Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Wakefield, VA

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000 FXUS61 KAKQ 181709 AFDAKQ AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WAKEFIELD VA 109 PM EDT SAT MAY 18 2013 .SYNOPSIS...
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A WEAK FRONT REMAINS NEARLY STATIONARY OVER SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA AND NORTH CAROLINA THROUGH TONIGHT. THE FRONT WILL SLOWLY LIFT BACK TO THE NORTH LATER SUNDAY INTO MONDAY.
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&& .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/...
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1 PM UPDATE...A PERSISTENT AREA OF SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE ACROSS NORTHERN PORTIONS OF THE FA NORTH OF RICHMOND AND EAST TO THE LOWER EASTERN SHORE AND HAVE LIKELY POPS IN THESE AREAS. OTHER SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP DURING THE AFTN ACROSS PIEDMONT...SOUTH CENTRAL VIRGINIA AND NORTHEAST NORTH CAROLINA. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE OVER SOUTHEAST VIRGINIA. MOST SURFACE WINDS WERE FROM THE EAST WITH SOUTHERLY WINDS DEVELOPING ACROSS NORTHEAST NORTH CAROLINA AND SOUTHEAST VIRGINIA. A POORLY DEFINED FRONT EXTENDS CLOSE TO THE VA/NC BORDER THEN BENDS NORTHWEST THROUGH WEST VIRGINIA TOWARD THE OHIO VALLEY. THIS FRONT WILL MEANDER THROUGH THE SAME AREA AND MAY MOVE BACK TO THE SOUTH OVERNIGHT. ANY SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY THIS AFTN WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING HEAVY DOWNPOURS WITH PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES AROUND 1.5 INCHES WHICH IS WELL ABOVE NORMAL. HAVE LOWERED TEMPERATURES SLIGHTLY OVER SRN PORTIONS OF THE AREA FOR THE REST OF THE AFTN...BASED ON TRENDS AND LATEST LAV GUIDANCE. HAVE MAX READINGS FROM AROUND 70 ON THE LOWER ERN SHORE AND LOW TO MID 70S N OF INTERSTATE 64 TO UPR 70S ALONG OUR SRN BORDER. TONIGHT...LATEST INDICATIONS ARE THAT SHOWER AND TSTM ACTIVITY WILL DIMINISH THIS EVENING WITH MOST AREAS REMAINING DRY OVERNIGHT. WILL KEEP AT LEAST 20 TO 40 PERCENT POPS ACRS THE AREA DUE TO LOW LEVEL INSTABILITY. LOW TEMPERATURES WILL BE GENERALLY IN THE LOW TO MID 60S WITH UPR 50S ON THE MD EASTERN SHORE.
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&& .SHORT TERM /SUNDAY THROUGH MONDAY/... WET WEATHER WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE SHORT TERM AS THE STALLED FRONT BEGINS TO LIFT NWD AS A WARM FRONT SUN AND MON. MAIN FORECAST CHALLENGES WILL BE TIED TO PRECIP COVERAGE AND QPF. WEAKENING UPPER LOW EXPECTED TO MEANDER IN THE VICINITY OF THE CUMBERLAND PLATEAU SUNDAY. POTENT TROUGH TRAVERSING THE PLAINS SUN WILL AMPLIFY THE RIDGE OVER THE ERN CONUS...HELPING LIFT THE STALLED BOUNDARY NWD AS A WARM FRONT LATE SAT NIGHT AND SUN. AT THE SAME TIME...INCREASING SW FLOW (H85 WINDS 20-30 KT) WILL ADVECT NEARLY +2 STD DEV PRECIP WATER VALUES INTO THE REGION. ADDITIONAL WEAK IMPULSES WILL EJECT EWD FROM THE UPPER LOW...COMBINING WITH ABUNDANT MOISTURE FOR ADDITIONAL SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING SUN. THETA-E ADVECTION AND TEMPS IN THE UPPER 70S/LOW 80S WILL MAINTAIN A MARGINALLY UNSTABLE AIRMASS (500-1000 J/KG CAPE) OVER SRN VA...RESULTING IN A GOOD CHANCE FOR AFTERNOON THUNDERSTORMS. COMBINATION OF CONVECTION AND DEEP MOISTURE COULD LEAD TO A THREAT OF FLASH FLOODING...ESPECIALLY IF WIDESPREAD RAINFALL OCCURS THIS AFTERNOON (SAT AFTERNOON). MIDWEST TROUGH WILL KICK WHATS LEFT OF THE UPPER LOW EWD MONDAY OVER THE APPALACHIANS...LOCATING OVER THE FA MONDAY. MEANWHILE...THE WARM FRONT WILL LIFT NORTH OF THE FA. ABUNDANT MOISTURE AND GOOD DYNAMICS WILL RESULT IN ADDITIONAL SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. WARMER TEMPS WILL RESULT IN GREATER INSTABILITY...WITH ADDITIONAL ROUNDS OF HEAVY RAIN POSSIBLE. 72 HR QPF TOTALS FORECAST TO RANGE FROM OVER 2 INCHES ACROSS THE PIEDMONT TO JUST OVER HALF AN INCH FOR THE MD ERN SHORE. SE VA/NE NC COULD SEE TOTALS UPWARDS OF ONE INCH. IN ADDITION TO THE FLASH FLOOD THREAT...SEVERAL ROUNDS OF RAINFALL OVER THE REGION MAY LEAD TO RIVER FLOODING CONCERNS. HI TEMPS WILL GENERALLY RANGE FROM THE LOW/MID 70S NORTH TO LOW 80S SOUTH (NEAR SEASONABLE NORMS) SUN. COOLER ALONG THE IMMEDIATE COAST. WARMER MONDAY WITH HIGHS GENERALLY IN THE LOW 80S. AGAIN...COOLER ALONG THE IMMEDIATE COAST. && .LONG TERM /MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY/... LONG TERM PERIOD WILL FEATURE PERIODS OF UNSETTLED WX AND ABOVE NORMAL HI/LO TEMPS ON AVG. FOR TUE...MID-LVL S/W TROF PUSHES OFFSHORE ERLY IN THE DAY WITH A CHC FOR SHWRS MAINLY OVER SE AREAS. DECREASING CLDS DURING THE AFTN WITH TEMPS CLIMBING INTO THE MID 80S. S/SW FLOW CONTINUES WED AND THU LEADING TO CONTINUED WARM TEMPS (HIGHS IN THE MID TO UPR 80S) AND A CHC FOR MAINLY DIURNAL SHWRS/TSTMS WITH WEAK SFC TROFS OVER THE AREA. BEST CHC FOR RAIN WILL BE FRI AS A COLD FRNT ADVANCES TOWARDS THE AREA. WILL CAP POPS AT 40% FOR NOW WITH HOW FAR OUT IN TIME THIS IS ALBEIT FAIRLY GOOD CONSISTENCY AMONGST MODEL GUIDANCE WITH THE FRNTAL TIMING. HI TEMPS ONLY IN THE UPR 70S TO NEAR 80 FRI DUE TO PRECIP AND WIDESPREAD CLOUDINESS. && .AVIATION /18Z SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/... THE AREA OF SHOWERS WHICH MOVED ACROSS CENTRAL VA...TIDEWATER AND NC NC ARE PUSHING OFFSHORE. ONLY A FEW STRAY SHOWERS ARE EXPECTED THROUGH THE MORNING HOURS AND VSBYS SHOULD REMAIN 5SM OR BETTER IN ANY LIGHT SHOWERS. CEILING THIS MORNING WILL BE A MIX OF MVFR AND VFR. BY MID TO LATE MORNING EXPECT MOST LOCATION TO IMPROVE TO VFR WITH CEILINGS AOB 3KFT. THIS MAY BE SHORT LIVED FOR A PERIOD LATE THIS MORNING AND EARLY AFTERNOON AS A A WEAK WARM FRONT WILL SLOWLY LIFT SW- NE ACROSS THE REGION TODAY INTO TONIGHT. ADDITIONAL SCT SHRA/TSRA WILL DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON WITH INCREASING SELY FLOW. SHOWERS WILL INCREASE IN COVERAGE THROUGH THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING. VFR CONDITIONS SHOULD GENERALLY PREVAIL LATE THIS MORNING INTO EARLY AFTERNOON WITH THE EXCEPTION OF REDUCED VSBY IN MODERATE SHOWERS WHICH START TO DEVELOP AROUND 17-19Z. STATISTICAL GUIDANCE ALONG WITH FORECAST SOUNDINGS SUGGEST THE POTENTIAL FOR IFR STRATUS LATER TONIGHT...ESPECIALLY FOR RIC/PHF/SBY. THE POTENTIAL FOR SHRA/TSRA CONTINUES SUNDAY INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK AS MOIST SE TO SW FLOW CONTINUES TO AFFECT THE REGION. && .MARINE... A WEAK FRONTAL BOUNDARY ACROSS THE REGION IS BEGINNING TO SLOWLY LIFT NE AS A WARM FRONT EARLY THIS MORNING. THIS SLOW PROCESS IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGH THE DAY INTO TONIGHT. MEANWHILE...HIGH PRESSURE WILL REMAIN ANCHORED OFF CAPE COD AS TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE APPROACHES FROM THE WEST. THIS WILL RESULT IN A TIGHTENING PRESSURE GRADIENT ACROSS THE REGION LATER THIS AFTERNOON INTO TONIGHT. A 10-15KT ESE WIND IS EXPECTED TO APPROACH 20KT LATER THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH THIS EVENING FOR THE BAY/LOWER JAMES. SIMILAR SPEEDS ARE EXPECTED FOR THE OCEAN. HOWEVER...THE ONSHORE COMPONENT TO THE WIND SHOULD ALLOW SEAS TO BUILD TO 5FT LATER TODAY INTO TONIGHT...MAINLY N OF CAPE CHARLES. HENCE SCA FLAGS HAVE BEEN RAISED FOR THE AFOREMENTIONED AREAS BEGINNING AT 20Z/4PM THIS AFTERNOON AND CONTINUING THROUGH 04Z/12AM FOR THE BAY/LOWER JAMES AND 10Z/6AM FOR THE OCEAN. THE WARM FRONT FINALLY CLEARS THE REGION LATER SUNDAY AFTN/EVE ALLOWING FOR THE WIND TO SHIFT TO S AND EVENTUALLY SW. SPEEDS SHOULD GENERALLY REMAIN AOB 15KT. HOWEVER...A BRIEF INCREASE IS POSSIBLE MONDAY AFTN/EVE AS LOW PRESSURE TRACKS N OF THE REGION. SEAS SHOULD LARGELY BE 3-4FT WITH ~2FT WAVES. && .AKQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
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MD...NONE. NC...NONE. VA...NONE. MARINE...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL MIDNIGHT EDT TONIGHT FOR ANZ630>632- 634-638. SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 6 AM EDT SUNDAY FOR ANZ650-652-654.
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&& $$ SYNOPSIS...LKB/LSA NEAR TERM...LSA SHORT TERM...SAM LONG TERM...MAS AVIATION...AJZ/JAO MARINE...AJZ

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