Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Greer, SC
Issued by NWS Greer, SC
118 FXUS62 KGSP 300653 AFDGSP Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Greenville-Spartanburg SC 253 AM EDT Sat May 30 2026 .WHAT HAS CHANGED... No substantial changes. && .KEY MESSAGES... 1. A potential for locally heavy rainfall and isolated flash flooding continues today. Briefly cooler and drier on Sunday before rain returns Monday. 2. Dry and cooler than normal weather is expected Tuesday through at least Thursday. Slightly warmer with a small chance of diurnal convection Friday. && .DISCUSSION... Key message 1: A potential for locally heavy rainfall and isolated flash flooding continues today. Briefly cooler and drier on Sunday before rain returns Monday. The latest water vapor imagery depicts a short wave trough moving across the Deep South, with a plume of deep moisture extending from the central Gulf northeast through the Savannah River Valley into the southern Appalachians. Weakening areas of showers with a few isolated storms persist within this plume across the western part of our forecast area. Individual cell movement has been relatively progressive, and there hasn`t been much cell training observed, but small convective clusters have shown some tendency to back build, while there has also been some anchoring of convection observed along terrain features along the TN/NC border. This has resulted in very isolated areas of very heavy rainfall of 2+ inches. This potential will continue across the high terrain through the morning, and can`t rule out a stray flash flood event. If anything, forecast profiles suggest a slight downtick in the potential for locally heavy rain and flash flooding during the daylight hours, as mean cloud-bearing winds accelerate slightly, and the potential for back building of convective clusters diminishes somewhat. Nevertheless, at least scattered showers and some thunderstorms should persist into the afternoon in the vicinity of weak frontal boundary, and increased instability should keep the low-end flash flood threat going into the afternoon. By this afternoon, stable air circulating around sprawling surface high pressure building into the northeast quadrant of the country in the wake of a cyclone departing the New England coast will spill southwest down the eastern slopes of the Appalachians, with inverted ridge building into our forecast area by this evening. This will send the surface boundary southwest through the CWA and bring an end to convection for much of the area by the end of the evening. Cool/stable conditions persist into Sunday, with temperatures around 10 degrees below normal forecast for much of the area outside the mountains. Sunday PoPs are limited to the western and southern periphery of the CWA, where some afternoon instability is possible...especially across the mountains closer to the TN border. Moisture begins to increase yet again Sun night into Monday...between surface high off the Southeast Coast, and ahead of approaching cold front associated with an area of height falls diving from the Great Lakes into the central Appalachians. PoPs will once again ramp up Sunday night and especially Monday. Drying with a little more staying power finally arrives (for the most part) Monday evening. Other than the below-normal temps Sunday, temperatures are forecast to be near-normal through Monday night. Key message 2: Dry and cooler than normal weather is expected Tuesday through at least Thursday. Slightly warmer with a small chance of diurnal convection Friday. Anomalously low height are forecast to persist near the East Coast through much of the new work week, maintaining general low level/dry ridging and cooler-than-normal temps through at least Thursday. A short wave trough is forecast to dig down the western periphery of the trough and into the forecast area Tuesday. The latest GFS is especially strong with this feature and responds with a round of convection Tue afternoon. This is generally at odds with the other global models, but it nevertheless seems prudent to advertise a small PoP. Dry weather with temps around 5 degrees below climo are otherwise forecast through Thursday. Temperatures and moisture are forecast to increase to near-normal by Friday, and small chances for diurnal convection are warranted for the end of the week. && .AVIATION /06Z SATURDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... At KCLT and elsewhere: Showers and isolated TS persist across the western third of the Terminal Forecast Area early this morning. In the immediate near term, shower potential is expected to be confined to the upstate SC terminals and perhaps KAVL, but even at these sites, impact from SHRA is expected to be little. Can`t completely rule out a stray TS at the western sites early this morning, but this is highly unlikely and not worthy of a TAF mention. Guidance sources are mixed (to say the least) regarding the potential for low stratus development later this morning...with the general consensus being that low clouds will largely remain just west of the area. However, considering that areas near KAND have seen a little more precip than earlier model projections...it stands to reason that restrictions will develop a little farther east...and a tempo for IFR cigs has been introduced at KAND between 08-10Z. Confidence is lower at the other TAF sites, but there`s enough of a potential to advertise at least tempo conditions for SCT IFR layers at KGSP/KGMU later this morning. Scattered showers and some thunderstorms are expected to expand along a boundary bisecting the area from WNW->ESE late this morning into the afternoon...with Prob30s for TSRA warranted at all locations except KHKY...which is expected to remain on the cool/stable side of the boundary. Still...a Prob30s for -SHRA is warranted there. Coverage of convection is forecast to wane quickly this evening, as more stable air begins pushing in from on NE winds increasing to 5-10 kts. In the interim, winds are mainly expected to be SW at 5-10 kts. Outlook: Drier conditions return Sunday before another cold front brings convective chances back Monday. A drier pattern should return for the rest of the workweek. && .GSP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... GA...None. NC...None. SC...None. && $$ JDL