Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Wilmington, NC

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652 FXUS62 KILM 101907 AFDILM Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Wilmington NC 307 PM EDT Fri May 10 2024 .SYNOPSIS...
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Showers and thunderstorms through this evening ahead of an approaching cold front. The front crosses the area tonight, bringing much cooler and drier air for the weekend and start of next week. Rain chances increase next Tuesday as a warm front lifts north across the area.
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&& .NEAR TERM /THROUGH SATURDAY/...
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Mesoanalysis shows a cold front currently draped across central NC and western SC. Modest destabilization is occurring along this line after morning clouds gave way to some brief afternoon clearing. This has allowed enough heating to fuel developing storms and instability east of this line should be enough to maintain storms as they approach the coast. As storms develop along the line, associated shear and falling heights ahead of a shortwave should allow this to become an organized complex of storms. The entire system will progress southeast with the cold front late this afternoon and into this evening. Damaging wind gusts and large hail are the main concerns, especially as this line strengthens and moves south and east into this evening. 18Z sounding from MHX shows impressive, deep layer instability and shear in excess of 50 knots. An environment shrouded in cloud cover for a large part of the day appears primed for additional storm development late this afternoon and this evening. Once the line of showers moves offshore, winds turn northerly and much cooler and drier air will move into the region for this weekend. Quiet and clear on Saturday with highs only in the upper 70s and dew points mixing into the low 50s and upper 40s.
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&& .SHORT TERM /SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT/...
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Quiet weather for the weekend continues through Sunday. Surface trough moves through Saturday night, with nothing more than a wind shift and some clouds. Mostly sunny Sunday as high pressure briefly moves overhead and strong subsidence inversion is in place. Temps only slightly below normal during the short term, with downslope flow Sunday pushing highs to near 80F.
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&& .LONG TERM /MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/...
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Surface high pressure shifts offshore Monday, with subsidence still in play keeping area rain-free during the day. A warm front is progged to lift north across the area Tuesday, with combination of decent isentropic lift and some PVA aloft contributing to categorical pops. As PWAT values approach 2" which is well above the 90th percentile for mid-May, ensemble data suggests QPF Tuesday could be around 0.75-1". Clouds and rain will keep temps "cool" Tuesday despite strong WAA. A weak surface low moves across the Mid-Atlantic Tuesday night, dragging a weak cold front over the area sometime Wednesday. Some lingering pops into Wednesday with a decent upper shortwave moving across, as it will depend on how fast front moves through and how quickly the ridging behind it builds. Expect a mainly dry and warm Thursday as ridging and subsidence from the north prevails before the next system approaches the area at the end of next week.
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&& .AVIATION /19Z FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/...
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Cold front will drop southeastward across the area late this afternoon into this evening. Expect thunderstorms to impact terminals from west to east from 21Z to 01Z this evening. Thunderstorms will bring the potential for damaging winds (winds in excess of 30 knots) and large hail. Expect IFR VIS in heavy rain and thunder in addition to strong winds. Some lingering showers may exist after the initial line of thunderstorms. Once the cold front moves offshore, VFR will return to all terminals as precip comes to an end. Clear skies, VFR, with north winds on Saturday. Extended Outlook...A cold front moves through Friday night, which dries out the atmosphere. Widespread VFR should take over Friday night through Monday. Flight restrictions may occur Monday night into Tuesday with the next weather system moving in.
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&& .MARINE...
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Through Saturday... Breezy this afternoon into this evening ahead of an approaching cold front. The fetch will keep winds below SCA thresholds and seas 3-4 feet. Thunderstorms ahead of the front could be strong or severe this evening as a large line of storm emerges offshore. Winds in excess of 30 knots are expected with these storms and a few stronger storms could produce large hail and strong wind gusts. High pressure will build behind the exiting line of storms and the cold front overnight. A brief surge of northerly winds to around 15-20 knots will quickly abate by tomorrow morning. Saturday Night through Wednesday...Benign marine conditions, with offshore flow and seas around 2 feet Sunday. Surface high pressure shifts offshore Monday with winds turning southerly by Monday afternoon. Winds, seas, and rain chances pick up on Tuesday as a warm front lifts north across the area. May see SCA conditions Tuesday afternoon into Tuesday night, combination of 6 foot seas from building S wind wave and elevated wind gusts. A weak cold front is forecasted to move across the waters sometime on Wednesday.
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&& .ILM WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
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NC...Coastal Flood Advisory from 11 PM this evening to 2 AM EDT Saturday for NCZ107. SC...None. MARINE...None.
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&& $$ SYNOPSIS...ILM NEAR TERM...21 SHORT TERM...VAO LONG TERM...VAO AVIATION...21 MARINE...VAO/21