Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Huntsville, AL
Issued by NWS Huntsville, AL
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971 FXUS64 KHUN 150552 AFDHUN Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Huntsville AL 1152 PM CST Fri Nov 14 2025 ...New AVIATION... .KEY MESSAGES... Updated at 1054 PM CST Fri Nov 14 2025 - Near-record warmth possible on Saturday, with mostly sunny skies and a southwest wind that will gust up to 25 MPH. - Low clouds and a few light showers are expected early Sunday morning, ahead of a cold front that will bring a cooler/drier airmass into the region Sunday afternoon/evening. - Chances for showers and a few thunderstorms will return on Tuesday, with greater coverage of rain and storms possible on Friday. Warm and humid conditions will remain in place for much of next week. && .NEAR TERM... (This Evening through Saturday) Issued at 1054 PM CST Fri Nov 14 2025 An amplifying northern stream trough will dig southeastward from the Canadian Prairie provinces into southwestern Ontario and southeastern Quebec over the course of the near term period, within the flow around a cold core vortex centered across northern Manitoba. This configuration will maintain NW flow aloft across the TN Valley, that will progressively strengthen into the 40-50 knot range by tomorrow. In the low-levels, a surface high (initially stretching from the southern Mid-Atlantic Coast to the central Gulf Coast) will weaken and drift further southward, with SSW winds expected to gradually strengthen through the early morning hours as the pressure gradient contracts between the high and a cold front crossing the Upper MS Valley. The increase in boundary layer mixing, coupled with warmer overnight lows (ranging from the mid 40s/SE to mid 50s/NW) and larger dewpoint depressions will keep development of any early morning fog confined to sheltered valleys across northeast AL. Shortly after sunrise, surface winds will veer to SW and strengthen further as a deepening frontal wave drops southeastward across the northern Great Lakes. Sustained speeds of 10-15 MPH and gusts up to 25 MPH will be common throughout the day, and this in conjunction with mostly sunny skies and a WSW low-level jet (which will increase to 35-45 knots by late afternoon) will lead to a very warm November day featuring highs in the m-u 70s in the lower elevations. Record daily max temps of 81F (at both HSV and MSL) may be approached or tied in this regime. && .SHORT TERM... (Saturday night through Monday night) Issued at 1054 PM CST Fri Nov 14 2025 Short range model consensus suggests that a frontal wave (initially across the northern Great Lakes) will continue to intensify as it tracks eastward into New England on Saturday night. As this occurs, a partially modified maritime tropical airmass (featuring dewpoints in the m-u 50s) will spread northeastward across our CWFA to the south of a cold front trailing southwestward from the cyclone. An increase in lower- based stratus can be expected Saturday evening as this occurs, with a few light showers or pockets of drizzle also possible beginning late tomorrow evening in the northeastern corner of the forecast area and expanding to encompass the entire region between Midnight-6 AM Sunday. With the intensity of precipitation expected to remain very light, we will keep POPs in the 10-20% range at this point, with the greatest opportunity for wetting rainfall across our eastern zones. Any lingering rain and low clouds will quickly end across the southeastern portion of the region late Sunday morning, as northerly winds in the wake of the front advect a cooler/drier continental airmass southward. Warm sector lows on Sunday morning will be very mild (55-60F range), with highs later in the day reaching the u60s-l70s. As surface high pressure becomes established across the northern TN Valley Sunday night, calm winds will support lows of 35-40F, which could end up being even cooler than this in the absence of cloud cover. During the period from Monday-Monday night, a dampening 500-mb shortwave trough will track east-northeastward from eastern CO into the Mid-MS Valley along the northern rim of a strengthening subtropical ridge centered across southern Mexico. As the related surface low begins to travel eastward over the central High Plains, light SE flow will return to the region on Monday morning and increase Monday night as the decaying cyclone advances into central MO. However, it appears as if the eastern edge of a plume of richer Gulf moisture (extending from the TX Coast into the Ozarks) will remain to our west through early Tuesday morning, and the most likely scenario is for an axis of rain and thunderstorms to setup from central AR northeastward into the Lower OH Valley (along and north of a subtle warm front). Due to some lingering uncertainty regarding the development of additional convection south of the warm front (from eastern AR into western/Middle TN) we will leave a 5-10% POP intact for our northern zones, but trends are suggesting drier conditions with cooler highs (mid 60s) on Monday and warmer overnight lows (45-50F) Monday night. && .LONG TERM... (Tuesday through Friday) Issued at 1054 PM CST Fri Nov 14 2025 Global models continue to indicate that a dampening mid-level trough will accelerate eastward over the Mid-Atlantic states and offshore Tuesday/Tuesday night, with the decaying surface wave predicted to shift into the southern Appalachians. Weak low-level confluence in conjunction with the movement of the low coupled with diurnal warming and the return of dewpoints in the u50s-l60s may support development of showers and some thunderstorms (particularly across the northern half of the region) on Tuesday. However, it appears as if a layer of stable air in the mid-levels will limit CAPE and keep the risk the risk for organized convection rather low (in spite of marginally favorable mid-level WNW flow of 35-45 knots and a WSW low-level jet of 30-35 knots). Present indications are that the remnant confluence axis may drift southward into the region on Tuesday night before returning northward on Wednesday in response to lee cyclogenesis across the southern High Plains that will become more pronounced with time as an amplified southern stream trough ejects out of the southwestern CONUS. Although low clouds and some showers will be possible in this pattern, the greatest concentration of rain and thunderstorms (especially from Wednesday night into Thursday) will be displaced to our west and north (closer to the effective warm front). During the period from Thursday night into Friday, an area of low pressure (initially across the southern High Plains) will gradually intensify and accelerate northeastward into the Great Lakes in conjunction with the southern stream trough. Although there is still considerable uncertainty regarding when this will occur, a surface trough trailing southward off the low may bring an increasing risk for rain and thunderstorms to our region on Friday. Although both low-level and deep-layer shear appear conducive for organized storms at this point, instability may be limited by widespread clouds and poor lapse rates. Nevertheless, this is a system we will need to monitor closely over the coming days. Highs and lows next week will remain very mild and in the m-u 70s/m-u 50s respectively. && .AVIATION... (06Z TAFS) Issued at 1152 PM CST Fri Nov 14 2025 VFR/SKC conditions will continue early in the TAF period, with a minor increase in both stratocu and Ci anticipated to begin by 10Z as low-level moisture advection strengthens ahead of an approaching cold front. By early Saturday evening, cloud bases will descend into the 1500-3500 ft range, with a few lgt SHRA or pockets of drizzle possible (especially to the north/east of the terminals). Sfc winds will remain from the SSE arnd 5 kts thru 15Z, with flow veering to SW and increasing to 12G22 kts beyond this point. Winds will veer further to WSW and subside late in the period, but a westerly low-level jet of 40-45 knots will result in LLWS during this timeframe. && .HUN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AL...None. TN...None. && $$ NEAR TERM...70/DD SHORT TERM...70/DD LONG TERM...70/DD AVIATION...70/DD