000 FXUS64 KMAF 152140 AFDMAF AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIDLAND/ODESSA TX 340 PM CST TUE JAN 15 2002 SIG WX NIL UFN. NOT MUCH HAS CHANGED IN THE OVERALL REASONING SINCE 24H AGO. THE UPPER FLOW REGIME OVER NOAM WILL BE CHARACTERIZED BY A BROAD LONGWAVE TROUGH OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS. EMBEDDED WITHIN THIS LONGWAVE TROUGH WILL BE A PERSISTENT EMBEDDED POSITIVELY TILTED SHORTWAVE TROUGH EXTENDING FROM CALIFORNIA NORTHEAST INTO SOUTHERN CANADA. SEVERAL WEAK DISTURBANCES MOVING OUT OF THIS FEATURE WILL RESULT IN A FEW SOUTHWARD PENETRATIONS OF MODIFIED CANADIAN AIR...BUT GIVEN THAT THERE IS PRACTICALLY NO SNOWPACK ACROSS THE PLAINS AND THAT THIS FLOW REGIME LENDS ITSELF TO QUICK REDEVELOPMENT OF THE SURFACE LEE TROUGH...LITTLE SIGNIFICANT CHANGE TO TEMPERATURES IS FORECAST THROUGH EARLY NEXT WEEK. OVER THE SHORT TERM...EXTENSIVE MID AND HIGH LEVEL MOISTURE WILL PERSIST ACROSS THE REGION. THIS WILL SERVE TO NARROW THE DIURNAL SPREAD SOMEWHAT...RAISING OVERNIGHT MINIMA AND LOWERING DAYTIME MAXIMA FROM WHAT GUIDANCE SUGGESTS. A WEAK COLD FRONT IS FORECAST TO DROP INTO NORTHERN ZONES WEDNESDAY NIGHT...BUT THIS FEATURE SHOULD DISSIPATE AND TRANSLATE AWAY FROM THE AREA THURSDAY. A PIECE OF ENERGY BECOMES DISLODGED FROM THE POSITIVELY TILTED TROUGH FRIDAY INTO SATURDAY AS ANOTHER SHORTWAVE TOPS THE EASTERN PACIFIC RIDGE AND DROPS INTO THE MEAN TROUGH POSITION. WHILE THERE WILL BE SOME DYNAMICAL SUPPORT AND CONSIDERABLE UPPER MOISTURE TO WORK WITH...THE LOW LEVEL MASS FIELDS DONT LOOK SUPPORTIVE OF SUBSTANTIAL GULF MOISTURE RETURN. FURTHERMORE...A WAVE TRANSLATING ACROSS THE GULF THIS AFTERNOON WILL MAINTAIN SOME RIDGING ALONG THE GULF COAST... THEREBY KEEPING WHAT MOISTURE RETURN THERE WILL BE CONFINED TO AREAS WELL EAST OF THE CWFA. THUS THE CHANCES OF MEASURABLE PRECIP EARLY THIS WEEKEND ARE SLIM AND NONE. WE WILL MAINTAIN MOSTLY CLOUDY SKIES THROUGH SATURDAY AS WE SHOULD SEE THE HIGH LEVEL PACIFIC MOISTURE REMAINING WITHIN THE SUBTROPICAL JET...WITH PERHAPS SOME CLEARING AFTER TROUGH PASSAGE SATURDAY. THE EXTENDED SHOULD REMAIN DRY UNDER A CONTINUANCE OF THE FAST ZONAL FLOW ALOFT...AND TEMPERATURES SHOULD REMAIN AT OR A BIT ABOVE CLIMATOLOGY THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK. THE PRELIMINARY GUIDANCE BELOW IS FOR COORDINATION PURPOSES ONLY. OFFICIAL FORECASTS ARE CONTAINED WITHIN THE WEST TEXAS/SOUTHEASTERN NEW MEXICO ZONE FORECAST. MAF 42/68/38/65 0000 LSA 40/65/35/64 0000 6R6 43/67/42/67 0000 MRF 28/60/28/60 0000 CNM 40/68/38/66 0000 .MAF... TX...NONE. NM...NONE.