Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Atlanta, GA

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571 FXUS62 KFFC 200150 AFDFFC Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Peachtree City GA 950 PM EDT Thu Sep 19 2024 ...Evening Update... .UPDATE...
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Issued at 949 PM EDT Thu Sep 19 2024 No major updates to the forecast. Clear overnight tonight, with no PoPs tomorrow.
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&& .SHORT TERM... (This afternoon through Friday) Issued at 254 PM EDT Thu Sep 19 2024 Currently satellite is showing scattered cumulus across the area as the low pressure continues to spin over the NC/VA border. Chances for showers have gone down a tad this afternoon/evening, but there is still ~15% chance for the showers from wrap around moisture from the low pressure system. CAPE values between 500-1000 J/kg are currently over the northeast GA mountains with around 20kts of shear. Should any showers be able to form, the ingredients would be there to have thunderstorms. Temps will continue to warm into the mid 80s today. Tomorrow, the high pressure over the southwestern CONUS will start to push eastward into the area as the low pressure moves well east of the area. With this, rain chances will be near zero tomorrow along with thunderstorm chances. Temps will rise into the upper 80s to low 90s tomorrow as the high pressure sits over the area and causes cloud cover to be less than today. A wedge begins to set in as well during this time frame resulting in drier and sunny conditions. Overall, summer 2.0 is making a comeback starting tomorrow unfortunately. Hernandez && .LONG TERM... (Saturday morning through next Wednesday) Issued at 254 PM EDT Thu Sep 19 2024 The forecast is mainly on track for the extended period, with unseasonably warm conditions (summer 2.0) expected through the weekend and into next week. At this time, the hottest days are forecast from Saturday through Monday, when afternoon highs are expected to reach into the low 90s across the majority of the forecast area each afternoon. Much uncertainty remains with the respect to potential tropical development in the Caribbean/Gulf of Mexico, not only indicating a wide variety of tracks, but also in indicating whether or not a tropical system even forms. Will continue to monitor as guidance comes into better agreement. The previous discussion follows... King PREVIOUS DISCUSSION... Key Messages: - Warm temperatures that will be 8-13 degrees above average in parts of north Georgia through the weekend. - Complex upper air pattern combined with tropical uncertainty make for a difficult mid to end of week forecast next week. Forecast Discussion: The main meteorological players at the beginning of the long term will be a low pressure off the shore of New England that models have settled in on forming, a mostly stagnant airmass over us, and a developing surface high well to the north over the Canadian maritime. Into Saturday, this low doesn`t look like it will have pushed any cooler air into us, so our drier air will continue to heat bringing temperatures into the 90s in some locations. This low slowly slides to the south on Sunday as the surface high seeps around it into the northeast. The models show signs of a surface boundary push down the Appalachians, but for now do not bring it in. This may be the first place where we can discuss a little uncertainty, as models can struggle with the timing and strength of these airmasses as they filter down the Appalachians, but given the unusual location of the surface high, there are reasons to believe CAD processes may not be as dominate yet. More uncertainty introduces itself after this, with more players entering the forecast. A cut off upper low currently over California is expected to eject into the Plains developing an attendant surface low. The exact timing, track, and even strength of this low has decent uncertainty, and how close it gets to the CWA will have implications for moisture draw from the Gulf and potentially whether the wedge may run into additional challenges moving into the area. The surface low off the coast is expected to continue diving south, allowing the wedge to attempt to move into the area, but the high pressure to the north of the low does appear to begin to weaken a bit, decreasing the pressure gradient and the potential strength of the CAD. So, this creates some spread in the temperature forecast. NBM 10th and 90th percentiles are about 5-7 degrees apart Monday and Tuesday across the CWA, higher in the north and northeast. Adding even more fuel to the fire by the end of the long term will be the tropics. Generation of a broad low off central America continues to look likely. While the probability that a tropical system forms from this is increasing, there are still a wide variety of possibilities ensembles continue to show in terms of timing, strength, and position of any system, if one is even able to form. Broad lows can help spark the formation of these systems by providing a focus for convection and vorticity maxima, but organization of these broader systems can sometimes be a struggle for a variety of reasons. Once again, don`t pay attention to single runs of models. Take clues from the broader ensemble, which still highlights a wide range of possibilities. Lusk && .AVIATION... (00Z TAFS) Issued at 739 PM EDT Thu Sep 19 2024 VFR through period. Scattered to few deck 4-5kft through sundown, clearing overnight. Winds variable and light overnight. Tomorrow expecting similar conditions, sct cigs around 3-5kft. Winds generally NE to E, though could be variable at times given light conditions. //ATL Confidence...00Z Update... High all elements. SM && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Athens 64 88 65 90 / 0 0 0 0 Atlanta 67 89 68 90 / 0 0 0 0 Blairsville 59 84 60 85 / 0 0 0 0 Cartersville 64 90 65 92 / 0 0 0 0 Columbus 69 90 68 91 / 0 0 0 0 Gainesville 65 88 66 89 / 10 0 0 0 Macon 66 89 66 90 / 0 0 0 0 Rome 64 91 64 92 / 0 0 0 0 Peachtree City 65 88 65 90 / 0 0 0 0 Vidalia 69 88 67 88 / 0 0 0 0 && .FFC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && $$ SHORT TERM...Hernandez LONG TERM....Lusk AVIATION...SM