104
FXUS61 KPBZ 251623
AFDPBZ

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Pittsburgh PA
1223 PM EDT Sat May 25 2024

.SYNOPSIS...
Dry weather is expected through the morning. The chance for
showers and strong to severe thunderstorms will increase this
afternoon and evening. Sunday is expected to be mostly dry
under high pressure, but thunderstorms will returning Sunday
night into Memorial Day. As we flip the calendars to June,
temperatures fall back to just below normal.

&&

.NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/...
KEY MESSAGES:

- Dry through most of the morning hours
- Increasing chances for strong to severe storms this
  afternoon/evening with a crossing shortwave
- Damaging wind, hail, and excessive rainfall will be the main
  threats
-------------------------------------------------------------------

A brief period of weak ridging that will keep the area dry through
the morning hours will break down and shunt to the east. A nearly
stalled boundary that has been situated across the area is now
lifting north as a warm front and southerly flow has already
advected low to mid 60s dew points into the area with temperatures
forecast to rise to the low to mid 80s by this afternoon under
continued warm, moist advection.

The 12z PIT sounding doesn`t exhibit much of an impressive wind
field currently, but the upstream ILN sounding and current analysis
shows that low to mid level flow will increase later this afternoon
in tandem with a passing shortwave and just ahead of an approaching
cold front. These will be the initiating mechanisms for today by
early afternoon (most likely after 1-2pm, but possibly as early as
noon) based on latest guidance. There`s also a hint of some
redevelopment along the boundary itself later tonight, but
confidence is low with disagreement amongst the latest CAMs on the
coverage. Hi res ensemble probability indicates that, initially, the
best deep shear will be north and west of Pittsburgh (80% chance of
>30 kt) coincident with better proximity to the passing wave, but
the best instability will be displaced further south (60% chance of
>2000 J/kg) in the area with more residence time in the mostly clear
open warm sector. Nonetheless, the shear increases further south and
the  best overlap of parameters looks to be just north and west of
Pittsburgh by late afternoon with a 50-70% chance of both CAPE >1000
J/kg and deep layer shear >30 kt. Primary threats will be downburst
wind potential and low end severe hail; thetaE minimum (updraft core
height for potential downburst concerns) is around 10kft but the
amount of DCAPE available may be a limiting factor. Will also be
looking for solid cores to reach above 27kft for severe hail
concerns. Weak low level shear should preclude a tornado threat. SPC
has kept the region in a Marginal Risk (1/5) for severe weather.

Will also have to monitor a low end flood threat as well as we are
in a Marginal Risk (1/5) for excessive rainfall, especially for
areas that got hit hard yesterday (northern WV). Despite PWAT values
topping 1.2", storm motion should help alleviate flooding concerns,
and hi res ensemble probability for >0.5"/hr rates peak on the low
end north of Pittsburgh. Training of storms would likely be see
flash flood threats.

Lastly, areas that receive rain will likely see fog overnight with
ensemble probability of >70% to drop to less than 5 mile visibility.

&&

.SHORT TERM /SUNDAY THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT/...
KEY MESSAGES:

- High pressure returns dry, warm weather for Sunday
- Another round of potentially strong to severe thunderstorms
  Sunday night into early Monday morning, then Monday afternoon
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Flat upper ridging builds for Sunday as surface high pressure
arrives in the wake of the departing cold front. This will be the
best day of the holiday weekend with little noticeable difference in
the airmass behind the front as NBM probability for >85F is 40-60%.

A warm front approaches late in the day on Sunday as low
pressure ejects out of the Plains. Increasing moisture in
developing southwest flow aloft will overspread mid/upper level
clouds by evening. Latest guidance has continued the trend noted
in the last update with slightly slower progression and onset
not until late evening/overnight. While this timing is not
typically favorable for severe weather in our area, a
strengthening 30-40kt low level jet across the area late Sunday
night may help maintain several stronger storms with damaging
wind and/or large hail into eastern Ohio. That said, a general
weakening trend is expected as these storms cross into our
region, and thus just the far western half of the area remains
outlined in a Marginal Risk (1/5).

Ensembles indicate only slight deviations from the mean in regard to
the depth of an upper trough and additional shortwave energy
traversing an upper low spinning across the Great Lakes through
Monday. Aided by daytime heating and slow passage of a cold front,
yet another round of strong to severe thunderstorms is possible with
our area again outlined in a Marginal Risk. Machine learning comes a
bit more aggressive with an extension of severe probabilities back
into our area from the east, but one potential limiting factor may
be morning cloud cover as NBM spreads pin even 60-70% coverage on
the low end of the distribution. Highs Monday will be thus be cooler
than those over the weekend with mid 70s most likely.

&&

.LONG TERM /TUESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/...
KEY MESSAGES:

- Periodic rain chances continue through midweek.
- Dry weather favored to close out the week.
- Temperatures fall back toward seasonal average.
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Upper level troughing plagues the area into mid week and rain
chances continue into next week, although coverage should be
scattered and mostly diurnally driven aside from a secondary cold
front crossing the region Tuesday. By Wednesday, ensemble
disagreement increases with the axis and strength of the upper
trough, but any flavor of solutions doesn`t kick it out of the
eastern CONUS until toward next weekend. Broad surface high pressure
should finally turn the area dry by late week while temperatures
fall back towards seasonal average with lows in the 40s not out of
the question come mid to late week as the cooler airmass settles in.

&&

.AVIATION /16Z SATURDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/...
High confidence forecast (95%) of VFR through the evening hours
and no precip through 16Z. Confidence falls back into the
40-50% range during the afternoon and evening given uncertainty
with thunderstorm placement.

VFR weather with yield to a developing cumulus field by midday
then as a shortwave trough passes during the afternoon hours,
this will kick off showers and thunderstorms. Brief IFR vis are possible
with the heavier downpours, but it won`t last long /less than
30 minutes/, while CIGS could drop into the MVFR category.

Timing is tricky, so did the best to time in the afternoon
hours, where the highest probs exist and aligns well with the
CAMs.

Any airport that sees a storm this afternoon - early evening
should see at least MVFR fog and some places could even see IFR
fog, but will use later forecasts to fine tune forecasts.

.Outlook...
High pressure and subsidence should promote VFR and dry weather
late Saturday night into Sunday. Fog may develop before dawn
Sunday in rain-soaked locales that experience overnight
clearing.

Thunderstorm probabilities increase overnight Sunday into
Monday as a more robust low pressure system moves through the
Great Lake region. A pattern shift thereafter will introduce
periodic precipitation chances and potential for more prolonged
cig restrictions.

&&

.PBZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
PA...None.
OH...None.
WV...None.

&&

$$

SYNOPSIS...Rackley/MLB
NEAR TERM...MLB
SHORT TERM...MLB
LONG TERM...Rackley/MLB
AVIATION...Shallenberger/McMullen