Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Blacksburg, VA

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000 FXUS61 KRNK 130346 AFDRNK AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA 1146 PM EDT SUN MAY 12 2013 .SYNOPSIS... HIGH PRESSURE WILL PROGRESS FROM THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER VALLEY TO THE APPALACHIANS BY TUESDAY MORNING. WEDNESDAY INTO THURSDAY...THE HIGH WILL SHIFT TO OFF THE ATLANTIC COAST...AND A WARM FRONT WILL HEAD NORTH THROUGH THE TENNESSEE AND OHIO VALLEYS. A COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH THE REGION ON FRIDAY...AND STALL NEAR THE MASON- DIXON LINE OVER THE WEEKEND. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH MONDAY/...
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AS OF 1140 PM EDT SUNDAY... FREEZE/FROST HEADLINES TO REMAIN AS IS...ALTHOUGH THREAT OF FROST WILL BE MARGINAL GIVEN THE SPREAD IN TEMPS VS DEWPOINTS. LATEST NAM/CMC CONTINUE TO ADVERTISE SOME CLOUDINESS MAKING IT INTO THE MOUNTAINS BEFORE DAWN...AND THIS MAY THROW A WRENCH INTO ANY FROST FORMING AND ONLY A FEW AREAS GETTING TO FREEZING...WHICH MOST FOLKS WITH SENSITIVE VEGETATION ARE HOPING FOR. TEMPERATURES IN SOME AREAS THOUGH HAVE ALREADY DROPPED INTO THE MID TO UPPER 30S OVER THE MOUNTAINS. WINDS REMAIN UP AT ELEVATIONS ABOVE 2000 FEET. THIS WILL ALSO PLAY A ROLE INTO HOW MUCH IF ANY FROST/FREEZE TAKES PLACE. PREVIOUS VALID DISCUSSION... WENT WITH FORECAST LOW TEMPERATURES A FEW DEGREES BELOW EITHER THE MAV OR MET MOS GUIDANCE GIVEN THE DEW POINT TREND...FROM THE UPPER 20S TO THE MID 30S IN THE MOUNTAINS...WITH MID 30S TO AROUND 40 IN THE PIEDMONT. ON MONDAY...THE NOCTURNAL INVERSION WILL BREAK FAIRLY QUICKLY...SO WE EXPECT A FAST WARM-UP ABOVE FREEZING BY MID-MORNING. DURING THE DAY...WE EXPECT A GRADUAL INCREASE IN CLOUD COVER ASSOCIATED WITH A WEAK SHORTWAVE TROUGH THAT WILL BE PROGRESSING THROUGH THE OHIO VALLEY. GUIDANCE IS HINTING THAT SOME AFTERNOON SHOWERS MAY GRAZE THE NORTHERN THIRD OF THE AREA. WILL HOLD OFF FOR NOW ON ANY MENTION OF THIS. ON MONDAY...HIGHS WILL RANGE FROM THE 50S IN THE MOUNTAINS...TO LOWER 60S EAST OF THE BLUE RIDGE.
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&& .SHORT TERM /MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... AS OF 315 PM EDT SUNDAY... SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE WILL BE CENTERED OVER THE FORECAST AREA BY 12Z/8AM TUESDAY. WHILE NOT MUCH CHANGE IN AIR MASS...CONDITIONS WILL BE MORE FAVORABLE FOR RADIATIONAL COOLING...ESPECIALLY IN THE VALLEYS. HAVE KEPT MINIMUM TEMPERATURES JUST BELOW GUIDANCE AND HAVE MAINTAINED FROST FOR A LARGE SECTIONS OF THE FORECAST AREA. WILL HIGHLIGHT THIS THREAT IN THE HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK. WARM FRONT CROSSES THROUGH THE OHIO VALLEY TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY MORNING WITH SOME DECENT ISENTROPIC LIFT. ENOUGH MOISTURE...LIFT AND WARM AIR ADVECTION FOR TO INCLUDE A SMALL PROBABILITY OF PRECIPITATION IN THE NORTHERN COUNTY WARNING AREA. BY LATE WEDNESDAY MUCH WARMER AIR MASS WILL COVER THE REGION. 850 MB TEMPERATURES RECOVER INTO THE +14 TO +18 RANGE. CLOUDS IN THE MORNING ON MAY LIMIT THE AMOUNT OF HEATING FOR THE DAY BUT HIGHS WILL STILL BE MUCH WARMER THAN TUESDAY. && .LONG TERM /WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY/... AS OF 110 PM EDT SUNDAY... ZONAL PATTERN ALOFT AND BROAD SOUTHWEST TO WEST SURFACE AND LOW LEVEL WINDS WILL KEEP STATIONARY FROM PENNSYLVANIA TO MISSOURI THROUGH THIS PART OF THE FORECAST PERIOD. WITH THE MAIN FOCUS FOR PRECIPITATION TO THE NORTH OF THE FORECAST AREA...NOT MUCH TO TRIGGER SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. MODELS STILL BRING SHORT WAVE COMING THROUGH THE SOUTHERN STREAM INTO THE REGION ON FRIDAY. HAVE THIS DAY WITH A SLIGHTLY HIGHER PROBABILITY OF PRECIPITATION. OTHERWISE JUST EXPECT TYPICAL OROGRAPHICALLY INDUCED AFTERNOON AND EVENING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. TEMPERATURES WILL BE NEAR NORMAL TO ABOVE NORMAL THROUGH THE PERIOD. NO REASON TO STRAY FAR FROM CURRENT GUIDANCE. && .AVIATION /04Z MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/... AS OF 728 PM EDT SUNDAY... AFTER SUNSET...THE SURFACE GUSTS WILL END WITH NORTHWEST WINDS SUSTAINED STILL AROUND 4 TO 8 KTS ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS...WITH CALM OR LIGHT NORTHWEST WINDS EAST OF THE CREST OF THE BLUE RIDGE. PATCHY FROST WILL BE POSSIBLE TONIGHT IN SOME OF THE HIGHER...SHELTERED VALLEYS. ANY CLOUDS GENERATED BY HEATING WILL DISSIPATE RAPIDLY TONIGHT. VFR CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE MONDAY MORNING...AND NORTHWEST SURFACE GUSTS WILL RETURN TO AROUND THE 20 KT RANGE. HIGH PRESSURE WILL HELP MAINTAIN MAINLY VFR CONDITIONS THROUGH AT LEAST WEDNESDAY. THE NEXT CHANCE FOR SHOWERS AND STORMS AND WIDESPREAD SUB VFR CONDITIONS IS NOT EXPECTED UNTIL THE END OF THE WEEK...THURSDAY/FRIDAY TIME FRAME AS FIRST A WARM FRONT LIFTS THROUGH THE REGION...AND THEN A COLD FRONT APPROACHES FROM THE WEST. && .CLIMATE... LOW TEMPERATURES MONDAY AND TUESDAY MORNING WILL FLIRT WITH RECORD LOW TEMPERATURES AT ALL CLIMATE LOCATIONS WITH THE BEST CHANCE FOR BREAKING ANY RECORDS BEING TUESDAY MORNING. THE FOLLOWING ARE THE CURRENT RECORD LOW TEMPERATURES FOR MAY 13 AND MAY 14 ALONG WITH THE YEAR OF THAT RECORD. MAY 13 MAY 14 ROA...35...1917 ROA...37...1996 LYH...35...1969 LYH...33...1997 RNK...26...1969 RNK...31...1996 DAN...38...1960 DAN...38...2007 BLF...33...1996 BLF...33...1996 && .RNK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
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VA...FROST ADVISORY UNTIL 9 AM EDT MONDAY FOR VAZ007-009-010- 012>015-018-023-024. FREEZE WARNING UNTIL 9 AM EDT MONDAY FOR VAZ011-019-020. NC...FROST ADVISORY UNTIL 9 AM EDT MONDAY FOR NCZ001-002. FREEZE WARNING UNTIL 9 AM EDT MONDAY FOR NCZ018. WV...FREEZE WARNING UNTIL 9 AM EDT MONDAY FOR WVZ042>045.
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&& $$ SYNOPSIS... NEAR TERM...DS/WP SHORT TERM...AMS LONG TERM...AMS AVIATION...DS/KM CLIMATE...CF

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