Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Raleigh/Durham, NC
Issued by NWS Raleigh/Durham, NC
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354 FXUS62 KRAH 030713 AFDRAH Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Raleigh NC 213 AM EST Wed Dec 3 2025 .SYNOPSIS... Continental Polar high pressure will migrate across the Southeast through early Thursday. A dry cold front will lead Arctic high pressure across and offshore the Middle Atlantic later Thursday through Friday, while weak waves of low pressure will track along a wavy frontal zone from the northern Gulf to offshore the Southeast coast. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... As of 1200 PM Tuesday... As the main surface low moves off the VA/NC coast early this afternoon and tracks northeast along the US coastline, rain will taper from west to east. Most of central NC should be dry by late afternoon. High pressure over Tennessee will gradually build in tonight, bringing clearing skies and a continued northwest breeze with occasional gusts up to 20 mph. Highs today will remain in the upper 40s to around 50. Overnight lows will fall into the midupper 20s across the northwest and generally the lower 30s elsewhere, with most locations at or below freezing. && .SHORT TERM /WEDNESDAY AND WEDNESDAY NIGHT/... As of 1200 PM Tuesday... Quiet weather will continue on Wednesday as high pressure remains in control of the Mid-Atlantic. Expect mostly sunny skies with light and variable winds through the day. Highs will run about 10 degrees below average, ranging from the mid to upper 40s, with a few low 50s possible across the south. Overnight, calm winds and reduced cold advection will allow temperatures to fall into the upper 20s to around 30 degrees. && .LONG TERM /FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/... As of 130 AM Wednesday... * Highest chances for precipitation still Friday into early Friday night, with lower confidence in chances Saturday through Monday. * There may be some snow accumulation across the northern Piedmont and northern Coastal Plain Fri morning before mixing with and changing over to rain Fri afternoon. Aloft, a s/w will track ewd across the region Fri and offshore Fri night as another s/w drops sewd into the cntl Plains. The second s/w may finally help the longwave trough progress ewd across the cntl and ern CONUS Fri night through Sun. Central NC should be under the influence of wswly to swly flow through at least Sun. The second s/w may move across the region Sun night/Mon, but model solutions vary wrt the timing, amplitude, and available moisture. Another nrn stream s/w may track across the Great Lakes/OH Valley and Northeast US Tue/Tue night. At the surface, Arctic high pressure over the Tri- State area Fri morning will shift ewd and off the New England coast on Fri, while continuing to ridge swwd across the region. Meanwhile, an area of low pressure will eject enewd across the Southeast US and lift newd off and along the Carolina coast, along a quasi-stationary front Fri/Fri night. There could be another wave/low that develops and tracks along the front Sat/Sat night, following a similar track as the previous low. Farther west, an area of low pressure may develop off the srn Rockies over the srn Plains Sat night in response to the s/w aloft. This low should track ewd across the lwr MS Valley and Deep South on Sun, however there are considerable model differences with this system that will influence its potential impacts, or lack thereof, for central NC Sun night/Mon. Precipitation: Fri still looks like the wettest day/eve in the extended forecast. There is an increasing signal for another possible round of precipitation between late Sat and Sun aft, highest chances across the south and east. Sun night/Mon remains fairly uncertain, but there is at least a slight chance for some precipitation during that time. P-types: While the majority of the precipitation from Fri to Mon is expected to be liquid, some wintry precipitation is possible with each of the rounds, mainly during the early morning timeframe and especially across the northern portions of central NC. For the Friday system, some snow may linger into the morning across the nrn Piedmont and nrn Coastal Plain, with up to 0.5 inch accumulation possible, before mixing with and becoming all rain during the afternoon. Based on current timing, this could impact the morning commute for locations along and north of the US-1 corridor. As the low moves away Fri night/early Sat, there could be a brief period of some fzra over the nrn Piedmont. Given the continued low confidence and model differences, will hold off on specifics for Sat night through Mon. Temperatures: Highs will remain below normal Fri-Tue. Fri will the coldest day, with highs ranging from mid 30s NW to mid 40s SE, some 15-20 degrees below normal. Highs Sat and Sun ranging from mid 40s to around 50 degrees. Lows should generally remain near to slightly below normal, generally ranging from upper 20s to low/mid 30s, with the exception of Mon night, which could be several degrees lower, but uncertainty remains. && .AVIATION /06Z WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/... As of 200 AM Wednesday... While mainly VFR conditions are forecast for cntl NC through 06Z Thu, MVFR to low VFR stratocumulus now wrapping clockwise from ern NC through SC may linger across srn NC through this evening, including near and especially just southwest of FAY (ie. toward MEB and RCZ). Surface high pressure will otherwise build across the Southeast and favor light and variable surface winds in cntl NC. Outlook: Strong radiational cooling tonight, atop saturated soil from yesterday`s rain, will probably promote the development of at least patchy fog Thu morning, with highest probability of occurrence and lowest visibility restrictions in an arc from near CLT to FAY to RWI. An energetic southern stream jet will send a few waves of lift and precipitation --and flight restrictions-- into cntl NC late this week through early next week. The first will arrive and will include a chance of snow over the Piedmont late Thu night-Fri. && .RAH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && $$ SYNOPSIS...MWS NEAR TERM...CA SHORT TERM...ca LONG TERM...10 AVIATION...MWS