Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Mt. Holly, NJ

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000 FXUS61 KPHI 160440 AFDPHI AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ 1240 AM EDT THU MAY 16 2013 .SYNOPSIS...
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AN AREA OF LOW PRESSURE WILL SLIDE THROUGH SOUTHERN CANADA TONIGHT. A FRONTAL BOUNDARY ACROSS OUR REGION WILL SAG TO OUR SOUTH THURSDAY, BEFORE A SECOND COLD FRONT MOVES THROUGH THE AREA THURSDAY NIGHT. THIS BOUNDARY IS EXPECTED TO STALL TO OUR SOUTH THROUGH THE WEEKEND INTO EARLY MONDAY AS HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS SOUTH OUT OF CANADA AND ACROSS THE NORTHEAST. AS THE HIGH BUILDS TO OUR SOUTHEAST TUESDAY, THE FRONT IS EXPECTED TO RETURN NORTHWARD AS A WARM FRONT.
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&& .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM THIS MORNING/...
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A FRONTAL BOUNDARY EXTENDED ACROSS SOUTHWESTERN AND SOUTH CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA TO THE UPPER DELMARVA AND EXTREME SOUTHERN NEW JERSEY SHORTLY AFTER MIDNIGHT. TEMPERATURES WERE MAINLY IN THE 70S TO THE SOUTH OF THE FRONT AND IN THE 60S AND 50S TO THE NORTH. ISOLATED SHOWERS WERE CONTINUING TO RIDE EASTWARD ALONG THE BOUNDARY. HOWEVER, THEY WERE DIMINISHING GRADUALLY AND THAT TREND SHOULD CONTINUE. WE HAVE REMOVED ANY MENTION OF PRECIPITATION FROM OUR FORECAST FOR THE OVERNIGHT PERIOD. ANOTHER FRONTAL BOUNDARY EXTENDED ACROSS FAR NORTHERN PENNSYLVANIA, SOUTHEASTERN NEW YORK AND SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND. THE BOUNDARY IS EXPECTED TO DROP INTO THE NORTHERN PART OF OUR FORECAST AREA OVERNIGHT. IT MAY BRING A FEW CLOUDS BUT NO PRECIPITATION.
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&& .SHORT TERM /6 AM THIS MORNING THROUGH 6 PM TODAY/...
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THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY IS FORECAST TO STALL TO OUR SOUTH, AND THEN SOME ENERGY IN THE FAST SPLIT FLOW LOOKS LIKE IT WILL MOVE ALONG THE BAROCLINIC ZONE. OUR FORECAST CARRIES CHANCE TO SLIGHT CHANCE POPS SOUTH AND DRY WEATHER NORTH. THERE LOOKS LIKE THERE IS ENOUGH INSTABILITY TO CONTINUE WITH THE MENTION OF THUNDER, BUT THERE DOESN`T SEEM TO BE ANY CONCERN REGARDING SEVERE WEATHER (THE BEST SHEAR IS NORTH, AND THE CAPES SOUTH AREN`T THAT ROBUST). IT LOOKS LIKE WE WILL MIX TO H925, AND GUIDANCE/CONTINUITY AND H925 TEMPERATURES ALL SUPPORT THE MAX TEMPERATURE FORECAST.
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&& .LONG TERM /TONIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY/...
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A WEAK FRONTAL BOUNDARY WILL MOVE THROUGH THE AREA THURSDAY EVENING AND SOUTH OF THE AREA INTO THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. THERE REALLY ISN`T MUCH MOISTURE WITH THE FRONT, SO WE DO NOT EXPECT ANY PRECIPITATION ASSOCIATED WITH THIS FRONT. HOWEVER, THERE COULD BE SOME SHOWERS OR THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS OUR SOUTHERN AREAS WHERE THERE IS SOME HIGHER MOISTURE FORECAST AS WELL AS SOME LIFT ASSOCIATED WITH A WEAK DISTURBANCE MOVING THROUGH. ANY SHOWER ACTIVITY SHOULD DISSIPATE OVERNIGHT. FRIDAY INTO FRIDAY NIGHT IS EXPECTED TO BE DRY FOR MUCH OF THE AREA AS HIGH PRESSURE BEGINS TO TRY TO NOSE ITS WAY DOWN ACROSS OUR AREA FROM THE NORTH. OUR SOUTHERN AREAS ACROSS THE DELMARVA MAY HAVE SOME ISOLATED SHOWERS DEVELOP LATE IN THE DAY AS A WEAK DISTURBANCE MOVES THROUGH THE AREA. THERE MAY BE JUST ENOUGH MOISTURE IN THIS AREA FOR A FEW SHOWERS TO DEVELOP, SO WE WILL KEEP A SLIGHT CHANCE IN FOR NOW. AS WE MOVE INTO SATURDAY, HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS ACROSS THE NORTHEAST AND ACROSS THE NORTHEAST COAST. THIS WILL SET UP AN EAST/SOUTHEASTERLY FLOW ACROSS THE AREA. AN INCREASE IN CLOUD COVER IS EXPECTED, WHICH WILL LIKELY KEEP TEMPERATURES IN CHECK SATURDAY. AS WE MOVE THROUGH THE DAY, A SHORT WAVE IS CURRENTLY FORECAST TO MOVE TOWARD THE AREA DURING THE DAY. THIS COULD LEAD TO SOME SHOWER ACTIVITY. HOWEVER, CONFIDENCE IS NOT HIGH ON THIS OCCURRING, SO ONLY A 20/30 POP IS INCLUDED AT THIS TIME. A STATIONARY BOUNDARY WILL BE LOCATED TO OUR SOUTH FROM SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY. THE MAIN QUESTION WITH THIS FORECAST UPDATE IS WHERE THE LOCATION OF THE BOUNDARY WILL BE AND IF ANY IMPULSES OR WEEK LOW PRESSURE SYSTEMS WILL TRAVERSE IT. SATURDAY NIGHT THE FRONT WILL BE LOCATED SOUTH OF THE REGION AND HAVE KEPT SKIES MOSTLY CLOUDY AND RAIN CHANCES LOW TO SLIGHT ACROSS THE REGION. BY SUNDAY THE 12Z GFS HAS A IMPULSE MOVING THROUGH THE REGION WHILE THE ECMWF IS FARTHER SOUTH WITHOUT AN IMPULSE MOVING ALONG THE BOUNDARY. THE GFS SOLUTION WOULD MEAN RAIN MOST OF THE DAY ON SUNDAY WHILE THE 00Z EC SOLUTION WOULD KEEP THE REGION DRY. THE CMC ALONG WITH SEVERAL OTHER GFS ENSEMBLE MEMBERS DO SUGGEST THE CHANCE FOR SHOWERS. SO HAVE KEPT A CHANCE POP IN THE FORECAST, DID NOT INCLUDE THUNDER WITH A LACK OF INSTABILITY EXPECTED. WENT AWAY FROM THE VERY HIGH QPF AMOUNTS ON THE 12Z GFS AS WELL MORE IN LINE WITH A GENERIC LIGHT RAINFALL IF IT DOES OCCUR, FOCUSED IN THE SOUTH. TEMPERATURE FORECAST ALSO REFLECTS LEANING TOWARD A DRIER OUTCOME ATTM. FOR MONDAY AND TUESDAY THE BOUNDARY IS EXPECTED TO MOVE THROUGH THE REGION AS A WARM FRONT. THE EXACT LOCATION AND TIMING OF THIS FRONT WILL HAVE AN IMPACT ON OUR SENSIBLE WX WITH A WIND SHIFT AND CONTINUED LOW CHANCES OF PRECIPITATION. INSTABILITY WILL AT LEAST BECOME MARGINAL ALLOWING FOR A CHANCE OF THUNDER AS WELL DURING THE DAY. WENT LOWER THAN GUIDANCE WITH DEWPOINTS IN THESE PERIODS MAINLY DUE TO THE POTENTIAL FOR MOISTURE ADVECTION TO BE LOWER THAN MODELED. ON WEDNESDAY CONFIDENCE INCREASES THAT WE WILL BE IN THE WARM SECTOR IF THE BOUNDARY. THIS SHOULD RESULT IN A PERIOD WHERE THE SKIES COULD CLEAR OUT SOME FROM A MAINLY CLOUDY SKY EARLIER IN THE WEEK. 850 MB TEMPS WILL ALSO BE AROUND 15C DURING THE DAY COUPLED WITH A STRONG SOUTHERLY FLOW THE POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR MANY AREAS TO GET INTO THE 80`S. THE 12Z MODELS HAVE COOLED OFF SOME BUT IF WE GET FIRMLY INTO THE WARM SECTOR WITH RAIN HOLDING OFF TILL LATER IN THE DAY THE WARMER TEMPERATURES ARE POSSIBLE. TIMING UNCERTAINTIES REGARDING THE MAIN COLD FRONTAL BOUNDARY. RIGHT NOW HAVE INTRODUCED LOW CHANCE POPS AS THAT ASPECT CAN BE FINE TUNED WITH LATER UPDATES.
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&& .AVIATION /06Z THURSDAY THROUGH MONDAY/...
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THE FOLLOWING DISCUSSION IS FOR KPHL, KPNE, KTTN, KABE, KRDG, KILG, KMIV, KACY AND SURROUNDING AREAS. THE FORECAST GENERALLY IS A VFR FORECAST THROUGH THURSDAY. SOME FOG IS POSSIBLE TONIGHT, BUT WE PLAYED IT DOWN IN THE TAFS. THE WIND SHOULD VEER TO NORTHWEST AND DIMINISH. SHOWER OR TSTM ACTIVITY ON THURSDAY LIKELY WILL REMAIN TO THE SOUTH OF THE TAF SITES, AND WINDS SHOULD BE FAIRLY GENTLE OUT OF THE WEST TO NORTHWEST. SOME MID AND HIGH CLOUDS AND A FEW CUMULUS ARE FORECAST. OUTLOOK... THURSDAY NIGHT-FRIDAY NIGHT...MOSTLY VFR. SHOWERS POSSIBLE SOUTH OF PHL. SATURDAY...MOSTLY VFR...EASTERLY FLOW MAY CONTRIBUTE TO LOWER CLOUDS; ALTHOUGH THIS IS LOW CONFIDENCE. POSSIBLE SHOWERS IN THE AFTERNOON. SATURDAY NIGHT ..... MAINLY VFR WITH A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND SOUTH TO SOUTHEAST WINDS AROUND 5 KNOTS. SUNDAY AND MONDAY MAINLY VFR EXPECTED ATTM WITH SCATTERED SHOWERS WITH SOUTHEAST WINDS 5 TO 10 KNOTS.
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&& .MARINE...
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MARGINAL SCA CONDITIONS CONTINUE ALONG THE OCEAN SHORE AREAS. CONDITIONS WILL RETURN TO SUB-ADVISORY BY OR SHORTLY AFTER DAYBREAK AND REMAIN THAT WAY THROUGH THE REST OF THURSDAY. OUTLOOK... WINDS AND WAVES ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN BELOW ADVISORY LEVELS FROM THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY. SEAS ARE EXPECTED TO STAY BELOW SCA LEVEL FROM SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH 12Z MONDAY ATTM. SCA CONDITIONS WILL BE POSSIBLE ON MONDAY. OVERALL WAVEWATCH GUIDANCE MAY BE HIGH ON SEAS WENT MORE IN THE DIRECTION OF USING WIND SPEED FOR WAVE HEIGHTS.
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&& .PHI WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
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PA...NONE. NJ...NONE. DE...NONE. MD...NONE. MARINE...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 8 AM EDT THIS MORNING FOR ANZ450>455.
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&& $$ SYNOPSIS...GAINES/ROBERTSON NEAR TERM...IOVINO SHORT TERM...DELISI LONG TERM...GAINES/ROBERTSON AVIATION...DELISI/GAINES/ROBERTSON MARINE...DELISI/GAINES/ROBERTSON

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