National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office

• Home
• Site Map
• News
• Organization
• Search for: NWS All NOAA 

000
FXUS62 KFFC 250557
AFDFFC

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Peachtree City GA
157 AM EDT Thu Apr 25 2024

...New 06Z Aviation Discussion...

.SHORT TERM...
(This afternoon through Thursday)
Issued at 232 PM EDT Wed Apr 24 2024

Clouds have slowly cleared out south of I20 over the last hour or
so, however over performing morning cloud coverage mean model temps
are 1 to 2 degrees too warm. Clouds have cleared over the last hour
or so, meaning we may still catch up today.

A weak shortwave trough and sfc front slowly move through the area
today bringing isolated light showers across portions of North and
Central GA. Showers should be sparse and light, given the presence of
the SFC high to the northeast. Little to no accumulation is expected
(~0.01").

Highs today and tomorrow will be in the Low to mid 70s north of I-85
and closer to 80 South of I-85. Low tonight and tomorrow night will
hang in the mid to upper 40s and low to mid 50s. The higher
elevations will be several degrees cooler.

High pressure continues to build and move northeastward through
tomorrow, promoting weak wedge development. Models currently resolve
the wedge edge around the ATL metro, however this is likely under-
represented. Winds will be light tomorrow at 0 to 5 mph for much of
the area through the afternoon. Winds should pick up further from the
East as ridging builds to the west.

SM

&&

.LONG TERM...
(Friday morning through next Tuesday)
Issued at 232 PM EDT Wed Apr 24 2024

On Friday, a broad mid-level ridge will settle in over the eastern
CONUS, extending from the northern Gulf of Mexico into the Great
Lakes region as the long term period begins. A strong (1030+ mb)
surface high pressure will meanwhile move into the New England area,
at which point a CAD wedge will develop along the lee side of the
Appalachians and spread into portions of northeast Georgia. Also at
the surface, the cold front from the short term period will be
lifting northward as a warm front. Mid-range guidance continues to
keep the forecast area dry, but isolated light rain showers and
increased cloud cover could be possible in the vicinity of the front,
particularly in portions of north Georgia where warm air is lifted
over cooler air within the wedge. Speaking of temperatures, after
starting the morning mainly in the mid to upper 50s, diurnal heating
will be limited within the wedge over the course of the day on
Friday. Here, afternoon highs will be limited to the 60s to low 70s,
as opposed to upper 70s elsewhere in north Georgia and in the low to
mid 80s in central Georgia.

A low pressure system in the central Great Plains will advance
northeastward Friday into Saturday, riding the north side of this
ridge towards the Great Lakes region. A cold frontal boundary and
associated precipitation are expected to stall out before reaching
the forecast area. The gradual warming trend will continue through
the weekend and in to early next as 1000-500 mb thicknesses increase
under the influence of the ridge. High temperatures will climb a
couple of degrees each day, and will be in the mid to upper 80s
across the majority of the area by Monday afternoon. Southwesterly
flow aloft will also set up on the back side of the ridge axis in the
later part of the weekend, which will also lead to moisture return
and increasing cloud cover in the forecast area. A second low
pressure system will develop along the stalled frontal boundary, and
advance northeastward along roughly the same track as the first on
Sunday into Monday. The advance of the low will help the front
advance eastward towards Georgia, which will bring the next
appreciable chance for showers and thunderstorms to the area. Long-
term guidance continues to trend slower with the progression of this
system, with precipitation spreading into far north Georgia by Monday
evening, which will advance southward overnight into Tuesday.

King

&&

.AVIATION...
(06Z TAFS)
Issued at 148 AM EDT Thu Apr 25 2024

VFR conditions prevail across the area early this morning. The weak
frontal band presently extends from MCN to CSG, with SCT-BKN clouds
at around 6kft along with some high clouds. A few other high clouds
are farther N around the Atlanta metro area. Some patchy fog is
expected to develop near and S of CSG prior to daybreak, but have not
included any significant vsby or cig restrictions at the terminal at
this time. Winds will be light and fairly variable today. The wind
direction at ATL is forecast to veer to NNE around 11Z this morning
before shifting back to NW by early afternoon. However, due to the
light nature of these winds, there is lower confidence.

//ATL Confidence...06Z Update...
Medium for wind shift timing, high for other elements.

SEC

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
Athens          56  74  58  77 /   0  10  10  10
Atlanta         60  77  61  78 /   0  10   0   0
Blairsville     52  67  54  69 /   0  20  10  10
Cartersville    57  77  60  78 /   0  10   0   0
Columbus        61  86  64  82 /   0  10   0   0
Gainesville     57  71  59  75 /   0  20  10  10
Macon           59  83  61  81 /   0  10   0  10
Rome            56  78  60  78 /   0  10   0   0
Peachtree City  58  80  60  79 /   0  10   0   0
Vidalia         61  83  62  82 /   0  10   0   0

&&

.FFC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...None.

$$

SHORT TERM...SM
LONG TERM....King
AVIATION...SEC