Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Huntsville, AL

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453 FXUS64 KHUN 221727 AFDHUN Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Huntsville AL 1227 PM CDT Sun Sep 22 2024 ...New AVIATION... .NEAR TERM... (Rest of Today) Issued at 925 AM CDT Sun Sep 22 2024 No showers or storms have formed yet this morning, but these are not anticipated until this afternoon when low chances (15-30%) will be possible along and north of the Tennessee River. As the previous shift mentioned, the probability of this activity is higher over areas of enhanced orographic ascent such as over northeast Alabama and southern middle Tennessee. Current temperatures are in the mid to upper 70s, with highs on target to warm into the lower to mid 90s this afternoon. Not much change was needed to the forecast beyond modifying dew points a touch based on current observations and model guidance. Overall, when thunder roars, go indoors and make sure to stay hydrated and take frequent breaks in the sun if you have outdoor plans. && .SHORT TERM... (Tonight through Tuesday night) Issued at 438 AM CDT Sun Sep 22 2024 The subtropical ridge (discussed above) will shift eastward along the central Gulf Coast from tonight-Monday as an upper low (initially across the central High Plains) begins to open into a trough and eject northeastward into the MO Valley. As this occurs, winds aloft will back further to WSW and increase to 25-35 knots, with a notable mid-level vort max predicted to bypass our region to the north on Monday. At the surface, the secondary frontal wave is predicted to develop northeastward into western AR tonight and should reach northeastern AR by late Monday afternoon. Lingering showers and thunderstorms from this afternoon should dissipate across the northeast corner of the CWFA quickly after sunset, with another warm night featuring lows in the m60s-l70s and a patchy coverage of fog. Gradual moistening and destabilization of the boundary layer will continue on Monday as temps warm into the l-m 90s, with redevelopment of showers and thunderstorms expected to occur by late morning. However, this activity will once again remain most concentrated across the northern half of the forecast area, where mid-level WSW flow will be stronger and the influence of the subtropical ridge will be weaker. During the timeframe from Monday night-Tuesday night, the mid- level trough (initially across the MO Valley) will acquire a sharp negative tilt and accelerate northeastward ahead of another developing cutoff upper low that will drop southward through the central Plains during the mid-week period. A surface low across northeastern AR will lift north-northeastward into southern IL Monday night in response to this, with a narrow/broken line of convection likely evolve along the cold front trailing south- southwestward into eastern AR/western TN. Although a subtle increase in the southwesterly low-level jet (to 15-25 knots) may force the development of a few nocturnal showers and storms in our region ahead of this feature early Tuesday morning, chances for convection will not increase in our region until the frontal wind shift axis enters Tuesday afternoon. With CAPE likely to reach the 1000-2000 J/kg range by mid-day as temps warm into the m-u 80s, a few strong-severe storms will be possible given sufficient deep- layer shear induced by mid-level southwesterly winds in the 35-45 knot range. The front will in all likelihood stall across our region Tuesday night/Wednesday morning in response to the developing cutoff low to our northwest, leading to a continuation of medium chance POPs overnight. && .LONG TERM... (Wednesday through Saturday) Issued at 438 AM CDT Sun Sep 22 2024 Latest extended range guidance from the global models indicates that the remnant frontal boundary/low-level convergence axis will remain positioned across our region on Wednesday/Wednesday night, resulting in a continuation of medium chances for showers and thunderstorms. Due primarily to clouds and precipitation, highs on Wednesday should fall back into the u70s-l80s, with lows on Thursday morning in the l-m 60s. Beyond this point in the forecast, uncertainty increases considerably due to the potential development of a tropical cyclone in the Gulf of Mexico. Aside from the fact that the system has not even begun to develop, the cyclone`s eventual path will likely be dictated by both the cutoff low to our west and a subtropical high off the southeastern Atlantic Coast, and the models currently offer a vast array of solutions on where these features will be located and when. Thus, we have deviated very little from blended guidance and indicated a gradual decreasing trend in POPs through the end of the week, with full acknowledgement that they could be increased significantly or pulled out altogether in future forecast updates. High temperatures will also be dependent on the amount of cloud cover and precipitation in our region but should generally remain in the u70s-l80s through Saturday. && .AVIATION...
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(18Z TAFS) Issued at 1227 PM CDT Sun Sep 22 2024 VFR conditions continue at both KMSL and KHSV through the TAF period with light, WNW winds.
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&& .HUN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AL...None. TN...None. && $$ NEAR TERM...26 SHORT TERM....70 LONG TERM....70 AVIATION...HC