textproduct: Dodge City

KEY MESSAGES

- Light snow flurries are possible today, with little to no accumulations expected.

- Dangerously cold temperatures across our east zones Saturday morning as wind chills as cold as -15 are possible.

- Generally quiet conditions daytime Saturday through the end of the period, with above normal temperatures likely beginning Sunday.

DISCUSSION

Issued at 200 AM CST Fri Jan 30 2026

Early morning water vapor satellite imagery and RAP upper air analysis indicate longwave troughing encompasses all areas from the Great Basin through the east coast, with ridging over the west coast. At the surface, high pressure is spread out over central Canada into the northern plains. Daytime Friday, short range guidance agrees this high pressure will advance equatorward as the upper level ridge inches eastward, resulting in strengthening northeasterly winds across southwest KS. This upslope flow, along with divergence aloft within the left exit region of a 300-mb jet streak, will support scattered light snow flurries over our area, beginning near the I-70 corridor in the early afternoon and moving south-southwest with time. Snow accumulations will not amount to more than a dusting as probability of snowfall greater than or equal to 0.1" is only in the 20-40% range, and those probabilities decrease to 10% or less by the 0.5" threshold. Otherwise, continued cold advection and plenty of cloud cover associated with the light snow will yield a wide range in afternoon temperatures, with highs in the upper 20s/low 30s northeast increasing to the low/mid 50s southwest. Friday night into Saturday morning, as the high pressure center and associated arctic airmass march on south, radiational cooling will be optimized along and east of US-283, allowing temperatures to crater into the single digits to below zero. While winds will be light, wind chills will approach the -5 to -15 degree range at times, and a Cold Weather Advisory is in effect for our eastern two columns of counties.

Daytime Saturday, the upper level wave train will continue its slow eastward progression as per latest short range ensembles. With surface high pressure sliding into the southern plains, winds across southwest KS will flip to southerly. Although, the impact of the much cooler airmass will remain in place, and afternoon temperatures will again be below normal, ranging from the mid 20s east to the mid 40s west.

Sunday through the end of the period, medium range ensembles agree the upper level ridge will dampen daytime Sunday and redevelop farther west late Monday night into Tuesday before beginning to creep eastward once again. This synoptic evolution will favor generally quiet weather conditions across the central plains. Shortwave impulses diving south on the western periphery of the longwave trough will send a few cold fronts through our area, but these are currently expected to be dry frontal passages, with insufficient cold air in their wakes to knock temperatures below normal.

AVIATION /12Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z SATURDAY/

Issued at 510 AM CST Fri Jan 30 2026

VFR flying conditions prevail across all terminals at the beginning of this TAF cycle. Early this afternoon, MVFR cigs along with scattered light snow flurries, will advance southwest across the area, impacting all terminals. Conditions will improve back to VFR around 01Z at HYS, 04Z at DDC, and 06Z at GCK and LBL. Otherwise, current light and variable winds will increase out of the northeast during the afternoon and evening time frame, sustained in the 15-20 kt range gusting to 30 kts, before weakening to light and variable once again after 01-04Z.

DDC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

Cold Weather Advisory from midnight tonight to 10 AM CST Saturday for KSZ031-046-065-066-079>081-089-090.