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000
FXUS62 KILM 061342
AFDILM

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Wilmington NC
842 AM EST Sat Mar 6 2021

.SYNOPSIS...
Low pressure will track well south and east of the Eastern
Carolinas today, affecting the area with a blanket of high
clouds. Will see much more sunshine Sun but temps will continue
below normal. High pressure will settle across the Eastern
Carolinas next week with Mon the last cool day. Temps will
slowly rise above normal Tue and this trend will continue
through the late week period.

&&

.UPDATE...
Very minor tweaks applied to winds otherwise, forecast on
target.

&&

.NEAR TERM /THROUGH SUNDAY/...
A 500 mb trough crossing the Southeast today is inducing surface low
pressure to develop across the northeastern Gulf of Mexico. Deep
northerly flow across the Carolinas is bringing dry air southward,
undercutting the mid level moisture advecting in from the Gulf.
Isentropic analysis on the 300K theta surface shows no significant
upglide, so I feel confident that the dry air will be more than
enough evaporate any spotty precip before it reaches the ground.
Clouds should persist through late afternoon inland and after sunset
along the coast, and highs should reach the mid 50s for most
locations.

Clearing skies tonight and light winds will allow temps to plummet
into the 30s. A northerly surge will arrive several hours before
sunrise, stirring the boundary layer just enough to prevent temps
from really cratering, however it still appears freezing
temperatures may occur across the Pee Dee region and up into
Lumberton, Elizabethtown, and Burgaw. We`re still 1-4 weeks
(depending on location) before the climatological last spring
freeze, so there`s nothing too unusual about these temps. Sunshine
is expected Sunday as high pressure across the Great Lakes builds
southward with highs again in the mid 50s.

&&

.SHORT TERM /SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT/...
Mid-level trough swings off the coast Sunday night into Monday
morning. High pressure sits over the Southeast, allowing for clear
skies through the period. Sunday night lows just below freezing,
with upper 20s possible in the colder inland spots. Northerly flow
continues on Monday, allowing high temperatures to only reach the
upper 50s, some 5-8 degrees below normal for early March. Monday
night lows rebound by a few degrees to mostly above freezing,
though some spots in Pender and Bladen counties might still
reach the freezing mark.

&&

.LONG TERM /TUESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/...
Surface high pressure starts to slide stage right into the
Atlantic, which sets up return flow. It will continue to move
to the east through the long term period, increasing the warm
air advection. Look for highs in the mid 60s on Tuesday, near
70 on Wednesday, and mid to possibly upper 70s on Thursday and
Friday. Low temperatures escalate from near 40 Tuesday night to
the mid 50s by Thursday night.

&&

.AVIATION /14Z SATURDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/...
VFR ceilings 10-15kft are expected today, with gradual clearing
anticipated this evening and clear skies by morning. Winds will
remain light out of the north-northeast.

Extended Outlook...VFR with mostly clear skies Sunday through
Wednesday.

&&

.MARINE...
Through Sunday...Low pressure is developing across the
northeastern Gulf of Mexico this morning. This low will jump
east across Florida this evening and redevelop east of the
Bahamas, remaining well south of the Carolinas. Although we`ll
see clouds from this system any rain should remain south of our
area. North to northeast winds up to 15 knots this morning will
diminish to less than 10 kt this afternoon, but will increase
again early Sunday morning as high pressure surges south across
the Great Lakes. Although there will be a hint of a 7-8 second
southeast swell, the majority of wave today through Sunday
should be wind waves with periods less than 4 seconds.

Sunday night through Wednesday...Northerly winds at 10-15kts
with gusts up to 20kts become more variable at 5-10kts Monday
afternoon as an upper level trough sweeps off the coast. High
pressure over the Southeast creates variable winds at 5kts with
a few gusts to 10kts through Tuesday afternoon. Wind direction
gets more southerly Tuesday night through Wednesday morning
before becoming variable once again. Seas linger near 1-2ft
throughout this entire period.

&&

.ILM WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
SC...None.
NC...None.
MARINE...None.

&&

$$
SYNOPSIS...DCH
UPDATE...DCH
NEAR TERM...TRA
SHORT TERM...IGB
LONG TERM...IGB
AVIATION...VAO
MARINE...TRA/IGB