312 FXUS64 KMAF 202036 AFDMAF AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIDLAND/ODESSA TX 336 PM CDT MON MAY 20 2013 .DISCUSSION... QUIESCENT WEATHER IS EXPECTED THROUGH THE NEXT FEW DAYS. THE UPPER TROUGH THAT`S BEEN RESPONSIBLE FOR THE SEVERE WEATHER OVER THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN PLAINS THE LAST FEW DAYS WILL MOVE OFF OVERNIGHT. SURFACE ANTICYCLOGENESIS IN THE WAKE OF THIS SYSTEM WILL DRIVE A WEAK COLD FRONT THROUGH THE FORECAST AREA OVERNIGHT. THIS FRONT IS EXPECTED TO ENTER THE NORTHERN PERMIAN BASIN AROUND MIDNIGHT, THROUGH THE I-20 CORRIDOR BY 3 AM TUESDAY, TO I-10 BY 6 AM, AND THEN ACROSS THE BIG BEND AND LOWER TRANS PECOS BY MID MORNING. ALL THAT`S EXPECTED WITH THIS FRONT IS A WINDSHIFT TO THE NORTH. HIGHS TUESDAY WILL GET KNOCKED DOWN ALL THE WAY TO JUST A BIT ABOVE NORMAL AS SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE SETTLES ACROSS THE SOUTHERN HIGH PLAINS. THIS HIGH WILL THEN TRANSLATE EAST TUESDAY NIGHT, SETTING THE STAGE FOR MOISTURE RETURN AND DRYLINE-OGENESIS AS WINDS VEER TO SOUTHEASTERLY. HIGH PRESSURE ALOFT AND A RESULTANT CAP WILL SERVE TO SQUASH CONVECTIVE CHANCES WEDNESDAY. THE DRYLINE WILL BECOME A BIT MORE ACTIVE THURSDAY THROUGH SATURDAY AS AN INCREASE IN FLOW ALOFT AND CONVERGENCE AND HEATING AT THE SURFACE SET THE STAGE FOR AT LEAST ISOLATED THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT. TRYING TO PREDICT PLACEMENT OF A MESO-GAMMA SCALE FEATURE AT SYNOPTIC SCALES IS DIFFICULT AT BEST, AND THUS ANY GUESS OF WHERE THE DRYLINE MIGHT SET UP AND THUS WHERE THE BEST CHANCES FOR RAIN MIGHT BE THIS FAR OUT IS JUST THAT...A GUESS, ALBEIT SOMEWHAT EDUCATED. HAVING SAID THIS, SOME OF THE MODELS ARE INDICATING THE POTENTIAL FOR MCS DEVELOPMENT FRIDAY NIGHT...WE SHALL SEE. IN ANY EVENT, SOME CHANCE OF RAIN IS BETTER THAN NO CHANCE AT ALL. TEMPERATURES THURSDAY THROUGH SATURDAY WILL BE A BIT COOLER GIVEN THE INCREASE IN CLOUDS AND MOISTURE. RIGHT NOW THERE`S ENOUGH UNCERTAINTY IN THE MODEL SOLUTIONS TO KEEP POPS OUT OF THE FORECAST FOR SUNDAY AND MONDAY, BUT WOULDN`T BE SURPRISED IF LATER SHIFTS INCREASE RAIN CHANCES THEN. LONG RANGE MODELS INDICATE RAIN CHANCES WILL BE IN THE FORECAST FOR NEXT WEEK...ESPECIALLY WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY. MAYBE IT`S WISHCASTING AT THIS POINT IN TIME, BUT THE OVERALL SYNOPTIC SETUP THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK WOULD SEEM TO FAVOR SOME BADLY NEEDED RAIN ACROSS PORTIONS OF SOUTHEASTERN NEW MEXICO AND WEST TEXAS... STAY TUNED. && .FIRE WEATHER... RED FLAG WARNING CRITERIA HAS BEEN SLOW TO MATERIALIZE ACROSS THE GUADALUPE MOUNTAINS EARLY THIS AFTERNOON AS WINDS STILL REMAIN BELOW 20 MPH. WINDS WILL STILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO INCREASE ABOVE CRITICAL THRESHOLDS BY MID AFTERNOON SO WILL GO AHEAD AND HOLD ON TO THE RED FLAG WARNING. CRITICAL CONDITIONS MAY BE BRIEF AND THE FOLLOWING SHIFT MAY NEED TO END THE WARNING EARLIER THAN 03Z. REGARDLESS...CONCERNS WILL BE ELEVATED WITH RELATIVE HUMIDITIES IN THE SINGLE DIGITS THROUGH THIS EVENING. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... ANDREWS TX 61 89 62 94 / 0 0 0 0 BIG SPRING TX 60 88 64 95 / 0 0 0 0 CARLSBAD NM 60 88 58 97 / 0 0 0 0 DRYDEN TX 69 97 70 97 / 0 0 0 0 FORT STOCKTON TX 63 94 65 96 / 0 0 0 0 GUADALUPE PASS TX 60 85 62 85 / 0 0 0 0 HOBBS NM 59 86 58 95 / 0 0 0 0 MARFA TX 49 83 49 89 / 0 0 0 0 MIDLAND INTL AIRPORT TX 60 90 64 95 / 0 0 0 0 ODESSA TX 63 88 63 94 / 0 0 0 0 WINK TX 60 95 63 100 / 0 0 0 0 && .MAF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NM...RED FLAG WARNING UNTIL 9 PM MDT THIS EVENING FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES... GUADALUPE MOUNTAINS NP/LINCOLN NF/LNZ. TX...RED FLAG WARNING UNTIL 9 PM MDT THIS EVENING FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES... GUADALUPE MOUNTAINS. && $$ 27/70