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000
FXUS62 KILM 060821
AFDILM

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

.SYNOPSIS...
Plenty of sunshine expected this weekend, with highs in the 50s
and lows near freezing. High pressure settles into the Southeast
early next week. Monday will be the last cool day, with
temperatures on the rise starting Tuesday through the
foreseeable future.

&&

.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 /06Z SATURDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/...
VFR ceilings 10-15kft are expected over the next 15-18 hours,
with gradual clearing anticipated this evening. Winds will
remain light.

Extended Outlook...VFR with mostly clear skies Saturday night
through Tuesday.

&&

.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...ILM
NEAR TERM...TRA
SHORT TERM...IGB
LONG TERM...IGB
AVIATION...TRA
MARINE...TRA/IGB