Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Newport/Morehead, NC
Issued by NWS Newport/Morehead, NC
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570 FXUS62 KMHX 180550 AFDMHX Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Newport/Morehead City NC 1250 AM EST Tue Nov 18 2025 .SYNOPSIS... High pressure will be centered overhead tonight then will slide offshore through the day tomorrow. A quick moving front then pushes through the area Tuesday night into Wednesday. Behind this system, a warming trend will bring increasing temperatures through late week with the next series of fronts impacting the area over the weekend. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM THIS MORNING/... As of 710 PM Monday... Added Downeast Carteret County to the Freeze Warning with this update. We have decoupled across the CWA, and temperatures have been dropping faster than initially forecast. With this trend expected to hold, new forecast low temperatures as low as 31F are possible early Tuesday morning in portions of Downeast Carteret County. OBX is also cooling much faster than initially forecast with the ideal radiational cooling conditions, but current thinking is higher dewpoints will prevent low temps from reaching freezing. Previous Discussion...As of 1300 Monday... Key Messages - Dry and breezy - Cold tonight with SFC high settling over the FA tonight. - Freeze Warning in effect for Pamlico co. High pressure to continue to build over the Mid- Atlantic through this evening bringing clear skies and a steady 5-10 mph NW`rly wind with gusts up to 15-20 mph for next few hours. This will promote CAA across the region keeping high temps below avg, ranging from the upper 50s to low 60s today. In addition to this, we will remain dry with RH`s generally ranging from the upper teens inland, 25-30% range across OBX. While this would typically promote an increased fire danger risk across the region, given the lighter winds elected to not hoist one. (See Fire Weather Section for more details) NWerly flow aloft weakens as upper low exits Maine Nward into CAN. Mid level ridging over FL Panhandle helps flatten out mid/upper flow to become more zonal, keeping cool dry air streaming overhead, keeping skies clear. SFC high builds in from the NW to be centered over the NC/VA I95 corridor. High pressure dominating ECONUS, dry air at the SFC as seen by the 18Z Tds in the upper teens, and winds falling out as the SFC high approaches, ENC will have a very strong radiational cooling night with Ts crashing quickly into the 40s after sunset. Have gone with the coldest guidance available considering all of the above and how cold we got last night, and there is potential this is not cold enough. MinTs AoB freezing expected for the vast majority of the mainland. Warmest spots forecasted to be OBX and DownEast Carteret where MinTs are in the low 40s, but should these areas completely decouple, freezing isn`t out of the question. Have issued a Freeze Warning for Pamlico County which would leave Eastern Carteret and OBX zones as the only areas still "in the growing season." && .SHORT TERM /6 AM THIS MORNING THROUGH 6 PM TODAY/... As of 1340 Monday... Key Messages - High pressure slides offshore in the afternoon. - Dry with slightly warmer temps than MON. Similar to today, very chilly start with freezing Ts warming quickly after sunrise getting rid of early morning frost, reaching the 50s by midmorning. SFC high gets shunted offshore through the day by approaching, vertically stacked, and weakening shortwave aloft, SFC low, and its attendant warm front lifting NEward through AL and GA through the day. This will lead to onshore and then more Serly flow developing through the afternoon, allowing MaxTs to creep a few degrees higher than today as well as increasing lower level moisture content. Highest MaxT in mid to upper 60s SWern zones, upper 50s to around 60 NOBX. && .LONG TERM /TONIGHT THROUGH MONDAY/... As of 1345 Monday... Key Messages: - Extended period of above normal temperatures appears likely from mid-week on - Stronger frontal system possible this weekend Will have a weak upper trough tracking across the Mid-Atalntic on Tue and Wed with the associated mid level shortwave doing the same. Upper ridging then builds over the Southeast from Wed evening on into the end of the week. Forecast uncertainty then increases over the weekend and into early next week with the potential for another trough or two to track across the Mid- Atlantic, though exact evolution of these upper level features remains uncertain for now. SFC low passes W of the area with its attendant warm front lifting through the FA Tuesday night into Wed. This will bring a chance for cloud cover and a few scattered showers mainly along and north of Hwy 264 where Chc PoP`s are noted. While SChc PoPs extend as far south as central Duplin/Jones and Craven Counties. General timing for precip if it were to occur falls between about 10PM Tue to 10AM Wed. With winds becoming S`rly Wed expect a warming trend with highs in the upper 60s to low 70s Wed behind the warm front and ahead of a dry cold front that will cross latter half of Wed. This will bring benign weather and continued avg to above avg temps to ENC through the end of the work-week. As mentioned before, incoming upper trough this weekend could bring a series of lows and their fronts crossing through ENC which would bring a better chance at some precip, though given larger than avg uncertainty in the forecast, exact details still need to be hashed out. High pressure is then forecast to build in behind whatever frontal system impacts ENC. Temps continue to remain avg to above avg going into early next week. && .AVIATION /06Z TUESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/... As of 1245 AM Tuesday... Key Messages: - VFR conditions expected through the TAF period High pressure centered across the area this morning will slide offshore this afternoon. VFR conditions will prevail through the TAF period under mainly clear skies, aside from an area of high clouds moving across southern rtes early this morning. Light and variable winds through this morning will become southerly this afternoon generally around 5 kt or less. A shortwave trough and attendant cold front approach the area tonight and push through Wednesday morning which will bring lowering cigs with isolated to widely scattered showers across rtes after midnight into Wednesday morning, better chances across northern rtes. Most guidance keeps cigs above 3k ft with prob of sub VFR below 35%. Outlook: A weak system transits the area Tuesday night into Wednesday morning that could bring isolated showers across rtes with lower cigs, however guidance keeps most of the area VFR. High pressure builds in Wednesday night into Friday with pred VFR expected, however could see some patchy early morning fog. && .MARINE... As of 1400 Monday... Key Messages - Winds continue to fall this evening and into tomorrow as high pressure approaches and pushes offshore TUE afternoon. - Elevated winds and seas potentially return this weekend. Cold front is well offshore with winds continuing to fall through the short term. Winds currently NWerly 10-15G<20kt and seas 3-5ft laying down with the winds which are forecast to be 10kt or less out of the N Tues morning. SFC high pushes offshore midday Tuesday turning the weak winds to be onshore by the sunset, seas generally 1-2ft, 3ft over far outer waters Hatt N by the evening. Outlook: SW winds strengthen to 10-15kt overnight TUE night behind the warm front with low end chance of some rain over Nern waters. Dry cold front sags S through area waters late WED shifting winds to a N-NEerly direction at 5-15 kts, with 2-4 ft with some stringer winds associated with the post-frontal Nerly surge late WED afternoon/evening. Lighter winds and seas return and persist behind this through Fri morning before increasing Sat with the approach of series of stronger cold fronts. && .MHX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NC...Freeze Warning until 8 AM EST this morning for NCZ094-196. MARINE...None. && $$ SYNOPSIS...MHX NEAR TERM...CEB/RJ SHORT TERM...CEB LONG TERM...CEB/RCF AVIATION...SK MARINE...CEB/RCF