Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Charleston, SC

Current Version | Previous Version | Text Only | Print | Product List | Glossary On
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 KCHS 161719 AFDCHS AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC 119 PM EDT SUN JUN 16 2013 .SYNOPSIS... HIGH PRESSURE WILL CONTINUE TO RETREAT FARTHER INTO THE ATLANTIC EARLY THIS WEEK. A WAVE OF LOW PRESSURE AND ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH FROM THE WEST BY THE MIDDLE OF THE WEEK...WITH THE FRONT LIKELY STALLING OVER THE REGION THROUGH AT LEAST THE LATE WEEK PERIOD. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 PM THIS EVENING/...
-- Changed Discussion --
NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES NEEDED TO THE PREVIOUS FORECAST. THE SEA BREEZE IS BEGINNING TO PUSH INLAND FROM THE COAST. THE MID-LEVEL INVERSION SHOULD BE STRONG ENOUGH TO PREVENT SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS HOWEVER. HIGHS WILL TOP OUT IN THE MID TO UPPER 80S INLAND WITH SOME 90 DEGREE READINGS POSSIBLE WELL INLAND. THE BEACHES WILL REMAIN NO WARMER THAN THE LOWER 80S.
-- End Changed Discussion --
&& .SHORT TERM /6 PM THIS EVENING THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... TONIGHT...LOW-LEVEL RETURN FLOW WILL BE IN FULL SWING TONIGHT AS HIGH PRESSURE REMAINS OFFSHORE AND A STORM SYSTEM APPROACHES FROM THE WEST. A FEW MODELS SPIT OUT A LITTLE SHOWER ACTIVITY OVER THE ATLANTIC WATERS AFTER MIDNIGHT...BUT THIS MAY BE A BIT AGGRESSIVE CONSIDERING A TREND OVER DEVELOPING NOCTURNAL SHOWER/TSTM ACTIVITY OVER THE COASTAL WATERS HAS BEEN OBSERVED SINCE LAST FALL. SHOULD ANY SHOWER ACTIVITY DEVELOP...LOW-LEVEL TRAJECTORIES COULD FAVOR CHARLESTON COUNTY FOR ANY POTENTIAL MEASURABLE RAINFALL. PLAN TO KEEP POPS WELL BELOW MENTIONABLE THRESHOLDS. DIURNAL CUMULUS WILL QUICKLY DISSIPATE THIS EVENING WITH THE LOSS OF INSOLATION...BUT MID/HIGH LEVEL CLOUDINESS WILL STEADILY INCREASE FROM LATE EVENING ON. MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES WILL BECOME MOSTLY CLOUDY LATE WITH LOWS RANGING THE UPPER 60S WELL INLAND TO THE MID 70S AT THE BEACHES. IT WILL BE NOTICEABLY MORE HUMID AS DEWPOINTS CLIMB BACK INTO THE UPPER 60S/LOWER 70S. MONDAY...DEEP LAYER RIDGING WILL CONTINUE TO BREAK DOWN AND ALLOW SHORTWAVE ENERGY TO SLIP EASTWARD WITHIN A MORE PROGRESSIVE ZONAL FLOW ALOFT. WITH ATLANTIC HIGH PRESSURE STEADILY RETREATING...A SURFACE TROUGH WILL EVENTUALLY TAKE SHAPE UPSTREAM OF THE FORECAST AREA. WEAKENING SUBSIDENCE AND INCREASING DEEP MOISTURE WITHIN THE TRANSITIONING PATTERN WILL SUPPORT MORE TYPICAL CONVECTIVE DEVELOPMENT FOR THE REGION. HAVE INTRODUCED THUNDERSTORM CHANCES GENERALLY ALONG AND INLAND OF THE SEABREEZE BY EARLY MONDAY AFTERNOON. NUMERICAL MODEL CONSENSUS THEN INDICATES CONVECTION LINGERING INTO THE OVERNIGHT HOURS ASSISTED BY SOME UPPER LEVEL SUPPORT FROM THE SERIES OF SHORTWAVES...AS WELL AS FROM A SUBTLE WARM FRONTAL FEATURE LIFTING NORTH AHEAD OF A STRENGTHENING WAVE OF LOW PRESSURE TO THE WEST. HIGH TEMPERATURES WILL ONCE AGAIN REACH SEASONAL NORMALS IN THE UPPER 80S TO LOWER 90S AWAY FROM THE LOCALLY COOLER COASTLINE. TUESDAY...MODEL SOLUTIONS DEPICT VARYING DEGREES OF STRENGTH IN THE WAVE OF LOW PRESSURE DEVELOPING ALONG A COLD FRONT EMBEDDED WITHIN THE UPSTREAM SURFACE TROUGH. IN GENERAL...FORECAST GUIDANCE SHOWS THE SURFACE WAVE TRACKING FROM SOUTHWEST TO NORTHEAST ALONG THE BOUNDARY...GUIDED BY AN AMPLIFIED SHORTWAVE SWINGING TOWARD THE EAST COAST. THIS SCENARIO COULD HAVE THE CENTER OF THE WAVE SHIFTING THROUGH THE UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA REGION INTO THE CAROLINA COASTLINE BY TUESDAY NIGHT. THE FRONT WILL LIKELY REMAIN JUST TO THE NORTH/NORTHWEST OF THE FORECAST AREA AT THIS POINT...WITH BEST CONVECTIVE COVERAGE INITIALLY FOUND ACROSS THE NORTHERN AND INLAND ZONES CLOSEST TO FRONTAL CONVERGENCE AND SHORTWAVE ENERGY. HAVE INDICATED THUNDERSTORM CHANCES PEAKING NEAR 50 PERCENT FOR THE FAR NORTHWEST TIER COUNTIES TRENDING DOWN INTO THE 20 TO 30 PERCENT RANGE TOWARD THE COAST. CONSIDERING SYNOPTIC LEVEL SUPPORT...ORGANIZED CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY IS POSSIBLE...MAINLY AS UPSTREAM THUNDERSTORMS ATTEMPT TO DRIFT SOUTHEAST INTO THE FORECAST AREA AS THE DAY PROGRESSES. BEST FORCING ALOFT LOOKS TO REMAIN TO THE NORTH...EXCEPT FOR A 20 TO 30 KT LOW LEVEL JET DEVELOPING OVERNIGHT. THERMODYNAMICS STILL APPEAR A BIT UNIMPRESSIVE...AND THUS PREFER NOT TO MENTION SEVERE POTENTIAL IN THE HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK AT THIS TIME. WILL CONTINUE TO FORECAST HIGHEST TEMPERATURES FOR THE PERIOD ON TUESDAY AFTERNOON...AS THE WARMING EFFECTS OF SOME PRE-FRONTAL COMPRESSION ALLOW TEMPERATURES TO REACH THE LOWER 90S AWAY FORM THE COAST DESPITE ABUNDANT CLOUD COVER. WEDNESDAY...THE SURFACE WAVE OF LOW PRESSURE WILL SHIFT OFF THE NORTH CAROLINA COASTLINE DURING THE MORNING HOURS...WHILE THE WEAKENING FRONT BECOMES PARALLEL TO FLOW ALOFT AND STALLS OVER OR NEAR THE FORECAST AREA. THERE IS SOME UNCERTAINTY WHETHER THE FRONT WILL SET UP JUST SOUTH OF THE ALTAMAHA RIVER OR STRUGGLE TO PROCEED PAST THE CENTRAL PORTION OF THE FORECAST AREA. THE LOCATION OF THE FRONT WILL DICTATE CONVECTIVE COVERAGE...AND PREFER TO MAINTAIN PERSISTENCE BY LEANING TOWARD THE SLOWER ECMWF SOLUTION. WILL ADVERTISE SOLID CHANCE POPS OVER ALL OF SOUTHEAST SOUTH CAROLINA AND SOUTHEAST GEORGIA THROUGH AT LEAST WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON...ESPECIALLY AS THE STRONGEST IN THE SERIES OF PROGRESSIVE SHORTWAVES SWEEPS THE EAST COAST. && .LONG TERM /WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY/... WITH THE CENTER OF UPPER LEVEL RIDGING REMAINING WELL WEST OF THE REGION THROUGH THE PERIOD...THE PATTERN ALOFT WILL BE SOMEWHAT ILL DEFINED AND PROGRESSIVE INTO AT LEAST LATE WEEK. THUS EXPECT UNSETTLED CONDITIONS TO PERSIST INTO THE EXTENDED FORECAST PERIOD...WITH FORECAST DETAILS QUITE UNCERTAIN DUE TO MODEL INCONSISTENCIES. THE LINGERING FRONT ALONG THE SOUTHERN BORDER OF THE FORECAST AREA...WHEN COMBINED WITH WEAK SHORTWAVE ENERGY EMBEDDED WITHIN UPPER TROUGHING...WILL MAINTAIN DEEP MOISTURE AND CONVERGENCE TO SUPPORT THUNDERSTORM CHANCES EACH DAY. MEDIUM RANGE MODELS DO SUGGEST THAT THE SURFACE PATTERN WILL EVENTUALLY SETTLE TOWARD HIGH PRESSURE TO THE NORTH AND A COASTAL TROUGH DEVELOPING ALONG THE PERSISTENT FRONT TO THE SOUTH AND EAST. HIGH TEMPERATURES WILL VARY LITTLE EACH AFTERNOON...REACHING THE UPPER 80S TO AROUND 90 DEGREES AWAY FROM THE LOCALLY COOLER COASTLINE. && .AVIATION /17Z SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/...
-- Changed Discussion --
THE SEA BREEZE WILL PUSH THROUGH THE TERMS THIS AFTERNOON AROUND 20Z WITH GUSTS AROUND 15 KT POSSIBLE. EXPECT AN INCREASE IN CLOUD COVER LATE TONIGHT INTO MONDAY DEEPER MOISTURE MOVE IN FROM THE WEST IN ASSOCIATION WITH A COLD FRONT. COULD SEE MVFR CIGS TOWARD DAYBREAK AS WELL AS A FEW SHOWERS/TSTMS BY THE END OF THE TAF PERIOD BUT CHANCES OF EITHER ARE TOO LOW TO MENTION ATTM. EXTENDED AVIATION...PERIODIC FLIGHT RESTRICTIONS POSSIBLE LATER MONDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY IN ASSOCIATION WITH SHOWERS/TSTMS.
-- End Changed Discussion --
&& .MARINE... THROUGH TONIGHT...SOUTHERLY WIND REGIME WILL PERSIST THROUGH TONIGHT AS ATLANTIC HIGH PRESSURE REMAINS CENTERED OFFSHORE. WINDS WILL BE NO HIGHER THAN 10-15 KT WITH SEAS 2-4 FT THROUGH THE PERIOD. MONDAY AND TUESDAY...SOUTHERLY FLOW WILL PREVAIL INTO THE EARLY WEEK PERIOD. EXPECT A BRIEF SURGE BY TUESDAY AS THE GRADIENT TIGHTENS BETWEEN AN APPROACHING COLD FRONT UPSTREAM AND HIGH PRESSURE RETREATING FARTHER INTO THE ATLANTIC. WIND SPEEDS WILL INCREASE INTO THE 15 TO 20 KT RANGE ON TUESDAY...WITH SEAS BUILDING FROM 2 TO 5 FT NEARSHORE UP TO POTENTIALLY 5 TO 6 FT BEYOND 20 NM. SMALL CRAFT ADVISORIES ARE NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME FOR THE NEARSHORE WATERS...AND THERE IS ONLY A SMALL CHANCE FOR MARGINAL ADVISORIES IN THE OUTER WATERS IF 6 FT SEAS BECOME MORE LIKELY. WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY...THE APPROACHING FRONT WILL LIKELY STALL NEAR THE COASTAL WATERS BY MID WEEK. UNCERTAINTY IN THE EXACT LOCATION OF THE LINGERING BOUNDARY LENDS LOWER CONFIDENCE TO WIND DIRECTION DETAILS. AT THIS POINT...WILL INDICATE SOUTHERLY WINDS VEERING AROUND TO THE NORTH BY THURSDAY AS THE FRONT DRIFTS INTO THE REGION. SPEEDS LOOK TO REMAIN 15 KT OR LESS WITHIN A WEAK PRESSURE GRADIENT. && .CHS WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... GA...NONE. SC...NONE. MARINE...NONE. && $$ SYNOPSIS... NEAR TERM...RJB SHORT TERM...ST/WMS LONG TERM...WMS AVIATION...RJB MARINE...ST/WMS

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