Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Sterling, VA
Issued by NWS Sterling, VA
965 FXUS61 KLWX 020732 AFDLWX Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Baltimore MD/Washington DC 232 AM EST Mon Nov 2 2026 .WHAT HAS CHANGED... Benign weather continues through Wednesday morning with near to slightly above normal temperatures expected. Much needed rain chances arrive Thursday and Friday. && .KEY MESSAGES... - 1) Remaining dry and seasonable through Wednesday with rain chances returning late week. && .DISCUSSION... KEY MESSAGE 1...Remaining dry and seasonable through Wednesday with rain chances returning late week. Fair weather conditions are expected to continue through at least Wednesday morning as broad 1032-1034 mb high pressure meanders offshore. The surface high pressure system will sit off the Delmarva coast today before pushing further out into the western Atlantic Tuesday and Wednesday. Ridging will remain stationary over the region during this time with widespread subsidence and southerly return flow boosting temperatures above seasonable norms, especially during the Tuesday and Wednesday timeframe. Moisture advection will gradually increase tonight and again Tuesday night yielding the potential for patchy fog on both Tuesday and Wednesday mornings. Outside of the fog, no hazardous weather is expect until late week. Passing high clouds will remain prevalent today as a shortwave disturbance passes to the south. This will yield highs in the mid to upper 60s for most outside the southern Shenandoah Valley where temperatures will be slightly cooler due to cloud cover. Mostly sunny skies return Tuesday with highs in the upper 60s and low 70s. Mid 70s are expected Wednesday with incrsng clouds from the south and west given an incumbent trough of low pressure/cold front approaching from the Mid-South/Ohio River Valley. Much needed rain chances finally return Thursday into Friday as the surface ridge buckles and an incumbent upper level trough pushes east from the Great Lakes/Ohio River Valley. At the surface, is a wave of low pressure and cold front that will eject from the mid- Mississippi River Valley into the central Appalachians Thursday and off the northern Delmarva/southern NJ coast Friday into Saturday. As a result, expect increased cloud cover Wednesday afternoon and evening with rain chances arriving from the west late Wednesday night into Thursday morning. Widespread showers are expected through Thursday with a potential squeegee line feature (i.e embedded t- storms) Thursday afternoon and evening. The threat for severe weather appears to be low, but not zero. This will be something to monitor in the coming days given the track of the resultant surface low, presentation of the trough, and timing of the cold front as it passes through. Additional showers are possible Friday the front works east and a secondary wave of low pressure pushes along the coast. Rainfall amounts will range between 0.50-1.25" with locally higher totals along the mountains. Amounts have trended downward in the recent model runs with probabilities for an inch of rain areawide sitting less than 25 percent. Even with that said, any rain will be much needed given subtle drought expansion from our recent 2+ week dry spell. Additional rain chances area possible Monday & Tuesday next week as a stronger cold front and area of low pressure move into the region. Temperatures will cool to more seasonable conditions as these fronts pass, with highs in the mid-60s and lows in the 40s at the start of next week. Conditions become drier towards the middle of next week as the trough transitions offshore. && .AVIATION /07Z MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/... Prevailing VFR conditions are expected to continue through Wednesday evening with high pressure meandering nearby. Passing high clouds are expected today as a shortwave disturbance passes south of the region. Dry conditions will prevail with any showers/sprinkles remaining south of ROA/CHO/SHD this morning. Clouds will become scattered to broken tonight with pockets of patchy fog in the river valleys and at terminals close to the tidal Potomac/Chesapeake Bay. This leaves us with a narrow window for sub-VFR cigs/vsbys between 9- 13z Tuesday morning at terminals roughly from a line extending from PHL-BWI-DCA-RIC points east. Confidence in fog development is low given light onshore south/southeast flow. Better moisture advection arrives Tuesday night leading to higher probabilities for fog in these aforementioned locations. Outside of the fog, no significant impacts to aviation are expected heading into midweek. Winds will remain light out of the south/southeast today through Tuesday at less than 15 kts. Widespread sub-VFR conditions are increasingly likely Thursday and Friday as low pressure and a strong cold front push across the region. Periods of rain are expected both days leading to lowering cigs and vsbys. Winds will remain out of the south and southeast at less than 15 kts through Thursday. High pressure returns for the weekend with a stronger front and wave of low pressure early next week. && .MARINE... No marine hazards are expected through Wednesday morning. Winds will remain light out of the south and southeast today 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 Ohio River Valley. Confidence in this occurring is low with a focus over the 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 near or just below SCA levels both days with gusts under 20 kts. High pressure returns into the upcoming weekend. && .LWX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... DC...None. MD...None. VA...None. WV...None. MARINE...None. && $$ DISCUSSION...EST AVIATION...KRR/EST MARINE...KRR/EST