Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Denver/Boulder, CO
Issued by NWS Denver/Boulder, CO
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453 FXUS65 KBOU 220257 AFDBOU Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Denver/Boulder CO 757 PM MST Thu Nov 21 2024 .KEY MESSAGES... - Dry, with well above normal temperatures through Saturday. - Mountain snow and a rain and snow mix for the plains late Sunday into Monday morning. - Periods of mountain snow next week. Likely impacting travel Tuesday through Thanksgiving morning. Snow may spread onto the urban corridor and eastern plains as well Wednesday. && .UPDATE... Issued at 754 PM MST Thu Nov 21 2024 Only minor changes to the forecast at this hour. There`s some cirrus in addition to the wave cloud, and we`ve upped the cloud cover a bit. Less wind than the last few nights. Nudged tonight`s lows down just a little in most places, but warmer in the areas that still have wind, mainly mountain ridges and the foothills. && .SHORT TERM /Through Friday/... Issued at 220 PM MST Thu Nov 21 2024 Weak northwesterly winds continue aloft under the upper level ridge across northeastern Colorado. GOES-18 West GeoColor shows a few mountain wave clouds over the urban corridor which has lead to a slight delay in warming but overall, afternoon temperatures were decreased. Snow packed areas across the plains will be slightly cooler. Overall, light winds are expected tonight with a few clouds along the foothills and mountains. Temperatures drop the single digits and upper teens for the higher elevations. Low temperatures for the plains drop to the mid 20s to mid 30s. Dry conditions and light winds continue Friday. With cloud cover mainly west of the Divide, afternoon temperatures for the plains could reach the lower 60s. && .LONG TERM /Friday night through Thursday/... Issued at 220 PM MST Thu Nov 21 2024 Southwest flow aloft to increase through Saturday as the ridging that was over the region moves off to the east. There will be enough moisture streaming in from the Pacific to produce high clouds for most of the day. At the surface, a lee side trough forms near the base of the foothills. This is expected to bring breezy to windy conditions to the mountains and higher foothills. Across the lower elevations, southerly flow is expected with it turning eastward into the foothills. The airmass will be very warm Saturday. Downslope off the Palmer Divide will push temperatures well into the 60s with a few lower 70s possible. It will be difficult elsewhere to maximize this warm air off the surface. Cloud cover and easterly winds will limit heating with highs in the upper 50s to mid 60s across most of the plains. Flow aloft increases and slowly turns to the west Sunday. The westerly flow is a better direction for orographic lift and mountain snow. However, most of the snow (at least the heaviest) is expected to be accompanied when the left exit region of a jet moves over Sunday night. This may also bring rain and/or snow to the Denver area and eastern plains Sunday night. As far as temperatures go, easterly flow across the plains continues through Saturday night and into Sunday with highs in the lower to mid 50s expected. Over the higher terrain, the Pacific airmass will lead to mild temperatures, possibly mild enough for rain in the valleys through Sunday early evening. For Monday through Wednesday, strong westerly aloft off the Pacific will persist. This pattern will bring periods of mountain snow. A lull or break in the snow is expected on Monday when the subsident side of the jet passes over the region. Snow returns/increases over the mountains Monday night. Expect a period of heavier mountain snow sometime Tuesday/Wednesday when jet lift returns. Models starting to agree an upper level trough holds together as it crosses the Great Basin and Central Rockies Tuesday and Wednesday. Still plenty of disagreement on timing and strength, but generally enough agreement that we should see a period of better snowfall with this as it moves across the mountains Wednesday. If this system holds together as it tracks across the Central Rockies, it likely brings snow to the Front Range, Denver area, and eastern plains Wednesday/Wednesday night. Roughly 80-90 percent of the ECMWF ensemble members show snow for the Denver area with this system, while only 40-50 percent of the GFS ensemble members have snow. For Thanksgiving day, the upper level trough is expected to be southeast of the region resulting in a cool and dry day. There will be low PoPs in the forecast. This will be for the chance of snow during the morning if this trough happens to slow. Highs are expected to be in the mid 30s to lower 40s across northeast Colorado. Though it could be cooler if there is widespread snow cover across the area. && .AVIATION /00Z TAFS through 00Z Saturday/... Issued at 524 PM MST Thu Nov 21 2024 VFR through Friday. South winds under 12 knots at KDEN/KAPA becoming light and variable by 18z Friday. Light winds at KBJC. && .BOU WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && $$ UPDATE...Gimmestad SHORT TERM...AD LONG TERM...Meier AVIATION...Gimmestad