Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS State College, PA

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772 FXUS61 KCTP 272009 AFDCTP Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service State College PA 409 PM EDT Mon May 27 2024 .SYNOPSIS... Severe weather is likely today, mainly over the eastern half of the state as a low pressure area passes over the Upper Great Lakes and drags a cold front through by late evening. An upper level trough will build into the region for the remaining portion of the week. Occasional showers and a few thunderstorms are expected Tuesday and Wednesday. The week will end dry and the dry forecast should last through Sunday. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM TUESDAY MORNING/... Earlier widespread cloud cover and rather strong low to mid level shear and the approach of the unfavorable left entrance region of the Swrly upper level jet has kept any deep convection in check so far today. Recovery of the airmass and increasing instability from partial clearing will support an additional round or two of showers and TSRA, some of which could become strong to severe, mainly across the Susq Valley and points east where the highest pwats still reside and the best low level convergence and directional shear. SVR TSTM Watch #333 is in effect for roughly the eastern half of PA until 01Z Tuesday. Lowest POPS of just 30-40 PCT will be over the western half of our CWA. Still a gusty late day/early evening TSRA can`t be ruled out as a cold front and favorable left exit region of an upper level jet with enhanced mesoscale UVVEL approaches from the west. We should see a few to several deg F rebound in the sfc temps in most places, which will lead to high temps around 70-72F across the northern tier counties of the state and mid to upper 70s respectively over Central and Southern PA. Following the Cfropa early tonight, drier air advects into the region with SFC dewpoints falling into the 50s late and staying in the low to mid 50s during the day Tuesday. Clearing within the well-defined dry slot currently covering much of Ohio and far Western PA will last the longest over the Central and SE part of our CWA, while strato cu will move back quickly into the NW Mtns and shortly afterward across the Laurel Highlands. The clouds will be too shallow to preclude any showers late tonight/early Tuesday morning. Low temps will vary from the mid 50s in the north and west and upper 50s to low 60s across the Central Mtns and Susq Valley. && .SHORT TERM /6 AM TUESDAY MORNING THROUGH 6 PM TUESDAY/... Upper level energy and 700 mb temps cooling to between -2C and +2C will help to support increasing vertical depth of the cloud cover and lead to SCTD-NMRS showers in the afternoon and the Central and Western Mtns with rainfall amounts ranging from just a few hundredths of and inch over the Central Mts to between 1-2 tenths over the NW Mtns and Laurels. Temps may peak only in the low 60s across the highest terrain of the north and west with 70s in the Central and Southern Valleys. Westerly winds will frequently gust into the upper teens to low 20s (KTS). Kept the 30+ PoPs along and north of a line from KAOO-KSEG, but isold convection is expected in the SE. The cores of the tallest TCU/CB across the south could get sufficiently above the -10C level to produce a strike or two of lightning, but any TSRA (confined to the afternoon hours) will be isolated and quite low-topped. && .LONG TERM /TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY/... A period of relatively cool weather will stick with us through Thursday, as a deep upper level trough pivots southeastward from the Great Lakes. Cold temps aloft should support diurnally driven showers/storms on Tuesday, with the highest PoPs being over the elevated heat source of the Allegheny Plateau during the afternoon hours. There will be a better chc of showers/storms areawide on Wednesday with the passage of a more significant shortwave. PoPs should fall to slight chance on Thursday, as one final shortwave crosses the region on the back side of the departing upper trough. After that, we will trend towards drier and warmer weather Friday into Saturday, as the upper level trough axis shifts east of PA and high pressure builds into the region. An approaching frontal system could bring our next round of showers/storms in the Sunday/Monday timeframe. && .AVIATION /20Z MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/...
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Late afternoon discussion. Some adjustments to weather and timing, based on radar, obs. Earlier discussion below. VFR to occasional high end MVFR will dominate through this evening with KIPT, KMDT and KLNS possibly dipping very briefly into the IFR range INVOF any stronger TSRA between 21Z Mon -01Z Tue. Cigs will trend higher across the Central and SE Zones tonight drier air works in from the west with a light breeze continuing into the overnight hours. A BKN-OVC MVFR cloud deck will return to the NW Mtns and the Laurel Highlands during the mid to late night hours as a pool of much cooler air aloft arrives. Outlook... Tue-Wed...Brief restrictions are possible in scattered showers, but much of the time should be VFR. Thu-Sat...Predominantly VFR.
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&& .CTP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && $$ SYNOPSIS...Lambert/Dangelo NEAR TERM...Lambert/Dangelo SHORT TERM...Lambert/Dangelo LONG TERM...Evanego/Colbert AVIATION...Lambert/Martin/NPB