Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Huntsville, AL
Issued by NWS Huntsville, AL
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754 FXUS64 KHUN 200603 AFDHUN Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Huntsville AL 1203 AM CST Thu Nov 20 2025 ...New AVIATION... .KEY MESSAGES... Updated at 914 PM CST Wed Nov 19 2025 - Showers/storms return to the Tennessee Valley Thursday evening primarily north of the TN River. - Additional showers/storms are forecast Friday afternoon through the overnight hours with a low chance some could become strong. - Cloudy and mostly dry weekend (rain chances less than 20%) is forecast with the next system to monitor moving in on Tuesday. && .NEAR TERM... (Rest of tonight through Thursday night) Issued at 914 PM CST Wed Nov 19 2025 Despite upper level ridging remaining prevalent over our area, a few showers have formed in NW AL. These are not forecast to be long-lived and should dissipate within the next hour or so. Patchy fog has also developed in some areas, bringing visibilities down to 1-2 miles. Additional fog development is likely, however, low stratus should mitigate widespread dense fog formation. If fog overcomes the cloud cover, a Dense Fog Advisory may be considered. Any fog that forms should dissipate shortly after sunrise (by 8-9 AM CT). Thursday, a boundary is forecast to set up in the northern portions of our coverage area along a moisture gradient. This will result in a low- medium chances (20-40%) of showers/storms, primarily north of the TN River during the evening hours. With these showers/storms, there is a low chance of some becoming strong with a threat of gusty winds as CAPE reaches 300-500 J/kg with low level lapse rates around 7 C/km and a surplus of wind shear. Highs are forecast to reach the mid to upper 70s with morning lows in the 50s. These temperatures are about 10-15 degrees above normal for this time of year. && .SHORT TERM... (Friday through Saturday) Issued at 914 PM CST Wed Nov 19 2025 A lull in rainfall is forecast to occur Friday morning before medium rain chances return Friday afternoon into the evening as an upper level trough shifts eastward over the area. There is disagreement in the recent CAMs, with most of them keeping the widespread rainfall both north and south of the area and only allowing a few showers/storms to form through the TN Valley (primarily in southern middle TN). Any showers/storms that do form have a very low chance of becoming strong as model soundings show a cap in place- limiting instability. We will continue to monitor this system through the end of the work week as new hi-res guidance is introduced. Showers will likely come to a gradual end on Saturday morning, leaving a cloudy and mostly dry weekend in their wake. && .LONG TERM... (Saturday night through Wednesday) Issued at 914 PM CST Wed Nov 19 2025 The long term forecast will be focused on the passage of a surface cyclone and associated cold front on Tuesday. Through the weekend and into the beginning of the work week, A mid level cut off low will deepen and drop along the pacific coast before progressing northeast through the CONUS. Ahead of its arrival, we will find ourself between troughing to our SE and ridging to our north. Unfortunately the two competing regimes will lead to little changes in airmass in place meaning more days of partly to mostly overcast conditions, low (10-30%) rain chances, highs in the 60s and 70s and muggy dewpoints in the 50s and 60s through the start of the work week. Mid range models are in good agreement in bringing the front into the TN Valley on Tuesday however still lack agreement regarding the finer thermodynamic details and the evolution of surface cyclone once it reaches the eastern CONUS. A few trends are becoming apparent in the models that will make this system worth watching for severe weather potential. First, we will maintain a very moist boundary layer leading up to the passage of the front. Additionally, the synoptic scale of the front will favor the presence of sufficient bulk shear. With these two parameters present, it won`t take much instability or forcing to support some stronger storms within the larger area of rain. For now, stuck with blended guidance bringing in 50-60% rain and thunder chances with the front on Tuesday morning with 20-30% rain chances lingering behind the front through Wednesday. && .AVIATION... (06Z TAFS) Issued at 1202 AM CST Thu Nov 20 2025 Visibilities and CIGs are dropping across north Alabama and will continue to drop through the night into early Thursday morning. IFR to LIFR conditions are therefore anticipated at both terminals by about 9Z. Conditions are then forecast to improve to low-end VFR by the early afternoon, but chances of showers and storms return by this time as well. Low VIS and CIGs could be realized in the stronger/heavier showers. Much of this activity then looks to shift north by the late afternoon/early evening. As for winds, calm winds overnight will become southwesterly and increase to only around 5 knots or so during the day. Light to calm winds will again develop by the evening. && .HUN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AL...Dense Fog Advisory until 9 AM CST Thursday for ALZ001>010-016. TN...None. && $$ NEAR TERM...HC SHORT TERM....HC LONG TERM....RAD AVIATION...26