Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Pittsburgh, PA

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706 FXUS61 KPBZ 260902 AFDPBZ Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Pittsburgh PA 502 AM EDT Sun May 26 2024 .SYNOPSIS... Thunderstorms should gradually diminish and end this evening with areas of fog forming after midnight. Sunday is expected to be mostly dry under high pressure, but thunderstorms will returning Sunday night into Memorial Day. As we flip the calendars to June, temperatures fall back to just below normal. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 PM THIS EVENING/...
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KEY MESSAGES: - Widespread dense fog through dawn. Dense Fog Advisory in effect. - High pressure returns dry, warm weather for today. ------------------------------------------------------------------- The showers and thunderstorms moving through the area have pushed off to the southeast and weakened through the early morning hours. As cloud cover begins to clear out, expect the light winds and saturated ground to continue to assist in fog development. Will likely need to extend the Dense Fog Advisory. Flat upper ridging builds for today as surface high pressure arrives in the wake of the departing cold front. This will be the best day of the holiday weekend with little noticeable difference in the airmass behind the front as NBM probability for >85F is 40-60%.
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&& .SHORT TERM /6 PM THIS EVENING THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT/...
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KEY MESSAGES: - Another round of potentially strong to severe thunderstorms tonight into early Monday morning, then Monday afternoon ------------------------------------------------------------------- A warm front approaches late in the evening as low pressure ejects out of the Plains. Increasing moisture in developing southwest flow aloft will overspread mid/upper level clouds by evening. Latest guidance has continued the trend noted in the last update with slightly slower progression and onset not until late evening/overnight. While this timing is not typically favorable for severe weather in our area, a strengthening 30-40kt low level jet across the area late tonight may help maintain several stronger storms with damaging wind and/or large hail into eastern Ohio. Thus, the western couple teirs of OH counties in the forecast area have been upgraded to a slight risk, (2 of 5) with the rest of the area in a Marginal risk (1 of 5). Ensembles indicate only slight deviations from the mean in regard to the depth of an upper trough and additional shortwave energy traversing an upper low spinning across the Great Lakes through Monday. Aided by daytime heating and slow passage of a cold front, yet another round of strong to severe thunderstorms is possible with our area again outlined in a Marginal Risk with just a few eastern counties in a Slight risk. Machine learning comes a bit more aggressive with an extension of severe probabilities back into our area from the east, but one potential limiting factor may be morning cloud cover as NBM spreads pin even 60-70% coverage on the low end of the distribution. Highs Monday will be thus be cooler than those over the weekend with mid 70s most likely. The periodic chances of rainfall through the weekend may lead to a greater flash flood threat with saturated soils across the area.
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&& .LONG TERM /TUESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/...
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KEY MESSAGES: - Periodic rain chances continue through midweek. - Dry weather favored to close out the week. - Temperatures fall back toward seasonal average. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Upper level troughing plagues the area into mid week and rain chances continue into next week, although coverage should be scattered and mostly diurnally driven aside from a secondary cold front crossing the region Tuesday. By Wednesday, ensemble disagreement increases with the axis and strength of the upper trough, but any flavor of solutions doesn`t kick it out of the eastern CONUS until toward next weekend. Broad surface high pressure should finally turn the area dry by late week while temperatures fall back towards seasonal average with lows in the 40s not out of the question come mid to late week as the cooler airmass settles in. The dry change of weather is expected to last into the coming weekend.
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&& .AVIATION /09Z SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/... Widespread fog is expected through the early morning hours, developing slowest across MGW/LBE where low clouds will linger longest. Rapid burnoff after sunrise will result in VFR returning thereafter and lasting well into the afternoon. Restrictions may return with late afternoon/evening thunderstorms with a crossing shortwave. .Outlook... Restrictions will likely linger through Monday morning with continued showers and thunderstorms, eventually lifting to VFR Monday afternoon. Restrictions with precipitation are then expected periodically through mid-week. && .PBZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
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PA...Dense Fog Advisory until 8 AM EDT this morning for PAZ007>009- 013>016-020>022-029-031-073>078. OH...Dense Fog Advisory until 8 AM EDT this morning for OHZ041. WV...Dense Fog Advisory until 8 AM EDT this morning for WVZ001>004.
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&& $$ SYNOPSIS...Craven/Shallenberger NEAR TERM...Craven/Shallenberger SHORT TERM...MLB/Shallenberger LONG TERM...MLB/Shallenberger AVIATION...Rackley