Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Wilmington, NC

Current Version | Previous Version | Graphics & Text | Print | Product List | Glossary Off
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 201931 AFDILM AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC 331 PM EDT MON MAY 20 2013 .SYNOPSIS... A DISTURBANCE ALOFT MOVING ACROSS THE AREA WILL MAINTAIN SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH TUESDAY. DRIER AND WARMER WEATHER IS EXPECTED MID WEEK. A COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED TO APPROACH AND CROSS THE REGION ON FRIDAY...BRINGING DRIER AND SLIGHTLY COOLER WEATHER INTO THE NEXT WEEKEND. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM TUESDAY MORNING/...
-- Changed Discussion --
AS OF 300 PM MONDAY...SPC MESOANALYSIS PAGE SHOWS THE HEAVIEST CONVECTIVE RAINFALL IN ENCOMPASSED WITHIN A DEEP POCKET OF MOISTURE STREWN ACROSS THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN CAROLINAS...WHERE PRECIPITABLE WATERS WERE ESTIMATED AROUND 1.8 INCHES THIS AFTERNOON. WATER VAPOR ANIMATIONS DEPICT A COMPLEX SET OF SWIRLS EMBEDDED WITHIN A WEAK UPPER TROUGH FROM VIRGINIA TO NORTHERN FLORIDA. DIURNAL COOLING INTO EVENING SHOULD REMOVE SOME INTENSITY OF CONVECTION...BUT GOOD UPPER SUPPORT AND A MOISTURE RICH ENVIRONMENT SHOULD ALLOW FOR A FEW BIG RAIN-MAKERS TO PERSIST THROUGH EVENING. THE OVERNIGHT PERIOD WILL LIKELY SEE RE-DEVELOPMENT OVER THE WATERS AS LOW-LEVEL BUOYANCY INCREASES. CIRCULATION AROUND BERMUDA HIGH PRESSURE WILL HELP GUIDE OCEAN ACTIVITY ONTO THE COAST...AND THIS PROCESS MAY LEAD TO NOTABLE RAIN AMOUNTS OF 1/2-1 INCH FOR THE COASTAL ZONES OVERNIGHT. WITH THIS IN MIND WILL KEEP HIGH SCATTERED TO LIKELY POP VALUES IN PLACE OVERNIGHT INTO DAYBREAK MONDAY...GRADUALLY SHIFTING FOCUS INLAND...TO THE COAST IN THE NEAR TERM PERIOD.
-- End Changed Discussion --
&& .SHORT TERM /6 AM TUESDAY MORNING THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT/...
-- Changed Discussion --
AS OF 300 PM MONDAY...FORECAST MODELS ARE CONSISTENT IN SHOWING THE MID LEVEL PATTERN TRANSITIONING FROM WHAT SEEMS LIKE A NEVER ENDING TROUGH/WEAKNESS TO MORE OF A SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW. THIS IN RESPONSE TO THE MASSIVE MID LEVEL LOW FINALLY OPENING UP ACROSS THE NORTHERN PLAINS AND GETTING KICKED OUT. AT THE SURFACE...BERMUDA HIGH PRESSURE WILL REMAIN THE MAIN PLAYER ALTHOUGH THIS HAS LITTLE IMPACT OR CHANGE ON PREVAILING CONDITIONS AS THIS HAS BEEN SECONDARY THE PAST FEW DAYS. POPS REMAIN ON A DIURNAL CYCLE ALTHOUGH LOWER THROUGH THE PERIOD AS THE MID LEVEL CATALYST IS ALL BUT REMOVED. HAVE OPTED FOR THE WARMER MAV NUMBERS FOR TEMPERATURES THROUGH THE PERIOD.
-- End Changed Discussion --
&& .LONG TERM /THURSDAY THROUGH MONDAY/...
-- Changed Discussion --
AS OF 300 PM MONDAY...ONE LAST DAY OF WARM AND HUMID CONDITIONS ON THURSDAY AS UPPER TROUGH AND SURFACE COLD FRONT BEAR DOWN ON THE REGION FROM THE NW. SOMEWHAT SURPRISINGLY MODELS ARE GRAVITATING TOWARDS A QUICKER SOLUTION AND THE FRONT MAY PUSH THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT. AHEAD OF IT SW FLOW AND HEIGHT FALLS SHOULD YIELD BETTER THAN AVERAGE COVERAGE OF CONVECTION AND WITH A LARGELY PINNED SEABREEZE THERE MAY BE NO PREFERRED LOCATION FOR MEASURABLE RAINFALL ESP THIS FAR OUT IN TIME. SYSTEM WILL MOVE A LITTLE BIT SLOWLY OWING TO THE STRENGTH OF THE DOWNSTREAM RIDGING AND RAIN CHANCES MAY LINGER INTO FRIDAY ESPECIALLY ALONG THE COAST. MODEST COOLING AND STRONG DRYING WILL THEN FOLLOW FOR THE WEEKEND AND SOME VERY COMFORTABLE AND PLEASANT WEATHER APPEARS TO BE ON TAP. DAYTIME DEVIATIONS FROM CLIMO TEMPS SHOULD BE RATHER SMALL BUT THE NIGHTS MAY TURN COOLISH DUE TO THE DRYING. THE POST-FRONTAL HIGH MAY MOVE OFF THE COAST ON MONDAY ALLOWING FOR AN UPTICK IN THE DEWPOINTS.
-- End Changed Discussion --
&& .AVIATION /19Z MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/... AS OF 18Z...MORE SHOWERS/T-STORMS ARE EXPECTED THIS AFTN WITH MVFR/TEMPO IFR CONDITIONS IN HEAVIER DOWNPOURS. HAVE INCLUDED VCSH/VCTS AT ALL TERMS WITH TEMPO GROUPS ATTEMPTING TO CAPTURE THE TIMING OF PCPN BASED ON RADAR TRENDS AND HRRR OUTPUT. VFR/MVFR LIKELY WILL PREVAIL WITH SHORT PERIODS OF IFR VSBYS IN +SHRA. MOST PCPN SHOULD BE NEARING THE COASTAL TERMS BY MID-AFTN...THOUGH MORE SCT SHOWERS INLAND ARE POSSIBLE AS WELL. RAIN CHANCES RAPIDLY DIMINISH AFTER 00Z TUESDAY. FOG/STRATUS COULD BE AN ISSUE OVERNIGHT WITH TODAYS PERSISTENT RAINFALL...HIGHEST CONFIDENCE AT KLBT/KFLO. EXPECT MOSTLY CLOUDY SKIES AGAIN ON TUESDAY WITH S-SW WINDS 6-10 KTS. HAVE INCLUDED VCSH ALONG THE COAST TMRW TO ACCOUNT FOR SLIGHT PCPN CHANCES AS THE UPPER DISTURBANCE NEARS THE COAST. EXTENDED OUTLOOK...SCATTERED SHOWERS/TSTMS WITH TEMPO MVFR ON TUESDAY. CHANCE OF SHOWERS THURSDAY THROUGH EARLY FRIDAY. OTHERWISE VFR. && .MARINE...
-- Changed Discussion --
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
-- End Changed Discussion --
&& .ILM WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... SC...NONE. NC...NONE. MARINE...NONE. && $$ SYNOPSIS...SHK NEAR TERM...MJC SHORT TERM...SHK LONG TERM...MBB AVIATION...BJR

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