Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Blacksburg, VA

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108 FXUS61 KRNK 102333 AFDRNK Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Blacksburg VA 733 PM EDT Mon Jun 10 2024 .SYNOPSIS...
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Isolated showers then cooler weather is expected tonight. Dry weather prevails through the work week. Temperatures trend warmer with 90s possible for highs in some locations Wednesday through the weekend.
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&& .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TUESDAY/...
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As of 730 PM EDT Monday... Key Messages: 1) A few showers and possibly an isolated thunderstorm this evening. 2) Dry weather Tuesday. Isolated showers were west of the Blue Ridge in association with a short wave tracking into eastern West Virginia. A majority of the showers will dissipate before 9PM and the rest will erode before midnight as the vorticity passes to the north of the region. Have adjusted the probability of precipitation for the latest radar trends and added a bit more cloud cover in the mountains overnight with the expected upslope wind. No changes to temperatures at this time. Previous discussion As of 130 PM EDT Monday... Troughing still remains in the eastern United States with multiple shortwaves rotating through the longwave pattern. One shortwave crosses the area this afternoon and will reinforce drier and slightly cooler weather for tonight and tomorrow. Widespread cumulus has developed across the area this afternoon, but so far shower/storm activity has been kept to a minimum. Still may see some showers and possibly an isolated thunderstorm as a weak surface front associated with the shortwave passes later this afternoon and into the evening. Limited surface based instability, but some elevated instability and steep lapse rates may drive the isolated convection as better forcing passes through in the next few hours. Dry tonight after the front passes with partly cloud skies. Some upslope cloudiness is possible through the morning hours for the western mountains. Some morning valley fog possible. High pressure builds in from the west Tuesday and mostly sunny and dry conditions are expected.
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&& .SHORT TERM /TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT/...
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As of 100 PM EDT Monday... Key Points: 1. Slightly below normal temperatures on Wednesday. 2. Slightly above normal temperatures on Thursday. 3. No precipitation expected. A look at the 10 June 00Z NCEP Ensemble Mean 500 mb Geopotential heights shows the axis of a shortwave trough east and northeast of the region with weak ridging arriving Tuesday night. During Wednesday, the pattern over the region transitions to nearly a zonal flow, but does maintain a bit of a wnw-ese orientation. A deep low will be positioned just west of Greenland with a trough a trough extending to along the Ontario/Quebec border. On Thursday, the Canadian trough amplifies a bit into the Great Lakes region. Flow across our region maintains a wnw-ese orientation. By the end of Thursday night, the trough is expected to be located from southwest Quebec to the Upper Tennesse Valley. At the surface, a generally sw- ne oriented ridge of high pressure is expected to over the region Wednesday into Thursday. Its position may be slightly farther south on Thursday as compared to Wednesday, being displaced slightly by an approaching cold front across the Upper Mississippi River Valley. Output from the 10 June 00Z Ensemble Situational Awareness Table shows 850mb temperatures Tuesday night around +12C across the region. By Wednesday values are expected to average +14C to +16C. On Thursday those numbers increase a bit more to +16C to +18C. The western portion of the area will be within the upper end of this range, and also just touch the 90 to 97.5 percentile of the 30-year climatology. Precipitable Water values Tuesday night are expected to range from a little bit less than 0.75 inches across the far western parts of the area to a little shy of 1.00 inch over eastern section. Locations within the sub-0.75 inch values will experience readings within the 2.5 to 10 percentile of the 30-year climatology. On Wednesday, readings increase to around 0.75 inch to a little over 1.00 inch. By Thursday, expect readings around or little over 1.00 inch for the entire area. The above weather scenario points to a forecast with little to no probability of precipitation. Temperatures will be around or slightly cooler than normal on Wednesday and a few degrees above normal for Thursday. Confidence in the above forecast is high.
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&& .LONG TERM /FRIDAY THROUGH MONDAY/... As of 100 PM EDT Monday... Key Points: 1. Above normal temperatures through the period, especially Friday and Monday. 2. Primarily dry cold front passage on Friday. 3. Return of isolated/scattered mountain showers/storms by Sunday/Monday. A look at the 10 June 00Z NCEP Ensemble Mean 500 mb Geopotential heights shows that by Friday evening, the trough is expected to be located from southwest Quebec to the Upper Tennesse Valley. This feature crosses our area late Friday night into Saturday, and by Saturday evening is centered over New England. Shortwave ridging takes place over the mid to upper Mississippi Valley. On Sunday, the ridge strengthens and shifts east and by the evening hours extends from the area of TN/GA/NC north to the Ontario/Quebec border. On Monday, the ridge continues to build with the axis showing no longitudinal movement, but with increasing heights across our area. At the surface, on Friday a cold front is expected to cross our region. By Saturday, high pressure returns to the area. Its center is expected to shift into the western Atlantic by Sunday/Monday, with its associated ridge axis extending west into our region. Output from the 10 June 00Z Ensemble Situational Awareness Table shows 850mb temperatures on Friday are expected to range from +18C to +20C across the area. This places the entire region within the 90 to 97.5 percentile of the 30-year climatology. Saturday values will be slightly lower, ranging from +17C to +19C. Only a small change is expected Sunday with readings of +16C to +18C. We see another small tick upward on Monday with readings of +19C to +20C. The top end of this range is across western part of the region, within the 90 to 97.5 percentile of the 30-year climatology. On Friday, Precipitable Water values will average 1.25 inch across the region. On Saturday, expect a fairly tight nw-se gradient with readings over SE WV around 0.75 inch with South Virginia seeing number just shy of 1.25 inch. On Sunday, values will range from 1.00 to 1.25 across the area, and a little over 1.25 for Monday. For this portion of the forecast, the latest model trends suggest little to no precipitation is expected with the passage of the cold front on Friday. If there is any, it would be in the form of isolated showers, an perhaps a rumble or two of thunder, over parts of Southeast West Virginia. Post cold front, as the center of an area of high pressure crosses our region and progresses eastward into the western Atlantic, anti-cyclonic flow around the high will progressively mean better moisture flux off the Atlantic and into our region. While are not talking widespread rain, we are recognizing that with this increased moisture, and with a weakening cap as the high shifts east, daytime heating combined with orographic influences will allow for the potential for some afternoon showers/storms by Sunday/Monday. Temperatures will average above normal for this time of year during this portion of the forecasts, especially on Friday and Monday. Confidence in this section of the forecast is moderate. && .AVIATION /23Z MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/...
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As of 725 PM EDT Monday... Isolated showers west of the Blue Ridge will gradually dissipate this evening, with dry weather expected after midnight/04Z. A cold front was crossing west to east over the central Appalachians this evening, turning the wind to the northwest and north. MVFR ceilings will spread into the mountains late tonight behind this front. MVFR to LIFR river valley fog is also expected, mainly between 06Z/2AM and 12Z/8AM. The probability for fog is highest at KLWB where is rained Monday so have maintained that in the TAF overnight. KBLF and KBCB may also have fog, but confidence at these airports is lower. High pressure builds across the region Tuesday. VFR conditions are expected once the shallow fog burns off in the morning. It may take until late morning for ceilings to lift to VFR and clouds to become scattered over the mountains. In general, Bufkit forecast soundings were showing the potential for scattered stratocumulus in the 2 to 4Kft AGL range in the mountains and foothills. Average confidence for ceiling, visibility, and wind. EXTENDED AVIATION OUTLOOK... VFR anticipated through the upcoming week. Mainly dry conditions expected through Saturday.
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&& .RNK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... VA...None. NC...None. WV...None. && $$ SYNOPSIS...BMG NEAR TERM...AMS/BMG SHORT TERM...DS LONG TERM...DS AVIATION...AMS/BMG