Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Wilmington, NC

Current Version | Previous Version | Graphics & Text | 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 KILM 182334 AFDILM AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC 734 PM EDT TUE JUN 18 2013 .SYNOPSIS... ENHANCED SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY WILL PREVAIL AHEAD AND ALONG A COLD FRONT...WHICH WILL SLOW DOWN AS IT APPROACHES THE COAST EARLY ON WEDNESDAY. DRY HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD IN FROM THE NORTH BEHIND THE FRONT...MAKING ITS WAY SOUTH WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO THURSDAY. THE FRONT WILL WEAKEN TO THE SOUTH LEAVING A TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE WHICH MAY MOVE BACK TOWARD THE COAST AND AFFECT THE AREA THROUGH THE WEEKEND. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH WEDNESDAY/...
-- Changed Discussion --
AS OF 730 PM TUESDAY...COLD FRONT WAS LOCATED NEAR A GSO-HKY LINE AT 21Z. AIRMASS AHEAD OF THE FRONT REMAINS UNSTABLE...ESPECIALLY CLOSE TO THE SE NC COAST WITH LI TO -6. ONGOING CONVECTION ACROSS THIS REGION WILL LIKELY STRENGTHEN BRIEFLY ALONG THE SEA BREEZE...THEN WEAKEN AS IT MOVES OVER THE MARINE LAYER. FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE NIGHT...WILL CARRY CHANCE POPS AS THE FRONT SLOWLY MAKES ITS WAY ACROSS THE CWA AND STALLS ALONG THE COAST. THIS WILL ACT AS A FOCUS FOR CONVECTION AGAIN WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON.
-- End Changed Discussion --
&& .SHORT TERM /WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT/... AS OF 300 PM TUESDAY...FRONT ALIGNED RIGHT ALONG THE CAROLINA COAST WED MORNING. AS MID TO UPPER TROUGH MOVES SLOWLY EAST THE WINDS REMAIN SW ALOFT ALLOWING FOR FRONT TO MOVE VERY SLOWLY TOWARD THE SOUTHEAST THROUGH THE PERIOD. THIS WILL ALSO MAINTAIN SOME MID TO UPPER LEVEL ENERGY ALONG THE COASTAL CAROLINAS THROUGH WEDNESDAY. THE SEA BREEZE WILL ALSO PROVIDE SOME ADDITIONAL CONVERGENCE WED AFTN AND THEREFORE EXPECT ACTIVE WEATHER MAINLY ALONG THE COAST. PCP WATER VALUES WILL BE CONCENTRATED ALONG THE SOUTHEAST COAST WITH VALUES OVER 2 INCHES. A VERY TIGHT MOISTURE GRADIENT WILL DEVELOP AS DRIER HIGH PRESSURE ADVECTS IN FROM THE NORTH TO NORTHWEST BEHIND THE FRONT. INLAND AREAS COULD SEE A VERY DRY AND SUNNY DAY BUT WITH THE FRONT LINED UP ALONG THE COAST...WILL KEEP PCP ACROSS MOST OF LOCAL CWA WITH HIGHEST POPS ALONG THE COAST. AS FOR TEMPS...A SLIGHT COOLING BEHIND FRONT AND CLOUDS AND PCP ALONG FRONT WILL KEEP TEMPS BELOW NORMAL FOR THE MOST PART. EXPECT HIGHS IN THE 80 TO 83 RANGE CLOSER TO THE COAST AND AROUND 85 FURTHER INLAND. TEMPS WED NIGHT SHOULD BE BETWEEN 65 AND 70. BY THURS THE FRONT SHOULD PUSH FAR ENOUGH SOUTH AND EAST TO ALLOW FOR A DRY DAY. LIGHT NORTHERLY WINDS WILL CARRY IN DRIER AND SLIGHTLY COOLER AIR AS HIGH PRESSURE NOSES DOWN FROM THE NORTHEAST. PCP WATER VALUES WILL DROP DOWN TO LESS THAN AN INCH ACROSS INLAND AREAS. OVERALL EXPECT CLEARING SKIES AND PLENTY OF SUNSHINE ON THURSDAY WITH TEMPS RUNNING SLIGHTLY BELOW NORMAL...HIGHS IN THE MID 80S AND LOWS IN THE MID 60S FOR THE MOST PART. && .LONG TERM /FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/... AS OF 300 PM TUESDAY...A WARMING TREND WITH MORE TYPICAL SUMMER-LIKE CONDITIONS EXPECTED AS WE OFFICIALLY ENTER CLIMATOLOGICAL SUMMER...WITH THE SUMMER SOLSTICE OCCURRING EARLY FRIDAY MORNING HERE IN THE CAROLINAS. WHILE MUCH OF THE PERIOD WILL FEATURE BUILDING MID-LEVEL RIDGING AND A BERMUDA SURFACE HIGH COMBINING TO CREATE TEMPS NEAR-TO-SLIGHTLY-ABOVE NORMAL AND DIURNAL CONVECTIVE CHANCES...THE BEGINNING OF THE PERIOD IS SLIGHTLY MORE UNCERTAIN. WHILE AN ELONGATED AREA OF HIGH PRESSURE WILL ARCH DOWN FROM THE NORTHEAST COAST FRIDAY AND SATURDAY BEFORE MIGRATING TO A BERMUDA-RIDGE POSITION...THIS WILL GENERALLY CREATE VERY DRY AIR ACROSS THE REGION. HOWEVER...GFS/ECMWF BOTH SUGGEST A COASTAL TROUGH JUST OFFSHORE THE CAROLINAS TRYING TO ADVECT ONSHORE SATURDAY AS SYNOPTIC FLOW BECOMES EASTERLY AROUND MIGRATING SURFACE HIGH. WITH BUILDING HEIGHTS ALOFT AND VERY DRY ANTECEDENT AIR...DO NOT EXPECT WIDESPREAD PRECIP WITH THIS FEATURE. HOWEVER...WILL INCREASE POP ESPECIALLY NEAR THE COAST...BUT KEEP CAPPED AT LOW-CHC. AS ANY REMNANT COASTAL TROUGH ERODES LATE SATURDAY...BERMUDA RIDGING BECOMES DOMINANT SUN-TUE WITH INCREASING TEMPS AND TYPICAL DIURNAL CONVECTIVE CHANCES. WITH HEIGHTS BUILDING ALOFT AT THE SAME TIME...THIS WILL SUPPRESS WIDESPREAD CONVECTION...AND THUS WILL KEEP POP ONLY AT SCHC/SILENT FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE EXTENDED. && .AVIATION /00Z TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/...
-- Changed Discussion --
AS OF 00Z...SHOWERS AND T-STORMS ARE PUSHING THRU THE NORTHEAST PORTION OF OUR CWA THIS EVENING. TEMPO MVFR/IFR CONDITIONS CAN BE EXPECTED AT KILM WITHIN THE NEXT HOUR OR TWO AS THESE STORMS PUSH THROUGH. WILL HOLD ONTO VCSH AT ALL TERMS THIS EVENING AS A COLD FRONT APPROACHES THE CWA. THE WINDS SHOULD SHIFT TO THE NW AT KFLO/KLBT JUST AFTER 06Z...AND THE FRONT SHOULD REACH THE COASTAL TERMS AROUND DAYBREAK. SOME MVFR/TEMPO IFR STRATUS IS POSSIBLE AFTER 06Z...AND MVFR CIGS COULD LINGER THRU THE MORNING HOURS. MORE SHOWERS/T-STORMS ARE EXPECTED WEDNESDAY AS THE SFC FRONT/TROUGH STALLS NEAR OUR COAST. BEST SHOWER/T-STORM CHANCES WILL BE AT KMYR/KCRE/KILM DURING THE DAY...WITH PERHAPS VCSH AT KFLO/KLBT. THE WINDS ALONG THE COAST MAY BE LIGHT AND VARIABLE FOR MUCH OF THE DAY WITH THE STALLED BOUNDARY NEARBY. EXTENDED OUTLOOK...VFR THURSDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS ON SUNDAY.
-- End Changed Discussion --
&& .MARINE...
-- Changed Discussion --
NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... AS OF 730 PM TUESDAY...STRONG CONVECTION WILL MOVE OFF THE SE NC COAST EARLY THIS EVENING AND IS EXPECTED TO WEAKEN. ALTHOUGH THERE WILL BE A LULL IN TSTM ACTIVITY FOR A FEW HOURS...THE CHANCES WILL INCREASE AGAIN AFTER MIDNIGHT WITH THE APPROACH OF A COLD FRONT. THE FRONT WILL STALL OUT NEAR THE COAST BY DAWN WEDNESDAY. TIGHTENING GRADIENT IN ADVANCE OF THIS FRONT WILL PUSH SWLY WINDS INTO THE 15 TO 20 KT RANGE OVERNIGHT. SEAS WILL BUILD AS A RESULT...WITH 4 TO 6 FT SEAS OVER OUR NC WATERS AND 3 TO 5 FT DOWN SOUTH. A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY WILL REMAIN IN EFFECT FOR NC WATERS ...AND EXERCISE CAUTION STATEMENTS FOR OUR SC WATERS. SHORT TERM /WEDNESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT/... AS OF 300 PM TUESDAY...COLD FRONT WILL LINE UP JUST OVER THE WATERS ALONG THE CAROLINA COAST EARLY WED. TO THE WEST AND NORTH OF THE FRONT THE WINDS WILL VEER TO THE NORTH TO NORTHEAST AND TO THE SOUTH AND EAST OF THE FRONT THE WINDS WILL STAY W-SW. OVERALL EXPECT STRONGER WESTERLY WINDS TO LIGHTEN UP RIGHT AROUND DAYBREAK AS FRONT SLOWS ALONG COAST. WINDS WILL BE VARIABLE THROUGH THE DAY ON WED WITH A LIGHT OFF SHORE FLOW CLOSE TO THE COAST AND W TO SW WINDS IN THE OUTER WATERS THROUGH MOST OF WED. THE LIGHTER OFF SHORE FLOW WILL ALLOW SEAS TO RELAX ESPECIALLY NEAR SHORE...DOWN TO 1 TO 2 FT. SEAS IN THE OUTER WATERS WILL DROP BELOW SCA BUT WILL HOLD UP IN STRONGER SW TO W FLOW UP AROUND 3 TO 4 FT WITH SOME 5 FTERS IN OUTERMOST WATERS MOST OF THE DAY. AS COLD FRONT PUSHES FARTHER SOUTH AND EAST THROUGH WED NIGHT INTO THURS...A SURGE OF NORTHEAST WINDS UP TO A SOLID 15KTS WILL DEVELOP. THIS WILL KEEP SEAS 3 TO 4 FT IN MOST WATERS EXCEPT SOUTH OF CAPE FEAR WHERE WATERS WILL BE BLOCKED FROM NORTHEAST FLOW KEEPING THE HEIGHTS AROUND 1 TO 2 FT. LONG TERM /FRIDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/... AS OF 300 PM TUESDAY...GUSTY NE WINDS TO START THE PERIOD AS AN ELONGATED AREA OF HIGH PRESSURE STRETCHES DOWN TO THE SOUTHEAST FROM NEW ENGLAND. AT THE SAME TIME...DECAYING COLD FRONT OFFSHORE WILL WAVER JUST OUTSIDE THE WATERS...THUS PINCHING THE GRADIENT AND CREATING 15 KT NE WINDS FRIDAY AND EARLY SATURDAY. THIS FRONT/TROUGH OFFSHORE WILL SLOWLY WORK BACK TOWARDS THE COAST SATURDAY INTO SUNDAY AS HIGH PRESSURE MIGRATES OFFSHORE TURNING THE PREDOMINANT FLOW TO THE E/SE...WITH EASING SPEEDS...FALLING TO 10 KTS OR LESS. SEAS THROUGH THE PERIOD WILL BE FORMED THROUGH A COMBINATION OF A SE GROUND SWELL AND A WIND CHOP...NE ON FRIDAY AND SOUTHERLY SAT/SUN. SEAS WILL BE 2-4 FT FRIDAY AND SATURDAY...FALLING TO 1-3 FT ON SUNDAY.
-- End Changed Discussion --
&& .ILM WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
-- Changed Discussion --
SC...NONE. NC...NONE. MARINE...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 6 AM EDT WEDNESDAY FOR AMZ250-252.
-- End Changed Discussion --
&& $$ NEAR TERM...CRM SHORT TERM...RGZ LONG TERM...JDW AVIATION...BJR

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