531  
FXUS63 KGLD 010419  
AFDGLD  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS  
1019 PM MDT TUE MAR 31 2026  
   
KEY MESSAGES
 
 
- SCATTERED SHOWERS WILL DEVELOP OVER PORTIONS OF THE AREA WED  
AFTERNOON INTO WED NIGHT. BEST CHANCE FOR RAIN WILL BE IN  
NORTHEAST COLORADO AND SOUTHWEST NEBRASKA.  
 
- A FIRE WEATHER WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT THURSDAY AFTERNOON FOR  
YUMA, KIT CARSON AND CHEYENNE COUNTIES IN COLORADO AND  
WALLACE, GREELEY AND WICHITA COUNTIES IN KANSAS.  
 

 
   
SHORT TERM /THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT/
 
 
ISSUED AT 1157 AM MDT TUE MAR 31 2026  
 
THIS AFTERNOON, THE 500 MB VORTICITY PERSISTS AND SOME EASTERLY  
FLOW AT 850 MB IS BRINGING IN SOME ADDITIONAL MOISTURE. THIS  
COULD BE ENOUGH FOR SOME LIGHT PRECIPITATION LATER THIS  
AFTERNOON, GENERALLY ALONG AND NORTH OF I-70. IF PRECIPITATION  
OCCURS, IT WILL START OFF AS RAIN, BUT AS THE NIGHT PROGRESSES,  
SOME ISOLATED FLURRIES MAY MIX IN. OVERNIGHT TEMPERATURES ARE  
FORECAST TO REMAIN ABOVE FREEZING, BUT IN THE 30S.  
 
WEDNESDAY, THINGS GET MORE INTERESTING. TEMPERATURES LOOK TO  
TOP OUT IN THE UPPER 50S AND 60S, COOLEST IN THE NORTHEASTERN  
CWA, AS A 500 MB TROUGH PUSHES IN FROM THE WEST. THIS WILL GIVE  
US INCREASING FORCING THROUGHOUT THE DAY AS AN 850 MB LOW FROM  
SOUTHERN COLORADO PULLS IN MORE MOISTURE FROM THE EAST. POPS  
INCREASE THROUGHOUT THE DAY, PEAKING AROUND 21-06Z WEDNESDAY  
EVENING. THE ENTIRE CWA HAS A GREATER THAN 60% CHANCE AT SEEING  
SOME PRECIPITATION. AS IT STANDS, THERE'S A 50% CHANCE MOST OF  
THE CWA RECEIVES 0.1 INCH OF QPF BY THURSDAY MORNING.  
 
THERE IS POTENTIAL FOR SOME THUNDERSTORMS TO MIX INTO THE  
ONGOING PRECIPITATION AFTER 21Z, BUT SEVERE WEATHER IS UNLIKELY.  
THE BIGGEST HAZARD WOULD BE WINDS COMING OUT OF THE STORMS.  
MOST LIKELY GUSTS WOULD BE IN THE 35-45 KTS RANGE, WITH PEAK  
POTENTIAL OF 55 KTS. THERE IS ALSO A 15% CHANCE SNOW STARTS  
MIXING IN ALONG AND NORTH OF U.S. 34 EARLY THURSDAY MORNING, ON  
THE BACK END OF THE PRECIPITATION. WE'RE ALSO WATCHING THE  
POTENTIAL FOR BLACK ICE FORMING THURSDAY MORNING AS TEMPERATURES  
ONCE AGAIN FALL TO AROUND FREEZING.  
 

 
   
LONG TERM /THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/
 
 
ISSUED AT 241 PM MDT TUE MAR 31 2026  
 
THURSDAY MORNING LINGERING SHOWERS ARE EXPECTED AS WEDENSDAY'S  
SYSTEM MOVES THROUGH TO THE NORTHEAST WITH THE GREATEST CHANCES  
IN THE NORTHEAST PORTIONS OF THE COUNTY WARNING AREA (CWA).  
THERE IS A CHANCE FOR LIGHT ACCUMULATION FOR THE NORTHEAST  
PORTION OF THE CWA. GUIDANCE HAS BEEN SHOWN A DOWNWARD TREND IN  
THE PROBABILITY OF SEEING PRECIPITATION IN THE MORNING TO MIDDAY  
HOURS. ONCE THE SYSTEM MOVES OUT AROUND MIDDAY, HIGH  
TEMPERATURES LOOK TO BE IN THE LOW TO MID 70S ALONG WITH  
OVERNIGHT LOWS IN THE LOWER 30S, ALONG WITH DRY CONDITIONS.  
 
FOR THE FIRE WEATHER POTENTIAL, LOOKING AT GUIDANCE FOR YUMA,  
KIT CARSON AND CHEYENNE COUNTY THERE IS A 50-60% CHANCE OF  
SEEING 25 MPH GUSTS BEGINNING AROUND NOON THEN IN THE AFTERNOON  
IS A 70-95% CHANCE OF SEEING 25 MPH WIND GUSTS COMING FROM THE  
SOUTH. THE TIMING FOR PEAK WIND GUSTS ARE LOOKING TO BE AROUND  
12PM-8PM WITH THERE BEING A 40-50% CHANCE OF EXCEEDING 40 MPH  
FOR MAINLY KIT CARSON, COUNTY. AS FOR MINIMUM RELATIVE HUMIDITY  
THEY ARE VALUES IN THE LOWER TO MID TEENS. BASED ON CURRENT  
GUIDANCE THERE IS A 50-60% THAT RED FLAG CRITERIA WILL BE MET,  
PROMPTING THE ISSUANCE OF A FIRE WEATHER WATCH.  
 
LOOKING AT FRIDAY THE NEXT SYSTEM LOOKS TO BRING IN COOLER  
TEMPERATURES, BUT THERE IS A THREAT FOR FIRE WEATHER IN THE  
AFTERNOON. THERE IS AN UPPER LEVEL SHORTWAVE TROUGH THAT HAS AN  
ASSOCIATED SURFACE LOW THAT LOOKS TO MOVE THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT  
INTO FRIDAY EARLY MORNING. THERE IS A COLD FRONT WITH THIS  
SYSTEM THAT WILL BRING COOLER TEMPERATURES. THE LOW TEMPERATURES  
LOOK TO STAY IN THE MID TO UPPER 30S WITH LOWER 40S FOR THE  
EASTERN PORTIONS IN THE CWA. AS FOR THE HIGHS THE TEMPERATURES  
THEY LOOK TO ONLY WARM INTO THE LOW TO MID 50S. AS FOR  
PRECIPITATION THERE IS STILL A VERY SMALL CHANCE OF SEEING  
ANYTHING WOULD BE FRIDAY EVENING TO SATURDAY MORNING. THERE ARE  
10-20 POPS OVER THE COLORADO COUNTIES AND THE NORTHERN PART OF  
THE CWA.  
 
FIRE WEATHER IS POSSIBLE AGAIN FOR THE AFTERNOON. THE GREATEST  
THREAT FOR SEEING THE HIGHER WINDS ARE FOR YUMA, KIT CARSON, AND  
CHEYENNE COUNTIES, CO. THE DIRECTION OF THE WINDS WILL BE FROM  
THE NORTH. THERE IS A 75-90% OF SEEING AT LEAST 25 MPH GUSTS  
BEGINNING AROUND 9 AM (MDT). THE HIGHEST GUSTS HAVE A 50% CHANCE  
OF EXCEEDING 40 MPH IN WESTERN YUMA COUNTY, CO. WIDESPREAD RH  
VALUES ARE LOOKING TO BE NEAR 20% WITH THE SOUTHWEST PORTION OF  
THE CWA SEEING VALUES IN THE UPPER TEENS. GUIDANCE HAS ALSO  
SHOWN AN INCREASE IN GFDI VALUES REACHING THE UPPER 50S AND  
LOWER 60S WITH THE GREATEST PEAK OCCURRING FROM 12 PM (MDT) TO 4  
PM (MDT) WHICH IS ALSO WHEN WE SEE THE PEAK WINDS AND THE  
LOWEST RH VALUES.  
 
LOOKING AT THE REST OF THE PERIOD THERE IS QUITE A BIT OF  
SIMILARITY FOR SUNDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. FOR THE UPPER PATTERN WE  
STAY ZONAL WITH VERY LITTLE CHANGE OVER THE THREE DAYS.  
TEMPERATURES LOOK TO REMAIN IN THE 70S WITH FOR THE MAJORITY OF  
THE CWA. AS FOR THE LOWS THEY LOOK TO STAY IN THE UPPER 20S FOR  
SUNDAY THEN SHIFTING TO THE MID 30S. WINDS LOOK TO BE COMING  
FROM THE SOUTH FOR SUNDAY AND MONDAY. AS FOR WIND GUSTS THERE IS  
SOME UNCERTAINTY ON HOW STRONG THEY WILL BE. LOOKING AT BOTH  
SUNDAY AND MONDAY THE SPREAD BETWEEN THE 90TH AND 10TH  
PERCENTILES THE SPREAD IS AROUND 20-25 MPH DIFFERENCE. THE 90TH  
PERCENTILE DOES SHOW THERE BEING WINDS IN THE 20-40 MPH RANGE  
FOR BOTH DAYS. AS FOR THE RH VALUES IN THE LOWER TEENS ARE  
FORECASTED WHICH DOES SHOW A CONCERN FOR FIRE WEATHER CRITERIA  
BEING MET.  
 

 
   
AVIATION /06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z THURSDAY/
 
 
ISSUED AT 1014 PM MDT TUE MAR 31 2026  
 
GLD: VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO PREVAIL THROUGH EARLY TO  
MID AFTERNOON. MVFR CONDITIONS ASSOCIATED WITH SCATTERED SHOWERS  
ARE POSSIBLE DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING,  
MAINLY BETWEEN ~22-02Z. VFR CONDITIONS WILL OTHERWISE PREVAIL  
THROUGH THE EVENING. MVFR CEILINGS ARE ANTICIPATED TO DEVELOP A  
FEW HOURS AFTER THE 06Z TAF, ~06-12Z THU. E WINDS AT ~10 KNOTS  
WILL VEER TO THE SE AND INCREASE TO 15-25 KNOTS A FEW HOURS  
AFTER SUNRISE. WINDS WILL FURTHER VEER TO THE SSE AND INCREASE  
TO 20-30 KNOTS DURING THE EARLY AFTERNOON, AS A LOW PRESSURE  
SYSTEM IN CO DEEPENS AND TRACKS EAST TOWARD THE CO-KS BORDER.  
SOUTH WINDS WILL WEAKEN TO 10-15 KNOTS SHORTLY AFTER SUNSET  
(~02-03Z THU) AND MAY BECOME VARIABLE DURING THE LATE EVENING..  
AS THE SURFACE LOW TRACKS EASTWARD OVER WESTERN KS.  
 
MCK: VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO PREVAIL THROUGH EARLY TO  
MID AFTERNOON. MVFR CEILINGS ARE ANTICIPATED TO DEVELOP DURING  
THE LATE AFTERNOON (~21Z), WITH CEILINGS LOWERING TO IFR  
BY/AROUND SUNSET. CEILINGS MAY FURTHER DETERIORATE TO LIFR  
DURING THE LATE EVENING, AT/NEAR THE END OF THE 06Z TAF PERIOD.  
SCATTERED SHOWERS ARE POSSIBLE DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON AND  
EVENING, MAINLY ~23-04Z. LIGHT NE WINDS WILL VEER TO THE E AND  
INCREASE TO 10-15 KNOTS AROUND SUNRISE (~13Z). WINDS WILL  
FURTHER VEER TO THE ESE-SE AND INCREASE TO 15-25 KNOTS DURING  
THE EARLY AFTERNOON, AS A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM IN CO DEEPENS AND  
TRACKS EAST TOWARD THE CO-KS BORDER. BREEZY SE WINDS WILL BACK  
TO THE E AND DECREASE TO 10-15 KNOTS DURING THE LATE EVENING,  
NEAR THE END OF THE 06Z TAF PERIOD, AS THE SURFACE LOW TRACKS  
EASTWARD OVER WESTERN KS.  
 

 
   
GLD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
KS...FIRE WEATHER WATCH FROM THURSDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH THURSDAY  
EVENING FOR KSZ027-041-042.  
CO...FIRE WEATHER WATCH FROM THURSDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH THURSDAY  
EVENING FOR COZ252>254.  
NE...NONE.  
 

 
 

 
 
SHORT TERM...CA  
LONG TERM...CA/HOLDREN  
AVIATION...VINCENT  
 
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