


Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Newport/Morehead, NC
Issued by NWS Newport/Morehead, NC
733 FXUS62 KMHX 141400 AFDMHX Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Newport/Morehead City NC 1000 AM EDT Mon Jul 14 2025 .SYNOPSIS... A series of very weak troughs and fronts will approach Eastern NC this week with Bermuda high pressure anchored offshore. && .NEAR TERM /Through Today/... As of 10 AM Mon...Low stratus has been replaced by a bkn 1-2k ft strato cu deck, and will take several hours to burn off, just like the last several days as plentiful low level moisture in place. Covg of showers and a storm or two will be less than the last several days, and have lowered pops as a result. Best chances will be the nern counties near the Albemarle/Pamlico convergence zones, then transition to well inland towards evening. Pops lowered to 20% for most areas outside of these areas per latest 14/12Z HREF. Prev disc... As 2 AM Mon... Key Messages: - Dense fog and low stratus likely to develop early this morning over the coastal plain and as far east as US 17 corridor - Heat indices will climb to 100 to 105 degrees again this afternoon As cirrus continues to dissipate over ENC early this morning, areas of fog and low stratus are beginning to develop where some radiational cooling has taken place. Expect coverage of fog and stratus to increase towards sunrise, and fog could become dense at times along the coastal plain until around 8 am. High pressure will build in closer from the east today, while an elongated trough of low pressure sits off the GA/FL coast. Light southerly flow is expected through the day with the sea breeze strengthening and advancing inland through the afternoon. Scattered to widely scattered thunderstorms are expected today, first along the sea breeze (along and east of US 17), and then activity will shift to the coastal plain later this afternoon and into the early evening. Slightly better coverage expected late this afternoon as colliding outflow boundaries help spark showers and storms, however organization will be lacking due to very little deep layer shear. High temps will be similar to the last few days, maybe a degree or so cooler, with afternoon highs likely in the low 90s inland, and upper 80s along the coast. When factoring in the humidity, it will again feel like 100 to 105 degrees this afternoon. && .SHORT TERM /Tonight/... As of 2 AM Mon...High pressure will continue to ridge in from offshore tonight, with a weak trough of low pressure extending up the SE coast. Initially, late this evening, there may be a few isolated showers or thunderstorms that slide eastward into the coastal plain from central NC as convection moving off the Appalachians reaches ENC. After midnight, convection offshore and along the coast will steadily increase through sunrise as convergence strengthens along the coast, and weak shortwave energy moves over the coastal Carolinas. By sunrise, precip chances will come up to 20-40% along the coast, as far west as the US 17 corridor. && .LONG TERM /TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/... As of 230 AM Mon... Key Messages... -Diurnal showers and thunderstorms are expected into the weekend -Potential for hazardous heat at the end of this week and into the weekend Primary feature for the long term will be the daily chances for diurnal showers and thunderstorms as we have entered into the summer doldrums across ENC. Will note, while we have average to above average confidence that we see shower and thunderstorm activity each day, we have lower confidence in the exact locations within ENC that will be impacted as this will be highly dependent on the days sea/river/sound breezes and exact timing of incoming mid level troughs. So while PoP`s each day may be closer to 40-70%, coverage will likely remain isolated to scattered in nature, primarily during the afternoon and early evening hours. Otherwise, the upper level pattern has changed little since the previous forecast. Jet stream will remain well to the north of the area through the next several days with upper troughs tracking across the Northern Plains and into the Northeast this week. Typical predictability issues are noted later in the long term (Friday and beyond) with lower confidence in the exact strength and position of the upper level troughs and ridges over the CONUS. Our upper level feature of note remains ridging, which will be centered over the Southeast on Tuesday and will gradually shift west in the following days into the Southern Plains this weekend. At the mid levels, multiple weak mid level shortwaves track across the Carolinas through the week and weekend, while a mid level low over Florida well to our south tracks into the Gulf. A spoke of mid level shortwave energy may lift north from this low on Tuesday, moving inland from the coast across ENC through the day. The mid level low is one NHC is currently tracking. This feature currently has a 30% chance of development over the next several days. Either way, the low will remain well away from ENC and is no threat to the area. At the surface, moisture pools and PWATs surge to about 1.75-2.25 inches through much of the week as incoming shortwaves pull moisture northwards from the Gulf and aforementioned mid level low to our south. This will continue to bring a general diurnal pattern of showers and storms each day. One caveat to this is on Tue, as a mid level shortwave will track NW`wards from the offshore waters. This is forecast to bring scattered showers and thunderstorms to the coast Tue morning, with this activity then forecast to move inland by Tue afternoon. With PWATS remaining elevated and having ample deep layer moisture in place, any shower or storm that develops will bring a threat for heavy rainfall. While there will be a lack of wind shear across ENC over the next several days, 1000-3000 J/kg of MLCAPE is forecast to be in place each day bringing the potential for sub-severe wind gusts within the strongest storms. As we get to the end of the week, surface ridging looks to overspread the Carolinas once again bringing a "relatively" drier airmass over the area limiting precip chances. Slightly higher precip chances are then forecast over the weekend as deep layer moisture returns. High temps each day range from the mid 80s to mid 90s. Hottest temps are currently forecast to occur late this week into this weekend. With dewpoints in the 70s, this will bring the potential for widespread heat indices around 105-110 F and thus heat related issues late week. Will continue to monitor trends as we get closer to the end of the week. Lows through the entire long term remain in the mid 70s. && .AVIATION /14Z MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/... SHORT TERM /through Tuesday Morning/... As of 2 AM Mon... Key Messages: - High confidence of LIFR/IFR conditions developing over the coastal plain early this morning through around 9-10 am - LIFR/IFR conditions may reach as far east as the US 17 corridor around sunrise - Another round of fog and/or low stratus possible tonight/early tomorrow morning A mix of VFR and sub-VFR conditions are present early this morning across the airspace. Sub-VFR conditions are likely expand to most inland areas this morning as areas of low stratus and fog develop. The best chances for IFR/LIFR conditions will be along the coastal plain, with lower, but still decent chances along the US 17 corridor. There is high confidence in ceilings dropping to 500-900 ft, and lower confidence with how dense any fog will become. IFR/LIFR conditions will likely persist over the coastal plain until 9-10 am, with areas to the east likely seeing VFR conditions return sooner. After this time, mostly VFR conditions are anticipated for the remainder of the day. Widely scattered to scattered convection will bring a threat for brief sub-VFR conditions this afternoon and evening. VFR conditions are expected for the first half of tonight, but there are signals that some fog and/or low stratus could again develop early tomorrow morning. LONG TERM /Tuesday through Friday/... As of 230 AM Mon... No significant changes to forecast thinking as the surface pattern changes little through the long term. Will have a daily threat at afternoon and early evening showers and thunderstorms through the period. Though one caveat to this will be Tue. As recent trends show a threat for morning showers and thunderstorms along the coast to push inland through the day as a mid level shortwave tracks NW`wards across ENC. Either way, this will bring a low end threat at sub-VFR conditions each afternoon and early evening across ENC outside of Tue where the threat would persist all day. If it does rain, then there will also be a fog and low stratus threat at night as well for areas that see meaningful rainfall. && .MARINE... SHORT TERM /Through Tonight/... As of 230 AM Mon...Benign boating conditions are expected for the most part across all our waters through tomorrow. S`rly winds will generally remain light at about 5- 10 kts through the period while seas persist at 1-2 ft. Scattered diurnal showers and thunderstorms will bring a threat for heavy rain, lightning, and gusty winds for inland sounds and rivers this afternoon. The shower and thunderstorm threat may briefly end this evening after the sun sets but latest guidance suggests yet another threat for scattered showers and thunderstorms on Tue morning as a mid level shortwave tracks across the region. LONG TERM /Tuesday through Friday/... As of 230 AM Mon...Not much change in the forecast for the long term, with 5-15 kt S`rly winds expected through Wednesday across all waters while seas build slightly to 2-3 ft as high pressure ridging remains the dominant feature across the Southeast. The pressure gradient may tighten slightly between ridging and a weakening frontal boundary approaching from the west on Thursday allowing S`rly winds to increase to 15-20 kts with a few gusts up near 25 kts and seas building slightly to 3-5 ft across our coastal waters. Winds an seas change little on Fri. Will note, while the current forecast does not explicitly show SCA conditions through the entire period, we will be monitoring trends for the Thurs timeframe for potential SCA`s. Diurnal showers and thunderstorms with heavy rain, lightning, and gusty winds will be possible through the period. One caveat to this will be Tue, where a convergence zone is forecast to set up along our offshore waters Tue morning in association with an incoming mid level shortwave. This will bring shower and thunderstorm chances primarily in the morning and early afternoon across our waters. && .MHX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NC...None. MARINE...None. && $$ SYNOPSIS...MHX NEAR TERM...TL/SGK SHORT TERM...SGK LONG TERM...RCF AVIATION...SGK/RCF MARINE...RCF