Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Sterling, VA
Issued by NWS Sterling, VA
950 FXUS61 KLWX 031527 AFDLWX Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Baltimore MD/Washington DC 1027 AM EST Tue Nov 3 2026 .WHAT HAS CHANGED... No further changes at this time. && .KEY MESSAGES... - 1) Above normal temperatures and dry conditions through Wednesday with increasing rain chances Thursday into early next week. && .DISCUSSION... KEY MESSAGE 1...Above normal temperatures and dry conditions through Wednesday with increasing rain chances Thursday into early next week. Surface high pressure will meander offshore before shifting further out into the western Atlantic Wednesday. As a result, mostly sunny to partly cloudy skies this afternoon and during the day Wednesday with a steady supply of southerly return flow. Highs will warm into the 60s to mid 70s this afternoon. Lows tonight will fall back into the upper 40s and low 50s with highs back in the low to mid 70s Wednesday. A few locations could punch into the upper 70s in the lee of Alleghenies and south/east of Washington DC Wednesday afternoon given increased southerly flow. Overall Wednesday will be our day of transition given the buckling ridge/departing high pressure offshore and incumbent upper level trough approaching from the Upper Midwest/Great Lakes region. This will lead to increasing clouds Wednesday afternoon with rain chances likely arriving from the west as early as Wednesday evening into Wednesday night. Current 18z/00z guidance suggests a weaker system for Thursday leading to lower rain amounts. This is largely due in part to the trough passing north and west of the region from the northern Ohio River Valley/eastern Great Lakes keeping the bulk of the forcing north of the region. The resultant surface front is set to cross sometime Thursday morning into Thursday afternoon leading to scattered showers and a few t-storms. Rainfall amounts Thursday will range between a tenth to a quarter of an inch with locally higher totals west of the Alleghenies where better forcing resides. Despite increased cloud cover expect highs back into the low to mid 70s (60s mountains) Thursday afternoon. Storm total rain through Friday night will generally be between a quarter to a half an inch. A secondary upper level trough and associated cold frontal boundary will cross the region Friday into Saturday. Once again this system will be fairly progressive per the past few model cycles. This system looks to skip across the Alleghenies and Blue Ridge before redeveloping east of I-95. This is due largely in part to the upper level trough cutting off over the Great Lakes Friday evening into Saturday morning. At the surface, this will yield a dry slot ahead of the cold frontal boundary leading to higher rain chances over the mountains and in areas along/east of I-95. With that said, NBM PoPs continue to remain too high based upon this set up versus the deterministic/ensemble guidance. Weak high pressure will slide in from the southwest Saturday into Sunday cutting down rain chances over the weekend ahead. The high will be short-lived with another strong trough set to cross the area late Sunday into Monday. This system appears much larger than the previous two and more potent in delivering an airmass change for next week. Periods of showers are possible late Sunday night through early Tuesday morning although timing, coverage, and placement are yet to be determined. Upslope precip may linger Tuesday into Wednesday within northwest flow. Highs Monday and Tuesday will return back into the upper 50s and mid 60s (40s mountains). && .AVIATION /15Z TUESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/... VFR conditions and light south/southeasterly winds at less than 15 kts will continue through Wednesday as high pressure meanders over the western Atlantic. Some patchy fog could occur again along and east of I-95 tonight/Wednesday morning given the uptick in moisture advection. This will lead to brief reductions in cigs/vsbys during the 9-13z/4-8am time window. VFR conditions continue into Thursday although brief sub-VFR reductions are possible at times with showers and even a few thunderstorms Thursday morning into Thursday afternoon. South to southwesterly winds continue at less than 15 kts. Additional sub-VFR reductions are possible at times Friday into Friday night as a secondary trough of low pressure/front push through. VFR conditions will prevail overall although showers during the morning and afternoon/evening hours over the mountains and at terminals along/east of I-95 could lead to brief reductions. Winds will shift to the west Friday and eventually northwest Friday night into Saturday. VFR conditions return Saturday into Sunday with another round of sub-VFR conditions late Sunday night into Monday as a stronger trough pushes through. && .MARINE... No marine hazards are expected through Wednesday morning. Winds will remain light out of the south and southeast through Wednesday as high pressure pushes offshore. By Wednesday evening into Thursday morning, expect the potential for southerly channeling due to the high offshore and incumbent trough from the northern Ohio River Valley. Confidence in this occurring is low with a focus over the middle and open waters. Low pressure and a strong cold front will work across the waters Thursday into Friday. Widespread showers and perhaps a few thunderstorms are possible Thursday afternoon. Winds will remain just below SCA levels both days with westerly gusts under 15 kts. Weak high pressure returns Saturday before another strong front crosses late Sunday into Monday. This front will bring a greater likelihood of SCA conditions across the waters heading into early next week. && .LWX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... DC...None. MD...None. VA...None. WV...None. MARINE...None. && $$ DISCUSSION...KLW/CPB/EST AVIATION...KLW/EST MARINE...KLW/EST