Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Greer, SC

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820 FXUS62 KGSP 240011 AFDGSP Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Greenville-Spartanburg SC 811 PM EDT Thu May 23 2024 .SYNOPSIS... Temperatures will remain several degrees above normal each day through Monday as humid subtropical air remains over the Southeast. Chances for showers and thunderstorms will remain higher than normal, with some chance lingering each night. A cold front passing late Monday will bring cooler and drier conditions in the middle of next week. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH FRIDAY/... As of 5:45 PM EDT Thursday: Sct showers with embedded thunderstorms continue to make their way east across western NC early this evening. Thus far, nearly all of our GA and SC zones have remained precip free, however a few cells are now developing over the NC/SC border and far NE Georgia. We have yet to see any severe convection, but the environ- ment remains conducive for some of these cells to become severe with strong downbursts/straight-line winds being the main concern and dama- ging hail a secondary concern. Otherwise, the general trend today is for advancing shortwave energy to steepen lapse rates and erode an already-weak cap over what are otherwise excellent profiles for deep convection. The best upper forcing will not arrive in the western zones until c. 4pm, at which point most of the CAM guidance depicts widespread convective initiation. This`ll take place in an environment of only modest (<15kt) low-level shear, but increasingly potent (>30kt) deep-layer shear. Consequently, many of the CAMs depict some level of convective organization. DCAPE values will also soar to 900-1200 J/kg in many sites outside the mountains. All that to say, developing cells will encounter an environment ripe for severe weather. What remains in question is the exact evolution. Some guidance sources - especially the later runs of the HRRR and NAMnest - depict an initial wave of weaker convection during the next 3-4 hours, followed by a second, late evening round that won`t fully exit the area until midnight or later. The 12z cycle of the ARW, FV3, and NSSLWRF all depict a more robust, semi-organized line crossing the area after 4pm, and stripping the atmosphere of enough instability in the process to effectively shut convection down thereafter. Which of these scenarios will actually play out is hard to say. Once convection exits the area tonight, gradually clearing skies should permit fog development. There are early indications in guidance that this won`t be restricted to the mountain valleys, but may also occur in parts of the NC Piedmont. Right now, it seems like it`ll be patchy at best...but as always, we`ll need to evaluate trends once convection is underway. Fog will quickly scatter out tomorrow morning, giving way to another partly cloudy day. Profiles should once again support some afternoon thunder, with CAMs advertising ~1200-1500 J/kg sbCAPE and , but somewhat more nebulous synoptic forcing and more borderline deep layer shear owing to a less prominent upper wave than the one inciting today`s convection. Consequently, while some severe weather is certainly possible tomorrow, it looks overall less likely than today. && .SHORT TERM /FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY/... As of 150 PM Thu: A short wave ridge builds over the area Saturday then slides east on Sunday as a short wave trough crosses the area. Any surface frontal features will be weak and likely remain north and west of the area. A weak lee trough seems to be the dominant surface feature if there is any. Convection should diminish Friday evening with isolated showers possibly lingering overnight. Diurnal convection returns Saturday, but the coverage while favoring the mountains, remains somewhat questionable, especially over the Upstate and NE GA given the ridge building in. That said, where storms do form, isolated severe storms with damaging downbursts would be possible given moderate instability, low shear, and mid level dry air. Isolated heavy rainfall would also be possible. Convection should taper off quickly Saturday evening. Coverage on Sunday should be greater, still favoring the mountains. The atmos could become very unstable with shear increasing to around 40 kts. This could lead to a more organized severe storm threat adding large hail to the damaging wind potential. There is still some uncertainty, so this will need to be monitored. Lows around 5 degrees above normal and highs 5 to 10 degrees above normal both days. && .LONG TERM /SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY/... As of 220 PM Thu: A phasing short wave digs a trough over the eastern CONUS and crosses the area Monday night. The trough remains in place as another phasing short wave moves through on Wednesday. NW flow aloft will be over the area Thursday. A cold front will slowly move toward the area Monday and across the area Monday night. The front may stall near the area Tuesday before a weaker cold front crosses the area Wednesday. Likely to good chance PoP expected Monday with the front. Lower chance PoP expected Tuesday with moisture along the stalled front, with only isolated mountain showers with the Wednesday front. Some severe storms and heavy rainfall will be possible with the Monday front. Much lower chance of either Tuesday. Thursday looks to be dry. Temps start out above normal on Monday falling to near normal by Thursday. && .AVIATION /00Z FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/...
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At KCLT and elsewhere: Expect sct showers and thunderstorms to linger across the area thru late tonight and into the overnight. I have TEMPOs for tsra at all taf sites thru roughly 04z tonight, with mostly just showers expected to linger after that. I kept a mention of MVFR visby at KCLT and the Upstate terminals and IFR visby at KAVL and KHKY owing to the elevated dewpts and rain from earlier. It remains difficult to determine if things will clear out enough overnight to permit any widespread low stratus development, but IFR stratus is certainly not out of the question. For the time being, I kept any lower clouds sct thru the morning hours. Winds will continue to favor a SW direction for most of the period and should go light and vrb to calm overnight at most sites. Expect less coverage of showers and storms on Friday, but at least some convection still appears likely. This is handled with PROB30s for tsra beginning around 18z and running thru the end of the period tomorrow evening. The evolution of any convection tomorrow remains difficult to predict, thus confidence on timing and/or location remains low. Outlook: A unsettled pattern will linger thru the weekend and into early next week, allowing for diurnal shower and thunderstorm chances each day and fog development each night/morning.
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&& .GSP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... GA...None. NC...None. SC...None. && $$ SYNOPSIS...DEO NEAR TERM...JPT/MPR SHORT TERM...RWH LONG TERM...RWH AVIATION...JPT