Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Sterling, VA

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000 FXUS61 KLWX 220801 AFDLWX AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE MD/WASHINGTON DC 401 AM EDT WED MAY 22 2013 .SYNOPSIS...
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HIGH PRESSURE PERSISTING OVER THE ATLANTIC WITH WARM AND HUMID CONDITIONS UNTIL A COLD FRONT THURSDAY NIGHT. AN UPPER TROUGH WILL LINGER OVER THE AREA FRIDAY WITH HIGH PRESSURE BUILDING THROUGH SATURDAY. A FRONTAL BOUNDARY STALLS OUT ACROSS THE MID- ATLANTIC SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH EARLY NEXT WEEK.
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&& .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/...
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HIGH PRESSURE BOTH AT THE UPPER-LEVELS AND THE SURFACE WILL REMAIN OVER THE ATLANTIC OCEAN THROUGH TONIGHT. AN UPPER-LEVEL TROUGH WILL SLOWLY SHIFT FROM THE CENTRAL CONUS INTO THE GREAT LAKES. A SOUTHERLY FLOW AROUND THE HIGH WILL CONTINUE TO USHER IN WARM AND HUMID CONDITIONS ACROSS OUR AREA. LOW-LEVEL MOISTURE TRAPPED UNDERNEATH THE NOCTURNAL INVERSION WILL RESULT IN PATCHY FOG ALONG WITH AREAS OF LOW CLOUDS. THE BEST CHANCE FOR LOW CLOUDS AND FOG WILL BE EAST OF THE BLUE RIDGE MOUNTAINS AND IN SHELTERED VALLEYS WEST OF THE BLUE RIDGE MOUNTAINS. ANY LOW CLOUDS AND FOG SHOULD BURN OFF BY MID-MORNING. SUNSHINE AND A SOUTHERLY FLOW WILL CAUSE MAX TEMPS TO REACH THE MID AND UPPER 80S ACROSS MOST LOCATIONS. THE WARM AND HUMID AIRMASS WILL LEAD TO HIGH AMOUNTS OF INSTABILITY. NAM/GFS BUFKIT INDICATE AROUND 2000-2500 J/KG OF MLCAPE THIS AFTERNOON...SIMILAR TO TUESDAY. TERRAIN CIRCULATION AND A SURFACE TROUGH WILL ACT AS LIFTING MECHANISMS FOR CONVECTION THIS AFTERNOON. THIS IS ALSO SIMILAR TO TUESDAY. HOWEVER...THE CAPPING INVERSION WILL BE WEAKER THAN TUESDAY DUE TO HEIGHT FALLS AS THE UPPER-LEVEL TROUGH TO OUR WEST SLOWLY SHIFTS EASTWARD. THEREFORE...A BETTER CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS EXISTS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...ESPECIALLY NEAR AND WEST OF THE I-95 CORRIDOR. ALTHOUGH WIDESPREAD SEVERE WEATHER WILL LIKELY HOLD OFF TO OUR WEST FOR LOCATIONS CLOSER TO THE UPPER-LEVEL TROUGH...THERE IS A THREAT FOR LOCALLY DAMAGING WIND GUSTS AND LARGE HAIL IN ANY THUNDERSTORMS THAT DO DEVELOP DUE TO THE HIGH INSTABILITY. CONVECTION WILL LIKELY DISSIPATE LATER THIS EVENING DUE TO THE LOSS OF DAYTIME HEATING. HOWEVER...AN UPPER-LEVEL DISTURBANCE IS EXPECTED TO PASS THROUGH THE REGION LATE TONIGHT AS THE UPPER-LEVEL TROUGH CONTINUES TO SLIDE CLOSER TO OUR AREA. PLENTY OF MOISTURE AND FORCING FROM THE UPPER-LEVEL DISTURBANCE MAY RESULT IN SCATTERED SHOWERS/T-STORMS TOWARD MORNING. MIN TEMPS TONIGHT WILL RANGE FROM THE 50S IN THE MOUNTAINS TO THE LOWER AND MIDDLE 70S IN DOWNTOWN WASHINGTON/BALTIMORE.
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&& .SHORT TERM /THURSDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/...
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THURSDAY LOOKS TO BE THE LAST ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURE DAY FOR AWHILE AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT THAT CROSSES THURSDAY NIGHT TIMEFRAME. PREFRONTAL LINES/CLUSTERS OF SHOWERS/THUNDERSTORMS PROGRESS EAST ACROSS THE AREA THURSDAY INTO THURSDAY NIGHT. GFS BUFR SNDG FOR KIAD PROGS A 1.6 INCH PWAT WHICH IS CERTAINLY HIGH...BUT JUST SHY OF THE 2 STDEV INDICATOR OF FLASH FLOODING. WITH PROGRESSIVE NATURE OF THE ACTIVITY...ANY FLASH FLOODING WOULD BE LOCALIZED. DAMAGING WIND THREAT...PARTICULARLY WITH HEATING ON THURSDAY IS ABLE TO PEAK BEFORE ORGANIZED ACTIVITY MOVES THROUGH. FRIDAY...UPR TROUGH DRIFTS EAST OVER THE AREA WITH BACK EDGE OF CLOUDS SLOW TO COME IN THE AFTERNOON. GUSTY NWLY FLOW FRIDAY CONTINUES AS HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS THROUGH SATURDAY.
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&& .LONG TERM /FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY/...
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SHORTWAVE FROM TN VLY ON SUNDAY NOW LOOKS TO EXPAND EAST ACROSS THE SOUTHERN-CENTRAL MID-ATLANTIC. CONVERGENCE ALONG THIS BOUNDARY WOULD SET OFF SHOWERS. PATTERN IS STALLED INTO MID NEXT WEEK...SO A PROLONGED CLOUDY/RAINY PERIOD IS POSSIBLE. THIS WOULD RESULT IN BELOW NORMAL TEMPS.
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&& .AVIATION /08Z WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/...
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LOW-LEVEL MOISTURE WILL BE TRAPPED UNDERNEATH THE NOCTURNAL INVERSION EARLY THIS MORNING. THIS MAY RESULT IN LOW CLOUDS AND AREAS OF FOG...ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE EASTERN TERMINALS. IFR CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE. ANY LOW CLOUDS WILL BURN OFF BY MID-MORNING AND VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED THROUGH THIS EVENING. HOWEVER...SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP. SOME OF THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING GUSTY WINDS AND LARGE HAIL. AREAS OF LOW CLOUDS ARE POSSIBLE LATE TONIGHT ALONG WITH SCATTERED SHOWERS/T-STORMS. THUNDERSTORMS THURSDAY INTO THURSDAY EVENING AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT. IFR CONDS POSSIBLE IN THE HEAVIEST ACTIVITY. SLY FLOW UNTIL A COLD FROPA THURSDAY NIGHT. NWLY FLOW WITH GUSTS 25 TO POSSIBLY 30 KT WITH MID LEVEL CIGS FRIDAY. NWLY FLOW CONTINUES THROUGH SATURDAY AS HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS.
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&& .MARINE...
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HIGH PRESSURE WILL REMAIN OVER THE ATLANTIC OCEAN THROUGH TONIGHT. A SOUTHERLY FLOW WILL CONTINUE OVER THE WATERS DURING THIS TIME. A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR PORTIONS OF THE WATERS THROUGH TONIGHT. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. ANY THUNDERSTORMS THAT DO DEVELOP WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING GUSTY WINDS AND HAIL. SLY FLOW AHEAD OF A LATE THURSDAY NIGHT COLD FRONT. SCA EXPANDED THROUGH THURSDAY. EXPECT AN EXTENSION THURSDAY NIGHT FOR PREFRONTAL SLY FLOW...THEN NWLY FLOW AROUND 25 KT FRIDAY THROUGH SATURDAY AS HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS.
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&& .TIDES/COASTAL FLOODING...
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A SOUTHERLY FLOW WILL CONTINUE OVER THE WATERS THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT...BUT THE FLOW MAY REMAIN JUST WEST OF SOUTH. TIDAL ANOMALIES WILL LIKELY INCREASE A LITTLE...BUT WITH THE FLOW REMAINING WEST OF SOUTH THE WATER LEVELS SHOULD REMAIN BELOW THRESHOLDS FOR MINOR COASTAL FLOODING. THE CLOSEST WATER LEVELS WILL COME TO MINOR FLOODING THRESHOLDS WILL BE DURING THE HIGH TIDE CYCLE LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND LATE THURSDAY NIGHT...THE HIGHER OF THE TWO HIGH TIDES. TIDAL ANOMALIES WILL DECREASE FRIDAY BEHIND A COLD FRONT.
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&& .LWX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
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DC...NONE. MD...NONE. VA...NONE. WV...NONE. MARINE...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FROM 9 PM THIS EVENING TO 6 PM EDT THURSDAY FOR ANZ530-531-539. SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FROM 9 AM TO 6 PM EDT THURSDAY FOR ANZ535- 538. SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FROM 2 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 6 PM EDT THURSDAY FOR ANZ532-536-540-542. SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM EDT THURSDAY FOR ANZ533-534- 537-541-543.
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&& $$ SYNOPSIS...BJL/BAJ NEAR TERM...BJL SHORT TERM...BAJ LONG TERM...BAJ AVIATION...BAJ/BJL MARINE...BAJ/BJL TIDES/COASTAL FLOODING...BJL

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