Expires:No;;239178 FXUS63 KICT 251745 AFDICT AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS 1145 AM CST WED NOV 25 2009 .AVIATION...18Z TAFS KRSL/KSLN/KHUT/KICT/KCNU LATEST WATER VAPOR LOOP WAS SHOWING A WELL DEFINED DEFINED DRY SLOT IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE POTENTIAL VORTICITY ANOMALY MOVING SOUTHEAST ACROSS CENTRAL KANSAS. THIS DRY SLOT IS A SIGN OF STRONG SUBSIDENCE ACROSS THIS AREA WHICH IS HELPING AID THE MOMENTUM TRANSFER AND BETTER MIXING. AS A RESULT...WE HAVE KEPT SUSTAINED WIND SPEEDS IN THE 20 TO 25KT RANGE ACROSS MOST OF THE AREA TODAY. CNU TAF SITE IS STILL AROUND 10KTS...DUE TO THE CLOUD COVER. HOWEVER...THESE CLOUDS SHOULD DEPART DURING THE NEXT HOUR AND ALLOW FOR BETTER MIXING AND MOMENTUM TRANSFER BY 19Z OR SO. OTHERWISE...SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD INTO THE AREA TONIGHT AND THURSDAY AND ALLOW FOR CLEAR SKIES AND LIGHTER WIND SPEEDS BEGINNING AFTER SUNSET. COX && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 1045 AM CST WED NOV 25 2009/ UPDATE... REMOVED THE REMAINDER OF PRECIPITATION FROM THE FORECAST AND UPDATED ALL GRIDS TO ACCOUNT FOR THE CURRENT TRENDS. MAIN CONCERN IS THE WIND. UP IN CENTRAL KANSAS IT SEEMS THAT THEY ARE MIXING OUT WITH GUST IN THE UPPER 20S TO 30KTS. COULD BE BORDERLINE WIND ADVISORY CRITERIA...WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF HOURS. DUNTEN PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 543 AM CST WED NOV 25 2009/ AVIATION...12Z TAFS KRSL/KSLN/KHUT/KICT/KCNU MAIN AVIATION CONCERN WILL BE SOME RELATIVELY LOWER CIGS THIS MORNING. CURRENTLY HAVE A FAST MOVING UPPER WAVE TRACKING SOUTHEAST ACROSS NEBRASKA. AHEAD OF THIS WAVE THERE ARE SOME CIGS GENERALLY AROUND THE 4,000-8,000FT LEVEL. IN ADDITION A FLURRY OR SPRINKLE MAY ACCOMPANY THESE MID LEVEL CLOUDS. THIS AREA OF CLOUDS AND VERY LIGHT PRECIP WILL PUSH SOUTHEAST QUICKLY AND BY THE AFTERNOON HOURS MOSTLY SUNNY SKIES ARE EXPECTED TO BE IN PLACE AREA WIDE. JUST LIKE YESTERDAY...NW WINDS WILL AGAIN BE GUSTY...ESPECIALLY OVER CENTRAL KS WITH GUSTS TO 30 MPH COMMON. LAWSON PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 218 AM CST WED NOV 25 2009/ DISCUSSION... TODAY-TONIGHT: WELL ADVERTISED SHORTWAVE TROF OVER THE NORTHERN PLAINS WILL CONTINUE DIGGING SEWD ACROSS THE MID MS VLY TODAY-TONIGHT. THE ASSOCIATED FRONTAL ZONE WILL SURGE SWD THRU OUR AREA THIS MORNING. DECENT SYNOPTIC SCALE LIFT/MARGINAL MOISTURE ALONG THE FRONT COULD RESULT IN A FEW FLURRIES/SPRINKLES THIS AM MAINLY IN CENTRAL KS...OTHERWISE MAIN IMPACT OF THIS SYSTEM WILL BE ANOTHER DAY OF GUSTY NW WINDS. NOT ANTICIPATING ADVISORY CRITERIA WINDS...BUT CERTAINLY ENOUGH MIXING/GRADIENT FOR THE "WINDY" CATEGORY. SOME PM SUN SHOULD HELP OFFSET THE COLD AIR ADVECTION SOME WITH HIGHS EXPECTED TO BE RATHER SIMILAR TO YESTERDAYS. LIGHTER WESTERLY WINDS TONIGHT AND CLEAR SKIES/DRY AIR WILL LEAD TO LOWS A FEW DEGREES BELOW NORMAL. THURSDAY-SATURDAY: AFOREMENTIONED UPPER TROF WILL MOVE ACROSS THE OHIO VALLEY AND NORTHEAST DURING THE PERIOD...WHILE THE UPSTREAM UPPER TROF OVER THE NERN PACIFIC MOVES INTO THE WESTERN CONUS. THIS WILL LEAVE OUR AREA IN SHORTWAVE RIDGING ALOFT FOR MUCH OF THIS PERIOD WITH BENIGN WEATHER...ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES...AND RELATIVELY LIGHT WINDS FOR KANSAS STANDARDS. EXCELLENT HOLIDAY TRAVEL WEATHER ON TAP DURING THIS TIME PERIOD IN AND SURROUNDING OUR FORECAST AREA. SUNDAY-TUESDAY: MAIN FORECAST ISSUE WILL BE HOW THE WESTERN CONUS UPPER TROF EVOLVES AS IT MOVES EWD ACROSS THE PLAINS. TO SAY THAT THE GFS RUN TO RUN CONTINUITY WITH THE HANDLING OF THIS UPPER TROF IS POOR IS AN UNDERSTATEMENT. LAST NIGHT'S 00Z/24 ECMWF CENTERED ON 00Z TUES HAD BACK TO BACK RUNS SHOWING A STRONG UPPER LOW EVOLVING OVER THE SOUTHERN PLAINS EMPHASIZING THE SRN PIECE OF ENERGY WITHIN THE UPR TROF. IT HAD PAINTED A CONCERNING WINTER STORM SCENARIO. THE PAST 2 RUNS INCLUDING TONIGHTS 00Z/25TH RUN HAVE BACKED AWAY FROM THAT SCENARIO AND NOW SHOW THE SYSTEM COMING ACROSS AS A LESS FORMIDABLE POSITIVELY-TILTED UPPER TROF. THE ECMWF IS HEAVILY FAVORED BY HPC AND WE CONTINUE TO LEAN WITH THIS MODEL. HOWEVER THE FORECAST CONFIDENCE IN THIS TIME PERIOD REMAINS LOW GIVEN THE DISCUSSED CHANGES IN THE ECMWF AND THE MUCH WORSE GFS MODEL CONTINUITY. AT THIS JUNCTURE...WILL FORECAST A CHANCE OF MAINLY RAIN SUNDAY OVER S-CNTRL/SERN KS AS MOISTURE INCREASES INTO THE 850-700 MB FRONTAL ZONE. THE FRONT IS PROGGED TO PUSH SEWD OUT OF SERN KS SUN NGT AND THE RAIN MAY MIX WITH AND END AS LIGHT SNOW. ONCE AGAIN...AS WE HAVE SEEN IN THE RECENT COUPLE OF SYSTEMS...COLD AIR SUPPLY IS MARGINAL (GIVEN THE ECMWF VERIFIES)...SO NOT EXPECTING ACCUMULATIONS ATTM. MON IS LOOKING DRIER AND SLT CHC POPS MAY NEED REMOVAL BY LATER SHIFTS. TEMPERATURES LOOK TO FALL BACK CLOSER TO NORMAL SUN-TUES. JMC && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... WICHITA-KICT 53 27 54 30 / 10 0 0 0 HUTCHINSON 52 27 55 31 / 10 0 0 0 NEWTON 52 28 53 31 / 10 0 0 0 ELDORADO 52 28 52 31 / 10 0 0 0 WINFIELD-KWLD 55 29 54 30 / 10 0 0 0 RUSSELL 51 25 56 30 / 10 0 0 0 GREAT BEND 51 24 56 30 / 10 0 0 0 SALINA 51 27 53 30 / 10 0 0 0 MCPHERSON 51 27 54 31 / 10 0 0 0 COFFEYVILLE 55 29 51 30 / 10 0 0 0 CHANUTE 53 28 49 30 / 10 0 0 0 IOLA 52 27 48 30 / 10 0 0 0 PARSONS-KPPF 54 29 50 30 / 10 0 0 0 && .ICT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && $$