Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Raleigh/Durham, NC

Home |  Current Version |  Previous Version |  Text Only |  Print | Product List |  Glossary Off
Versions: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50
-- Highlight Changed Discussion --
-- Discussion containing changed information from previous version are highlighted. --
572 FXUS62 KRAH 141859 AFDRAH Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Raleigh NC 300 PM EDT Tue May 14 2024 .SYNOPSIS... A warm front will move northward along the Carolina coast this afternoon and evening as low pressure approaches from the west. Low pressure will shift to the coast tonight and Wednesday. A cold front will move through the region Wednesday night and Thursday morning. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/...
-- Changed Discussion --
As of 300 PM Tuesday... Afternoon analysis reveals two areas worth noting from satellite/radar. An MCV from this morning is presently just east of Wilmington, NC. This MCV will continue to drift ENE and not be an impact for the rest of today into the evening. A secondary but noticeable circulation is over northern SC and about to move into the southern Piedmont of central NC. Tied to this is a warm front extending from the circulation over SE SC into eastern NC. The northwest Piedmont remains in a wedge of easterly flow north of the warm front. Latest radar trends have shown an uptick in showers and embedded thunder along this circulation in north-central NC, where dewpoints are in the low 70s. As this circulation lifts ENE over the next few hours, showers will continue to advance northward over central NC, with higher rainfall rates along/northwest of the low over the northern/western Piedmont. Localized spots in this region could pick up between 1 and 1.5 inches on top of what has already fallen, which could cause an issue for poor drainage areas of the Triad. Additional showers and embedded storms are favored to the east of the low as it tracks ENE, roughly from the Sandhills to central Coastal Plain, where 500 J/kg of CAPE could inch northward. While the severe threat is much diminished, there could still be a locally strong storm in this area, with the main impact being a strong gusty wind or two. Showers and some embedded storms are forecast to weaken between 7 and 9 PM as the low lifts off to our NE. There still remains a chance of some isolated storms during the late evening to early overnight, roughly from 10 pm to 2 am, across the western Piedmont associated with the upper-low pivoting SE into TN/KY. Most guidance still dies out the storms as they track east of the higher terrain, owing to weaker forcing and little to no instability. Have left low- end chance PoPs in this area, but most areas should be dry overnight. Lows in the low to mid 60s
-- End Changed Discussion --
&& .SHORT TERM /WEDNESDAY AND WEDNESDAY NIGHT/... As of 255 AM Tuesday... There is a marginal risk of severe thunderstorms Wed. afternoon and early evening. A compact shortwave trough centered over the TN Valley and southern Appalachians will move east through the region Wednesday before moving offshore Wednesday night. A low pressure will start the day over central NC which will drag a cold front SE across the area later in the day. We should start the day with plenty of stratus/fog limiting destabilization somewhat. Then, some partial sunshine should allow for heating and destabilization in the afternoon. Scattered thunderstorms are expected to develop. A few of these may become strong to locally severe with the main threat of damaging wind. Large hail would be a secondary threat. Expect highs in the mid 70s to lower 80s north to south. Low clouds and fog may again be a problem Wednesday night if the CAA is weak and delayed as some models suggest. Lows in the upper 50s and 60s. && .LONG TERM /THURSDAY THROUGH MONDAY/... As of 330 AM Tuesday... A series of upper level shortwaves will move across the Mid-Atlantic region over the long term period. This will influence multiple rounds of showers and storms mid week and over the weekend. At the surface, another cold front is expected to move across the region Thursday resulting in dry conditions. By Friday afternoon another frontal boundary will move into the region with rain chances increasing in the afternoon across the western Piedmont and spreading east into the evening and overnight hours. For the weekend, confidence for the weather pattern is low/medium as models haven`t been very consistent on the timing of the next frontal boundary. For now, have increasing PoPs late Friday night with showers continuing through Saturday. Depending where the surface low is positioned by Sunday, that will result in how much more rainfall Central NC will receive. Therefore, confidence for Sunday and Monday is low for timing of precipitation, and medium for how much precipitation. Some of the long term models show the low pressure moving offshore by Monday resulting in a possibility for Monday to be mostly dry. Temperatures over the period will be above average with highs gradually increasing through the weekend. Thursday temps will be in the low 80s whereas by the first part of next week temps will be in the mid/upper 80s. && .AVIATION /18Z TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/... As of 135 PM Tuesday... Largely IFR conditions are expected to start the TAF period. Waves of showers will continue to progress northeast across the terminals into the early evening hours. There remains a chance of some embedded storms, but confidence is too low to mention at this time. If any storms do occur, the best chance appears to be at FAY and possibly RWI/RDU, in the 21-02Z time frame. Most storms though should remain confined south and east of the terminals. Most guidance favors showers ending between 00-03Z as lift and energy move to the north and east. Energy will be slowest to exit at RWI. Lingering drizzle may linger across the northern terminals behind a wave of low pressure. There could be a secondary chance of showers at GSO/INT in the 00-06z period with a front but most guidance is not in agreement on its eastward maintenance due to stability. Otherwise, IFR/LIFR conditions will remain overnight before lifting to MVFR by mid-morning Wed and VFR between 16-18z. As for fog, there is limited agreement in the guidance as low-level clouds persist. Any fog potential appears most favored at GSO/INT/RDU, but have left out any mention for now. Outlook: LIFR/IFR fog/stratus will lift to VFR Wed afternoon. Another period of showers and storms are possible Wed aftn/eve, along with a chance of sub-VFR stratus or fog early Thu. VFR should return Thu midday, with the next chance of showers possibly from late Fri into Sun. && .RAH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && $$ SYNOPSIS...Badgett NEAR TERM...Kren SHORT TERM...Badgett LONG TERM...CA AVIATION...Kren