Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Pittsburgh, PA

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606 FXUS61 KPBZ 221107 AFDPBZ Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Pittsburgh PA 707 AM EDT Sun Sep 22 2024 .SYNOPSIS... Fog dissipates after sunrise, giving way to a seasonably hot day. Precipitation chances and seasonable temperatures return for Monday to Wednesday, with uncertainty increasing late-week. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/...
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KEY MESSAGES: - Fog clears beyond sunrise. - Seasonably hot weather today and warm overnight. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Webcams, the night fog satellite difference, and observations have given enough evidence of dense fog development, particularly in areas that received rain in the last 24 hours, for the issuance of a Dense Fog Advisory valid through 10am. Coverage is most widespread surrounding Allegheny County to the north, east, and south. It`s attempting to spread further west toward the Pittsburgh metro but struggling with locally warmer temperatures there. Expect this to be the case for the next couple hours before visibility improves with onset of mixing this morning. A brief bout of upper ridging fills in behind the shortwave, allowing high temperatures today to climb 10 to 15 degrees above normal with mixing. Mixing in subsidence will also allow relative humidities to drop into the 20s and 30s for spots. The record high of 92F (2017) in New Philadelphia may be challenged. High clouds are expected to increase throughout the day and into the overnight as the next disturbance approaches. Clouds and light winds are expected to limit fog mentions tonight. The insulating effects of cloud cover will keep low temperatures 10 to 15 degrees above average.
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&& .SHORT TERM /MONDAY THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT/... KEY MESSAGES: - Rain chances prevail. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Guidance is in good agreement that the aforementioned ridge will move east and give way to quasi-zonal flow downstream of a digging central CONUS trough. Through the short term, there is good agreement that this trough will translate east, putting our area in a region synoptically favored for low tracks and precipitation. By Monday, a trough of low pressure will sag from the lower Great lakes to the Ozarks, with ample moisture pull from the Gulf of Mexico ahead of it. This may push PWATs into the 1.5" to 1.75" range. This is near the 90th percentile of sounding climatology for this time of year. The first of many subtle lows riding the trough axis is expected to arrive by Monday morning, though chances of exceeding 0.5" remain around 20% to 30% for eastern Ohio and 30% to 50% elsewhere, highest for the ridges. The second low is favored to be slightly stronger, tracking our way Tuesday, but low track and character will determine QPF amounts with the second round. It is possible that there is a narrow convergence corridor that could set up along a stagnant frontal zone, alluding to a low threat of excessive rainfall. So far the storm total range through 8am Wednesday is anywhere between around 0.5" and 2" area wide with localized higher amount possible; a majority of the distribution is swayed towards solutions exceeding 1" of QPF. && .LONG TERM /WEDNESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/... KEY MESSAGES: - Uncertainty increases in rainfall pattern as a tropical low interacts with the trough. ------------------------------------------------------------------- The front may be slower to pass into the Wednesday and Thursday timeframe, allowing for continued rain chances, though there are considerable timing uncertainties with the passage. A majority of ensemble members have the trough through by Wednesday night, but some lag through Thursday night. The faster the trough passes, the faster the cut-off of rain chances late week. This will also become increasingly important as this trough may pick up a tropical low. The highest probability scenario is that the trough is through by late week and the main QPF swath affiliated with the system is through the mid- Atlantic, though a few ensembles lag the passage, with some higher QPF totals possible across the southeastern half of the forecast area. Another cluster of ensembles have the system moving into the midwest behind the trough. This will warrant watching for the late- week period. Because of ensemble spread, the 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, and 90th percentiles of QPF are as follows: 0", 0.1", 0.2"-0.5", 0.5"-1.25", and 1.5"-3.0" (highest southeast of Pittsburgh). So, we will continue the "wait and see" pattern to see if guidance starts suggesting one solution is favored. && .AVIATION /11Z SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/... Already beginning to see patchy dense fog developing over areas that saw the most rain today, primarily along the higher terrain and across northern WV. Visibilities at DUJ/FKL have dropped to IFR or lower and LBE is down to MVFR to start the 06Z TAF period. Expect the fog to gradually become more expansive and dense in these areas through the rest of the night, with visibilities at the aforementioned terminals (and at MGW) deteriorating through sunrise. Dense fog is less likely farther west, though PIT/AGC/HLG could still see a brief period at MVFR/IFR right around sunrise. Fog should lift everywhere by 14Z, with VFR conditions expected the remainder of the day under building high pressure. .Outlook... Rain and restriction chance increase late Sunday night into Monday with another crossing cold front. Unsettled weather is then possible through mid-week. && .PBZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
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PA...Dense Fog Advisory until 10 AM EDT this morning for PAZ007>009- 013>016-022-031-073>078. OH...Dense Fog Advisory until 10 AM EDT this morning for OHZ069. WV...Dense Fog Advisory until 10 AM EDT this morning for WVZ004-012- 021-509>514.
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&& $$ SYNOPSIS...Milcarek NEAR TERM...MLB/Milcarek SHORT TERM...Milcarek LONG TERM...Milcarek AVIATION...Cermak/Rackley