474
FXUS63 KGLD 170732
AFDGLD
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
1232 AM MST WED DEC 17 2025
KEY MESSAGES
- INCREASING POTENTIAL FOR HIGH WIND GUSTS, EXPLOSIVE FIRE
GROWTH, AND DUST STORM CONDITIONS OCCURRING THURSDAY.
- CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS MAY OCCUR TODAY, THURSDAY
AND FRIDAY, WITH GREATEST RISK IN WESTERN AREAS.
SHORT TERM /THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT/
ISSUED AT 1230 AM MST WED DEC 17 2025
FORECAST REMAINS MORE OR LESS ON TRACK, WITH WIND, DUST AND
MARGINAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS THE MAIN CONCERNS. TODAY, GUSTY
SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL COMMENCE WITH MIXING AROUND 17Z AND
CONTINUE THROUGH ABOUT 20Z. MIXED LAYER WINDS SUGGEST GUSTS OF
40-50 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE, HIGHEST IN WESTERN AREAS, BUT MIXING
MAY BE LIMITED AS HIGH CLOUDS INCREASE IN THE AFTERNOON.
NONETHELESS, THERE IS SOME CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER POTENTIAL IF
ALL THE PARAMETERS CAN COME TOGETHER: LOWEST PERCENTILE DEW
POINTS, HIGHEST PERCENTILE TEMPERATURES AND HIGHEST PERCENTILE
WIND GUSTS. CONFIDENCE IS AROUND 50% THAT THAT WILL HAPPEN, SO
WILL ONLY MENTION ELEVATED CONDITIONS AT THIS TIME FOR NORTHEAST
COLORADO/ADJACENT AREAS IN NORTHWEST KANSAS, BUT WITH SOME
LOCALIZED CRITICAL CONDITIONS CERTAINLY POSSIBLE. HIGH
TEMPERATURES WILL BE IN THE MID TO UPPER 60S, WITH PERHAPS A FEW
LOWER 70S IN WESTERN AREAS WITH THE IDEAL DOWNSLOPING WIND
DIRECTION.
TONIGHT, STRONG COLD FRONT WILL ENTER NORTHWEST PORTION OF THE
AREA AROUND 03Z AND QUICKLY MOVE THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE
AREA BY AROUND 06Z. GUSTY NORTHWEST WINDS OF 50-60 MPH WILL
ACCOMPANY THE FRONTAL PASSAGE AND PERSIST FOR A FEW HOURS
AFTERWARDS. SOME BLOWING DUST WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE. CONSIDERED
MOVING THE HIGH WIND WATCH BACK TO COVER THIS POTENTIAL, BUT
CONFIDENCE IS AROUND 50% THAT 60 MPH GUSTS WILL MATERIALIZE.
GUSTY WINDS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT BUT WITH GUSTS
MORE IN THE 30-40 MPH RANGE. LOWS WILL RANGE FROM THE UPPER 20S
TO MIDDLE 30S.
THURSDAY MORNING, SHOULD SEE THE WINDS PICK UP AROUND 15Z AS
THE INVERSION BREAKS. MODELS STILL IN SOME DISAGREEMENT ON WHERE
THE STRONGEST WIND GUSTS WILL OCCUR. GFS INSISTS THE MAXIMUM
WILL BE OVER WESTERN AND CENTRAL PARTS OF THE AREA, WITH ML
WINDS OF 60 TO 80 MPH, BUT ECMWF AND NOW MOST OF THE CAMS HAVE
THE HIGHEST GUSTS IN THE EASTERN PARTS OF THE AREA AND SLIGHTLY
LOWER ML WINDS. 3-KM NAM PRESENTS A FAIRLY REASONABLE COMPROMISE
BETWEEN THE VARIOUS SOLUTIONS WITH GUSTS UP TO 60 MPH BETWEEN
17Z AND 21Z FOR AREAS ALONG/EAST OF HIGHWAY 25. NO CHANGES
PLANNED TO THE HIGH WIND WATCH FOR THIS CYCLE. THE BLOWING DUST
POTENTIAL STILL EXISTS WITH MIXING HEIGHTS WELL WITHIN RANGE
PEAKING AT 1.5 TO 1.8 KM AND RECENT WARM AND DRY SPELL PRIMING
SOILS. WOULD EXPECT TO SEE A GENERAL HAZE ONCE THE GUSTS START,
WITH LOCALIZED DUST STORMS SHOULD THE HIGHER GUSTS MATERIALIZE.
CONFIDENCE LEVEL IS AROUND 50% FOR PLUMES OF DUST WHICH COULD
PRODUCE VERY HAZARDOUS DRIVING CONDITIONS AND BROWNOUTS.
FINALLY, WHILE RELATIVE HUMIDITY MINIMUMS DON'T QUITE REACH THE
CRITICAL THRESHOLD, THE MAGNITUDE OF THE WINDS COULD DOWN POWER
LINES WHICH WOULD POSSIBLY IGNITE WILDFIRES, BECOMING VERY
DIFFICULT TO CONTROL IN THE WINDY CONDITIONS THROUGH LATE
THURSDAY AFTERNOON. HIGHS WILL BE IN THE MID TO UPPER 40S WITH
LOWS THURSDAY NIGHT IN THE 20S.
ON FRIDAY, WINDS WILL BE SOUTHWEST ONCE AGAIN WHICH WILL ALLOW
TEMPERATURES TO CLIMB BACK INTO THE UPPER 60S TO LOWER 70S.
AFTERNOON RELATIVE HUMIDITY MINIMUMS WILL BE IN THE TEENS AND
20S, LOWEST IN WESTERN AREAS. HOWEVER, WINDS MAY NOT REACH
THE CRITICAL THRESHOLD AS A CAPPING INVERSION IS FORECAST TO
HOLD THROUGH THE DAY, KEEPING PEAK GUSTS AT AROUND 25 MPH. WINDS
ABOVE THE INVERSION ARE NOT MUCH HIGHER, SO EVEN WITH DEEPER
MIXING WINDS WOULD NOT INCREASE MUCH. SO AT THIS POINT LOOKS TO
BE MORE OF AN ELEVATED FIRE WEATHER RISK AS OPPOSED TO CRITICAL.
LOWS FRIDAY NIGHT WILL BE IN THE 30S.
LONG TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/
ISSUED AT 1230 AM MST WED DEC 17 2025
FRIDAY THROUGH MONDAY AN UPPER LEVEL RIDGE THEN ZONAL FLOW MOVE OVER
THE FORECAST AREA. FRIDAY THE HIGHS CONTINUE TO WARM. THIS IS
CAUSING RELATIVE HUMIDITY TO BE AROUND 20% FOR THE AFTERNOON. THIS
MAY LEAD TO A CONCERN FOR FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS. ANOTHER SHORT
WAVE TROUGH MOVES THROUGH SOUTHERN CANADA OVER THE NORTHERN PLAINS.
THIS WILL SEND A COLD FRONT THROUGH THE FORECAST AREA SATURDAY. THE
STRONG TO HIGH WINDS ASSOCIATED WITH THE UPPER LEVEL TROUGH WILL BE
WELL TO THE NORTHEAST OF THE FORECAST AREA. OTHERWISE THERE WILL BE
SMALL DISTURBANCES MOVING THROUGH THE JET STREAM, BUT THOSE WILL BE
TOO FAR NORTH TO BRING ANY PRECIPITATION TO THE FORECAST AREA.
AVIATION /06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z THURSDAY/
ISSUED AT 1019 PM MST TUE DEC 16 2025
VFR EXPECTED TO PREVAIL AT BOTH KGLD AND KMCK THROUGH THE TAF
PERIOD. GUSTY SOUTHWEST SURFACE WINDS WILL DEVELOP AT BOTH
TERMINALS BY MID MORNING AND CONTINUE THROUGH ABOUT MID
AFTERNOON. TONIGHT, A STRONG COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH THE
TERMINALS LATE IN THE TAF PERIOD, BETWEEN ABOUT 03-06Z, WITH
SURFACE WINDS SHIFTING TO THE NORTHWEST AND GUSTING 30-50 KTS
IMMEDIATELY BEHIND AND FOR A FEW HOURS AFTER FRONTAL PASSAGE.
SOME BRIEF VISIBILITY REDUCTIONS IN BLOWING DUST WILL ALSO BE
POSSIBLE WITH THE FRONT.
GLD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
KS...HIGH WIND WATCH FROM LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY
AFTERNOON FOR KSZ001>004-013>016-027>029-041-042.
CO...HIGH WIND WATCH FROM LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY
AFTERNOON FOR COZ090>092.
NE...HIGH WIND WATCH FROM LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY
AFTERNOON FOR NEZ079>081.
SHORT TERM...024
LONG TERM...JTL
AVIATION...024
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