Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Mt. Holly, NJ

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000 FXUS61 KPHI 160746 AFDPHI AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ 346 AM EDT SUN JUN 16 2013 .SYNOPSIS...
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A HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEM CRESTING THE APPALACHIANS WILL MOVE OFFSHORE TODAY. AN AREA OF LOW PRESSURE WILL TRACK FROM THE GREAT LAKES INTO SOUTHEASTERN CANADA LATER TODAY INTO MONDAY. ITS FIRST COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED TO DISSIPATE AS IT MOVES THROUGH THE AREA LATE TONIGHT. ITS NEXT COLD FRONT IS SCHEDULED TO MOVE THROUGH ON TUESDAY WITH POSSIBLY A NEW WAVE OF LOW PRESSURE FORMING ALONG IT. A HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL THEN BUILD INTO THE FORECAST AREA WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY, BEFORE SHIFTING TO OUR EAST FRIDAY INTO SATURDAY.
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&& .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 PM THIS EVENING/...
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SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE WILL SETTLE TO OUR SOUTHEAST TODAY RESULTING IN A SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW ACROSS THE AREA. THIS WILL INCREASE THE LOW LEVEL MOISTURE AND WE WILL SEE CLOUDS MOVE INTO THE REGION THROUGH THE DAY. IN THE MID LEVELS, THE FLOW BECOMES MORE ZONAL AND SEVERAL SHORTWAVES WILL MAKE THEIR WAY THROUGH THE FLOW AND ACROSS OUR AREA. THE FIRST WAVE WILL MOVE THROUGH THIS MORNING WITH A FEW LIGHT SHOWERS POSSIBLE. THE SECOND WAVE ARRIVES IN OUR AREA LATER THIS AFTERNOON/EARLY EVENING. IN ADDITION, A SURFACE TROUGH DEVELOPS TO OUR WEST AND PUSHES INTO OUR AREA AROUND THE SAME TIME. THIS MAY HELP TO BE A TRIGGER FOR SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT THROUGH THIS EVENING. THE UPPER JET IS LOCATED TO OUR NORTH AND COMBINED WITH CAPE VALUES LESS THAN 1000J/KG AND EXTENSIVE CLOUD COVER, WE MAY BE LIMITED IN JUST HOW MUCH CONVECTION CAN GET GOING. WE MAY SEE A FEW STRONG STORMS DEVELOP BUT OVERALL CONVECTION LOOKS TO BE LIMITED FOR TODAY. TEMPERATURES WILL RISE AS WARMER AIR IS ADVECTED INTO THE REGION IN THE SOUTHWEST FLOW, EVEN THOUGH WE WILL HAVE PLENTY OF CLOUD COVER AROUND. EXPECT MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES TO BE IN THE 80S ACROSS MOST OF THE AREA TODAY.
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&& .SHORT TERM /6 PM THIS EVENING THROUGH 6 AM MONDAY/...
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THE AFOREMENTIONED SURFACE TROUGH MOVES THROUGH THE AREA TONIGHT WITH SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ACCOMPANYING IT. AS THE TROUGH MOVES TO THE EAST, WE WILL LOSE THE CONVECTIVE FOCUS AND SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD START TO DIMINISH. IN THE WAKE OF THE TROUGH, WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO LOSE SOME OF OUR CLOUDINESS AND BECOME PARTLY CLOUDY AS WE HEAD TOWARD MORNING. TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN ON THE WARM SIDE AS WE HAVE EXTENSIVE CLOUDINESS ACROSS THE REGION. EXPECT LOWS TO BE IN THE 60S ACROSS THE AREA.
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&& .LONG TERM /MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/...
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WHILE THE GFS INITIALIZATION LOOKED BETTER FROM A HEIGHT FIELD PERSPECTIVE AT 500MB, THE OBSERVED WINDS LOOKED BETTER OFF THE WRF-NMMB. THE PROBLEM LIES IN THE EVENTUAL EVOLUTION OF THE TROF THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF THE WEEK WITH THE GFS IN ITS USUAL FAST TIMING POSN. THERE HAS NOT BEEN CLOSE RUN TO RUN CONTINUITY WITH THE MODEL ON THIS AND THUS THIS FCST PACKAGE IS GOING TO SHY AWAY FROM IT, COMING CLOSER TO A SREF AND UKMET SOLN IN THE NEARER LONG TERM AND A CONTINUITY/LATEST HPC THOUGHTS IN THE FURTHER LONG TERM. IN GENERAL THE WRF-NMMB LOOKED BETTER AT 925MB AND 850MB, ALTHOUGH THE THERMAL DIFFERENCES INTO TUESDAY ARE MORE OF TIMING. AN INITIAL COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED TO DISSIPATE AS IT MOVES THROUGH OUR CWA EARLY MONDAY. IN ITS WAKE WESTERLY FLOW IS PREDICTED TO OCCUR AS IS MID LEVEL CAPPING TO DEVELOP. WE HAVE EXPANDED ON THE IDEA OF THE POTENTIAL FOR A DRY MONDAY LIMITING POPS TO THE SE CWA IN THE MORNING WHERE CAPPING MAY NOT BE IN PLACE IN TIME AND THE FAR NORTHWEST WHERE ITS EROSION FROM A PREDICTED APPROACHING SHORT WAVE MIGHT ARRIVE BY THE END OF THE DAY. OUR CWA IS ALSO PREDICTED TO BE ON THE CONVERGENT SIDE OF THE APPROACHING 250MB JET WITH NO FCST MID LEVEL QVEC CONVERGENCE. ALL POINT TO RELATIVELY LOW POPS IF ANY. NOT MANY CHANGES TO MAX TEMPS. REMAINED RELATIVELY CONSERVATIVE WITH THEM GIVEN THE RECENT WETNESS. ACTUAL MAX TEMPS EVEN WEST OF US VS TRADITIONAL 1000-850MB THICKNESS VALUES HAVE NOT BEEN THAT ROBUST. A SECOND COLD FRONT IS PREDICTED TO APPROACH OUR CWA ON MONDAY NIGHT OR IF ONE WOULD FOLLOW THE GFS CLEAR MOST OF THE AREA BY MORNING. REGARDLESS OF THE GFS TIMING, ANY ONGOING CONVECTION THAT DEVELOPS IN MORE FAVORABLE REGIONS WOULD STAND THE CHANCE OF SURVIVING. PLUS WE ARE FORECAST TO GET INTO A MORE FAVORABLE QUADRANT OF THE JET ALOFT. MIN TEMPS NOT FAR FROM STAT GUIDANCE. THEN TUESDAY IN PARTICULAR, (NOT AS CONFIDENT ABOUT TUESDAY NIGHT) WE MAINTAINED POPS AND CHOSE A CLOSER TO SREF SOLUTION FOR THE POSITIONING OF THE COLD FRONT AND THE WAVE ON IT. ONLY BOWING TO THE GFS IS TO PLACE HIGHER POPS SE BOTH PERIODS. EVEN THE PRESENT GFS SOLN KEEPS OUR CWA IN THE FAVORABLE ENTRANCE REGION OF THE 250MB JET TUESDAY WITH FCST MID LEVEL QVEC CONVERGENCE PRETTY MUCH THRUT OUR AREA. AS FAR AS STRONG/SEVERE THREAT IS CONCERNED, THE FCST CAPES ARE NOT THAT ROBUST, ALTHOUGH THE BULK SHEAR WILL BE INCREASING. A BIT CONCERNED ABOUT CLOUDINESS PUTTING A LID PER SE ON TSRA STRENGTH. LATEST GUIDANCE SUGGEST IF THERE WOULD BE A SPOT FOR STRONGER STORMS, IT WOULD BE IN THE SERN PART OF OUR CWA. NOT PARTICULARLY CONFIDENT ABOUT MAX TEMPS BECAUSE OF THE COMPLICATION FROM SKY COVER AND DIFFERENCES IN FRONTAL POSNS. SINCE ANDREA MOST OF OUR PCPN CHANCES HAVE BEEN OUTPERFORMING AND WHILE SOME OF THE MEDIUM RANGE MODEL OUTPUT HAS SOME GRIDSCALE FEEDBACK LOOK TO THEM, THE FCST PWAT ARE EXPECTED TO GET TO AROUND 1.5". AT THE LEAST SOME TYPICALLY OR LOCALLY HEAVY DOWNPOURS WOULD BE POSSIBLE. NO BIG CHANGES THEN WERE MADE FOR THE REST OF THE LONG TERM. DONT KNOW HOW MANY MORE OF THESE WE WILL HAVE THIS MET SUMMER, BUT ANOTHER REFRESHING CANADIAN AIR MASS IS FORECAST TO ARRIVE FOR WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY BEFORE THE ATTENDING HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEM MOVES OFFSHORE. THE RETURN FLOW WILL NOT ONLY BRING IN HIGHER TEMPS, BUT ALSO A CHANCE FOR MORE THUNDERSTORMS AS A WEAK WARM FRONT MOVES THROUGH THE AREA.
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&& .AVIATION /08Z SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/...
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HE FOLLOWING DISCUSSION IS FOR KPHL, KPNE, KTTN, KABE, KRDG, KILG, KMIV, KACY AND SURROUNDING AREAS. MAINLY VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED THROUGH THE TAF PERIOD. HIGH AND MID LEVEL CLOUDINESS WILL INCREASE THROUGH THIS MORNING, MOVING IN FROM THE WEST. AS HIGH PRESSURE SETTLES TO OUR SOUTHEAST, THE RETURN FLOW AROUND THE HIGH WILL CAUSE AN INCREASE IN LOW LEVEL MOISTURE. A SURFACE TROUGH DEVELOPS ACROSS OUR AREA TODAY AND MAY HELP TO BE A FOCUS FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON. WE ADDED SOME VFR SHOWERS TO THE TAFS FOR LATER THIS AFTERNOON/EVENING. TIMING STILL REMAINS AN ISSUE AND WITH LOW CONFIDENCE, NO THUNDER WAS INCLUDED AT THIS TIME. A SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW DEVELOPS AS HIGH PRESSURE SETTLES TO OUR SOUTHEAST. GOOD VERTICAL MIXING WILL OCCUR OVER LAND AND THE WINDS WILL BECOME GUSTY BY LATE MORNING AND CONTINUE THROUGH THE EARLY EVENING WITH GUSTS UP TO 25 KNOTS EXPECTED. WINDS WILL BEGIN SUBSIDE TONIGHT, GOING LIGHT AND VARIABLE IN SOME LOCATIONS. OUTLOOK... MONDAY...MOSTLY VFR. ISOLATED MVFR CAUSING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY...AVERAGING VFR, HOWEVER MVFR OR LOWER AT TIMES IN SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. TUESDAY NIGHT...VFR WITH SOME POCKETS OF MVFR OR IFR AT OUTLYING AIRPORTS AND TERMINALS IN FOG AND ANY RESIDUAL PRECIPITATION EARLY. WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY...VFR.
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&& .MARINE...
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A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY WILL BE IN EFFECT FROM THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH LATE TONIGHT ON THE OCEAN WATERS. CONDITIONS ON THE AREA WATERS WILL START OFF FAIRLY BENIGN TODAY AS HIGH PRESSURE SETTLES TO OUR SOUTHEAST. SEAS WILL GRADUALLY START TO BUILD IN THE SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST FLOW AND WILL START TO APPROACH 5 FEET THIS AFTERNOON AND WILL THEN REMAIN NEAR 5 FEET THROUGH MUCH OF TONIGHT. WINDS WILL GUST AROUND 20 KNOTS ON THE WATERS TODAY. WHILE THE WINDS JUST ABOVE THE SURFACE LOOK TO BE IN THE 25 TO 30 KNOT RANGE, AN INVERSION OVER THE WATER AS WARMER AIR MOVES IN, WILL PREVENT THEM FROM MIXING EFFICIENTLY DOWN TO THE SURFACE. A FEW GUSTS UP TO 25 KNOTS MAY OCCUR, ESPECIALLY LATER THIS AFTERNOON. OUTLOOK... UNCERTAINTY HIGHER THAN AVERAGE BECAUSE OF MODELING DIFFERENCES WITH RESPECT TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF A WAVE OF LOW PRESSURE ON THE FRONT ABOUT TUESDAY. FOR MONDAY SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY CONDITIONS (MAINLY SEAS ON THE OCEAN) MIGHT LINGER INTO THE MORNING BEFORE THE WEAKENING FIRST FRONT LOOSENS THE PRESSURE GRADIENT. AFTER THAT, THE NEXT WAVE OF LOW PRESSURE MIGHT BE STRONG ENOUGH TO BRING SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY CONDITIONS (5 FOOT SEAS) BACK TO THE OCEAN ZONES ON TUESDAY. THEN THE CIRCULATION BETWEEN THAT WAVE OF LOW PRESSURE AND APPROACHING HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEM MIGHT CAUSE WIND GUSTS TO BE CLOSE OR REACH SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY CRITERIA LATER TUESDAY INTO WEDNESDAY ACROSS OUR ENTIRE MARINE AREA. AS THE HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEM IS FORECAST TO COME CLOSER LATER WEDNESDAY INTO THURSDAY, WE ARE MORE CONFIDENT ABOUT SUB SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY CONDITIONS OCCURRING ON ALL OF THE AREA WATERS.
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&& .PHI WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
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PA...NONE. NJ...NONE. DE...NONE. MD...NONE. MARINE...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FROM 2 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 6 AM EDT MONDAY FOR ANZ450>455.
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&& $$ SYNOPSIS...GIGI/GORSE NEAR TERM...MEOLA SHORT TERM...MEOLA LONG TERM...GIGI AVIATION...GIGI/GORSE/MEOLA MARINE...GIGI/MEOLA

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