708  
FXUS65 KPUB 221705  
AFDPUB  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO  
1005 AM MST SUN DEC 22 2024  
   
KEY MESSAGES
 
 
- ABOVE NORMAL WARMTH IS EXPECTED ACROSS THE PLAINS TODAY, WITH  
SPOTTY CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS POSSIBLE OVER  
HUERFANO COUNTY.  
 
- LIGHT MOUNTAIN SNOW RETURNS TO THE FORECAST BEGINNING LATE  
TONIGHT.  
 
- A DEVELOPING PROGRESSIVE WEATHER PATTERN TO BRING ON AND OFF  
PRECIPITATION CHANCES TO THE REGION THROUGHOUT THE UPCOMING  
CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY WEEK.  
 
- AT AND ABOVE SEASONAL TEMPERATURES EXPECTED THROUGH THE WEEK.  
 

 
   
SHORT TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/
 
 
ISSUED AT 359 AM MST SUN DEC 22 2024  
 
CURRENTLY..  
 
A SHORTWAVE TROUGH IS MOVING IN THE NORTHERN ROCKIES EARLY THIS  
MORNING. UPPER-LEVEL CLOUD COVER IS INCREASING OVER PORTIONS OF OUR  
REGION AS SEEN ON SATELLITE IMAGERY. AS OF 3AM, TEMPERATURES ARE IN  
THE 20S AND 30S ACROSS THE PLAINS, WITH SINGLE DIGITS IN THE SAN  
LUIS VALLEY. DEWPOINTS ARE IN THE TEENS. MOST OBSERVATION LOCATIONS  
ARE REPORTING WEST WINDS OR NORMAL OVERNIGHT DRAINAGE WIND PATTERNS.  
 
TODAY AND TONIGHT..  
 
RIDGING CONTINUES TO FLATTEN OVERHEAD AS THE SHORTWAVE TO OUR NORTH  
PASSES ACROSS THE NORTHERN PLAINS. THIS WILL INCREASE WESTERLY FLOW  
OVER THE AREA, BRINGING DOWNSLOPING, WARMING WINDS OVER THE PLAINS.  
DAYTIME HIGHS TODAY LOOK TO SOAR TO AROUND 15 TO 20 DEGREES ABOVE  
NORMAL, THOUGH IT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE ANY RECORDS WILL BE IN DANGER OF  
BEING TIED OR SURPASSED. OUR PLAINS LOOK TO HIT HIGHS IN THE LOW TO  
MID 60S, WITH UPPER 40S AND LOW 50S LIKELY ACROSS MOUNTAIN VALLEYS.  
WEST WINDS WILL BE BREEZY, ESPECIALLY OVER AND NEAR THE MOUNTAINS,  
WHICH WILL LEAD TO VERY SPOTTY AND BRIEF CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER  
CONDITIONS OVER HUERFANO COUNTY THIS AFTERNOON. AS THE SYSTEM SWINGS  
BY AND INTO THE DAKOTAS TONIGHT, CHANCES FOR LIGHT SNOW SPREAD INTO  
OUR CENTRAL MOUNTAINS, THOUGH TOTALS LOOK TO REMAIN LESS THAN AN  
INCH OR SO. THE HRW-FV3 ALSO BRINGS RAIN CHANCES EASTWARD INTO THE  
HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF THE PIKES PEAK REGION, THOUGH IT SEEMS TO BE AN  
OUTLIER AT THIS TIME. OVERNIGHT LOWS WILL BE SLIGHTLY WARMER THAN  
NORMAL FOR MANY LOCATIONS, THANKS TO INCREASED CLOUD COVER AND  
CONTINUED WESTERLY FLOW. LOWS TO DIP INTO THE UPPER 20S AND LOW 30S  
ACROSS THE PLAINS, WITH TEENS FOR MOUNTAIN VALLEYS AND 20S FOR  
HIGHER TERRAIN LOCATIONS. OUR BANANA BELT SPOTS COULD EVEN SEE  
CONTINUED MIXING SUFFICIENT ENOUGH TO SUPPORT LOWS IN THE 40S!  
 

 
   
LONG TERM /MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/
 
 
ISSUED AT 359 AM MST SUN DEC 22 2024  
 
MONDAY-MONDAY NIGHT...LATEST MODEL DATA HAS TRENDED WEAKER AND FURTHER  
NORTH WITH EASTERN PACIFIC ENERGY TRANSLATING ACROSS THE NORTHERN TIER  
LATE SUNDAY NIGHT, AS WELL AS WITH THE TRAILING ENERGY DIGGING ACROSS  
THE INTERMOUNTAIN WEST AND NORTHERN ROCKIES AND INTO THE HIGH PLAINS  
THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT. THE PASSING SYSTEMS DO NOT HAVE A LOT OF COLD  
AIR ASSOCIATED WITH THEM AND LOOK TO BRING SOME LIGHT SNOW TO CENTRAL  
MTNS THROUGH THE DAY MONDAY, WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR SHOWERS SPREADING  
OVER AND NEAR THE HIGHER TERRAIN LATE MONDAY AFTERNOON AND OUT ACROSS  
THE SOUTHEAST PLAINS MONDAY NIGHT, AS THE SECONDARY WAVE TRANSLATES  
EAST. WITH PACIFIC ORIGIN AND LACK OF COLD AIR, TEMPERATURES LOOK TO  
REMAIN ABOVE SEASONAL LEVELS MAINLY IN THE 50S ACROSS THE PLAINS ON  
MONDAY, WITH 30S AND 40S ACROSS THE HIGHER TERRAIN.  
 
TUESDAY-WEDNESDAY (CHRISTMAS)...SHORT WAVE RIDGING BUILDS ACROSS THE  
ROCKIES TUESDAY AHEAD OF ANOTHER QUICK MOVING SYSTEM TRANSLATING ACROSS  
THE ROCKIES THROUGH CHRISTMAS NIGHT. MODELS CONTINUE TO STRUGGLE WITH  
THE AMPLITUDE AND STRENGTH OF THE SYSTEM, THOUGH TO CONTINUE TO SUPPORT  
A QUICK MOVING PROGRESSIVE PATTERN, WHICH LOOKS TO LIMIT PRECIPITATION  
AMOUNTS. WITH THAT SAID, WILL LIKELY SEE SNOW SPREADING INTO THE CONTDVD  
THROUGH CHRISTMAS MORNING, WITH CHANCES OF PRECIPITATION SPREADING EAST  
ACROSS THE HIGH MOUNTAIN VALLEYS THROUGH THE EASTERN MTNS AND I-25  
CHRISTMAS AFTERNOON AND EVENING BEFORE DIMINISHING FROM WEST TO EAST  
INTO EARLY THURSDAY MORNING. CHANCES FOR PRECIPITATION ACROSS THE  
SOUTHEAST MOUNTAINS AND PLAINS WILL DEPEND ON THE DEVELOPMENT AND  
LOCATION OF A MID LEVEL CIRCULATION, WHICH THE LATEST CANADIAN DATA  
NOW HAS MUCH FURTHER NORTH ACROSS NORTHEAST COLORADO, AS COMPARED TO  
ITS PREVIOUS RUNS, AS WELL AS THE LATEST EC AND GFS SOLUTIONS. LATEST  
DESI DATA INDICATES THE BEST CHANCES OF ACCUMULATING SNOW ACROSS THE  
SOUTHWEST AND CENTRAL MTNS, WITH THE PROBABILITY OF >3 INCHES IN THE  
50 TO 70 PERCENT RANGE, THOUGH THE PROBABILITY OF >6 INCHES IN THESE  
AREAS DROPS OFF SUBSTANTIALLY INTO THE 10 TO 20 PERCENT RANGE. FURTHER  
EAST ACROSS THE PIKES PEAK REGION INTO THE SOUTHEAST MTNS, THE PROBABILITY  
OF >3 INCHES IS THE 20 TO 30 PERCENT RANGE, GREATEST ACROSS THE SOUTHERN  
SANGRES. AGAIN, WITH THE PACIFIC ORIGIN AND LACK OF COLD AIR ASSOCIATED  
WITH THESE PASSING SYSTEMS, TEMPERATURES LOOK TO REMAIN AT AND ABOVE  
SEASONAL LEVELS THROUGH THE PERIOD, WITH HIGHS MAINLY IN THE 50S ACROSS  
THE PLAINS, AND IN THE 30S AND 40S ACROSS THE HIGHER TERRAIN TUESDAY AND  
CHRISTMAS DAY.  
 
THURSDAY-SATURDAY...WITH DIFFERENCES ON TIMING AND LOCATION OF THE PASSING  
CHRISTMAS SYSTEM, MODELS CONTINUE TO DIFFER ON THE NEXT SYSTEM WHICH  
COULD START TO SPREAD SNOW INTO THE CONTDVD THURSDAY, AS MORE EASTERN  
PACIFIC ENERGY TRANSLATES ACROSS THE INTERMOUNTAIN WEST AND INTO THE ROCKIES.  
WITH SAID MODEL DIFFERENCES, NBM KEEPS POPS ACROSS THE REGION INTO THE WEEKEND,  
WITH THE BEST CHANCES ACROSS THE CONTDVD. MODELS DO INDICATE THE POTENTIAL  
FOR SLIGHTLY COOLER TEMPERATURES INTO THE WEEKEND.  
 

 
   
AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z MONDAY/
 
 
ISSUED AT 1003 AM MST SUN DEC 22 2024  
 
VFR CONDITIONS AT ALL THREE TERMINALS (KALS, KCOS, KPUB) THROUGH  
THE NEXT 24 HOURS. CIGS WILL GRADUALLY LOWER TO AROUND 8-10 KFT  
BY LATE AFTERNOON TO EARLY EVENING AND PREVAIL INTO MONDAY  
MORNING. MOZLEY  
 

 
   
PUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
NONE.  
 

 
 

 
 
SHORT TERM...EHR  
LONG TERM...MW  
AVIATION...MOZLEY  
 
CLICK HERE TO GO TO PREVIOUS BULLETINS.

The Nexlab CO Page Main Text Page