textproduct: Cheyenne

KEY MESSAGES

- Unsettled weather will continue through the work week with daily chances for scattered rain and snow showers. Isolated thunder will be possible.

- Warmer and drier conditions are expected to return for the weekend.

SHORT TERM /THROUGH FRIDAY/

Issued at 201 PM MDT Tue Apr 28 2026

An area or bubble of high pressure will move over our portion of the Intermountain West this evening and into the overnight period. This will start to clear out most of the sky throughout the night and give us a temporary break in rain/snow showers. This area of high pressure will create a low level nocturnal surface inversion over the high plains. Model soundings depict the environment as a shallow almost super adiabatic close to the surface that will help trap any low level moisture producing radiational fog in the morning. Right now the highest area of confidence is the Nebraska panhandle but patchy fog may be possible for all areas east of the I-25 corridor with the recent moderate rain/snowfall. However, A disorganized upper level trough will inch its way into the into the Intermountain West as the parent broad upper level low remains parked over the Great Lakes Region. In response the winds will shift directions throughout the day Wednesday from our weak westerlies to a northerly direction and finally an easterly upslope direction Wednesday Night into Thursday morning. Some lingering vort-maxes will accompany the trough to aid the synoptic support to produce some afternoon and evening showers. While the mountains may get decent accumulations of a couple tenths, much lower values of a tenth or less is expected for areas east of I-25. By Friday, the disorganized upper level low will be mainly to our south. A messy ridge will try to build back into the northern Rockies Friday into the weekend, but this will be undercut by the lingering upper level low meandering over the Four Corners states. Expect warm air advection and reduced precipitation chances on Friday. High temperatures for Friday look to return to near seasonal averages of 50's and 60's for the majority of the forecast area.

LONG TERM /FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY/

Issued at 201 PM MDT Tue Apr 28 2026

Long term remains active as we see a quick warming and dryout over the weekend, but the return of a more progressive pattern next week should usher back chances of rain and possibly spring thunderstorms to the area. Friday begins with the region falling in between several primary features - a deep upper level low covering the Eastern US, a secondary trough over the Desert Southwest, and a ridge moving inland across the Pacific Northwest and beginning to encroach upon our area. This should help to sweep out the precipitation we'll be seeing during the week out of the area and usher in clearing and warming, but not before lingering moisture and the influence of the trough to our south may produce an isolated morning shower for the day. By the afternoon, skies will clear and temperatures should rebound into the 50's and 60's.

Saturday the region will be under the influence of the meager ridge that will move into the area, allowing for further warm air advection and increasing temperatures, as highs bounce into the 60's and 70's. Sunday will see the influence of this ridge wane as several shortwave impulses ride across the periphery of this system spurred by the deep Eastern US low, with a California low sandwiching the other side and helping to flatten the ridge more southward. With a combination of some Pacific and monsoonal moisture moving into the area, PWATs should be on the rise, up to near to just above normal, allowing new development of isolated to scattered showers. Favorable low level lapse rates and some meager pockets of instability may also induce an isolated thunderstorm or two, but don't expect much out of the day aside from some rumbles of thunder.

Monday looks similar as further moisture moves into the area and PWAT anomalies increase to around 0.1 inch above normal with a weak shortwave promoting further scattered precipitation development for the day. This time similar lapse rates and a bit more widespread weak instability should allow for better chances of thunderstorms, but once again mostly anticipating some weak thunder activity with minimal concerns for anything stronger. Overall this activity will not be a drought buster by any means, but the chance of a localized stronger storm could bring a hit of beneficial moisture for anywhere underneath.

AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z WEDNESDAY/

Issued at 1133 AM MDT Tue Apr 28 2026

Low CIGs and some lingering light rain/mist continue in the Nebraska Panhandle, but should be clearing over the next hour or two. After this, expect mid level clouds with a chance of precipitation at all sites, with thunder even possible, particularly for our Nebraska sites. Precipitation could also be mixed for KLAR and/or KCYS, including thunder and snow. Precipitation should move out this evening with clearing expected for the most part, however patchy fog should return in Nebraska with KBFF/KSNY/KAIA seeing the most likely impacts from low clouds/fog. Winds will pick up with this precipitation this afternoon, with gusts 20-30 knots all sites except for KCDR where light winds are expected. Overnight into tomorrow, expect prevailing winds to become light all sites at speeds 10 knots or less.

CYS WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

WY...Winter Weather Advisory until 3 PM MDT this afternoon for WYZ112-114. NE...None.