Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Denver/Boulder, CO
Issued by NWS Denver/Boulder, CO
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276 FXUS65 KBOU 061132 AFDBOU Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Denver/Boulder CO 532 AM MDT Sun Oct 6 2024 .KEY MESSAGES... - Elevated fire weather conditions this afternoon over the southeastern forecast area for a few hours. - Elevated fire weather conditions again for most areas on Monday. - Dry weather and much above normal temperatures continue through at least Friday, but odds favor a change in the weather toward next weekend. && .SHORT TERM /Through Tonight/... Issued at 302 AM MDT Sun Oct 6 2024 Cloud free again tonight across the forecast area with weak surface winds in place. Current temperatures are in the 40s F with mostly 30s F over the mountains and high valleys. Models have upper ridging over the forecast area today and tonight with pretty weak west-northwesterly flow aloft. The QG-Omega fields show benign synoptic scale energy for the forecast area these first two periods along with fairly normal diurnal low level wind patterns. The airmass will remain dry with precipitable water values in the 0.20 to 0.50 inch range today and tonight, along with surface dew point readings in the 15 to 30 F range. There is no CAPE over the CWA today or tonight. Will keep it dry; no pops. Will go with some mention of smoke in the forecast today and tonight as there are plenty of fires burning to our west and northwest. For temperatures, today`s highs look to be 2-4 C cooler than yesterday`s. however today`s will still be around 10 degrees F above seasonal normals. && .LONG TERM /Monday through Saturday/... Issued at 230 AM MDT Sun Oct 6 2024 We will see a continuation of much above normal temperatures through at least Friday, as a flat upper level ridge keeps tranquil and warm weather in place. A weak embedded trough early Monday morning will bring a slight increase in northwesterly breezes, but overall light winds should then prevail for much of the week. High temperatures will be a good 10-15 degrees above normal, with highs pushing into the lower to mid 80s on the plains, upper 60s and 70s in the foothills and high mountain valleys, and 50s to mid 60s mountains. Sunshine will abound with this dry airmass in place, while night-time will offer up cool temperatures with strong radiational cooling. One exception to the dryness could be Wednesday when a weak disturbance and meager moisture allow for a couple light showers or sprinkles to develop, mainly over the high country. Finally, with active fires burning to our west we could see areas of smoke for the next few days, although an eventual shift to southwesterly flow would be helpful toward the latter half of the week. We are still eyeing at least a brief change in the weather pattern toward this coming weekend. There is considerable uncertainty, however, as these types of patterns with an upper level trough undercutting a dominating ridge are notoriously tricky. Both timing and location will be in question, but most ensemble systems are ushering in cooler temperatures either late Saturday or more likely by Sunday. Ensembles would also favor just light precipitation as the most likely outcome, but a small (10-15%) chance of something more significant. && .AVIATION /12Z TAFS through 12Z Monday/... Issued at 531 AM MDT Sun Oct 6 2024 Models show weak and variable winds at DIA the rest of this morning, then weak east and southeasterlies this afternoon into early evening. Drainage wind patterns are expected by 03-04Z this evening. With such a dry airmass in place, there will be no ceiling issues. && .FIRE WEATHER... Issued at 304 AM MDT Sun Oct 6 2024 Upper ridging continue for the forecast area with a dry airmass in place. Minimum humidities drop down into the teens this afternoon for much of the CWA for a few hours. However, wind speeds are not expected to very strong. The fire weather conditions will remain elevated over the southeastern CWA; mainly northern Lincoln, eastern Elbert, eastern Adams, eastern Arapahoe and southern Washington Counties where a few winds gusts of 20-25 mph are possible for a few hours this afternoon. Winds will increase a little for Monday with the passage of a weak upper level disturbance. Speeds, however, should stay just below critical thresholds with most gusts in the 15-20 mph range, and only spotty 25 mph gusts in the morning in/near the Front Range Foothills and Wyoming border. Humidity levels will be very dry again, with 10-15% minimums. Much above normal temperatures and very low humidity readings will prevail through at least Friday. Winds will fortunately be light. && .BOU WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && $$ SHORT TERM......RJK LONG TERM.......Barjenbruch AVIATION........RJK FIRE WEATHER....Barjenbruch/RJK