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027 FXUS65 KBOU 071123 AFDBOU Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Denver/Boulder CO 423 AM MST Sat Mar 7 2026 .KEY MESSAGES... - Lingering slick spots possible through early this morning. - Warming trend returns this weekend, continues through Monday/Tuesday. - Dry weather favored for the foreseeable future, aside from slim (20%) chances for light mountain snow showers Tuesday-Wednesday. && .DISCUSSION /Through Friday/... Issued at 1101 PM MST Fri Mar 6 2026 Dry NW flow aloft will be over the area Sat thru Sun. Main concern for Sat will be high temps where decent snow cover exists. Naturally haven`t seen a snow cover map, but based on snow reports, have kept highs in the lower to mid 40`s where deeper snow cover resides. Meanwhile, where lower snow cover exists highs may reach the lower 50s. By Sun, a sfc lee trough will develop east of the mtns with downslope low level flow. This will allow for warmer temps Sun aftn as readings rise into the upper 50`s to mid 60`s across the plains. For Mon and Tue, the flow aloft will become more westerly with only some higher level moisture embedded in the flow. Downslope low level flow will remain in place on Mon which should allow for highs in the upper 60`s to mid 70`s over the plains. On Tue, the downslope component will weaken as a cold front moves across the plains by late aftn. As a result, highs may cool a few degrees but readings will still be above normal. By Tue night into Wed the flow aloft will become more NW. The cold will move across all of the plains Tue night and bring cooler temps for Wed as highs drop back into the 50`s over nern CO. The last few nights the ECMWF and GFS have had differing solution as to how much moisture will be embedded in the flow. Ensemble data from the ECMWF has shown better moisture while ensemble data from the GFS has been drier. As a result, the ECMWF would produce some light precip mainly over the higher terrain while the GFS basically has no precip. For now will leave what the blended solution has for pops and keep a chc of light precip over the higher terrain. Looking ahead to Thu and Fri, mainly dry WNW flow aloft will be over the area as a sfc lee trough redevelops east of the mtns. This will lead to increasing downslope low level flow with warmer temperatures. In addition, will likely see increasing winds over the higher terrain and near the foothills. && .AVIATION /12Z TAFS through 12Z Sunday/... Issued at 423 AM MST Sat Mar 7 2026 VFR will persist with only a few high and thin cirrus clouds. Winds should be fairly straight-forward as well, as normal drainage winds (S-SW) have developed. They will hold through at least 18Z. Fresh snow cover should prevent a normal diurnal wind pattern today, so they`ll remain southerly (>80% chance) through 00Z as cold air drains off the deeper snowpack. There`s just a small (20%) chance that winds turn a little more southeasterly or briefly VRB this afternoon 21-24Z. Then, slightly enhanced south/southwest drainage winds 10-15 kts can be expected by 02Z and persist through at least 15Z Sunday. && .BOU WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && $$ DISCUSSION...RPK AVIATION...20