323 FXUS64 KLUB 230946 AFDLUB AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX 446 AM CDT THU MAY 23 2013 .SHORT TERM... SEVERE WEATHER INCLUDING VERY LARGE HAIL AND PERHAPS A FEW TORNADOES APPEARS TO BE A THREAT FOR LATER TODAY AND REMAINS OUR PRIMARY FOCUS. A SURFACE COLD FRONT WAS SLOWING THROUGH NORTHEASTERN NEW MEXICO AND THE NORTHWEST TEXAS PANHANDLE...BUT STILL SHOULD EASE SOUTHWARD INTO OUR FAR NORTHERN ZONES AROUND MID-DAY BEFORE LOSING ITS PUSH. TO THE NORTHEAST...THUNDERSTORMS WERE DEVELOPING ACROSS NORTHWESTERN INTO CENTRAL OKLAHOMA AND SHOULD PROVIDE ADDITIONAL PUSH TO THE SOUTHWEST FOR THIS FRONT. GUIDANCE THIS MORNING HAS EDGED THE SURFACE DRY-LINE SLIGHTLY WEST OF PREVIOUS EXPECTATIONS...NOW OVER THE WESTERN SOUTH PLAINS. DEWPOINTS WILL SURGE WESTWARD JUST BEHIND THIS SURFACE FRONT GENERATING AFTERNOON MIXED LAYER CAPES IN EXCESS OF 3000 JOULES PER KILOGRAM ALONG AND NORTH OF THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY. LOWER ATMOSPHERIC TURNING OR HELICITY WILL INCREASE TO SEVERAL HUNDRED UNITS OR GREATER WITH INCREASING LOW LEVEL SOUTHEASTERLY FLOW AND MODEST SOUTHWEST TO WESTERLY WINDS UPSTAIRS. THERE MAY BE A SHORT WINDOW FOR A TORNADIC THREAT MAINLY ALONG AND NORTH OF THE FRONT LATER THIS AFTERNOON WHILE LIFTED CONDENSATION LEVELS PROBABLY WILL REMAIN TOO ELEVATED FOR AS LARGE A THREAT TO THE SOUTHWEST ALONG THE DRY-LINE ALTHOUGH TURNING WILL BE SUBSTANTIAL IN THIS AREA AS WELL. ANY DISCRETE SUPERCELLS EARLY IN THE EVENT LATER TODAY PROBABLY WILL MERGE INTO A LARGE CONVECTIVE COMPLEX OVER THE EASTERN HALF OF THE AREA BY EARLY IN THE EVENING...PRESSING TO THE SOUTHEAST LATER IN THE EVENING. SEVERE WEATHER THREATS WILL ALSO MORPH MORE INTO HIGH WINDS AND HAIL DURING THE EVENING. A HEAVY RAIN THREAT ALSO WILL OCCUR EARLY AS HIGH-PRECIPITATION SUPER-CELLS MAY DEVELOP...WHILE EXTENDING AS WELL INTO THE CONVECTIVE SYSTEM PHASE DURING THE EVENING. IN ADDITION...STRONG OUTFLOW EAST OR SOUTHEAST WINDS SHOULD DEVELOP BY EARLY IN THE EVENING OVER MUCH OF THE AREA...BEFORE TAPERING OVERNIGHT. WE INCREASED RAIN CHANCES SLIGHTLY TO THE WEST THIS AFTERNOON IN SOLID CHANCE CATEGORY NEAR THE DRY-LINE...AND ALSO DURING THE EVENING FROM CENTRAL AREAS TO THE SOUTH-SOUTHEAST. MINOR CHANGES TO THE TEMPERATURE GRID FIELDS. RMCQUEEN && .LONG TERM... LINGERING CONVECTION MAY STILL BE ONGOING ACROSS THE SOUTHERN ROLLING PLAINS FOLLOWING SUNRISE FRIDAY MORNING...AS THE MESOSCALE CONVECTIVE COMPLEX MENTIONED ABOVE DIVES SOUTH. THIS SYSTEM SHOULD BE COLD POOL DOMINANT AT THIS POINT AND SUBSEQUENTLY FALL APART AS THE LOW LEVEL JET WEAKENS. SCATTERED STORMS WILL COMMENCE ONCE AGAIN FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING AS THE DRYLINE CONTINUES TO FAVOR A POSITION NEAR THE NEW MEXICO STATE LINE OR ACROSS THE BORDER INTO EASTERN NEW MEXICO. INITIATION WILL BE FARTHER WEST ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE SOUTH PLAINS REGION DUE TO THE WESTERN PROXIMITY OF THE DRYLINE. MAY SEE STORMS LINGER INTO THE LATE EVENING AND OVERNIGHT HOURS AS A SHORTWAVE TROUGH ATTEMPTS TO DEVELOP AND GET CAUGHT UP IN THE SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT. THUS...HAVE KEPT A SLIGHT CHANCE FOR STORMS IN THE FORECAST THROUGHOUT FRIDAY NIGHT INTO SATURDAY MORNING. SOUTHWEST FLOW WILL PREVAIL ALOFT AS SOUTH/SOUTHEAST LOW LEVEL FLOW CONTINUES TO KEEP SEASONABLY RICH MOISTURE IN PLACE AND THE DRYLINE PULLED BACK ACROSS MOST IF NOT ALL OF THE SOUTH PLAINS INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK...PROMOTING DAILY AFTERNOON THUNDERSTORM CHANCES. AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH ACROSS THE WESTERN CONUS LOOKS TO FINALLY KICK OUT ACROSS THE DESERT SOUTHWEST AND ROCKY MOUNTAIN REGION BY MIDWEEK. DETAILS AS TO LEAD IMPULSES DOWNSTREAM OF THIS FEATURE WILL NEED TO BE FINE TUNED IN SUBSEQUENT FORECASTS. HOWEVER...WEDNESDAY APPEARS TO BE THE DAY FAVORING THE BEST UPPER SUPPORT AHEAD OF THIS FEATURE AS IT TAKES ON A NEGATIVE TILT. THIS MAY ALLOW THE DRYLINE TO MIX FARTHER EAST AND CONFINE STORM CHANCES MORESO TO THE ROLLING PLAINS AND FAR SOUTHEAST PANHANDLE. NONETHELESS...THOUGHT THIS WARRANTED ADDING LOW END MENTIONABLE POPS TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY AFTERNOONS...PUSHING THEM FARTHER EAST EACH DAY. DID NOT MAKE MANY CHANGES TO ONGOING SEASONABLE TEMPERATURES AS DECREASED DIURNAL RANGES SEEM LIKELY GIVEN THE PERSISTENT MOISTURE ACROSS THE AREA. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... FRIONA 91 59 82 60 82 / 30 30 50 30 20 TULIA 88 61 83 62 82 / 60 50 50 30 20 PLAINVIEW 92 62 84 63 82 / 60 60 50 30 20 LEVELLAND 94 62 84 64 82 / 40 50 50 30 20 LUBBOCK 94 62 86 65 83 / 30 60 50 30 20 DENVER CITY 93 62 85 64 82 / 30 30 50 30 20 BROWNFIELD 93 62 86 65 83 / 30 50 50 30 20 CHILDRESS 89 64 85 66 84 / 60 60 30 30 20 SPUR 94 64 87 66 83 / 30 60 50 30 20 ASPERMONT 95 67 87 67 84 / 20 60 30 40 20 && .LUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && $$ 05/31