Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Charleston, WV

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007 FXUS61 KRLX 210626 AFDRLX AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION National Weather Service Charleston WV 226 AM EDT Tue May 21 2024 .SYNOPSIS...
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High pressure provides unseasonably warm and mostly dry weather today. A cold front brings showers and thunderstorms Wednesday afternoon and Thursday. Rain chances through the weekend.
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&& .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... As of 735 PM Monday... Monitoring isolated showers or storms to develop along the eastern mountains this afternoon. Previous forecast remains on track. As of 145 PM Monday... Aside from a few possible showers or a rumble of thunder over the higher terrain this afternoon, hot and dry day is expected, with only fair-weather cumulus noted around the area. Highs in the mid to upper 80s this afternoon. It will remain dry and calm overnight, with partly to mostly clear skies over the CWA. Lows will generally range from the lower 50s in the mountains to around 60 degrees in the lowlands, but many valleys are likely to decouple and dip at least a few degrees cooler, with some valley fog expected again tonight. Tomorrow will be another hot and mostly to partly sunny day, with lower elevation highs again towards the upper 80s, and mountains getting into the 70s and lower 80s. A few 90s will be possible. Some mountain showers and storms seem a bit more likely tomorrow with a weak shortwave moving through the upper-level ridge, and generally speaking, a few more clouds appear possible tomorrow as well as a result. && .SHORT TERM /WEDNESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT/...
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As of 205 AM Tuesday... A southerly wind in advance of an approaching system will increase moisture across the area Wednesday into Wednesday night. This will allow for an increasing chance for showers and thunderstorms. Afternoon temperatures will be well above normal for this time of year, with some lowland locations in the upper 80s. Meso NAM soundings showing 1600 to 1900 effective layer CAPE for Wednesday afternoon in southeast Ohio, northeast Kentucky, and western West Virginia. This combined with some mid level dry air could produce damaging wind gusts in stronger thunderstorms and possibly some large hail. A cold front will then push through the area on Thursday, providing additional showers and thunderstorms along with more seasonable temperatures.
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&& .LONG TERM /FRIDAY THROUGH MONDAY/...
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As of 205 AM Tuesday... A cold front will stall just south of the area on Friday. An upper level short wave will then interact with the front and cause a surface wave to move along the front Friday afternoon into Friday night. Models continue to struggle with the strength of the short wave, and hence how far north the moisture gets and how strong the dynamics are with this system. Models continue to struggle for the rest of the forecast with the timing and strength of additional short waves and possible fronts. This leads to a lower confidence in the forecast, although there should be several rounds of precipitation.
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&& .AVIATION /06Z TUESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/...
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As of 100 AM Tuesday... Widespread VFR conditions will prevail through the end of period, with the exception of IFR fog at EKN this morning. Dense patchy fog may develop along other river valleys overnight past 08Z, but may only stay in the vicinity of PKB, CKB and CRW like last night. All fog restrictions should improve to VFR by ~13Z this morning. A shortwave will move over the area by 18Z today allowing for scattered CU fields across the area. Chances for thundershowers remain this afternoon across the mountains of WV and SW VA as a result. Terminals look to stay out of it for now, but will have to monitor updates for exact timing and coverage. Winds this morning going calm across the lowlands; light and variable across higher elevations. Winds pick up out of the SW by ~15Z and will remain light through the period. FORECAST CONFIDENCE AND ALTERNATE SCENARIOS THROUGH 06Z WEDNESDAY... FORECAST CONFIDENCE: High ALTERNATE SCENARIOS: Fog could be more dense than advertised. Timing and coverage of showers and t-storms today may vary from the forecast. EXPERIMENTAL TABLE OF FLIGHT CATEGORY OBJECTIVELY SHOWS CONSISTENCY OF WFO FORECAST TO AVAILABLE MODEL INFORMATION: H = HIGH: TAF CONSISTENT WITH ALL MODELS OR ALL BUT ONE MODEL. M = MEDIUM: TAF HAS VARYING LEVEL OF CONSISTENCY WITH MODELS. L = LOW: TAF INCONSISTENT WITH ALL MODELS OR ALL BUT ONE MODEL. DATE TUE 05/21/24 UTC 1HRLY 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 EDT 1HRLY 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 CRW CONSISTENCY H H H H H H H H H H H H HTS CONSISTENCY H H H H H H H H H H H H BKW CONSISTENCY H H H H H H H H H H H H EKN CONSISTENCY H H L L L H H H H H H H PKB CONSISTENCY H H H H H H H H H H H H CKB CONSISTENCY H H H H H H H H H H H H AFTER 06Z WEDNESDAY... IFR conditions possible with showers and thunderstorms Wednesday afternoon into Thursday with a cold front. IFR possible in showers and thunderstorms Friday afternoon into Friday night.
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&& .RLX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WV...None. OH...None. KY...None. VA...None. && $$ SYNOPSIS...FK/RPY NEAR TERM...FK SHORT TERM...RPY LONG TERM...RPY AVIATION...LTC