


Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Sterling, VA
Issued by NWS Sterling, VA
470 FXUS61 KLWX 031732 AFDLWX Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Baltimore MD/Washington DC 132 PM EDT Sun Aug 3 2025 .SYNOPSIS... Dry conditions, low humidity, and seasonably cool temperatures are expected through Monday as wedging high pressure drifts toward New England. High pressure begins to weaken as it pushes offshore Tuesday into Wednesday allowing the humidity and shower chances to return. An area of low pressure will move along the coast with a weak frontal boundary approaching from the west Thursday and Friday. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... High pressure will slide into the interior Northeast and northern Mid-Atlantic today. This leads to continued benign weather conditions across the region. Low humidity prevails with dewpoints in the mid to upper 50s and low 60s. Temperatures also remain seasonably cool in the upper 70s and lower 80s. Developing fair weather cu field was abundant early this afternoon, though these will slowly dissipate through this evening and give way to clear skies again. Cloudier skies this afternoon at times over the Allegheny Highlands of VA, southern Shenandaoh Valley, and central Blue Ridge given a weak inverted trough nearby and light easterly upslope flow. Another cool night with lows in the mid to upper 50s and low 60s (mountains mid to upper 40s and low 50s). Locations such at Bittinger, MD, Mill Gap/Mustoe, VA, The Glades, MD, and Bayard, WV could see lows in the upper 30s and low 40s). && .SHORT TERM /MONDAY THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT/... Surface ridge of 1022-1024mb remains wedged down the eastern side of the Appalachians Monday. Meanwhile, quasi-zonal flow remains aloft leading to slightly below seasonal normal temperatures for early August, low humidity, and dry condition. More sunshine Monday will lead to highs in the mid to upper 80s east of the Alleghenies with mid to upper 70s and low 80s across the Shenandoah Valley/Blue Ridge/Catoctins/higher elevations above 2000 feet. Dewpoints will rise slightly into the upper 50s and low 60s as the wedge of high pressure weakens while shifting north and east toward the northern Mid-Atalntic/interior Northeast. Lows Monday night will fall back into the low to mid 60s east of the Blue Ridge (Baltimore/Washington DC metros upper 60s) with mid to upper 50s over the mountains. Wedging high pressure over the interior Northeast and northern Mid- Atlantic will continue to weaken Tuesday while shifting offshore Tuesday into early Wednesday. Meanwhile, a potent upper level trough will dig across the Great Lakes and through the southeastern U.S CONUS sending Gulf moisture northward into the region midweek. Uncertainty in the forecast begins to show up as early as Tuesday afternoon when some EPS/GEFS members showing light rain/drizzle arriving across portions of the Shenandoah Valley, central VA Piedmont, and Allegheny Highlands region. Given the slow nature of the cutoff upper level trough to the west and the strong high pressure center settling over northern New England/southeast Quebec, the slower solutions are more likely to verify. With that said, carrying 15 to 25 percent pops mainly west Alleghenies and over the southern Shenandoah Valley/central Blue Ridge where ample moisture will build in first due to upslope easterly/southeasterly flow. Once again, confidence is low for precip Tuesday given the residual dry air aloft from wedging high pressure fighting off light/moist easterly flow. && .LONG TERM /WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/... Plenty of uncertainty remains in the extended period in regards to the placement and timing of a slow moving (nearly cutoff) upper level trough from the west and an area of low pressure working along the southeast U.S coast. These two features combined with the interaction of broad wedging high pressure off the northern New England coast/southern Canadian Maritimes will influence how much deep tropical moisture is funneling into the region. As of now, have went ahead and increased shower and thunderstorm chances (PoPs 30-50 percent), especially during the afternoon and evening hours Wednesday through Friday as onshore flow increases with the low pressure system just off the NC coast and an inverted trough nearby. Have backed off the rain chances for the upcoming weekend to around 15 to 30 percent. The 12z GFS/GEFS favors low pressure coming up along the coastal Carolinas and into eastern VA/Delmarva Friday into Saturday leading to increased shower and thunderstorm chances during this time. The 12z ECMWF/EPS favors more of the Thursday through Friday timeframe for tropical moisture as a strong baroclinic zone sets up over the region. The ECMWF/EPS is also more aggressive with high pressure wedging itself back into the area for the upcoming weekend allowing precipitation chances to decrease. The 12z Canadian is a blend of the two aforementioned solutions above along with central guidance. It still carries heavy probability of precipitation Thursday into Friday while lingering it into the weekend. With all said, specifics surrounding rain chances, amounts, and wind will continue to remain uncertain until models can get a better grip on the features at play. Increased onshore flow will remain leading to seasonably normal to slightly below normal temperatures and increased cloudiness throughout the extended period. Expect highs in the 70s and 80s with lows in the 50s and 60s. && .AVIATION /18Z SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/... VFR conditions will continue to prevail through Tuesday. A scattered to at times broken cloud deck around 4-6KFT is expected each afternoon through Tuesday. Moisture returns Tuesday along with an isolated shower west of a line from MRB to SHD. Increasing easterly flow Tuesday night could bring in sub-VFR CIGs and perhaps a little fog/drizzle. Higher chances for lower CIGS look to occur Wednesday through Friday as onshore flow increases further. In addition to the potential for lower CIGS will be some temporary reductions during the afternoons/evenings Wednesday through Friday as shower and thunderstorm chances return. This is is due largely in part to an upper level trough approaching from the west and area of low pressure throwing tropical moisture into the region from the southeast U.S coast. Highest chances for rain appear to be along and west of the Blue Ridge. Winds change back to the west and southwest Wednesday and Thursday next week. && .MARINE... No marine hazards are expected through Tuesday as high pressure sits nearby. Sub-SCA level winds are expected out of the east and northeast at less than 15 kts. SCA conditions look to return Wednesday through Friday as onshore flow increase with low pressure moving north from the southeast U.S coast. Shower and thunderstorm chances will also return to the waters during this time. && .TIDES/COASTAL FLOODING... A Coastal Flood Advisory is in effect for the shoreline of Anne Arundel Co.from 10pm this evening through 6am Monday morning. Up to one and a half feet of inundation above ground level is expected in low lying areas, especially during times of high tide. Onshore winds remain through midweek as high pressure sets up over the northeast CONUS. The east to northeast wind direction will result in increased tidal anomalies through Tuesday which could push the sensitive tidal sites into minor flood stage, particularly at Annapolis and DC Waterfront. && .LWX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... DC...None. MD...Coastal Flood Advisory from 10 PM this evening to 6 AM EDT Monday for MDZ014. VA...None. WV...None. MARINE...None. && $$ SYNOPSIS...EST NEAR TERM...KRR SHORT TERM...KRR/EST LONG TERM...EST AVIATION...KRR/EST MARINE...KRR/EST TIDES/COASTAL FLOODING...EST