771  
FXUS63 KTOP 210514  
AFDTOP  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS  
1214 AM CDT MON SEP 21 2026  
   
KEY MESSAGES  
 
- A FEW SHOWERS ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE SOUTHERN COUNTIES OF THE  
FORECAST AREA THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. AND A FEW SHOWERS ARE  
POSSIBLE ACROSS THE NORTHERN COUNTIES TONIGHT.  
 
- EXPECT FALL TEMPERATURES THIS AFTERNOON ALONG WITH CLOUDY SKIES.  
THE COOLER TEMPERATURES WILL CONTINUE INTO NEXT WEEK WITH HIGHS IN  
THE IN THE MIDDLE 60S TO LOWER 70S.  
 
- WIDESPREAD STORM CHANCES RETURN BY LATE WEEK ACCOMPANIED BY  
ANOTHER COLD FRONT.  
 
 
   
DISCUSSION  
 
ISSUED AT 158 PM CDT SUN SEP 20 2026  
 
EARLY THIS AFTERNOON WATER VAPOR SATELLITE IMAGERY ALONG WITH UPPER  
AIR ANALYSIS SHOWED A LOW AMPLITUDE UPPER LEVEL TROUGH ACROSS WY AND  
CO. AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH WAS LIFTING NORTHEAST ACROSS IL. AN UPPER  
LEVEL RIDGE EXTENDED FROM THE LOWER MS RIVER VALLEY SOUTHWEST INTO  
SOUTH TX. A MORE AMPLIFIED UPPER LEVEL TROUGH WAS LOCATED ACROSS THE  
EASTERN PACIFIC, WEST OF CA.  
 
THE 18Z SURFACE MAP SHOWED A SURFACE COLD FRONT EXTENDING SOUTHWEST  
FROM NEW ENGLAND ACROSS THE OH RIVER VALLEY, THEN SOUTHWEST ACROSS  
NORTHEAST OK, EXTENDING FARTHER SOUTHWEST ACROSS THE SOUTHERN TX  
PNHDL INTO NORTHEAST NM. TEMPERATURES AT NOON WERE IN THE MID TO  
UPPER 60S NORTH WITH MID TO UPPER 70S ALONG AND SOUTH OF I-70.  
 
TODAY THROUGH TONIGHT:  
 
THE H5 TROUGH ACROSS WY INTO NORTHERN CO WILL SHIFT EAST. THE  
STRONGER ASCENT WILL BE ACROSS NE AHEAD OF THE H5 TROUGH AXIS, BUT  
THE SOUTHERN EXTENT OF THE ASCENT MAY CAUSE A FEW SHOWERS ACROSS THE  
NORTHERN COUNTIES OF THE CWA TONIGHT INTO EARLY MONDAY MORNING. THE  
SOUTHERN COUNTIES MAY SEE A FEW SHOWERS THIS AFTERNOON INTO THE  
EARLY EVENING HOURS. THE STRONGER ISENTROPIC UPGLIDE WILL BE ACROSS  
SOUTHERN KS BUT THERE MAYBE JUST ENOUGH ASCENT FOR A FEW RAINSHOWERS  
TO MOVE ACROSS AREAS ALONG AND SOUTHEAST OF I-35. MOST CAMS DO NOT  
SHOW MUCH SHOWER ACTIVITY ACROSS THE CWA. LATE TONIGHT A COMPLEX OF  
STORMS ACROSS SOUTHEAST CO WILL MOVE EAST BUT SHOULD WEAKEN BEFORE  
REACHING THE SOUTHWEST COUNTIES OF THE CWA BY EARLY MONDAY MORNING.  
 
SKIES WILL BE CLOUDY TODAY, SO AFTERNOON HIGHS WILL NOT GET MUCH  
WARMER THEN CURRENT TEMPERATURES IN THE 60S NORTH AND 70S SOUTH.  
 
MONDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT:  
 
TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN COOL WITH MID TO UPPER 60S NORTH AND LOWER  
TO MID 70S SOUTH. THE SOUTHERN STREAM H5 RIDGE WILL AMPLIFY ACROSS  
EASTERN TX INTO OK THROUGH MIDWEEK. HOWEVER THE SURFACE FRONT WILL  
PUSH SOUTH ACROSS CENTRAL TX AND THEN BECOME STATIONARY. I CANNOT  
RULE OUT AN ISOLATED SHOWER DURING THIS PERIOD, SINCE A FEW MID-LEVEL  
PERTURBATIONS MAY OVER THE H5 RIDGE AXIS AND PROVIDE ENOUGH ASCENT  
FOR ISOLATED SHOWERS.  
 
THURSDAY THROUGH SUNDAY:  
 
THE EXTENDED RANGE MODELS ARE IN GOOD AGREEMENT MOVING AN H5 TROUGH  
ONSHORE ACROSS THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST WITH A SERIES OF MID LEVEL  
PERTURBATIONS LIFTING NORTHEAST ACROSS THE PLAINS THURSDAY THROUGH  
SATURDAY. . A SURFACE COLD FRONT WILL BE SLOWLY MOVING SOUTHEAST  
ACROSS THE STATE OF KS. EXPECT CHANCES FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS  
THURSDAY THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT. THE HIGHEST POPS MAY OCCUR THURSDAY  
NIGHT INTO FRIDAY WHERE A COMBINATION OF ISENTROPIC LIFT AND ASCENT  
AHEAD OF AN H5 PERTURBATION WILL LEAD TO WIDESPREAD SHOWERS, WITH A  
FEW THUNDERSTORMS. SUNDAY MORNING THE SURFACE FRONT WILL PUSH  
SOUTHEAST OF THE CWA, BRINGING AN END TO THE RAIN CHANCES. THE FRONT  
WILL BE MORE OF A PACIFIC FRONT, SO IT MAY BE A FEW DEGREES WARMER ON  
SUNDAY WITH MORE INSOLATION. HIGHS THURSDAY AND FRIDAY WILL BE IN  
THE MID TO UPPER 60S NORTH TO LOWER TO MID 70S SOUTH. HIGHS SATURDAY  
AND SUNDAY WILL BE A BIT WARMER WITH MID 70S NORTH AND LOWER TO MID  
80S SOUTH.  
 
 
   
AVIATION /06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z TUESDAY/  
 
ISSUED AT 1210 AM CDT MON SEP 21 2026  
 
TAFS WILL BE FOCUSED AROUND MVFR AND IFR CIGS FOR MAJORITY OF THE  
PERIOD. IFR CEILINGS ARE EXPECTED DURING THE EARLY MORNING HOURS OF  
MONDAY BEFORE LIFTING BACK TOWARDS MVFR STATUS. SOME MVFR  
VISIBILITIES MAY ALSO TRY TO MOVE IN EARLY THIS MORNING AT KTOP, BUT  
SHOULD NOT FALL MUCH BELOW 4 MILES. BY MONDAY AFTERNOON, DEEPER  
MIXING OUT TOWARDS KMHK SHOULD HELP TO BRING IN A PERIOD OF VFR  
STRATUS TOWARDS THE TERMINAL SO ADDED MENTION OF THAT SCENARIO.  
FURTHER EAST AT KTOP AND KFOE, HIGHER LOW-LEVEL MOISTURE SHOULD KEEP  
AROUND MVFR CIGS THROUGH THE PERIOD.  
 
 
   
TOP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
NONE.  
 
 
 
 
 
DISCUSSION...GARGAN  
AVIATION...GRIESEMER  
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