706
FXUS63 KGLD 140409
AFDGLD

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Goodland KS
1009 PM MDT Sun Apr 13 2025

.KEY MESSAGES...

- Near critical to potentially critical fire weather conditions
  are possible Monday afternoon for locations generally along
  and east of a line from Trenton to Hoxie and Hill City.

- A few rain showers are possible late this afternoon and
  evening, mainly in northeast Colorado.

&&

.SHORT TERM /THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT/...
Issued at 215 PM MDT Sun Apr 13 2025

Today: As of 18 UTC, a relatively moist and evaporatively
cooled airmass.. emanating from upstream precipitation in
Montana and western portions of the Dakotas (yesterday evening
and early this morning).. has advected southward through the
entire Tri-State area. With 850 mb temperatures/dewpoints ~10C
lower/higher than yesterday (per SPC mesoanalysis data/trends
and current operational guidance).. expect highs ranging from
the upper 60s in northeast CO to the mid-upper 70s in Wichita-
Gove-Graham counties. An increasingly upslope (NNE to ENE)
component to low-level flow could potentially aid in the
development of low-topped diurnal convection along portions of
the Palmer Divide late this afternoon and early this evening,
though.. the majority of high- res guidance suggests that
convective development is more likely to occur in vicinity of
the I-76 corridor. With forcing confined to modest upslope flow
/ low-level convergence and a thermodynamic environment
characterized by ~100 J/kg MUCAPE, one might say that.. when it
comes to convective development in the Goodland CWA..
expectations are pretty low. If scattered convection develops in
vicinity of the I-76 corridor late this afternoon, modest
convective outflow/pressure rises could locally augment/enhance
the MSLP-850 mb height gradient in eastern CO.. which, in turn..
could create a short period of locally stronger NE to ENE low-
level flow on the Palmer Divide, which.. in turn.. could
increase the potential for upslope convective development over
western portions of Kit Carson/Cheyenne counties (CO), mainly
between 22-02Z. If development occurs on the Palmer Divide, a
thunderstorm is possible.. but showers are probable.

Tonight: A southwest-northeast oriented shear axis will ever-
so-slowly approach the region from the west tonight/early
Monday morning -- when modest low-level forcing (upslope flow,
low-level speed convergence/frontogenesis) will have already
been supplanted by subsident low-level cold advection -- and
high-res guidance remains less-than-enthusiastic with regard to
the development of precipitation after 06Z (midnight MDT).

Mon-Mon night: A cooler airmass, deposited by cold advection
late tonight/Mon morning, will foster cooler temperatures on
Mon. 12Z 04/13 operational runs of the ECMWF/GFS suggest 850 mb
temperatures ranging from 3 to 7C (ECMWF) or 5 to 10C (GFS) at
18Z (noon) Monday, coolest in far northeast portions of the area
where breezy (15-25 mph) NW-NNW winds will persist well into
the afternoon.. RH readings will bottom out around 20%.. and
near-critical fire weather conditions are expected during the
afternoon.. mainly in Red Willow, Decatur, Norton and Graham
counties.

&&

.LONG TERM /WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/...
Issued at 215 PM MDT Sun Apr 13 2025

Tue-Wed: Long range guidance continues to indicate that a
complex split-flow synoptic regime will evolve over western
North America by mid-week, a pattern roughly characterized by
(1) ridging along/offshore the Pacific Coast, (2) a cut-off low
trapped beneath the ridge offshore the southern Pacific Coast
and (3) confluent flow aloft over the central Rockies and High
Plains. If confluent flow aloft is anchored over, or near, the
Tri-State area.. one would generally expect dry conditions and
above average temperatures. The 12Z 04/13 operational GFS
suggests a synoptic pattern evolution in which southern stream
shortwave energy rounding the base of the cut-off low offshore
the southern Pacific Coast could eject ENE-NE across the
southern Rockies and portions of the Southern/Central Plains Tue
night, bringing light precipitation to the region, though.. the
12Z operational ECMWF is not so accommodating.

Thu-Sun: GFS/ECMWF long range guidance suggest that the synoptic
pattern over the western CONUS will transition to broad
troughing /cyclonic flow aloft/ late this week into next
weekend.. a pattern that would tend to support above average
precipitation chances.

&&

.AVIATION /00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z TUESDAY/...
Issued at 1006 PM MDT Sun Apr 13 2025

VFR expected to prevail at both KGLD and KMCK through the TAF
period. Scattered virga/sprinkles/flurries with bases near 10kft
will continue through the overnight, but not expected to impact
either terminal. Breezy to windy northerly surface winds will
continue through Monday afternoon, with occasional gusts to
20-30kts.

&&

.GLD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
KS...None.
CO...None.
NE...None.

&&

$$

SHORT TERM...Vincent
LONG TERM...Vincent
AVIATION...024