795
FXUS62 KRAH 180707
AFDRAH

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Raleigh NC
306 AM EDT Tue Jun 18 2024

.SYNOPSIS...
High pressure will remain over the Mid Atlantic and Carolinas
through much of this week. Moisture will increase across the area
late this week into this weekend, bringing some increased rain
chances to the Sandhills/Southern Coastal Plain.

&&

.NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/...
As of 306 AM Tuesday...

The anomalous upper ridge remains anchored over the eastern US as
seen on water vapor imagery this morning. At the sfc, a 1022 mb high
was observed over southwestern VA. Light ssely sfc flow continues
over central NC, with noticeably lower dew points present over our
area (lower to mid 60s) compared to along and west of the mountains
(lower 70s). As such, the instability axis and any linger showers
are well west of our area.

Yet another day of dry and hot weather is expected as the upper
ridge remains anchored over the northeast US. The main moisture axis
will continue to push well west and north of our area. In fact, PWAT
is forecast to drop to between ~70 to 80 % of normal by this
afternoon. Given this, dew points should mix out into the lower to
mid 60s this afternoon. So while high temperatures will once again
reach the upper 80s/lower 90s, heat indices will remain well below
advisory criteria. Regardless, we continue to recommend practicing
heat safety if spending considerable amount of time outdoors today.

&&

.SHORT TERM /WEDNESDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT/...
As of 106 AM Tuesday...

The anomalous mid-level ridge will continue to deepen across the mid-
Atlantic/northeast US on Wednesday, with heights peaking 2 to 3
standard deviations above climatology. A stream of drier air will
continue to advect across our area, as PWAT remains near ~70 to 80 %
of normal. As such, dew points will once again mix out into the
lower 60s Wednesday afternoon.  Daytime highs will once again max
out in the upper 80s to around 90.

&&

.LONG TERM /THURSDAY THROUGH MONDAY/...
As of 245 PM Monday...

The main story in the extended continues to be the heat risk,
especially the latter part of the weekend into early next week. Rain
chances look to slowly ramp up during this time as well, with the
best chances appearing early next week.

An anomalously strong 598 dm ridge will extend into the area from
the Atlantic and northern Mid-Atlantic through the first half of the
weekend. At the surface, this will translate to a broad area of high
pressure over the northern Atlantic that will promote largely dry
and increasingly hot temperatures into early next week. The bulk of
the heat looks to happen late Fri and Sat, lingering potentially
into early next week. High temperatures Thu will start out in the
upper 80s to lower 90s, rising into the mid to upper 90s over the
weekend and perhaps lingering into Mon. Heat indices in the upper
90s are expected to rise into the triple digits over the upcoming
weekend, perhaps as high as 105 in portions of the Triangle.

As we head into late Sun and the first part of next week, a number
of ensemble solutions are showing potential influence from a
shortwave trough digging into the Great Lakes that will try to bring
an approaching cold front in from the northwest. At the same time,
the mid-level ridge appears to weaken and move east over the
southwest Atlantic. This pattern shift could allow for an uptick in
showers and storms, particularly by late Sun and Mon as a front
approaches and a lee trough sets up.

In addition to a front, there may also be some influence from a
surface trough currently located east of the Bahamas. NHC currently
notes that this disturbance could move into a favorable area for
potential tropical development as it tracks west-northwestward. It
currently has a 30-percent chance of development as it tracks toward
the coast of the southeast US late Thu or Fri. While a number of the
GEFS/ECS members show some kind of low approaching the coast, there
remains a lot of uncertainty on its track and what strength it would
be if it does indeed develop. For what its worth, the latest GFS
continues the theme of some open wave moving along the Carolinas
Fri/Sat and perhaps Sun before lifting off on Mon, but there has
been little run-to-run consistency. If any system were to take a
track along the SE US, it could bring more cloud cover and increased
rain chances ahead of next week`s front, thereby possibly resulting
in somewhat lower highs than currently anticipated. As it stands
now, Thu/Fri/Sat are largely expected to be dry, with any rain
chances mainly confined with the sea-breeze over the Sandhills to
southern Coastal Plain.

&&

.AVIATION /05Z TUESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/...
As of 100 AM Tuesday...

VFR conditions will prevail through the 24 hr TAF period as dry high
pressure remains anchored over central NC. Light ssely sfc flow will
continue through the period.

Outlook: VFR and dry conditions should persist through Friday.
Moisture and the chance for showers will return this weekend,
especially near KFAY/KRDU/KRWI.

&&

.RAH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
None.

&&

$$

SYNOPSIS...Leins
NEAR TERM...Luchetti
SHORT TERM...Luchetti
LONG TERM...Kren
AVIATION...Luchetti