Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Raleigh/Durham, NC
Issued by NWS Raleigh/Durham, NC
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235 FXUS62 KRAH 242010 AFDRAH Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Raleigh NC 410 PM EDT Mon Jun 24 2024 .SYNOPSIS... A strong mid level trough and accompanying surface front will cross North Carolina today, then settle just to our southeast tonight. Weak high pressure will pass over the area late tonight through early Tuesday, then push quickly offshore late Tuesday, allowing hot and humid conditions to return for Wednesday. Another front will approach from the northwest early Thursday. && .NEAR TERM /TODAY THROUGH TONIGHT/... As of 355 PM Monday... Water vapor imagery depicts a potent mid-level trough stretching from northern New England down to the Mid-Atlantic. This is dragging a weak surface cold front that is currently analyzed roughly along I- 95. Quite a sharp dew point gradient is observed along the front, with dew points in the mid-50s to lower-60s in the Triad and lower- to-mid-70s in the eastern Sandhills and Coastal Plain. Meanwhile there is little change in temperatures, which are still reaching the lower-to-mid-90s across central NC this afternoon. The lower humidity is helping heat indices be a bit less uncomfortable than yesterday, but some low-100s heat indices are still observed across the far south and east. The front will slowly move SE through the rest of central NC this afternoon and evening. The front will be accompanied by a marginal (level 1 of 5) risk of severe thunderstorms across the central/southern Coastal Plain and eastern Sandhills this afternoon. Impressive SBCAPE of 3000-4000 J/kg is currently observed over the far SE according to SPC mesoanalysis. However, 0-6 km wind shear isn`t too impressive, around 20-30 kts and highest over far northern areas closer to the trough. Still, it could be enough to support isolated damaging wind gusts. The main threat area left is across Cumberland, Sampson and Wayne counties for the next few hours, as these are the last places that the front hasn`t passed through yet. Think the main hail threat will be closer to the coast where mid-level lapse rates are higher. Upper forcing will be limited as we only get a glancing blow and weak height falls from the trough that passes well to our north, so coverage shouldn`t be too widespread. Over the rest of central NC, drier more stable air filtering in from NW flow behind the front will inhibit convective development. Most places will be dried out behind the front by 00z. Slight to low chance POPs linger for a few more hours in Sampson County, but convective intensity should be less by that point with loss of daytime heating. Skies will be mostly clear tonight as lows drop into the mid-60s to near 70, much less mild compared to last night thanks to the lower dew points, but still slightly above normal. RDU only got down to 80F this morning which would tie an alltime daily record high minimum temperature if it stands, but the official forecast does currently have the temperature there dropping to 77F before midnight tonight. && .SHORT TERM /TUESDAY AND TUESDAY NIGHT/... As of 400 PM Monday... Tuesday will be largely precipitation free across central NC as the trough exits into the Atlantic and is replaced by weak ridging over the Southeast US. Our region will also be under a much drier more stable airmass behind the cold front. Surface high pressure over the Appalachians in the morning will move east into the Atlantic during the day, shifting the low-level flow to a more southerly direction. Thus there will be very little to no change in temperatures from today despite today`s cold frontal passage, with highs again in the lower-to-mid-90s. Where there will be a noticeable difference is the humidity, as dew points will mix out into the upper-50s to lower-60s in the afternoon. So heat indices will be very similar to the air temperatures. The one possible area of precipitation is from Fayetteville south and east, where some CAMS (mainly the HRRR and RAP), show enough instability for a few showers and storms to develop along the sea breeze. But the other CAMS are much less impressed. Given this and the unfavorable upper pattern, only carry slight chance POPs there at this time. Lows Tuesday night will be in the upper-60s to lower-70s. && .LONG TERM /WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY... As of 205 PM Monday... ...Hot Temperatures Will Continue through Next Weekend... ...Seasonable/Climo Rain Chances Return... Heat and humidity increases Wednesday ahead of another approaching weak cold front that will cross the area Wednesday night/early Thursday. Wednesday looks to be the hottest day of the week, with afternoon temps expected to top out between 95-100, and heat indices in the upper 90s NW to 100-105 over central and eastern NC. While some isolated pre-frontal convection is possible Wednesday afternoon/evening, the bulk of central NC will most likely see it`s rainfall from an ana-frontal rain band that will cross the area late Wednesday night and Thursday. There`s a very plausible chance that the front could stall out or quickly lift back north as a warm front on Friday, resulting in additional rain chances. Right now, precipitation amounts looks to be light, with average rainfall amounts expected to be between 0.10-0.25", with some localized heavier amounts. The heat should briefly moderate on Thursday with troughing moving through. However, the subtropical ridge initially centered over the southern Plains will expand eastward into the Southeast Friday and over next weekend, bringing a renewed threat for hazardous heat with heat indices again in the upper 90s NW to 100 to 105 across central and eastern NC. Another cold front, potentially the strongest of the week, is slated to cross the area late Sunday into the day on Monday, and will bring additional rain chances in showers and storms, and another brief stint of cooler, less humid conditions early next week. && .AVIATION /18Z MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/... As of 210 PM Monday... 24-hour TAF period: VFR conditions and dry weather will prevail across roughly the NW half of central NC, including at RDU, GSO and INT, through the next 24 hours. Across the south and east, including at FAY and RWI, a cold front will result in scattered showers and storms from now through early evening. Sub-VFR ceilings and visibilities and gusty winds will be possible with any storm. The best chance for this is around FAY. Once the front clears the far SE by around 02z, any shower and storm chances will come to an end. Mostly clear skies and VFR will prevail everywhere for the rest of the period as drier air filters in. Winds will shift from the W/SW ahead of the front to N/NW behind it, possibly gusting up to 15-20 kts at times. Winds will diminish after dark and shift to the NE and eventually E by tomorrow morning. Looking beyond 18z Tue: Expect mostly dry and VFR conditions through Tue night. Isolated late day storms are possible late Wed, followed by a better chance of afternoon/evening showers and storms Thu, along with possible sub-VFR ceilings Thu morning. Otherwise, outside of any storms, the risk of widespread sub-VFR conditions is low through Sat. && .CLIMATE... Record High Temperatures: June 24: KRDU: 99/2010 KFAY: 102/1914 June 25: KRDU: 100/1952 KFAY: 102/1914 June 26: KRDU: 102/1952 KFAY: 101/1951 June 27: KFAY: 102/1998 Record High Minimum Temperatures: June 24: KGSO: 76/2015 KRDU: 76/1888 KFAY: 79/2010 June 25: KFAY: 75/1952 June 26: KGSO: 74/2010 KRDU: 76/1902 KFAY: 76/1997 June 27: KGSO: 76/1969 KRDU: 76/1952 KFAY: 77/1998 June 28: KGSO: 76/1969 KRDU: 76/1952 KFAY: 78/1914 && .RAH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && $$ SYNOPSIS...Hartfield NEAR TERM...Danco SHORT TERM...Danco LONG TERM...CBL AVIATION...Danco/Hartfield CLIMATE...RAH