Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Columbia, SC
Issued by NWS Columbia, SC
522 FXUS62 KCAE 241700 AFDCAE Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Columbia SC 1200 PM EST Mon Nov 24 2025 .SYNOPSIS... Warm weather continues into mid-week with a chance for showers on Tuesday and Wednesday. A very dry and much colder air mass moves in behind the front for the remainder of Thanksgiving week. Temperatures return to seasonal values late in the weekend but the chance of rain also returns. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... Key message(s): - Mild temperatures to continue. A surge of drier air has finally been able to clear out the majority of the morning fog/stratus across portions of the CSRA. Much of the remainder of the afternoon will now see mostly sunny skies prevailing over the entire forecast area. Easterly winds will continue to keep the drier air moving in over the region at least into the early overnight hours. Afternoon temperature remain on the mild side, with readings topping out once again in the upper 60s over the north, and the middle 70s across the southern counties. Going into tonight, some high level cloudiness will move through the night. In the low levels, winds will begin to turn more out of the southeast late tonight and towards morning, which will begin to bring Atlantic moisture back inland. Isentropic and orographic lift should bring some low clouds across the area late tonight, with greatest coverage possibly over the western half of the forecast area towards morning. Do not expect any rain activity overnight, but some light showers may be just off to the west of the forecast area, along with a few showers possible near the coast by sunrise. Overnight lows back into the upper 40s to the lower 50s. && .SHORT TERM /TUESDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT/... Key message(s): - Warmer with a chance of showers on Tuesday. - Breezy and continued warm Wednesday ahead of a cold front. Rain chances are highest along and ahead of the boundary during the first half of the day. - Cold and dry air filters in Wednesday night. Tuesday and Tuesday Night: A shortwave trough will pass to the north on Tuesday with broad southwesterly flow aloft as a more potent trough takes shape over the Central CONUS. At the surface, winds will shift to a southerly direction as high pressure continues to move to the east. A few showers cannot be ruled out during the daytime hours, mainly across the northwestern counties which will be closer to the upper level support. Modest isentropic lift and instability could also trigger a few showers or a rumble of thunder across the remainder of the FA but the chance is lower. It`ll be partly to mostly cloudy and warmer with forecast highs in the lower 70s to near 80 degrees. Showers and thunderstorms along and ahead of the approaching cold front move into the region Tuesday night, with the best chance for rain along and north/west of I-20. There are timing differences between the CAMs, with the HRRR being much faster than the other guidance. This means that the chance of rain may end up higher and may arrive earlier than currently depicted if the HRRR solution is more accurate. Temperatures don`t fall too much due to clouds and WAA with lows in the upper 50s to lower 60s. Wednesday and Wednesday Night: Troughing sets up across the eastern two-thirds of the CONUS on Wednesday. This will help to push a cold front through the FA with southwest winds shifting west towards evening and then northwest at night. The winds could be breezy at times, especially during the day when values may approach Lake Wind Advisory criteria. The frontal passage will also be accompanied by showers and perhaps a thunderstorm or two depending on the timing of the boundary. Any precipitation should quickly exit the FA Wednesday afternoon with skies clearing from northwest to southeast. Daytime temperatures should be warm once again despite the clouds and rain but will be dependent on the timing of the cold front. Current highs range from the lower 70s in the northwest to the upper 70s in the southeast. Clearing skies and gradually decreasing winds will allow temperatures to drop quickly at night with forecast lows in the mid-30s to lower 40s, coldest once again in the northwestern CWA. && .LONG TERM /THURSDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/... Key message(s): - A cold and very dry airmass will push into the region Thursday through Saturday. - Temperature begin to recover late this weekend with increasing rain chances. An arctic air mass moves in behind the front on Wednesday resulting in much colder and drier weather across the FA for Thanksgiving, likely lasting through Saturday. Expect well below normal temperatures with widespread subfreezing overnight lows Thursday night, and especially Friday night when the surface high will likely be overhead. High pressure moves to the east on Saturday allowing for increasing moisture and warm air advection. While models diverge on the Synoptic pattern near the end of the extended, warmer and wetter conditions are favored early next week. && .AVIATION /18Z MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/... Mainly VFR conditions the next 24 hours. All taf sites restriction free to start off the period. A few cirrus clouds are expected through the afternoon. With drier air moving in on east/northeasterly winds, should only see a few cumulus around 5 kft late in the afternoon. Winds becoming light by sunset. Off the surface, winds will turn more out of the southeast, bringing Atlantic moisture back inland and across the area by morning. Deterministic guidance is showing a stratus field developing around 5 kft by 08z at most sites, and for the most part have trended tafs at all sites that direction around that timeframe. Slightly deeper moisture may impact ags/dnl, with ceilings towards 12z dropping into upper end of mvfr there. With stratus development, do not anticipate any widespread fog at this time tonight. Through the day on Tuesday, shower activity will be moving in from the west, but is not expected to impact any terminals through 18z. EXTENDED AVIATION OUTLOOK...The next chance of widespread restrictions will be late Tuesday into early Thursday morning as deep moisture returns to the area ahead of a front. && .CAE WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... SC...None. GA...None. && $$