


Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Cheyenne, WY
Issued by NWS Cheyenne, WY
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034 FXUS65 KCYS 091129 AFDCYS Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Cheyenne WY 529 AM MDT Wed Apr 9 2025 .KEY MESSAGES... - Mild temperatures this week, along with breezy weather resulting in elevated fire weather conditions at times. - An isolated shower or thunderstorm is possible in the northern Nebraska panhandle Wednesday with some gusty winds possible. && .SHORT TERM /THROUGH THURSDAY/... Issued at 1245 AM MDT Wed Apr 9 2025 Fast flow aloft is expected to continue through the short-term period as southeast Wyoming and western Nebraska remain in- between a ridge of high pressure over the southwestern CONUS and a broad trough over the northern plains. The gradient between these two pressure systems will result in gusty winds over much of the Wyoming high country and high plains today. Previously issued High Wind Watches have been upgraded to High Wind Warnings for the Snowy Range Foothills and I-80 summit in southeast Wyoming where gusts over 60 mph are possible by midday on Wednesday. Farther east, humidity values are expected to drop into the mid and upper teens aided by adiabatic compression from the general downsloping wind pattern. As a result of this low RH combined with gusty winds over 30 mph in the southeast NE panhandle, a Red Flag Warning is now in effect for Wednesday afternoon. Consideration was given to extending this RFW farther west into southeast Wyoming as well as the northern NE panhandle. However, forecast guidance has inched upward somewhat with regard to RH at the surface and we will hold off for now in these locations. There is a very slight chance of a shower or two clipping the far northern portions of Niobrara, Sioux and Dawes county later in the afternoon as weak convection once again fires off the Black Hills region and drops southeast. Have added very slight PoPs for weak thunderstorms in the Chadron area as a result of this low-probability outcome shown in some HREF ensemble guidance members. Winds will drop back considerably on Wednesday night into Thursday morning as the gradient relaxes aloft and the associated jet in northwest flow pushes east into the central plains. Expect a mainly sunny day on Thursday with lighter northwest breezes during the afternoon and a completely dry weather forecast. Despite height rises over the region, afternoon high temperatures will run similar to on Wednesday given the loss of strong downslope flow. Forecast confidence is high throughout the short-term with only slight adjustments to wind and humidity grids in this forecast package. && .LONG TERM /THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY/... Issued at 132 PM MDT Tue Apr 8 2025 The main weather story in the long range still revolves around the big warmup to round out this week, then a storm system to start the new one. Northwest flow aloft transitions to southwest as a highly amplified ridge spreads across the Rockies. The ridge breaks down over the weekend and is replaced by a trough that digs into the Northern Plains. A closed low also spins up over the Dakotas and quickly moves over the Great Lakes. That system will bring the next potential of precip, albeit still limited (20-30%) and temperatures closer to normal. Friday and Saturday... The forecast area becomes split by the upper ridge axis on Friday and experiences the low level thermal ridge on Saturday. NAEFS ensembles continue to suggest H5-7 heights and temps reaching 99.5%ile of climo each day. The magnitude of the ridge along with strengthening southerly low level flow over the Great Plains and increasing westerly downslope flow near the mountains will support the abnormally warm temps. ECM EFI values also continue to indicate near certainty in well above normal max temps (0.8- 0.9/1) and the potential for near records with SoT values >0. Long range guidance reflects this pattern as H7 temps increase to +10C in eastern Wyo and H85 temps surpass +25C in the Neb panhandle. Official forecast highs range in the mid 70s to lower 80s Fri and upper 70s to mid 80s Sat for areas along and east of I-25. Guidance has been fairly consistent in keeping these values near the 25%ile of the NBM envelope, but close to the MEX. Saturday`s highs surpass normal values as much as 25 degrees and approach daily records, so any increase in the forecast could easily set new records. Fire weather conditions will need monitored during this stretch as humidity values drop into critical thresholds (<15%). At this time, the risk of red flag does not appear overly significant with the gusty winds primarily being confined to the mountains and toward central Wyo. Sunday through Tuesday... The upper trough quickly follows the ridge, while the closed low passes just to the north of the forecast area. The dynamics with this system are fairly impressive, but remnant dry air and the lack of moisture advection should keep moisture amounts low. An organized H5 vort max and a 120+ kt jet streak at H3 jet cross the Great Plains. At the surface, the first low develops around the Black Hills and drags a warm front through the area (likely Sat). A strong cold front follows on Sunday as a potentially deeper low more closely associated with the upper low slides across the Dakotas. Some post-frontal and wrap-around showers are possible as cooler air filters into the region. Thermal profiles suggest mountain and nighttime snow and valley/daytime rain or mix as highs drop into the upper 40s to lower 50s on Monday. && .AVIATION /12Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z THURSDAY/... Issued at 525 AM MDT Wed Apr 9 2025 VFR conditions will dominate at all terminals today. A dry day is expected however very gusty winds out of the west to northwest are expected at all terminals, particularly in the 16z to 23z timeframe. Gusts over 40 mph are possible at RWL and LAR in the afternoon hours. Winds will drop back after 02z at most locations this evening. && .CYS WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WY...High Wind Warning until 6 PM MDT this evening for WYZ110-116- 117. NE...Red Flag Warning from 11 AM this morning to 7 PM MDT this evening for NEZ436-437. && $$ SHORT TERM...MAC LONG TERM...DS AVIATION...MAC