Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Dodge City, KS
Issued by NWS Dodge City, KS
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516 FXUS63 KDDC 092020 AFDDDC Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Dodge City KS 220 PM CST Tue Dec 9 2025 .KEY MESSAGES... - Tranquil/dry conditions continue through end of week. - After a brief break Wednesday, unseasonably warm temperatures return Thurday. && .DISCUSSION... Issued at 200 PM CST Tue Dec 9 2025 WV imagery indicates a northwesterly flow prevailing across the Western High Plains downstream of weak ridging aloft located across the Pacific Northwest. Near the surface, a weak lee side trough of low pressure is anchored near and along the Colorado/Kansas line. Tranquil conditions will continue early in the period as the SREF shows a northwesterly aloft persisting through the end of the week. An upper level shortwave trough digging southeast through the Upper Midwest will send an attendant cold front southward through western Kansas late this evening/overnight, allowing colder/much drier air to surge through the region and reinforcing an already fairly dry air mass throughout western Kansas. This will help keep any precip chances out of the forecast through the end of the week, especially as westerly downsloping re-establishes itself late Wednesday once surface high pressure building in across eastern Colorado early in the day begins to drop southeast into the Texas Panhandle. Temperatures above the seasonal average (around 20F) are likely tonight despite colder air spreading southward into western Kansas in wake of a cold frontal passage late this evening. The latest HREF indicates a 60-80% probability of temperatures dropping below 35F in west central/extreme southwest Kansas to the same probability of temperatures slipping below 40F in south central Kansas. Considering expected increased cloud cover, look for lows generally down into the 30s(F) for much of the area with near 40F in south central Kansas. The colder air mass will be slow to erode Wednesday as westerly downsloping develops later in the afternoon with surface high pressure in eastern Colorado moving southeast into the Texas Panhandle, only pushing H85 temperatures up near 0C in central Kansas to near 5C near the Colorado line. Afternoon highs are expected to struggle to climb out of the 40s(F) across central Kansas and west central Kansas where the HREF paints less than a 30% probability of temperatures exceeding 50F to the lower/mid 50s(F) farther south where there is less than a 20% probability of temperatures reaching above 55F. Unseasonably warm temperatures bounce back Thursday as west- southwesterly downsloping returns across western Kansas behind an advancing surface trough axis, drawing in much warmer air with H85 temperatures pushing 10C in central Kansas to near 15C in extreme southwest Kansas. Afternoon highs well into the 60s(F) are likely with the lower 70s(F) not out of the question in some locations farther west. && .AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z WEDNESDAY/... Issued at 1000 AM CST Tue Dec 9 2025 VFR conditions will prevail in vicinity of all TAF sites through early Wednesday. West-southwest winds 10 to 20kt through early evening are expected to turn northerly 15 to 25kt with gusts up to 30kt generally after 01-03Z this evening as a cold front pushes southward through western Kansas. && .DDC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && $$ DISCUSSION...JJohnson AVIATION...JJohnson