081  
FXUS63 KGLD 091126  
AFDGLD  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS  
425 AM MST TUE FEB 9 2010  
   
DISCUSSION  
 
235 AM MST TUE FEB 9 2010  
 
FORECAST PROBLEMS WILL BE HOW COLD TO MAKE TODAY...HOW MUCH TO WARM  
UP TEMPERATURES THROUGH THURSDAY...ESPECIALLY THURSDAY...AND THE  
POSSIBILITIES OF STRATUS/FOG. SATELLITE CONTINUING TO SHOW A  
COMPLICATED/SPLIT FLOW INTO THE WESTERN PORTION OF NORTH AMERICA.  
THE FLOW HAS BECOME RATHER AMPLIFIED OVER THE LAST 24 HOURS FROM THE  
PACIFIC INTO THE WESTERN ATLANTIC. UPPER LOW THAT BROUGHT US LIGHT  
YESTERDAY AND USHERED IN THE COLDER TEMPERATURES IS MOVING SLOWLY  
SOUTHEAST. UPPER RIDGE TO OUR WEST HAS A LOT OF SHORTWAVE TROUGHS  
EMBEDDED IN IT.  
 
JET LEVEL...MODELS DO NOT HAVE WEAK JET AXIS BEHIND UPPER SYSTEM FAR  
ENOUGH SOUTH AND WEST. MID LEVELS...THROUGH 06Z THE MODELS ARE NOT  
FAR ENOUGH SOUTH AND STRONG ENOUGH WITH THE SYSTEM DIGGING ALONG  
THE WEST COAST OF CALIFORNIA. MODELS IN GENERAL WERE A LITTLE FAR  
EAST WITH THE HEIGHT FIELD...ESPECIALLY OUT WEST. OVERALL THE NAM  
AND ECWMF WERE DOING THE BEST. HOWEVER...MODELS WERE NOT QUITE  
COLD ENOUGH ALOFT ON TOP OF US AND TO THE NORTH. LOW LEVELS...NAM AND  
ECMWF WERE DOING BEST ON THE LOW LEVEL THERMAL AND WIND FIELD.  
 
NAM LOOKS TO BE AFFECTED BY WHERE IT THINGS THE SNOW COVER. ALSO  
MODEL DIFFERENCES IN HOW THEY HANDLE LOW LEVEL MOISTURE AND HOW FAR  
EAST THEY PUSH THE WARM AIR. THIS ALL MAKES FOR A PROBLEMATIC  
TEMPERATURE FORECAST...ESPECIALLY ON WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY.  
 
TODAY/TONIGHT...AM A LITTLE CONCERNED THAT THE MODELS MAY BE MOVING  
THE UPPER LOW TO OUR NORTHEAST TOO FAST...SUPPORTED SOME BY THE  
UPPER AIR ANALYSIS. ALL THE MODELS WANT TO MOVE IT THE SAME.  
HOWEVER...STRONG RIDGE BEHIND THE SYSTEM AND ALSO IN FRONT OF IT.  
SO BELIEVE MODELS WILL BE A LITTLE WARM TODAY. ALSO WEAK JET BEHIND  
THIS UPPER SYSTEM MAY END UP CREATING SOME CLOUD COVER. ALSO MIXING  
WILL BE LIMITED DUE TO THE LIGHT WIND FIELD DUE TO THE SURFACE  
RIDGE PUSHING IN. ALSO CONSIDERING THE COLD START IN SOME PLACES...  
WILL BE GOING TOWARD THE COOLER GUIDANCE.  
 
ALSO A LOT OF MID AND ESPECIALLY LOW LEVEL MOISTURE IS TRAPPED/BANKED  
UP ALONG THE HIGHER TERRAIN OF THE WESTERN HIGH PLAINS TO OUR  
SOUTHEAST. THE NAM AND TO A LESSER EXTENT THE GFS CAPTURE THIS.  
BOTH OF THEM THEN SURGE THE MOISTURE NORTH AFTER 00Z...AND ARE VERY  
CLOSE TO WHERE THEY PUT THE AXIS OF HIGH BOUNDARY LAYER RH. WENT  
CLOSER TO THE NAM DUE TO THE BETTER WIND/PRESSURE FIELD. DEFINITELY  
WILL HAVE STRATUS BUT BELIEVE FOG WILL MOVE IN ESPECIALLY IN THE  
WEST WHERE I INCREASED THE COVERAGE OF THE FOG.  
 
WEDNESDAY/WEDNESDAY NIGHT...FUNCTION OF HOW WARM DOES IT GET WILL  
DEPEND ON THE CLOUD COVER. MODELS VERY SIMILAR IN HANDLING THE  
STRATUS/HIGH BLYR RH FIELD DURING THE DAY WITH THE SOUTHERN AND  
EASTERN COUNTIES POSSIBLY GETTING SOCKED IN THROUGH MOST OF THE  
DAY. SOME HIGH CLOUDS WILL ALSO BE AROUND. WESTERN LOCATIONS...  
ESPECIALLY THE NORTHWEST WILL SEE THE MOST SUN. WILL PROBABLY HAVE  
A TIGHT GRADIENT IN TEMPERATURE. WILL DEFINITELY GO COOLER WHERE  
EXPECT MORE CLOUDS. MINS WILL STAY UP DUE TO WHERE THERE IS CLOUD  
COVER IN THE EAST. WEST WINDS LOOK TO PUSH INTO THE WESTERN HALF TO  
KEEP THE CLOUDS/FOG OUT. LOOKS LIKE THERE COULD BE FOG BUT A LITTLE  
MORE IFFY ON THE LOCATION SO WILL LEAVE IT OUT FOR NOW.  
 
THURSDAY/THURSDAY NIGHT...WEST NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT IN PLACE OVER  
THE AREA. MODELS DIFFER A LOT ON THEIR WIND FIELD AND DIFFER ON HOW  
FAR EAST THEY PUSH A WEAK SURFACE TROUGH THROUGH. LOCATIONS TO THE  
WEST OF THE TROUGH...EVEN THOUGH THERE MAY NOT BE A STRONG  
DOWNSLOPE COMPONENT...LOOK TO HAVE MORE SUN. HOWEVER...HIGHER LOW  
LEVEL MOISTURE WILL REMAIN IN PLACE TO THE EAST OF THIS BOUNDARY  
AND THE CLOUDS WILL HAMPER THE WARMING. WILL AGAIN WILL HAVE A TIGHT  
WEST TO EAST GRADIENT ON TEMPERATURES. VERY PROBLEMATIC FORECAST  
SINCE ANY SUBTLE CHANGES IN BOUNDARY POSITION AND WIND DIRECTION.  
 
THANKS TO ALL FOR COLLABORATION.  
 
BULLER  
   
AVIATION  
 
425 AM MST TUE FEB 9 2010  
 
VFR CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS AT THE  
GLD AND MCK TAF SITES AS HIGH PRESSURE CONTINUES TO PERSIST THROUGH  
THE DAY. FOG/LOW STRATUS WILL BEGIN TO DEVELOP OVER GLD AFTER 10Z  
TONIGHT. LIFR CONDITIONS MAY BE POSSIBLE BY 12Z...BUT I HAVE KEPT  
THE FORECAST IFR OR NOW SINCE THERE ARE STILL SOME UNCERTAINTIES IN  
REGARDS TO LOW LEVEL MOISTURE ADVECTING IN FROM THE SOUTHWEST. LOW  
STRATUS WILL LIKELY HOLD OUT OF THE MCK TERMINAL AREA THROUGH THE  
TAF PERIOD...ALTHOUGH MVFR CEILINGS ARE POSSIBLE TOWARDS THE END OF  
THE TAF PERIOD. WIND SPEEDS WILL DECREASE AND TURN FROM NORTH  
NORTHWEST TO SOUTH SOUTHEAST WITH THE RETURN FLOW AROUND THE HIGH  
PRESSURE CENTER THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. WINDS WILL BEGIN TO  
TURN TO THE SOUTH SOUTHWEST AFTER MIDNIGHT OVER GLD.  
 
DJR  
 
   
GLD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
KS...NONE.  
NE...NONE.  
CO...NONE.  
 
 
 
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