Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Charleston, SC

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000 FXUS62 KCHS 171953 AFDCHS AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC 353 PM EDT FRI MAY 17 2013 .SYNOPSIS... AN UPPER DISTURBANCE WILL MOVE NORTH OF THE AREA THROUGH THE WEEKEND AS ATLANTIC HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS ACROSS THE REGION. HIGH PRESSURE WILL BE THE DOMINANT FEATURE THROUGH MUCH OF NEXT WEEK BEFORE A COLD FRONT POSSIBLY APPROACHES ON FRIDAY. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM SATURDAY MORNING/...
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QUIET WEATHER EXPECTED THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT PERIOD AS THE FORECAST AREA REMAINS UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF ATLANTIC HIGH PRESSURE. VORT ENERGY...ASSOCIATED WITH A SHORTWAVE TROUGH APPROACHING FROM THE WEST...WILL KEEP SOME MID AND HIGH CLOUDS AROUND THROUGH THE NIGHT. THIS WILL MODERATE TEMPERATURES AND ALLOW FOR LOWS TO BE A COUPLE DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. MIN TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO BE MAINLY IN THE MIDDLE 60S...WITH UPPER 60S CLOSER TO THE COAST.
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&& .SHORT TERM /6 AM SATURDAY MORNING THROUGH MONDAY/...
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SATURDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT...A DEEP AND EXPANSIVE LONGWAVE UPPER RIDGE WILL ENCOMPASS MUCH OF THE EASTERN HALF OF THE COUNTRY WITH AN EMBEDDED SHORTWAVE TROUGH POSITIONED NEAR THE OHIO VALLEY. THIS BAGGY TROUGH CAUGHT WITHIN THE LARGER SCALE RIDGE WILL SLOWLY MEANDER ACROSS THE APPALACHIANS AND TOWARDS THE EAST COAST. PIECES OF VORT ENERGY ASSOCIATED WITH THIS FEATURE WILL CROSS THE FORECAST AREA WITH SOME LOWERING OF HEIGHTS. AT THE SURFACE...THE FORECAST AREA WILL BE IN THE SOUTHERLY FLOW REGIME AROUND HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE ATLANTIC. MODEL SOUNDINGS SHOW THE ATMOSPHERE BECOME MORE CONDUCIVE TO CONVECTIVE DEVELOPMENT IN THE AFTERNOON COMPARED TO PREVIOUS DAYS...ESPECIALLY ALONG AND WEST OF I-95. AREAS EAST OF I-95 ARE PROGGED TO SEE WARMER 850 MB TEMPS AND A CAP THAT WILL LIKELY KEEP DEVELOPMENT ISOLATED AT BEST. FURTHER WEST...THE CAP ERODES AND WITH COOLING/MOISTENING PROFILES...SCATTERED SHOWERS/THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED. THE EXPECTATION IS THAT THIS WILL BE JUST GARDEN VARIETY SHOWERS/STORMS AS NONE OF THE SEVERE WEATHER PARAMETERS ARE PARTICULARLY IMPRESSIVE. HIGHS WILL CONTINUE A FEW DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL REACHING THE MID/UPPER 80S. OVERNIGHT...ONGOING CONVECTION SHOULD BECOME INCREASINGLY CONFINED FURTHER WEST AND NORTH AS THE SEABREEZE PUSHES INLAND. I HAVE MAINTAINED A SMALL AREA OF SLIGHT CHANCES THROUGH THE NIGHT CLOSER TO THE TROUGH AND BETTER MOISTURE. LOWS WILL BE MILD AND IN THE MID/UPPER 60S. SUNDAY THROUGH MONDAY...THIS WILL BE THE MOST ACTIVE TIME PERIOD WITH THE BEST COVERAGE OF SHOWERS/STORMS. THE BAGGY SHORTWAVE TROUGH AND ASSOCIATED PASSING VORT MAXES WILL LINGER OVERHEAD WHILE A MOIST S/SE FLOW IN THE LOW LEVELS CONTINUES. THE MODELS CONTINUE TO DEPICT AN INCREASINGLY MOIST ATMOSPHERE WITH PWATS RISING INTO THE 1.7-1.8 INCH RANGE AT TIMES...WHICH IS NEAR THE 99TH PERCENTILE AND 2 STANDARD DEVIATIONS ABOVE NORMAL FOR MID/LATE MAY. THE RESULT IS A QUITE MOIST AND UNCAPPED SCENARIO WHERE SHOWERS/STORMS COULD DEVELOP AT JUST ABOUT ANY TIME. IN FACT IT WOULDN/T BE SURPRISING IF AT TIME THE COVERAGE OF PRECIP BECOMES NUMEROUS. THIS WILL LIKELY BE MORE CLOSELY TIMED WITH THE PASSING OF EMBEDDED ENERGY ALOFT WHICH HAS A LOW CONFIDENCE AT THIS TIME. POPS HAVE BEEN INCREASED MORE INTO THE MID/HIGH CHANCE RANGE FOR THE DAYTIME HOURS...WITH EVEN LOW CHANCES GOING OVERNIGHT. WITH CONSIDERABLE CLOUD COVER AROUND INSOLATION WILL BE A BIT LIMITED KEEPING HIGHS DOWN A FEW DEGREES...BUT STILL NEAR OR SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL.
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&& .LONG TERM /MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY/... THE UPPER SHORTWAVE NORTH OF THE AREA ON MONDAY WILL ESSENTIALLY DISSOLVE ACROSS THE EASTERN CAROLINAS ON TUESDAY LEAVING A VERY WEAK RIDGE PATTERN IN PLACE. ATLANTIC HIGH PRESSURE WILL PRODUCE AN ONSHORE FLOW WITH SEA BREEZES DEVELOPING EACH AFTERNOON. SURFACE DEWPOINTS WILL PERSIST IN THE MIDDLE 60S WITH HIGHS CLIMBING WELL INTO THE 80S EACH DAY. ALTHOUGH THERE ARE NO STRONG FORCING MECHANISMS...WE KEPT ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS IN THE FORECAST EACH AFTERNOON/EVENING. A COLD FRONT COULD MOVE INTO THE AREA ON FRIDAY. && .AVIATION /20Z FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/...
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VFR IS EXPECTED TO PREVAIL AT KCHS AND KSAV THROUGH 18Z SATURDAY. EXTENDED AVIATION OUTLOOK...PRIMARILY VFR. LOW CHANCES OF DIRECT IMPACTS FROM ISOLATED TO SCATTERED MAINLY AFTERNOON SHOWERS/THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH EARLY NEXT WEEK.
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&& .MARINE...
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OVERNIGHT...QUIET MARINE CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL AS SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE EAST OF THE WATERS REMAINS THE DOMINANT WEATHER FEATURE. GENERALLY EXPECT SOUTH WINDS LESS THAN 15 KTS WITH SEAS 2-3 FEET...HIGHEST IN THE OUTER WATERS. THROUGH EARLY NEXT WEEK...ATLANTIC HIGH PRESSURE WILL BE THE PRIMARY MARINE INFLUENCE WITH SOUTHERLY FLOW PREVAILING. WIND SPEEDS WILL PERSIST IN THE 10-15 KT RANGE WITH SEAS 4 FT OR LESS.
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&& .CHS WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... GA...NONE. SC...NONE. MARINE...NONE. && $$ SYNOPSIS... NEAR TERM...ECT SHORT TERM...BSH LONG TERM...JRL AVIATION...ECT MARINE...BSH/ECT

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