Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Wilmington, NC

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266 FXUS62 KILM 081048 AFDILM Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Wilmington NC 648 AM EDT Tue Jul 8 2025 .SYNOPSIS... Isolated to scattered showers and thunderstorms this afternoon and evening. Unsettled weather arrives Wednesday with best storm chances Thursday and Friday. Rain chances decrease slightly for the weekend, but afternoon showers and thunderstorms remain a fixture. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... Humid with scattered afternoon thunderstorms today - typical summer day in the eastern Carolinas. Moist airmass remains in place with low level southerly flow around Bermuda high. High temps this afternoon forecasted around 91-95F (only a few degrees above normal) will combine with dewpoints in the low to mid 70s to bring heat indices in the triple digits today. A Heat Advisory has been issued for most of the area (excluding southern and most coastal counties) where the best chance exists of reaching our local 105F heat index criteria. Besides hot and humid, the moist airmass will lead to CAPE of 1500-2000 J/kg across the area this afternoon. While 500mb ridging from the east persist, it won`t be strong enough to prevent scattered thunderstorms from developing today, aided by sea breeze and Piedmont trough. Current forecast has a focus for thunderstorms over the Pee Dee region this afternoon into early evening hours. Partly cloudy skies tonight with lows in the mid 70s. && .SHORT TERM /WEDNESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT/... Ridging aloft is all but gone by Wed with slow moving 5h trough dropping in from the west-northwest. Piedmont trough remains in place as does deep moisture, precipitable water is over 2 inches through the duration of the short term. Storm motions will be around 10 kt, slightly below Wed and slightly above Thu. Which could lead to some urban flooding issues, if multiple storms affect an area in quick succession. Overall not a huge flooding concern, but areas that got 4+" of rain from Chantal could be slightly more susceptible to prolonger heavier rainfall. Severe threat is limited at best. Mid- level lapse rates are marginal and wind speeds from the surface to over 40k ft do not exceed 20 kt. Cannot rule out a wet microburst given the environment, but the threat appears to be within the realm of what is typical for the Southeast from summertime thunderstorms. Clouds and afternoon convection will keep highs near to slightly below normal each afternoon. Clouds, mixing and moisture all keep lows above normal. && .LONG TERM /FRIDAY THROUGH MONDAY/... Bermuda High remains offshore into next week with the Piedmont trough present through Sat. While this is a typical summer pattern that usually results in shower/thunderstorm coverage 30-40%, there are a few differences later this week. There is more moisture present, precipitable water runs 120-130% of normal, and weak 5h troughing complete with random shortwaves moving through it, will be overhead. This setup combined with SBCAPE 2500-3000 J/kg each day will produce widespread showers and thunderstorms. The mid-level trough shifts east Sun/Mon which moves the Piedmont trough to the coast or just off it. Rain chances remain elevated with abundant moisture in the area, but coverage will be scaled back a bit by the building of weak 5h ridge over the Lower Mississippi Valley and the loss of the weak mid-level support. Precipitable water remains above normal and storm motions drop under 10kt, suggesting heavy rain could be a concern. Highs will be right around normal with lows running a little above. && .AVIATION /12Z TUESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/...
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Satellite and observation sites shows a wide strip of 300-500 ft stratus across southeastern NC. The large area of low clouds will take a little bit to mix out after sunrise, but it is not expansive enough to persist long into morning. Have included a TEMPO in KLBT TAF through 14z for 500ft ceilings. Partly cloudy skies today with diurnal cumulus around 3500-4500 ft. Scattered thunderstorms expected this afternoon, particularly across the Pee Dee/inland NE SC region. Southerly winds continue to prevail around offshore Bermuda high. Low stratus may return inland late tonight/Wednesday morning, but confidence too low at this time to include in TAFs. Extended Outlook...Intermittent flight restrictions possible Wednesday through Friday due to daytime convection and potential early morning fog/stratus.uesday
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&& .MARINE... Through Tonight... Relatively quiet marine conditions expected over the local coastal waters through tonight as Bermuda high dominates. South- southwest winds 10-15 kts persists with seas 2-3 ft. Seas will be a mix of S wind wave, 7 sec SE swell and 1 ft 14 sec SE swell. Wednesday through Saturday... Southwest flow around the west side of the Bermuda High will peak on the high end of the 10-15 kt range each afternoon and evening as the gradient between the high and the Piedmont trough tightens up. Speeds drop back close to 10 kt in the morning and the trough weakens. Seas 2-3 ft Wed build to 3-4 ft with occasional 5 ft Thu- Sat due to the prolonged period of southwest flow. Seas will be a mix of a southeast swell and a southerly wind wave with the southerly wind wave gradually increasing in period later in the week. && .ILM WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NC...Heat Advisory from 10 AM this morning to 8 PM EDT this evening for NCZ087-096-099-105. SC...Heat Advisory from 10 AM this morning to 8 PM EDT this evening for SCZ017-023-024-032-033-059. MARINE...None. && $$ SYNOPSIS...ILM NEAR TERM...VAO SHORT TERM...III LONG TERM...III AVIATION...VAO MARINE...III/VAO