852 FXUS64 KAMA 071136 AFDAMAArea Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Amarillo TX 636 AM CDT Sun Sep 7 2025
...New AVIATION...
.KEY MESSAGES... Issued at 1241 AM CDT Sun Sep 7 2025
- Isolated thunderstorms are possible today-tonight, as well as Monday. A few storms on might be strong with hail and winds being the primary hazards.
- Warming temperatures are expected during the work week with highs increasing back near to slightly above average.
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.SHORT TERM... (Today through Monday night) Issued at 1241 AM CDT Sun Sep 7 2025
Recent downward trends in precipitation chances for the region have continued, but western portions of the Panhandles still need to be on guard for thunderstorm potential later this afternoon-evening. That message rings true for Monday as well, but with focus shifting to the eastern Panhandles. Even though chances for storms to develop in our forecast area are only 20-30%, any storm that can develop will have favorable conditions to become strong to severe.
Satellite and mesoanalysis tonight show northwest flow aloft over the region, with a broad shortwave situated over the Sangre de Cristo mountains of northern NM. Convection associated with this disturbance is expected to die before it reaches the Panhandles overnight as models depict the system diminishing with time. Through the day, temperatures will warm into the upper 70s to low 80s with 10-20 mph southerly winds advecting dew pts in the 50s to low 60s. This will allow a corridor of moderate instability of 1000-2000 J/kg CAPE to build across eastern NM to the western TX Panhandle. By the time the weakened shortwave arrives, this lifting mechanism may still be enough to generate thunderstorms from the high plains of NM and CO, but activity could struggle to survive as it loses better instability while moving east-southeast. However, if this activity is able to dive south and maintain its fuel source, 30-40kt bulk shear values could also help storms reach the western Panhandles. There`s still a camp of CAMs providing a contingency for this scenario, which lends enough confidence to maintain 20-30% POPs in the forecast. Overall though, highest confidence in storms lies outside of our CWA.
Overnight Sunday into Monday morning, models depict another shortwave dropping south from the central Great Plains towards the Panhandles. At the sfc, aforementioned southerly winds along with a 30-40 kt 850mb LLJ will continue to improve moisture quality, especially to the eastern Panhandles. Latest guidance suggest this will help initiate a band of scattered showers and storms through the early morning hours, possibly as far east as the central Panhandles depending on placement of the upper level disturbance as well as any potential outflow boundaries. Depending on how well the atmosphere recovers through the day, another round of thunderstorms may develop Mon afternoon-evening along a sfc trough. After highs climbing back to the 80s to near 90, similar amounts of instability to today should materialize, along with ample shear values as well. Strong to severe convection cannot be ruled out should it even come to fruition. Rich theta-e content being pumped into these showers and storms would support locally heavy rainfall, with 10-20% probabilities to exceed 0.5" of accumulated rain. To reiterate though, there are several factors that could cause rain and storms to miss a vast majority of the Panhandles over the next couple of days, but any storms that do happen could be marginally impactful.
Harrel
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.LONG TERM... (Tuesday through Saturday) Issued at 1241 AM CDT Sun Sep 7 2025
By Tuesday, models have shifted into better agreement that ridging will begin to amplify and gradually translate eastward over the region. Associated height rises and warming 850mb temps spell the return of highs in the upper 80s to low 90s through mid week. Ridging should further amplify through the week as we remain sandwiched between troughing to our east and a closed low churning over the Pacific NW. This pattern is generally unfavorable for precipitation, as is reflected by NBM POPs
NWS AMA Office Area Forecast Discussion