295  
FXUS63 KGLD 181028  
AFDGLD  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS  
328 AM MST WED DEC 18 2024  
   
KEY MESSAGES  
 
- BRIEF COOL DOWN THURSDAY NIGHT AND FRIDAY MORNING EAST OF  
HIGHWAY 25 WITH A BACK DOOR COLD FRONT.  
 
- DRY CONDITIONS AND GENERALLY ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES  
CONTINUE INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK.  
 
- VERY LOW POTENTIAL OF PRECIPITATION STARTING AROUND THE MIDDLE  
PART OF NEXT WEEK.  
 
 
   
SHORT TERM /THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT/  
 
ISSUED AT 144 AM MST WED DEC 18 2024  
 
ACROSS THE REGION THIS MORNING, WITH HIGH PRESSURE TRANSITIONING  
THROUGH THE AREA, SKIES ARE MAINLY CLEAR WITH SCATTERED LOW CLOUDS  
MOVING ACROSS PORTIONS OF GRAHAM COUNTY. TEMPERATURES AS OF 100 AM  
MST ARE RANGING FROM THE UPPER TEENS INTO THE MID 20S. WINDS ARE  
WEST-NORTHWESTERLY MAINLY 10 MPH OR LESS, BUT SOME GUSTS TO 15-20  
MPH ARE STILL OCCURRING IN THE EAST.  
 
MAIN WEATHER CONCERNS WILL BE ON BREEZY TO WINDY CONDITIONS AT TIMES  
TODAY AND AGAIN ON THURSDAY.  
 
LOOKING AT THE LATEST RAP40 500MB ANALYSIS IN COMBINATION WITH MID  
LEVEL WATER VAPOR IMAGERY, A BUILDING, AMPLIFIED RIDGE IS IN PLACE  
OVER THE WESTERN PORTION OF THE COUNTRY, WITH A BROAD TROUGH SETTING  
UP IN THE EAST. WITH THE TRI STATE AREA IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS, NW  
FLOW ALOFT IS PRESENT AND LATEST SHORT TERM GUIDANCE(GFS, NAM) HAS  
THIS PERSISTING INTO FRIDAY/FRIDAY NIGHT. THERE WILL BE A COUPLE  
SHORTWAVES THAT DO RIDE ALONG THE EASTERN SIDE OF THE CWA IN THE  
SHORT TERM. ANY PRECIPITATION ASSOCIATED WITH THESE PASSING EAST  
THROUGH THE CENTRAL/NORTHERN PLAINS WILL STAY NORTH OF THE AREA.  
 
AT THE SURFACE, LOOKING FOR THE CURRENT RIDGE MOVING THROUGH THE  
AREA TO SETTLE EAST OF THE CWA DURING THE DAY, WHILE A LEE-SIDE  
TROUGH SETS UP IN EASTERN COLORADO. THIS WILL PROVIDE A SW GRADIENT  
ALLOWING FOR DOWNSLOPE WARMING AND A DRY DAY. GRADIENT WILL BE  
TIGHTEST NEAT THE TROUGH IN THE WEST. THE LATEST LAV/NBM HOURLY  
GUIDANCE SHOWS SOME GUST POTENTIAL TO 30-35 MPH IS POSSIBLE.  
 
THE TROUGH SHIFTS EAST OFF THE FRONT RANGE TONIGHT INTO THURSDAY  
MORNING, SHIFTING THE SURFACE WINDS FROM SOUTHERLY TO NORTH-  
NORTHWESTERLY. GUIDANCE HAS ANOTHER STRONG RIDGE BUILDING SOUTH/EAST  
GOING INTO THURSDAY NIGHT/FRIDAY MORNING. AHEAD OF THE RIDGE,  
GRADIENT WILL BE TIGHT WITH SOME GUST POTENTIAL IN THE 30 MPH RANGE  
IN SPOTS MAINLY BEFORE 00Z FRIDAY.  
 
FOR THE 06Z-14Z FRIDAY TIMEFRAME, THE RIDGE IS EXPECTED TO BUILD  
SOUTH AND EAST OVER THE EASTERN CWA. TEMPERATURE PROFILE SUGGESTS A  
BACKDOOR COLD FRONT WILL RESULT IN THE EAST. THE LAST COUPLE TIMES  
THE AREA SAW A BACKDOOR FRONT PUSH INTO THE EAST, FOG/FREEZING FOG  
DID DEVELOP. MOST GUIDANCE OUT THAT FAR IS CURRENTLY NOT SIGNALING A  
VISIBILITY REDUCTION FOR THIS, SO WILL CONTINUE TO LEAVE OUT A  
MENTION OF IN THE FORECAST AT THIS TIME. A RETURN TO A SOUTHERLY  
FETCH DURING THE DAY FRIDAY WILL BRING ANOTHER NICE AND DRY DAY TO  
THE AREA.  
 
FOR TEMPS, HIGHS ACROSS THE AREA TODAY WILL RANGE FROM THE MID 40S  
EAST INTO THE LOWER 50S WEST. THIS IS DUE TO THE SURFACE RIDGE  
SHIFTING THROUGH THE AREA, ALLOWING FOR MORE PERSISTENT SOUTHWEST,  
DOWNSLOPE WARMING TO OCCUR IN WESTERN LOCALES. GOING INTO THURSDAY,  
MID TO UPPER 50S ARE EXPECTED. WITH A BACKDOOR COLD FRONT PUSHING  
INTO THE EAST ON FRIDAY, 40S ARE EXPECTED ALONG/EAST OF HIGHWAY 25.  
WEST OF THERE INTO COLORADO, UPPER 40S TO LOWER 50S.  
 
OVERNIGHT LOWS WILL RANGE FOR IN THE MID 20S TO AROUND 30F TONIGHT  
(WIND CHILL READINGS IN THE TEENS), MID TEENS TO AROUND 20F FOR  
THURSDAY NIGHT(WIND CHILL READINGS IN THE SINGLE NUMBERS TO TEENS  
ABOVE ZERO). BY FRIDAY NIGHT, UPPER TEENS EAST INTO THE MID 20S WEST  
ARE EXPECTED(WIND CHILL READINGS MAINLY IN THE TEENS, WITH A FEW  
LOCALES EAST IN THE SINGLE NUMBERS ABOVE ZERO).  
 
 
   
LONG TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/  
 
ISSUED AT 102 AM MST WED DEC 18 2024  
 
INTERMOUNTAIN WEST RIDGING IS FORECAST TO CONTINUE TO START THE  
EXTENDED PERIOD. THIS WILL CONTINUE THE PERSISTENT PATTERN OF MILD  
AND DRY CONDITIONS ACROSS THE REGION. HIGH TEMPERATURES CONTINUE TO  
REMAIN FORECAST IN THE MID/UPPER 40S TO MID/UPPER 50S ACROSS THE  
AREA. A CLIPPER SYSTEM ACROSS THE NORTHERN PLAINS WILL BE PRESENT  
WHICH MAY INFLUENCE THE 850MB TEMPERATURES LEADING TO SLIGHTLY  
COOLER TEMPERATURES THAN CURRENTLY FORECAST, ESPECIALLY IF A  
MORE SOUTHERLY TRACK OCCURS, WHICH A HANDFUL ON ENSEMBLE  
MEMBERS SUGGEST SO THAT WILL NEED TO BE CONTINUED TO BE  
MONITORED IF MORE GUIDANCE BEGINS SUGGESTING THAT POTENTIAL. A  
TRANSITION INTO A MORE ZONAL SYNOPTIC PATTERN WILL THEN ENSUE TO  
START THE WEEK WITH THE CONTINUED MILD TEMPERATURES AND DRY  
CONDITIONS.  
 
A PATTERN CHANGE MAY THEN BE ON THE TABLE AROUND MID WEEK OR SO.  
GUIDANCE IS IN FAIRLY DECENT AGREEMENT WITH A SYSTEM DEVELOPING IN  
THE PACIFIC AROUND MID WEEK OR SO. THE PART WHERE GUIDANCE DISAGREES  
IS WITH THE TRACK AND THE EVOLUTION OF THE SYSTEM WHICH WILL PLAY A  
PART ON THE MID TO LATE WEEK WEATHER FOR THE REGION. AROUND 20-30%  
OF ECMWF ENSEMBLE MEMBERS HAVE THE SYSTEM EITHER BECOMING A LOW  
AS IT MOVES ACROSS THE AREA OR BECOMING AN OPEN WAVE; WHICH IS  
A TICK HIGHER THAN WHAT WAS SHOWN IN PREVIOUS RUNS. HOWEVER LESS  
THAN 5% OF THE MEMBERS SUPPORT THE LOW PRESSURE SCENARIO. IF  
ONE OF THESE WERE TO OCCUR THEN PRECIPITATION CHANCES WOULD  
INCREASE. USING ENSEMBLE CLUSTERING A MORE OPEN WAVE SCENARIO  
WOULD SUPPORT LIGHT PRECIPITATION POTENTIAL VS A MORE COMPACT  
SYSTEM WOULD FAVOR HEAVIER PRECIPITATION ESPECIALLY IN THE  
DEFORMATION BAND REGION. THE REMAINING MEMBERS FAVOR MORE SPLIT  
FLOW WHICH IS WHAT THE GOOD MAJORITY OF GEFS ENSEMBLE MEMBERS  
SUPPORT, WHICH IF THIS WERE TO OCCUR THEN DRY WEATHER WILL  
CONTINUE THROUGH THE CHRISTMAS TRAVEL WEEK. IF THE LOW OR OPEN  
WAVE WERE TO OCCUR THEN WHAT WOULD THE PRECIPITATION TYPE BE?  
THIS WOULD BE THE DIFFICULT PART AS OVERALL 850MB TEMPERATURES  
ARE FORECAST TO REMAIN FAIRLY MILD LEADING UP TO IT. LOOKING AT  
THE MOST CURRENT MOST AGGRESSIVE GUIDANCE WHICH IS CURRENTLY THE  
00Z ECMWF A POTENTIAL FOR A LOCALIZED RATE CHANGEOVER TO SNOW  
WOULD PERHAPS OCCUR. AT THIS TIME WITH ALL THE DIFFERENCES IN  
EVOLUTION, TEMPERATURE, TRACK, ETC... IT IS STILL WAY TO EARLY  
TO DECIPHER ANY SPECIFIC LOCATIONS, IMPACTS, AND EVEN  
PRECIPITATION TYPE SHOULD THERE BE ANY WITH THIS POTENTIAL  
SYSTEM. CONTINUE TO MONITOR AND CHECK BACK FOR THE LATEST  
FORECAST UPDATES AS THE HOLIDAY TIME PERIOD CONTINUES TO GET  
CLOSER.  
 
 
   
AVIATION /12Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z THURSDAY/  
 
ISSUED AT 327 AM MST WED DEC 18 2024  
 
FOR KGLD, VFR CONDITIONS THROUGH THE FORECAST PERIOD. WINDS,  
WEST 5-10KTS THROUGH 16Z, THEN SOUTHWEST 10-15KTS. GUSTS TO  
25-30KTS POSSIBLE FROM 22Z WED-05Z THU. BY 09Z BECOMING  
NORTHWEST AROUND 10KTS. LLWS 09Z-12Z THURSDAY 320@40KTS FOR  
FLIGHT LEVEL 1800 FT.  
 
FOR KMCK, VFR CONDITIONS THROUGH THE FORECAST PERIOD. WINDS,  
LIGHT/VARIABLE THROUGH 17Z, THEN SOUTHWEST 10-15KTS. BY 09Z  
THURSDAY, WEST AROUND 10KTS. LLWS 06Z-09Z THURSDAY 250@40KTS AND  
AGAIN 09Z-12Z THURSDAY 300@45KTS. BOTH ARE AT FLIGHT LEVEL 2000  
FT.  
 
 
   
GLD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
KS...NONE.  
CO...NONE.  
NE...NONE.  
 
 
 
 
 
SHORT TERM...JN  
LONG TERM...TRIGG  
AVIATION...JN  
CLICK HERE TO GO TO PREVIOUS BULLETINS.
The Nexlab KS Page
The Nexlab CO Page
The Nexlab NE Page
Main Text Page