Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Newport/Morehead, NC
Issued by NWS Newport/Morehead, NC
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767 FXUS62 KMHX 142330 AFDMHX Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Newport/Morehead City NC 730 PM EDT Fri Jun 14 2024 .SYNOPSIS... An area of low pressure moves northeast well off the Carolina Coast today. A cold front then pushes through Saturday morning. High pressure dominates the rest of the weekend into next week. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM SATURDAY MORNING/... As of 1915 Friday...No significant changes required to the near term forecast. Eern half of the Crystal Coast seabreeze has finally broken through the opposing Nerly winds which has cooled off the coastal areas around Morehead City quickly. Previous Disco as of 215 PM Friday... - Quiet weather expected through tonight Low pressure will continue to pull away from the coast this afternoon, with the risk of showers ending along the Outer Banks (mainly the Cape Hatteras area). In the wake of the low, the low- level flow will quickly become southerly ahead of a cold front approaching the area from the NW. Despite the dry boundary layer this afternoon (some areas of ENC have seen dewpoints drop into the 50s), I expect temps to end up milder than last night due to the moistening southerly flow. Additionally, a modest increase in mid- level moisture should support partly to mostly cloudy skies, which should also help to keep temps from falling as low as last night. With the increasing moisture, some guidance is hinting at the potential for a few overnight showers. I`m not seeing much in the way of forcing, and moisture return looks modest, so for now I opted to continue with a dry forecast through tonight. && .SHORT TERM /6 AM SATURDAY MORNING THROUGH 6 PM SATURDAY/... As of 215 PM Friday... - Early day cold front passage - Isolated thunderstorms possible along the Crystal Coast Saturday afternoon (10-20% chance) A mid-level shortwave will shift offshore during the day Saturday, with an associated cold front pushing south through ENC. Short-term guidance has remained fairly consistent with the timing of the front, pushing it off the Crystal Coast by mid- morning. Despite the northerly flow behind the front, it appears that the more notable boundary layer drying will be delayed by a few hours. Heating of the residually-moist boundary layer may support several hours of modest instability (MLCAPE of 500-1500 j/kg). Forcing will be waning, but perhaps enough forcing can develop along the seabreeze to support a few thunderstorms popping up around Onslow, Jones, Craven, and Carteret Counties before the drier air arrives. Given the lack of appreciable forcing, the risk of deep, sustained convection appears low, as does the risk of severe weather. It still appears to warrant some low-end pops, though, so no real change to the forecast there. Low-level thicknesses don`t change much behind the front, and I expect temperatures Saturday to be fairly close to what we`re seeing this afternoon (80s along the coast, 90s inland). && .LONG TERM /SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY/... As of 340 AM Friday... Key Points: - Extended period of warm, dry weather through next week Behind the cold front, ridging sets in Sunday, with a quick hitting back door cold front moving in from the north Saturday evening/night allowing Tds to briefly drop to the 50s and 60s. Unsure how this boundary will interact with the sea breeze if the timing lines up, but the additional forcing would be more conducive to storm formation. Monday through Thursday...We enter an extended period of dry, warm weather as strong ridging envelops the eastern US. This prolonged dry weather would bring fire weather concerns, but fortunately winds should remain light during this period with the high. 0Z model guidance does suggest the potential of a weak coastal trof that may approach our area by mid to late week. Too far out to do more than chance pops at this time, which also match climo for this time of year. && .AVIATION /23Z FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... SHORT TERM /through 00z Sunday/... As of 1930 Friday... - VFR conditions expected through Saturday A cold front is forecast to move through Eastern NC Saturday morning. Ahead of the front, the winds will flip from NE/E to S/SW through tonight. This will allow weak moisture return to occur, along with a period of SCT/BKN mid-level clouds. The risk of SHRA at TAF sites appears low through tonight (<10% chance), but NEern zones of the FA Mainland Dare/Hyde Cos and NOBX could see some precip after midnight into the early morning hours. Front is forecast to be crossing coastal TAF sites around sunrise with N-Nerly winds strengthen through the afternoon as high pressure beings to build over the area. A few SHRA or TSRA may develop Sat afternoon along the seabreeze, best chance coastal sites 18-00Z, but probabilities are too low to include explicitly in the TAFs. LONG TERM /Saturday night through Wednesday/... As of 4 AM Friday...VFR conditions expected through the long term. && .MARINE... SHORT TERM /through Saturday/... As of 215 PM Friday... - Elevated winds and seas continue into Saturday - Low end thunderstorm risk near the Crystal Coast Saturday Based on satellite imagery and buoy obs, a 1010mb surface low is located about 140 miles southeast of Cape Lookout at this time. Despite the nearby proximity of the low, buoy obs show seas are mostly in the 2-4 ft range across the coastal waters, and winds are in the 10-20kt range. Based on these observations, and given that the low is pulling away from the area, we still do not expect to see widespread, or long-lasting, SCA conditions today, and we`ll continue with no headlines. In the wake of the low, winds will quickly flip around to a southerly direction ahead of a cold front that will be approaching the waters from the NW late tonight. A period of 10-15kt southwesterly winds is expected ahead of the front, followed by a period of 10-20kt northeasterly winds behind the front as it moves through during the day Saturday. Both ahead of, and behind, the front, seas of 2-4 ft are expected. Over the far outer edges of the central waters (ie. 15-20nm from shore), a brief period of seas of 4- 5 ft will be possible through this evening, especially with the northeast wind opposing the Gulf Stream. At this time, no headlines are planned through Saturday. LONG TERM /Saturday night through Wednesday/... As of 4 AM Friday...Next week pleasant boating conditions return, with waves 2-3 ft and E/SE winds less than 15 kts as high pressure dominates && .MHX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NC...Beach Hazards Statement until 8 PM EDT this evening for NCZ196- 204-205. MARINE...None. && $$ SYNOPSIS...MHX NEAR TERM...RM/CEB SHORT TERM...RM LONG TERM...EH AVIATION...EH/RM/CEB MARINE...EH/RM