Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Blacksburg, VA

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000 FXUS61 KRNK 150206 AFDRNK AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA 1006 PM EDT TUE MAY 14 2013 .SYNOPSIS... HIGH PRESSURE WILL CONTINUE TO SLIDE EAST OFF THE SOUTH CAROLINA COAST TONIGHT...WHILE A DEEP LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM PASSES ACROSS THE NORTHERN GREAT LAKES. A WARM FRONT ASSOCIATED WITH THE LOW WILL PASS JUST NORTH OF OUR AREA...TRIGGERING ISOLATED SHOWERS NORTH OF THE HIGHWAY 460 CORRIDOR TONIGHT. A FRONTAL BOUNDARY WILL APPROACH THE AREA ON THURSDAY AND STALL OVER OR NEAR THE REGION INTO THE START OF THE WEEKEND. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 7 AM WEDNESDAY MORNING/...
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AS OF 1000 PM EDT TUESDAY... STRONG WAA WITH BOUNDARY CROSSING THE OHIO RIVER LATE TONIGHT MAY GENERATE A FEW QUICK MOVING SHOWERS ACROSS THE EXTREME NW...BUT WILL LEAVE POPS OUT FOR NOW. STILL EXPECTING GOOD WIND GUSTS NW NC AND EXTREME SW VA LATE WITH 40 KTS AT THE TOP OF THE MIXED LAYER. HOWEVER...STEEP INVERSION/WEAK LAPSE RATES SHOULD DAMPEN THESE SPEEDS AT THE SURFACE.
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&& .SHORT TERM /7 AM WEDNESDAY MORNING THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT/... AS OF 330 PM EDT TUESDAY... THE WARMUP REALLY KICKS IN FOR WEDNESDAY AS THE UPPER RIDGE SETTLES ACROSS THE AREA AND WE FALL INTO A STRONG WEST TO SOUTHWESTERLY WIND FLOW. EXPECT A FEW AFTERNOON CLOUDS...WITH HIGHS APPROACHING THE UPPER 70S TO LOW 80S ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS...AND REACHING INTO THE UPPER 80S FURTHER EAST. AIR MASS MODERATES BY THURSDAY WITH MORE TYPICAL MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES. SOUTHERN STREAM SHORT WAVE REACHES THE TENNESSEE VALLEY THURSDAY NIGHT THEN WEAKENS AS IT MOVES INTO THE SOUTHERN APPALACHIANS FRIDAY. FRONT OVER THE MID ATLANTIC REGION DROPS SOUTH THROUGH VIRGINIA ON THURSDAY NIGHT THEN RETREATS BACK NORTH OF THE FORECAST AREA ON FRIDAY. COMBINATION OF BOTH THE SHORT WAVE AND FRONT WILL BRING THE MORE WIDESPREAD SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS INTO THE AREA THURSDAY NIGHT AND FRIDAY. && .LONG TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/... AS OF 330 PM EDT TUESDAY... SEEING SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE 00Z/14 ECMWF AND GFS BY SUNDAY WITH THE LONG WAVE TROF IN THE CENTRAL UNITED STATES. ECMWF SHOWED A DISTINCT SOUTHERN PIECE OF THE TROF AND WAS MUCH SLOWER THAN THE GFS. STARTING OUT FRIDAY NIGHT WITH THE SURFACE FRONT FROM WISCONSIN INTO NORTHWESTERN VIRGINIA. BY SUNDAY THE FRONT HAS MOVED BACK NORTH. LEANING TOWARD THE SLOWER ECMWF KEEPS THE FORECAST AREA DEEP IN THE WARM UNSTABLE AIR THROUGH TUESDAY. MODELS ALSO ARE TAKING THE UPPER LOW OVER SAN FRANCISCO THIS MORNING ACROSS THE ROCKIES ...THEN THE TENNESSEE VALLEY...THEN INTO THE SOUTHERN APPALACHIANS SUNDAY NIGHT. SUSPECT THE DETAILS MAY NOT BE CORRECT THIS FAR OUT BUT IDEA OF A SHORT WAVE CUTTING INTO THE EASTERN UPPER RIDGE IS REASONABLE. MAY HAVE ENHANCED PROBABILITY OF PRECIPITATION WITH ANY FEATURE LIKE THIS SATURDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. && .AVIATION /02Z WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/... AS OF 1000 PM EDT TUESDAY... HIGH PRESSURE SHIFTED TO THE SOUTH CAROLINA COAST...ALLOWING SURFACE WINDS TO BECOME SOUTHWESTERLY. FORECAST MODELS STILL PROGGING A WARM FRONT ASSOCIATED WITH LOW TO PASS ACROSS THE NORTHERN THIRD OF THE AREA TONIGHT. A LARGER ISSUE OVERNIGHT WILL BE THE POSSIBILITY OF WIND SHEAR...AS WINDS NEAR THE SURFACE WILL DIMINISH THIS EVENING BUT INCREASE ALOFT AS A SURGE OF MUCH WARMER AIR ARRIVES. LATEST MODELS SHOW A 40KT TO 45KT JET JUST OFF THE SURFACE AFTER MIDNIGHT...AND HAVE INCLUDED A PERIOD OF LLWS FOR ALL TAF SITES THROUGH AROUND SUNRISE. OUR NEXT CHANCE OF ORGANIZED PRECIPITATION AND AREAS OF SUB-VFR CONDITIONS WILL BE LATE THURSDAY THROUGH SATURDAY WHEN A FRONTAL SYSTEM MOVES INTO AND THEN STALLS NEAR THE REGION. && .RNK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... VA...NONE. NC...NONE. WV...NONE. && $$ SYNOPSIS...NF NEAR TERM...KM SHORT TERM...AMS/NF LONG TERM...AMS AVIATION...JC/NF

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