


Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Pueblo, CO
Issued by NWS Pueblo, CO
Versions:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
019 FXUS65 KPUB 220522 AFDPUB Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Pueblo CO 1122 PM MDT Thu Aug 21 2025 .KEY MESSAGES... - A cold front and increasing moisture will bring better chances for thunderstorms to the area Friday afternoon and evening. - Cooler and more active weather expected over the weekend into next week. Stronger storms and heavy rainfall will be possible, especially Sunday and Monday. && .SHORT TERM /THROUGH FRIDAY/... Issued at 203 PM MDT Thu Aug 21 2025 Very sparse convection across the area again today, with only some weak/high based storms over the srn Sangres and back toward the Continental Divide. Expect this trend to continue into the evening, with just some isolated/briefly windy storms ending quickly by sunset. On Friday, upper high continues its slow westward drift, while northern stream upper trough moves into the Great Lakes, driving a fairly stout (for summer) cold front through the region by late afternoon. Models generally suggest a slow moistening of the mid-levels by late day as weak monsoon plume migrates eastward under the high, while a substantial increase in low level moisture is forecast behind the cold front, especially late afternoon/evening over the Pikes Peak region. As a result, expect an upturn in thunderstorm activity over much of the region, with the greatest coverage of storms over the swrn mtns and in Teller/El Paso Counties. Least chance for storms will be over the far sern plains, where front will likely arrive too late to spark much convection until perhaps late Friday night. Instability climbs into the 1000-2000 J/KG range behind the front in El Paso County, which should support fairly widespread storms and a threat of locally heavy rainfall, though 0-6km shear isn`t particularly strong (20-30 kts), which may limit storm strength. Front looks to arrive late enough for max temps to rise to above average levels once again, with 80s/90s widespread. && .LONG TERM /FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY/... Issued at 337 AM MDT Thu Aug 21 2025 Northwest flow will set in aloft as the upper-high continues to build just west of the Four Corners. Temperatures will cool down for the weekend thanks to Friday`s front, with mid 70s-80s expected across our CWA both Saturday and Sunday. Meanwhile, a decent plume of monsoon moisture will head spread showers and thunderstorms across the area both days. There will be a decent shear profile in place, with easterly winds over the plains and northwest flow aloft, and with the amount of moisture available we could certainly be seeing some stronger storms, especially over the Palmer Divide and portions of the mountains/plains interface. Over the higher terrain, so far some heavy rain seems more likely than any severe impacts, with the possibility for flash flooding increasing Saturday and Sunday. Looking into early next week, the upper high is pushed a bit further to the south-southeast, leading to some cooler air moving in. Current NBM highs for Monday are largely in the 70s across the area, though a few places will still climb above 80 degrees. Chances for more widespread precipitation will also increase as we get a better tap of monsoon moisture into the region. As of now, these cooler and wetter conditions appear to last towards at least the middle of next week. && .AVIATION /06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z SATURDAY/... Issued at 1120 PM MDT Thu Aug 21 2025 VFR conditions at all three terminals (KALS, KCOS, KPUB) through Friday morning. Increased chances for showers and thunderstorms are expected by early to mid afternoon and KALS and KCOS, with gusty outflow winds and reduced CIGS and VIS as they pass. A cold front will arrive at KCOS and then KPUB during the late afternoon to early evening, with gusty northerly winds. At this time, it appears shower and thunderstorm activity will remain north of KPUB during the evening. Mozley && .PUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && $$ SHORT TERM...PETERSEN LONG TERM...GARBEROGLIO AVIATION...MOZLEY