478  
FXUS63 KGLD 212308  
AFDGLD  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS  
408 PM MST SAT DEC 21 2024  
   
KEY MESSAGES  
 
- MUCH ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES CONTINUE FOR MUCH OF THE AREA  
THIS AFTERNOON AND SUNDAY.  
 
 
- CONTINUED CHANCES FOR PRECIPITATION CHRISTMAS NIGHT. MAY HAVE  
ANOTHER LOW CHANCE FOR PRECIPITATION AT THE END OF NEXT WEEK.  
 
 
   
SHORT TERM /THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT/  
 
ISSUED AT 217 PM MST SAT DEC 21 2024  
 
PLEASANT SEASONAL TO ABOVE NORMAL CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED THROUGH  
THE START OF CHRISTMAS WEEK. DRY CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE OVERNIGHT  
TONIGHT UNDER CLEAR SKIES WITH OVERNIGHT LOWS IN THE 20S ACROSS THE  
TRI-STATE AREA. HIGH PRESSURE IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN OVER THE CENTRAL  
CONUS TOMORROW BRINGING DRY CONDITIONS AND ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES  
SIMILAR TO WHAT THE WESTERN HALF OF THE FORECAST AREA SAW TODAY.  
TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO WARM INTO THE LOW TO MID 60S WITH  
NORTHWEST WINDS AROUND 10 MPH. DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON/EVENING  
HOURS, SKY COVER IS EXPECTED TO GRADUALLY INCREASE AS A COLD FRONT  
AND ASSOCIATED SHORTWAVE UPPER TROUGH APPROACHES THE AREA FROM THE  
NORTHWEST. BEHIND THE FRONT, WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO BE CALM TO AROUND  
5 MPH OUT OF THE NORTH-NORTHWEST TO NORTH. TEMPERATURES TOMORROW  
NIGHT ARE EXPECTED TO BE IN THE UPPER 20S TO LOWER 30S SINCE THE  
CLOUD COVER WILL HELP INSULATE THE SURFACE. THE NORTH WINDS WILL  
HELP MOVE A COLDER AIR MASS OVER THE REGION BRINGING MONDAY'S HIGH  
TEMPERATURES INTO THE LOW TO MIDDLE 50S.  
 
BEHIND THE SHORTWAVE TROUGH, A WEAK RIDGE WILL MOVE OVER THE  
NORTHERN PLAINS WHILE MID-RANGE GUIDANCE FAVORS A WEAK SHORTWAVE  
MOVING OVER THE SOUTHERN HIGH PLAINS. THIS PLACES MORE OF A ZONAL  
PATTERN TO SLIGHT WEST-NORTHWEST FLOW OVER THE AREA MONDAY AFTERNOON  
AHEAD OF A QUICK MOVING UPPER TROUGH LATE MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY  
MORNING. OVERNIGHT LOWS ARE CURRENTLY EXPECTED TO BE IN THE UPPER  
20S TO LOWER 30S MONDAY NIGHT.  
 
 
   
LONG TERM /TUESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/  
 
ISSUED AT 154 PM MST SAT DEC 21 2024  
 
THE WEATHER PATTERN FOR THIS PART OF THE FORECAST CONTINUES TO LOOK  
SOMEWHAT ACTIVE.  
 
THE SHORT WAVE RIDGE TUESDAY WILL SHIFT TO A SHORT WAVE TROUGH BY  
CHRISTMAS DAY. THE GFS AND ECMWF ARE MATCHING VERY WELL WITH THE  
TRACK AND TIMING OF THIS TROUGH. HOWEVER THE TROUGH ITSELF WILL BE  
TRACKING JUST SOUTH OF THE FORECAST AREA. AS NOTED BY THE PRIOR  
SHIFT, ENSEMBLES ARE RATHER OPTIMISTIC WITH PRECIPITATION CHANCES  
WITH THIS SHORT WAVE TROUGH. THE LATEST GFS AND ECMWF ENSEMBLES  
BOTH HAVE 40-50% FOR ATLEAST .1" OF LIQUID PRECIPITATION OCCURRING  
DURING THE NIGHT. THE PRECIPITATION WILL BE MOVING THROUGH AT  
NIGHT, WITH THE CURRENT FORECAST SHOWING RAIN INSTEAD OF SNOW FOR  
THE PRECIPITATION TYPE. HOWEVER CONFIDENCE IS AROUND 50% THAT THE  
PRECIPITATION WILL BE RAIN AND NOT CHANGE TO SNOW SINCE THIS WILL BE  
OCCURRING AT NIGHT IN LATE DECEMBER. LOOKING AT THE FORECAST DEW  
POINTS, THEY ARE IN THE LOW 30S. IF DEW POINTS STAY AROUND THE  
LOWER TO MID 30S, THE PRECIPITATION MAY ACTUALLY BE RAIN INSTEAD OF  
SNOW. THE PRECIPITATION WILL MOVE THROUGH RATHER QUICKLY WHICH WILL  
LIMIT HOW MUCH PRECIPITATION ACTUALLY OCCURS.  
 
LOOKING AT THE LAST 8 OR SO PRIOR MODEL RUNS OF THE GFS AND THE  
LAST FEW OF THE ECMWF, BOTH MODELS HAVE BEEN SHIFTING THE SHORT  
WAVE TROUGH FURTHER NORTH. IF THIS TREND CONTINUES IT WILL PUT  
THE FORECAST AREA IN A BETTER POSITION FOR MORE PRECIPITATION TO  
OCCUR.  
 
ANOTHER UPPER LEVEL SHORT WAVE TROUGH MOVES THROUGH TOWARD THE END  
OF THE WEEK. BOTH THE GFS AND ECMWF HAVE THIS TROUGH FURTHER SOUTH,  
AND THEY MATCH EACH OTHER WITH THE SPEED AND TRACK OF THE TROUGH. AM  
HIGHLY SKEPTICAL IF THERE WILL BE ANY PRECIPITATION WITH THIS TROUGH  
GIVEN IT IS MUCH FURTHER SOUTH OF THE FORECAST AREA. BOTH THE ECMWF  
AND THE GFS ENSEMBLES HAVE 20% CHANCE OR LESS FOR ATLEAST .1" OF  
PRECIPITATION OCCURRING WITH THIS TROUGH.  
 
WOULD NOT BE SURPRISED IF HIGH TEMPERATURES FOR TUESDAY WARM A FEW  
MORE DEGREES THAN WHAT IS CURRENTLY FORECAST GIVEN THE SHORT WAVE  
RIDGE OVERHEAD. TEMPERATURES WILL COOL TO NEAR NORMAL MID WEEK AS  
THE LONG WAVE TROUGH MOVES THROUGH, THEN WARM TOWARD THE END OF THE  
WEEK BEHIND THE DEPARTING LONG WAVE TROUGH.  
 
TERMS:  
GFS AND ECMWF ARE GLOBAL FORECAST MODELS  
 
 
   
AVIATION /00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z MONDAY/  
 
ISSUED AT 355 PM MST SAT DEC 21 2024  
 
VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL THROUGH THE PERIOD. KGLD WILL SEE  
SOUTHWESTERLY WINDS BECOMING NORTHWESTERLY THROUGH THE PERIOD.  
KMCK WILL SEE LIGHT AND VARIABLE WINDS UNTIL LATE TOMORROW  
MORNING WHEN NORTHWESTERLY WINDS WILL INCREASE. AROUND 21Z, KMCK  
WILL SEE A FEW GUSTS UP AROUND 20 KTS, BUT ANYTHING HIGHER IS  
NOT TOO CERTAIN.  
 
 
   
GLD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
KS...NONE.  
CO...NONE.  
NE...NONE.  
 
 
 
 
 
SHORT TERM...KMK  
LONG TERM...JTL  
AVIATION...CA  
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