Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Riverton, WY
Issued by NWS Riverton, WY
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208 FXUS65 KRIW 162011 AFDRIW Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Riverton WY 211 PM MDT Tue Jul 16 2024 .KEY MESSAGES... - Scattered showers and thunderstorms, mainly over the west- central mountains and adjacent lower elevations, continue until sunset Tuesday and produce brief heavy rain and gusty outflow wind of 35 to 45 mph. - A building ridge of high pressure over the Great Basin will keep temperatures at or slightly above seasonal averages through the weekend. Daily diurnally-driven convection continues. && .DISCUSSION... Issued at 211 PM MDT Tue Jul 16 2024 Scattered showers and thunderstorms have ignited across west-central and southwest Wyoming early Tuesday afternoon, the result of surface dew points in the mid 40s to around 50 and a plume of mid-level moisture draped across mainly the southern half of the forecast area. While gusty outflow wind around 40 mph remains a primary hazard, with precipitable water values hovering around 0.75 inches brief heavy rain and small hail are also likely with the strongest storms. Initial convective development has been over and downstream of the Wind River Range and southern Absaroka Mountains in northwest flow aloft. These areas and the high deserts of southwest Wyoming see the best chance (30-40 percent) of convection through early evening. Water vapor imagery shows drier air aloft from Yellowstone, across the Bighorn Basin, to the southern Bighorn Range. Convection will be isolated at best over the higher terrain within this swath of drier air. Any lingering convection fades between 9 and 11 PM leaving a clearing sky. A surface high pushing south through the Northern Plains has already shifted winds to the north in Johnson County and the northern Bighorn Basin Tuesday afternoon. Winds will continue to shift to the north and northeast through the evening, reaching areas west of the Continental Divide. The highest speeds of 15 to 25 mph will be found in northern Johnson County Tuesday afternoon, with 10 to 15 mph speeds elsewhere. Western wildfire smoke drifts into the state riding western winds aloft. Other than smoky conditions, Wednesday dawns under a mostly clear sky. Convection begins to develop over the central and northern mountains late Wednesday morning. The bulk of the convection Wednesday afternoon remains over the northern two-thirds of the forecast area. A building ridge of high pressure over Utah and Arizona begins to amplify and nudges into southwest Wyoming where convection will be isolated. Mean layer winds track convection to the east-southeast 10 to 15 mph Wednesday afternoon. The better precipitable water values of 0.80 inches are located along and east of the Continental Divide. The potential for stronger storms is across eastern portions of Natrona and Johnson Counties, where morning easterly low-level flow boosts surface dew points and bulk shear becomes more favorable late in the day. Rising heights and warming mid-level temperatures lead to above normal daytime highs Wednesday. Other than convective outflows, surface winds remain generally less than 10 mph. Convection persists a bit longer Wednesday evening before winding down. The ridge remains in place over Utah/Arizona and amplifies, with the axis extending into the Northern Rockies Thursday and Friday. The ridge retrogrades and takes hold over Nevada for the weekend. This westward shift places Wyoming within northerly flow aloft. A weak shortwave topping the ridge Thursday slides south and clips the forecast area Friday. This leads to an uptick in precipitation chances from Thursday to Friday. The overall trend through the weekend is for precipitation chances to decrease slightly as the main southerly surge of moisture shifts to our west. Nonetheless, lingering mid-level moisture within the ridge remains sufficient for diurnal convection. Temperatures remain at or slightly warmer than seasonal average highs, which typically range from 82 to 92 degrees. && .AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z WEDNESDAY/... Issued at 1130 AM MDT Tue Jul 16 2024 An axis of upper-level high pressure remains just to the west of Wyoming today, keeping warm, yet somewhat moist and unstable air over the area. Mostly clear skies during the morning are giving way to convective development by noon, with thunderstorms starting over the eastern slopes of the Wind Rivers and Wyoming range. Convection will focus today over west-central WY into the Wind River Basin and southern Absarokas, and extend down to Sweetwater County. Not as certain at KJAC but have included vicinity showers in case some storms move around that airspace. Winds are generally light, though thunderstorm outflows could exceed 30 kts. As such, VFR conditions generally expected, with brief MVFR is storms directly impact terminals. Showers are expected to linger in the early evening hours, especially at KPNA and KLND around the Wind Rivers. Winds will decrease overnight, though skies should remain partly cloudy for some areas. A couple of forecast models are indicating an area of light showers early Wednesday morning over northwest WY, possibly bringing some rain to KCOD around sunrise. The high pressure axis shifts slightly eastward on Wednesday which should bring showers and thunderstorms to areas along and east of the divide. SW WY should remain mostly dry, though can`t rule out an isolated storm or two. WNW winds will continue over SW WY, while east of the divide will see NE to E winds Wed afternoon, with stronger ENE winds pushing southwestward into KRKS Wed evening. Finally, smoke concentrations are increasing over the area due to regional fires, but not yet enough to reduce visibilities at the TAF sites. Will continue to monitor and adjust forecasts as necessary. Please see the Aviation Weather Center and/or CWSU ZDV and ZLC for the latest information on smoke, icing, and turbulence forecasts. && .RIW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && $$ DISCUSSION...CNJ AVIATION...McDonald