Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Sterling, VA

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000 FXUS61 KLWX 211416 AFDLWX AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE MD/WASHINGTON DC 1016 AM EDT TUE MAY 21 2013 .SYNOPSIS...
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HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE ATLANTIC WILL CONTINUE TO AID A SOUTHERLY FLOW THROUGH THURSDAY...BRINGING WARM AND HUMID CONDITIONS. AFTERNOON AND EVENING THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE EACH DAY. A COLD FRONT WILL PASS THROUGH THE REGION THURSDAY NIGHT INTO FRIDAY. COOLER CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED OVER THE WEEKEND.
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&& .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/...
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WEAK UPPER-LEVEL LOW PRESSURE REMAINS OVER SOUTHERN VIRGINIA INTO THE CAROLINAS THIS MORNING WHILE SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE REMAINS CENTERED OVER THE ATLANTIC OCEAN. PLENTY OF CLDS BANKED UP ALONG AND EAST OF THE BLURDG...WHILE MOSUN SKIES PREVAIL TO THE W. 12Z LWX RAOB INDICATES AN INVERSION ASSOCD W/ THE LOW CLDS UP TO ABT H9. ABV THAT SNDG UNSTBL...W/ APPROX 1850 J/KG CAPE. HWVR CNVCTV TEMPS /89F/ WL BE HARD TO REACH UNDER THE CLD CVR. LAMP TEMPS RUNNING LWR THAN FCST MAXT. WHILE LAMP HAS HAD A GOOD FEEL FOR ERODING LOW CLDS PAST CPL DAYS AND LIKE ITS HANDLING TDA /SCT OUT LLVL MSTR BTWN 15-18Z/...TEMP HV BEEN RUNNING A LTL ON THE COOL SIDE. INDEED...OUR OBSVD SNDG CUD WARM UP IN A HURRY. THEREFORE...WL BE HOLDING ONTO GOING TEMP FCST. THAT LEADS TO THE PCPN FCST. THE WARM AND HUMID AIR WILL LEAD TO HIGH AMOUNTS OF INSTABILITY. NAM/GFS BUFKIT ARE INDICATING AROUND 2000-2500 J/KG OF MLCAPE THIS AFTERNOON. GOT SIMLR RSLTS IN SBCAPE MODIFYING OBSVD SNDG TO 85/65. HWVR...THERE WAS ALSO ABT 50 J/KG CINH. THIS INHIBITION WILL MAKE IT DIFFICULT FOR CONVECTION TO DEVELOP. LIKE PRVS FCST...WHICH CONCENTRATED ON TERRAIN CIRCULATIONS...A SURFACE TROUGH AND THE UPPER-LEVEL LOW ACTING AS LIFTING MECHANISMS. MAIN PREMISE OF POPS REMAIN UNCHGD. WILL ALSO HAVE TO MONITOR CONVECTION OVER THE MIDWEST. THIS MAY SURVIVE OFF ITS COLD POOL AND BRING A THREAT FOR MORE WIDESPREAD CONVECTION ALONG THE ALLEGHENY AND POTOMAC HIGHLANDS THIS EVENING. THE HIGHEST POPS ARE LOCATED ACROSS THESE AREAS FOR THAT REASON. THE THREAT FOR SEVERE T-STORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING SHOULD BE LOW DUE TO THE STRONG CAPPING INVERSION. HOWEVER...IF THE LIFTING MECHANISMS END UP BEING STRONG ENOUGH TO ERODE THE INVERSION...THEN GUSTY WINDS AND HAIL ARE POSSIBLE. ANY LEFTOVER CONVECTION WILL DISSIPATE OVERNIGHT DUE TO THE LOSS OF DAYTIME HEATING. LOW CLOUDS AND AREAS OF FOG MAY DEVELOP AS MOISTURE GETS TRAPPED UNDERNEATH THE NOCTURNAL INVERSION. HOWEVER...LOW CLOUDS/FOG SHOULD NOT BE AS WIDESPREAD AS RECENT NIGHTS DUE TO A HIGHER TEMP/DEWPOINT DEPRESSION AND A STRONGER GRADIENT. MIN TEMPS WILL BE IN THE 60S ACROSS MOST AREAS TO THE LOWER 70S IN DOWNTOWN WASHINGTON/BALTIMORE.
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&& .SHORT TERM /WEDNESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/... CNTRL MID-ATLANTIC IN WARM SECTOR OF MIDWEST LOW UNTIL A COLD FRONT IN THE THURSDAY NIGHT TIMEFRAME. SFC HIGH WELL OFF ERN SEABOARD AIDS SLY FLOW/MOISTURE ADVECTION. TEMPS ABOUT 10 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL WITH UPR 60S TO NEAR 70F DEWPOINTS. EXPECT A DIURNAL TREND IN PRECIP COVERAGE WITH PREFRONTAL FORCING ENTERING THE AREA THURSDAY. SLIGHT RISK FOR WEDNESDAY DUE TO POTENTIAL FOR STRAIGHT LINE WINDS FROM ONGOING MCS ACTIVITY OVER THE OHIO VALLEY PUSHING EAST. && .LONG TERM /THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY/... 12Z ECMWF PROGS THE CD FROPA AS THURSDAY NIGHT (THERE HAS BEEN FLUCTUATION FROM LATE THURSDAY TO FRIDAY MORNING). CANADIAN HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS IN WITH A CRYSTAL CLEAR AND COOL WITH TEMPS 5-10 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL. SHORTWAVE OVER THE TN VLY ON SUNDAY SHOULD REMAIN WEST OF THE LWX CWA...WILL HAVE TO MONITOR FOR INCREASED POPS. AS OF NOW EXPECT SOME HIGH CLOUDS SUNDAY WITH A WARMING TREND STARTING THAT CONTINUES INTO MID NEXT WEEK. && .AVIATION /14Z TUESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/...
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LOW-LEVEL MOISTURE IS TRAPPED UNDERNEATH THE STILL PRESENT NOCTURNAL INVERSION. LOW CLOUDS AND FOG JUST BGNG TO ERODE...AND WILL IMPROVE TO VFR BY/ARND NOON. ISOLD SHOWERS AND T-STORMS ARE POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THREAT TOO SLIM FOR TAF INCLUSION. AREAS OF LOW CLOUDS/FOG MAY IMPACT THE TERMINALS LATE TONIGHT. DIURNAL THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY WED/THUR WITH IFR CONDS POSSIBLE IN THE HEAVIEST ONES. SLY FLOW UNTIL A COLD FROPA THURSDAY NIGHT. NWLY FLOW WITH CLEAR CONDS SATURDAY. JUST SOME HIGH CLOUDS ON SUNDAY.
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&& .MARINE... SOUTHERLY WINDS ARE EXPECTED OVER THE WATERS THROUGH TONIGHT. WIND GUSTS WILL BE CLOSE TO SCA CRITERIA THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. HAVE CAPPED GUSTS AROUND 15 KNOTS FOR NOW DUE TO THE RELATIVELY COOLER WATERS. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. SLY FLOW WITH HIGH PRESSURE OFFSHORE AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT THAT COMES THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT. SLY CHANNELING TO 20 KT POSSIBLE WED EVENING...AND THURSDAY. NWLY FLOW TO 20 KT POSSIBLE FRIDAY. LIGHT AND VARIABLE FLOW THIS WEEKEND. && .TIDES/COASTAL FLOODING... TIDAL ANOMALIES HAVE INCREASED TO AROUND ONE QUARTER FOOT ABOVE NORMAL. ANOMALIES MAY INCREASE A BIT MORE DUE TO THE SOUTHERLY FLOW...BUT WATER LEVELS SHOULD REMAIN BELOW THRESHOLDS FOR MINOR FLOODING THROUGH TONIGHT. WILL HAVE TO WATCH SOUTHERLY FLOW WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY AS IT MAY SUPPORT AN INCREASE IN DEPARTURES AGAIN. && .LWX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... DC...NONE. MD...NONE. VA...NONE. WV...NONE. MARINE...NONE. && $$ SYNOPSIS...BJL NEAR TERM...HTS/BJL SHORT TERM...BAJ LONG TERM...BAJ AVIATION...HTS/BJL/BAJ MARINE...BAJ/BJL TIDES/COASTAL FLOODING...BJL

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