


Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Amarillo, TX
Issued by NWS Amarillo, TX
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924 FXUS64 KAMA 241119 AFDAMA Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Amarillo TX 619 AM CDT Sun Aug 24 2025 ...New AVIATION... .UPDATE... Issued at 512 AM CDT Sun Aug 24 2025 Isolated showers have begun to form this morning, mainly across the southern Texas Panhandle. Cannot rule out additional showers or isolated storms across the north and northeast as well. This activity may continue for a few hours this morning before dissipating. PoPs through the morning hours have been adjusted and the rest of the forecast remains on track at this time. Muscha && .KEY MESSAGES... Issued at 1050 PM CDT Sat Aug 23 2025 - Showers and thunderstorms are favored on from the late afternoon hours and through the nighttime hours from Sunday through Thursday. Heavy to very heavy rain will occur with any thunderstorm with a chance for flash flooding primarily across the northeastern combined Panhandles. && .SHORT TERM... (Tonight through Monday night) Issued at 1050 PM CDT Sat Aug 23 2025 There will be a low chance (10-30%) for showers and thunderstorms to work in from the higher terrain in New Mexico into the northwestern combined Panhandles today. However, this convection is expected to weaken as it approaches the Panhandles owing to a capped environment and weakly negative 700mb theta-e advection. Later in the overnight hours, a couple of lobes of 700mb vorticity is favored to move into the northeastern combined Panhandles, and combined with positive 700mb theta-e advection, some elevated showers and thunderstorms will be possible. Mid- to upper-level clouds are expected to linger across most of the Panhandles through Sunday morning, but should gradually break up in the afternoon hours. Meanwhile, southerly to southeasterly low-level winds and westerly/southwesterly mid-level winds continue to draw in moisture from the Gulf and the Pacific respectively. A few CAMs suggest that a remnant outflow boundary/thunderstorms from overnight activity in the central Plains could work down into the northern and eastern portion of the Panhandles later in the afternoon. If this occurs, heavy to torrential rainfall will occur along with a low-end potential for large hail and damaging winds. However, given the disagreement among guidance regarding the track of the overnight convection and the speed of the outflow boundary, confidence in this scenario is very low at this time. An embedded shortwave in northwesterly flow aloft will move toward the Panhandles later in the afternoon which should help force thunderstorm develop across the Panhandles, especially along and north of the Canadian River Valley, and move east/southeast. If the first scenario mentioned above (overnight outflow/convection tracks into the area) occurs, there could be additional development to the west of the convection ongoing in the east. Precipitable water values are expected to range from 1.4" to 1.6", with higher values possible off the Caprock which is above the 95th percentile. Additionally, forecast soundings show a tall/skinny CAPE profile and high freezing levels (>15,000 feet). These factors all favor warm rain cloud processes which will lead to heavy to torrential rainfall to occur with thunderstorms. The 50th percentile of the HREF shows generally 1-2" of rain across the northeastern combined Panhandles. If the scenario occurs in which thunderstorms occur ahead of the approaching shortwave, rain totals could be more in the 2-4" range with locally higher amounts possible. A Flood Watch was considered across the northeastern/eastern Panhandles, but have opted to hold off at least for now given the previously discussed uncertainty. Showers and thunderstorms will continue to be possible throughout Sunday night with flooding being the primary hazard. Vanden Bosch && .LONG TERM... (Tuesday through next Saturday) Issued at 1050 PM CDT Sat Aug 23 2025 Northwest flow aloft, created by a southwestern ridge and a trough over the Great Lakes, continues into Monday. Most CAMs suggest that the outflow from Sunday night`s storms will push through much, if not all, of the CWA. If this indeed occurs, look for Monday to be relatively cool, dry, and cloudy. The NBM has highs touching 70 degrees in the northeast with 80s in the south with and PoPs between 20-50%. If the outflow does push through the Panhandles, then the highs in the south will need adjusted downward, as well as the PoPs across much of the area. A better chance for showers and thunderstorms exist Monday night. The large-scale pattern continues into Tuesday with another shortwave trough approaching from the northwest later in the day. Despite temperatures merely staying in the 70s to low-80s, PWATs are expected to be above the 95th percentile and warm rain cloud processes will again be favored. Given expected weak instability at best, showers and perhaps a few thunderstorms possible with moderate to heavy rain. Moving into Wednesday and beyond, the large-scale pattern will break down and the upper-level ridge will progress eastward into the Plains. This will result in temperatures beginning on a warming trend. Vanden Bosch && .AVIATION... (12Z TAFS) Issued at 617 AM CDT Sun Aug 24 2025 VFR conditions are favored for the first half of this TAF cycle. Around or after 00z, showers and storms may start to develop or move in across the northern Panhandles, including KDHT and KGUY. Have added PROB30s to these sites for the potential for thunderstorms. Showers may follow the storms for a few hours through the end of this TAF period. Winds will be mainly out of the south to southeast around 10-15 kts with occasional higher gusts over the next 24 hours. Muscha && .AMA WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... TX...None. OK...None. && $$ SHORT TERM...52 LONG TERM....52 AVIATION...05