Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Wilmington, NC

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000 FXUS62 KILM 241624 AFDILM AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC 1224 PM EDT FRI MAY 24 2013 .SYNOPSIS... A COLD FRONT WILL BRING COOLER AND DRIER AIR INTO THE REGION TODAY AND THROUGH THE WEEKEND. A GRADUAL WARMUP WILL BEGIN ON MONDAY WITH SEASONABLE TEMPERATURES EXPECTED FOR MUCH OF THE NEXT COMING WEEK. NO SIGNIFICANT RAINFALL CHANCES ARE EXPECTED IN THE EXTENDED PERIOD. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/...
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AS OF 12:30 PM FRIDAY...EXTENSIVE CLOUD FIELD HAS DEVELOPED AS EXPECTED. SOME LIGHT RADAR RETURNS JUST NORTH OF THE CWA HINT AT POSSIBLE ISOLATED SHOWER ACTIVITY IN STORE FOR THIS AFTERNOON AS DESCRIBED IN PREVIOUS DISCUSSION BELOW. HOWEVER...WITH DEWPOINTS DROPPING...ANY SHOWER ACTIVITY WOULD HAVE TO DEVELOP IN THE NEXT FEW HOURS. IF NOT...WILL BE REVISING FORECAST TO TAKE ANY POSSIBLE PRECIPITATION OUT OF THE PICTURE. RELEVANT PORTION OF PREVIOUS DISCUSSION...AS MODIFIED...FOLLOWS BELOW: EAST-BOUND COLD FRONT NOW WELL OFFSHORE. DEWPOINTS ARE FALLING STEADILY AS CANADIAN HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEM BUILDS IN. STEEP LAPSE RATES AS UPPER TROUGH SWINGS OVERHEAD AND RESIDUAL LOW-LEVEL MOISTURE ACROSS THE EASTERN HALF OF OUR FORECAST ZONES MAY COMBINE TO SET OFF A FEW SHOWERS EARLY THIS AFTERNOON. DRYING AND CLEARING TONIGHT IS EXPECTED AND MINIMUM TEMPERATURES BY DAYBREAK MAY APPROACH RECORD LOW VALUES. RECORD LOWS FOR MAY 25TH ARE ILM-50 LBT-45 FLO-48 MYR-52 AND CRE-55.
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&& .SHORT TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT/... AS OF 3 AM FRIDAY...AFTER AN UNSEASONABLY CHILLY START SATURDAY WILL TURN OUT PLEASANT WITH FULL SUNSHINE AND FAIRLY LIGHT WINDS. THESE WINDS WILL STILL BE OUT OF THE N TO NW HOWEVER KEEPING DAYTIME HIGHS OVER A CATEGORY BELOW CLIMO THANKS TO CUTOFF UPPER LOW/OCCLUDED CYCLONE NEAR NANTUCKET. AS THE CAA SHUTS OFF TO NEUTRAL AND A SMALL INCREASE IN CLOUD COVER OCCURS SAT NIGHT TEMPERATURES WILL DIP DOWN TO WITHIN A FEW DEGREES OF 50...NOT QUITE AS COOL AS THE PREVIOUS NIGHT. VERY WEAK WAA ON SUNDAY TO ADD A FEW DEGREES TO HIGHS AS WELL AS GENERATE A LITTLE CLOUD COVER BUT STILL LOOKING AT ABOUT 5 DEG SHY OF SEASONABLE TEMPS. A CONTINUATION OF BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES ROUNDS OUT THE PERIOD WITH LOWS IN THE LOW TO MID 50S SUNDAY NIGHT. && .LONG TERM /MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/... AS OF 3 AM FRIDAY...RETURN FLOW SETS UP TO START NEXT WEEK ALBEIT SOMEWHAT WEAKLY ON MONDAY AND HIGHS MAY STILL END UP A FEW DEG BELOW CLIMO. INCREASING DEWPOINTS WILL BE NOTICEABLE TOO IN THE ONSHORE FLOW. TUESDAY INTO WEDNESDAY WILL BRING A SIGNIFICANT BUILDING OF THE UPPER RIDGE ACROSS THE EASTERN U.S. WHILE HIGH PRESSURE SPRAWLS ACROSS THE WESTERN ATLANTIC. THE AMPLITUDE OF THE UPPER RIDGE CERTAINLY ARGUES FOR UNSEASONABLE WARMTH BUT THE RIDGE AXIS JUST N OF THE REGION WILL KEEP A DEEP EASTERLY FLOW INTO THE CAROLINAS. THAT IS...THE SOUTHERLY COMPONENT WILL BE MINIMIZED MUCH OF THE TIME. THE COOLER SHELF WATERS SHOULD THUS HAVE A MODERATING EFFECT ON THE WARMTH...MOST PRONOUNCED NEAR THE COAST. THE CAPPING EFFECT OF THE THE RIDGE PAIRED WITH THE STABILIZING EFFECTS OF THE SURFACE MARINE AIR WILL KEEP MEANINGFUL RAIN CHANCES OUT OF THE FORECAST. && .AVIATION /16Z FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/... AS OF 12Z...FRONT HAS NOW EXITED THE COAST WITH NORTHWEST FLOW AT ALL TERMINALS. HIGH CONFIDENCE FOR VFR CONDITIONS THROUGH THE FORECAST PERIOD. WINDS MAY HOLD OFF THE GUSTINESS UNTIL MIDDAY...AS THAT IS WHEN THE COLD AIR ADVECTION BEGINS IN ERNEST. A CLEAR AND CRISP NIGHT IN STORE WITH AN UNSEASONABLY COOL AIRMASS DROPPING IN. EXTENDED OUTLOOK...MORNING FOG POSSIBLE MONDAY AND TUESDAY. OTHERWISE VFR. && .MARINE...
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NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... AS OF 12:30 PM FRIDAY...NO CHANGES TO THE FORECAST WITH THE LATEST UPDATE. KEEPING SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN PLACE FOR THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING FOR GUSTS TO AROUND 25 KTS. WINDS STILL AT SUB- ADVISORY LEVELS NOW BUT HAVE PICKED UP A BIT NOW THAT THE COLD FRONT HAS MOVED ACROSS THE WATERS. LATEST OBS SHOW NW WINDS OF 10 TO 15 KTS WITH 3 TO 4 FT SEAS. PREVIOUS DISCUSSION FOLLOWS: SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FLAGS HOISTED FOR ALL OF OUR SE NC AND NE SC WATERS FROM 3PM-9PM TODAY...TO ADDRESS 25 KT NW WIND GUSTS ANTICIPATED LATER TODAY INTO TONIGHT. SEAS GENERALLY WILL HOLD 3-4 FEET MOST WATERS BUT UP TO 5-6 FT ALONG OUTER PORTION SUBJECTED TO LONGER FETCH BUILD-UP. TSTMS MAY ALSO BE EXPECTED BUT MAINLY CONFINED ALONG THE WEST WALL OF THE GULF STREAM CURRENT TODAY AND TONIGHT. PEAK WINDS NNW 15-25 KT ARE EXPECTED BETWEEN 5 PM- 8PM AS THE DEPARTING FRONT AND ENCROACHING HIGH PRESSURE HAVE THE GREATEST SFC PRESSURE GRADIENT INTERACTION. SEAS WILL TAKE ON A BUMPY CHARACTER TODAY AS RESIDUAL SE WAVE ENERGY BORN FROM OFFSHORE BERMUDA HIGH PRESSURE CONTENDS WITH INCREASING WIND-WAVES OPPOSING FROM THE NW. SHORT TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT/... AS OF 3 AM FRIDAY...PLEASANT BOATING CONDITIONS EXPECTED THROUGH THE PERIOD. HIGH PRESSURE BUILDING IN GRADUALLY FROM THE N TO KEEP A N TO NW WIND THROUGH THE PERIOD THAT WILL BE CAPPED AT 10KT DUE TO A FAIRLY WEAK GRADIENT. THE STORM HELPING TO DRIVE THE HIGH WILL BE ALL THE WAY UP NEAR NANTUCKET ON SATURDAY AND ONLY GRADUALLY LIFTING INTO NOVA SCOTIA CANADA INTO SUNDAY. SOME BACKSWELL FROM THIS SYSTEM WILL BE INTERCEPTED BY CAPE HATTERAS AND NOT MUCH SHOULD MAKE IT THIS FAR SOUTH DUE TO WAVE SHADOWING. THUS EXPECT FAIRLY SMALL SEAS TO THE TUNE OF 2 FT OR LESS THROUGH THE PERIOD...WITH THE SMALLEST WAVES OFF OF BRUNSWICK COUNTY WHERE OFFSHORE FLOW COMPONENT IS MAXED. LONG TERM /MONDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/... AS OF 3 AM FRIDAY...WEAK RETURN FLOW SETS UP ON MONDAY AS HIGH PRESSURE FINALLY ESTABLISHES CENTER OFF THE COAST. ITS PROXIMITY TO THE LANDMASS WILL KEEP WIND SPEEDS AT 10 KT OR LESS AND IN THE ABSENCE OF SWELL ENERGY THE DIMINUTIVE WIND WAVE OF 2 FT OR LESS WILL BE THE PREDOMINANT WAVE. THE WEST ATLANTIC HIGH BECOMES LARGER INTO TUESDAY MAKING ITS CENTER FARTHER WAY BUT LEADING TO LITTLE CHANGE IN LOCAL WIND FLOW. DEEP AND LONG FETCH EASTERLY SWELL WILL BE GETTING ESTABLISHED INTO THE BAHAMAS AND THIS WILL LIKELY START TO GENERATE SOME SWELL ENERGY INTO THE CAROLINAS BUT NOT UNTIL AFTER THE PERIOD.
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&& .ILM WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
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SC...NONE. NC...NONE. MARINE...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 9 PM EDT THIS EVENING FOR AMZ250- 252-254-256.
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&& $$ SYNOPSIS...MBB NEAR TERM...MJC/REK SHORT TERM...MBB LONG TERM...MBB AVIATION...MJC/DL MARINE...MJC/REK/MBB

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