Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Sterling, VA

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203 FXUS61 KLWX 221429 AFDLWX Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Baltimore MD/Washington DC 1029 AM EDT Sat Jun 22 2024 .SYNOPSIS... High pressure remains offshore today while a stationary front will stretch across the Great Lakes. This front will push south through the area late Sunday into Monday. High pressure briefly builds back over the area Tuesday before an another cold front sweeps through the region Wednesday and Thursday next week. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/...
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High pressure remains offshore today, with southwesterly low level flow advecting hotter and more humid air into the area. Near record highs in the mid 90s to near 100 are expected, with heat index values between 100 and 108 for the lower elevations. Based on current temperatures vs. this time yesterday, the area is generally about 3 to 6 degrees ahead of yesterday`s pace. Given the nearly cloudless skies and quick start to the heating, have opted to raise temperatures by another degree or two. Consequently, Heat Advisories remain in effect for much of the area until 8 PM. Thunderstorm chances may be slightly higher this afternoon than preceding days, although large scale forcing is lacking. Initiation will likely occur over the terrain and/or along a weak SW to NE oriented lee trough. Computer models suggest sparse coverage overall, likely owing to the lack of strong forcing and dry air aloft. A brief strong to severe thunderstorm with a damaging downburst could occur due to the building instability, but overall flow is weak and storms may be too widely spaced to produce colliding outflows that often trigger this scenario. Any storms quickly dissipate this evening. There won`t be much relief to the heat tonight as lows only drop into the 70s, with urban centers perhaps remaining in the 80s.
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&& .SHORT TERM /SUNDAY THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT/... Hot conditions with near record highs will continue Sunday, although there is increasing uncertainty due to quickly advancing clouds ahead of the next trough. The highest chance for upper 90s will be along the I-95 corridor, with gradually declining values to the west where clouds will be thicker and heights falling. Additional Heat Advisories will likely be needed, but probably less widespread than today. A few showers may advance across the mountains during the morning with a lead perturbation. The surface trough appears to set up near or just east of the Blue Ridge. This is where the greatest moisture and instability will pool and where at least scattered convection may intensify heading into the afternoon. Flow will be a bit stronger, so a severe risk could evolve, with primarily a damaging wind threat. Convection will also develop ahead of the cold front and shortwave aloft across the Ohio Valley, approaching the Appalachians during the late afternoon or evening. It`s still not clear at this point whether this convection survives across the mountains, or if a different threat materializes as forcing overspread what will likely still be a moderately unstable atmosphere despite the time of day. Some risk for severe storms and perhaps even localized flash flooding could continue into the late evening/overnight hours, although activity should eventually progress to the east. Most guidance now has the cold front most of the way through the area Monday. This puts temperatures and thunderstorm chances in question, although the primary trough axis could still provide some forcing. The highest rain chances will be across southern Maryland. Temperatures do look cooler north and west of Washington, while areas to the south and east may still climb into the 90s. Lower humidity is ushered in Monday night, with lows falling into the 60s to near 70, with 50s possible in the mountains. && .LONG TERM /TUESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/... Upper troughing will depart off to the east on Tuesday, allowing high pressure to build overhead at the surface. Sunny skies are expected along with hot, but much less humid conditions. High temperatures should reach into the upper 80s and lower 90s for most, with low-mid 80s in the mountains. Dewpoints are expected to fall into the 50s to near 60. A shortwave trough will track through the Great Lakes on Wednesday. Low-level flow will turn southwesterly in response out ahead of this system, which will allow very hot and humid conditions to work back into the area. Temperatures will soar back into the mid-upper 90s, with dewpoints also climbing into the upper 60s. After a sunny start to the day, clouds will be on the increase through the afternoon, and thunderstorms may be possible during the afternoon into the overnight hours. The system`s cold front will progress through during the day Thursday. Additional showers and thunderstorms may be on Thursday depending on the ultimate positioning of the front. Temperatures will also be dependent on the positioning of the front, which has some uncertainty associated with it this far out. As for now, highs are forecast to reach into the mid 80s to low 90s. High pressure will build to our north on Friday. Mostly sunny skies, light onshore flow, and seasonable temperatures (highs in the mid 80s to near 90, upper 70s to lower 80s in the mountains) are expected. && .AVIATION /15Z SATURDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... VFR conditions with light south winds continue through tonight. Isolated to scattered thunderstorms may develop this afternoon into the early evening across the mountains and perhaps toward northern Maryland. Consensus keeps most of the activity northwest of the metros, so no TAF mention for now, but it could be close. VCTS is included for MRB, where the chance is the highest. A greater thunderstorm threat is expected Sunday and could come in two rounds. The first with scattered storms developing across the metro terminals during the afternoon, then an additional opportunity during the evening or overnight hours. Strong to severe storms are possible. With a quicker frontal progression, most thunderstorms may be southeast of the terminals on Monday. Prevailing VFR conditions are expected at the terminals on both Tuesday and Wednesday. A passing thunderstorm may be possible Wednesday afternoon or Wednesday night. Winds will be out of the west to northwest on Tuesday, and then out of the south on Wednesday. && .MARINE...
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Southerly winds will strengthen again from mid afternoon into tonight, and another Small Craft Advisory is being issued. While an isolated gusty thunderstorm could reach the waters later this afternoon or early evening, most of the activity should stay inland. Advisories will likely be needed for all waters Sunday as south-southwest winds increase. There will also be potentially two opportunities for strong to severe thunderstorms during the afternoon and evening to overnight hours. Small Craft Advisories may be needed for portions of the waters Monday into Monday night as a cold front passes through and winds shift to the west and northwest. Thunderstorms may develop again Monday, although this chance is trending downward. Sub-SCA west to northwesterly flow is expected on Tuesday. Winds turn southerly on Wednesday, and may near low-end SCA levels in channeled southerly flow.
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&& .CLIMATE... Very hot temperatures are expected through Sunday. Several records could be in jeopardy, as seen below. Below is a list of record high temperatures for Jun 22nd and the 23rd, and the year the record was set, and the current forecast high temperatures for those days. RERs are only issued for DCA, IAD, BWI, and MRB, but other sites are shown for reference. Saturday Jun 22nd Climate Site Record High Forecast High Washington-National (DCA) 101F (1988) 100F Washington-Dulles (IAD) 99F (1988) 99F Baltimore (BWI) 100F (1988) 99F Martinsburg (MRB) 102F (1933) 97F Charlottesville (CHO) 101F (1933) 98F Annapolis (NAK) 101F (1988) 95F Hagerstown (HGR) 100F (1988) 98F Sunday Jun 23nd Climate Site Record High Forecast High Washington-National (DCA) 98F (1988) 98F Washington-Dulles (IAD) 96F (1988) 97F Baltimore (BWI) 97F (2010) 98F Martinsburg (MRB) 100F (1934) 94F Charlottesville (CHO) 100F (1894) 96F Annapolis (NAK) 98F (1988) 95F Hagerstown (HGR) 98F (1988) 94F && .LWX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
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DC...Heat Advisory until 8 PM EDT this evening for DCZ001. MD...Heat Advisory until 8 PM EDT this evening for MDZ003>006-008- 011-013-014-016>018-501>508. VA...Heat Advisory until 8 PM EDT this evening for VAZ025>031- 036>040-050-051-053>057-501-502-504>506-526-527. WV...Heat Advisory until 8 PM EDT this evening for WVZ050>053-055- 502>504-506. MARINE...Small Craft Advisory from 2 PM this afternoon to 2 AM EDT Sunday for ANZ531-532-538>542. Small Craft Advisory from 2 PM this afternoon to 6 AM EDT Sunday for ANZ533-534-537-543.
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&& $$ SYNOPSIS...ADS NEAR TERM...ADS/BRO SHORT TERM...ADS LONG TERM...KJP AVIATION...ADS/KJP MARINE...ADS/BRO/KJP CLIMATE...