Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Pittsburgh, PA

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300 FXUS61 KPBZ 242300 AFDPBZ Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Pittsburgh PA 700 PM EDT Mon Jun 24 2024 .SYNOPSIS... Dry and cooler weather is expected tonight under high pressure. Showers and thunderstorms are possible Tuesday and especially Wednesday as a slow moving front pushes into the Ohio Valley. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM TUESDAY MORNING/... KEY MESSAGES: - Quiet with light winds under high pressure tonight. ------------------------------------------------------------------- 500 mb heights have been rising about 70 meters today and should rise another 40 meters tonight. High pressure centered along the OH/IN border currently will head across OH this evening and into PA after midnight. Cumulus will rapidly dissipate by early evening with clear skies. Tds are in the 50s, so lows in the 50s appear reasonable. Fog development is likely in many of the river valleys but not expected to be unusually impactful. && .SHORT TERM /6 AM TUESDAY MORNING THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT/... KEY MESSAGES: - Shower and thunderstorms chances return especially by Wednesday when severe storms are possible. ------------------------------------------------------------------- WNW flow at 500 mb with heights in the lower 5800s is expected with somewhat warmer temperatures and gradually rising Tds on Tuesday. Have low confidence in thunderstorm chances as there is poor agreement in the CAMS on how convection in MN area this afternoon and tonight evolves. FV3 is northern outlier bringing MCS across MI and eventually across Lake Erie into NE OH/NW PA Tuesday afternoon. Other options range from a weakening system falling apart to having everything sway well west as large cold pool turns convection southward and cuts off moisture west of Ohio. So will be at the mercy of convective scale cold pool development and movement so details will be scarce except in the 6-12 hour range. Trough pushes across Ohio River Valley with 60 meter height falls expected Wednesday over the forecast area. 25th to 75th percentile QPF for KPIT ranges from 0.25" to 1.00", and with convection there will always be a rather large range so this seams reasonable. And as noted for Tuesday, the Wednesday convective setup will be modulated by the evolution of Tuesdays convective cold pools. && .LONG TERM /THURSDAY THROUGH MONDAY/... KEY MESSAGES: - Dry weather Thursday through Friday - Near normal temperatures Thursday, before a late week warmup - Shower and thunderstorm chances return for the weekend ------------------------------------------------------------------- Cold front pushes through Wednesday night with significant cooling and drying at low levels across the Upper Ohio River Valley on Thursday. So near normal temperatures and quiet weather are expected. Heights gradually rise about 60 meters each day Thursday through Saturday, eventually reaching about 5920 meters by Saturday. 850 mb temps will be 12C Thursday, rising to about 18C Friday and near 20C on Saturday. So a warming trend is expected and will culminate in decent shot at showers and thunderstorms with a cold pushing through by Saturday night. Currently 30-50% chance of hitting at least 90F by Saturday over the forecast area, with highest values in the central and southern zones. 50-75th percentile QPF at KPIT is roughly 0.25 to 0.65" for Saturday. Trough pushes by Sunday with ridge building in Monday. Odds favor dry weather and near to slightly above normal temperatures. At this point ensembles suggest an upper high centered over lower MS river valley with hottest temperatures well southwest of the forecast area. && .AVIATION /00Z TUESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/...
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Calm, clear sky may foster localized river valley fog Tuesday morning, but dry air should keep probabilities more confined south of KPIT. The biggest uncertainty lays in the potential movement of a MCS (storm system) through the Great Lakes region overnight into Tuesday. Though the favored path is west of the region, there remains a low probability for decaying showers and thunderstorms to enter eastern OH to western PA between 15-20z Tuesday. Probability of occurrence remains too low for TAF mention at this time. .Outlook... Assuming westward MCS path, VFR is likely into Tuesday night before a weak shortwave trough fosters showers and thunderstorms (with associated restrictions) Wednesday into Thursday morning. High confidence in VFR under the influence of high pressure Thursday into Saturday morning before the next low pressure system passes.
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&& .PBZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... PA...None. OH...None. WV...None. && $$ SYNOPSIS...Craven NEAR TERM...Craven SHORT TERM...Craven LONG TERM...Craven AVIATION...Frazier/Milcarek