Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Blacksburg, VA
Issued by NWS Blacksburg, VA
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408 FXUS61 KRNK 211822 AFDRNK Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Blacksburg VA 122 PM EST Fri Nov 21 2025 .SYNOPSIS... A warm front moves north today. This will bring showers to most of the area, though best chances will be west of the Blue Ridge. Showers linger through midday Saturday, then high pressure builds back in through the rest of the weekend and into early next week, keeping the weather quiet. Another larger system moves through the area during the middle of next week, with a big cooldown expected for Thanksgiving and beyond. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH SATURDAY/... As of 115 PM EST Friday... Key Message: 1) Intermittent rain through tonight with gradually drying conditions on Saturday. 2) Warm, above normal temperatures. A warm front continues to lift north through the region this afternoon. This front should continue to lift north through tonight and will become situated across the MD/VA border. Rain showers to continue throughout the remainder of today, with perhaps a slight uptick in coverage overnight as surface low pressure tracks along the frontal boundary. Better dynamics move to our north, so heavier rain should also remain north. However, a few heavier downpours still possible during the overnight. Have lowered afternoon highs several degrees as it appears that clouds are not clearing and with lack of solar heating...especially this time of year...given the sun angle, highs this afternoon look unlikely to reach the mid or upper 60s. Tonight, very mild temperatures in the 50s. Conditions should gradually improve on Saturday. The morning hours could still feature some passing showers, along with cloudy skies, but should begin to see breaks in cloud cover by the afternoon, resulting in a very warm above normal temperatures. Low to mid 70s east of the Blue Ridge and mid to upper 60s in the mountains. && .SHORT TERM /SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT/... As of 1200 PM EST Friday... Key Message: Dry post-frontal conditions for the rest of the weekend and Monday. We`ll see a transition to a dry and pleasant ridge dominated regime as high pressure quickly builds in on the heels of a departing front later Saturday. A weak upper disturbance behind the main front may allow for some lingering cloud coverage Saturday night though it is more moisture starved in subsident flow so not expecting any precip with the feature. Mostly clear skies and above normal temps are on tap for Sunday with generally highs reaching the low to mid 60s in the Piedmont and mid to upper 50s for the mountains. Monday should be mostly to partly cloudy with temps moderating even a bit warmer under the dome of high pressure though this quickly advects eastward ahead of the next trough to the west by late Monday night as precip chances start to edge eastward into the CWA. && .LONG TERM /TUESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/... As of 1200 PM EST Friday... Key Message: Rain chances return with the next frontal system for midweek. Upper longwave trough is progged to track NEWD across the Great Lakes and Ohio Valleys by Tuesday leaving an elongated moisture axis and front draped southward across the region, which will provide the next chance for rain. Most of the energy and dynamics look to stay confined north of the area so precip should mainly result as periods of light to moderate rain and nothing heavy or much organized is expected. Guidance varies in the evolution of this feature with the timing of eastward progression, though it is possible it could stall into Wednesday so have lingering chances of pops but the greatest chance looks to be mainly Tuesday and Tuesday night. If it does stall, then persistent SW fetch may allow for some weak instability to nose into parts of the Piedmont so cannot rule out a few thunderstorms. && .AVIATION /18Z FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... As of 115 PM EST Friday... Continued cloud cover and passing rain showers has resulted in a wide range of flight conditions throughout the region. More IFR than VFR at the moment, but this has been rather variable with multiple terminals moving back and forth between VFR and IFR. This trend to continue into the overnight, but likely will trend more consistently IFR with the potential for fog development and lowering CIGS. A gradual return to VFR through Saturday morning as clouds lift and rain comes to an end. Pockets of MVFR could linger across the mountains through early Saturday afternoon. Winds remain relatively light, remaining 10kts or less. .Extended Aviation Outlook... High pressure builds in, with all terminals back to VFR by Saturday mid- afternoon. Dry and quiet weather continues through late Tuesday, when the next large system moves into the area, bringing likely sub-VFR conditions once again. && .RNK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... VA...None. NC...None. WV...None. && $$ SYNOPSIS...BMG NEAR TERM...BMG SHORT TERM...AB LONG TERM...AB AVIATION...BMG