AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX 1132 PM CDT FRI MAY 24 2013 .AVIATION... SHOWERS AND MAYBE A FEW THUNDERSTORMS WILL AFFECT THE METROPLEX AIRPORTS THROUGH 08-09Z. AFTER THE SHOWERS/THUNDERSTORMS END...SOME MVFR CEILINGS MAY TRY TO WORK THEIR WAY INTO THE REGION. THUS HAVE PLACED A BKN020 IN THE METROPLEX TAFS FROM 11-16Z. LIGHT RAIN AT KACT SHOULD END AROUND/SHORTLY AFTER 06Z AND SOME LOW END END MVFR /BKN010/ MAY DEVELOP 10-16Z. THESE CEILINGS SHOULD LIFT TO VFR AFTER 16Z. ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE SATURDAY AFTERNOON NEAR ANY OF THE TAF SITES SO HAVE KEPT VCTS BETWEEN 19Z AND 00Z IN ALL OF THE TAF SITES. 58 && .UPDATE... UPDATED THE POPS FOR 00-06Z TIME FRAME TO ACCOUNT FOR CURRENT RADAR TRENDS. OUTFLOW BOUNDARY FROM THE LARGE COMPLEX OF STORMS CONTINUES TO PUSH EAST...ALLOWING NEW DEVELOPMENT OF STORMS ALONG THE BOUNDARY. A COUPLE OF SEVERE STORMS DEVELOPED IN HILL AND JOHNSON COUNTIES...WHERE WINDS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH WERE LIKELY. THIS NEW DEVELOPMENT TO THE EAST SHOULD BECOME LESS LIKELY AFTER SUNSET...WHEN ACTIVITY SHOULD START TO WANE. WILL CARRY LIKELY POPS FOR MUCH OF THE WESTERN AREA...WITH CHANCE POPS FARTHER EAST. HAMPSHIRE && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 348 PM CDT FRI MAY 24 2013/ 12Z UPPER AIR ANALYSIS SHOWED A WELL-DEFINED MID-LEVEL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM NEAR SAN ANGELO THIS MORNING. VISIBLE SATELLITE IMAGERY AND REGIONAL RADARS INDICATE THAT THIS LOW WAS MOVING SLOWLY TO THE NORTHEAST THIS AFTERNOON WITH A NEARLY SOLID BAND OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDING FROM BRECKENRIDGE SOUTH THROUGH AUSTIN ON ITS EASTERN EDGE. ACCORDING TO A 19Z AIRCRAFT SOUNDING AROUND THE DFW AREA THE ATMOSPHERE REMAINS LARGELY UNCAPPED THIS AFTERNOON WITH 1500 TO 2500 J/KG OF CAPE AVAILABLE FOR STORM GROWTH. THROUGH TONIGHT....ASIDE FROM THE MID-LEVEL LOW MOVING TOWARDS THE CWA...THE LARGER SCALE FLOW REGIME ALOFT OVER NORTH TX IS ANTICYCLONIC FLOW IN WEAK RIDGING IN PLACE OVER THE REGION. THIS HAS LEFT A MODERATE CAPE/VERY LOW SHEAR ENVIRONMENT IN PLACE OVER NORTH TX WHICH IS MORE OF A RAIN PATTERN WE SEE IN THE SUMMER MONTHS. DUE TO THE VERY WEAK SHEAR IN PLACE AND LITTLE CAP...THINK A SINGLE CELL TO MULTICELL STORM MODE WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS WITH A MARGINAL SEVERE WEATHER THREAT IN THE FORM OF HAIL UP TO QUARTER SIZE AND DOWNBURST WINDS OF 60 MPH. LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL MAY END UP BEING THE BIGGEST HAZARD WHEREVER STORMS TRAIN OVER ANY ONE LOCATION FOR A COUPLE OF HOURS. THE THREAT FOR HEAVY RAIN AND FLOODING IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN LOCALIZED THROUGH THIS EVENING AND WILL NOT BE ISSUING ANY FLOOD OR FLASH FLOOD WATCH WITH THIS FORECAST PACKAGE. WITH THE LOSS OF DAYTIME HEATING...MOST HIGH RESOLUTION GUIDANCE AGREES IN A SHARP DOWNWARD TREND TO THE COVERAGE AND INTENSITY OF STORMS ASSOCIATED WITH THE MID-LEVEL LOW. SATURDAY...THE MID-LEVEL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM MAY BE ENHANCED BY THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENINGS THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY ONGOING ACROSS WESTERN COUNTIES OF NORTH AND CENTRAL TX. BECAUSE THE MID- LEVEL LOW WAS CREATED BY THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY YESTERDAY...IT SEEMS REASONABLE TO ASSUME THAT THIS FEATURE WILL REMAIN AT LEAST AS STRONG AS IT WAS TODAY AND SHOULD SUPPORT SOME THUNDERSTORM CHANCES ACROSS NORTH TX TOMORROW. AS A RESULT LEFT IN A MENTION OF THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS ALL OF NORTH TX THROUGH TOMORROW EVENING. AT THIS TIME LEFT PRECIPITATION CHANCES AT 20 PERCENT BECAUSE THE MID-LEVEL LOW MAY BE RIGHT ON TOP OF THE CWA...WHERE SUBSIDENCE AND POOR MID-LEVEL LAPSE RATES ARE LIKELY TO RESIDE. THE MID-LEVEL LOW IS WARM CORE...AND DOES NOT CONTRIBUTE TO DESTABILIZING THE ATMOSPHERE AS A RESULT. WITH GENERALLY CLOUDY SKIES ASSOCIATED WITH THE LOW AND WEAKER MID-LEVEL LAPSE RATES...INSTABILITY IS EXPECTED TO BE MUCH WEAKER THAN IT WAS TODAY ACROSS NORTH TX WHICH WILL LIKELY LIMIT THE AMOUNT OF THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY THAT WE SEE. STILL CANNOT RULE OUT ISOLATED STORMS ACROSS THE CWA...ESPECIALLY DURING THE PEAK HEATING HRS OF THE DAY. WITH MANY OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES LIKELY TO BE ONGOING DURING THE START OF MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND...ISOLATED STORMS PRODUCING LIGHTNING AND LOCALLY GUSTY WINDS CAN STILL BE HAZARDOUS AND SHOULD BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY. THIS IS ESPECIALLY TRUE IF YOU HAPPEN TO HAVE PLANS OUT ON AREA LAKES AND RESERVOIRS THIS WEEKEND. SUNDAY AND MONDAY...THE MID-LEVEL LOW IS EXPECTED TO MEANDER EAST IN WEAK RIDGING ALOFT LEAVING SUBSIDENCE IN PLACE OVER NORTH TX. SUBSIDENCE SHOULD HELP GET RID OF THE 70S DEW POINTS WE HAVE HAD IN PLACE THE PAST SEVERAL DAYS...ALTHOUGH WE WILL REMAIN WARM UNDER MOSTLY SUNNY SKIES. WITH SLIGHTLY DRIER AIR IN PLACE...EXPECT MONDAY TO BE A FEW DEGREES WARMER THAN SUNDAY TO FINISH OFF MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND. CHANCES FOR THUNDERSTORMS LOOK LOW FOR NOW ASSUMING SUBSIDENCE DOES ITS JOB IN DRYING OUT THE LOWER TROPOSPHERE AND PLACING A CAPPING INVERSION OVER THE REGION. MID-WEEK...FOR TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY...THE GFS AND ECMWF AGREE THAT WE TRANSITION TO SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT AS A LARGE UPPER TROUGH BUILDS OVER THE WESTERN CONUS. THE LARGE TROUGH OUT WEST IS SOMEWHAT COMPLEX AND COMPOSED OF SEVERAL LARGE SHORTWAVES...BUT AT LEAST THROUGH WEDNESDAY IT SEEMS THAT MODEL CONSENSUS KEEP THE BULK OF THIS STRONG ENERGY NORTH OF THE REGION. SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT USUALLY ADVECTS A STOUT ELEVATED MIXED LAYER OVER THE REGION...AND THIS IS EXPECTED TO HELP KEEP US DRY THROUGH WEDNESDAY DESPITE THE RESURGENCE OF STRONG SOUTHERLY LOW-LEVEL FLOW AND GOOD GULF MOISTURE RETURN. ON THURSDAY...WENT AHEAD AND REINTRODUCED 20 POPS INTO THE FORECAST BECAUSE THE ECMWF HAS BEEN CONSISTENT IN BRINGING A STRONG SHORTWAVE TROUGH OVER THE SOUTH PLAINS. THE GFS DOES NOT SUPPORT THIS...BUT IN GENERAL HAS OFFERED A WIDER SPREAD OF SOLUTIONS REGARDING THIS UPPER TROUGH WHEN COMPARED TO THE ECMWF. WHILE THAT DOES NOT GUARANTEE THE ECMWF WILL VERIFY...AT THIS POINT WANTED TO SIDE WITH THE MORE CONSISTENT SOLUTION WHICH WOULD BRING A GOOD CHANCE OF STORMS BACK INTO NORTH TX LATE NEXT WEEK. SHOULD THIS VERIFY...SOME SEVERE STORMS WOULD BE POSSIBLE BUT IT IS MUCH TOO FAR OUT TO WORRY ABOUT THAT RIGHT NOW. WHEN CONFIDENCE IN THE LARGE SCALE FLOW IS LOW...CONFIDENCE IN SMALLER SCALE DETAILS LIKE SEVERE STORM HAZARDS IS EXTREMELY LOW. WILL CONTINUE TO WATCH LATE NEXT WEEK IN FUTURE FORECASTS. CAVANAUGH && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... DALLAS-FT. WORTH, TX 67 84 69 86 70 / 60 20 20 5 5 WACO, TX 65 84 68 88 70 / 60 20 20 5 0 PARIS, TX 65 84 67 84 67 / 30 20 20 10 5 DENTON, TX 64 83 67 86 70 / 60 20 10 5 5 MCKINNEY, TX 65 85 68 86 68 / 60 20 20 5 5 DALLAS, TX 68 87 72 88 70 / 60 20 20 5 0 TERRELL, TX 66 87 69 88 68 / 60 20 20 5 0 CORSICANA, TX 66 85 69 88 69 / 60 20 20 5 0 TEMPLE, TX 65 83 68 86 70 / 60 20 20 5 0 MINERAL WELLS, TX 63 82 67 87 69 / 60 20 10 5 0 && .FWD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && $$ 58/84