Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Wilmington, NC

Home | Current Version | Previous Version | Text Only | Print | Product List | Glossary Off
Versions: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50
-- Highlight Changed Discussion --
-- Discussion containing changed information from previous version are highlighted. --
000 FXUS62 KILM 110752 AFDILM Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Wilmington NC 352 AM EDT Thu Apr 11 2024 .SYNOPSIS...
-- Changed Discussion --
Widespread showers with a few isolated strong to possibly severe thunderstorms will occur across the bi-state region today. A strong cold frontal passage this evening will end the rainfall threat followed by partial clearing. Breezy conditions expected thru Fri with near normal temps. High pressure to migrate across the area this weekend, sliding offshore from he SE States Coast by early next week. This will allow a major warm up to near summer-like temps across the region during the early to mid- week period of next week.
-- End Changed Discussion --
&& .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/...
-- Changed Discussion --
Convection over southeastern GA and the FL panhandle continues to move east and northeastward this morning. Light rain overspreading northeastern SC and southeastern NC will hinder destabilization for most of the day. Minimal breaks in shower activity and thick cloud cover will generally counteract limited warm air advection. The bulk of strong storms will likely favor the warmer and more humid Gulf Stream. Advecting shortwave and decreasing heights will help to improve mid level lapse rates with model guidance supporting up to around 300 J/kg of CAPE through the early afternoon. A strong low level jet moving overhead during this time could create a few strong wind gusts in showers and storms. Widespread severe weather is not anticipated although an isolated damaging wind gust and a tornado are possible in these "strong showers" or storms. Heavy rain could produce some issues along the coast where PW, elevated instability, and low level convergence will be maximized. Expect around an inch to two inches in these areas through this afternoon. Locally higher amounts are possible in convection. Dry air builds in behind the cold front and the bulk of the precip later this afternoon. Cooler air aloft will produce better lapse rates. Entrainment will keep developing showers and thunderstorm potential minimized, but a briefly strong wind gust could result as the dry air mixes in. Breezy today outside of convection with gusts up to 40 mph. Winds peak between mid morning and early afternoon with higher winds more likely along the coast. Continually breezy tonight as the boundary layer fails to decouple. Much drier tonight and slightly cooler as cold air advection works its way from west to east. Lows in the mid 50s in northeastern SC and upper 50s to around 60 in southeastern NC.
-- End Changed Discussion --
&& .SHORT TERM /FRIDAY THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT/...
-- Changed Discussion --
Friday will feature the 5H southern stream s/w phasing in with the closing 5H low having dropped out of Canada over the Great Lakes. The sfc low will have been captured by the 5H low by Fri aftn. The FA will be within cyclonic flow sfc thru aloft with daytime cu/scu likely during Fri given enough avbl moisture. It will be a breezy day with active westerly winds. The mid-level trof axis swing across the Carolinas Fri aftn and off the coasts Fri evening. Could see a round of scu/altocu across the FA, more coverage further north across the FA one goes. Decent subsidence after the upper trof pushes off the coast with continued breezy conditions under NW winds. Looking at also decent CAA Fri night but with somewhat uniform lows expected across the FA due to an active boundary layer. Sat into Sat night will see a slow diminishing wind trend but still remaining just active enough Sat night to prevent an all out rad cooling night. Sfc high pressure will migrate from the NE Gulf of Mexico to off the SE States coast during Sat night. Overall, Fri night lows will run below normal and Sat night near normal. Fri highs will run slightly hier than Sat given the late arrival of the decent CAA given progged various thickness schemes. Fire wx concerns a possibility on Sat with low RH and gusty winds. Soil moisture profiles may be non-conducive for fires Fri given the progged 1 to 2+ inch rains that are progged to fall the day b4.
-- End Changed Discussion --
&& .LONG TERM /SUNDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/...
-- Changed Discussion --
Looking at a dry long term period as ridging aloft across the south central U.S. Sun, slowly progresses toward the East Coast by mid-week next week. The upper ridge axis is progged to be nearly overhead by midweek. An outstanding warming trend is shaping up this period with daily highs likely reaching the 80s during the 1st 3 days of the work week. This is roughly 2+ categories above normal. Of course, the sea breeze influence will keep shore-line temps capped in the 70s. Look for nighttime lows to also creep upwards each night, to 1 to 2 categories above the norm by midweek.
-- End Changed Discussion --
&& .AVIATION /07Z THURSDAY THROUGH MONDAY/... Widespread MVFR ceilings expected to develop over the next 6 hours. Moist airmass will maintain predominantly low clouds and light to moderate rainfall through Thursday afternoon. There will likely be brief improvements to VFR during the period, but impossible to pinpoint any intermittent improvements at this time. IFR ceilings will be possible, especially inland, during the day Thursday. Low visibilities expected within moderate to heavy rain showers, with slight chance of thunder during afternoon and evening hours. VFR to build in from west to east at the end of the period. Southerly winds will dominate the area through TAF period, with increasing wind speeds and gusts overnight into Thursday. Wind gusts 30-35 kts forecasted beginning 15z. Have included LLWS at coastal terminals for the last 4-6 hours of TAF period (Thursday afternoon/evening) as south winds at 2000 ft increase to 50-60 kt. Extended Outlook...Conditions will be improving Thursday night, with VFR forecasted for daytime Friday through Monday. && .MARINE...
-- Changed Discussion --
Through Tonight... SE flow increases this morning ahead of a cold front and associated line of showers and storms. Conditions will rapidly deteriorate to SCA thresholds over the next few hours. Gusts up 35 knots are expected today. Gale-force gusts outside of convection are possible, but should remain brief, mainly this afternoon. A line of showers and thunderstorms could produce gusts in excess of 35 knots late this morning and into the afternoon. Seas peak during the late afternoon at 8-11 feet. Breezy conditions continue behind the cold front tonight with ongoing SCA conditions likely through Friday morning. Seas up to 12 feet early gradually decrease overnight to 6-9 feet by Friday morning. Friday through Monday... SCA conditions will be ongoing across all waters at the start of this period. At this point, we have SCA thresholds being met thru atleast daybreak Sat. That could extend beyond given the overall slow diminishing windspeed trend. Once winds become more NW, a true offshore direction Fri night into Sat, seas will finally see a substantial subsiding trend. The sfc pg will see a relaxing trend Sat into Sat night, with windspeeds diminishing below SCA thresholds. CAA will combine with the initial NW wind change to likely keep windspeeds at SCA levels for possibly the 1st half of Sat.
-- End Changed Discussion --
&& .ILM WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NC...High Risk for Rip Currents from 6 AM EDT this morning through this evening for NCZ106-108-110. Coastal Flood Advisory until 3 AM EDT early this morning for NCZ107. High Surf Advisory from 1 PM this afternoon to 11 AM EDT Friday for NCZ110. SC...High Risk for Rip Currents from 6 AM EDT this morning through this evening for SCZ054-056. High Surf Advisory from 1 PM this afternoon to 11 AM EDT Friday for SCZ054. MARINE...Small Craft Advisory from 6 AM this morning to 6 AM EDT Saturday for AMZ250-252-254-256. $$ SYNOPSIS...DCH NEAR TERM...21 SHORT TERM...DCH LONG TERM...DCH AVIATION...21 MARINE...DCH/21

USA.gov is the U.S. government's official web portal to all federal, state and local government web resources and services.