Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Columbia, SC
Issued by NWS Columbia, SC
275 FXUS62 KCAE 281723 AFDCAE Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Columbia SC 1223 PM EST Fri Nov 28 2025 .SYNOPSIS... Cool and dry weather conditions remain in place through Saturday. A few showers are possible along and ahead of a cold front on Sunday. A period of moderate to heavy rainfall is expected with the next storm system Monday night into Tuesday. High pressure then builds back in for Wednesday and Thursday. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... Key message(s): - Continued well below normal temperatures and very dry This afternoon: Surface high pressure will build over the Carolinas with weak cold advection today. A very dry air mass is in place with PWATs less than a quarter inch and dewpoints in the teens which will result in critical RH values this afternoon. Fortunately winds will be relatively light as the axis of the high builds in. High temperatures will be cooler than yesterday and struggle into the lower 50s under mostly sunny skies. Tonight: The center of high pressure will build into the Mid Atlantic and Carolinas overnight. This should provide near ideal radiational cooling with a very dry air mass in place and light to near calm winds. The one complicating factor is the potential of widespread higher clouds moving over the region. MOS guidance continues to come in several degrees colder than NBM guidance and NBM50th percentile is much more in line with MOS and think this is more likely to occur if clouds remain thin enough. Expect temperatures to drop very quickly with sunset and loss of winds with the very dry air mass in place. Expect lows to fall well into the 20s and if clouds remain thin enough lows in the lower 20s are certainly possible. && .SHORT TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT/... Key message(s): - Continued cool and dry on Saturday with warmer temperatures on Sunday, especially towards the Coastal Plain. - A cold front approaches the region on Sunday with a chance for a few passing showers along and ahead of the boundary. Saturday and Saturday Night: Surface high pressure centered over West Virginia at daybreak will shift east in response to an upper trough and developing storm system over the Central CONUS. Another cool and dry day is expected with only modest moisture return. Morning cloudiness is expected to clear out by midday followed by increasing clouds at night ahead of the next storm system. Temperatures will be similar to today with forecast highs in the upper 40s to lower 50s. Increasing clouds should limit cooling at night but there could be a large range in low temperatures with upper 20s in the Northern Midlands and mid-30s in the CSRA. Sunday and Sunday Night: A cold front crosses the FA but is now expected to clear the entire region by daybreak Monday, in response to high pressure building in from the north and west. Moisture is expected to briefly climb to around an inch ahead of the boundary before dropping again behind it. Support is lacking with this front and many locations may end up dry, with the highest probabilities across the north and west which will be closer to the better lift. Model guidance continues to show a sharp northwest to southeast temperatures gradient with forecast highs ranging from the lower to mid 50s to the mid to upper 60s. Abundant cloud cover limits cooling again at night with lows ranging from the lower 30s to the mid-40s. && .LONG TERM /MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/... Key message(s): - Mainly cloudy and cooler on Monday with a low end risk for showers, mainly in the CSRA. - The next storm system moves in Monday night into Tuesday when a period of moderate to heavy rainfall is likely. - High pressure brings drier weather to close out the period. The weather pattern on Monday continues to resemble an in-situ wedge setup, keeping the FA cool and mainly cloudy on Monday. PWATs begin to increase again as the next storm system begins to develop over the western Gulf. A few showers remain possible on Monday, especially across the CSRA, but the majority of the rain should hold off until late Monday night when low pressure quickly approaches from the southwest. Confidence remains high that there will be a period of moderate to heavy rainfall. While slight timing differences remain, Tuesday morning appears to be the most likely time for the heaviest rainfall. High pressure then builds in behind the departing storm system ushering in another cool, dry air mass. Below normal daytime temperatures and near to below normal nighttime temperatures are favored through the extended. && .AVIATION /18Z FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... High confidence in VFR conditions through the next 24 hours. High pressure continues to build into the area through tonight. A very dry air mass is in place and will prevent any precipitation and should inhibit any fog concerns. Winds will be from the northwest today around 5 to 10 knots then diminish to less than 5 knots to near calm overnight. EXTENDED AVIATION OUTLOOK...Low level moisture increases Saturday which will lead to higher chances for restrictions and widespread rain from Sunday into early next week. && .CAE WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... SC...None. GA...None. && $$