244 FXUS65 KBOU 091132 AFDBOUArea Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Denver/Boulder CO 532 AM MDT Thu Oct 9 2025
.KEY MESSAGES...
- Dense fog over far northeastern Colorado this morning.
- Above normal temperatures continue through Saturday.
- Scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms return Friday, mainly across the higher terrain.
- Near normal temperatures with chances for showers Sunday into early next week, though confidence in the weather pattern is low.
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.UPDATE... Issued at 244 AM MDT Thu Oct 9 2025
Satellite and webcams indicate that fairly widespread fog has developed across the far northeast corner over the last hour or two. Unlike this time last night, guidance seems to be underestimating the fog potential. This appears to be related to poor handling of the surface inversion/radiational cooling across that area. Several cycles of the HRRR/RAP maintain a 2-3C T/Td depression at the lowest model level (~8m AGL), which doesn`t correlate well with surface observations from AKO (10.6/10.1C) and the Holyoke CoAgMet station (6.5/6.3C). Still, the HRRR develops quite a bit of dense fog later this morning. Though we have a limited number of webcams/automated stations to work with, it appears we are already ahead of schedule wrt fog, and given a favorable setup, locally dense fog seems likely to continue into the morning hours. Have gone for a Dense Fog Advisory through 16z for those reasons.
Elsewhere, today should be mostly quiet with temperatures again reaching the 70s to low 80s. An increase in cloud cover by this afternoon and evening is likely, with perhaps an isolated shower across the higher elevations.
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.DISCUSSION /Through Wednesday/... Issued at 158 PM MDT Wed Oct 8 2025
Upper level ridge will reside over the Southern/Central Rockies and Southern Plains through Thursday. This will bring mostly clear skies, dry conditions, and above normal temperatures. The warmest day of the week will be Thursday with highs in the upper 70s to mid 80s across northeast Colorado.
For Friday and Saturday, the upper level ridge slides east of the Rockies setting up over the plains states. Over the Pacific Northwest and eastern Pacific, a deep upper level low slowly progresses eastward. This will produce broad southwest flow aloft across the Desert Southwest and across the Rockies (from New Mexico to Montana). Hurricane Priscilla remnants get caught up in the southwest flow aloft bringing tropical moisture to the Desert Southwest and Four Corners Region (including western Colorado). Precipitable water values of 200-400% of normal are expected across southwest Colorado. Even over eastern Colorado, precipitable water values will be 200-300% of normal and near all time highs. Southwest flow aloft produces a rain shadow effect across eastern Colorado, keeping the lower levels of the airmass on the dry side. Expect scattered to numerous showers over the mountains Friday and Saturday with showers possible east of the mountains as well. A thick layer thick mid and high clouds will prevail both Friday and Saturday. This will cause temperatures to cool some, but will remain above normal for this time of year.
Zooming into northeast and north central Colorado for Friday and Saturday, a weak and shallow easterly surge is expected in advance of a weak shortwave trough embedded in the southwest flow. Lift from the trough and an increase in low level moisture will bring the best chance for showers and thunderstorms to the plains Friday late afternoon and Friday evening. For the mountains, the better chance for precipitation will occur earlier Friday as the wave moves through.
On Sunday, the initial upper level low weakens and rapidly moves eastward across the Northern Rockies. Flow aloft becomes westerly and pushes the very moist airmass east of the area. A cold front will accompany this bringing cooler air into the area. Downslope flow east of the mountains is expected to result in dry conditions while the mountains will see orographic rain/snow.
Flow aloft returns to the southwest by Monday as a new upper level low forms over the Pacific Northwest. Models show a wide variety of solutions where this low tracks, the strength, and the resulting weather pattern. This will lead to a lower forecast confidence for next week`s weather, though right now models are leaning towards keeping the storm track to our west and north. This would result in temperatures at or above normal with mainly dry conditions.
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.AVIATION /12Z TAFS through 12Z Friday/... Issued at 530 AM MDT Thu Oct 9 2025
VFR through the TAF period with light winds. Drainage this morning will give way to light and variable winds by 18z, with an eventual turn to the east during the afternoon. Drainage flow should return to the terminals this evening and continue into Friday morning.
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.BOU WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Dense Fog Advisory until 10 AM MDT this morning for COZ048-050- 051.
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UPDATE...Hiris DISCUSSION...12 AVIATION...Hiris
NWS BOU Office Area Forecast Discussion