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National Weather Service Tucson Arizona
HOME > Back to products page | Weather Glossary

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION

 
 FXUS64 KEPZ 120959
AFDEPZ

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EL PASO TX/SANTA TERESA NM
352 AM MDT MON MAY 12 2008

.SYNOPSIS...
AN UPPER LOW PRESSURE CENTER OVER THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST WILL DROP
DOWN TO CENTRAL ARIZONA BY TUESDAY NOON AND THEN INTO THE TEXAS
PANHANDLE BY LATE WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. THIS WILL CAUSE WINDS TO
INCREASE INTO THE WINDY CATEGORY BOTH THIS AFTERNOON AND AGAIN ON
TUESDAY AFTERNOON. A WIND ADVISORY HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THIS
AFTERNOON DUE TO THIS. AS THE LOW MOVES OVER SOUTHERN NEW MEXICO
TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY MORNING A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL
DEVELOP ACROSS THE BORDERLAND. A TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE WILL DROP
OUT OF THE NORTHERN ROCKIES DOWN TO EASTERN NEW MEXICO THURSDAY.
THIS WILL GIVE THE BORDERLAND ANOTHER SHOT AT SHOWERS THURSDAY AND
THURSDAY NIGHT... WITH THE BEST CHANCES EAST OF THE RIO GRANDE
VALLEY. TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN BELOW NORMAL WEDNESDAY AND
THURSDAY. DRY NORTH FLOW WILL DEVELOP FOR THE COMING WEEKEND AND
TEMPERATURES WILL WARM BACK TO ABOVE NORMAL.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
UPPER LOW NOW OVER WESTERN IDAHO AND WILL WORK ITS WAY DOWN TO
CENTRAL ARIZONA BY MID DAY TUESDAY. LAST VESTIGES OF THE SUB
TROPICAL JET WITH HIGH LEVEL MOISTURE OVER THE AREA WILL HANG ON
THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON BEFORE BECOMING ASSIMILATED INTO MAIN UPPER
FLOW AND SHUNTED EAST OF AREA TONIGHT. AS THE LOW MOVES OVER THE
GREAT BASIN THIS AFTERNOON STRONG LEE SIDE TROUGHING DEVELOPS ALONG
THE FRONT RANGE OF THE ROCKIES AND WILL ALLOW WINDS TO INCREASE
ACROSS THE CWA. WILL CONTINUE WIND ADVISORY FOR THIS AFTERNOON
THOUGH PROBABLY ON THE LOW END OF THE CRITERIA.

GFS/NAM/ECMWF FAIRLY CLOSE IN HANDLING OF UPPER LOW FOR THE
TUESDAY/WEDNESDAY PERIOD. PATHS ARE QUITE CLOSE BUT SPEEDS DIFFER A
BIT AND WITH SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT RESULTS. FROM CENTRAL ARIZONA
MID DAY TUESDAY THE MODELS MOVE LOW INTO THE TEXAS PANHANDLE
WEDNESDAY. NAM IS THE FASTEST...MOVING IT INTO THE PANHANDLE IN THE
AFTERNOON...WHILE THE ECMWF IS THE SLOWEST...MOVING IT INTO THE
PANHANDLE IN THE EVENING. WILL GO WITH GFS SPEED AT THIS TIME WHICH
SUGGESTS CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS TUESDAY AFTERNOON OVER THE
GILA...TUESDAY NIGHT ACROSS THE WESTERN CWA AND THE SAC MOUNTAINS
AND WEDNESDAY TO REMAINDER OF AREA. IF NAM PROVES CORRECT...IT MAY
BE TOO FAST FOR WEDNESDAY THUNDERSTORMS IN THE EAST OTHER THAN THE
SAC MOUNTAINS. WINDS AGAIN WILL BE NEAR ADVISORY CRITERIA TUESDAY AS
LEE SIDE TROUGHING CONTINUES AND PACIFIC SURFACE FRONT NEARS FROM
THE WEST.

MODELS STILL DIFFER ON SECOND UPPER FEATURE THAT RAPIDLY DEVELOPS
OVER NEW MEXICO THURSDAY AS STRONG JET NOSES DOWN JUST WEST OF THE
ROCKIES...BUT ARE CLOSER THAN PREVIOUS DAYS. THIS JET WILL GIVE THE
UPPER DYNAMICS FOR ANOTHER SHOT AT SHOWERS THURSDAY...WHILE AT THE
SURFACE A BACK DOOR COLD FRONT WILL PUSH WEST ACROSS THE ENTIRE CWA
THURSDAY MORNING THROUGH AFTERNOON. PUT SMALL POPS IN ALL ZONES
THURSDAY AND THURSDAY NIGHT BUT BEST SHOT WILL PROBABLY BE THE EAST
HALF OF THE CWA.

THOUGH NORTHERLY FLOW WILL CONTINUE FRIDAY INTO THE WEEKEND...MAIN
JET MOVES OFF EAST AND ALLOWS UPPER RIDGE WITH ATTENDANT
ANTI-CYCLONIC JET TO BUILD INTO WESTERN U.S. AND BRING DRIER
AIR WITH WEAK SUBSIDENCE OVER THE AREA. TEMPERATURES WILL ALSO WARM
BACK ABOVE NORMAL FOR THIS PERIOD.

&&

.AVIATION...VALID 12/12Z-13/12Z...
VFR CONDS EXPECTED THRU 18Z. A FEW AREAS OF IFR VISIBILITIES IN
BLOWING DUST FM 18Z-00Z. SFC WINDS TO INCREASE AFT 18Z TO
23025G35KT. THESE WINDS WILL GENERATE MDT TO GREATER MECHANICAL
TURBC OVR NR MTNS ESPLY EAST FACING SLOPES.

&&

.FIRE WEATHER...
STRONG AND COLD UPPER LEVEL TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE OVER THE
PACIFIC NORTHWEST WILL DROP INTO THE GREAT BASIN MONDAY INDUCING
SURFACE PRESSURE FALLS OVER EASTERN COLO AND EASTERN NMEX. THE
RESULTING GRADIENT WILL ALLOW FOR STRONG GUSTY WINDS TO MIX DOWN
AND CONTINUE THE DOWN SLOPE DRYING FOR MONDAY AFTERNOON...THUS RED
FLAG VERY LIKELY. ALSO TUESDAY WILL BE WATCHED FOR RED FLAG
POTENTIAL AS WINDS CONTINUE AHEAD OF THE TROUGH. AS THE TROUGH
MOVES SOUTH AND EASTWARD LATER TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY...A
SHOWER THUNDERSTORM THREAT WILL LIKEWISE MOVE SOUTHEASTWARD ACROSS
ALL THE FIRE WEATHER ZONES.


&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
EL PASO 90 64 86 57 78 / 0 0 0 0 10
SIERRA BLANCA TX 90 61 84 53 69 / 0 0 0 0 10
LAS CRUCES 88 62 85 55 77 / 0 0 0 0 10
ALAMOGORDO 87 57 84 56 70 / 0 0 0 10 10
CLOUDCROFT 69 40 62 35 54 / 0 0 0 20 20
TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES 88 59 84 53 76 / 0 0 0 20 10
SILVER CITY 80 47 73 44 69 / 0 0 10 20 10
DEMING 89 59 85 54 77 / 0 0 0 10 10
LORDSBURG 89 58 85 53 79 / 0 0 0 10 10

&&

.EPZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
NM...RED FLAG WARNING FROM 1 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 9 PM MDT THIS
EVENING FOR NMZ110>113.

WIND ADVISORY FROM NOON TODAY TO 9 PM MDT THIS EVENING FOR
NMZ022>025-030>032.

TX...RED FLAG WARNING FROM 1 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 9 PM MDT THIS
EVENING FOR TXZ055-056.

WIND ADVISORY FROM NOON TODAY TO 9 PM MDT THIS EVENING FOR
TXZ055-056.

&&




17 HEFNER







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