Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Wichita, KS
Issued by NWS Wichita, KS
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361 FXUS63 KICT 121932 AFDICT Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Wichita KS 232 PM CDT Sun May 12 2024 .KEY MESSAGES... - Scattered to numerous showers/isolated storms tonight. - Showers/isolated storm chances lingering through Monday night. - Chance for storms Tuesday night through Thursday night. - Trending warmer (above climo) for next weekend. && .DISCUSSION... Issued at 232 PM CDT Sun May 12 2024 Some diurnal heating where skies partially cleared to the west of greater Wichita at midday has promoted scattered showers and isolated storms approaching the western CWA border. Combo of modest bulk shear and weak/modest instability will keep storms rather tame with a remote possibility for small hail closer to the Oklahoma border late this afternoon. That said, the relatively better chances for the more organized coverage for showers and embedded storms look to reside over parts of central and south central Kansas during the evening thru about midnight ahead of the vorticity anomaly associated with the upper trof. Later in the night the better precipitable water axis (1.33-1.50") will shift primarily to along/east of the Kansas turnpike where a modest low level jet and elevated cape values 400-800 j/kg should support better coverage of showers/storms with some locally heavy rainfall. Clouds and scattered showers will linger across much of the area on Monday with a modest diurnal up-tick possible even with limited heating. This in combo with modest shear may support a few strong storms with a hail small risk in far southeast Kansas. Diurnal heating on the western periphery of the upper trof where low level moisture will linger may support isolated storms in parts of central Kansas too. Precip chances should diminish/end from west to east across the forecast area on Monday evening/night as the upper trof shifts east of the area. Dry weather is expected on Tuesday under shortwave ridging aloft with temperatures near seasonal climo with perhaps some diurnal cu along/east of the turnpike. Moisture looks to advect northward into the area ahead of the next upper trof for Tuesday night and Wednesday. Late day convection to our northwest across southern Nebraska/northwest Kansas will have a decent chance to move/propagate southeast into the developing elevated instability axis over central Kansas on Tuesday night. The airmass looks to become moderately to potentially very unstable along the surface cold front on Wednesday which will be situated somewhere across the forecast area (more likely along or just south of the turnpike corridor at late afternoon). Westerly flow aloft will provide moderate deep layer shear, so a conditional severe risk is in play. Confidence toward the end of the seven day forecast has trended a bit lower as a rather large potential spread in the medium range guidance has developed. This actually reveals itself as early as Thursday into Friday, where the operational ECMWF is much more agressive in digging an upper trof into the north central conus which would imply much cooler over the GFS with further ramification into next weekend. For now the NBM maintains a warming trend and will stay the course with time to adjust should an eventual consensus warrant the change. Darmofal && .AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z MONDAY/... Issued at 1235 PM CDT Sun May 12 2024 A busy aviation period is expected over the next 24 hours. Widely scattered showers/storms are developing across portions of central and western KS. Have highlighted the most likely time windows for shower/storm activity at each site. CIGS are likely low to MVFR later this afternoon into the evening, continuing through midday Monday. && .ICT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...None. && $$ DISCUSSION...KED AVIATION...BMB