Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Wilmington, NC

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000 FXUS62 KILM 251136 AFDILM AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC 736 AM EDT SAT MAY 25 2013 .SYNOPSIS... DRY CANADIAN AIR WILL PREVAIL ACROSS THE REGION THROUGH THE MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND. A WARMING TREND WILL BEGIN ON MONDAY...CONTINUING THROUGH THE UPCOMING WEEK WHILE REMAINING DRY. DAYTIME TEMPERATURES MAY RISE SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... AS OF 6 AM SATURDAY...AT 10Z/6AM ILM ASOS REPORTED 49 DEGREES WHICH CRACKS A 46 YEAR OLD RECORD MINIMUM TEMPERATURE FOR MAY 25TH. AT 10Z FLO REPORTED 45 DEGREES SMASHING THEIR OLD RECORD SET BACK IN THAT SAME YEAR 1967. WHILE LBT HAS NOT AS YET ESTABLISHED AN EXTENSIVE CLIMATIC DATA-BASE...AT 6AM A CHILLY 43 DEGREES WAS REPORTED. ALSO AT 10Z CRE REPORTS 46 DEGREES WHICH BREAKS A RECORD LOW SET 62 YEARS AGO. THE PREVIOUS MORNING DISCUSSION FOLLOWS. SPARKLING DAY ON TAP TO KICK-OFF MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND UNDER A COOL START THIS MORNING...AS AN AIR MASS OF CANADIAN ORIGIN CONTINUES TO FAN ACROSS THE REGION. DURING THE MIDDLE AND LATE AFTERNOON RELATIVE HUMIDITIES SHOULD BOTTOM OUT AT AROUND 25 PERCENT. NORTH WINDS THIS MORNING WILL TURN MORE WESTERLY AS DRY SHORT-WAVE ENERGY DIVING SOUTHEAST OUT OF THE GREAT LAKES FORCES THE CANADIAN HIGH SOUTHWARD INTO GEORGIA AND SOUTH CAROLINA. THE ONLY CLOUDS EXPECTED TODAY...POSSIBLY SHREDS OF ICE CRYSTALS AS UPSTREAM CONVECTIVE-DEBRIS CIRRUS IS PULLED INTO THE CIRCULATION OF THE DEPARTING UPPER TROUGH...PRESENTLY SCOOTING AWAY FROM THE MID- ATLANTIC COAST. MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES WILL CLIMB AROUND 25 DEGREES ABOVE MINIMUM TEMPERATURE READINGS THIS MORNING...BRINGING MIDDLE AND UPPER 70S FOR JUST ABOUT ALL LOCATIONS AROUND 21Z/5PM. THE LARGE DIURNAL RANGE TODAY SHOULD FOLLOW-SUIT TONIGHT...AS CLEAR SKIES AND LIGHT WINDS PREVAIL UNDER A CRISP AND DRY CANADIAN AIR-MASS. MINIMUM TEMPERATURES HOWEVER INTO DAYBREAK SUNDAY MAY BE REALIZED EARLY BEFORE DAYBREAK...AS THE MAJORITY OF DATA SUGGEST H7-H5 MOISTURE WILL PRODUCE AN INCREASE IN HIGH CLOUDS AFTER 9Z/4AM...WHICH MAY LEVEL OUT OR BUMP UP TEMPERATURE READINGS. && .SHORT TERM /SUNDAY THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT/... AS OF 3 AM SATURDAY...COOL AND DRY WEATHER WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEKEND. TEMPS WELL BELOW NORMAL TO START THE DAY ON SUNDAY WILL REBOUND WELL INTO THE 70S UNDER WARM END OF MAY SUNSHINE. OVERALL TEMPS WILL START TO CREEP BACK UP TO NORMAL AS AIR MASS BEGINS TO MODIFY AS HIGH PRESSURE SHIFTS CLOSER OVERHEAD ON SUNDAY AND THEN OFF SHORE BY LATE MONDAY. MID TO UPPER TROUGH WILL CONTINUE TO LIFT OFF TO THE NORTHEAST AS RIDGE OVER THE CENTRAL STATES SHIFTS EAST THROUGH THE PERIOD. SOME UPPER LEVEL MOISTURE AND MINOR PERTURBATIONS WILL RIDE DOWN INTO THE CAROLINAS IN THE DEEP NW FLOW BETWEEN THESE TWO FEATURES. THE RISE IN MID TO UPPER LEVEL MOISTURE WILL BRING PCP WATER VALUES BACK UP ABOVE AN INCH BUT LOOKS LIKE THIS WILL BE ALL IN THE WAY OF CLOUDS MAINLY ABOVE 10K FT THROUGH SUNDAY AFTERNOON. BY MONDAY AFTERNOON A WARMER AND MOISTER RETURN FLOW BEGINS TO SET UP AS SFC HIGH SHIFTS OFF THE COAST. THIS COULD BE ENOUGH TO SPARK A FEW SHOWERS AS MINOR SHORTWAVE RIDES DOWN THROUGH AREA LATE MON. FOR NOW WILL JUST COUNT ON CU DEVELOPMENT AND A FEW LOCALIZED SHWRS POSSIBLE ASSOCIATED WITH SEA BREEZE CONVERGENT BOUNDARY. A SLIGHT SHIFT TO A MORE WESTERLY COMPONENT ON SUNDAY WILL CUT OFF THE CAA PRODUCING A RISING TREND IN 850 TEMPS AND LOW LEVEL THICKNESSES. EXPECT DAYTIME HIGHS TO RECOVER INTO THE MID 70S AND CLOSER TO 80 THROUGH NORTHEAST SOUTH CAROLINA ON SUNDAY AND SHOULD BREAK THE 80 MARK MOST PLACES BY MONDAY MAKING THEIR WAY BACK UP TOWARD NORMAL AGAIN. OVERNIGHT LOWS WILL MODIFY ALSO ESPECIALLY WITH THE INCREASE IN MID TO HIGH LEVEL MOISTURE AND LIGHT RETURN FLOW SETTING UP. WILL KEEP WITH TEMPS IN THE 50S OVERNIGHT SUNDAY BUT BY MON NIGHT EXPECT FURTHER MOISTURE RETURN BRINGING DEWPOINT TEMPS BACK UP FROM THE 40S ON SUNDAY CLOSER TO 60 MON NIGHT. THEREFORE EXPECT OVERNIGHT LOWS MON NIGHT TO REMAIN IN THE LOWER 60S. && .LONG TERM /TUESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/... AS OF 3 AM SATURDAY...WARMING TREND WILL CONTINUE WITH MORE SUMMER-LIKE PATTERN SETTING UP THROUGH MID TO LATE WEEK. STRONG RIDGE BUILDS OVER THE SOUTHEAST WITH H5 HEIGHTS RISING CLOSE TO 590 DEM WITH RIDGE DIRECTLY OVERHEAD BY WED AND SHIFTING SLIGHTLY NORTH AND WEAKENING A BIT THROUGH FRIDAY. OVERALL EXPECT PLENTY OF SUBSIDENCE PRODUCING RAIN FREE CONDITIONS THROUGH MOST OF THE PERIOD. THE LOW LEVEL MOISTURE FEED IN SOUTHERLY RETURN FLOW AROUND HIGH PRESSURE ANCHORED OFF SHORE WILL ALLOW FOR SOME CU TO DEVELOP BUT VERY DRY MID LEVELS COMBINED WITH STRONG SUBSIDENCE ALOFT SHOULD KEEP ANY CLOUDS QUITE FLAT. BASICALLY EXPECT PLENTY OF SUNSHINE WITH TEMPS WARMING BACK INTO THE MID TO UPPER 80S WED THROUGH FRI. SEA BREEZE EACH AFTERNOON WILL BRING SLIGHTLY COOLER OCEAN AIR INLAND. THE ONLY CHC OF PCP THROUGH THE PERIOD WILL BE ON TUES BEFORE STRONG RIDGE BUILDS OVER AREA SUPPRESSING ANY CHANCES. && .AVIATION /12Z SATURDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/...
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AS OF 12Z...HIGH CONFIDENCE FOR VFR. QUIET AND BEAUTIFUL WEATHER ON TAP FOR THE PERIOD...WITH THE ONLY CHANGE IN THE FORECAST BEING THE EXPECTED WIND SHIFTS. LIGHT AND VARIABLE WINDS THIS MORNING WILL BECOME PREDOMINATELY NORTH-NORTHWEST AND INCREASE TO AOB 10 KTS BY MID MORNING. WINDS WILL THEN BACK TO THE WEST-SOUTHWEST THIS AFTERNOON DUE TO A RIDGE BUILDING INTO THE AREA FROM THE WEST. THIS EVENING AND THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE VALID PERIOD...WINDS WILL BECOME LIGHT AND VARIABLE. EXTENDED OUTLOOK...MORNING FOG POSSIBLE MONDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. OTHERWISE VFR.
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&& .MARINE... NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... AS OF 3 AM SATURDAY...BUMPY SEAS IN PART TO CHOPPY NORTH WIND- WAVES WILL SETTLE TODAY...AS WINDS BECOME NW-WNW AND EASE INTO THE AFTERNOON. RESIDUAL SE WAVES OF 2 FT AT 8-9 SECONDS WILL CONTINUE TO INTERACT WITH THE OFFSHORE WINDS TO KEEP SEAS A BIT PITCHED-UP AT TIMES. THIS LONGER WAVE-PERIOD PORTION OF THE WAVE SPECTRUM IS IN A GRADUAL DIMINISHING TREND. CANADIAN HIGH PRESSURE WILL BE REINFORCED INTO EARLY SUNDAY...AND A NORTH WIND-SURGE MAY BRING WINDS TO 13-17 KT INTO DAYBREAK SUNDAY. NO RESTRICTIONS TO VISIBILITY OR TSTMS EXPECTED ON THE 0-20NM WATERS THROUGH TONIGHT. SHORT TERM /SUNDAY THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT/... AS OF 3 AM SATURDAY...HIGH PRESSURE NEARLY OVERHEAD ON SUNDAY WILL SHIFT FURTHER OFF SHORE MONDAY THROUGH EARLY TUES. LIGHTER AND MORE VARIABLE NORTHERLY WINDS EARLY SUNDAY 10 KTS OR LESS WILL BACK SLOWLY TO THE WEST AND EVENTUALLY SHIFT TO SOUTHERLY BY MONDAY. THE COMBINATION OF LIGHT WINDS AND A SLIGHTLY LONGER WAVE 8 TO 9 SECOND SE SWELL WILL KEEP OVERALL SEAS LESS THAN 3 FT...DOMINATED MORE BY THE SEA BREEZE NEAR SHORE EACH AFTERNOON. LONG TERM /TUESDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... AS OF 3 AM SATURDAY...SUMMER LIKE PATTERN SETS UP THROUGH MID WEEK AS HIGH PRESSURE REMAINS ANCHORED WELL OFF SHORE KEEPING A SOUTHERLY RETURN FLOW OVER THE WATERS. GRADIENT REMAINS RATHER WEAK WITH WINDS REMAINING 10 KTS OR LESS WITH A SLIGHT RISE EACH AFTERNOON NEAR SHORE AS SEA BREEZE DEVELOPS. SEAS WILL REMAIN LESS THAN 3 FT THROUGH MOST OF THE PERIOD BUT PERSISTENT SOUTHEAST WINDS WILL PRODUCE A SLIGHT RISE JUST OVER 3 FT THROUGH LATE WEDNESDAY. && .ILM WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... SC...NONE. NC...NONE. MARINE...NONE. && $$ NEAR TERM...MJC SHORT TERM...RGZ LONG TERM...RGZ AVIATION...SGL

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