Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Blacksburg, VA

Current Version | Previous Version | Text Only | Print | Product List | Glossary On
Versions: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50
-- Remove Highlighting --
-- Discussion containing changed information from previous version are highlighted. --
000 FXUS61 KRNK 121644 AFDRNK AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA 1244 PM EDT SUN MAY 12 2013 .SYNOPSIS... COLD FRONT WHICH BROUGHT YESTERDAYS SHOWERS HAS MOVED EAST TO ALONG THE MID ATLANTIC COAST. A SECOND COLD FRONT WILL CROSS THE AREA THIS MORNING. MUCH COLDER...DRIER AIR...ALONG WITH BRISK NORTHWEST WINDS WILL FOLLOW TODAYS FRONTAL PASSAGE. COLD HIGH PRESSURE...ORIGINATING FROM CANADA...WILL SETTLE OVER THE AREA FROM FOR MONDAY AND TUESDAY. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/...
-- Changed Discussion --
AS OF 1230 PM EDT SUNDAY... HAVE MADE SOME MINOR ADJUSTMENTS TO THE HIGH TEMPERATURE FORECAST FOR TODAY. IN THE FAR WEST...THE COMBINATION OF PARTLY TO MOSTLY CLOUDY SKIES AND STRONG COLD AIR ADVECTION IS LIMITING THE RATE OF TEMPERATURE INCREASE. HAVE UNDERCUT HIGH TEMPERATURES BY TWO TO THREE DEGREES FROM THE EARLIER FORECAST IN ANTICIPATION OF THIS SLOW RATE OF INCREASE TO CONTINUE. IN ACROSS THE EASTERN PART OF THE FORECAST AREA...TEMPERATURES ARE RISING SLIGHTLY FASTER THAN FORECAST DUE TO PLENTY OF SUN AND DOWNSLOPING COMPRESSIONAL WARMING COUNTERING THE AFFECTS OF THE COLD AIR ADVECTION MORE THAN ANTICIPATED. WE EXPECT THIS TREND TO CONTINUE THROUGH THE AFTERNOON AND RAISED HIGHS BY ROUGHLY TWO TO THREE DEGREES. HAVE ALSO ADJUSTED HOURLY TEMPERATURE...DEW POINT AND SKY COVER BASED UPON THE LATEST OBSERVATIONS AND EXPECTED TRENDS THROUGH THE AFTERNOON. THE BIGGEST ADJUSTMENT WITHIN THESE CATEGORIES IS THE DEW POINT. VALUES ARE DECREASING QUICKER THAN EXPECTED...ALREADY INTO THE MID 20S OVER PARTS OF SOUTHEAST WEST VIRGINIA. AS OF 955 AM EDT SUNDAY... A STIFF NORTHWEST WINDS WILL CONTINUE TO ADVECT COLDER AND DRIER AIR INTO THE REGION. THE REMAINDER OF THE DAY IS EXPECTED TO BE PRECIPITATION FREE...WITH LIMITED CLOUD COVER ACROSS THE REGION. THE MOST CLOUD COVER WILL BE OVER SOUTHEAST WEST VIRGINIA WHERE UPSLOPE FLOW AND WHAT LIMITED LOW LEVEL MOISTURE THAT REMAINS WILL HELP PROMPT SOME SCATTERED CUMULUS CLOUDS. GUSTS TO AROUND 30 MPH WILL BE COMMON AT THE RIDGE TOPS. AS OF 730 AM EDT SUNDAY... LIGHT SHOWER ACTIVITY ASSOCIATED WITH COLD FRONT CROSSING THE MOUNTAINS HAS DISSIPATED. FRONT HAS MOVED TO ALONG THE BLUE RIDGE AND WILL MAKE ITS WAY ACROSS THE FOOTHILLS AND INTO THE PIEDMONT B4 NOON TODAY. PASSAGE OF THE FRONT WILL BRING ONSET OF BRISK NORTHWEST WINDS WITH GUSTS OF 20 TO 30 MPH FROM LATE MORNING THROUGH THE AFTERNOON. SOME LINGERING CLOUDINESS IS POSSIBLE IN THE MOUNTAINS THIS MORNING...BUT THE OVERALL TREND WILL BE FOR CLEARING SKIES TODAY WITH MOSTLY SUNNY CONDITIONS FOR THE AFTERNOON. DEWPOINTS WILL TAKE A BIG TUMBLE WITH READINGS FALLING INTO THE 30S AND POSSIBLY THE UPPER 20S BY THE END OF THE DAY. TEMPERATURES TODAY WILL STRUGGLE PER FALLING THICKNESSES BEHIND THE FRONT...READINGS DOWN 10 TO 15 DEGREES COMPARED TO YESTERDAY. COMBINE THIS WITH THE FALLING DEWPOINTS AND BRISK NORTHWEST WINDS...CONDITIONS WILL FALL SHY OF ANYTHING IDEAL FOR A MOTHERS DAY PICNIC. ADVICE IS TO CELEBRATE INDOORS...UNLESS YOU WANT TO WEAR A JACKET AND CHASE WIND DRIVEN PAPER PRODUCTS. FOR TONIGHT...WINDS WILL DIMINISH SOMEWHAT...BUT NOT COMPLETELY. BRISK WINDS WILL CONTINUE ALONG THE RIDGE TOPS AND TO A MUCH LESSER DEGREE IN THE VALLEYS. SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE...ORIGINATING FROM CANADA...WILL BE CENTERED WEST OF THE APPALACHIANS...SO A PRESSURE GRADIENT WILL STILL EXIST OVER THE MTNS. WITH DEWPOINTS HEADED INTO THE 20S TONIGHT...LOOK FOR SURFACE TEMPERATURES TO SLIP INTO THE 30S...POSSIBLY THE UPPER 20S IN SOME OF THE HIGHER MOUNTAIN LOCATIONS...SUPPORTED BY MODEL FCST 85H TEMPS OF M2 TO M4 DEG. FREEZE WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR TONIGHT...ALL AREAS THAT HAVE A GOOD CHANCE AT TESTING 32 DEG F...PRIMARILY ELEVATIONS ABOVE 2500 FEET. WINDS SHOULD REMAIN STRONG ENOUGH TO PREVENT FROST FORMATION. CAN`T RULE OUT SOME PATCHY FROST IN THE SHELTERED MOUNTAIN VALLEYS...BUT THINK WE WILL HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL THE HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEM PASSES OVHD MONDAY NIGHT TO KILL OFF THE WINDS ENOUGH TO PROMOTE FROST FORMATION IN ADDITION TO ANOTHER CHANCE AT TESTING THE FREEZING MARK.
-- End Changed Discussion --
&& .SHORT TERM /MONDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/... AS OF 310 AM EDT SUNDAY... HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD INTO OUR AREA MONDAY. WITH A DEEP MID/UPPER LEVEL TROUGH...COLD AIR ALOFT COMES OVER THE FORECAST AREA. USED A BLEND OF THE CANADIAN AND GFS FOR CLOUD COVER. THE COMBINATION OF MOISTURE AND A LARGE ENOUGH LAPSE RATES MAY RESULT IN A LAYER OF STRATOCUMULUS IN THE NORTHWEST UPSLOPE AREAS. KEPT HIGH TEMPERATURES ON THE COOL SIDE/BELOW NORMAL WITH READINGS CLOSE TO THE ADJMETBC FROM THE UPPER 40S IN THE MOUNTAINS TO THE LOWER 60S IN THE SOUTHEAST. MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY MORNING...THE 1025 SURFACE HIGH IS CENTERED OVER THE AREA. HOWEVER...HIGH CLOUDS IN ADVANCE OF THE WARM FRONT CROSSING THROUGH THE OHIO VALLEY MAY REACH THE FORECAST AREA BEFORE 12Z TUESDAY MORNING. IF THE CLOUDS HOLD OFF TEMPERATURES WILL STILL BE PLENTY COLD WITH LIGHTER WINDS FOR ANOTHER NIGHT WITH FROST AND FREEZES ESPECIALLY IN THE MOUNTAINS. WITH THIS BEING FOURTH PERIOD...WILL ADD THE MENTION TO THE HWO. HIGH PRESSURE CONTINUES TO SLIDE EAST ON TUESDAY INTO TUESDAY NIGHT. ELECTED TO RAISE HIGHS TUESDAY UP A FEW DEGREES AS SUPPORT BY MOS GUIDANCE...WITH READINGS FROM THE THE UPPER 50S IN THE MOUNTAINS TO AROUND 70 IN THE PIEDMONTS. THE ECMWF WAS MORE ROBUST COMPARED TO THE GFS WITH POPS ACROSS THE NORTH TUESDAY NIGHT. ALLOWED FOR ISOLATED SHOWER ACROSS EXTREME NORTHWEST. HELD ON TO LOW TEMPERATURES TUESDAY NIGHT FROM THE MID 40S TO THE LOWER 50S. && .LONG TERM /TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY/... AS OF 130 PM EDT SATURDAY... PATTERN BECOME LESS AMPLIFIED THIS TIME FRAME. A WARM FRONT AND LOWER LEVEL MOISTURE APPROACHES ON TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY. MODELS SHOWING STRONG WARM AIR ADVECTION AND ENOUGH MOISTURE TO KEEP THE PROBABILITY OF PRECIPITATION IN THE FORECAST. THE WARM FRONT IS LEADING MUCH WARMER AIR INTO THE REGION. 850 MB TEMPERATURES REMAIN IN THE +12 TO +16 RANGE FOR THE REST OF THE WEEK. EAST TO WEST ORIENTED FRONT REMAINS NORTH OF THE FORECAST AREA. SOUTHERN STREAM SHORT WAVE WILL BE SOMEWHERE OVER THE TENNESSEE VALLEY OF SOUTHEAST UNITED STATES ON FRIDAY. THIS LOOKS TO BE THE DAY WITH BETTER AREAL COVERAGE/GREATER PROBABILITY OF PRECIPITATION. OTHERWISE NOTHING ORGANIZED SO JUST EXPECTING 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 /18Z SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/... AS OF 800 AM EDT SUNDAY... VFR CONDITIONS TODAY. GUSTY NORTHWEST WINDS THROUGH SUNSET. A COLD FRONT ALONG THE BLUE RIDGE AT 12Z/8AM WILL MOVE RAPIDLY EAST...CLEARING DANVILLE VIRGINIA BY NOON TODAY. SURFACE WINDS WILL INCREASE FROM THE NORTHWEST BEHIND THIS COLD FRONT WITH GUSTS AROUND 2O T0 25 KTS AFTER 14Z/10AM SUNDAY. ALL AREAS CAN EXPECT VFR CONDITIONS WITH ANY LINGERING CLOUDINESS THIS MORNING DISSIPATING FOR THE AFTERNOON. CLEAR SKIES AND DIMINISHING WINDS CAN BE EXPECTED TONIGHT. MAINLY VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED THROUGH THE UPCOMING WORK WEEK...THROUGH THURSDAY. COLD HIGH PRESSURE WILL PROMPT SOME PATCHY FROST WHERE WINDS BECOME NEAR CALM AS THE CENTER OF THE HIGH MOVES OVERHEAD. THE MOST LIKELY MORNING TO FIND FROST ON AIRCRAFT WILL BE LATE MONDAY NIGHT INTO EARLY TUESDAY MORNING. THE NEXT CHANCE FOR RAIN AND WIDESPREAD SUB VFR CONDITIONS IS NOT EXPECTED UNTIL THE END OF THE WEEK...THURSDAY/FRIDAY TIME FRAME. && .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...
-- Changed Discussion --
VA...FREEZE WATCH FROM MIDNIGHT EDT TONIGHT THROUGH MONDAY MORNING FOR VAZ007-009>011-015-018>020. NC...FREEZE WATCH FROM MIDNIGHT EDT TONIGHT THROUGH MONDAY MORNING FOR NCZ001-018. WV...FREEZE WATCH FROM MIDNIGHT EDT TONIGHT THROUGH MONDAY MORNING FOR WVZ042>045.
-- End Changed Discussion --
&& $$ SYNOPSIS...PM NEAR TERM...DS/PM SHORT TERM...KK LONG TERM...AMS AVIATION...PM CLIMATE...CF

USA.gov is the U.S. government's official web portal to all federal, state and local government web resources and services.