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405 FXUS65 KBOU 170627 AFDBOU Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Denver/Boulder CO 1227 AM MDT Sat Oct 17 2026 .KEY MESSAGES... - Chilly but clear through tonight, and another freeze north and east of the Denver metro area. - Mainly dry and warmer for the weekend through the middle of next week. - Next storm system will arrive late next week with an increasing chance of showers and mountain snow. && .DISCUSSION /Through Friday/... Issued at 1113 PM MDT Fri Oct 16 2026 We`re off to a chilly start to the evening across the Platte River valley and some localized portions of the I-25 corridor. A few of our typical cold spots in the plains have already dipped below freezing, and a hard freeze is still expected across most of the northeastern plains overnight tonight. Temperatures should remain in the mid 30s to low 40s across most of the I-25 corridor, but there could be some patchy frost overnight. Temperatures are expected to warm into the mid 70s across the plains on Saturday as the upper level ridge remains over the region. The airmass is exceptionally dry and it will be difficult to even muster a cloud during the day. The ridge is expected to push off to the east by Sunday, as a weak cutoff low transitions back to an open wave, eventually drifting towards the forecast area under weak southwesterly flow. The only notable change in the weather will be an increase in cloud cover during the day Sunday, but temperatures are still expected to remain in the 70s. That shortwave should move through our forecast area by Monday, bringing a slight chance of rain/snow showers to the higher terrain, while the plains remain mild and dry. A few showers could continue through mid-week with moisture lingering in the south- southwesterly flow aloft. By the latter half of the week, the chances for a more organized storm system increase. A strong cutoff low is expected to be centered over southern California by Thursday, which then shifts east towards Colorado by late week or sometime next weekend. As is stands right now, the majority of deterministic and ensemble guidance keeps almost all of the meaningful precipitation to the south and west of our forecast area. Of course, this potential storm system is still about a week out, and it`s likely we`ll see shifts in the storm track over the next several days. && .AVIATION /06Z TAFS through 06Z Sunday/... Issued at 1158 PM MDT Fri Oct 16 2026 VFR conditions through the TAF period. Drainage winds tonight will turn to light southeasterly winds from the late morning through the afternoon Saturday. Winds will then return to drainage tomorrow night. && .BOU WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Freeze Warning until 9 AM MDT Saturday for COZ050-051. && $$ DISCUSSION...Hiris AVIATION...Danielson