Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Wakefield, VA

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000 FXUS61 KAKQ 190824 AFDAKQ AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WAKEFIELD VA 424 AM EDT SUN MAY 19 2013 .SYNOPSIS...
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A WEAK FRONT REMAINS NEARLY STATIONARY OVER NORTH CAROLINA THIS MORNING. THIS FRONT IS EXPECTED TO LIFT TO THE NORTH TODAY...AND MOVE NORTH OF THE REGION BY MONDAY AFTERNOON. A RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE OFF THE SOUTHEAST COAST WILL PREVAIL INTO THE MIDDLE OF THE WEEK.
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&& .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 PM THIS EVENING/...
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LATEST WATER VAPOR IMAGERY CONTINUES TO SHOW STUBBORN UPPER LOW OVER WRN KY WITH A RATHER BROAD MID/UPPER LEVEL TROUGH SITUATED FROM KY DOWN INTO THE CAROLINAS. AT THE SFC...STATIONARY FRONT/BOUNDARY STILL LOCATED OVER NRN NC. AREA OF SHOWERS AND EMBEDDED THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPED ALONG THE BOUNDARY IN N CNTRL NC EARLIER THIS MORNING...BUT HAVE SINCE WEAKENED AS THEY MOVED NORTH INTO THE REGION. CLOUD TOPS HAVE WARMED...BUT A FEW SHALLOW SHOWERS ONGOING OVER THE ERN SHORE...AIDED BY MID LEVEL ENERGY/SHORTWAVE. RUC H7 OMEGA HANDLES THIS AREA OF SHOWERS WELL...WITH THE SHOWERS PUSHING OFFSHORE IN THE NEXT FEW HOURS. IN ADDITION...VERY MOIST BOUNDARY LAYER...WAA AND CALM WINDS HAVE RESULTED IN AREAS OF FOG THIS MORNING...WITH SOME VISIBILITIES AS LOW AS HALF A MILE IN THE RICHMOND AREA. ADDITIONAL WEAK IMPULSES WILL EJECT EWD FROM THE DYING UPPER LOW INTO A WARM/MOIST AIRMASS...WITH THE FIRST ARRIVING LATER THIS MORNING. COOLING CLOUD TOPS ALREADY OBSERVED THIS MORNING OVER WRN NC. PRECIP WATERS STILL AROUND 1.5 INCHES (+1 STD DEV). EXPECT SHOWERS TO INCREASE IN COVERAGE ACROSS THE ERN VA PIEDMONT BY MID MORNING. FOR THIS AFTERNOON...WEAKENING UPPER LOW WILL REMAIN IN THE VICINITY OF WRN KY AS THE BOUNDARY BEGINS TO LIFT NWD AS A WARM FRONT. SHORTWAVE WILL LIFT THROUGH VA...COMBINING WITH WEAK DIVERGENCE ALOFT TO PROVIDE FORCING FOR ASCENT...ALBEIT WEAK. HOWEVER...WITH ABUNDANT MOISTURE IN PLACE...IT WILL BE ENOUGH TO TRIGGER ADDITIONAL SHOWERS THIS AFTERNOON...MAINLY ACROSS THE PIEDMONT INTO CNTRL VA. INSTABILITY WILL BE LIMITED...BUT GOOD LOW LEVEL LAPSE RATES AND THETA-E ADVECTION WILL BE ENOUGH FOR SCATTERED AFTERNOON THUNDERSTORMS....MAINLY ACROSS SRN VA. S/SE FLOW WILL LIMIT THE AMOUNT OF INSTABILITY ALONG THE COAST AND OVER THE ERN SHORE. MID LEVEL WIND FIELDS ARE RATHER WEAK...SO THE MAIN THREAT FROM THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE HEAVY RAIN. ANOTHER CLOUDY/WET DAY WILL PREVENT TEMPS FROM REACHING THEIR FULL POTENTIAL...WITH HIGHS GENERALLY IN THE MID/UPPER 70S. COLDER ALONG THE IMMEDIATE COAST AND OVER THE ERN SHORE.
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&& .SHORT TERM /6 PM THIS EVENING THROUGH TUESDAY/...
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REMNANTS OF THE UPPER LOW WILL EJECT OVER THE APPALACHIANS SUNDAY NIGHT INTO MONDAY AS A POTENT UPPER TROUGH REACHES THE MIDWEST. AT THE SFC...WARM FRONT WILL LOCATE NORTH OF THE FA MONDAY AFTERNOON AS HIGH PRESSURE LOCATED OVER THE WRN ATLANTIC EXTENDS WWD INTO THE LOWER MID ATLANTIC AND SE STATES. WARM/MOIST AIRMASS WILL BUILD IN AS S/SW FLOW ADVECTS DEEP MOIST FROM THE ATLANTIC...WITH PRECIP WATER VALUES APPROACHING +1.5 STD DEV. WEAK SHORTWAVE AND DIVERGENCE ALOFT WILL PROVIDE SUBTLE FORCING FOR ASCENT...BUT EXPECT MOST FORCING AND RESULTANT CONVECTION TO BE DIURNALLY DRIVEN. WHILE THETA-E ADVECTION AND WARM TEMPERATURES WILL PROVIDE MARGINAL INSTABILITY (500-1000 J/KG CAPE)...A WEAKENING MID LEVEL WIND FIELD WILL PROVIDE LIMITED SHEAR. THE RESULT WILL BE SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY LITTLE ORGANIZATION. THE SHORTWAVE AXIS PROGGED TO BE AROUND THE ERN VA PIEDMONT...WITH THE BEST CHANCES FOR SHOWERS/THUNDERSTORMS BEING TO THE EAST OF THE AXIS OVER CNTRL AND ERN VA. TROUGH AXIS WILL LOCATE ALONG THE COAST TUESDAY AS THE CNTRL CONUS TROUGH AMPLIFIES THE UPPER RIDGE OVER THE EAST. RESIDUAL MOISTURE AND SUBTLE UVM WILL BE SUFFICIENT FOR SHOWERS ALONG THE COAST TUESDAY AFTERNOON. DEWPOINTS IN THE MID 60S AND AFTERNOON TEMPS IN THE LOW/MID 80S WILL RESULT IN GREATER INSTABILITY (~1500 J/KG CAPE AND ~-6 LIFTED INDEX) FOR CONVECTION/THUNDERSTORMS. FORCING WILL BE MOSTLY DIURNALLY DRIVEN. HOWEVER...SHEAR REMAINS WEAK SO EXPECT NO ORGANIZED THUNDERSTORMS. NEAR SEASONABLE NORMAL TEMPS MONDAY (UPPER 70S/LOW 80S) BEFORE A WARMING TREND TUESDAY. INCREASING HEIGHTS/THICKNESSES...AS WELL AS 850 TEMPS APPROACHING +1 STD DEV...WILL RESULT IN TEMPS GENERALLY IN THE MID 80S.
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&& .LONG TERM /TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY/... MODELS SIMILAR OVER THIS TIME PERIOD WITH THE TIMING OF ANOTHER TROF DEEPING AT 500 MB TOWARD FRIDAY AND SATURDAY. THIS WILL USHER A STRONGER COLD FRONT THROUGH THE REGION FRIDAY INTO SATURDAY. THE FRONT WILL HAVE SOME SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WITH IT AS IT MOVES THROUGH. BEFORE THAT A FRONTAL BOUNDARY REMAINS NEARLY STATIONARY ACROSS THE GREAT LAKES AND NEW ENGLAND. SOUTH OF THIS AREA WILL HAVE GENERAL SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST FLOW ACROSS THE AREA. COULD SEE AN ISOLATED AFTERNOON THUNDERSTORM. ANY THUNDERSTORMS THAT FORM NORTH ALONG THE BOUNDARY COULD PUSH INTO THE NORTHERN PART OF THE AREA DURING THE EVENINGS. TEMPERATURES WILL BE AT OR ABOVE NORMAL UNTIL THE FRONT PASSES. THEN TEMPERATURES WILL DROP BACK ON SATURDAY TO AT OR BELOW NORMAL. && .AVIATION /08Z SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/... AVIATION CONDITIONS NEXT 12 HOURS OR SO APPEAR TO BE SPLIT BETWEEN MVFR/VFR AT KPHF/KECG/KORF AND MAINLY IFR AT KRIC/KSBY. LOOKS LIKE KRIC WILL REMAIN IFR/LIFR THROUGH AT LEAST 12Z IN PRE-WARM FRONTAL AIRMASS WITH SCTD SHWRS/FOG/DZ. KSBY...BASED UPON OBSERVATIONS LAST 1-2 HOURS...WILL LIKELY OSCILLATE BETWEEN IFR AND MVFR...ALTHOUGH IFR WILL DOMINATE IN THE 09Z-14Z TIME FRAME. THE OTHER 3 TAFS SHOULD BE MAINLY VFR/MVFR...ALTHOUGH A HEAVIER SHOWER/TSTM COULD BRIEFLY BRING CONDITIONS DOWN TO IFR. WITH LITTLE FORCING THROUGH 20Z...DO NOT EXPECT A LOT OF SHWR/TSTM ACTIVITY AT KORF/KPHF/KECG. LATEST NAM SUGGESTS THAT PRECIP FOCUS WILL SHIFT TO THE NORTH AND WEST AS WARM FRONT LIFTS NORTHWARD AHD OF WEAKENING UPR TROF FROM THE TN VLY. THIS SHOULD LIMIT PRECIP COVERAGE AT TERMINALS IN THE 12Z-00Z TIME FRAME...ALTHO SCTD SHWRS/ISOLD TSTM PSBL AT KSBY THROUGH 18Z...AND AT KRIC AFTER 21Z. REGION IN WARM SECTOR MON THROUGH WED WITH SCTD...MORE DIURNAL...SHWR/TSTM ACTIVITY...BUT MAINLY VFR/MVFR CONDITIONS. && .MARINE...
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E/SE WINDS PREVAIL ACROSS THE MARINS AREA THIS MORNING...WITH SPEEDS BELOW SCA CRITERIA EVERYWHERE. WIND EXPECTED TO GRADUALLY TURN TO THE SOUTH ALL AREAS AS THE DAY PROGRESSES...AND WARM FRONT LIFTS NWD THROUGH REGION. WINDS GENERALLY 10-15KT ON THE BAY/RIVERS/SOUND...AND 10-20 KT ON THE OCEAN /HIGHEST N OF CAPE CHARLES LIGHT/. THESE CONDITIONS EXPECTED TO PERSIST NEXT 2-3 DAYS...BEFORE WINDS BECOME SSWLY/SWLY IN THE TUE TIME FRAME. BIGGEST FORECAST CONCERN THIS MORNING IS SEAS ON THE COASTAL WATERS. WINDS FORECAST DO NOT APPEAR TO BE SUFFICIENT TO CAUSE SEAS TO INCREASE TO 5+ FEET. HOWEVER...WAVEWATCH GUIDANCE PERSISTS IN PLACING MOST OF THE COASTAL WATERS IN 5-6 FOOT SEAS TODAY/TONIGHT. ATTM...WILL HAVE SCA FOR THE NRN 2 CSTL ZONES FOR SEAS THROUGH 00Z MON. SEAS HAVE INCREASED TO AROUND 5 FEET AT 44009 AND 44014...WITH GREATEST RISK FOR 5 FOOT SEAS IN COASTAL WATERS AREA BEING IN THE NRN COASTAL ZONES. SEAS EXPECTED TO SUBSIDE BELOW 5 FEET AFTER 00Z MON.
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&& .HYDROLOGY... RAINFALL OVER THE PIEDMONT AND RIDGES TO THE WEST ARE FORECAST TO BRING SIGNIFICANT RISES TO AREA RIVERS BY MONDAY AND TUESDAY. SOME LOCATIONS WILL LIKELY EXPERIENCE ACTION STAGE AND MAY POSSIBLY HAVE MINOR FLOODING. THIS WILL DEPEND ON WHICH BASINS LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL SETS UP WHICH IS TOO EARLY TO DETERMINE. && .EQUIPMENT... AKQ 88D RADAR IS BACK IN SERVICE. && .AKQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
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MD...NONE. NC...NONE. VA...NONE. MARINE...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 11 PM EDT THIS EVENING FOR ANZ650. SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 8 PM EDT THIS EVENING FOR ANZ652.
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&& $$ SYNOPSIS...LKB NEAR TERM...SAM SHORT TERM...SAM LONG TERM...JAB AVIATION...WRS MARINE...WRS HYDROLOGY... EQUIPMENT...

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