Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Greer, SC
Issued by NWS Greer, SC
899 FXUS62 KGSP 131748 AFDGSP Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Greenville-Spartanburg SC 148 PM EDT Sun Sep 13 2026 .WHAT HAS CHANGED... The aviation discussion was updated for the 18z TAF issuance. && .KEY MESSAGES... 1. Scattered showers and some embedded thunderstorms will remain possible through daybreak as a weak front crosses the area. Behind the front, quiet weather is expected through Monday. 2. A backdoor cold front should arrive late Monday, but confidence is limited on what the impact will be as it moves through and what happens during the middle part of the week. && .DISCUSSION... Key message 1: Scattered showers and some embedded thunderstorms will remain possible through daybreak as a weak front crosses the area. Behind the front, quiet weather is expected through Monday. The latest satellite imagery shows the mid-level moisture gradient accompanying a short wave axis moving slowly east from east TN to the western Carolinas late this evening. A broken band of showers with a few thunderstorms, mainly east of I-77, was moving off to the east along with a plume of deeper moisture associated with a weak low level jet. Until the moisture gradient crosses the region, it remains possible that persistent showers with high precip rates could produce enough rain in a short period of time, resulting in flooding. However, that window was closing steadily. The radar trend is definitely downward in coverage and intensity. We continue to monitor, particularly over the urban areas. Meanwhile...precip probs will steadily drop from the west and end around sunrise with the passage of the short wave axis. The widespread rain in the past 24 hours and the remaining low level moisture suggest that it will remain murky through sunrise. Patchy dense fog looks like a decent bet, but whether or not coverage improves to the point where a Dense Fog Advisory will be needed remains to be seen. In the wake of the wave, it should be relatively quiet on Sunday as slightly drier air moves in, but the environment will be unfavorable for deep convection with no forcing, a weak cap, poor lapse rates, and a lack of buoyancy. There could be a few ridgetop showers, as per usual, particularly on Monday as the situation gets a bit more favorable over the mtns. A weak front to the north is not expected to reach this far south before late Monday. Temps will warm up to five degrees over normal both days, but nowhere near enough to heat advisory criteria. Key message 2: A backdoor cold front should arrive late Monday, but confidence is limited on what the impact will be as it moves through and what happens during the middle part of the week. A strong short wave is expected to pass by to our north on Monday, driving a back door cold front southward and across our region, but probably not until the evening hours. As it stands right now, the model guidance shows little in the way of response, which is not a surprise given the weak cap and lack of buoyancy across the region Monday evening as it passes. The more interesting part of the forecast happens behind the front starting on Tuesday. An upper anticyclone drifts in from the west but remains centered over the TN Valley region. The upper ridge will support sfc high pressure moving slowly from the lower Great Lakes to the Canadian Maritimes from late Monday through Tuesday, then ridging down from the northeast into Wednesday. There are some indications of weak cold air damming developing on Tuesday, though without the benefit of precip or a light easterly flow of moisture, temps might still climb a few degrees above normal. We only mention this because if some moisture were to move in from the east, the temp forecast could be several degrees too warm. For the time being, the NBM indicates that temps are likely to reach at least normal (mid-80s) east of the mtns both Tuesday and Wednesday. As we get into the second half of the week, moisture lingers over the mtns each day, suggesting a chance of diurnal showers and storms each day Thursday through Saturday. As we get into next weekend, confidence is very low owing to the presence of a cutoff low near the Southeast Coast indicated by the GFS, so all bets are off. && .AVIATION /18Z SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/... At KCLT and elsewhere: Expect mostly dry, VFR conditions to prevail thru the 18z TAF period. Most of the latest guidance suggests another round of mtn valley fog and low stratus overnight, but it`s unclear whether it will reach KAVL. Winds will favor a NWLY direction at KAVL overnight, but they will be weak and could be more VRB at times. For the time being, I have 5sm visby from 10 to 13z at KAVL. Otherwise, expect mostly few high clouds thru the period with winds becoming light and VRB (or at times favoring a NW direction) at most sites later tonight. Winds will pick up from the N/NE tomorrow afternoon with speeds in the 5 to 10 mph range. KAVL will likely see some low- end gusts thru the early evening with winds becoming light later tonight. Winds at KAVL will favor a NW direction tomorrow. Outlook: Mostly dry conditions are expected to persist through the middle of the week. Shower chances and their associated restrictions increase later in the week. && .GSP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... GA...None. NC...None. SC...None. && $$ CAC/JPT/PM