


Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Albany, NY
Issued by NWS Albany, NY
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179 FXUS61 KALY 171843 AFDALY AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION National Weather Service Albany NY Issued by National Weather Service Burlington VT 243 PM EDT Tue Jun 17 2025 .SYNOPSIS... Cloudy and cool today and tomorrow with scattered areas of showers. After the warm front moves through the area Wednesday night, warm and humid air will surge into the region on Thursday ahead of a cold front. This cold front on Thursday may result in strong to even severe thunderstorms. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... Widespread cloudy skies today with scattered areas of light showers as weak low and mid-level warm air and moisture advection continues. A few more organized areas of rain have tracked through the mid-Hudson Valley into NW CT as weak shortwaves embedded in the southwest flow aloft track through. With our sfc warm front stalled well to our south near the VA/NC border, much of the Northeast and mid- Atlantic remains within the cool conveyor belt ahead of the front and plagued with this cool and cloudy day. We trended temperatures downwards today a few degrees based on trends and forecast soundings which show low stratus lingering much of the day. Highs only expected to reach into the mid to upper 60s with some near 70 in the immediate Hudson Valley but that may even be tough to achieve. Heading into tonight, weak warm air and moisture advection continues maintaining cloudy skies and mild temperatures. The clouds and increased humidity/muggy conditions will keep it mild tonight with overnight lows only falling into the mid-60s. A few addition light showers remain possible overnight (mainly south of I-90) as weak shortwaves continue tracking within the southwest flow aloft. && .SHORT TERM /WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT/... Key Message: - The Storm Prediction Center has upgraded to a slight risk (level 2 to 5) for severe weather on Thursday as a potent cold front tracks eastward across the Northeast with damaging winds the primary hazard. - Confidence is increasing that the combination of hot temperatures and uncomfortable humidity on Thursday will necessitate heat advisories, especially in the mid-Hudson Valley, Litchfield County, CT, into the Capital Region. There is a 30 to 50% chance for high temperatures to reach or exceed 90 degrees in these areas, which would result in heat index values or the "feel-like temperatures" climbing into the mid to upper 90s. Discussion: Cloudy skies continue in Wednesday morning with a few scattered showers as our mid-level warm front lifts north across the region as mid-level shortwaves track overhead while our sfc warm front continues to slowly lift north through the mid- Atlantic. By midday into the afternoon, the sfc warm front will finally begin lifting from south to north across eastern NY and western New England. This will allow sfc winds to shift from the southeast and become more southerly with low stratus clouds lifting and even giving way to breaks of afternoon sun. Given ongoing southwest flow aloft advecting moisture from the Gulf into the Northeast, PWATs will remain quite high with values from both the NAEFS and ENS ~2 inches which ranks in the 99th percentile of the CFSR climatology. Such values also exceed the 90th of the SPC sounding climatology for June 18. Thus, such a moisture environment will easily generate instability as breaks of sun develop, especially areas west of the Hudson which should break for sun first and thus have more time to recover. Forecast soundings continue to favor a "tall-skinny" signature with FZ levels nearing 13kft and rather slow unidirectional shear (~20-30kts) through the column supportive of more of a heavy rain rather than severe weather hazard from any storms that develop. WPC has introduced a "marginal risk" in its Day 2 Excessive Rainfall Outlook covering the mid-Atlantic into the mid-Hudson Valley, eastern Catskills and NW CT which matches up with areas where the highest instability can develop. Given that breaks of sun hold off until the afternoon hours, overall instability values are meager, generally limited to around 500 maxing out near 1000 J/kg and again favored south/west of the Capital District. Any thunderstorm can produce heavy downpours resulting localized poor drainage and urbanized flooding. Otherwise, it will be warmer and very humid tomorrow with temperatures warming quickly once clouds break for sun rising into the upper 70s to low 80s in valley areas. Storms/showers diminish with the loss of daytime heating and we should trend drier Wednesday night. The sfc warm front finally lifts north of the area Wed night but given such a muggy air mass, temperatures will not cool much only falling into the mid to upper 60s with patchy fog developing where rain occurred during the day and skies can at least partially clear. Attention then turns to Thursday when confidence has increased for both heat and severe weather impacts. An intensifying shortwave trough and deepening sfc low tracking northeastward through Ontario and strengthening southwesterly winds ahead of the low will advect an even warmer air mass into the Northeast with 850 hPa isotherms +17C to +20C. Any early fog/stratus quickly give way to morning sun and as southerly winds turn a bit breezy supporting deep boundary layer mixing, temperatures will likely rise into the mid to upper 80s, topping out in the low 90s in immediate valley areas in the afternoon. Probabilistic guidance has trended upward showing a 30 to 50% chance for temperatures to exceed 90 in valley areas Thurs afternoon. The combination of high humidity and very warm temperatures will result in heat index values around or slightly above 95 degrees in valley areas Thursday P.M which likely will necessitate heat advisories. Will continue to monitor but heat sensitive populations should be mindful of potential heat related impacts (heat stroke/heat exhaustion) on Thursday and limit unnecessary or strenuous outdoor activities. WPC`s HeatRisk continues to show much of our valley areas in its "moderate" or level 2 categories as well. As such a warm and humid air mass spreads across the Northeast, we will monitor an approaching cold front and upper level parent trough tracking through Ontario. There remains discrepancies on timing and amplitude of the trough as some guidance is more robust with the trough, suggesting it takes on a neutral to even negative tilt resulting in rapid height falls downwind extending into eastern NY and western New England during peak heating. Needless to say, the air mass ahead of it will be primed with plenty of sfc based instability available as mid-level lapse steepen and strong southwesterlies aloft support deep layer shear values 40-45kts. Straight line hodographs and shear vectors oriented parallel to the forcing mechanism support a linear storm mode but some storms cluster could develop ahead of the main cold front. Again, the timing of the front will be key as we ascertain the severe weather potential as an earlier arrival during afternoon peak heating would increase the potential for severe weather. Damaging winds is the primary hazard from severe thunderstorms (especially if a squall line develops ahead of the front) as well as heavy downpours given the high PWATs. Given the favorable set-up and strong forcing for ascent, SPC introduced a slight risk (level 2 to 5) its Day 3 Convective Outlook over much of eastern NY and western New England for Thursday. WPC has blanketed much of the Northeast in its "marginal risk" (level 1 of 4) for potential localized flash flooding, mainly from storms that train/persist over an area. The trough axis/sfc cold front should push through the region by Thursday evening, ending the severe weather potential. Winds shift to the northwest in the wake of the front, advecting relatively cooler and less humid air into the region. Overnight lows fall into the mid to upper 50s with low 60s in valley areas. && .LONG TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH MONDAY/... Key Messages: - Increasing confidence for a period of above normal temperatures early next week. Probabilistic guidance shows 50 to 90% chance for temperatures to exceed 90 degrees in valley areas on Monday. Heat indices may exceed 100 degrees. Discussion: Upper level troughing continues into Friday, resulting in additional chances for showers, especially north of I-90. Temperatures trend relatively cooler and less humid in the wake of the front but it will still be seasonable for mid-June. Upper level subsidence strengthens in the wake of the trough for Saturday as high pressure builds into the Northeast, giving us a very pleasant Saturday with seasonable temperatures. By Saturday night into Sunday we will have to monitor a potential "ridge roller" as large scale ridging and heat from the Midwest/Ohio Valley builds eastward with guidance hinting at potential shortwaves riding along the northern periphery that could support additional areas of showers/thunderstorms. The hot air mass looks to shift into the Northeast by the early part of next week resulting in possible extreme heat conditions. && .AVIATION /17Z TUESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/... Mix of MVFR and IFR conditions, along with a cluster of light showers affecting ALB and PSF, are currently being observed. Moving forward, primarily IFR conditions can be expected at all sites as ample low level moisture remains in place, with additional periodic showers through about 12Z. Thereafter, a warm front will have lifted to the northeast of our region, supporting some increased mixing out of the low clouds with a trend towards MVFR ceilings and P6SM visibilities. Winds generally southerly and light through the period, increasing a bit towards the end of the period; however, southeasterly winds near 10 knots with a few gusts to 20 knots at PSF may persist for a few hours this afternoon. Outlook... Wednesday Night: Moderate Operational Impact. Chance of SHRA. Thursday: High Operational Impact. Breezy. Likely SHRA...TSRA. Thursday Night: Low Operational Impact. Breezy. Slight Chance of SHRA. Friday: Low Operational Impact. Slight Chance of SHRA...TSRA. Friday Night: No Operational Impact. NO SIG WX. Saturday: Low Operational Impact. Slight Chance of SHRA...TSRA. Saturday Night: Moderate Operational Impact. Chance of SHRA...TSRA. Sunday: Low Operational Impact. Slight Chance of SHRA...TSRA. && .ALY WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... CT...None. NY...None. MA...None. VT...None. && $$ SYNOPSIS...Speciale NEAR TERM...Speciale SHORT TERM...Speciale LONG TERM...SND AVIATION...