONG TERM... /Issued 347 PM CDT Tue Sep 17 2024/ /Thursday Through Early Next Week/ Unseasonably strong ridging will intensify into the weekend above the Southern Plains as persistent troughing dominates both the West and the East. Temperatures will steadily climb in tandem with rising 500mb heights, which will top 5900m by Friday. All available perfect-prog guidance projects 500mb temperatures above the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex will rise above -1C (into the 30s in Fahrenheit) on Friday. The NAM has 500mb temperatures above freezing! This isn`t just near-record for September but would challenge the all-time record high 500mb temperature for our local weather balloons (1950 to present), which is -0.5C from July 1951. Despite intense subsidence and similarly impressive temperature anomalies at 700 and 850mb, a remarkably humid boundary layer, combined with the shorter days and lower sun angles of September, may keep Friday`s high temperatures below daily record highs (values in the climate section below). MOS guidance has highs near 100F Friday afternoon for many locations, including DFW and Waco. Heat index values will exceed 100 across much of the region late in the week and into the upcoming weekend, with the highest values occurring on Friday. An upper low will emerge from the Rockies on Saturday. Although its associated cold front will likely get no closer than the Texas Panhandle, it will reorient our upper ridge. Combined with an influx of high clouds, this may shave a few degrees off afternoon temperatures on Saturday. However, there will still be the potential for temperatures to threaten the century mark in some locations. Decaying frontal convection from West Texas may invade from the west Saturday night into Sunday morning; these showers are the only rain chances in the 7-day forecast. Early next week, the ridge will be displaced to our south. While this will bring an end to the threat of triple digits, temperatures will remain above normal with highs generally in the 90s Sunday through Tuesday. However, extended guidance knows that cold fronts cluster around the autumnal equinox (which is on Sunday). Although there is considerable disparity among operational solutions and ensemble members, there is some hope for a cold front during the middle of next week. But don`t break out the winter coats just yet; the Climate Prediction Center continues to favor above normal temperatures through the end of the month. .CLIMATE... Record Highs for September 20 (Friday) DFW 102 in 1953 Waco 101 in 2021 Killeen 100 in 2021 (DFW Airport was 100 degrees on September 20, 2021.) Although all 3 sites recorded later triple-digit days last year, each location has only reached the century mark this late in the year (September 20 and later) 5 years this century. 25 && .AVIATION... /NEW/ /00Z TAFs/ High pressure aloft will provide VFR and overall quiet aviation weather through Wednesday evening, with mostly clear skies at night and VFR cumulus during the day. Light east winds will veer to the south overnight with speeds generally around 5 kt. South winds will increase to 7 to 10 kt late Wednesday morning with a few higher gusts possible in the afternoon. 30 && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Dallas-Ft. Worth 75 94 77 97 77 / 0 0 0 0 0 Waco 73 96 74 97 74 / 0 0 0 0 0 Paris 69 91 70 94 71 / 0 0 0 0 0 Denton 72 96 74 97 74 / 0 0 0 0 0 McKinney 71 95 74 97 74 / 0 0 0 0 0 Dallas 74 96 76 98 77 / 0 0 0 0 0 Terrell 70 94 73 97 73 / 0 0 0 0 0 Corsicana 72 95 74 97 75 / 0 0 0 0 0 Temple 73 95 73 97 73 / 0 0 0 0 0 Mineral Wells 71 96 73 97 72 / 0 0 0 0 0 && .FWD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && $$