Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Knoxville/Tri Cities, TN

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132 FXUS64 KMRX 190543 AFDMRX Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Morristown TN 143 AM EDT Thu Sep 19 2024 ...New AVIATION... .UPDATE...
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Issued at 923 PM EDT Wed Sep 18 2024 The main adjustment this evening will be to extend PoPs in NE TN a few more hours, as an isolated showers has developed over Scott Co. VA and is drifting slowly SW. PoPs in that area will be extended to around midnight. After midnight, fog is expected to develop in many locations, mainly in northern sections that have had more rain recently. Cloud cover currently in that area may be a limiting factor to fog development, so confidence that the clouds will clear out is not high enough yet to issue a DFA or SPS.
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&& .SHORT TERM... (This evening through Thursday) Issued at 311 PM EDT Wed Sep 18 2024 Key Messages: 1. A few showers and maybe a thunderstorm or two are possible through this evening and again tomorrow afternoon. 2. Fog is likely again tonight, followed by clearing and warmer temperatures on Thursday. This Evening/Tonight Currently this afternoon, tropical remnants from the Carolinas have continued to weaken and are centered over northeast Tennessee to southwest Virginia. A closed upper-low remains centered just to our east. This has continued fairly weak northerly to northeasterly flow and widespread cloud cover. Additional light showers remain possible, along with an isolated thunderstorm as current data indicates at least 250 J/kg of instability. This will be focused further east closer to the better height falls. Otherwise, activity will decrease overnight as diurnal heating is lost. With clearing also expected, fog development is likely, especially in places that see the better clearing and any rainfall. Thursday During the day on Thursday, the tropical remnants, including the upper low, will shift further east. This will change the flow to be more northwesterly throughout the column. In addition to some orographic considerations, this system will continue to provide broad but weak lift across the area. However, drier air will also be filtering in from the northwest. Based on these considerations, rain chances will be contained further north and east closer to the better moisture, in addition to along the terrain. Overall, the thermodynamics will be limited similar to today, but there is still enough support for maintaining slight chance of thunder. The drier air and eastward shift of this system will also allow for less cloud cover and notably warmer temperatures than today. && .LONG TERM... (Thursday night through next Wednesday) Issued at 311 PM EDT Wed Sep 18 2024 Key Messages: 1. Ridging will make conditions very warm and dry Friday to Monday. 2. Early next week, temperatures moderate closer to normal with some low-end rain chances returning Tuesday. 3. Tropics might become a player during the latter half of next week. Discussion: Ridge of high pressure at 500 MB will be squeezed between an east coast trough and a Rockies trough for days two-five Fri-Mon. This means predominantly dry and very warm days during and surrounding the weekend. This won`t be much help to the drought conditions. The pattern will very slowly progress however, such that the ridge will flatten along the northeast Gulf coast Mon and Tues, allowing troughing to graze our area with some chance of precip Tues and Wed. Late period questions will include whether troughing sharpens enough to give us a drying NWly flow during midweek, which would also usher in cooler air again. One of the complications is a potential tropical system in the Gulf during Wed/Thur, and how it and the trough interact with each other`s timing. The future track of said tropical system may or may not be an influence on area precip come late week -- i.e., does it dodge us through Tampa or moisten us through Mobile? && .AVIATION...
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(06Z TAFS) Issued at 133 AM EDT Thu Sep 19 2024 CHA will likely keep VFR status through the newest TAF period. The question again this morning, becomes fog - when and how dense? Kept persistence from the 00Z TAF issuance with down to LIFR at TRI and MVFR at TYS. Fog currently not as widespread as it was this time early Wednesday. Also didn`t record the rainfall amounts yesterday that we received Tuesday. All three TAF sites up until the evening, did not record any rainfall. Confidence isn`t all that high in how this will play out. Fog does surround our forecast area in middle Tennessee, northern Georgia, western North Carolina, and Kentucky into Virginia, but nothing in our area as of this time.
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&& .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
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Chattanooga Airport, TN 89 65 92 65 / 0 0 0 0 Knoxville McGhee Tyson Airport, TN 86 63 89 62 / 0 0 0 0 Oak Ridge, TN 86 62 89 62 / 0 0 0 0 Tri Cities Airport, TN 81 60 83 60 / 20 0 10 0
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&& .MRX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NC...NONE. TN...NONE. VA...NONE. && $$ SHORT TERM...DGS LONG TERM....GC AVIATION...KS