Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Huntsville, AL
Issued by NWS Huntsville, AL
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678 FXUS64 KHUN 021742 AFDHUN Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Huntsville AL 1142 AM CST Tue Dec 2 2025 ...New AVIATION... .KEY MESSAGES... Updated at 958 AM CST Mon Dec 2 2025 - Cloudy skies and brisk north-northwest winds will lead to a cold day on Tuesday, with wind chills in the mid 20s. Snow flurries will be possible (especially during the late morning hours). Conditions will be favorable for freezing fog late Tuesday night/early Wednesday morning. - Chances for light precipitation return Thursday morning and continue through Friday. A brief wintry mix will be possible (especially in southern middle TN) before temperatures increase after sunrise Friday. && .NEAR TERM... (Rest of Today and Tonight) Issued at 958 AM CST Tue Dec 2 2025 Widespread stratus between 1000 and 2000 feet primarily is entrenched across much of the eastern CONUS. The cold front that brought us rainfall overnight has pushed southeast into central Alabama at this time. Colder and drier air continues to move into the area from the NNW behind this atmospheric feature. NNW winds are primarily between 5 and 10 mph with some gusts to between 15 and 20 mph. Expect winds not to change much through the afternoon hours. Mixing into the early evening hours should keep winds mainly between 5 and 10 mph. After midnight winds may become light and variable in portions of NW Alabama and southern middle Tennessee. This will likely lead to some fog development. However, just how long the cloud cover lingers tonight will have a big impact on how widespread and how dense it will become. For now, given uncertainties concerning cloud cover and winds, only including patchy fog for now. It will be colder again tonight, but again cloud cover may keep lows from dropping below the lower to mid 20s. Winds chills won`t be alot lower, given the expected weakening of the surface winds after midnight. && .SHORT TERM... (Wednesday night through Thursday night) Issued at 957 PM CST Mon Dec 1 2025 Short range model data suggests that a rapid transition to zonal flow aloft will begin on Tuesday night, with westerly flow in the mid-levels predicted to strengthen on Wednesday downstream from a positively-tiltd trough drifting southeastward from the Four Corners into the southern Rockies. At the surface, high pressure centered across KY/TN will provide calm winds Tuesday night, and with skies expected to remain clear, efficient radiational cooling will drop temps into the l-m 20s (with an attendant risk for development of freezing fog). As the weakening high shifts eastward on Wednesday, light southerly return flow will contribute to afternoon highs rebounding into the u40s-l50s. On Wednesday night, the mid-level trough digging across the southern Rockies will begin to sharpen a surface trough lying across the northwest Gulf Coast, with stratiform precipitation expected to redevelop north of this boundary and a rapid increase in elevated clouds across our region. Although the precipitation shield will continue to expand northeastward during the early morning hours Thursday, it may only reach central MS by 12Z Thursday and could largely bypass our forecast area to the south later in the morning. However, the leading edge of a reinforcing arctic airmass (building southeastward through the central Plains) will reach our forecast area prior to sunrise, and elevated warm advection (associated with WSW flow of 15-20 knots at the 850-mb level) could lead to development of light precipitation. Should this occur, forecast soundings suggest that sleet would be the favored precipitation type, with a deepening warm nose in the 800-700 mb layer and high potential for evaporative cooling in the low-levels. Later in the day Thursday and into Thursday night, the mid-level trough (across the southern Rockies) will dampen and accelerate east-northeastward into the OH Valley in the flow to the east of an amplifying wave over the central High Plains. As this occurs, a second round of light precipitation will expand northeastward from the Lower MS Valley into the southern Appalachians. Although our CWFA may once again be on the northern fringe of this regime, forecast soundings indicate that a light mixture of sleet and perhaps some freezing rain could occur (particularly north of the TN River, where temps are most likely to be in the lower 30s). && .LONG TERM... (Friday through Monday) Issued at 957 PM CST Mon Dec 1 2025 Light precipitation may be ongoing across much of the region on Friday morning, but should gradually end from W-to E during the afternoon hours as a decaying trough over the OH Valley advances further northeastward. However, the risk for wintry precipitation will quickly diminish after 12Z as the lower-middle tropospheric column warms and moistens. With little change in the thermodynamic properties of the boundary layer and another amplifying 500-mb trough predicted to drop into the MS Valley by 12Z Saturday, clouds and perhaps some sprinkles of rain may continue for much of the region, but should end throughout the day on Saturday as the trough axis shifts eastward and a drier airmass enters the region. During the Sunday-Monday timeframe, there is considerable uncertainty regarding the path and speed of an upstream clipper system that will quickly progress from the central Plains into the southeastern U.S. Present indications are that southerly return flow ahead of this system will begin early Sunday morning, with cloudy skies and perhaps some showers possible later in the day. Clouds may continue on Sunday night and perhaps into Monday as northwest flow in the wake of this system draws a colder/drier airmass southeastward into the region once again. && .AVIATION... (18Z TAFS) Issued at 1141 AM CST Tue Dec 2 2025 NNW winds between 5 and 10 kts and MVFR CIGS primarily are expected after 18Z. Winds should remain between 5 and 10 kts through much of the early evening hours. Expect CIGS to lower to below 1000 feet and VSBYS drop to MVFR after 06Z at KMSL and after 08Z at KHSV. If cloud cover dissipates sooner, lower VSBYS/CIGS along with FZFG could develop. For now, not incorporating these aspects in the current forecast for the terminals. && .HUN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AL...None. TN...None. && $$ NEAR TERM...KTW SHORT TERM....70 LONG TERM....70 AVIATION...KTW