-- Discussion containing changed information from previous version are highlighted. --
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FXUS62 KTAE 251815
AFDTAE

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Tallahassee FL
215 PM EDT Wed Sep 25 2024

...New AVIATION...

.NEAR TERM...
(Today and tonight)
Issued at 501 AM EDT Wed Sep 25 2024

Somewhat unrelated to Helene, showers and thunderstorms will blossom
over the service area today, particularly west of a line from
Tallahassee to Albany.

1000-700 mb layer flow will become more southerly this morning,
mostly due to the upper trough axis that will move from the Ozarks
to the Lower Mississippi Valley today. Precipitable Water (PW)
values will steadily tick up above the very moist 2-inch mark.

The rich moisture and pockets of moderate instabililty will interact
with a surface boundary over the Panhandle and Lower Alabama, along
with a nearshore landbreeze boundary, to bring a significant
blossoming of showers and thunderstorms for the rest of this
morning. With the surface boundary being a slow-mover, we could see
training or backbuilding that could lead to localized flooding
issues. 25-35 knots of effective bulk shear could organize storms
into clusters containing gusty winds and the outside chance of a
brief tornado.

By tonight, we will more squarely come under the right entrance
region of a jet streak to our north. This favors upper level
divergence and large-scale lift. Stratiform rain with embedded
thunder will expand tonight, way out in advance of Helene.

&&

.SHORT TERM...
(Thursday through Thursday Night)
Issued at 501 AM EDT Wed Sep 25 2024

Helene is expected to make landfall as a major hurricane along the
Big Bend coast late Thursday. The center of Helene will quickly move
north through our Georgia counties on Thursday night. Helene is
forecast to be a Category 3 on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind
Scale at landfall, qualifying as a major hurricane. Guidance has
been tightly clustered on the track through the Big Bend region, and
the official hurricane forecast track has changed very little over
the last 24 hours. See the latest NHC discussion for storm-centric
forecast rationale on Helene.

Helene will be a spatially large hurricane. The wind radii forecast
shows tropical-storm force winds (39+ mph sustained winds) extending
250 miles east of the center, and about 120 miles west of the center
at landfall. Its fast forward speed and large circulation will
support damaging winds spreading well inland through our Georgia
counties on Thursday night, especially counties near the I-75
corridor. The 5 am NHC advisory carries a swath of hurricane-force
winds all the way north through our Georgia counties, i.e. to north
of the U.S. Hwy 82 corridor.

Despite the fast forward motion of Helene, its size along with
additional lift from mid-latitude jet dynamics will support heavy,
flooding rain. As the northwest part of Helene`s circulation
interacts with a stalled front to its northwest, a stripe of heavy 6-
10 inch rains could develop left of the center track. Considerable
flash flooding is possible, especially coming on the heels
of todays unrelated heavy rain.

Tropical-cyclone tornadoes will mainly be a concern in rain bands to
the east of the center, with the greatest concern over our Suwannee
Valley and I-75 corridor counties.

There has been no change to the storm surge forecast with the 5 am
advisory. Despite the fact that some storm surge guidance increased
overnight, the previous forecast was already intended to cover a
reasonable worst case scenario, so it therefore still covers the
situation well.

Given the onset timing of tropical-storm force winds, Hurricane
Watches in our far south Georgia counties are now being upgraded to
Hurricane Warnings, while expanding those warnings north past the
U.S. Highway 82 corridor to fit the latest NHC forecast.

Today is the day to complete your outdoor preparations for Helene.
Winds will increase quickly at some point during the day on
Thursday, but the large area of rain and embedded thunder on
Thursday morning could make it inconvenient to be outdoors by
then.

&&

.LONG TERM...
(Friday through Tuesday)
Issued at 501 AM EDT Wed Sep 25 2024

TC Helene is progged to be north of our CWA at the beginning of this
long term period. Morning showers and perhaps an isolated
thunderstorm will quickly move out of the area as southwesterly
winds advect drier air behind the departing Helene. As it reaches
the Ohio Valley, it will be absorbed by an upper low in the Midwest
overnight Friday night. Conditions will be generally dry later
Friday morning through Saturday with highs in the mid to upper 80s
for any immediate cleanup and recovery operations.

That upper low drifts eastward and off the east coast Tuesday. Rain
chances associated with this feature, as well as a weak frontal
boundary closeby, will be low (20-30%) Sunday through Tuesday ahead
of northwest flow behind the departing trough and another round of
dry air working in mid week. High temperatures Sunday through
Tuesday will continue to feature highs in the mid to upper 80s
and lows in the upper 60s to lower 70s.

&&

.AVIATION...
-- Changed Discussion --
(18Z TAFS)
Issued at 153 PM EDT Wed Sep 25 2024

As a cold front slowly moves across the region today, scattered
showers and thunderstorms will be possible through this evening.
As Hurricane Helene approaches tomorrow conditions will rapidly
deteriorate late tomorrow morning/early afternoon as the first
outer rainbands begin moving across the region. Conditions will
generally bounce around MVFR to IFR, with LIFR possible in any
rainbands.
-- End Changed Discussion --

&&

.MARINE...
Issued at 501 AM EDT Wed Sep 25 2024

At 5 am EDT Wednesday, the center of Tropical Storm Helene was
located over the far northwest Caribbean Sea. Helene will move
northward across the eastern Gulf later today and Thursday, rapidly
intensifying to a major hurricane before making landfall along the
Big Bend Coast late Thursday. Helene will quickly move inland on
Friday, so conditions will improve over the waters. Gentle to
moderate southwest breezes will prevail this weekend, as a large
area of low pressure spins over the Lower Mississippi Valley.

&&

.FIRE WEATHER...
Issued at 501 AM EDT Wed Sep 25 2024

Helene is expected to make landfall as a major hurricane along the
Big Bend coast late Thursday. Heavy, flooding rain will begin as
soon as tonight, well in advance of the center of Helene. Tree
damage will be most widespread in the right eyewall of the
hurricane. The fast forward speed of the hurricane will spread
damaging winds further inland than your typical hurricane, posing
the risk of tree damage well north into our Georgia districts.
Preparations for Helene should be completed today. Weather
conditions will improve rapidly early Friday, and sunshine will
return.

&&

.HYDROLOGY...
Issued at 501 AM EDT Wed Sep 25 2024

Primary focus continues to be on the approach of Tropical Storm
Helene to the region. The system has the potential to bring
significant rain to the region, even accounting for its fast
forward motion as it nears the Florida Big Bend. Model guidance
has been in good agreement that a precursor event of heavy
rainfall will overspread the Florida Big Bend and Panhandle
today and tonight with the bulk of the rainfall arriving later on
Thursday. A slight risk for flash flooding (level 2 out of 4)
through tonight exists in the western Florida Big Bend with a
marginal risk (level 1 of 4) in all other areas of the CWA.

The entire forecast area is included in a Moderate risk for flash
flooding (level 3 out of 4) for Thursday. It is possible that
this risk level is increased in future outlooks. Rainfall amounts
across North Florida and South Georgia totaling 5 to 10 inches of
rain with isolated maximum totals approaching 10 to 15 inches
are forecast through early Friday. These amounts will lead to
considerable urban flash flooding along with the potential for
moderate flooding, especially on the Ochlockonee River Basin.
Depending on where the heaviest rains are distributed inland, it
is entirely possible that other river basins could experience
moderate riverine flooding in the days ahead.

For storm surge information, please refer to the latest
information from the National Hurricane Center. This is an
extremely dangerous storm surge threat in the Apalachee Bay. Storm
Surge around Apalachee Bay will not just merely be a coastal
event in this system, but will spread many miles inland. If
ordered to evacuate, heed the advice of local emergency managers -
it could save your life!

&&

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Spotter activation is not requested. However, spotters are always
encouraged to safely report significant weather conditions when they
occur by calling the office or tweeting us @NWSTallahassee.

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
-- Changed Discussion --
Tallahassee   72  79  71  84 /  90 100  80  10
Panama City   72  79  72  83 /  90 100  60  10
Dothan        70  76  67  80 /  80 100  80  10
Albany        71  78  70  81 /  90 100  90  10
Valdosta      72  82  72  85 /  80 100  80  10
Cross City    73  86  76  87 /  90 100  70  20
Apalachicola  73  80  74  83 /  90 100  60  10
-- End Changed Discussion --

&&

.TAE WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
-- Changed Discussion --
FL...Flood Watch through Friday morning for FLZ007>019-026>029-034-
     108-112-114-115-118-127-128-134.

     Tropical Storm Warning for FLZ007>010-012-108-112.

     Hurricane Warning for FLZ011-013>019-026>029-034-114-115-118-127-
     128-134.

     Storm Surge Warning for FLZ027-115-118-127-128-134.

     High Rip Current Risk through Saturday evening for FLZ108-112-
     114-115.

     Storm Surge Watch for FLZ114.

GA...Flood Watch through Friday morning for GAZ120>131-142>148-
     155>161.

     Hurricane Warning for GAZ120>131-142>148-155>161.

AL...Flood Watch through Friday morning for ALZ065>069.

     Tropical Storm Warning for ALZ065>069.

GM...Tropical Storm Warning for GMZ750-770.

     Hurricane Warning for GMZ730-752-755-765-772-775.
-- End Changed Discussion --

&&

$$

NEAR TERM...Haner
SHORT TERM...Haner
LONG TERM....Scholl
AVIATION...Oliver
MARINE...Haner
FIRE WEATHER...Haner
HYDROLOGY...Godsey