627
FXUS65 KRIW 230430
AFDRIW
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RIVERTON WY
1030 PM MDT SUN MAR 22 2026
KEY MESSAGES
- COOLER TEMPERATURES OVERNIGHT UNDER SOME HIGH CLOUDS SPILLING
OVER THE UPPER LEVEL RIDGE TO THE SOUTHWEST. DRY CONDITIONS
AND MORE SEASONABLE START TO THE NEW WORK WEEK MONDAY MORNING.
- A WARMING TREND WILL BEGIN MONDAY WITH THE RETURN OF NEAR-
RECORD TEMPERATURES BY MIDWEEK. THERE WILL BE A 10 TO 20
PERCENT OF SHOWERS ACROSS THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS DURING THE
TIME, BUT THE MAJORITY OF THE AREA WILL REMAIN DRY.
- WARM, DRY, AND WINDY CONDITIONS WILL LEAD TO WIDESPREAD
ELEVATED TO CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ON WEDNESDAY.
UPDATE
ISSUED AT 1209 PM MDT SUN MAR 22 2026
A COOLER DAY IS ONGOING BEHIND LAST EVENING'S COLD FRONT. SATELLITE
IMAGERY SHOWS A DECREASING LOW CLOUD DECK EAST OF THE DIVIDE; THIS
SHOULD GIVE WAY TO SUNNY SKIES BY EARLY AFTERNOON. FIRE WEATHER
CONDITIONS ARE MUCH MORE LIMITED TODAY, MAINLY FOCUSED ACROSS
SOUTHERN WYOMING WHERE HUMIDITY WILL AGAIN DROP TO AROUND OR BELOW
10 PERCENT. WIND WILL BE LIGHTER, HOWEVER, AND NO FIRE WEATHER
HIGHLIGHTS HAVE BEEN ISSUED FOR THE FIRST TIME IN SEVERAL DAYS. AS
NOTED BELOW, A WARMING TREND WILL BEGIN AGAIN TOMORROW, LEADING TO
THE RETURN OF POTENTIAL RECORD TEMPERATURES AND INCREASING FIRE
WEATHER CONCERNS BY MIDWEEK.
DISCUSSION
ISSUED AT 201 AM MDT SUN MAR 22 2026
TODAY WILL SEE A BIT OF A REPRIEVE IN THE UNPRECEDENTED EARLY
SPRING HEAT, AS A WEAK COLD FRONT HAS PUSHED ACROSS CENTRAL
WYOMING. SOME GUSTY NORTH WINDS HAVE BROUGHT COOLER TEMPERATURES
INTO THE STATE, BUT THESE TEMPERATURES ARE STILL WELL ABOVE
NORMAL FOR MID-MARCH. HIGHS TODAY WILL "ONLY" BE IN THE 50S AND
60S, ABOUT 10 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. THE FRONT HAS BROUGHT SOME
LIGHT PRECIP TO THE BIGHORN RANGE, BUT ANY ACCUMULATIONS HAVE
BEEN NEGLIGIBLE. AS THIS FRONT WASHES OUT THIS AFTERNOON, WEST
TO SOUTHWEST WINDS RETURN, AND WITH RIDGING BUILDING BACK IN,
TEMPERATURES WILL START TO INCREASE BACK INTO THE 60S AND 70S
INTO THE MIDDLE OF THIS WEEK. THE RIDGE WILL BE SLIGHTLY FARTHER
SOUTH, SO THE EXTREME HEAT WILL BE HELD BACK, AND THIS WILL ALSO
OPEN THE DOOR FOR SOME PRECIP TO MOVE BACK INTO THE NORTHWEST
MOUNTAIN RANGES AND THE PARKS. TEMPERATURES LOOK WARM ENOUGH TO
PRODUCE LIGHT RAIN DURING THE DAY AND LIGHT SNOW DURING THE
OVERNIGHT HOURS. MOISTURE WITH THIS IMPULSE LOOKS VERY LIMITED,
SO OVERALL ACCUMULATIONS REMAIN MINIMAL.
ANOTHER WEATHER SYSTEM APPROACHES ON WEDNESDAY. AHEAD OF THIS
SYSTEM, WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO INCREASE CONSIDERABLY. THIS ALONG
WITH VERY DRY AIR WILL BRING ANOTHER THREAT FOR FIRE WEATHER
ACROSS MOST OF THE STATE WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON.
AVIATION /06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z TUESDAY/
ISSUED AT 1030 PM MDT SUN MAR 22 2026
VFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED THROUGHOUT THE PERIOD FOR ALL TAF SITES.
LIGHT WINDS OVERNIGHT INTO MONDAY MORNING WITH SOME HIGH CLOUDS
SPILLING OVER THE UPPER LEVEL RIDGE TO THE SOUTHWEST. OTHERWISE,
WINDS INCREASE AT BPI/PNA/RKS UP TO 25KTS AND CPR UP TO 18KTS
AFTER 16-18Z WITH DAYTIME HEATING AND MIXING TO THE SURFACE.
THEY WILL DIMINISH AFTER 01-02Z DUE TO RADIATIONAL COOLING, BUT
RIW WILL POSSIBLY SEE DRAINAGE WINDS AFTER THIS POINT INTO THE
OVERNIGHT HOURS AND THE END OF THE PERIOD BUT WITH LOW
CONFIDENCE (30-40%) CARRYING GUSTS UP TO 18KTS AT THIS POINT IN
TIME. NO OTHER WEATHER ELEMENTS ARE EXPECTED WITH DRY CONDITIONS
THROUGHOUT.
PLEASE SEE THE AVIATION WEATHER CENTER AND/OR CWSU ZDV AND ZLC FOR
THE LATEST INFORMATION ON ICING AND TURBULENCE FORECASTS.
RIW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
NONE.
UPDATE...MYERS
DISCUSSION...STRAUB
AVIATION...LOWE
CLICK HERE TO GO TO PREVIOUS BULLETINS.
Main Text Page