943  
FXUS64 KLUB 222006  
AFDLUB  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX  
206 PM CST SUN DEC 22 2024  
   
..NEW SHORT TERM, LONG TERM  
 
   
KEY MESSAGES  
 
- FOG, SOME DENSE, IS FORECAST TO DEVELOP ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE  
CAPROCK AND ROLLING PLAINS LATE TONIGHT INTO MONDAY MORNING.  
 
- LOW CHANCES FOR QUICK-HITTING RAIN SHOWERS REMAIN INTACT FOR  
THURSDAY MORNING.  
 
- DRY AND WARM CONDITIONS ARE FORECAST TO FOLLOW HEADING INTO  
NEXT WEEKEND.  
 
 
   
SHORT TERM  
 
(THIS EVENING THROUGH MONDAY)  
ISSUED AT 205 PM CST SUN DEC 22 2024  
 
MID TO UPPER LEVEL FLOW WILL BACK DURING THE SHORT TERM PERIOD FROM  
WEST-NORTHWEST THIS AFTERNOON TO WEST-SOUTHWEST MONDAY AFTERNOON AS  
A MODEST SHORT WAVE TROUGH SHARPENS A BIT OVER EASTERN NEW MEXICO.  
HOWEVER, THE MAIN STORY WILL BE AT THE SURFACE AND IN THE LOWER  
LEVELS WHERE MOISTURE IS AND WILL BE FAIRLY RICH FOR MID/LATE  
DECEMBER, AT LEAST ACROSS THE SOUTHEASTERN THIRD OF THE FORECAST  
AREA. SOME STRATUS MADE IT AS FAR NORTH AS THE SOUTHEASTERN CORNER  
LATE THIS MORNING BEFORE BEING ERODED EASTWARD, BUT A RETURN TRIP IS  
EXPECTED TONIGHT AS EASTWARD EXTENT OF EROSION WILL BE LIMITED AND  
AS SOUTHERLY LOW LEVEL FLOW IS MAINTAINED OVERNIGHT. AS IS OFTEN THE  
CASE, THE DISTRIBUTION BETWEEN STRATUS AND FOG REMAINS QUITE  
UNCERTAIN AND IS OFTEN DICTATED BY WHICH FORMS FIRST, WHICH IS  
ESPECIALLY TRUE IN SITUATIONS LIKE THIS WHERE THE MAGNITUDE OF LOW  
LEVEL ADVECTION IS FAIRLY LOW. CURRENTLY WILL FAVOR STRATUS, BUT AN  
IRREGULAR DEVELOPMENT AND/OR ADVECTION OF THIS LOW DECK COULD  
PROMOTE MORE IN THE WAY OF FOG IN THE INTERMITTENT CLEAR SPOTS.  
SITUATION REMAINS WORTHY OF THE FOG MENTION IN THE GRIDS, ALTHOUGH  
CONFIDENCE IS NOT YET HIGH ENOUGH TO ADD THE DENSE DESCRIPTOR TO THE  
GRIDS. DRY AIR WILL REMAIN IN PLACE TO THE WEST AND NORTH WHICH WILL  
SET UP A WIDE GRADIENT IN OVERNIGHT LOW TEMPERATURES WITH THESE  
AREAS PROMOTING COLDER TEMPERATURES AND THE MOISTURE/CLOUDS/FOG TO  
THE SOUTHEAST KEEPING CONDITIONS ON THE MILD SIDE.  
 
MONDAY WILL SEE A SURFACE LOW LINGER ACROSS THE ROLLING PLAINS  
THROUGH THE MORNING AND THIS SHIFT JUST TO THE EAST OF THE AREA  
WHILE A COLD FRONT DROPS SOUTHWARD TO THE WEST OF THE LOW. THIS WILL  
SCOUR SOME OF THE LOW LEVEL MOISTURE, ESPECIALLY ON THE WESTERN SIDE  
OF THE MOIST AXIS, BUT STRATUS HAS A GOOD CHANCE OF HANGING ON  
THROUGH A GOOD PART OF THE DAY ACROSS THE ROLLING PLAINS WITH THE  
POSSIBILITY OF ADDITIONAL STRATUS SPREADING SOUTHWARD ON THE  
NORTHWESTERN FLANK OF THE SURFACE LOW. THIS UNCERTAINTY ABOUT CLOUD  
COVER EXTENT AND EVOLUTION AND EFFECTS OF INSOLATION IN ADDITION TO  
THE POTENTIAL FOR SLIGHTLY STRONGER COLD ADVECTION THAN NOTED IN THE  
WARMEST MODELS POINT TO TRENDING AWAY FROM THE WARMER NBM AND MAVMOS  
AND NUDGING TOWARD THE COOLER METMOS WHICH HAS SUPPORT FROM THE  
HIGHER RESOLUTION SHORT TERM MODELS.  
 
 
   
LONG TERM  
 
(MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH NEXT SATURDAY)  
ISSUED AT 205 PM CST SUN DEC 22 2024  
 
A PLEASANT CHRISTMAS EVE LOOKS TO BE SHAPING UP FOR AREAS ACROSS THE  
FA AS THE UPPER LEVEL SHORTWAVE TROUGH THAT BROUGHT US THE  
REINFORCED COOLER AIR MASS ON MONDAY, EXITS THE REGION TO THE EAST  
TUESDAY MORNING. A LOW-LEVEL STRATUS DECK WILL REMAIN OVERHEAD OF  
THE AREA THROUGH MID-MORNING, BEFORE CLEARING IN THE AFTERNOON. SOME  
AREAS OFF THE CAPROCK COULD SEE SOME PATCHY FOG FORM, BUT CONFIDENCE  
IN THIS REMAINS LOW AT THIS TIME. REGARDLESS, WITH POST FRONTAL  
NORTHERLY WINDS KEEPING THE COOLER AIRMASS IN PLACE, DAYTIME HIGHS  
WILL LIKELY REMAIN IN THE 60S. WEAK SHORTWAVE RIDGING WILL QUICKLY  
MOVE OVERHEAD, AS OUR NEXT UPPER LEVEL SHORTWAVE BEGINS TO MOVE  
CLOSER TO THE REGION. NORTHERLY SURFACE WINDS WILL THEN BEGIN TO  
VEER OUT OF THE SOUTHWEST OVERNIGHT TUESDAY AS THE SURFACE HIGH  
SHIFTS EASTWARD, AND A LEE SURFACE TROUGH DEVELOPS OUT AHEAD OF THE  
INCOMING SYSTEM. THIS WILL LEAD TO BREEZY SOUTHWEST SURFACE WINDS  
AROUND 10 TO 20 MPH, GUSTING TO 30 MPH, ACROSS THE SOUTH PLAINS  
REGION WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON, AS WE SEE THE PRESSURE GRADIENT BEGIN TO  
TIGHTEN. THESE BREEZY CONDITIONS AND SUBSIDENCE WILL ALLOW FOR A  
QUICK WARM-UP IN TEMPERATURES ON CHRISTMAS DAY WITH HIGHS IN THE 60S  
ACROSS THE BOARD. CONFIDENCE IN DAYTIME HIGHS ON WEDNESDAY ARE STILL  
NOT LOCKED IN FOR CERTAIN, WITH MOIST RETURN FLOW PRESENT AND A  
STRATUS DECK EXPECTED TO REMAIN OVERHEAD THROUGH THE AFTERNOON, WE  
COULD SEE COOLER HIGH TEMPERATURES BY A FEW DEGREES IF CLOUD COVER  
DECIDES TO LINGER.  
 
DETERMINISTIC MODELS STILL DIVERGE WITH THE EVOLUTION OF OUR NEXT  
SYSTEM ON THURSDAY, WITH THE ECMWF (WETTER SOLUTION) KEEPING THE  
CENTER OF THE LOW ACROSS THE TX PANHANDLE, KEEPING THE BETTER SOURCE  
OF MOISTURE AND LIFT ACROSS THE FA. WHEREAS THE GFS (DRIER SOLUTION)  
TRACKS MORE TO OUR NORTH ACROSS THE OK PANHANDLE AND SOUTHERN  
KANSAS, DRY SLOTTING THE FA. HOWEVER, ENSEMBLE GUIDANCE SEEMS TO BE  
MORE IN LINED WITH RECENT RUNS, REFLECTING A SIMILAR EVOLUTION TO  
THE 12Z GFS. OVERALL, PRECIPITATION CHANCES LOOK SLIM AND WILL BE  
DEPENDENT ON HOW MUCH MOISTURE RETURN WE SEE AND THE EXACT  
POSITIONING OF THE SYSTEM, WITH THE BEST CHANCES ACROSS AREAS EAST  
OF I-27 WHERE THE BEST MOISTURE AND INSTABILITY RESIDES. REGARDLESS,  
THIS SYSTEM WILL BE QUICK HITTING, AND IF SHOWERS DEVELOP THEY WILL  
LIKELY BE OUT OF THE FA BY THURSDAY AFTERNOON. WE WILL ALSO SEE  
ANOTHER SLIGHT COOL DOWN AS THIS SYSTEM SWINGS A PACIFIC FRONT  
DURING THE EARLY MORNING HOURS. SADLY, THE AIRMASS WILL QUICKLY  
RECOVER BY FRIDAY WITH SURFACE WINDS SHIFTING OUT OF THE SOUTHWEST  
AIDING IN TEMPERATURES BACK IN THE LOW TO MID 60S. ANOTHER SHORTWAVE  
TROUGH WILL PASS TO OUR NORTH, BUT SHOULD NOT AFFECT THE WEATHER  
ACROSS THE FA, WITH A WARMER AND DRIER TREND EXPECTED THROUGH THE  
WEEKEND AS LARGE SCALE RIDGING BEGINS TO BUILD BACK IN.  
 
 
   
AVIATION  
 
(18Z TAFS)  
ISSUED AT 1118 AM CST SUN DEC 22 2024  
 
FIRST ISSUE THIS CYCLE IS WIND SPEEDS THIS AFTERNOON. SAID SPEEDS  
ARE A LITTLE SLOW TO INCREASE, BUT AREA MESONETS SUGGEST THAT IS  
NOW ONGOING. WILL CONTINUE WITH ROUGHLY 15G25 KTS, ESPECIALLY KLBB  
AND KPVW. SECOND ISSUE IS LOW LEVEL MOISTURE AND RETURN OF STRATUS  
AND/OR FOG TONIGHT. MODELS LOOK TO BE UNDERPLAYING THE POTENTIAL  
SOME WITH A PERIOD IFR/MVFR LIKELY ESPECIALLY EAST OF KLBB/KPVW  
AND SOUTH OF KCDS. HOW MUCH THOSE THREE TERMINALS WILL BE AFFECTED  
STILL OF SOME QUESTION, ESPECIALLY WITH WHERE THE WEST SIDE OF  
THESE RESTRICTIONS WILL BE. WILL MAINTAIN PREVIOUS FORECAST FOR  
NOW BUT WILL NOTE THE POTENTIAL FOR MORE PESSIMISTIC CONDITIONS  
LATE TONIGHT INTO MONDAY MORNING.  
 
 
   
LUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
NONE.  
 
 
 
 
SHORT TERM...07  
LONG TERM....12  
AVIATION...07  
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