Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Sterling, VA

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000 FXUS61 KLWX 231847 AFDLWX AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE MD/WASHINGTON DC 247 PM EDT THU MAY 23 2013 .SYNOPSIS...
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A COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH FROM THE WEST THIS AFTERNOON...MOVING THROUGH THE MID-ATLANTIC REGION TONIGHT. AN UPPER LEVEL LOW WILL RESIDE OVER THE AREA ON FRIDAY...THEN CANADIAN HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD OVERHEAD FOR THE MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND. A WARM FRONT WILL PASS THROUGH THE AREA DURING THE EARLY TO MIDDLE PORTION OF NEXT WEEK.
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&& .NEAR TERM /THROUGH FRIDAY/...
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CONSIDERABLE CLOUDINESS REMAINS ACROSS THE CWA EARLY THIS AFTERNOON...BUT VISIBLE SATELLITE IMAGERY INDICATES SOME BREAKS DEVELOPING WHICH WILL ENHANCE HEATING/INSTABILITY DURING THE MID- LATE AFTERNOON. ALREADY HAVE CONVECTION BEGINNING TO DEVELOP WITH CONVECTIVE TEMPERATURES BEING REACHED. LARGE SCALE LIFT IS STARTING TO INCREASE AHEAD OF THE OHIO VALLEY TROUGH...AND THERE/S ALSO A LEE TROUGH IN PLACE. THESE WILL SERVE AS INITIAL TRIGGERS AND THERE IS ALSO THE COLD FRONT TO CONSIDER WHICH WILL ALSO SUPPORT CONVECTION INTO THE EVENING. WHILE INITIAL CONVECTION MAY LACK ORGANIZATION...AS WIND FIELDS IMPROVE THROUGH THE LATE AFTERNOON/EVENING SHEAR WILL INCREASE AND THIS COMBINED WITH EXISTING INSTABILITY SHOULD HELP TO FAVOR BETTER ORGANIZATION /MULTICELL CLUSTERS/ OF STORMS. SOME OF THESE STORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING DAMAGING WIND GUSTS AND POSSIBLY LARGE HAIL. ANOTHER CONCERN WILL BE FOR HEAVY RAINFALL IN VULNERABLE PLACES OF THE SHENANDOAH VALLEY/POTOMAC HIGHLANDS WHERE 1 HR FLASH FLOOD GUIDANCE MAY ONLY BE AROUND 1/2 INCH. STORMS MAY CAUSE LOCALIZED FLASH FLOODING IN THESE LOCATIONS INTO EARLY EVENING. SEVERITY OF STORMS SHOULD WANE AFTER SUNSET...BUT THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY ITSELF WILL LIKELY KEEP AT LEAST SCATTERED CONVECTION GOING WELL INTO THE EVENING. WIND SHIFT TO THE NORTHWEST OCCURS BEHIND THE FRONT OVERNIGHT...AND DEWPOINTS WILL BEGIN TO DECREASE WITH COOLER AIR MOVING IN FOR FRIDAY. FRIDAY WILL CERTAINLY FEEL LIKE A DIFFERENT DAY WITH MAXIMA RELUCTANT TO RISE MUCH DURING THE DAY WITH LOW LEVEL COLD ADVECTION AT PLAY AND AN UPPER LOW OVERHEAD. MAXIMA IN THE LOWER TO MID 60S CAN BE EXPECTED. DECENT GRADIENT WITH COLD ADVECTION WILL BRING A WINDY DAY...WITH GUSTS POSSIBLY OVER 35 MPH AT TIMES. WITH THE UPPER LOW OVERHEAD EXPECT PLENTY OF CLOUDS AND ALSO SCATTERED SHOWERS PARTICULARLY ACROSS THE NORTHERN PORTION OF THE CWA. SHOWERS MAY PRODUCE STRONGER WIND GUSTS AND ALSO CAN/T RULE OUT SOME SMALL HAIL DUE TO COLD AIR ALOFT.
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&& .SHORT TERM /FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY/...
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UPPER LOW DRIFTS TO THE NORTHEAST ON SATURDAY...AS HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS IN FOR THE REST OF THE WEEKEND. IT LOOKS LIKE WINDS STAY UP FRIDAY NIGHT...SO NO FROST IS EXPECTED. BUT TEMPERATURES COULD DROP CLOSE TO FREEZING OVER THE HIGHLANDS LATE FRIDAY NIGHT. ANOTHER WINDY AND COOL DAY IS EXPECTED ON SATURDAY ALTHOUGH SOME SUNSHINE SHOULD MAKE A RETURN. MODERATING TEMPERATURES AND SUNSHINE ARE EXPECTED SUNDAY.
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&& .LONG TERM /SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY/...
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H5 RISES THROUGH ENTIRE LONG TERM AS BERMUDA HIGH STARTS SETTING UP AT THE BEGINNING OF THE PERIOD WITH WARM FRONT PASSAGE LIKELY ON TUESDAY PER 12Z GFS. MONDAY APPEARS STABLE WITH LITTLE OR NO MODEL CAPE. ON TUESDAY...INSTABILITY STARTS TO WORK INTO THE SHEN VALLEY WITH WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY HAVING MODERATE INSTABILITY ACROSS ENTIRE CWA. MAX TEMPS MONDAY AND TUESDAY ARE AROUND CLIMO...THEN INCREASING UP TO 10 DEG ABV CLIMO WITH MAX TEMPS APPROACHING 90 WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY.
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&& .AVIATION /18Z THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/...
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MVFR CIGS HAVE IMPROVED TO VFR EARLY THIS AFTERNOON...BUT CONVECTION WILL INCREASE AS THE AFTERNOON PROGRESSES AS CONVECTIVE TEMPERATURES ARE REACHED AND A SURFACE TROUGH INTERACTS WITH MOISTURE/INSTABILITY. STARTED THE TAFS WITH VCTS...BUT WITH POPS RAMPING UP TO LIKELY MID-LATE AFTERNOON PREVAILING TSRA WITH MVFR VSBYS ARE IN THE TAFS. AMENDMENTS MAY BE NECESSARY TO ADD MORE DETAIL TO TIMING/IMPACT AT EACH TERMINAL. EXPECT AT LEAST SHOWERS TO CONTINUE WELL INTO THE EVENING UNTIL A COLD FRONT MOVES THROUGH THE AREA OVERNIGHT WITH A WIND SHIFT. EXPECT GUSTY NORTHWEST WINDS ON FRIDAY...WITH SCATTERED SHOWERS THAT MAY PRODUCE GUSTIER WINDS. STRONG NWLY FLOW CONTINUES THROUGH SATURDAY AS THE UPR LOW REMAINS IN THE REGION AND SFC HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS. VFR EARLY NEXT WEEK IN A CANADIAN AIRMASS BEFORE A MIDWEEK WARM FRONT.
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&& .MARINE...
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MARGINAL SCA IN EFFECT THIS AFTERNOON DUE TO SOUTHERLY FLOW. BIGGER CONCERN IS FROM CONVECTION LATER THIS AFTERNOON WHICH CAN PRODUCE STRONG GUSTY WINDS WHICH COULD REQUIRE SPECIAL MARINE WARNINGS. COLD FRONT MOVES THROUGH OVERNIGHT WITH WINDS SHIFTING TO THE NORTHWEST. THESE WINDS WILL BE GUSTY ON FRIDAY...FOR A SOLID SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY. MAY EVEN FLIRT WITH GALES DUE TO GRADIENT EFFECTS ALONE. IN ADDITION...SCATTERED SHOWERS MAY PRODUCE STRONGER WIND GUSTS. NWLY FLOW WITH GUSTS 25 TO 30 KT THROUGH SATURDAY AS AN UPR LOW PERSIST OVER THE REGION AND SFC HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS. MORE TRANQUIL WEATHER EARLY NEXT WEEK UNDER A CANADIAN AIRMASS.
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&& .TIDES/COASTAL FLOODING...
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ANOMALIES WERE RUNNING 1/4 TO 1/2 FT THIS AFTERNOON...AND WITH SOUTHERLY FLOW WILL LIKELY INCREASE MORE THROUGH THIS EVENING. HOWEVER...THE UPCOMING TIDE IS THE LOWER OF THE NEXT TWO AND ANOMALIES EVEN UP TO 1 FT WOULD NOT LIKELY RESULT IN MINOR TIDAL FLOODING. THEREFORE...NO COASTAL FLOOD ADVISORY IS EXPECTED. WINDS WILL SHIFT TO THE NORTHWEST OVERNIGHT INTO 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 UNTIL 10 PM EDT THIS EVENING FOR ANZ531>534-537>543. SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FROM 6 AM FRIDAY TO 6 AM EDT SATURDAY FOR ANZ530>543. SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM EDT THIS EVENING FOR ANZ530- 535-536.
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&& $$ SYNOPSIS...BPP NEAR TERM...BPP SHORT TERM...BPP LONG TERM...LEE AVIATION...BPP/BAJ MARINE...BPP/BAJ TIDES/COASTAL FLOODING...BPP

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