326
FXUS61 KPHI 261738
AFDPHI

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Mount Holly NJ
138 PM EDT Thu Sep 26 2024

.SYNOPSIS...
An area of low pressure sliding by to the north will result in a
warm front lifting through today and a cold front moving in tonight.
The front will stall over the southern half of the area, as moisture
from Tropical Cyclone Helene moves in. An unsettled pattern will
continue for the weekend and into next week as an upper level low
meanders off to the southwest. A pattern change potentially comes by
the middle of next week as a sweeping cold front approaches.

&&

.NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/...
No changes from the previous forecast.

A fairly complex weather pattern continues to evolve as a warm
front sits near southern Delmarva and high pressure continues to
slowly retreat to our north and east over Atlantic Canada. The
southwest extent of this ridging still extends into our region
and this has helped delay the northward push of the warm front.
Meanwhile low pressure is located well to our north moving into
western Quebec along with an associated upper level trough.
Another upper level low sits near the Tennessee Valley and then
of course there`s Hurricane Helene in the Gulf of Mexico. The
upshot of all this is that there continues to be rain/showers
streaming north through the Appalachians...largely due to the
upper low however with time some mid and upper level moisture
from Helene is getting pulled into this as well. As we head
through this morning expect that some of these showers will make
it into our area as an upper level disturbance moves through in
the circulation. These showers should be confined mainly to our
eastern PA zones into NW NJ where we have the highest POPs
(around 60-80 percent). Otherwise, low stratus will continue to
predominate with some areas of patchy fog and drizzle.

By later this morning into the afternoon, the warm front will
lift north and east through the area as we get into the warm
sector. Stratus should be slowly lifting through this period
with any showers diminishing as well but expect it will remain a
mostly cloudy day. It will be on the warm and humid side though
with highs mainly ranging from the mid 70s north to the low 80s
over much of Delmarva. It will be a bit cooler though in the
southern Poconos and NW NJ where highs will be mainly in the
upper 60s to low 70s. Dew points will be in the upper 60s to low
70s across the region by this afternoon.

For tonight, low pressure with its associated upper trough
moves from Quebec towards the Canadian Maritimes dragging a cold
front southward into the area. This could result in some
additional scattered showers and storms, mainly over eastern PA
into central and northern NJ. In fact expect the front to start
to stall all overnight as it reaches the Mason Dixon line. It
will be another warm night for this time of year with lows
mostly in the 60s except some upper 50s over the southern
Poconos and NW NJ.

&&

.SHORT TERM /FRIDAY THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT/...
Helene is forecast to be over northern Georgia on Friday morning,
becoming absorbed into a closed upper level low over the southeast
US. This system is expected to be quite expansive, and moisture from
Helene is anticipated to move in Friday into Friday night. A stalled
boundary over the Delmarva peninsula will be the focus for
precipitation and currently where the highest PoPs are for Friday
afternoon/evening (around 60-80%), though rainfall amounts are
not overly impressive (only up to a half inch of rain at most).
Showers become more scattered to isolated the further north you
get from Philadelphia, and some areas of far northern New
Jersey could see little to no rainfall at all. Along and south
of the front, temperatures will be in the mid to upper 70s, with
upper 60s/low 70s north of the front. Overnight lows on Friday
night will be in the 60s.

Some guidance hints at a potential dry slot setting up for Saturday,
especially over Delmarva. However, onshore flow looks to continue,
bringing a cool and moist airmass. The remnants of Helene will
retrograde westward, with the expansive upper level low positioned
over Kentucky/Tennessee. With the maritime airmass in place,
and the closed low off to the southwest, a few showers could
develop, mainly in New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania. Will not
be a washout by any means, but more of a cloudy day with some
showers around, similar to what we have seen the past few days.
With a stalled boundary still bisecting the region, temperatures
will be in the upper 60s/low 70s north of Philadelphia, and
upper 70s/low 80s from Philly on south.

&&

.LONG TERM /SUNDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/...
As is the case with upper level lows, the forecast for the extended
is a bit tricky. The upper level low that will eventually absorb
Hurricane Helene will be positioned somewhere over the Ohio River or
Tennessee River Valley on Sunday with the region positioned on the
northeast quadrant of the closed low. This looks to bring some
unsettled weather, but no day will be a washout. We look to be in
for more days of clouds with periods of on and off showers until the
upper level low moves offshore or transitions to more of an open
wave. This looks to occur sometime Monday or Tuesday, though we will
not kick the clouds/showers until midweek, with guidance hinting at
a cold front coming through and a pattern change (finally).

It certainly will be feeling like fall with cloudy and cool
conditions expected for the end of the weekend and into next week.
Temperatures will be a few degrees below normal for late
September/early October, with upper 60s/low 70s for highs. Overnight
lows may actually end up a few degrees above normal with limited
diurnal ranges continuing with an abundance of cloud cover in place.

&&

.AVIATION /18Z THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/...
The following discussion is for KPHL, KPNE, KTTN, KABE, KRDG, KILG,
KMIV, KACY and surrounding areas.

Today...Generally MVFR conditions north and west of the I95
corridor with breaks possible along the I95 terminals. For
PHL/ILG/MIV/ACY there have been some breaks to VFR however MVFR
cigs are hanging to the west and should move back over all
terminals during the day. SE to S winds 5 to 10 mph. Moderate
confidence.

Tonight...Cigs lowering once again with MVFR likely by the
early overnight period and IFR likely by the predawn hours.
Winds backing to E/NE around 5 knots as a cold front pushes
south into the area. Moderate confidence.


Outlook...

Friday through Friday Night...MVFR/IFR conditions likely (80-
90%) with periods of rain moving through.

Saturday through Saturday Night...Sub-VFR conditions expected at
times, potentially as low as IFR, though stretches of VFR possible,
mainly from KPHL on south.

Sunday through Monday...sub-VFR conditions possible with 20-40%
chance of showers and low clouds hanging around in between periods
of rain.

&&

.MARINE...
We have extended the Small Craft Advisory for our waters north
of Cape May until 6 PM this evening so it is now in effect until
this time for all of our ocean zones. This is mainly due to 5 ft
seas. SE to S winds will generally average 10 to 20 kts.

Sub-SCA conditions for Delaware Bay. Mainly SE winds around 10 to 15
kts.

All of our Marine zones are expected to be headline free for
tonight.

Outlook...

Friday through Friday Night...No marine headlines expected.

Saturday through Saturday Night...Small Craft Advisory conditions
possible (30-40%), mainly for the New Jersey coastal waters as seas
get near 5 feet.

Sunday through Monday...Small Craft Advisory conditions possible
(50%) with seas around 5 feet and gusts nearing 25 kt.

Rip Currents...

For today...South-southeast winds around 10-15 mph. Breaking
wave heights of 3-4 feet with an 11-12 second period. For this
reason, have opted to upgrade to a HIGH risk of the development
of dangerous rip currents for both the Jersey Shore and Delaware
Beaches.

For Friday...East-southeast winds around 5-10 mph. Breaking wave
heights of 2-3 feet with a 10-11 second period. Due to lighter
winds and lower wave heights, have opted to go with a MODERATE
risk of rip currents for both the Jersey Shore and Delaware
Beaches.

Rip currents occur often in the vicinities of jetties and piers and
the speed of the currents are generally maximized at low tides.

For specific beach forecasts, visit weather.gov/beach/phi

&&

.TIDES/COASTAL FLOODING...
Tides and water levels continue to decrease as onshore flow
weakens and we move away from the full moon.

The Coastal Flood Advisory has been extended through Friday
evening for Sussex County, DE as Little Assawoman Bay and the
Indian River Inlet has been slow to drain. Minor tidal flooding
remains likely through the end of the week within the back bays.

No changes made to the Coastal Flood Advisory in Ocean County,
as periods of minor tidal flooding are expected within Barnegat
Bay.

Along the Eastern Shore, some spotty minor tidal flooding
remains possible through the end of the week around the night-
time high tide, though no advisories are expected to be needed.

Otherwise, no upcoming tidal issues are expected on the
Delaware Bay, tidal Delaware River, nor the New Jersey coast
outside of Ocean County through the rest of the week. However,
some longer range guidance indicates some minor tidal flooding
is possible over the weekend.

&&

.PHI WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
PA...None.
NJ...High Risk for Rip Currents until 8 PM EDT this evening for NJZ014-
     024>026.
     Coastal Flood Advisory until 11 PM EDT this evening for NJZ020-
     026.
DE...Coastal Flood Advisory until 8 PM EDT Friday for DEZ003-004.
     High Risk for Rip Currents until 8 PM EDT this evening for DEZ004.
MD...None.
MARINE...Small Craft Advisory until 6 PM EDT this evening for
     ANZ450>455.

&&

$$

SYNOPSIS...Hoeflich
NEAR TERM...Deal/Fitzsimmons/MJL
SHORT TERM...Hoeflich
LONG TERM...Hoeflich
AVIATION...Deal/Fitzsimmons/Hoeflich/MJL
MARINE...Fitzsimmons/Hoeflich
TIDES/COASTAL FLOODING...