815  
FXUS64 KFWD 210128  
AFDFWD  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX  
728 PM CST MON JAN 20 2025  
   
..NEW AVIATION, SHORT TERM
 
 
   
KEY MESSAGES
 
 
- MINOR SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS UP TO 1 INCH WILL BE POSSIBLE IN  
OUR SOUTHEAST COUNTIES. A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT  
FOR THIS AREA TONIGHT.  
 
- WIND CHILLS WILL RANGE BETWEEN 5 AND 15 DEGREES TUESDAY AND  
WEDNESDAY MORNING.  
 
- A WARMUP CLOSER TO NORMAL TEMPERATURES IS EXPECTED THROUGH THE  
END OF THE WEEK.  
 

 
   
SHORT TERM
 
/NEW/  
UPDATE:  
IN GENERAL, THE TRENDS DISCUSSED BELOW REMAIN ON TRACK, THEREFORE  
NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES WERE MADE TO THE PREVIOUS FORECAST. MID-  
LEVEL CLOUD COVER RESULTING FROM WEAK TO MODERATE ISENTROPIC  
ASCENT BETWEEN 550-750MB HAS HELD TEMPERATURES LOWER THAN EXPECTED  
THIS AFTERNOON WHICH MEANS SEVERAL AREAS WEST OF THE I-35  
CORRIDOR AND ALONG THE RED RIVER VALLEY HAVE REMAINED NEAR OR  
BELOW FREEZING TODAY. ADJUSTMENTS HAVE BEEN MADE TO NEAR-TERM  
GRIDS TO INCORPORATE RECENT OBSERVATIONS. ADDITIONALLY, THERE  
CONTINUE TO BE LIGHT RADAR ECHOES NEAR AND NORTH OF THE I-20  
CORRIDOR INDICATIVE OF SNOW FALLING FROM AROUND 5,000 TO 8,000  
FEET ABOVE THE SURFACE. HOWEVER, AS LOW-LEVEL WINDS CONTINUE TO  
TURN MORE NORTHERLY, ANY ATTEMPT AT MOISTENING IN THE LOWER LEVELS  
WILL LIKELY BE FIGHTING DRY AIR FROM THE NORTHEAST WHICH IS  
BOLSTERING THE DRY SUB-CLOUD LAYER.  
 
THOUGH THERE HAVEN'T BEEN MANY REPORTS OF PRECIPITATION NORTH OF  
I-20, THERE HAS BEEN A NOTICEABLE BLOSSOMING OF LIGHT RADAR ECHOES  
ACROSS CENTRAL TEXAS OVER THE LAST FEW HOURS WITH EVEN A FEW  
ISOLATED REPORTS OF VERY SMALL SNOW GRAINS REACHING THE GROUND IN  
LIMESTONE AND MCLENNAN COUNTY. FORECAST SOUNDINGS ACROSS CENTRAL  
TEXAS SHOW THE DENDRITIC GROWTH LAYER, THE FAVORED REGION FOR SNOW  
FORMATION, REMAINS ON THE DRIER SIDE. THE LAYER BELOW THAT  
(~650-750 MB) IS THE NEAREST TO SATURATION WITH TEMPERATURES  
CLOSER TO 0 C THAN -10 C. THIS MAY BE CAUSING AN INCREASED  
CONCENTRATION OF SUPERCOOLED WATER WHICH WHEN FALLING THROUGH SUB-  
FREEZING AIR HAS FORMED THESE SMALL PELLETS OR GRAIN-LIKE  
PARTICLES. LIGHT SNOW IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN THE PREDOMINANT  
PRECIPITATION TYPE AS ISENTROPIC ASCENT BEGINS TO STRENGTHEN  
THROUGH THE EVENING AND OVERNIGHT. THERE HAVE BEEN NO CHANGES TO  
THE COLD WEATHER ADVISORY OR WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY WITH THIS  
UPDATE.  
 
12  
 
PREVIOUS DISCUSSION:  
/THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT/  
 
WATER VAPOR IMAGERY SHOWS AN UPPER TROUGH OVER THE FOUR CORNERS  
REGION BEGINNING TO EJECT EASTWARD INTO THE BASE OF A BROADER  
LONGWAVE TROUGH OVER THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN CONUS. AHEAD OF THIS  
FEATURE MODEST ISENTROPIC ASCENT BETWEEN 800-600 MB HAS RESULTED  
IN AN AREA OF THICK CLOUD COVER ACROSS MUCH OF CENTRAL AND NORTH  
TEXAS. FARTHER SOUTH, SURFACE PRESSURE FALLS VIA CYCLOGENESIS ARE  
OCCURRING ACROSS THE WESTERN GULF AHEAD OF THE UPPER TROUGH. AS  
THIS SYSTEM SPREADS EAST LATER TONIGHT, LOW LEVEL MOISTURE WILL  
INCREASE AND WIDESPREAD WINTRY PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED TO  
DEVELOP ACROSS PARTS OF SOUTH AND SOUTHEAST TX. DEVELOPING  
NORTHERLY WINDS ON THE BACK SIDE OF THE SURFACE LOW OVER THE GULF  
WILL HELP REINFORCE A FRONTOGENETIC ZONE ACROSS CENTRAL TX WHICH  
WILL BE THE FOCUS FOR PRECIPITATION TONIGHT. THIS BAND OF  
925-850 MB FRONTOGENESIS WILL BE JUST SOUTH OF OUR AREA, AND THE  
HEAVIEST OF ANY SNOWFALL WILL BE DISPLACED WELL TO OUR SOUTHEAST.  
GIVEN THE LIMITED AMOUNT OF TIME FOR SUFFICIENT MOISTURE TO GET  
INTO OUR AREA, SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS ARE EXPECTED TO GENERALLY BE  
LIGHT. FORECAST SOUNDINGS ALSO INDICATE A FAIRLY UNFAVORABLE DRY  
ENVIRONMENT BELOW THE CLOUD DECK WHICH WILL ALLOW INITIAL SNOW TO  
SUBLIMATE BEFORE ANY ACCUMULATION OCCURS. THERE IS A LIMITED  
WINDOW OF ABOUT 3-6 HOURS WHERE ACCUMULATIONS MAY OCCUR ACROSS OUR  
FAR SOUTHEAST COUNTIES LATE TONIGHT. BASED ON ALL OF THE AVAILABLE  
MODEL GUIDANCE, WE'VE LOWERED SNOWFALL TOTALS TO AROUND 1 INCH  
ACROSS MAINLY OUR THREE SOUTHEASTERN MOST COUNTIES. FARTHER NORTH  
AND WEST, ANYWHERE FROM A DUSTING TO AROUND 1/2" WILL BE POSSIBLE.  
EVEN FARTHER NORTH ALONG THE I-20 CORRIDOR TOWARD THE RED RIVER,  
STRONG MID LEVEL FORCING FOR ASCENT MAY SQUEEZE OUT ANY AVAILABLE  
MOISTURE RESULTING IN SOME FLURRIES OR A LIGHT DUSTING. GIVEN THE  
RELATIVELY DRY SNOW EXPECTED, ONLY MINOR IMPACTS WOULD BE EXPECTED  
ON ANY ROADS WHERE SNOW CAN ACCUMULATE. PRECIPITATION WILL QUICKLY  
END EARLY TUESDAY MORNING AS THE WHOLE SYSTEM MOVES EAST. A WINTER  
WEATHER ADVISORY WILL REMAIN IN EFFECT FOR OUR SOUTHEAST COUNTIES  
THROUGH MID TUESDAY MORNING.  
 
COLD TEMPERATURES WILL CONTINUE TO BE THE MAIN HAZARD THROUGH  
TUESDAY WITH OVERNIGHT LOWS EXPECTED TO DROP INTO THE UPPER TEENS  
AND LOW 20S TONIGHT WITH WIND CHILLS IN THE 5 TO 15 DEGREE RANGE.  
THE COLD WEATHER ADVISORY WILL CONTINUE INTO TUESDAY MORNING.  
WE'LL SEE TEMPERATURES WARM INTO THE MID 30S TUESDAY AFTERNOON AS  
SKIES CLEAR FROM WEST TO EAST. A COLD NIGHT IS EXPECTED TUESDAY  
NIGHT WITH LOWS IN THE LOWER 20S.  
 
DUNN  
 

 
   
LONG TERM
 
/ISSUED 248 PM CST MON JAN 20 2025/  
/WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY/  
 
A PROGRESSIVE PATTERN WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK  
WITH A WARMUP EXPECTED INTO THE WEEKEND AND SOME INCREASING  
RAIN/STORM CHANCES. SOUTHERLY WINDS WILL RETURN ON WEDNESDAY AHEAD  
OF YET ANOTHER UPSTREAM SHORTWAVE ROTATING THROUGH A BROAD  
LONGWAVE TROUGH OVER THE EASTERN 2/3RDS OF THE CONUS. MOISTURE  
WILL BE SCANT DURING THIS TIME THOUGH, SO DESPITE MODEST FORCING  
FOR ASCENT, A WEAK FRONT WILL PASS THROUGH GENERALLY UNNOTICED.  
WEAK MID LEVEL RIDGING WILL THEN SPREAD ACROSS THE SOUTHERN PLAINS  
THURSDAY AND FRIDAY ALLOWING ANOTHER RETURN TO SOUTHERLY LOW LEVEL  
FLOW AND WE'LL GET A LITTLE MORE MOISTURE PULLED NORTHWARD. HIGH  
TEMPERATURES WILL NUDGE UPWARD EACH AFTERNOON TO NEAR 60 BY FRIDAY  
AND INTO THE MID 60S ON SATURDAY, ESPECIALLY WEST OF I-35.  
 
MODELS ARE IN FAIRLY GOOD AGREEMENT WITH A LATE WEEK TROUGH  
DIGGING THROUGH SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA BY LATE SATURDAY. SURFACE  
CYCLOGENESIS ACROSS SOUTHEAST COLORADO WILL HELP STRENGTHEN  
SOUTHERLY FLOW INTO THE PLAINS AND A SURGE OF MOISTURE WILL RACE  
NORTHWARD. AS STRONGER FORCING SPREADS EASTWARD WELL AHEAD OF THE  
TROUGH, A COLD FRONT WILL SLIDE SOUTHWARD AND WE SHOULD SEE  
SCATTERED SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOP AS EARLY AS  
SATURDAY EVENING INTO EARLY SUNDAY. ENSEMBLE CLUSTER ANALYSIS OF  
THE 500 MB PATTERN IS IN REALLY GOOD AGREEMENT, PARTICULARLY WITH  
RESPECT TO MOISTURE THIS FAR OUT WITH NEARLY 90% OF THE GUIDANCE  
INDICATING MEASURABLE RAINFALL. WHILE STILL SEVERAL DAYS OUT, THIS  
SUPPORTS AN UPTICK IN POPS TO 30-50% FOR AREAS EAST OF I-35. WE'LL  
CONTINUE TO MONITOR THIS NEXT SYSTEM OVER THE COMING DAYS.  
 
DUNN  
 

 
   
AVIATION
 
/NEW/  
/00Z TAFS/  
 
VFR FLIGHT CONDITIONS PREVAIL WITH NORTHEASTERLY SURFACE WINDS  
AROUND 5 TO 10 KTS BACKING TO THE SOUTHWEST/SOUTH BY MID-AFTERNOON  
TUESDAY. GOES NIGHTTIME MICROPHYSICS AND ASOS/AWOS OBSERVATIONS  
INDICATE AN OVC 6000 TO 9000 FT DECK ACROSS MUCH OF THE D10  
AIRSPACE. COULD STILL SEE A FEW FLURRIES ACROSS THE REGION TONIGHT  
BUT ACCUMULATIONS REMAIN UNLIKELY AS THE SUB-CLOUD LAYER IS STILL  
DRY ENOUGH TO SUBLIMATE ANY PRECIPITATION BEFORE ACCUMULATION  
OCCURS.  
 
LIGHT PRECIPITATION IS BEGINNING TO DEVELOP ACROSS CENTRAL  
TEXAS THIS EVENING, EXPANDING IN COVERAGE OVERNIGHT. CEILINGS  
WILL LOWER SOME BUT SHOULD REMAIN VFR THROUGH THE END OF THE TAF  
PERIOD. WE WILL MAINTAIN A BRIEF PERIOD OF -SN AT WACO THOUGH NO  
SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS TO CIGS OR VISIBILITIES ARE ANTICIPATED GIVEN  
THAT THE BETTER MOISTURE/HEAVIER SNOW WILL REMAIN SOUTH OF THE  
TAF SITES. CLOUD COVER WILL SCATTER OUT AND CLEAR FROM NORTH TO  
SOUTH AFTER DAYBREAK TUESDAY WITH WINDS RETURNING BACK TO THE  
SOUTH BEFORE 00Z AS THE SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE SHIFTS SOUTHEAST.  
 
12  
 

 
   
PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS
 
 
DALLAS-FT. WORTH 21 36 23 51 29 / 10 0 0 0 0  
WACO 23 37 20 50 26 / 30 5 0 0 0  
PARIS 20 33 21 45 25 / 10 0 0 0 0  
DENTON 13 35 17 51 24 / 10 0 0 0 0  
MCKINNEY 16 35 19 49 25 / 10 0 0 0 0  
DALLAS 21 37 23 50 29 / 10 0 0 0 0  
TERRELL 20 36 19 48 25 / 10 0 0 0 0  
CORSICANA 24 39 22 49 27 / 20 5 0 0 0  
TEMPLE 21 39 15 52 25 / 50 10 0 0 0  
MINERAL WELLS 17 37 20 55 24 / 10 0 0 0 0  
 

 
   
FWD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
COLD WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 9 AM CST TUESDAY FOR TXZ091>095-  
100>107-115>123-129>135-141>148-156>162-174-175.  
 
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 9 AM CST TUESDAY FOR TXZ147-148-  
158-160>162-174-175.  
 

 
 

 
 
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