Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Pittsburgh, PA

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000 FXUS61 KPBZ 160354 AFDPBZ Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Pittsburgh PA 1154 PM EDT Mon Apr 15 2024 .SYNOPSIS... Warm weather will start the week with values some ten degrees above normal. Unsettled weather returns Wednesday and Thursday, with cooler air arriving for the weekend. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TUESDAY/... KEY MESSAGES: - Temperatures will remain above average; Tuesday is most likely dry area-wide. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Tame weather is expected in the near term with a surface high pressure ridges moving overhead. Calm to light winds overnight and clear skies will drop temperatures efficiently, but still a few degrees above average given antecedent warmth. Tomorrow, calm weather will continue. Abrupt morning temperature increases are expected the shallow nocturnal inversion breaks. Mixing into a dry, warm profile led to the upward adjustment of high temperatures and a nudge down of daytime dewpoints. Though relative humidities may drop into the 30s and 20s, there are no fire concerns at this time with wet antecedent conditions and calm winds. High clouds will approach in the evening, though an earlier approach could limit mixing a tad, should it materialize. Low PoPs were hoisted in southeast Ohio and northern West Virginia with weak mid- level PVA. && .SHORT TERM /TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY/... KEY MESSAGES: - Rain chances return late Tuesday through Thursday - Temperature remains above average ------------------------------------------------------------------- The weather pattern thru mid-week will be transitional, with today`s upper ridge shifting ewd and increasing influence in the upper Ohio Valley by a deep low advancing from the north-central CONUS. The stalled frontal zone could potentially be a focus for isolated to scattered showers again Tue afternoon, mainly along and south of the Mason-Dixon line, but upper-level support will be questionable as there remains considerable uncertainty in the precise ewd progress of the upper low from the nrn Plains. The most-likely timing will see the boundary begin to retreat nwd Tue night as low pressure progresses toward the Great Lakes, at which point chances for showers/storms will increase late Tue night. This boundary and the increasing influence of the approaching upper-level low will focus broad coverage of showers and storms on Wed, especially to the north of the boundary where warm advection-driven precipitation is likely. Within the warm sector, precipitation may be more limited initially, but broad coverage is likely by Wed afternoon. There is a low probability of severe weather, but the degree of destabilization is uncertain owing to potential for early development and broad coverage of showers and storms. Rain on Wed night will shift ewd on Thu as the upper trough axis swings thru the region and out of the forecast area by Thu evening. && .LONG TERM /THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY/... KEY MESSAGES: - Temperatures return closer to normal by the end of the week - Potential for overnight temps to be cold enough for frost Sun and Mon mornings ------------------------------------------------------------------- General expectation for the weekend is that broad troughing lingers in the ern CONUS and highly amplified ridging develops in the wrn CONUS. A high degree of uncertainty is evident in ensemble cluster analysis for the weekend, driven by potential for the wrn ridge to develop farther ewd than the ensemble mean, and the ern trough axis to be deeper than the mean, leading to greater amplitude of the ridge/trough pattern. This uncertainty could lead to slightly cooler temperature than the mean might suggest, but regardless will support a trend toward normal (and even below-normal) temperature late in the forecast. In fact, the mean minima Sun and Mon mornings currently shows temp readings in the 30s in many areas, some below freezing. If the more-amplified pattern comes to pass, these cold minima could spread farther swd into areas where the growing season has begun. && .AVIATION /04Z TUESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/...
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High pressure has set up over the area and will continue to result in VFR conditions through the TAF period. A lack of gradient in place will make for light and variable winds through the period as well. Cloud cover will be on the increase as mid and upper level cloud cover begin to move into the area by the end of the TAF period. Any shower potential should hold off until after the TAF period. .Outlook... VFR will prevail until restriction potential returns late Tuesday and Wednesday with approaching low pressure. Restrictions are possible into Thursday under a subsequent upper trough.
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&& .PBZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... PA...None. OH...None. WV...None. && $$ SYNOPSIS...Kramar NEAR TERM...Milcarek SHORT TERM...Kramar LONG TERM...Kramar AVIATION...Shallenberger

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