Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Sterling, VA

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000 FXUS61 KLWX 160745 AFDLWX AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE MD/WASHINGTON DC 345 AM EDT THU MAY 16 2013 .SYNOPSIS...
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A COLD FRONT WILL SAG SOUTHWARD ACROSS THE AREA TODAY. THE FRONT WILL STALL JUST SOUTH OF THE REGION THROUGH THE WEEKEND WHILE HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS TO THE NORTH IN NEW ENGLAND. THE STALLED FRONTAL BOUNDARY WILL LIFT NORTHWARD ACROSS THE REGION AS A WARM FRONT EARLY NEXT WEEK.
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&& .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/...
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AFTER HOVERING ABOUT THE I-70 CORRIDOR FOR MUCH OF THE DAY...THE SLOW MOVING COLD FRONT IS STILL ON THE WAY FROM THE NORTH BUT MAKING PROGRESS TOWARD THE MASON-DIXON LINE. SOME NEWER OVERNIGHT CONVECTION STARTING UP ACROSS THE WINDWARD SIDE OF THE CNTL APLCNS ALONG THE BOUNDARY. ONLY A FRACTION OF THIS ACTIVITY IS EXPECTED TO CLEAR THE HIGHER TERRAIN AND MOVE INTO THE NRN TIER COUNTIES OF THE CWA. MEANWHILE...FAST UPPER ZONAL FLOW WILL CONTINUE TO INTERACT W/ THIS FEATURE AND ALLOW FOR PERIODIC DEVELOPMENT OF ISOLATED SHOWERS/TSTMS OVER THE COURSE OF THE DAY AND NIGHTTIME HRS. THE FRONT...WHICH IS MORE OF A STATIONARY TRANSITIONAL BOUNDARY W/ AN INCOMING WARM FRONT OVER THE UPPER MIDWEST CONNECTING TO A COLD FRONTAL PORTION FROM AN EXITING LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM OFF THE NEW ENGLAND COAST. MORE SOLID AND UNINTERRUPTED CONVECTIVE LINES WILL DEVELOP ACROSS SRN OH/IN TO NRN KY/WV. THE LEADING EDGE OF THESE LINES WILL CONTINUALLY DISSIPATE AS THEY DRIFT ESE LATER THIS MRNG AND EARLY AFTN. PLENTY OF PRECIP-LESS CLOUD DEBRIS WILL MAKE IT E OF THE MTNS...COVERING THE AREA FOR MUCH OF THE DAY. A FEW ISOLATED SHOWERS WILL DOT THE AREA DURING THE DAYTIME HRS...BUT MOST OF THE REGION WILL STAY DRY. SOME OF THE LOCAL GUIDANCE COMING INTO VIEW DEPICTS THE SRN HALF OF THE CWA - N CNTRL VA IN PARTICULAR - AS THE FOCUS FOR AFTN CONVECTIVE DEVELOPMENT THAT WILL EVENTUALLY SLIDE TOWARD THE LOWER VA CHESAPEAKE/TIDEWATER LATER TONIGHT. INSTABILITY DOESN`T LOOK TO BE AS FAVORABLE TODAY AS IT WAS ON WED...GIVEN THE DENSE CLOUD COVER CUTTING DOWN ON AVAILABLE HEATING - BUT DEWPOINTS WILL BE SIMILAR. ENOUGH MARGINAL INSTABILITY...SOME WEAK LOW LEVEL CONVERGENCE AND GOOD BOUNDARY LAYER SHEAR WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR SCATTERED STORMS THIS AFTN. CONVECTION COULD FIRE ANYWHERE IN THE CWA...ALONG THE AFTN CHESPKE BAY BREEZE - THE SWD SAGGING FRONT OR FROM A FEW PEAKS OF SUN OVER THE NRN VA PIEDMONT THIS AFTN. CONVECTION WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP BACK TO THE WEST OF THE CNTRL APLCNS OVERNIGHT...BANKING INTO THE TERRAIN AND DISSIPATING ON THE EAST SIDE. ONLY A FRACTION OF THIS AND THE EARLIER STORMS WILL CONTINUE LATE THIS EVE ACROSS THE SRN HALF OF THE CWA. CLOUDS WILL BEGIN TO DISSIPATE AND DRIFT SWD ALONG W/ THE BOUNDARY...SLOWLY USHERING IN SOME COOLER DEWPOINTS AND TEMPS AS WELL. OVERNIGHT LOWS WILL DROP BACK INTO THE 50S AND L60S FOR THE METRO AREAS.
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&& .SHORT TERM /FRIDAY THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT/...
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FRONTAL BOUNDARY IS FORECAST TO STALL OUT TO THE SOUTH OF THE AREA FRIDAY INTO THE WEEKEND AS HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS TO THE NORTH ACROSS EASTERN CANADA AND NEW ENGLAND. ON FRIDAY HAVE FOCUSED POPS/THUNDERSTORM POTENTIAL ACROSS THE SOUTHWEST PORTION OF THE CWA CLOSEST TO THE BOUNDARY WITH A DRY FORECAST FURTHER NORTHEAST TOWARD THE DC-BALT METRO AREA. HOWEVER OVER THE WEEKEND...EVEN WITH THE BOUNDARY TO THE SOUTH MODELS INDICATE SIGNS OF LIFT INCREASING TO THE NORTH LIKELY DUE TO VORT MAXES/SHORTWAVES IN 500 MB FLOW IN TANDEM WITH LOW LEVEL EASTERLY FLOW. THEREFORE POPS EXPAND NORTHEASTWARD DURING THE WEEKEND. AT THE SURFACE...AFOREMENTIONED EASTERLY LOW LEVEL FLOW IS EXPECTED TO TREND MAXIMA DOWNWARD TO BELOW NORMAL OVER THE WEEKEND WITH NEAR TO SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL MINIMA.
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&& .LONG TERM /MONDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/...
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FRONTAL BOUNDARY WILL LIFT BACK TO THE NORTH AS A WARM FRONT EARLY NEXT WEEK...ALLOWING TEMPERATURES TO TREND UPWARD THROUGH MID-WEEK IN ADVANCE OF THE NEXT LARGER SCALE SHORTWAVE. UNSETTLED CONDITIONS WITH A CHANCE OF CONVECTION IS EXPECTED THROUGH THEN.
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&& .AVIATION /08Z THURSDAY THROUGH MONDAY/...
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A SLOW-MOVING FRONTAL BOUNDARY WILL CONTINUE TO SAG SOUTH AND EAST THIS MRNG AND AFTN. ISOLATED RA/TS ACTIVITY WILL DEVELOP ACROSS THE REGION...ESPECIALLY HEADING THRU THE AFTN HRS. SOLID MID CLOUD DECKS WILL STREAM ACROSS THE AREA TODAY...W/ A LIGHT WLY BREEZE. TS ACTIVITY WILL DISSIPATE AND DRIFT SE OF THE AREA LATE TONIGHT. FRONTAL BOUNDARY IS FORECAST TO STALL OUT TO THE SOUTH OF THE AREA THROUGH THE WEEKEND THEN RETURN NORTH AS A WARM FRONT EARLY NEXT WEEK. HUBS LOOK TO STAY DRY ON FRIDAY...BUT A CHANCE OF SHOWERS WILL RETURN NORTH OVER THE WEEKEND AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE NEXT WEEK.
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&& .MARINE...
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WINDS HAVE CALMED DOWN ACROSS THE WATERS FROM EARLIER. ONLY A STEADY 10KT BREEZE THROUGHOUT THE DAY...HELPED BY THE INCREASE IN CLOUD COVER TODAY. BATCHES OF ISOLATED TO SCATTERED TSTMS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP LATER THIS AFTN...BRINGING THE POTENTIAL FOR SMW/MWS ISSUANCES W/ STRONGER ACTIVITY. TSTMS WILL SUBSIDE AND DRIFT TOWARD THE ESE LATER TONIGHT AND AWAY FROM THE REGION. FRONTAL BOUNDARY WILL STALL OUT SOUTH OF THE WATERS THROUGH THE WEEKEND BEFORE LIFTING BACK TO THE NORTH EARLY NEXT WEEK. GRADIENT IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN FAIRLY WEAK THROUGH THE PERIOD. AS WINDS BECOME EAST-SOUTHEAST OVER THE WEEKEND...WINDS MAY FLIRT WITH MARGINAL SCA CRITERIA OVER A PORTION OF THE BAY.
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&& .LWX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
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DC...NONE. MD...NONE. VA...NONE. WV...NONE. MARINE...NONE.
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&& $$ SYNOPSIS...GMS/BPP NEAR TERM...GMS SHORT TERM...BPP LONG TERM...BPP AVIATION...GMS/BPP MARINE...GMS/BPP

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