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-- Discussion containing changed information from previous version are highlighted. --
000
FXUS61 KRNK 221340
AFDRNK

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA
940 AM EDT WED MAY 22 2013

.SYNOPSIS...
A LARGE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL TRACK FROM THE CENTRAL PLAINS INTO
THE GREAT LAKES BY THURSDAY. THIS SYSTEM WILL PUSH A COLD FRONT
THROUGH THE AREA THURSDAY INTO THURSDAY EVENING... FOLLOWED BY HIGH
PRESSURE ON FRIDAY.

&&

.NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/...
-- Changed Discussion --
AS OF 925 AM EDT WEDNESDAY...
ADJUSTED POPS FOR LATEST RADAR TREND...SHAPING POPS THIS MORNING
INTO TOWARDS LATEST RNK WRFARW. KEPT THE BEST CHANCE FOR
THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON IN THE WEST. SWODY1 HAS PLACED A
SLIGHT RISK JUST TO OUR WEST. MORNING RUN SHOWED THE POTENTIAL
FOR LINE OF CONVECTION REACHING THE WEST BETWEEN 00Z AND 06Z
TONIGHT. WILL REVIEW 12Z RUN BEFORE MAKING ANY MAJOR ADJUSTMENTS
FOR TONIGHT. MODIFIED TEMPERATURES AND DEW POINTS THIS MORNING
INTO THIS AFTERNOON. RAISED HIGH TEMPERATURES UP A FEW DEGREES IN
SOUTHEAST. UPDATED FIRE WEATHER GRIDS...FWFRNK OUT. ADDITIONAL
CHANGES LATER TODAY.


AS OF 340 AM EDT WEDNESDAY...

A COUPLE OF CONCERNS TODAY. THE MAIN CONCERN IS WITH THE POTENTIAL
FOR ISOLATED HEAVY RAIN IN THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON. THE LOWEST
FLASH FLOOD GUIDANCE IS CURRENTLY OBSERVED IN AREAS THAT HAVE
RECEIVED HEAVY RAIN RECENTLY AND MOSTLY IN THE MOUNTAINS INCLUDING
WATAUGA... ASHE... GRAYSON... INTO SMYTH AND TAZEWELL OF VA.
HOWEVER... GIVEN THE EXPECTED SCATTERED NATURE OF THE CONVECTION
THIS AFTERNOON... IT APPEARS THAT THE FLOODING THREAT WILL BE
ISOLATED. THEREFORE... OPTED OUT OF A FLASH FLOOD WATCH AT THE
CURRENT TIME. THE LATEST HI-RES MODELS INCLUDING THE HRRR INDICATE
AT LEAST SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP OVER OUR REGION THIS
AFTERNOON... PRIMARILY OVER THE MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS SPREADING
NE INTO THE VA PIEDMONT LATE THIS AFTERNOON AS WELL. WE WILL
CONTINUE THE CHANCE CATEGORY POP FOR THOSE ZONES THIS AFTERNOON.

EVEN MORE PROBLEMATIC MAY BE THE POSSIBLE LINE OF CONVECTION THAT
THE HI-RES MODELS AND EVEN A FEW OF THE OPERATIONAL MODELS ARE
PICKING UP ON ACROSS KY/TN THIS AFTERNOON. SOME OF THESE MODELS
INDICATE A POTENTIAL MCS THAT MAY HOLD TOGETHER LONG ENOUGH TO SURGE
INTO FAR SW VA... SOUTHERN WVA... AND POSSIBLY NORTHWEST NC BETWEEN
00Z AND 06Z TONIGHT.  IT IS UNCLEAR HOW STRONG OR HOW FAST THIS
CONVECTION WOULD BE AT THE CURRENT TIME. IF THIS APPEARS MORE LIKELY
IN THE MODEL RUNS TODAY... THERE MAY BE A CONCERN WITH FLASH
FLOODING THIS EVENING. WE WILL GO WITH HIGH CHANCE TO LOW END LIKELY
THIS EVENING TO COVER THIS POTENTIAL.

THE SLIGHT RISK FOR SEVERE CONVECTION CONTINUES TO BE JUST WEST OF
OUR REGION TODAY INTO TONIGHT.

CONDITIONS TODAY WILL BE WARM AND HUMID WITH THE SOUTHERLY FLOW OUT
AHEAD OF THE APPROACHING COLD FRONT AND UPPER TROUGH. HIGHS
TEMPERATURES SHOULD REACH THE MID 70S IN THE MOUNTAINS TO THE MID
80S IN THE SOUTHEAST. LOWS TONIGHT WILL DIP BACK INTO THE 50S TO MID
60S SE.
-- End Changed Discussion --

&&

.SHORT TERM /THURSDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/...
AS OF 320 AM EDT WEDNESDAY...

A LEAD SURFACE TROUGH OR CONVECTIVE OUTFLOW MAY AFFECT THE REGION
BEFORE THE ACTUAL COLD FRONT ARRIVES THURSDAY. THIS MAY AFFECT THE
CONVECTIVE CHANCES GREATLY AS THE MAIN COLD FRONT ARRIVES THURSDAY.
OTHERWISE... A PERIOD OF LIKELY POP CAN BE EXPECTED WITH THE FRONT
THURSDAY... POSSIBLY LASTING INTO THE EARLY EVENING AROUND DANVILLE.
LACK OF HEATING THURSDAY... ESPECIALLY WEST OF THE BLUE RIDGE MAY
ALSO LIMIT DESTABILIZATION. THE AREA WITH THE BETTER INSOLATION
COULD BE SOUTHSIDE VA/NW NC PIEDMONT. AT THIS TIME...THE STORM
PREDICTION CENTER HAS A 5 PERCENT THREAT OF SVR WX MAINLY OVER THE
PIEDMONT AND TIDEWATER AREAS OF VA/NC.

THE FRONT WILL BE EAST OF THE AREA GOING INTO THURSDAY EVENING WITH
LINGERING SHORTWAVE INDUCED SHOWERS ACROSS THE MTNS OVERNIGHT. THE
MAIN SHORTWAVE SHIFTS EAST BY 12Z FRIDAY WITH DRIER AND COOLER AIR
ARRIVING. HIGHS FRIDAY WILL RANGE FROM THE LOWER TO MID 60S WEST TO
THE LOWER TO MID 70S EAST.

FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY:
QUITE WEATHER IS EXPECTED TO RETURN FOR THE REST OF THE SHORT TERM
FORECAST... WITH THE MID LEVEL TROUGH AXIS HAVING PUSHED TO THE EAST
OF THE AREA BY FRIDAY EVENING AND HIGH PRESSURE AT THE SURFACE
BUILDING INTO THE REGION FOR THIS TIME FRAME. THIS WILL YIELD
GENERALLY COOL AND DRY CONDITIONS... WITH BELOW NORMAL TEMPS.

&&

.LONG TERM /FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY/...
AS OF 130 PM EDT TUESDAY

FOR THE LONG RANGE FORECAST...THE MODELS KEEP A TROUGH IN PLACE
EARLY ON AND THEN GO MORE TOWARD A ZONAL TO RIDGE CONFIGURATION BY
THE END OF THE PERIOD.

WE SHOULD BE MAINLY DRY AS SFC HIGH BUILDS ACROSS THIS WEEKEND...SO
WEEKEND HOLIDAY PLANS ARE LOOKING GOOD FOR OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES AT
LEAST SATURDAY...AS THE LATEST ECMWF SHOWS ANOTHER WEAK SHORTWAVE
PUSHING ACROSS BY SUNDAY AND MAY BRING SOME SHOWERS ACROSS THE MTN
EMPIRE OF SW VA/INTO THE NC MTNS SUNDAY MORNING.

THE FLOW SWINGS MORE TOWARD THE SOUTHEAST SUNDAY EVENING INTO EARLY
NEXT WEEK WITH INCREASING HUMIDITY AND TEMPS. MODELS KEEPING MORE
ACTIVE WEATHER ACROSS THE OHIO VALLEY AND WEST...ALTHOUGH A WESTERLY
FLOW ALOFT CAN BRING STORMS WORKING EAST INTO THE MTNS. GIVEN WPC
SOLUTION OF THE ECMWF ENSEMBLE WILL KEEP THE FORECAST MORE ON THE
LOW CHANCE SIDE...BUT IF THE 12Z ECMWF VERIFIES WE COULD BE GETTING
SOAKED AGAIN MONDAY-WEDNESDAY.

&&

.AVIATION /14Z WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/...
AS OF 745 AM EDT WEDNESDAY...

PATCHY FOG WILL DISSIPATE QUICKLY...ALTHOUGH IFR CIGS MAY LINGER
ACROSS THE PIEDMONT FROM DAN-LYH FOR A WHILE THIS MORNING.
OTHERWISE...MOSTLY VFR AFT 14Z WITH SC/CU DEVELOPING FROM EARLY
MORNING MOISTURE. MAIN CONCERN WILL COME LATE TODAY AS THE STRONG
COLD FRONT RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL OF THE SEVERE WEATHER IN THE
MIDWEST RECENTLY APPROACHES THE AREA FROM THE WEST. ECMWF/GFS
GENERALLY CONSISTENT ON A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MOVING
INTO FAR SW VA FROM KY/TN IN THE 00Z-04Z TIME FRAME...THEN
GENERALLY DISSIPATING AS IT MOVES TOWARD THE NEW RIVER VALLEY
REGION...SIMILAR TIMING TO WHAT WE SAW YESTERDAY...BUT EXPECT
ACTIVITY TO BE A LITTLE MORE POTENT THIS EVENING. DO NOT EXPECT
THIS ACTIVITY TO SURVIVE AS IT REACHES THE PIEDMONT.
HOWEVER...MODELS SHOW...ESPECIALLY THE GFS...POTENTIAL TSRA
DEVELOPMENT ACROSS THE NC PIEDMONT...LIFTING NORTHWARD TOWARD
LYH/DAN/EVEN ROA BY LATE AFTERNOON. HAVE PLAYED SOME POTENTIAL FOR
THIS INTO THE TAFS. OTHERWISE...MOSTLY MVFR CIGS AND MVFR VSBYS IN
VCTS AND/OR TSRA MOSTLY AFT 00Z...AGAIN LITTLE OF WHICH SHOULD
REACH THE PIEDMONT. S-SW WINDS 5-10KTS THROUGH TAF VALID
PERIOD...WITH LOW END GUSTS ACROSS THE PIEDMONT.

MEDIUM TO HIGH CONFIDENCE IN CIGS/VSBYS THROUGH TAF VALID PERIOD.
HIGH CONFIDENCE IN WIND SPD/DIR THROUGH TAF VALID PERIOD.

AS OF 202 AM EDT WEDNESDAY...

THE MAIN CONCERN THIS MORNING APPEARS TO BE FOG AROUND AREAS THAT
HAD HEAVY RAINFALL RECENTLY. LATEST DATA SUGGESTS PATCHY FOG WITH
SOME AREAS OF LOCALLY DENSE FOG. IFR TO LIFR FOG WILL BE POSSIBLE.
THE EARLIER SHOWERS HAVE DISSIPATED. ONLY ISOLATED LIGHT RAIN
SHOWERS ARE EXPECTED THIS MORNING.

A QUICK IMPROVEMENT TO CONDITIONS WEDNESDAY MORNING WITH THE ONSET
OF HEATING AND DECENT MIXING BY MID OR LATE MORNING. THINK ALL SITES
WILL BE VFR BY 15Z/11AM BUT WITH A BETTER SHOT AT AFTERNOON
CONVECTION DEVELOPING ESPCLY WEST OF THE BLUE RIDGE BY 20Z/4PM. WITH
POTENTIAL TO SEE A BAND OF SHRA/TSRA DEVELOP WESTERN
SLOPES...INCLUDED A PREVAILING -TSRA THREAT AT BOTH KBLF/KLWB
WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON WHILE LEAVING ELSW VFR W/OUT CONVECTION UNDER
SCTD/BKN 5-6K FT CU FIELDS.

THE REGION STAYS IN A WARM...MOIST AIRMASS THROUGH THURSDAY AHEAD
OF A COLD FRONT THAT SHOULD PUSH THROUGH LATE IN THE DAY THURSDAY.
THIS WILL BRING THE BEST COVERAGE OF SHOWERS WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO
THURSDAY ALONG WITH AREAS OF LATE NIGHT/EARLY MORNING FOG.

HIGH PRESSURE AND BETTER FLYING CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED ON FRIDAY
AND THROUGH MUCH OF THE WEEKEND BEHIND THE FRONT.

&&

.RNK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
VA...NONE.
NC...NONE.
WV...NONE.

&&

$$
SYNOPSIS...AMS/RAB
NEAR TERM...AMS/JH/KK
SHORT TERM...WP
LONG TERM...WP
AVIATION...RAB