Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Pittsburgh, PA

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706 FXUS61 KPBZ 251150 AFDPBZ Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Pittsburgh PA 750 AM EDT Sat May 25 2024 .SYNOPSIS...
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Dry weather is expected through the morning. The chance for showers and strong to severe thunderstorms will increase this afternoon and evening. Sunday is expected to be mostly dry under high pressure, but thunderstorms will returning Sunday night into Memorial Day. As we flip the calendars to June, temperatures fall back to just below normal.
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&& .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... KEY MESSAGES: - Dry through much of the morning hours - Increasing chances for strong to severe storms this afternoon/evening with a crossing shortwave - Hail, damaging wind, and excessive rainfall will be the main threats _____________________________________________________________ Weak ridging has briefly built overhead through the overnight. This will begin to flatten and shift east through the morning hours, resulting in continued dry weather through much of the morning. Meanwhile, stacked low pressure will eject out of the upper Midwest today with a trailing front sweeping across the Ohio Valley this afternoon and evening. Warm, moist advection has already begun this morning as the long-lingering front across our southern area lifts northward as a warm front. A few showers with perhaps a rumble of thunder may develop along this boundary later in the morning. However, more organized scattered to widespread convection is not expected to develop until mid-afternoon as the cold front slowly advances into Ohio. Afternoon temperatures in the low/mid 80s and dew points in the mid/upper 60s will boost MUCAPE values above 2000 J/kg by mid/later afternoon. Hail and strong wind potential with stronger/taller storms will be maximized in the several hours before sunset. The SPC marginal outlook continues for the entire area. By this evening, the threat for severe weather will likely shift from a hail/wind threat to an excessive rainfall and flash flooding threat, particularly south and southeast of Pittsburgh where the front will come to a crawl through the overnight hours. Storms focused along this boundary may produces excessive rainfall over areas already primed for localized flash flooding. Farther north, convection will wane through the evening hours. && .SHORT TERM /SUNDAY THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT/... KEY MESSAGES: - Dry weather returns through much of Sunday, with thunderstorms returning in the evening. - Strong to severe storms are possible late Sunday night, primarily across eastern Ohio. _____________________________________________________________ Brief ridging builds once again on Sunday, with dry weather expected through much of the day. Low pressure will develop across the Plains tonight, lifting across the Great Lakes by Monday. Moisture will advance across the region with southwest flow Sunday evening into Monday, though the latest guidance has slowed the progression of this system and the eventual onset of convection across the region. CAMs confine any late afternoon convection to the ridges, with a pre-frontal line of thunderstorms not nearing our forecast area until midnight. This timing is not typically favorable for severe weather in our area, and weakening is expected as these storms cross into the area. However, a strengthening 30-40kt LLJ across the area late Sunday night may help maintain several stronger storms with damaging wind and/or large hail into eastern Ohio. SPC has highlighted this risk with a Marginal Risk for that area, keeping the Slight Risk farther west. Showers and thunderstorms will continue on Monday, with slow cold frontal passage slowly diminishing rain chances from west to east into the evening. Daytime surface heating may contribute to and environment favorable for severe thunderstorm development, particularly on Monday afternoon. SPC has outlooked the area in a Marginal Risk. && .LONG TERM /TUESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/... KEY MESSAGES: - Near normal to below average temperatures are expected under an elongated trough over the Northeast. ____________________________________________________________ Another couple of rainy days look to be in store as a secondary cold front crosses the region Tuesday and low pressure crossing to our north on Wednesday. Ensembles then suggest a pattern change as deep upper troughing develops over the eastern CONUS with ridging over the Plains. Broad surface high pressure should finally keep the area dry while temperatures fall back towards seasonal average. && .AVIATION /11Z SATURDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/...
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High confidence forecast (95%) of VFR through the evening hours and no precip through 16Z. Confidence falls back into the 40-50% range during the afternoon and evening given uncertainty with thunderstorm placement. VFR weather with yield to a developing cumulus field by midday then as a shortwave trough passes during the afternoon hours, this will kick off showers and thunderstorms. Brief IFR vis are possible with the heavier downpours, but it won`t last long /less than 30 minutes/, while CIGS could drop into the MVFR category. Timing is tricky, so did the best to time in the afternoon hours, where the highest probs exist and aligns well with the CAMs. Any airport that sees a storm this afternoon - early evening should see at least MVFR fog and some places could even see IFR fog, but will use later forecasts to fine tune forecasts. .Outlook... High pressure and subsidence should promote VFR and dry weather late Saturday night into Sunday. Fog may develop before dawn Sunday in rain-soaked locales that experience overnight clearing. Thunderstorm probabilities increase overnight Sunday into Monday as a more robust low pressure system moves through the Great Lake region. A pattern shift thereafter will introduce periodic precipitation chances and potential for more prolonged cig restrictions.
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&& .PBZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... PA...None. OH...None. WV...None. && $$ SYNOPSIS...Rackley NEAR TERM...Rackley SHORT TERM...Rackley LONG TERM...Hefferan/Rackley AVIATION...Shallenberger/McMullen