Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Raleigh/Durham, NC
Issued by NWS Raleigh/Durham, NC
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137 FXUS62 KRAH 071903 RRA AFDRAH Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Raleigh NC 200 PM EST Sun Dec 7 2025 .SYNOPSIS... A front will hold to our southeast through the rest of the weekend, as weak high pressure settles over North Carolina and the Mid Atlantic region. An Arctic cold front will move southeastward through the area on Monday, while an upper level disturbance passes overhead. Chilly high pressure will build in from the north Monday night and Tuesday, then move to our southeast, allowing a southwest flow and milder temperatures to return for Wednesday and Thursday. .NEAR TERM /TODAY THROUGH TONIGHT/... As of 110 PM Sunday... * Temperatures remain below normal. * Approaching rain, with potentially a few flakes of snow by morning. Weak high pressure will continue to pass through the mid-Atlantic through the day today ahead of an approaching trough and associated cold front. Areas of dense fog this morning have improved, with most airports reporting 7+ miles of visibility. Low stratus remains, but appear to be dissipating some with daytime heating. Partly to mostly cloudy skies look to remain through the afternoon, with increasing clouds tonight ahead of the frontal passage. Precip chances look to have the best chance of holding off until after sunrise on Monday. However, a brief period of cold, light rain with a few snowflakes mixed in may be possible in the Triad just before sunrise. Temperatures this afternoon look to stay cooler than previously forecast with the increased cloud cover, generally into the 40s, with a few spots staying in the upper 30s. Lows tonight should dip into the upper 20s to low 30s, with much of the region at or below freezing. && .SHORT TERM /MONDAY THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT/... As of 200 PM Sunday. . . * A Winter Weather Advisory in effect from 7am Monday through 12pm Tuesday for portions of the northern Piedmont and northern Coastal Plain of central NC. * Up to an inch of snow accumulation is possible, highest along the immediate NC/VA border, with lesser amounts south. Isolated areas near the VA/NC border could receive up to 2 inches of snow. * Any leftover moisture will freeze Monday night resulting in areas of black ice Tuesday morning, thus the extension for the Winter Weather Advisory through noon on Tuesday. An upper-level trough and its accompanying surface cold front will move across the region Monday, bringing widespread precipitation and a rapid influx of cold air. The exact overlap of the cold air and precipitation remains key to the forecast, but model guidance has been consistent in showing the cold air arriving with the precip, supporting a transition to snowespecially across the northern Piedmont. Triad / NW Piedmont: Precipitation is expected to begin between 57 AM, impacting the morning commute. Expect a rain/snow mix through mid-morning, with a transition to all snow by mid/late morning as temperatures fall. Snow will taper quickly during the afternoon as drier air arrives. Triangle Area: Precipitation will begin around 78 AM, again during the morning commute. A longer period of rain and rain/snow mix is expected here as temperatures stay too warm for a change over to all snow south of US-64. Brief bursts of snow are possible late morning mainly along the I40 corridor. A more definitive change to all snow across the area is expected between 35 PM as colder, drier air arrives, though the dry air may sharply cut off precip shortly after the transition. Coastal Plain (mainly for the northern counties in the Advisory): Onset will occur late morning, mainly as rain. A rain/snow mix is expected by late morning to early afternoon, with northern counties likely seeing a few hours of all snow in the afternoon before dry air arrives from the west and ends precipitation. Duration of all- snow will depend on how quickly the dry air pushes east. Across central NC, precipitation will end abruptly between 68 PM as the very dry post frontal airmass overspreads the region. Behind the front, strong cold advection will drop temperatures quickly Monday evening and overnight. Lows by Tuesday morning will fall into the upper teens to low 20s. The Winter Weather Advisory continues through Tuesday morning due to the threat of black ice, as any residual moisture on roads is expected to flash freeze. && .LONG TERM /TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/... As of 140 PM Sunday... * Continued chilly Tue/Tue night, then moderating Wed/Thu before dropping back well below normal by Sat/Sun. * Precip chances return late Thursday night through Friday night associated with another cold front. After Monday`s cold frontal passage, high pressure will build into the region from the northwest on Tuesday before reaching south of the region by Wednesday. This will allow for temperatures to remain well below normal on Tuesday, but moderate to near normal on Wednesday and Thursday as the high brings in warmer air from the south. A trough and its associated cold front then looks to move through the region late Thursday. With this front, light rain is currently expected to begin late Thursday night and last through Friday. Current model soundings support that a brief period of light snow may be possible on the back end of the precipitation if moisture is able to stick around long enough for the cold air to reach central NC, but ice does not look to be supported. If any snow is to fall, only light amounts currently look possible late Friday night. Details will refined as we get closer to the event. Additionally, a dry reinforcing cold front looks to move through the region Saturday, dropping temperatures well below normal for next weekend. && .AVIATION /18Z SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/... As of 1152 AM Sunday... Early morning fog has largely dissipated this morning, with some IFR/LIFR ceilings persisting at RDU/RWI/FAY. They will gradually lift to VFR this afternoon, before another round of IFR cigs and MVFR vsbys return tonight. Big story will be precip potential on Monday with a rain/snow mix forecast at INT/GSO around daybreak, eventually changing to all snow by late morning. Rain/snow mix possible at RDU as well, with a changeover to snow likely holding off until just after the end of the TAF period. FAY is likely to remain all rain through 18Z Monday, although a brief changeover later in the day is possible. IFR or lower ceilings and vsbys expected where snow occurs. Outlook: Conditions will rapidly improve from west to east during the day Monday, with dry weather returning area-wide by Monday night. VFR weather forecast through mid/late week thereafter. && .RAH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Winter Weather Advisory from 7 AM Monday to noon EST Tuesday for NCZ007>011-021>028-041>043. && $$ SYNOPSIS...Hartfield NEAR TERM...LH SHORT TERM...CA LONG TERM...LH AVIATION...Leins