


Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Wakefield, VA
Issued by NWS Wakefield, VA
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008 FXUS61 KAKQ 222327 AFDAKQ AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION National Weather Service Wakefield VA 727 PM EDT Fri Aug 22 2025 .SYNOPSIS... Large waves, coastal flooding, and dangerous rip currents will continue into the weekend. Dry conditions and seasonable temperatures are expected tonight and Saturday, with a few showers and storms Sunday and Monday as a cold front approaches the area. Dry with below normal temperatures for the rest of next week. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM SATURDAY MORNING/... As of 725 PM EDT Friday... Key Messages: - Pleasant with lower humidity and mostly clear skies tonight. Satellite imagery shows mostly clear skies across the area as high pressure settles over the region. Dew points have fallen into the upper 50s to low 60s and are expected to continue to drop off overnight. Very comfortable tonight with mostly clear skies and light winds. Low temps generally within a degree or two of 60F inland, slightly warmer near the coast with low to mid 60s. && .SHORT TERM /6 AM SATURDAY MORNING THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT/... As of 200 PM EDT Friday... Key Messages: - Dry and warm Saturday. - A few showers and storms possible by Sunday. The center of sfc high pressure should be offshore to the NE by Saturday morning and will continue to slide away through the day. As this occurs, sfc flow becomes southeasterly. This will allow for a moisture return with dew points rising back into the mid 60s by Saturday evening. Skies will be partly cloudy with perhaps some thicker cloud cover over NE NC. Highs will be in the low-mid 80s. Light onshore winds become a bit breezy near the water in the afternoon and evening. Lows Sat night will be in the low-mid 60s inland and upper 60s-low 70s at the coast. Heading into Sunday, an UL trough dipping into the Great Lakes region will aid in pushing a sfc cold front towards the local area. Meanwhile at the coast, a weak low pressure will form to the SE then slide northeastward. Despite both of these features, guidance continues to trend drier. Now only anticipating a 15-30% chance for showers along and W of I-95 and 20-40% in Hampton Roads and NE NC. Central portions of the area may not see any precip. However, it will still be mostly cloudy/overcast across the entire area. Not expecting much in the way of thunder due to limited instability. Highs on Sun once again in the low-mid 80s. The cold front looks to cross the FA Sun night into early Mon. Lows Sun night will be in the mid-upper 60s. && .LONG TERM /MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/... As of 200 PM EDT Friday... Key Messages: - Low-end precipitation chances continue on Monday, mainly near the coast. - Very nice next week with sunny skies and comfortable temperatures and humidity. All signs point to ending August on an autumnal, pumpkin spice flavored, note. Strong sfc high pressure from central Canada builds toward the eastern CONUS. There is also pretty good agreement between global models that a deep trough dips in overhead and remains more or less in place through the rest of the week. The sfc high will bring in dry air and result dewpoints as low as the upper 40s by mid-week. Not expecting much in the way of precip, either, except a stray shower Monday afternoon as that front is kicked offshore. Monday will be the warmest day of the week with highs in the mid 80s, followed by upper 70s and low 80s the rest of the week. Lows will generally be in the mid 50s inland and low 60s in the east. && .AVIATION /00Z SATURDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... As of 725 PM EDT Friday... VFR conditions prevail through the 00z TAF period. ENE winds 5-10 kt currently but become light and variable tonight. SE winds 5-10 kt are expected on Saturday. Forecast soundings show some moisture at the top of the mixed layer by late morning into the afternoon so will likely see FEW/SCT CU around 5kft Saturday. Outlook: Dry and VFR conditions prevail through Saturday night. A chc of showers/tstms returns Sunday and Monday ahead of and along a cold front. && .MARINE... As of 200 PM EDT Friday... Key Messages: - Small Craft Advisories remain in effect for the coastal waters through Saturday night due to lingering elevated seas. Small Craft Advisories are in effect for the lower Chesapeake Bay until 4 PM and for the mouth of the bay until 1 AM tonight. - A High Risk for Rip Currents continues through the weekend due to a combination of lingering large seas and high period swell from Hurricane Erin. - Generally benign marine conditions are expected next week as cool high pressure builds in. Afternoon surface analysis depicted Hurricane Erin continuing to move NE well offshore. N winds have remained elevated longer than model guidance suggested with winds 10-18 kt gusting to 20 kt early this afternoon. However, model guidance depicts winds diminishing and becoming NE this afternoon. That being said, waves were 3-4 ft across the lower bay. As such, have extended SCAs for the lower bay until 4 PM and for the mouth of the bay until 1 AM tonight. Winds become E this evening around 10-12 kt with gusts up to 15-20 kt. Will note that there is the potential for a brief surge this evening with a few gusts up to 20 kt, however, confidence is not high enough to warrant a SCA. High pressure centers over the local waters on Sat before moving offshore. This will allow for winds to remain E 5-10 kt Sat morning, becoming SE 10-15 kt by late Sat afternoon. Will note that a weak surface low may form along a stationary front across the coastal Carolinas on Sun, potentially allowing for a brief increase in winds to 10-15 kt with gusts up to 20 kt across the S coastal waters and potentially the lower bay on Sun. A cold front moves across the local waters late Sun night into Mon, allowing for a wind shift to the NW/N. However, winds remain generally light at 5-15 kt. A brief period of near SCA conditions is possible late Mon night across the lower Ches Bay, however, confidence is low at this time. Generally benign marine conditions then continue for next week as a strong area of high pressure moves into the area. Seas have been slow to subside given long period swell still coming in from the storm offshore. Seas this afternoon were 6-10 ft across the coastal waters. Expect nearshore waves to gradually diminish to 6-7 ft by this evening, allowing High Surf Advisories to come down at 6 PM. However, seas over the coastal waters remain elevated through Sat night and potentially into Sun. As such, SCAs for the coastal waters remain in effect through Sat night with SCAs potentially needing to be extended into a portion of Sun. Rip Currents: With lingering long-period (12-13s) swells and nearshore breaking waves of 4-5 feet Sat and 4 feet Sun, dangerous swimming conditions and high risk of rip currents will continue into the weekend. Long-period swell and an elevated rip current risk will likely continue into next week. && .TIDES/COASTAL FLOODING... As of 240 PM EDT Friday... Tidal anomalies in the lower bay and along the Atlantic coast continue to hold steady or drop slightly into this evening before gradually lowering. Another round of widespread moderate flooding is anticipated at most gauges in the middle and upper bay, with moderate to locally major flooding forecast for some gauges for coastal communities along the middle and upper Chesapeake Bay (middle peninsula and northern neck, bay side of the Eastern Shore) and in the Lynnhaven vicinity of VA Beach. Coastal Flood Warnings continue through tonight for the middle and upper Chesapeake Bay, including areas adjacent to the tidal Rappahannock river, and the Atlantic Coast. While the last high tide underperformed, have opted to continue the Coastal Flood Warnings for the lower bay due to the potential for Jamestown and Lynnhaven to reach to reach near moderate flood state (within 0.05-0.1 feet). However, will note that the tidal York will likely peak at minor flood stage. Tidal anomalies fall by this evening with nuisance to minor coastal flooding possible across the lower bay beyond this evening`s high tide. Beyond this upcoming tide cycle, there could be a few high tide cycles that experience minor or moderate flooding (mainly across the upper bay) as the high anomalies from Erin`s swell lingers, and there is the potential that the upper Bay could see additional flooding during high tide cycles lingering into Sunday. Additionally, additional instances of minor to locally moderate beach erosion are likely today due to the extended duration of the large, breaking waves. A High Surf Advisory is in effect for nearshore breaking waves of 5-8 ft through this afternoon. && .AKQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MD...Coastal Flood Warning until 8 PM EDT Saturday for MDZ021>023. Coastal Flood Warning until 1 AM EDT Saturday for MDZ024-025. NC...Coastal Flood Warning until 1 AM EDT Saturday for NCZ102. VA...Coastal Flood Warning until 1 AM EDT Saturday for VAZ098>100. Coastal Flood Warning until 6 PM EDT Saturday for VAZ075-077. Coastal Flood Warning until 6 AM EDT Saturday for VAZ076-078- 083>086-518-520>522. Coastal Flood Warning until 3 AM EDT Saturday for VAZ082-089- 090-093-095>097-523>525. MARINE...Small Craft Advisory until 7 AM EDT Saturday for ANZ634. Small Craft Advisory until 7 AM EDT Sunday for ANZ650-652-654- 656-658. && $$ SYNOPSIS...SW NEAR TERM...RHR SHORT TERM...AC LONG TERM...AC AVIATION...RHR MARINE...RMM TIDES/COASTAL FLOODING...