


Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Wakefield, VA
Issued by NWS Wakefield, VA
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431 FXUS61 KAKQ 160200 AFDAKQ AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION National Weather Service Wakefield VA 1000 PM EDT Tue Jul 15 2025 .SYNOPSIS... An unsettled weather pattern continues through Wednesday with scattered thunderstorms and localized flooding possible. Hot and humid conditions, with a somewhat lower storm coverage is expected Thursday and Friday. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM WEDNESDAY MORNING/... As of 945 PM EDT Tuesday... Key Messages: - Flood Watch has been cancelled all areas with no additional heavy rainfall and flash flood potential expected overnight. - Areal Flood Warnings have been extended into early Wed morning for portions of southside VA where widespread road closures remain in place due to lingering areas of high water. The latest WX analysis indicates a broad upper level ridge centered across the western Atlantic, ridging into the SE CONUS, with an upper level trough across the northern Plains and central/ern Canada. At the sfc, a weak pressure pattern is in place, with a quasi-stationary boundary now mainly N of the local area. Earlier showers and storms have diminished, with just a few spotty showers with embedded tstms over the MD eastern shore (mainly along the coast). Additional heavy rain and flash flooding is not anticipated, allowing the cancellation of the Flood Watch. Given a fairly widespread region of lingering high water and road closures, decided to extend the Areal Flood Watch across southside VA into early Wed morning. Otherwise, mainly dry overnight, with perhaps a few additional showers manly along the coast. Low stratus and patchy fog will probably develop overnight, but widespread dense fog is unlikely. LOws will mainly range in the lower to mid 70s. && .SHORT TERM /6 AM WEDNESDAY MORNING THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT/... As of 308 PM EDT Tuesday... Key Messages: - Unsettled pattern continues into Wednesday with additional rounds of showers and storms as the front stalls NW of the area. A similar pattern continues into Wednesday, with a bit more flow aloft possible during the afternoon and evening as a shortwave in the SW flow aloft potentially moves across the region. The frontal boundary currently stalled to our NW will linger near the area and could be the target of storms, so the areas of highest rain chances will shift to the northern portions of our forecast area tomorrow. No real changes in the airmass through Wednesday with PWATs remaining around 2" so the threat for localized heavy rainfall and gusty winds persists. Due to the low flash flood guidance across the area, WPC has placed our area in a Marginal ERO to account for that and the possibility of scattered coverage. Continued seasonally hot and humid with highs in the upper 80s to lower 90s. Warm and muggy Wednesday night with lows in the 70s. && .LONG TERM /THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/... As of 308 PM EDT Tuesday... Key Message: - Heat and humidity build late in the week with Heat Advisories possible. Looking ahead to late-week, upper ridging will build northwards into the area through the weekend. Convective coverage will diminish to isolated on Thursday. With the decreased cloud cover and storms combined with the upper ridging, temperatures will be able to climb into the lower to mid 90s Thursday through Sunday with the northern part of the area possibly only reaching the upper 80s Friday through Sunday. The shower coverage will be at its lowest on Thursday, and with partly cloudy skies forecast in the eastern and dew points creeping up into the mid-upper 70s, Heat Advisories may be required for portions of the area. A front will approach the region Friday and linger just north of the area through the weekend, which could help initiate showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon. With shower coverage a little higher Friday through Sunday, Heat Advisories may not be required, though we could see the SE/S portion of our area reach the 105F+ criteria. && .AVIATION /02Z WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/... As of 800 PM EDT Tuesday... Intermittent MVFR/IFR CIGS are ongoing across the VA eastern shore in scattered showers/tstms, with mainly VFR conditions elsewhere, though with some spotty areas with low CIGs and patchy fog over interior southern VA away from the main terminals. While it will become mainly rain-free overnight all areas, some additional light showers may redevelop near the coast, with some low stratus and perhaps reduced VSBYS possible at the terminals early tomorrow morning. Winds outside of convection will be southwest at 5-10 kts, possibly becoming light and variable overnight. SW winds average ~10kt during the day Wed. SCattered showers/tstms again expected Wed aftn/early evening (though the coverage will tend to be a little lower). Outlook: Mainly VFR with a lower shower/storm coverage Thu- Sat (isolated to scattered aftn/early storms possible). && .MARINE... As of 308 PM EDT Tuesday... Key Messages: - Benign marine conditions continue through Wednesday night, outside of local influences from afternoon and evening thunderstorms. - Small Craft Advisories are likely Wednesday night into Thursday, mainly across the Chesapeake Bay and lower James River. Strong high pressure well offshore continues to keep the prevailing southerly flow across the local waters. Winds are mostly S-SE 5-10 kt with gusts from convection up to 15 kt. The pressure gradient sharpens some into Wednesday as low pressure tracks well N of the area through the Great Lakes region. 10-15 kt SW winds are expected through Wednesday. Beginning Wednesday night, SCA conditions are likely, as local probabilities now show 80-99% for 18 kt sustained winds over the Ches. Bay and coastal waters. Although, confidence for headlines over the coastal waters is lower, as the probability for sustained 25 kt is only up to 10%. Winds may remain elevated through the day Thursday and begin to decrease Thursday night. Since the timeframe is still a few periods out, opting to hold off on headlines for now. Waves and seas remain benign around 1 ft and 2 ft, respectively. Although likely staying benign through the forecast period, waves and seas will increase slightly Wednesday night to 2-3 ft and 3-4 ft, respectively, before decreasing again Thursday night. There is a moderate rip current risk for the northern beaches tomorrow as seas will build throughout the day and the swell will become more shore normal. A low risk remains for the southern beaches. Isolated to scattered afternoon/evening showers/tstms will continue much of the week. The main hazards with tstms will be brief strong wind gusts, frequent lighting, and reduced visibility in heavy rain. && .HYDROLOGY... A Flood Warning is in effect for the Appomattox River above Farmville through early Wed afternoon. Minor flooding is forecast and is expected to crest just after midnight tonight. .AKQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MD...None. NC...None. VA...None. MARINE...None. && $$ SYNOPSIS...LKB NEAR TERM...LKB/NB SHORT TERM...AJZ/NB LONG TERM...AJZ/NB AVIATION...LKB/NB MARINE...KMC/SW HYDROLOGY...