Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Raleigh/Durham, NC

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824 FXUS62 KRAH 131753 RRA AFDRAH Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Raleigh NC 153 PM EDT Thu Jun 13 2024 .SYNOPSIS...
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Surface high pressure will continue to drift east and move off the mid-Atlantic coast. An area of low pressure will move off the east coast of Florida this evening and then lift northeast off the mid- Atlantic coast through late Friday. A cold front will then slide southward into the area Friday night and Saturday.
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&& .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... As of 120 PM Thursday... As the surface high slips offshore, associated E-SELY low level flow into the area will lead to warming temps and building humidity levels. Expect another round of scattered to occasionally broken afternoon stratocumulus as highs today range from mid 80s north, upper 80s central area, to around 90 across the southern, which is about 1 to 4 degrees above average. Otherwise, the total air column across central NC remains rather dry with below PW values well below normal. This dry air coupled with the lingering mid level cap will squash any weak diurnally driven lift and showers that tries to develop over interior NC. The mid and high clouds associated with the extremely weak shortwave moving through the SE US and developing offshore coastal low will pass east of the area this evening , leaving behind mostly clear skies. However, probabilistic guidance indicates a low end chance for some fog/stratus across the far eastern/coastal plain counties towards sunrise. Lows similar to this past morning, ranging from lower 60s north, to mid/upper 60s central and southern areas. && .SHORT TERM /FRIDAY THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT/...
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As of 153 PM Thursday... Although trending a degree or two cooler, Friday is still expected to be warm across the region. Record temperatures should not be an issue as highs are expected to be in the low to mid 90s, where the daily high temperature record at GSO is 98, 97 at RDU, and 100 at FAY. Everyone should take cation when working outside Friday and stay hydrated. While the weak high pressure will be shifting northeast and offshore, the strengthening low pressure system off the coast is expected to stay offshore and move NE through Saturday morning. Although the majority of the precipitation will stay offshore, rip currents could still be a hazard. While the low is moving along the coast, a cold front is expected to move across the region beginning Friday afternoon and reaching the coast by Saturday morning. While most ensembles shows the front to be dry, a few outlines do show an isolated shower or storm develop Friday afternoon over the Triad and Triangle regions. While CAPE is expected to be less than 100 J/kg, Lapse rates will also be unimpressive. Any shower that does develop is expected to pass quickly. Have kept a 15-20% chance PoP in portions of the Northern Piedmont as Hi-Res models suggest that is where the best chance (if any) for showers and storms to pop up. Otherwise, as the front passes the region Saturday morning lows will be muggy in in the upper 60s to low 70s.
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&& .LONG TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... As of 335 AM Thursday... NNE flow behind the cold frontal passage on Friday night and Saturday morning will advect slightly cooler and drier air into central NC. This will provide some relief from the heat and humidity this weekend, but it will still be hot and slightly warmer than normal. Forecast highs both Saturday and Sunday are upper-80s to lower-90s, with lows generally in the 60s. Dew points will only be in the mid-50s to lower-60s, aided by NW downsloping flow aloft around a mid/upper ridge that will be over the Deep South. If the progression of the cold front is slow enough, a small minority of GFS/ECMWF/Canadian ensemble members indicate a shower or storm can`t be ruled out in the extreme SE (mainly southern Sampson County) on Saturday afternoon and evening, so continue slight chance POPs there. But even this may be overdone as the forecast keeps trending drier. The anomalous mid/upper ridge will continue to strengthen through the rest of the period, from 592 dam to possibly as much as 600 dam by midweek if the 00z ECMWF is to be believed. The ridge will initially centered to our west over the southern Appalachians on Sunday/Monday before moving north to PA/Upstate NY and the Lower Great Lakes by Wednesday. At the surface, high pressure will move off the New England coast on Sunday and linger in the western Atlantic into midweek, shifting the low-level flow over central NC to a SE direction. This will bring increased clouds, particularly in the west. Upslope showers and storms also may develop over the Mountains, and while they should largely stay to our west, ensemble probabilities indicate a few could drift into our far W or NW counties. Thus continue slight chance POPs there each afternoon from Sunday through Wednesday. Otherwise and elsewhere, dry air and subsidence from the mid/upper ridge should preclude any convective development. The building ridge will also help temperatures increase once again, with forecast highs from Monday through Wednesday mostly in the lower-90s and forecast lows in the upper-60s to lower-70s. Models agree there will be enough mixing to keep dew points from getting too oppressive (generally in the 60s), but heat indices will still peak in the lower-to-mid-90s each day. && .AVIATION /18Z THURSDAY THROUGH MONDAY/... As of 120 PM Thursday... Dry VFR conditions are expected through the period. The possible exception could be at KRWI, where probabilistic guidance indicates a very low end chance for some fog/stratus across the far eastern/coastal plain counties towards sunrise Friday morning. Winds will remain light through the period. Outlook: Isolated showers are possible late Friday as a moisture starved cold front moves through the region. Otherwise, generally dry weather is e expected. Some patchy late night/early morning fog or stratus is possible across mainly southern and eastern locations into the weekend. && .RAH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && $$ SYNOPSIS...Blaes NEAR TERM...CBL SHORT TERM...CA LONG TERM...Danco AVIATION...CBL/BLAES