Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Raleigh/Durham, NC

Home |  Current Version |  Previous Version |  Graphics & Text |  Print | Product List |  Glossary On
Versions: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50
-- Highlight Changed Discussion --
-- Discussion containing changed information from previous version are highlighted. --
632 FXUS62 KRAH 181746 AFDRAH Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Raleigh NC 146 PM EDT Tue Jun 18 2024 .SYNOPSIS... High pressure will remain over the Mid Atlantic and Carolinas through much of this week. Moisture will increase across the area late this week into this weekend, bringing some increased rain chances to the Sandhills/Southern Coastal Plain. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... As of 1030 AM Tuesday... Broad ~1030 mb surface high pressure centered south of the Canadian Maritimes will continue to extend SW into the Mid-Atlantic through tonight. Looking aloft, water vapor imagery shows a large area of dry air along and east of the Northeast US and Mid-Atlantic coasts. These below-normal PW values will gradually get advected into central NC by deep (but weak) easterly flow around an anomalous mid/upper anticyclone centered just to our north. Thus the broken stratocumulus across roughly the western half of our region will push to our west through this afternoon and get replaced by mostly sunny skies. With similar low-level thicknesses to yesterday, high temperatures should again be in the upper-80s to lower-90s. Dry air aloft and good boundary layer mixing beneath a strong inversion at 750-800 mb will help dew points decrease to the lower-60s in many places this afternoon, with even some upper-50s possible. So while it will be hot, heat indices will be very similar to the air temperatures. Lows tonight will again be in the mid-to-upper-60s. && .SHORT TERM /WEDNESDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT/... As of 106 AM Tuesday... The anomalous mid-level ridge will continue to deepen across the mid- Atlantic/northeast US on Wednesday, with heights peaking 2 to 3 standard deviations above climatology. A stream of drier air will continue to advect across our area, as PWAT remains near ~70 to 80 % of normal. As such, dew points will once again mix out into the lower 60s Wednesday afternoon. Daytime highs will once again max out in the upper 80s to around 90. && .LONG TERM /THURSDAY THROUGH MONDAY/... As of 340 AM Tuesday... ...Increasing Heat Risk Developing Over the Weekend and Into Early Next Week... The anomalously strong upper level anticyclone over the region will begin to deamplify/flatten, while building westward over the weekend, so much so that a weak northern stream trough influence could bring some decent rain chances to the area by Sunday and into early next week. Downstairs at the surface, high pressure off the northern mid-Atlantic will shift south to over Bermuda by the weekend. Meanwhile, a weak area of low pressure over the SW Atlantic will move westward towards the Florida/Georgia coast on Friday. The main weather headlines will be in the intensifying heat, especially over the weekend and continuing into early next week. Low-level thicknesses and humidity will steadily rise as the low- level flow becomes increasingly southerly. By Sunday, highs are forecast to reach the mid/upper with BL dewpoints of 70-75 becoming more prevalent across central NC, which will help heat indices to rise into the 100-105 F range. This level of heat will affect anyone without effective cooling and/or adequate hydration. In terms of rain chances, expect little to no impacts from the weak area of low pressure moving ashore Florida/Ga. Aside from some isolated seabreeze showers/storms across the far SE zones Friday and Saturday afternoons, mostly dry conditions will persist through Saturday. Rain chances should begin to increase Sunday and especially Monday with the approach of the northern stream trough and attendant front from the NW. && .AVIATION /18Z TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/...
-- Changed Discussion --
As of 145 PM Tuesday... VFR conditions will prevail through the next 24 hours, as any lingering stratocumulus this afternoon in the west remains above the VFR threshold and clears out by this evening. More stratocumulus is expected tomorrow morning and afternoon. A brief MVFR ceiling can`t be entirely ruled out tomorrow morning, particularly south and east, but don`t have enough confidence to include mention of it in the TAFs at this time. Winds will be light (around 7 kts or less) and generally from the east through the period. Outlook: Dry weather and VFR conditions will persist through Friday. Moisture and a slight chance for showers will return in the far SE on Saturday, and areawide on Sunday.
-- End Changed Discussion --
&& .RAH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && $$ SYNOPSIS...Leins NEAR TERM...Danco SHORT TERM...Luchetti LONG TERM...CBL AVIATION...Danco