247  
FXUS63 KGLD 310940  
AFDGLD  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS  
340 AM MDT MON MAR 31 2025  
   
KEY MESSAGES  
 
- ANOTHER ROUND OF LIGHT PRECIPITATION THIS EVENING INTO THE  
OVERNIGHT HOURS TONIGHT WITH THE BETTER CHANCES (30%)  
FAVORING NORTH OF HILL CITY, KS TO JOES, CO  
 
- MULTIPLE HAZARDS FORECAST FOR TUESDAY ACROSS THE AREA.  
DANGEROUS FIRE WEATHER, DUST, STRONG TO DAMAGING WINDS AND  
SEVERE STORMS ALL POSSIBLE. RED FLAG WARNING AND FIRE WEATHER  
WATCH ISSUED FOR VARIOUS COUNTIES ALONG AND SOUTH OF  
INTERSTATE 70.  
 
- NEAR CRITICAL/POTENTIALLY CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS  
WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 70.  
 
 
   
SHORT TERM /THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT/  
 
ISSUED AT 336 AM MDT MON MAR 31 2025  
 
THE UNSETTLED AND ACTIVE PATTERN WILL CONTINUE THROUGH SHORT-TERM  
PERIOD.  
 
THIS MORNING, A LINE OF SHOWERS HAS BEEN SUSTAINED BY A FAIRLY SHARP  
BOUNDARY OF THETA-E BEING AGITATED BY NORTHEASTERLY WINDS. THE  
MOISTURE SUSTAINING THESE SHOWERS IS EXPECTED TO DRY UP BY 15Z. ON  
THE WEST SIDE OF THE SHOWERS, MAINLY IN CHEYENNE COUNTY COLORADO, WE  
COULD SEE SOME PATCHY FOG THIS MORNING AS EASTERLY, UPSLOPE WINDS  
HELP SUSTAIN IT. SOME ISOLATED SPOTS OF DENSE FOG ARE POSSIBLE, BUT  
WIDESPREAD DENSE FOG HAS ONLY ABOUT A 20% CHANCE OF FORMING. THE  
STRATUS DECK, HOWEVER, LOOKS TO LINGER INTO INTO THE MIDDAY. THIS  
WILL STUNT TEMPERATURES IN THE MID 50S IN THE NORTHEASTERN CWA, BUT  
THE SOUTHWESTERN CWA WILL WARM INTO THE LOW 60S, WHERE THE STRATUS  
WILL CLEAR EARLIER.  
 
THIS AFTERNOON AND OVERNIGHT TONIGHT, AS THE NEXT LOW STARTS TO  
IMPACT THE CWA, WE CAN EXPECT MODERATE MOISTURE TRANSFER ACROSS THE  
CWA TO THE NORTH-NORTHWEST. BETWEEN A MILD THETA-E BOUNDARY AND THE  
TURBULENT LLJ MOVING THIS AFOREMENTIONED MOISTURE, WE COULD SEE SOME  
MORE LIGHT SHOWERS ACROSS THE NORTHERN CWA. BEST CHANCE FOR THESE  
SHOWERS WILL BE ALONG AND NORTH OF A LINE FROM HILL CITY, KS TO  
YUMA, CO. BY SUNRISE, MAJORITY, IF NOT ALL, OF THIS ROUND OF  
PRECIPITATION WILL HAVE ENDED. OVERNIGHT TEMPERATURES LOOK TO COOL  
INTO THE MID 30S TO LOW 40S, WHICH COULD ALLOW A FEW FLURRIES TO MIX  
IN, BUT RAIN WILL BE THE DOMINANT P-TYPE.  
 
TUESDAY, WE ARE EXPECTING A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM TO IMPACT THE AREA,  
AND MOST GUIDANCE IS SHOWING THE CENTER OF THIS LOW MOVING ACROSS  
THE NORTHERN PORTION OF THE CWA. A NOTABLE MODEL IS THE 3Z RUN OF  
THE RAP, SHOWING THE LOW STAYING WELL NORTH OF THE CWA, IN NEBRASKA.  
THIS WOULD KEEP ALL OF THE FORCING OUT OF OUR AREA AND WE WOULD HAVE  
A MUCH WARMER AND DRIER DAY THAN CURRENTLY FORECAST. HOWEVER,  
RETURNING TO THE MAJORITY OF GUIDANCE, THE 850 MB LLJ WILL TRANSPORT  
AMPLE MOISTURE INTO THE GREAT PLAINS DURING THE DAY TUESDAY AND AS  
THE LOW'S COLD FRONT IMPACTS THIS MOISTURE, STORMS WILL FIRE,  
POTENTIALLY SEVERE STORMS. ON THE WESTERN EDGE OF THE MOISTURE  
TRANSPORT WILL BE A DRYLINE. THE DRYLINE'S POSITION IS STILL IN  
QUESTION, BUT IT LOOKS TO SET UP ON THE EASTERN BORDER OF THE CWA.  
IN TYPICAL NAM FASHION, IT SHOWS THE DRYLINE BEING FARTHER WEST THAN  
MOST OTHER MODELS, BUT THERE IS NOT CURRENTLY A STRONG REASON TO  
BELIEVE THAT WESTWARD TREND. WHEREVER THE COLD FRONT AND THE DRYLINE  
MEET TOMORROW AFTERNOON WILL BE WHERE STORMS RAPIDLY INTENSIFY. WITH  
THESE STORMS, WE CAN REASONABLY EXPECT HAIL UP TO 2 INCHES AND 60  
MPH WINDS.  
 
AHEAD OF THIS MAIN LINE OF STORMS, WE WILL BE DEALING WITH OTHER  
HAZARDS. AS LONG AS THE LOW MOVES ACROSS THE NORTHERN PORTIONS OF  
THE CWA, WINDS FROM THE SOUTHWEST WILL SPEED UP THROUGH MOST OF THE  
DAY IN THE WARM, DRY SECTOR OF THE LOW. THIS WILL BRING WARM, DRY  
AIR INTO THE CWA, ALLOWING RH VALUES TO DROP IN THE SOUTHERN CWA. WE  
ARE LOOKING AT CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS BEING POSSIBLE ALONG  
AND SOUTH OF HWY 40, WITH RED FLAG WARNING CONDITIONS TO BE MET IN  
LOGAN, WICHITA, AND GREELEY COUNTIES. WALLACE AND CHEYENNE COUNTIES  
REMAIN IN THE WATCH AS CONFIDENCE IS STILL AROUND 50% IF THEY WILL  
REACH THE 3 HOURS OF CRITICAL CONDITIONS.  
 
ALONG WITH THE FIRE WEATHER CONCERNS, THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR  
BLOWING DUST IN A LARGER PORTION OF THE CWA. THE BOUNDARIES OF THIS  
AREA ARE STILL IN FLUX, BASED ON THE COLD FRONT AND THE DRYLINE,  
BASICALLY TO THE SOUTH AND WEST OF EACH RESPECTIVELY. BASED ON  
CURRENT GUIDANCE, LOCATIONS ALONG AND SOUTHWEST OF JOES, CO TO  
OAKLEY, KS WILL HAVE THE GREATEST POTENTIAL FOR SEEING WINDS STRONG  
ENOUGH TO LOFT DUST. THE FARTHER SOUTHWEST IN THE CWA, THE STRONGER  
THE WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO BE, LIKELY TOPPING OUT AROUND 50 MPH,  
ALTHOUGH A ROUGH GUST OR TWO OF 60 MPH ARE POSSIBLE. DUE TO LOW-  
LEVEL LAPSE RATES ACROSS MOST OF THE SOUTHERN CWA SUPPORTING PATCHY  
BLOWING DUST, WIND WILL BE THE BIGGEST FACTOR, MEANING BLOWING DUST  
BECOMES MORE LIKELY IN THE SOUTHWESTERN CWA.  
 
IN THE AFTERNOON, WE WILL SEE THE COLD FRONT ENTER THE NORTHWESTERN  
CWA AND MOVE EAST-SOUTHEAST. EVEN THOUGH MOST OF THE MOISTURE WILL  
BE EAST OF THE CWA, THE CENTRAL CWA COULD SEE SOME ELEVATED STORMS  
FIRE AROUND 18-21Z. THESE STORMS DO NOT POSE A MAJOR SEVERE STORM  
RISK, BUT COULD PRODUCE DRY LIGHTNING, SPARKING WILDFIRES. WE  
EXPECTED ANY OF THE STORMS THAT LIVE LONG ENOUGH TO REACH THE  
EASTERN CWA WILL EXPLODE WITH THE ADDITIONAL MOISTURE AND SHEAR.  
 
TUESDAY NIGHT, THE STORMS WILL EXIT THE AREA TO THE EAST FAIRLY  
EARLY IN THE NIGHT, LIKELY BEFORE MIDNIGHT. THERE IS A ~30% CHANCE  
WE'LL HAVE TRAILING SHOWERS BEHIND THE COLD FRONT WHICH COULD BE A  
MIX OF RAIN AND SNOW.  
 
LIST OF ACRONYMS  
POP - PROBABILITY OF PRECIPITATION  
LLJ - LOW LEVEL JET  
RH - RELATIVE HUMIDITY  
P-TYPE - PRECIPITATION TYPE  
MB - MILLIBAR  
KTS - KNOTS  
Z - ZULU TIME (UTC)  
CWA - COUNTY WARNING AREA  
CONUS - CONTIGUOUS UNITED STATES  
 
 
   
LONG TERM /WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/  
 
ISSUED AT 205 AM MDT MON MAR 31 2025  
 
OVERVIEW: A TRANSITION TO A HIGHLY AMPLIFIED AND BLOCKED  
SYNOPTIC PATTERN.. CHARACTERIZED BY DEEP, BROAD TROUGHING OVER  
THE CENTRAL-WESTERN CONUS.. WILL OCCUR BY MID-WEEK AND PERSIST  
INTO NEXT WEEKEND.  
 
WED-SUN: RECENT (00Z 03/31) OPERATIONAL RUNS OF THE GFS AND  
ECMWF REMAIN IN CLOSE AGREEMENT WITH REGARD TO THE 'BROAD  
STROKES'.. INDICATING DEEP TROUGHING / CYCLONIC FLOW ALOFT OVER  
THE CENTRAL-WESTERN CONUS FROM MID-WEEK INTO NEXT WEEKEND.  
ACTIVE, UNSETTLED WEATHER IS LIKELY. IN THE LEE OF THE CENTRAL  
ROCKIES, THERE IS ONE SYSTEM/PERIOD, IN PARTICULAR, THAT STANDS  
OUT IN TERMS OF 'IMPACTFUL WEATHER POTENTIAL'.. AND THAT'S FRI-  
SAT (APRIL 04-05). AT THIS RANGE, FORECAST SPECIFICS REMAIN  
SOMEWHAT MURKY. GUIDANCE SUGGESTS THAT NUMEROUS SHORTWAVES WILL  
BE PRESENT WITHIN THE LARGER/BROADER SYNOPTIC TROUGH OVER THE  
CENTRAL-WESTERN CONUS.. A PATTERN IN WHICH COMPLEX INTERACTIONS  
BETWEEN SAID WAVES WILL FOSTER A WIDE VARIETY OF OUTCOMES WITH  
REGARD TO CYCLONE EVOLUTION (TRACK/INTENSITY).. AS EVIDENCED BY  
A SIMPLE COMPARISON BETWEEN 00Z OPERATIONAL RUNS OF THE GFS AND  
ECMWF.  
 
 
   
AVIATION /06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z TUESDAY/  
 
ISSUED AT 1005 PM MDT SUN MAR 30 2025  
 
AT KGLD...MVFR CONDITIONS LIKELY TO PREVAIL THROUGH THE TAF  
PERIOD DUE TO LOWERED CEILINGS. THERE WILL ALSO BE A PERIOD OF  
IFR CONDITIONS OVERNIGHT AS RAIN/SNOW SHOWERS MOVE IN FROM THE  
WEST. SHOWERS SHOULD END AFTER A FEW HOURS, BUT WILL BE  
FOLLOWED BY THE POSSIBILITY OF FOG THROUGH MID MONDAY MORNING.  
 
AT KMCK...MVFR EXPECTED TO PREVAIL THROUGH THE TAF PERIOD DUE TO  
LOWERED CEILINGS. THERE IS A LOW PROBABILITY OF SNOW SHOWERS  
TOWARDS SUNRISE MONDAY MORNING, WHICH IF THEY DEVELOP MAY RESULT  
IN SOME MINOR VISIBILITY REDUCTIONS. CONFIDENCE IN SNOW SHOWERS  
IS AROUND 20% AT THIS TIME.  
 
 
   
GLD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
KS...FIRE WEATHER WATCH FROM TUESDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH TUESDAY  
EVENING FOR KSZ027.  
RED FLAG WARNING FROM NOON MDT /1 PM CDT/ TO 7 PM MDT /8 PM  
CDT/ TUESDAY FOR KSZ028-041-042.  
CO...FIRE WEATHER WATCH FROM TUESDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH TUESDAY  
EVENING FOR COZ254.  
NE...NONE.  
 
 
 
 
 
SHORT TERM...CA  
LONG TERM...VINCENT  
AVIATION...024  
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