Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Wilmington, NC

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000 FXUS62 KILM 220148 AFDILM Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Wilmington NC 948 PM EDT Sun Apr 21 2024 .SYNOPSIS... An upper disturbance will pass through tonight bringing an end t the rain. Sunshine returns Monday as more high pressure builds in from the west through Wednesday. A backdoor cold front sags through the area Wednesday night followed by high pressure building from the north. && .UPDATE...
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No big changes with the mid evening update. Most of the rain is over but some light rain could re-develop overnight as the strong upper trough approaches from the west. Lows should drop into the mid to upper 40s most inland spots, several degrees below normal for this time of year. As for the marine forecast, a few gusts around 25 kt and seas near 6 ft (mainly off the NC coast) are expected into Monday but just not quite enough to pull the trigger on a Small Craft Advisory at this time.
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&& .NEAR TERM /THROUGH MONDAY/... Moist air riding up over cooler air behind a cold front will produce rain into the evening hours. The front will move father out to sea Monday as surface high pressure begins to move in but a passing upper low could enhance clouds in the morning and result in a few showers nearer the coast. Clearing is expected by afternoon. Lows tonight will fall to the mid to upper 40s with highs Monday in the mid 60s. && .SHORT TERM /MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT/... Monday night looks like a radiational cooling setup with high pressure overhead. Temperatures will drop quickly, reaching 40 degrees towards daybreak with a few upper 30s possible in the normally chilly parts of Pender/Bladen. As the high gets suppressed to the south by a very large and powerful storm off the coast a local SW flow will develop. These light winds will allow for a warmup, though the expected low 70s still a category below climatology. Light SW winds continue Tuesday night brining lows that are just a few degrees shy of normal. && .LONG TERM /WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/... Not much in the way of thermal advection heading into Wednesday but the increasingly high sun angle will bring highs back to normal. A backdoor cold front then sags through Wednesday night with little moisture flux ahead of it so not very good rain chances. High pressure builds in from the north on Thursday. For now the forecast will remain dry, but the GFS especially is showing some very light overrunning rain. This high moves offshore for the remainder of the period while a mid level ridge builds meaning a dry and warming period after Thursday`s brief cooldown. && .AVIATION /02Z MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/...
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Moderate to high confidence for the 00Z TAFs across SE NC and NE SC. Variable conditions from VFR to IFR to start the 00Z period with general improvement to VFR expected by around 12Z as deeper moisture shifts offshore. Extended Outlook...High pressure building in late Monday through Friday will bring mainly VFR through the period.
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&& .MARINE... Through Monday: N winds 15 to 20 KT are expected tonight and Monday. Seas of 3 to 4 FT this afternoon will build to 3 to 5 FT Monday. No flags. Monday night through Friday... Northerly flow early in the period the result of high pressure building from the west and to a lesser extend a large system well offshore. Very light winds slated for Tuesday as the high builds overhead and sinks slightly to the south. Southerly flow returns Tuesday night into WEdnesday as the high moves offshore but flow then veers with the passage of a Wednesday night backdoor cold front. E to NE flow is then expected for the remainder of the period. Wind waves and E swell both taper early in the period, but swell energy should increase from the midweek on as the offshore low deepens to 992 mb. && .ILM WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
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NC...Beach Hazards Statement from 6 AM EDT Monday through Monday evening for NCZ106-108. SC...Beach Hazards Statement from 6 AM EDT Monday through Monday evening for SCZ056. MARINE...None.
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&& $$ SYNOPSIS...TRA UPDATE...RJB NEAR TERM...31 SHORT TERM...MBB LONG TERM...MBB AVIATION...RJB MARINE...MBB/31

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