Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Blacksburg, VA
Issued by NWS Blacksburg, VA
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794 FXUS61 KRNK 201811 AFDRNK Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Blacksburg VA 111 PM EST Thu Nov 20 2025 .SYNOPSIS... A warm front moves north into our area tonight into Friday, bringing 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 FRIDAY/... As of 110 PM EST Thursday... Key Messages: 1. Showers move into the area late tonight, bringing light rainfall amounts. 2. Temperatures increase slightly tomorrow as winds become southwesterly. The morning high pressure wedge has finally eroded this afternoon, as clouds clear out with sunshine for most of the area. No rain is expected through this evening as the high pressure remains in control of the Mid-Atlantic Region. Highs will be in the upper 50s for the northern Piedmont, where more cloud cover is present. The rest of the area will see more sunshine, allowing temperatures to rise into the low to mid 60s. Overnight lows tonight will be mild due to the cloud cover and southerly wind flow, in the 40s/50s. Tonight, a warm front across the Tennessee Valley lifts north and slides east towards our area. This will cause a wave of showers to move in after midnight. Most of the area should see some rainfall, though the best coverage and highest totals will be along/west of the Blue Ridge. Showers become more scattered during the day tomorrow, despite a cold front moving into the area late in the day. A rumble of thunder cannot be ruled out, but mainly showers are expected through the end of the period. Rain totals will be relatively light, around a tenth for the Piedmont, with up to a quarter inch across the mountains. A few locally higher amounts could occur up to half of an inch. && .SHORT TERM /FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT/... As of 1210 PM EST Thursday... Key Messages: 1) A cold front will bring chances of rain for Friday night before tapering to showers by Saturday. 2) Drier and cooler weather should follow for Saturday night through Sunday night. By Friday night, a cold front should cross the Appalachian Mountains to bring chances of rain. The most favorable odds for rain will reside across the higher elevations from Boone to Lewisburg, but rainfall amounts further to the east still remain unimpressive. Winds should briefly pick up from the northwest during Saturday in the wake of the cold front. Any lingering rainfall should taper to showers before fading by Saturday night. High pressure will bring cooler and drier conditions through Sunday and Sunday night, but the air mass originating from the Pacific Ocean should keep temperatures still near seasonable values for this time of year. && .LONG TERM /MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/... As of 1210 PM EST Thursday... Key Messages: 1) High pressure should keep conditions dry through Monday, but rain could return for Tuesday and Wednesday. 2) Thanksgiving Day appears colder with gusty northwest winds after the passage of a cold front. Monday should remain dry with high pressure maintaining control. However, this situation will change on Monday night as high pressure heads offshore. A cold front should approach from the west by Tuesday to bring the next chance of rain. As the rain tapers to showers during Tuesday night into Wednesday, the flow should swing from the southwest to the northwest and become gusty by Wednesday night. Lingering upslope rain showers could change to snow showers across southeast West Virginia as colder air arrives just in time for the day marked by turkey, stuffing, gravy, and pumpkin pie. After having several days with highs in the 50s and 60s, it appears that Thanksgiving Day may only see highs in the 40s and 50s due to the ongoing cold air advection. && .AVIATION /18Z THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/... As of 110 PM EST Thursday... Flight conditions are mostly VFR across the area this afternoon, as a few spots have lingering low cloud cover, such as LWB in MVFR. Skies will briefly clear this afternoon, with all terminals reaching VFR. Winds are beginning to gust between 15-20 knots for BLF/LWB, which lasts through 00z Friday. Higher clouds move back in later this afternoon in association with a warm front, but VFR conditions continue into the overnight hours. Overnight, cigs lower from west to east as the rain moves in, falling to MVFR/IFR around 09-10z at BLF/BCB/LWB, and to LIFR by 12z Friday morning. DAN/LYH/ROA also have cigs reduce by 12z, but will be in IFR. The rain and low clouds will also keep VSBY reduced to 1-2 miles along/west of the Blue Ridge, but rises back to 6+ miles by mid-afternoon as rain becomes more scattered. Cigs will remain lowered through the end of the TAF period, with all terminals bordering between IFR/LIFR. Winds become southwesterly tomorrow, gusting to 10-15 knots right around the end of the TAF period tomorrow afternoon. Cigs also slowly rise early afternoon, back to MVFR. Confidence in the above forecast is moderate. .Extended Aviation Outlook... Showers will stick around through Saturday morning, with some sub-VFR conditions lingering through midday. High pressure then 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...JCB NEAR TERM...JCB SHORT TERM...PW LONG TERM...PW AVIATION...JCB