Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Raleigh/Durham, NC

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000 FXUS62 KRAH 141851 AFDRAH AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC 250 PM EDT FRI JUN 14 2013 .SYNOPSIS... HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD INTO THE REGION FROM THE NORTH TODAY AND TONIGHT. THE HIGH PRESSURE WILL SHIFT OFFSHORE SUNDAY ALLOWING A MOIST SOUTHERLY FLOW TO RETURN. && .NEAR TERM /TODAY AND TONIGHT/... AS OF 1045 AM FRIDAY... THE MORNING UPPER AIR ANALYSIS SHOWS AN UNSEASONABLY SHARP TROUGH SWINGING THROUGH THE MID ATLANTIC AND CAROLINAS WITH A MUCH DRIER AND MORE STABLE AIR MASS MOVING INTO THE REGION. AT THE SURFACE A COLD FRONT JUST OFF THE CAROLINA COAST CONTINUES TO PUSH AWAY FROM THE REGION WHILE HIGH PRESSURE CENTERED OVER NORTHERN LAKE SUPERIOR RIDGES SOUTH INTO THE MISSISSIPPI AND OHIO VALLEYS. A COOL NORTHERLY SURFACE WIND AND DEW POINTS IN THE LOWER TO MID 50S WILL RESULT IN MUCH MORE PLEASANT DAY TODAY COMPARED TO TEMPERATURES IN THE MID TO UPPER 90S AND DEWPOINTS WELL INTO THE 60S ON THURSDAY. FAIR WEATHER IS EXPECTED TODAY ALTHOUGH A STRONG MID LEVEL IMPULSE IN THE NW FLOW ALOFT WILL BE MOVING ACROSS THE EASTERN HALF OF THE CWA THIS AFTERNOON. MOISTURE WITH THIS SYSTEM IS MEAGER AND GENERALLY CONFINED TO THE 850 TO 650 MB LAYER WITH A SMALL CAPPING INVERSION PRESENT JUST BELOW 600 MB. THE RESULT SHOULD BE AN ENHANCED CUMULUS FIELD ACROSS THE EASTERN PIEDMONT AND COASTAL PLAIN THIS AFTERNOON. A HANDFUL OF NMM BASED CONVECTION ALLOWING MODELS ALONG WITH THEIR COUSIN THE OPERATIONAL NAM GENERATE SOME ISOLATED SHOWERS THIS AFTERNOON IN THE EAST. WILL OPT TO KEEP THE FORECAST DRY WITH POPS BELOW 10 PERCENT ALTHOUGH A BRIEF SPRINKLE IS NOT OUT OF THE REALM OF POSSIBILITIES. HIGH TEMPERATURES SHOULD RANGE BETWEEN 79 DEGREES IN THE NORTHERN COASTAL PLAIN TO THE 85 IN THE SOUTHERN PIEDMONT WITH LOWER 80S IN MOST OTHER LOCATIONS. FAIR WEATHER WITH PARTLY TO MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES ARE EXPECTED TONIGHT WITH LOWS IN THE UPPER 50S TO LOWER 60S. -BLAES && .SHORT TERM /SATURDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT/... AS OF 315 AM FRIDAY... THE UPPER LEVEL TROUGH CENTERED IN VICINITY OF THE EASTERN SEABOARD TONIGHT WILL MOVE OFFSHORE SAT MORNING...WITH RISING HEIGHTS ALOFT AND SUBSIDENCE IN ITS WAKE ACROSS CENTRAL NC. FCST SOUNDINGS INDICATE A STRONG MID-LEVEL SUBSIDENCE INVERSION...VERY DRY AIR ALOFT...AND A CONTINUED DRY BOUNDARY LAYER WITH NO POTENTIAL FOR DIURNAL DESTABILIZATION. EXPECT CLEAR SKIES AND DRY CONDITIONS. HIGHS SAT SHOULD BE SEVERAL DEGREES WARMER THAN TODAY WITH RISING HEIGHTS AND INCREASING WSW LOW-LEVEL FLOW...IN THE MID TO UPPER 80S...WARMEST SOUTH. LOWS SAT NIGHT WILL ACCORDINGLY BE SEVERAL DEGREES WARMER...IN THE MID 60S. -VINCENT && .LONG TERM /SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/...
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AS OF 250 PM FRIDAY... A BROAD UPPER TROUGH OVER THE EASTERN TWO-THIRDS OF THE NATION WILL GRADUALLY AMPLIFY THIS PERIOD AS AN UPPER RIDGE BUILDS OVER THE SOUTHERN PLAINS INTO THE ROCKIES. A SERIES OF S/WS IN THE DEVELOPING W-NW FLOW ALOFT WILL BRING A THREAT FOR SHOWERS AND T-STORMS TO THE REGION EARLY NEXT AND AGAIN LATE IN THE WEEK. THE MAIN WEATHER HEADLINE FOR NEXT WEEK WILL BE THE GOOD PROBABILITY OF MAX TEMPS 4-7 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL FOR THE THIRD WEEK IN JUNE. THE UPPER LEVEL JET FORECAST TO BE FARTHER SOUTH THAN NORMAL FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR. THIS SWD POSITION WILL ALLOW COOLER CANADIAN AIR TO SPILL INTO THE NORTHERN THIRD OF THE U.S. WITH SOME RESIDUAL AFFECTS BEING FELT IN THE CAROLINAS. SUNDAY...SURFACE HIGH OVER THE REGION EARLY IN THE DAY WILL MOVE OFFSHORE. THE RESULTANT SLY FLOW ON THE BACK SIDE OF THE HIGH WILL ADVECT WARM MOIST AIR INTO THE PIEDMONT BY AFTERNOON-EARLY EVENING. IT APPEARS THAT ANY CONVECTION THAT DEVELOPS IN THE HIGHER TERRAIN OF WESTERN NC WILL STAY JUST EAST OF THE PIEDMONT AS STEERING FLOW SHOULD KEEP THE CONVECTION PARALLEL TO THE RIDGES. LOW LEVEL THICKNESSES FAIRLY CLOSE TO NORMAL WHICH SUGGEST AFTERNOON TEMPS SOLIDLY IN THE MID 80S. MONDAY THROUGH TUESDAY...THE FIRST S/W IN THE W-NW FLOW ADVANCES TOWARD OUR REGION MONDAY...AND EXITS THE REGION TUESDAY. THE ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT WILL ENHANCE LOW LEVEL CONVERGENCE WHILE THE SYSTEM ALOFT SUPPLIES ADDED LIFT. WITH PRECIP WATER VALUES PROJECTED TO BE 1.75-1.9 INCHES...EXPECT SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS WITH THIS SYSTEM...MAINLY IN THE WEST LATE MONDAY AND AREAWIDE MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY. IF LATER MODEL GUIDANCE REMAINS CONSISTENT...WILL NEED TO INCREASE POPS TO LIKELY OR LOW END CATEGORICAL MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY. WEDNESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY SHOULD SEE A RELATIVELY TRANQUIL WEATHER PATTERN AS HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE LOWER GREAT LAKES NOSES SEWD INTO OUR REGION. DEVELOPING ELY FLOW BY THURSDAY MAY ADVECT ATLANTIC MOISTURE INTO CENTRAL NC RESULTING IN CONSIDERABLE CLOUDINESS. MODEL GUIDANCE DIFFERS LATE IN THE WEEK AS THE GFS IS MUCH MORE PROGRESSIVE WITH AN UPPER LEVEL CROSSING THE PACIFIC NW INTO THE NORTHERN ROCKIES WHILE THE ECMWF IS SLOWER WITH THIS EWD TRANSLATION DUE TO PRESENCE OF UPPER RIDGE OVER THE ROCKIES/HIGH PLAIN. SINCE GFS HAS A HISTORY OF BEING TOO FAST IN THIS TYPE OF PATTERN...PREFER THE ECMWF SOLUTION. THIS MODEL CHOICE SUGGEST ANOTHER S/W APPROACHING CENTRAL NC BY FRIDAY. MOISTURE ADVECTION AHEAD OF THIS SYSTEM MAY CAUSE A THREAT FOR LIGHT RAIN SHOWERS BY THE END OF THE WEEK. DUE TO LIKELY MODEL ADJUSTMENTS IN TIMING OR STRENGTH OF THE SYSTEM...PREFER TO KEEP POPS AT OR BELOW 20 PERCENT FOR FRIDAY.
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&& .AVIATION /18Z FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... AS OF 130 AM FRIDAY... 24-HR TAF PERIOD... HIGH CONFIDENCE OF VFR CONDITIONS THROUGH THE 24 HOUR TAF PERIOD. GENERALLY SCT FAIR WEATHER CUMULUS CLOUDS WITH BASES AROUND 5KFT ARE EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON...THE CLOUDS COULD BE BRIEFLY BKN AT TIMES AT KRWI. FAIR WEATHER WITH FEW/SCT CLOUDS ARE EXPECTED TONIGHT WITH ANOTHER PERIOD OF SCT TO BRIEFLY BKN FAIR WEATHER CUMULUS WITH BASES AROUND 5KFT EXPECTED ON SUNDAY. NORTHERLY WINDS AT 10-15 KT SUSTAINED WITH GUSTS UP TO 20KTS THIS AFTERNOON WILL BECOME LIGHT TONIGHT AND THEN BECOME SOUTHWESTERLY AT 10KTS ON SATURDAY. LOOKING FURTHER AHEAD... HIGH PRESSURE JUST OFF THE SOUTHEAST COAST SHOULD PRODUCE FAIR WEATHER ACROSS CENTRAL NC ON SUNDAY. AS THE FRONT MOVES FURTHER OFFSHORE ON SUNDAY NIGHT...THE THREAT OF SHOWERS OR THUNDERSTORMS WILL GROW IN AN INCREASINGLY MOIST PATTERN FROM SUNDAY EVENING THROUGH TUESDAY WITH AN IMPROVING TREND ON WEDNESDAY. THE SHOWERS AND STORMS WILL BE MOST NUMEROUS DURING THE AFT/EVE HOURS ON MONDAY AND TUESDAY. -BLAES && .RAH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && $$ SYNOPSIS...VINCENT NEAR TERM...VINCENT SHORT TERM...VINCENT LONG TERM...WSS AVIATION...BLAES

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