Issued by NWS Denver/Boulder, CO
000 FXUS65 KBOU 151030 AFDBOU AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO 330 AM MST THU JAN 15 2009 .SHORT TERM...FRONTAL PUSH OVER WITH COLDER AIR FROM AKRON TOWARD THE NORTH AND EAST. WEST OF THE BOUNDARY MOISTURE HAS INCREASED A LITTLE IN LIGHT SOUTHEAST FLOW WRAPPING INTO A WEAK DENVER CYCLONE...AND THIS IS THE AREA WITH THE MOST FOG THIS MORNING. ALOFT THERE LOOKS TO BE ONE MORE RIBBON OF LIFT BETWEEN CHEYENNE AND CASPER WHICH WILL DROP OVER OUR AREA THIS MORNING...SO I WILL HANG ON TO SOME LOW CHANCES OF SNOW BUT MAINLY EXPECTING FLURRIES. SOME VISIBILITIES AROUND A QUARTER MILE REPORTED BUT NOT EXPECTING FOG TO GET WORSE SINCE THERE IS HIGHER CLOUD COVER. THE FOG WILL BE SLOW TO LIFT HOWEVER FOR THE SAME REASON. THE ENTIRE PATTERN SHIFTS TO THE EAST THIS AFTERNOON WITH CLEARING BEGINNING. FOR THE MOUNTAINS... STILL SOME MINIMAL LIGHT SNOW AROUND WITH DRYING COMING IN THIS AFTERNOON. ADJUSTED TEMPERATURES TODAY FOR THE CURRENT POSITION OF THE FRONT...GENERALLY A FEW DEGREES WARMER THAN THE PREVIOUS FORECAST THOUGH THE FOG WILL RESTRAIN WARMING FROM DENVER NORTHWARD. THERE SHOULD BE PRETTY GOOD CLEARING OVERNIGHT WITH SOME DRAINAGE WIND TO HOLD TEMPS UP...POSSIBLE EXCEPTION IS MOUNTAIN VALLEYS WHICH COULD BE COLDER THAN FORECAST. .LONG TERM...A BROAD UPPER LEVEL RIDGE WILL BRING DRY AND STABLE CONDITIONS TO THE REGION THROUGH WEDNESDAY OF NEXT WEEK. FOR FRIDAY AND SATURDAY...THE UPPER RIDGE AXIS WILL BE CENTERED ALONG THE WEST COAST WITH A MODERATE NORTHWESTERLY FLOW OVER CO. A WEAK DISTURBANCE EMBEDDED IN THE FLOW IS PROGGED TO CLIP NERN CO LATE SATURDAY AFTN/EVNG. THE ONLY EFFECT FM THIS WILL BE A SLIGHT INCREASE IN MAINLY HIGH CLOUD COVER. THERE MAY ALSO BE SOME W-NWLY WINDS IN AND NEAR THE FRONT RANGE FOOTHILLS...BUT NOTHING OF ANY SIGNIFICANCE. THE UPPER RIDGE WILL BE INTO THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN/GREAT BASIN AREAS BY EARLY NEXT WEEK. TEMPERATURES GRADUALLY MODERATE THROUGH THE PERIOD. THE GFS EVENTUALLY SHIFTS THE RIDGE AXIS E OF COLORADO BY WEDNESDAY OF NEXT WEEK WITH THE FLOW ALOFT BECOMING SWLY. THERE MAY BE SOME INCREASE IN MOISTURE AS WELL OVER WRN CO BY LATE WEDNESDAY INTO THURSDAY WITH A SLGT CHC OF SNOW IN THE HIGH COUNTRY. WL KEEP THE GRIDS DRY AS THAT IS A BIG MAYBE FOR DAYS 7 AND 8. && .AVIATION...FOG WILL BE SLOW TO LIFT DUE TO LIGHT WINDS AND HIGHER CLOUD COVER. DEN RVR EXPECTED TO STAY ABOVE 1000 FT. SOME IMPROVEMENT IS EXPECTED AFTER 15Z...BUT IFR CONDITIONS MAY LAST MOST OF THE MORNING. ONCE THE FOG BURNS OFF...NO ADDITIONAL WEATHER IMPACTS ARE EXPECTED THROUGH TONIGHT. && .BOU WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. $$ GIMMESTAD/COOPER
