Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Blacksburg, VA

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730 FXUS61 KRNK 280652 AFDRNK Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Blacksburg VA 252 AM EDT Tue May 28 2024 .SYNOPSIS...
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A series of upper disturbances will pass across Tuesday into Wednesday but overall mainly dry and less humid weather is expected.
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&& .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/...
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As of 230 AM EDT Tuesday... Key Message: 1. Mainly dry and pleasant conditions with isolated chance for showers or storms in the far western mountains. Early this morning there is a cluster of showers pushing into the far SWERN CWA perhaps associated with a weak low level wave. This should diminish here in the next few hours or so. Expect mostly clear to partly cloudy skies for the vast majority of the area today as we mainly stay in a drier post frontal airmass though still east of the broad upper trough axis. A weak amplification and perturbation traversing the flow may allow for isolated convection in the far northern mountains for the afternoon. Will need to monitor how some of the CAM guidance trends as the Nam nest looks to be an outlier with an area of perhaps more organized convection propagating into more of the mountains this evening, though quickly diminishing in coverage/intensity. Max temps today look to mostly range from the upper 60s to mid 70s in the mountains and low to mid 80s in the Piedmont.
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&& .SHORT TERM /WEDNESDAY/... As of 200 PM EDT Monday... Key Messages: 1. A few upslope showers and isolated storms possible Wednesday afternoon. Little change was made to the mid-range forecast as there is high confidence in the middle of the week will be calm with a cooling trend. From the previous discussion... The medium range models are in good agreement keeping the eastern U.S. under the influence of an upper level trof that is reinforced on Wednesday by an upper level system pushing south of the western Great Lakes. The 27/00Z SREF does show modest probabilities of SBCAPES exceeding 500 j/kg in central WV, as an upper level cool pool moves over the area, so an isolated storm cannot be ruled out on Tuesday in southeast WV. Widely scattered showers and perhaps an isolated storm is also possible Wednesday afternoon mainly in southeast WV, but most areas will remain dry with temperatures close to normal on Wednesday with temperatures expected to be a few degrees cooler on Wednesday. Generally followed the NBM guidance for temperatures during this period. && .LONG TERM /WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY/... As of 215 PM EDT Monday... Key Messages: 1). Generally benign weather for the later half of the week into the weekend. 2). Unseasonably cool through much of the period. 3). Little to no rainfall for the Piedmont through the period. Light showers possible across the western mountains. The last week of May right into the first week of June will be dominated by cyclonic northwest flow around a deep upper low anchored over the eastern Great Lakes. This low pressure area will only very slowly drift east toward NY/New England through the week into the weekend, still influencing the weather across the eastern U.S. over the weekend. The Thu-Sat time period will be largely dry. There is little if any support for precipitation during this time frame. A surface high takes over by late Thursday in the Mid-Atlantic, and going into the weekend, an upper ridge begins to tighten and intensify over the area. This will allow a short wave to traverse the Midwest/OH/TN valley reaching our area by the weekend. However, there is considerable disagreement among the various models as to when and how this system will impact the region. Have kept PoPs under 25% for the most part through the weekend. 850mb temperatures will drop from the early double-digit readings in the low to mid teens deg. C to around +5C to +8C through much of the later half of the week. Temperatures will be on the cool side for late May/early June, only reaching the 60s across the higher terrain west of the Blue Ridge until the weekend, when lower to mid 70s will return. These readings are 5-10 degrees below normal. Nights will be chilly with lows in the 40s west and 50s east. A few spots such as Burkes Garden and Quinwood could see the upper 30s Friday morning behind a secondary surge of cold air rotating around the upper low. /Confidence Levels in Forecast Parameters/ - Moderate to High Confidence in Temperatures, - Low to Moderate Confidence in Precipitation Probabilities, - Moderate Confidence in Wind Direction and Speed, - Low Confidence in Thunderstorm Potential. && .AVIATION /07Z TUESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/... As of 200 AM EDT Tuesday... Mainly VFR conditions through period though some MVFR cigs could flirt with KBLF and KLWB soon early this morning. Otherwise expect FEW/SCT cu field near 4-5 kft today into this evening. Could have some alto coverage by this evening also. Some isolated SHRA/TSRA possible mainly this afternoon near KLWB but chance not high enough to include in TAF. Winds generally light out of the west this morning, increasing to 7-11 kts during the day (gusts near 18-20 kts for KBLF and KLWB), then light west to calm this evening into tonight. EXTENDED AVIATION OUTLOOK... VFR Tuesday night through much of the week. There is a low chance for showers and thunderstorms across WV Wednesday. Patchy fog with periods of MVFR/LIFR will be possible in the mornings near mountain and river valleys. && .RNK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... VA...None. NC...None. WV...None. && $$ SYNOPSIS...AB/WP NEAR TERM...AB SHORT TERM...PH/VFJ LONG TERM...RAB/VFJ AVIATION...AB/WP