428  
FXUS65 KCYS 191740  
AFDCYS  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHEYENNE WY  
1040 AM MST THU DEC 19 2024  
   
KEY MESSAGES  
 
- TODAY WILL CONTINUE TO BE WINDY, THOUGH NOT AS WINDY AS IT WAS YESTERDAY.  
MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES TODAY WILL BE COOLER THAN YESTERDAY FOR  
MOST LOCATIONS EAST OF I-25 AS A COLD FRONT MOVES ACROSS THE  
AREA.  
 
- DRY AND RELATIVELY MILD WEATHER WILL DEVELOP FOR FRIDAY  
THROUGH THE WEEKEND, WITH ANOTHER POSSIBLE HIGH WIND EVENT  
OCCURRING FOR SUNDAY AND SUNDAY NIGHT.  
 
- SOMEWHAT COOLER TEMPERATURES WILL DEVELOP FOR EARLY NEXT  
WEEK, WITH SNOW POSSIBLE FOR THE SNOWY AND SIERRA MADRE RANGES  
ON MONDAY AND FOR THE MOUNTAINS AND NEARBY LOWER ELEVATIONS  
FOR CHRISTMAS DAY.  
 
 
   
SHORT TERM /THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT/  
 
ISSUED AT 245 AM MST THU DEC 19 2024  
 
TODAY...LOW AND MID LEVEL GRADIENTS CONTINUE TO SLOWLY WEAKEN  
OVERNIGHT, WITH CRAIG-CASPER 850/700 HEIGHT DIFFERENCES DROPPING  
FROM 70/66 METERS AT 06Z TO 65/61 METERS AT 12Z. WINDS CONTINUE TO  
SLOWLY WEAKEN, ALTHOUGH SEVERAL SITES SUCH AS RAWLINS, ARLINGTON AND  
CENTENNIAL CONTINUE TO HAVE WINDS NEAR OR SLIGHTLY EXCEEDING HIGH  
WIND CRITERIA. THUS, WE WILL CONTINUE THE HIGH WIND WARNING AND  
REEVALUATE IN THE NEXT FEW HOURS IF EXTENSION BEYOND 5 AM WILL BE  
NECESSARY. INITIAL GUIDANCE SUGGESTS THE HIGH WIND WARNING WILL  
LIKELY END AT OR BEFORE 5 AM AS GRADIENTS CONTINUE TO WEAKEN.  
 
A FAST MOVING SHORTWAVE TROUGH ALOFT MOVES SOUTHEAST ACROSS THE  
CENTRAL PLAINS STATES TODAY, SENDING ITS ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT INTO  
OUR NORTHERN AND EASTERN COUNTIES AND PRODUCING A COLDER DAY TODAY  
COMPARED TO YESTERDAY. LOW LEVEL GRADIENTS WILL STILL BE SUFFICIENT  
TO PRODUCE ANOTHER WINDY DAY, ESPECIALLY FOR THE NEBRASKA PANHANDLE.  
700 MB TEMPERATURES NEAR -7 CELSIUS WILL YIELD MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES  
ONLY IN THE 40S TO NEAR 50 DEGREES.  
 
TONIGHT...NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT CONTINUES, AND WITH WEAKENING  
GRADIENTS AND WINDS, A COLDER NIGHT IS EXPECTED COMPARED TO THIS  
MORNING.  
 
FRIDAY...ANOTHER WARMING TREND IS EXPECTED WITH 700 MB TEMPERATURES  
REBOUNDING TO NEAR 4 CELSIUS, AND A SURFACE LEE TROUGH DEVELOPMENT,  
PRODUCING DOWNSLOPE WINDS, AND HELPING MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES TO CLIMB  
TO THE UPPER 40S TO MID 50S. IT WILL ALSO FEEL PARTICULARLY WARMER  
DUE TO WEAKER LOW LEVEL GRADIENTS AND LESS WIND.  
 
FRIDAY NIGHT...RIDGING ALOFT MOVES OVER CENTRAL WYOMING AND WITH A  
MODERATING AIRMASS, MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WILL BE NOT AS COLD AS  
THURSDAY NIGHT. CONTINUED DRY WITH THE LACK OF LOW AND MID LEVEL  
MOISTURE.  
 
 
   
LONG TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/  
 
ISSUED AT 245 AM MST THU DEC 19 2024  
 
MEDIUM TO LONG RANGE MODELS REMAIN IN GOOD AGREEMENT THIS  
WEEKEND THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT WITH RELATIVELY SMALL ENSEMBLE  
SPREADS MOST DAYS. MODELS SHOW AN UPPER LEVEL RIDGE AXIS  
PUSHING INTO THE INTERMOUNTAIN WEST AND THE FRONT RANGE THIS  
WEEKEND, RESULTING IN TEMPERATURES WELL ABOVE NORMAL FOR THIS  
TIME OF THE YEAR. THE WEATHER WILL REMAIN DRY FRIDAY THROUGH  
MOST OF SUNDAY, BUT WINDY CONDITIONS AND THE POTENTIAL FOR  
STRONG WINDS ARE EXPECTED SUNDAY THROUGH EARLY MONDAY. MODELS  
SHOW A POTENT AND FAST MOVING PACIFIC SHORTWAVE EJECTING  
EASTWARD ACROSS IDAHO AND NORTHERN WYOMING SUNDAY. THE 00Z GFS  
HAS TRENDED 700MB WINDS HIGHER WITH SPEEDS OVER 70 KNOTS ACROSS  
FAR SOUTHEAST WYOMING. THE OTHER MODELS ARE LOWER, BUT STILL  
ENOUGH FOR HIGH WIND CRITERIA AS A 100 KT JET MAX SLIDES ACROSS  
THE REGION. STRONG LOW LEVEL SUBSIDENCE IS SIMILAR TO THE LAST  
FEW HIGH WIND EVENTS ACROSS SOUTHEAST WYOMING, WHICH PEAKS  
BETWEEN 12Z AND 18Z SUNDAY (SUNDAY MORNING). KEPT STRONG WINDS  
IN THE FORECAST WITH VERY WINDY CONDITIONS OUTSIDE OF THE WIND  
PRONE AREAS. THIS IS ANOTHER EVENT WHERE LARAMIE, CHEYENNE,  
RAWLINS, AND DOUGLAS/WHEATLAND MAY SEE GUSTS OVER 60 MPH.  
OTHERWISE, IT WILL REMAIN MILD THIS WEEKEND WITH HIGHS IN THE  
50S TO AROUND 60 ALONG AND EAST OF I-25, WITH HIGHS IN THE 40S  
TO NEAR 50 FOR THE HIGH VALLEYS WEST OF THE LARAMIE RANGE.  
 
FOR MOST OF NEXT WEEK, INCLUDING CHRISTMAS DAY, A SLIGHT  
PATTERN SHIFT IS EXPECTED BEHIND SUNDAY'S FAST MOVING PACIFIC  
SHORTWAVE. MID TO UPPER LEVEL FLOW IS FORECAST TO SHIFT INTO THE  
NORTHWEST WHICH SHOULD ALLOW FOR ADDITIONAL SHORTWAVE  
DISTURBANCES TO DIG SOUTH OUT OF WESTERN CANADA. OVERALL,  
TEMPERATURES WILL TREND COOLER EACH DAY...BUT SHOULD REMAIN  
ABOVE AVERAGE FOR THIS TIME OF THE YEAR. MOUNTAIN SNOWFALL IS  
FORECAST TO INCREASE ON MONDAY WELL AHEAD OF THE NEXT PACIFIC  
SYSTEM. WILL HAVE TO WATCH THIS NEXT PACIFIC STORM SYSTEM, WHICH  
MODELS SHOW PUSHING ONSHORE EARLY TUESDAY MORNING AND THEN  
THROUGH THE GREAT BASIN REGION TUESDAY NIGHT. ALL MODELS IN  
ABOUT A HALF OF ENSEMBLE MEMBERS SHOW INCREASING CHANCES FOR  
SNOW CHRISTMAS DAY, ESPECIALLY FURTHER SOUTH ALONG THE I-80  
CORRIDOR AND THE MOUNTAINS. LEE SIDE CYCLOGENESIS IS POSSIBLE  
IN THIS PATTERN, BUT MOISTURE ADVECTION LOOKS MINIMAL SINCE THE  
STORM SYSTEM MOVES QUICKLY ACROSS THE FRONT RANGE. INCREASED  
POP ACROSS THE AREA LATE TUESDAY AND INTO CHRISTMAS DAY WITH  
TEMPERATURES LOWERING CLOSER TO NORMAL. MODELS THEN SHOW A  
STRONG PACIFIC JET STREAM MOVING ONSHORE AND MOVING VERY LITTLE  
AFTER CHRISTMAS DAY, WHICH IS A VERY GOOD SET UP FOR SOME MUCH  
NEEDED MOUNTAIN SNOWFALL.  
 
 
   
AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z FRIDAY/  
 
ISSUED AT 1021 AM MST THU DEC 19 2024  
 
VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL AT ALL TERMINALS TOAY. EXPECT GUSTY  
NORTH-NORTHWEST WINDS TODAY AT ALL TERMINALS HOWEVER WINDS WILL  
DIE DOWN AFTER SUNSET. CLEAR SKIES AND TRANQUIL WEATHER  
EXPECTED OVERNIGHT WITH VFR ONCE AGAIN ON FRIDAY MORNING AT ALL  
SITES.  
 
 
   
CYS WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
WY...NONE.  
NE...NONE.  
 
 
 
 
 
SHORT TERM...RUBIN  
LONG TERM...TJT  
AVIATION...MAC  
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