475
FXUS61 KRLX 031809
AFDRLX

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
National Weather Service Charleston WV
209 PM EDT Wed Jul 3 2024

.SYNOPSIS...
High pressure brings hot weather this afternoon. Chance of rain
arrives late this afternoon and tonight. More active weather is
expected July 4th and Friday with cold fronts.

&&

.NEAR TERM /THROUGH THURSDAY/...
As of 120 PM Wednesday...

A Heat Advisory remains in effect for portions of WV, southeast
OH and northeast KY through this evening with heat index values
reaching around 100 during the hottest part of the afternoon.
Widely scattered thunderstorms will be possible late this
afternoon and this evening in southeast Ohio ahead of a 500-mb
shortwave. However, 0-6km shear will be weak (only 20-25 kts)
and instability will be weak to marginal (MLCAPE 500-800 J/kg).
Thunderstorms should lose intensity as they approach and track
east of the Ohio River, where the instability will be even
weaker.

Severe weather potential will be a little greater Thursday with
models showing MLCAPE reaching 1,000-1,200 J/kg in parts of WV
and northeast KY. 0-6 km shear is still expected to be fairly
weak (only around 25 kts in most spots). As ripples of 500-mb
vorticity approaches from the west, a few severe thunderstorms
will be possible during the day, with the main threat being
damaging winds. With weak shear over most of the area, severe
thunderstorms may have difficulty organizing, potentially causing
them to be short lived. The SPC currently has a marginal risk
of severe weather over the region for Thursday. In addition,
there is a marginal risk of excessive rainfall. PWATs are
projected to be anywhere from 1.8-2.2 inches across the region,
which can lead to heavy downpours. We will have to watch for the
potential for localized flooding if thunderstorms begin to
train over the same areas.

&&

.SHORT TERM /THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT/...
As of 210 PM Wednesday...

A cold front will stall over or near the area Thursday night,
leaving abundant moisture and chances of showers and
thunderstorms. That front will push back northward on Friday as
a warm front. Soundings show effective layer CAPES of 1000 to
1500 Friday afternoon with a freezing level above 16000 feet.
That means storms would have a hard time getting any sizable
hail to the ground. Soundings in western West Virginia,
southeast Ohio, and northeast Kentucky do show some mid level
dry air, so damaging winds are a possibility. SPC has outlooked
this region with a marginal chance of severe thunderstorms.

A cold front will then push through the area Friday night,
providing additional showers and thunderstorms.

&&

.LONG TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/...
As of 1230 PM Wednesday...

With a cold front off to the east Saturday morning, any
lingering precipitation over eastern West Virignia and
southwestern Virginia will tapper off. A high pressure system
will then build over the area, providing seasonable temperatures
for Saturday afternoon. The high will provide dry weather for
Sunday, with temperatures increasing slightly.

As the high shifts off to the east on Monday, some southerly
moisture will allow for a chance of showers and thunderstorms,
along with above normal temperatures.

Models diverge some for Tuesday, with some showing a cold front
Tuesday or Tuesday night, while others keep the front to our
north. Either way, moisture over the area should allow for a
decent chance of showers and thunderstorms.

&&

.AVIATION /18Z WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY/...
As of 106 PM Wednesday...

Conditions will remain mostly VFR into tonight. A stray
thunderstorm is possible this evening, with the best chance at
KPKB, can briefly reduce visibility to IFR in a heavy downpour.
VFR should continue in most spots overnight, but IFR dense fog
is expected in the sheltered mountain valleys after 06Z and
before 12Z, particularly at KEKN. Scattered showers and
thunderstorms will become more likely by mid-to-late morning
Thursday.

Winds can occasionally gust from the southwest this afternoon
at 15-25 kts. Winds should gradually relax overnight. Expect
west-southwest winds again Thursday.

FORECAST CONFIDENCE AND ALTERNATE SCENARIOS THROUGH 18Z THURSDAY...

FORECAST CONFIDENCE: High.

ALTERNATE SCENARIOS: Convection may develop around 21Z bringing
restrictions at least to PKB before 00Z this evening.


EXPERIMENTAL TABLE OF FLIGHT CATEGORY OBJECTIVELY SHOWS CONSISTENCY
OF WFO FORECAST TO AVAILABLE MODEL INFORMATION:
H = HIGH:   TAF CONSISTENT WITH ALL MODELS OR ALL BUT ONE MODEL.
M = MEDIUM: TAF HAS VARYING LEVEL OF CONSISTENCY WITH MODELS.
L = LOW:    TAF INCONSISTENT WITH ALL MODELS OR ALL BUT ONE MODEL.

UTC 1HRLY       18   19   20   21   22   23   00   01   02   03   04   05
EDT 1HRLY       14   15   16   17   18   19   20   21   22   23   00   01
CRW CONSISTENCY  H    H    H    H    H    H    H    H    H    H    H    H
HTS CONSISTENCY  H    H    H    H    H    H    H    H    H    H    H    H
BKW CONSISTENCY  H    H    H    H    H    H    H    H    H    H    H    H
EKN CONSISTENCY  H    H    H    H    H    H    H    H    H    H    H    H
PKB CONSISTENCY  H    H    H    H    H    H    H    H    H    H    H    H
CKB CONSISTENCY  H    H    H    H    H    H    H    H    H    H    H    H

AFTER 18Z THURSDAY...
Brief IFR possible in showers and thunderstorms Thursday and
Friday.

&&

.RLX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WV...Heat Advisory until 8 PM EDT this evening for WVZ005>009-
     013>015-017-025-026.
OH...Heat Advisory until 8 PM EDT this evening for OHZ066-067-075-
     076-083>087.
KY...Heat Advisory until 8 PM EDT this evening for KYZ101>103.
VA...None.

&&

$$

SYNOPSIS...RPY/JMC
NEAR TERM...JMC
SHORT TERM...RPY
LONG TERM...RPY
AVIATION...JMC