656
FXUS62 KRAH 021342
AFDRAH

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Raleigh NC
942 AM EDT Sun Jun 2 2024

.SYNOPSIS...
An upper trough crossing the region will provide some cloudiness and
widely scattered light showers today and tonight.  Otherwise, look
for a warmer temperatures, more humidity, and increasing chances for
daytime shower and thunderstorm activity as we head through the
first half of the week.

&&

.NEAR TERM /TODAY AND TONIGHT/...
As of 942 AM Sunday...

Morning satellite imagery continues to show widespread cloud cover
across NC in advance of an approaching longwave trough over the TN
valley. A weak embedded wave within the trough, and associated
forcing for ascent, has produced some widely scattered
showers/sprinkles across the area, but for the most part there is
still too much mid level dry air to overcome for showers to reach
the ground (depicted well by the dry layer from 600-800mb per 12Z
GSO sounding). Cloud cover has held temperatures back a bit this
morning but given the relatively mild start to the day, temps are
slowly climbing through the upper 60s into the lower 70s as of
1330Z.

As the upper trough approaches, surface high pressure will continue
to migrate offshore allowing for continued moist advection into the
area. The combination of the approaching shortwave and lee troughing
east of the mountains should produce additional showers later this
afternoon, primarily across the western Piedmont and that is the
area where the highest PoPs have been depicted in today`s forecast
(30-40 percent). There is an outside chance of a rumble of thunder
in that area as well but instability is understandably meager given
extensive cloud cover and any storms that develop should remain well
below severe limits. As the wave slowly moves east tonight,
additional light showers are possible across much of central NC but
rainfall amounts will be light (a few hundredths of an inch at
most). A broad swath of 15-20 PoPs will remain in the forecast for
the evening/overnight period to account for the passage of the
trough but once we get back 00Z tonight, all mentions of thunder
will be removed from the forecast.

High temps today should reach the low to mid 80s. Look for a mild
night tonight given cloud cover and increasing dewpoints: low to mid
60s.

&&

.SHORT TERM /MONDAY AND MONDAY NIGHT/...
As of 317 AM Sunday...

NW flow will persist over the Carolinas given a s/w ridge axis to
west and a trough axis to our east. Meanwhile, a backdoor front over
VA will gradually drift south toward our area.  Low level
convergence along and ahead of the aforementioned front, along with
convergence invof of the Piedmont trough, may provide enough forcing
for widely scattered late-afternoon and evening showers and
thunderstorms. Will maintain low-chance PoPs for this time, along
with highs in the mid 80s.  Lows Monday night in the 60s.

&&

.LONG TERM /TUESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/...
As of 317 AM Sunday...

The extended forecast continues to show an unsettled pattern, with
Saturday the only day with high confidence of dry conditions.
Perhaps the most difficult aspect of the long term forecast is that
the strongest features, a surface low and upper level low, should
primarily remain over Canada. Weaker features, a surface cold front
(which will bring some drier air but not much in the way of cooler
air) and an upper trough rotating around the upper low while the low
is over the Great Lakes, will be the forcing mechanisms for any
precipitation, which will have lower predictability.

Chance pops are expected on Tuesday primarily east of US-1, then all
locations should have high chance pops on Wednesday and Thursday.
Tonight`s model runs are showing the highest chances of rain
remaining to the west of central North Carolina on Wednesday, then
shifting the highest chances of rain north of the region on
Thursday, a slightly different solution than what was shown 24 hours
ago. There is fairly good agreement between deterministic and
ensemble models that the cold front should move through late
Thursday, then loiter along the coast Friday. This should keep
chance pops east of I-95 Friday, with slight chance pops across the
rest of the forecast area mainly due to the 00Z GEFS solution. With
the front shifting offshore Saturday, that is the one day in the
forecast with high confidence for dry conditions.

Expect minimal variations in the highs and lows through the period -
highs will range from the mid 80s to the low 90s while lows will be
in the 60s.

&&

.AVIATION /12Z SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/...
As of 631 AM Sunday...

Through 12Z Monday:  Radar showing virga across the western Piedmont
including invof KINT and KGSO; however, sfc obs showing cigs around
10k ft.  Antecedent dry air that`s currently in place in the low
levels should continue to limit rain chances this morning and keep
cigs mainly vfr. The risk for brief/light showers will eventually
spread east toward I-95 later today; however will forgo including
this in the TAFs due to the aforementioned dry air, high cigs, and
overall low rain chances and widely sct coverage.  SW aob 10kt
expected through the period, with a few higher gusts mainly at
GSO/INT.

After 12Z Monday: Moisture will continue to return to the area in
the coming week, with increasing chances for showers each day,
especially at INT/GSO. Showers are likely to be diurnal in nature
through Thursday with brief periods of sub-VFR weather possible
within heavier downpours.

&&

.RAH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
None.

&&

$$
SYNOPSIS...np
NEAR TERM...Leins
SHORT TERM...np
LONG TERM...Green
AVIATION...np