Forecast Discussions mentioning any of "HRRR" "RAP" "RR" "RUC13" "RUC" received at GSD on 04/22/16


AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS MOUNT HOLLY NJ
359 PM EDT WED APR 20 2016 .SYNOPSIS... HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE REGION, WILL MOVE OFF THE COAST ON THURSDAY. LOW PRESSURE OVER THE CENTRAL PORTION OF THE NATION WILL MOVE NORTHEASTWARD INTO EASTERN CANADA BY FRIDAY, AND ITS ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH OUR REGION FRIDAY NIGHT. HIGH PRESSURE WILL MOVE BACK INTO THE AREA FOR THE WEEKEND, WITH LOW PRESSURE IMPACTING THE AREA AROUND TUESDAY. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM THURSDAY MORNING/... REST OF THIS AFTERNOON: MAX TEMPS NEARING 70. ITS BEEN A BEAUTIFUL DAY. A WIND SHIFT TO SOUTHEAST WILL BE NEARING THE I95 CORRIDOR BY 6 OR 7 PM WITH DEWPOINTS RISING. HRRR SEEMS TO HAVE A GOOD HANDLE. TONIGHT...ISSUED A FROST ADVISORY IN THE MOST FAVORED AREAS FROM THE FORECAST WHERE MINS OF LESS THAN OR EQUAL TO 35 ARE ANTICIPATED. ITS POSSIBLE THAT THERE MAY NEED TO BE A SMALL AREAL EXPANSION FOR THIS SHORT DURATION FROST POTENTIAL, ESPECIALLY SOMERSET COUNTY, THIS MORNINGS MINS WERE 28F IN WALPACK OF NW NJ AND MANY 30-36F LOWS FROM NORTHERN CAPE MAY COUNTY NORTH THROUGH THE PINEBARRENS REGION ON UP INTO NW NJ. NEARLY CALM WIND WITH MOSTLY CLEAR SKY (A BIT OF CIRRUS TOWARD DAWN). THIS PART OF THE FORECAST IS A 50 50 BLEND OF THE 12Z/20 GFS/NAM GUIDANCE THEN COOLED 2-4F IN THE COUNTRYSIDE THROUGH 11Z THURSDAY PER EXPECTED NEARLY IDEAL RADIATIONAL COOLING CONDITIONS BUT ALSO REFLECTS THE VERY DRY AIR BOUNDARY LAYER, DESPITE ANY SHALLOW SFC DEWPOINT RISE ASSOCIATED WITH THE SE SEA BREEZE REACHING THE POCONOS AROUND 11 PM. && .SHORT TERM /6 AM THURSDAY MORNING THROUGH 6 PM THURSDAY/... THURSDAY...A MOSTLY SUNNY RAPIDLY WARMING START WITH GUSTY SW WINDS 15-20 MPH DEVELOPING LATE MORNING. INCREASING MID AND LATE AFTERNOON CLOUD COVER AHEAD OF A WEAK INSTABILITY BURST THAT COULD SPREAD SPRINKLES INTO NE PA BY 6PM. FIRE WEATHER IS THE MAIN CONCERN THURSDAY AND WITH SOME UNCERTAINTY AS DISCUSSED IN THE FIRE WEATHER SECTION. WIND GUSTS MAY APPROACH 25 MPH DURING THE AFTERNOON, ESPECIALLY NORTH OF PHILADELPHIA. THIS PART OF THE FCST WAS MOSTLY THE 12Z/20 GFS WARMER TEMP GUIDANCE, THE DRIER NAM GUIDANCE AND A BLEND OF THE NAM/GFS WINDS AND SKYCOVER. CONFIDENCE ON TEMPS REACHING OR EXCEEDING THESE VALUES IS HIGH. I COULD SEE TEMPS 2-3F WARMER THAN CURRENTLY FCST. && .LONG TERM /THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... THE PERSISTENT AREA OF HIGH PRES WILL BE OFF THE COAST AND MOVG AWAY FROM THE AREA AT THE START OF THE PD. LOW PRES NR THE GRTLKS WILL MOVE NEWD INTO ERN CANADA ON FRI. ITS ATTENDANT CDFNT WILL MOVE THRU THE REGION FRI NIGHT. PRECIP CHCS WILL INCREASE DURG THE DAY ON FRI WITH THE HIGHEST CHCS FRI ERLY FRI NIGHT WITH THE CFP. THE MDL GUID DIFFERS SLIGHTLY, WITH THE GFS FASTER THAN THE ECMWF. THE NAM/WRF SUPPORTS THE SLOWER TIMING. WPC GUID BACKS THE FASTER GFS. IF THE FASTER TIMING IS CORRECT, THE PRECIP WOULD END LATE FRI NIGHT. IF THE SLOWER TIMING IS CORRECT, THE PRECIP WILL END DURG SAT MRNG. THE ECMWF IS OFTEN SLOWER WITH CFP, BUT SINCE IT HAS SUPPORT FROM OTHER MDLS, HAVE LEFT SOME LOW POPS IN FOR SAT MRNG. HIGH PRES BUILDS BACK IN FOR SAT INTO SUN, SO ANOTHER NICE WEEKEND IS IN STORE. THEN, A STRONG AREA OF LOW PRES WILL MOVE ACRS THE NCNTL PLAINS. ITS WMFNT WILL EXTEND EWD ACRS THE GRTLKS INTO NEW ENG OR NRN MID ATLC. THE ECMWF IS A BIT FURTHER S THAN THE GFS WITH THIS FRONT. IF THE EC IS CORRECT, IT WOULD POTENTIALLY SUPPORT DOME LIGHT QPF OVER NRN AREAS LATE SUN NIGHT OR MON MRNG, BUT THE EC IS CLEARLY THE OUTLIER HERE. ALL THE OTHER MDLS HAVE A MUCH MORE NLY POSN OF THIS BNDRY. THE LOW MOVES FURTHER E MONDAY NIGHT TO A POSN SOMEWHERE OVER PA/NY AND PRECIP CHCS WILL INCREASE, BEFORE THE LOW MOVES AWAY ON TUE, THE CDFNT CROSSES THE REGION AND POPS DECLINE ONCE AGAIN. TEMPS ARE EXPECTED TO BE AOA NRML THRU THE PD. && .AVIATION /20Z WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY/... THE FOLLOWING DISCUSSION IS FOR KPHL, KPNE, KTTN, KABE, KRDG, KILG, KMIV, KACY AND SURROUNDING AREAS. REST OF TODAY...VFR CLEAR. LIGHT VARIABLE WIND TRENDING SOUTHEAST TO SOUTH LATE IN THE DAY. THE COASTAL SEABREEZE WILL BE MOVING WESTWARD- INLAND THIS AFTERNOON WITH THOSE SEA BREEZES HAVING A FEW GUSTS TO 18-21 KT. THIS WIND SHIFT COULD REACH PHL LATE AFTERNOON OR EARLY EVENING AND ATTEMPTED TIMING IS IN THE TAFS. TONIGHT...VFR CLEAR THEN PATCHY AC/CIRRUS TOWARD 10Z/21. WIND BECOMING NEARLY CALM LATER THIS EVENING THEN LIGHT SOUTHERLY TOWARD MORNING. THURSDAY...VFR SCT-BKN CLOUDS AOA 12000 FT DURING THE MORNING WITH MULTI LAYERS DEVELOPING BY 21Z AOA 5000 FT. S-SW WIND THURSDAY WITH MIDDAY-AFTERNOON GUSTS AROUND 20 KT. ABOVE AVERAGE CONFIDENCE. OUTLOOK... THU NIGHT. VFR WITH SOME MVFR/IFR PSBL IN SHRA MAINLY N AND W. LOW TO MDT CONFIDENCE. FRI...MVFR/IFR PSBL IN SHRA AND TSRA AHEAD OF CFP. STILL SOME DIFFS WITH TIMING OF CDFNT. MDT CONFIDENCE. FRI NIGHT...CFP AND WSHFT. MVFR/IFR PSBL ERLY...THEN IMPROVING TO VFR LATE. HIGH CONFIDENCE. SAT THRU SUN...VFR. HIGH PRES. HIGH CONFIDENCE. MON...VFR ERLY...LOWERING CONDS LATE AS NEXT SYS APPROACHES. MDT CONFIDENCE. && .MARINE... NO MARINE HEADLINES ANTICIPATED THROUGH MOST OF THURSDAY. STILL A DOMINANT EASTERLY SWELL OF 2-3 FT AND 8-10 SECONDS ON THE ATLANTIC WATERS...A RESIDUAL FROM LAST WEEKEND. A FEW ONSHORE GUSTS NEAR OR JUST ABOVE 20 KT ARE LIKELY INTO THIS EVENING, ESPECIALLY DELAWARE BAY WHERE ISOLATED GUSTS TO 24 KT ARE POSSIBLE. WIND TURNS LIGHT SOUTH LATER TONIGHT THEN GUSTY S-SW 20 KT THURSDAY AFTERNOON. OUTLOOK... THU NIGHT THRU FRI...SLY WILL BE PRESENT AND WE WILL PROB BE LOOKING AT MARGINAL SCA CONDS BY FRI. WE MAY BE JUST UNDER SCA CONDS THU NIGHT. FRI NIGHT...WIND SHIFTS TO W THEN NW BEHIND CFP AND DECREASE. SEAS DECREASE AS WELL. NO MARINE HEADLINES EXPECTED. SAT THRU SUN...NO MARINE HEADLINES ANTICIPATED. MON...SLY FLOW INCREASES IN ADVANCE OF THE NEXT LOW PRES SYS AND SEAS RESPOND IN KIND. SCA FLAGS MAY BE NEEDED BY THE END OF THE PD. && .FIRE WEATHER... FIRE WEATHER WATCH IN EFFECT: IF CONDITIONS ARE FORECAST THE SAME OR WORSE AT 330 AM THURSDAY, OUR PARTNERS HAVE GIVEN THE GO AHEAD TO CONVERT TO A WARNING. THERE IS STILL AN ELEMENT OF DOUBT REGARDING THE WIND ELEMENT AND THE SOUTHWESTERN EXTENT OF THE RH BELOW 30 PERCENT. WE THINK MODEL GUIDANCE IS TOO MOIST TOO SOON. WE WONT KNOW FOR SURE UNTIL 15Z THURSDAY BUT THE VERY LOW DEWPOINTS IN THE WESTERN PART OF VIRGINIA ARE A SIGN OF THE DRY ALOFT THAT STILL CAN MIX DOWN TOMORROW ON THE GUSTY SW FLOW. && .EQUIPMENT... BUOY 44009 (DE BAY BUOY LOCATED 26 NM SOUTHEAST OF CAPE MAY NJ) IS SLATED FOR RESTORATION OF WIND INFORMATION AROUND JULY 5, 2016. && .PHI WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... PA...FIRE WEATHER WATCH FROM THURSDAY MORNING THROUGH THURSDAY AFTERNOON FOR PAZ054-055-060>062-071-103>106. NJ...FROST ADVISORY FROM 3 AM TO 8 AM EDT THURSDAY FOR NJZ001- 007>009-020-022-027. FIRE WEATHER WATCH FROM THURSDAY MORNING THROUGH THURSDAY AFTERNOON FOR NJZ001-007>010-012-013-015-017>020-027. DE...NONE. MD...NONE. MARINE...NONE. && $$ SYNOPSIS...NIERENBERG NEAR TERM...DRAG 4P SHORT TERM...DRAG 4P LONG TERM...NIERENBERG AVIATION...DRAG/NIERENBERG 4P MARINE...DRAG/NIERENBERG 4P FIRE WEATHER...4P EQUIPMENT...
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS MOUNT HOLLY NJ
335 PM EDT WED APR 20 2016 .SYNOPSIS... HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE REGION, WILL MOVE OFF THE COAST ON THURSDAY. LOW PRESSURE OVER THE CENTRAL PORTION OF THE NATION WILL MOVE NORTHEASTWARD INTO EASTERN CANADA BY FRIDAY, AND ITS ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH OUR REGION FRIDAY NIGHT. HIGH PRESSURE WILL MOVE BACK INTO THE AREA FOR THE WEEKEND, WITH LOW PRESSURE IMPACTING THE AREA AROUND TUESDAY. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM THURSDAY MORNING/... 2PM UPDATE: TEMPS MAY MAX AT 69F AROUND 430PM. BRILLIANT SUNSHINE. WINDS HAVE DIMINISHED PER HRRR EXCEPT AS PER HRRR JUST BEHIND THE SEABREEZE. RH THIS AFTN DOWN TO 15 PCT. TONIGHT...AM A LITTLE CONCERNED ABOUT FROST POTENTIAL AND MAY ISSUE A FROST ADVY FOR PORTION OF NJ IN THE 330 PM FCST. THIS MORNINGS MINS WERE 28F IN WALPACK OF NW NJ AND MANY 30-36F LOWS FROM NORTHERN CAPE MAY COUNTY NORTH THROUGH THE PINEBARRENS REGION ON UP INTO NW NJ. NEARLY CALM WIND WITH MOSTLY CLEAR SKY (A BIT OF CIRRUS TOWARD DAWN). PROPOSED FROST ADVY WOULD BE INTERIOR OCEAN SE BURLINGTON, INTERIOR ATLC AS WELL AS SUSSEX, WARREN, MORRIS AND NORTHAMPTON COUNTIES. THIS PART OF THE FORECAST IS A 50 50 BLEND OF THE 12Z/20 GFS/NAM GUIDANCE THEN COOLED 2-4F IN THE COUNTRYSIDE THROUGH 11Z THURSDAY PER EXPECTED NEARLY IDEAL RADIATIONAL COOLING CONDITIONS BUT ALSO REFLECTS THE MUCH LOWER THAN FCST DEWPOINTS. && .SHORT TERM /6 AM THURSDAY MORNING THROUGH 6 PM THURSDAY/... THURSDAY...A SUNNY RAPIDLY WARMING START WITH GUSTY SW WINDS 15-20 MPH DEVELOPING LATE MORNING. INCREASING MID AND LATE AFTERNOON CLOUD COVER AHEAD OF A WEAK INSTABILITY BURST THAT COULD SPREAD SPRINKLES INTO NE PA BY 6PM. FIRE WEATHER IS THE MAIN CONCERN THURSDAY AND WITH SOME UNCERTAINTY AS DISCUSSED IN THE FIRE WEATHER SECTION. WIND GUSTS MAY APPROACH 25 MPH DURING THE AFTERNOON, ESPECIALLY NORTH OF PHILADELPHIA. THIS PART OF THE FCST WAS MOSTLY THE 12Z/20 GFS WARMER TEMP GUIDANCE, THE DRIER NAM GUIDANCE AND A BLEND OF THE NAM/GFS WINDS AND SKYCOVER. && .LONG TERM /THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY/... THE PERSISTENT AREA OF HIGH PRES WILL BE OFF THE COAST AND MOVG AWAY FROM THE AREA AT THE START OF THE PD. LOW PRES NR THE GRTLKS WILL MOVE NEWD INTO ERN CANADA ON FRI. ITS ATTENDANT CDFNT WILL MOVE THRU THE REGION FRI NIGHT. PRECIP CHCS WILL INCREASE DURG THE DAY ON FRI WITH THE HIGHEST CHCS FRI ERLY FRI NIGHT WITH THE CFP. THE MDL GUID DIFFERS SLIGHTLY, WITH THE GFS FASTER THAN THE ECMWF. THE NAM/WRF SUPPORTS THE SLOWER TIMING. WPC GUID BACKS THE FASTER GFS. IF THE FASTER TIMING IS CORRECT, THE PRECIP WOULD END LATE FRI NIGHT. IF THE SLOWER TIMING IS CORRECT, THE PRECIP WILL END DURG SAT MRNG. THE ECMWF IS OFTEN SLOWER WITH CFP, BUT SINCE IT HAS SUPPORT FROM OTHER MDLS, HAVE LEFT SOME LOW POPS IN FOR SAT MRNG. HIGH PRES BUILDS BACK IN FOR SAT INTO SUN, SO ANOTHER NICE WEEKEND IS IN STORE. THEN, A STRONG AREA OF LOW PRES WILL MOVE ACRS THE NCNTL PLAINS. ITS WMFNT WILL EXTEND EWD ACRS THE GRTLKS INTO NEW ENG OR NRN MID ATLC. THE ECMWF IS A BIT FURTHER S THAN THE GFS WITH THIS FRONT. IF THE EC IS CORRECT, IT WOULD POTENTIALLY SUPPORT DOME LIGHT QPF OVER NRN AREAS LATE SUN NIGHT OR MON MRNG, BUT THE EC IS CLEARLY THE OUTLIER HERE. ALL THE OTHER MDLS HAVE A MUCH MORE NLY POSN OF THIS BNDRY. THE LOW MOVES FURTHER E MONDAY NIGHT TO A POSN SOMEWHERE OVER PA/NY AND PRECIP CHCS WILL INCREASE, BEFORE THE LOW MOVES AWAY ON TUE, THE CDFNT CROSSES THE REGION AND POPS DECLINE ONCE AGAIN. TEMPS ARE EXPECTED TO BE AOA NRML THRU THE PD. && .AVIATION /19Z WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY/... THE FOLLOWING DISCUSSION IS FOR KPHL, KPNE, KTTN, KABE, KRDG, KILG, KMIV, KACY AND SURROUNDING AREAS. REST OF TODAY...VFR CLEAR. LIGHT VARIABLE WIND TRENDING SOUTHEAST TO SOUTH LATE IN THE DAY. THE COASTAL SEABREEZE WILL BE MOVING WESTWARD- INLAND THIS AFTERNOON WITH THOSE SEA BREEZES HAVING A FEW GUSTS TO 18-21 KT. THIS WIND SHIFT COULD REACH PHL LATE AFTERNOON OR EARLY EVENING AND ATTEMPTED TIMING IS IN THE 18Z TAFS. TONIGHT...VFR CLEAR THEN PATCHY AC/CIRRUS TOWARD 10Z/21. WIND BECOMING NEARLY CALM LATER THIS EVENING THEN LIGHT SOUTHERLY TOWARD MORNING. THURSDAY...VFR SCT-BKN CLOUDS AOA 12000 FT DURING THE MORNING WITH MULTI LAYERS DEVELOPING BY 21Z AOA 5000 FT. S-SW WIND THURSDAY WITH MIDDAY-AFTERNOON GUSTS AROUND 20 KT. OUTLOOK... THU NIGHT. VFR WITH SOME MVFR/IFR PSBL IN SHRA MAINLY N AND W. LOW TO MDT CONFIDENCE. FRI...MVFR/IFR PSBL IN SHRA AND TSRA AHEAD OF CFP. STILL SOME DIFFS WITH TIMING OF CDFNT. MDT CONFIDENCE. FRI NIGHT...CFP AND WSHFT. MVFR/IFR PSBL ERLY...THEN IMPROVING TO VFR LATE. HIGH CONFIDENCE. SAT THRU SUN...VFR. HIGH PRES. HIGH CONFIDENCE. MON...VFR ERLY...LOWERING CONDS LATE AS NEXT SYS APPROACHES. MDT CONFIDENCE. && .MARINE... NO MARINE HEADLINES ANTICIPATED THROUGH MOST OF THURSDAY. STILL A DOMINANT EASTERLY SWELL OF 3 FT AND 10 SECONDS ON THE ATLANTIC WATERS...A RESIDUAL FROM LAST WEEKEND. A FEW ONSHORE GUSTS NEAR OR JUST ABOVE 20 KT ARE POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON. WIND TURNS LIGHT SOUTH TONIGHT THEN GUSTY S-SW 20 KT THURSDAY AFTERNOON. OUTLOOK... THU NIGHT THRU FRI...SLY WILL BE PRESENT AND WE WILL PROB BE LOOKING AT MARGINAL SCA CONDS BY FRI. WE MAY BE JUST UNDER SCA CONDS THU NIGHT. FRI NIGHT...WIND SHIFTS TO W THEN NW BEHIND CFP AND DECREASE. SEAS DECREASE AS WELL. NO MARINE HEADLINES EXPECTED. SAT THRU SUN...NO MARINE HEADLINES ANTICIPATED. MON...SLY FLOW INCREASES IN ADVANCE OF THE NEXT LOW PRES SYS AND SEAS RESPOND IN KIND. SCA FLAGS MAY BE NEEDED BY THE END OF THE PD. && .FIRE WEATHER... SPS ISSUED FOR NJ AND PA WILL EXPIRE AT 19Z. RH NOW DOWN BELOW 25 PCT EXCEPT COOLER SEABREEZED COASTAL REAL ESTATE. LOOKING AHEAD TO THURSDAY...SOUTHWEST WINDS BECOME INCREASINGLY GUSTY IN THE AFTERNOON...UP TO AT LEAST 20 MPH AT TIMES. RH VALUES ALSO DECREASE IN THE AFTERNOON...BELOW 30 PERCENT OVER PORTIONS OF THE AREA, MAINLY PHL NORTHWARD.THE MAIN UNCERTAINTY WILL BE THE MAGNITUDE OF THE WIND GUSTS...WITH RED FLAG CONDITIONS REMAINING A POSSIBILITY. COLLABORATING A POSSIBLE FIRE WEATHER WATCH ISSUANCE AROUND 230 PM. && .EQUIPMENT... BUOY 44009 (DE BAY BUOY LOCATED 26 NM SOUTHEAST OF CAPE MAY NJ) IS SLATED FOR RESTORATION OF WIND INFORMATION AROUND JULY 5, 2016. && .PHI WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... PA...NONE. NJ...NONE. DE...NONE. MD...NONE. MARINE...NONE. && $$ SYNOPSIS...NIERENBERG NEAR TERM...DRAG SHORT TERM...DRAG LONG TERM...NIERENBERG AVIATION...DRAG/NIERENBERG MARINE...DRAG/NIERENBERG FIRE WEATHER... EQUIPMENT...
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS MOUNT HOLLY NJ
210 PM EDT WED APR 20 2016 .SYNOPSIS... HIGH PRESSURE IS BUILDING SOUTHEAST OVER THE MID ATLANTIC STATES THIS AFTERNOON. LOW PRESSURE IN THE UPPER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY ON THURSDAY WILL MOVE INTO THE SAINT LAWRENCE VALLEY AND LEAD TO A COLD FRONTAL PASSAGE ACROSS OUR AREA FRIDAY NIGHT. CANADIAN HIGH PRESSURE WILL SLOWLY MOVE OVER OUR REGION THIS WEEKEND. A COMPLEX FRONTAL BOUNDARY WILL SETUP OVER OUR AREA BY EARLY NEXT WEEK. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... 2PM UPDATE: TEMPS MAY MAX AT 69F AROUND 430PM. BRILLIANT SUNSHINE. WINDS HAVE DIMINISHED PER HRRR EXCEPT AS PER HRRR JUST BEHIND THE SEABREEZE. RH THIS AFTN DOWN TO 15 PCT. TONIGHT...AM A LITTLE CONCERNED ABOUT FROST POTENTIAL AND MAY ISSUE A FROST ADVY FOR PORTION OF NJ IN THE 330 PM FCST. THIS MORNINGS MINS WERE 28F IN WALPACK OF NW NJ AND MANY 30-36F LOWS FROM NORTHERN CAPE MAY COUNTY NORTH THROUGH THE PINEBARRENS REGION ON UP INTO NW NJ. NEARLY CALM WIND WITH MOSTLY CLEAR SKY (A BIT OF CIRRUS TOWARD DAWN). PROPOSED FROST ADVY WOULD BE INTERIOR OCEAN SE BURLINGTON, INTERIOR ATLC AS WELL AS SUSSEX, WARREN, MORRIS AND NORTHAMPTON COUNTIES. THIS PART OF THE FORECAST IS A 50 50 BLEND OF THE 12Z/20 GFS/NAM GUIDANCE THEN COOLED 2-4F IN THE COUNTRYSIDE THROUGH 11Z THURSDAY PER EXPECTED NEARLY IDEAL RADIATIONAL COOLING CONDITIONS BUT ALSO REFLECTS THE MUCH LOWER THAN FCST DEWPOINTS. && .SHORT TERM /THURSDAY/... THURSDAY...A SUNNY RAPIDLY WARMING START WITH GUSTY SW WINDS 15-20 MPH DEVELOPING LATE MORNING. INCREASING MID AND LATE AFTERNOON CLOUD COVER AHEAD OF A WEAK INSTABILITY BURST THAT COULD SPREAD SPRINKLES INTO NE PA BY 6PM. FIRE WEATHER IS THE MAIN CONCERN THURSDAY AND WITH SOME UNCERTAINTY AS DISCUSSED IN THE FIRE WEATHER SECTION. WIND GUSTS MAY APPROACH 25 MPH DURING THE AFTERNOON, ESPECIALLY NORTH OF PHILADELPHIA. THIS PART OF THE FCST WAS MOSTLY THE 12Z/20 GFS WARMER TEMP GUIDANCE, THE DRIER NAM GUIDANCE AND A BLEND OF THE NAM/GFS WINDS AND SKYCOVER. && .LONG TERM /THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY/... MID LEVEL LOW AT THE CENTER OF THE RECENT BLOCKING PATTERN WILL GRADUALLY MOVE EASTWARD, BECOMING AN OPEN WAVE AS IT REACHES THE MIDDLE ATLANTIC COAST, ACCOMPANIED BY A SLOW MOVING COLD FRONTAL PASSAGE FRIDAY NIGHT. MEANWHILE, CLOSED MID-LEVEL VORTEX OVER THE CLIMATOLOGICALLY FAVORED BAFFIN ISLAND SLOWLY MOVES SOUTHEASTWARD, RE-ESTABLISHING ITSELF JUST NORTHEAST OF JAMES BAY BY EARLY NEXT WEEK. THIS WILL ESTABLISH A FAST, WESTERLY FLOW ACROSS THE REGION LATE THIS WEEKEND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK, WHICH SEVERAL SHORTWAVE DISTURBANCES WILL TRAVERSE, AS THEY EXIT A MEAN TROUGH SETTING UP OVER THE WESTERN CONUS DURING THIS TIME FRAME. THE MOST UNCERTAINTY IS WITH REGARD TO THE EVOLUTION OF A FRONTAL BOUNDARY EARLY NEXT WEEK, AS TO WHERE IT SETS UP WITH RESPECT TO OUR REGION, AND THE RESULTANT SENSIBLE WEATHER IMPACTS. FRIDAY...THERE IS SOME CONVECTIVE POTENTIAL, AS A COLD FRONT IS POISED TO MOVE THROUGH OUR REGION BY FRI NIGHT. INSTABILITY WILL BE LIMITED GIVEN CONSIDERABLE CLOUD COVER, WITH BEST CHANCE FOR THUNDER TO OUR SOUTHWEST. THEREFORE, HAVE NOT ADDED THUNDER TO THE FORECAST ATTM. SATURDAY AND SUNDAY...BENIGN PERIOD OF WEATHER WITH HIGH PRESSURE IN CONTROL. THE MAIN CONCERN WILL BE THE POTENTIAL FOR A FROST/FREEZE SUNDAY MORNING, PARTICULARLY NORTH OF THE I-78 CORRIDOR. ALTHOUGH THE BOUNDARY LAYER IS EXPECTED TO DECOUPLE, MID AND HIGH LEVEL MOISTURE MAY PREVENT IDEAL RADIATIONAL COOLING, SO THERE IS CONSIDERABLE UNCERTAINTY AT THIS TIME. SUNDAY NIGHT THRU TUESDAY...AS MENTIONED, THERE IS CONSIDERABLE UNCERTAINTY DURING THIS TIME FRAME, WHICH GENERALLY LEADS TO BELOW AVERAGE CONFIDENCE IN OUTCOMES. A SLOW MOVING FRONTAL BOUNDARY WILL CROSS THE REGION, WITH POSSIBLY A FEW WAVES OF LOW PRESSURE TRAVERSING IT. GENERALLY UNSETTLED WEATHER IS ANTICIPATED, WITH SOME BENEFICIAL RAINFALL POSSIBLE. && .AVIATION /18Z WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY/... THE FOLLOWING DISCUSSION IS FOR KPHL, KPNE, KTTN, KABE, KRDG, KILG, KMIV, KACY AND SURROUNDING AREAS. REST OF TODAY...VFR CLEAR. LIGHT VARIABLE WIND TRENDING SOUTHEAST TO SOUTH LATE IN THE DAY. THE COASTAL SEABREEZE WILL BE MOVING WESTWARD- INLAND THIS AFTERNOON WITH THOSE SEA BREEZES HAVING A FEW GUSTS TO 18-21 KT. THIS WIND SHIFT COULD REACH PHL LATE AFTERNOON OR EARLY EVENING AND ATTEMPTED TIMING IS IN THE 18Z TAFS. TONIGHT...VFR CLEAR THEN PATCHY AC/CIRRUS TOWARD 10Z/21. WIND BECOMING NEARLY CALM LATER THIS EVENING THEN LIGHT SOUTHERLY TOWARD MORNING. THURSDAY...VFR SCT-BKN CLOUDS AOA 12000 FT DURING THE MORNING WITH MULTI LAYERS DEVELOPING BY 21Z AOA 5000 FT. S-SW WIND THURSDAY WITH MIDDAY-AFTERNOON GUSTS AROUND 20 KT. OUTLOOK... VFR CONDITIONS THU NIGHT. MVFR POSSIBLE IN SHRA AND TSRA FRI AND FRI NIGHT WITH THE PASSAGE OF A COLD FRONT, AS WELL AS A LOW PROBABILITY OF WEST-SOUTHWEST WIND GUSTS TO 25 KNOTS. VFR IS ANTICIPATED BOTH SAT AND SUN AS HIGH PRESSURE SETTLES OVER THE TERMINALS. && .MARINE... NO MARINE HEADLINES ANTICIPATED THROUGH MOST OF THURSDAY. STILL A DOMINANT EASTERLY SWELL OF 3 FT AND 10 SECONDS ON THE ATLANTIC WATERS...A RESIDUAL FROM LAST WEEKEND. A FEW ONSHORE GUSTS NEAR OR JUST ABOVE 20 KT ARE POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON. WIND TURNS LIGHT SOUTH TONIGHT THEN GUSTY S-SW 20 KT THURSDAY AFTERNOON. OUTLOOK... A COLD FRONT WILL TRAVERSE THE COASTAL WATERS FRIDAY NIGHT. SOUTHWEST WINDS IN ADVANCE OF THIS FRONT ARE EXPECTED TO FALL JUST SHORT OF SCA THRESHOLD THURSDAY AFTERNOON INTO FRIDAY NIGHT, BUT IT/S A CLOSE CALL, AS WAVE HEIGHTS HAVE A BETTER CHANCE OF MEETING THE 5FT CRITERIA FOR SCA FOR HAZARDOUS SEAS. THERE IS GREATER UNCERTAINTY WITH REGARD TO WHETHER NORTH-NORTHWEST WINDS REACH SCA LEVELS BEHIND THIS FRONT FOR A BRIEF PERIOD OF TIME BOTH SATURDAY MORNING AND AGAIN SATURDAY NIGHT. HIGH PRESSURE WILL MOVE OVER THE COASTAL WATERS SUNDAY, WITH TRANQUIL, SUB-SCA CONDITIONS EXPECTED. && .FIRE WEATHER... SPS ISSUED FOR NJ AND PA WILL EXPIRE AT 19Z. RH NOW DOWN BELOW 25 PCT EXCEPT COOLER SEABREEZED COASTAL REAL ESTATE. LOOKING AHEAD TO THURSDAY...SOUTHWEST WINDS BECOME INCREASINGLY GUSTY IN THE AFTERNOON...UP TO AT LEAST 20 MPH AT TIMES. RH VALUES ALSO DECREASE IN THE AFTERNOON...BELOW 30 PERCENT OVER PORTIONS OF THE AREA, MAINLY PHL NORTHWARD.THE MAIN UNCERTAINTY WILL BE THE MAGNITUDE OF THE WIND GUSTS...WITH RED FLAG CONDITIONS REMAINING A POSSIBILITY. COLLABORATING A POSSIBLE FIRE WEATHER WATCH ISSUANCE AROUND 230 PM. && .EQUIPMENT... BUOY 44009 (DE BAY BUOY LOCATED 26 NM SOUTHEAST OF CAPE MAY NJ) IS SLATED FOR RESTORATION OF WIND INFORMATION AROUND JULY 5, 2016. && .PHI WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... PA...NONE. NJ...NONE. DE...NONE. MD...NONE. MARINE...NONE. && $$ SYNOPSIS...DRAG/FRANCK 208 NEAR TERM...DRAG 208 SHORT TERM...DRAG 208 LONG TERM...FRANCK AVIATION...DRAG/FRANCK 208 MARINE...DRAG/FRANCK 208 FIRE WEATHER...208 EQUIPMENT...
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS COLUMBIA SC
1051 PM EDT THU APR 21 2016 .SYNOPSIS... SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE OFF THE COAST WILL CIRCULATE A MOIST SOUTHERLY FLOW INTO THE FORECAST AREA AHEAD OF AN APPROACHING COLD FRONT. THE FRONT WILL CROSS THE AREA FRIDAY NIGHT. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED AHEAD OF THE FRONT FRIDAY. DRY HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD INTO THE REGION LATE SATURDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM FRIDAY MORNING/... MOISTURE WILL BE ON THE INCREASE IN THE SOUTHERLY FLOW WELL AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT TONIGHT. RADAR TRENDS AND THE HRRR SUPPORT SCATTERED SHOWERS IN THE FORECAST AREA MAINLY AFTER 200 AM. OBSERVATION TRENDS SUPPORT THE MODEL FORECAST OF INSTABILITY REMAINING WEAK OVERNIGHT. THE THUNDERSTORM CHANCE IS LOW. CLOUDINESS AND MIXING SHOULD HELP HOLD UP TEMPERATURES. EXPECT LOWS MAINLY IN THE LOWER 60S. && .SHORT TERM /6 AM FRIDAY MORNING THROUGH SATURDAY/... MOST PLACES LOOK TO GET WET ON FRIDAY AS A MODERATE STRENGTH UPPER TROF AND ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT APPROACHES FROM THE WEST. DEEP MOISTURE FLOW AHEAD OF THE SYSTEM SHOULD RAISE PWS TO AROUND 1.5 INCHES ACROSS THE CWA...AND DECENT LIFT DUE TO DIFFERENTIAL VORTICITY ADVECTION IN MID LEVELS AND UPPER LEVEL JET DIVERGENCE WILL PRODUCE WIDESPREAD SHOWERS WITH A FEW THUNDERSTORMS. THERE WILL BE SOME MODEST LOW LEVEL CAPE WITH VALUES POTENTIALLY AS HIGH AS 1000 J/KG...BUT DEEP LAYERED SHEAR IS NOT TOO IMPRESSIVE...SO THE THREAT FOR SEVERE WEATHER LOOKS LOW. QPF WILL GENERALLY BE 1/2 INCH OR LESS...BUT PLACES THAT DO SEE SOME THUNDERSTORMS... ESPECIALLY IN THE SOUTHEASTERN THIRD OF THE CWA...COULD GET LOCALLY UP TO AN INCH. TEMPS SHOULD BE SEASONABLY WARM IN THE UPPER 70S DESPITE CLOUD COVER AS THERE WILL BE LOW LEVEL WARM ADVECTION AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT. FRIDAY NIGHT...THE BEST OF THE UPPER SUPPORT SHOULD MOVE THROUGH QUICKLY...AS WILL THE COLD FRONT. SHOWERS WILL END FROM WEST TO EAST DURING THE EVENING...WITH JUST A FEW LINGERING IN THE SOUTHEAST AFTER MIDNIGHT. TEMPS WILL DROP DOWN INTO THE UPPER 50S...NOT PARTICULARLY COOL AS CLOUDS WILL NOT CLEAR UNTIL LATE AND WINDS WILL REMAIN UP. SATURDAY SHOULD BE MOSTLY DRY AS THE FRONT MOVES OFFSHORE. I CANT RULE OUT A SHOWER IN THE NORTHEAST AS ANOTHER SPOKE OF ENERGY DROPS INTO NORTH CAROLINA...BUT CHANCES LOOK TOO LOW AT THIS TIME TO MENTION IN THE FORECAST. TEMPS WILL BE SEASONABLE WITH MID 70S NORTH TO NEAR 80 IN THE CSRA. && .LONG TERM /SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY/... A SURFACE AREA OF HIGH PRESSURE WILL MOVE INTO THE SOUTHEAST FROM SUNDAY INTO TUESDAY...KEEPING THE CWA DRY. THE AIR MASS WILL WARM UP UNDER SUN ANGLE EQUIVALENT TO LATE AUGUST...WITH MAX TEMPS IN THE LOWER TO MID 80S ON SUNDAY TO THE UPPER 80S TO NEAR 90 ON TUESDAY. A COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH THE AREA FROM THE NORTH ON WEDNESDAY...BUT IT IS TOO EARLY TO TELL IF IT WILL STALL JUST NORTH OF THE CWA OR MAKE IT INTO THE CWA. MOST OF THE MID AND UPPER LEVEL JET ENERGY WILL STAY TO THE NORTH IN EITHER CASE...BUT A CLOSER FRONT COULD MEAN A BETTER CHANCE OF DIURNAL CONVECTION WITH MAX TEMPS WELL UP INTO THE 80S. && .AVIATION /03Z FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/... VFR CONDITIONS THROUGH THE EARLY MORNING HOURS...GIVING WAY TO MVFR CONDITIONS FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE PERIOD. MID CLOUDS REMAIN ACROSS THE AREA WITH MOISTURE INCREASING ACROSS THE AREA. COLD FRONT CONTINUES CROSSING THE WESTERN GULF STATES AND IS EXPECTED TO MOVE INTO THE TAF SITES FRIDAY AFTERNOON. LOWERING CIGS CURRENTLY NOTED ACROSS CENTRAL GA WILL MOVE INTO THE TAF SITES BETWEEN 06 AND 07Z LOWERING CIGS TO MVFR. SHOWERS WILL APPROACH THE TAF SITES BEGINNING AROUND 10Z WITH SHOWERS EXPECTED AT THE TAF SITES AROUND 15Z. THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS THE AREA WITH IMPACTS AT THE TAF SITES FROM 16Z THROUGH THE END OF THE PERIOD. WINDS THROUGH THE PERIOD WILL BE SOUTHERLY AT 10 KNOTS OR LESS. EXTENDED AVIATION OUTLOOK...RESTRICTIONS POSSIBLE INTO SATURDAY MORNING AS THE COLD FRONT MOVES OFFSHORE. && .CAE WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... GA...NONE. SC...NONE. && $$ SYNOPSIS...99 NEAR TERM...99 SHORT TERM...99 LONG TERM...99 AVIATION...99
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS COLUMBIA SC
920 PM EDT THU APR 21 2016 .SYNOPSIS... SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE OFF THE COAST WILL CIRCULATE A MOIST SOUTHERLY FLOW INTO THE FORECAST AREA AHEAD OF AN APPROACHING COLD FRONT. THE FRONT WILL CROSS THE AREA FRIDAY NIGHT. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED AHEAD OF THE FRONT FRIDAY. DRY HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD INTO THE REGION LATE SATURDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM FRIDAY MORNING/... MOISTURE WILL BE ON THE INCREASE IN THE SOUTHERLY FLOW WELL AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT TONIGHT. RADAR TRENDS AND THE HRRR SUPPORT SCATTERED SHOWERS IN THE FORECAST AREA MAINLY AFTER 200 AM. OBSERVATION TRENDS SUPPORT THE MODEL FORECAST OF INSTABILITY REMAINING WEAK OVERNIGHT. THE THUNDERSTORM CHANCE IS LOW. CLOUDINESS AND MIXING SHOULD HELP HOLD UP TEMPERATURES. EXPECT LOWS MAINLY IN THE LOWER 60S. && .SHORT TERM /6 AM FRIDAY MORNING THROUGH SATURDAY/... MOST PLACES LOOK TO GET WET ON FRIDAY AS A MODERATE STRENGTH UPPER TROF AND ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT APPROACHES FROM THE WEST. DEEP MOISTURE FLOW AHEAD OF THE SYSTEM SHOULD RAISE PWS TO AROUND 1.5 INCHES ACROSS THE CWA...AND DECENT LIFT DUE TO DIFFERENTIAL VORTICITY ADVECTION IN MID LEVELS AND UPPER LEVEL JET DIVERGENCE WILL PRODUCE WIDESPREAD SHOWERS WITH A FEW THUNDERSTORMS. THERE WILL BE SOME MODEST LOW LEVEL CAPE WITH VALUES POTENTIALLY AS HIGH AS 1000 J/KG...BUT DEEP LAYERED SHEAR IS NOT TOO IMPRESSIVE...SO THE THREAT FOR SEVERE WEATHER LOOKS LOW. QPF WILL GENERALLY BE 1/2 INCH OR LESS...BUT PLACES THAT DO SEE SOME THUNDERSTORMS... ESPECIALLY IN THE SOUTHEASTERN THIRD OF THE CWA...COULD GET LOCALLY UP TO AN INCH. TEMPS SHOULD BE SEASONABLY WARM IN THE UPPER 70S DESPITE CLOUD COVER AS THERE WILL BE LOW LEVEL WARM ADVECTION AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT. FRIDAY NIGHT...THE BEST OF THE UPPER SUPPORT SHOULD MOVE THROUGH QUICKLY...AS WILL THE COLD FRONT. SHOWERS WILL END FROM WEST TO EAST DURING THE EVENING...WITH JUST A FEW LINGERING IN THE SOUTHEAST AFTER MIDNIGHT. TEMPS WILL DROP DOWN INTO THE UPPER 50S...NOT PARTICULARLY COOL AS CLOUDS WILL NOT CLEAR UNTIL LATE AND WINDS WILL REMAIN UP. SATURDAY SHOULD BE MOSTLY DRY AS THE FRONT MOVES OFFSHORE. I CANT RULE OUT A SHOWER IN THE NORTHEAST AS ANOTHER SPOKE OF ENERGY DROPS INTO NORTH CAROLINA...BUT CHANCES LOOK TOO LOW AT THIS TIME TO MENTION IN THE FORECAST. TEMPS WILL BE SEASONABLE WITH MID 70S NORTH TO NEAR 80 IN THE CSRA. && .LONG TERM /SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY/... A SURFACE AREA OF HIGH PRESSURE WILL MOVE INTO THE SOUTHEAST FROM SUNDAY INTO TUESDAY...KEEPING THE CWA DRY. THE AIR MASS WILL WARM UP UNDER SUN ANGLE EQUIVALENT TO LATE AUGUST...WITH MAX TEMPS IN THE LOWER TO MID 80S ON SUNDAY TO THE UPPER 80S TO NEAR 90 ON TUESDAY. A COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH THE AREA FROM THE NORTH ON WEDNESDAY...BUT IT IS TOO EARLY TO TELL IF IT WILL STALL JUST NORTH OF THE CWA OR MAKE IT INTO THE CWA. MOST OF THE MID AND UPPER LEVEL JET ENERGY WILL STAY TO THE NORTH IN EITHER CASE...BUT A CLOSER FRONT COULD MEAN A BETTER CHANCE OF DIURNAL CONVECTION WITH MAX TEMPS WELL UP INTO THE 80S. && .AVIATION /01Z FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/... VFR CONDITIONS THROUGH THE EARLY MORNING HOURS...GIVING WAY TO MVFR CONDITIONS FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE PERIOD. MOISTURE WILL CONTINUE INCREASING ACROSS THE AREA AS A COLD FRONT CROSSES THE GULF STATES...WITH THE FRONT EXPECTED TO MOVE INTO THE TAF SITES FRIDAY AFTERNOON. VFR CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE EARLY MORNING HOURS WITH CIGS LOWERING TO MVFR BETWEEN 06 AND 07Z. SHOWERS WILL APPROACH THE TAF SITES BEGINNING AROUND 10Z WITH SHOWERS EXPECTED AT THE TAF SITES AROUND 15Z. THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS THE AREA WITH IMPACTS AT THE TAF SITES FROM 16Z THROUGH THE END OF THE PERIOD. WINDS THROUGH THE PERIOD WILL BE SOUTHERLY AT 10 KNOTS OR LESS. LOW LEVEL WIND SHEAR POSSIBLE 04Z- 12Z AS A LOW LEVEL JET DEVELOPS OVER THE REGION. HAVE NOT INCLUDED LOW LEVEL WIND SHEAR IN TAFS AT THIS TIME GIVEN LOW CONFIDENCE. EXTENDED AVIATION OUTLOOK...RESTRICTIONS POSSIBLE INTO SATURDAY MORNING AS THE COLD FRONT MOVES OFFSHORE. && .CAE WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... GA...NONE. SC...NONE. && $$ SYNOPSIS...99 NEAR TERM...99 SHORT TERM...99 LONG TERM...99 AVIATION...99
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS CHARLESTON SC
327 PM EDT WED APR 20 2016 .SYNOPSIS... A WEAK COLD FRONT WILL DISSIPATE NEAR THE CHARLESTON AREA TONIGHT. ATLANTIC HIGH PRESSURE WILL PREVAIL THURSDAY INTO FRIDAY. A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT INTO SATURDAY...FOLLOWED BY HIGH PRESSURE INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... THE WEAK BACKDOOR COLD FRONT WILL SETTLE IN ACROSS THE CHARLESTON TRI-COUNTY AREA THIS EVENING AND DISSIPATE. THE REMNANTS OF THE FRONT WILL LINGER WILL THROUGH SUNRISE WITH MODELS SHOWING LOW- LEVEL POOLING IN ITS VICINITY. THIS COULD PROMOTE SOME STRATUS BUILD DOWN AND POSSIBLY FOG AFTER MIDNIGHT...BUT RAP POINT SOUNDINGS AT KCHS..KDYB AND KMKS ARE NOT OVERLY IMPRESSIVE FOR SIGNIFICANT FOG FORMATION. THIS IS CERTAINLY SOMETHING THAT WILL NEED TO BE MONITORED THROUGH THE NIGHT. WILL CARRY PATCHY FOG FOR THE CHARLESTON TRI-COUNTY AREA FOR NOW AND SHOW SKIES BECOMING MOSTLY CLOUDY FOR AREAS ALONG/NORTH OF I-26. ELSEWHERE... CONDITIONS WILL FAVOR JUST SHALLOW GROUND FOG A FEW HOURS PRIOR TO SUNRISE. ANOTHER A-TYPICAL TEMPERATURE DISTRIBUTION IS ON TAP TONIGHT WITH THE COOLEST CONDITIONS ONCE AGAIN OCCURRING ACROSS INTERIOR SOUTHEAST GEORGIA...MORE SPECIFICALLY IN THE FORT STEWART- LUDOWICI-DARIEN CORRIDOR. HIGH CLOUDS ARE FORECAST TO THIN ENOUGH TO SUPPORT MODEST RADIATIONAL COOLING WITH TEMPERATURE LIKELY CRATERING JUST BEFORE DAYBREAK. STRATUS SHOULD KEEP TEMPERATURES A BIT MORE ELEVATED ACROSS THE NORTHERN ZONES. LOWS WILL RANGE FROM THE UPPER 50S/NEAR 60 ACROSS THE CHARLESTON TRI-COUNTY AREA TO THE MID 50S ACROSS THE DARIEN-FORT STEWART-LUDOWICI CORRIDOR. && .SHORT TERM /THURSDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/... THURSDAY...SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE IN THE ATLANTIC WILL BE SHIFTING EASTWARD WHILE A RIDGE AXIS IS POSITIONED OVER THE EAST COAST. MOISTURE GRADUALLY INCREASES AS WEAK CONVERGENCE SETS UP JUST OFFSHORE. THIS MAY LEAD TO A FEW LIGHT SHOWERS OFFSHORE. IT IS NOT OUT OF THE QUESTION THAT A STRAY LIGHT SHOWER COULD REACH NORTHERN CHARLESTON COUNTY IN THE AFTERNOON...BUT THE PROBABILITIES IN THIS OCCURRING ARE LOW. REGARDLESS...WE HAVE MAINTAINED A BRIEF PERIOD OF SLIGHT CHANCE POPS IN THE FORECAST TO ACCOUNT FOR THIS. TEMPERATURES WILL BE IN THE LOWER 80S AWAY FROM THE LOCALLY COOLER COAST. INCREASING CLOUDS LATE IN THE DAY AND ESPECIALLY AT NIGHT SHOULD KEEP LOWS MILD...IN THE LOW 60S. FRIDAY...THE ATLANTIC SURFACE HIGH WILL BE JUST FAR ENOUGH SHORE TO LOSE INFLUENCE OVER OUR AREA. INSTEAD THE DOMINANT FEATURE WILL BECOME A TROUGH MOVING FROM THE GREAT LAKES REGION INTO THE NORTHEAST. THIS FEATURE WILL PUSH A COLD FRONT TOWARDS OUR AREA. S/SW WINDS AT THE SURFACE AND AROUND 25 KT OF SW FLOW AT 850 MB WILL PUSH PWATS TO NEAR 1.50 INCHES. THIS COMBINED WITH SOME INSTABILITY AND ENERGY FROM A PASSING SHORTWAVE WILL GENERATE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. THE SEVERE THREAT IS LOW BECAUSE INSTABILITY IS UNIMPRESSIVE AND SHEAR IS WEAK. DESPITE CLOUDY SKIES...COMPRESSIONAL HEATING AHEAD OF THE FRONT SHOULD ALLOW HIGHS TO REACH AROUND 80 DEGREES. MODELS HAVE COME INTO BETTER AGREEMENT WITH TIMING OF FRONTAL PASSAGE...SHOWING THE FRONT CROSSING THE LOCAL AREA LATE FRIDAY NIGHT INTO EARLY SATURDAY. ADJUSTED THE POPS AND WEATHER GRIDS TO BETTER REFLECT THIS TIMING. PRECIPITATION WILL QUICKLY DECREASE AS THE FRONT MOVES OFFSHORE EARLY SATURDAY MORNING. QPF SHOULD GENERALLY BE AROUND 0.25 INCHES. FRIDAY NIGHT LOWS WILL BE MILD AGAIN...IN THE LOWER 60S. SATURDAY...SHORTWAVE ENERGY LAGGING BEHIND THE FRONT IN COMBINATION WITH WEAK INSTABILITY MAY BE ENOUGH TO ALLOW A FEW SHOWERS/ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP IN THE AFTERNOON. SLIGHT CHANCE POPS REMAIN IN THE FORECAST. HIGHS WILL RANGE FROM THE UPPER 70S IN THE NORTH...TO THE LOWER 80S IN THE SOUTH. && .LONG TERM /SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY/... HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD IN FROM THE NORTH ON SUNDAY BEFORE SHIFTING INTO THE ATLANTIC BY MONDAY. THE FORECAST AREA WILL LARGELY REMAIN UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF THE SURFACE HIGH THROUGH MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK. MODELS DO HINT THAT A BACKDOOR COLD FRONT MAY TRY TO DESCEND INTO THE AREA LATE TUESDAY OR WEDNESDAY HOWEVER THERE ARE STILL LARGE DISCREPANCIES BETWEEN MODELS ON TIMING AND EVOLUTION OF THIS FEATURE. TEMPERATURES WILL BE ON A WARMING TREND THROUGH THE PERIOD WITH HIGHS SOLIDLY IN THE 80S EACH AFTERNOON. && .AVIATION /18Z WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY/... VFR. SHALLOW GROUND FOG IS POSSIBLE AT BOTH TERMINALS TONIGHT AS DEWPOINTS RISE AND WINDS GO CALM/VARIABLE...BUT BETTER CHANCES FOR IMPACTS WILL BE AT KCHS. LOW STRATUS IS A POSSIBILITY CLOSER TO THE BACKDOOR FRONT...BUT THINK THE HIGHEST CHANCES WILL REMAIN NORTH OF KCHS. EXTENDED AVIATION OUTLOOK...FLIGHT RESTRICTIONS ARE POSSIBLE FRIDAY INTO EARLY SATURDAY AS A COLD FRONT MOVES THROUGH THE AREA WITH SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. && .MARINE... TONIGHT...WINDS WILL GRADUALLY TURN ONSHORE ACROSS THE ENTIRE MARINE AREA. A BIT MORE OF A NORTHEAST COMPONENT WILL LINGER ALONG THE CHARLESTON COUNTY COAST IN THE WAKE OF A WEAK BACKDOOR FRONT...BUT EVEN DIRECTIONS THERE SHOULD TURN MORE ONSHORE JUST BEFORE SUNRISE THURSDAY. WINDS WILL REMAIN LESS THAN 10 KT WITH SEAS 1-2 FT NEARSHORE WATERS...2-3 FT OFFSHORE WATERS. THURSDAY THROUGH MONDAY...ATLANTIC HIGH PRESSURE WILL REMAIN THE DOMINANT FEATURE THURSDAY INTO FRIDAY. SOUTH/SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL INCREASE FRIDAY AS THE PRESSURE GRADIENT TIGHTENS AHEAD OF AN APPROACHING COLD FRONT...HOWEVER CONDITIONS WILL REMAIN BELOW SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY CRITERIA. THE FRONT WILL CROSS THE WATERS EARLY SATURDAY...FOLLOWED BY HIGH PRESSURE THROUGH EARLY NEXT WEEK. WINDS THROUGH THE PERIOD WILL GENERALLY BE 15 KT OR LESS...WITH SEAS 2-4 FEET ON AVERAGE. && .CHS WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... GA...NONE. SC...NONE. MARINE...NONE. && $$ ST/MS
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS COLUMBIA SC
214 PM EDT WED APR 20 2016 .SYNOPSIS... A DIFFUSE FRONT ACROSS THE AREA WILL CONTINUE TO WEAK TONIGHT. INCREASING MOISTURE AND A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH FROM THE WEST LATE THURSDAY THROUGH EARLY SATURDAY...BRINGING A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS...MAINLY DURING FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. DRY HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD BACK INTO THE REGION LATE SATURDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. TEMPERATURES EXPECTED TO BE AT OR ABOVE NORMAL. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... A COLD FRONT MOVING INTO THE SOUTHERN MIDLANDS IS EXPECTED TO STALL. PRECIPITABLE WATER WAS BELOW ONE INCH EARLY THIS AFTERNOON. HIGH RESOLUTION MODELS SHOW A LIGHT INCREASE IN PRECIPITABLE WATER ACROSS THE PEE DEE REGION. BOTH THE HRRR AND RAP13 SHOW A FEW SHOWERS DEVELOPING OVER THE PEE DEE REGION LATE THIS AFTERNOON. WILL CONTINUE WITH POPS BELOW 20 PERCENT. MAINLY THIN HIGH LEVEL CLOUDS WILL CONTINUE ACROSS THE AREA. AFTERNOON HIGHS IN THE UPPER 70S NORTH TO MID 80S SOUTH LOOK REASONABLE. STALLED SURFACE FRONT WILL REMAIN ACROSS THE REGION TONIGHT. DRY FORECAST TONIGHT AS INSTABILITY WEAKENS. CONSENSUS INDICATE OVERNIGHT LOWS IN THE MID 50S TO AROUND 60. && .SHORT TERM /THURSDAY THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT/... EARLY MORNING LOW CLOUDS THURSDAY SHOULD MIX OUT BY MID MORNING. SURFACE PRESSURE RIDGE OFFSHORE WILL EXTEND INTO THE AREA THROUGH THE DAY. ALSO...UPPER LEVEL RIDGE OVER THE AREA SHIFTING EAST ALONG THE COAST LATE IN THE DAY. EXPECT LIMITED SHOWERS DUE TO AIR MASS STILL RELATIVELY DRY AND SUBSIDENCE EXPECTED. UPPER LEVEL TROUGH OVER THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY MOVING EAST TOWARD OHIO VALLEY THURSDAY NIGHT. INCREASING SOUTHWEST FLOW SHOULD RESULT IN MOISTURE INCREASE FROM THE WEST/PRECIPITABLE WATER INCREASE 1.25 TO 1.5 INCHES BY MORNING. MOS POPS INCREASE AFTER MIDNIGHT. A FEW SHOWERS MAY DEVELOP OR MOVE IN FROM THE WEST TOWARD FRIDAY MORNING. UPPER TROUGH MOVING THROUGH THE EASTERN CONUS FRIDAY WILL DRIVE COLD FRONT TOWARD THE REGION. AIR MASS BECOMES WEAKLY TO MODERATELY UNSTABLE BY AFTERNOON. MODELS SUGGEST SOME SHOWERS EARLY IN THE DAY THEN ANOTHER SHOT IN THE AFTERNOON. CONVECTION IN THE MORNING AND EXTENSIVE CLOUDS MAY LIMIT DEGREE OF INSTABILITY LATER IN THE DAY. STRONGER CONVECTION MORE LIKELY WEST OF THE REGION BACK IN NORTHWEST GEORGIA WHERE SHEAR STRONGER. DECREASING POPS FRIDAY NIGHT INTO SATURDAY MORNING AS FRONT MOVES THROUGH THE AREA. 850MB TROUGH OFF THE COAST EARLY SATURDAY AND EXPECT DRIER AIR ADVECTION SO CUT POPS BACK FROM PREVIOUS FORECAST DURING THAT PERIOD. MOS TEMPERATURES THROUGH THE PERIOD SEEM REASONABLE ALTHOUGH FAVOR SLIGHTLY HIGHER TEMPERATURES DURING THE DAY DUE TO BIAS. && .LONG TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... DRY HIGH PRESSURE TO SETTLE INTO THE SE CONUS LATE SATURDAY THROUGH MONDAY. MOISTURE INCREASE MID WEEK AND ANOTHER FRONT POSSIBLY MOVING SOUTH FROM THE NORTH MAY LEAD TO ISOLATED OR SCATTERED AFTERNOON SHOWERS TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY. TEMPERATURES SHOULD BE AT OR ABOVE NORMAL THROUGH THE PERIOD. && .AVIATION /18Z WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY/... HIGH CONFIDENCE FOR VFR CONDITIONS THROUGH THIS EVENING. A WEAK COLD FRONT OVER CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA EXPECTED TO STALL ACROSS THE AREA TONIGHT. WINDS LESS THAN 10 KNOTS...BECOMING EAST TO SOUTHEAST THIS AFTERNOON. HIGH CLOUDS WILL CONTINUE TO STREAM OVER THE REGION AS WEAK UPPER RIDGING CROSSES THE AREA. MODELS INDICATE LOW LEVEL MOISTURE INCREASING OVERNIGHT. STILL SOME MODEL DISCREPANCY AS TO WHERE IFR CIGS WILL DEVELOP. MODEL CONSENSUS INDICATE LOW CLOUDS DEVELOPING ACROSS THE MIDLANDS...AFFECTING OGB/CAE/CUB BETWEEN 03Z AND 13Z. GIVEN LOW CONFIDENCE...HAVE INDICATED SCT CLOUDS AROUND 1000 FEET. THERE IS ALSO THE POTENTIAL FOR FOG TO DEVELOP AT AGS GIVEN MOIST SOUTHEAST LOW LEVEL FLOW. EXTENDED AVIATION OUTLOOK...RESTRICTIONS POSSIBLE LATE THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH EARLY SATURDAY AS A COLD FRONT CROSSES THE REGION. && .CAE WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... GA...NONE. SC...NONE. && $$
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS CHICAGO/ROMEOVILLE, IL
1226 PM CDT WED APR 20 2016 .SHORT TERM... 329 AM CDT THROUGH TONIGHT... THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING WILL BRING THE HIGHEST CHANCE FOR SHOWERS IN THE FORECAST AREA IN TEN DAYS. WE HAVE KEPT THE MAIN THEME OF RAIN TIMING BEING MID- AFTERNOON THROUGH EVENING SPREADING FROM WEST TO EAST AND JUST REFINING THAT TO THE HOURLY LEVEL. DID INCREASE THE THUNDER POTENTIAL SOME OVER THE ILLINOIS PART OF THE CWA THOUGH THE RISK FOR SEVERE WEATHER REMAINS QUITE LOW. THE PERSISTENT LARGE UPPER LOW IS GYRATING ITS WAY SLOWLY EAST THIS MORNING WITH ITS CENTER NOW OVER THE CENTRAL PLAINS. A 90 KT UPPER JET ROUNDING THE SOUTHERN EDGE OF THIS CENTER AND ASSOCIATED DEEP PV ANOMALY THIS MORNING WILL HELP RE-DEEPEN THE LOW CENTER BY THIS EVENING OVER IOWA. UPPER FORCING AND ASSOCIATED LIFT IN ADVANCE OF THIS...ALONG WITH A LOW-LEVEL RESPONSE OF THETA-E ADVECTION...WILL SPREAD OVER ILLINOIS DURING THE AFTERNOON. GIVEN THIS WILL BE DURING THE PEAK HEATING TIME...EXPECT THAT THERE WILL BE AN INCREASE IN SHOWER AND STORM ACTIVITY...LIKELY JUST WEST OF THE CWA ALONG THE SYSTEM COLD FRONT DURING THE EARLY TO MID AFTERNOON AND SPREADING EAST FROM THERE. CONVECTIVE ALLOWING MODELS SUCH AS THE HRRR INDICATE THIS INCREASE AND TIMING...THOUGH HAVE VARIED QUITE A BIT FROM RUN-TO-RUN ON THE COVERAGE. A FEW THINGS COULD INDEED LIMIT AFTERNOON SHOWER/STORM COVERAGE SUCH AS THE NARROW NATURE OF THE DEEP MOIST PLUME WRAPPING NORTHWARD INTO THIS SYSTEM. OVERALL THOUGH EXPECT THE AFOREMENTIONED FORCING JUST AHEAD OF THE SYSTEM DRY SLOT TO BE ENOUGH TO PROVIDE AN UPTICK IN SHOWERS DURING THE AFTERNOON INTO EARLY EVENING...WARRANTING LIKELY WORDING IN THE FORECAST. THE INSTABILITY MAGNITUDES /A FEW HUNDRED J/KG/ ARE BETTER FOR THUNDER THAN PREVIOUS FORECAST CYCLES...MAINLY FOR THE NORTH CENTRAL ILLINOIS PART OF THE FORECAST AREA. THE TIMING OF THE MAIN SHOWER AND POSSIBLE THUNDERSTORM AREAS APPEAR TO BE EARLY ENOUGH TO PREVENT DEEPER INSTABILITY RETURN TO LEVELS THAT WOULD WARRANT A THREAT FOR SEVERE STORMS...THOUGH A FEW STRONG ONES WITH MAYBE SOME SMALL HAIL ARE POSSIBLE INTO THE WESTERN CWA WITH FREEZING LEVELS A LITTLE BELOW 10KFT. IN TERMS OF TEMPERATURES...THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY WHICH BROUGHT A 30 DEGREE TEMPERATURE GRADIENT ACROSS THE CWA YESTERDAY...IS NOW DRAPED OVER CENTRAL ILLINOIS TO SOUTHERN INDIANA. THIS WILL LIFT NORTHWARD AS A WARM FRONT TODAY. THE FRONTAL PROGRESSION WILL PROBABLY NOT BE FAR AHEAD OF RAIN SHOWER ACTIVITY WHICH MAKES THE TEMPERATURE FORECAST CHALLENGING. NORTHERN AREAS WILL CERTAINLY BE WARMER THAN YESTERDAY BUT HOW MUCH SO WILL DEPEND ON THE FRONTAL PASSAGE TIMING. ONSHORE FLOW A GOOD PART OF THE DAY FROM CHICAGO NORTHWARD WILL KEEP LAKESIDE TEMPERATURES COOLER AGAIN. FAR SOUTHERN AREAS HAVE THE CHANCE AGAIN TO REACH UPPER 70S. AS THE SYSTEM DRY SLOT WORKS OVERHEAD LATE THIS EVENING INTO OVERNIGHT...THE SHOWER ACTIVITY WILL PUSH NORTHEAST. THE LOW-LEVEL COOL ADVECTION WILL ACTUALLY WEAKEN GIVEN THE OVERALL OCCLUDED NATURE OF THIS SYSTEM...SO LOWS LOOK TO REMAIN IN THE 50S AREAWIDE. MTF && .LONG TERM... 329 AM CDT THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY... THE PRIMARY UPPER LOW WILL GRADUALLY TRANSITION INTO AN OPEN WAVE THROUGH THURSDAY AND THURSDAY NIGHT AND SHOULD DO SO AS IT TRACKS EASTWARD OVER THE FORECAST AREA. WHILE DRY AIR ALOFT WILL PREVENT MUCH FOR SHOWERS THURSDAY MORNING...MOST MODEL GUIDANCE INDICATES THE FORECAST AREA TO BE IN A FAVORABLE AREA OF UPPER SUPPORT TO AT LEAST SEE AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING SCATTERED SHOWERS AND EVEN A FEW STORMS AGAIN. WITH TEMPERATURES THURSDAY AFTERNOON WARMING BACK INTO THE MID 60S TO LOW 70S...THERE SHOULD BE A FEW HUNDRED J/KG OF CAPE TO WORK WITH. LOWER FREEZING LEVELS COULD PROVIDE A FEW SMALL HAIL PRODUCERS. BEHIND THIS TROUGH FRIDAY AND SATURDAY CONTINUE TO LOOK DRY. STOUT NORTHEAST WINDS ON FRIDAY WILL KEEP LAKESHORE HIGHS INCLUDING DOWNTOWN CHICAGO LIKELY SHY OF 50 DEGREES. INLAND AREAS ARE PRESENTLY FORECAST FOR HIGHS IN THE UPPER 50S/LOWER 60S...ALTHOUGH THIS WILL DEPEND ON CLOUDS CLEARING FRIDAY MORNING. GIVEN THE PRESENT AMPLIFIED/SEMI-BLOCKED PATTERN ACROSS THE EASTERN PACIFIC AND CONUS...CONFIDENCE IN THE LONGER TERM PATTERN EVOLUTION REMAINS LOW. A MASSIVE UPPER LOW/TROUGH IS EXPECTED ACROSS EASTERN CANADA AND THIS WILL PROVIDE NORTHWEST FLOW INTO THE GREAT LAKES...WHILE AN UPPER LOW OVER THE SOUTHWEST U.S. IS ANTICIPATED TO SLOWLY WORK ITS WAY EAST. TOGETHER THESE SHOULD DEVELOP A WEST-TO-EAST BAROCLINIC ZONE ACROSS THE MIDWEST THOUGH WHERE AND HOW ACTIVE REMAINS HIGHLY UNCERTAIN ON MODELS. THIS ALSO LEADS TO LOW CONFIDENCE IN TEMPERATURE FORECASTS AS A LARGE RANGE IS LIKELY ACROSS THIS BOUNDARY. RIGHT NOW HAVE FAVORED A BLEND OF THE EC/GFS/GEM...WHICH BRINGS THE BOUNDARY INTO THE AREA MONDAY AND JUST SOUTH BY TUESDAY. MTF && .AVIATION... FOR THE 18Z TAFS... AN UPPER LEVEL LOW TRAVERSING THE REGION WILL BRING SHOWERS AND A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS TO THE REGION FROM MID/LATE THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH LATE THIS EVENING. A LEADING WAVE OF SHOWERS IS CURRENTLY LIFTING ACROSS PORTIONS OF CENTRAL ILLINOIS AND SHOULD ARRIVE AROUND MID AFTERNOON TO THE CHICAGO/ROCKFORD TERMINALS. INITIALLY DRY CONDITIONS AND VERY WEAK INSTABILITY IN PLACE WILL LIKELY RESULT IN SOME VIRGA WITH ONLY WIDELY SCATTERED SHOWERS MID TO LATE THIS AFTERNOON. WILL HANDLE LOWER PROBABILITY OF SHOWERS ON STATION BY CARRYING A VCSH DURING THIS TIME FRAME. NEXT WAVE OF PRECIP WHICH IS LIFTING ACROSS THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER EARLY THIS AFTERNOON WILL ARRIVE LATE THIS AFTERNOON OR EARLY EVENING AND EXPECT BETTER COVERAGE OF SHOWERS AND POSSIBLY AN ISOLATED THUNDERSTORM OR TWO. THE UPPER LOW WILL FINALLY MOVE OVERHEAD THURSDAY AFTERNOON/EVENING BRINGING ADDITIONAL CHANCES FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. OUTSIDE OF THE INFLUENCE OF SHOWERS...WINDS WILL CONTINUE OUT OF THE SOUTHEAST FOR THE REST OF TODAY WITH SOME GUSTS NEAR OR SLIGHTLY ABOVE 20 KT POSSIBLE. WINDS WILL DIMINISH LATE THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT AND VEER TO THE SOUTH AND EVENTUALLY SOUTHWEST AS A WARM FRONT LIFTS ACROSS THE REGION. A PERIOD OF MVFR CIGS IS POSSIBLE AROUND THE TIME THE FRONT LIFTS THROUGH...THEN SHOULD RETURN TO VFR AS WINDS INCREASE OUT OF THE SOUTHWEST THURSDAY. BMD && .MARINE... 228 AM CDT A WEAK AREA OF LOW PRESSURE IS EXPECTED TO MOVE EASTWARD OVER LAKE MICHIGAN ON THURSDAY. AS THIS LOW MOVES OVER THE LAKE...LIGHT WINDS AND A MOIST AIR MASS COULD PRODUCE A PERIOD OF FOG OVER THE LAKE. HOWEVER...NORTHERLY WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO INCREASE FROM NORTH TO SOUTH OVER THE LAKE THURSDAY NIGHT INTO FRIDAY FOLLOWING THE EASTWARD PASSAGE OF THE SURFACE LOW. THIS SHOULD RESULT IN A PERIOD OF 30 KT NORTHERLY WINDS ON FRIDAY BEFORE WINDS ABATE FRIDAY NIGHT AS A SURFACE RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS OVER THE UPPER GREAT LAKES. LARGE WIND WAVES...LIKELY IN EXCESS OF 5 FEET ON SOUTHERN LAKE MICHIGAN WILL RESULT IN OUR NEXT PERIOD OF SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY CONDITIONS FOR THE ILLINOIS AND INDIANA NEAR SHORE WATERS. OVER THE WEEKEND ANOTHER COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED TO SHIFT SOUTHWARD DOWN LAKE MICHIGAN. THERE IS STILL UNCERTAINTY ON THE EXACT TIMING OF THIS FRONT. HOWEVER...THERE ARE INDICATIONS THAT ANOTHER PERIOD OF STRONGER NORTH-NORTHEASTERLY WINDS WILL SET UP OVER THE LAKE POSSIBLY BY LATE SUNDAY OR MONDAY. THIS WILL BE ANOTHER PERIOD TO WATCH FOR POSSIBLE SMALL CRAFT CONDITIONS ON THE NEAR SHORE WATERS DUE TO WINDS AND HIGH WAVES. KJB && .LOT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... IL...NONE. IN...NONE. LM...NONE. && $$ VISIT US AT HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/CHICAGO (ALL LOWERCASE) FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK...TWITTER...AND YOUTUBE AT: WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/NWSCHICAGO WWW.TWITTER.COM/NWSCHICAGO WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/NWSCHICAGO
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS CHICAGO/ROMEOVILLE, IL
641 AM CDT WED APR 20 2016 .SHORT TERM... 329 AM CDT THROUGH TONIGHT... THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING WILL BRING THE HIGHEST CHANCE FOR SHOWERS IN THE FORECAST AREA IN TEN DAYS. WE HAVE KEPT THE MAIN THEME OF RAIN TIMING BEING MID- AFTERNOON THROUGH EVENING SPREADING FROM WEST TO EAST AND JUST REFINING THAT TO THE HOURLY LEVEL. DID INCREASE THE THUNDER POTENTIAL SOME OVER THE ILLINOIS PART OF THE CWA THOUGH THE RISK FOR SEVERE WEATHER REMAINS QUITE LOW. THE PERSISTENT LARGE UPPER LOW IS GYRATING ITS WAY SLOWLY EAST THIS MORNING WITH ITS CENTER NOW OVER THE CENTRAL PLAINS. A 90 KT UPPER JET ROUNDING THE SOUTHERN EDGE OF THIS CENTER AND ASSOCIATED DEEP PV ANOMALY THIS MORNING WILL HELP RE-DEEPEN THE LOW CENTER BY THIS EVENING OVER IOWA. UPPER FORCING AND ASSOCIATED LIFT IN ADVANCE OF THIS...ALONG WITH A LOW-LEVEL RESPONSE OF THETA-E ADVECTION...WILL SPREAD OVER ILLINOIS DURING THE AFTERNOON. GIVEN THIS WILL BE DURING THE PEAK HEATING TIME...EXPECT THAT THERE WILL BE AN INCREASE IN SHOWER AND STORM ACTIVITY...LIKELY JUST WEST OF THE CWA ALONG THE SYSTEM COLD FRONT DURING THE EARLY TO MID AFTERNOON AND SPREADING EAST FROM THERE. CONVECTIVE ALLOWING MODELS SUCH AS THE HRRR INDICATE THIS INCREASE AND TIMING...THOUGH HAVE VARIED QUITE A BIT FROM RUN-TO-RUN ON THE COVERAGE. A FEW THINGS COULD INDEED LIMIT AFTERNOON SHOWER/STORM COVERAGE SUCH AS THE NARROW NATURE OF THE DEEP MOIST PLUME WRAPPING NORTHWARD INTO THIS SYSTEM. OVERALL THOUGH EXPECT THE AFOREMENTIONED FORCING JUST AHEAD OF THE SYSTEM DRY SLOT TO BE ENOUGH TO PROVIDE AN UPTICK IN SHOWERS DURING THE AFTERNOON INTO EARLY EVENING...WARRANTING LIKELY WORDING IN THE FORECAST. THE INSTABILITY MAGNITUDES /A FEW HUNDRED J/KG/ ARE BETTER FOR THUNDER THAN PREVIOUS FORECAST CYCLES...MAINLY FOR THE NORTH CENTRAL ILLINOIS PART OF THE FORECAST AREA. THE TIMING OF THE MAIN SHOWER AND POSSIBLE THUNDERSTORM AREAS APPEAR TO BE EARLY ENOUGH TO PREVENT DEEPER INSTABILITY RETURN TO LEVELS THAT WOULD WARRANT A THREAT FOR SEVERE STORMS...THOUGH A FEW STRONG ONES WITH MAYBE SOME SMALL HAIL ARE POSSIBLE INTO THE WESTERN CWA WITH FREEZING LEVELS A LITTLE BELOW 10KFT. IN TERMS OF TEMPERATURES...THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY WHICH BROUGHT A 30 DEGREE TEMPERATURE GRADIENT ACROSS THE CWA YESTERDAY...IS NOW DRAPED OVER CENTRAL ILLINOIS TO SOUTHERN INDIANA. THIS WILL LIFT NORTHWARD AS A WARM FRONT TODAY. THE FRONTAL PROGRESSION WILL PROBABLY NOT BE FAR AHEAD OF RAIN SHOWER ACTIVITY WHICH MAKES THE TEMPERATURE FORECAST CHALLENGING. NORTHERN AREAS WILL CERTAINLY BE WARMER THAN YESTERDAY BUT HOW MUCH SO WILL DEPEND ON THE FRONTAL PASSAGE TIMING. ONSHORE FLOW A GOOD PART OF THE DAY FROM CHICAGO NORTHWARD WILL KEEP LAKESIDE TEMPERATURES COOLER AGAIN. FAR SOUTHERN AREAS HAVE THE CHANCE AGAIN TO REACH UPPER 70S. AS THE SYSTEM DRY SLOT WORKS OVERHEAD LATE THIS EVENING INTO OVERNIGHT...THE SHOWER ACTIVITY WILL PUSH NORTHEAST. THE LOW-LEVEL COOL ADVECTION WILL ACTUALLY WEAKEN GIVEN THE OVERALL OCCLUDED NATURE OF THIS SYSTEM...SO LOWS LOOK TO REMAIN IN THE 50S AREAWIDE. MTF && .LONG TERM... 329 AM CDT THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY... THE PRIMARY UPPER LOW WILL GRADUALLY TRANSITION INTO AN OPEN WAVE THROUGH THURSDAY AND THURSDAY NIGHT AND SHOULD DO SO AS IT TRACKS EASTWARD OVER THE FORECAST AREA. WHILE DRY AIR ALOFT WILL PREVENT MUCH FOR SHOWERS THURSDAY MORNING...MOST MODEL GUIDANCE INDICATES THE FORECAST AREA TO BE IN A FAVORABLE AREA OF UPPER SUPPORT TO AT LEAST SEE AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING SCATTERED SHOWERS AND EVEN A FEW STORMS AGAIN. WITH TEMPERATURES THURSDAY AFTERNOON WARMING BACK INTO THE MID 60S TO LOW 70S...THERE SHOULD BE A FEW HUNDRED J/KG OF CAPE TO WORK WITH. LOWER FREEZING LEVELS COULD PROVIDE A FEW SMALL HAIL PRODUCERS. BEHIND THIS TROUGH FRIDAY AND SATURDAY CONTINUE TO LOOK DRY. STOUT NORTHEAST WINDS ON FRIDAY WILL KEEP LAKESHORE HIGHS INCLUDING DOWNTOWN CHICAGO LIKELY SHY OF 50 DEGREES. INLAND AREAS ARE PRESENTLY FORECAST FOR HIGHS IN THE UPPER 50S/LOWER 60S...ALTHOUGH THIS WILL DEPEND ON CLOUDS CLEARING FRIDAY MORNING. GIVEN THE PRESENT AMPLIFIED/SEMI-BLOCKED PATTERN ACROSS THE EASTERN PACIFIC AND CONUS...CONFIDENCE IN THE LONGER TERM PATTERN EVOLUTION REMAINS LOW. A MASSIVE UPPER LOW/TROUGH IS EXPECTED ACROSS EASTERN CANADA AND THIS WILL PROVIDE NORTHWEST FLOW INTO THE GREAT LAKES...WHILE AN UPPER LOW OVER THE SOUTHWEST U.S. IS ANTICIPATED TO SLOWLY WORK ITS WAY EAST. TOGETHER THESE SHOULD DEVELOP A WEST-TO-EAST BAROCLINIC ZONE ACROSS THE MIDWEST THOUGH WHERE AND HOW ACTIVE REMAINS HIGHLY UNCERTAIN ON MODELS. THIS ALSO LEADS TO LOW CONFIDENCE IN TEMPERATURE FORECASTS AS A LARGE RANGE IS LIKELY ACROSS THIS BOUNDARY. RIGHT NOW HAVE FAVORED A BLEND OF THE EC/GFS/GEM...WHICH BRINGS THE BOUNDARY INTO THE AREA MONDAY AND JUST SOUTH BY TUESDAY. MTF && .AVIATION... FOR THE 12Z TAFS... A STORM SYSTEM TO OUR WEST WILL LIFT A WARM FRONT NORTHWARD OVER THE TERMINALS THIS EVENING. THIS WILL LIKELY RESULT IN OUR BEST CHANCE FOR A PERIOD OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER NORTHERN ILLINOIS/NORTHWESTERN INDIANA LATER TODAY INTO THIS EVENING. AS SUCH...I HAVE CONTINUED TO FOCUS THE PRECIPITATION IN THE TAFS TO HIT THE LATE AFTERNOON THROUGH EVENING HOURS WITH SHOWERS. WE STILL CANNOT RULE OUT SOME THUNDERSTORMS DIRECTLY IMPACTING THE TERMINALS AS WELL WITH THIS BATCH OF SHOWERS...AS A MID-LEVEL DRY SLOT SHIFTING INTO THE REGION SHOULD HELP STEEPEN THE MID-LEVEL LAPSE RATES. HOWEVER...WE STILL DONT HAVE HIGH ENOUGH CONFIDENCE ON THE EXACT TIMING TO PLACE IN A TEMPO GROUP AT THIS TIME. WINDS THROUGH THE DAY WILL REMAIN EAST-SOUTHEASTERLY...AND AGAIN COULD BECOME A BIT GUSTY DURING THE DAY. AS THE WARM FRONT LIFTS NORTHWARD THIS EVENING THE WINDS SHOULD BECOME SOUTH-SOUTHWESTERLY. A PERIOD OF LOWER END MVFR/IFR CIGS MAY ALSO DEVELOP OVERNIGHT TONIGHT FOLLOWING THE SHOWER ACTIVITY. CONFIDENCE ON THE EXTENT OF THESE LOWER CIGS IS LOW AT THIS TIME...BUT ANY LOWER CIGS WOULD IMPROVE QUICKLY THURSDAY MORNING. KJB && .MARINE... 228 AM CDT A WEAK AREA OF LOW PRESSURE IS EXPECTED TO MOVE EASTWARD OVER LAKE MICHIGAN ON THURSDAY. AS THIS LOW MOVES OVER THE LAKE...LIGHT WINDS AND A MOIST AIR MASS COULD PRODUCE A PERIOD OF FOG OVER THE LAKE. HOWEVER...NORTHERLY WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO INCREASE FROM NORTH TO SOUTH OVER THE LAKE THURSDAY NIGHT INTO FRIDAY FOLLOWING THE EASTWARD PASSAGE OF THE SURFACE LOW. THIS SHOULD RESULT IN A PERIOD OF 30 KT NORTHERLY WINDS ON FRIDAY BEFORE WINDS ABATE FRIDAY NIGHT AS A SURFACE RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS OVER THE UPPER GREAT LAKES. LARGE WIND WAVES...LIKELY IN EXCESS OF 5 FEET ON SOUTHERN LAKE MICHIGAN WILL RESULT IN OUR NEXT PERIOD OF SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY CONDITIONS FOR THE ILLINOIS AND INDIANA NEAR SHORE WATERS. OVER THE WEEKEND ANOTHER COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED TO SHIFT SOUTHWARD DOWN LAKE MICHIGAN. THERE IS STILL UNCERTAINTY ON THE EXACT TIMING OF THIS FRONT. HOWEVER...THERE ARE INDICATIONS THAT ANOTHER PERIOD OF STRONGER NORTH-NORTHEASTERLY WINDS WILL SET UP OVER THE LAKE POSSIBLY BY LATE SUNDAY OR MONDAY. THIS WILL BE ANOTHER PERIOD TO WATCH FOR POSSIBLE SMALL CRAFT CONDITIONS ON THE NEAR SHORE WATERS DUE TO WINDS AND HIGH WAVES. KJB && .LOT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... IL...NONE. IN...NONE. LM...NONE. && $$ VISIT US AT HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/CHICAGO (ALL LOWERCASE) FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK...TWITTER...AND YOUTUBE AT: WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/NWSCHICAGO WWW.TWITTER.COM/NWSCHICAGO WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/NWSCHICAGO
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS CHICAGO/ROMEOVILLE, IL
331 AM CDT WED APR 20 2016 .SHORT TERM... 329 AM CDT THROUGH TONIGHT... THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING WILL BRING THE HIGHEST CHANCE FOR SHOWERS IN THE FORECAST AREA IN TEN DAYS. WE HAVE KEPT THE MAIN THEME OF RAIN TIMING BEING MID- AFTERNOON THROUGH EVENING SPREADING FROM WEST TO EAST AND JUST REFINING THAT TO THE HOURLY LEVEL. DID INCREASE THE THUNDER POTENTIAL SOME OVER THE ILLINOIS PART OF THE CWA THOUGH THE RISK FOR SEVERE WEATHER REMAINS QUITE LOW. THE PERSISTENT LARGE UPPER LOW IS GYRATING ITS WAY SLOWLY EAST THIS MORNING WITH ITS CENTER NOW OVER THE CENTRAL PLAINS. A 90 KT UPPER JET ROUNDING THE SOUTHERN EDGE OF THIS CENTER AND ASSOCIATED DEEP PV ANOMALY THIS MORNING WILL HELP RE-DEEPEN THE LOW CENTER BY THIS EVENING OVER IOWA. UPPER FORCING AND ASSOCIATED LIFT IN ADVANCE OF THIS...ALONG WITH A LOW-LEVEL RESPONSE OF THETA-E ADVECTION...WILL SPREAD OVER ILLINOIS DURING THE AFTERNOON. GIVEN THIS WILL BE DURING THE PEAK HEATING TIME...EXPECT THAT THERE WILL BE AN INCREASE IN SHOWER AND STORM ACTIVITY...LIKELY JUST WEST OF THE CWA ALONG THE SYSTEM COLD FRONT DURING THE EARLY TO MID AFTERNOON AND SPREADING EAST FROM THERE. CONVECTIVE ALLOWING MODELS SUCH AS THE HRRR INDICATE THIS INCREASE AND TIMING...THOUGH HAVE VARIED QUITE A BIT FROM RUN-TO-RUN ON THE COVERAGE. A FEW THINGS COULD INDEED LIMIT AFTERNOON SHOWER/STORM COVERAGE SUCH AS THE NARROW NATURE OF THE DEEP MOIST PLUME WRAPPING NORTHWARD INTO THIS SYSTEM. OVERALL THOUGH EXPECT THE AFOREMENTIONED FORCING JUST AHEAD OF THE SYSTEM DRY SLOT TO BE ENOUGH TO PROVIDE AN UPTICK IN SHOWERS DURING THE AFTERNOON INTO EARLY EVENING...WARRANTING LIKELY WORDING IN THE FORECAST. THE INSTABILITY MAGNITUDES /A FEW HUNDRED J/KG/ ARE BETTER FOR THUNDER THAN PREVIOUS FORECAST CYCLES...MAINLY FOR THE NORTH CENTRAL ILLINOIS PART OF THE FORECAST AREA. THE TIMING OF THE MAIN SHOWER AND POSSIBLE THUNDERSTORM AREAS APPEAR TO BE EARLY ENOUGH TO PREVENT DEEPER INSTABILITY RETURN TO LEVELS THAT WOULD WARRANT A THREAT FOR SEVERE STORMS...THOUGH A FEW STRONG ONES WITH MAYBE SOME SMALL HAIL ARE POSSIBLE INTO THE WESTERN CWA WITH FREEZING LEVELS A LITTLE BELOW 10KFT. IN TERMS OF TEMPERATURES...THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY WHICH BROUGHT A 30 DEGREE TEMPERATURE GRADIENT ACROSS THE CWA YESTERDAY...IS NOW DRAPED OVER CENTRAL ILLINOIS TO SOUTHERN INDIANA. THIS WILL LIFT NORTHWARD AS A WARM FRONT TODAY. THE FRONTAL PROGRESSION WILL PROBABLY NOT BE FAR AHEAD OF RAIN SHOWER ACTIVITY WHICH MAKES THE TEMPERATURE FORECAST CHALLENGING. NORTHERN AREAS WILL CERTAINLY BE WARMER THAN YESTERDAY BUT HOW MUCH SO WILL DEPEND ON THE FRONTAL PASSAGE TIMING. ONSHORE FLOW A GOOD PART OF THE DAY FROM CHICAGO NORTHWARD WILL KEEP LAKESIDE TEMPERATURES COOLER AGAIN. FAR SOUTHERN AREAS HAVE THE CHANCE AGAIN TO REACH UPPER 70S. AS THE SYSTEM DRY SLOT WORKS OVERHEAD LATE THIS EVENING INTO OVERNIGHT...THE SHOWER ACTIVITY WILL PUSH NORTHEAST. THE LOW-LEVEL COOL ADVECTION WILL ACTUALLY WEAKEN GIVEN THE OVERALL OCCLUDED NATURE OF THIS SYSTEM...SO LOWS LOOK TO REMAIN IN THE 50S AREAWIDE. MTF && .LONG TERM... 329 AM CDT THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY... THE PRIMARY UPPER LOW WILL GRADUALLY TRANSITION INTO AN OPEN WAVE THROUGH THURSDAY AND THURSDAY NIGHT AND SHOULD DO SO AS IT TRACKS EASTWARD OVER THE FORECAST AREA. WHILE DRY AIR ALOFT WILL PREVENT MUCH FOR SHOWERS THURSDAY MORNING...MOST MODEL GUIDANCE INDICATES THE FORECAST AREA TO BE IN A FAVORABLE AREA OF UPPER SUPPORT TO AT LEAST SEE AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING SCATTERED SHOWERS AND EVEN A FEW STORMS AGAIN. WITH TEMPERATURES THURSDAY AFTERNOON WARMING BACK INTO THE MID 60S TO LOW 70S...THERE SHOULD BE A FEW HUNDRED J/KG OF CAPE TO WORK WITH. LOWER FREEZING LEVELS COULD PROVIDE A FEW SMALL HAIL PRODUCERS. BEHIND THIS TROUGH FRIDAY AND SATURDAY CONTINUE TO LOOK DRY. STOUT NORTHEAST WINDS ON FRIDAY WILL KEEP LAKESHORE HIGHS INCLUDING DOWNTOWN CHICAGO LIKELY SHY OF 50 DEGREES. INLAND AREAS ARE PRESENTLY FORECAST FOR HIGHS IN THE UPPER 50S/LOWER 60S...ALTHOUGH THIS WILL DEPEND ON CLOUDS CLEARING FRIDAY MORNING. GIVEN THE PRESENT AMPLIFIED/SEMI-BLOCKED PATTERN ACROSS THE EASTERN PACIFIC AND CONUS...CONFIDENCE IN THE LONGER TERM PATTERN EVOLUTION REMAINS LOW. A MASSIVE UPPER LOW/TROUGH IS EXPECTED ACROSS EASTERN CANADA AND THIS WILL PROVIDE NORTHWEST FLOW INTO THE GREAT LAKES...WHILE AN UPPER LOW OVER THE SOUTHWEST U.S. IS ANTICIPATED TO SLOWLY WORK ITS WAY EAST. TOGETHER THESE SHOULD DEVELOP A WEST-TO-EAST BAROCLINIC ZONE ACROSS THE MIDWEST THOUGH WHERE AND HOW ACTIVE REMAINS HIGHLY UNCERTAIN ON MODELS. THIS ALSO LEADS TO LOW CONFIDENCE IN TEMPERATURE FORECASTS AS A LARGE RANGE IS LIKELY ACROSS THIS BOUNDARY. RIGHT NOW HAVE FAVORED A BLEND OF THE EC/GFS/GEM...WHICH BRINGS THE BOUNDARY INTO THE AREA MONDAY AND JUST SOUTH BY TUESDAY. MTF && .AVIATION... FOR THE 06Z TAFS... A STORM SYSTEM TO OUR WEST WILL LIFT A WARM FRONT NORTHWARD OVER THE TERMINALS BY THIS EVENING. THIS WILL LIKELY RESULT IN OUR BEST CHANCE FOR A PERIOD OF SHOWERS AND SOME THUNDERSTORMS OVER NORTHERN ILLINOIS/NORTHWESTERN INDIANA LATER TODAY INTO THIS EVENING. AS SUCH...I HAVE TWEAKED THE TIMING OF THE PRECIPITATION IN THE TAFS TO HIT THE LATE AFTERNOON THROUGH MID EVENING HOURS WITH SHOWERS. WE ALSO CANNOT RULE OUT SOME THUNDERSTORMS AS WELL WITH THIS BATCH OF SHOWERS...AS A MID-LEVEL DRY SLOT SHIFTING INTO THE REGION SHOULD HELP STEEPEN THE MID-LEVEL LAPSE RATES. AT THIS TIME I HAVE OPTED TO HOLD OFF INCLUDING THE THUNDER IN A TEMPO...BUT THE BEST CHANCES OF THUNDER WOULD LIKELY FALL IN THE CURRENT 00-03 UTC (22-01 UTC) TEMPO GROUPS AT THE EASTERN (KRFD) TAF SITES. WINDS THROUGH THE DAY WILL REMAIN EAST-SOUTHEASTERLY...AND AGAIN COULD BECOME A BIT GUSTY DURING THE DAY. AS THE WARM FRONT LIFTS NORTHWARD THIS EVENING THE WINDS SHOULD BECOME SOUTH-SOUTHWESTERLY. A PERIOD OF MVFR CIGS COULD ALSO ACCOMPANY THE WARM FRONTAL BOUNDARY. KJB && .MARINE... 228 AM CDT A WEAK AREA OF LOW PRESSURE IS EXPECTED TO MOVE EASTWARD OVER LAKE MICHIGAN ON THURSDAY. AS THIS LOW MOVES OVER THE LAKE...LIGHT WINDS AND A MOIST AIR MASS COULD PRODUCE A PERIOD OF FOG OVER THE LAKE. HOWEVER...NORTHERLY WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO INCREASE FROM NORTH TO SOUTH OVER THE LAKE THURSDAY NIGHT INTO FRIDAY FOLLOWING THE EASTWARD PASSAGE OF THE SURFACE LOW. THIS SHOULD RESULT IN A PERIOD OF 30 KT NORTHERLY WINDS ON FRIDAY BEFORE WINDS ABATE FRIDAY NIGHT AS A SURFACE RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS OVER THE UPPER GREAT LAKES. LARGE WIND WAVES...LIKELY IN EXCESS OF 5 FEET ON SOUTHERN LAKE MICHIGAN WILL RESULT IN OUR NEXT PERIOD OF SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY CONDITIONS FOR THE ILLINOIS AND INDIANA NEAR SHORE WATERS. OVER THE WEEKEND ANOTHER COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED TO SHIFT SOUTHWARD DOWN LAKE MICHIGAN. THERE IS STILL UNCERTAINTY ON THE EXACT TIMING OF THIS FRONT. HOWEVER...THERE ARE INDICATIONS THAT ANOTHER PERIOD OF STRONGER NORTH-NORTHEASTERLY WINDS WILL SET UP OVER THE LAKE POSSIBLY BY LATE SUNDAY OR MONDAY. THIS WILL BE ANOTHER PERIOD TO WATCH FOR POSSIBLE SMALL CRAFT CONDITIONS ON THE NEAR SHORE WATERS DUE TO WINDS AND HIGH WAVES. KJB && .LOT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... IL...NONE. IN...NONE. LM...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY...ILLINOIS NEARSHORE WATERS UNTIL 4 AM WEDNESDAY. && $$ VISIT US AT HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/CHICAGO (ALL LOWERCASE) FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK...TWITTER...AND YOUTUBE AT: WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/NWSCHICAGO WWW.TWITTER.COM/NWSCHICAGO WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/NWSCHICAGO
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS CHICAGO/ROMEOVILLE, IL
1252 AM CDT WED APR 20 2016 .UPDATE... 855 PM CDT FRONTAL BOUNDARY BEGAN TO SAG SOUTH ACROSS NORTHERN IL/NORTHWEST IN EARLIER TODAY AND RESULTED IN A WIND SHIFT FROM THE SOUTH/SOUTHWEST TO NORTH/NORTHEAST...COUPLED WITH MUCH COOLER AIR FLOWING INTO NORTHERN IL. TEMPERATURES QUICKLY FELL INTO THE LOW/MID 50S...MEANWHILE SOUTH OF THE BOUNDARY TEMPERATURES WERE HOLDING IN THE 70S. THE BOUNDARY HAS PUSHED SOUTH OF THE FORECAST AREA INTO CENTRAL IL TONIGHT...AND IS EXPECTED TO BECOME STATIONARY OVERNIGHT. SCATTERED SHOWERS ACROSS NORTHWEST IL HAVE STEADILY DIMINISHED IN COVERAGE AND INTENSITY...AND LATEST HI-RES FORECAST GUIDANCE CONTINUES TO LEAN TOWARDS PRECIP COMING TO AN END OVERNIGHT THROUGH DAYBREAK WED. WITH HIGH PRESSURE POSITIONED OVER LOWER MICHIGAN TO JAMES BAY...THIS MAY ALLOW FOR SOME POCKETS OF DRIER AIR AND LESS CLOUD COVER OVERNIGHT...BUT ANY BREAKS WILL BE SHORT LIVED. A WEAK SHORT WAVE IS PROGGED TO DEVELOP OVER THE CENTRAL PLAINS LATE TONIGHT AND WILL HELP TO ENERGIZE THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY...LIFTING THE BOUNDARY BACK NORTH WEDNESDAY AND BRINGING AN INCREASING CHANCE FOR PRECIP BY MID-MORNING. TIMING OF THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY WED WILL DICTATE HIGH TEMPS...BUT CURRENTLY EXPECTING HIGHS TO PUSH BACK INTO THE UPPER 60S TO LOW 70S. THE BETTER CHANCE FOR SHOWERS AND POSSIBLY THUNDERSTORMS WILL ARRIVE IN THE WED AFTERNOON TIMEFRAME. BEACHLER && .SHORT TERM... 236 PM CDT THROUGH TODAY... FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE AFTERNOON AND INTO THE EVENING...THE MAIN FOCUS WILL BE PCPN EXTENT AND TEMPERATURE DISTRIBUTION. AS OF 230PM CDT...WITH A WEAK TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE ACROSS THE MISSOURI VALLEY AND STRONG HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE UPPER GREAT LAKES...ALONG WITH A WEAK FRONTAL BOUNDARY ROUGHLY ALONG THE ILLINOIS AND KANKAKEE RIVER VALLEYS...THERE HAS BEEN QUITE A SPREAD IN TEMPERATURES ACROSS THE REGION. WITH PREVAILING NORTHEASTERLY FLOW OFF OF THE COOL WATERS OF LAKE MICHIGAN NORTH OF THE BOUNDARY...AND SOUTHERLY FLOW TO THE SOUTH...TEMPERATURES ACROSS THE SOUTHERN PORTIONS OF THE CWA ARE IN THE MIDDLE TO UPPER 70S...WITH SOME LOCATIONS POSSIBLY SEE 80F AGAIN TODAY. HOWEVER...NORTH OF THE BOUNDARY...TEMPERATURES ARE MUCH LOWER...WITH HIGHS TODAY TOPPING OUT ONLY IN THE LOWER 50S. A FEW LAKEFRONT LOCATIONS MAY ONLY SEE TEMPS REACH THE UPPER 40S. PERSISTENT RAIN HAS BEEN FALLING OVER MUCH OF NWRN IL...WITH THE MOST WIDESPREAD RAIN INVOF A VORT MAX SLOWLY LIFTING NEWD. EXPECT THAT THE VORT WILL EVENTUALLY LIFT INTO WISCONSIN AND PCPN CHANCES SHOULD DIMINISH THROUGH THE NIGHT. WHILE THERE WILL STILL BE SOME RESIDUAL CHANCE FOR SOME SHOWERS OVERNIGHT ...ESPECIALLY WEST OF THE I-39 CORRIDOR...NERN IL AND NWRN IN SHOULD REMAIN DRY. HOWEVER...THERE IS A CHANCE FOR AN ISOLD SHOWER THROUGH THIS EVENING OVER THE CHICAGO METRO AREA. WITH A RELATIVELY MOIST AIRMASS AND THICK CLOUD COVER EXPECTED TO REMAIN IN PLACE OVERNIGHT...TEMPERATURES SHOULD REMAIN RELATIVELY MILD. OVERNIGHT LOWS ACROSS THE AREA SHOULD RANGE FROM THE UPPER 50S OVER THE PONTIAC METRO AREA TO THE UPPER 40S TO LOWER 50S OVER THE REMAINDER OF THE AREA. KREIN && .LONG TERM... 308 PM CDT WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY... LINGERING SHOWER CHANCES WILL REMAIN WEDNESDAY MORNING PRIMARILY ACROSS NORTHERN ILLINOIS...WHILE WEAK ENERGY CONTINUES TO LIFT NORTH OUT AHEAD OF APPROACHING LARGE UPPER LEVEL SYSTEM OVER THE PLAINS. HOWEVER...COVERAGE/DURATION WILL REMAIN LOW WITH THIS WEAK ASCENT...AND SO HAVE KEPT POPS LOW DURING THIS TIME. SLOWLY INCREASE POPS THROUGH MIDDAY AND EARLY AFTERNOON WEDNESDAY AS THIS SYSTEM WORKS ITS WAY EAST AND WHILE STRONGER ENERGY WRAPS AROUND THIS SYSTEM. THIS WILL OCCUR AS FRONTAL BOUNDARY LIFTS NORTH THROUGH THE CWA AND WITH DEWPOINTS REBOUNDING BACK INTO THE 50S. THIS SHOULD ALLOW COVERAGE OF SHOWERS TO INCREASE OVER MUCH OF NORTHERN ILLINOIS...ESPECIALLY BY THE LATE AFTERNOON TIME FRAME. INSTABILITY WILL INCREASE DURING THE AFTERNOON BUT WILL REMAIN ON THE LOW SIDE. HOWEVER...WITH INCREASING FORCING ALOFT...DO THINK THUNDERSTORM CHANCES WILL REMAIN. DO THINK TEMPS WILL REBOUND ACROSS THE CWA ON WEDNESDAY WITH BOUNDARY LIFTING NORTH...SO RAISED HIGH TEMPS WITH MOST LOCATIONS GETTING INTO THE UPPER 60S WITH THE EXCEPTION OF AREAS NEAR THE LAKE IN NORTHEAST ILLINOIS. PUSH OF PRECIP WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON WILL CONTINUE TO LIFT NORTHEAST THROUGH THE EARLY EVENING AS THIS ENERGY PUSHES THROUGH. SYSTEM WILL BECOME MORE STACKED DURING THE NIGHT WITH THE SURFACE LOW WEAKENING AS IT MOVES INTO THE CWA LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO THURSDAY MORNING. THIS SHOULD ALLOW FOR COVERAGE OF ANY PRECIP TO LOWER WITH A DRY PERIOD POSSIBLE FOR MOST AREAS. HOWEVER...THIS UPPER LEVEL TROUGH WILL QUICKLY OPEN UP AS IT SWINGS THROUGH THE CWA ON THURSDAY. LINGERING HIGHER DEWPOINTS ALONG SURFACE TROUGH AXIS WITH THIS ADDITIONAL FORCING WILL ALLOW FOR ADDITIONAL SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP BY LATE THURSDAY MORNING INTO THE AFTERNOON. GIVEN THE ANTICIPATED COVERAGE AT THIS TIME DID NOT RAISE POPS TOO HIGH...BUT COULD SEE THEM RAISED FURTHER WITH LATER FORECASTS. THIS PRECIP IS EXPECTED TO DIMINISH AS IT EXITS TO THE EAST THURSDAY EVENING WITH THE DEPARTURE OF THIS SYSTEM. DID LEAVE A SLIGHT CHANCE FOR SHOWERS THURSDAY NIGHT AS SOME ISOLATED DEVELOPMENT COULD OCCUR ALONG SOUTHWARD DRIFTING BOUNDARY. BUILDING HIGH PRESSURE WILL THEN BRING PERIOD OF DRY WEATHER TO THE AREA FRIDAY. FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY... QUIET AND NEAR TO SLIGHTLY ABOVE LATE APRIL NORMAL TEMPERATURES WILL BE IN STORE TO START THE WEEKEND. EXPECTING HIGHS IN THE MID TO UPPER 60S INLAND ON SATURDAY. WITH HIGH PRESSURE NEARBY...WINDS SHOULD STAY ONSHORE FOR AT LEAST THE ILLINOIS SHORE KEEPING TEMPERATURES IN THE 50S THERE. ATTENTION WILL THEN TURN TO A MID/UPPER TROUGH EJECTING INTO THE CENTRAL AND NORTHERN PLAINS ON SUNDAY AND SHEARING OUT EARLY NEXT WEEK. THE ASSOCIATED SURFACE LOW FROM THIS TROUGH WILL HAVE A QUASI-STATIONARY FRONTAL BOUNDARY EXTENDING EASTWARD FROM IT SUNDAY AND MONDAY UNTIL THE BOUNDARY POTENTIALLY SHIFTS SOUTH OF THE AREA BY TUESDAY. THIS WILL HAVE AN IMPACT ON OUR SENSIBLE WEATHER CONDITIONS WITH RESPECT TO TEMPERATURES AND PRECIPITATION CHANCES. A DISTURBANCE RIDING OVER THE TOP OF THE MID/UPPER RIDGE OVER THE AREA COULD RESULT IN PRECIP CHANCES RETURNING LATE SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY. THEN CONVERGENCE ALONG THE QUASI- STATIONARY FRONT AND ADDITIONAL WAVES EMANATING FROM THE WEAKENING TROUGH COULD BRING A FEW ADDITIONAL ROUNDS OF SHOWERS INTO MONDAY AND A FINAL WAVE NORTH OF THE SOUTHWARD SINKING FRONT ON TUESDAY. MAINTAINED CHANCE POPS FROM BLENDED INITIALIZATION. DESPITE SEVERAL PERIODS OF PRECIP CHANCES...IT DOES NOT APPEAR LIKELY TO BE A WASHOUT. THE BEST INSTABILITY AXIS WILL REMAIN PRIMARILY TO OUR SOUTH AND WEST...THOUGH OCCASIONAL ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE IN THE SOUTHWESTERN 1/3 OR 1/4 OF THE CWA. THE POSITION OF THE FRONT WILL DETERMINE WHETHER MOST OR ALL OF THE LAKESHORE RECEIVES PERSISTENT ONSHORE FLOW LATER SUNDAY AND MONDAY...BUT AT LEAST THE IL SHORE WILL LIKELY BE MUCH COOLER THAN INLAND AREAS. AFTER TEMPERATURES LIKELY WELL INTO THE 60S AND EVEN 70S INLAND ON SUNDAY AND MONDAY...TEMPERATURES WILL COOL BACK TO SEASONABLE FOR LATE APRIL TUESDAY...AND EVEN COOLER FOR THE SHORE DUE TO ONSHORE WINDS. RODRIGUEZ/RC && .AVIATION... FOR THE 06Z TAFS... A STORM SYSTEM TO OUR WEST WILL LIFT A WARM FRONT NORTHWARD OVER THE TERMINALS BY THIS EVENING. THIS WILL LIKELY RESULT IN OUR BEST CHANCE FOR A PERIOD OF SHOWERS AND SOME THUNDERSTORMS OVER NORTHERN ILLINOIS/NORTHWESTERN INDIANA LATER TODAY INTO THIS EVENING. AS SUCH...I HAVE TWEAKED THE TIMING OF THE PRECIPITATION IN THE TAFS TO HIT THE LATE AFTERNOON THROUGH MID EVENING HOURS WITH SHOWERS. WE ALSO CANNOT RULE OUT SOME THUNDERSTORMS AS WELL WITH THIS BATCH OF SHOWERS...AS A MID-LEVEL DRY SLOT SHIFTING INTO THE REGION SHOULD HELP STEEPEN THE MID-LEVEL LAPSE RATES. AT THIS TIME I HAVE OPTED TO HOLD OFF INCLUDING THE THUNDER IN A TEMPO...BUT THE BEST CHANCES OF THUNDER WOULD LIKELY FALL IN THE CURRENT 00-03 UTC (22-01 UTC) TEMPO GROUPS AT THE EASTERN (KRFD) TAF SITES. WINDS THROUGH THE DAY WILL REMAIN EAST-SOUTHEASTERLY...AND AGAIN COULD BECOME A BIT GUSTY DURING THE DAY. AS THE WARM FRONT LIFTS NORTHWARD THIS EVENING THE WINDS SHOULD BECOME SOUTH-SOUTHWESTERLY. A PERIOD OF MVFR CIGS COULD ALSO ACCOMPANY THE WARM FRONTAL BOUNDARY. KJB && .MARINE... 324 PM CDT EAST-NORTHEAST WINDS OVER THE LAKE TODAY WILL TURN SOUTHEAST ON THE SOUTHERN PART OF THE LAKE ON WEDNESDAY AS A FRONTAL BOUNDARY LIFTS NORTH. EXPECT A PERIOD OF SOUTHERLY WINDS ON THURSDAY AS THE FRONT LIFTS FARTHER NORTH. BY THURSDAY NIGHT...A STRONGER COLD FRONT WILL PUSH SOUTH...RESULTING IN A PERIOD OF STRONGER NORTHERLY WINDS INTO FRIDAY. GUSTS WILL LIKELY BE IN THE 25-30 KT RANGE. THE NORTHERLY WINDS AND BUILDING WAVES WILL LIKELY NECESSITATE A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FRIDAY INTO FRIDAY EVENING FOR THE ILLINOIS AND INDIANA NEARSHORE WATERS. HIGH PRESSURE WILL BRING FAIRLY LIGHT WINDS FOR THE WHOLE LAKE ON SATURDAY. THEREAFTER...A QUASI-STATIONARY FRONT WILL EXTEND EAST FROM A SURFACE LOW OVER THE PLAINS SUNDAY AND MONDAY...WITH MOST OF THE OPEN WATER AREA LIKELY NORTH OF THE FRONT RESULTING IN MODERATE EASTERLY WINDS. DIRECTIONS COULD BE VARIABLE FOR THE NEARSHORE AND FAR SOUTHERN OPEN WATERS DEPENDING ON THE POSITION OF THE FRONT. THE FRONT WILL SAG WELL SOUTH OF THE LAKE ON TUESDAY...CAUSING NORTHEAST WINDS FOR THE WHOLE LAKE. RC && .LOT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... IL...NONE. IN...NONE. LM...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY...ILLINOIS NEARSHORE WATERS UNTIL 4 AM WEDNESDAY. && $$ VISIT US AT HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/CHICAGO (ALL LOWERCASE) FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK...TWITTER...AND YOUTUBE AT: WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/NWSCHICAGO WWW.TWITTER.COM/NWSCHICAGO WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/NWSCHICAGO
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Lincoln IL 1130 PM CDT TUE APR 19 2016 .UPDATE... Issued at 827 PM CDT Tue Apr 19 2016 Convection over central Illinois since late afternoon has been most numerous just west of the Illinois River, with scattered thunderstorms and heavier rains at times. Showers have occurred as far east as Springfield, but this has been fading as of late. Overall trend in our forecast area has been for a decreasing trend over the last couple hours, with mainly light rains left from about Peoria-Springfield westward. Latest surface map showing the frontal boundary roughly along the I-72 corridor back into central Missouri where additional thunderstorms are occurring, and a gradual northward shift is expected later tonight. The current HRRR and earlier high- resolution NMM/ARW models have been significantly easing up on the precipitation this evening and are largely dry overnight. Have made some significant adjustments to the PoP trends to back off on the rain chances after midnight as a result. && .SHORT TERM...(Tonight) ISSUED AT 314 PM CDT Tue Apr 19 2016 Large upper level low over the western half of the country is not making much progress, nor is much eastern progression expected in the overnight. With some weak lift over the area and several weak boundaries in the vicinity...some rain chances cannot be ruled out around sunset in the west... as well as increasing slight chances after midnight for much of Central Illinois. At least initially tonight, the rainfall should remain scattered and more showery in nature. The deep low over the western half of the county has much of the northern half of IL and WI in a weak flow pattern as well...winds should remain somewhat light and variable through the overnight hours with some trend to southeasterly. Showers are expected to begin spreading in coverage at least after midnight...but confidence for any one location is small with the slowing system. .LONG TERM...(Wednesday through Tuesday) ISSUED AT 314 PM CDT Tue Apr 19 2016 Shorter range models are generally in agreement with their strength and timing of moving the closed upper low in the High Plains toward the mid-MS Valley by early Thursday. The GFS is a little quicker and a little farther south than the other models but overall their solutions are fairly similar, particularly the NAM and European. Scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms early Wed morning should give way to more widespread coverage of rainfall from later in the morning through the early evening. With deep moisture taking awhile to increase most of the rain accumulation will be on the lighter side. However, the best moisture, but with limited instability, will focus in the warm sector ahead of the cold front Wednesday afternoon into the evening. This will coincide with the highest PoPs and the vast majority of the QPF. Due to the limited instability will stick with isolated thunder through the shorter range. The upper level trough axis from the lifting upper level low is expected to pass through central IL early Thursday and eastern IL Thursday evening. This will bring a gradual end to the showers and isolated thunderstorms from west to east during the day Thursday. A secondary shortwave trough rotating through Great Lakes toward the upper Ohio Valley Friday could keep a few lingering showers south of I-70, otherwise a decreasing cloud trend and temperatures typical for later April in the mid-upper 60s can be expected. A piece of an upper level ridge over the western U.S. will flatten and get pushed east toward our region for early in the weekend. Dry weather with temperatures in the lower 70s can be expected on Saturday as a result. Things get a bit more complicated for Sunday into early next week as a series of vigorous upper level troughs move from the western U.S. toward the Plains and Midwest. In addition, a large upper trough in eastern Canada will move little, resulting in the approaching energy being sheared eastward across the Great Lakes. The resulting upper flow across area would be from the WSW, which means that frontal boundaries could lay out from west to east in the vicinity of Illinois. This would result in an unsettled period of weather with slightly warmer than normal temperatures by early next week. && .AVIATION...(For the 06Z TAFS through 06Z Wednesday night) Issued at 1130 PM CDT Tue Apr 19 2016 Some lingering showers were west of KPIA but moving northwest, so general overnight theme will be for dry conditions and VFR ceilings generally above 9000 feet. Have even seen some fairly extensive clearing near KCMI which will result in ceilings scattering out at times. Frontal boundary roughly along a KUIN-KDNV line at 05Z will start to lift northward later tonight, with winds trending more southeast toward sunrise. Ceilings will be steadily decreasing after 12Z as an area of showers sweeps across central Illinois. Low VFR conditions expected to accompany these showers late morning and early afternoon. Additional showers and storms will advance out of Missouri in the afternoon ahead of a cold front, and have added VCTS mention to all TAF sites late afternoon and early evening. Ceilings expected to fall into MVFR range early afternoon ahead of the second area of showers/storms. Ceilings will rise in the evening immediately behind the passage of the front itself, with KPIA/KSPI most likely to see this before the end of the forecast period. && .ILX Watches/Warnings/Advisories... NONE. && $$ UPDATE...Geelhart SHORT TERM...HJS LONG TERM...Miller AVIATION...Geelhart
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS NORTHERN INDIANA
858 PM EDT THU APR 21 2016 .SYNOPSIS... ISSUED AT 334 PM EDT THU APR 21 2016 SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS WILL IMPACT THE REGION INTO TONIGHT. SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME...BUT THE STRONGEST STORMS COULD PRODUCE SMALL HAIL AND LOCALIZED GUSTY WINDS THROUGH THIS EVENING. RAIN CHANCES WILL LINGER INTO FRIDAY MAINLY ALONG AND SOUTHEAST OF INTERSTATE 69. LOWS TONIGHT IN THE MID 40S TO MID 50S. HIGHS ON FRIDAY WILL GENERALLY BE IN THE UPPER 50S TO MIDDLE 60S AWAY FROM LAKE MICHIGAN...WITH COOL ONSHORE FLOW LEADING TO HIGHS ONLY AROUND 50. && .UPDATE... ISSUED AT 804 PM EDT THU APR 21 2016 LEAD VORT MAX WILL CONTINUE TO SHIFT ACROSS NORTHWEST OHIO OVER THE NEXT HOUR OR TWO. EXTENT/INTENSITY OF THUNDER HAS DIMINISHED WITH THIS AREA OF RAIN OVER THE PAST FEW HOURS AS FORCING WITH THIS VORT MAX HAS OUTRUN BETTER INSTABILITY. ADDITIONAL SCATTERED STORMS HAVE DEVELOPED ACROSS WESTERN PORTIONS OF THE FORECAST AREA EARLY THIS EVENING COINCIDENT WITH PRIMARY 500-1000 J/KG INSTABILITY AXIS. INSTABILITY SHOULD BECOME PROGRESSIVELY MORE ELEVATED OVER NEXT SEVERAL HOURS WHICH SHOULD RESULT IN DOWNWARD TREND OF CONVECTIVE INTENSITY. STILL SOME LOW END POTENTIAL OF SOME SMALL HAIL/LOCALIZED WIND GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 40 MPH WITH STRONGER CORES ACROSS MAINLY WESTERN HALF OF THE FORECAST AREA THROUGH 03Z HOWEVER. WILL KEEP LIKELY RAIN/CHANCE THUNDER MENTION GOING THROUGH THE EVENING WITH HIGHEST POPS IN THE SOUTH DUE TO DIGGING NATURE OF APPROACHING UPPER TROUGH. POCKET OF STEEPER MID LEVEL LAPSE RATES ADVECTING INTO THE AREA ACCOMPANYING THIS FEATURE SHOULD PROLONG ISOLD THUNDER POTENTIAL INTO THE OVERNIGHT HOURS...AND MAINLY ACROSS THE SOUTH/SOUTHEAST. ONLY TWEAK FOR THE EVENING UPDATE WAS TO REFINE POPS FOR CURRENT TRENDS BUT OTHER FORECAST ELEMENTS APPEAR TO BE ON TRACK. && .SHORT TERM...(THIS EVENING THROUGH FRIDAY) ISSUED AT 334 PM EDT THU APR 21 2016 MAIN FOCUS ON CONVECTIVE DEVELOPMENT IN FAR WESTERN PARTS OF FORECAST AREA AS WELL AS UPSTREAM NEAR THE UPPER LOW. SOME POCKETS OF CLEARING/BREAKS HAVE OCCURRED ALLOWING TEMPERATURES TO CLIMB INTO THE 60S ACROSS THE AREA AND MAKING A RUN AT 70 IN WEST/SW LOCATIONS. NARROW PLUME OF HIGHER DEWPOINTS WAS NOW SHIFTING ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA WITH SLIGHTLY LOWER READINGS UNDER THE CLEARING AND WHERE CONVECTION WAS ATTEMPTING TO POP. ISOLATED SHOWERS/STORMS HAVE BEEN DEVELOPING OVER THE LAST 30 TO 60 MINUTES...LIKELY CONTAINING AT LEAST SOME SMALL HAIL. ARC OF STORMS ONGOING CLOSER TO THE UPPER LOW FROM WATERLOO IOWA TO MOLINE TO WEST OF SPRINGFIELD IL. HRRR SUGGESTS THIS ACTIVITY WILL MOVE SLOWLY NORTHEAST AND EXPAND MORE IN THE 22 TO 02Z WINDOW. HAVE KEPT HIGH SCT TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS WITH MENTION OF THUNDER THROUGH THE EVENING. EVE SHIFT MAY NEED TO ADJUST FOR TRENDS. TEMPERATURES WILL SLOWLY FALL THIS EVENING AS AREA REMAINS IN THE WARM SECTOR...WITH SLOW FALL OVERNIGHT AS THE COLD FRONT APPROACHES. UPPER LOW WILL CONTINUE TO OPEN AND LINGER FRIDAY...ONLY DRIFTING SLOWLY EAST INTO SOUTHERN OHIO BY 00Z SAT. GIVEN UPSTREAM TRENDS UNDER THE UPPER LOW WITH SCATTERED SHOWERS AROUND...SEE NO REASON TO MAKE ANY MAJOR CHANGES TO SE HALF OF THE AREA INTO MID AFTERNOON WITH SCATTERED SHOWERS. WHILE NOT INTRODUCED...MAY NEED TO ADD PASSING MENTION OF THUNDER AS SFC CAPE INCREASES TO AROUND 500 J/KG AND MARGINAL LAPSE RATES. && .LONG TERM...(FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY) ISSUED AT 334 PM EDT THU APR 21 2016 A MORE PROGRESSIVE FLOW PATTERN WILL TAKE HOLD ON THE LOWER 48 THIS WEEKEND INTO NEXT WEEK AS A SERIES OF WESTERN CONUS SHORTWAVES EJECT/SHEAR EAST INTO MORE CONFLUENT/WNW FLOW OVER THE GREAT LAKES REGION. LUCKILY THE WEEKEND WILL FEATURE DRY CONDITIONS WITH HIGH PRESSURE IN CONTROL IN BETWEEN WAVES. SATURDAY THE COOLER/SUNNIER DAY UNDER HIGH PRESSURE WITH WARM ADVECTION BEHIND SFC HIGH ALLOWING HIGHS TO RETURN INTO THE 70S BY SUNDAY. FRONTAL SYSTEMS WITH THE AFOREMENTIONED SHORTWAVES THEN BRING MORE UNSETTLED WX NEXT WEEK...WITH LATEST GUIDANCE FAVORING MONDAY/MONDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY/WEDNESDAY NIGHT FOR HIGHER POPS. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z FRIDAY EVENING) ISSUED AT 804 PM EDT THU APR 21 2016 THE INITIAL WAVE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS EARLY THIS EVENING HAS SHIFTED EAST OF TERMINALS IN ASSOCIATION WITH SHORT WAVE EMANATING FROM MAIN UPPER LOW STILL TO THE WEST OF THE AREA. ADDITIONAL SHOWERS AND STORMS HAVE DEVELOPED ACROSS NORTHWEST INDIANA DOWNSTREAM OF THIS UPPER LOW...AND SHOULD CONTINUE TO OVERSPREAD TERMINALS OVER THE NEXT FEW HOURS. INSTABILITY SHOULD BECOME MORE ELEVATED IN NATURE OVER THE NEXT FEW HOURS RESULTING IN A GRADUAL DIMINISHMENT IN THUNDER COVERAGE AFTER 03Z. HAVE HELD OFF ON THUNDER INCLUSION FOR THE 00Z TAFS BUT WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR SHORT TERM TRENDS FOR POSSIBLE BRIEF INCLUSION THIS EVENING. OUTSIDE OF HEAVIER PRECIP CORES...VFR CONDITIONS SHOULD HOLD THROUGH THE EVENING WITH DETERIORATING CONDITIONS EXPECTED OVERNIGHT INTO EARLY FRIDAY MORNING AS SFC LOW PRESSURE/COLD FRONT TRACKS ACROSS THE AREA. IFR CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE LATE TONIGHT INTO EARLY FRIDAY WITH GREATEST POTENTIAL AT KSBN. CIGS BELOW FUEL ALTERNATE CRITERIA ARE EXPECTED INTO FRIDAY MORNING...BEFORE SOME IMPROVEMENT FOR FRIDAY. MAY NEED TO INCREASE DURATION OF RAIN SHOWER MENTION AT KFWA INTO FRIDAY WITH UPPER LEVEL LOW SLOW TO DEPART THE AREA...AND SOME DIURNAL REGENERATION OF SHOWERS POSSIBLE. && .MARINE... WEBCAMS SHOWING A GOOD DEAL OF DENSE FOG IN THE NEARSHORE WATERS WARRANTING ISSUANCE OF A MARINE DENSE FOG ADVISORY INTO THIS EVENING UNTIL COLDER AIR STARTS TO MOVE IN. WILL ALSO HOIST SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR FRIDAY INTO FRIDAY EVENING FOR INCREASING NW FLOW AND HIGHER WAVES. && .IWX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... IN...NONE. MI...NONE. OH...NONE. LM...DENSE FOG ADVISORY UNTIL 2 AM EDT FRIDAY FOR LMZ043-046. SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FROM 8 AM FRIDAY TO 2 AM EDT SATURDAY FOR LMZ043-046. && $$ UPDATE...MARSILI SYNOPSIS...FISHER SHORT TERM...FISHER LONG TERM...STEINWEDEL AVIATION...MARSILI MARINE...FISHER VISIT US AT WWW.WEATHER.GOV/IWX FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK...TWITTER...AND YOUTUBE AT: WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/NWSNORTHERNINDIANA WWW.TWITTER.COM/NWSIWX WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/NWSNORTHERNINDIANA Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Paducah KY 1052 PM CDT THU APR 21 2016 .SHORT TERM...(Tonight through Saturday night) Issued at 210 PM CDT Thu Apr 21 2016 Precipitation lingered in the eastern portions of the area (Pennyrile region of west KY/parts of southwest IN) all morning. Some additional development occurred back to the west of that activity from near Paducah to Evansville up to Pike County IN. By early afternoon, some isolated convection started flaring up over S. IL. Hardly any lightning with any of this activity but hail may occur. The upper level low, clearly seen in water vapor loop over central Iowa this morning, moved into southern IA/northern MO this afternoon. This low will move into western IL by 00Z this evening and into central IL later tonight. As this occurs...we will continue to see the chances for showers and some thunderstorms through tonight, as the main trough pivots over our region and better moisture becomes available. Freezing levels are pretty low, so some of the storms could produce some hail. Looking at the latest suite of models...it is still difficult to pinpoint where convection may set up, but the consensus appears to be that southern IL, southwest IN and parts of SEMO have the best chances to see additional development this afternoon into the evening hours. Models have become a little more persistent on lingering precipitation in the our eastern sections (southeast IL, southwest IN and the northern Pennyrile of western KY) later tonight (after midnight) and even into Friday...as lingering moisture interacts with the departing upper low to produce some showers. This is in line with previous thinking so just minor adjustments will be needed to POPs over the next 24 hours. The effects of this upper low will finally get out of the region Friday night. Then we can focus on another nice spring weekend, which promises to be dry and warm. Although it will be rather cool to start out the day on Saturday, as Friday nights lows will be in the upper 40s across the north with lower 50s in the south. .LONG TERM...(Sunday through Thursday) Issued at 210 PM CDT Thu Apr 21 2016 A weak upper level ridge will move east by Monday providing a southwest flow regime as one upper level low over the Dakotas dissipates and another develops over the southern Rockies. This moist flow will provide ample opportunities for showers and thunderstorms for most of next week across the area. At the surface, a weak front will lie east to west over the CWA by late Tuesday. This is expected to move north as a warm front on Wednesday. After that the models diverge slightly with the GFS pushing a front through the area on Thursday. The ECMWF and GEFS prefer to hang the front up either over our cwa or just to the north. All this means is that an unsettled, wet week is expected. SPC has a small portion of the northwest edge of our CWA outlooked for next Thursday. This looks pretty good as jet dynamics will be strongest in that area ahead of a surface low lifting out of the southern plains. Surface or elevated instability is forecast to be over the area from Tuesday on. Any severe looks to be more isolated in nature for us. The Ensemble SA Tables suggest the heaviest rains will be Wednesday and Thursday. However, any thunderstorm could produce locally heavy rain next week. && .AVIATION... Issued at 1052 PM CDT Thu Apr 21 2016 Showers and isolated storms will eventually push east of the terminals with KCGI now in the clear. Overnight, just some sct VFR deck clouds 5-10k/ft. Light west winds. NW winds Friday may gust 15- 20 kts in the afternoon, with some sct-bkn mainly VFR clouds just above 3k/ft, primarily KEVV and KOWB. Should clear out tomorrow evening. && .PAH Watches/Warnings/Advisories... IL...None. MO...None. IN...None. KY...None. && $$ SHORT TERM...CW LONG TERM...PS
  [top] Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Louisville KY 949 PM EDT THU APR 21 2016 ...Forecast Update... Issued at 949 PM EDT Thu Apr 21 2016 Watching line of storms crossing the Wabash River. The storms are lined up along a corridor of relative instability. However, CIN is starting to increase, and AMDAR soundings show a low level inversion setting up, as well predicted by mesoscale models. The line went right through the Evansville radar, which only showed velocities of 30-40 knots on the lowest scan as the line approached. ProbSvr has dropped quite a bit over the last few volume scans, lightning has decreased, and reflectivities have weakened slightly. These trends all agree with the HRRR showing a weakening of the line as it moves into southern Indiana. So, will go with the idea of the line weakening, or at least not producing severe weather in the immediate future. Will still keep an eye on it, of course. .SHORT TERM (Now through Friday Night)... Issued 303 PM EDT Thu Apr 21 2016 The Ohio Valley remains situated in the SW flow between upper ridge axis to our east and vertically stacked low to our NW. A steady plume of moisture will continue to ride SW to NE across our region between these two features through the afternoon and evening. We`re now beginning to see an eastward push to the activity as a wave embedded in the southwest flow arrives. In addition to the eastward push, seeing some convection fire. Expect that numerous showers and scattered thunderstorms will be the rule for the remainder of the afternoon, pushing east to a Lexington to Lake Cumberland line through the evening. With freezing levels low, some small hail may accompany brief heavy rainfall and a few cloud to ground ligthning strikes. Behind the main batch of precipitation, expect a brief lull in activity as a dry slot works into the region. However as we approach the evening into the overnight hours, another round of scattered to numerous showers (and a few storms) will move into our west ahead of the upper low. Given steeper lapse rates and low freezing levels, some small hail will still be possible with these storms across our west into the later evening hours. Expect that intensity and coverage will diminish as we move through the overnight and lose instability. Expect mainly scatteed showers exiting the east by dawn. Lows tonight should be in the mid and upper 50s. Upper low tracks across our northern CWA on Friday, which will yield a cloudy and showery period driven by steep low and mid level lapse rates. Enough instability should result for some thunder chances, along with small hail/graupel given the low freezing levels. Will carry scattered to numerous coverage mainly along and east of I-65 through the day. Highs will be noticeably cooler under cloudy/showery upper low. Look for upper 60s to low 70s. .LONG TERM (Saturday through Thursday)... Issued at 303 PM EDT Wed Apr 20 2016 Saturday - Sunday Night... Progressive upper ridging will build and transition through the region over the weekend, bringing a return to dry and seasonably warm temperatures. Saturday will be mostly sunny with a light NE surface flow. With 850 temps expected to be around 7 to 8 C, expect high temps in the low to mid 70s. Would be inclined to go a bit higher, but will knock off a couple degrees given the surface wind orientation and its generally cooler impact. Temperatures Saturday evening, will be falling through the 60s. A dry and cool Saturday night will see temps mostly in the upper 40s and low 50s, although a few of our eastern spots may see mid 40s. By Sunday, upper ridge axis will be directly overhead with high temps recovering to up around 80. Will be inclined to go a degree or two above MEX guidance for this day given the swing to southerly flow and slightly deeper mixing. Sunday night will be continued dry with slightly milder low temps in the upper 50s to around 60. Monday - Monday Night... Upper flow begins to flatten out to a more zonal look by the start of the new work week in response to a passing northern stream wave. This will allow a trailing cold front to sink southward toward the Ohio River, becoming parallel to the upper flow as it does. At this point, models suggest we could see some activity across our far north by Monday afternoon/evening, however with dry air in place, expect that things may be delayed a bit, much like we just saw with today`s system. Models disagree on exact placement, but will tend to lean toward the slower/drier outcome for now. Expect temps in the low 80s on the south side of the frontal boundary. Monday night will bring lows around 60 with a small chance of showers or t-storms dependent on the setup mentioned above. Tuesday - Thursday... The mid week period looks to be more active as the frontal boundary should be in the vicinity of the region. Do expect that areas along the boundary would become unstable on the periphery of upper ridging and with low level moisture pooling on the boundary. Meanwhile, progressive upper flow would allow for some disturbances to pass through and ultimately contribute to some convective organization. For now, will continue with the fcst of temps in the mid and upper 70s and chances for scattered showers and t-storms during this time. && .AVIATION (00Z TAF Update)... Updated at 657 PM EDT Thu Apr 21 2016 An initial band of light to moderate rain will continue at LEX for the first couple of hours, with a dry slot moving across all terminals from west to east this evening. A band of showers is then expected to move through the region during the overnight/pre-dawn hours. The upper low causing the rain will move up the Ohio River tomorrow and spark scattered showers and perhaps a few thunderstorms with daytime heating. The best chances will be at SDF and LEX, closer to the low. Ceilings are a huge challenge. Low ceilings have been reluctant to materialize here and upstream. While MVFR ceilings are a possibility tonight and tomorrow, for now will go a bit more optimistic which is a tack that has been working out well recently. So, will keep things VFR for now but don`t see surprised to see AMDs with lower ceiling heights if they do begin to form here or upstream. && .LMK Watches/Warnings/Advisories... KY...NONE. IN...NONE. && $$ Update.........13 Short Term.....BJS Long Term......BJS Aviation.......13
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS SHREVEPORT LA
743 PM CDT THU APR 21 2016 .AVIATION... FOR THE 22/00Z TAFS...WEAK COLD FRONT CONTINUES TO SLOWLY WORK EWD ACROSS THE REGION THIS EVENING AND GENERALLY EXTENDS ALONG A LINE FROM ELD TO SHV TO LFK. SPOTTY SHWRS CONTINUE TO DEVELOP INVOF OF THE FRONT SO HAVE INCLUDED VCSH IN MOST OF THE AREA TAFS THROUGH EARLY EVENING...WITH TEMPO -SHRA AT MLU. ALL SITES ARE VFR WITH CU GRADUALLY DIMINISHING OVERNIGHT AFTER FROPA OCCURS. SOME PATCHY FOG IS POSSIBLE TOWARD DAYBREAK WITH VERY LIGHT W/NW WINDS AND A VERY LIMITED AIR MASS MODIFICATION BEHIND THE FRONT. NW WINDS WILL INCREASE TO BETWEEN 5-10 KTS AFTER 22/15Z WITH SOME CU POSSIBLE IN THE AFTERNOON ON FRIDAY. /19/ && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 610 PM CDT THU APR 21 2016/ UPDATE... SENT A QUICK UPDATE TO ADD 20% POPS TO SW AR AND NE TX AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT THAT CONTINUES TO PUSH CLOSER TOWARDS THE I-30 CORRIDOR. HRRR SUGGESTS THAT THIS ACTIVITY WILL CONTINUE TO STAY WIDELY SCATTERED IN NATURE AS THE FRONT PUSHES FURTHER TO THE SOUTH AND EAST THIS EVENING. NO OTHER CHANGES ATTM...13. PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 244 PM CDT THU APR 21 2016/ DISCUSSION... WV IMAGERY SHOWS SERIES OF DISTURBANCES ASSOCIATED WITH THE UPPER LOW CENTERED OVER THE UPPER MS RIVER VALLEY THIS AFTN. THE FIRST IS MAKING ITS WAY SEWD ACROSS E TX...WHICH IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ONGOING THUNDERSTORMS ALONG THE TX GULF COAST AND INTO SW LA. AN ASSOCIATED SHALLOW SFC BOUNDARY IS DRAPED ACROSS OUR E TX COUNTIES...BUT IS HELD UP BY THE OUACHITA MTNS OF SE OK. LINE OF CONVECTION WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE ESEWD THIS AFTERNOON...FINALLY MOVING OUT OF OUR REGION BY SUNSET. THE SECOND UPPER DISTURBANCE... WHICH IS CURRENTLY OVER KS...WILL CONTINUE DIVING DOWN THE PLAINS TONIGHT AND WILL REINFORCE THE COLD FRONT AND FORCE IT THROUGH OUR REGION. CLEARING SKIES TONIGHT WILL LIKELY ALLOW FOR SOME PATCHY FOG TO DEVELOP. AREAS OF E TX/NW LA/SW AR WILL BE MOST PRONE TO THIS POSSIBILITY WHERE RECENT RAINFALL HAS LEFT SOILS SATURATED. MUCH DRIER CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED IN THE WAKE OF THE FRONT FOR FRIDAY AND SATURDAY...AS THE UPPER LOW FINALLY PUSHES EWD AND RIDGING TAKES ITS PLACE OVER THE SRN PLAINS. TEMPS WILL LIKELY REACH UP INTO THE LOW TO MID 80S FOR FRIDAY AND SATURDAY AS A RESULT OF THE UPPER RIDGE OVHD...DRY AIR AT THE SFC...AND ABUNDANT SUNSHINE. THE DRY WEATHER WILL BE SHORT-LIVED HOWEVER...AS SW FLOW ALOFT RETURNS BY LATE SUNDAY. WE WILL REMAIN IN A WARM AND UNSETTLED PATTERN FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE FCST PD...AS A SERIES OF UPPER LOWS MOVE ACROSS THE PLAINS IN SW FLOW AND BRING SEVERAL COLD FRONTS INTO THE REGION. SHWRS/TSTMS WILL REMAIN IN THE FCST IN SOME CAPACITY FOR MUCH OF NEXT WORK WEEK AS A RESULT. /12/ && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... SHV 58 80 56 82 / 20 0 0 0 MLU 59 79 56 81 / 30 0 0 0 DEQ 50 79 52 80 / 20 0 0 0 TXK 55 78 54 81 / 20 0 0 0 ELD 56 78 54 81 / 20 0 0 0 TYR 56 79 55 81 / 20 0 0 0 GGG 56 80 55 82 / 20 0 0 0 LFK 60 81 56 83 / 20 10 0 0 && .SHV WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AR...NONE. LA...NONE. OK...NONE. TX...NONE. && $$ 19/13
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS SHREVEPORT LA
610 PM CDT THU APR 21 2016 .UPDATE... SENT A QUICK UPDATE TO ADD 20% POPS TO SW AR AND NE TX AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT THAT CONTINUES TO PUSH CLOSER TOWARDS THE I-30 CORRIDOR. HRRR SUGGESTS THAT THIS ACTIVITY WILL CONTINUE TO STAY WIDELY SCATTERED IN NATURE AS THE FRONT PUSHES FURTHER TO THE SOUTH AND EAST THIS EVENING. NO OTHER CHANGES ATTM...13. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 244 PM CDT THU APR 21 2016/ DISCUSSION... WV IMAGERY SHOWS SERIES OF DISTURBANCES ASSOCIATED WITH THE UPPER LOW CENTERED OVER THE UPPER MS RIVER VALLEY THIS AFTN. THE FIRST IS MAKING ITS WAY SEWD ACROSS E TX...WHICH IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ONGOING THUNDERSTORMS ALONG THE TX GULF COAST AND INTO SW LA. AN ASSOCIATED SHALLOW SFC BOUNDARY IS DRAPED ACROSS OUR E TX COUNTIES...BUT IS HELD UP BY THE OUACHITA MTNS OF SE OK. LINE OF CONVECTION WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE ESEWD THIS AFTERNOON...FINALLY MOVING OUT OF OUR REGION BY SUNSET. THE SECOND UPPER DISTURBANCE... WHICH IS CURRENTLY OVER KS...WILL CONTINUE DIVING DOWN THE PLAINS TONIGHT AND WILL REINFORCE THE COLD FRONT AND FORCE IT THROUGH OUR REGION. CLEARING SKIES TONIGHT WILL LIKELY ALLOW FOR SOME PATCHY FOG TO DEVELOP. AREAS OF E TX/NW LA/SW AR WILL BE MOST PRONE TO THIS POSSIBILITY WHERE RECENT RAINFALL HAS LEFT SOILS SATURATED. MUCH DRIER CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED IN THE WAKE OF THE FRONT FOR FRIDAY AND SATURDAY...AS THE UPPER LOW FINALLY PUSHES EWD AND RIDGING TAKES ITS PLACE OVER THE SRN PLAINS. TEMPS WILL LIKELY REACH UP INTO THE LOW TO MID 80S FOR FRIDAY AND SATURDAY AS A RESULT OF THE UPPER RIDGE OVHD...DRY AIR AT THE SFC...AND ABUNDANT SUNSHINE. THE DRY WEATHER WILL BE SHORT-LIVED HOWEVER...AS SW FLOW ALOFT RETURNS BY LATE SUNDAY. WE WILL REMAIN IN A WARM AND UNSETTLED PATTERN FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE FCST PD...AS A SERIES OF UPPER LOWS MOVE ACROSS THE PLAINS IN SW FLOW AND BRING SEVERAL COLD FRONTS INTO THE REGION. SHWRS/TSTMS WILL REMAIN IN THE FCST IN SOME CAPACITY FOR MUCH OF NEXT WORK WEEK AS A RESULT. /12/ PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 1245 PM CDT THU APR 21 2016/ AVIATION... CONVECTION HAS SHIFTED SOUTH OF MOST OF THE AREA AND AREAL TERMINALS....INCLUDING MOST RECENTLY...KLFK. HOWEVER...A WEAK COLD FRONT WILL SLOWLY MOVE ACROSS THE REGION THIS AFTN...AND AIRMASS STILL QUITE UNSTABLE WITH MARGINAL MOISTURE BUT STEEP LAPSE RATES. THEREFORE...ISOLD TO POSSIBLY SCT CONVECTION MAY REDEVELOP WITH ANY DAYTIME HEATING THAT POKES THRU MOSTLY MVFR CLOUD DECKS ACROSS MUCH OF LA...INCLUDING KELD TERMINAL...AND POSSIBLY AT KLFK. WINDS TO REMAIN MOSTLY LGT AND VRBL THIS AFTN...AND ALSO FOLLOWING FROPA. WITH SKIES BECMG SKC OR SCT CLOUD DECKS...PATCHY FOG EXPECTED LATER TONIGHT...ESPECIALLY AT TERMINALS WHERE HEAVY RAIN OCCURRED. WINDS BECMG NW 5 TO 10 KTS BEFORE 22/18Z./VII/. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... SHV 58 80 56 82 / 20 0 0 0 MLU 59 79 56 81 / 30 0 0 0 DEQ 50 79 52 80 / 20 0 0 0 TXK 55 78 54 81 / 20 0 0 0 ELD 56 78 54 81 / 20 0 0 0 TYR 56 79 55 81 / 20 0 0 0 GGG 56 80 55 82 / 20 0 0 0 LFK 60 81 56 83 / 20 10 0 0 && .SHV WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AR...NONE. LA...NONE. OK...NONE. TX...NONE. && $$ VII/12/13
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS CARIBOU ME
1215 PM EDT WED APR 20 2016 .SYNOPSIS... HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD ACROSS THE REGION TODAY THROUGH THURSDAY. LOW PRESSURE WILL CROSS THE AREA FRIDAY. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... 1215 PM UPDATE...WINDS AND SKY NEEDED ADJUSTMENTS PER THE LATEST SATELLITE AND OBS. MORE CLOUDS ACROSS THE NORTHERN 1/2 OF THE CWA W/CAA TODAY. NW WIND/DOWNSLOPE AIDING IN KEEPING LESS CLOUDS FOR THE SOUTHERN 1/2 OF THE CWA. SPEAKING OF THE NW WINDS, INCREASED THEM A BIT MORE INCLUDING GUSTS TO 25 MPH. LATEST HRRR 3KM MODEL SHOWED WINDS DROPPING OFF LATER THIS AFTERNOON AS HIGH PRES PUSHES E. PREVIOUS DISCUSSION... QUIET WEATHER IS EXPECTED ACROSS THE REGIONTODAY AS HIGH PRESSURE SETTLES OVER THE NORTHEASTERN CONUS. CLOUDS WILL GRADUALLY DISSIPATE THROUGH THE DAY WITH EVERYONE SEEING SUNSHINE BY LATE AFTERNOON. HIGHS WILL BE SIMILAR TO YESTERDAY. DECENT MIXING TO 6-7 KFT WILL ALLOW WINDS TO BE A LITTLE BREEZY THIS AFTERNOON, AS WELL AS LOWERING DEWPOINTS INTO THE UPPER TEENS AND LOWER 20S. THE WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY RAISE SOME FIRE WEATHER CONCERNS, BUT WON`T REACH RED FLAG LEVELS. A SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT MAY BE NEED TO BE ISSUED LATER TODAY. FOR TONIGHT...DRY WEATHER CONTINUES. MODELS INDICATE THERE`LL BE SOME MOISTURE STREAMING IN AROUND THE TOP OF THE UPPER RIDGE OVERNIGHT, SO MID-LEVEL CLOUDS WILL INCREASE FOR A BIT TONIGHT. LOWS WILL BOTTOM OUT AROUND 30 IN THE NORTH AND IN THE LOWER TO MID 30S SOUTH. && .SHORT TERM /THURSDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/... THU LOOKS TO BE WARM AND DRY AS DOWNSLOPING WNW SFC WINDS BRINGS A A SIG WARM-UP IN THE 925-850MB LAYER...ALLOWING ALL NON-HIGH TRRN AND NON-IMMEDIATE COASTAL AREAS OF THE FA TO REACH WELL INTO THE 60S AND EVEN ARND 70 DEGREES OVR CNTRL AND WRN INTERIOR DOWNEAST LCTNS. SKIES WILL REMAIN FAIR THU EVE...THEN BEGIN TO INCREASE CLDNSS FROM THE W LATE TNGT AFT THE 500MB RIDGE CROSSES THE FA AND WEAK SFC LOW PRES AND S/WV ENERGY FROM BOTH THE MIDWEST AND S CNTRL CAN BEGIN TO APCH THE FA. TEMPS WILL WARM SOMEWHAT WITH FILTERED MORN SUNSHINE...THEN STABILIZE IN THE AFTN BY 5 TO 10 DEG COOLER THAN THU`S HI TEMPS WITH THE ARRIVAL OF SHWRS INTO THE FA. SIX HRLY QPFS LOOK TO BE LGT...WITH PERHAPS A LITTLE MORE IN THE W CNTRL PTNS OF THE FA INCLUDING UP TO BAXTER ST PARK IN THE FRI 18-24Z TM FRAME... JUSTIFYING LOW END CATEGORICAL MAX POPS OVR THIS AREA BY LATE FRI AFTN...WITH LESSER POPS FURTHER N AND E. && .LONG TERM /FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY/... MOST LONGER RANGE MODELS CONT SHWRS OVR THE FA INTO THE EVE... THEN MOVE SHWRS E OF THE REGION LATE FRI NGT AND ERLY SAT MORN AS A COLD FRONT CROSSES THE FA. FCST QPF AMTS IN THE SAT 00-06Z ARE ALSO RELATIVELY LIGHT FOR MOST MODELS...XCPT THE 00Z DTMNSTC GFS WHICH INDICATES 0.35 TO 0.85 INCHES FOR THIS PD. NOT SURE WHATS DRIVING THIS AMOUNT OF QPF IN THE DTMNSTC GFS MODEL IN THE 00-06Z TM FRAME...BUT IN ADDITION TO NOT BEING SUPPORTED BY THE OTHER DTMNSTC 00Z MODELS...IT IS NOT BEING BACKED BY THE 00Z GFS ENSM QPF WHICH ONLY SHOWS 0.10 TO 0.20 INCHES WITH ONLY A COUPLE OF INDIVIDUAL ENS MEMBERS SUGGESTING QPF IN THE 0.25 TO 0.50 INCH RANGE. BASED ON THIS DISCREPANCY...WE DID RAISE POPS INTO THE LIKELY CATEGORY FRI EVE INTO OVRNGT FOR ALL XCPT THE FAR NW PTN OF THE FA THINKING THAT A LITTLE MORE ORGANIZED RNFL IS POSSIBLE WHERE WE INDICATE LIKELY POPS...BUT NOT CONVINCED OF MDT TO HVY RNFL ATTM WITH PLENTY OF TM STILL AVAILABLE FOR BETTER MODEL CONSENSUS FROM THE GFS PRIOR TO THE EVENT ENTERING THE NEAR TERM. OTHERWISE...SAT INTO SAT NGT LOOKS TO BE FAIR...BREEZY... DRY AND COOLER BEHIND THE FIRST COLD FRONT. A SECONDARY COLD FRONT WILL BRING CLOUDINESS TO THE REGION BY SUN AFTN AND ISOLD TO SCT RN/SN SHOWERS WITH VERY LGT QPF TO THE REGION SUN EVE. COLDER AIR AND ACCOMPANIED BY BRISK AND MSLY DRY CONDITIONS WILL FOLLOW FOR MON INTO TUE AS A DEEP MID LVL VORTEX SLIDES INTO THE NRN CAN MARITIMES WITH SIG BELOW NORMAL HIGH TEMPS AND SLIGHTLY BELOW AVG OVRNGT LOWS. && .AVIATION /16Z WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/... NEAR TERM: VFR WILL PREVAIL TODAY AND TONIGHT WITH NO PRECIPITATION EXPECTED. SHORT TERM: VFR CONDITIONS XPCTD ACROSS THE TAF SITES THU INTO FRI MORN...WITH CLGS AND VSBYS POTENTIALLY LOWERING TO MVFR IN SCT TO NUMEROUS SHWRS ADVCG EWRD FROM QB FRI AFTN INTO THE OVRNGT. CONDITIONS SHOULD IMPROVE BACK TO VFR ON SAT BEHIND THE COLD FRONT AND THEN CONT SO THRU SUN. && .MARINE... NEAR TERM: A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 AM THIS MORNING. WINDS WILL INCREASE THROUGH THE EARLY MORNING HOURS IN RESPONSE A WEAK FRONTAL PASSAGE. GUSTS AROUND 25 KT AND WAVES OF 2 TO 4 FT ARE EXPECTED. CONDITIONS WILL IMPROVE DURING THE AFTERNOON AS HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS OVER THE WATERS. SHORT TO LONG TERM: NO WELL DEFINED PERIODS OF SCA OR GREATER CONDITIONS ARE XPCTD ATTM THRU THESE PTNS OF THE COASTAL WATERS FCST. KEPT CLOSE TO WW3 WV GUIDANCE FOR FCST WV HTS. && .CAR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... ME...NONE. MARINE...NONE. && $$ NEAR TERM...HEWITT
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS WAKEFIELD VA
1114 PM EDT THU APR 21 2016 .SYNOPSIS... HIGH PRESSURE REMAINS OVER THE WESTERN ATLANTIC TONIGHT. A COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH FROM THE WEST FRIDAY...PUSHING OFF THE COAST EARLY SATURDAY MORNING. AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE DROPS OVER THE REGION SATURDAY. HIGH PRESSURE RETURNS FOR SATURDAY NIGHT INTO MONDAY. THE NEXT COLD FRONT PUSHES ACROSS THE REGION TUESDAY NIGHT. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM FRIDAY MORNING/... FORECAST UPDATED BASED ON LATEST RADAR TRENDS AND HIRES MODEL GUIDANCE...MAIN CHANGES WERE TO DROP ANY CHC OF PCPN THIS EVENG AND DELAY POPS A BIT FRI MORNG. PREVIOUS DISCUSSION... LATEST REGIONAL RADAR MOSAIC DEPICTS ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDING FROM SE NC INTO CENTRAL NC THIS AFTERNOON. BASED ON LATEST SFC OBS...THE WARM FRONT HAS LIFTED INTO THE LOCAL AREA...WITH BETTER DESTABILIZATION SOUTH OF THE LOCAL AREA. EXPECT THE BETTER INSTABILITY TO REMAIN SOUTH OF THE REGION...BUT HI-RES GUIDANCE CONTINUES TO INDICATE THE POTENTIAL FOR ISOLATED TO WIDELY SCATTERED SHOWERS LIFTING INTO SRN VA AND NE NC THRU LATE THIS AFTERNOON. NAM12 300K SURFACES BACK UP THIS SCENARIO...INDICATING LOW LEVEL LIFT EVEN UNDER THE UPPER LEVEL RIDGE LOCATED OVER THE ERN CONUS. RAP SOUNDINGS INDICATE MODEST CAPE EXTENDING INTO THE MIXED PHASE LAYER...SO WILL MENTION SLIGHT CHANCE FOR THUNDER. ANY SHOWERS THAT DO DEVELOP WILL DISSIPATE EARLY EVENING WITH THE LOSS OF DAYTIME HEATING. TEMPS HAVE WARMED INTO THE MID/UPPER 70S...WITH A FEW LOCALES HITTING 80 ACROSS THE PIEDMONT INTO CENTRAL VA. SOUTH WINDS AROUND 10 MPH TONIGHT ALONG WITH A PARTLY CLOUDY SKY WILL RESULT IN MILD OVERNIGHT TEMPS. LOWS GENERALLY IN THE LOW 60S (~+1 STD DEV OR 10-12 DEGS ABOVE NORMAL). && .SHORT TERM /6 AM FRIDAY MORNING THROUGH SUNDAY/... GENERAL MODEL TRENDS CONTINUE TO SLOW THE UPPER SYSTEM SLIGHTLY AND DIG IT FARTHER SOUTH AND WEST THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT. CURRENT NATIONAL RADAR TRENDS OVER THE OH VALLEY...DEPICT RATHER UNORGANIZED CONVECTION ASSOCIATED WITH THE UPPER LOW. THE UPPER LOW PUSHES INTO THE TN VALLEY AS A STRONG UPPER LOW DEEPENS OVER ERN CANADA. THE FRONT REACHES THE ERN VA PIEDMONT LATE FRIDAY INTO EARLY FRI EVENING. LEAD SHORTWAVE ENERGY ROUNDS THE BASE OF THE UPPER TROUGH...LIFTING INTO THE REGION FRI AFTERNOON AHEAD OF THE MAIN TROUGH ENERGY. RETURN FLOW ADVECTS DEEPER MOISTURE INTO THE REGION...WITH H85 FLOW COMING IN FROM THE GULF STREAM. POPS RAMP UP OVER THE PIEDMONT MID TO LATE MORNING...AND THEN POINTS EWD THROUGH EARLY AFTERNOON. THE FAVORED AREAS FOR SHOWERS CONTINUE TO BE ALONG AND SOUTH OF A LINE FROM FARMVILLE TO RICHMOND AND TO THE NRN NECK/MD ERN SHORE FRI AFTERNOON AND FRIDAY EVENING. HAVE MAINTAINED LIKELY POPS FOR THAT AREA. HAVE TRIMMED BACK POPS NORTH AND WEST OF THIS LINE AS MODELS INDICATE SHOWER COVERAGE ASSOCIATED WITH THE MAIN SHORTWAVE WILL BE LIMITED IN THAT REGION. THUNDERSTORM POTENTIAL REMAINS MARGINAL DUE TO CONSIDERABLE CLOUD COVER AND MARGINAL INSTABILITY. GIVEN THE DYNAMICS...THETA-E ADVECTION AND THE TIME OF YEAR...WILL KEEP CHANCE MENTION OF THUNDER. SHEAR REMAINS MODEST (AOB 30 KT)...SO EXPECT ONLY EMBEDDED THUNDER. PWATS CLIMB TO 1.25 TO 1.5 INCHES...WHICH MAY RESULT IN PERIODS OF MODERATE TO LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL. HOWEVER...QPF AMOUNTS THRU FRIDAY EVENING WILL GENERALLY RANGE FROM LESS THAN ONE QUARTER OF AN INCH ACROSS THE NORTH UP TO ONE HALF INCH ACROSS THE SOUTH. AREA REMAINS IN WARM SECTOR WITH RETURN FLOW PUSHING TEMPS BACK INTO THE MID/UPPER 70S...EVEN WITH CONSIDERABLE CLOUD COVER. SHORTWAVE DROPS OVER THE CENTRAL APPALACHIANS INTO THE LOCAL AREA THRU FRI NIGHT AS THE FRONT PUSHES OFFSHORE. WILL KEEP SOLID CHANCE POPS ALONG THE COAST THRU THE OVERNIGHT PERIOD. AFOREMENTIONED MODEL TRENDS MEAN LINGERING MID LEVEL MOISTURE TO GO ALONG WITH THE STRONG DYNAMICS PROVIDED BY THE UPPER LOW DROPPING OVER THE REGION SAT. WILL HOLD ONTO SOLID CHANCE POPS THROUGH LATE MORNING INLAND FOR SCATTERED SHOWERS...AND ALONG THE COAST THRU SAT AFTERNOON. CLOUDY CONDITIONS BECOME PARTLY CLOUDY INLAND SAT AFTERNOON...BUT REMAIN MOSTLY CLOUDY ALONG THE COAST. TRENDED TOWARD THE COOLER SIDE OF THE MOS GUIDANCE DUE TO CLOUD COVER AND MODEST CAA...BUT TEMPS REMAIN SEASONABLE IN THE UPPER 60S/LOW 70S. NORTH WINDS GENERALLY 10 TO 15 MPH WITH GUSTS OF 20 TO 25 MPH. TROUGH AXIS PUSHES OFFSHORE SAT NIGHT WITH DRY CONDITIONS FORECAST ACROSS THE AREA. LOWS IN THE MID/UPPER 40S INLAND TO LOW 50S NEAR THE COAST UNDER A CLEAR SKY. HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS ACROSS NEW ENGLAND SAT NIGHT...PARKING OFF THE NORTHEAST COAST SUNDAY. THE RESULT WILL BE ONGOING DRY CONDITIONS. CAA WANES SUN...BUT LIGHT ONSHORE FLOW WILL KEEP TEMPS IN CHECK. THICKNESSES YIELD TEMPS IN THE LOW/MID 70S INLAND AND MID/UPPER 60S ALONG THE COAST. && .LONG TERM /SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY/... HIGH PRESSURE SLIDES FARTHER OFFSHORE SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY...AND SETTLES OFF THE SOUTHEAST COAST BY TUESDAY. MEANWHILE...A SHORTWAVE TROUGH AND AN ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT APPROACH FROM THE NW BY TUESDAY AFTN. MONDAY AND TUESDAY ARE TRENDING TOWARD BEING VERY WARM DAYS WITH DEEP LAYER WSW FLOW ASSOCIATED WITH A BREAKING DOWN UPPER RIDGE OVER THE E-CENTRAL/SERN CONUS. MODEL CONSENSUS GENERALLY SUPPORTS 850MB TEMPERATURES OF 12-15C...WHICH WITH FULL MIXING AND DOWNSLOPING SHOULD EASILY PUSH HIGHS TO 80-85F W OF THE BAY...WITH UPPER 70S FOR THE ERN SHORE. LOWS SUNDAY NIGHT SHOULD BE IN THE LOW/MID 50S...WITH 55-60F MONDAY NIGHT. SKY COVER SHOULD GENERALLY BE MOSTLY CLEAR/SUNNY SUNDAY NIGHT...MONDAY INTO MONDAY NIGHT...AND BECOME PARTLY SUNNY TUESDAY. THE TROUGH AND COLD FRONT SWING THROUGH THE AREA TUESDAY AFTN INTO TUESDAY NIGHT. THE MAIN FORCING ASSOCIATED WITH THE MID/UPPER SHORTWAVE TROUGH GENERALLY PASSES N OF THE LOCAL AREA...AND DEEP LAYER RH DIMINISHES AS THE FEATURE PASSES OVER THE LOCAL AREA SO FORECAST POPS ARE ONLY 20%...WITH A NARROW STRIP OF 30% ACROSS THE FAR N. HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS IN FROM THE N WEDNESDAY...AND SLIDES OFFSHORE LATER IN THE WEEK. HIGHS WEDNESDAY SHOULD DROP BACK TO THE MID/UPPER 60S NE...TO THE MID/UPPER 70S FARTHER INLAND...AND THEN TREND UPWARD INTO THURSDAY AS THE HIGH SLIDES OFFSHORE. LOWS SHOULD GENERALLY BE IN THE 50S. && .AVIATION /03Z FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/... SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE REMAINS OFF THE SE COAST AS COLD FRONT AND ASSOCIATED SURFACE TROUGH SLOWLY MOVE THROUGH THE MIDWEST. SOUTHERLY FLOW CONTINUES TO INCREASE MOISTURE INTO THE MID- ATLANTIC TOMORROW. EXPECT SW WIND GUST ~20KT FRI AFTN WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR MVFR CIGS. AHEAD OF THE FRONT...DAYTIME HEATING AND INCREASING MOISTURE ALONG WITH SHORTWAVE ENERGY MOVING OVER THE REGION WILL INCREASE THE POTENTIAL FOR AFTN SHOWERS AND TSTMS. GUSTY WINDS AND HEAVY RAIN WILL BE POSSIBLE IN ANY STORM. FRONT PASSES OF THE COAST LATE FRI/EARLY SAT. TRAILING CLOSED UPPER LOW WILL CAUSE LAPSE RATES TO INCREASE...CONTINUING THE POSSIBILITY FOR MVFR CIGS AND STORM DEVELOPMENT INTO SAT. DRIER AIR AND VFR CONDITIONS RETURN LATE SAT NIGHT. && .MARINE... WENT AHEAD AND ISSUED A MINIMAL SCA FOR THE CHES BAY THROUGH 4 AM BASED ON THE AMOUNT OF 20 KT GUSTS REPORTED OVER THE PAST FEW HOURS. PVS DSCN: HIGH PRESSURE IS SITUATED WELL OFFSHORE THIS AFTN...WITH LOW PRESSURE WELL TO THE W OVER THE MID-MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. THE HIGH WILL CONTINUE TO SLIDE FARTHER OFFSHORE TONIGHT AS LOW PRESSURE LIFTS NE OVER THE GREAT LAKES. A SW WIND SHOULD AVERAGE 10-15KT THROUGH THIS EVENING...AND THEN INCREASE TO 15KT BAY/15-20KT OCEAN LATER THIS EVENING THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING...BEFORE DIMINISHING FRIDAY AFTN/EVENING AS THE PRESSURE GRADIENT SLACKENS AS A WEAK COLD FRONT GRADUALLY DROPS INTO THE REGION. THE COLD FRONT PUSHES THROUGH THE AREA EARLY SATURDAY MORNING...WITH A SUBSEQUENT NORTHERLY SURGE MIDDAY SATURDAY...WITH A SECONDARY SURGE SATURDAY EVENING. MARGINAL SCA CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE OVER THE BAY (15-20KT N WIND). HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS OVER THE AREA SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY...SLIDES OFFSHORE MONDAY...AND SETTLES OFF THE SOUTHEAST COAST TUESDAY. SEAS GENERALLY AVERAGE 2-4FT...WITH 2-3FT WAVES IN THE BAY. && .AKQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MD...NONE. NC...NONE. VA...NONE. MARINE...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 4 AM EDT FRIDAY FOR ANZ630>632-634. && $$ SYNOPSIS...SAM/TMG NEAR TERM...MAS/SAM SHORT TERM...SAM LONG TERM...AJZ AVIATION...ALB/DAP MARINE...AJZ/MPR
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS PITTSBURGH PA
1017 PM EDT THU APR 21 2016 .SYNOPSIS... LOW PRESSURE WILL BRING INCREASING SHOWER CHANCES THROUGH FRIDAY...FOLLOWED BY DRY AND SEASONAL WEATHER THIS WEEKEND. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM FRIDAY MORNING/... LATEST RADAR IMAGERY IS A LITTLE DECEIVING...AS PRECIPITATION IS STILL NOT MAKING IT TO THE GROUND UNDER WEAKER RETURNS. THE 00Z SOUNDING STILL INDICATED A FAIR AMOUNT OF DRY AIR IN THE LOWER LEVELS AND LATEST RAP SOUNDINGS INDICATE IT SHOULD TAKE THE MAJORITY OF THE NIGHT TO BECOME SATURATED IN LOWER LEVELS...SO WHILE PRECIPITATION ASSOCIATED WITH THE LEADING SHORTWAVE WAS CARRIED THROUGH THE NIGHT ACROSS THE REGION...IT WILL LARGELY BE VERY LIGHT. OVERNIGHT LOW TEMPERATURES WILL RANGE 10-15 DEG ABOVE NORMAL WITH CONTINUED WARM AIR ADVECTION AND CLOUD COVERAGE LIMITING ANY RADIATIONAL COOLING. && .SHORT TERM /6 AM FRIDAY MORNING THROUGH SUNDAY/... ANY PRECIPITATION WILL BE WIDELY SCATTERED FRIDAY MORNING IN THE WAKE OF THE INITIAL SHORTWAVE UNTIL THE UPPER LOW CURRENTLY OVER INDIANA AND SLOWLY MOVING EAST NEARS THE REGION DURING THE AFTERNOON AND INCREASES INSTABILITY. HAVE INCLUDED MENTION OF THUNDERSTORMS MID AFTERNOON THROUGH EARLY EVENING...WITH SOUTHERN LOCATIONS CLOSEST TO THE UPPER LOW CENTER PROGGED TO CLIP THE SOUTHERN FRINGE OF THE CWA HAVING THE BEST CHANCES ALONG THE FRONT AND JUST AHEAD OF THE UPPER LOW. PRECIPITATION CHANCES WILL PERSIST UNTIL SATURDAY MORNING WHEN RIDGING BUILDS BACK IN FROM THE WEST. BUILDING RIDGING IS THEN EXPECTED TO BRING DRY WEATHER THROUGH THE REST OF THE WEEKEND. TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO AVERAGE NEAR OR SEVERAL DEGREES ABOVE SEASONAL LVLS USING GFS MOS AND A CONSENSUS BLEND GUIDANCE. && .LONG TERM /SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY/... A COLD FRONT WILL SLOWLY CROSS THE REGION LATER MONDAY THROUGH TUESDAY BRINGING SHOWERS. BUBBLE OF HIGH PRESSURE WITH DRY BUT STILL MILD CONDITIONS WEDNESDAY. LOW PRESSURE ADVANCING FROM THE NATIONS MID SECTION WILL RETURN SHOWERS FOR LATE WEEK. A SLIGHTLY MODIFIED SUPERBLEND WAS USED FOR THE EXTENDED FORECAST. && .AVIATION /01Z FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/... WIND HAS BEEN QUITE VARIABLE IN DIRECTION DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON AT SEVERAL SITES AS SCATTERED SHOWERS MOVE ACROSS THE REGION. THINK THIS WILL CONTINUE TO BE THE CASE THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS...WITH A MORE UNIFORM WIND OUT OF THE SOUTH DEVELOPING AFTER MIDNIGHT. THERE WILL BE A BRIEF PERIOD WHERE AN ISOLATED THUNDERSTORM IS POSSIBLE TONIGHT...BUT THE STORM THAT MOVED TO THE NORTH OF PITTSBURGH APPEARS TO HAVE WEAKENED ENOUGH THAT THUNDER SHOULD NOT BE A CONCERN AT DUJ OR OTHER SITES. ALTHOUGH CONDITIONS WILL INITIALLY BE VFR AT THE START OF THE TAF PERIOD...SCATTERED SHOWERS WILL BECOME MORE WIDESPREAD AFTER MIDNIGHT AS DEEPER MOISTURE ENTERS THE REGION AND YIELDS MVFR RESTRICTIONS. AFTER A BIT OF A LULL IN SHOWERS FRIDAY MORNING...SHOWERS WILL INCREASE IN COVERAGE AGAIN FRIDAY AFTERNOON...WITH CEILINGS LIKELY TO RISE BACK TO VFR CATEGORY. .OUTLOOK /FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY/... RESTRICTIONS ARE EXPECTED FRIDAY NIGHT WITH IFR CEILINGS POSSIBLE AS LOW PRESSURE MOVES EAST. THE NEXT CHANCE FOR WIDESPREAD RESTRICTIONS WILL BE MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY AS A COLD FRONT APPROACHES. && .PBZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MD...NONE. OH...NONE. PA...NONE. WV...NONE. && $$
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS WAKEFIELD VA
947 PM EDT THU APR 21 2016 .SYNOPSIS... HIGH PRESSURE REMAINS OVER THE WESTERN ATLANTIC TONIGHT. A COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH FROM THE WEST FRIDAY...PUSHING OFF THE COAST EARLY SATURDAY MORNING. AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE DROPS OVER THE REGION SATURDAY. HIGH PRESSURE RETURNS FOR SATURDAY NIGHT INTO MONDAY. THE NEXT COLD FRONT PUSHES ACROSS THE REGION TUESDAY NIGHT. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM FRIDAY MORNING/... FORECAST UPDATED BASED ON LATEST RADAR TRENDS AND HIRES MODEL GUIDANCE...MAIN CHANGES WERE TO DROP ANY CHC OF PCPN THIS EVENG AND DELAY POPS A BIT FRI MORNG. PREVIOUS DISCUSSION... LATEST REGIONAL RADAR MOSAIC DEPICTS ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDING FROM SE NC INTO CENTRAL NC THIS AFTERNOON. BASED ON LATEST SFC OBS...THE WARM FRONT HAS LIFTED INTO THE LOCAL AREA...WITH BETTER DESTABILIZATION SOUTH OF THE LOCAL AREA. EXPECT THE BETTER INSTABILITY TO REMAIN SOUTH OF THE REGION...BUT HI-RES GUIDANCE CONTINUES TO INDICATE THE POTENTIAL FOR ISOLATED TO WIDELY SCATTERED SHOWERS LIFTING INTO SRN VA AND NE NC THRU LATE THIS AFTERNOON. NAM12 300K SURFACES BACK UP THIS SCENARIO...INDICATING LOW LEVEL LIFT EVEN UNDER THE UPPER LEVEL RIDGE LOCATED OVER THE ERN CONUS. RAP SOUNDINGS INDICATE MODEST CAPE EXTENDING INTO THE MIXED PHASE LAYER...SO WILL MENTION SLIGHT CHANCE FOR THUNDER. ANY SHOWERS THAT DO DEVELOP WILL DISSIPATE EARLY EVENING WITH THE LOSS OF DAYTIME HEATING. TEMPS HAVE WARMED INTO THE MID/UPPER 70S...WITH A FEW LOCALES HITTING 80 ACROSS THE PIEDMONT INTO CENTRAL VA. SOUTH WINDS AROUND 10 MPH TONIGHT ALONG WITH A PARTLY CLOUDY SKY WILL RESULT IN MILD OVERNIGHT TEMPS. LOWS GENERALLY IN THE LOW 60S (~+1 STD DEV OR 10-12 DEGS ABOVE NORMAL). && .SHORT TERM /6 AM FRIDAY MORNING THROUGH SUNDAY/... GENERAL MODEL TRENDS CONTINUE TO SLOW THE UPPER SYSTEM SLIGHTLY AND DIG IT FARTHER SOUTH AND WEST THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT. CURRENT NATIONAL RADAR TRENDS OVER THE OH VALLEY...DEPICT RATHER UNORGANIZED CONVECTION ASSOCIATED WITH THE UPPER LOW. THE UPPER LOW PUSHES INTO THE TN VALLEY AS A STRONG UPPER LOW DEEPENS OVER ERN CANADA. THE FRONT REACHES THE ERN VA PIEDMONT LATE FRIDAY INTO EARLY FRI EVENING. LEAD SHORTWAVE ENERGY ROUNDS THE BASE OF THE UPPER TROUGH...LIFTING INTO THE REGION FRI AFTERNOON AHEAD OF THE MAIN TROUGH ENERGY. RETURN FLOW ADVECTS DEEPER MOISTURE INTO THE REGION...WITH H85 FLOW COMING IN FROM THE GULF STREAM. POPS RAMP UP OVER THE PIEDMONT MID TO LATE MORNING...AND THEN POINTS EWD THROUGH EARLY AFTERNOON. THE FAVORED AREAS FOR SHOWERS CONTINUE TO BE ALONG AND SOUTH OF A LINE FROM FARMVILLE TO RICHMOND AND TO THE NRN NECK/MD ERN SHORE FRI AFTERNOON AND FRIDAY EVENING. HAVE MAINTAINED LIKELY POPS FOR THAT AREA. HAVE TRIMMED BACK POPS NORTH AND WEST OF THIS LINE AS MODELS INDICATE SHOWER COVERAGE ASSOCIATED WITH THE MAIN SHORTWAVE WILL BE LIMITED IN THAT REGION. THUNDERSTORM POTENTIAL REMAINS MARGINAL DUE TO CONSIDERABLE CLOUD COVER AND MARGINAL INSTABILITY. GIVEN THE DYNAMICS...THETA-E ADVECTION AND THE TIME OF YEAR...WILL KEEP CHANCE MENTION OF THUNDER. SHEAR REMAINS MODEST (AOB 30 KT)...SO EXPECT ONLY EMBEDDED THUNDER. PWATS CLIMB TO 1.25 TO 1.5 INCHES...WHICH MAY RESULT IN PERIODS OF MODERATE TO LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL. HOWEVER...QPF AMOUNTS THRU FRIDAY EVENING WILL GENERALLY RANGE FROM LESS THAN ONE QUARTER OF AN INCH ACROSS THE NORTH UP TO ONE HALF INCH ACROSS THE SOUTH. AREA REMAINS IN WARM SECTOR WITH RETURN FLOW PUSHING TEMPS BACK INTO THE MID/UPPER 70S...EVEN WITH CONSIDERABLE CLOUD COVER. SHORTWAVE DROPS OVER THE CENTRAL APPALACHIANS INTO THE LOCAL AREA THRU FRI NIGHT AS THE FRONT PUSHES OFFSHORE. WILL KEEP SOLID CHANCE POPS ALONG THE COAST THRU THE OVERNIGHT PERIOD. AFOREMENTIONED MODEL TRENDS MEAN LINGERING MID LEVEL MOISTURE TO GO ALONG WITH THE STRONG DYNAMICS PROVIDED BY THE UPPER LOW DROPPING OVER THE REGION SAT. WILL HOLD ONTO SOLID CHANCE POPS THROUGH LATE MORNING INLAND FOR SCATTERED SHOWERS...AND ALONG THE COAST THRU SAT AFTERNOON. CLOUDY CONDITIONS BECOME PARTLY CLOUDY INLAND SAT AFTERNOON...BUT REMAIN MOSTLY CLOUDY ALONG THE COAST. TRENDED TOWARD THE COOLER SIDE OF THE MOS GUIDANCE DUE TO CLOUD COVER AND MODEST CAA...BUT TEMPS REMAIN SEASONABLE IN THE UPPER 60S/LOW 70S. NORTH WINDS GENERALLY 10 TO 15 MPH WITH GUSTS OF 20 TO 25 MPH. TROUGH AXIS PUSHES OFFSHORE SAT NIGHT WITH DRY CONDITIONS FORECAST ACROSS THE AREA. LOWS IN THE MID/UPPER 40S INLAND TO LOW 50S NEAR THE COAST UNDER A CLEAR SKY. HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS ACROSS NEW ENGLAND SAT NIGHT...PARKING OFF THE NORTHEAST COAST SUNDAY. THE RESULT WILL BE ONGOING DRY CONDITIONS. CAA WANES SUN...BUT LIGHT ONSHORE FLOW WILL KEEP TEMPS IN CHECK. THICKNESSES YIELD TEMPS IN THE LOW/MID 70S INLAND AND MID/UPPER 60S ALONG THE COAST. && .LONG TERM /SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY/... HIGH PRESSURE SLIDES FARTHER OFFSHORE SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY...AND SETTLES OFF THE SOUTHEAST COAST BY TUESDAY. MEANWHILE...A SHORTWAVE TROUGH AND AN ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT APPROACH FROM THE NW BY TUESDAY AFTN. MONDAY AND TUESDAY ARE TRENDING TOWARD BEING VERY WARM DAYS WITH DEEP LAYER WSW FLOW ASSOCIATED WITH A BREAKING DOWN UPPER RIDGE OVER THE E-CENTRAL/SERN CONUS. MODEL CONSENSUS GENERALLY SUPPORTS 850MB TEMPERATURES OF 12-15C...WHICH WITH FULL MIXING AND DOWNSLOPING SHOULD EASILY PUSH HIGHS TO 80-85F W OF THE BAY...WITH UPPER 70S FOR THE ERN SHORE. LOWS SUNDAY NIGHT SHOULD BE IN THE LOW/MID 50S...WITH 55-60F MONDAY NIGHT. SKY COVER SHOULD GENERALLY BE MOSTLY CLEAR/SUNNY SUNDAY NIGHT...MONDAY INTO MONDAY NIGHT...AND BECOME PARTLY SUNNY TUESDAY. THE TROUGH AND COLD FRONT SWING THROUGH THE AREA TUESDAY AFTN INTO TUESDAY NIGHT. THE MAIN FORCING ASSOCIATED WITH THE MID/UPPER SHORTWAVE TROUGH GENERALLY PASSES N OF THE LOCAL AREA...AND DEEP LAYER RH DIMINISHES AS THE FEATURE PASSES OVER THE LOCAL AREA SO FORECAST POPS ARE ONLY 20%...WITH A NARROW STRIP OF 30% ACROSS THE FAR N. HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS IN FROM THE N WEDNESDAY...AND SLIDES OFFSHORE LATER IN THE WEEK. HIGHS WEDNESDAY SHOULD DROP BACK TO THE MID/UPPER 60S NE...TO THE MID/UPPER 70S FARTHER INLAND...AND THEN TREND UPWARD INTO THURSDAY AS THE HIGH SLIDES OFFSHORE. LOWS SHOULD GENERALLY BE IN THE 50S. && .AVIATION /02Z FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/... SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE REMAINS OFF THE SE COAST AS COLD FRONT AND ASSOCIATED SURFACE TROUGH SLOWLY MOVE THROUGH THE MIDWEST. SOUTHERLY FLOW CONTINUES TO INCREASE MOISTURE INTO THE MID- ATLANTIC TOMORROW. EXPECT SW WIND GUST ~20KT FRI AFTN WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR MVFR CIGS. AHEAD OF THE FRONT...DAYTIME HEATING AND INCREASING MOISTURE ALONG WITH SHORTWAVE ENERGY MOVING OVER THE REGION WILL INCREASE THE POTENTIAL FOR AFTN SHOWERS AND TSTMS. GUSTY WINDS AND HEAVY RAIN WILL BE POSSIBLE IN ANY STORM. FRONT PASSES OF THE COAST LATE FRI/EARLY SAT. TRAILING CLOSED UPPER LOW WILL CAUSE LAPSE RATES TO INCREASE...CONTINUING THE POSSIBILITY FOR MVFR CIGS AND STORM DEVELOPMENT INTO SAT. DRIER AIR AND VFR CONDITIONS RETURN LATE SAT NIGHT. && .MARINE... HIGH PRESSURE IS SITUATED WELL OFFSHORE THIS AFTN...WITH LOW PRESSURE WELL TO THE W OVER THE MID-MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. THE HIGH WILL CONTINUE TO SLIDE FARTHER OFFSHORE TONIGHT AS LOW PRESSURE LIFTS NE OVER THE GREAT LAKES. A SW WIND SHOULD AVERAGE 10-15KT THROUGH THIS EVENING...AND THEN INCREASE TO 15KT BAY/15-20KT OCEAN LATER THIS EVENING THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING...BEFORE DIMINISHING FRIDAY AFTN/EVENING AS THE PRESSURE GRADIENT SLACKENS AS A WEAK COLD FRONT GRADUALLY DROPS INTO THE REGION. THE COLD FRONT PUSHES THROUGH THE AREA EARLY SATURDAY MORNING...WITH A SUBSEQUENT NORTHERLY SURGE MIDDAY SATURDAY...WITH A SECONDARY SURGE SATURDAY EVENING. MARGINAL SCA CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE OVER THE BAY (15-20KT N WIND). HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS OVER THE AREA SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY...SLIDES OFFSHORE MONDAY...AND SETTLES OFF THE SOUTHEAST COAST TUESDAY. SEAS GENERALLY AVERAGE 2-4FT...WITH 2-3FT WAVES IN THE BAY. && .AKQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MD...NONE. NC...NONE. VA...NONE. MARINE...NONE. && $$ SYNOPSIS...SAM/TMG NEAR TERM...MAS/SAM SHORT TERM...SAM LONG TERM...AJZ AVIATION...ALB/DAP MARINE...AJZ
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS WAKEFIELD VA
912 PM EDT THU APR 21 2016 .SYNOPSIS... HIGH PRESSURE REMAINS OVER THE WESTERN ATLANTIC TONIGHT. A COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH FROM THE WEST FRIDAY...PUSHING OFF THE COAST EARLY SATURDAY MORNING. AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE DROPS OVER THE REGION SATURDAY. HIGH PRESSURE RETURNS FOR SATURDAY NIGHT INTO MONDAY. THE NEXT COLD FRONT PUSHES ACROSS THE REGION TUESDAY NIGHT. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM FRIDAY MORNING/... LATEST REGIONAL RADAR MOSAIC DEPICTS ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDING FROM SE NC INTO CENTRAL NC THIS AFTERNOON. BASED ON LATEST SFC OBS...THE WARM FRONT HAS LIFTED INTO THE LOCAL AREA...WITH BETTER DESTABILIZATION SOUTH OF THE LOCAL AREA. EXPECT THE BETTER INSTABILITY TO REMAIN SOUTH OF THE REGION...BUT HI-RES GUIDANCE CONTINUES TO INDICATE THE POTENTIAL FOR ISOLATED TO WIDELY SCATTERED SHOWERS LIFTING INTO SRN VA AND NE NC THRU LATE THIS AFTERNOON. NAM12 300K SURFACES BACK UP THIS SCENARIO...INDICATING LOW LEVEL LIFT EVEN UNDER THE UPPER LEVEL RIDGE LOCATED OVER THE ERN CONUS. RAP SOUNDINGS INDICATE MODEST CAPE EXTENDING INTO THE MIXED PHASE LAYER...SO WILL MENTION SLIGHT CHANCE FOR THUNDER. ANY SHOWERS THAT DO DEVELOP WILL DISSIPATE EARLY EVENING WITH THE LOSS OF DAYTIME HEATING. TEMPS HAVE WARMED INTO THE MID/UPPER 70S...WITH A FEW LOCALES HITTING 80 ACROSS THE PIEDMONT INTO CENTRAL VA. SOUTH WINDS AROUND 10 MPH TONIGHT ALONG WITH A PARTLY CLOUDY SKY WILL RESULT IN MILD OVERNIGHT TEMPS. LOWS GENERALLY IN THE LOW 60S (~+1 STD DEV OR 10-12 DEGS ABOVE NORMAL). && .SHORT TERM /6 AM FRIDAY MORNING THROUGH SUNDAY/... GENERAL MODEL TRENDS CONTINUE TO SLOW THE UPPER SYSTEM SLIGHTLY AND DIG IT FARTHER SOUTH AND WEST THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT. CURRENT NATIONAL RADAR TRENDS OVER THE OH VALLEY...DEPICT RATHER UNORGANIZED CONVECTION ASSOCIATED WITH THE UPPER LOW. THE UPPER LOW PUSHES INTO THE TN VALLEY AS A STRONG UPPER LOW DEEPENS OVER ERN CANADA. THE FRONT REACHES THE ERN VA PIEDMONT LATE FRIDAY INTO EARLY FRI EVENING. LEAD SHORTWAVE ENERGY ROUNDS THE BASE OF THE UPPER TROUGH...LIFTING INTO THE REGION FRI AFTERNOON AHEAD OF THE MAIN TROUGH ENERGY. RETURN FLOW ADVECTS DEEPER MOISTURE INTO THE REGION...WITH H85 FLOW COMING IN FROM THE GULF STREAM. POPS RAMP UP OVER THE PIEDMONT MID TO LATE MORNING...AND THEN POINTS EWD THROUGH EARLY AFTERNOON. THE FAVORED AREAS FOR SHOWERS CONTINUE TO BE ALONG AND SOUTH OF A LINE FROM FARMVILLE TO RICHMOND AND TO THE NRN NECK/MD ERN SHORE FRI AFTERNOON AND FRIDAY EVENING. HAVE MAINTAINED LIKELY POPS FOR THAT AREA. HAVE TRIMMED BACK POPS NORTH AND WEST OF THIS LINE AS MODELS INDICATE SHOWER COVERAGE ASSOCIATED WITH THE MAIN SHORTWAVE WILL BE LIMITED IN THAT REGION. THUNDERSTORM POTENTIAL REMAINS MARGINAL DUE TO CONSIDERABLE CLOUD COVER AND MARGINAL INSTABILITY. GIVEN THE DYNAMICS...THETA-E ADVECTION AND THE TIME OF YEAR...WILL KEEP CHANCE MENTION OF THUNDER. SHEAR REMAINS MODEST (AOB 30 KT)...SO EXPECT ONLY EMBEDDED THUNDER. PWATS CLIMB TO 1.25 TO 1.5 INCHES...WHICH MAY RESULT IN PERIODS OF MODERATE TO LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL. HOWEVER...QPF AMOUNTS THRU FRIDAY EVENING WILL GENERALLY RANGE FROM LESS THAN ONE QUARTER OF AN INCH ACROSS THE NORTH UP TO ONE HALF INCH ACROSS THE SOUTH. AREA REMAINS IN WARM SECTOR WITH RETURN FLOW PUSHING TEMPS BACK INTO THE MID/UPPER 70S...EVEN WITH CONSIDERABLE CLOUD COVER. SHORTWAVE DROPS OVER THE CENTRAL APPALACHIANS INTO THE LOCAL AREA THRU FRI NIGHT AS THE FRONT PUSHES OFFSHORE. WILL KEEP SOLID CHANCE POPS ALONG THE COAST THRU THE OVERNIGHT PERIOD. AFOREMENTIONED MODEL TRENDS MEAN LINGERING MID LEVEL MOISTURE TO GO ALONG WITH THE STRONG DYNAMICS PROVIDED BY THE UPPER LOW DROPPING OVER THE REGION SAT. WILL HOLD ONTO SOLID CHANCE POPS THROUGH LATE MORNING INLAND FOR SCATTERED SHOWERS...AND ALONG THE COAST THRU SAT AFTERNOON. CLOUDY CONDITIONS BECOME PARTLY CLOUDY INLAND SAT AFTERNOON...BUT REMAIN MOSTLY CLOUDY ALONG THE COAST. TRENDED TOWARD THE COOLER SIDE OF THE MOS GUIDANCE DUE TO CLOUD COVER AND MODEST CAA...BUT TEMPS REMAIN SEASONABLE IN THE UPPER 60S/LOW 70S. NORTH WINDS GENERALLY 10 TO 15 MPH WITH GUSTS OF 20 TO 25 MPH. TROUGH AXIS PUSHES OFFSHORE SAT NIGHT WITH DRY CONDITIONS FORECAST ACROSS THE AREA. LOWS IN THE MID/UPPER 40S INLAND TO LOW 50S NEAR THE COAST UNDER A CLEAR SKY. HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS ACROSS NEW ENGLAND SAT NIGHT...PARKING OFF THE NORTHEAST COAST SUNDAY. THE RESULT WILL BE ONGOING DRY CONDITIONS. CAA WANES SUN...BUT LIGHT ONSHORE FLOW WILL KEEP TEMPS IN CHECK. THICKNESSES YIELD TEMPS IN THE LOW/MID 70S INLAND AND MID/UPPER 60S ALONG THE COAST. && .LONG TERM /SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY/... HIGH PRESSURE SLIDES FARTHER OFFSHORE SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY...AND SETTLES OFF THE SOUTHEAST COAST BY TUESDAY. MEANWHILE...A SHORTWAVE TROUGH AND AN ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT APPROACH FROM THE NW BY TUESDAY AFTN. MONDAY AND TUESDAY ARE TRENDING TOWARD BEING VERY WARM DAYS WITH DEEP LAYER WSW FLOW ASSOCIATED WITH A BREAKING DOWN UPPER RIDGE OVER THE E-CENTRAL/SERN CONUS. MODEL CONSENSUS GENERALLY SUPPORTS 850MB TEMPERATURES OF 12-15C...WHICH WITH FULL MIXING AND DOWNSLOPING SHOULD EASILY PUSH HIGHS TO 80-85F W OF THE BAY...WITH UPPER 70S FOR THE ERN SHORE. LOWS SUNDAY NIGHT SHOULD BE IN THE LOW/MID 50S...WITH 55-60F MONDAY NIGHT. SKY COVER SHOULD GENERALLY BE MOSTLY CLEAR/SUNNY SUNDAY NIGHT...MONDAY INTO MONDAY NIGHT...AND BECOME PARTLY SUNNY TUESDAY. THE TROUGH AND COLD FRONT SWING THROUGH THE AREA TUESDAY AFTN INTO TUESDAY NIGHT. THE MAIN FORCING ASSOCIATED WITH THE MID/UPPER SHORTWAVE TROUGH GENERALLY PASSES N OF THE LOCAL AREA...AND DEEP LAYER RH DIMINISHES AS THE FEATURE PASSES OVER THE LOCAL AREA SO FORECAST POPS ARE ONLY 20%...WITH A NARROW STRIP OF 30% ACROSS THE FAR N. HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS IN FROM THE N WEDNESDAY...AND SLIDES OFFSHORE LATER IN THE WEEK. HIGHS WEDNESDAY SHOULD DROP BACK TO THE MID/UPPER 60S NE...TO THE MID/UPPER 70S FARTHER INLAND...AND THEN TREND UPWARD INTO THURSDAY AS THE HIGH SLIDES OFFSHORE. LOWS SHOULD GENERALLY BE IN THE 50S. && .AVIATION /01Z FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/... SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE REMAINS OFF THE SE COAST AS COLD FRONT AND ASSOCIATED SURFACE TROUGH SLOWLY MOVE THROUGH THE MIDWEST. SOUTHERLY FLOW CONTINUES TO INCREASE MOISTURE INTO THE MID- ATLANTIC TOMORROW. EXPECT SW WIND GUST ~20KT FRI AFTN WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR MVFR CIGS. AHEAD OF THE FRONT...DAYTIME HEATING AND INCREASING MOISTURE ALONG WITH SHORTWAVE ENERGY MOVING OVER THE REGION WILL INCREASE THE POTENTIAL FOR AFTN SHOWERS AND TSTMS. GUSTY WINDS AND HEAVY RAIN WILL BE POSSIBLE IN ANY STORM. FRONT PASSES OF THE COAST LATE FRI/EARLY SAT. TRAILING CLOSED UPPER LOW WILL CAUSE LAPSE RATES TO INCREASE...CONTINUING THE POSSIBILITY FOR MVFR CIGS AND STORM DEVELOPMENT INTO SAT. DRIER AIR AND VFR CONDITIONS RETURN LATE SAT NIGHT. && .MARINE... HIGH PRESSURE IS SITUATED WELL OFFSHORE THIS AFTN...WITH LOW PRESSURE WELL TO THE W OVER THE MID-MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. THE HIGH WILL CONTINUE TO SLIDE FARTHER OFFSHORE TONIGHT AS LOW PRESSURE LIFTS NE OVER THE GREAT LAKES. A SW WIND SHOULD AVERAGE 10-15KT THROUGH THIS EVENING...AND THEN INCREASE TO 15KT BAY/15-20KT OCEAN LATER THIS EVENING THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING...BEFORE DIMINISHING FRIDAY AFTN/EVENING AS THE PRESSURE GRADIENT SLACKENS AS A WEAK COLD FRONT GRADUALLY DROPS INTO THE REGION. THE COLD FRONT PUSHES THROUGH THE AREA EARLY SATURDAY MORNING...WITH A SUBSEQUENT NORTHERLY SURGE MIDDAY SATURDAY...WITH A SECONDARY SURGE SATURDAY EVENING. MARGINAL SCA CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE OVER THE BAY (15-20KT N WIND). HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS OVER THE AREA SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY...SLIDES OFFSHORE MONDAY...AND SETTLES OFF THE SOUTHEAST COAST TUESDAY. SEAS GENERALLY AVERAGE 2-4FT...WITH 2-3FT WAVES IN THE BAY. && .AKQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MD...NONE. NC...NONE. VA...NONE. MARINE...NONE. && $$ SYNOPSIS...SAM/TMG NEAR TERM...SAM SHORT TERM...SAM LONG TERM...AJZ AVIATION...DAP MARINE...AJZ
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS PITTSBURGH PA
725 PM EDT THU APR 21 2016 .SYNOPSIS... LOW PRESSURE WILL BRING PERIODIC SHOWER CHANCES THROUGH FRIDAY EVENING. HIGH PRESSURE WILL BRING DRY AND SEASONAL WEATHER THIS WEEKEND. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM FRIDAY MORNING/... QUICK UPDATE TO THE FORECAST TO ADD MENTION OF ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS AS LATEST RADAR SHOWS A FEW RELATIVELY WEAK STORMS POP UP OVER EASTERN OHIO /WESTERN PA. LATEST RAPID UPDATE RUNS PICK THIS UP REASONABLY WELL SO HAVE ALSO WEIGHTED POPS OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS TOWARDS THE LATEST HRRR AND RAP. HOURLY TEMPERATURES ACROSS WESTERN ZONES WERE ALSO ADJUSTED DOWN AS RAIN FALLING THROUGH THE INITIALLY VERY DRY LOWER LEVELS QUICKLY LOWERED TEMPERATURES A COUPLE DEGREES. SHOWERS ARE EXPECTED TO INCREASE IN COVERAGE LATE THIS EVENING...PRIMARILY WEST OF LINE RUNNING ROUGHLY FROM INDIANA TO PARKERSBURG AS A SHORTWAVE TROUGH TRANSITIONS NORTHEAST ACROSS THE UPPER OHIO VALLEY AHEAD OF THE PARENT UPPER LOW. ITS POSSIBLE WE MAY NEED TO INCLUDE MENTION OF ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WITH THE NEXT UPDATE AS WELL AS THERE IS SOME ELEVATED INSTABILITY ON LATEST MODEL SOUNDINGS...AND THE CROSSING SHORTWAVE MAY BE JUST ENOUGH OF A KICKER. AT THE MOMENT...THE PROGGED INSTABILITY IS JUST TOO WEAK. OVERNIGHT LOW TEMPERATURES WILL RANGE 10-15 DEG ABOVE NORMAL WITH CONTINUED WARM AIR ADVECTION AND CLOUD COVERAGE LIMITING ANY RADIATIONAL COOLING. && .SHORT TERM /6 AM FRIDAY MORNING THROUGH SUNDAY/... SHOWERS SHOULD TAPER OFF IN COVERAGE FRI MRNG AS THE INITIAL SHORTWAVE EXITS. THE UPR LOW/TROF...AND IT/S ASSOCIATED SFC COLD FRONT...IS EXPECTED TO ADVANCE E TWD THE AREA BY AFTN WITH INCREASING SHOWER POTENTIAL RETURNING. MODEL PROGS SHOW A POTENTIAL FOR WEAK INSTABILITY...SO ONLY INCLUDED A SLGT CHC OF A TSTM. THE FRONT SHOULD COMPLETE IT/S PASSAGE FRI NIGHT...THOUGH SHOWER CHCS SHOULD CONTINUE UNTIL THE UPR TROF AXIS MOVES E OF THE AREA SAT MRNG. BUILDING RIDGING IS THEN EXPECTED TO BRING DRY WEATHER THROUGH THE REST OF THE WEEKEND. TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO AVERAGE NEAR OR SEVERAL DEGREES ABOVE SEASONAL LVLS USING GFS MOS AND A CONSENSUS BLEND GUIDANCE. && .LONG TERM /SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY/... A COLD FRONT WILL SLOWLY CROSS THE REGION LATER MONDAY THROUGH TUESDAY BRINGING SHOWERS. BUBBLE OF HIGH PRESSURE WITH DRY BUT STILL MILD CONDITIONS WEDNESDAY. LOW PRESSURE ADVANCING FROM THE NATIONS MID SECTION WILL RETURN SHOWERS FOR LATE WEEK. A SLIGHTLY MODIFIED SUPERBLEND WAS USED FOR THE EXTENDED FORECAST. && .AVIATION /23Z THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/... WIND HAS BEEN QUITE VARIABLE IN DIRECTION DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON AT SEVERAL SITES AS SCATTERED SHOWERS MOVE ACROSS THE REGION. THINK THIS WILL CONTINUE TO BE THE CASE THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS...WITH A MORE UNIFORM WIND OUT OF THE SOUTH DEVELOPING AFTER MIDNIGHT. THERE WILL BE A BRIEF PERIOD WHERE AN ISOLATED THUNDERSTORM IS POSSIBLE TONIGHT...BUT THE STORM THAT MOVED TO THE NORTH OF PITTSBURGH APPEARS TO HAVE WEAKENED ENOUGH THAT THUNDER SHOULD NOT BE A CONCERN AT DUJ OR OTHER SITES. ALTHOUGH CONDITIONS WILL INITIALLY BE VFR AT THE START OF THE TAF PERIOD...SCATTERED SHOWERS WILL BECOME MORE WIDESPREAD AFTER MIDNIGHT AS DEEPER MOISTURE ENTERS THE REGION AND YIELDS MVFR RESTRICTIONS. AFTER A BIT OF A LULL IN SHOWERS FRIDAY MORNING...SHOWERS WILL INCREASE IN COVERAGE AGAIN FRIDAY AFTERNOON...WITH CEILINGS LIKELY TO RISE BACK TO VFR CATEGORY. .OUTLOOK /FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY/... RESTRICTIONS ARE EXPECTED FRIDAY NIGHT WITH IFR CEILINGS POSSIBLE AS LOW PRESSURE MOVES EAST. THE NEXT CHANCE FOR WIDESPREAD RESTRICTIONS WILL BE MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY AS A COLD FRONT APPROACHES. && .PBZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MD...NONE. OH...NONE. PA...NONE. WV...NONE. && $$
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS GRAND RAPIDS MI
936 PM EDT THU APR 21 2016 LATEST UPDATE... UPDATE .SYNOPSIS... ISSUED AT 327 PM EDT THU APR 21 2016 AFTER SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS EXIT THE AREA EARLY TONIGHT...CHANCES FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS RETURN SUNDAY AND CONTINUE WELL INTO NEXT WEEK. SUNDAY WILL BE WARM WITH TEMPERATURES APPROACHING 70 IN SOME SPOTS. AFTERWARDS...HIGHS WILL BE NEAR OR SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL WITH HIGHS IN THE LOWER TO MID 60S. && .UPDATE... ISSUED AT 936 PM EDT THU APR 21 2016 WE HAVE UPDATED THE FCST THIS EVENING TO FRESHEN UP PCPN TRENDS...PULL THUNDER...AND ADD MORE FOG TO THE FCST AREA-WIDE. A FEW STORMS TRIED TO MAKE IT UP INTO THE AREA FROM THE S/SW...BUT COULDN/T QUITE MAKE IT WITH THE LACK OF INSTABILITY UP THIS WAY WITH ALL OF THE CLOUD COVER TODAY. MODELS ALL SHOW THE INSTABILITY WILL BE STEADILY ON THE WANE THROUGH THE NIGHT...SO WE PULLED IT ALTOGETHER. A FEW SHOWERS ARE AFFECTING THE SE CORNER OF THE CWFA THIS EVENING LEFT OVER FROM CONVECTION FROM EARLIER ACROSS INDIANA. THESE WILL BE MOVING OUT SOON...LEAVING ONLY A SMALL CHC OF A SHOWER OVERNIGHT AS THE SECONDARY FRONT DROPS THROUGH THE AREA. FOG LOOKS TO BE A LITTLE MORE LIKELY...ESPECIALLY WITH SOME CLEARING WORKING THROUGH THE SRN TWO THIRDS OF THE CWFA THIS EVENING. WINDS ARE STILL RELATIVELY LIGHT...AND COULD REMAIN THAT WAY RIGHT AT THE SFC ALL NIGHT. SOME BETTER MIXING ALOFT WILL MOVE IN BEHIND THE FRONT. WE EXPECT SOME FOG DEVELOPING...WITH THE BIGGER ISSUE BEING STRATUS EXPECTED TO MOVE IN FROM THE NORTH OVERNIGHT. && .SHORT TERM...(THIS EVENING THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT) ISSUED AT 327 PM EDT THU APR 21 2016 EXPERIMENTAL HRRR GUIDANCE IS LOOKING ON TRACK AS CLEARING HAS SPREAD INTO EXTREME SOUTHWEST LOWER MI AND A THUNDERSTORM ALREADY HAS DEVELOPED OVER NORTHWEST INDIANA. BASED ON EXPECTED MOVEMENT TO THE NORTHEAST...WE STILL EXPECT THE BEST CHANCES FOR THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE SOUTH OF I-96 AND EAST OF KALAMAZOO MAINLY BEFORE MIDNIGHT. AFTER THIS EXPECT AT LEAST SOME PATCHY FOG NEAR THE I-94 CORRIDOR THE REST OF THE NIGHT. AFTER TONIGHT...FORECAST CONCERNS ARE MINIMAL WITH RAIN SHOWERS APPROACHING FROM THE NORTHWEST ON SATURDAY NIGHT. .LONG TERM...(SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY) ISSUED AT 327 PM EDT THU APR 21 2016 A STATIONARY FRONT IS STILL EXPECTED TO SLIDE SLOWLY SOUTH THROUGH THE CWA SUNDAY INTO MONDAY NIGHT. THIS FRONT WILL HAVE A SOLID GULF MOISTURE CONNECTION AND THE OVER RIDING ACROSS THIS FRONT SHOULD PRODUCE A FAIR AMOUNT OF RAIN. IT APPEARS MOST AREAS SHOULD GET A AROUND AN INCH OF RAIN. THE STEADIEST RAINS SHOULD OCCUR ACROSS CENTRAL LOWER WHERE THE BEST LIFT PERSISTS ACROSS THE FRONT...AND OVER AN INCH OF RAIN CERTAINLY SEEMS POSSIBLE HERE. A BIT LIGHTER RAINS ARE EXPECTED TOWARD I-94. A FEW CLAPS OF THUNDER WILL BE POSSIBLE BUT NO SEVERE WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. THE AREA SHOULD DRY OUT INTO TUESDAY AS A WAVE OF LOW PRESSURE SLIDES ALONG THE FRONT AND HEADS EAST. HOWEVER THE DRY SPELL APPEARS BRIEF AS MORE RAIN CHANCES RETURN FOR WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY WITH ANOTHER WAVE OF LOW PRESSURE MOVING ACROSS THE OHIO VALLEY. SIMILAR PATTERN WITH A GOOD CHANCE OF RAIN...BUT MINIMAL CHANCES FOR SEVERE STORMS. WE WILL REMAIN MILD UNTIL THE FRONT COMES THROUGH...WITH A COOLER PERIOD FOR TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z FRIDAY EVENING) ISSUED AT 755 PM EDT THU APR 21 2016 SCATTERED SHOWERS/ISOLATED TSTMS SHOULD BE CONFINED TO AREAS SOUTH AND EAST OF GRR THIS EVENING WITH CONDITIONS RANGING FROM VFR TO MVFR. LOW CONFIDENCE FORECAST THIS EVENING AT MKG AS LAKE FOG HAS BEEN OSCILLATING BACK AND FORTH BUT WILL KEEP IT VFR THERE UNTIL MIDNIGHT OR SO WHEN LIGHT WESTERLY FLOW REDEVELOPS. THIS SHOULD SEND THE LAKE STRATUS/FOG BACK INLAND. IFR/LIFR EXPECTED TO BECOME MORE WIDESPREAD LATE TONIGHT DUE TO MOIST BOUNDARY LAYER CONDITIONS AND LIGHT WINDS. THE LOWER CIGS/VSBYS WILL LINGER THROUGH ABOUT 15Z FRIDAY THEN LIFT TO MVFR TO VFR LEVELS IN THE AFTERNOON AS WINDS INCREASE OUT OF THE NORTH AND SEND DRIER AIR INTO THE REGION. && .MARINE... ISSUED AT 327 PM EDT THU APR 21 2016 FOG HAS BECOME CONSIDERABLY THICKER IN THE LAST COUPLE HOURS SO IN COORDINATION WITH IWX HAVE HOISTED A MARINE DENSE FOG ADVISORY. FOG WILL GET SWEPT OUT OVERNIGHT WHEN STRONG NORTH WINDS SPREAD SOUTH ACROSS LAKE MICHIGAN. RAPIDLY GROWING WAVES WITH THE STRONGER WINDS AND A VERY FAVORABLE LONG FETCH WILL GIVE US SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY CONDITIONS QUICKLY FRIDAY MORNING SO HAVE ALSO ISSUED A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY WITH THIS PACKAGE. && .HYDROLOGY... ISSUED AT 158 PM EDT THU APR 21 2016 RAINFALL LAST NIGHT AND TODAY HAS BEEN LIGHT IN NATURE... WITH FEW TOTALS EXCEEDING A QUARTER INCH. LEVELS ON MAIN STEM RIVERS CONTINUE A GRADUAL DECLINE... BUT WE HAVE BEEN SEEING RISES ON SMALLER RIVERS AND CREEKS. NO FLOODING IN ANTICIPATED TODAY OR TOMORROW. AFTER A QUIET FRIDAY AND SATURDAY... SUNDAY THROUGH THE REST OF NEXT WEEK LOOKS FAIRLY ACTIVE. A WIDESPREAD INCH OF RAINFALL IS CERTAINLY POSSIBLE. RIVERS REMAIN ELEVATED... SO WE COULD SEE SOME RISE ABOVE BANKFULL AND PRODUCE MINOR FLOODING IN LOWLAND AREAS NEXT WEEK. && .GRR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MI...NONE. LM...DENSE FOG ADVISORY UNTIL 2 AM EDT FRIDAY FOR LMZ844>849. SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FROM 8 AM FRIDAY TO 2 AM EDT SATURDAY FOR LMZ844>849. && $$ UPDATE...NJJ SYNOPSIS...TJT SHORT TERM...TJT LONG TERM...JK AVIATION...MEADE HYDROLOGY...EBW MARINE...TJT
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS GRAND RAPIDS MI
755 PM EDT THU APR 21 2016 LATEST UPDATE... AVIATION .SYNOPSIS... ISSUED AT 327 PM EDT THU APR 21 2016 AFTER SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS EXIT THE AREA EARLY TONIGHT...CHANCES FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS RETURN SUNDAY AND CONTINUE WELL INTO NEXT WEEK. SUNDAY WILL BE WARM WITH TEMPERATURES APPROACHING 70 IN SOME SPOTS. AFTERWARDS...HIGHS WILL BE NEAR OR SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL WITH HIGHS IN THE LOWER TO MID 60S. && .SHORT TERM...(THIS EVENING THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT) ISSUED AT 327 PM EDT THU APR 21 2016 EXPERIMENTAL HRRR GUIDANCE IS LOOKING ON TRACK AS CLEARING HAS SPREAD INTO EXTREME SOUTHWEST LOWER MI AND A THUNDERSTORM ALREADY HAS DEVELOPED OVER NORTHWEST INDIANA. BASED ON EXPECTED MOVEMENT TO THE NORTHEAST...WE STILL EXPECT THE BEST CHANCES FOR THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE SOUTH OF I-96 AND EAST OF KALAMAZOO MAINLY BEFORE MIDNIGHT. AFTER THIS EXPECT AT LEAST SOME PATCHY FOG NEAR THE I-94 CORRIDOR THE REST OF THE NIGHT. AFTER TONIGHT...FORECAST CONCERNS ARE MINIMAL WITH RAIN SHOWERS APPROACHING FROM THE NORTHWEST ON SATURDAY NIGHT. .LONG TERM...(SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY) ISSUED AT 327 PM EDT THU APR 21 2016 A STATIONARY FRONT IS STILL EXPECTED TO SLIDE SLOWLY SOUTH THROUGH THE CWA SUNDAY INTO MONDAY NIGHT. THIS FRONT WILL HAVE A SOLID GULF MOISTURE CONNECTION AND THE OVER RIDING ACROSS THIS FRONT SHOULD PRODUCE A FAIR AMOUNT OF RAIN. IT APPEARS MOST AREAS SHOULD GET A AROUND AN INCH OF RAIN. THE STEADIEST RAINS SHOULD OCCUR ACROSS CENTRAL LOWER WHERE THE BEST LIFT PERSISTS ACROSS THE FRONT...AND OVER AN INCH OF RAIN CERTAINLY SEEMS POSSIBLE HERE. A BIT LIGHTER RAINS ARE EXPECTED TOWARD I-94. A FEW CLAPS OF THUNDER WILL BE POSSIBLE BUT NO SEVERE WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. THE AREA SHOULD DRY OUT INTO TUESDAY AS A WAVE OF LOW PRESSURE SLIDES ALONG THE FRONT AND HEADS EAST. HOWEVER THE DRY SPELL APPEARS BRIEF AS MORE RAIN CHANCES RETURN FOR WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY WITH ANOTHER WAVE OF LOW PRESSURE MOVING ACROSS THE OHIO VALLEY. SIMILAR PATTERN WITH A GOOD CHANCE OF RAIN...BUT MINIMAL CHANCES FOR SEVERE STORMS. WE WILL REMAIN MILD UNTIL THE FRONT COMES THROUGH...WITH A COOLER PERIOD FOR TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z FRIDAY EVENING) ISSUED AT 755 PM EDT THU APR 21 2016 SCATTERED SHOWERS/ISOLATED TSTMS SHOULD BE CONFINED TO AREAS SOUTH AND EAST OF GRR THIS EVENING WITH CONDITIONS RANGING FROM VFR TO MVFR. LOW CONFIDENCE FORECAST THIS EVENING AT MKG AS LAKE FOG HAS BEEN OSCILLATING BACK AND FORTH BUT WILL KEEP IT VFR THERE UNTIL MIDNIGHT OR SO WHEN LIGHT WESTERLY FLOW REDEVELOPS. THIS SHOULD SEND THE LAKE STRATUS/FOG BACK INLAND. IFR/LIFR EXPECTED TO BECOME MORE WIDESPREAD LATE TONIGHT DUE TO MOIST BOUNDARY LAYER CONDITIONS AND LIGHT WINDS. THE LOWER CIGS/VSBYS WILL LINGER THROUGH ABOUT 15Z FRIDAY THEN LIFT TO MVFR TO VFR LEVELS IN THE AFTERNOON AS WINDS INCREASE OUT OF THE NORTH AND SEND DRIER AIR INTO THE REGION. && .MARINE... ISSUED AT 327 PM EDT THU APR 21 2016 FOG HAS BECOME CONSIDERABLY THICKER IN THE LAST COUPLE HOURS SO IN COORDINATION WITH IWX HAVE HOISTED A MARINE DENSE FOG ADVISORY. FOG WILL GET SWEPT OUT OVERNIGHT WHEN STRONG NORTH WINDS SPREAD SOUTH ACROSS LAKE MICHIGAN. RAPIDLY GROWING WAVES WITH THE STRONGER WINDS AND A VERY FAVORABLE LONG FETCH WILL GIVE US SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY CONDITIONS QUICKLY FRIDAY MORNING SO HAVE ALSO ISSUED A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY WITH THIS PACKAGE. && .HYDROLOGY... ISSUED AT 158 PM EDT THU APR 21 2016 RAINFALL LAST NIGHT AND TODAY HAS BEEN LIGHT IN NATURE... WITH FEW TOTALS EXCEEDING A QUARTER INCH. LEVELS ON MAIN STEM RIVERS CONTINUE A GRADUAL DECLINE... BUT WE HAVE BEEN SEEING RISES ON SMALLER RIVERS AND CREEKS. NO FLOODING IN ANTICIPATED TODAY OR TOMORROW. AFTER A QUIET FRIDAY AND SATURDAY... SUNDAY THROUGH THE REST OF NEXT WEEK LOOKS FAIRLY ACTIVE. A WIDESPREAD INCH OF RAINFALL IS CERTAINLY POSSIBLE. RIVERS REMAIN ELEVATED... SO WE COULD SEE SOME RISE ABOVE BANKFULL AND PRODUCE MINOR FLOODING IN LOWLAND AREAS NEXT WEEK. && .GRR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MI...NONE. LM...DENSE FOG ADVISORY UNTIL 2 AM EDT FRIDAY FOR LMZ844>849. SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FROM 8 AM FRIDAY TO 2 AM EDT SATURDAY FOR LMZ844>849. && $$ SYNOPSIS...TJT SHORT TERM...TJT LONG TERM...JK AVIATION...MEADE HYDROLOGY...EBW MARINE...TJT
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS JACKSON MS
430 PM CDT WED APR 20 2016 .DISCUSSION...A COLD FRONT CONTINUES TO PUSH SLOWLY TOWARD THE REGION WITH THE BOUNDARY NOW BACK IN THE ARKLATEX AND HEADED THIS WAY. HOWEVER...THE MAIN BAND OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS (NOW COMING INTO WESTERN PORTIONS OF THE FORECAST AREA) IS BEING TRIGGERED BY A WEAK SURFACE TROUGH RUNNING OUT A DECENT WAYS IN ADVANCE OF THE FRONT. REGIONAL RADARS REVEAL A FEW ROBUST CELLS WITH A FAIR AMOUNT OF LIGHTNING AND HEAVY DOWNPOURS APPROACHING THE MS RIVER...AND ONLY ISOLATED CELLS BETWEEN THE MS RIVER AND I-55. FORTUNATELY...ATMOSPHERIC INSTABILITY IS NOT HIGH AND WIND SHEAR IS REALLY INSUFFICIENT TO ORGANIZE STORMS INTO MODES THAT WOULD BE MORE WORRISOME FOR SEVERE WEATHER. EXPECTING ALL THIS ACTIVITY TO CONTINUE TO TREND EAST THROUGH THIS EVENING...WORKING INTO THE I-55 CORRIDOR BY EARLY THIS EVENING. LATEST HIRES HRRR RUNS STILL SUGGEST A WEST TO EAST GRADIENT OF FUEL (MOISTURE ADVECTION AND INSTABILITY) CATALYZING STORMS WILL DROP OFF QUICKLY EAST OF I-55...SO EXPECT LATER THIS EVENING THAT CONVECTION WILL HAVE A VERY DIFFICULT TIME GETTING MUCH INTO EASTERN MS. HOWEVER...I AM SLIGHTLY WORRIED THAT THE EXPECTED STALLING NORTH TO SOUTH AXIS OF CONVECTION NEAR THE I-55 CORRIDOR LATER THIS EVENING COULD BE THE FOCUS FOR MORE REDEVELOPMENT LATER TONIGHT AS GULF MOISTURE ADVECTION INCREASES SOMEWHAT (IN TANDEM WITH INVIGORATING LOW LEVEL JET). SUCH A SCENARIO COULD POTENTIALLY BRING HEAVY RAIN WORRIES LATER TONIGHT INTO EARLY TOMORROW INTO PLAY A LITTLE FURTHER EAST THAN WE WERE PREVIOUSLY ANTICIPATING...BUT FOR NOW WE WILL CONTINUE TO KEEP THE MAIN LIMITED RISK OF HEAVY RAIN ISSUES LATE TONIGHT INTO TOMORROW CONFINED TO WESTERN ZONES. THIS LATTER AREA SHOULD THEORETICALLY EXPERIENCE THE BEST LIFT AND MOISTURE ADVECTION THROUGH THIS TIME IF MESOSCALE INFLUENCES FROM INCOMING WEAK MCS DOES NOT OVERLY BIAS THE SYNOPTIC SETUP. ONCE AGAIN...THE RISK OF SEVERE STORMS THROUGH TONIGHT AND EARLY TOMORROW LOOKS TOO LOW TO MENTION IN THE HWO OR GRAPHICS...BUT THERE MAY BE A WINDOW TOMORROW AFTERNOON FOR IMPRESSIVE CAPE (MLCAPE NEAR 2000 J/KG) TO BUILD AS THE FRONT ITSELF PUSHES CLOSER TO THE REGION. AGAIN...SHEAR SHOULD REMAIN VERY MARGINAL FOR MUCH ORGANIZATION TO STORMS...BUT THE EVEN MARGINAL INSTABILITY MAY PUSH AN ISOLATED STORM OR TWO TO SEVERE LIMITS IF CAPE VALUES REALLY MANAGE TO PEAK UP TO (OR ABOVE) THE PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED LEVEL. STILL DO NOT HAVE QUITE ENOUGH CONFIDENCE TO ISSUE AN OFFICIAL LIMITED RISK FOR SEVERE STORMS IN THE HWO/GRAPHICS...BECAUSE IT IS MORE LIKELY MOST STORMS WILL NOT DO MORE THAN PRODUCE BRIEF GUSTY WINDS...SMALL HAIL...FREQUENT LIGHTNING...AND HEAVY DOWNPOURS. OF COURSE WE WILL MONITOR CLOSELY FOR ANY NEEDED ADJUSTMENTS TO THIS THINKING. THE MEAT OF THE UPPER DISTURBANCE DRIVING MOVEMENT OF THE INCOMING FRONT WILL START TRANSITIONING TO OUR EAST THURSDAY NIGHT...BUT THE FRONT REALLY LOOKS TO DRAGS ITSELF INTO THE REGION VERY SLOWLY AS THE IMPETUS FOR MOVEMENT ALOFT IS REALLY FOCUSED WELL TO OUR NORTH. IT IS POSSIBLE THE TAIL END OF THIS FRONT COULD CONTINUE TO KICK UP A FEW SHOWERS OR STORMS THROUGH FRIDAY (ESPECIALLY ACROSS CENTRAL AND EASTERN MS) DESPITE LIFT ALOFT REALLY WEAKENING QUICKLY. BUT THE FRONT SHOULD GET OUT OF THE WAY BY THE WEEKEND...LEAVING DECENT AND WARM CONDITIONS AT THE RIGHT TIME. A WEAK DISTURBANCE SLIDING INTO THE LOWER MS VALLEY ON MONDAY MAY KICK UP A FEW MORE SHOWERS...AND MAYBE A STORM...SUNDAY NIGHT INTO MONDAY BUT BY THIS TIME THE BULK OF ENERGY SHOULD START TO SHIFT NORTH AND NORTHWEST OF OUR AREA. THIS ENERGY INFLUX INTO THE PLAINS AND MID MS VALLEY NEXT WEEK COULD SPELL SOME STORMY TIMES FOR THEM AND WE WILL HAVE TO WATCH ANOTHER ROUND OR TWO OF MODEL RUNS TO FIGURE OUT IF THIS STORMINESS MIGHT NOT SAG INTO AT LEAST NORTHERN PORTIONS OF THE FORECAST AREA FOR A FEW DAYS NEXT WORK WEEK. OTHERWISE...EXPECT A TREND TOWARD TYPICAL LATE SPRING WARMTH. /BB/ && .AVIATION...SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE MOVING EAST INTO AREA AND WERE EXPECTED TO IMPACT GLH AROUND 21Z. MUCH OF THE ACTIVITY WAS EXPECTED TO REMAIN WEST UNTIL LATE THIS AFTERNOON...SO GWO/GLH/HKS AND JAN WOULD BE IMPACTED BETWEEN 23 AND 4Z. WHILE IT WAS MOSTLY RAIN...THUNDERSTORMS WERE BRIEFLY REDUCING VISIBILITIES TO A MILE OR LESS AND CEILINGS WERE BEING LOWERED. ADDED A TEMPO GROUP FOR +TSRA FOR JAN THIS EVENING...NOT TOTALLY SOLD THAT THUNDERSTORMS WILL EXPAND THAT FAR EAST. MODELS SUGGEST A FEW STORMS MAY APPROACH HBG THIS EVENING...BUT LEFT TS OR VCTS OUT AT THIS POINT. STILL EXPECTING FOG TO DEVELOP AGAIN TONIGHT FOR HBG...SO KEPT MVFR AND ADDED A TEMPO FOR LIFR CONDITIONS. FOG HUNG ON FOR A WHILE THIS MORNING AND CONDITIONS WILL NOT BE MUCH DIFFERENT IN THE MORNING. IMPACTS GTR/MEI SEEM TO BE MINIMAL AT THIS TIME./7/ && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... JACKSON 62 79 61 78 / 64 74 61 30 MERIDIAN 56 78 61 77 / 20 60 68 45 VICKSBURG 62 80 60 80 / 66 64 51 22 HATTIESBURG 60 79 62 78 / 19 51 60 43 NATCHEZ 63 79 61 80 / 69 62 48 26 GREENVILLE 62 78 60 79 / 58 62 50 16 GREENWOOD 63 79 59 78 / 81 65 61 23 && .JAN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MS...NONE. LA...NONE. AR...NONE. && $$ BB/7/19
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NWS NORTH PLATTE NE
618 PM CDT THU APR 21 2016 .SYNOPSIS... ISSUED AT 333 PM CDT THU APR 21 2016 H5 ANALYSIS FROM EARLIER THIS MORNING HAD A CLOSED LOW OVER WESTERN IOWA WITH A TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE EXTENDING SOUTH INTO THE ARKLATEX. HT FALLS OF 50 TO 70 METERS WERE NOTED FROM THE MID MISSISSIPPI VALLEY NORTHWARD TO THE ARROWHEAD OF MINNESOTA. WEST OF THE TROUGH AND CLOSED LOW...WAS A RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE WHICH EXTENDED FROM THE FOUR CORNERS...NORTH TO NORTHERN MONTANA. WEST OF THE RIDGE...A TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE WAS PRESENT FROM THE ALEUTIANS...SOUTH INTO THE EASTERN PACIFIC...AND WAS ROUGHLY 500 MILES WEST OF THE OREGON AND WASHINGTON COASTS. AT THE SURFACE...LOW PRESSURE WAS LOCATED OVER CENTRAL IOWA WITH HIGH PRESSURE ANCHORED ACROSS THE FRONT RANGE OF COLORADO AND WYOMING. ACROSS WESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA...WINDS WERE NORTHERLY BETWEEN THESE TWO SURFACE FEATURES...AND WERE BREEZY THIS AFTERNOON WITH SPEEDS OF 15 TO 25 MPH. UNDER PARTLY CLOUDY SKIES...TEMPERATURES WERE IN THE UPPER 60S TO AROUND 70. && .SHORT TERM...(THIS EVENING THROUGH FRIDAY) ISSUED AT 333 PM CDT THU APR 21 2016 MAIN FORECAST CONCERNS ARE WIND AND TEMPERATURES. THE UPPER LOW CONTINUES ITS SLOW EASTWARD TREK AND GETS ABSORBED WITH THE OVERALL FLOW OVER THE GREAT LAKES. H5 RIDGE BUILDS OVER THE GREAT PLAINS WHILE A SURFACE TROUGH APPROACHES THE PANHANDLE LATE FRIDAY. THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT... EFFICIENT MIXING TO NEAR 750HPA AS INDICATED BY RAP AND HRRR SOUNDINGS AND NEARLY UNIDIRECTIONAL FLOW CREATING GUSTS TO 25MPH FOR MUCH OF THE AREA. SOUNDINGS ALSO INDICATE LOW LEVEL LIFT... WHICH IS CONFIRMED BY A GROWING CUMULUS FIELD OVER WESTERN NEBRASKA. LEFT PRECIP MENTION OUT AS ABUNDANT DRY AIR EXISTS IN THE MID LEVELS AND SURFACE DEW POINT DEPRESSIONS REACH 30F WEST TO 20F EAST. CLOUDS WILL CLEAR TONIGHT WITH THE LOSS OF DIURNAL HEATING AND WINDS RELAX WITH BOUNDARY LAYER DECOUPLING. MADE LITTLE CHANGE TO MIN TEMPS AS MID/UPPER 30S SEEMED REASONABLE GIVEN CLEAR SKIES... LIGHT WINDS... AND NEGLIGIBLE TEMP ADVECTION AT H85. FRIDAY... CONTINUED THE TREND OF FOLLOWING WARMER GUIDANCE OR GOING SLIGHTLY ABOVE FOR MAX TEMPS. RETURN FLOW SWITCHES LOW LEVEL WINDS TO SOUTHERLY... AND MODELS IN AGREEMENT WITH APPRECIABLE WAA. H85 TEMPS RANGE FROM NEAR 20C PANHANDLE TO 10C NORTH CENTRAL... ABOUT 5 TO 10C WARMER THAN THURSDAY. LOW LEVEL WINDS STRENGTHEN THROUGHOUT THE DAY AS THE PRESSURE GRADIENT INCREASES AHEAD OF THE TROUGH. NAM SHOWING AROUND 1MB/HR FALLS DURING THE AFTERNOON. COUPLED WITH SUBSIDENCE AND MIXING TO NEAR 800HPA WHERE H85 WINDS APPROACH 30KTS... GUSTS MAY REACH 25 TO 30MPH AT THE SURFACE. DESPITE WARM TEMPERATURES AND BREEZY WINDS... FIRE WEATHER DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE A SIGNIFICANT ISSUE AT THIS TIME. NAM...GFS...AND EURO KEEP SFC DEW POINTS IN THE 40S DURING THE AFTERNOON... AND MIXING RATIOS INCREASE 1-2G/KG SINCE THURSDAY. MINIMUM RH VALUES STAY ABOVE 25 PERCENT PANHANDLE AND 30 PERCENT EAST. .LONG TERM...(FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY) ISSUED AT 333 PM CDT THU APR 21 2016 MID RANGE...FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY...A TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE ALOFT WILL COME ONSHORE ACROSS NRN CALIFORNIA/OREGON LATE FRIDAY. THIS FEATURE WILL TRACK EAST INTO WYOMING OVER THE NEXT 24 HOURS...MAKING IT AS FAR EAST AS NWRN WYOMING BY 00Z SUNDAY. DURING THIS PERIOD...A STRONG LEE SIDE SFC CYCLONE WILL DEVELOP OVER EASTERN WYOMING AND NERN COLORADO. EAST OF THIS FEATURE...SRLY WINDS WILL INCREASE FRIDAY AFTERNOON INTO FRIDAY NIGHT. SRLY FLOW WILL PUSH LOW LEVEL MOISTURE NWD DURING THE NIGHT AND THIS COUPLED WITH THE SRLY WINDS...WILL MAKE FOR MILD TEMPS FRIDAY NIGHT. FCST LOWS WILL BE IN THE UPPER 40S TO AROUND 50...SOME 10 TO 15 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. ON SATURDAY...STRONG LOW LEVEL WARM AIR ADVECTION WILL CONTINUE WITH H85 TEMPS REACHING 25C IN THE WEST BY 00Z SUN. THE LATEST GUIDANCE REFLECTED THESE WARMER TEMPS SHOWN IN THE GRAPHICAL NAM AND GFS FCST MODELS FROM THIS MORNING...AND HAVE TRENDED UP HIGHS FOR SAT AFTN. THIS RESULTED IN HIGHS IN THE LOWER 80S ACROSS THE BOARD. WE EVEN MAY SEE SOME MIDDLE 80S IN THE NORTHWEST WHERE DRIER AIR IS EXPECTED SAT AFTN. ON SATURDAY EVENING...A PACIFIC COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH THE PANHANDLE SAT EVENING...AND A LEAD DISTURBANCE WILL APPROACH SWRN NEBRASKA FROM NERN COLORADO. THUNDERSTORM CHANCES WILL INCREASE DURING THE EVENING HOURS WITH THE BEST CHANCES IN THE SOUTHWEST IN PROXIMITY TO THE UPPER LEVEL WAVE...AND IN THE NORTHWESTERN CWA INVOF THE FRONT AND CLOSER PROXIMITY TO THE H5 LOW. AS FOR THE THREAT FOR SEVERE STORMS...WAS CONCERNED SOMEWHAT ABOUT THE 2000 J/KG CAPES DEPICTED IN THE 12Z NAM SOLN THIS MORNING...ACROSS CENTRAL PORTIONS OF THE CWA. HOWEVER...BULK SHEAR IS ONLY 15 TO 20 KTS SAT AFTN/EVE...SO THE SEVERE THREAT APPEARS MINIMAL ATTM. ON SUNDAY...THE UPPER LEVEL LOW WILL TRACK ALONG THE NEBR/SD BORDER. ATTM...THE MAIN THREAT FOR PCPN WILL CONTINUE OVER NRN NEBRASKA WITH MAINLY DRY CONDS IN THE SOUTH. IT WILL BE WINDY WITH DECENT NORTHWESTERLY WINDS BEHIND THE COLD FRONT SUNDAY. TEMPERATURES WILL RANGE FROM AROUND 60 IN THE WEST TO THE MID 70S IN THE FAR EAST. LONG RANGE...SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY...AN ACTIVE SWRLY FLOW PATTERN WILL CONTINUE INTO NEXT WEEK. THE FIRST OF TWO UPPER LEVEL LOWS WILL APPROACH THE FORECAST AREA MONDAY NIGHT WITH LIKELY PCPN EXPECTED FOR TUESDAY INTO TUESDAY NIGHT. PCPN WILL LINGER IN THE NORTH FOR WEDNESDAY...WITH DRY CONDS EXPECTED WEDS NIGHT INTO THURSDAY. A SECOND SYSTEM WILL APPROACH THE REGION LATE THURSDAY WITH ANOTHER ROUND OF PCPN ON TAP FOR FRIDAY INTO SATURDAY NEXT WEEK. TEMPERATURES WILL BE COOL WITH HIGHS IN THE 50S WITH SOME 40S POSSIBLE IN NRN NEBRASKA TUES/WEDS. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z FRIDAY EVENING) ISSUED AT 618 PM CDT THU APR 21 2016 VFR IS EXPECTED ALL AREAS OVERNIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY AFTERNOON. SFC LOW PRESSURE WILL ORGANIZE ACROSS THE NRN HIGH PLAINS BENEATH AN UPPER LEVEL RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE. SKIES SHOULD REMAIN MOSTLY CLEAR. && .HYDROLOGY... ISSUED AT 333 PM CDT THU APR 21 2016 RISES ON THE SOUTH PLATTE RIVER EXPECTED TO CONTINUE OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS. UPSTREAM GAUGE AT JULESBURG STILL SHOWING A SLOW RISE WITH AN EXPECTED CREST AT ROSCOE OF AROUND 7.3 FEET LATE FRIDAY/EARLY SATURDAY. ISSUED RVS THIS MORNING WITH UPDATED FORECAST FROM MBRFC. SLIGHT UPTICK OBSERVED AT NORTH PLATTE BUT STILL 1.5 FEET BELOW ACTION STAGE. && .LBF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && $$ SYNOPSIS...BUTTLER SHORT TERM...SNIVELY LONG TERM...BUTTLER AVIATION...CDC HYDROLOGY...SNIVELY
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS NORTH PLATTE NE
408 PM CDT WED APR 20 2016 .SYNOPSIS... ISSUED AT 405 PM CDT WED APR 20 2016 H5 ANALYSIS THIS MORNING HAD A CLOSED LOW OVER NORTH PLATTE WITH RIDGING OFF TO THE WEST OVER THE INTERMOUNTAIN WEST INTO THE PANHANDLE OF IDAHO. EAST OF THE LOW...A LOW AMPLITUDE RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE EXTENDS FROM THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE NORTH TO THE OHIO VALLEY. HT FALLS THIS MORNING WERE MOST PRONOUNCED ACROSS EASTERN KANSAS AND EASTERN NEBRASKA...WITH 70 METER FALLS NOTED AT OMAHA AND 100 METER FALLS NOTED AT TOPEKA. CURRENT SATELLITE IMAGERY HAS THE LOW NEAR LEXINGTON NEBRASKA WITH A SECONDARY CIRCULATION NOTED AROUND OMAHA. SHOWERS HAVE CONTINUED TO ROTATE AROUND THE NORTHERN AND WESTERN PERIPHERY OF THE LOW TODAY AND HAVE MADE IT AS FAR WEST AS A MERRIMAN TO OGALLALA LINE. OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF HOURS...SOME CONVECTIVE SHOWERS HAVE DEVELOPED OVER SERN LINCOLN AND FRONTIER COUNTIES. ELSEWHERE...A MORE PERSISTENT SHIELD OF RAIN WAS OCCURRING ACROSS THE NEBRASKA SANDHILLS. HOURLY RAINFALL RATES WERE LIGHT...AT OR UNDER 3 HUNDREDTHS OF AN INCH. TEMPERATURES AS OF 3 PM CDT RANGED FROM 51 TO 59 DEGREES. && .SHORT TERM...(TODAY AND TONIGHT) ISSUED AT 405 PM CDT WED APR 20 2016 THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT...EXPANDED HIGH CHC POPS WEST TO HWY 83 TO ACCOUNT FOR SCATTERED SHOWERS ROTATING AROUND THE LOW. ALSO EXPANDED ISO THUNDER MENTION FOR SOUTHERN HALF OF THE FORECAST AREA. FORECAST SOUNDINGS SHOW STEEP LOW LEVEL LAPSE RATES AND PERIODS OF SIGNIFICANT LIFT. RAP ANALYSIS ALSO SHOWS MARGINAL CAPE...GENERALLY 500 J/KG OR LESS...LIFTED INDEX AS LOW AS -1... AND MID LEVEL LAPSE RATES NEAR 7C/KM. GIVEN DEEP COLD AIR ALOFT...SMALL HAIL IS POSSIBLE WITH ANY STORM. HRRR AND RAP INDICATE MOST OF THE SHOWER/STORM ACTIVITY OUTSIDE NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA WILL BE DIURNALLY DRIVEN. SLOWLY PULL POPS FOR BOYD...HOLT...WHEELER COUNTIES TONIGHT DUE TO THE PROXIMITY OF AN AREA OF STEADY RAIN OVER NORTHEAST NEBRASKA. MADE LITTLE CHANGE TO MIN TEMPS AS PREVIOUS FORECAST LOWS ARE SIMILAR TO 12Z MOS GUIDANCE SUITE...COOLER PANHANDLE AND WEST FOR CLEARING SKY AND LIGHT WINDS AND MILD NORTH CENTRAL FOR SUSTAINED CLOUDINESS. DESPITE RECENT RAINFALL AND LIGHTENING WINDS OVERNIGHT...RISK OF FOG IS LOW. SLIGHTLY DRIER AIR MOVES IN AS SHOWN BY FALLING MIXING RATIOS...AND AS SURFACE WINDS TURN WESTERLY/NORTHWESTER...ITS NOT AS FAVORABLE FOR FOG FORMATION. THURSDAY...H5 LOW SCOOTS EAST INTO IOWA AND THE H3 JET MAX CENTERS OVER THE MISSOURI RIVER. TRENDED MAX TEMPS TOWARD THE MAV...WHICH RESULTED IN AN INCREASE OF A DEGREE OR SO AREAWIDE. NAM SOUNDINGS INDICATE DRY AIR ALOFT...WEAK TO NON EXISTENT LIFT IN THE LOWER LEVELS...AND A MIXED LAYER APPROACH 700HPA. MID LEVEL FGEN FORCING ALSO WEAKENS AS THE LOW MOVES EAST OF THE AREA. WITH MAINLY FAIR CONDITIONS AND UNINHIBITED MIXING...BREEZY NORTH WINDS ARE LIKELY AND H85 TEMPS AROUND 10C SHOULD TRANSLATE TO HIGHS NEAR 70F. .LONG TERM...(THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY) ISSUED AT 405 PM CDT WED APR 20 2016 MID RANGE...THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY...IN THE MID RANGE...A BENIGN WEATHER PATTERN IS EXPECTED IN THE MID RANGE WITH TEMPERATURES BEING THE MAIN FORECASTING CHALLENGE. THE CLOSED LOW WILL TRACK INTO THE OHIO VALLEY THURSDAY NIGHT INTO FRIDAY...WHILE RIDGING ALOFT BUILDS EAST FROM THE CENTRAL ROCKIES INTO THE CENTRAL PLAINS. TEMPERATURES FRIDAY WILL REACH THE LOWER TO MIDDLE 70S...FOLLOWED BY MID 70S TO AROUND 80 FOR SATURDAY. THE LATEST NAM SOLN WAS BEGINNING TO INDICATE A FAVORABLE ENVIRONMENT FOR THUNDERSTORMS SATURDAY AFTERNOON IN THE WEST WITH VERY FAVORABLE SURFACE BASED INSTABILITY AND A DECENT AMOUNT OF SD CAPE. HOWEVER...SHEAR LOOKS WEAK ATTM. THE GFS AND ECMWF SOLNS HOLD OFF ON CONVECTION UNTIL SAT EVENING AND HAVE OPTED TO GO THIS ROUTE AND LEAVE SAT AFTERNOON DRY FOR NOW. BETTER CHANCES FOR PRECIPITATION WILL ARRIVE IN THE WEST SATURDAY EVENING AS A LEAD SHORTWAVE CROSSES THE PANHANDLE. LONG RANGE...SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY...BEGINNING SATURDAY NIGHT...CHANCES FOR PCPN WILL INCREASE IN THE WEST AS A LEAD SHORTWAVE CROSSES THE PANHANDLE. THIS WILL BE FOLLOWED BY A CLOSED LOW WHICH TRACKS ACROSS SRN SD SUNDAY INTO SUNDAY NIGHT. WRAP AROUND PCPN FROM THE SYSTEM WILL IMPACT THE NORTHERN CWA ON SUNDAY AND SUNDAY NIGHT. FURTHER SOUTH...COOLER AND WINDY CONDS ARE EXPECTED SUNDAY...WITH NOT MUCH IN THE WAY OF PCPN EXPECTED. BETTER CHANCES FOR PRECIPITATION WILL ARRIVE MONDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY AS A SECOND UPPER LOW LEVEL LOW TRACKS FROM THE CENTRAL ROCKIES ONTO THE CENTRAL PLAINS. TEMPERATURES WILL BE MUCH COOLER AS WELL WITH HIGHS IN THE 50S BY MIDWEEK NEXT WEEK. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z THURSDAY AFTERNOON) ISSUED AT 405 PM CDT WED APR 20 2016 SCATTERED LIGHT RAIN SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS WESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA. AN ISOLATED THUNDERSTORM CANNOT BE RULED OUT FOR SOUTHWEST NEBRASKA...INCLUDING KLBF... KOGA...KBBW...AND KIML. RAIN SHOWER COVERAGE AND WIND SPEED WILL DECREASE AROUND SUNSET WHILE LOW/MID LEVEL CLOUD COVER WILL THIN OVERNIGHT. && .HYDROLOGY... ISSUED AT 405 PM CDT WED APR 20 2016 RISES EXPECTED TO CONTINUE ON THE SOUTH PLATTE RIVER FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS DUE TO RECENT PRECIPITATION OVER WESTERN NEBRASKA AND COLORADO. USGS STREAM GAUGE AT ATWOOD CO HAS SHOWN A LEVELING OFF WHILE JULESBURG STILL SHOWS A STEADY RISE. IN COORDINATION WITH THE MBRFC...A FORECAST SHOWS A CREST AROUND 7 FEET LATE FRIDAY AT ROSCOE...WHICH PUTS IT AT ACTION STAGE. NO FLOODING IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. && .LBF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && $$ SYNOPSIS...BUTTLER SHORT TERM...SNIVELY LONG TERM...BUTTLER AVIATION...SNIVELY HYDROLOGY...BUTTLER
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS BISMARCK ND
1256 AM CDT WED APR 20 2016 .UPDATE... ISSUED AT 1249 AM CDT WED APR 20 2016 BASED ON SURFACE OBSERVATIONS...WEB CAMS...AND SHORT TERM HI RESOLUTION MODELS HAVE ISSUED A DENSE FOG ADVISORY FROM THE EASTERN EDGE OF THE FORECAST AREA...TURTLE MOUNTAINS AND JAMES RIVER VALLEY...TO THE MISSOURI RIVER BORDER COUNTIES. VISIBILITIES WERE DOWN BELOW A QUARTER MILE IN THE TIOGA TO STANLEY AREAS AND LESS THAN A MILE AT MINOT AND JAMESTOWN. OTHERWISE...HAVE RAISED OVERNIGHT LOWS THROUGH THE JAMES RIVER VALLEY A FEW DEGREES DUE TO DEW POINTS AND EXPECTED FOG AND LOW STRATUS...WHICH SHOULD PREVENT MUCH OF A TEMPERATURE DROP OVERNIGHT. UPDATE ISSUED AT 929 PM CDT TUE APR 19 2016 LOWERED MINIMUM TEMPERATURES OVERNIGHT IN THE SOUTHWEST SLIGHTLY AS QUITE A BIT OF CLEARING HAS OCCURRED THIS EVENING. MINOT AND JAMESTOWN OBSERVATIONS HAVE NOTED SOME PATCHY FOG IN THE PAST HOUR OR SO...THEREFORE DID INTRODUCE PATCHY FOG IN PARTS OF THE CENTRAL AND EAST EARLIER THAN ORIGINALLY ANTICIPATED. OTHER THAN THAT...THE FORECAST LOOKS TO BE ON TRACK. UPDATE ISSUED AT 640 PM CDT TUE APR 19 2016 FORECAST LOOKS MAINLY ON TRACK SO NO MAJOR CHANGES WERE NEEDED FOR THIS UPDATE. DID INCREASE PATCHY FOG TO AREAS OF FOG FROM 06Z TO 12Z OVERNIGHT EAST OF THE MISSOURI RIVER...REASONING BASED ON RECENT MOISTURE...SOUTHERLY FLOW...AND FORECAST LIGHT SURFACE WINDS. THE LAST SEVERAL ITERATIONS OF THE OPERATIONAL HRRR ALSO SEEM TO SUGGEST THIS SOLUTION. && .SHORT TERM...(THIS EVENING THROUGH WEDNESDAY) ISSUED AT 331 PM CDT TUE APR 19 2016 FOCUS IS ON THE EXITING UPPER LEVEL LOW OVER THE ROCKIES AND FOG WEDNESDAY MORNING. THE SEMI STATIONARY UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE OVER THE ROCKIES IS BEGINNING TO PROPAGATE EAST...CUTTING OFF MOIST FLOW INTO THE NORTHERN PLAINS. ONLY A FEW SHOWERS REMAIN ACROSS SOUTHEAST PARTS OF NORTH DAKOTA AND WILL FURTHER DIMINISH THROUGH THE NIGHT. DRIER AIR OVER CENTRAL SOUTH DAKOTA AND SOUTH CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA HAS USHERED IN SOME MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES. SHORT RANGE MODELS WERE HAVING A HARD TIME PICKING UP ON THIS FEATURE...THUS LEANED MORE ON LATEST SATELLITE FOR THE SHORT TERM SKY FORECAST. SHORT RANGE MODELS STILL DEVELOP FOG ACROSS MUCH OF CENTRAL AND WESTERN NORTH DAKOTA TONIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY MORNING. WITH THAT SAID HAVE LEFT PATCHY FOG IN FOR ALL OF CENTRAL AND WESTERN NORTH DAKOTA DUE TO LIGHT WINDS AND AMPLE MOISTURE FROM RECENT RAINS. .LONG TERM...(WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY) ISSUED AT 331 PM CDT TUE APR 19 2016 FOCUS IN THE LONG TERM IS ON THE CHANCES FOR PRECIPITATION SATURDAY NIGHT INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. THE 12 UTC GUIDANCE CONTINUES TO SHOW AN UPPER LEVEL RIDGE BUILDING INTO THE NORTHERN PLAINS THURSDAY...USHERING IN DRY CONDITIONS THURSDAY THROUGH SATURDAY AFTERNOON. LONGER RANGE MODELS HAVE COME INTO BETTER AGREEMENT ON THE NEXT WEATHER MAKER FOR THE NORTHERN PLAINS. LIKE THIS PREVIOUS SYSTEM A CUT OFF UPPER LEVEL LOW WILL SET UP OVER THE ROCKIES WITH MOIST FLOW MOVING NORTH INTO NORTH DAKOTA. AT THIS TIME THE WEEKEND SYSTEM APPEARS TO BE MORE PROGRESSIVE THAN THIS PAST WET WEATHER MAKER. CHANCES RAIN AND EVEN POSSIBLY SNOW ON THE BACK SIDE START SATURDAY NIGHT AND LAST INTO TUESDAY. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z THURSDAY) ISSUED AT 1256 AM CDT WED APR 20 2016 LIFR/VLIFR CONDITIONS IN FOG AND STRATUS ARE EXPECTED AT KISN/KMOT/KJMS THE REMAINDER OF TONIGHT THROUGH THE 14-16 UTC TIME FRAME WEDNESDAY MORNING. FOG/STRATUS MAY ENCROACH UPON KBIS AFTER 09 UTC. KDIK IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN VFR FOR THE 06 UTC TAF CYCLE. && .BIS WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... DENSE FOG ADVISORY UNTIL 11 AM CDT /10 AM MDT/ THIS MORNING FOR NDZ001>005-009>013-017>023-025-034>037-045>048-050-051. && $$ UPDATE...JPM SHORT TERM...MM LONG TERM...MM AVIATION...ZH
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS PORTLAND OR
857 PM PDT THU APR 21 2016 .SYNOPSIS...SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE TO SPREAD ACROSS THE REGION TONIGHT AND ALSO BRING ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS UNTIL SHORTLY AFTER MIDNIGHT. SHOWERS WILL INTENSIFY LATER TONIGHT AND ALSO CONTINUE THROUGH FRIDAY WITH ANOTHER ROUND OF THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THE UPPER LEVEL LOW CAUSING THESE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE EAST LATER FRIDAY NIGHT AND EARLY SATURDAY...FOLLOWED BY ANOTHER LOW LATE SATURDAY INTO SUNDAY. SNOW LEVELS WILL BE LOWERING BELOW THE CASCADE PASSES SUNDAY AND MONDAY. THE UNSETTLED WEATHER WILL LIKELY LAST A GOOD PART OF NEXT WEEK. && .UPDATE...CONVECTION WAS VERY SLOW TO GET GOING THIS EVENING BUT BEGAN IN EARNEST ABOUT 90 MINUTES AGO AS A WEAK VORT MAX BEGAN CROSSING THE AREA. THIS WAS THE FINAL NECESSARY INGREDIENT TO TRIGGER THE DEEPER CONVECTION UNDER A MARGINAL CONVECTIVE ENVIRONMENT. EXPECT TO SEE THE SHOWERS AND STORMS CONTINUE PUSHING NORTHWARD THIS EVENING AND REACH THE GREATER PORTLAND METRO AREA BY 11PM. ONLY ONE CELL ACROSS EASTERN LANE COUNTY HAS SHOWN MUCH ORGANIZATION TO IT. MRMS ALGORITHMS (COMBINED FROM THE MEDFORD AND PORTLAND RADARS) ARE INDICATING LESS THAN 1/2 INCH HAIL SIZE. BASED ON LAST NIGHT`S EXPERIENCE WITH THESE RELATIVELY NEW ALGORITHMS...FEEL REALITY IS BRINGING SLIGHTLY SMALLER STONES. MOST IMPRESSIVE IS THE LONGEVITY THIS CELL HAS MAINTAINED. IT FIRST STARTED DEVELOPING AROUND 02Z/7PM A LITTLE SOUTHEAST OF ROSEBURG AND HAS MAINTAINED MODEST STRENGTH IN THE NEARLY 2 HRS SINCE THEN. ONLY NOTABLE CHANGE TO THE FORECAST FOR TONIGHT WAS TO EXTEND THE THUNDER THREAT INTO SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON THIS EVENING AND THEN THROUGH ABOUT 2AM TONIGHT. MODELED THE AREA AND TIME LOOSELY ON THE 02Z HRRR RUN AND IT DID HAVE AN OK HANDLE ON THE CURRENT SITUATION. UPDATES WILL BE AVAILABLE SHORTLY. PREVIOUS DISCUSSION FOLLOWS. /JBONK && .AVIATION...A FRONT LIFTING NORTHEASTWARD ACROSS THE REGION OVERNIGHT WILL LIKELY BRING A MIX OF MVFR AND VFR CONDITIONS ALONG THE COAST AND MAINLY VFR CONDITIONS INLAND. A LINE OF SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE NORTHWARD IN THE WILLAMETTE VALLEY THROUGH APPROXIMATELY 09Z AND COULD IMPACT A TERMINAL OR TWO...BUT CONFIDENCE ON SPECIFICALLY WHICH ONE REMAINS LOW. OTHERWISE...EXPECT A SHOWERY DAY ON FRIDAY WITH ONLY BRIEF AND OCCASIONAL MVFR CONDITIONS UNDER OR NEAR THE HEAVIEST SHOWERS. KPDX AND APPROACHES...A FRONT LIFTING NORTHEASTWARD ACROSS THE REGION WILL BRING RAIN SHOWERS AFTER 06Z FRIDAY...WITH PRIMARILY VFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED THROUGH 06Z SATURDAY. THERE IS APPROXIMATELY A 20 PERCENT CHANCE A THUNDERSTORM COULD IMPACT THE TERMINAL BETWEEN 06Z AND 10Z FRIDAY. IN ADDITION...AN OCCASIONAL AND BRIEF MVFR CIG OR VISIBILITY WILL BE POSSIBLE UNDER OR NEAR THE HEAVIEST SHOWERS AT ANY POINT DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS. WILL HINT AT THIS POSSIBILITY WITH SCT GROUPS IN THE TAFS AS CONDITIONS SHOULD REMAIN PREDOMINANTLY VFR. /NEUMAN && .MARINE...A FRONT MOVING NORTHWARD ACROSS THE WATERS TONIGHT AND FRIDAY WILL BRING A PERIOD OF GUSTY 25 TO 30 KT WINDS TO THE WATERS. CONFIDENCE IS HIGHEST THESE WIND GUSTS WILL SURFACE ACROSS THE OUTER WATERS SO CURRENT SMALL CRAFT ADVISORIES APPEAR ON TRACK. HOWEVER...THERE IS A CHANCE THAT SOUTHWESTERLY WINDS BEHIND THE FRONT ON FRIDAY COULD SPIKE INTO THE 25 KT RANGE ACROSS THE INNER WATERS SO WILL LET THE MID SHIFT EVALUATE THIS THREAT FURTHER. OTHERWISE...A COUPLE WEAK STORM SYSTEMS MOVING ACROSS THE WATERS OVER THE WEEKEND WILL LIKELY HAVE FEW WIND IMPACTS. IT SHOULD BE NOTED A WESTERLY SWELL WILL LIKELY RESULT IN SEAS TOPPING OUT AROUND 10 FT. A NORTHERLY WIND PATTERN LATE IN THE WEEKEND AND EARLY NEXT WEEK COULD PRODUCE SOME GUSTY 25 KT WINDS...BUT EXACTLY HOW WIDESPREAD AND FOR HOW LONG REMAINS SOMEWHAT UNCERTAIN. AN ADDITIONAL SWELL AROUND 10 FT LOOKS TO ENTER THE WATERS DURING THIS TIME AS WELL. OTHERWISE...WINDS AND SEAS LOOK TO RELAX EARLY TO MID NEXT WEEK. /NEUMAN && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 253 PM PDT THU APR 21 2016/ SHORT TERM...THE DRY PERIOD WILL BE COMING TO AN END THIS EVENING AS AN UPPER LOW OFFSHORE CENTERED NEAR 142W 44N SWINGS A SHORTWAVE TROUGH ACROSS THE AREA TONIGHT. THE MAIN PART OF THE SHORTWAVE IS OFF THE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA AND SOUTH OREGON COAST. INSTABILITY IS APPARENT WITH CUMULUS BUILD-UPS ALONG THE ENTIRE COAST RANGE ZONES WHERE HIGHER CLOUDS ARE ABSENT. INSTABILITY IS MORE SUPPRESSED OVER THE VALLEY AND CASCADES AS THICKER HIGH CLOUDS HAVE DELAYED CUMULUS BUILD-UPS. MODELS ARE STILL ON TRACK FOR SOME SHOWERS TO DEVELOP OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN LATE TODAY THEN EXPAND DRAMATICALLY THIS EVENING NEAR THE COAST RANGE AND SPREAD OUT INTO THE VALLEYS AND THE CASCADES. THIS PRECIPITATION LOOKS CONVECTIVE AND WILL PROBABLY BE LOCALLY HEAVY AS MODEL AND SATELLITE PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES ARE NEAR 1 INCH WHICH IS NEAR THE SEASONAL HIGH. MODEL LIFTED INDICES ARE LOW ENOUGH TO INCLUDE A SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDER AGAIN MAINLY THIS EVENING. SOUNDING PROFILES FOR THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING SHOW LESS CAPE THAN WED. YESTERDAY AFTERNOON KSLE SOUNDING SHOWED ABOUT 1000 J/KG WHILE THE CAPE FORECAST FOR THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING IS AROUND 100 J/KG PER NAM SOUNDING. SHOWERS CONTINUE FRIDAY AS THE UPPER LOW MOVES THROUGH...AND WILL KEEP A CHANCE OF THUNDER THEN AS WELL. THE MODELS SUGGEST THAT A DEFORMATION BAND MAY FORM OVER SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON AND FAR NORTHWEST OREGON FRIDAY...SO THE BEST CHANCE OF THUNDER WILL BE TO THE SOUTH. THE LOW DEPARTS BY SATURDAY...BUT ANOTHER SYSTEM APPROACHES LATE SATURDAY THAT WILL BRING MORE SHOWERS TO THE AREA INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK...AND DROP CASCADE SNOW LEVELS BELOW THE PASSES SUNDAY AND MONDAY. A RETURN TO MORE TYPICAL APRIL WEATHER FRIDAY AND THROUGH THE WEEKEND WITH TEMPS INTO THE LOWER 60S AND OF COURSE SHOWERS FOR MAY FLOWERS. /MH LONG TERM...SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY. ACTIVE PATTERN CONTINUES INTO NEXT WEEK...WITH ZONAL FLOW OVER THE PACIFIC BRINGING IN SYSTEM AFTER SYSTEM. SHOWERS WILL BE TAPERING DOWN ON MONDAY AS SHORTWAVE RIDGING BUILDS OVER THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST DRYING US OUT FOR TUESDAY. MODELS STILL DIVERGE SOME ON WEDNESDAY WITH THE FOLLOWING SYSTEM WILL BRING US ANY RAIN OR NOT. NEWER RUNS LEAN MORE TOWARDS THE TRACK OF THIS SYSTEM GOING JUST SOUTH OF US. IF THIS IS TRUE...WE MAY GET CLIPPED BY A LITTLE BIT OF RAIN ON WEDNESDAY IN THE OREGON PART OF OUR AREA...BUT WASHINGTON WOULD STAY DRY. THURSDAY THEN LOOKS DRY AS RIDGING BUILDS BACK OVER THE EASTERN PACIFIC. WHETHER THIS BECOMES A STATIONARY RIDGE KEEPING US DRY INTO THE WEEKEND...OR WHETHER IT IS MORE TRANSITORY WITH MORE SYSTEMS TO FOLLOW IS UP IN THE AIR AT THIS TIME. -MCCOY && .PQR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... OR...NONE. WA...NONE. PZ...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR WINDS FROM 8 AM TO 4 PM PDT FRIDAY FOR WATERS FROM CAPE SHOALWATER WA TO CASCADE HEAD OR FROM 10 TO 60 NM. SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR WINDS UNTIL 10 AM PDT FRIDAY FOR WATERS FROM CASCADE HEAD TO FLORENCE OR FROM 10 TO 60 NM. && $$ INTERACT WITH US VIA SOCIAL MEDIA WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/NWSPORTLAND WWW.TWITTER.COM/NWSPORTLAND THIS DISCUSSION IS FOR NORTHWEST OREGON AND SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON FROM THE CASCADE CREST TO 60 NAUTICAL MILES OFFSHORE. THE AREA IS COMMONLY REFERRED TO AS THE FORECAST AREA.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS PENDLETON OR
804 PM PDT THU APR 21 2016 .UPDATE...A TROUGH CONTINUES TO APPROACH THE COAST THIS EVENING AS THE RIDGE THAT HAS BEEN OVER THE AREA MOVES EAST. A WAVE EMBEDDED IN THE SOUTHERLY FLOW OVER WASHINGTON AND OREGON HAS BEEN GENERATING SHOWERS AND A THUNDERSTORM OR TWO WEST OF THE CASCADES. MODELS SHOW THE DISTURBANCE MOVING INTO OUR AREA OVERNIGHT. THE NAM AND THE SHORT TERM HRRR AND RUC13 MODELS ALL SHOW SHOWERS DEVELOPING LATER TONIGHT OVER THE EASTERN MOUNTAINS AND PROPAGATING NORTH THROUGH THE COLUMBIA BASIN BEFORE EXITING AROUND SUNRISE. RADAR IS ALREADY SHOWING SOME ECHOES IN NORTHERN MALHEUR AND BAKER COUNTIES AND SEE CELLS DEVELOPING IN NORTHERN NEVADA SO HAVE ADDED ISOLATED RAIN SHOWERS FROM JOHN DAY EASTWARD IN THE MOUNTAINS AND FROM HANFORD EASTWARD IN THE COLUMBIA BASIN. HAVE KEPT THE ISOLATED SHOWERS ALONG THE CASCADES AND INTO CENTRAL OREGON NORTH TO YAKIMA AND ELLENSBURG. HAVE ALSO RAISED CLOUD COVER TO MOSTLY CLOUDY FOR THE REST OF THE NIGHT. MADE A FEW SMALL ADJUSTMENTS TO THE WIND AS WELL. REST OF THE FORECAST LOOKED GOOD. FORECAST UPDATES ALREADY OUT. PERRY && .SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY...THE HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE AXIS IS SHIFTING EASTWARD AS A TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE IN THE GULF OF ALASKA SLIDES TOWARD THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST. THE TROUGH WILL FORM A CLOSED LOW OFF THE SOUTHWEST COAST OF OREGON BY FRIDAY AFTERNOON. THE ATMOSPHERE OVER EASTERN OREGON AND WASHINGTON WILL BEGIN TO DESTABILIZE FRIDAY AS THE LOW APPROACHES LEADING TO AN INCREASE IN SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA. THE LOW WILL THEN MOVE OVER THE REGION FRIDAY NIGHT AND EXIT EARLY SATURDAY WITH SHOWERS DECREASING OVERNIGHT. MODELS ARE HINTING THAT SOME MOISTURE WRAPPING BACK AROUND THE LOW COULD IMPACT FAR NORTHEAST OREGON AND SOUTHEAST WASHINGTON THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING SO HAVE BUMPED UP POPS FOR THIS. OTHERWISE SATURDAY WILL BE AN IN BETWEEN WEATHER SYSTEMS DAY BEFORE THE NEXT UPPER LEVEL LOW DROPS INTO THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST LATE SUNDAY. THIS WILL ONCE AGAIN INCREASE SHOWERS AND BRING A POSSIBILITY SOME THUNDERSTORMS TO PORTIONS OF THE FORECAST AREA. THERE WILL ALSO BE SOME INCREASING WESTERLY WINDS FRIDAY AND THROUGH THE WEEKEND USHERING IN SOME COOLER AIR. SNOW LEVELS WILL BE DROPPING TO 5000 TO 6000 FEET ON FRIDAY NIGHT AND THEN DOWN TO 4000 TO 5000 FEET ON SUNDAY. .LONG TERM...SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY...A LARGE UPPER LOW WILL BE MOVING SOUTHEAST ACROSS OREGON ON SUNDAY NIGHT. THIS WILL BRING A GOOD CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND HIGH MOUNTAIN SNOW SHOWERS TO THE AREA. ON MONDAY THE LOW WILL BE OVER THE GREAT BASIN BUT WRAP AROUND MOISTURE ESPECIALLY IN OREGON WILL BRING A CONTINUED CHANCE FOR SHOWERS AND MOUNTAIN SNOW SHOWERS ABOVE 4000-4500 FEET. WITH THE LOW OVER THE CENTRAL ROCKIES ON TUESDAY AND SLIGHT RIDGING OVER THE AREA EXPECT A DECREASE IN SHOWER ACTIVITY. BY WEDNESDAY ANOTHER UPPER LOW WILL EITHER MOVE OVER OR JUST SOUTH OF THE REGION WITH INCREASING CHANCES FOR SHOWERS. BY THURSDAY SHOWERS WILL BEGIN TO TAPER OFF. THERE MAY BE ENOUGH INSTABILITY FOR THUNDERSTORMS WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY BUT THE MARGINAL NATURE OF THE THREAT SEVERAL DAYS OUT PRECLUDES A MENTION IN THE FORECAST AT THIS TIME. IT WILL BE WINDY THROUGH THE COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE AND KITTITAS VALLEY SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY. TEMPERATURES WILL START OUT NEAR OR SLIGHTLY BELOW NORMAL AND THEN RISE TO SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL BY THE END OF THE FORECAST PERIOD. 78 && .AVIATION...00Z TAFS...VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL THROUGH THE FORECAST PERIOD. EXTENSIVE HIGH CLOUDS WILL GRADUALLY LOWER AND THICKEN OVERNIGHT. LOWER CU/SC WILL DEVELOP FRIDAY MORNING AROUND 5000 FEET AGL. SCATTERED SHOWERS WILL DEVELOP ACROSS CENTRAL OREGON FRIDAY MORNING AND OVER THE REST OF THE REGION BY FRIDAY AFTERNOON. THERE COULD BE ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS BUT EXPECTED LIMITED COVERAGE PRECLUDES A MENTION IN THE TAFS AT THIS TIME. MOSTLY SW-W WINDS AT 5 TO 15 KT COULD BECOME TERRAIN DRIVEN OVERNIGHT BEFORE BECOMING MOSTLY SW-W TOMORROW AT 10 TO 20 KT. 78 && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... PDT 52 74 50 65 / 10 40 40 10 ALW 56 76 50 66 / 10 40 40 20 PSC 59 76 51 72 / 10 20 20 10 YKM 52 74 47 71 / 20 30 20 10 HRI 53 76 51 68 / 10 20 20 10 ELN 51 73 49 65 / 20 40 20 10 RDM 41 62 37 60 / 10 60 40 10 LGD 46 70 44 58 / 20 60 60 30 GCD 47 67 44 58 / 10 70 60 10 DLS 52 69 50 65 / 20 40 20 10 && .PDT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... OR...NONE. WA...NONE. && FOR ADDITIONAL WEATHER INFORMATION, CHECK OUR WEB SITE AT... WWW.WEATHER.GOV/PENDLETON $$ 83/78/78
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS PORTLAND OR
934 PM PDT TUE APR 19 2016 .SYNOPSIS...AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH WILL APPROACH FROM THE SOUTHWEST TONIGHT...BRINGING LOW CLOUDS AND PATCHY DENSE FOG TO THE COAST TONIGHT...AND SHOWERS WITH COOLER TEMPERATURES WEDNESDAY. THUNDERSTORMS AND SMALL HAIL ARE POSSIBLE WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. ANOTHER UPPER LEVEL LOW WILL CONTINUE THE COOLING TREND THURSDAY AND FRIDAY WITH MORE SHOWERS. SEASONAL TEMPERATURES EXPECTED THIS WEEKEND AS ANOTHER TROUGH IMPACTS THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST. && .UPDATE...THE BIGGEST CHANGES MADE WITH THE EVENING UPDATE WAS THE ADDITION OF PATCHY DENSE FOG ALONG THE COAST TONIGHT AND THUNDERSTORMS WITH SMALL HAIL WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON/EVENING. BASED ON RECENT HRRR RUNS FORECAST VISIBILITIES COMBINED WITH USCG OBSERVATIONS LEAD TO THE ADDITION OF PATCHY DENSE FOG ALONG THE COAST TONIGHT. FOR WEDNESDAY...MODEL SOUNDINGS CONTINUE TO SHOW DECENT HAIL PARAMETERS ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA...WITH SBCAPE APPROACHING 1000 J/KG AND 0-5 KM BULK SHEAR AROUND 30 TO 35 KT IN THE INTERIOR VALLEY. HOWEVER...00Z NAM SOUNDINGS INDICATE CONVECTIVE TEMPS IN THE MID TO UPPER 80S WHICH WILL HELP LIMIT SURFACE BASED CONVECTION AND HAIL SIZE. NONETHELESS...ELEVATED CONVECTION REMAINS A CONCERN WITH SMALL HAIL POSSIBLE UNDER ANY THUNDERSTORMS THAT DO DEVELOP. OTHERWISE...THE CURRENT FORECAST LOOKS ON TRACK SO NO OTHER CHANGES WERE MADE. /64 && .AVIATION...STRATUS AND AREAS OF DENSE FOG HAVE DEVELOPED ALONG THE COAST...RESULTING IN LIFR CONDITIONS. EXPECT FOG OR LOW STRATUS TO REMAIN ALONG THE COAST THROUGH WED MORNING. INLAND AREAS WILL LIKELY REMAIN VFR TONIGHT WITH LIGHT WINDS. SYSTEM APPROACHING FROM THE S WILL BRING AN INCREASING CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WED...POSSIBLY AS EARLY AS WED MORNING S OF KEUG-KONP. SHOWER/TSTM CHANCES SPREAD N THROUGH THE DAY WED... WITH ABOUT A 40 PERCENT CHANCE OF TSRA DURING THE AFTERNOON. DECIDED TO HANDLE THIS WITH VCTS IN MOST TERMINALS AFTER 21Z WED FOR NOW...CAN FINE TUNE THE DETAILS WITH THE 12Z/18Z TAF PACKAGES. KPDX AND APPROACHES...VFR THROUGH TONIGHT UNDER VARIABLE HIGH CLOUDS. INCREASING CHANCE OF SHOWERS WEDNESDAY WITH A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. WEAGLE/MCCOY && .MARINE...MAIN ISSUE FOR THE COASTAL WATERS WILL BE AREAS OF DENSE FOG TONIGHT...AS WEAK HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS ACROSS THE WATERS FOR LIGHT AND VARIABLE WINDS AND SEAS GENERALLY AROUND 5 FT. WEAK COLD FRONT LIFTS N-NE FROM THE NORCAL WATERS LATER TONIGHT AND WED... BRINGING AN INCREASING CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. IF THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOP...SOME COULD PRODUCE A DECENT AMOUNT OF LIGHTNING AS WELL AS GUSTY AND ERRATIC WINDS ON THE WATERS. OTHERWISE EXPECT A SLIGHT INCREASE IN S-SW WINDS...POSSIBLY GUSTING TO 15-20 KT AT TIMES LATER WED/WED NIGHT. SLIGHTLY STRONGER SOUTHERLIES SHOULD DEVELOP FRIDAY AS A SURFACE TROUGH AND WEAK FRONT APPROACHES THE COAST. SEAS WILL INCREASE SOME LATER IN THE WEEK. WEAGLE/SCHNEIDER && .PREVIOUS DISCUSSION /ISSUED 252 PM PDT TUE APR 19 2016/... SHORT TERM...TEMPERATURES ARE RAISING UNDER ABUNDANT SUNSHINE THIS AFTERNOON. INLAND AREAS WILL WARM INTO THE 80S LATE THIS AFTERNOON. CLOUDS HUGGING THE COAST WILL KEEP COASTAL AREAS FROM WARMING MUCH. THE NORTH COAST MAY GET INTO THE 70S...BUT THE CENTRAL OREGON COAST WILL LIKELY STAY IN THE 60S...OR EVEN UPPER 50S DOWN BY NEWPORT WHERE THE CLOUDS HAVE MADE MORE OF A PRESENCE. CONDITIONS BEGIN TO CHANGE TONIGHT AS AN UPPER LEVEL LOW CURRENTLY OFFSHORE OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA MOVES NE TOWARDS OREGON. THIS WILL SPUR A SOUTHWEST MARINE PUSH THAT WILL REINFORCE LOW CLOUDS ALONG THE COAST...AND SPREAD COOLER MARINE AIR INTO THE SOUTH AND POSSIBLY CENTRAL WILLAMETTE VALLEY. THE APPROACHING TROUGH WILL DEEPEN THE MARINE LAYER ALLOWING THE COASTAL CLOUDS ALONG THE COAST TO PUSH INLAND ACROSS THE COASTAL AREAS AND INTO PARTS OF THE COAST RANGE EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING. BESIDES THE LOW MARINE CLOUDS EXPECT MID AND HIGH LEVEL CLOUDS ASSOCIATED WITH THE UPPER TROUGH TO STREAM MOVE OVER THE REGION. THE HIGHER CLOUDS WILL MOVE SOUTH TO NORTH FROM WED MORNING THROUGH WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. THE CLOUDIER SKIES AND INFLUENCE OF THE MARINE AIR WILL RESULT IN COOLER TEMPERATURES WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON...AROUND 8 TO 10 DEGREES COOLER THAN TODAY. ALTHOUGH IT WILL BE COOLER...THE FORECASTED TEMPERATURES ARE STILL AROUND 15 DEGREES WARMER THAN THE SEASONAL NORMALS. THE UPPER LEVEL TROUGH WILL INCREASE MOISTURE AT THE MID LEVELS PRIMING THE ATMOSPHERE FOR CONVECTION. THE AXIS OF THE NEGATIVELY-TILTED UPPER TROUGH WILL SWING OVER NW OREGON IN THE AFTERNOON DURING PEAK HEATING TIME. THIS WILL BE THE BEST CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP...AND THERE DOES LOOK TO BE A DECENT CHANCE. DETERMINING THE LOCATION OF THUNDERSTORMS IS DIFFICULT...BUT THE WARMER SURFACE TEMPERATURES NORTH OF SALEM MAKES ME THINK THE BEST CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE THERE. HOWEVER...SOUNDINGS INDICATE THE CONVECTION MAY BE ELEVATED...AND THESE TYPE OF THUNDERSTORMS HAVE BEEN KNOWN TO SHOW UP IN AREAS WHERE THEY ARE LEAST EXPECTED. A CHANCE FOR SHOWERS WILL INCREASE SOUTH TO NORTH WEDNESDAY MORNING...AND LIKE THUNDERSTORMS...THE LOCATION AND TIMING OF THE SHOWERS ARE DIFFICULT TO FORECAST. CAN GENERALLY EXPECT 0.05 TO 0.10 INCH OF RAIN WITH THE SHOWERS...EXCEPT AROUND 0.2 INCH OVER THE CASCADES...AND WITH ANY THUNDERSTORMS THAT MAY DEVELOP. THE UPPER TROUGH WILL MOVE TO THE NE WED NIGHT AND SHOWERS WILL EASE. THE CHANCE FOR SHOWERS RETURNS THURSDAY AFTERNOON AS THE NEXT UPPER LOW APPROACHES. THIS LOW IS APPROACHING FROM THE NW AND WILL BRING ANOTHER NEGATIVELY UPPER TROUGH ACROSS THE PACIFIC NW THURSDAY AND FRIDAY. TEMPERATURES WILL CONTINUE THE DOWNWARD TREND...BUT STILL STAY ABOVE THE SEASONAL NORMALS. EXPECT SHOWERS THURSDAY AND FRIDAY WITH AROUND 0.10 TO 0.20 INCH OF RAIN EACH DAY. MOST OF THE CONVECTION WILL STAY NORTH AND EAST ON THURSDAY...BUT THERE IS A POSSIBILITY FOR THUNDERSTORMS FRIDAY AFTERNOON AS THE PARENT UPPER LOW MOVES INLAND ACROSS NORTHERN CALIFORNIA AND SOUTHERN OREGON. FORECAST CONFIDENCE IS LOW FOR NOW ON THE THREAT FOR THUNDERSTORMS...ESPECIALLY WITH THE EXPECTED CLOUD COVER AND COOLER TEMPERATURES...BUT CAN NOT IGNORE THE MODELED CAPE OF 300-500 J/KG...AND HAVE ADDED A SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS FOR THE CASCADES AND AREAS NORTH OF SALEM FRIDAY AFTERNOON. TJ LONG TERM...FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY. AFTER A SPELL OF SUMMER WEATHER...APRIL RETURNS FOR THE WEEKEND WITH TEMPERATURES DROPPING BACK DOWN AROUND OR EVEN BELOW NORMAL. NORTHWESTERLY FLOW ALOFT WILL BRING BRING A SERIES OF SHORTWAVES INTO THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST OVER THE WEEKEND. MODERATE ONSHORE FLOW WITH OROGRAPHIC LIFT ALONG THE COAST RANGE AND CASCADES WILL KEEP SHOWERS IN THE AREA BETWEEN SYSTEMS ON SATURDAY. THE NEXT SYSTEM WILL BRING MORE WIDESPREAD SHOWERS ON SUNDAY. THE SUNDAY SYSTEM WILL BRING SNOW LEVELS DOWN BELOW THE PASSES...WHICH MEANS A FEW INCHES OF SNOW COULD FALL AT THE PASSES DURING THE DAY ON SUNDAY. SHORTWAVE RIDGING BUILDS JUST OFF THE COAST...AND DEPENDING ON HOW FAR NORTH IT BUILDS THIS WILL EITHER DRY US OUT OR REDUCE THE NUMBER OF SHOWERS ON MONDAY AND TUESDAY. KEPT A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS ON THESE DAYS DUE TO THIS UNCERTAINTY. -MCCOY && .PQR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... OR...NONE. WA...NONE. PZ...NONE. && $$ INTERACT WITH US VIA SOCIAL MEDIA WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/NWSPORTLAND WWW.TWITTER.COM/NWSPORTLAND THIS DISCUSSION IS FOR NORTHWEST OREGON AND SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON FROM THE CASCADE CREST TO 60 NAUTICAL MILES OFFSHORE. THE AREA IS COMMONLY REFERRED TO AS THE FORECAST AREA.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS STATE COLLEGE PA
1002 PM EDT THU APR 21 2016 .SYNOPSIS... LOW PRESSURE AND AN ACCOMPANYING FRONTAL SYSTEM WILL MOVE EAST ACROSS THE MIDWEST AND OHIO VALLEY TOWARD THE REGION TODAY. SHOWERS SPREADING INTO THE REGION THIS EVENING INTO FRIDAY WILL BE FOLLOWED BY MILD AND DRY WEATHER THIS WEEKEND. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH FRIDAY/... RADAR SHOWS VERY DISORGANIZED LIGHT SHOWERS TRACKING NORTHEAST THROUGH THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS AND LOWER SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY. AIRMASS IS STILL VERY DRY SO RAIN IS HAVING A HARD TIME REACHING THE GROUND. LATEST HRRR SHOWS A GOOD CHANCE OF A LIGHT SHOWER IN MOST AREAS BY MIDNIGHT...WITH MORE SHOWERS ARRIVING LATER AT NIGHT INTO EARLY FRIDAY MORNING. THE CLOUDS AND LIGHT SOUTH TO SWRLY LLVL FLOW WILL KEEP TEMPS MILD OVERNIGHT...MAINLY IN THE MID TO UPPER 50S ACROSS CENTRAL AND SRN PENN. SOME EVAP COOLING ACROSS THE NWRN ZONES WILL PUSH TEMPS A LITTLE LOWER...DOWN INTO THE L50S. && .SHORT TERM /FRIDAY NIGHT/... SFC COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH FROM THE OHIO VALLEY FRIDAY. A PLUME OF HIGH PWAT AIR /25-30MM/ WILL SLIDE EAST ACROSS THE STATE FRIDAY AND EXIT THE SE ZONES AFTER 06Z SATURDAY. FRIDAY LOOKS PRETTY CLOUDY AND SHOWERY WITH POPS IN THE 70-80 PERCENT RANGE. SOME SHORT TERM OPER MODEL GUIDANCE SUGGESTS THAT MU CAPES WILL RAMP UP TO BETWEEN 500-1000 J/KG DURING THE DAY FRIDAY...THOUGH THE ENSEMBLE MEAN IS SLIGHTLY LOWER AT A FEW TO SVRL HUNDRED J/KG - JUST ENOUGH TO MENTION ISOLATED TSRA WHERE SOME BREAKS IN THE CLOUD COVER DEVELOP. SOME SHOWERS LINGER FRIDAY NIGHT...MAINLY IN THE S/SE AS THE UPPER LOW AND REAL COLD AIR ALOFT TAKE UNTIL MIDNIGHT OR SO ON FRIDAY NIGHT TO PASS COMPLETELY THROUGH. 24-36 HOUR QPF IS STILL SLATED TO HOLD TO ONLY 0.25 INCHES SE TO PERHAPS AROUND 0.5 INCHES NW. EVEN ACROSS THE NW...THE GEFS AND SREF PROB FOR 0.50 INCH OF RAIN OVER A 24 HOUR PERIOD IS BARELY OVER 50 PERCENT. LATEST GEFS MINS FRI NIGHT WILL BE REALLY CLOSE TO NORMAL ACROSS THE NORTH...AND JUST A HAIR ABOVE THEM IN THE SOUTH. && .LONG TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/... GUIDANCE HAS COME INTO MUCH BETTER AGREEMENT IN THE PATTERN VERSUS PREVIOUS DAYS...SHOWING A MIGRATION FROM A BROAD TROUGH/RIDGE/TROUGH CONFIGURATION EXTENDING FROM THE GREAT BASIN TO THE PLAINS INTO THE MID ATLANTIC REGION AT THE START OF THE PERIOD...TOWARD A MEAN WESTERN TROUGH/BUILDING RIDGE IN THE EAST BY NEXT THU AS THE STRONG HIGH LATITUDE BLOCKING WEAKENS OVER GREENLAND/EASTERN CANADA. UNCERTAINTY HAS ALSO DECREASED OVER THE POSITION OF AN EAST/WEST SFC FRONTAL BOUNDARY AND LOW LEVEL BAROCLINIC ZONE WITH COLDER TEMPERATURES STAYING WELL TO THE NORTH OF PA ALONG THE NRN TIER STATES/CANADIAN BORDER. THE NCEP MODELS ARE WEAKER AND MORE PROGRESSIVE VS. ECMWF/CMC WITH THE SHORTWAVE TROUGH EXITING THE MID ATLANTIC EARLY SATURDAY. THIS MAY LINGER CLOUDS/LIGHT RAIN OVER SOUTHERN AREAS DURING THE MORNING BEFORE HIGH PRESSURE DRYS THINGS OUT BY THE AFTERNOON. THE WEEKEND AS A WHOLE LOOKS FAIR AND DRY WITH A RISK OF FROST/FREEZE CONDITIONS SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY MORNING. WAVES OF LOW PRESSURE MOVG EWD ALONG WAVY SFC FRONTAL BOUNDARY PRESSING SWD FROM THE LOWER LAKES/UPSTATE NY SHOULD BRING PERIODS OF RAIN EARLY NEXT WEEK BUT CONFIDENCE IN EXACT TIMING OF GREATEST PCPN RISK IS STILL BELOW AVERAGE AND COULD EASILY SHIFT +/- 12 HOURS. MODEL CONSENSUS FAVORS A DRY PERIOD ON WEDNESDAY BEFORE RAIN PROBS TREND HIGHER FROM WEST TO EAST INTO THE SECOND HALF OF NEXT WEEK. ASIDE FROM A CHILLY SUNDAY MORNING...THE GLOBAL ENSEMBLE MEANS ALONG WITH NATIONAL/REGIONAL BLENDS ALL SUPPORT ABOVE NORMAL TEMPS THROUGH THE MEDIUM RANGE PERIOD. && .AVIATION /02Z FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/... DRY AIR IN THE LOW LLVLS SHOULD ENSURE VFR CONDS ACROSS THE ENTIRE AREA THROUGH THE FIRST HALF OF THE OVERNIGHT PERIOD. A BLEND OF LATEST NEAR TERM MDLS SUGGESTS A BRIEFLY HEAVIER SHOWERS ARE POSSIBLE OVERNIGHT ACROSS THE NRN AND WRN MTNS WITH BRIEF VISBY REDUCTIONS. THERE WAS A BRIEF TSTM OVER KDUJ BUT HAS SINCE ENDED. THE BEST CHC FOR SHOWERS WILL ARRIVE FROM WEST TO EAST DURING THE MID TO LATE MORNING HOURS FRIDAY...WITH ISOLATED TSRA IMPACTS POSSIBLE BETWEEN 17-23Z FRIDAY. OUTLOOK... FRI...SHOWERS WITH AREAS OF MVFR CIGS AND BRIEF MVFR VSBYS POSSIBLE /MAINLY ACROSS THE WRN MTNS/. ISOLATED TO SCT PM TSRA IMPACTS POSSIBLE. SAT...EARLY AM LOW CIGS POSSIBLE W MTNS. SUN...NO SIG WX EXPECTED. MON AND TUESDAY...PM SHRA DEVELOPING MONDAY AND CONTINUING INTO TUESDAY. REDUCTIONS POSSIBLE...MAINLY NW PA. && .CTP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && $$ SYNOPSIS...LA CORTE/LAMBERT NEAR TERM...LA CORTE/LAMBERT SHORT TERM...LAMBERT LONG TERM...STEINBUGL AVIATION...LAMBERT/CERU
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS STATE COLLEGE PA
707 PM EDT THU APR 21 2016 .SYNOPSIS... LOW PRESSURE AND AN ACCOMPANYING FRONTAL SYSTEM WILL MOVE EAST ACROSS THE MIDWEST AND OHIO VALLEY TOWARD THE REGION TODAY. SHOWERS SPREADING INTO THE REGION THIS EVENING INTO FRIDAY WILL BE FOLLOWED BY MILD AND DRY WEATHER THIS WEEKEND. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH FRIDAY/... RADAR SHOWS VERY DISORGANIZED LIGHT SHOWERS TRACKING NORTHEAST THROUGH THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS AND LOWER SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY. AIRMASS IS STILL VERY DRY SO RAIN IS HAVING A HARD TIME REACHING THE GROUND. LATEST HRRR SHOWS A GOOD CHANCE OF A LIGHT SHOWER IN MOST AREAS BY MIDNIGHT...WITH MORE SHOWERS ARRIVING LATER AT NIGHT INTO EARLY FRIDAY MORNING. THE CLOUDS AND LIGHT SOUTH TO SWRLY LLVL FLOW WILL KEEP TEMPS MILD OVERNIGHT...MAINLY IN THE MID TO UPPER 50S ACROSS CENTRAL AND SRN PENN. SOME EVAP COOLING ACROSS THE NWRN ZONES WILL PUSH TEMPS A LITTLE LOWER...DOWN INTO THE L50S. && .SHORT TERM /FRIDAY NIGHT/... SFC COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH FROM THE OHIO VALLEY FRIDAY. A PLUME OF HIGH PWAT AIR /25-30MM/ WILL SLIDE EAST ACROSS THE STATE FRIDAY AND EXIT THE SE ZONES AFTER 06Z SATURDAY. FRIDAY LOOKS PRETTY CLOUDY AND SHOWERY WITH POPS IN THE 70-80 PERCENT RANGE. SOME SHORT TERM OPER MODEL GUIDANCE SUGGESTS THAT MU CAPES WILL RAMP UP TO BETWEEN 500-1000 J/KG DURING THE DAY FRIDAY...THOUGH THE ENSEMBLE MEAN IS SLIGHTLY LOWER AT A FEW TO SVRL HUNDRED J/KG - JUST ENOUGH TO MENTION ISOLATED TSRA WHERE SOME BREAKS IN THE CLOUD COVER DEVELOP. SOME SHOWERS LINGER FRIDAY NIGHT...MAINLY IN THE S/SE AS THE UPPER LOW AND REAL COLD AIR ALOFT TAKE UNTIL MIDNIGHT OR SO ON FRIDAY NIGHT TO PASS COMPLETELY THROUGH. 24-36 HOUR QPF IS STILL SLATED TO HOLD TO ONLY 0.25 INCHES SE TO PERHAPS AROUND 0.5 INCHES NW. EVEN ACROSS THE NW...THE GEFS AND SREF PROB FOR 0.50 INCH OF RAIN OVER A 24 HOUR PERIOD IS BARELY OVER 50 PERCENT. LATEST GEFS MINS FRI NIGHT WILL BE REALLY CLOSE TO NORMAL ACROSS THE NORTH...AND JUST A HAIR ABOVE THEM IN THE SOUTH. && .LONG TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/... GUIDANCE HAS COME INTO MUCH BETTER AGREEMENT IN THE PATTERN VERSUS PREVIOUS DAYS...SHOWING A MIGRATION FROM A BROAD TROUGH/RIDGE/TROUGH CONFIGURATION EXTENDING FROM THE GREAT BASIN TO THE PLAINS INTO THE MID ATLANTIC REGION AT THE START OF THE PERIOD...TOWARD A MEAN WESTERN TROUGH/BUILDING RIDGE IN THE EAST BY NEXT THU AS THE STRONG HIGH LATITUDE BLOCKING WEAKENS OVER GREENLAND/EASTERN CANADA. UNCERTAINTY HAS ALSO DECREASED OVER THE POSITION OF AN EAST/WEST SFC FRONTAL BOUNDARY AND LOW LEVEL BAROCLINIC ZONE WITH COLDER TEMPERATURES STAYING WELL TO THE NORTH OF PA ALONG THE NRN TIER STATES/CANADIAN BORDER. THE NCEP MODELS ARE WEAKER AND MORE PROGRESSIVE VS. ECMWF/CMC WITH THE SHORTWAVE TROUGH EXITING THE MID ATLANTIC EARLY SATURDAY. THIS MAY LINGER CLOUDS/LIGHT RAIN OVER SOUTHERN AREAS DURING THE MORNING BEFORE HIGH PRESSURE DRYS THINGS OUT BY THE AFTERNOON. THE WEEKEND AS A WHOLE LOOKS FAIR AND DRY WITH A RISK OF FROST/FREEZE CONDITIONS SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY MORNING. WAVES OF LOW PRESSURE MOVG EWD ALONG WAVY SFC FRONTAL BOUNDARY PRESSING SWD FROM THE LOWER LAKES/UPSTATE NY SHOULD BRING PERIODS OF RAIN EARLY NEXT WEEK BUT CONFIDENCE IN EXACT TIMING OF GREATEST PCPN RISK IS STILL BELOW AVERAGE AND COULD EASILY SHIFT +/- 12 HOURS. MODEL CONSENSUS FAVORS A DRY PERIOD ON WEDNESDAY BEFORE RAIN PROBS TREND HIGHER FROM WEST TO EAST INTO THE SECOND HALF OF NEXT WEEK. ASIDE FROM A CHILLY SUNDAY MORNING...THE GLOBAL ENSEMBLE MEANS ALONG WITH NATIONAL/REGIONAL BLENDS ALL SUPPORT ABOVE NORMAL TEMPS THROUGH THE MEDIUM RANGE PERIOD. && .AVIATION /23Z THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/... A WARM FRONT LIFTING NORTHEAST INTO THE AREA WILL SPREAD SCT MAINLY VERY LIGHT SHOWERS INTO THE AREA /MAINLY NEAR AND TO THE WEST OF A KJST TO KBFD LINE/ LATER TODAY AND TONIGHT. DRY AIR IN THE LOW LLVLS SHOULD ENSURE VFR CONDS ACROSS THE ENTIRE AREA THROUGH EARLY THIS EVENING. A BLEND OF LATEST NEAR TERM MDLS SUGGESTS A BRIEFLY HEAVIER SHOWERS ARE POSSIBLE LATE TODAY AND TONIGHT ACROSS THE NRN AND WRN MTNS WITH BRIEF VISBY REDUCTIONS. THE BEST CHC FOR SHOWERS WILL ARRIVE FROM WEST TO EAST DURING THE MID TO LATE MORNING HOURS FRIDAY...WITH ISOLATED TSRA IMPACTS POSSIBLE BETWEEN 17-23Z FRIDAY. OUTLOOK... FRI...SHOWERS WITH AREAS OF MVFR CIGS AND BRIEF MVFR VSBYS POSSIBLE /MAINLY ACROSS THE WRN MTNS/. ISOLATED TO SCT PM TSRA IMPACTS POSSIBLE. SAT...EARLY AM LOW CIGS POSSIBLE W MTNS. SUN...NO SIG WX EXPECTED. MON AND TUESDAY...PM SHRA DEVELOPING MONDAY AND CONTINUING INTO TUESDAY. REDUCTIONS POSSIBLE...MAINLY NW PA. && .CTP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && $$ SYNOPSIS...LA CORTE/LAMBERT NEAR TERM...LA CORTE/LAMBERT SHORT TERM...LAMBERT LONG TERM...STEINBUGL AVIATION...LAMBERT
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS SIOUX FALLS SD
1047 PM CDT THU APR 21 2016 .SHORT TERM...(THIS EVENING THROUGH FRIDAY) ISSUED AT 418 PM CDT THU APR 21 2016 SECONDARY FRONTAL BOUNDARY PUSHING THROUGH THE I 90 CORRIDOR AT MID AFTERNOON. HAS HEATED OUT WELL IN ADVANCE INTO THE MID AND UPPER 60S AND IN LAST HOUR OR TWO...ISOLATED SHOWERS HAVE DEVELOPED IN THE I 29 CORRIDOR TO COMPLIMENT THE RESIDUAL DEFORMATION BAND SHOWERS LINGERING ACROSS NORTHWEST IOWA. THESE SHOWERS...AND EVEN AN ISOLATED RUMBLE OF THUNDER...WILL CONTINUE TO PUSH SOUTH THROUGH THE LOSS OF DIURNAL SUPPORT EARLY THIS EVENING. FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE SHORT TERM...WILL BE QUIET. SURFACE RIDGE WILL NOSE INTO THE REGION TONIGHT...WINDS WILL DIMINISH HEADING THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS. CLEARING WILL CONTINUE TO PROGRESS THROUGH THE AREA...BUT INDICATIONS ARE THAT SOME LOWER LEVEL MOISTURE WILL HANG UP NEAR THE EASTERN BORDER WITH PERHAPS SOME LOWER CLOUDS ATTEMPTING TO BACK INTO PARTS OF SW MN AND NW IA LATER IN THE NIGHT. A BIT TOO MUCH LINGERING GRADIENT REMAINS EAST OF I- 29 TO EXPECT TEMPERATURES TO BOTTOM OUT AT LOWEST POTENTIAL...BUT WEST OF I-29 AND ESPECIALLY TOWARD THE MID JAMES VALLEY...LIKELY COOLING TOWARD THE MID 30S COULD RESULT IN SOME PATCHY FROST. SOUTHERLY WINDS WILL INCREASE ACROSS SOUTHEAST SOUTH DAKOTA ON FRIDAY...BUT IN GENERAL WILL BE THE ONLY THING TO DIMINISH AN OTHERWISE PLEASANT DAY. HIGHS WILL BE MILD...FROM LOWER 60S IN SW MN AND NW IA...TO AROUND 70 IN SOUTH CENTRAL SD. .LONG TERM...(FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY) ISSUED AT 418 PM CDT THU APR 21 2016 SATURDAY LOOKS LIKE A VERY WARM BUT WINDY DAY ACROSS THE REGION AHEAD OF THE NEXT CUT OFF LOW MOVING INTO THE NORTHERN ROCKIES. STRONG WARMING ALOFT...COPIOUS SUNSHINE AND MIXY SOUTHERLY SOUTHERLY WINDS SHOULD ALLOW TEMPERATURES TO REACH WITHIN A FEW DEGREES ABOVE OR BELOW 80. WIND SPEEDS WILL ALSO REACH NEAR ADVISORY LEVEL BY AFTERNOON. UPPER LOW SPINS INTO THE NORTHERN HIGH PLAINS ON SUNDAY...AND WEAKENS AS IT MOVES EAST THROUGH THE REGION INTO MONDAY. MODELS ARE IN DECENT AGREEMENT WITH THE TRACK OF THIS SYSTEM....WITH ONLY A FEW SLIGHT DIFFERENCES. A WARM FRONT SETS UP ACROSS NORTHEAST SD SUNDAY AFTERNOON...JUST NORTH OF THE FORECAST AREA. COULD SEE SOME ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS FORM IN THE WARM AIR ADVECTION EAST OF I29 AND INTO THE HIGHWAY 14 CORRIDOR LATE SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY...HOWEVER MOISTURE IN THE LOW/MID LEVELS WILL BE AN ISSUE. PRECIPITATION CHANCES INCREASE SUNDAY EVENING AND OVERNIGHT AS THE LOW SHIFTS EASTWARD AND A COLD FRONT ARRIVES. THE NEXT UPPER LEVEL CUT OFF LOW BARRELS INTO THE REGION MID WEEK...AND WILL BRING YET ANOTHER ROUND OF WET WEATHER TO THE NORTHERN PLAINS. MODELS ARE AGAIN IN DECENT AGREEMENT IN THE TIMING AND TRACK OF THIS FEATURE...WHICH EMERGES IN THE HIGH PLAINS TUESDAY EVENING AND SLOWLY WOBBLES EAST ACROSS THE REGION THROUGH AT LEAST WEDNESDAY EVENING. THIS SYSTEM APPEARS TO BE A BIT COOLER AS WELL...WHICH WILL KEEP HIGHS A LITTLE BELOW NORMAL. CLOUDS AND RAIN SHOWERS WILL ACCOMPANY THIS SYSTEM. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z FRIDAY NIGHT) ISSUED AT 1041 PM CDT THU APR 21 2016 06Z TAFS ARE LIKELY GOING TO REFLECT VFR CONDITIONS WITH A COUPLE OF CAVEATS. FIRST...STILL A LITTLE CONCERNED ABOUT PATCHY FOG DEVELOPMENT IN THE JAMES RIVER VALLEY LATE TONIGHT AND EARLY FRIDAY...RIGHT ALONG A SURFACE RIDGE AXIS WHICH WILL GIVE VERY LIGHT WINDS IN THAT AREA. THEREFORE HEDGED WITH SOME MVFR TYPE FOG FOR KHON...BUT AT THIS TIME DO NOT HAVE ENOUGH CONFIDENCE TO GO ANY WORSE THEN THAT SINCE THE FOG MAY NOT FORM AT ALL. SECOND... THERE ARE SOME INDICATIONS FROM THE LATEST NAM AND HRRR FIELDS THAT THERE WILL BE ABUNDANT HUMIDITY IN THE VERY LOW LEVELS JUST ABOVE THE SURFACE LATE TONIGHT THROUGH MID FRIDAY MORNING AT KSUX. THE GROUND IS QUITE WET IN THAT AREA...SO IT MAY BE AN ARTIFACT OF GROUND MOISTURE. BUT FOR A HEADS UP...DECIDED TO INCLUDE A SCATTERED DECK AT 800 FEET JUST IN CASE SOME LOWER STRATUS FORMS JUST BEFORE SUNRISE AND LINGERS INTO MID MORNING AT KSUX. OTHERWISE CURRENTLY...UPPER END IFR TO MVFR STRATUS IS MOVING SOUTHWARD ACROSS PARTS OF SOUTHWEST MN AND NORTHWEST IA. AT THIS TIME...THE TRAJECTORY OF THESE CLOUDS SUGGEST THAT THEY WILL STAY TOO FAR EAST TO IMPACT KSUX OR KFSD...BUT ESPECIALLY AT KSUX...IT WILL BE CLOSE FOR A FEW HOURS. && .FSD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... SD...NONE. MN...NONE. IA...NONE. NE...NONE. && $$ SHORT TERM...CHAPMAN LONG TERM... AVIATION...MJ
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS NASHVILLE TN
841 PM CDT THU APR 21 2016 .UPDATE... FOR EVENING DISCUSSION. && .DISCUSSION... SHOWERS HAVE MOVED OFF TO THE EAST THIS EVENING...BUT PUT DOWN AROUND A HALF INCH UP TO AN INCH ACROSS MOST OF THE MID STATE THIS AFTERNOON. SHORT TERM MODELS ARE PUTTING ANOTHER BAND OF PRECIP THROUGH THE AREA OVERNIGHT AS ANOTHER LOBE OF THE UPPER SHORTWAVE MOVES THROUGH THE REGION. MUCAPE VALUES ARE LOW...BUT LEFT IN MENTION OF SCHC THUNDER OVERNIGHT SINCE THERE MAY BE ENOUGH INSTABILITY FOR SOME TSTORMS. TEMPS HAVE ALSO COOLED OFF QUITE A BIT AS THE PRECIP ROLLED THROUGH...BUT LOOK TO LEVEL OFF FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE NIGHT. OTHER THAN SOME OTHER MINOR TWEAKS...REST OF FORECAST LOOKS ON TRACK. && .AVIATION... 00Z TAF DISCUSSION. VFR CONDITIONS GENERALLY EXPECTED THIS TAF PERIOD WITH BRIEF PERIODS OF MVFR CIGS/VIS POSSIBLE. -SHRA HAVE MOVED EAST OF CKV/BNA AND WILL END AT CSV BY 02Z. ANOTHER ROUND OF -SHRA POSSIBLE AT ALL AIRPORTS OVERNIGHT PER HRRR MODEL. LIGHT SOUTH WINDS TONIGHT WILL VEER TO WESTERLY ON FRIDAY. && .OHX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && $$ DISCUSSION......BARNWELL AVIATION........55/SHAMBURGER
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS NASHVILLE TN
810 PM CDT THU APR 21 2016 .UPDATE... FOR 00Z AVIATION DISCUSSION. && .DISCUSSION... SHOWERS HAVE BECOME MORE WIDESPREAD OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF HOURS. THIS TREND SHOULD CONTINUE INTO THIS EVENING WITH THE AXIS OF HEAVIER PRECIP THAT HAS SPENT MOST OF THE DAY OVER OUR NORTHWEST COUNTIES MOVING EAST THIS EVENING. WHILE MOST OF THE SHOWERS HAVE BEEN FAIRLY LIGHT TO MODERATE, RADAR IS STILL ESTIMATING ANYWHERE FROM 1 TO 1.8 INCHES OVER PORTIONS OF STEWART AND WESTERN HOUSTON COUNTIES. AN ADDITION 0.25 INCHES OF RAINFALL IS EXPECTED OVER THE REMAINDER OF THE AREA THIS EVENING AND INTO TOMORROW...WITH SOME LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS POSSIBLE. A FEW RUMBLES OF THUNDER MAY MIX IN WITH THE SHOWERS, HOWEVER NOTHING SEVERE IS EXPECTED. A FEW STORMS WILL CONTINUE TO BE POSSIBLE HEADING INTO FRIDAY AS A WEAK COLD FRONT PUSHES THROUGH THE MID- STATE. ALL PRECIP SHOULD FINALLY EXIT THE PLATEAU BY LATE FRIDAY NIGHT. WITH HIGH PRESSURE IN PLACE, THIS WEEKEND`S FORECAST LOOKS GREAT WITH PLENTY OF SUNSHINE AND HIGH TEMPERATURES IN THE UPPER 70S AND LOW 80S. A WEAK SHORTWAVE WILL BRING THE NEXT CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ON TUESDAY. WE COULD SEE SOME STRAGGLING MOISTURE THROUGH WEDNESDAY FROM THAT SYSTEM. MOSTLY SCATTERED PRECIP BOTH OF THOSE DAYS. MEANWHILE, A DEEPENING UPPER TROUGH OVER THE CENTRAL U.S. WILL PUSH EASTWARD AND DRAW IN SOME DECENT MOISTURE FROM THE GULF. THIS SYSTEM WILL GRADUALLY WEAKEN BUT WILL PUSH A WEAK COLD FRONT AND ASSOCIATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH THE TENNESSEE VALLEY THURSDAY INTO FRIDAY. TEMPERATURES WILL BE NOTICEABLY WARMER NEXT WEEK WITH HIGHS REMAINING STEADY IN THE LOW TO MID 80S. OVERNIGHT LOWS WILL REST IN THE LOW 60S. && .AVIATION... 00Z TAF DISCUSSION. VFR CONDITIONS GENERALLY EXPECTED THIS TAF PERIOD WITH BRIEF PERIODS OF MVFR CIGS/VIS POSSIBLE. -SHRA HAVE MOVED EAST OF CKV/BNA AND WILL END AT CSV BY 02Z. ANOTHER ROUND OF -SHRA POSSIBLE AT ALL AIRPORTS OVERNIGHT PER HRRR MODEL. LIGHT SOUTH WINDS TONIGHT WILL VEER TO WESTERLY ON FRIDAY. && .OHX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && $$ SHORT TERM/AVIATION........55/SHAMBURGER LONG TERM..................BARNWELL
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS BROWNSVILLE TX
311 PM CDT WED APR 20 2016 .SHORT TERM /TONIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT/...SATELLITE AND RADAR IMAGES INDICATE CONVECTION CONTINUING TO DEVELOP ACROSS NORTHEAST MEXICO THIS AFTERNOON AND BOTH THE NAM AND HRRR CONTINUE TO INDICATE CONVECTION DEVELOPING ACROSS EXTREME WESTERN PORTIONS OF THE CWA LATE THIS AFTERNOON INTO THIS EVENING. WITH THE SURFACE INSTABILITY REMAINING HIGH ACROSS THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY AND NORTHERN RANCHLANDS...CANNOT RULE OUT THE POTENTIAL FOR ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS PORTIONS OF ZAPATA...JIM HOGG...AND STARR COUNTIES THIS EVENING. THE GREATEST THREAT FOR SEVERE APPEARS TO BE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS. HEAVY RAINFALL CAN BE EXPECTED WITH SOME OF THE STRONGER TO SEVERE STORMS. WILL GO WITH THE HIGHEST POPS ACROSS THE WESTERN PORTIONS OF THE CWA WITH LOWER POPS TOWARDS THE COAST THIS EVENING. THE FORECAST FOR THURSDAY AND THURS NIGHT IS CHALLENGING WITH THE WEST TO NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT BUT THE NAM AND GFS HAVE A CONVECTIVE BOUNDARY DEVELOPING ACROSS PORTIONS OF CENTRAL TX THURSDAY AND AS THIS FEATURE MOVES SOUTHWARD IT WILL PROVIDE A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE CWA THURSDAY INTO THURS NIGHT AS MOISTURE POOLS ALONG AND AHEAD OF A WEAK COLD FRONT MOVES SOUTHWARD ACROSS SOUTH TX. .LONG TERM /FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/...UPPER LEVEL RIDGE WILL BEGINS TO BUILD ACROSS THE DESERT SOUTHWEST INTO S TEXAS FRIDAY WITH A WEAK FRONT MOVING SOUTH. WEAK FRONT COMBINED WITH PERTURBATIONS WITHIN THE FLOW WILL ENHANCE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE CWA. THE BOUNDARY WILL STALLED OVER DEEP SOUTH TEXAS WITH WINDS REMAINING EASTERLY INTO SATURDAY. AN ABUNDANT SURGE OF MOISTURE WILL MOVE INTO THE AREA CONTINUING THE DEVELOPMENT OF MORE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE WESTERN COUNTIES THIS WEEKEND. MODEL GUIDANCE CONTINUE TO SHOW ABOVE 1.5 IN OF PRECIPITABLE WATER THROUGH THE WEEKEND WHICH WILL FAVOR THE DEVELOPMENT WITH THIS TROUGH AS IT MOVES EASTWARD. DRIER AIR MASS MOVES INTO THE AREA MONDAY WITH LESS SIDE TROUGH DEVELOPING OVER SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS. THIS WILL LIMIT THE POTENTIAL FOR RAIN BUT A FEW ISOLATED SHOWERS CAN`T BE RULED NEAR THE COAST WITH THE SEABREEZE. THE RIDGE WILL BE IN CONTROL OF THE AREA MONDAY AND TUESDAY LIMITING THE POTENTIAL FOR RAIN THROUGH MID WEEK. THE SOUTHERLY FLOW WILL INCREASE TO MORE BREEZE CONDITIONS MONDAY AS THE NEXT UPPER TROUGH STRENGTHENS OVER THE PAC NORTHWEST. MODELS ARE IN PRETTY GOOD AGREEMENT WITH GFS BEEN SLIGHTLY MORE PROGRESSIVE WITH THE NEXT LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WHILE THE ECMWF IS A BIT SLOWER. EVEN WITH THE SLIGHT DIFFERENCE STILL SHOW THE POTENTIAL FOR RAIN FOR THE WEEKEND AND THE DRY AIR FILTERING IN BY EARLY NEXT WEEK. LEAN TOWARDS A BLEND OF THE TWO MODELS FOR THIS PACKAGE. && .MARINE...TONIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT...SEAS WERE NEAR 4 FEET WITH EAST TO SOUTHEAST WINDS NEAR 10 KNOTS AT BUOY020 EARLY THIS AFTERNOON. LIGHT TO MODERATE SOUTHEAST WINDS WILL PREVAIL ACROSS THE COASTAL WATERS TONIGHT INTO THURSDAY WITH LOW PRESSURE ACROSS NORTHEAST MEXICO AND A WEAK COLD FRONT DRAPED ACROSS NORTH TEXAS. THE BOUNDARY WILL MOVE INTO SOUTH TX THURS NIGHT AND THIS WILL CONTINUE TO PROVIDE A WEAK PRESSURE GRADIENT ACROSS THE LOWER TX COAST. FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY...SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE FOR THE EARLY PORTION OF THE LONG TERM PERIOD AS ABUNDANT MOISTURE IN THE REGION WILL ALLOW FOR CONVECTION TO CONTINUE. EXPECT A MODERATE SOUTHEAST FLOW ACROSS THE GULF WITH SEAS BETWEEN 2 TO 4 FEET THROUGH THE WEEKEND. RIDGE BEGINS TO BUILD LOWERING SEAS EVEN LESS THAN 2 FEET SAT AND SUN. AN INFLUX OF MOISTURE WILL SURGE NORTH SAT NIGHT INTO SUN INCREASING THE CHANCE OF SHOWERS ONCE AGAIN. SEAS WILL BEGIN TO INCREASE INTO MONDAY AS A STRONG SURFACE LOW STRENGTHENS OVER THE CENTRAL PLAINS. SEAS WILL BEGIN TO BUILD TO 3 TO 6 FEET WITH SCEC POSSIBLE. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... BAYVIEW/PORT ISABEL 72 82 71 80 / 20 20 20 20 BROWNSVILLE 72 85 71 83 / 20 20 20 30 HARLINGEN 71 87 70 84 / 20 20 20 30 MCALLEN 72 90 71 87 / 30 30 20 30 RIO GRANDE CITY 71 92 70 88 / 40 20 30 30 SOUTH PADRE ISLAND 72 78 71 77 / 20 20 20 20 && .BRO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... TX...NONE. GM...NONE. && $$ THIS PRODUCT IS ALSO AVAILABLE ON THE WEB AT: HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/RGV 61/67
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO TX
1247 PM CDT WED APR 20 2016 .AVIATION... STABLE AIR BEHIND EARLY MORNING CONVECTION HAS SETTLED INTO THE AREA. KDRT STILL HAS AN MVFR CIG...BUT CONDITIONS ELSEWHERE ARE MOSTLY VFR. WE EXPECT SOME TSRA TO FORM OVER THE HILL COUNTRY THIS EVENING AND APPROACH THE AUSTIN METRO AREA FROM THE WEST...BUT HAVE LEFT MENTION OUT OF THE TAFS SINCE THE RISK IS LOW. OTHERWISE...EXPECT IFR CIGS AND MVFR VSBYS TO DEVELOP BY 05-07Z AND CONTINUE TO MID-MORNING THURSDAY. ALL MESOSCALE MODELS SHOW ANOTHER QLCS MOVING THROUGH EAST TEXAS THURSDAY MORNING...SO WE PUT VCSH IN THE KSAT/KAUS EXTENDED TAFS TO GIVE INDICATION ON INTENSITY AND TIMING. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 924 AM CDT WED APR 20 2016/ UPDATE... SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE ALONG AND BEHIND AN OUTFLOW BOUNDARY PUSHING ALONG HIGHWAY 90. A WEAK COLD FRONT IS SLOWLY PUSHING ACROSS THE NORTHERN HILL COUNTRY PER LATEST SURFACE OBSERVATIONS AND SPC MESOSCALE ANALYSIS PAGE. THIS ACTIVITY IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGH THE AFTERNOON AS IT SHIFTS TO THE SOUTH AND EAST. BOTH HRRR AND RAP 13 MODELS SHOW A DOWNWARD TREND ON THE SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY FOR THE SHORT TERM/FIRST PERIOD. LATEST KEWX RADAR LOOPS SHOW A DECREASE IN THE INTENSITY OF SHOWERS AND STORMS. NEW STORMS DEVELOPMENT ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE SOUTHERN EDWARDS PLATEAU AND THE RIO GRANDE AREAS THIS AFTERNOON AS THE TAIL END OF THE WEAK COLD FRONT PUSHES TO THE SOUTH AS IT MEETS WITH THE PASSAGE OF AN UPPER SHORT WAVE. FLASH FLOOD WATCH CONTINUES IN EFFECT THROUGH 1 PM THIS AFTERNOON FOR THE EASTERN COUNTIES OF SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS (MORE DETAILS ON THIS IN THE WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES SECTION). NEW RAINFALL AMOUNTS(NEXT 3 TO 6 HOURS)THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON COULD RANGE FROM 1 TO 2 INCHES ACCORDING TO KEWX DOPPLER RADAR ESTIMATES AND REFLECTIVITY TRENDS. PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 611 AM CDT WED APR 20 2016/ AVIATION... WEAKENING COMPLEX OF SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO TREK SOUTHWARD. WILL BEGIN TAFAUS FOR THE FIRST FEW HOURS WITH -RA PREVAILING BUT WILL TEMPO -TSRA TO COVER THE THREAT FOR THE ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS. FOR THE SAN ANTONIO SITES...WILL ONLY MENTION VCSH LATER THIS MORNING AS CONFIDENCE IS A BIT LESS THIS SYSTEM MAKES IT THIS FAR SOUTH. CEILINGS ARE PRESENTLY AROUND LOW MVFR OR IFR AND THESE RESTRICTIONS SHOULD REMAIN IN PLACE THROUGH THE EARLY AFTERNOON. ANOTHER ROUND OF MVFR IS EXPECTED TOMORROW NIGHT. BEYOND THIS MORNING...CANT RULE OUT ADDITIONAL ISOLATED OR SCATTERED PRECIPITATION...BUT CHANCES ARE TOO LOW TO MENTION IN THE TAFS AT THIS TIME. PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 359 AM CDT WED APR 20 2016/ SHORT TERM (TODAY THROUGH THURSDAY)... SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ALONG A WACO TO SAN ANGELO TO BIG LAKE LINE WERE MOVING TO THE SOUTHEAST AT 25 MPH. THE LINE WILL MOVE INTO LLANO AND BURNET COUNTIES BY 5 AM AND THEN SLOW AS IT MOVES FURTHER INTO SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS. THE LINE/BOUNDARY STALLS ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS LATER TODAY...MOST LIKELY AROUND THE I-10 CORRIDOR. RAINFALL AMOUNTS UP TO 1 TO 2 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE. THIS RAINFALL WILL NOT CAUSE MUCH FLOOD THREAT FOR MOST AREAS. HAVE MAINTAINED THE FLASH FLOOD WATCH EAST OF I-35 THROUGH MIDDAY TODAY AS ANY ADDITIONAL RAIN WILL CAUSE NEW OR AGGRAVATE ONGOING FLOODING IN THOSE AREAS THAT HAVE RECEIVED COPIOUS AMOUNTS OF RAIN SINCE SUNDAY. THERE IS A POTENTIAL THE WATCH COULD BE EXTENDED. LOCALLY HEAVY DOWNPOURS ARE POSSIBLE ALONG AND NEAR THE BOUNDARY THIS AFTERNOON INTO EVENING AND AGAIN ON THURSDAY. CAPES AVERAGING AROUND 2500 J/KG AND 0-6KM SHEAR OF 25 TO 35 KTS INDICATE A MARGINAL RISK OF STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS DURING THE AFTERNOON INTO EARLY EVENING HOURS TODAY AND THURSDAY. HAIL AND STRONG WIND GUSTS ARE THE MAIN THREATS. LONG TERM (THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY)... THE PESKY UPPER LEVEL LOW OPENS INTO TROUGH ALONG THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY THURSDAY NIGHT SENDING A WEAK COLD FRONT ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE ALONG THE FRONT. RIDGING AT THE SURFACE AND ALOFT IS INDICATED FRIDAY AND SATURDAY. THE AIRMASS DRIES AND STABILIZES ACROSS MOST OF SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS. HOWEVER...A MOIST SOUTHEASTERLY FLOW UP THE RIO GRANDE WILL MAINTAIN LOW CHANCES OF RAIN THERE ON FRIDAY AND SATURDAY. A COMPACT UPPER LEVEL TROUGH DEVELOPS OVER NORTHWESTERN MEXICO ON SATURDAY AND MOVES ACROSS TEXAS ON SUNDAY INTO EARLY MONDAY BRINGING RAIN CHANCES. A FEW MODELS SHOW LOCALLY HEAVY DOWNPOURS. RAIN CHANCES RETURN THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK AS ANOTHER UPPER LEVEL TROUGH TAKES SHAPE OVER THE WESTERN STATES WITH A PACIFIC FRONT/DRYLINE MOVING INTO OUR AREA. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... AUSTIN CAMP MABRY 65 80 61 80 58 / 30 40 30 10 0 AUSTIN BERGSTROM INTL AIRPORT 64 79 60 79 56 / 30 40 30 10 0 NEW BRAUNFELS MUNI AIRPORT 64 80 62 80 58 / 30 40 40 10 0 BURNET MUNI AIRPORT 63 77 57 77 56 / 30 40 20 10 0 DEL RIO INTL AIRPORT 66 85 63 82 64 / 20 30 30 20 10 GEORGETOWN MUNI AIRPORT 63 77 58 78 56 / 30 50 20 10 0 HONDO MUNI AIRPORT 65 82 62 81 60 / 30 40 40 10 0 SAN MARCOS MUNI AIRPORT 64 79 61 79 57 / 30 40 40 10 0 LA GRANGE - FAYETTE REGIONAL 66 79 62 80 57 / 30 50 40 10 0 SAN ANTONIO INTL AIRPORT 66 80 63 80 60 / 30 40 40 10 0 STINSON MUNI AIRPORT 66 82 64 81 61 / 30 40 40 10 0 && .EWX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && $$ MESOSCALE/AVIATION...26 SYNOPTIC/GRIDS...17 PUBLIC SERVICE/DATA COLLECTION...TREADWAY
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
1245 PM CDT WED APR 20 2016 .AVIATION... LINE OF STORMS ABOUT TO PUSH OFF COAST. LINGERING -RA MAY LINGER FOR A FEW HOURS IN ITS WAKE UNTIL THE WHOLE DISTURBANCE MOVES OUT...BUT CIGS WILL MOVE INTO VFR TERRITORY FAIRLY QUICKLY BEHIND THE LEADING EDGE. MAYBE SOME ISO LATE AFTN CELLS, BUT OVERALL EXPECT A LULL IN SIGNIFICANT WX FOR THE REST OF THE AFTN & EVENING. CIGS MIGRATE BACK DOWN INTO MVFR & IFR OVERNIGHT. ATTENTION TURNS TO N TX LATE TONIGHT WHERE ANOTHER STORM COMPLEX DEVELOPS AND MOVES TOWARD SE TX. SET UP LOOKS SIMILAR TO TODAYS WITH GRADUAL WEAKENING AS IT ARRIVES. TIMING IS UNCERTAIN...BUT ANTICIPATE THE ARRIVAL SOMETIME AFTER SUNRISE CLL...AND HOU METRO AREA TOWARD LATE MORNING. LATER SHIFTS WILL NEED TO FINE TUNE TIMING AND TAFS AS TRENDS ARE ESTABLISHED. 47 && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 1018 AM CDT WED APR 20 2016/ WEAKENING LINE OF STORMS WAS PUSHING INTO POLK...SAN JACINTO... MONTGOMERY...HARRIS...FORT BEND...AND COLORADO COUNTIES AT 10 AM. LIGHT RAIN WAS OCCURRING BEHIND THE SYSTEM. THE NAM12 HAS HAD A DECENT HANDLE ON EVENTS SO FAR...AND THE MODEL CLEARS THE SYSTEM OUT BY THE EARLY AFTERNOON. THE RAP AND TEXAS TECH BOTH SHOW SOME SCATTERED REDEVELOPMENT IS POSSIBLE DURING THE MID AND LATE AFTERNOON PERIOD. TRIMMED POPS DOWNWARD FOR THIS AFTERNOON TO ACCOUNT FOR THE LESSENING RAIN CHANCES IN THE MODEL. THE 12Z SOUNDINGS AT KLCH AND KCRP BOTH HAD A PW OF 1.5/1.6 INCHES. RAINFALL AMOUNTS FROM THE RAIN GAUGE NETWORK WITH THE SYSTEM HAS BEEN UNDER A HALF AN INCH...WHILE RADAR HAS SHOWN SOME LOCALIZED 1 INCH TOTALS. THIS POTENTIAL WILL LINGER OVER THE CENTRAL AND COASTAL COUNTIES AHEAD OF THE LINE IN THE FLASH FLOOD WATCH AREA. BECAUSE OF THE LESS EXPECTED COVERAGE IN THE NORTH... HAVE TAKEN OUT WALKER...GRIMES...BRAZOS...AND BURLESON COUNTIES FROM THE FLASH FLOOD WATCH. THE WATCH STILL GOES THROUGH 7 PM THIS EVENING FOR THE REMAINING COUNTIES...AND WILL MAKE A DECISION LATER THIS AFTERNOON ON WHETHER OR NOT TO EXTEND THE WATCH. 40 && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... COLLEGE STATION (CLL) 79 67 77 57 79 / 60 30 50 30 10 HOUSTON (IAH) 79 67 80 64 81 / 60 40 70 40 10 GALVESTON (GLS) 75 70 76 69 76 / 50 30 50 30 20 && .HGX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... TX...FLASH FLOOD WATCH UNTIL 7 PM CDT THIS EVENING FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES: AUSTIN...BRAZORIA...CHAMBERS...COLORADO...FORT BEND...GALVESTON...HARRIS...LIBERTY...MONTGOMERY...POLK... SAN JACINTO...WALLER...WASHINGTON...WHARTON. GM...NONE. && $$
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS AMARILLO TX
1208 PM CDT WED APR 20 2016 .MESOSCALE UPDATE... ...SOME SEVERE WEATHER POSSIBLE TODAY IN MAINLY THE SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST TX PANHANDLE... * SYNOPTIC OVERVIEW: WE`LL SEE ONE LAST GASP SHRTWV TROUGH THIS AFTERNOON FROM THE NOW POSITIVELY TILTED UPR LOW THAT HAS CAUSED WEATHER EXCITEMENT AROUND THE AREA THE PAST 5 DAYS. WATER VAPOR ANALYSIS PLACES THE UPR LOW NEAR NORTH PLATTE, NE THIS MORNING WITH THE LOW EXPECTED TO LIFT TO NEAR OMAHA TONIGHT. THE NW FLOW SHRTWV WILL BEGIN TO IMPACT THE AREA EARLY THIS AFTERNOON, QUICKLY CROSSING THE CWA THIS EVENING. ASCENT FROM THE TROUGH AND ASSOC JET STREAK WILL BE ENOUGH TO SPAWN SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON/EVENING. * MESOSCALE: SHEAR PROFILES WILL BE FAVORABLE FOR ORGANIZED CONVECTION THOUGH SOMEWHAT WEAK INSTABILITY (IE MLCAPE VALUES OF MAYBE 300-600 J/KG) SHOULD KEEP THIS FROM BEING A BARN BURNER OF A DAY. NAM MLCAPE PROGS OF 750-1000 J/KG THIS AFTERNOON JUST EAST OF KAMA SEEM TO BE OVERDONE AS THE NAM HAS OVER-ANALYZED THE AMOUNT OF LOW-LVL MOISTURE DOWNSTATE SO FAR THIS MORNING. DO THINK THAT THE HIGHER SIDE OF RAP/HRRR VALUES OF AROUND 500 J/KG MLCAPE COULD BE REALIZED THOUGH GIVEN THE RAPID REDUCTION OF LOW CLOUD COVER SEEN IN LATEST GOES SUPER RAPID SCAN VIS SAT OBSERVATIONS. * THREATS: THE CAPE DISTRIBUTION LOOKS TO MOST FAVOR ISOLATED DOWNBURST WINDS THIS AFTERNOON GIVEN A SOMEWHAT DEEP/DRY SUBCLOUD LAYER. WITH THE PROPENSITY FOR THE STRONGEST UPDRAFTS TO WANT TO ORGANIZE GIVEN THE FAVORABLE SHEAR PROFILE, SVR HAIL TO THE SIZE OF GOLF BALLS CANNOT BE RULED OUT IN STORMS THAT TAKE ON SUPERCELLULAR CHARACTERISTICS. THE TORNADO WINDOW LOOKS SMALL BOTH SPATIALLY AND TEMPORALLY BUT MAY BRIEFLY EXIST FOR AN HOUR EITHER SIDE OF SUNSET FOR A WEAK ISOLATED TORNADO SOMEWHERE IN THE SE PART OF THE TX PANHANDLE. THE RAPID NW TO SE STORM MOTIONS SHOULD PRECLUDE MUCH OF A FLOOD THREAT TODAY. * TIMING & LOCATION: THE BEST CHANCES FOR SEVERE WEATHER THIS AFTERNOON WILL BE IN THE SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST TX PANHANDLE, THOUGH ISOLATED STRONG TO SEVERE WIND GUSTS COULD OCCUR AS FAR NORTH AS DUMAS OR BORGER. AMARILLO WILL BE ON THE WESTERN EDGE OF THE THREAT, BUT A STRONG OR SEVERE STORM CANNOT BE RULED OUT FOR THE CITY. TIMING-WISE, THE BEST WINDOW WILL PROBABLY BE FROM AROUND 5PM-10PM. SIMPSON/LORENZEN .AVIATION...18Z TAFS...MVFR CIG AOA 1500 FT AGL SHOULD GRADUALLY GIVE WAY TO CIG AOA 5K FT AGL IN ADVANCE OF A SHORTWAVE TROUGH. SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST WINDS BTWN 10 TO 20 KTS WILL CONTINUE THRU THE AFTN UNTIL A WEAK COLD FRONT PASSES THROUGH THE REGION AROUND 20/21Z. THIS INCOMING FRONT WILL PROVIDE A FOCUS FOR POSSIBLE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS BTWN 20/21Z THRU 21/06Z...WITH SOME STORMS CAPABLE OF APPROACHING SEVERE LEVELS DURING THE AFTN HOURS. AS THE FRONT PASSES...WINDS WILL SHIFT TO THE NORTH BTWN 10 TO 20 KTS. VFR CONDITIONS ARE LIKELY AFT 21/06Z AS DRIER AND MORE STABLE AIR MOVES IN BEHIND THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY. BIEDA && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... AMARILLO TX 45 72 45 77 51 / 50 5 0 5 0 BEAVER OK 44 73 43 79 53 / 20 5 0 5 5 BOISE CITY OK 39 71 41 77 50 / 30 5 0 5 5 BORGER TX 46 75 47 79 54 / 50 5 0 5 5 BOYS RANCH TX 43 74 44 79 52 / 40 5 0 5 5 CANYON TX 44 73 44 77 49 / 40 5 0 0 0 CLARENDON TX 48 73 47 77 51 / 70 10 0 5 0 DALHART TX 41 72 42 77 49 / 40 5 0 5 5 GUYMON OK 42 73 43 79 52 / 20 5 0 5 5 HEREFORD TX 45 73 44 77 50 / 30 5 0 0 5 LIPSCOMB TX 46 74 44 78 53 / 30 5 0 5 5 PAMPA TX 45 70 46 77 52 / 60 10 0 5 5 SHAMROCK TX 49 74 46 78 51 / 70 10 0 5 5 WELLINGTON TX 51 76 47 79 51 / 70 10 0 5 0 && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 410 AM CDT WED APR 20 2016/ DISCUSSION... TAKING ANOTHER LOOK AT THE LATEST HIGH-RES MODELS...THE HRRR IS NOW BACKING OFF FROM THE DEVELOPMENT OF DENSE FOG ACROSS THE PANHANDLES THIS MORNING. WILL LIKELY TO NEED TO CANCEL BUT WILL HOLD OFF UNTIL CLOSER TO DAYBREAK TO SEE IF ANY DENSE FOG DEVELOPS. IF NOT...WILL CANCEL BEFORE SHIFT CHANGE THIS MORNING. OTHERWISE...LOW CLOUDS WILL PREVAIL THIS MORNING AS THE VIGOROUS CLOSED UPPER LOW OVER THE CENTRAL PLAINS STATES ALLOWS FOR A VORT LOBE TO ROTATE NORTHWEST TO SOUTHEAST ON THE BASAL OF THE UPPER TROUGH BY 00Z TO 06Z THURSDAY ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA. CONVECTION SHOULD DEVELOP AFTER 20Z TO 22Z TODAY...MAINLY OVER THE SOUTHERN HALF OF THE TEXAS PANHANDLE...WITH THE SEVERE THREAT PRIMARILY ACROSS THE SOUTHEASTERN AND SOUTH CENTRAL PORTIONS OF THE TEXAS PANHANDLE LATER TODAY AND TONIGHT. CONVECTION SHOULD QUICKLY EXIT THE PANHANDLES BY 12Z THURSDAY AS AN UPPER RIDGE BUILDS IN FROM THE WEST LATE THIS WEEK. WARMER AND DRIER CONDITIONS EXPECTED THURSDAY THROUGH THE WEEKEND. THE MEDIUM RANGE MODELS DIFFER WITH RESPECT TO THE NEXT CLOSED UPPER LOW PROGGED TO MOVE OUT OF THE GREAT BASIN REGION THIS WEEKEND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. THE ECMWF...WHICH WAS THE DRIER MODEL 24 HOURS AGO...IS NOW FORECASTING AN OPEN WAVE TO TRACK NORTHEAST OUT OF BAJA CALIFORNIA AND NORTHWEST MEXICO FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY INTO SOUTHWEST TEXAS BY SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY. THE MAIN CLOSED UPPER LOW IS FORECAST TO LIFT EAST AND NORTH OUT OF THE GREAT BASIN REGION INTO THE CENTRAL ROCKIES AND NORTHERN PLAINS STATES BY EARLY NEXT WEEK. THE ECMWF BREAKS OUT QPF SATURDAY AFTERNOON ACROSS THE NORTHWESTERN PORTIONS OF THE FORECAST AREA SATURDAY AFTERNOON BUT KEEPS THE REMAINDER OF THE WEEKEND AND EARLY NEXT WEEK DRY. THE GFS IS COMPLETELY THE OPPOSITE OF 24 HOURS AGO AND IS NOW KEEPING THE CLOSED UPPER LOW OVER THE NORTHERN STREAM RATHER THAN THE SOUTHERN STREAM. THE GFS ALSO FORECASTS AN OPEN WAVE LIFTING NORTH AND EAST OUT BAJA CALIFORNIA AND NORTHWESTERN/NORTHERN MEXICO...HOWEVER THE GFS KEEPS THE QPF WELL SOUTH OF THE PANHANDLES AND...LIKE THE ECMWF...MAINTAINS A DRY FORECAST THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEKEND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. THEREFORE...OPTED TO REMOVE POPS FROM SUNDAY AND GO WITH A DRY AND UNSEASONABLY WARM FORECAST THIS WEEKEND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. BREEZY TO WINDY THIS WEEKEND AS A DEEPENING SURFACE TROUGH DEVELOPS TO THE LEE OF THE ROCKIES WHICH WILL THEN TRACK EAST INTO THE FORECAST AREA SUNDAY. A COLD FRONT IS FORECAST TO PUSH ACROSS THE PANHANDLES EARLY NEXT WEEK WITH NO CONVECTION ASSOCIATED WITH THE FRONT. SCHNEIDER FIRE WEATHER... A DEEPENING SURFACE TROUGH OVER EASTERN COLORADO OR WESTERN KANSAS SOUTHWARD TO NEAR THE TEXAS AND NEW MEXICO STATE LINE WILL TRACK EAST INTO THE TEXAS AND OKLAHOMA PANHANDLES ON SUNDAY. INCREASING DOWNSLOPING SOUTHWESTERLY 20 FOOT WINDS AND MINIMUM AFTERNOON HUMIDITIES FALLING INTO THE 15 TO 20 PERCENT RANGE ACROSS MAINLY THE WESTERN SECTIONS OF THE PANHANDLES COULD POSSIBLY RESULT IN ELEVATED FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS SUNDAY AFTERNOON INTO EARLY SUNDAY EVENING. SCHNEIDER && .AMA WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... TX...NONE. OK...NONE. && $$ 9/98
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NWS AMARILLO TX
1139 AM CDT WED APR 20 2016 .MESOSCALE UPDATE... ...SOME SEVERE WEATHER POSSIBLE TODAY IN MAINLY THE SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST TX PANHANDLE... * SYNOPTIC OVERVIEW: WE`LL SEE ONE LAST GASP SHRTWV TROUGH THIS AFTERNOON FROM THE NOW POSITIVELY TILTED UPR LOW THAT HAS CAUSED WEATHER EXCITEMENT AROUND THE AREA THE PAST 5 DAYS. WATER VAPOR ANALYSIS PLACES THE UPR LOW NEAR NORTH PLATTE, NE THIS MORNING WITH THE LOW EXPECTED TO LIFT TO NEAR OMAHA TONIGHT. THE NW FLOW SHRTWV WILL BEGIN TO IMPACT THE AREA EARLY THIS AFTERNOON, QUICKLY CROSSING THE CWA THIS EVENING. ASCENT FROM THE TROUGH AND ASSOC JET STREAK WILL BE ENOUGH TO SPAWN SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON/EVENING. * MESOSCALE: SHEAR PROFILES WILL BE FAVORABLE FOR ORGANIZED CONVECTION THOUGH SOMEWHAT WEAK INSTABILITY (IE MLCAPE VALUES OF MAYBE 300-600 J/KG) SHOULD KEEP THIS FROM BEING A BARN BURNER OF A DAY. NAM MLCAPE PROGS OF 750-1000 J/KG THIS AFTERNOON JUST EAST OF KAMA SEEM TO BE OVERDONE AS THE NAM HAS OVER-ANALYZED THE AMOUNT OF LOW-LVL MOISTURE DOWNSTATE SO FAR THIS MORNING. DO THINK THAT THE HIGHER SIDE OF RAP/HRRR VALUES OF AROUND 500 J/KG MLCAPE COULD BE REALIZED THOUGH GIVEN THE RAPID REDUCTION OF LOW CLOUD COVER SEEN IN LATEST GOES SUPER RAPID SCAN VIS SAT OBSERVATIONS. * THREATS: THE CAPE DISTRIBUTION LOOKS TO MOST FAVOR ISOLATED DOWNBURST WINDS THIS AFTERNOON GIVEN A SOMEWHAT DEEP/DRY SUBCLOUD LAYER. WITH THE PROPENSITY FOR THE STRONGEST UPDRAFTS TO WANT TO ORGANIZE GIVEN THE FAVORABLE SHEAR PROFILE, SVR HAIL TO THE SIZE OF GOLF BALLS CANNOT BE RULED OUT IN STORMS THAT TAKE ON SUPERCELLULAR CHARACTERISTICS. THE TORNADO WINDOW LOOKS SMALL BOTH SPATIALLY AND TEMPORALLY BUT MAY BRIEFLY EXIST FOR AN HOUR EITHER SIDE OF SUNSET FOR A WEAK ISOLATED TORNADO SOMEWHERE IN THE SE PART OF THE TX PANHANDLE. THE RAPID NW TO SE STORM MOTIONS SHOULD PRECLUDE MUCH OF A FLOOD THREAT TODAY. * TIMING & LOCATION: THE BEST CHANCES FOR SEVERE WEATHER THIS AFTERNOON WILL BE IN THE SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTH TX PANHANDLE, THOUGH ISOLATED STRONG TO SEVERE WIND GUSTS COULD OCCUR AS FAR NORTH AS DUMAS OR BORGER. AMARILLO WILL BE ON THE WESTERN EDGE OF THE THREAT, BUT A STRONG OR SEVERE STORM CANNOT BE RULED OUT FOR THE CITY. TIMING-WISE, THE BEST WINDOW WILL PROBABLY BE FROM AROUND 5PM-10PM. SIMPSON/LORENZEN && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 648 AM CDT WED APR 20 2016/ AVIATION... MVFR TO IFR CEILINGS EXPECTED TO PERSIST THIS MORNING. LIGHT TO MODERATE SOUTHWEST LOW-LEVEL WINDS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP...BOOSTING DRYING AND DISSIPATION/LIFTING OF LOW CLOUDS. CUMULUS CLOUDS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP AFTER 21Z TODAY AS VORTICITY MAXIMUM ARRIVES FROM NORTHWEST. WEAK COLD FRONT WILL SUPPORT THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT THROUGH THE EVENING. DRIER AND MORE STABLE AIR MOVES IN LATE TONIGHT...WITH CLEARING EXPECTED. COCKRELL PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 410 AM CDT WED APR 20 2016/ DISCUSSION... TAKING ANOTHER LOOK AT THE LATEST HIGH-RES MODELS...THE HRRR IS NOW BACKING OFF FROM THE DEVELOPMENT OF DENSE FOG ACROSS THE PANHANDLES THIS MORNING. WILL LIKELY TO NEED TO CANCEL BUT WILL HOLD OFF UNTIL CLOSER TO DAYBREAK TO SEE IF ANY DENSE FOG DEVELOPS. IF NOT...WILL CANCEL BEFORE SHIFT CHANGE THIS MORNING. OTHERWISE...LOW CLOUDS WILL PREVAIL THIS MORNING AS THE VIGOROUS CLOSED UPPER LOW OVER THE CENTRAL PLAINS STATES ALLOWS FOR A VORT LOBE TO ROTATE NORTHWEST TO SOUTHEAST ON THE BASAL OF THE UPPER TROUGH BY 00Z TO 06Z THURSDAY ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA. CONVECTION SHOULD DEVELOP AFTER 20Z TO 22Z TODAY...MAINLY OVER THE SOUTHERN HALF OF THE TEXAS PANHANDLE...WITH THE SEVERE THREAT PRIMARILY ACROSS THE SOUTHEASTERN AND SOUTH CENTRAL PORTIONS OF THE TEXAS PANHANDLE LATER TODAY AND TONIGHT. CONVECTION SHOULD QUICKLY EXIT THE PANHANDLES BY 12Z THURSDAY AS AN UPPER RIDGE BUILDS IN FROM THE WEST LATE THIS WEEK. WARMER AND DRIER CONDITIONS EXPECTED THURSDAY THROUGH THE WEEKEND. THE MEDIUM RANGE MODELS DIFFER WITH RESPECT TO THE NEXT CLOSED UPPER LOW PROGGED TO MOVE OUT OF THE GREAT BASIN REGION THIS WEEKEND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. THE ECMWF...WHICH WAS THE DRIER MODEL 24 HOURS AGO...IS NOW FORECASTING AN OPEN WAVE TO TRACK NORTHEAST OUT OF BAJA CALIFORNIA AND NORTHWEST MEXICO FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY INTO SOUTHWEST TEXAS BY SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY. THE MAIN CLOSED UPPER LOW IS FORECAST TO LIFT EAST AND NORTH OUT OF THE GREAT BASIN REGION INTO THE CENTRAL ROCKIES AND NORTHERN PLAINS STATES BY EARLY NEXT WEEK. THE ECMWF BREAKS OUT QPF SATURDAY AFTERNOON ACROSS THE NORTHWESTERN PORTIONS OF THE FORECAST AREA SATURDAY AFTERNOON BUT KEEPS THE REMAINDER OF THE WEEKEND AND EARLY NEXT WEEK DRY. THE GFS IS COMPLETELY THE OPPOSITE OF 24 HOURS AGO AND IS NOW KEEPING THE CLOSED UPPER LOW OVER THE NORTHERN STREAM RATHER THAN THE SOUTHERN STREAM. THE GFS ALSO FORECASTS AN OPEN WAVE LIFTING NORTH AND EAST OUT BAJA CALIFORNIA AND NORTHWESTERN/NORTHERN MEXICO...HOWEVER THE GFS KEEPS THE QPF WELL SOUTH OF THE PANHANDLES AND...LIKE THE ECMWF...MAINTAINS A DRY FORECAST THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEKEND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. THEREFORE...OPTED TO REMOVE POPS FROM SUNDAY AND GO WITH A DRY AND UNSEASONABLY WARM FORECAST THIS WEEKEND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. BREEZY TO WINDY THIS WEEKEND AS A DEEPENING SURFACE TROUGH DEVELOPS TO THE LEE OF THE ROCKIES WHICH WILL THEN TRACK EAST INTO THE FORECAST AREA SUNDAY. A COLD FRONT IS FORECAST TO PUSH ACROSS THE PANHANDLES EARLY NEXT WEEK WITH NO CONVECTION ASSOCIATED WITH THE FRONT. SCHNEIDER FIRE WEATHER... A DEEPENING SURFACE TROUGH OVER EASTERN COLORADO OR WESTERN KANSAS SOUTHWARD TO NEAR THE TEXAS AND NEW MEXICO STATE LINE WILL TRACK EAST INTO THE TEXAS AND OKLAHOMA PANHANDLES ON SUNDAY. INCREASING DOWNSLOPING SOUTHWESTERLY 20 FOOT WINDS AND MINIMUM AFTERNOON HUMIDITIES FALLING INTO THE 15 TO 20 PERCENT RANGE ACROSS MAINLY THE WESTERN SECTIONS OF THE PANHANDLES COULD POSSIBLY RESULT IN ELEVATED FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS SUNDAY AFTERNOON INTO EARLY SUNDAY EVENING. SCHNEIDER PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... AMARILLO TX 69 45 72 45 77 / 20 50 5 0 5 BEAVER OK 68 44 73 43 79 / 20 20 5 0 5 BOISE CITY OK 65 39 71 41 77 / 30 30 5 0 5 BORGER TX 70 46 75 47 79 / 20 50 5 0 5 BOYS RANCH TX 72 43 74 44 79 / 20 40 5 0 5 CANYON TX 71 44 73 44 77 / 20 40 5 0 0 CLARENDON TX 68 48 73 47 77 / 20 70 10 0 5 DALHART TX 67 41 72 42 77 / 30 40 5 0 5 GUYMON OK 67 42 73 43 79 / 20 20 5 0 5 HEREFORD TX 73 45 73 44 77 / 20 30 5 0 0 LIPSCOMB TX 69 46 74 44 78 / 10 30 5 0 5 PAMPA TX 67 45 70 46 77 / 20 60 10 0 5 SHAMROCK TX 69 49 74 46 78 / 20 70 10 0 5 WELLINGTON TX 70 51 76 47 79 / 20 70 10 0 5 PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... AMARILLO TX 69 45 72 45 77 / 20 50 5 0 5 BEAVER OK 68 44 73 43 79 / 20 20 5 0 5 BOISE CITY OK 65 39 71 41 77 / 30 30 5 0 5 BORGER TX 70 46 75 47 79 / 20 50 5 0 5 BOYS RANCH TX 72 43 74 44 79 / 20 40 5 0 5 CANYON TX 71 44 73 44 77 / 20 40 5 0 0 CLARENDON TX 68 48 73 47 77 / 20 70 10 0 5 DALHART TX 67 41 72 42 77 / 30 40 5 0 5 GUYMON OK 67 42 73 43 79 / 20 20 5 0 5 HEREFORD TX 73 45 73 44 77 / 20 30 5 0 0 LIPSCOMB TX 69 46 74 44 78 / 10 30 5 0 5 PAMPA TX 67 45 70 46 77 / 20 60 10 0 5 SHAMROCK TX 69 49 74 46 78 / 20 70 10 0 5 WELLINGTON TX 70 51 76 47 79 / 20 70 10 0 5 && .AMA WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... TX...NONE. OK...NONE. && $$ 9/99
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
1018 AM CDT WED APR 20 2016 .DISCUSSION... WEAKENING LINE OF STORMS WAS PUSHING INTO POLK...SAN JACINTO... MONTGOMERY...HARRIS...FORT BEND...AND COLORADO COUNTIES AT 10 AM. LIGHT RAIN WAS OCCURRING BEHIND THE SYSTEM. THE NAM12 HAS HAD A DECENT HANDLE ON EVENTS SO FAR...AND THE MODEL CLEARS THE SYSTEM OUT BY THE EARLY AFTERNOON. THE RAP AND TEXAS TECH BOTH SHOW SOME SCATTERED REDEVELOPMENT IS POSSIBLE DURING THE MID AND LATE AFTERNOON PERIOD. TRIMMED POPS DOWNWARD FOR THIS AFTERNOON TO ACCOUNT FOR THE LESSENING RAIN CHANCES IN THE MODEL. THE 12Z SOUNDINGS AT KLCH AND KCRP BOTH HAD A PW OF 1.5/1.6 INCHES. RAINFALL AMOUNTS FROM THE RAIN GAUGE NETWORK WITH THE SYSTEM HAS BEEN UNDER A HALF AN INCH...WHILE RADAR HAS SHOWN SOME LOCALIZED 1 INCH TOTALS. THIS POTENTIAL WILL LINGER OVER THE CENTRAL AND COASTAL COUNTIES AHEAD OF THE LINE IN THE FLASH FLOOD WATCH AREA. BECAUSE OF THE LESS EXPECTED COVERAGE IN THE NORTH... HAVE TAKEN OUT WALKER...GRIMES...BRAZOS...AND BURLESON COUNTIES FROM THE FLASH FLOOD WATCH. THE WATCH STILL GOES THROUGH 7 PM THIS EVENING FOR THE REMAINING COUNTIES...AND WILL MAKE A DECISION LATER THIS AFTERNOON ON WHETHER OR NOT TO EXTEND THE WATCH. 40 && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... COLLEGE STATION (CLL) 79 67 77 57 79 / 60 30 50 30 10 HOUSTON (IAH) 79 67 80 64 81 / 60 40 70 40 10 GALVESTON (GLS) 75 70 76 69 76 / 50 30 50 30 20 && .HGX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... TX...FLASH FLOOD WATCH UNTIL 7 PM CDT THIS EVENING FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES: AUSTIN...BRAZORIA...CHAMBERS...COLORADO...FORT BEND...GALVESTON...HARRIS...LIBERTY...MONTGOMERY...POLK... SAN JACINTO...WALLER...WASHINGTON...WHARTON. GM...NONE. && $$ DISCUSSION...40 AVIATION/MARINE...47
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NWS AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO TX
924 AM CDT WED APR 20 2016 .UPDATE... SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE ALONG AND BEHIND AN OUTFLOW BOUNDARY PUSHING ALONG HIGHWAY 90. A WEAK COLD FRONT IS SLOWLY PUSHING ACROSS THE NORTHERN HILL COUNTRY PER LATEST SURFACE OBSERVATIONS AND SPC MESOSCALE ANALYSIS PAGE. THIS ACTIVITY IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGH THE AFTERNOON AS IT SHIFTS TO THE SOUTH AND EAST. BOTH HRRR AND RAP 13 MODELS SHOW A DOWNWARD TREND ON THE SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY FOR THE SHORT TERM/FIRST PERIOD. LATEST KEWX RADAR LOOPS SHOW A DECREASE IN THE INTENSITY OF SHOWERS AND STORMS. NEW STORMS DEVELOPMENT ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE SOUTHERN EDWARDS PLATEAU AND THE RIO GRANDE AREAS THIS AFTERNOON AS THE TAIL END OF THE WEAK COLD FRONT PUSHES TO THE SOUTH AS IT MEETS WITH THE PASSAGE OF AN UPPER SHORT WAVE. FLASH FLOOD WATCH CONTINUES IN EFFECT THROUGH 1 PM THIS AFTERNOON FOR THE EASTERN COUNTIES OF SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS (MORE DETAILS ON THIS IN THE WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES SECTION). NEW RAINFALL AMOUNTS(NEXT 3 TO 6 HOURS)THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON COULD RANGE FROM 1 TO 2 INCHES ACCORDING TO KEWX DOPPLER RADAR ESTIMATES AND REFLECTIVITY TRENDS. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 611 AM CDT WED APR 20 2016/ AVIATION... WEAKENING COMPLEX OF SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO TREK SOUTHWARD. WILL BEGIN TAFAUS FOR THE FIRST FEW HOURS WITH -RA PREVAILING BUT WILL TEMPO -TSRA TO COVER THE THREAT FOR THE ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS. FOR THE SAN ANTONIO SITES...WILL ONLY MENTION VCSH LATER THIS MORNING AS CONFIDENCE IS A BIT LESS THIS SYSTEM MAKES IT THIS FAR SOUTH. CEILINGS ARE PRESENTLY AROUND LOW MVFR OR IFR AND THESE RESTRICTIONS SHOULD REMAIN IN PLACE THROUGH THE EARLY AFTERNOON. ANOTHER ROUND OF MVFR IS EXPECTED TOMORROW NIGHT. BEYOND THIS MORNING...CANT RULE OUT ADDITIONAL ISOLATED OR SCATTERED PRECIPITATION...BUT CHANCES ARE TOO LOW TO MENTION IN THE TAFS AT THIS TIME. PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 359 AM CDT WED APR 20 2016/ SHORT TERM (TODAY THROUGH THURSDAY)... SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ALONG A WACO TO SAN ANGELO TO BIG LAKE LINE WERE MOVING TO THE SOUTHEAST AT 25 MPH. THE LINE WILL MOVE INTO LLANO AND BURNET COUNTIES BY 5 AM AND THEN SLOW AS IT MOVES FURTHER INTO SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS. THE LINE/BOUNDARY STALLS ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS LATER TODAY...MOST LIKELY AROUND THE I-10 CORRIDOR. RAINFALL AMOUNTS UP TO 1 TO 2 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE. THIS RAINFALL WILL NOT CAUSE MUCH FLOOD THREAT FOR MOST AREAS. HAVE MAINTAINED THE FLASH FLOOD WATCH EAST OF I-35 THROUGH MIDDAY TODAY AS ANY ADDITIONAL RAIN WILL CAUSE NEW OR AGGRAVATE ONGOING FLOODING IN THOSE AREAS THAT HAVE RECEIVED COPIOUS AMOUNTS OF RAIN SINCE SUNDAY. THERE IS A POTENTIAL THE WATCH COULD BE EXTENDED. LOCALLY HEAVY DOWNPOURS ARE POSSIBLE ALONG AND NEAR THE BOUNDARY THIS AFTERNOON INTO EVENING AND AGAIN ON THURSDAY. CAPES AVERAGING AROUND 2500 J/KG AND 0-6KM SHEAR OF 25 TO 35 KTS INDICATE A MARGINAL RISK OF STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS DURING THE AFTERNOON INTO EARLY EVENING HOURS TODAY AND THURSDAY. HAIL AND STRONG WIND GUSTS ARE THE MAIN THREATS. LONG TERM (THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY)... THE PESKY UPPER LEVEL LOW OPENS INTO TROUGH ALONG THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY THURSDAY NIGHT SENDING A WEAK COLD FRONT ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE ALONG THE FRONT. RIDGING AT THE SURFACE AND ALOFT IS INDICATED FRIDAY AND SATURDAY. THE AIRMASS DRIES AND STABILIZES ACROSS MOST OF SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS. HOWEVER...A MOIST SOUTHEASTERLY FLOW UP THE RIO GRANDE WILL MAINTAIN LOW CHANCES OF RAIN THERE ON FRIDAY AND SATURDAY. A COMPACT UPPER LEVEL TROUGH DEVELOPS OVER NORTHWESTERN MEXICO ON SATURDAY AND MOVES ACROSS TEXAS ON SUNDAY INTO EARLY MONDAY BRINGING RAIN CHANCES. A FEW MODELS SHOW LOCALLY HEAVY DOWNPOURS. RAIN CHANCES RETURN THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK AS ANOTHER UPPER LEVEL TROUGH TAKES SHAPE OVER THE WESTERN STATES WITH A PACIFIC FRONT/DRYLINE MOVING INTO OUR AREA. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... AUSTIN CAMP MABRY 79 65 80 61 80 / 60 30 40 30 10 AUSTIN BERGSTROM INTL AIRPORT 79 64 79 60 79 / 60 30 40 30 10 NEW BRAUNFELS MUNI AIRPORT 80 64 80 62 80 / 50 30 40 40 10 BURNET MUNI AIRPORT 78 63 77 57 77 / 60 30 40 20 10 DEL RIO INTL AIRPORT 83 66 85 63 82 / 20 20 30 30 20 GEORGETOWN MUNI AIRPORT 79 63 77 58 78 / 60 30 50 20 10 HONDO MUNI AIRPORT 81 65 82 62 81 / 30 30 40 40 10 SAN MARCOS MUNI AIRPORT 78 64 79 61 79 / 50 30 40 40 10 LA GRANGE - FAYETTE REGIONAL 79 66 79 62 80 / 60 30 50 40 10 SAN ANTONIO INTL AIRPORT 80 66 80 63 80 / 40 30 40 40 10 STINSON MUNI AIRPORT 82 66 82 64 81 / 40 30 40 40 10 && .EWX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... FLASH FLOOD WATCH UNTIL 1 PM CDT THIS AFTERNOON FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES: BASTROP...CALDWELL...DE WITT...FAYETTE...GONZALES... LAVACA...LEE. && $$ MESOSCALE/AVIATION...26 SYNOPTIC/GRIDS...17 PUBLIC SERVICE/DATA COLLECTION...TREADWAY
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS AMARILLO TX
648 AM CDT WED APR 20 2016 .AVIATION... MVFR TO IFR CEILINGS EXPECTED TO PERSIST THIS MORNING. LIGHT TO MODERATE SOUTHWEST LOW-LEVEL WINDS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP...BOOSTING DRYING AND DISSIPATION/LIFTING OF LOW CLOUDS. CUMULUS CLOUDS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP AFTER 21Z TODAY AS VORTICITY MAXIMUM ARRIVES FROM NORTHWEST. WEAK COLD FRONT WILL SUPPORT THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT THROUGH THE EVENING. DRIER AND MORE STABLE AIR MOVES IN LATE TONIGHT...WITH CLEARING EXPECTED. COCKRELL && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 410 AM CDT WED APR 20 2016/ DISCUSSION... TAKING ANOTHER LOOK AT THE LATEST HIGH-RES MODELS...THE HRRR IS NOW BACKING OFF FROM THE DEVELOPMENT OF DENSE FOG ACROSS THE PANHANDLES THIS MORNING. WILL LIKELY TO NEED TO CANCEL BUT WILL HOLD OFF UNTIL CLOSER TO DAYBREAK TO SEE IF ANY DENSE FOG DEVELOPS. IF NOT...WILL CANCEL BEFORE SHIFT CHANGE THIS MORNING. OTHERWISE...LOW CLOUDS WILL PREVAIL THIS MORNING AS THE VIGOROUS CLOSED UPPER LOW OVER THE CENTRAL PLAINS STATES ALLOWS FOR A VORT LOBE TO ROTATE NORTHWEST TO SOUTHEAST ON THE BASAL OF THE UPPER TROUGH BY 00Z TO 06Z THURSDAY ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA. CONVECTION SHOULD DEVELOP AFTER 20Z TO 22Z TODAY...MAINLY OVER THE SOUTHERN HALF OF THE TEXAS PANHANDLE...WITH THE SEVERE THREAT PRIMARILY ACROSS THE SOUTHEASTERN AND SOUTH CENTRAL PORTIONS OF THE TEXAS PANHANDLE LATER TODAY AND TONIGHT. CONVECTION SHOULD QUICKLY EXIT THE PANHANDLES BY 12Z THURSDAY AS AN UPPER RIDGE BUILDS IN FROM THE WEST LATE THIS WEEK. WARMER AND DRIER CONDITIONS EXPECTED THURSDAY THROUGH THE WEEKEND. THE MEDIUM RANGE MODELS DIFFER WITH RESPECT TO THE NEXT CLOSED UPPER LOW PROGGED TO MOVE OUT OF THE GREAT BASIN REGION THIS WEEKEND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. THE ECMWF...WHICH WAS THE DRIER MODEL 24 HOURS AGO...IS NOW FORECASTING AN OPEN WAVE TO TRACK NORTHEAST OUT OF BAJA CALIFORNIA AND NORTHWEST MEXICO FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY INTO SOUTHWEST TEXAS BY SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY. THE MAIN CLOSED UPPER LOW IS FORECAST TO LIFT EAST AND NORTH OUT OF THE GREAT BASIN REGION INTO THE CENTRAL ROCKIES AND NORTHERN PLAINS STATES BY EARLY NEXT WEEK. THE ECMWF BREAKS OUT QPF SATURDAY AFTERNOON ACROSS THE NORTHWESTERN PORTIONS OF THE FORECAST AREA SATURDAY AFTERNOON BUT KEEPS THE REMAINDER OF THE WEEKEND AND EARLY NEXT WEEK DRY. THE GFS IS COMPLETELY THE OPPOSITE OF 24 HOURS AGO AND IS NOW KEEPING THE CLOSED UPPER LOW OVER THE NORTHERN STREAM RATHER THAN THE SOUTHERN STREAM. THE GFS ALSO FORECASTS AN OPEN WAVE LIFTING NORTH AND EAST OUT BAJA CALIFORNIA AND NORTHWESTERN/NORTHERN MEXICO...HOWEVER THE GFS KEEPS THE QPF WELL SOUTH OF THE PANHANDLES AND...LIKE THE ECMWF...MAINTAINS A DRY FORECAST THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEKEND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. THEREFORE...OPTED TO REMOVE POPS FROM SUNDAY AND GO WITH A DRY AND UNSEASONABLY WARM FORECAST THIS WEEKEND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. BREEZY TO WINDY THIS WEEKEND AS A DEEPENING SURFACE TROUGH DEVELOPS TO THE LEE OF THE ROCKIES WHICH WILL THEN TRACK EAST INTO THE FORECAST AREA SUNDAY. A COLD FRONT IS FORECAST TO PUSH ACROSS THE PANHANDLES EARLY NEXT WEEK WITH NO CONVECTION ASSOCIATED WITH THE FRONT. SCHNEIDER FIRE WEATHER... A DEEPENING SURFACE TROUGH OVER EASTERN COLORADO OR WESTERN KANSAS SOUTHWARD TO NEAR THE TEXAS AND NEW MEXICO STATE LINE WILL TRACK EAST INTO THE TEXAS AND OKLAHOMA PANHANDLES ON SUNDAY. INCREASING DOWNSLOPING SOUTHWESTERLY 20 FOOT WINDS AND MINIMUM AFTERNOON HUMIDITIES FALLING INTO THE 15 TO 20 PERCENT RANGE ACROSS MAINLY THE WESTERN SECTIONS OF THE PANHANDLES COULD POSSIBLY RESULT IN ELEVATED FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS SUNDAY AFTERNOON INTO EARLY SUNDAY EVENING. SCHNEIDER PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... AMARILLO TX 69 45 72 45 77 / 20 50 5 0 5 BEAVER OK 68 44 73 43 79 / 20 20 5 0 5 BOISE CITY OK 65 39 71 41 77 / 30 30 5 0 5 BORGER TX 70 46 75 47 79 / 20 50 5 0 5 BOYS RANCH TX 72 43 74 44 79 / 20 40 5 0 5 CANYON TX 71 44 73 44 77 / 20 40 5 0 0 CLARENDON TX 68 48 73 47 77 / 20 70 10 0 5 DALHART TX 67 41 72 42 77 / 30 40 5 0 5 GUYMON OK 67 42 73 43 79 / 20 20 5 0 5 HEREFORD TX 73 45 73 44 77 / 20 30 5 0 0 LIPSCOMB TX 69 46 74 44 78 / 10 30 5 0 5 PAMPA TX 67 45 70 46 77 / 20 60 10 0 5 SHAMROCK TX 69 49 74 46 78 / 20 70 10 0 5 WELLINGTON TX 70 51 76 47 79 / 20 70 10 0 5 && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... AMARILLO TX 69 45 72 45 77 / 20 50 5 0 5 BEAVER OK 68 44 73 43 79 / 20 20 5 0 5 BOISE CITY OK 65 39 71 41 77 / 30 30 5 0 5 BORGER TX 70 46 75 47 79 / 20 50 5 0 5 BOYS RANCH TX 72 43 74 44 79 / 20 40 5 0 5 CANYON TX 71 44 73 44 77 / 20 40 5 0 0 CLARENDON TX 68 48 73 47 77 / 20 70 10 0 5 DALHART TX 67 41 72 42 77 / 30 40 5 0 5 GUYMON OK 67 42 73 43 79 / 20 20 5 0 5 HEREFORD TX 73 45 73 44 77 / 20 30 5 0 0 LIPSCOMB TX 69 46 74 44 78 / 10 30 5 0 5 PAMPA TX 67 45 70 46 77 / 20 60 10 0 5 SHAMROCK TX 69 49 74 46 78 / 20 70 10 0 5 WELLINGTON TX 70 51 76 47 79 / 20 70 10 0 5 && .AMA WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... TX...NONE. OK...NONE. && $$ 03/11
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
642 AM CDT WED APR 20 2016 .AVIATION... SCATTERED SHRA ARE DEVELOPING ACROSS THE AREA AS A LINE OF GENERALLY WEAKENING SHRA/TSRA BEGINS MOVING INTO OUR NORTHERN AND WESTERN SECTIONS. MOST TAF SITES ARE GOING WITH VCSH TEMPO TSRA AS THIS ACTIVITY SPREADS ACROSS THE AREA THIS MORNING THROUGH EARLY THIS AFTERNOON. BOUNDARIES FROM THESE STORMS MIGHT END UP HELPING TO FIRE ADDITIONAL STORM DEVELOPMENT IN THE MID AFTERNOON THROUGH EARLY EVENING HOURS FROM ROUGHLY IAH SOUTHWARD... BUT HARD TO PINPOINT EXACTLY WHERE THIS MIGHT SET UP. FOR LATER TODAY...JUST GOING WITH VCSH UP NORTH AND VCTS DOWN SOUTH. GENERALLY EXPECT TO SEE LOTS OF MVFR CEILINGS THROUGHOUT THE DAY. SHOULD SEE A BREAK IN STORM ACTIVITY TONIGHT AS CEILINGS LOWER TO MVFR/IFR LEVELS FOLLOWED BY MORE SHRA/TSRA DURING THE DAY TOMORROW. 42 && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 346 AM CDT WED APR 20 2016/ DISCUSSION... LATEST RADAR COMPOSITES SHOW MCS WORKING ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS. IT HAS BECOME MORE EAST TO WEST ORIENTED OVERNIGHT. MESOSCALE MODELS...INCLUDING TTU WRF AND HRRR VERIFYING FAIRLY WELL ATTM. INTERESTING TO NOTE BOTH WEAKEN THIS SYSTEM AFTER SUNRISE AS OUTFLOW PUSHES SOUTH...WITH NEW CONVECTIVE DEVELOPMENT ALONG OUTFLOW...WITH SOME INCREASE IN AREAL COVERAGE IN THE AFTERNOON WITH DAYTIME HEATING. THINK THIS SCENARIO IS REASONABLE AND WILL LEAN THAT WAY WITH THE FORECAST...BRINGING INCREASING POPS THIS MORNING OVER NW ZONES...AND THEN INCREASING POPS MORE IN THE AFTERNOON FOR SOUTHEAST SECTIONS. WILL GO WITH LIKELY POPS FOR PEAK TIMES. MODEL TOTAL QPF FROM SYNOPTIC MODELS THROUGH THIS EVENING LOOKING AT GFS AND EC VARIES FROM HALF AN INCH TO 1.5 INCHES. HRRR STORM TOTALS SHOW TYPICAL VARIABILTY WITH CONVECTION...WITH ISOLD AMOUNTS 3 TO 4 INCHES. THINK MOST AREAS WILL SEE AN INCH OR LESS BUT WILL HAVE POTENTIAL FOR THOSE LOCALLY HIGHER 3 INCH AMOUNTS WHERE THE CELLS OCCUR. EVEN YDA WITH PULSE STORMS HAD A FEW VERY ISOLD HIGHER TOTALS. IMPACT ON RIVERS AND BAYOUS WHICH REACT MORE TO BASIN AVERAGE PRECIP SHOULD BE MINIMAL UNLESS THE HEAVIER LOCAL RAINS FALL IN THOSE SMALLER MORE SENSITIVE BASINS...OR OVER PLACES LIKE ADDICKS RESERVOIR. WILL HAVE TO MONITOR CLOSELY. GIVEN THE SATURATED SOILS AND ELEVATED FLOWS WILL KEEP FLASH FLOOD WATCH UP THROUGH TODAY FOR THOSE AREAS THAT HAD THE MOST INTENSE RAINFALL. COLD FRONT DROPS ACROSS THE AREA TOMORROW LIKELY BRINGING ANOTHER BAND OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH. THINKING AGAIN LOOKING AT ANOTHER INCH OR SO OF QPF ON AVERAGE WITH TWO DAY TOTALS OF 1 TO 3 INCHES ON AVERAGE BUT WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS. AFTER THIS FRONT PUSHES SOUTH OF THE AREA THURSDAY NIGHT...WILL SEE DRIER AIR FILTER INTO THE AREA FROM THE NORTH ON FRIDAY. SOME HINT IN GFS AND EC OF SOME LINGERING SHOWERS AT THE COAST ON FRIDAY BEFORE FRONT PUSHES OFF TO THE SOUTHEAST. LOOKS LIKE INCREASING AMOUNTS OF SUN AND LOWER HUMIDITY FOR FRIDAY...FROM NORTH TO SOUTH THROUGH THE DAY. AFTER NICE DRY DAY ON SATURDAY START TO SEE RETURN FLOW OFF THE GULF SATURDAY NIGHT. MODELS SHOWING WELL DEFINED UPPER DISTURBANCE CROSSING THE AREA ON MONDAY...LIKELY BRINGING MORE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS DURING THE SUNDAY AND MONDAY TIME FRAME. UPPER DISTURBANCE PUSHES EAST FOR TUESDAY WITH LESSENING RAIN CHANCES BUT REMAINING HUMID. SO...NOT A PROLONGED DRY PERIOD THAT WOULD BE MORE IDEAL BUT REMAINING IN FAIRLY ACTIVE PATTERN AFTER A FEW WELCOME RELATIVELY DRY DAYS FRIDAY AND SATURDAY. 46 MARINE... LIGHT TO MODERATE ONSHORE WINDS ALONG WITH PERIODS OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL PERSIST UNTIL LATE THURSDAY NIGHT OR EARLY FRIDAY MORNING WHEN A COLD FRONT MOVES THROUGH THE AREA. LIGHT TO MODERATE OFFSHORE WINDS BEHIND THE FRONT WILL PERSIST THROUGH EARLY SATURDAY. LIGHT ONSHORE WINDS THAT RETURN TO THE AREA SATURDAY NIGHT AND STRENGTHEN ON SUNDAY AND MONDAY ARE EXPECTED TO PERSIST THROUGH ALL OF NEXT WEEK. 42 && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... COLLEGE STATION (CLL) 79 67 77 57 79 / 60 30 50 30 10 HOUSTON (IAH) 79 67 80 64 81 / 60 40 70 40 10 GALVESTON (GLS) 75 70 76 69 76 / 60 40 50 30 20 && .HGX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... TX...FLASH FLOOD WATCH THROUGH THIS EVENING FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES: AUSTIN...BRAZORIA...BRAZOS...BURLESON...CHAMBERS... COLORADO...FORT BEND...GALVESTON...GRIMES...HARRIS... LIBERTY...MONTGOMERY...POLK...SAN JACINTO...WALKER... WALLER...WASHINGTON...WHARTON. GM...NONE. && $$ DISCUSSION...46 AVIATION/MARINE...42
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS AMARILLO TX
410 AM CDT WED APR 20 2016 .DISCUSSION... TAKING ANOTHER LOOK AT THE LATEST HIGH-RES MODELS...THE HRRR IS NOW BACKING OFF FROM THE DEVELOPMENT OF DENSE FOG ACROSS THE PANHANDLES THIS MORNING. WILL LIKELY TO NEED TO CANCEL BUT WILL HOLD OFF UNTIL CLOSER TO DAYBREAK TO SEE IF ANY DENSE FOG DEVELOPS. IF NOT...WILL CANCEL BEFORE SHIFT CHANGE THIS MORNING. OTHERWISE...LOW CLOUDS WILL PREVAIL THIS MORNING AS THE VIGOROUS CLOSED UPPER LOW OVER THE CENTRAL PLAINS STATES ALLOWS FOR A VORT LOBE TO ROTATE NORTHWEST TO SOUTHEAST ON THE BASAL OF THE UPPER TROUGH BY 00Z TO 06Z THURSDAY ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA. CONVECTION SHOULD DEVELOP AFTER 20Z TO 22Z TODAY...MAINLY OVER THE SOUTHERN HALF OF THE TEXAS PANHANDLE...WITH THE SEVERE THREAT PRIMARILY ACROSS THE SOUTHEASTERN AND SOUTH CENTRAL PORTIONS OF THE TEXAS PANHANDLE LATER TODAY AND TONIGHT. CONVECTION SHOULD QUICKLY EXIT THE PANHANDLES BY 12Z THURSDAY AS AN UPPER RIDGE BUILDS IN FROM THE WEST LATE THIS WEEK. WARMER AND DRIER CONDITIONS EXPECTED THURSDAY THROUGH THE WEEKEND. THE MEDIUM RANGE MODELS DIFFER WITH RESPECT TO THE NEXT CLOSED UPPER LOW PROGGED TO MOVE OUT OF THE GREAT BASIN REGION THIS WEEKEND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. THE ECMWF...WHICH WAS THE DRIER MODEL 24 HOURS AGO...IS NOW FORECASTING AN OPEN WAVE TO TRACK NORTHEAST OUT OF BAJA CALIFORNIA AND NORTHWEST MEXICO FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY INTO SOUTHWEST TEXAS BY SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY. THE MAIN CLOSED UPPER LOW IS FORECAST TO LIFT EAST AND NORTH OUT OF THE GREAT BASIN REGION INTO THE CENTRAL ROCKIES AND NORTHERN PLAINS STATES BY EARLY NEXT WEEK. THE ECMWF BREAKS OUT QPF SATURDAY AFTERNOON ACROSS THE NORTHWESTERN PORTIONS OF THE FORECAST AREA SATURDAY AFTERNOON BUT KEEPS THE REMAINDER OF THE WEEKEND AND EARLY NEXT WEEK DRY. THE GFS IS COMPLETELY THE OPPOSITE OF 24 HOURS AGO AND IS NOW KEEPING THE CLOSED UPPER LOW OVER THE NORTHERN STREAM RATHER THAN THE SOUTHERN STREAM. THE GFS ALSO FORECASTS AN OPEN WAVE LIFTING NORTH AND EAST OUT BAJA CALIFORNIA AND NORTHWESTERN/NORTHERN MEXICO...HOWEVER THE GFS KEEPS THE QPF WELL SOUTH OF THE PANHANDLES AND...LIKE THE ECMWF...MAINTAINS A DRY FORECAST THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEKEND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. THEREFORE...OPTED TO REMOVE POPS FROM SUNDAY AND GO WITH A DRY AND UNSEASONABLY WARM FORECAST THIS WEEKEND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. BREEZY TO WINDY THIS WEEKEND AS A DEEPENING SURFACE TROUGH DEVELOPS TO THE LEE OF THE ROCKIES WHICH WILL THEN TRACK EAST INTO THE FORECAST AREA SUNDAY. A COLD FRONT IS FORECAST TO PUSH ACROSS THE PANHANDLES EARLY NEXT WEEK WITH NO CONVECTION ASSOCIATED WITH THE FRONT. SCHNEIDER && .FIRE WEATHER... A DEEPENING SURFACE TROUGH OVER EASTERN COLORADO OR WESTERN KANSAS SOUTHWARD TO NEAR THE TEXAS AND NEW MEXICO STATE LINE WILL TRACK EAST INTO THE TEXAS AND OKLAHOMA PANHANDLES ON SUNDAY. INCREASING DOWNSLOPING SOUTHWESTERLY 20 FOOT WINDS AND MINIMUM AFTERNOON HUMIDITIES FALLING INTO THE 15 TO 20 PERCENT RANGE ACROSS MAINLY THE WESTERN SECTIONS OF THE PANHANDLES COULD POSSIBLY RESULT IN ELEVATED FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS SUNDAY AFTERNOON INTO EARLY SUNDAY EVENING. SCHNEIDER && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... AMARILLO TX 69 45 72 45 77 / 20 50 5 0 5 BEAVER OK 68 44 73 43 79 / 20 20 5 0 5 BOISE CITY OK 65 39 71 41 77 / 30 30 5 0 5 BORGER TX 70 46 75 47 79 / 20 50 5 0 5 BOYS RANCH TX 72 43 74 44 79 / 20 40 5 0 5 CANYON TX 71 44 73 44 77 / 20 40 5 0 0 CLARENDON TX 68 48 73 47 77 / 20 70 10 0 5 DALHART TX 67 41 72 42 77 / 30 40 5 0 5 GUYMON OK 67 42 73 43 79 / 20 20 5 0 5 HEREFORD TX 73 45 73 44 77 / 20 30 5 0 0 LIPSCOMB TX 69 46 74 44 78 / 10 30 5 0 5 PAMPA TX 67 45 70 46 77 / 20 60 10 0 5 SHAMROCK TX 69 49 74 46 78 / 20 70 10 0 5 WELLINGTON TX 70 51 76 47 79 / 20 70 10 0 5 && .AMA WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... TX...DENSE FOG ADVISORY UNTIL 11 AM CDT THIS MORNING FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES: ARMSTRONG...CARSON...COLLINGSWORTH... DALLAM...DEAF SMITH...DONLEY...GRAY...HANSFORD...HARTLEY... HEMPHILL...HUTCHINSON...LIPSCOMB...MOORE...OCHILTREE... OLDHAM...POTTER...RANDALL...ROBERTS...SHERMAN...WHEELER. OK...DENSE FOG ADVISORY UNTIL 11 AM CDT THIS MORNING FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES: BEAVER...CIMARRON...TEXAS. && $$ 3/11
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
346 AM CDT WED APR 20 2016 .DISCUSSION... LATEST RADAR COMPOSITES SHOW MCS WORKING ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS. IT HAS BECOME MORE EAST TO WEST ORIENTED OVERNIGHT. MESOSCALE MODELS...ICLUDING TTU WRF AND HRRR VERIFYING FAIRLY WELL ATTM. INTERESTING TO NOTE BOTH WEAKEN THIS SYSTEM AFTER SUNRISE AS OUTFLOW PUSHES SOUTH...WITH NEW CONVECTIVE DEVELOPMENT ALONG OUTFLOW...WITH SOME INCREASE IN AREAL COVERAGE IN THE AFTERNOON WITH DAYTIME HEATING. THINK THIS SCENARIO IS REASONABLE AND WILL LEAN THAT WAY WITH THE FORECAST...BRINGING INCREASING POPS THIS MORNING OVER NW ZONES...AND THEN INCREASING POPS MORE IN THE AFTERNOON FOR SOUTHEAST SECTIONS. WILL GO WITH LIKELY POPS FOR PEAK TIMES. MODEL TOTAL QPF FROM SYNOPTIC MODELS THROUGH THIS EVENING LOOKING AT GFS AND EC VARIES FROM HALF AN INCH TO 1.5 INCHES. HRRR STORM TOTALS SHOW TYPICAL VARIABILTY WITH CONVECTION...WITH ISOLD AMOUNTS 3 TO 4 INCHES. THINK MOST AREAS WILL SEE AN INCH OR LESS BUT WILL HAVE POTENTIAL FOR THOSE LOCALLY HIGHER 3 INCH AMOUNTS WHERE THE CELLS OCCUR. EVEN YDA WITH PULSE STORMS HAD A FEW VERY ISOLD HIGHER TOTALS. IMPACT ON RIVERS AND BAYOUS WHICH REACT MORE TO BASIN AVERAGE PRECIP SHOULD BE MINIMAL UNLESS THE HEAVIER LOCAL RAINS FALL IN THOSE SMALLER MORE SENSITIVE BASINS...OR OVER PLACES LIKE ADDICKS RESEVOIR. WILL HAVE TO MONITOR CLOSELY. GIVEN THE SATURATED SOILS AND ELEVATED FLOWS WILL KEEP FLASH FLOOD WATCH UP THROUGH TODAY FOR THOSE AREAS THAT HAD THE MOST INTENSE RAINFALL. COLD FRONT DROPS ACROSS THE AREA TOMORROW LIKELY BRINGING ANOTHER BAND OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH. THINKING AGAIN LOOKING AT ANOTHER INCH OR SO OF QPF ON AVERAGE WITH TWO DAY TOTALS OF 1 TO 3 INCHES ON AVERAGE BUT WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS. AFTER THIS FRONT PUSHES SOUTH OF THE AREA THURSDAY NIGHT...WILL SEE DRIER AIR FILTER INTO THE AREA FROM THE NORTH ON FRIDAY. SOME HINT IN GFS AND EC OF SOME LINGERING SHOWERS AT THE COAST ON FRIDAY BEFORE FRONT PUSHES OFF TO THE SOUTHEAST. LOOKS LIKE INCREASING AMOUNTS OF SUN AND LOWER HUMIDITY FOR FRIDAY...FROM NORTH TO SOUTH THROUGH THE DAY. AFTER NICE DRY DAY ON SATURDAY START TO SEE RETURN FLOW OFF THE GULF SATURDAY NIGHT. MODELS SHOWING WELL DEFINED UPPER DISTURBANCE CROSSING THE AREA ON MONDAY...LIKELY BRINGING MORE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS DURING THE SUNDAY AND MONDAY TIME FRAME. UPPER DISTURBANCE PUSHES EAST FOR TUESDAY WITH LESSENING RAIN CHANCES BUT REMAINING HUMID. SO...NOT A PROLONGUED DRY PERIOD THAT WOULD BE MORE IDEAL BUT REMAINING IN FAIRLY ACTIVE PATTERN AFTER A FEW WELCOME RELATIVELY DRY DAYS FRIDAY AND SATURDAY. 46 && .MARINE... LIGHT TO MODERATE ONSHORE WINDS ALONG WITH PERIODS OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL PERSIST UNTIL LATE THURSDAY NIGHT OR EARLY FRIDAY MORNING WHEN A COLD FRONT MOVES THROUGH THE AREA. LIGHT TO MODERATE OFFSHORE WINDS BEHIND THE FRONT WILL PERSIST THROUGH EARLY SATURDAY. LIGHT ONSHORE WINDS THAT RETURN TO THE AREA SATURDAY NIGHT AND STRENGTHEN ON SUNDAY AND MONDAY ARE EXPECTED TO PERSIST THROUGH ALL OF NEXT WEEK. 42 && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... COLLEGE STATION (CLL) 78 67 79 60 79 / 70 30 60 30 10 HOUSTON (IAH) 78 67 81 64 81 / 70 40 70 30 10 GALVESTON (GLS) 77 70 79 68 78 / 50 50 60 30 10 && .HGX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... TX...FLASH FLOOD WATCH THROUGH THIS EVENING FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES: AUSTIN...BRAZORIA...BRAZOS...BURLESON...CHAMBERS... COLORADO...FORT BEND...GALVESTON...GRIMES...HARRIS... LIBERTY...MONTGOMERY...POLK...SAN JACINTO...WALKER... WALLER...WASHINGTON...WHARTON. GM...NONE. && $$
PLEASE SEE THE 00Z AVIATION FORECAST DISCUSSION BELOW.

AVIATION... VFR CONDITIONS ARE CURRENTLY IN PLACE ACROSS THE REGION. WITH CONTINUED COOLING IN THE MOIST LOW-LEVELS...CIGS WILL LOWER INTO MVFR BETWEEN 02Z-05Z. CONTINUED COOLING AND DECREASING OF WINDS SHOULD DROP CIGS INTO IFR BEGINNING 06Z-08Z. IFR CIGS WILL CONTINUE UNTIL LATE MORNING. WE COULD ALSO SEE SOME CONVECTION MOVE IN FROM THE NORTHWEST EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING. WE/LL MAINTAIN PROB30 GROUPS AT ALL SITES FOR NOW...BUT IT APPEARS KAUS MIGHT STAND A BETTER CHANCE THAN OUR OTHER TAF SITES. CIGS WILL BE SLOW TO RISE TOMORROW...ESPECIALLY IF THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY LEAVES LIGHT STRATIFORM RAIN IN IT/S WAKE. PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 304 PM CDT TUE APR 19 2016/ SHORT TERM (TONIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT)... AT 245PM...VISIBLE SATELLITE SHOWED CONVECTIVE INITIATION BEGINNING OFF THE MEXICAN MOUNTAINS AND UP THROUGH THE BIG BEND AREA. FARTHER EAST INTO OUR CWA...STRATUS WAS JUST BEGINNING TO DETERIORATE WHICH HAS BEEN LIMITING THE CONVECTIVE POTENTIAL. HOWEVER STILL WITH A FEW HOURS OF HEATING LEFT IN THE DAY...A SLIGHT CHANCE OF STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS COULD BE POSSIBLE FOR THE WESTERN PLATEAU COUNTIES...LIKE VAL VERDE. LOW LEVEL LAPSE RATES ON THE PLATEAU ARE SUB 6 DEG/KM PER THE RAP HOWEVER AND WITH SUPERCELL STORM MOTION VECTORS WEST OF THE RIO GRANDE PARALLEL TO THE RIVER AND APPRECIABLE CONVECTION INHIBITION FARTHER EAST...CONFIDENCE IS LOW ON STORMS IN OUR CWA THIS EVENING. HOWEVER...SHOULD SOME CELLS MAKE IT INTO THE CWA...ENOUGH INSTABILITY MAY BE GENERATED BY LATE THIS AFTERNOON TO WARRANT A MARGINALLY SEVERE HAIL THREAT. THIS CONVECTION FARTHER WEST AND NORTH IS BEING PRETTY WELL HANDLED IN THE HI RESOLUTION MODELS THIS AFTERNOON AND THEY ARE INDICATING CONGLOMERATING INTO A QUASI LINEAR SYSTEM OR BROKEN LINE OF MULTI CELLS PUSHING SOUTHEAST INTO THE NORTHERN CWA BY EARLY TOMORROW MORNING. MORE SPECIFICALLY THE 4AM-10AM TIME FRAME. THE LINE SHOULD BE ABLE TO PASS THROUGH AT A DECENT SPEED...ENOUGH TO TYPICALLY NOT BE MUCH OF A CONCERN FOR FLASH FLOODING. IN FACT...PWATS AT 12Z ARE ONLY IN THE 1.4 INCH RANGE IN THE AUSTIN AREA. SO IT LOOKS LIKE QPF WISE...THAT GENERALLY AROUND AN INCH OR SO WILL RESULT FROM THE PASSAGE OF THIS LINE. HOWEVER...WHILE ISOLATED...THERE MAY BE SOME SPOTS THAT GET 3 INCHES OR SO WHICH WOULD BE QUITE PROBLEMATIC FOR COUNTIES IN THE EAST WHICH RECEIVED OVER 8 INCHES OF RAIN FROM YESTERDAY. THEREFORE THE DECISION TO MAINTAIN A FFA EAST OF I35 WAS MADE FOR THOSE HIGHLY VULNERABLE ANTECEDENT COUNTIES SPECIFICALLY...WHILE OTHER COUNTIES SHOULD BE ABLE TO HANDLE THE RAINFALL. LONG TERM (THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY)... THE BIG UPPER LOW OVER THE ROCKIES RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL OF OUR RAIN ACTIVITY LATELY WILL BEGIN TO FINALLY SHIFT EASTWARD THURSDAY AND PROGRESS ACROSS THE CENTRAL UNITED STATES. THIS SHOULD QUICKLY TRANSITION THE UPPER LEVEL PATTERN FOR THE REGION INTO A NORTHWEST FLOW SITUATION. ANOTHER SHORTWAVE WILL PASS INTO THE RED RIVER VALLEY AND INTO THE ARKLATEX THURSDAY AS WELL. THIS WILL BRING ANOTHER SHOT AT SHOWERS AND STORMS THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FAVORING THE NORTHERN AND EASTERN ZONES YET AGAIN. A COLD FRONT WILL PUSH THROUGH THE AREA LATE THURSDAY NIGHT BEHIND THE QPF REPLACING THE AIR MASS WITH MUCH DRIER AIR FRIDAY. A BRIEF DRY PERIOD WILL EXIST THROUGH SATURDAY AFTERNOON WHEN A WEAK SHORTWAVE COMES ACROSS THE STATE THIS WEEKEND WITH THE NEXT POP OPPORTUNITY. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... AUSTIN CAMP MABRY 65 79 60 79 58 / 30 40 20 - 0 AUSTIN BERGSTROM INTL AIRPORT 64 79 59 79 56 / 30 40 20 - 0 NEW BRAUNFELS MUNI AIRPORT 64 80 61 80 58 / 30 40 30 10 0 BURNET MUNI AIRPORT 62 78 57 77 56 / 30 40 20 - 0 DEL RIO INTL AIRPORT 66 85 62 82 63 / 20 20 20 20 10 GEORGETOWN MUNI AIRPORT 63 78 58 78 56 / 30 40 20 - 0 HONDO MUNI AIRPORT 65 84 61 80 59 / 30 40 20 20 - SAN MARCOS MUNI AIRPORT 65 79 60 79 57 / 30 40 30 - 0 LA GRANGE - FAYETTE REGIONAL 65 79 61 79 58 / 30 50 30 10 0 SAN ANTONIO INTL AIRPORT 66 81 63 80 60 / 30 40 20 10 0 STINSON MUNI AIRPORT 67 82 63 81 61 / 30 40 20 10 - && .EWX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... FLASH FLOOD WATCH THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES: BASTROP...CALDWELL...DE WITT...FAYETTE...GONZALES... LAVACA...LEE. && $$ MESOSCALE/AVIATION...HAMPSHIRE SYNOPTIC/GRIDS...04
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS LUBBOCK TX
1145 PM CDT TUE APR 19 2016 .AVIATION... SINKING MOTION ACROSS TAFS SO FAR TONIGHT BEHIND THE CONVECTIVE SYSTEM ALONG A COLD FRONT NOW SOUTH OF THE AREA. LOW LEVEL FLOW ALSO DIVERGENT...BUT EXPECTED TO TURN MORE NORTHEAST TO EASTERLY LATER TONIGHT. LOWER ATMOSPHERE QUITE MOIST SO SHOULD NOT BE DIFFICULT TO SATURATE...ESPECIALLY WITH A MORE PRONOUNCED UPSLOPE COMPONENT AT BOTH KPVW AND KLBB. CURRENT EXPECTATIONS ARE FOR LIFR CEILINGS DEVELOPING AND POSSIBLE WE COULD SEE AT LEAST A BRIEF PERIOD OF VERY LOW VISIBILITIES BUT CANNOT STATE WITH MUCH CONFIDENCE JUST WHEN THAT MAY OCCUR. BUT SOMETHING TO WATCH FOR LATER. LOW CEILINGS LIKELY TO HOLD THROUGH WEDNESDAY MORNING AND MAY ONCE MORE SEE PATCHY DRIZZLE AT SOME POINT. THEN CEILINGS SHOULD BEGIN LIFTING LATE WEDNESDAY MORNING INTO THE AFTERNOON TO MVFR LEVELS AND SCATTERING OUT BOTH KLBB AND KPVW BUT MAY HOLD AT KCDS MUCH OF THE DAY. ANOTHER UPPER TROUGH WILL DRIVE SOUTHEAST FROM COLORADO ACROSS THE TEXAS PANHANDLE WEDNESDAY EVENING SPREADING THUNDER CHANCES ESPECIALLY TOWARDS KCDS WHERE INITIAL PROB30 HAS BEEN INSERTED. THUNDER CHANCES ALSO KPVW AND KLBB MAINLY LATER TOMORROW NIGHT. RMCQUEEN && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 651 PM CDT TUE APR 19 2016/ AVIATION... IN SIMILAR FASHION TO THIS MORNING...VFR CONDITIONS ARE LIKELY TO CRATER TO IFR AT PVW AND LBB AFTER MIDNIGHT AS THE LOWER ATMOSPHERE REMAINS VERY MOIST. COULD SEE DENSE FOG ALSO DEVELOP THOUGH THIS IS LESS LIKELY COMPARED TO JUST VERY LOW STRATUS. CONFIDENCE IN IFR AT CDS IS LESS CERTAIN AS SOME MODELS ARE RELUCTANT TO REDEVELOP LOW CLOUDS...BUT HAVE HINTED AT THIS SCENARIO WITH A SCATTERED LOW LAYER. SHOULD SEE VFR RETURN TO LBB AND PVW BY THE AFTN AT WHICH POINT A REPEAT OF AFTERNOON TS ARE POSSIBLE SOUTH OF AN UPPER LOW...MAINLY N OF LBB. PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 318 PM CDT TUE APR 19 2016/ SHORT TERM... PRECIP CHANCES WILL CONTINUE TO BE THE FOCUS TONIGHT AND AGAIN WEDNESDAY. ONGOING SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS BEGINNING TO MARCH EWD ACROSS THE NRN HALF OF THE FCST AREA AT A PRETTY GOOD CLIP. THE SOURCE REGION FOR CONVECTIVE REDEVELOPMENT THAT HAD BEEN ANCHORED IN ERN NM IS SHIFTING TO THE WRN SOUTH PLAINS. THIS ADJUSTMENT OCCURRING IN RESPONSE TO THE MAIN UPPER TROUGH OVER NRN NM SHOWING EWD MOVEMENT PER WATER VAPOR IMAGERY THE LAST COUPLE HOURS. TROUGH AXIS SHOULD SHIFT TO THE EAST OF THE FCST AREA AROUND 06Z WITH HIGH CHANCE TO LIKELY POPS ERN HALF OF THE FCST AREA APPROPRIATE UNTIL THEN. COULD ALSO SEE A SHIFT SWD WITH THE CONVECTION AS OUTFLOW INTERACTS WITH LOW LEVEL MOISTURE SRN SOUTH AND ROLLING PLAINS PER HRRR OUTPUT. FOCUS THEN SHIFTS TO PRECIP CHANCE WEDNESDAY. APPEARS A DECENTLY DEFINED DRYLINE WILL SHIFT INTO THE WRN ZONES DURING THE AFTN. LOW LEVEL MOISTURE TO REMAIN IN PLACE TO ITS EAST WITH SFC DEW POINT TEMPS UPPER 40S-LOWER 50S. NOT MUCH UPPER SUPPORT EVIDENT WITH A SHORT WAVE TROUGH PROGGED TO SEWD THROUGH THE MEAN FLOW FROM SRN COLORADO TWD THE PANHANDLE. WEAKLY FORCED CONVECTIVE INITIATION POSSIBLE LATE AFTN JUST EAST OF THE DRYLINE GENERALLY ALONG I-27. ONLY OTHER ISSUE IS CHANCE FOR FOG AROUND SUNRISE. COOL...MOIST AIR MASS WITH UPSLOPE EASTERLY LOW LEVEL FLOW POINT TO THE POSSIBILITY. NO CONSENSUS FROM GUIDANCE ATTM. WILL KEEP MENTION OUT FOR NOW AND LET NEXT SHIFT REEVALUATE. LONG TERM... A SECONDARY COLD FRONT WILL PUSH THROUGH TOMORROW NIGHT AS A SHORT WAVE ROTATES AROUND THE BACKSIDE OF THE MUCH LARGER UPPER LEVEL LOW ACROSS THE MIDWEST. WITH PLENTY OF MOISTURE IN PLACE AS WELL AS LIFT FROM THE SHORTWAVE A COMPLEX OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE HIGHLY POSSIBLE ACROSS THE EASTERN TX PANHANDLE AND ROLLING PLAINS. WHILE SOME HEAVY RAIN WILL BE POSSIBLE AS PWATS WILL BE OVER 1 INCH THE COMPLEX SHOULD MOVE QUICK ENOUGH TO HELP MITIGATE FLOODING CONCERNS. WINDS WILL REMAIN OUT OF THE NORTHEAST INTO LATE THURSDAY NIGHT WHICH WILL HELP KEEP TEMPS INTO THE LOW 70S. WINDS WILL TURN BACK TO THE SOUTH/SOUTHEAST BY EARLY FRIDAY AFTERNOON AS A LEE TROF DEVELOPS. THIS...IN ADDITION TO AN UPPER RIDGE MOVING OVER THE REGION...WILL ALLOW TEMPS TO WARM BACK TO NEAR AVERAGE FRIDAY. TEMPS WILL CONTINUE TO WARM TO SEVERAL DEGREES ABOVE AVERAGE BY SUNDAY AS WINDS WILL CONTINUOUSLY STAY OUT OF THE SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST. THE LEE TROF WILL PUSH SOUTHWARD STARTING LATE SUNDAY MORNING ALLOWING A DRYLINE TO PUSH EASTWARD FROM NM. A SMALL CHANCE EXISTS FOR ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ALONG THE DRYLINE...MOSTLY OVER THE ROLLING PLAINS...SUNDAY BUT WILL BE DEPENDENT ON THE TIMING OF A PASSING SHORTWAVE. WINDS WILL BE FAIRLY BREEZY...SPECIFICALLY ACROSS OUR NORTHWESTERN COUNTIES...BEHIND THE DRYLINE AS THE MID TO LOWER LEVELS DRY AND THERMAL PROFILES BECOME SUPER ADIABATIC. CONDITIONS BEYOND LATE SUNDAY BECOME QUESTIONABLE AS MODELS BEGIN TO DIVERGE WITH THE UPPER LEVEL PATTERN. THE ECMWF BRINGS AN UPPER LEVEL LOW CLOSE TO THE REGION BY MONDAY AFTERNOON/EVENING WHICH WOULD ALLOW WINDS TO KEEP BLOWING WHILE THE GFS TAKES A MORE PACIFIST ROLE BY KEEPING FLOW MOSTLY ZONAL AND DELAYING THE APPROACH OF THE LOW UNTIL EARLY WEDNESDAY. EITHER WAY THE FORECAST LOOKS TO REMAIN DRY. && .LUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && $$ 99/99/05
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS LA CROSSE WI
648 PM CDT THU APR 21 2016 .SHORT TERM...(THIS EVENING THROUGH FRIDAY) ISSUED AT 344 PM CDT THU APR 21 2016 AT 3 PM...SCATTERED SHOWERS WERE FOUND ACROSS CLARK COUNTY IN NORTH-CENTRAL WISCONSIN AND NORTHEAST IOWA. BOTH OF THESE WERE LOCATED ALONG A BAND OF 900 TO 800 MB FRONTOGENESIS. THERE WERE REPORTS OF A WALL CLOUD AND PEA SIZE HAIL IN DAVENPORT/S FORECAST AREA. THIS WAS OCCURRING IN AN AREA WHERE THE RAP WAS HIGHLIGHTING THE NON SUPERCELL TORNADO PARAMETER /NST/. THROUGH 21.23Z...THE RAP IS HIGHLIGHTING ANOTHER AREA OF NST ACROSS NORTHEAST IOWA AND SOUTHWEST WISCONSIN. THERE IS A STATIONARY BOUNDARY IN THIS AREA. HOWEVER THE RAP IS 5 TO 8F TOO HIGH WITH ITS SURFACE DEW POINTS...THEREFORE...ITS CAPES ARE TOO HIGH. THIS IS LIKELY ENHANCING THE NST VALUE TOO MUCH. FOR THIS EVENING...THE 21.12Z AND 21.18Z MODELS CONTINUE TO SHOW THAT BOTH OF THE 900 TO 800 MB FRONTOGENESIS BANDS WILL SLOWLY MOVE SOUTHEAST AND WEAKEN. AT THE SAME TIME...THE SURFACE BASED CAPES AND 900 TO 850 MB LAPSE RATES WILL BE WEAKENING. AS THIS OCCURS...THE SHOWERS WILL RAPIDLY DISSIPATE BETWEEN 22.03Z AND 22.06Z. ON FRIDAY MORNING...TEMPERATURES WILL DROP INTO THE MID-30S IN TAYLOR COUNTY. WHILE THE TEMPERATURES WILL BE COOL FOR THE POTENTIAL OF SCATTERED FROST...THERE WILL STILL BE A 2 TO 3F TEMPERATURE-DEW POINT DEPRESSIONS AND THE SURFACE WINDS WILL BE IN THE 5 TO 10 MPH RANGE. THIS SHOULD DETER THE DEVELOPMENT OF FROST IN THAT AREA. .LONG TERM...(FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY) ISSUED AT 344 PM CDT THU APR 21 2016 ON FRIDAY NIGHT THERE WILL BE MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES AND LIGHT WINDS. THIS WILL ALLOW THE LOW TEMPERATURES TO FALL INTO THE MID 30S IN CENTRAL WISCONSIN. THIS MAY RESULT IN SOME PATCHY FROST IN THIS AREA. WE WILL HAVE TO WATCH THIS AREA CLOSELY FOR A POTENTIAL FROST ADVISORY. FROM SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY...AN UPPER LEVEL LOW WILL MOVE SOUTHEAST THROUGH THE REGION. ON SUNDAY AFTERNOON...THE 0-4 KM CAPES WILL CLIMB UP TO 750 J/KG SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 90 CORRIDOR AND THE 0-6 KM SHEAR WILL CLIMB UP TO 45 KNOTS. THIS MAY RESULT IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF A FEW SUPERCELLS AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT IN NORTHEAST IOWA. WE WILL HAVE TO WATCH THIS PERIOD CLOSELY. FROM TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY...ANOTHER UPPER LEVEL LOW WILL MOVE SOUTHEAST THROUGH THE REGION. THERE CONTINUES TO BE DEEP SHEAR LOCATED SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 94. HOWEVER THE CAPES ARE ONLY UP TO 500 J/KG. THIS CAPE WILL BE A LIMITING FACTOR FOR ANY THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z FRIDAY EVENING) ISSUED AT 647 PM CDT THU APR 21 2016 MVFR TO VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED THROUGH THE TAF PERIOD. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WILL TAPER OFF THIS EVENING WITH THE LOSS OF DAYTIME HEATING. A COLD FRONT WILL PUSH THROUGH THE TAF SITES OVERNIGHT WITH A PERIOD OF MVFR STRATUS EXPECTED IN ITS WAKE. HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS INTO THE REGION FRIDAY AFTERNOON WITH VFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED. && .ARX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WI...NONE. MN...NONE. IA...NONE. && $$ SHORT TERM...BOYNE LONG TERM...BOYNE AVIATION...WETENKAMP
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS SAN DIEGO CA
241 AM PDT FRI APR 22 2016 .SYNOPSIS... A LOW PRESSURE TROUGH WILL MOVE THROUGH NORTHERN CALIFORNIA TODAY AND TONIGHT. IT WILL BRING COOLER WEATHER, MORE CLOUDS, STRONG WINDS IN THE MOUNTAINS AND DESERTS, AS WELL AS A SLIGHT CHANCE OF LIGHT SHOWERS TONIGHT. THE WEEKEND WILL CONTINUE RELATIVELY COOL, BUT SEASONAL. ON SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY ANOTHER TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE WILL MOVE THROUGH CALIFORNIA AND BRING A SMALL CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND GUSTY WINDS. ANOTHER POSSIBILITY OF RAIN ARRIVES THURSDAY. && .DISCUSSION...FOR EXTREME SOUTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA INCLUDING ORANGE... SAN DIEGO...WESTERN RIVERSIDE AND SOUTHWESTERN SAN BERNARDINO COUNTIES... LOW CLOUDS ARE TRYING TO FORM, BUT ARE STRUGGLING SOMEWHAT TO GAIN MUCH TRACTION THIS MORNING. PARTLY CLOUDY SKIES WILL PREVAIL TODAY AND IT WILL BE MUCH COOLER. A TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE WILL MOVE THROUGH NORTHERN CALIFORNIA TODAY AND TONIGHT. IT WILL BRING US MORE CLOUDS TONIGHT LEADING TO VERY ISOLATED LIGHT SHOWERS WEST OF THE MOUNTAINS. STRONG WINDS WILL BE A BIGGER PLAYER FOR THE MOUNTAINS AND DESERTS. TOP GUSTS IN THE LEE OF MOUNTAINS AND GAPS WILL EXCEED 55 MPH, SO A WIND ADVISORY IS IN PLACE. THIS TROUGH MOVES OUT SATURDAY, BUT NOT A LOT OF HIGH PRESSURE FOLLOWS SO THE WEEKEND WILL STAY FAIRLY COOL. THE NEXT TROUGH TRACKS DOWN THE COAST AND THROUGH CALIFORNIA SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY. THIS HAS MORE COLD AIR AND ENERGY, BUT LACKS IN MOISTURE. THE CHANCE OF SHOWERS IS SMALL, BUT THERE WILL BE STRONG WINDS AGAIN IN THE MOUNTAINS AND DESERTS. TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY LOOK FAIR AND SEASONAL BEFORE THE NEXT, THIRD TROUGH ARRIVES THURSDAY. CONFIDENCE IS LOWER ABOUT THE TIMING AND INTENSITY OF THIS SYSTEM, BUT SMALL CHANCES ARE IN THE FORECAST. THE COMING WEEK LOOKS SEASONAL FOR TEMPERATURES WITH A FEW EPISODES OF GUSTY WINDS AND A FEW SHOWERS. && .AVIATION... 220930Z...COAST/VALLEYS...AREAS OF LOW CLOUDS NEAR THE COAST WITH BASES 700-1200 FT MSL SPREADING ABOUT 10 SM INLAND THROUGH 15Z TODAY. LOCAL VIS 3-5 MI IN FOG ON THE MESAS AND IN THE VALLEYS. BASES RISING A FEW HUNDRED FEET AFTER 12Z. LOW CLOUDS AND FOG DISSIPATING BY MID-MORNING. BKN-OVC CIGS RETURNING TO COASTAL TAF SITES AFTER 02Z SAT WITH BASES AROUND 2000 FT. MOUNTAINS/DESERTS...INCREASING WEST WINDS TODAY WITH SURFACE GUSTS 30-40 KT POSSIBLE AFTER 18Z WILL PRODUCE MODERATE UP/DOWN DRAFTS AND LLWS OVER AND EAST OF THE MOUNTAINS. && .MARINE... 230 AM...NO HAZARDOUS MARINE WEATHER IS EXPECTED THROUGH THIS MORNING. GUSTY NORTHWEST WINDS OF 15-20 KT THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT WITH GUSTS FROM 20-25 KT AS A LOW PRESSURE TROUGH MOVES THROUGH CENTRAL CA. CONTINUED BREEZY SATURDAY. SUNDAY THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING, A LARGE NORTHWEST SWELL OF 9-12 FEET AT 9-11 SECONDS FROM 290 DEGREES WILL MOVE INTO THE COASTAL WATERS. THIS WILL COMBINE WITH STRONGER NORTHWEST WINDS THAT GUSTING 25-30 KT AS A SECOND TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE MOVES ACROSS THE REGION. THE STRONG WINDS AND NORTHWEST SWELL WILL CREATE COMBINED SEAS OF 9 TO 12 FEET, RESULTING IN CONDITIONS HAZARDOUS TO SMALL CRAFT. A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY WILL BE IN EFFECT FRIDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING. && .BEACHES... 230 AM...WAVE MODELS INDICATE A NW SWELL OF 10-13 FT AT ABOUT 9 SECONDS WILL MOVE INTO THE SOUTHERN CA BIGHT MON AND TUE. THIS SWELL COULD RESULT IN ELEVATED SURF OF AROUND 6 FT WITH HIGHER SETS ON EXPOSED WEST-FACING BEACHES...ALONG WITH STRONG RIP CURRENTS. A LARGE NORTHWEST SWELL FROM 290 DEGREES WILL RESULT IN ELEVATED SURF OF 3 TO 6 FEET WITH HIGHER SETS POSSIBLE. STRONG RIP CURRENTS TUESDAY. && .SGX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... CA...WIND ADVISORY FROM 5 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 5 AM PDT SATURDAY FOR APPLE AND LUCERNE VALLEYS-COACHELLA VALLEY-RIVERSIDE COUNTY MOUNTAINS-SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY MOUNTAINS-SAN DIEGO COUNTY DESERTS-SAN DIEGO COUNTY MOUNTAINS-SAN GORGONIO PASS NEAR BANNING. PZ...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FROM 2 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 11 AM PDT TUESDAY FOR COASTAL WATERS FROM SAN MATEO POINT TO THE MEXICAN BORDER AND OUT TO 30 NM-WATERS FROM SAN MATEO POINT TO THE MEXICAN BORDER EXTENDING 30 TO 60 NM OUT INCLUDING SAN CLEMENTE ISLAND. && $$ PUBLIC...MM AVIATION/MARINE/BEACHES...PG
  [top] Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Reno NV 238 AM PDT FRI APR 22 2016 SYNOPSIS... A potent Pacific storm will move through the region today. Strong and gusty winds can be expected along with valley rain and mountain snow. A brief break is expected Saturday before a series of systems is expected next week. Showery conditions are expected Sunday afternoon and beyond along with cool temperatures. && .SHORT TERM... Moderate spring storm (by Sierra standards) with a strong cold front is currently moving on shore and will impact the Sierra and western Nevada today. No major changes were made to the forecast with all winter weather and wind advisories still on track today. Travel over Sierra passes today will very likely be impacted by winter driving conditions so plan accordingly. Current radar shows the leading edge of the strong cold front currently moving into northern California. Instability ahead of the front is currently creating some convective showers along the Sierra crest around Donner Summit with off and on light showers remaining possible until the cold front arrives. Precipitation may start out as rain but is expected to change over to snow relatively quickly above 7000 feet. HRRR model solutions show the leading edge of the main cold front and heavy precipitation will impact the Sierra around 10-11 am today with passes in the northern Sierra (Yuba and Fredonyer) receiving heavy precipitation as early as 7-8 am. For more details on snow amounts and timing see the winter weather advisories. Precipitation is expected to quickly spill into the lee of the Sierra due to very unstable environment along the cold front and strong upper level jet support. This will lead to periods of brief moderate precipitation in western Nevada valleys. The convective nature of this system will lead to wide disparities in rain and snow amounts from one place to another depending on where convective bands set up. There will also be the chance for a few isolated thunderstorms today as the front quickly moves into western Nevada. Winds are expected to be quite strong today in western Nevada as surface gradients tighten and instability will allow strong 700 mb winds to mix to the surface. Widespread winds of 25-35 mph should be expected with peaks gusts of 50 mph and up to 60 mph in wind prone areas. This could create some localized areas of blowing dust which even if brief can cause hazardous driving conditions. This system is quite progressive with the cold front expected to move into Utah by late Friday night. A few showers may linger along the Sierra crest but the precipitation should be over by Saturday morning. Brief shortwave ridging on Saturday will be replaced by another trough digging into the area on Sunday. This could bring another round of cold air and precipitation on Sunday into Monday. Zach .LONG TERM...Monday through Thursday... Unsettled weather pattern is expected to continue through next week as late season storm systems line up to move into the West Coast. There is good agreement in the models that cold low pressure will remain over the Great Basin on Monday with additional showers and convective precipitation bands due to unstable conditions. There is a possibility that we could see snow levels dropping to near 4500 feet on Monday morning as the coldest air is expected to move over the Sierra and western NV. Forecast confidence on seeing snow to the valley floors is low, although there is a chance we could see light slushy accumulations in the valleys and foothills of western NV. Models have trended further east into central and northeastern NV with the heaviest bands, but we will need to keep a close eye on how this evolves over the next couple days as it has potential to affect the Monday morning commute. High temperatures on Monday will struggle to get out of the 40s in western NV and 30s in the Sierra due to the low pressure overhead and abundant cloud cover/showers. Low pressure will move out of the area Tuesday with warming temperatures and clearing skies. By Wednesday, another low pressure system is expected to move into northern CA/NV bringing additional chances for showers and increasing clouds. There is much uncertainty for the Wednesday- Thursday timeframe regarding precipitation amounts, although this system doesn`t look to be quite as cold as the the Monday system. Hoon && .AVIATION... Multiple weather-related impacts to aviation are expected through tonight as potent low pressure moves across the region. Winds will be the primary impact today with wind shear potential, mainly at KRNO-KCXP-KMMH as winds above the surface increase. Widespread turbulent conditions are likely through today with peak gusts up to 45 kt in the lower elevations and Sierra ridge gusts near 80 kt. Rain and snow will reach the northern Sierra early this morning, then spread into western Nevada by this afternoon. Snow levels should fall to 6000-7000 feet by this afternoon, which may bring IFR conditions to KTRK, KTVL and KMMH. Snow accumulations on paved surfaces are unlikely during the day, but some light accumulations up to 2 inches are possible with the back edge of the snow moving through this evening. For the western Nevada terminals including KRNO and KCXP, precipitation will be all rain with reduced ceilings for MVFR conditions this afternoon-evening. MJD/Hoon && .REV Watches/Warnings/Advisories... NV...Lake Wind Advisory until 8 AM PDT this morning for Lake Tahoe in NVZ002. Winter Weather Advisory from 8 AM this morning to 11 PM PDT this evening NVZ002. Wind Advisory from 11 AM this morning to 8 PM PDT this evening NVZ001-004. Wind Advisory until 5 PM PDT this afternoon NVZ003. CA...Winter Weather Advisory from 5 AM early this morning to 5 PM PDT this afternoon above 5500 feet in CAZ071. Wind Advisory from 5 AM early this morning to 8 PM PDT this evening CAZ073. Lake Wind Advisory until 8 AM PDT this morning for Lake Tahoe in CAZ072. Winter Weather Advisory from 8 AM this morning to 11 PM PDT this evening CAZ072. && $$ For more information from the National Weather Service visit... http://weather.gov/reno
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS COLUMBIA SC
131 AM EDT FRI APR 22 2016 .SYNOPSIS... SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE OFF THE COAST WILL CIRCULATE A MOIST SOUTHERLY FLOW INTO THE FORECAST AREA AHEAD OF AN APPROACHING COLD FRONT. THE FRONT WILL CROSS THE AREA FRIDAY NIGHT. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED AHEAD OF THE FRONT FRIDAY. DRY HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD INTO THE REGION LATE SATURDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM THIS MORNING/... MOISTURE WILL BE ON THE INCREASE IN THE SOUTHERLY FLOW WELL AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT TONIGHT. RADAR TRENDS AND THE HRRR SUPPORT SCATTERED SHOWERS IN THE FORECAST AREA MAINLY AFTER 200 AM. OBSERVATION TRENDS SUPPORT THE MODEL FORECAST OF INSTABILITY REMAINING WEAK OVERNIGHT. THE THUNDERSTORM CHANCE IS LOW. CLOUDINESS AND MIXING SHOULD HELP HOLD UP TEMPERATURES. EXPECT LOWS MAINLY IN THE LOWER 60S. && .SHORT TERM /6 AM THIS MORNING THROUGH 6 PM SATURDAY/... MOST PLACES LOOK TO GET WET ON FRIDAY AS A MODERATE STRENGTH UPPER TROF AND ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT APPROACHES FROM THE WEST. DEEP MOISTURE FLOW AHEAD OF THE SYSTEM SHOULD RAISE PWS TO AROUND 1.5 INCHES ACROSS THE CWA...AND DECENT LIFT DUE TO DIFFERENTIAL VORTICITY ADVECTION IN MID LEVELS AND UPPER LEVEL JET DIVERGENCE WILL PRODUCE WIDESPREAD SHOWERS WITH A FEW THUNDERSTORMS. THERE WILL BE SOME MODEST LOW LEVEL CAPE WITH VALUES POTENTIALLY AS HIGH AS 1000 J/KG...BUT DEEP LAYERED SHEAR IS NOT TOO IMPRESSIVE...SO THE THREAT FOR SEVERE WEATHER LOOKS LOW. QPF WILL GENERALLY BE 1/2 INCH OR LESS...BUT PLACES THAT DO SEE SOME THUNDERSTORMS... ESPECIALLY IN THE SOUTHEASTERN THIRD OF THE CWA...COULD GET LOCALLY UP TO AN INCH. TEMPS SHOULD BE SEASONABLY WARM IN THE UPPER 70S DESPITE CLOUD COVER AS THERE WILL BE LOW LEVEL WARM ADVECTION AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT. FRIDAY NIGHT...THE BEST OF THE UPPER SUPPORT SHOULD MOVE THROUGH QUICKLY...AS WILL THE COLD FRONT. SHOWERS WILL END FROM WEST TO EAST DURING THE EVENING...WITH JUST A FEW LINGERING IN THE SOUTHEAST AFTER MIDNIGHT. TEMPS WILL DROP DOWN INTO THE UPPER 50S...NOT PARTICULARLY COOL AS CLOUDS WILL NOT CLEAR UNTIL LATE AND WINDS WILL REMAIN UP. SATURDAY SHOULD BE MOSTLY DRY AS THE FRONT MOVES OFFSHORE. I CANT RULE OUT A SHOWER IN THE NORTHEAST AS ANOTHER SPOKE OF ENERGY DROPS INTO NORTH CAROLINA...BUT CHANCES LOOK TOO LOW AT THIS TIME TO MENTION IN THE FORECAST. TEMPS WILL BE SEASONABLE WITH MID 70S NORTH TO NEAR 80 IN THE CSRA. && .LONG TERM /SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY/... A SURFACE AREA OF HIGH PRESSURE WILL MOVE INTO THE SOUTHEAST FROM SUNDAY INTO TUESDAY...KEEPING THE CWA DRY. THE AIR MASS WILL WARM UP UNDER SUN ANGLE EQUIVALENT TO LATE AUGUST...WITH MAX TEMPS IN THE LOWER TO MID 80S ON SUNDAY TO THE UPPER 80S TO NEAR 90 ON TUESDAY. A COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH THE AREA FROM THE NORTH ON WEDNESDAY...BUT IT IS TOO EARLY TO TELL IF IT WILL STALL JUST NORTH OF THE CWA OR MAKE IT INTO THE CWA. MOST OF THE MID AND UPPER LEVEL JET ENERGY WILL STAY TO THE NORTH IN EITHER CASE...BUT A CLOSER FRONT COULD MEAN A BETTER CHANCE OF DIURNAL CONVECTION WITH MAX TEMPS WELL UP INTO THE 80S. && .AVIATION /06Z FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/... VFR CONDITIONS CURRENTLY. SURFACE HIGH CENTER TO OUR EAST OFFSHORE. UPPER TROUGH AND ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT TO OUR WEST. SOUTHERLY LOW LEVEL FLOW IN PROGRESS OVER OUR REGION. LATEST ACARS SOUNDINGS AT CAE CONFIRM SOUTHERLY LOW LEVEL AROUND 30 KT AT 1KFT. BETTER MOISTURE AND LOW LEVEL MOISTURE CONVERGENCE JUST TO OUR WEST WHERE A BAND OF SHOWERS CURRENTLY STRETCHES FROM NE GA SW TO W CENT GA...MOVING NE. LATEST HIGH RESOLUTION MODELS AND RADAR TRENDS SUGGEST SCATTERED SHOWERS COULD AFFECT OUR TERMINALS LATE TONIGHT INTO FRIDAY MORNING. IN ADDITION...A MOIST S TO SSW LOW LEVEL FLOW COULD PROMOTE SOME STRATUS. MODEL CONSENSUS SUGGESTS MVFR CIGS POSSIBLE. MODELS GENERALLY SUGGEST BANDS OF SHOWERS AND POSSIBLE THUNDERSTORMS TO AFFECT OUR TERMINALS FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. FOR NOW...WILL HANDLE WITH PREDOMINATE VCSH...WITH TEMPO SHRA DURING TIME PERIODS WHERE PRECIP APPEARS MORE LIKELY. MAIN COLD FRONT DOES NOT APPEAR WILL COME THROUGH UNTIL EARLY SATURDAY MORNING. EXTENDED AVIATION OUTLOOK...CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND RESTRICTIONS POSSIBLE THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING. NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS TO AVIATION SATURDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH TUESDAY. && .CAE WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... GA...NONE. SC...NONE. && $$
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS NORTHERN INDIANA
222 AM EDT FRI APR 22 2016 .SYNOPSIS... ISSUED AT 135 AM EDT FRI APR 22 2016 A FEW LINGERING SHOWERS CAN BE EXPECTED TODAY...MAINLY ALONG AND EAST OF STATE HIGHWAY 31. A RUMBLE OF THUNDER IS POSSIBLE. HIGHS TODAY WILL BE IN THE LOW TO MID 60S...EXCEPT COOLER NEAR LAKE MICHIGAN. SKIES SHOULD CLEAR TONIGHT WITH LOWS DIPPING TO AROUND 40 DEGREES. SOME OF THE LOCALLY COLDER SPOTS MAY FALL INTO THE UPPER 30S. PLEASANT WEATHER CAN BE EXPECTED SATURDAY WITH MOSTLY SUNNY SKIES AND HIGHS IN THE MID TO UPPER 60S. && .UPDATE... ISSUED AT 804 PM EDT THU APR 21 2016 LEAD VORT MAX WILL CONTINUE TO SHIFT ACROSS NORTHWEST OHIO OVER THE NEXT HOUR OR TWO. EXTENT/INTENSITY OF THUNDER HAS DIMINISHED WITH THIS AREA OF RAIN OVER THE PAST FEW HOURS AS FORCING WITH THIS VORT MAX HAS OUTRUN BETTER INSTABILITY. ADDITIONAL SCATTERED STORMS HAVE DEVELOPED ACROSS WESTERN PORTIONS OF THE FORECAST AREA EARLY THIS EVENING COINCIDENT WITH PRIMARY 500-1000 J/KG INSTABILITY AXIS. INSTABILITY SHOULD BECOME PROGRESSIVELY MORE ELEVATED OVER NEXT SEVERAL HOURS WHICH SHOULD RESULT IN DOWNWARD TREND OF CONVECTIVE INTENSITY. STILL SOME LOW END POTENTIAL OF SOME SMALL HAIL/LOCALIZED WIND GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 40 MPH WITH STRONGER CORES ACROSS MAINLY WESTERN HALF OF THE FORECAST AREA THROUGH 03Z HOWEVER. WILL KEEP LIKELY RAIN/CHANCE THUNDER MENTION GOING THROUGH THE EVENING WITH HIGHEST POPS IN THE SOUTH DUE TO DIGGING NATURE OF APPROACHING UPPER TROUGH. POCKET OF STEEPER MID LEVEL LAPSE RATES ADVECTING INTO THE AREA ACCOMPANYING THIS FEATURE SHOULD PROLONG ISOLD THUNDER POTENTIAL INTO THE OVERNIGHT HOURS...AND MAINLY ACROSS THE SOUTH/SOUTHEAST. ONLY TWEAK FOR THE EVENING UPDATE WAS TO REFINE POPS FOR CURRENT TRENDS BUT OTHER FORECAST ELEMENTS APPEAR TO BE ON TRACK. && .SHORT TERM...(THIS EVENING THROUGH FRIDAY) ISSUED AT 334 PM EDT THU APR 21 2016 MAIN FOCUS ON CONVECTIVE DEVELOPMENT IN FAR WESTERN PARTS OF FORECAST AREA AS WELL AS UPSTREAM NEAR THE UPPER LOW. SOME POCKETS OF CLEARING/BREAKS HAVE OCCURRED ALLOWING TEMPERATURES TO CLIMB INTO THE 60S ACROSS THE AREA AND MAKING A RUN AT 70 IN WEST/SW LOCATIONS. NARROW PLUME OF HIGHER DEWPOINTS WAS NOW SHIFTING ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA WITH SLIGHTLY LOWER READINGS UNDER THE CLEARING AND WHERE CONVECTION WAS ATTEMPTING TO POP. ISOLATED SHOWERS/STORMS HAVE BEEN DEVELOPING OVER THE LAST 30 TO 60 MINUTES...LIKELY CONTAINING AT LEAST SOME SMALL HAIL. ARC OF STORMS ONGOING CLOSER TO THE UPPER LOW FROM WATERLOO IOWA TO MOLINE TO WEST OF SPRINGFIELD IL. HRRR SUGGESTS THIS ACTIVITY WILL MOVE SLOWLY NORTHEAST AND EXPAND MORE IN THE 22 TO 02Z WINDOW. HAVE KEPT HIGH SCT TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS WITH MENTION OF THUNDER THROUGH THE EVENING. EVE SHIFT MAY NEED TO ADJUST FOR TRENDS. TEMPERATURES WILL SLOWLY FALL THIS EVENING AS AREA REMAINS IN THE WARM SECTOR...WITH SLOW FALL OVERNIGHT AS THE COLD FRONT APPROACHES. UPPER LOW WILL CONTINUE TO OPEN AND LINGER FRIDAY...ONLY DRIFTING SLOWLY EAST INTO SOUTHERN OHIO BY 00Z SAT. GIVEN UPSTREAM TRENDS UNDER THE UPPER LOW WITH SCATTERED SHOWERS AROUND...SEE NO REASON TO MAKE ANY MAJOR CHANGES TO SE HALF OF THE AREA INTO MID AFTERNOON WITH SCATTERED SHOWERS. WHILE NOT INTRODUCED...MAY NEED TO ADD PASSING MENTION OF THUNDER AS SFC CAPE INCREASES TO AROUND 500 J/KG AND MARGINAL LAPSE RATES. && .LONG TERM...(FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY) ISSUED AT 334 PM EDT THU APR 21 2016 A MORE PROGRESSIVE FLOW PATTERN WILL TAKE HOLD ON THE LOWER 48 THIS WEEKEND INTO NEXT WEEK AS A SERIES OF WESTERN CONUS SHORTWAVES EJECT/SHEAR EAST INTO MORE CONFLUENT/WNW FLOW OVER THE GREAT LAKES REGION. LUCKILY THE WEEKEND WILL FEATURE DRY CONDITIONS WITH HIGH PRESSURE IN CONTROL IN BETWEEN WAVES. SATURDAY THE COOLER/SUNNIER DAY UNDER HIGH PRESSURE WITH WARM ADVECTION BEHIND SFC HIGH ALLOWING HIGHS TO RETURN INTO THE 70S BY SUNDAY. FRONTAL SYSTEMS WITH THE AFOREMENTIONED SHORTWAVES THEN BRING MORE UNSETTLED WX NEXT WEEK...WITH LATEST GUIDANCE FAVORING MONDAY/MONDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY/WEDNESDAY NIGHT FOR HIGHER POPS. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z FRIDAY NIGHT) ISSUED AT 123 AM EDT FRI APR 22 2016 A WEAK UPPER LOW WILL DRIFT EAST OVER THE AREA TODAY. A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE ACROSS THE AREA BEHIND THIS SYSTEM. SOME FOG IS POSSIBLE...EARLY THIS MORNING ESPECIALLY AT SBN IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE FRONT PASSAGE. SOME SHOWERS ARE POSSIBLE LATER TODAY...ESPECIALLY AT FT WAYNE AS THE LOW MOVES EAST AND THE FRONT MOVES ACROSS THE AREA. FOR NOW...HAVE KEPT AFTERNOON SHOWERS OUT OF FT WAYNE GIVEN UNCERTAINTY...ALTHOUGH THESE SHOWERS MAY NEED TO BE ADDED LATER. && .MARINE... WEBCAMS SHOWING A GOOD DEAL OF DENSE FOG IN THE NEARSHORE WATERS WARRANTING ISSUANCE OF A MARINE DENSE FOG ADVISORY INTO THIS EVENING UNTIL COLDER AIR STARTS TO MOVE IN. WILL ALSO HOIST SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR FRIDAY INTO FRIDAY EVENING FOR INCREASING NW FLOW AND HIGHER WAVES. && .IWX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... IN...NONE. MI...NONE. OH...NONE. LM...DENSE FOG ADVISORY UNTIL 2 AM EDT EARLY THIS MORNING FOR LMZ043- 046. SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FROM 8 AM THIS MORNING TO 2 AM EDT SATURDAY FOR LMZ043-046. && $$ UPDATE...MARSILI SYNOPSIS...SKIPPER SHORT TERM...FISHER LONG TERM...STEINWEDEL AVIATION...SKIPPER MARINE...FISHER VISIT US AT WWW.WEATHER.GOV/IWX FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK...TWITTER...AND YOUTUBE AT: WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/NWSNORTHERNINDIANA WWW.TWITTER.COM/NWSIWX WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/NWSNORTHERNINDIANA
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
National Weather Service Topeka KS
302 AM CDT FRI APR 22 2016 .SHORT TERM...(Today and Tonight) Issued at 300 AM CDT FRI APR 22 2016 07Z water vapor imagery showed an upper trough over IL moving to the east and an upper low off the OR coast. In between these two lows was an upper ridge along the Rockies. Surface obs showed a weak ridge of high pressure gradually building south through the central plains. The forecast continues to call for dry weather today and tonight due to no real forcing for precip within the upper ridge. Additionally there should be some modest dry air advection with the surface ridge through the day preventing any real chance for precip. There is an area of low clouds moving south through the MO river valley. RAP and NAM progs show these clouds should hold together long enough to move into northeast KS this morning. Otherwise there should be good insolation by the afternoon. Because of this and with forecast soundings mixing the boundary layer to near 800 MB, have adjusted highs for today up a little from the prev forecast expecting readings between 70 and 75. The surface ridge is progged to move off to the east tonight with winds freshening from the southeast. Although the gradient does not appear to be all that strong. Therefore think low lying areas may decouple with winds remaining fairly light through the night allowing lows to fall into the mid 40s. Elevated locations may see enough wind through the night for lows to be around 50. .LONG TERM...(Saturday through Thursday) Issued at 300 AM CDT FRI APR 22 2016 Only minor edits to the extended forecast with model guidance remaining fairly similar to the previous forecast package. Upper ridging in control with a developing sfc trough to the west Saturday afternoon will bring gusty south winds to the CWA. Speeds between 15 and 25 mph are likely with gusts peaking at 30 to 35 mph. Gulf moisture increases dewpoints to the 50s while highs warm back into the upper 70s and lower 80s. Chances for thunderstorms commence Saturday evening as a lee trough lifts eastward over the western plains. GFS and NAM runs at 00Z continue to advertise a slightly faster progression of the sfc low and weak upper impulse, developing scattered showers and thunderstorms over north central Kansas overnight. The ECMWF is slightly slower with these features with the optimal chances arriving Mon at 12Z. Have adjusted pops accordingly, increasing the probabilities Sunday afternoon and evening as the upper trough axis crosses southern NE, while the sfc low and dryline are depicted similarly over central Kansas 00Z Monday. Steepening lapse rates and warm moist conditions ahead of the system translate up to 2000 J/KG of sfc based CAPE with little CIN to prevent thunderstorm development. Main uncertainty will be mesoscale in nature such as cloud cover and morning precip which could hinder severity of convection overnight. However, with this setup any updraft that does form in the late afternoon will likely be severe with speed shear up to 6 km near 40 kts. 0-1 km shear enhances with the LLJ by 00Z as well increasing the threat for tornadoes with any isolated convection. Otherwise large hail and damaging winds are the most likely hazards as convection is likely to congeal into a line as tracks over the CWA Sunday evening. The passing frontal boundary is still hanging up over southeast Kansas on Monday with the GFS and ECMWF generating additional convection Monday evening near the boundary over far east central and southeast Kansas. Enough MUCAPE and effective shear in this area will support a few strong to severe storms. Long term models are still advertising a possible severe weather event for a portion of the central plains region Tuesday afternoon and evening as a strong negatively tilted trough lifts out of the Inter-mountain West. Main discrepancies lie with the exact position of the frontal boundary and timing of the approaching system as the boundary lifts northward as a warm front through the day. ECMWF is faster with the sfc low, lifting the warm front further north with convection, placing the boundary over northern KS and most of the CWA within the warm sector. The GFS however is still showing the warm front bisecting the CWA west to east by 00Z with severe convection focusing along and north of the boundary. er north with the dryline centered over central KS. Meanwhile the slower GFS has been persistent with the warm front bisecting the CWA from west to east by 00Z Monday. GFS has also been the stronger solution with over 2000 J/KG of sfc CAPE, minimal CIN and 0-6 KM bulk shear up to 50 kts. Lower lvl shear is stronger as well, enhancing the tornado threat. Will need to keep monitoring changes, but it does appear likely for a few severe storms in the area and have increased precip chances during this period. The remainder of the extended is more uncertain as the upper low slowly exits eastward and dry conditions return on Thursday. Next upper trough appears slower with this package so have backed off on pops for Thursday at this time. && .AVIATION...(For the 06Z TAFS through 06Z Friday Night) Issued at 1201 AM CDT FRI APR 22 2016 Only issue at TOP/MHK will be potential for BR development, although soundings indicate saturated layer is rather shallow and wind speeds as high comes in still around 10kts near the NE border. Will carry MVFR tempo visby at this time and monitor for updates. && .TOP Watches/Warnings/Advisories... NONE. && $$ SHORT TERM...Wolters LONG TERM...Bowen AVIATION...67
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS JACKSON KY
200 AM EDT FRI APR 22 2016 .UPDATE... ISSUED AT 200 AM EDT FRI APR 22 2016 FIRST ROUND OF SHOWER ACTIVITY PUSHING ACROSS THE HIGHER TERRAIN WILL EXIT THE COMMONWEALTH WITHIN THE NEXT HOUR OR TWO. A SECOND...AND WHAT HAS BEEN A MORE PRONOUNCED ONE...CONTINUES TO PUSH EAST ACROSS WESTERN KENTUCKY. WILL CONTINUE TO WATCH THIS CONVECTIVE LINE...BUT GUST FRONT DEVELOPMENT AND WEAKENING OF UPPER LOW DO NOT BODE TERRIBLY WELL FOR BONAFIDE RAIN CHANCES SOUTH OF HAL ROGERS PARKWAY FROM THIS ROUND. THESE AREAS WILL HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL REDEVELOPMENT OCCURS THIS AFTERNOON. && .SHORT TERM...(THIS EVENING THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT) ISSUED AT 345 PM EDT THU APR 21 2016 LATEST GOES WV IMAGERY SHOWS MAIN UPPER LEVEL LOW SHIFTING INTO WESTERN INDIANA THIS AFTERNOON. AS THIS LOW SHIFTS EAST OVERNIGHT TONIGHT...IT IS EXPECTED TO BECOME AN OPEN WAVE AND WEAKEN. THE OPEN WAVE WILL THEN DROP SOUTHEASTWARD THROUGH EASTERN KENTUCKY FRIDAY AFTERNOON/EVENING BEFORE SHIFTING OUT OF OUR AREA BY THE END OF THE SHORT TERM. AT THE SURFACE...THE STACKED SFC LOW IS CURRENTLY SWINGING INTO WESTERN INDIANA WITH A COLD FRONT EXTENDING SOUTH THROUGH WESTERN KENTUCKY. THIS FRONT IS PROGGED TO MOVE THROUGH OUR AREA LATE THIS EVENING INTO THE OVERNIGHT HOURS BRINGING WITH IT CHANCES FOR RAIN AND PERHAPS SOME ISOLATED THUNDER. FOR NOW...SOUTHEASTERLY FLOW AND DOWNSLOPING EFFECTS HAVE KEPT THE MAJORITY OF EASTERN KENTUCKY VERY DRY. IN FACT...DEW POINTS ONCE AGAIN DROPPED DOWN INTO 30S LEADING TO RH VALUES IN 20 AND LOW 30 PERCENT RANGE /MAINLY IN THE EASTERN HALF OF THE AREA/. THIS WILL ONLY ACT FURTHER TO SLOW DOWN THE MOISTENING OF THE COLUMN ONCE RAINFALL MOVES INTO THE REGION...CUTTING DOWN ON ACCUMULATION AMOUNTS. THE MOST RECENT HIGH RES MODELS SHOW THE MAIN AREA OF RAINFALL ENTERING WESTERN KENTUCKY AROUND 00Z AND THEN PROGRESSING EASTWARD DURING THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. ONCE THE FRONT EXITS THE REGION BY DAWN...SHOWERS WILL LIKELY CONTINUE ON AND OFF THROUGHOUT THE REMAINDER OF THE DAY INTO EARLY SATURDAY MORNING AS THE UPPER LEVEL FEATURE PASSES THROUGH. THERE APPEARS TO BE BETTER INSTABILITY ASSOCIATED WITH THE UPPER LEVEL FEATURE SO INCLUDED CHANCES FOR THUNDER FOR MOST OF THE DAY TOMORROW. ANY REMAINING SHOWER ACTIVITY SHOULD EXIT EASTERN KENTUCKY BY DAWN ON SATURDAY ALLOWING FOR ANOTHER DRY AND SUNNY WEEKEND. TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN MILD THROUGH THE SHORT TERM AS RAIN AND CLOUD COVER INHIBIT RADIATIONAL COOLING/HEATING...WITH LOWS GENERALLY IN 50S AND AFTERNOON HIGHS IN THE UPPER 60S AND LOW 70S. .LONG TERM...(SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY) ISSUED AT 400 PM EDT THU APR 21 2016 HIGH PRESSURE AND DRY NORTHERLY AIR WILL BE IN PLACE STARTING THE DAY SATURDAY...CONTINUING INTO THE DAY SUNDAY AS WINDS BECOME MORE SRLY ON THE WESTERLY SIDE OF THE HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEM. ABUNDANT SUN BUT NORTHERLY WINDS ON SATURDAY WILL KEEP AFTERNOON TEMPS IN THE UPPER 60S AND LOW 70S...BUT THE INTRODUCTION OF SOUTHERLY WINDS WILL BOOST TEMPS TO AROUND 80 DEGREES BY SUNDAY. WINDS WILL ALSO BE ON THE INCREASE SUNDAY AS AN UPPER LEVEL SHORTWAVE AND SURFACE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM NEAR THE REGION FROM THE CENTRAL PLAINS DURING THE DAY. MODELS ARE CONTINUING TO TREND BACK ON BOTH THE TIMING OF THE ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT AS WELL AS THE ASSOCIATED PRECIP AS IT SLOWLY MOVES EASTWARD THROUGHOUT THE DAY SUNDAY. AT THIS TIME...MODELS ARE CONTINUING TO KEEP KY DRY THROUGH THE DAY MONDAY...SO AFTER COLLABORATING WITH OTHER OFFICES AND LOOKING AT LATEST MODEL DATA...DECIDED TO LEAVE OUT MENTION OF SLIGHT CHANCE OR ABOVE POPS. THE COLD FRONT WILL ELONGATE ITSELF FROM WEST TO EAST NORTH OF THE OHIO RIVER BY MONDAY AFTERNOON...BEFORE FINALLY DROPPING SOUTHWARD INTO THE STATE MONDAY NIGHT. BY THIS POINT THE UPPER LEVEL WAVE AS WELL AS THE SURFACE LOW WILL QUICKLY FADE OUT...WHILE ANOTHER SHORTWAVE AND CLOSED UPPER LEVEL LOW BEGINS DEVELOPING JUST WEST OF THE ORIGINAL. AT THE SURFACE THE NEW STRENGTHENING LOW PRESSURE CENTER WILL ABSORB THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY...KEEPING IT STRUNG ACROSS OR NEAR THE OHIO RIVER VALLEY IN SOME FORM. EXPECT THE BOUNDARY TO OSCILLATE NORTH AND SOUTHWARD ACROSS THE STATE TUESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY TRANSITIONING FROM A WARM TO A COLD FRONT AS IT MOVES NORTH VS. SOUTH. REGARDLESS...IT WILL BE QUITE WEAK AS FAR AS OVERALL MOISTURE ACROSS THE AREA...BUT CONTINUED WARM TEMPS ACROSS THE AREA AND THE EXISTENCE OF THE LIFTING MECHANISM WILL KEEP THE POTENTIAL FOR THUNDER IN THE FORECAST EACH DAY. TEMPS WILL GENERALLY REMAIN AROUND 80 DEGREES IN THE AFTERNOON THROUGH THIS TIME. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z FRIDAY NIGHT) ISSUED AT 200 AM EDT FRI APR 22 2016 MULTIPLE ROUNDS OF SHOWERS AND EMBEDDED THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE THROUGH EASTERN KENTUCKY TODAY AHEAD OF AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE AND COOL FRONT. MAINLY VFR CONDITIONS WILL YIELD TO MVFR CRITERIA AT TIMES IN HEAVIER SHOWERS AND STORMS...BUT EXACT TIMING AND SPATIAL EXTENT OF THIS REMAIN IN QUESTION. ROUND OF SHOWERS/STORMS COMING OUT OF WESTERN KENTUCKY TONIGHT/FRIDAY MORNING SHOULD PRIMARILY IMPACT KSYM...BEFORE ADDITIONAL ROUNDS DEVELOP LATER THIS MORNING/AFTERNOON. WILL HAVE TO KEEP TABS ON TSRA DEVELOPMENT FOR LATER TAF PACKAGES. PRECIPITATION WILL WIND DOWN LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING AS CEILINGS BEGIN TO LOWER TO LOW- RANGE VFR CRITERIA TOWARD 06Z. && .JKL WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && $$ UPDATE...GUSEMAN SHORT TERM...JVM LONG TERM...JMW AVIATION...GUSEMAN
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Louisville KY 105 AM EDT FRI APR 22 2016 ...Updated Aviation Discussion... ...Forecast Update... Issued at 949 PM EDT Thu Apr 21 2016 Watching line of storms crossing the Wabash River. The storms are lined up along a corridor of relative instability. However, CIN is starting to increase, and AMDAR soundings show a low level inversion setting up, as well predicted by mesoscale models. The line went right through the Evansville radar, which only showed velocities of 30-40 knots on the lowest scan as the line approached. ProbSvr has dropped quite a bit over the last few volume scans, lightning has decreased, and reflectivities have weakened slightly. These trends all agree with the HRRR showing a weakening of the line as it moves into southern Indiana. So, will go with the idea of the line weakening, or at least not producing severe weather in the immediate future. Will still keep an eye on it, of course. .SHORT TERM (Now through Friday Night)... Issued 303 PM EDT Thu Apr 21 2016 The Ohio Valley remains situated in the SW flow between upper ridge axis to our east and vertically stacked low to our NW. A steady plume of moisture will continue to ride SW to NE across our region between these two features through the afternoon and evening. We`re now beginning to see an eastward push to the activity as a wave embedded in the southwest flow arrives. In addition to the eastward push, seeing some convection fire. Expect that numerous showers and scattered thunderstorms will be the rule for the remainder of the afternoon, pushing east to a Lexington to Lake Cumberland line through the evening. With freezing levels low, some small hail may accompany brief heavy rainfall and a few cloud to ground ligthning strikes. Behind the main batch of precipitation, expect a brief lull in activity as a dry slot works into the region. However as we approach the evening into the overnight hours, another round of scattered to numerous showers (and a few storms) will move into our west ahead of the upper low. Given steeper lapse rates and low freezing levels, some small hail will still be possible with these storms across our west into the later evening hours. Expect that intensity and coverage will diminish as we move through the overnight and lose instability. Expect mainly scatteed showers exiting the east by dawn. Lows tonight should be in the mid and upper 50s. Upper low tracks across our northern CWA on Friday, which will yield a cloudy and showery period driven by steep low and mid level lapse rates. Enough instability should result for some thunder chances, along with small hail/graupel given the low freezing levels. Will carry scattered to numerous coverage mainly along and east of I-65 through the day. Highs will be noticeably cooler under cloudy/showery upper low. Look for upper 60s to low 70s. .LONG TERM (Saturday through Thursday)... Issued at 303 PM EDT Wed Apr 20 2016 Saturday - Sunday Night... Progressive upper ridging will build and transition through the region over the weekend, bringing a return to dry and seasonably warm temperatures. Saturday will be mostly sunny with a light NE surface flow. With 850 temps expected to be around 7 to 8 C, expect high temps in the low to mid 70s. Would be inclined to go a bit higher, but will knock off a couple degrees given the surface wind orientation and its generally cooler impact. Temperatures Saturday evening, will be falling through the 60s. A dry and cool Saturday night will see temps mostly in the upper 40s and low 50s, although a few of our eastern spots may see mid 40s. By Sunday, upper ridge axis will be directly overhead with high temps recovering to up around 80. Will be inclined to go a degree or two above MEX guidance for this day given the swing to southerly flow and slightly deeper mixing. Sunday night will be continued dry with slightly milder low temps in the upper 50s to around 60. Monday - Monday Night... Upper flow begins to flatten out to a more zonal look by the start of the new work week in response to a passing northern stream wave. This will allow a trailing cold front to sink southward toward the Ohio River, becoming parallel to the upper flow as it does. At this point, models suggest we could see some activity across our far north by Monday afternoon/evening, however with dry air in place, expect that things may be delayed a bit, much like we just saw with today`s system. Models disagree on exact placement, but will tend to lean toward the slower/drier outcome for now. Expect temps in the low 80s on the south side of the frontal boundary. Monday night will bring lows around 60 with a small chance of showers or t-storms dependent on the setup mentioned above. Tuesday - Thursday... The mid week period looks to be more active as the frontal boundary should be in the vicinity of the region. Do expect that areas along the boundary would become unstable on the periphery of upper ridging and with low level moisture pooling on the boundary. Meanwhile, progressive upper flow would allow for some disturbances to pass through and ultimately contribute to some convective organization. For now, will continue with the fcst of temps in the mid and upper 70s and chances for scattered showers and t-storms during this time. && .AVIATION (06Z TAF Update)... Updated at 1256 AM EDT Fri Apr 22 2016 A line of showers/storms will reach SDF around 5-530z with brief heavy downpours, lightning and possibily small hail. Upstream observations have shown very little wind gusts as storms are mainly elevated at this point. Plan on this line to weaken some as it approaches LEX toward 7-8z, and will hold off mentioning thunder as remaining instability should diminish by then. At BWG, scattered showers may pass the terminal early this morning, but the bulk of precipitaiton will stay north. A lull in the activity is expected after sunrise this morning, until the upper low over Illinois swings over the area. The combination of the upper low, cold temps aloft and daytime heating will spark another round of showers and scattered thunderstorms. This is most likely to impact SDF/LEX during the afternoon. This weather system should pass east of the area by 00z, giving way to improving conditions for Friday evening into the weekend. && .LMK Watches/Warnings/Advisories... KY...NONE. IN...NONE. && $$ Update.........13 Short Term.....BJS Long Term......BJS Aviation.......ZT
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS WAKEFIELD VA
123 AM EDT FRI APR 22 2016 .SYNOPSIS... HIGH PRESSURE REMAINS OVER THE WESTERN ATLANTIC TONIGHT. A COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH FROM THE WEST FRIDAY...PUSHING OFF THE COAST EARLY SATURDAY MORNING. AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE DROPS OVER THE REGION SATURDAY. HIGH PRESSURE RETURNS FOR SATURDAY NIGHT INTO MONDAY. THE NEXT COLD FRONT PUSHES ACROSS THE REGION TUESDAY NIGHT. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM THIS MORNING/... FORECAST UPDATED BASED ON LATEST RADAR TRENDS AND HIRES MODEL GUIDANCE...MAIN CHANGES WERE TO DROP ANY CHC OF PCPN THIS EVENG AND DELAY POPS A BIT FRI MORNG. PREVIOUS DISCUSSION... LATEST REGIONAL RADAR MOSAIC DEPICTS ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDING FROM SE NC INTO CENTRAL NC THIS AFTERNOON. BASED ON LATEST SFC OBS...THE WARM FRONT HAS LIFTED INTO THE LOCAL AREA...WITH BETTER DESTABILIZATION SOUTH OF THE LOCAL AREA. EXPECT THE BETTER INSTABILITY TO REMAIN SOUTH OF THE REGION...BUT HI-RES GUIDANCE CONTINUES TO INDICATE THE POTENTIAL FOR ISOLATED TO WIDELY SCATTERED SHOWERS LIFTING INTO SRN VA AND NE NC THRU LATE THIS AFTERNOON. NAM12 300K SURFACES BACK UP THIS SCENARIO...INDICATING LOW LEVEL LIFT EVEN UNDER THE UPPER LEVEL RIDGE LOCATED OVER THE ERN CONUS. RAP SOUNDINGS INDICATE MODEST CAPE EXTENDING INTO THE MIXED PHASE LAYER...SO WILL MENTION SLIGHT CHANCE FOR THUNDER. ANY SHOWERS THAT DO DEVELOP WILL DISSIPATE EARLY EVENING WITH THE LOSS OF DAYTIME HEATING. TEMPS HAVE WARMED INTO THE MID/UPPER 70S...WITH A FEW LOCALES HITTING 80 ACROSS THE PIEDMONT INTO CENTRAL VA. SOUTH WINDS AROUND 10 MPH TONIGHT ALONG WITH A PARTLY CLOUDY SKY WILL RESULT IN MILD OVERNIGHT TEMPS. LOWS GENERALLY IN THE LOW 60S (~+1 STD DEV OR 10-12 DEGS ABOVE NORMAL). && .SHORT TERM /6 AM THIS MORNING THROUGH SUNDAY/... GENERAL MODEL TRENDS CONTINUE TO SLOW THE UPPER SYSTEM SLIGHTLY AND DIG IT FARTHER SOUTH AND WEST THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT. CURRENT NATIONAL RADAR TRENDS OVER THE OH VALLEY...DEPICT RATHER UNORGANIZED CONVECTION ASSOCIATED WITH THE UPPER LOW. THE UPPER LOW PUSHES INTO THE TN VALLEY AS A STRONG UPPER LOW DEEPENS OVER ERN CANADA. THE FRONT REACHES THE ERN VA PIEDMONT LATE FRIDAY INTO EARLY FRI EVENING. LEAD SHORTWAVE ENERGY ROUNDS THE BASE OF THE UPPER TROUGH...LIFTING INTO THE REGION FRI AFTERNOON AHEAD OF THE MAIN TROUGH ENERGY. RETURN FLOW ADVECTS DEEPER MOISTURE INTO THE REGION...WITH H85 FLOW COMING IN FROM THE GULF STREAM. POPS RAMP UP OVER THE PIEDMONT MID TO LATE MORNING...AND THEN POINTS EWD THROUGH EARLY AFTERNOON. THE FAVORED AREAS FOR SHOWERS CONTINUE TO BE ALONG AND SOUTH OF A LINE FROM FARMVILLE TO RICHMOND AND TO THE NRN NECK/MD ERN SHORE FRI AFTERNOON AND FRIDAY EVENING. HAVE MAINTAINED LIKELY POPS FOR THAT AREA. HAVE TRIMMED BACK POPS NORTH AND WEST OF THIS LINE AS MODELS INDICATE SHOWER COVERAGE ASSOCIATED WITH THE MAIN SHORTWAVE WILL BE LIMITED IN THAT REGION. THUNDERSTORM POTENTIAL REMAINS MARGINAL DUE TO CONSIDERABLE CLOUD COVER AND MARGINAL INSTABILITY. GIVEN THE DYNAMICS...THETA-E ADVECTION AND THE TIME OF YEAR...WILL KEEP CHANCE MENTION OF THUNDER. SHEAR REMAINS MODEST (AOB 30 KT)...SO EXPECT ONLY EMBEDDED THUNDER. PWATS CLIMB TO 1.25 TO 1.5 INCHES...WHICH MAY RESULT IN PERIODS OF MODERATE TO LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL. HOWEVER...QPF AMOUNTS THRU FRIDAY EVENING WILL GENERALLY RANGE FROM LESS THAN ONE QUARTER OF AN INCH ACROSS THE NORTH UP TO ONE HALF INCH ACROSS THE SOUTH. AREA REMAINS IN WARM SECTOR WITH RETURN FLOW PUSHING TEMPS BACK INTO THE MID/UPPER 70S...EVEN WITH CONSIDERABLE CLOUD COVER. SHORTWAVE DROPS OVER THE CENTRAL APPALACHIANS INTO THE LOCAL AREA THRU FRI NIGHT AS THE FRONT PUSHES OFFSHORE. WILL KEEP SOLID CHANCE POPS ALONG THE COAST THRU THE OVERNIGHT PERIOD. AFOREMENTIONED MODEL TRENDS MEAN LINGERING MID LEVEL MOISTURE TO GO ALONG WITH THE STRONG DYNAMICS PROVIDED BY THE UPPER LOW DROPPING OVER THE REGION SAT. WILL HOLD ONTO SOLID CHANCE POPS THROUGH LATE MORNING INLAND FOR SCATTERED SHOWERS...AND ALONG THE COAST THRU SAT AFTERNOON. CLOUDY CONDITIONS BECOME PARTLY CLOUDY INLAND SAT AFTERNOON...BUT REMAIN MOSTLY CLOUDY ALONG THE COAST. TRENDED TOWARD THE COOLER SIDE OF THE MOS GUIDANCE DUE TO CLOUD COVER AND MODEST CAA...BUT TEMPS REMAIN SEASONABLE IN THE UPPER 60S/LOW 70S. NORTH WINDS GENERALLY 10 TO 15 MPH WITH GUSTS OF 20 TO 25 MPH. TROUGH AXIS PUSHES OFFSHORE SAT NIGHT WITH DRY CONDITIONS FORECAST ACROSS THE AREA. LOWS IN THE MID/UPPER 40S INLAND TO LOW 50S NEAR THE COAST UNDER A CLEAR SKY. HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS ACROSS NEW ENGLAND SAT NIGHT...PARKING OFF THE NORTHEAST COAST SUNDAY. THE RESULT WILL BE ONGOING DRY CONDITIONS. CAA WANES SUN...BUT LIGHT ONSHORE FLOW WILL KEEP TEMPS IN CHECK. THICKNESSES YIELD TEMPS IN THE LOW/MID 70S INLAND AND MID/UPPER 60S ALONG THE COAST. && .LONG TERM /SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY/... HIGH PRESSURE SLIDES FARTHER OFFSHORE SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY...AND SETTLES OFF THE SOUTHEAST COAST BY TUESDAY. MEANWHILE...A SHORTWAVE TROUGH AND AN ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT APPROACH FROM THE NW BY TUESDAY AFTN. MONDAY AND TUESDAY ARE TRENDING TOWARD BEING VERY WARM DAYS WITH DEEP LAYER WSW FLOW ASSOCIATED WITH A BREAKING DOWN UPPER RIDGE OVER THE E-CENTRAL/SERN CONUS. MODEL CONSENSUS GENERALLY SUPPORTS 850MB TEMPERATURES OF 12-15C...WHICH WITH FULL MIXING AND DOWNSLOPING SHOULD EASILY PUSH HIGHS TO 80-85F W OF THE BAY...WITH UPPER 70S FOR THE ERN SHORE. LOWS SUNDAY NIGHT SHOULD BE IN THE LOW/MID 50S...WITH 55-60F MONDAY NIGHT. SKY COVER SHOULD GENERALLY BE MOSTLY CLEAR/SUNNY SUNDAY NIGHT...MONDAY INTO MONDAY NIGHT...AND BECOME PARTLY SUNNY TUESDAY. THE TROUGH AND COLD FRONT SWING THROUGH THE AREA TUESDAY AFTN INTO TUESDAY NIGHT. THE MAIN FORCING ASSOCIATED WITH THE MID/UPPER SHORTWAVE TROUGH GENERALLY PASSES N OF THE LOCAL AREA...AND DEEP LAYER RH DIMINISHES AS THE FEATURE PASSES OVER THE LOCAL AREA SO FORECAST POPS ARE ONLY 20%...WITH A NARROW STRIP OF 30% ACROSS THE FAR N. HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS IN FROM THE N WEDNESDAY...AND SLIDES OFFSHORE LATER IN THE WEEK. HIGHS WEDNESDAY SHOULD DROP BACK TO THE MID/UPPER 60S NE...TO THE MID/UPPER 70S FARTHER INLAND...AND THEN TREND UPWARD INTO THURSDAY AS THE HIGH SLIDES OFFSHORE. LOWS SHOULD GENERALLY BE IN THE 50S. && .AVIATION /06Z FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/... VFR CONDITIONS START OFF THE FORECAST PERIOD AND WILL CONTINUE THROUGH AT LEAST MID MORNING. SOUTH WINDS AVG 10-15 KTS WITH HIGH AND MID LEVEL CLOUDS INCREASE ESPECIALLY AFTER 12Z. LATEST MODEL DATA INDICATES A QUICK INCREASE IN MID LEVEL MOISTURE BY LATE MORNING AS MVFR CIGS (BKN SC) BECOME COMMON. SHOWERS THEN MOVE WEST TO EAST AFTER 16Z AS A SHORTWAVE MOVES ACROSS THE REGION WELL AHEAD OF THE APPROACHING COLD FRONT. THUNDER POSSIBLE BUT WAS KEPT OUT OF THIS FORECAST ISSUANCE SINCE ANY THUNDER NOT EXPECTED UNTIL AFTER 18Z. MOST LIKELY AREAS TO SEE TSTMS WILL BE ALONG AND SOUTH OF I64 WITH BEST TIMING BETWEEN 18Z-00Z. SW WIND GUST BETWEEN 15-20 KTS AHEAD OF ANY SHOWER WITH HIGHER GUSTS POSSIBLE IN ANY TSTMS CLOSER TOWARD 00Z. ALL MODEL GUIDANCE SUPPORTS IFR CIGS DEVELOPING BY OR SHORTLY AFTER 00Z ALONG WITH REDUCED VSBYS IN RAIN/SHOWERS AND AREAS OF FOG. THE COLD FRONT MOVES OFF THE COAST LATE FRI NIGHT/EARLY SAT. TRAILING CLOSED UPPER LOW WILL CAUSE LAPSE RATES TO INCREASE WHICH WILL CONTINUE THE POSSIBILITY FOR MVFR CIGS AND SHOWER OR TSTM DEVELOPMENT INTO SAT. DRIER AIR AND VFR CONDITIONS RETURN LATE SAT NIGHT. && .MARINE... WENT AHEAD AND ISSUED A MINIMAL SCA FOR THE CHES BAY THROUGH 4 AM BASED ON THE AMOUNT OF 20 KT GUSTS REPORTED OVER THE PAST FEW HOURS. PVS DSCN: HIGH PRESSURE IS SITUATED WELL OFFSHORE THIS AFTN...WITH LOW PRESSURE WELL TO THE W OVER THE MID-MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. THE HIGH WILL CONTINUE TO SLIDE FARTHER OFFSHORE TONIGHT AS LOW PRESSURE LIFTS NE OVER THE GREAT LAKES. A SW WIND SHOULD AVERAGE 10-15KT THROUGH THIS EVENING...AND THEN INCREASE TO 15KT BAY/15-20KT OCEAN LATER THIS EVENING THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING...BEFORE DIMINISHING FRIDAY AFTN/EVENING AS THE PRESSURE GRADIENT SLACKENS AS A WEAK COLD FRONT GRADUALLY DROPS INTO THE REGION. THE COLD FRONT PUSHES THROUGH THE AREA EARLY SATURDAY MORNING...WITH A SUBSEQUENT NORTHERLY SURGE MIDDAY SATURDAY...WITH A SECONDARY SURGE SATURDAY EVENING. MARGINAL SCA CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE OVER THE BAY (15-20KT N WIND). HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS OVER THE AREA SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY...SLIDES OFFSHORE MONDAY...AND SETTLES OFF THE SOUTHEAST COAST TUESDAY. SEAS GENERALLY AVERAGE 2-4FT...WITH 2-3FT WAVES IN THE BAY. && .AKQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MD...NONE. NC...NONE. VA...NONE. MARINE...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 4 AM EDT EARLY THIS MORNING FOR ANZ630>632-634. && $$ SYNOPSIS...SAM/TMG NEAR TERM...MAS/SAM SHORT TERM...SAM LONG TERM...AJZ AVIATION...MPR MARINE...AJZ/MPR
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS MARQUETTE MI
459 AM EDT FRI APR 22 2016 .SHORT TERM...(TODAY AND TONIGHT) ISSUED AT 457 AM EDT FRI APR 22 2016 WV IMAGERY AND RAP ANALYSIS INDICATED WNW MID/UPPER LEVEL FLOW INTO THE NRN LAKES ON THE PERIPHERY OF A DEEP LOW INTO NRN HUDSON BAY. LOW LEVEL CAA WITH NRLY WINDS INCREASED OVERNIGHT AS THE PRES GRADIENT TIGHTENED BETWEEN HIGH PRESSURE INTO NRN ONTARIO AND TROUGH OVER THE LOWER LAKES. CONVERGENT AND UPSLOPE FLOW INTO N CNTRL UPPER MI COMBINED WITH LINGERING LOW LEVEL MOISTURE SUPPORTED SOME DZ/FZDZ THAT HAS MIXED WITH LIGHT SNOW. TODAY...EXPECT THAT THE LIGHT SNOW WILL TRANSITION TO MAINLY DZ/FZDZ EARLY THIS MORNING AS THE DEEPER MOISTURE DEPARTS...LEAVING THE MOIST LAYER WARMER THAN -8C. SATELLITE AND MODEL 925-900 MB RH FCST TRENDS SUGGEST THAT THE LIGHT PCPN SHOULD DIMINISH OR END AROUND 12Z-14Z BUT THAT THE CLOUDS MAY PERSIST...MOVING OUT BTWN 15Z-18Z AS HIGH PRESSURE WITH LOW LEVEL DRYING BUILDS IN. OTHERWISE...SUNSHINE WITH 850 MB TEMPS NEAR -2C DURING THE AFTERNOON WILL HELP BOOST INLAND TEMPS TO AROUND 50. OTHERWISE...NRLY FLOW OFF OF LAKE SUPERIOR WILL LIMIT HIGH TEMPS CLOSER TO 40. TONIGHT...ALTHOUGH WINDS WILL DIMINISH WITH THE SFC RIDGE OVER THE AREA...MID CLOUDS MOVING IN OVERNIGHT WITH 700-500 MB WAA WILL KEEP TEMPS FROM DROPPING OFF TOO FAR. TEMPS MAY STILL FALL INTO THE MID 20S CENTRAL AND EAST BEFORE THE CLOUDS MOVE IN. OTHERWISE...EXPECT MIN READINGS IN THE LOWER 30S WEST. .LONG TERM...(SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY) ISSUED AT 351 AM EDT FRI APR 22 2016 LOOKS LIKE A CHILLY...ACTIVE WX PATTERN WL DOMINATE LATE THIS WEEKEND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK AS A VERY TIGHT BAROCLINIC ZN WL SETUP ACRS THE UPR GREAT LKS UNDER THE CONFLUENCE ZN BTWN ARCTIC AIRSTREAM IN CANADA AND AN ACTIVE POLAR BRANCH FLOW OVER THE NRN CONUS. SOME MDT TO HEAVY PCPN IS LIKELY TO FALL OVER AT LEAST THE S HALF OF UPR MI...WHICH WL BE CLOSER TO A STNRY FNT RUNNING W-E THRU THE UPR MIDWEST. IF ENUF COLD AIR IN THE NNE FLOW BTWN BLDG HI PRES INTO NRN ONTARIO AND THE LOWER PRES TO THE S ADVECTS INTO THE CWA AND THIS AIR IS NOT EXCESSIVELY DRY...THERE COULD BE SOME ACCUMULATING WET SN OVER MAINLY THE HIER TERRAIN OF NRN UPR MI ON SUN NGT INTO MON. QUIETER BUT STILL RELATIVELY CHILLY WX WL BE THE RULE FOR MID WEEK. SAT...UPR MI IS FCST TO BE DOMINATED BY WNW FLOW ALF BTWN UPR RDG AXIS IN THE PLAINS AND UPR TROFFING IN ERN CANADA. ALTHOUGH MODELS INDICATE A GOOD DEAL OF MID/HI CLDS RELATED TO WAA TO THE NE OF SHARPENING FNT FM THE DAKOTAS INTO MN WL IMPACT THE CWA...SUSPECT LINGERING LLVL DRY AIR ASSOCIATED WITH SLOWLY DEPARTING SFC HI PRES WL KEEP THE CWA DRY. BEST CHC FOR SOME RAIN WL BE OVER THE NW CWA CLOSER TO BAND OF STRONGER H7 FGEN TO THE NE OF SHARPENING FNT. SAT NGT...MODELS IN FAIRLY GOOD AGREEMENT SHOWING MORE WIDESPREAD RA DVLPG OVER THE CWA ESPECIALLY NEAR THE WI BORDER WITH SHARPENING BAROCLINIC ZN/FGEN/INCRSG UPR DVGC IN RRQ OF 120KT H3 JET CORE MOVING TO JUST S OF JAMES BAY BY 12Z SUN. WL CARRY THE HIER CATEGORICAL POPS NEAR THE WI BORDER IN THE 06Z-12Z PERIOD. SUN THRU MON...UPR MI IS FCST TO BE CLOSE TO SHARP BAROCLINIC ZN UNDER CONFLUENCE ZN BTWN ARCTIC BRANCH NW FLOW DOMINATING QUEBEC AND A WSW POLAR BRANCH FLOW OVER THE NRN CONUS. DESPITE THE UNFAVORABLE LOOK OF THE CONFLUENT UPR FLOW WELL TO THE NE OF SHRTWV RIDING ENEWD THRU THE NRN PLAINS WHICH WOULD TEND TO FAVOR DRY WX...MOST OF THE MEDIUM RANGE MODELS GENERATE SOME MDT TO HEAVY PCPN OVER MAINLY THE S HALF OF THE CWA. UPR DVGC IN RRQ OF 120KT H3 JET MAX JUST S OF JAMES BAY AS WELL AS SHARP...PERSISTENT H85-7 FGEN N OF THE H85 WARM/STNRY FNT STRETCHING E ACRS WI FM LO IN THE NRN PLAINS AND UNDER AXIS OF PWAT AOA AN INCH OVER THE SRN CWA LOOK TO BE THE ENHANCEMENT FACTORS THAT WOULD OVERCOME THE UPR CONFLUENCE THAT WL WEAKEN DISTURBANCES RIDING ENEWD TOWARD THE CWA AHEAD OF THE MAIN SHRTWV TO THE SW. ALTHOUGH SOME OF THE COLDER MODELS` FCST SDNGS/ THERMAL FIELDS WITH H85 TEMPS AOB 0C INDICATE AT LEAST SOME OF THE PCPN NEAR THE NRN EDGE OF THE BAND WL BE IN THE FORM OF SN...SHARP GRADIENT IN SFC-H85 MSTR BTWN THE FNT AND CHILLY HI PRES BLDG INTO NRN ONTARIO WL LIKELY BRING A RATHER SHARP NRN EDGE TO THE PCPN BAND AND LIMIT THE COVERAGE OF SGNFT SN. BUT IF THE COLDER GUIDANCE IS CORRECT AND THE LLVL DRYING IS NOT TOO AGGRESSIVE...NOT OUT OF THE QUESTION THERE COULD BE SEVERAL INCHES OF WET...HEAVY SN OVER PORTIONS OF THE NRN CWA MAINLY ON SUN NGT/MON MRNG AS STEADY LLVL NE WINDS ADVECT COLDER AIR INTO THE LKS TO THE S OF THE ONTARIO HI PRES. MON NGT THRU THU...AS THE HI PRES OVER NORTHERN ONTARIO BUILDS S INTO THE UPR LKS UNDER CONFLUENT NW FLOW ALF BTWN UPR RDG AXIS SHIFTING E FM THE PLAINS AND CLOSED UPR LO OVER QUEBEC...EXPECT LINGERING PCPN TO END ON MON NGT...WITH THE HI PRES BRINGING DRY WX/MOCLR SKIES ON TUE INTO WED. DEPENDING ON HOW QUICKLY THE QUEBEC CLOSED LO WEAKENS AND WHETHER OR NOT THE UPR FLOW INTO THE GREAT LKS TURNS MORE PROGRESSIVE...ANOTHER LO PRES MOVE ENE FM THE PLAINS COULD BRING MORE PCPN TO THE AREA NEXT THU. BUT IF THE QUEBEC CLOSED LO IS MORE RESILIENT...THAT NEXT PLAINS LO COULD BE SHUNTED TO THE SW. EXPECT RELATIVELY CHILLY WX THRU THE EXTENDED PERIOD WITH SUB ZERO H85 TEMPS DOMINATING. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z FRIDAY NIGHT) ISSUED AT 121 AM EDT FRI APR 22 2016 PRECIPITATION HAS MOSTLY ENDED IN THE WAKE OF YESTERDAY/S COLD FROPA BUT A COOL/MOIST NORTHERLY FLOW REMAINS AND WITH ADDITIONAL MOISTURE OFF LK SUPERIOR CEILINGS HAVE LOWERED TO LOW END MVFR TO IFR THIS EVENING. EXPECT SLOW IMPROVEMENT FOR THE OVERNIGHT HOURS WITH SKIES CLEARING OUT FRIDAY MORNING AS HIGH PRES BUILDS IN FROM NW OF LAKE SUPERIOR. && .MARINE...(FOR THE 4 AM LAKE SUPERIOR FORECAST ISSUANCE) ISSUED AT 457 AM EDT FRI APR 22 2016 NORTHERLY WINDS 15-25 KNOTS EARLY THIS MORNING ARE EXPECTED TO DIMINISH TO 20 KTS OR LESS FRIDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH MOST OF SATURDAY NIGHT AS A HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE CROSSES LAKE SUPERIOR. AS THE HIGH EXITS TO THE EASTERN SEABOARD AND LOW PRESSURE DEVELOPS OVER THE PLAINS ON SUNDAY, NORTHEAST WINDS WILL INCREASE TO 20-30 KTS SUNDAY INTO MONDAY. THE STRONGEST WINDS WILL BE OVER WESTERN LAKE SUPERIOR WHERE WINDS MAY APPROACH GALES AT TIMES. WINDS DIMINISH TO LESS THAN 20 KTS MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY AS HIGH PRESSURE MOVES BACK ACROSS THE REGION. && .MQT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... UPPER MICHIGAN... NONE. LAKE SUPERIOR... NONE. LAKE MICHIGAN... NONE. && $$ SHORT TERM...JLB LONG TERM...KC AVIATION...VOSS MARINE...JLB
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS GRAND RAPIDS MI
1207 AM EDT FRI APR 22 2016 LATEST UPDATE... AVIATION .SYNOPSIS... ISSUED AT 327 PM EDT THU APR 21 2016 AFTER SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS EXIT THE AREA EARLY TONIGHT...CHANCES FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS RETURN SUNDAY AND CONTINUE WELL INTO NEXT WEEK. SUNDAY WILL BE WARM WITH TEMPERATURES APPROACHING 70 IN SOME SPOTS. AFTERWARDS...HIGHS WILL BE NEAR OR SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL WITH HIGHS IN THE LOWER TO MID 60S. && .UPDATE... ISSUED AT 936 PM EDT THU APR 21 2016 WE HAVE UPDATED THE FCST THIS EVENING TO FRESHEN UP PCPN TRENDS...PULL THUNDER...AND ADD MORE FOG TO THE FCST AREA-WIDE. A FEW STORMS TRIED TO MAKE IT UP INTO THE AREA FROM THE S/SW...BUT COULDN/T QUITE MAKE IT WITH THE LACK OF INSTABILITY UP THIS WAY WITH ALL OF THE CLOUD COVER TODAY. MODELS ALL SHOW THE INSTABILITY WILL BE STEADILY ON THE WANE THROUGH THE NIGHT...SO WE PULLED IT ALTOGETHER. A FEW SHOWERS ARE AFFECTING THE SE CORNER OF THE CWFA THIS EVENING LEFT OVER FROM CONVECTION FROM EARLIER ACROSS INDIANA. THESE WILL BE MOVING OUT SOON...LEAVING ONLY A SMALL CHC OF A SHOWER OVERNIGHT AS THE SECONDARY FRONT DROPS THROUGH THE AREA. FOG LOOKS TO BE A LITTLE MORE LIKELY...ESPECIALLY WITH SOME CLEARING WORKING THROUGH THE SRN TWO THIRDS OF THE CWFA THIS EVENING. WINDS ARE STILL RELATIVELY LIGHT...AND COULD REMAIN THAT WAY RIGHT AT THE SFC ALL NIGHT. SOME BETTER MIXING ALOFT WILL MOVE IN BEHIND THE FRONT. WE EXPECT SOME FOG DEVELOPING...WITH THE BIGGER ISSUE BEING STRATUS EXPECTED TO MOVE IN FROM THE NORTH OVERNIGHT. && .SHORT TERM...(THIS EVENING THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT) ISSUED AT 327 PM EDT THU APR 21 2016 EXPERIMENTAL HRRR GUIDANCE IS LOOKING ON TRACK AS CLEARING HAS SPREAD INTO EXTREME SOUTHWEST LOWER MI AND A THUNDERSTORM ALREADY HAS DEVELOPED OVER NORTHWEST INDIANA. BASED ON EXPECTED MOVEMENT TO THE NORTHEAST...WE STILL EXPECT THE BEST CHANCES FOR THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE SOUTH OF I-96 AND EAST OF KALAMAZOO MAINLY BEFORE MIDNIGHT. AFTER THIS EXPECT AT LEAST SOME PATCHY FOG NEAR THE I-94 CORRIDOR THE REST OF THE NIGHT. AFTER TONIGHT...FORECAST CONCERNS ARE MINIMAL WITH RAIN SHOWERS APPROACHING FROM THE NORTHWEST ON SATURDAY NIGHT. .LONG TERM...(SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY) ISSUED AT 327 PM EDT THU APR 21 2016 A STATIONARY FRONT IS STILL EXPECTED TO SLIDE SLOWLY SOUTH THROUGH THE CWA SUNDAY INTO MONDAY NIGHT. THIS FRONT WILL HAVE A SOLID GULF MOISTURE CONNECTION AND THE OVER RIDING ACROSS THIS FRONT SHOULD PRODUCE A FAIR AMOUNT OF RAIN. IT APPEARS MOST AREAS SHOULD GET A AROUND AN INCH OF RAIN. THE STEADIEST RAINS SHOULD OCCUR ACROSS CENTRAL LOWER WHERE THE BEST LIFT PERSISTS ACROSS THE FRONT...AND OVER AN INCH OF RAIN CERTAINLY SEEMS POSSIBLE HERE. A BIT LIGHTER RAINS ARE EXPECTED TOWARD I-94. A FEW CLAPS OF THUNDER WILL BE POSSIBLE BUT NO SEVERE WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. THE AREA SHOULD DRY OUT INTO TUESDAY AS A WAVE OF LOW PRESSURE SLIDES ALONG THE FRONT AND HEADS EAST. HOWEVER THE DRY SPELL APPEARS BRIEF AS MORE RAIN CHANCES RETURN FOR WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY WITH ANOTHER WAVE OF LOW PRESSURE MOVING ACROSS THE OHIO VALLEY. SIMILAR PATTERN WITH A GOOD CHANCE OF RAIN...BUT MINIMAL CHANCES FOR SEVERE STORMS. WE WILL REMAIN MILD UNTIL THE FRONT COMES THROUGH...WITH A COOLER PERIOD FOR TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z FRIDAY NIGHT) ISSUED AT 1207 AM EDT FRI APR 22 2016 WIDESPREAD IFR/LIFR CONDITIONS IN FOG AND LOW CLOUDS ARE LIKELY OVERNIGHT DUE TO MOIST BOUNDARY LAYER CONDITIONS WITH DEW PTS IN THE LOWER 50S AND LIGHT SFC WINDS. THE LOWER CIGS/VSBYS WILL LINGER THROUGH ABOUT 15Z FRIDAY THEN LIFT TO MVFR TO VFR LEVELS IN THE AFTERNOON AS WINDS INCREASE OUT OF THE NORTH TO AROUND 10 KTS AND SEND DRIER AIR INTO THE REGION. VFR LIKELY ON FRIDAY NIGHT. && .MARINE... ISSUED AT 327 PM EDT THU APR 21 2016 FOG HAS BECOME CONSIDERABLY THICKER IN THE LAST COUPLE HOURS SO IN COORDINATION WITH IWX HAVE HOISTED A MARINE DENSE FOG ADVISORY. FOG WILL GET SWEPT OUT OVERNIGHT WHEN STRONG NORTH WINDS SPREAD SOUTH ACROSS LAKE MICHIGAN. RAPIDLY GROWING WAVES WITH THE STRONGER WINDS AND A VERY FAVORABLE LONG FETCH WILL GIVE US SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY CONDITIONS QUICKLY FRIDAY MORNING SO HAVE ALSO ISSUED A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY WITH THIS PACKAGE. && .HYDROLOGY... ISSUED AT 158 PM EDT THU APR 21 2016 RAINFALL LAST NIGHT AND TODAY HAS BEEN LIGHT IN NATURE... WITH FEW TOTALS EXCEEDING A QUARTER INCH. LEVELS ON MAIN STEM RIVERS CONTINUE A GRADUAL DECLINE... BUT WE HAVE BEEN SEEING RISES ON SMALLER RIVERS AND CREEKS. NO FLOODING IN ANTICIPATED TODAY OR TOMORROW. AFTER A QUIET FRIDAY AND SATURDAY... SUNDAY THROUGH THE REST OF NEXT WEEK LOOKS FAIRLY ACTIVE. A WIDESPREAD INCH OF RAINFALL IS CERTAINLY POSSIBLE. RIVERS REMAIN ELEVATED... SO WE COULD SEE SOME RISE ABOVE BANKFULL AND PRODUCE MINOR FLOODING IN LOWLAND AREAS NEXT WEEK. && .GRR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MI...NONE. LM...DENSE FOG ADVISORY UNTIL 10 AM EDT THIS MORNING FOR LMZ844>849. SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FROM 8 AM THIS MORNING TO 2 AM EDT SATURDAY FOR LMZ844>849. && $$ UPDATE...NJJ SYNOPSIS...TJT SHORT TERM...TJT LONG TERM...JK AVIATION...MEADE HYDROLOGY...EBW MARINE...TJT
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NWS NORTH PLATTE NE
1119 PM CDT THU APR 21 2016 .SYNOPSIS... ISSUED AT 333 PM CDT THU APR 21 2016 H5 ANALYSIS FROM EARLIER THIS MORNING HAD A CLOSED LOW OVER WESTERN IOWA WITH A TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE EXTENDING SOUTH INTO THE ARKLATEX. HT FALLS OF 50 TO 70 METERS WERE NOTED FROM THE MID MISSISSIPPI VALLEY NORTHWARD TO THE ARROWHEAD OF MINNESOTA. WEST OF THE TROUGH AND CLOSED LOW...WAS A RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE WHICH EXTENDED FROM THE FOUR CORNERS...NORTH TO NORTHERN MONTANA. WEST OF THE RIDGE...A TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE WAS PRESENT FROM THE ALEUTIANS...SOUTH INTO THE EASTERN PACIFIC...AND WAS ROUGHLY 500 MILES WEST OF THE OREGON AND WASHINGTON COASTS. AT THE SURFACE...LOW PRESSURE WAS LOCATED OVER CENTRAL IOWA WITH HIGH PRESSURE ANCHORED ACROSS THE FRONT RANGE OF COLORADO AND WYOMING. ACROSS WESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA...WINDS WERE NORTHERLY BETWEEN THESE TWO SURFACE FEATURES...AND WERE BREEZY THIS AFTERNOON WITH SPEEDS OF 15 TO 25 MPH. UNDER PARTLY CLOUDY SKIES...TEMPERATURES WERE IN THE UPPER 60S TO AROUND 70. && .SHORT TERM...(THIS EVENING THROUGH FRIDAY) ISSUED AT 333 PM CDT THU APR 21 2016 MAIN FORECAST CONCERNS ARE WIND AND TEMPERATURES. THE UPPER LOW CONTINUES ITS SLOW EASTWARD TREK AND GETS ABSORBED WITH THE OVERALL FLOW OVER THE GREAT LAKES. H5 RIDGE BUILDS OVER THE GREAT PLAINS WHILE A SURFACE TROUGH APPROACHES THE PANHANDLE LATE FRIDAY. THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT... EFFICIENT MIXING TO NEAR 750HPA AS INDICATED BY RAP AND HRRR SOUNDINGS AND NEARLY UNIDIRECTIONAL FLOW CREATING GUSTS TO 25MPH FOR MUCH OF THE AREA. SOUNDINGS ALSO INDICATE LOW LEVEL LIFT... WHICH IS CONFIRMED BY A GROWING CUMULUS FIELD OVER WESTERN NEBRASKA. LEFT PRECIP MENTION OUT AS ABUNDANT DRY AIR EXISTS IN THE MID LEVELS AND SURFACE DEW POINT DEPRESSIONS REACH 30F WEST TO 20F EAST. CLOUDS WILL CLEAR TONIGHT WITH THE LOSS OF DIURNAL HEATING AND WINDS RELAX WITH BOUNDARY LAYER DECOUPLING. MADE LITTLE CHANGE TO MIN TEMPS AS MID/UPPER 30S SEEMED REASONABLE GIVEN CLEAR SKIES... LIGHT WINDS... AND NEGLIGIBLE TEMP ADVECTION AT H85. FRIDAY... CONTINUED THE TREND OF FOLLOWING WARMER GUIDANCE OR GOING SLIGHTLY ABOVE FOR MAX TEMPS. RETURN FLOW SWITCHES LOW LEVEL WINDS TO SOUTHERLY... AND MODELS IN AGREEMENT WITH APPRECIABLE WAA. H85 TEMPS RANGE FROM NEAR 20C PANHANDLE TO 10C NORTH CENTRAL... ABOUT 5 TO 10C WARMER THAN THURSDAY. LOW LEVEL WINDS STRENGTHEN THROUGHOUT THE DAY AS THE PRESSURE GRADIENT INCREASES AHEAD OF THE TROUGH. NAM SHOWING AROUND 1MB/HR FALLS DURING THE AFTERNOON. COUPLED WITH SUBSIDENCE AND MIXING TO NEAR 800HPA WHERE H85 WINDS APPROACH 30KTS... GUSTS MAY REACH 25 TO 30MPH AT THE SURFACE. DESPITE WARM TEMPERATURES AND BREEZY WINDS... FIRE WEATHER DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE A SIGNIFICANT ISSUE AT THIS TIME. NAM...GFS...AND EURO KEEP SFC DEW POINTS IN THE 40S DURING THE AFTERNOON... AND MIXING RATIOS INCREASE 1-2G/KG SINCE THURSDAY. MINIMUM RH VALUES STAY ABOVE 25 PERCENT PANHANDLE AND 30 PERCENT EAST. .LONG TERM...(FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY) ISSUED AT 333 PM CDT THU APR 21 2016 MID RANGE...FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY...A TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE ALOFT WILL COME ONSHORE ACROSS NRN CALIFORNIA/OREGON LATE FRIDAY. THIS FEATURE WILL TRACK EAST INTO WYOMING OVER THE NEXT 24 HOURS...MAKING IT AS FAR EAST AS NWRN WYOMING BY 00Z SUNDAY. DURING THIS PERIOD...A STRONG LEE SIDE SFC CYCLONE WILL DEVELOP OVER EASTERN WYOMING AND NERN COLORADO. EAST OF THIS FEATURE...SRLY WINDS WILL INCREASE FRIDAY AFTERNOON INTO FRIDAY NIGHT. SRLY FLOW WILL PUSH LOW LEVEL MOISTURE NWD DURING THE NIGHT AND THIS COUPLED WITH THE SRLY WINDS...WILL MAKE FOR MILD TEMPS FRIDAY NIGHT. FCST LOWS WILL BE IN THE UPPER 40S TO AROUND 50...SOME 10 TO 15 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. ON SATURDAY...STRONG LOW LEVEL WARM AIR ADVECTION WILL CONTINUE WITH H85 TEMPS REACHING 25C IN THE WEST BY 00Z SUN. THE LATEST GUIDANCE REFLECTED THESE WARMER TEMPS SHOWN IN THE GRAPHICAL NAM AND GFS FCST MODELS FROM THIS MORNING...AND HAVE TRENDED UP HIGHS FOR SAT AFTN. THIS RESULTED IN HIGHS IN THE LOWER 80S ACROSS THE BOARD. WE EVEN MAY SEE SOME MIDDLE 80S IN THE NORTHWEST WHERE DRIER AIR IS EXPECTED SAT AFTN. ON SATURDAY EVENING...A PACIFIC COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH THE PANHANDLE SAT EVENING...AND A LEAD DISTURBANCE WILL APPROACH SWRN NEBRASKA FROM NERN COLORADO. THUNDERSTORM CHANCES WILL INCREASE DURING THE EVENING HOURS WITH THE BEST CHANCES IN THE SOUTHWEST IN PROXIMITY TO THE UPPER LEVEL WAVE...AND IN THE NORTHWESTERN CWA INVOF THE FRONT AND CLOSER PROXIMITY TO THE H5 LOW. AS FOR THE THREAT FOR SEVERE STORMS...WAS CONCERNED SOMEWHAT ABOUT THE 2000 J/KG CAPES DEPICTED IN THE 12Z NAM SOLN THIS MORNING...ACROSS CENTRAL PORTIONS OF THE CWA. HOWEVER...BULK SHEAR IS ONLY 15 TO 20 KTS SAT AFTN/EVE...SO THE SEVERE THREAT APPEARS MINIMAL ATTM. ON SUNDAY...THE UPPER LEVEL LOW WILL TRACK ALONG THE NEBR/SD BORDER. ATTM...THE MAIN THREAT FOR PCPN WILL CONTINUE OVER NRN NEBRASKA WITH MAINLY DRY CONDS IN THE SOUTH. IT WILL BE WINDY WITH DECENT NORTHWESTERLY WINDS BEHIND THE COLD FRONT SUNDAY. TEMPERATURES WILL RANGE FROM AROUND 60 IN THE WEST TO THE MID 70S IN THE FAR EAST. LONG RANGE...SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY...AN ACTIVE SWRLY FLOW PATTERN WILL CONTINUE INTO NEXT WEEK. THE FIRST OF TWO UPPER LEVEL LOWS WILL APPROACH THE FORECAST AREA MONDAY NIGHT WITH LIKELY PCPN EXPECTED FOR TUESDAY INTO TUESDAY NIGHT. PCPN WILL LINGER IN THE NORTH FOR WEDNESDAY...WITH DRY CONDS EXPECTED WEDS NIGHT INTO THURSDAY. A SECOND SYSTEM WILL APPROACH THE REGION LATE THURSDAY WITH ANOTHER ROUND OF PCPN ON TAP FOR FRIDAY INTO SATURDAY NEXT WEEK. TEMPERATURES WILL BE COOL WITH HIGHS IN THE 50S WITH SOME 40S POSSIBLE IN NRN NEBRASKA TUES/WEDS. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z FRIDAY NIGHT) ISSUED AT 1119 PM CDT THU APR 21 2016 VFR IS EXPECTED ALL AREAS OVERNIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY EVENING. SFC LOW PRESSURE WILL ORGANIZE ACROSS THE NRN HIGH PLAINS BENEATH AN UPPER LEVEL RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE. SKIES SHOULD REMAIN MOSTLY CLEAR. && .HYDROLOGY... ISSUED AT 333 PM CDT THU APR 21 2016 RISES ON THE SOUTH PLATTE RIVER EXPECTED TO CONTINUE OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS. UPSTREAM GAUGE AT JULESBURG STILL SHOWING A SLOW RISE WITH AN EXPECTED CREST AT ROSCOE OF AROUND 7.3 FEET LATE FRIDAY/EARLY SATURDAY. ISSUED RVS THIS MORNING WITH UPDATED FORECAST FROM MBRFC. SLIGHT UPTICK OBSERVED AT NORTH PLATTE BUT STILL 1.5 FEET BELOW ACTION STAGE. && .LBF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && $$ SYNOPSIS...BUTTLER SHORT TERM...SNIVELY LONG TERM...BUTTLER AVIATION...CDC HYDROLOGY...SNIVELY
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS ELKO NV
248 AM PDT FRI APR 22 2016 .SYNOPSIS...BREEZY ACROSS NORTHERN NEVADA TODAY WITH SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS...CENTRAL NEVADA WILL BE DRIER AND WINDIER THIS AFTERNOON. COOLER THIS WEEKEND WITH INCREASING SHOWER ACTIVITY. AS COLDER AIR MOVES IN LATE SUNDAY INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK...VALLEY RAINS WILL TRANSITION TO SNOW IN MANY LOCATIONS. UNSETTLED WEATHER CONTINUES THROUGH MUCH OF NEXT WEEK. && .SHORT TERM...TODAY THROUGH SUNDAY. TROUGH ENERGY MOVING IN OVER NORTHERN AND CENTRAL CALIFORNIA TODAY RESULTS IN SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW OVER NEVADA. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WILL SPREAD INTO NORTHWESTERN NEVADA LATE THIS MORNING AND PROGRESS INTO NORTH-CENTRAL NEVADA AND PORTIONS OF NORTHEASTERN ELKO COUNTY BY THIS AFTERNOON. SOUTHERLY WINDS WILL BE BREEZY OVER NORTHERN NEVADA WITH AREAS OF BLOWING DUST. CENTRAL NEVADA WILL BE DRIER AND WINDIER THAN NORTHERN NEVADA TODAY AS THE LEADING EDGE OF THE JET STREAM MOVES UP UNDER THE APPROACHING TROUGH. EXPANDED THE WIND ADVISORY TO INCLUDE SOUTHERN LANDER AND EUREKA COUNTIES AS WELL AS ELKO COUNTY EAST OF THE RUBY MOUNTAINS. THESE NEW WIND ADVISORY AREAS WILL BE ON THE LIGHTER END OF THE ADVISORY LEVEL WINDS...WITH STRONGEST WINDS TODAY STILL EXPECTED ACROSS CENTRAL NEVADA. HIGH TEMPERATURES ACROSS NORTHWESTERN NEVADA WILL BE QUITE A BIT COOLER TODAY THAN YESTERDAY AS THE TROUGH NEARS. CENTRAL AND NORTHEASTERN NEVADA WILL BE A LITTLE COOLER THAN YESTERDAY...BUT STILL WELL ABOVE NORMAL DUE TO STRONG SOUTHERLY FLOW. THIS EVENING WINDS WILL DIMINISH AS TROUGH ENERGY FROM NORTHERN CALIFORNIA SLIDES IN OVER NORTHERN NEVADA. COOLER AIR MOVES IN WITH THE TROUGH TONIGHT WITH VALLEY RAIN AND MOUNTAIN SNOWS. BY EARLY SATURDAY MORNING SOME OF THE HIGHER ELEVATION VALLEY LOCATIONS MAY SEE A DUSTING TO POSSIBLY A HALF INCH OF SNOW...GENERALLY AREAS ABOVE 7000 FEET. SHOWERS CONTINUE ON SATURDAY BEFORE TAPERING OFF SATURDAY NIGHT AS THE TROUGH EXITS OFF TO THE EAST. A SECOND STORM SYSTEM WILL APPROACH FROM THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST EARLY SUNDAY MORNING...WITH ANOTHER ROUND OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER MOST OF NORTHERN AND PORTIONS OF CENTRAL NEVADA BY SUNDAY AFTERNOON. .LONG TERM...SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH NEXT THURSDAY. MODELS ARE IN PRETTY GOOD AGREEMENT DEPICTING TWO BACK TO BACK MOIST LOW PRESSURE SYSTEMS TO MOVE THROUGH THE GREAT BASIN. UNSETTLED WEATHER IS EXPECTED THROUGHOUT THE EXTENDED PERIOD. SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY. THIS PERIOD WILL HAVE THE GREATEST IMPACT FROM SNOWFALL. THE PLACEMENT OF AN UPPER LOW TO IMPACT THE GREAT BASIN IS ESSENTIALLY THE SAME AS ON PREVIOUS MODEL RUNS HOWEVER MODELS HAVE MADE ADJUSTMENTS IN THE PROPOSED TRACK OF THE LOW CENTER. LOW PRESSURE WILL MOVE IN OFF THE PACIFIC...TRAVERSE OREGON...AND WILL PARALLEL THE SIERRA-NEVADA RANGE WHILE CENTRAL LOW PRESSURE STAYS EAST THE SIERRA-NEVADA RANGE. THIS WILL FAVOR THE EASTERN HALF OF THE STATE FOR RECEIVING A GOOD MOIST FLOW. NYE COUNTY SEEMS TO BE THE SOUTHERN-MOST EXTENT MODELED FOR THE LOW CENTER MONDAY AFTERNOON BEFORE IT BEGINS TO EJECT EAST- NORTHEAST...PROVIDING A GOOD WRAP-AROUND MOISTURE EFFECT FOR NORTHEAST NEVADA. SNOW LEVELS WILL BE FALLING TO THE VALLEY FLOORS WEST TO EAST MONDAY THUS SNOW SHOULD FALL IN THE VALLEYS MONDAY THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT. TRAVEL IMPACTS SHOULD BE MINIMAL DURING THE DAY MONDAY SINCE ROAD TEMPERATURES WILL BE ELEVATED. MONDAY EVENING MAY GET A LITTLE DICEY EAST OF THE RUBY MOUNTAINS AS TEMPERATURES FALL BUT THEN PRECIPITATION RATES SHOULD DECREASE AS THE LOW CENTER MOVES EAST OF THE STATE. THERE IS THE POSSIBILITY FOR SEVERAL INCHES OF WRAP-AROUND SNOWFALL IN THE COOLER AIR OVER NORTHERN ELKO COUNTY MONDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. AT THIS JUNCTURE...THE BIGGEST IMPACT IS EXPECTED ACROSS NORTHERN ELKO COUNTY...POSSIBLY RECEIVING SEVERAL INCHES OF VALLEY SNOW ACCUMULATION. THE JARBIDGE WILDERNESS AREA NEAR THE IDAHO BORDER WITH ELKO COUNTY COULD RECEIVE 8-10 INCHES OF SNOW. SHOWERS WILL TAPER OFF TUESDAY. TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY. LOW PRESSURE CIRCULATING OFF THE CANADIAN COAST WILL SPIN OFF A POTENT SHORTWAVE THAT WILL TRACK VERY SIMILAR TO THE PREVIOUS STORM...THEN GET RE-ENFORCED BY THE MAIN CANADIAN UPPER LOW CENTER MOVING DOWN INTO THE BASE OF THE MEAN TROUGH THAT WILL GET CARVED OUT OVER SOUTHERN NEVADA AND SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA THURSDAY. THE AIR MASS IS NOT CURRENTLY MODELED TO BE EXCEPTIONALLY COLD HOWEVER THERE IS POTENTIAL FOR SIGNIFICANT MOUNTAIN SNOWFALL ACROSS MUCH OF NORTHERN AND CENTRAL NEVADA. && .AVIATION...VFR WILL BE THE PREVAILING CONDITION AT KWMC KEKO KELY AND KTPH THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING. HOWEVER A COLD FRONT WILL BE APPROACHING AND MOVING THROUGH THE AREA TODAY AND TONIGHT. THUNDERSTORMS COULD AFFECT ALL FOUR SITES THIS AFTERNOON. GUSTY WINDS AHEAD OF AND ALONG THE FRONT MAY CAUSE BLOWING DUST AND REDUCED VISIBILITY AT ALL FOUR SITES. AS SHOWER ACTIVITY INCREASES TONIGHT AND EARLY SATURDAY...MVFR CIGS ARE POSSIBLE. && .LKN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WIND ADVISORY FROM 11 AM THIS MORNING TO 9 PM PDT THIS EVENING FOR NORTHEASTERN NYE COUNTY-NORTHWESTERN NYE COUNTY-SOUTH CENTRAL ELKO COUNTY-SOUTHEASTERN ELKO COUNTY-SOUTHERN LANDER COUNTY AND SOUTHERN EUREKA COUNTY-WHITE PINE COUNTY. && $$ 96/92/92
  [top] Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Reno NV 238 AM PDT FRI APR 22 2016 SYNOPSIS... A potent Pacific storm will move through the region today. Strong and gusty winds can be expected along with valley rain and mountain snow. A brief break is expected Saturday before a series of systems is expected next week. Showery conditions are expected Sunday afternoon and beyond along with cool temperatures. && .SHORT TERM... Moderate spring storm (by Sierra standards) with a strong cold front is currently moving on shore and will impact the Sierra and western Nevada today. No major changes were made to the forecast with all winter weather and wind advisories still on track today. Travel over Sierra passes today will very likely be impacted by winter driving conditions so plan accordingly. Current radar shows the leading edge of the strong cold front currently moving into northern California. Instability ahead of the front is currently creating some convective showers along the Sierra crest around Donner Summit with off and on light showers remaining possible until the cold front arrives. Precipitation may start out as rain but is expected to change over to snow relatively quickly above 7000 feet. HRRR model solutions show the leading edge of the main cold front and heavy precipitation will impact the Sierra around 10-11 am today with passes in the northern Sierra (Yuba and Fredonyer) receiving heavy precipitation as early as 7-8 am. For more details on snow amounts and timing see the winter weather advisories. Precipitation is expected to quickly spill into the lee of the Sierra due to very unstable environment along the cold front and strong upper level jet support. This will lead to periods of brief moderate precipitation in western Nevada valleys. The convective nature of this system will lead to wide disparities in rain and snow amounts from one place to another depending on where convective bands set up. There will also be the chance for a few isolated thunderstorms today as the front quickly moves into western Nevada. Winds are expected to be quite strong today in western Nevada as surface gradients tighten and instability will allow strong 700 mb winds to mix to the surface. Widespread winds of 25-35 mph should be expected with peaks gusts of 50 mph and up to 60 mph in wind prone areas. This could create some localized areas of blowing dust which even if brief can cause hazardous driving conditions. This system is quite progressive with the cold front expected to move into Utah by late Friday night. A few showers may linger along the Sierra crest but the precipitation should be over by Saturday morning. Brief shortwave ridging on Saturday will be replaced by another trough digging into the area on Sunday. This could bring another round of cold air and precipitation on Sunday into Monday. Zach .LONG TERM...Monday through Thursday... Unsettled weather pattern is expected to continue through next week as late season storm systems line up to move into the West Coast. There is good agreement in the models that cold low pressure will remain over the Great Basin on Monday with additional showers and convective precipitation bands due to unstable conditions. There is a possibility that we could see snow levels dropping to near 4500 feet on Monday morning as the coldest air is expected to move over the Sierra and western NV. Forecast confidence on seeing snow to the valley floors is low, although there is a chance we could see light slushy accumulations in the valleys and foothills of western NV. Models have trended further east into central and northeastern NV with the heaviest bands, but we will need to keep a close eye on how this evolves over the next couple days as it has potential to affect the Monday morning commute. High temperatures on Monday will struggle to get out of the 40s in western NV and 30s in the Sierra due to the low pressure overhead and abundant cloud cover/showers. Low pressure will move out of the area Tuesday with warming temperatures and clearing skies. By Wednesday, another low pressure system is expected to move into northern CA/NV bringing additional chances for showers and increasing clouds. There is much uncertainty for the Wednesday- Thursday timeframe regarding precipitation amounts, although this system doesn`t look to be quite as cold as the the Monday system. Hoon && .AVIATION... Multiple weather-related impacts to aviation are expected through tonight as potent low pressure moves across the region. Winds will be the primary impact today with wind shear potential, mainly at KRNO-KCXP-KMMH as winds above the surface increase. Widespread turbulent conditions are likely through today with peak gusts up to 45 kt in the lower elevations and Sierra ridge gusts near 80 kt. Rain and snow will reach the northern Sierra early this morning, then spread into western Nevada by this afternoon. Snow levels should fall to 6000-7000 feet by this afternoon, which may bring IFR conditions to KTRK, KTVL and KMMH. Snow accumulations on paved surfaces are unlikely during the day, but some light accumulations up to 2 inches are possible with the back edge of the snow moving through this evening. For the western Nevada terminals including KRNO and KCXP, precipitation will be all rain with reduced ceilings for MVFR conditions this afternoon-evening. MJD/Hoon && .REV Watches/Warnings/Advisories... NV...Lake Wind Advisory until 8 AM PDT this morning for Lake Tahoe in NVZ002. Winter Weather Advisory from 8 AM this morning to 11 PM PDT this evening NVZ002. Wind Advisory from 11 AM this morning to 8 PM PDT this evening NVZ001-004. Wind Advisory until 5 PM PDT this afternoon NVZ003. CA...Winter Weather Advisory from 5 AM early this morning to 5 PM PDT this afternoon above 5500 feet in CAZ071. Wind Advisory from 5 AM early this morning to 8 PM PDT this evening CAZ073. Lake Wind Advisory until 8 AM PDT this morning for Lake Tahoe in CAZ072. Winter Weather Advisory from 8 AM this morning to 11 PM PDT this evening CAZ072. && $$ For more information from the National Weather Service visit... http://weather.gov/reno
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...CORRECTED
NWS ALBUQUERQUE NM
333 AM MDT FRI APR 22 2016 CORRECTED SECOND PARAGRAPH OF DISCUSSION SECTION .SYNOPSIS... MODEST MOISTURE CONTINUES TO WORK ITS WAY INTO CENTRAL NEW MEXICO FROM THE SOUTHEAST AS A COUPLE OF LOW PRESSURE SYSTEMS CROSS THE WEST COAST. THESE SYSTEMS WILL SKIRT AROUND NEW MEXICO TO THE NORTH AND SOUTH...BUT THE MOISTURE IN PLACE WILL HELP SPARK SCATTERED TO ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS MAINLY OVER CENTRAL AREAS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...THEN ALONG AND TO A LESSER EXTENT EAST OF THE CENTRAL MOUNTAIN CHAIN ON SATURDAY. THE JET STREAM WILL MOVE OVER THE COLORADO AND NEW MEXICO BORDER ON SATURDAY WITH SURFACE WIND GUSTS PROBABLY REACHING 50 MPH OVER A GOOD PORTION OF NORTHERN NEW MEXICO IN THE AFTERNOON. FIRE WEATHER CONCERNS WILL RAMP UP WEST OF THE CENTRAL MOUNTAIN CHAIN SATURDAY...THEN CONTINUE TO PLAGUE PORTIONS OF NORTHERN AND CENTRAL NEW MEXICO THROUGH TUESDAY AS DRIER AIR MOVES IN FROM THE WEST AND BREEZY TO WINDY CONDITIONS RETURN DAILY. && .DISCUSSION... SOME STORMS WILL PRODUCE LITTLE OR NO RAIN WEST OF THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE TODAY...THEN AT LOWER ELEVATIONS BETWEEN THE CENTRAL MOUNTAIN CHAIN AND CONTINENTAL DIVIDE ON SATURDAY. MEANWHILE...THERE IS A MARGINAL RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING IN UNION COUNTY/FAR NE NM. A PACIFIC COLD FRONT WILL CROSS FROM THE WEST SATURDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT USHERING COOLER TEMPERATURES AND DRY AIR FOR SUNDAY. READINGS WILL VARY AROUND NORMAL MOST PLACES...EXCEPT ON THE FAR EASTERN PLAINS WHERE READINGS 4 TO 10 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL SHOULD PERSIST. BREEZY TO WINDY CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO RETURN IN THE VICINITY OF THE I-40 CORRIDOR OF EASTERN NM SUNDAY AFTERNOON WITH WESTERLY DOWNSLOPE FLOW. ANOTHER UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL DIG INTO THE GREAT BASIN ON MONDAY...THEN PASS NORTH OF NEW MEXICO ON TUESDAY STEERING THE JET STREAM SQUARELY OVER THE FORECAST AREA. THIS WILL KEEP BREEZY TO WINDY CONDITIONS IN THE FORECAST ACROSS WESTERN AREAS MONDAY AND AREAWIDE TUESDAY. IT WILL CAUSE FIRE WEATHER CONCERNS TO PERSIST. SHORT WAVE RIDGING WILL CAUSE WINDS TO SETTLE DOWN WEDNESDAY...BUT SW FLOW LOOKS TO STRENGTHEN AGAIN DURING THE LATTER HALF OF THE WEEK AS YET ANOTHER UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM DIGS INTO THE GREAT BASIN AND APPROACHES NM FROM THE W OR NW. 44 && .FIRE WEATHER... CRITICAL CONDITIONS WILL BE AT LEAST SPOTTY SATURDAY THROUGH MONDAY WITH MORE WIDESPREAD CRITICAL CONDITIONS POSSIBLE NEXT TUESDAY. VENT RATES WILL BE GOOD TO EXCELLENT TODAY THROUGH NEXT WEDNESDAY. THE LATEST MODELS QUITE CONSISTENT WITH PREVIOUS VERSIONS IN THE SHORTER TERM. THE UPPER RIDGE WILL BE MOVING OVER NEW MEXICO TODAY AND THEN TO THE EAST OF THE STATE SATURDAY AS AN UPPER LOW TRACKS INTO THE GREAT BASIN AND THROUGH THE CENTRAL ROCKIES. WINDS ALOFT WILL TRANSITION TO SOUTHWEST LATER TODAY AND TONIGHT...AND WILL STRENGTHEN WITH TIME. LOW LEVEL MOISTURE APPEARS TO BE MIGRATING INTO SOUTH CENTRAL NM AT THIS TIME...AND A SUSTAINED SOUTHEAST TO SOUTH FLOW REMAINS FORECAST...WHICH WOULD BRING HIGHER DEW POINTS UP THE RGV AND TOWARDS THE CONTDVD...AS THE GFS HAS BEEN INDICATING FOR SEVERAL DAYS. RUC AND HRRR NOW JUMPING ONBOARD BREAKING OUT CONVECTION ALONG THE CONTDVD AND CENTRAL MT CHAIN BY MIDAFTERNOON. WITH THE POOR RH RECOVERIES ALONG/WEST OF THE CONTDVD AT THIS TIME...CAN/T HELP BUT THINK THERE MAY BE SOME HIGH BASED VIRGA SHOWERS/ISOLD DRY LIGHTNING OVER THIS AREA LATER TODAY...GIVEN THE INSTABILITY FORECAST BY THE NAM12. CONVECTION THIS EVENING MAY RESULT IN SOME WETTING PRECIPITATION BETWEEN THE CONTDVD AND EAST SLOPES OF THE CENTRAL MT CHAIN. SATURDAY STILL LOOKS TO SEE WIND GUSTS TO AROUND 45 OR 50 MPH AS THE WESTERLY WINDS SHOVE THE LOW LEVEL MOISTURE FROM WEST TO EAST OVER THE STATE. MIN RH VALUES FALL BELOW 15 PERCENT FOR PORTIONS OF THE MIDDLE RGV AND WEST. DECIDED TO GO AHEAD WITH A FIRE WEATHER WATCH FOR AREAS BELOW SNOWPACK FOR THE NORTHWEST/WEST CENTRAL AND MIDDLE RGV ALTHOUGH MAINLY FOR BERNALILLO AND VALENCIA COUNTIES IF THE GRIDS ARE CLOSE. NOT SURE OF THE STATE OF GREENUP AT THIS TIME...BUT RECENT COOLER WEATHER MAY HAVE RETARDED IT. HIGHS WILL BE ABOVE AVERAGE...BUT NOT OVERLY SO...IN THE RANGE OF 5 TO 10 DEGREES. CONVECTION WILL BE FOCUSED OVER THE CENTRAL AND EAST SATURDAY/SATURDAY NIGHT BUT SUNDAY LOOKS TO BE DRY. THERE MAY BE A FEW SHOWERS OR STORMS ON THE DRIER SIDE FROM THE CENTRAL MT CHAIN WWD AS THE MOISTURE BECOMES MORE SHALLOW ON SATURDAY. RIDGETOP WINDS MAY PERSIST SATURDAY NIGHT BEFORE RELENTING SOMEWHAT SUNDAY UNDER ZONAL FLOW...BUT NOT ENOUGH TO ELIMINATE THE POTENTIAL FOR CRITICAL CONDITIONS IN THE EAST CENTRAL SUNDAY AFTERNOON. RH RECOVERIES SATURDAY AND SUNDAY NIGHT WILL BE FAIR TO POOR FOR MANY LOCALES. MONDAY THROUGH TUESDAY WILL SEE INCREASING WINDS AS ANOTHER SYSTEM SWINGS THROUGH THE CENTRAL ROCKIES. POOR RH RECOVERIES LOOK TO BE WIDESPREAD MONDAY NIGHT. HIGHS WILL FALL TO AROUND 5 TO 10 DEGREES BELOW AVERAGE WEST AND CENTRAL AND TO NEAR AVERAGE EAST BY TUESDAY... TO HELP MODERATE THE COMBO OF WIND AND SUB 15 PERCENT RH FROM THE MIDDLE RGV TO THE EAST CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST PLAINS TUESDAY AFTERNOON... WHERE CRITICAL CONDITIONS LOOK TO BE WIDESPREAD. ANY WETTING PRECIPITATION WILL BE CONFINED TO THE HIGHER TERRAIN OF THE NORTHWEST AND NORTH CENTRAL MONDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. GUSTY WEST WINDS MAY CONTINUE TUESDAY NIGHT BEFORE SLACKING OFF. ANOTHER SYSTEM LINED UP FOR THE END OF NEXT WEEK BUT GFS IS DRIER AND WINDIER...THE ECMWF IS WETTER. && .AVIATION... 06Z TAF CYCLE UPPER RIDGE ENTERING NM AT PRODUCT GENERATION TIME WILL MOVE OVER THE STATE OVERNIGHT WITH FLOW ALOFT BECOMING SOUTHWEST LATER FRI. BACK DOOR FRONT HAS BREACHED THE GAPS OF CENTRAL MT CHAIN AND WILL CONTINUE TO GENERATE SPOTTY MODERATE E TO SE WINDS UNTIL NEAR OR A LITTLE BEFORE DAWN. THIS UPSLOPE FLOW MAY STILL LEAD TO A FEW PATCHES OF MVFR CIGS FROM THE EAST SLOPES CENTRAL MT CHAIN PERHAPS INTO THE ERN PLAINS AFT 08Z...BUT FOR THE MOST PART CONFIDENCE TOO LOW TO PLACE THIS DEGREE OF IMPACT IN ANY OF THE TAFS. OVER AND A LITTLE WAYS EAST OF THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE AFTER ABOUT 19Z ISOLATED TO SCT HIGH BASED AND GUSTY SHRA AND TSRA ARE LIKELY TO DEVELOP AND SOME MAY MAKE AS FAR EAST AS THE CENTRAL MT CHAIN...INCLUDING ABQ...SAF AND LVS AFTER ROUGHLY 22Z. WHILE MOST CIGS SHOULD REMAIN VFR...BRIEF AND VERY LOCALIZED MVFR CONDITIONS...ALONG WITH MT OBSCURATIONS...COULD DEVELOP WITH STRONGER TSRA. 43 && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... FARMINGTON...................... 79 48 75 36 / 5 5 5 5 DULCE........................... 72 38 70 28 / 30 20 30 10 CUBA............................ 71 41 71 32 / 40 40 20 5 GALLUP.......................... 78 43 73 31 / 5 10 0 0 EL MORRO........................ 72 38 68 30 / 30 20 0 0 GRANTS.......................... 76 39 74 32 / 30 20 5 5 QUEMADO......................... 75 42 72 37 / 20 10 0 0 GLENWOOD........................ 81 43 78 40 / 20 10 0 0 CHAMA........................... 66 37 64 27 / 30 30 40 10 LOS ALAMOS...................... 69 48 71 40 / 20 50 30 10 PECOS........................... 72 44 73 38 / 30 50 30 10 CERRO/QUESTA.................... 70 42 70 33 / 20 20 30 20 RED RIVER....................... 56 37 54 31 / 20 20 30 20 ANGEL FIRE...................... 64 33 64 28 / 20 40 30 20 TAOS............................ 70 41 70 32 / 20 40 30 10 MORA............................ 69 44 69 37 / 30 50 30 20 ESPANOLA........................ 76 50 76 39 / 20 50 20 10 SANTA FE........................ 71 47 71 40 / 20 50 30 10 SANTA FE AIRPORT................ 74 47 74 39 / 20 50 20 10 ALBUQUERQUE FOOTHILLS........... 77 55 78 46 / 10 50 20 5 ALBUQUERQUE HEIGHTS............. 79 52 81 46 / 10 50 10 5 ALBUQUERQUE VALLEY.............. 81 52 83 45 / 10 50 10 5 ALBUQUERQUE WEST MESA........... 80 52 82 45 / 10 50 10 5 LOS LUNAS....................... 80 51 82 45 / 10 50 10 5 RIO RANCHO...................... 79 53 80 45 / 10 50 10 5 SOCORRO......................... 80 52 84 47 / 10 30 10 5 SANDIA PARK/CEDAR CREST......... 72 49 73 42 / 20 50 20 5 TIJERAS......................... 76 50 76 43 / 20 50 20 5 MORIARTY/ESTANCIA............... 76 44 76 38 / 10 50 20 5 CLINES CORNERS.................. 73 44 73 39 / 20 40 30 10 GRAN QUIVIRA.................... 73 49 73 45 / 20 30 20 5 CARRIZOZO....................... 77 50 77 48 / 10 20 20 10 RUIDOSO......................... 71 46 71 45 / 30 20 30 10 CAPULIN......................... 70 48 72 40 / 20 20 20 20 RATON........................... 74 43 76 38 / 20 20 20 20 SPRINGER........................ 76 46 77 40 / 30 30 20 20 LAS VEGAS....................... 73 44 74 38 / 20 40 30 20 CLAYTON......................... 77 50 82 47 / 10 10 20 20 ROY............................. 73 48 77 43 / 20 30 20 20 CONCHAS......................... 81 54 85 51 / 10 20 20 20 SANTA ROSA...................... 80 51 83 50 / 10 20 20 20 TUCUMCARI....................... 82 52 87 51 / 5 10 20 10 CLOVIS.......................... 79 51 83 52 / 5 5 20 10 PORTALES........................ 79 52 83 54 / 5 5 20 10 FORT SUMNER..................... 79 52 84 51 / 5 10 20 10 ROSWELL......................... 83 53 87 52 / 10 10 20 10 PICACHO......................... 79 50 82 51 / 20 20 20 10 ELK............................. 74 48 75 48 / 20 30 20 10 && .ABQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... FIRE WEATHER WATCH FROM SATURDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH SATURDAY EVENING FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES... NMZ101-105-106. && $$ 44
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS ALBUQUERQUE NM
330 AM MDT FRI APR 22 2016 .SYNOPSIS... MODEST MOISTURE CONTINUES TO WORK ITS WAY INTO CENTRAL NEW MEXICO FROM THE SOUTHEAST AS A COUPLE OF LOW PRESSURE SYSTEMS CROSS THE WEST COAST. THESE SYSTEMS WILL SKIRT AROUND NEW MEXICO TO THE NORTH AND SOUTH...BUT THE MOISTURE IN PLACE WILL HELP SPARK SCATTERED TO ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS MAINLY OVER CENTRAL AREAS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...THEN ALONG AND TO A LESSER EXTENT EAST OF THE CENTRAL MOUNTAIN CHAIN ON SATURDAY. THE JET STREAM WILL MOVE OVER THE COLORADO AND NEW MEXICO BORDER ON SATURDAY WITH SURFACE WIND GUSTS PROBABLY REACHING 50 MPH OVER A GOOD PORTION OF NORTHERN NEW MEXICO IN THE AFTERNOON. FIRE WEATHER CONCERNS WILL RAMP UP WEST OF THE CENTRAL MOUNTAIN CHAIN SATURDAY...THEN CONTINUE TO PLAGUE PORTIONS OF NORTHERN AND CENTRAL NEW MEXICO THROUGH TUESDAY AS DRIER AIR MOVES IN FROM THE WEST AND BREEZY TO WINDY CONDITIONS RETURN DAILY. && .DISCUSSION... SOME STORMS WILL PRODUCE LITTLE OR NO RAIN WEST OF THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE TODAY...THEN AT LOWER ELEVATIONS BETWEEN THE CENTRAL MOUNTAIN CHAIN AND CONTINENTAL DIVIDE ON SATURDAY. MEANWHILE...THERE IS A MARGINAL RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORM SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING IN UNION COUNTY/FAR NE NM. A PACIFIC COLD FRONT WILL CROSS FROM THE WEST SATURDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT USHERING COOLER TEMPERATURES AND DRY AIR FOR SUNDAY. READINGS WILL VARY AROUND NORMAL MOST PLACES...EXCEPT ON THE FAR EASTERN PLAINS WHERE READINGS 4 TO 10 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL SHOULD PERSIST. BREEZY TO WINDY CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO RETURN IN THE VICINITY OF THE I-40 CORRIDOR OF EASTERN NM SATURDAY AFTERNOON WITH WESTERLY DOWNSLOPE FLOW. ANOTHER UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL DIG INTO THE GREAT BASIN ON MONDAY...THEN PASS NORTH OF NEW MEXICO ON TUESDAY STEERING THE JET STREAM SQUARELY OVER THE FORECAST AREA. THIS WILL KEEP BREEZY TO WINDY CONDITIONS IN THE FORECAST ACROSS WESTERN AREAS MONDAY AND AREAWIDE TUESDAY. IT WILL CAUSE FIRE WEATHER CONCERNS TO PERSIST. SHORT WAVE RIDGING WILL CAUSE WINDS TO SETTLE DOWN WEDNESDAY...BUT SW FLOW LOOKS TO STRENGTHEN AGAIN DURING THE LATTER HALF OF THE WEEK AS YET ANOTHER UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM DIGS INTO THE GREAT BASIN AND APPROACHES NM FROM THE W OR NW. 44 && .FIRE WEATHER... CRITICAL CONDITIONS WILL BE AT LEAST SPOTTY SATURDAY THROUGH MONDAY WITH MORE WIDESPREAD CRITICAL CONDITIONS POSSIBLE NEXT TUESDAY. VENT RATES WILL BE GOOD TO EXCELLENT TODAY THROUGH NEXT WEDNESDAY. THE LATEST MODELS QUITE CONSISTENT WITH PREVIOUS VERSIONS IN THE SHORTER TERM. THE UPPER RIDGE WILL BE MOVING OVER NEW MEXICO TODAY AND THEN TO THE EAST OF THE STATE SATURDAY AS AN UPPER LOW TRACKS INTO THE GREAT BASIN AND THROUGH THE CENTRAL ROCKIES. WINDS ALOFT WILL TRANSITION TO SOUTHWEST LATER TODAY AND TONIGHT...AND WILL STRENGTHEN WITH TIME. LOW LEVEL MOISTURE APPEARS TO BE MIGRATING INTO SOUTH CENTRAL NM AT THIS TIME...AND A SUSTAINED SOUTHEAST TO SOUTH FLOW REMAINS FORECAST...WHICH WOULD BRING HIGHER DEW POINTS UP THE RGV AND TOWARDS THE CONTDVD...AS THE GFS HAS BEEN INDICATING FOR SEVERAL DAYS. RUC AND HRRR NOW JUMPING ONBOARD BREAKING OUT CONVECTION ALONG THE CONTDVD AND CENTRAL MT CHAIN BY MIDAFTERNOON. WITH THE POOR RH RECOVERIES ALONG/WEST OF THE CONTDVD AT THIS TIME...CAN/T HELP BUT THINK THERE MAY BE SOME HIGH BASED VIRGA SHOWERS/ISOLD DRY LIGHTNING OVER THIS AREA LATER TODAY...GIVEN THE INSTABILITY FORECAST BY THE NAM12. CONVECTION THIS EVENING MAY RESULT IN SOME WETTING PRECIPITATION BETWEEN THE CONTDVD AND EAST SLOPES OF THE CENTRAL MT CHAIN. SATURDAY STILL LOOKS TO SEE WIND GUSTS TO AROUND 45 OR 50 MPH AS THE WESTERLY WINDS SHOVE THE LOW LEVEL MOISTURE FROM WEST TO EAST OVER THE STATE. MIN RH VALUES FALL BELOW 15 PERCENT FOR PORTIONS OF THE MIDDLE RGV AND WEST. DECIDED TO GO AHEAD WITH A FIRE WEATHER WATCH FOR AREAS BELOW SNOWPACK FOR THE NORTHWEST/WEST CENTRAL AND MIDDLE RGV ALTHOUGH MAINLY FOR BERNALILLO AND VALENCIA COUNTIES IF THE GRIDS ARE CLOSE. NOT SURE OF THE STATE OF GREENUP AT THIS TIME...BUT RECENT COOLER WEATHER MAY HAVE RETARDED IT. HIGHS WILL BE ABOVE AVERAGE...BUT NOT OVERLY SO...IN THE RANGE OF 5 TO 10 DEGREES. CONVECTION WILL BE FOCUSED OVER THE CENTRAL AND EAST SATURDAY/SATURDAY NIGHT BUT SUNDAY LOOKS TO BE DRY. THERE MAY BE A FEW SHOWERS OR STORMS ON THE DRIER SIDE FROM THE CENTRAL MT CHAIN WWD AS THE MOISTURE BECOMES MORE SHALLOW ON SATURDAY. RIDGETOP WINDS MAY PERSIST SATURDAY NIGHT BEFORE RELENTING SOMEWHAT SUNDAY UNDER ZONAL FLOW...BUT NOT ENOUGH TO ELIMINATE THE POTENTIAL FOR CRITICAL CONDITIONS IN THE EAST CENTRAL SUNDAY AFTERNOON. RH RECOVERIES SATURDAY AND SUNDAY NIGHT WILL BE FAIR TO POOR FOR MANY LOCALES. MONDAY THROUGH TUESDAY WILL SEE INCREASING WINDS AS ANOTHER SYSTEM SWINGS THROUGH THE CENTRAL ROCKIES. POOR RH RECOVERIES LOOK TO BE WIDESPREAD MONDAY NIGHT. HIGHS WILL FALL TO AROUND 5 TO 10 DEGREES BELOW AVERAGE WEST AND CENTRAL AND TO NEAR AVERAGE EAST BY TUESDAY... TO HELP MODERATE THE COMBO OF WIND AND SUB 15 PERCENT RH FROM THE MIDDLE RGV TO THE EAST CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST PLAINS TUESDAY AFTERNOON... WHERE CRITICAL CONDITIONS LOOK TO BE WIDESPREAD. ANY WETTING PRECIPITATION WILL BE CONFINED TO THE HIGHER TERRAIN OF THE NORTHWEST AND NORTH CENTRAL MONDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. GUSTY WEST WINDS MAY CONTINUE TUESDAY NIGHT BEFORE SLACKING OFF. ANOTHER SYSTEM LINED UP FOR THE END OF NEXT WEEK BUT GFS IS DRIER AND WINDIER...THE ECMWF IS WETTER. && .AVIATION... 06Z TAF CYCLE UPPER RIDGE ENTERING NM AT PRODUCT GENERATION TIME WILL MOVE OVER THE STATE OVERNIGHT WITH FLOW ALOFT BECOMING SOUTHWEST LATER FRI. BACK DOOR FRONT HAS BREACHED THE GAPS OF CENTRAL MT CHAIN AND WILL CONTINUE TO GENERATE SPOTTY MODERATE E TO SE WINDS UNTIL NEAR OR A LITTLE BEFORE DAWN. THIS UPSLOPE FLOW MAY STILL LEAD TO A FEW PATCHES OF MVFR CIGS FROM THE EAST SLOPES CENTRAL MT CHAIN PERHAPS INTO THE ERN PLAINS AFT 08Z...BUT FOR THE MOST PART CONFIDENCE TOO LOW TO PLACE THIS DEGREE OF IMPACT IN ANY OF THE TAFS. OVER AND A LITTLE WAYS EAST OF THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE AFTER ABOUT 19Z ISOLATED TO SCT HIGH BASED AND GUSTY SHRA AND TSRA ARE LIKELY TO DEVELOP AND SOME MAY MAKE AS FAR EAST AS THE CENTRAL MT CHAIN...INCLUDING ABQ...SAF AND LVS AFTER ROUGHLY 22Z. WHILE MOST CIGS SHOULD REMAIN VFR...BRIEF AND VERY LOCALIZED MVFR CONDITIONS...ALONG WITH MT OBSCURATIONS...COULD DEVELOP WITH STRONGER TSRA. 43 && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... FARMINGTON...................... 79 48 75 36 / 5 5 5 5 DULCE........................... 72 38 70 28 / 30 20 30 10 CUBA............................ 71 41 71 32 / 40 40 20 5 GALLUP.......................... 78 43 73 31 / 5 10 0 0 EL MORRO........................ 72 38 68 30 / 30 20 0 0 GRANTS.......................... 76 39 74 32 / 30 20 5 5 QUEMADO......................... 75 42 72 37 / 20 10 0 0 GLENWOOD........................ 81 43 78 40 / 20 10 0 0 CHAMA........................... 66 37 64 27 / 30 30 40 10 LOS ALAMOS...................... 69 48 71 40 / 20 50 30 10 PECOS........................... 72 44 73 38 / 30 50 30 10 CERRO/QUESTA.................... 70 42 70 33 / 20 20 30 20 RED RIVER....................... 56 37 54 31 / 20 20 30 20 ANGEL FIRE...................... 64 33 64 28 / 20 40 30 20 TAOS............................ 70 41 70 32 / 20 40 30 10 MORA............................ 69 44 69 37 / 30 50 30 20 ESPANOLA........................ 76 50 76 39 / 20 50 20 10 SANTA FE........................ 71 47 71 40 / 20 50 30 10 SANTA FE AIRPORT................ 74 47 74 39 / 20 50 20 10 ALBUQUERQUE FOOTHILLS........... 77 55 78 46 / 10 50 20 5 ALBUQUERQUE HEIGHTS............. 79 52 81 46 / 10 50 10 5 ALBUQUERQUE VALLEY.............. 81 52 83 45 / 10 50 10 5 ALBUQUERQUE WEST MESA........... 80 52 82 45 / 10 50 10 5 LOS LUNAS....................... 80 51 82 45 / 10 50 10 5 RIO RANCHO...................... 79 53 80 45 / 10 50 10 5 SOCORRO......................... 80 52 84 47 / 10 30 10 5 SANDIA PARK/CEDAR CREST......... 72 49 73 42 / 20 50 20 5 TIJERAS......................... 76 50 76 43 / 20 50 20 5 MORIARTY/ESTANCIA............... 76 44 76 38 / 10 50 20 5 CLINES CORNERS.................. 73 44 73 39 / 20 40 30 10 GRAN QUIVIRA.................... 73 49 73 45 / 20 30 20 5 CARRIZOZO....................... 77 50 77 48 / 10 20 20 10 RUIDOSO......................... 71 46 71 45 / 30 20 30 10 CAPULIN......................... 70 48 72 40 / 20 20 20 20 RATON........................... 74 43 76 38 / 20 20 20 20 SPRINGER........................ 76 46 77 40 / 30 30 20 20 LAS VEGAS....................... 73 44 74 38 / 20 40 30 20 CLAYTON......................... 77 50 82 47 / 10 10 20 20 ROY............................. 73 48 77 43 / 20 30 20 20 CONCHAS......................... 81 54 85 51 / 10 20 20 20 SANTA ROSA...................... 80 51 83 50 / 10 20 20 20 TUCUMCARI....................... 82 52 87 51 / 5 10 20 10 CLOVIS.......................... 79 51 83 52 / 5 5 20 10 PORTALES........................ 79 52 83 54 / 5 5 20 10 FORT SUMNER..................... 79 52 84 51 / 5 10 20 10 ROSWELL......................... 83 53 87 52 / 10 10 20 10 PICACHO......................... 79 50 82 51 / 20 20 20 10 ELK............................. 74 48 75 48 / 20 30 20 10 && .ABQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... FIRE WEATHER WATCH FROM SATURDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH SATURDAY EVENING FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES... NMZ101-105-106. && $$ 44
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS PENDLETON OR
1030 PM PDT THU APR 21 2016 .UPDATE...A TROUGH CONTINUES TO APPROACH THE COAST THIS EVENING AS THE RIDGE THAT HAS BEEN OVER THE AREA MOVES EAST. A WAVE EMBEDDED IN THE SOUTHERLY FLOW OVER WASHINGTON AND OREGON HAS BEEN GENERATING SHOWERS AND A THUNDERSTORM OR TWO WEST OF THE CASCADES. MODELS SHOW THE DISTURBANCE MOVING INTO OUR AREA OVERNIGHT. THE NAM AND THE SHORT TERM HRRR AND RUC13 MODELS ALL SHOW SHOWERS DEVELOPING LATER TONIGHT OVER THE EASTERN MOUNTAINS AND PROPAGATING NORTH THROUGH THE COLUMBIA BASIN BEFORE EXITING AROUND SUNRISE. RADAR IS ALREADY SHOWING SOME ECHOES IN NORTHERN MALHEUR AND BAKER COUNTIES AND SEE CELLS DEVELOPING IN NORTHERN NEVADA SO HAVE ADDED ISOLATED RAIN SHOWERS FROM JOHN DAY EASTWARD IN THE MOUNTAINS AND FROM HANFORD EASTWARD IN THE COLUMBIA BASIN. HAVE KEPT THE ISOLATED SHOWERS ALONG THE CASCADES AND INTO CENTRAL OREGON NORTH TO YAKIMA AND ELLENSBURG. HAVE ALSO RAISED CLOUD COVER TO MOSTLY CLOUDY FOR THE REST OF THE NIGHT. MADE A FEW SMALL ADJUSTMENTS TO THE WIND AS WELL. REST OF THE FORECAST LOOKED GOOD. FORECAST UPDATES ALREADY OUT. PERRY .AVIATION...06Z TAFS. CEILINGS BKN 060-100 TONIGHT INTO FRIDAY. A FEW SHOWERS POSSIBLE EARLY TONIGHT FROM BDN/RDM TO DLS. OTHERWISE BEST CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE FRIDAY. WINDS 5-10KT TONIGHT INCREASING TO 10-20KT LATER FRIDAY. && .SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY...THE HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE AXIS IS SHIFTING EASTWARD AS A TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE IN THE GULF OF ALASKA SLIDES TOWARD THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST. THE TROUGH WILL FORM A CLOSED LOW OFF THE SOUTHWEST COAST OF OREGON BY FRIDAY AFTERNOON. THE ATMOSPHERE OVER EASTERN OREGON AND WASHINGTON WILL BEGIN TO DESTABILIZE FRIDAY AS THE LOW APPROACHES LEADING TO AN INCREASE IN SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA. THE LOW WILL THEN MOVE OVER THE REGION FRIDAY NIGHT AND EXIT EARLY SATURDAY WITH SHOWERS DECREASING OVERNIGHT. MODELS ARE HINTING THAT SOME MOISTURE WRAPPING BACK AROUND THE LOW COULD IMPACT FAR NORTHEAST OREGON AND SOUTHEAST WASHINGTON THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING SO HAVE BUMPED UP POPS FOR THIS. OTHERWISE SATURDAY WILL BE AN IN BETWEEN WEATHER SYSTEMS DAY BEFORE THE NEXT UPPER LEVEL LOW DROPS INTO THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST LATE SUNDAY. THIS WILL ONCE AGAIN INCREASE SHOWERS AND BRING A POSSIBILITY SOME THUNDERSTORMS TO PORTIONS OF THE FORECAST AREA. THERE WILL ALSO BE SOME INCREASING WESTERLY WINDS FRIDAY AND THROUGH THE WEEKEND USHERING IN SOME COOLER AIR. SNOW LEVELS WILL BE DROPPING TO 5000 TO 6000 FEET ON FRIDAY NIGHT AND THEN DOWN TO 4000 TO 5000 FEET ON SUNDAY. .LONG TERM...SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY...A LARGE UPPER LOW WILL BE MOVING SOUTHEAST ACROSS OREGON ON SUNDAY NIGHT. THIS WILL BRING A GOOD CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND HIGH MOUNTAIN SNOW SHOWERS TO THE AREA. ON MONDAY THE LOW WILL BE OVER THE GREAT BASIN BUT WRAP AROUND MOISTURE ESPECIALLY IN OREGON WILL BRING A CONTINUED CHANCE FOR SHOWERS AND MOUNTAIN SNOW SHOWERS ABOVE 4000-4500 FEET. WITH THE LOW OVER THE CENTRAL ROCKIES ON TUESDAY AND SLIGHT RIDGING OVER THE AREA EXPECT A DECREASE IN SHOWER ACTIVITY. BY WEDNESDAY ANOTHER UPPER LOW WILL EITHER MOVE OVER OR JUST SOUTH OF THE REGION WITH INCREASING CHANCES FOR SHOWERS. BY THURSDAY SHOWERS WILL BEGIN TO TAPER OFF. THERE MAY BE ENOUGH INSTABILITY FOR THUNDERSTORMS WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY BUT THE MARGINAL NATURE OF THE THREAT SEVERAL DAYS OUT PRECLUDES A MENTION IN THE FORECAST AT THIS TIME. IT WILL BE WINDY THROUGH THE COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE AND KITTITAS VALLEY SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY. TEMPERATURES WILL START OUT NEAR OR SLIGHTLY BELOW NORMAL AND THEN RISE TO SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL BY THE END OF THE FORECAST PERIOD. 78 && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... PDT 52 74 50 65 / 10 40 40 10 ALW 56 76 50 66 / 10 40 40 20 PSC 59 76 51 72 / 10 20 20 10 YKM 52 74 47 71 / 20 30 20 10 HRI 53 76 51 68 / 10 20 20 10 ELN 51 73 49 65 / 20 40 20 10 RDM 41 62 37 60 / 10 60 40 10 LGD 46 70 44 58 / 20 60 60 30 GCD 47 67 44 58 / 10 70 60 10 DLS 52 69 50 65 / 20 40 20 10 && .PDT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... OR...NONE. WA...NONE. && FOR ADDITIONAL WEATHER INFORMATION, CHECK OUR WEB SITE AT... WWW.WEATHER.GOV/PENDLETON $$ 83/94
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS SIOUX FALLS SD
412 AM CDT FRI APR 22 2016 .SHORT TERM...(TODAY AND TONIGHT) ISSUED AT 412 AM CDT FRI APR 22 2016 THE REAL CHALLENGE TODAY WILL BE THE EXPANDING STRATUS FIELD ACROSS PARTS OF NORTHWEST IOWA AND SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA. WHILE IT HAS THUS FAR REMAIN JUST EAST OF FSD AND SUX...STILL A DECENT CHANCE THAT IT COULD EXPAND FURTHER TO THE WEST...ESPECIALLY AROUND SUX. EXPECT THE STRATUS TO LINGER THROUGH MID TO LATE MORNING IN PARTS OF NORTHWEST IOWA AND SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA...BEFORE GIVING WAY TO A SUNNY DAY.STARTING TO GET A LITTLE WORRIED HOWEVER WITH A LOW LEVEL WIND FIELD TURNING TO THE NORTHEAST AND EAST THROUGH THE DAY THAT THIS STRATUS WILL BE DIFFICULT TO SHAKE. WINDS WILL BE LIGHT ACROSS THE AREA AND WITH PLENTY OF SUNSHINE HIGHS IN THE 60S WILL FEEL PRETTY NICE. BY TONIGHT THE RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE WILL MOVE EAST OF THE AREA ALLOWING A SOUTH TO SOUTHEAST WIND TO DEVELOP. LOWS WILL BE MILDEST IN CENTRAL SOUTH DAKOTA WHERE WINDS WILL INCREASE QUICKEST WHILE THE COOLER READINGS WILL BE IN THE LOW SPOTS ACROSS NORTHWEST IOWA WHERE WINDS WILL LIKELY REMAIN AT ABOUT 6 OR 7 MPH OR LESS THROUGH MOST OF THE NIGHT. EXPECT LOWS TO RANGE FROM THE LOWER 50S IN CENTRAL SOUTH DAKOTA TO THE MID 40S IN NORTHWEST IOWA. .LONG TERM...(SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY) ISSUED AT 412 AM CDT FRI APR 22 2016 SOUTHERLY FLOW INCREASES ON SATURDAY AS AN INTENSIFYING AREA OF LOW PRESSURE APPROACHES FROM THE WEST. WITH THE GULF OPENING UP...THERE IS SOME QUESTION AS TO HOW QUICKLY MOISTURE RETURNS ACROSS THE AREA.MODELS SUGGEST 20-30 KNOTS OF SOUTHERLY FLOW THROUGH A DEEP PORTION OF THE ATMOSPHERE...AND WITH A LITTLE EASTERLY COMPONENT SHOULD KEEP SPEEDS BELOW ADVISORY LEVEL. THE NAM IS THE MOST AGGRESSIVE WITH THE MOISTURE...AND ACTUALLY BECOMES UNSTABLE WITH SATURATION AROUND 800 MB BY SUNDAY MORNING. THE OPERATIONAL RUN OF THE NAM IS CLOSE TO 2000 J/KG OF CAPE...WHILE OTHER MEMBERS OF THE SREF ARE MUCH MORE STABLE. WITH THE OPERATIONAL RUN OF THE NAM BEING AN OUTLIER AND THE GFS REMAINING STABLE...IS A TOUGH CALL AND LEFT LOW POPS IN. BEST CHANCES FOR STORMS ON SUNDAY APPEAR TO BE IN THE EAST AHEAD OF THE TROUGH. AS THE TROUGH MOVES THROUGH...MUCH COOLER MORE STABLE AIR IS EXPECTED TO MOVE IN. MODEL SOUNDINGS SUGGEST STRATUS POTENTIAL...AND MAY SQUEEZE OUT SOME DRIZZLE. DROPPED MENTION OF POPS AT THIS POINT ACROSS THE SOUTH...AND MAY NEED TO DO THE SAME THING IN THE NORTH AS ATMOSPHERE APPEARS TO BE QUITE STABLE. FOR NOW...DROPPED POPS JUST TO A SLIGHT CHANCE. DROPPED MENTION OF POPS ON MONDAY NIGHT AS FORECAST AREA IS IN BETWEEN SYSTEMS. NEXT SYSTEM MOVES INTO THE CENTRAL PORTIONS OF THE PLAINS. TOUGH CALL ON HIGHS ON TUESDAY...AS WE WILL LIKELY BE SHROUDED IN CLOUDS WITH INCREASING EASTERLY FLOW. REAL QUESTION AS TO HOW FAR NORTH THE WARM FRONT WILL WORK THROUGHOUT THE DAY. FOR NOW...DECREASED HIGHS A FEW DEGREES ACROSS THE NORTH WHERE THE WARM FRONT IS UNLIKELY TO REACH. THEREAFTER...DIFFICULT FORECAST AS MODELS ARE UNSURE HOW MUCH COLD AIR WILL COME DOWN. JUST THE GFS AND ECMWF ARE OFF NEARLY 10C AT 925 HPA. FOR NOW...STUCK FAIRLY CLOSE TO CONSENSUS...WHICH IS NEARLY ISOTHERMAL IN THE EC WORLD. SURFACE RIDGE IS EXPECTED TO BUILD INTO THE REGION LATE WEEK... BUT APPEARS AS THOUGH CLOUDS WILL ACCOMPANY THE RIDGE...MAKING TEMPERATURES TRICKY. FOR NOW...STUCK CLOSE TO CONSENSUS BUT COULD BE STUBBORN TO WARM. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z FRIDAY NIGHT) ISSUED AT 1041 PM CDT THU APR 21 2016 06Z TAFS ARE LIKELY GOING TO REFLECT VFR CONDITIONS WITH A COUPLE OF CAVEATS. FIRST...STILL A LITTLE CONCERNED ABOUT PATCHY FOG DEVELOPMENT IN THE JAMES RIVER VALLEY LATE TONIGHT AND EARLY FRIDAY...RIGHT ALONG A SURFACE RIDGE AXIS WHICH WILL GIVE VERY LIGHT WINDS IN THAT AREA. THEREFORE HEDGED WITH SOME MVFR TYPE FOG FOR KHON...BUT AT THIS TIME DO NOT HAVE ENOUGH CONFIDENCE TO GO ANY WORSE THEN THAT SINCE THE FOG MAY NOT FORM AT ALL. SECOND... THERE ARE SOME INDICATIONS FROM THE LATEST NAM AND HRRR FIELDS THAT THERE WILL BE ABUNDANT HUMIDITY IN THE VERY LOW LEVELS JUST ABOVE THE SURFACE LATE TONIGHT THROUGH MID FRIDAY MORNING AT KSUX. THE GROUND IS QUITE WET IN THAT AREA...SO IT MAY BE AN ARTIFACT OF GROUND MOISTURE. BUT FOR A HEADS UP...DECIDED TO INCLUDE A SCATTERED DECK AT 800 FEET JUST IN CASE SOME LOWER STRATUS FORMS JUST BEFORE SUNRISE AND LINGERS INTO MID MORNING AT KSUX. OTHERWISE CURRENTLY...UPPER END IFR TO MVFR STRATUS IS MOVING SOUTHWARD ACROSS PARTS OF SOUTHWEST MN AND NORTHWEST IA. AT THIS TIME...THE TRAJECTORY OF THESE CLOUDS SUGGEST THAT THEY WILL STAY TOO FAR EAST TO IMPACT KSUX OR KFSD...BUT ESPECIALLY AT KSUX...IT WILL BE CLOSE FOR A FEW HOURS. && .FSD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... SD...NONE. MN...NONE. IA...NONE. NE...NONE. && $$ SHORT TERM...08 LONG TERM...BT AVIATION...MJ
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NWS BROWNSVILLE TX
111 AM CDT FRI APR 22 2016 .DISCUSSION...UPDATED FOR LATEST AVIATION DISCUSSION BELOW. && .AVIATION...SOME LOCALIZED FOG NOW IN CAMERON COUNTY...ESPECIALLY AT HRL. LOOKS LIKE MVFR CEILINGS WILL DEVELOP AND PERSIST THROUGH MID TO LATE THIS MORNING. HIGH PRESSURE ASSOCIATED WITH A WEAK FRONT WILL PUSH INTO THE AREA TODAY WITH LIGHT WINDS BACKING TO EAST AND NORTHEAST. COULD SEE A FEW SHOWERS AROUND THE AREA THIS MORNING...BUT DRIER AIR WILL BE MOVING IN LATER IN THE DAY...WITH DIMINISHED RAIN CHANCES TONIGHT...FRIDAY NIGHT. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 337 PM CDT THU APR 21 2016/ SHORT TERM /TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT/...LATEST SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOWS AN OUTFLOW BOUNDARY EXTENDING FROM NORTH OF LAREDO TO NEAR KINGSVILLE THIS AFTERNOON. THE COMBINATION OF A SOUTHWARD MOVING BOUNDARY ACROSS SOUTH TEXAS...AN INLAND MOVING SEA BREEZE EXTENDING FROM BROWNSVILLE TO NEAR CORPUS CHRISTI AND DAYTIME HEATING WILL SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT OF ISOLATED TO SCATTERED CONVECTION FOR THE REST OF THE AFTERNOON INTO THIS EVENING. BROWNSVILLE RADAR CURRENTLY SHOWS ISOLATED ACTIVITY ACROSS KENEDY AND WILLACY COUNTIES. THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER /SPC/ HAS ALL OF DEEP SOUTH TEXAS UNDER A MARGINAL RISK OF SEVERE WEATHER THROUGH TONIGHT. THE MAIN THREATS FROM ANY OF THE STORMS THAT DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON INTO THIS EVENING WILL BE SMALL HAIL...GUSTY WINDS AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL. THE 21Z HRRR INDICATES CONVECTION WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP ACROSS THE COASTAL COUNTIES THROUGH LATE AFTERNOON WITH ADDITIONAL DEVELOPMENT ACROSS ZAPATA AND STARR THIS EVENING. THE 12Z NAM KEEPS MOST OF THE CONVECTION OVER THE GULF WATERS...THE 12Z GFS SHOWS A LITTLE CONVECTION OVER THE VALLEY...AND THE 12Z ECMWF SHOWS MORE ROBUST CONVECTION ACROSS THE AREA. BASED ON CURRENT TRENDS WILL GO ABOVE MET/MAV GUIDANCE FOR POPS THROUGH THE REST OF THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THE APPROACH AND PASSAGE OF A 500 MB DISTURBANCE ALONG WITH A WEAK COLD FRONT SAGGING SOUTH WILL GENERATE ISOLATED SCATTERED CONVECTION OVER PORTIONS OF DEEP SOUTH TEXAS TONIGHT. THE COLD FRONT STALLS OVER DEEP SOUTH TEXAS FRIDAY AND FRIDAY NIGHT. POOLING MOISTURE IN ADVANCE OF THIS SURFACE FEATURE WILL COMBINE WITH DAYTIME HEATING...AND ENHANCED SEA BREEZE EFFECT...AND ANOTHER WEAK 500 MB DISTURBANCE TO PRODUCE MAINLY SCATTERED CONVECTION ON FRIDAY. LOW TEMPERATURES TONIGHT WILL GENERALLY BE IN THE LOWER 70S. HIGH TEMPERATURES FRIDAY WILL RANGE FROM THE LOWER 80S NEAR THE COAST TO THE UPPER ACROSS THE UPPER VALLEY. LOW TEMPERATURES WILL BE SLIGHTLY COOLER FRIDAY NIGHT WITH TEMPERATURES FALLING INTO THE MID 60S TO AROUND 70. MARINE...NOW THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT...BUOY 42020 REPORTED NORTH WINDS AROUND 2 KNOTS GUSTING TO AROUND 4 KNOTS WITH SEAS SLIGHTLY UNDER 3.3 FEET WITH A PERIOD OF 7 SECONDS AT 15 CDT/19 UTC. A WEAK GRADIENT ALONG THE LOWER TEXAS COAST WILL MAINTAIN LIGHT TO MODERATE WINDS AND LOW TO MODERATE SEAS THROUGH THE PERIOD. NO SMALL CRAFT EXERCISE CAUTION OR SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY ANTICIPATED. && .BRO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... TX...NONE. GM...NONE. && $$ THIS PRODUCT IS ALSO AVAILABLE ON THE WEB AT: HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/RGV 54/66
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS BLACKSBURG VA
324 AM EDT FRI APR 22 2016 .SYNOPSIS... A SLOW MOVING COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH THE REGION FROM THE WEST TODAY BEFORE PASSING THROUGH THE AREA OVERNIGHT INTO EARLY SATURDAY. HIGH PRESSURE SHOULD BUILD IN BEHIND THIS SYSTEM LATER SATURDAY AND REMAIN OVER THE REGION THROUGH MONDAY. THE NEXT COLD FRONT WILL SLIDE SOUTH THROUGH THE AREA ON TUESDAY. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... AS OF 240 AM EDT FRIDAY... WEAKENING UPPER LOW AND ITS ASSOCIATED SURFACE COLD FRONT WILL FINALLY PUSH EAST TODAY REACHING THE BLUE RIDGE THIS EVENING BEFORE THE FRONT SLIDES TOWARD THE COAST TOWARD DAYBREAK SATURDAY. QUICK INCREASE IN DEEPER MOISTURE PER SPIKE IN PWATS TO JUST BELOW 1.5 INCHES SHOULD BRING A BIT MORE IN THE WAY OF MUCH NEEDED RAINFALL INTO THIS EVENING. HOWEVER JUST HOW THINGS UNFOLD AND THE DEGREE OF DEEPER CONVECTION REMAINS UNCERTAIN...ESPCLY GIVEN POTENTIAL FOR MULTIPLE BANDS AHEAD OF THE FRONT DESPITE LACK OF DEEP INSTABILITY PER LIMITED PROLONGED HEATING. LATEST MODELS DEPICT THIS WELL WITH AN INITIAL BAND OF SHOWERS REDEVELOPING OVER THE WEST THIS MORNING ALONG AN AXIS OF DIFFLUENCE AND DRIVEN BY WEAK SHORTWAVE ENERGY JUST AHEAD OF THE ACTUAL FRONT. HRRR HAS THIS AXIS OF RATHER LIGHT SHOWERS ALL THE WAY OUT TO THE BLUE RIDGE THIS MORNING WHICH LOOKS OVERDONE...ALTHOUGH OTHER SOLUTIONS VARY ON TIMING BUT TEND TO SUPPORT THIS SCENARIO. ONCE THIS BAND SPREADS EAST...GUIDANCE SHOWS SOME INCREASE IN INSTABILITY OUT EAST ALONG ITS LEADING EDGE...AND THEN OUT WEST AHEAD OF ANOTHER BAND OR TWO JUST AHEAD OF THE FRONT. HOWEVER FORECAST CAPES/BULK SHEAR NOT IMPRESSIVE ESPCLY WITH INSOLATION TEMPERED BY CLOUDS/SHRA UNLESS MODELS ARE OVERDONE AND MORE HEATING IS REALIZED. FOR NOW WILL TREND TOWARD WESTERN SHOWER COVERAGE EARLY...THEN HAVE MORE WIDESPREAD SHOWERS PER LIKELY OR BETTER POPS THIS AFTERNOON ALL SECTIONS...INCLUDING MORE THUNDER MENTION FAR WEST AND ESPCLY SOUTHEAST WHERE SHOULD GET A LITTLE MORE HEATING. OTRW KEEPING MAINLY ISOLATED THUNDER MENTION ELSEWHERE WHICH MAY BE GENEROUS. TRIMMED HIGH TEMPS BACK A CAT OR SO ESPCLY WEST WHERE COULD GET STUCK IN THE 60S WITH ONLY THE EAST PERHAPS 67-72 OR WARMER. CORRIDOR OF BETTER LIFT SHOULD SPILL EAST OF THE AREA AHEAD OF THE FRONT THIS EVENING WITH THE OPENING 5H LOW LIKELY KEEPING SOME SHOWERS AND ISOLATED TSRA GOING MAINLY NORTH/NW ESPCLY BEFORE MIDNIGHT. OTRW FLOW TURNING NW BEHIND THE BOUNDARY LOOKS TO CUT INTO LINGERING SHRA ELSEWHERE...SO STEADILY REDUCING POPS AFTER 00Z WITH ONLY 20/30 POPS REMAINING FOR THE MOST PART AFTER MIDNIGHT. TOTAL QPF LOOKS TO BE A BIT MORE PENDING COVERAGE WITHIN BANDS PERHAPS RESULTING IN .30 TO .75 WITH THE HIGHEST AMOUNTS OVER THE SOUTH AND WEST AT THIS POINT. COOL ADVECTION BEHIND THE FRONT RATHER WEAK OVERNIGHT AND WITH LINGERING CLOUDS EXPECT LOWS TO REMAIN MOSTLY IN THE UPPER 40S TO MID 50S. && .SHORT TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT/... AS OF 245 AM EDT FRIDAY... AN UPPER LOW WILL DROP SOUTHEAST ACROSS THE REGION ON SATURDAY WITH ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHOWERS. HIGH TEMPERATURES ON SATURDAY WILL RANGE FROM THE UPPER 50S IN THE MOUNTAINS TO THE MID 70S IN THE PIEDMONT. THE UPPER TROUGH WILL PUSH OUT INTO THE ATLANTIC OCEAN SATURDAY EVENING. THIS WILL ALLOW HIGH PRESSURE TO BUILD INTO OUR REGION SATURDAY NIGHT. LOW TEMPERATURES SATURDAY NIGHT WILL VARY FROM AROUND 40 IN THE NORTHWEST MOUNTAINS TO THE LOWER 50S IN THE PIEDMONT. A 1020 MB SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD ACROSS OUR AREA SUNDAY. HIGH TEMPERATURES WILL WARM INTO THE UPPER 60S IN THE WEST TO THE UPPER 70S IN THE EAST. UNDER MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES...SUNDAY NIGHT LOW TEMPERATURES WILL DROP INTO THE UPPER 40S TO LOWER 50S. HIGH PRESSURE WILL REMAINS JUST OF THE NORTH CAROLINA COAST MONDAY INTO MONDAY NIGHT. IT WILL BE A WARM START TO THE WORKWEEK WITH HIGHS MONDAY FROM THE MID 70S IN THE MOUNTAINS TO THE LOWER 80S IN THE PIEDMONT. LOW TEMPERATURES MONDAY NIGHT WILL BE MILD WITH READINGS GENERALLY IN THE MID 50S TO AROUND 60 DEGREES. && .LONG TERM /TUESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/... AS OF 245 AM EDT FRIDAY... GUIDANCE OFFERS SOLUTIONS OF A COLD FRONT APPROACHING AND CROSSING THE AREA TUESDAY INTO WEDNESDAY. HOWEVER...TIMING VARIES BETWEEN THE GFS AND ECMWF...ALONG WITH THE EXTENT PRECIPITATION WILL REACH AND PERSIST INTO THE FORECAST REGION. THE UNCERTAINTY OF THE ABOVE EVENT...TIES INTO THE EVEN GREATER UNCERTAINTY OF THE NEXT EVENT. THE COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED TO STALL EITHER OVER...OR SOUTH OF...THE REGION FOR A BRIEF PERIOD OF TIME. AN APPROACHING UPPER LOW/TROUGH WILL HELP SWING LOW LEVEL WINDS TO THE SOUTHWEST WEDNESDAY INTO THURSDAY AND LIFT THE STALLED FRONT BACK NORTH AS A WARM FRONT. AGAIN...WITH EACH SOLUTION OFFERING DIFFERENCES IN TIMING...PRECIPITATION AMOUNTS AND EXTENT OF THE PRECIPITATION. OUR LATEST FORECAST WILL REFLECT A CONSENSUS OF THESE AND OTHER SOLUTIONS BY WEIGHING HEAVILY ON THE SUPERBLEND SOLUTION. THIS SCENARIO OFFERS A SLIGHTLY SLOWER ARRIVAL TIME OF THE PRECIPITATION MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY...LITTLE CHANGE TO THE PRIOR WEDNESDAY FORECAST...AND SCATTERED SHOWERS ACROSS THE AREA ON THURSDAY. INSTABILITY LOOKS STRONG ENOUGH FOR AT LEAST ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS TUESDAY...WEDNESDAY...AND THURSDAY AFTERNOON. TEMPERATURES DURING THIS PORTION OF THE FORECAST WILL TREND MILDER THROUGH TUESDAY...AND THEN SLIGHTLY COOLER THROUGH THURSDAY. READINGS WILL BE AROUND TEN DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR. && .AVIATION /07Z FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/... AS OF 1245 AM EDT FRIDAY... FLYING CONDITIONS WILL REMAIN VFR A WHILE LONGER OVERNIGHT WITH CIGS LIKELY QUICKLY DECREASING TO MVFR OR WORSE FROM SW TO NE BY DAYBREAK AS DEEPER MOISTURE ALONG AN INITIAL FADING BAND OF SHOWERS WORKS EAST. HOWEVER GIVEN DRYNESS SEEN IN THE EARLIER EVENING SOUNDINGS...MAY TAKE LONGER TO MOISTEN UP THE COLUMN SO DELAYED THE ONSET OF THE SUB-VFR CONDITIONS UNTIL JUST BEFORE DAWN FAR WEST AND BLUE RIDGE INCLUDING POINTS EAST AROUND 12Z/8AM. COULD ALSO SEE PERIODS OF MVFR VSBYS IN SHOWERS PENDING REDEVELOPMENT OF THE CURRENT WEAKER BAND OF RAIN OVER THE MOUNTAINS. LATEST MODEL SUITE CONTINUES TO SUGGEST THAT THIS AREA OF SHOWERS WILL BECOME MORE WIDESPREAD LATE SO KEEPING LOWER VSBYS IN SHRA MOST SPOTS BY DAWN. LOTS OF UNCERTAINTY IN REGARDS TO CIGS AND SHOWER COVERAGE DURING FRIDAY WITH MODELS WANTING TO MARCH THE EARLY BAND OF SHOWERS EAST ACROSS KDAN/KLYH MAKING FOR LESS INSTABILITY OVER THE REGION AHEAD OF THE ACTUAL COLD FRONT LATER IN THE DAY. THIS WOULD TEND TO LIMIT DEEP CONVECTION TO PERHAPS THE FAR WEST WHERE MAY SEE MORE BREAKS SOONER WITH MORE EMBEDDED NATURE TSRA ELSEWHERE AT WORST. SINCE IFFY GIVEN WARMTH AND LIKELY OVERDONE NATURE WITH MODELS WITH THE INITIAL RAINFALL...PLAN TO KEEP IN AT LEAST A VCTS MENTION MOST SPOTS THIS AFTERNOON WITH PREVAILING MVFR TO OCNL IFR CIGS WITHIN LIGHTER SHOWER COVERAGE. IF EARLY RAINFALL IS LESS THEN COULD BREAK INTO A PERIOD OF VFR CIGS BEFORE ADDED CONVECTION FILLS IN LATER IN THE DAY. EXPECT THE MAJORITY OF THE SHRA/TSRA TO SHIFT EAST AHEAD OF THE FRONT THIS EVENING WITH RESIDUAL SHOWERS UNDER THE TRAILING UPPER LOW THAT WILL CROSS THE REGION OVERNIGHT. THIS FEATURE MAY KEEP SHOWERS GOING ESPCLY KBLF/KLWB WITH DOWNSLOPE DRYING AND LOSS OF HEATING LIMITING ADDED COVERAGE TO THE EAST WHERE WILL LEAVE OUT ADDED SHRA MENTION AFTER EARLY THIS EVENING. OTRW OVERALL MVFR CIGS WITH PATCHY MVFR VSBYS IN FOG IN THE WAKE OF THE EARLIER RAINFALL. EXTENDED AVIATION DISCUSSION... SOME LINGERING WRAP AROUND MOISTURE ON THE BACK OF THE DEPARTING UPPER LOW COULD KEEP ADDED SPOTTY SHOWERS AND MVFR CIGS GOING INTO SATURDAY ESPCLY MOUNTAINS BEFORE IMPROVING LATER IN THE DAY. WEAK HIGH PRESSURE FOLLOWS SATURDAY NIGHT INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. HOWEVER SOME LOWER CIGS MIGHT REDEVELOP ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS BY SUNDAY AS LIGHT EASTERLY FLOW SETS UP UNDER ANOTHER WEAK WEDGE WHICH SHOULD FADE BY EARLY NEXT WEEK. THE NEXT WEAK BACKDOOR COLD FRONT MAY BRING A BAND OF SHOWERS ALONG WITH MOUNTAIN SUB-VFR ON TUESDAY. && .RNK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... VA...NONE. NC...NONE. WV...NONE. && $$ SYNOPSIS...JH NEAR TERM...JH SHORT TERM...KK LONG TERM...DS/KK AVIATION...AMS/JH/MBS
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS LA CROSSE WI
1137 PM CDT THU APR 21 2016 .UPDATE...LATE THIS EVENING INTO FRIDAY ISSUED AT 1137 PM CDT THU APR 12 2016 SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS HAVE ENDED ACROSS THE AREA WITH A FEW SPRINKLES REMAINING. PLAN ON MAINLY DRY WEATHER THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT WITH BREEZY NORTHERLY WINDS IN THE WAKE OF A COLD FRONT. MOSTLY CLOUDY SKIES ARE EXPECTED THROUGH MID MORNING FRIDAY THEN WE SHOULD SEE A MOSTLY SUNNY AFTERNOON WITH HIGH PRESSURE IN CONTROL. .SHORT TERM...(THIS EVENING THROUGH FRIDAY) ISSUED AT 344 PM CDT THU APR 21 2016 AT 3 PM...SCATTERED SHOWERS WERE FOUND ACROSS CLARK COUNTY IN NORTH-CENTRAL WISCONSIN AND NORTHEAST IOWA. BOTH OF THESE WERE LOCATED ALONG A BAND OF 900 TO 800 MB FRONTOGENESIS. THERE WERE REPORTS OF A WALL CLOUD AND PEA SIZE HAIL IN DAVENPORT/S FORECAST AREA. THIS WAS OCCURRING IN AN AREA WHERE THE RAP WAS HIGHLIGHTING THE NON SUPERCELL TORNADO PARAMETER /NST/. THROUGH 21.23Z...THE RAP IS HIGHLIGHTING ANOTHER AREA OF NST ACROSS NORTHEAST IOWA AND SOUTHWEST WISCONSIN. THERE IS A STATIONARY BOUNDARY IN THIS AREA. HOWEVER THE RAP IS 5 TO 8F TOO HIGH WITH ITS SURFACE DEW POINTS...THEREFORE...ITS CAPES ARE TOO HIGH. THIS IS LIKELY ENHANCING THE NST VALUE TOO MUCH. FOR THIS EVENING...THE 21.12Z AND 21.18Z MODELS CONTINUE TO SHOW THAT BOTH OF THE 900 TO 800 MB FRONTOGENESIS BANDS WILL SLOWLY MOVE SOUTHEAST AND WEAKEN. AT THE SAME TIME...THE SURFACE BASED CAPES AND 900 TO 850 MB LAPSE RATES WILL BE WEAKENING. AS THIS OCCURS...THE SHOWERS WILL RAPIDLY DISSIPATE BETWEEN 22.03Z AND 22.06Z. ON FRIDAY MORNING...TEMPERATURES WILL DROP INTO THE MID-30S IN TAYLOR COUNTY. WHILE THE TEMPERATURES WILL BE COOL FOR THE POTENTIAL OF SCATTERED FROST...THERE WILL STILL BE A 2 TO 3F TEMPERATURE-DEW POINT DEPRESSIONS AND THE SURFACE WINDS WILL BE IN THE 5 TO 10 MPH RANGE. THIS SHOULD DETER THE DEVELOPMENT OF FROST IN THAT AREA. .LONG TERM...(FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY) ISSUED AT 344 PM CDT THU APR 21 2016 ON FRIDAY NIGHT THERE WILL BE MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES AND LIGHT WINDS. THIS WILL ALLOW THE LOW TEMPERATURES TO FALL INTO THE MID 30S IN CENTRAL WISCONSIN. THIS MAY RESULT IN SOME PATCHY FROST IN THIS AREA. WE WILL HAVE TO WATCH THIS AREA CLOSELY FOR A POTENTIAL FROST ADVISORY. FROM SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY...AN UPPER LEVEL LOW WILL MOVE SOUTHEAST THROUGH THE REGION. ON SUNDAY AFTERNOON...THE 0-4 KM CAPES WILL CLIMB UP TO 750 J/KG SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 90 CORRIDOR AND THE 0-6 KM SHEAR WILL CLIMB UP TO 45 KNOTS. THIS MAY RESULT IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF A FEW SUPERCELLS AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT IN NORTHEAST IOWA. WE WILL HAVE TO WATCH THIS PERIOD CLOSELY. FROM TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY...ANOTHER UPPER LEVEL LOW WILL MOVE SOUTHEAST THROUGH THE REGION. THERE CONTINUES TO BE DEEP SHEAR LOCATED SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 94. HOWEVER THE CAPES ARE ONLY UP TO 500 J/KG. THIS CAPE WILL BE A LIMITING FACTOR FOR ANY THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z FRIDAY NIGHT) ISSUED AT 1137 PM CDT THU APR 21 2016 A PERIOD OF MVFR CEILINGS IS EXPECTED TONIGHT IN STRATUS WITH CLOUD BASES OF 1500 TO 2500 FT. THE STRATUS WILL THEN SHIFT SOUTH OF THE TAF SITES BY MID TO LATE MORNING ON FRIDAY GIVING WAY TO VFR CONDITIONS AND MOSTLY SUNNY SKIES. LOOK FOR WINDS TO BECOME LIGHT AND VARIABLE LATE FRIDAY AFTERNOON INTO FRIDAY EVENING AS HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS INTO THE AREA. && .ARX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WI...NONE. MN...NONE. IA...NONE. && $$ SHORT TERM...BOYNE LONG TERM...BOYNE AVIATION...WETENKAMP UPDATE...WETENKAMP
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS TALLAHASSEE FL
909 AM EDT FRI APR 22 2016 .Near Term [Through Today]... The 7 am EDT regional surface analysis showed a cold front from northeast MS to the coastal waters of TX. Vapor imagery and upper air data showed a positive-tilted trough approaching from the west. There was an MCS propagating eastward across the FL Panhandle and Southeast AL, which the latest HRRR appears to have initialized fairly well. This system is expected to weaken a bit as it moves into a region with less favorable thermodynamics, but we are still forecasting high rain chances across most of our area this afternoon given the expected Q-G forcing and moisture ahead of the approaching trough. Forecast max MLCAPE values will be around 1000 J/kg, and 0-6 km bulk shear values will be in the 20-30 KT range. These levels are marginal for storm organization/strong updrafts, but we can`t rule out a marginally damaging wind gust. && .Prev Discussion [635 AM EDT]... .Short Term [Tonight Through Sunday]... The frontal boundary will be clearing the area tonight with showers and thunderstorms rapidly decreasing after sunset. Thereafter, dry conditions will prevail through the weekend with temperatures near to slightly above average, generally low to mid 80s for highs and upper 50s to lower 60s for lows. .Long Term [Sunday Night Through Friday]... A rather dry and warm pattern will dominate through next week with weak upper level ridging in place over the southeast. Expect to see highs in the lower to mid 80s with lows in the 60s throughout the period. .Aviation... [Through 12Z Saturday] MVFR vis and/or ceilings will continue at most TAF sites until shortly after daybreak. Otherwise, an area of showers and thunderstorms will spread from west to east impacting all terminals today. Convection will begin at ECP and DHN around 12z, TLH and ABY between 17z and 18z, and VLD around 19z. .Marine... Generally light winds will shift to the northwest tonight behind a cold frontal passage. Winds and seas are expected to remain on the low side through early next week. A sea breeze is possible near the coast on Saturday afternoon as well as Sunday afternoon. .Fire Weather... Aside from high dispersion values Saturday, there are no fire weather concerns at least for the next several days. .Hydrology... Steady or falling river levels are expected through this weekend. Rainfall amounts with today`s frontal system are expected to average generally less than 1 inch for most areas with no significant impacts on area rivers. && .Preliminary Point Temps/PoPs... Tallahassee 82 62 85 59 86 / 70 10 10 0 0 Panama City 79 65 77 63 78 / 100 10 10 0 0 Dothan 80 58 81 57 82 / 100 30 0 0 0 Albany 79 58 81 58 83 / 80 40 0 0 0 Valdosta 83 61 83 58 83 / 70 30 10 0 0 Cross City 81 63 82 57 85 / 40 10 10 0 0 Apalachicola 80 64 80 61 78 / 60 10 10 0 0 && .TAE WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... FL...NONE. GA...NONE. AL...NONE. GM...NONE. && $$ NEAR TERM...FOURNIER SHORT TERM...DVD LONG TERM...DVD AVIATION...BARRY MARINE...DVD FIRE WEATHER...BARRY HYDROLOGY...DVD
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
National Weather Service Topeka KS
615 AM CDT FRI APR 22 2016 ...AVIATION UPDATE... .SHORT TERM...(Today and Tonight) Issued at 300 AM CDT FRI APR 22 2016 07Z water vapor imagery showed an upper trough over IL moving to the east and an upper low off the OR coast. In between these two lows was an upper ridge along the Rockies. Surface obs showed a weak ridge of high pressure gradually building south through the central plains. The forecast continues to call for dry weather today and tonight due to no real forcing for precip within the upper ridge. Additionally there should be some modest dry air advection with the surface ridge through the day preventing any real chance for precip. There is an area of low clouds moving south through the MO river valley. RAP and NAM progs show these clouds should hold together long enough to move into northeast KS this morning. Otherwise there should be good insolation by the afternoon. Because of this and with forecast soundings mixing the boundary layer to near 800 MB, have adjusted highs for today up a little from the prev forecast expecting readings between 70 and 75. The surface ridge is progged to move off to the east tonight with winds freshening from the southeast. Although the gradient does not appear to be all that strong. Therefore think low lying areas may decouple with winds remaining fairly light through the night allowing lows to fall into the mid 40s. Elevated locations may see enough wind through the night for lows to be around 50. .LONG TERM...(Saturday through Thursday) Issued at 300 AM CDT FRI APR 22 2016 Only minor edits to the extended forecast with model guidance remaining fairly similar to the previous forecast package. Upper ridging in control with a developing sfc trough to the west Saturday afternoon will bring gusty south winds to the CWA. Speeds between 15 and 25 mph are likely with gusts peaking at 30 to 35 mph. Gulf moisture increases dewpoints to the 50s while highs warm back into the upper 70s and lower 80s. Chances for thunderstorms commence Saturday evening as a lee trough lifts eastward over the western plains. GFS and NAM runs at 00Z continue to advertise a slightly faster progression of the sfc low and weak upper impulse, developing scattered showers and thunderstorms over north central Kansas overnight. The ECMWF is slightly slower with these features with the optimal chances arriving Mon at 12Z. Have adjusted pops accordingly, increasing the probabilities Sunday afternoon and evening as the upper trough axis crosses southern NE, while the sfc low and dryline are depicted similarly over central Kansas 00Z Monday. Steepening lapse rates and warm moist conditions ahead of the system translate up to 2000 J/KG of sfc based CAPE with little CIN to prevent thunderstorm development. Main uncertainty will be mesoscale in nature such as cloud cover and morning precip which could hinder severity of convection overnight. However, with this setup any updraft that does form in the late afternoon will likely be severe with speed shear up to 6 km near 40 kts. 0-1 km shear enhances with the LLJ by 00Z as well increasing the threat for tornadoes with any isolated convection. Otherwise large hail and damaging winds are the most likely hazards as convection is likely to congeal into a line as tracks over the CWA Sunday evening. The passing frontal boundary is still hanging up over southeast Kansas on Monday with the GFS and ECMWF generating additional convection Monday evening near the boundary over far east central and southeast Kansas. Enough MUCAPE and effective shear in this area will support a few strong to severe storms. Long term models are still advertising a possible severe weather event for a portion of the central plains region Tuesday afternoon and evening as a strong negatively tilted trough lifts out of the Inter-mountain West. Main discrepancies lie with the exact position of the frontal boundary and timing of the approaching system as the boundary lifts northward as a warm front through the day. ECMWF is faster with the sfc low, lifting the warm front further north with convection, placing the boundary over northern KS and most of the CWA within the warm sector. The GFS however is still showing the warm front bisecting the CWA west to east by 00Z with severe convection focusing along and north of the boundary. er north with the dryline centered over central KS. Meanwhile the slower GFS has been persistent with the warm front bisecting the CWA from west to east by 00Z Monday. GFS has also been the stronger solution with over 2000 J/KG of sfc CAPE, minimal CIN and 0-6 KM bulk shear up to 50 kts. Lower lvl shear is stronger as well, enhancing the tornado threat. Will need to keep monitoring changes, but it does appear likely for a few severe storms in the area and have increased precip chances during this period. The remainder of the extended is more uncertain as the upper low slowly exits eastward and dry conditions return on Thursday. Next upper trough appears slower with this package so have backed off on pops for Thursday at this time. && .AVIATION...(For the 12Z TAFS through 12Z Saturday Morning) Issued at 615 AM CDT FRI APR 22 2016 The RAP and NAM eventually caught onto the MVFR stratus moving south from the mid MO river valley, and they hang onto the low clouds through much of the morning. Biggest uncertainty is whether CIGS remain at or above 1 KFT or dip below 1 KFT. Looking at OBS upstream, there is a chance for IFR CIGS for several hours this morning. Have the CIGS scattering out around noon based on the RAP. Once the clouds scatter out, VFR conditions should prevail for the rest of the period. && .TOP Watches/Warnings/Advisories... NONE. && $$ SHORT TERM...Wolters LONG TERM...Bowen AVIATION...Wolters
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS WAKEFIELD VA
1108 AM EDT FRI APR 22 2016 .SYNOPSIS... A COLD FRONT APPROACHES FROM THE WEST TODAY. THE COLD FRONT PUSHES ACROSS THE AREA AND OFF THE COAST TONIGHT INTO EARLY SATURDAY MORNING. AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE WILL DROP THROUGH THE REGION DURING SATURDAY. HIGH PRESSURE RETURNS FOR SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY. THE NEXT COLD FRONT DROPS ACROSS THE REGION TUESDAY NIGHT. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 PM THIS EVENING/... LATEST REGIONAL RADAR MOSAIC DEPICTS AN AREA OF SHOWERS LIFTING NEWD INTO THE ERN VA PIEDMONT LATE THIS MORNING. THIS WELL IN ADVANCE OF THE COLD FRONT...CURRENTLY LOCATED OVER THE OH VALLEY. AREA OF SHOWERS MATCHES UP WELL WITH ISENTROPIC LIFT IN THE 300K SFC. MODEST HEIGHT FALLS AND INCREASING WINDS ALOFT HAVE PROVIDED FORCING FOR ASCENT AS THE UPPER RIDGE AXIS HAS PUSHED OFFSHORE. H85 MOISTURE TRANSPORT HAS ADVECTED PWATS OF 1.0 TO 1.25 INCHES INTO THE REGION. FOLLOWING HI-RES GUIDANCE (WHICH HAS VERIFIED WELL SO FAR)...EXPECT PRECIP TO LIFT INTO CENTRAL VA AROUND NOON AND THEN POINTS EWD THRU THE AFTERNOON. RAP SBCAPE DEPICTS LIMITED INSTABILITY OVER THE REGION THIS MORNING...SO ONLY ANTICIPATED ISOLATED THUNDER THIS MORNING. BETTER FORCING ARRIVES THIS AFTERNOON AS PWATS INCREASE TO AROUND 1.2 TO 1.45 INCHES (+1 STD DEV). NAM/RAP/SREF MLCAPE REMAINS MARGINAL AT BEST...GENERALLY AOB 750 J/KG. LAPSE RATES ALSO REMAIN MODEST AS THE COLDEST AIR ALOFT REMAINS WEST OF THE REGION ASSOCIATED WITH THE UPPER LEVEL FRONT. EFF SHEAR ALSO AOB 30 KT. WITH THAT SAID...ONLY EXPECT EMBEDDED/UNORGANIZED THUNDERSTORMS. HI- RES GUIDANCE AND NAM12 300K KEEPS THE BEST LOW LEVEL FORCING OVER THE SOUTHEAST HALF OF THE FORECAST AREA...WHERE HIGHEST POPS WILL BE MAINTAINED. HOWEVER...EXPECT MORE SCATTERED SHOWER ACTIVITY ACROSS THE NW...SO HAVE TRIMMED POPS BACK INTO CHANCE RANGE. THE FRONT PUSHES ACROSS THE REGION LATE TODAY AS ADDITIONAL UPPER LEVEL PERTURBATIONS LIFT INTO THE REGION. EXPECT ADDITIONAL COVERAGE LATE AFTERNOON ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST HALF OF THE LOCAL AREA. WILL RETAIN LIKELY POPS...WITH THE NW POSSIBLY SEEING A DRYING TREND. BETTER INSTABILITY EXPECTED MID-LATE AFTERNOON (ALBEIT STILL MARGINAL) ACROSS THE SE...SO PERHAPS A BETTER CHANCE TO SEE THUNDER. RETURN FLOW AND BREAKS IN THE CLOUDS WILL PUSH TEMPS INTO THE UPPER 70S TO NEAR 80 EAST OF INTERSTATE 95 (COOLER ALONG THE COAST AND BAY). TEMPS WEST OF INTERSTATE 95 WILL LEVEL OFF IN THE LOW/MID 70S LATE THIS MORNING THRU MID AFTERNOON. && .SHORT TERM /6 PM THIS EVENING THROUGH SUNDAY/... WITH THE UPR LO/TROF LAGGING BEHIND THE COLD FRONT...AND PLENTY OF LO LEVEL MOISTURE/LIFT IN PLACE...NOW HAVE LIKELY POPS EVERYWHERE INTO TNGT. HAVE ALSO KEPT SLGT CHC OF THUNDER. LATER TNGT INTO SAT MORNG...BULK OF PCPN WILL MOVE EWRD AND OFF THE CST AS THE UPR LO/TROF PUSHES THE COLD FRONT ACRS THE AREA AND OFFSHR. PWATS CLIMB TO 1.25 TO 1.5 INCHES...WHICH MAY RESULT IN PERIODS OF MODERATE TO LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL. HOWEVER...QPF AMTS THRU TNGT WILL GENERALLY RANGE FM ARND .30 INCH ACRS THE N TO NEAR .60 INCH ACRS THE S. LOWS TNGT IN THE MID 50S TO LWR 60S. MODEL TRENDS CONTINUE TO LINGER MID LEVEL MOISTURE TO GO ALONG WITH THE STRONG DYNAMICS PROVIDED BY THE UPR LO DROPPING THRU THE REGION THRU SAT AFTN. WILL HOLD ONTO SOLID CHC POPS THRU LATE MORNG INLAND FOR SCTD SHOWERS...AND ALONG SE VA/NE NC THRU SAT AFTN. CLOUDY CONDITIONS BECOME PARTLY CLOUDY INLAND SAT AFTN...BUT REMAIN MOSTLY CLOUDY ALNG THE CST. TRENDED TOWARD THE COOLER SIDE OF THE MOS GUIDANCE...DUE TO CLOUD COVER AND MODEST CAA...BUT TEMPS REMAIN SEASONABLE IN THE UPR 60S TO MID 70S. N WINDS GENERALLY 10 TO 15 MPH WITH GUSTS OF 20 TO 25 MPH. TROF AXIS PUSHES WELL OFFSHORE SAT NGT...WITH DRY CONDITIONS FCST ACRS THE AREA. LOWS IN THE MID TO UPR 40S INLAND...TO THE LWR 50S NEAR THE CST UNDER A CLEAR OR MOSTLY CLEAR SKY. HI PRES BLDS INTO THE NE U.S. AND TWD NEW ENGLAND SAT NGT...THEN SLIDES TO JUST OFF THE NE U.S. AND MID ATLC CST BY 00Z MON. THE RESULT WILL BE ONGOING DRY CONDITIONS ON SUN UNDER A MOSTLY SNY SKY. HI TEMPS WILL RANGE FM THE MID 60S TO LWR 70S OVR MOST OF THE REGION.. && .LONG TERM /SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY/... HIGH PRESSURE SLIDES FARTHER OFFSHORE SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY...AND SETTLES OFF THE SOUTHEAST COAST BY TUESDAY. MEANWHILE...A SHORTWAVE TROUGH AND AN ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT APPROACH FROM THE NW BY TUESDAY AFTN. MONDAY AND TUESDAY ARE TRENDING TOWARD BEING VERY WARM DAYS WITH DEEP LAYER WSW FLOW ASSOCIATED WITH A BREAKING DOWN UPPER RIDGE OVER THE E-CENTRAL/SERN CONUS. MODEL CONSENSUS GENERALLY SUPPORTS 850MB TEMPERATURES OF 12-15C...WHICH WITH FULL MIXING AND DOWNSLOPING SHOULD EASILY PUSH HIGHS TO 80-85F W OF THE BAY...WITH UPPER 70S FOR THE ERN SHORE. LOWS SUNDAY NIGHT SHOULD BE IN THE LOW/MID 50S...WITH 55-60F MONDAY NIGHT. SKY COVER SHOULD GENERALLY BE MOSTLY CLEAR/SUNNY SUNDAY NIGHT...MONDAY INTO MONDAY NIGHT...AND BECOME PARTLY SUNNY TUESDAY. THE TROUGH AND COLD FRONT SWING THROUGH THE AREA TUESDAY AFTN INTO TUESDAY NIGHT. THE MAIN FORCING ASSOCIATED WITH THE MID/UPPER SHORTWAVE TROUGH GENERALLY PASSES N OF THE LOCAL AREA...AND DEEP LAYER RH DIMINISHES AS THE FEATURE PASSES OVER THE LOCAL AREA SO FORECAST POPS ARE ONLY 20%...WITH A NARROW STRIP OF 30% ACROSS THE FAR N. HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS IN FROM THE N WEDNESDAY...AND SLIDES OFFSHORE LATER IN THE WEEK. HIGHS WEDNESDAY SHOULD DROP BACK TO THE MID/UPPER 60S NE...TO THE MID/UPPER 70S FARTHER INLAND...AND THEN TREND UPWARD INTO THURSDAY AS THE HIGH SLIDES OFFSHORE. LOWS SHOULD GENERALLY BE IN THE 50S. && .AVIATION /15Z FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/... LATEST SFC OBS / SAT LOOP INDICATING A QUICK INCREASE IN BKN SC DECK BETWEEN 1.5-3K FT THIS MORNING. SHOWERS THEN MOVE SW TO NE AFTER 16Z AS A SHORTWAVE MOVES ACROSS THE REGION WELL AHEAD OF THE APPROACHING COLD FRONT. THUNDER POSSIBLE BUT WAS KEPT OUT OF THIS FORECAST ISSUANCE SINCE ANY THUNDER NOT EXPECTED UNTIL AFTER 18Z. MOST LIKELY AREAS TO SEE TSTMS WILL BE ALONG AND SOUTH OF I64 WITH BEST TIMING BETWEEN 18Z-00Z. SW WIND GUST BETWEEN 15-20 KTS AHEAD OF ANY SHOWER WITH HIGHER GUSTS POSSIBLE IN ANY TSTMS. MODEL GUIDANCE SUPPORTS IFR CIGS DEVELOPING BY OR SHORTLY AFTER 00Z ALONG WITH REDUCED VSBYS IN RAIN/SHOWERS WITH AREAS OF FOG LINGERING THROUGH THE NIGHT. THE COLD FRONT MOVES OFF THE COAST EARLY SAT. TRAILING CLOSED UPPER LOW WILL CAUSE LAPSE RATES TO INCREASE WHICH WILL CONTINUE THE POSSIBILITY FOR MVFR CIGS AND SHOWER OR TSTM DEVELOPMENT INTO SAT. DRIER AIR AND VFR CONDITIONS RETURN LATE SAT NIGHT. && .MARINE... TOUGH CALL WRT SCA HEADLINES TODAY AS ANY CRITERIA THAT MAY BE MET WILL BE MINIMAL AT BEST. WILL KEEP SUSTAINED WINDS IN THE BAY CAPPED AT 15 KT FOR NOW...ALTHOUGH OCNL GUSTS TO 20 KTS WILL BE POSSIBLE THROUGH LATE AFTERNOON. SEAS CRNTLY 3-5 FT ACROSS MD COASTAL WATERS (3 FT NEAR SHORE BUT 5 FT NEAR 44009) SO HAVE ISSUED A SCA ACROSS THE MD COASTAL WATERS THROUGH 14Z WITH THE EXPECTATION THAT SEAS OUT NEAR 20 NM DROP BELOW 5 FEET LATER THIS MORNING. ELECTED NOT TO HAVE ANY HEADLINES FOR THE CHES BAY AND WILL DEFER TO THE DAY SHIFT IF WINDS BECOME HIGHER THAN EXPECTED. COLD FRONT PROGGED ACROSS THE MARINE AREA SAT MORNING. LATEST GUIDANCE SHOWING TWO CAA SURGES...ONE SAT AFTERNOON AND ANOTHER ONE SAT NIGHT. THE SAT AFTERNOON ONE APPEARS TO BE MARGINAL AT BEST FOR ANY SCA HEADLINE SO WILL KEEP WINDS CAPPED AT 15 KTS ATTM. THE SECOND CAA SURGE SAT NIGHT APPEARS TO BE A BIT STRONGER WITH WINDS INCREASING INTO THE SCA RANGE FOR A FEW HOURS OVER THE CHES BAY. HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS OVER THE AREA SUNDAY...SLIDES OFFSHORE MONDAY...AND SETTLES OFF THE SOUTHEAST COAST TUESDAY. && .AKQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MD...NONE. NC...NONE. VA...NONE. MARINE...NONE. && $$ SYNOPSIS...SAM/TMG NEAR TERM...SAM SHORT TERM...SAM/TMG LONG TERM...AJZ AVIATION...MPR MARINE...MPR
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS MARQUETTE MI
742 AM EDT FRI APR 22 2016 .SHORT TERM...(TODAY AND TONIGHT) ISSUED AT 457 AM EDT FRI APR 22 2016 WV IMAGERY AND RAP ANALYSIS INDICATED WNW MID/UPPER LEVEL FLOW INTO THE NRN LAKES ON THE PERIPHERY OF A DEEP LOW INTO NRN HUDSON BAY. LOW LEVEL CAA WITH NRLY WINDS INCREASED OVERNIGHT AS THE PRES GRADIENT TIGHTENED BETWEEN HIGH PRESSURE INTO NRN ONTARIO AND TROUGH OVER THE LOWER LAKES. CONVERGENT AND UPSLOPE FLOW INTO N CNTRL UPPER MI COMBINED WITH LINGERING LOW LEVEL MOISTURE SUPPORTED SOME DZ/FZDZ THAT HAS MIXED WITH LIGHT SNOW. TODAY...EXPECT THAT THE LIGHT SNOW WILL TRANSITION TO MAINLY DZ/FZDZ EARLY THIS MORNING AS THE DEEPER MOISTURE DEPARTS...LEAVING THE MOIST LAYER WARMER THAN -8C. SATELLITE AND MODEL 925-900 MB RH FCST TRENDS SUGGEST THAT THE LIGHT PCPN SHOULD DIMINISH OR END AROUND 12Z-14Z BUT THAT THE CLOUDS MAY PERSIST...MOVING OUT BTWN 15Z-18Z AS HIGH PRESSURE WITH LOW LEVEL DRYING BUILDS IN. OTHERWISE...SUNSHINE WITH 850 MB TEMPS NEAR -2C DURING THE AFTERNOON WILL HELP BOOST INLAND TEMPS TO AROUND 50. OTHERWISE...NRLY FLOW OFF OF LAKE SUPERIOR WILL LIMIT HIGH TEMPS CLOSER TO 40. TONIGHT...ALTHOUGH WINDS WILL DIMINISH WITH THE SFC RIDGE OVER THE AREA...MID CLOUDS MOVING IN OVERNIGHT WITH 700-500 MB WAA WILL KEEP TEMPS FROM DROPPING OFF TOO FAR. TEMPS MAY STILL FALL INTO THE MID 20S CENTRAL AND EAST BEFORE THE CLOUDS MOVE IN. OTHERWISE...EXPECT MIN READINGS IN THE LOWER 30S WEST. .LONG TERM...(SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY) ISSUED AT 351 AM EDT FRI APR 22 2016 LOOKS LIKE A CHILLY...ACTIVE WX PATTERN WL DOMINATE LATE THIS WEEKEND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK AS A VERY TIGHT BAROCLINIC ZN WL SETUP ACRS THE UPR GREAT LKS UNDER THE CONFLUENCE ZN BTWN ARCTIC AIRSTREAM IN CANADA AND AN ACTIVE POLAR BRANCH FLOW OVER THE NRN CONUS. SOME MDT TO HEAVY PCPN IS LIKELY TO FALL OVER AT LEAST THE S HALF OF UPR MI...WHICH WL BE CLOSER TO A STNRY FNT RUNNING W-E THRU THE UPR MIDWEST. IF ENUF COLD AIR IN THE NNE FLOW BTWN BLDG HI PRES INTO NRN ONTARIO AND THE LOWER PRES TO THE S ADVECTS INTO THE CWA AND THIS AIR IS NOT EXCESSIVELY DRY...THERE COULD BE SOME ACCUMULATING WET SN OVER MAINLY THE HIER TERRAIN OF NRN UPR MI ON SUN NGT INTO MON. QUIETER BUT STILL RELATIVELY CHILLY WX WL BE THE RULE FOR MID WEEK. SAT...UPR MI IS FCST TO BE DOMINATED BY WNW FLOW ALF BTWN UPR RDG AXIS IN THE PLAINS AND UPR TROFFING IN ERN CANADA. ALTHOUGH MODELS INDICATE A GOOD DEAL OF MID/HI CLDS RELATED TO WAA TO THE NE OF SHARPENING FNT FM THE DAKOTAS INTO MN WL IMPACT THE CWA...SUSPECT LINGERING LLVL DRY AIR ASSOCIATED WITH SLOWLY DEPARTING SFC HI PRES WL KEEP THE CWA DRY. BEST CHC FOR SOME RAIN WL BE OVER THE NW CWA CLOSER TO BAND OF STRONGER H7 FGEN TO THE NE OF SHARPENING FNT. SAT NGT...MODELS IN FAIRLY GOOD AGREEMENT SHOWING MORE WIDESPREAD RA DVLPG OVER THE CWA ESPECIALLY NEAR THE WI BORDER WITH SHARPENING BAROCLINIC ZN/FGEN/INCRSG UPR DVGC IN RRQ OF 120KT H3 JET CORE MOVING TO JUST S OF JAMES BAY BY 12Z SUN. WL CARRY THE HIER CATEGORICAL POPS NEAR THE WI BORDER IN THE 06Z-12Z PERIOD. SUN THRU MON...UPR MI IS FCST TO BE CLOSE TO SHARP BAROCLINIC ZN UNDER CONFLUENCE ZN BTWN ARCTIC BRANCH NW FLOW DOMINATING QUEBEC AND A WSW POLAR BRANCH FLOW OVER THE NRN CONUS. DESPITE THE UNFAVORABLE LOOK OF THE CONFLUENT UPR FLOW WELL TO THE NE OF SHRTWV RIDING ENEWD THRU THE NRN PLAINS WHICH WOULD TEND TO FAVOR DRY WX...MOST OF THE MEDIUM RANGE MODELS GENERATE SOME MDT TO HEAVY PCPN OVER MAINLY THE S HALF OF THE CWA. UPR DVGC IN RRQ OF 120KT H3 JET MAX JUST S OF JAMES BAY AS WELL AS SHARP...PERSISTENT H85-7 FGEN N OF THE H85 WARM/STNRY FNT STRETCHING E ACRS WI FM LO IN THE NRN PLAINS AND UNDER AXIS OF PWAT AOA AN INCH OVER THE SRN CWA LOOK TO BE THE ENHANCEMENT FACTORS THAT WOULD OVERCOME THE UPR CONFLUENCE THAT WL WEAKEN DISTURBANCES RIDING ENEWD TOWARD THE CWA AHEAD OF THE MAIN SHRTWV TO THE SW. ALTHOUGH SOME OF THE COLDER MODELS` FCST SDNGS/ THERMAL FIELDS WITH H85 TEMPS AOB 0C INDICATE AT LEAST SOME OF THE PCPN NEAR THE NRN EDGE OF THE BAND WL BE IN THE FORM OF SN...SHARP GRADIENT IN SFC-H85 MSTR BTWN THE FNT AND CHILLY HI PRES BLDG INTO NRN ONTARIO WL LIKELY BRING A RATHER SHARP NRN EDGE TO THE PCPN BAND AND LIMIT THE COVERAGE OF SGNFT SN. BUT IF THE COLDER GUIDANCE IS CORRECT AND THE LLVL DRYING IS NOT TOO AGGRESSIVE...NOT OUT OF THE QUESTION THERE COULD BE SEVERAL INCHES OF WET...HEAVY SN OVER PORTIONS OF THE NRN CWA MAINLY ON SUN NGT/MON MRNG AS STEADY LLVL NE WINDS ADVECT COLDER AIR INTO THE LKS TO THE S OF THE ONTARIO HI PRES. MON NGT THRU THU...AS THE HI PRES OVER NORTHERN ONTARIO BUILDS S INTO THE UPR LKS UNDER CONFLUENT NW FLOW ALF BTWN UPR RDG AXIS SHIFTING E FM THE PLAINS AND CLOSED UPR LO OVER QUEBEC...EXPECT LINGERING PCPN TO END ON MON NGT...WITH THE HI PRES BRINGING DRY WX/MOCLR SKIES ON TUE INTO WED. DEPENDING ON HOW QUICKLY THE QUEBEC CLOSED LO WEAKENS AND WHETHER OR NOT THE UPR FLOW INTO THE GREAT LKS TURNS MORE PROGRESSIVE...ANOTHER LO PRES MOVE ENE FM THE PLAINS COULD BRING MORE PCPN TO THE AREA NEXT THU. BUT IF THE QUEBEC CLOSED LO IS MORE RESILIENT...THAT NEXT PLAINS LO COULD BE SHUNTED TO THE SW. EXPECT RELATIVELY CHILLY WX THRU THE EXTENDED PERIOD WITH SUB ZERO H85 TEMPS DOMINATING. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 12Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z SATURDAY MORNING) ISSUED AT 741 AM EDT FRI APR 22 2016 EXPECT LOW CIGS TO GIVE WAY TO CLEARING BY LATE MORNING...PER SATELLITE TRENDS AND FCST 900-925MB RH. SOME -FZDZ WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE AT SAW EARLY. CMX WILL CLEAR OUT EARLIEST AND IWD/SAW WITH MORE PERSISTENT UPSLOPE FLOW SHOULD SEE CLEARING BY 14Z/16Z. HIGH PRES BUILDING INTO THE REGION WILL BRING VFR CONDITIONS FOR THE REST OF THE FCST PERIOD. && .MARINE...(FOR THE 4 AM LAKE SUPERIOR FORECAST ISSUANCE) ISSUED AT 457 AM EDT FRI APR 22 2016 NORTHERLY WINDS 15-25 KNOTS EARLY THIS MORNING ARE EXPECTED TO DIMINISH TO 20 KTS OR LESS FRIDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH MOST OF SATURDAY NIGHT AS A HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE CROSSES LAKE SUPERIOR. AS THE HIGH EXITS TO THE EASTERN SEABOARD AND LOW PRESSURE DEVELOPS OVER THE PLAINS ON SUNDAY, NORTHEAST WINDS WILL INCREASE TO 20-30 KTS SUNDAY INTO MONDAY. THE STRONGEST WINDS WILL BE OVER WESTERN LAKE SUPERIOR WHERE WINDS MAY APPROACH GALES AT TIMES. WINDS DIMINISH TO LESS THAN 20 KTS MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY AS HIGH PRESSURE MOVES BACK ACROSS THE REGION. && .MQT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... UPPER MICHIGAN... NONE. LAKE SUPERIOR... NONE. LAKE MICHIGAN... NONE. && $$ SHORT TERM...JLB LONG TERM...KC AVIATION...JLB MARINE...JLB
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NWS ALBUQUERQUE NM
525 AM MDT FRI APR 22 2016 .AVIATION... 12Z TAF CYCLE UPPER RIDGE TO MOVE OVER NM FROM WEST TO EAST TODAY WITH FLOW ALOFT BECOMING SWLY. MOIST LOW LEVEL SOUTHEAST WINDS TO TRANSPORT MOISTURE UP THE RGV AND TOWARDS THE CONTDVD. MID LEVEL MOISTURE INCREASING AS WELL...AND EXPECT ISOLD TO SCT SHRA AND TSRA TO DEVELOP OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 40KT AFT 18Z. MTS MAY BE BRIEFLY OBSCURED BY HEAVIER SHRA/TSRA IN WHICH CIGS/VSBYS MAY FALL TO MVFR. && .PREV DISCUSSION...333 AM MDT FRI APR 22 2016... .SYNOPSIS... MODEST MOISTURE CONTINUES TO WORK ITS WAY INTO CENTRAL NEW MEXICO FROM THE SOUTHEAST AS A COUPLE OF LOW PRESSURE SYSTEMS CROSS THE WEST COAST. THESE SYSTEMS WILL SKIRT AROUND NEW MEXICO TO THE NORTH AND SOUTH...BUT THE MOISTURE IN PLACE WILL HELP SPARK SCATTERED TO ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS MAINLY OVER CENTRAL AREAS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...THEN ALONG AND TO A LESSER EXTENT EAST OF THE CENTRAL MOUNTAIN CHAIN ON SATURDAY. THE JET STREAM WILL MOVE OVER THE COLORADO AND NEW MEXICO BORDER ON SATURDAY WITH SURFACE WIND GUSTS PROBABLY REACHING 50 MPH OVER A GOOD PORTION OF NORTHERN NEW MEXICO IN THE AFTERNOON. FIRE WEATHER CONCERNS WILL RAMP UP WEST OF THE CENTRAL MOUNTAIN CHAIN SATURDAY...THEN CONTINUE TO PLAGUE PORTIONS OF NORTHERN AND CENTRAL NEW MEXICO THROUGH TUESDAY AS DRIER AIR MOVES IN FROM THE WEST AND BREEZY TO WINDY CONDITIONS RETURN DAILY. && .DISCUSSION... SOME STORMS WILL PRODUCE LITTLE OR NO RAIN WEST OF THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE TODAY...THEN AT LOWER ELEVATIONS BETWEEN THE CENTRAL MOUNTAIN CHAIN AND CONTINENTAL DIVIDE ON SATURDAY. MEANWHILE...THERE IS A MARGINAL RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING IN UNION COUNTY/FAR NE NM. A PACIFIC COLD FRONT WILL CROSS FROM THE WEST SATURDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT USHERING COOLER TEMPERATURES AND DRY AIR FOR SUNDAY. READINGS WILL VARY AROUND NORMAL MOST PLACES...EXCEPT ON THE FAR EASTERN PLAINS WHERE READINGS 4 TO 10 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL SHOULD PERSIST. BREEZY TO WINDY CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO RETURN IN THE VICINITY OF THE I-40 CORRIDOR OF EASTERN NM SUNDAY AFTERNOON WITH WESTERLY DOWNSLOPE FLOW. ANOTHER UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL DIG INTO THE GREAT BASIN ON MONDAY...THEN PASS NORTH OF NEW MEXICO ON TUESDAY STEERING THE JET STREAM SQUARELY OVER THE FORECAST AREA. THIS WILL KEEP BREEZY TO WINDY CONDITIONS IN THE FORECAST ACROSS WESTERN AREAS MONDAY AND AREAWIDE TUESDAY. IT WILL CAUSE FIRE WEATHER CONCERNS TO PERSIST. SHORT WAVE RIDGING WILL CAUSE WINDS TO SETTLE DOWN WEDNESDAY...BUT SW FLOW LOOKS TO STRENGTHEN AGAIN DURING THE LATTER HALF OF THE WEEK AS YET ANOTHER UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM DIGS INTO THE GREAT BASIN AND APPROACHES NM FROM THE W OR NW. 44 && .FIRE WEATHER... CRITICAL CONDITIONS WILL BE AT LEAST SPOTTY SATURDAY THROUGH MONDAY WITH MORE WIDESPREAD CRITICAL CONDITIONS POSSIBLE NEXT TUESDAY. VENT RATES WILL BE GOOD TO EXCELLENT TODAY THROUGH NEXT WEDNESDAY. THE LATEST MODELS QUITE CONSISTENT WITH PREVIOUS VERSIONS IN THE SHORTER TERM. THE UPPER RIDGE WILL BE MOVING OVER NEW MEXICO TODAY AND THEN TO THE EAST OF THE STATE SATURDAY AS AN UPPER LOW TRACKS INTO THE GREAT BASIN AND THROUGH THE CENTRAL ROCKIES. WINDS ALOFT WILL TRANSITION TO SOUTHWEST LATER TODAY AND TONIGHT...AND WILL STRENGTHEN WITH TIME. LOW LEVEL MOISTURE APPEARS TO BE MIGRATING INTO SOUTH CENTRAL NM AT THIS TIME...AND A SUSTAINED SOUTHEAST TO SOUTH FLOW REMAINS FORECAST...WHICH WOULD BRING HIGHER DEW POINTS UP THE RGV AND TOWARDS THE CONTDVD...AS THE GFS HAS BEEN INDICATING FOR SEVERAL DAYS. RUC AND HRRR NOW JUMPING ONBOARD BREAKING OUT CONVECTION ALONG THE CONTDVD AND CENTRAL MT CHAIN BY MIDAFTERNOON. WITH THE POOR RH RECOVERIES ALONG/WEST OF THE CONTDVD AT THIS TIME...CAN/T HELP BUT THINK THERE MAY BE SOME HIGH BASED VIRGA SHOWERS/ISOLD DRY LIGHTNING OVER THIS AREA LATER TODAY...GIVEN THE INSTABILITY FORECAST BY THE NAM12. CONVECTION THIS EVENING MAY RESULT IN SOME WETTING PRECIPITATION BETWEEN THE CONTDVD AND EAST SLOPES OF THE CENTRAL MT CHAIN. SATURDAY STILL LOOKS TO SEE WIND GUSTS TO AROUND 45 OR 50 MPH AS THE WESTERLY WINDS SHOVE THE LOW LEVEL MOISTURE FROM WEST TO EAST OVER THE STATE. MIN RH VALUES FALL BELOW 15 PERCENT FOR PORTIONS OF THE MIDDLE RGV AND WEST. DECIDED TO GO AHEAD WITH A FIRE WEATHER WATCH FOR AREAS BELOW SNOWPACK FOR THE NORTHWEST/WEST CENTRAL AND MIDDLE RGV ALTHOUGH MAINLY FOR BERNALILLO AND VALENCIA COUNTIES IF THE GRIDS ARE CLOSE. NOT SURE OF THE STATE OF GREENUP AT THIS TIME...BUT RECENT COOLER WEATHER MAY HAVE RETARDED IT. HIGHS WILL BE ABOVE AVERAGE...BUT NOT OVERLY SO...IN THE RANGE OF 5 TO 10 DEGREES. CONVECTION WILL BE FOCUSED OVER THE CENTRAL AND EAST SATURDAY/SATURDAY NIGHT BUT SUNDAY LOOKS TO BE DRY. THERE MAY BE A FEW SHOWERS OR STORMS ON THE DRIER SIDE FROM THE CENTRAL MT CHAIN WWD AS THE MOISTURE BECOMES MORE SHALLOW ON SATURDAY. RIDGETOP WINDS MAY PERSIST SATURDAY NIGHT BEFORE RELENTING SOMEWHAT SUNDAY UNDER ZONAL FLOW...BUT NOT ENOUGH TO ELIMINATE THE POTENTIAL FOR CRITICAL CONDITIONS IN THE EAST CENTRAL SUNDAY AFTERNOON. RH RECOVERIES SATURDAY AND SUNDAY NIGHT WILL BE FAIR TO POOR FOR MANY LOCALES. MONDAY THROUGH TUESDAY WILL SEE INCREASING WINDS AS ANOTHER SYSTEM SWINGS THROUGH THE CENTRAL ROCKIES. POOR RH RECOVERIES LOOK TO BE WIDESPREAD MONDAY NIGHT. HIGHS WILL FALL TO AROUND 5 TO 10 DEGREES BELOW AVERAGE WEST AND CENTRAL AND TO NEAR AVERAGE EAST BY TUESDAY... TO HELP MODERATE THE COMBO OF WIND AND SUB 15 PERCENT RH FROM THE MIDDLE RGV TO THE EAST CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST PLAINS TUESDAY AFTERNOON... WHERE CRITICAL CONDITIONS LOOK TO BE WIDESPREAD. ANY WETTING PRECIPITATION WILL BE CONFINED TO THE HIGHER TERRAIN OF THE NORTHWEST AND NORTH CENTRAL MONDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. GUSTY WEST WINDS MAY CONTINUE TUESDAY NIGHT BEFORE SLACKING OFF. ANOTHER SYSTEM LINED UP FOR THE END OF NEXT WEEK BUT GFS IS DRIER AND WINDIER...THE ECMWF IS WETTER. && .ABQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... FIRE WEATHER WATCH FROM SATURDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH SATURDAY EVENING FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES... NMZ101-105-106. && $$
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS RALEIGH NC
1033 AM EDT FRI APR 22 2016 .SYNOPSIS...A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE SLOWLY EAST ACROSS CENTRAL NC LATE TONIGHT THROUGH EARLY SATURDAY MORNING. HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD INTO THE REGION BEHIND THE FRONT SATURDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH SUNDAY. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... AS OF 1030 AM FRIDAY... MAIN ADJUSTMENTS THIS MORNING WERE TO RAISE POPS WHERE STEADY SHOWERS ARE ONGOING OR IMMINENT. INCREASINGLY WARM AND MOIST SSW LOW LEVEL FLOW IS PULLING ABOVE NORMAL PW INTO THE AREA (NEAR 1.5")... AND DEEPENING FORCING FOR ASCENT (INCLUDING MODEST MID LEVEL HEIGHTFALLS AND IMPROVING UPPER DIVERGENCE) AND MINOR INSTABILITY WITH MIXING/HEATING WILL LEAD TO FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF SHOWERS AND ISOLATED STORMS THROUGH THE AFTERNOON... YIELDING SEVERAL HOURS OF CATEGORICAL POPS AREAWIDE. WHILE QPF FROM THE CAMS STILL APPEARS OVERDONE IN SPOTS... THE OVERALL TOTAL QPF APPEARS TO BE TRENDING A BIT HIGHER THAN WAS DENOTED YESTERDAY... WITH OBSERVATIONS INDICATING A QUARTER TO HALF INCH FOR MOST AREAS THROUGH TONIGHT WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS. THE RISK OF THUNDER APPEARS MARGINAL WITH RAP SURFACE CAPE PEAKING AT 200-500 J/KG NW TO SE... ALTHOUGH DEEP LAYER SHEAR SHOULD BE IMPROVING IN THE EAST. WILL LEAVE IN A MENTION OF ISOLATED THUNDER AREAWIDE... AND MONITOR CLOSELY FOR ANY AREAS OF ENHANCED HEATING THAT MIGHT PUSH CAPE UP. OBSERVED TRENDS AND HIGH RES GUIDANCE SHOW A SMALL TEMP CLIMB TODAY GIVEN THE CLOUDS AND PRECIP... SO EXPECT HIGHS OF 69-78 NW TO SE. -GIH EARLIER DISCUSSION FROM 335 AM: WATER VAPOR IMAGERY AT 07Z DEPICTS WELL DEFINED S/W LIFTING E-NE OUT OF THE LOWER MS VALLEY. NEAR TERM MODEL GUIDANCE HAS DECENT HANDLE ON THIS FEATURE...LIFTING IT ACROSS OUR REGION LATER TODAY. THE APPROACH OF THIS SYSTEM INTERACTING WITH AVAILABLE MOISTURE WILL TRIGGER SCATTERED-NUMEROUS SHOWERS...INITIALLY OVER THE WESTERN PIEDMONT AFTER 9-10AM...AND ACROSS THE BULK OF CENTRAL THIS AFTERNOON. MODEL GUIDANCE HAS TRENDED DEEPER WITH THE LIFT THROUGH THE COLUMN...SUPPORTIVE OF HIGHER RAINFALL AMOUNTS THAN SUGGESTED A COUPLE OF DAYS AGO. NOT READY TO CLIMB ONBOARD THE GUIDANCE FROM WPC...SUGGESTING RAINFALL TOTALS IN THE RDU AREA 1-1.33 INCHES TODAY AND TONIGHT. HAVE LEANED TOWARD AMOUNTS GENERALLY IN THE HALF TO THREE-QUARTERS OF AN INCH WITH POCKETS AROUND AN INCH. RAIN WILL BE WELCOMED FOR MOST FOLKS AS MEASURABLE RAINFALL HAS NOT BEEN OBSERVED IN 8-9 DAYS. THUNDER THREAT STILL APPEARS CONFINED TO AREAS ALONG AND EAST OF HIGHWAY 1 DURING PEAK HEATING THOUGH LOW LEVEL INSTABILITY MEAGER WITH SBCAPE NO WORSE THAN A 1000-1200 J/KG AND MLCAPE AT OR BELOW 300 J/KG.0-6KM BULK SHEAR INCREASES THIS AFTERNOON TO AROUND 35 KTS...SO EXPECT THE SMATTERING OF SHOWERS THIS MORNING TO EVENTUALLY ORGANIZED INTO BROKEN BAND OF SHOWERS BY MID AFTERNOON. MAX TEMPS TODAY HIGHLY DEPENDENT UPON WHEN SHOWER COVERAGE INCREASES. A DELAY IN THE ARRIVAL OF SHOWERS AT ANY ONE SPOT WILL TRANSLATE TO WARMER HIGH TEMPS. USED A BLEND OF MOS GUIDANCE...YIELDING MAX TEMPS LOWER 70S NW TO MID-UPPER 70S EAST-SE. TONIGHT...MAY SEE A TEMPORARY LULL IN SHOWER COVERAGE DEVELOP LATE IN THE DAY/EARLY EVENING AS S/W TRAVERSES ACROSS THE REGION. EXPECT TO SEE AN UPTICK IN SHOWER COVERAGE AFTER SUNSET AS SFC COLD FRONT ASSOCIATED WITH THE NORTHERN STREAM S/W APPROACHES/CROSSES OUR REGION. THIS BAND OF SHOWERS SHOULD EXIT THE PIEDMONT AROUND OR SHORTLY AFTER MIDNIGHT...AND THE COASTAL PLAIN COUNTIES PRIOR TO DAYBREAK SATURDAY. EXPECT PARTIAL CLEARING BEHIND THE EXITING FRONT THOUGH RESIDUAL LOW LEVEL MOISTURE COUPLED WITH A LIGHT WIND REGIME SUGGEST A GOOD POTENTIAL FOR LOW CLOUDS TO DEVELOP ACROSS THE AREA OVERNIGHT. MIN TEMPS MID-UPPER 50S NW-LOWER 60S SE. && .SHORT TERM /SATURDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT/... AS OF 350 AM FRIDAY... NORTHERN STREAM S/W CROSSES OVERHEAD SATURDAY. WHILE MOISTURE BASICALLY CONFINED TO THE LOWEST 10K FEET...MID LEVEL LAPSE RATES BETWEEN 6 AND 6.5 C/KM ALONG WITH HEATING SHOULD TRIGGER A FEW LOW TOPPED SHOWERS IN THE LATE MORNING AND AFTERNOON HOURS. EXPECT HIGHEST RISK FOR SHOWERS (1:4 CHANCE) OVER THE FAR NE PIEDMONT AND THE COASTAL PLAIN. SHOWER THREAT SHOULD DIMINISH/END PRIOR TO SUNSET. EARLY MORNING LOW CLOUDS SHOULD LIFT INTO A SCATTERED/BROKEN DECK BY LATE MORNING. THE PARTIAL SUNSHINE AND A RELATIVELY MILD START TO THE DAY SHOULD ALLOW TEMPS TO RECOVER INTO THE MID-UPPER 70S...WARMEST IN THE SW WHERE MORE SUN/FEWER (IF ANY) SHOWERS EXPECTED. HIGH PRESSURE OVER SOUTHERN SECTIONS OF ONTARIO/QUEBEC BUILDS SWD INTO THE SOUTHERN APPALACHIANS SATURDAY NIGHT. THIS WILL LEAD TO CLEARING SKIES AND SLIGHTLY COOLER TEMPS. MIN TEMPS BY EARLY SUNDAY 50-55 DEGREES. && .LONG TERM /SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/... AS OF 305 AM FRIDAY... SUNDAY THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT: MID LEVEL RIDGING WILL BUILD BACK OVER THE AREA FOR THE SECOND HALF OF THE WEEKEND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. MEANWHILE SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE... INITIALLY LOCATED OVER THE REGION TO START THE PERIOD WILL SHIFT TO THE COAST AND THEN OFFSHORE SUNDAY EVENING INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. THIS WILL RESULT IN A DRY AND WARMING FORECAST FOR THIS TIME FRAME. HIGHS SUNDAY ARE EXPECTED TO RANGE FROM THE LOWER 70S NE TO THE UPPER 70S SW. HIGHS MONDAY SHOULD BE A COUPLE OF CATEGORIES WARMER WITH A SOUTHERLY RETURN FLOW AROUND OFFSHORE HIGH PRESSURE. THUS... EXPECT HIGHS ON MONDAY WILL BE IN THE LOWER TO MID 80S. LOWS WILL FOLLOW A SIMILAR TREND... INCREASING EACH MORNING. LOWS ARE EXPECTED TO BE IN 50S FOR MONDAY MONDAY MORNING... AND NEAR 60/LOWER 60S ON TUESDAY MORNING. TUESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY: THE MID LEVEL RIDGE WILL HAVE FLATTENED BY TUESDAY MORNING AS A S/W DISTURBANCE TRACKS EASTWARD ACROSS THE GREAT LAKES AND NORTHEAST U.S. MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY. HOW THIS SYSTEM INTERACTS WITH THE EASTERN CANADA DEEP MID/UPPER LEVEL LOW WILL PLAY A ROLE ON HOW FAR SOUTH THE ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT (FROM THE S/W TRACKING EAST ACROSS THE NORTHEASTERN U.S.) MEDIUM RANGE MODELS HAVE STRUGGLED WITH HOW FAR SOUTH THE FRONT WILL MAKE IT NEXT WEEK. THE 00Z/22ND GFS CONTINUES TO DRIVE THE FRONT SOUTHWARD THROUGH THE AREA TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY... WHILE THE 00Z/22ND ECMWF STALLS THE FRONT JUST TO OUR NORTH AND NORTHEAST. THUS... CONFIDENCE REMAINS LOW FOR TEMPS TUESDAY NIGHT ONWARD AND PRECIP CHANCES FOR TUESDAY EVENING INTO WEDNESDAY. FOR NOW WILL GO WITH ONLY A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND STORMS FROM LATE TUESDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. TEMPS WILL BE GREATLY DEPENDENT BY THE PLACEMENT OF THE FRONT... WITH LIKELY A LARGE TEMPERATURE GRADIENT NEAR THE FRONT. REGARDLESS THOUGH... TUESDAY LOOKS TO BE WARM... WITH HIGHS IN THE MID TO UPPER 80S. WILL FOLLOW CLOSE TO WPC AND GO WITH HIGHS WEDNESDAY RANGING FROM THE UPPER 70S NE TO UPPER 80S SW... WITH THE COLD FRONT BISECTING THE AREA ON WEDNESDAY MORNING. LOWS ARE EXPECTED TO RANGE FROM THE MID TO UPPER 50S TO THE LOWER 60S. THE NEXT COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED TO APPROACH THE AREA ON THURSDAY WITH INCREASING CHANCES FOR SHOWERS AND STORMS... WITH HIGHS NEAR 80 NORTH TO THE MID TO UPPER 80S SOUTH... WITH THE STALLED FRONT EXPECTED TO BE TO THE NORTH OF THE AREA BY THURSDAY. && .AVIATION /12Z FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/... AS OF 805 AM FRIDAY... AVIATION CONDITIONS HAVE DETERIORATED TO MVFR WITH CEILINGS IN THE 1000-2500FT ALONG WITH POCKETS OF IFR 600-900FT CEILINGS. THE LOW CEILINGS WILL PERSIST THROUGH 14Z-15Z THEN LIFT TO 2500-4000FT BY EARLY AFTERNOON. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ASSOCIATED MVFR VISIBILITIES WILL CROSS THE TRIAD TERMINALS THROUGH 16Z SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS WILL BECOME PROMINENT ACROSS THE REMAINDER OF CENTRAL NC DURING THE AFTERNOON HOURS...PERSISTING INTO THE EVENING. FOR NOW...THE THREAT FOR THUNDER APPEARS GREATEST IN VICINITY OF KFAY AND KRWI DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON-EARLY EVENING HOURS WHEN LOW LEVEL INSTABILITY IS AT ITS PEAK. A SFC COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH FROM THE WEST TODAY...AND CROSS CENTRAL NC LATE TONIGHT THROUGH EARLY SATURDAY MORNING. WITH THE PASSAGE OF THE FRONT...THE NEAR SFC FLOW WILL VEER TO A WEST-NW DIRECTION AND THE SHOWER THREAT WILL END. RESIDUAL LOW LEVEL MOISTURE WILL LEAD TO THE FORMATION OF LOW CLOUDS LATE TONIGHT... LINGERING INTO THE FIRST HALF OF SATURDAY MORNING. ONCE THESE CLOUDS LIFT/DISSIPATE...VFR CONDITIONS ARE HIGHLY LIKELY FROM MID DAY SATURDAY THROUGH MONDAY. A COLD FRONT APPROACHING FROM THE NORTH TUESDAY WILL BRING THE NEXT THREAT FOR SUB VFR CONDITIONS TO CENTRAL NC. && .RAH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && $$ SYNOPSIS...WSS/HARTFIELD NEAR TERM...HARTFIELD/WSS SHORT TERM...WSS LONG TERM...BSD AVIATION...WSS
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS BISMARCK ND
1006 AM CDT FRI APR 22 2016 .UPDATE... ISSUED AT 1006 AM CDT FRI APR 22 2016 ONCE AGAIN...NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES WITH THIS UPDATE. MORNING SURFACE ANALYSES REVEAL SURFACE PRESSURE FALLS BEGINNING ACROSS EASTERN MT AND THE WESTERN DAKOTAS AS A REFLECTION OF WARM AIR ADVECTION ALOFT. THIS IS INDUCING INCREASING SOUTHEAST FLOW AND GIVEN UPSTREAM OBSERVED DEWPOINTS IN THE 30S TO AROUND 40 F FROM SD INTO NEB...SOME MODEST LOW-LEVEL MOISTURE ADVECTION WILL OCCUR THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. GUIDANCE...INCLUDING THE EXPERIMENTAL/ ESRL-RUN HRRR THAT HAS VERIFIED WELL LATELY...SUGGESTS HUMIDITIES IN FAR SOUTHWEST ND WILL NOT FALL BELOW 25 PERCENT ACROSS A LARGE ENOUGH AREA TO WARRANT ISSUANCE OF A RED FLAG WARNING. UPDATE ISSUED AT 640 AM CDT FRI APR 22 2016 NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGE WITH THIS FORECAST UPDATE OTHER THAN TO BLEND TO OBSERVED TRENDS THROUGH 11 UTC. WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR CONDITIONS ACROSS SOUTHWEST NORTH DAKOTA THROUGH THE DAY SHOULD A RED FLAG WARNING BECOME NECESSARY. && .SHORT TERM...(TODAY AND TONIGHT) ISSUED AT 320 AM CDT FRI APR 22 2016 POTENTIAL NEAR CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS FAR SOUTHWEST TODAY HIGHLIGHT THE SHORT TERM FORECAST. SEE THE FIRE WEATHER DISCUSSION BELOW FOR DETAILS. A STATIONARY FRONT ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL THROUGH SOUTHEAST MONTANA THIS MORNING WILL PROPAGATE EAST TODAY AS A WARM FRONT AND APPROACH FAR SOUTHWEST NORTH DAKOTA LATE THIS AFTERNOON. AS A RESULT...A LARGE TEMPERATURE GRADIENT IS EXPECTED ACROSS THE AREA TODAY WITH HIGHS IN THE 50S ACROSS THE TURTLE MOUNTAINS TO NEAR 80 ACROSS THE FAR SOUTHWEST. BREEZY SOUTHEAST WINDS OF 20 TO 30 MPH ARE EXPECTED ACROSS THE WEST THIS AFTERNOON WITH A TIGHTENING PRESSURE GRADIENT AND ISALLOBARIC FORCING FROM PRESSURE FALLS AHEAD OF THE WARM FRONT. GIVEN GOOD AGREEMENT...A BLEND OF THE 00 UTC GLOBAL AND HIGH RESOLUTION SUITES WERE USED...WITH PREFERENCE GIVEN TO THE WARMER EDGE OF GUIDANCE FOR TEMPERATURES ACROSS THE WEST PER VERIFICATION TRENDS. .LONG TERM...(SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY) ISSUED AT 302 AM CDT FRI APR 22 2016 WIDESPREAD PRECIPITATION LATE SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY MORNING HIGHLIGHTS THE EXTENDED FORECAST. THE 00 UTC DETERMINISTIC AND ENSEMBLE GLOBAL SUITES ARE IN GOOD AGREEMENT ON THE UPPER LOW COMING ON SHORE TO CALIFORNIA AND OREGON TODAY PROPAGATING INTO THE NORTHERN PLAINS SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY MORNING. THE TREND OVER THE LAST 24 HOURS HAS BEEN FOR A SLIGHT NORTHWARD SHIFT IN THE LOW TRACK...YIELDING MORE WIDESPREAD AND HIGHER PRECIPITATION CHANCES ACROSS MUCH OF WESTERN AND CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA. REGARDING DETAILS...SURFACE CYCLOGENESIS IS FORECAST ACROSS WESTERN SOUTH DAKOTA SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY MORNING WITH RESULTING INCREASING MOISTURE TRANSPORT INTO THE REGION. WITH STRONG DIFFLUENCE ALOFT AND STEEP MID LEVEL LAPSE RATES...THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY MORNING MORNING. CERTAINLY COULD NOT RULE OUT A FEW STRONG ELEVATED STORMS ACROSS SOUTHERN NORTH DAKOTA WITH MUCAPE OF 500-1000 J/KG AT 750 MB AND THE PRESENCE OF STRONG DEEP LAYER SHEAR. PRECIPITATION ACROSS NORTH DAKOTA IS FORECAST TO TRANSITION TO STRATIFORM THROUGH THE DAY ON SUNDAY AS THE SYSTEM BECOMES NEARLY VERTICALLY STACKED ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL SOUTH DAKOTA. AS SUB- FREEZING LOW LEVEL AIR ADVECTS INTO THE SYSTEM SUNDAY NIGHT INTO MONDAY MORNING...RAIN MAY TRANSITION TO SNOW WITH PERHAPS LIGHT ACCUMULATIONS ON GRASSY SURFACES. WIDESPREAD RAINFALL TOTALS OVER AN INCH ARE STILL FORECAST SOUTH OF US HIGHWAY 2. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 12Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z SATURDAY MORNING) ISSUED AT 640 AM CDT FRI APR 22 2016 VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS WESTERN AND CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA FOR THE 06 UTC TAF CYCLE. BREEZY SOUTHEAST WINDS WITH GUSTS OF 25-30 KTS ARE FORECAST AT KISN AND KDIK THIS AFTERNOON. LOW LEVEL WIND SHEAR IS POSSIBLE AT KDIK/KBIS TONIGHT. && .FIRE WEATHER... ISSUED AT 1006 AM CDT FRI APR 22 2016 NEAR CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS FAR SOUTHWEST NORTH DAKOTA TODAY IN GOLDEN VALLEY...SLOPE...BILLINGS AND BOWMAN COUNTIES. HIGH TEMPERATURES TODAY WILL BE IN THE UPPER 70S WITH SOUTHEAST WINDS OF 20 TO 25 MPH...GUSTING AT 30 TO 35 MPH. OF GREATEST UNCERTAINTY ARE FORECAST RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES. AFTERNOON RELATIVE HUMIDITY MAY FALL INTO THE 20 TO 25 PERCENT RANGE THIS AFTERNOON...WITH EVEN LOWER VALUES POSSIBLE ACROSS THE BORDER IN MONTANA. HOWEVER...THE LATEST INDICATIONS ARE THAT HUMIDITY VALUES WILL NOT FALL LOW ENOUGH OVER A LARGE ENOUGH AREA OF ANY GIVEN COUNTY TO WARRANT ISSUANCE OF A RED FLAG WARNING. && .BIS WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && $$ UPDATE...CJS SHORT TERM...AYD LONG TERM...AYD AVIATION...AYD FIRE WEATHER...AYD/CJS
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS BLACKSBURG VA
652 AM EDT FRI APR 22 2016 .SYNOPSIS... A SLOW MOVING COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH THE REGION FROM THE WEST TODAY BEFORE PASSING THROUGH THE AREA OVERNIGHT INTO EARLY SATURDAY. HIGH PRESSURE SHOULD BUILD IN BEHIND THIS SYSTEM LATER SATURDAY AND REMAIN OVER THE REGION THROUGH MONDAY. THE NEXT COLD FRONT WILL SLIDE SOUTH THROUGH THE AREA ON TUESDAY. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... AS OF 240 AM EDT FRIDAY... WEAKENING UPPER LOW AND ITS ASSOCIATED SURFACE COLD FRONT WILL FINALLY PUSH EAST TODAY REACHING THE BLUE RIDGE THIS EVENING BEFORE THE FRONT SLIDES TOWARD THE COAST TOWARD DAYBREAK SATURDAY. QUICK INCREASE IN DEEPER MOISTURE PER SPIKE IN PWATS TO JUST BELOW 1.5 INCHES SHOULD BRING A BIT MORE IN THE WAY OF MUCH NEEDED RAINFALL INTO THIS EVENING. HOWEVER JUST HOW THINGS UNFOLD AND THE DEGREE OF DEEPER CONVECTION REMAINS UNCERTAIN...ESPCLY GIVEN POTENTIAL FOR MULTIPLE BANDS AHEAD OF THE FRONT DESPITE LACK OF DEEP INSTABILITY PER LIMITED HEATING. LATEST MODELS DEPICT THIS WELL WITH AN INITIAL BAND OF SHOWERS REDEVELOPING OVER THE WEST THIS MORNING ALONG AN AXIS OF DIFFLUENCE AND DRIVEN BY WEAK SHORTWAVE ENERGY JUST AHEAD OF THE ACTUAL FRONT. HRRR HAS THIS AXIS OF SHOWERS ALL THE WAY OUT TO THE BLUE RIDGE THIS MORNING WHICH LOOKS OVERDONE...ALTHOUGH OTHER SOLUTIONS VARY ON TIMING BUT TEND TO SUPPORT THIS SCENARIO. THEREFORE TRENDED HIGHER POPS IN THAT DIRECTION EARLY ON. ONCE THIS BAND SPREADS EAST...GUIDANCE SHOWS SOME INCREASE IN INSTABILITY PIEDMONT ALONG ITS LEADING EDGE...AND THEN OUT WEST AHEAD OF ANOTHER BAND OR TWO JUST AHEAD OF THE FRONT. HOWEVER FORECAST CAPES/BULK SHEAR NOT IMPRESSIVE ESPCLY WITH INSOLATION TEMPERED BY CLOUDS/SHRA UNLESS MODELS ARE OVERDONE AND MORE HEATING IS REALIZED. FOR NOW WILL TREND TOWARD WESTERN SHOWER COVERAGE EARLY...THEN HAVE MORE WIDESPREAD SHOWERS PER LIKELY OR BETTER POPS THIS AFTERNOON ALL SECTIONS...INCLUDING MORE THUNDER MENTION FAR WEST AND ESPCLY SOUTHEAST WHERE SHOULD GET A LITTLE MORE HEATING. OTRW KEEPING MAINLY ISOLATED THUNDER MENTION ELSEWHERE WHICH MAY BE GENEROUS. TRIMMED HIGH TEMPS BACK A CAT OR SO ESPCLY WEST WHERE COULD GET STUCK IN THE LOW/MID 60S WITH ONLY THE EAST PERHAPS 67-72 OR WARMER. CORRIDOR OF BETTER LIFT SHOULD SPILL EAST OF THE AREA AHEAD OF THE FRONT THIS EVENING WITH THE OPENING 5H LOW LIKELY KEEPING SOME SHOWERS AND ISOLATED TSRA GOING MAINLY NORTH/NW ESPCLY BEFORE MIDNIGHT. OTRW FLOW TURNING NW BEHIND THE BOUNDARY LOOKS TO CUT INTO LINGERING SHRA ELSEWHERE...SO STEADILY REDUCING POPS AFTER 00Z WITH ONLY 20/30 POPS REMAINING FOR THE MOST PART AFTER MIDNIGHT. TOTAL QPF LOOKS TO BE A BIT MORE PENDING COVERAGE WITHIN BANDS PERHAPS RESULTING IN .30 TO .75 WITH THE HIGHEST AMOUNTS OVER THE SOUTH AND WEST AT THIS POINT. COOL ADVECTION BEHIND THE FRONT RATHER WEAK OVERNIGHT AND WITH LINGERING CLOUDS EXPECT LOWS TO REMAIN MOSTLY IN THE UPPER 40S TO MID 50S. && .SHORT TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT/... AS OF 245 AM EDT FRIDAY... AN UPPER LOW WILL DROP SOUTHEAST ACROSS THE REGION ON SATURDAY WITH ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHOWERS. HIGH TEMPERATURES ON SATURDAY WILL RANGE FROM THE UPPER 50S IN THE MOUNTAINS TO THE MID 70S IN THE PIEDMONT. THE UPPER TROUGH WILL PUSH OUT INTO THE ATLANTIC OCEAN SATURDAY EVENING. THIS WILL ALLOW HIGH PRESSURE TO BUILD INTO OUR REGION SATURDAY NIGHT. LOW TEMPERATURES SATURDAY NIGHT WILL VARY FROM AROUND 40 IN THE NORTHWEST MOUNTAINS TO THE LOWER 50S IN THE PIEDMONT. A 1020 MB SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD ACROSS OUR AREA SUNDAY. HIGH TEMPERATURES WILL WARM INTO THE UPPER 60S IN THE WEST TO THE UPPER 70S IN THE EAST. UNDER MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES...SUNDAY NIGHT LOW TEMPERATURES WILL DROP INTO THE UPPER 40S TO LOWER 50S. HIGH PRESSURE WILL REMAINS JUST OF THE NORTH CAROLINA COAST MONDAY INTO MONDAY NIGHT. IT WILL BE A WARM START TO THE WORKWEEK WITH HIGHS MONDAY FROM THE MID 70S IN THE MOUNTAINS TO THE LOWER 80S IN THE PIEDMONT. LOW TEMPERATURES MONDAY NIGHT WILL BE MILD WITH READINGS GENERALLY IN THE MID 50S TO AROUND 60 DEGREES. && .LONG TERM /TUESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/... AS OF 245 AM EDT FRIDAY... GUIDANCE OFFERS SOLUTIONS OF A COLD FRONT APPROACHING AND CROSSING THE AREA TUESDAY INTO WEDNESDAY. HOWEVER...TIMING VARIES BETWEEN THE GFS AND ECMWF...ALONG WITH THE EXTENT PRECIPITATION WILL REACH AND PERSIST INTO THE FORECAST REGION. THE UNCERTAINTY OF THE ABOVE EVENT...TIES INTO THE EVEN GREATER UNCERTAINTY OF THE NEXT EVENT. THE COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED TO STALL EITHER OVER...OR SOUTH OF...THE REGION FOR A BRIEF PERIOD OF TIME. AN APPROACHING UPPER LOW/TROUGH WILL HELP SWING LOW LEVEL WINDS TO THE SOUTHWEST WEDNESDAY INTO THURSDAY AND LIFT THE STALLED FRONT BACK NORTH AS A WARM FRONT. AGAIN...WITH EACH SOLUTION OFFERING DIFFERENCES IN TIMING...PRECIPITATION AMOUNTS AND EXTENT OF THE PRECIPITATION. OUR LATEST FORECAST WILL REFLECT A CONSENSUS OF THESE AND OTHER SOLUTIONS BY WEIGHING HEAVILY ON THE SUPERBLEND SOLUTION. THIS SCENARIO OFFERS A SLIGHTLY SLOWER ARRIVAL TIME OF THE PRECIPITATION MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY...LITTLE CHANGE TO THE PRIOR WEDNESDAY FORECAST...AND SCATTERED SHOWERS ACROSS THE AREA ON THURSDAY. INSTABILITY LOOKS STRONG ENOUGH FOR AT LEAST ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS TUESDAY...WEDNESDAY...AND THURSDAY AFTERNOON. TEMPERATURES DURING THIS PORTION OF THE FORECAST WILL TREND MILDER THROUGH TUESDAY...AND THEN SLIGHTLY COOLER THROUGH THURSDAY. READINGS WILL BE AROUND TEN DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR. && .AVIATION /12Z FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/... AS OF 640 AM EDT FRIDAY... FLYING CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE TO DETERIORATE THIS MORNING AS SHOWERS CONTINUE TO MOISTEN THE COLUMN FROM WEST TO EAST AND IN TURN ALLOWING CIGS TO FALL INTO MVFR LEVELS OR WORSE THROUGH MIDDAY. IN ADDITION...PERIODS OF MVFR VSBYS IN RAIN/FOG WILL OCCUR ACROSS MOST LOCATIONS AT TIMES WITH THE HEAVIER RAINFALL ALONG THE KBLF/KLWB CORRIDOR AND LESS IN THE EAST. LOTS OF UNCERTAINTY STILL IN REGARDS TO CIGS AND SHOWER COVERAGE BY THIS AFTERNOON WITH MODELS WANTING TO MARCH THE EARLY BAND OF SHOWERS EAST ACROSS KDAN/KLYH MAKING FOR LESS INSTABILITY OVER THE REGION AHEAD OF THE ACTUAL COLD FRONT LATER IN THE DAY. THIS WOULD TEND TO LIMIT DEEP CONVECTION TO PERHAPS THE FAR WEST WHERE MAY SEE MORE BREAKS SOONER WITH MORE EMBEDDED NATURE TSRA ELSEWHERE AT WORST. SINCE IFFY GIVEN CURRENT MORE WIDESPREAD COVERAGE WITH THE INITIAL RAINFALL...PLAN TO JUST KEEP IN A VCTS MENTION MOST SPOTS THIS AFTERNOON WITH PREVAILING MVFR TO OCNL IFR CIGS WITHIN ADDED SHOWER COVERAGE. IF EARLY RAINFALL FADES OUT SOONER THEN COULD BREAK INTO A PERIOD OF VFR CIGS BEFORE ADDED CONVECTION FILLS IN LATER IN THE DAY. EXPECT THE MAJORITY OF THE SHRA/TSRA TO SHIFT EAST AHEAD OF THE FRONT THIS EVENING WITH RESIDUAL SHOWERS UNDER THE TRAILING UPPER LOW THAT WILL CROSS THE REGION OVERNIGHT. THIS FEATURE MAY KEEP SHOWERS GOING ESPCLY KBLF/KLWB WITH DOWNSLOPE DRYING AND LOSS OF HEATING LIMITING ADDED COVERAGE OUT EAST WHERE WILL LEAVE OUT SHRA MENTION AFTER EARLY THIS EVENING. OTRW OVERALL MVFR CIGS WITH PATCHY MVFR VSBYS IN FOG EAST IN THE WAKE OF THE EARLIER RAINFALL AND LINGERING LIGHT SHOWERS KLWB VICINITY OVERNIGHT. EXTENDED AVIATION DISCUSSION... SOME LINGERING WRAP AROUND MOISTURE ON THE BACK OF THE DEPARTING UPPER LOW COULD KEEP ADDED SPOTTY SHOWERS AND MVFR CIGS GOING INTO SATURDAY ESPCLY MOUNTAINS EAST TO KLYH BEFORE IMPROVING LATER IN THE DAY. WEAK HIGH PRESSURE FOLLOWS SATURDAY NIGHT INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. HOWEVER SOME LOWER CIGS MIGHT REDEVELOP ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS BY SUNDAY AS LIGHT EASTERLY FLOW SETS UP UNDER ANOTHER WEAK WEDGE WHICH SHOULD FADE BY EARLY NEXT WEEK. THE NEXT WEAK BACKDOOR COLD FRONT MAY BRING A BAND OF SHOWERS ALONG WITH MOUNTAIN SUB-VFR ON TUESDAY. && .RNK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... VA...NONE. NC...NONE. WV...NONE. && $$ SYNOPSIS...JH NEAR TERM...JH SHORT TERM...KK LONG TERM...DS/KK AVIATION...AMS/JH/MBS
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS TUCSON AZ
127 PM MST FRI APR 22 2016 .SYNOPSIS...UNSEASONABLY WARM TEMPERATURES WILL GRADUALLY DECREASE THROUGH THE WEEKEND AS A WEAK WEATHER SYSTEM MOVES THROUGH THE AREA TONIGHT. THIS WILL RESULT IN SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES AND BREEZY CONDITIONS. A STORM SYSTEM EARLY IN THE WEEK WILL GENERATE GUSTY WINDS AND ANOTHER LATE IN THE WEEK WILL BRING ANOTHER ROUND OF WINDS AND POSSIBLY A FEW SHOWERS. && .DISCUSSION... EARLY AFTERNOON SATELLITE IMAGERY REVEALS DEVELOPING CU ACROSS NEW MEXICO...WITH EVEN A FEW DEVELOPING CLOUDS SNEAKING INTO GREENLEE COUNTY AS OF 20Z. ASIDE FROM SOME THIN HIGH CLOUDS MOVING IN FROM SONORA...THE REMAINDER OF THE AREA SAW CLEAR/MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES. THIS HAS HELPED TEMPERATURES RAPIDLY RISE INTO THE LOWER 90S ACROSS THE DESERTS. FOR THE REST OF TONIGHT...I STILL CANNOT RULE OUT A STRAY SPRINKLE OR SHOWER RIGHT ALONG THE AZ/NM BORDER. PAST SEVERAL RUNS OF THE UA WRF AND THE HRRR INDICATE VERY ISOLATED COVERAGE ACROSS GREENLEE AND EASTERN COCHISE COUNTY. I WILL HANG ONTO CLIMO-LIKE POPS IN THESE AREAS BUT KEEP THE FORECAST DRY ELSEWHERE. MAIN THREAT WOULD BE IN THE FORM OF DRY LIGHTNING ALTHOUGH EVEN THIS THREAT APPEARS TO BE WANING WITH TIME. WEAK LOW PRESSURE WILL SWEEP THROUGH THE FOUR CORNERS TOMORROW...USHERING IN A PROLONGED PERIOD OF TROUGHING ALOFT. THIS WILL KNOCK TEMPERATURES BACK SEVERAL DEGREES THIS WEEKEND AND WILL ALSO BRING IN A FAIR AMOUNT OF AFTERNOON BREEZINESS. MEANWHILE A SECONDARY LARGER TROUGH WILL MOVE THROUGH NORTHERN ARIZONA ON TUESDAY BUT MOISTURE TRANSPORT LOOKS TO BE QUITE MEAGER AND PRECIP CHANCES ARE ESSENTIALLY ZERO. IT WILL HOWEVER KNOCK TEMPERATURES DOWN A BIT MORE WITH READINGS GENERALLY FORECAST TO BE 10 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL FOR LATE APRIL. A THIRD TROUGH IS FORECAST TO ARRIVE LATE IN THE WEEK. STILL SOME DIFFERENCES IN THE DETERMINISTIC GUIDANCE WITH RESPECT TO EXACT TIMING AND TRAJECTORY. NAEFS INDICATING 10-20 PERCENT CHANCES AREA-WIDE LATE NEXT WEEK AND THIS SEEMS LIKE A MORE THAN REASONABLE STARTING POINT. && .AVIATION...VALID THRU 24/00Z. SCT TO OCCASIONALLY BKN THIN CIRRUS AOA 25K FT AGL INTO EARLY SATURDAY WITH SKIES GENERALLY BECOMING SKC AFTER 23/18Z. SWLY WIND 10-20 KTS THIS AFTERNOON WITH GUSTS UP TO 25 KTS POSSIBLE. WINDS WILL TAPER OFF AFTER 23/03Z BECOMING LIGHT AND TERRAIN DRIVEN THRU 23/17Z...THEN SW WINDS INCREASING AGAIN. AVIATION DISCUSSION NOT UPDATED FOR TAF AMENDMENTS. && .FIRE WEATHER...A FEW BUILDUPS THIS AFTERNOON RIGHT ALONG THE NEW MEXICO BORDER WHERE SOME INCREASED MOISTURE HAS MOVED IN. ANY SHOWERS OR THUNDERSTORMS THAT DEVELOP WILL MOSTLY REMAIN TO THE EAST OF THE AREA BUT CAN`T RULE OUT SOME GUSTY WINDS AND THE POTENTIAL FOR A DRY LIGHTNING STRIKE OR TWO WITH ANY STORMS THAT DEVELOP ALONG THE NEW MEXICO BORDER. ANY RESIDUAL MOISTURE WILL QUICKLY BE SWEPT BACK TO THE EAST SATURDAY AS WESTERLY FLOW INCREASES WITH A TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE PASSING TO THE NORTH OF THE AREA. THIS THROUGH WILL ALSO RESULT IN SLIGHTLY COOLER TEMPERATURES AND SOME INCREASED BREEZES BOTH SATURDAY AND SUNDAY AFTERNOON. WIND SPEEDS WILL GENERALLY REMAIN BELOW CRITICAL THRESHOLDS...BUT WILL REMAIN CLOSE FOR EASTERN AREAS OF COCHISE COUNTY WHERE BRIEF LOCALIZED RED FLAG CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE. ANOTHER DRY SYSTEM WILL MOVE IN PRODUCING GUSTY WINDS EARLY NEXT WEEK WITH COOLER TEMPERATURES ESPECIALLY ON TUESDAY. THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR MORE WIDESPREAD CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS TO BE MET MONDAY AND TUESDAY AFTERNOON ACROSS AREAS PRIMARILY SOUTH AND EAST OF TUCSON. THIS IS SOMETHING WE`LL BE WATCHING CLOSELY OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS AS WE ASSESS THE POSSIBLE NEED FOR FIRE WEATHER HEADLINES. BREEZY AFTERNOON WINDS WILL LIKELY CONTINUE WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY BUT REMAIN BELOW CRITICAL LEVELS. && .TWC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. && $$ VISIT US ON FACEBOOK...TWITTER...YOUTUBE...AND AT WEATHER.GOV/TUCSON
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS LOS ANGELES/OXNARD CA
318 PM PDT FRI APR 22 2016 .SYNOPSIS... The possibility of precipitation will end this evening, then a high will build in over the weekend for breezy winds and a slight warmup. a series of lows should then arrive next week for around normal temperatures, with possible precipitation late next week. && .SHORT TERM...(TDY-MON) A weak cold front was moving into the Central Coast this afternoon, with rainfall amounts in nwrn SLO County less than 0.10 inch along the coast, and about 0.20 to 0.40 inch in the coastal mtns. Rocky Butte has had 0.43 inch as the front went thru. Mostly cloudy skies accompany the front, with mostly sunny skies over VTU/L.A. Counties this afternoon. Onshore pressure gradients have increased to +7.7 mb LAX-DAG and +13.6 LAX-TPH as of 21Z. These strong pressure gradients have been driving strong and gusty sw winds thru the Antelope Vly this afternoon, with gusts over 40 mph in a few spots. Gusts in this area may locally reach 50 mph especially on the west side this afternoon and evening. These winds should cause patchy blowing dust with visibilities possibly down to one quarter mile or less at times. A wind advisory is in effect for this area. For the mtns, foothills, and SLO/SBA County coast and some interior vlys, s to w winds have increased to 15 to 25 mph with gusts to 35 mph over a large area. Temps this afternoon will top out in the 70s to around 80 for many coastal and vly areas. An upper level trof over central and nrn CA today will move e tonight and Sat. Weak upper level ridging will gradually move into the area on Sat and linger Sat night. An upper level trough will move into the area for Sun. Swrn CA will be on the srn fringes of a broad upper level trof over e central CA into NV Sun night and Mon, with a broad nw flow aloft over the fcst area. The cold front is forecast to dissipate this evening with a slight chance of showers lingering for portions of SLO/SBA Counties, and the slight chance of showers on the n slopes later tonight. Otherwise, partly cloudy skies overall can be expected across the region overnight. Gusty onshore winds will prevail along the Central Coast, foothills, mtns and deserts this evening. Winds will turn more nw to n tonight, with gusty winds expected in the mtns along the I-5 corridor, and the SBA County mtns and s coast. The 12Z NAM was predicting 850 mb winds to peak around 35 KT near the I-5 corridor and SBA County mtns tonight. Advisory level winds with gusts to 40 to 50 mph will continue tonight in the Antelope Valley, and develop in the L.A./VTU/SBA County mtns and SBA County s coast this evening and persist into early Sat, except thru early Sat evening in the L.A./VTU mtns. As a result, wind advisories are also in effect for the mtns and SBA s cst. Please see the latest non- precipitation weather message for further details on the wind advisories currently in effect. There may be a few lingering clouds early Sat, otherwise increasingly sunny skies can be expected for the bulk of the day on Sat. Gusty nw winds are expected along the Central Coast, in the mtns along the I-5 Corridor, and in the Antelope Vly for Sat afternoon and evening, and in the SBA County mtns and s cst Sat night into early Sun. Additional wind advisories may be needed in some of these areas as well. Partly cloudy skies at times can be expected Sat night thru Mon as the upper trof moves in. Clouds should once again bank up on the n mtn slopes with a slight chance of rain or snow showers later Sun night into Mon morning. 12Z NAM boundary lyr moisture fields were also suggesting some low clouds and fog should develop in the Salinas River Vly later Sun night into Mon morning. Another increase in the onshore gradients can be expected both Sun and Mon afternoon and evening, with gusty nw winds mainly along the Central Coast, SBA County s cst, and in the foothills, mtns and Antelope Vly. Wind advisory level winds will be likely at times Mon afternoon and evening in these areas, except the Central Coast may approach advisory levels. Temps are forecast to warm slightly back to near normal to slightly above normal for most areas on Sat, with little change expected for Sun and Mon. .LONG TERM...(TUE-FRI) The EC/GFS are in generally good agreement with the large scale features during the period, with only minor differences by Thu and Fri. The upper trof extending into e central CA will move well e of the region on Tue. Upper level troffiness will move back in from the e Pac on Wed. A cold upper level low off the central CA cst Wed will move se and into swrn ca on Thu, then move e of the region Thu night and Fri. Dry weather with breezy to windy onshore flow for the afternoon and evening hours will continue Tue thru Wed. The GFS is more robust with the extent of the upper low off the coast Thu compared to the EC, and the GFS is a bit wetter than the EC for Thu. There is enough of an increase in confidence for unsettled conditions so have increased pops to chance levels across the forecast area Wed night and Thu. Residual moisture and upper troffiness for Thu night into Fri has prompted a slight chance of showers to remain in the fcst to end the work week. If the GFS verifies with the position of the upper low on Thu, then there would be the potential for thunderstorm development over the area with locally heavy rainfall. This situation will be closely monitored over the next several model runs, but since this potential weather event is still six days away, will not add the mention of thunderstorms just yet. Temps will be generally near normal or slightly below normal Tue and Wed, cool to several deg below normal for Thu, then warm slightly Fri but still remain slightly below normal overall. && .AVIATION...22/1800Z... Mid/upper level trough of low pressure over Northern California will shift east while a mid/upper level ridge of high pressure over the Eastern Pacific moves over the area. Upper level strong northwest winds will become moderate west-northwest after 23/22z and mid level moderate west winds will become moderate northwest after 23/07z. Surface trough of low pressure and low cloud field approaching the Central Coast will dissipate and mix out today. Weak to moderate onshore pressure gradient will become moderate northerly gradient between 23/05-23/17z then mixed moderate onshore and moderate northerly gradient thereafter. Marine inversion base was unorganized and varied from near the surface and 5kft along the central coast to 1.7kft over KLAX this morning with a scattered cloud field. The inversion is expected to mix out today and not redevelop Saturday morning. Marine layer at LAX at 1600Z is 1688 feet deep and the inversion top is at 5431 feet with a temp of 12.1 degrees C. KLAX...Few low clouds will dissipate through 22/19z then it is very likely no low/mid level cigs and/or vsby below 6sm through the period. KBUR...Very likely current sky/vsby conditions will prevail. virtually certain - 95-100% very likely - 80-95% likely - 60-80% chance - 30-60% very unlikely - 20% OR LESS && .MARINE...22/200 pM... There is a chance small craft advisory conditions will exist in the vicinity of the Northern Channel Islands to San Mateo Point this afternoon through this evening. Northwest winds will likely increase Saturday in the vicinity of the Channel Islands and over the entire area Sunday and there is a chance gale force winds will exist Saturday afternoon in the vicinity of the Channel Islands and over the entire area at times Sunday afternoon through Monday night. Otherwise seas currently in the Eastern Pacific and oriented 290-310 degrees relative to Ventura coast will arrive through Saturday morning and there is a chance small craft advisory for hazardous sea conditions will exist from Piedras Blancas to San Clemente Island Saturday through Sunday morning. A storm force wind fetch is expected to develop in the Southern Ocean and oriented 190-180 degrees to Ventura County Saturday.The swells that will begin to arrive next week Saturday and probably generate hazardous surf and extra currents and surging along exposed south facing shores Saturday night through Monday. && .LOX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... CA...Wind Advisory in effect from 8 PM this evening to 8 AM PDT Saturday For zones 39-52. (See LAXNPWLOX). Wind Advisory in effect from 8 PM this evening to 8 PM PDT Saturday For zones 53-54. (See LAXNPWLOX). Wind Advisory in effect until 8 AM PDT Saturday For zone 59. (See LAXNPWLOX). PZ...Gale Watch in effect from Sunday afternoon through late Monday night For zones 645-670-673-676. (See LAXMWWLOX). Small Craft Advisory in effect until 1 AM PDT Saturday For zones 650-655. (See LAXMWWLOX). Gale Watch in effect from Sunday evening through Monday evening For zones 650-655. (See LAXMWWLOX). Small Craft Advisory in effect until 3 PM PDT Sunday For zones 670-673-676. (See LAXMWWLOX). && $$ PUBLIC...Sirard AVIATION...30 MARINE...30 SYNOPSIS...Seto weather.gov/losangeles
  [top] Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Reno NV 303 PM PDT FRI APR 22 2016 .SYNOPSIS... A strong Pacific storm will continue to move through the Sierra and Western Nevada tonight. Rain and heavy mountain snow are expected this evening near and south of I-80. A break is expected Saturday before more showers are expected Sunday into Monday with another system. Unsettled weather will continue through next week with below average temperatures. && .SHORT TERM... A strong spring storm continues to move through. Heavy snow is falling in the Sierra with rates approaching 3"/hr. It is best to avoid travel in the Sierra for the next few hours if possible. Heavy convective snowfall continues in the Sierra with the bands extending from Westwood south into Bridgeport. Heavy snow is falling above 6000 feet, with the snow level locally down to 4500 feet in the heaviest bands. Latest satellite/radar trends support the HRRR in keeping the heaviest rain/snow going thru 03Z near and south of I-80. After there will be a rapid reduction in showers as the upper forcing moves east and the airmass stabilizes. Until then, another 6+ inches of snow is possible above 7000 feet with another 2-4" down to 5500-6000 feet. Rainfall into Western NV will be heaviest in the Sierra front where an additional 1/4" of rain is possible. It may mix with snow at times in the foothills while lighter amounts are expected toward the highway 95 corridor. Winds are much weaker along the Sierra Front with the precip falling, but strong gusts continue east of a Bridgeport to Lovelock line. Will cancel the advisory for Reno-Carson-Minden, but leave the remainder as the winds continue there. Behind this storm, a break is expected Saturday with continued cool temps, but lighter winds and dry conditions. Another upper low is expected Sunday afternoon into Monday. Showers are expected Sunday afternoon with enough instability for a few thunderstorms as well. The core of the low will move overhead Monday morning with much colder air. Snow levels will fall to near the valley floors. While this storm will have some moisture with it, the best forcing is expected to remain over Eastern NV so we are not expecting another big precip event. However, there remains a threat (low at this time) of some light snowfall during the Monday morning commute along the I-80 and highway 50 corridors. Wallmann .LONG TERM...Monday Night through Friday... Unsettled weather pattern is expected to continue through next week as late season storm systems line up to move into the West Coast. Wednesday-Friday could be a rather wet period for much of the region with potential for additional snow in higher elevations. For Monday night, the first upper low is likely to be on its way out with lingering rain and snow showers diminishing. Tuesday still looks like the least active weather day, although a few showers remain possible as residual moisture will remain in place. Even though temperatures are expected to increase about 10-15 degrees from Monday, highs in the lower 60s and around 50 degrees near the Sierra will still be a few degrees below average for late April. For next Wednesday-Friday, medium range guidance continues to indicate a potent low pressure tracking southward along the California coast, then swing inland across the southwest US (or possibly farther north into eastern NV). Despite this southerly track, a broad area of upper divergence and instability is projected to set up over the Sierra and western NV, along with a decent tap of Pacific moisture. A few thunderstorms are also possible each afternoon, although the better instability looks to be trending north of I-80 by next Friday. Current projections favor the best overall rain and snow chances Wednesday night and higher thunderstorm potential on Thursday, but this could vary depending on the eventual storm track. Widespread cloud cover will keep daytime temps a few degrees below average each day, with nighttime temps slightly above average. Early snow level projections generally range from 6000-7000 feet in the Sierra, although these snow levels could occasionally drop several hundred feet during convection or heavier precip bands. MJD && .AVIATION... The most significant weather effects on aviation will continue through this evening with IFR/LIFR cigs/vsby in snow near the Sierra including KTVL/KTRK/KMMH, and a few inches of snow accumulating on pavement. For lower elevations including KRNO- KCXP, rain will produce MVFR cigs/vsby with mountain obscurations, IFR at times during heavier rain bands. The strongest winds have ended at KRNO-KCXP but some gusts to 35 KT remain possible. KMMH may receive stronger gusts above 40 KT until 03z. Later tonight, if cloud cover breaks up sufficiently, areas of FZFG would develop across many Sierra valleys around Tahoe and northeast CA, including KTRK. For Saturday, generally VFR conditions are expected with lighter winds. MJD && .REV Watches/Warnings/Advisories... NV...Winter Weather Advisory until 11 PM PDT this evening NVZ002. Wind Advisory until 8 PM PDT this evening NVZ001-004. CA...Winter Weather Advisory until 5 PM PDT this afternoon above 5500 feet in CAZ071. Wind Advisory until 8 PM PDT this evening CAZ073. Winter Weather Advisory until 11 PM PDT this evening CAZ072. && $$ For more information from the National Weather Service visit... http://weather.gov/reno
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA
230 PM PDT FRI APR 22 2016 .SYNOPSIS....A FEW SHOWERS WILL LINGER INTO THE EVENING HOURS BEFORE DRIER CONDITIONS DEVELOP TONIGHT. DRY WEATHER IS EXPECTED ALONG WITH SEASONABLY COOL TEMPERATURES THIS WEEKEND. A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM DROPPING INTO THE INTERIOR WILL BRING A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS FOR THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK. && .DISCUSSION...AS OF 02:50 PM PDT FRIDAY...IN THE NEAR TERM ACTIVE WEATHER CONTINUES AS A COLD FRONT CONTINUES TO THE MOVE THROUGH THE REGION. THE FRONTAL PASSAGE THIS AFTERNOON BROUGHT MODERATE TO LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN SHOWERS TO PORTION OF THE BAY AREA. THERE ARE SOME DECENT SIX HOUR RAINFALL TOTALS...OVER ONE INCH NEAR PALO ALTO AND SAN MATEO. OTHER HIGH SPOTS INCLUDE PORTIONS OF THE BIG SUR COAST...UP TO ONE INCH AND MANY OTHER LOCATIONS ONE HALF INCH TO THREE QUARTERS OF AN INCH. NOT A DROUGHT BUSTER...BUT MUCH NEEDED RAINFALL NON THE LESS. THERE WAS EVEN ONE REPORT OF SMALL HAIL NEAR HEALDSBURG. THIS AFTERNOON INTO THIS EVENING...SHOWERS WILL STILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THE GREATEST LIKELIHOOD FROM SAN JOSE SOUTH. HAVE NOT RECEIVED ANY REPORTS OF THUNDER OR NOTICED LIGHTNING ON THE DETECTION NETWORK...BUT GIVEN DAYTIME HEATING AND UNSTABLE AIRMASS WILL KEEP THE MENTION OF THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH LATE THIS AFTERNOON. BY LATE THIS EVENING...EXPECT PRECIP CHANCES TO DIMINISH RATHER QUICKLY...ESPECIALLY POST SUNSET. LATEST HRRR MODEL CONCURS AND SHOWS LITTLE IN THE WAY OF PRECIP AFTER 03Z. FOR THE UPCOMING WEEKEND...DRY CONDITIONS DEVELOP AS RIDGING OCCURS OVER THE REGION. THE RIDGE WEAKENS BY SUNDAY AS ANOTHER LOW PRESSURE MOVES INTO INTERIOR CALIFORNIA. ANY RAIN LOOKS TO REMAIN NORTH AND EAST OF THE BAY AREA AT THIS TIME. HOWEVER...ONE IMPACT FOR THE BAY AREA WILL BE THE WINDS. NORTHERLY WINDS WILL INCREASE 15 TO 25 MPH WITH STRONGER GUSTS OVER 30 MPH. AT THIS TIME IT IS BORDERLINE FOR A WIND ADVISORY. THE 12Z MODEL GUIDANCE STILL SHOWS LOTS OF UNCERTAINTY FOR THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK REGARDING RAIN CHANCES. MEDIUM RANGE MODELS STILL INDICATE A SPREAD IN SOLUTIONS...BUT AT LEAST THEY ALL SHOW A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM MOVING OVER THE REGION. THE DETAILS ON THE THE OTHER HAND VARY. GIVEN THE LOW CONFIDENCE WILL CONTINUE WITH A SLIGHT CHANCE FOR SHOWERS. && .AVIATION...AS OF 10:45 AM PDT FRIDAY...CURRENTLY TRYING TO TIME THE RAIN ACROSS THE VARIOUS TERMINALS. EARLY RUNS OF THE HRRR DID NOT INITIALIZE WELL SO USING IT WITH SOME CAUTION FOR THE LATEST PACKAGE. IN GENERAL LOOK FOR MVFR TO VFR CIGS WITH RAIN SHUTTING OFF NORTH TO SOUTH STARTING AROUND 0Z...OR POSSIBLY A BIT EARLIER. WILL BE KEEPING A CLOSE EYE ON RADAR AND LIGHTNING PRODUCT AS HEATING DURING THE DAY COULD TRIGGER A FEW THUNDERSTORMS. WINDS FORECAST TO BECOME MORE 260 TO 290 LATER IN THE DAY BEHIND THE COLD FRONT. RETURN TO VFR FOR TOMORROW. MODERATE CONFIDENCE. VICINITY OF KSFO...-SHRA EXPECTED AT LAST THROUGH 0Z AND POSSIBLY AN HOUR OR TWO LONGER. CIGS GENERALLY WILL STAY AT OR ABOVE 030 THROUGH THE PERIOD. WINDS FROM 220 TO 240 WILL REMAIN OVER 20 KT WITH OCCASIONAL GUSTS TO 30 KT. WINDS AROUND 220 BECOME MORE 260 TO 280 AROUND 02Z. IMPROVING CONDITIONS AFTER 09Z WITH VFR FORECAST FOR TOMORROW. MODERATE CONFIDENCE. SFO BRIDGE APPROACH...SIMILAR TO KSFO. MONTEREY BAY TERMINALS...-SHRA FORECAST TO RETURN AROUND 19Z WITH POTENTIAL FOR SHRA OR EVEN +SHRA ALONG WITH MVFR CIGS. SHOWERS END AFTER 03Z WITH VFR FORECAST BEYOND THAT POINT. WINDS FORECAST TO BECOME MORE 230 TO 260 WITH SPEEDS OVER 12 KT LATER IN THE AFTERNOON. MODERATE CONFIDENCE. && .MARINE...AS OF 01:57 PM PDT FRIDAY...NORTHWESTERLY WINDS BEHIND A DEPARTING COLD FRONT WILL SLOWLY DIMINISH TONIGHT. A SECOND COLD FRONT WILL DROP THROUGH THE WATERS WITH INCREASING NW WIND AND SEAS SUNDAY THROUGH EARLY NEXT WEEK. GALE FORCE WINDS ARE POSSIBLE FOR SUNDAY NIGHT IN OUR OUTER WATERS. && .MTR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... .TNGT...SCA...SF BAY UNTIL 9 PM SCA...PT ARENA TO PT REYES 0-10 NM UNTIL 9 PM SCA...PT REYES TO PIGEON PT 0-10 NM UNTIL 9 PM SCA...PT ARENA TO PIGEON PT 10-60 NM UNTIL 9 PM && $$ PUBLIC FORECAST: MM AVIATION: BELL MARINE: BELL VISIT US AT WWW.WEATHER.GOV/SANFRANCISCO FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER AT: WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/NWSBAYAREA WWW.TWITTER.COM/NWSBAYAREA
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA
1050 AM PDT FRI APR 22 2016 .SYNOPSIS....A COLD FRONT WILL SLIDE ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA TODAY BRINGING THE POSSIBILITY OF A WET MORNING COMMUTE FOR THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA. SHOWERS WILL LINGER INTO THE EVENING HOURS WITH A SLIGHT CHANCE OF AFTERNOON THUNDERSTORMS. THE BEST POSSIBILITY OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE FROM SAN JOSE NORTHWARD. DRY WEATHER IS EXPECTED ALONG WITH SEASONABLY COOL TEMPERATURES THIS WEEKEND. A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM DROPPING INTO THE INTERIOR WILL BRING A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS FOR THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK. && .DISCUSSION...AS OF 09:29 AM PDT FRIDAY...MAIN FOCUS TODAY WILL BE IN THE NEAR TERM AND LATE THIS AFTERNOON. CURRENT SITUATION HAS A COLD FRONT MOVING THROUGH THE BAY AREA AS OF THIS WRITING. THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY HAS BROUGHT WIDESPREAD PRECIP TO THE BAY AREA...SOME OF IT MODERATE TO LOCALLY HEAVY AT TIMES. A PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT HAS BEEN ISSUED WITH RAINFALL TOTALS. SINCE LAST NIGHT...RAIN WAS HEAVIEST OVER THE NORTH BAY WITH OVER ONE INCH AT MT SAINT HELENA. OTHER NOTABLE AMOUNTS ACROSS THE NORTH BAY WERE GENERALLY IN THE ONE HALF INCH TO THREE QUARTERS OF A INCH. LOCATIONS SOUTH OF THE GOLDEN GATE WERE GENERALLY LESS AND A FEW TENTHS TO A LITTLE OVER ONE HALF INCH. LATEST KMUX IMAGERY CONTINUES TO SHOW RADAR ECHOES ACROSS THE BAY AREA WITH A FEW EMBEDDED MODERATE TO HEAVY SHOWERS. PER THE NEARBY PROFILERS...FREEZING LEVELS ARE 4500-5000 FEET. THE STRONGER CELLS MAY INCLUDE SMALL HAIL. AS THE FRONT CONTINUES TO MOVE SOUTH PRECIP COVERAGE WILL GRADUALLY DIMINISH. HOWEVER...LATEST MODELS CONTINUE TO INDICATE A SECOND ROUND OF SHOWERS POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON. IN FACT...THERE WILL BE A GREATER LIKELIHOOD FOR THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON...MAINLY NORTH OF SAN JOSE. DAYTIME HEATING WITH COLD AIR ALOFT WILL LEAD TO AN UNSTABLE AIRMASS. WILL HAVE TO KEEP AN EYE ON THE RADAR WITH POSSIBLE THUNDERSTORMS. NO UPDATE IS PLANNED AT THIS TIME...BUT WILL BE MONITORING THE CURRENT WEATHER SITUATION AND ADJUSTING AS NEEDED. && .PREV DISCUSSION...AS OF 2:55 AM PDT FRIDAY...A WEAK RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD IN BEHIND THE FRONT TONIGHT INTO SATURDAY PROVIDING DRY WEATHER THROUGH AT LEAST SATURDAY. THE RIDGE BREAKS DOWN SUNDAY AS A STORM SYSTEM PUSHES INTO THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST WHICH WILL HELP TO MAINTAIN COOL DAYTIME TEMPERATURES THROUGH MONDAY. FORECAST CONFIDENCE BEGINS TO DIMINISH MIDWEEK AS THE FORECAST MODELS MOVE ANOTHER LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM THROUGH THE AREA WHICH MAY PROMOTE A POSSIBILITY OF SHOWERS ON WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY...POSSIBLY EVEN NEXT FRIDAY. && .AVIATION...AS OF 10:45 AM PDT FRIDAY...CURRENTLY TRYING TO TIME THE RAIN ACROSS THE VARIOUS TERMINALS. EARLY RUNS OF THE HRRR DID NOT INITIALIZE WELL SO USING IT WITH SOME CAUTION FOR THE LATEST PACKAGE. IN GENERAL LOOK FOR MVFR TO VFR CIGS WITH RAIN SHUTTING OFF NORTH TO SOUTH STARTING AROUND 0Z...OR POSSIBLY A BIT EARLIER. WILL BE KEEPING A CLOSE EYE ON RADAR AND LIGHTNING PRODUCT AS HEATING DURING THE DAY COULD TRIGGER A FEW THUNDERSTORMS. WINDS FORECAST TO BECOME MORE 260 TO 290 LATER IN THE DAY BEHIND THE COLD FRONT. RETURN TO VFR FOR TOMORROW. MODERATE CONFIDENCE. VICINITY OF KSFO...-SHRA EXPECTED AT LAST THROUGH 0Z AND POSSIBLY AN HOUR OR TWO LONGER. CIGS GENERALLY WILL STAY AT OR ABOVE 030 THROUGH THE PERIOD. WINDS FROM 220 TO 240 WILL REMAIN OVER 20 KT WITH OCCASIONAL GUSTS TO 30 KT. WINDS AROUND 220 BECOME MORE 260 TO 280 AROUND 02Z. IMPROVING CONDITIONS AFTER 09Z WITH VFR FORECAST FOR TOMORROW. MODERATE CONFIDENCE. SFO BRIDGE APPROACH...SIMILAR TO KSFO. MONTEREY BAY TERMINALS...-SHRA FORECAST TO RETURN AROUND 19Z WITH POTENTIAL FOR SHRA OR EVEN +SHRA ALONG WITH MVFR CIGS. SHOWERS END AFTER 03Z WITH VFR FORECAST BEYOND THAT POINT. WINDS FORECAST TO BECOME MORE 230 TO 260 WITH SPEEDS OVER 12 KT LATER IN THE AFTERNOON. MODERATE CONFIDENCE. && .MARINE...AS OF 10:45 AM PDT FRIDAY...SOUTH TO SOUTHWESTERLY WINDS WILL CONTINUE TO SLIGHTLY INCREASE TODAY AS A COLD FRONT MOVES TOWARD OUR REGION. WINDS WILL BECOME NORTHWEST LATER TODAY INTO TONIGHT BEHIND THE DEPARTING FRONT. A DRY COLD FRONT WILL DROP THROUGH THE WATERS WITH INCREASING NW WIND AND SEAS SUNDAY THROUGH EARLY NEXT WEEK. && .MTR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... .TDAY...SCA...PT ARENA TO PIGEON PT 10-60 NM UNTIL 3 PM && $$ PUBLIC FORECAST: MM AVIATION: BELL MARINE: BELL VISIT US AT WWW.WEATHER.GOV/SANFRANCISCO FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER AT: WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/NWSBAYAREA WWW.TWITTER.COM/NWSBAYAREA
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS TAUNTON MA
518 PM EDT FRI APR 22 2016 .SYNOPSIS... A COLD FRONT OVER NEW YORK CROSSES SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND TONIGHT AND MOVES OFFSHORE SATURDAY. HIGH PRESSURE THEN BUILDS FOR LATER SATURDAY AND SUNDAY BRINGING DRY AND SEASONABLE WEATHER. A FRONT WILL PUSH SLOWLY ACROSS THE REGION MONDAY AND TUESDAY WHICH WILL BRING MUCH NEEDED SHOWERS TO THE REGION. DRY AND SEASONABLE CONDITIONS SHOULD MOVE IN AROUND THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK. THEN A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM MAY BRING ADDITIONAL RAINFALL TO OUR AREA THIS UPCOMING THURSDAY AND FRIDAY. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM SATURDAY MORNING/... THIS EVENING/EARLY NIGHT... NORTHERN STREAM SHORTWAVE AND SUPPORTING JET MOVE ACROSS NEW ENGLAND THIS EVENING. FAVORABLE JET DYNAMICS ALONG WITH LI AROUND -2 AND SBCAPE AROUND 1000 HAVE BEEN HELPING TO GENERATE SHOWERS AND A FEW TSTMS OVER THE BERKSHIRES AND HUDSON VALLEY WHICH THEN MOVE ACROSS WESTERN AND NORTHERN MASS. THESE FAVORABLE CONDITIONS WILL FADE AFTER SUNSET...BUT UNTIL THEN EXPECT SHOWERS AND A FEW TSTMS OVER WESTERN/NORTHERN MASS AND NORTHERN CT. TONIGHT... THE NEW YORK COLD FRONT EXTRAPOLATES TO THE BERKSHIRES 6-8 PM...THE WORCESTER HILLS 9-11 PM...AND THE EASTERN COAST 12-2 AM. MEANWHILE...AN OPEN SHORTWAVE OVER OHIO IS MOVING EAST AND WILL REACH THE MID ATLANTIC COAST BY SATURDAY MORNING. THE SHORTWAVE IS SUPPORTED BY AN 85-KNOT JET THAT WILL OVERLAY NEW JERSEY AND LONG ISLAND OVERNIGHT. THIS SHORTWAVE MAY TURN THE UPPER FLOW MORE PARALLEL TO THE SURFACE COLD FRONT...SLOWING THE FORWARD PROGRESS OF THAT FRONT. THE SHORTWAVE AND JET MAY ALSO GENERATE A WAVE ALONG THE FRONT OVERNIGHT. BOTH THE GFS AND HRRR ARE HINTING AT THIS. THE ECMWF SURFACE MSLP FIELD SHOWS A BAGGINESS SOUTH OF NEW ENGLAND AT 12Z SAT THAT ALSO HINTS AT THIS. DEW POINTS HAVE CLIMBED INTO THE 50S. WATER TEMPERATURES ARE IN THE MID TO UPPER 40S. THIS COOLING OF THE MOIST AIR MAY CREATE AREAS OF FOG THAT WOULD AFFECT THE SOUTH COAST. WHILE THE EVENING PCPN TAPERS OFF...THE CHANCE OF SHOWERS ALONG THE FRONT WILL LINGER UNTIL FROPA. THE UPPER SHORTWAVE AND JET WILL MAINTAIN A CHANCE OF SHOWERS THROUGH THE NIGHT WITH THE BEST CHANCE ALONG THE SOUTH COAST. WE WILL MAINTAIN CHANCE POPS THROUGH THE NIGHT MOST PLACES AND CARRY LIKELY POPS ALONG/SOUTH OF A HARTFORD-PROVIDENCE LINE. WITH DEW POINTS IN THE UPPER 40S AND 50S...EXPECT MIN TEMPS IN THIS SAME RANGE. && .SHORT TERM /6 AM SATURDAY MORNING THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT/... UPPER TROUGH MOVES EAST OF NEW ENGLAND SATURDAY AND PUSHES THE SURFACE FRONT WELL SOUTH OF OUR AREA. LEFTOVER SHOWERS...MAINLY OVER RI/SOUTHEAST MASS...SHOULD MOVE OFF WITH THE TROUGH. HIGH PRESSURE OVER CANADA WILL BUILD INTO NEW ENGLAND BRINGING DRIER AIR AND CLEARING SKIES. MIXING IS FORECAST TO 900 MB...POSSIBLY A LITTLE HIGHER. TEMPS AT THAT HEIGHT WOULD SUPPORT MAX SFC TEMPS IN THE 60S. WINDS IN THE MIXED LAYER WILL BE 15-20 KNOTS...WHICH MAY BE MIXED TO THE SURFACE IN GUSTS. AS THE HIGH BUILDS IN...THE PRESSURE GRADIENT WILL LESSEN. NOT CLEAR WHETHER IT WILL DIMINISH ENOUGH TO ALLOW THE SURFACE AIR TO DECOUPLE AND ALLOW RADIATIONAL COOLING. DEW POINTS WILL FALL INTO THE 20S...WHICH WOULD BE QUITE A CHILLY START TO THE DAY IF MINS REACHED THAT LOW. WE WILL ALLOW A LIGHT NORTH WIND OVERNIGHT AND KEEP TEMPS ABOVE FREEZING MOST PLACES. THE BEST CHANCE OF DECOUPLING AND RADIATIONAL COOLING WILL BE IN THE VALLEYS OF NORTHERN AND WESTERN MASS...WHERE THERE WILL BE THE BEST CHANCE OF DIPPING BELOW 30. WE WILL NEED TO MONITOR THIS...SUCH COOLING MAY BE ABLE TO EXTEND FARTHER SOUTH AND EAST. && .LONG TERM /SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/... OVERVIEW... LONG WAVE TROUGH ALONG THE EASTERN SEABOARD EARLY THIS WEEKEND WILL SHIFT E AS OVERALL NORTH AMERICAN UPPER LEVEL STEERING CURRENTS REMAIN PROGRESSIVE. BROAD H5 VORTEX ELONGATES FROM THE ARCTIC CIRCLE INTO LABRADOR AND NEWFOUNDLAND BY SUNDAY...WITH THE BASE OF THE VORTEX KEEPING A FAST W-NW UPPER FLOW ACROSS THE REGION FOR MOST IF NOT ALL OF THE UPCOMING WEEK. THE NEXT APPROACHING FRONT WILL MOVE INTO THE REGION BY THE BEGINNING OF THE WORK WEEK AND...AS IT BECOMES PARALLEL TO THE UPPER FLOW...WILL SEE MUCH NEEDED RAIN SHOWERS MOVE ACROSS AS THE FRONT SLOWLY PUSHES OFFSHORE. CANADIAN HIGH PRESSURE BRINGS DRY CONDITIONS WEDNESDAY. THEN LOW CONFIDENCE ON THE TIMING AND TRACK AS A QUICK MOVING LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM THAT SHOULD APPROACH THE REGION OUT OF THE OHIO VALLEY AND SOUTHERN GREAT LAKES TOWARDS THE END OF THE UPCOMING WORKWEEK. DETAILS... SUNDAY...MODERATE TO HIGH CONFIDENCE. HIGH PERSSURE PASSES OVERHEAD DURING THE DAY. ANTICIAPTE MOSTLY SUNNY SKIES...THOUGH THE FRONT TO THE NORTHWEST OF OUR AREA MAY ALLOW FOR SOME AFTERNOON CIRRUS AND MID DECK CLOUDS. SEA BREEZES ARE LIKELY ALONG THE COAST BY THE AFTERNOON. TEMPS NEAR NORMAL TO A FEW DEGREES BELOW NORMAL. SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY...MODERATE CONFIDENCE. CLOUDS WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE SUNDAY NIGHT AS A COLD FRONT MOVES OUT OF N NY STATE AND NORTHERN NEW ENGLAND. THE FRONT WILL MOVE SLOWLY TO THE SOUTHEAST...BUT LOOKS LIKE IT WILL REMAIN DRY THROUGH AT LEAST MIDNIGHT. THE POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR A FEW SHOWERS LATE SUNDAY NIGHT...MAINLY ACROSS N MA. THE FRONT LOOKS TO SLOW ITS FORWARD PROGRESS AS IT BECOMES PARALLEL TO THE UPPER LEVEL WIND FLOW DURING MONDAY. CONTINUE TO EXPECT A COUPLE OF WAVES OF LOW PRES MOVE ALONG THE FRONT...WHICH WILL ALSO TEND TO SLOW THE FRONT DOWN. STARTING TO SEE A BIT MORE MOISTURE CONVERGENCE SETTING UP AS THE FRONT CROSSES...ESPECIALLY MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY...BRINGING SOME MUCH NEEDED RAINFALL. FORECAST QPF AMOUNTS LOOK TO BE ON THE ORDER OF 0.5 TO 1 INCH FROM MONDAY AFTERNOON INTO TUESDAY. AS THE FRONT CROSSES THE REGION LATE MON NIGHT AND TUESDAY... COOLER AIR WORKS IN AS WINDS SHIFT TO N AND NE. HIGHS WILL BE CLOSE TO SEASONAL NORMALS ON MONDAY...BUT WILL FALL DOWN TO SEVERAL DEGREES BELOW SEASONAL LEVELS ON TUESDAY. TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY...MODERATE CONFIDENCE. THE FRONT SHOULD PUSH SOUTH OF OUR AREA DURING TUESDAY NIGHT...WITH CANADIAN HIGH PRESSURE BUILDING SOUTHEASTWARD. HAVE VERY LOW CHANCE POPS TO START TUESDAY NIGHT. OTHERWISE EXPECT CLEARING SKIES TUESDAY NIGHT. FAST FLOW ALOFT WILL PUSH HIGH PRES ACROSS THE REGION ON WEDNESDAY WITH DRY BUT COOL CONDITIONS. MOSTLY SUNNY SKIES FORECAST. WEDNESDAY NIGHT THRU FRIDAY...LOW CONFIDENCE. A LOT OF QUESTIONS REMAIN ON THE TIMING OF A FAST MOVING LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM THAT IS EXPECTED TO AFFECT OUR AREA DURING THISTIMEFRAME. AT THIS POINT HAVE DRY CONDITIONS FOR MOST OF WED NIGHT...FOLLOWED BY CHANCE TO SLIGHT CHANCE POPS FOR SHOWERS THU INTO FRI. && .AVIATION /21Z FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... FORECASTER CONFIDENCE LEVELS... LOW...LESS THAN 30 PERCENT. MODERATE...30 TO 60 PERCENT. HIGH...GREATER THAN 60 PERCENT. SHORT TERM /THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT/... 510 PM UDPATE...CORRECTION TO MENTION 23Z. THRU 23Z...MODERATE CONFIDENCE. SHOWERS AND ISOLATED T-STORMS MOVING MAINLY W-E ACROSS SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND...WITH THE BEST CHANCE FOR T-STORMS WESTERN-CENTRAL MA AND NORTHERN CT. SOME OF THE SHOWERS AND ESPECIALLY T-STORMS HAVE BEEN PRODUCING OUTFLOW BOUNDARIES RESULTING IN ABRUPT AND SUBSTANTIAL WIND SHIFTS IN VARIABLE DIRECTIONS. THIS WILL BE A RISK THRU 23Z. MAINLY VFR CONDITIONS ACROSS THE AREA THRU 23Z...WITH LOCALIZED MVFR CIGS/VSBYS WHERE MODERATE TO HEAVY RAINFALL OCCURS. AFTER 23Z...HIGH CONFIDENCE. GENERALLY VFR THROUGH MIDNIGHT. SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS THIS EVENING IN WESTERN AND CENTRAL MASS AND NORTHERN CT. SOME SHOWERS MAY BRIEFLY LOWER CIGS AND VSBYS TO MVFR. OVERNIGHT...MODERATE CONFIDENCE. AFTER THE FIRST SET OF SHOWERS DIMINISHES...A SECOND AREA OF SHOWERS WILL MOVE UP FROM THE SOUTHWEST AFTER MIDNIGHT. EXPECT VFR CIGS TO LOWER TO MVFR OVERNIGHT IN A FEW SHOWERS...WHILE SOUTH COASTAL NEW ENGLAND WILL LOWER TO IFR OR LIFR IN SHOWERS AND DEVELOPING FOG. SATURDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT... HIGH CONFIDENCE. VFR CONDITIONS IN THE WEST. CIGS/VSBYS IMPROVE TO VFR IN THE EAST. NORTH WIND AROUND 10 KNOTS WITH POTENTIAL GUSTS NEAR 20 KNOTS IN THE AFTERNOON. WINDS DIMINISH TOWARD EVENING. KBOS TERMINAL...MODERATE TO HIGH CONFIDENCE. EAST SEA BREEZE SHOULD SWITCH TO SOUTH-SOUTHWEST BY LATE AFTERNOON. VFR CONDITIONS SHOULD PERSIST THROUGH EARLY EVENING...BUT LEFTOVER SHOWERS FROM WESTERN MASS MAY BRING BRIEF MVFR CIGS/VSBYS THIS EVENING. ANOTHER AREA OF SHOWERS MOVES THROUGH LATER TONIGHT WITH MVFR CONDITIONS. KBDL TERMINAL...MODERATE TO HIGH CONFIDENCE. MAINLY VFR. HOWEVER...BRIEF LOWER CONDITIONS POSSIBLE THIS EVENING IN SCATTERED SHOWERS AND PERHAPS A THUNDERSTORM. ALSO A PERIOD OF MVFR CIGS POSSIBLE OVERNIGHT. OUTLOOK /SUNDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... SUNDAY AND SUNDAY NIGHT...HIGH CONFIDENCE. VFR SUNDAY INTO SUNDAY EVENING. MAY SEE MVFR CIGS/VSBYS MOVE INTO NORTHERN AREAS MAINLY NEAR AND N OF THE MASS PIKE AFTER MIDNIGHT SUNDAY NIGHT. MONDAY AND TUESDAY...MODERATE CONFIDENCE. AREAS OF MVFR CIGS/VSBYS IN SHOWERS AND PATCHY FOG. CONDITIONS SHOULD IMPROVE FROM N-S TUE NIGHT...THOUGH TIMING IS IN QUESTION. WEDNESDAY...MODERATE CONFIDENCE. VFR. && .MARINE... FORECASTER CONFIDENCE LEVELS... LOW...LESS THAN 30 PERCENT. MODERATE...30 TO 60 PERCENT. HIGH...GREATER THAN 60 PERCENT. SHORT TERM /THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT/... TONIGHT...MODERATE TO HIGH CONFIDENCE. PERSISTENT SOUTHWEST FLOW AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT WILL REMAIN BELOW 20 KNOTS. THE PERSISTENT FLOW WILL BUILD SEAS A LITTLE WITH 5 FOOT HEIGHTS ON THE OUTER WATERS SOUTH OF THE ISLANDS. SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY CONTINUES ON THOSE WATERS. AREAS OF FOG DEVELOP DURING THE NIGHT WHICH MAY BECOME LOCALLY DENSE...RESULTING IN POOR VISIBILITY. WINDS WILL SHIFT LATER AT NIGHT AND COME FROM THE NORTH OR NORTHWEST. SATURDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT...NORTH WINDS WITH GUSTS TO 20 KNOTS SATURDAY AND 20 TO 25 KNOTS SATURDAY NIGHT. SEAS WILL BE 3-4 FEET SATURDAY. HEIGHTS OF 4-6 FEET POSSIBLE ON THE EASTERN OUTER WATERS SATURDAY NIGHT. A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY MAY BE NEEDED ON SOME OF THE WATERS. OUTLOOK /SUNDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... SUNDAY...MODERATE CONFIDENCE. N WINDS VEERING TO THE SE ON SUNDAY. GUSTS UP TO 25 KT POSSIBLE DURING THE MORNING...MAINLY ALONG THE OUTER COASTAL WATERS. LINGERING 5 FOOT SEAS ON THE OUTER COASTAL WATERS SHOULD GRADUALLY SUBSIDE DURING THE DAY. MONDAY...MODERATE CONFIDENCE. WINDS AND SEAS BELOW SCA THRESHOLDS. MAY SEE VSBY RESTRICTIONS IN SCATTERED SHOWERS AND PATCHY FOG MONDAY. MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY...LOW TO MODERATE CONFIDENCE. COLD FRONT SLOWLY MOVES FROM N TO S ACROSS THE WATERS. S WINDS BECOME N DURING MON NIGHT/TUE. THEN THE N WINDS MAY GUST UP TO 20 KT DURING TUE. SEAS BUILD UP TO 5-6 FT ACROSS THE SOUTHERN WATERS MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY...AND MAY REACH TO E OF CAPE COD DURING TUESDAY. SHOULD HAVE SUBSIDING SEAS TUESDAY NIGHT. VSBY RESTRICTIONS IN SHOWERS AND PATCHY FOG. WEDNESDAY...MODERATE CONFIDENCE. WINDS/SEAS BELOW SCA THRESHOLDS. && .FIRE WEATHER... SATURDAY...WIDELY SCATTERED SHOWERS MAY LINGER ACROSS SE MA/E RI SATURDAY MORNING WITH N-NW WIND GUSTS UP TO 20 MPH. THESE SHOULD PUSH OFFSHORE BY MIDDAY. DRY CONDITIONS WILL TAKE OVER SATURDAY AFTERNOON WITH NORTH TO NORTHWEST WINDS USHERING LOWERING DEWPOINTS. MINIMUM RELATIVE HUMIDITIES WILL BE FROM 25 TO 40 PERCENT NORTH AND WEST OF I-95 AND 40 TO 60 PERCENT TO THE SOUTH AND EAST. SUNDAY...HIGH PRESSURE WILL MOVE ACROSS THE REGION. LIGHT N WINDS AT 5 TO 10 MPH WILL BECOME SW DURING THE AFTERNOON...WITH SEA BREEZES PROBABLE. MINIMUM RH VALUES WILL BE FROM 20 TO 30 PERCENT FOR MUCH OF THE AREA...EXCEPT 35 TO 45 PERCENT ALONG THE IMMEDIATE COAST. MONDAY AND TUESDAY...A SLOW MOVING FRONT COULD BRING A SOAKING RAINFALL TO SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND. THE BEST CHANCE FOR APPRECIABLE RAIN IS MONDAY AFTERNOON THRU TUESDAY MORNING. AT THIS TIME THE POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR 0.5 TO AROUND 1.0 INCH OF RAINFALL. && .BOX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... CT...NONE. MA...NONE. RI...NONE. MARINE...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 11 AM EDT SATURDAY FOR ANZ255-256. && $$ SYNOPSIS...WTB/NMB NEAR TERM...WTB/NMB SHORT TERM...WTB LONG TERM...NMB AVIATION...WTB/NMB MARINE...WTB/NMB FIRE WEATHER...
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS TAUNTON MA
515 PM EDT FRI APR 22 2016 .SYNOPSIS... A COLD FRONT OVER NEW YORK CROSSES SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND TONIGHT AND MOVES OFFSHORE SATURDAY. HIGH PRESSURE THEN BUILDS FOR LATER SATURDAY AND SUNDAY BRINGING DRY AND SEASONABLE WEATHER. A FRONT WILL PUSH SLOWLY ACROSS THE REGION MONDAY AND TUESDAY WHICH WILL BRING MUCH NEEDED SHOWERS TO THE REGION. DRY AND SEASONABLE CONDITIONS SHOULD MOVE IN AROUND THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK. THEN A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM MAY BRING ADDITIONAL RAINFALL TO OUR AREA THIS UPCOMING THURSDAY AND FRIDAY. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM SATURDAY MORNING/... THIS EVENING/EARLY NIGHT... NORTHERN STREAM SHORTWAVE AND SUPPORTING JET MOVE ACROSS NEW ENGLAND THIS EVENING. FAVORABLE JET DYNAMICS ALONG WITH LI AROUND -2 AND SBCAPE AROUND 1000 HAVE BEEN HELPING TO GENERATE SHOWERS AND A FEW TSTMS OVER THE BERKSHIRES AND HUDSON VALLEY WHICH THEN MOVE ACROSS WESTERN AND NORTHERN MASS. THESE FAVORABLE CONDITIONS WILL FADE AFTER SUNSET...BUT UNTIL THEN EXPECT SHOWERS AND A FEW TSTMS OVER WESTERN/NORTHERN MASS AND NORTHERN CT. TONIGHT... THE NEW YORK COLD FRONT EXTRAPOLATES TO THE BERKSHIRES 6-8 PM...THE WORCESTER HILLS 9-11 PM...AND THE EASTERN COAST 12-2 AM. MEANWHILE...AN OPEN SHORTWAVE OVER OHIO IS MOVING EAST AND WILL REACH THE MID ATLANTIC COAST BY SATURDAY MORNING. THE SHORTWAVE IS SUPPORTED BY AN 85-KNOT JET THAT WILL OVERLAY NEW JERSEY AND LONG ISLAND OVERNIGHT. THIS SHORTWAVE MAY TURN THE UPPER FLOW MORE PARALLEL TO THE SURFACE COLD FRONT...SLOWING THE FORWARD PROGRESS OF THAT FRONT. THE SHORTWAVE AND JET MAY ALSO GENERATE A WAVE ALONG THE FRONT OVERNIGHT. BOTH THE GFS AND HRRR ARE HINTING AT THIS. THE ECMWF SURFACE MSLP FIELD SHOWS A BAGGINESS SOUTH OF NEW ENGLAND AT 12Z SAT THAT ALSO HINTS AT THIS. DEW POINTS HAVE CLIMBED INTO THE 50S. WATER TEMPERATURES ARE IN THE MID TO UPPER 40S. THIS COOLING OF THE MOIST AIR MAY CREATE AREAS OF FOG THAT WOULD AFFECT THE SOUTH COAST. WHILE THE EVENING PCPN TAPERS OFF...THE CHANCE OF SHOWERS ALONG THE FRONT WILL LINGER UNTIL FROPA. THE UPPER SHORTWAVE AND JET WILL MAINTAIN A CHANCE OF SHOWERS THROUGH THE NIGHT WITH THE BEST CHANCE ALONG THE SOUTH COAST. WE WILL MAINTAIN CHANCE POPS THROUGH THE NIGHT MOST PLACES AND CARRY LIKELY POPS ALONG/SOUTH OF A HARTFORD-PROVIDENCE LINE. WITH DEW POINTS IN THE UPPER 40S AND 50S...EXPECT MIN TEMPS IN THIS SAME RANGE. && .SHORT TERM /6 AM SATURDAY MORNING THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT/... UPPER TROUGH MOVES EAST OF NEW ENGLAND SATURDAY AND PUSHES THE SURFACE FRONT WELL SOUTH OF OUR AREA. LEFTOVER SHOWERS...MAINLY OVER RI/SOUTHEAST MASS...SHOULD MOVE OFF WITH THE TROUGH. HIGH PRESSURE OVER CANADA WILL BUILD INTO NEW ENGLAND BRINGING DRIER AIR AND CLEARING SKIES. MIXING IS FORECAST TO 900 MB...POSSIBLY A LITTLE HIGHER. TEMPS AT THAT HEIGHT WOULD SUPPORT MAX SFC TEMPS IN THE 60S. WINDS IN THE MIXED LAYER WILL BE 15-20 KNOTS...WHICH MAY BE MIXED TO THE SURFACE IN GUSTS. AS THE HIGH BUILDS IN...THE PRESSURE GRADIENT WILL LESSEN. NOT CLEAR WHETHER IT WILL DIMINISH ENOUGH TO ALLOW THE SURFACE AIR TO DECOUPLE AND ALLOW RADIATIONAL COOLING. DEW POINTS WILL FALL INTO THE 20S...WHICH WOULD BE QUITE A CHILLY START TO THE DAY IF MINS REACHED THAT LOW. WE WILL ALLOW A LIGHT NORTH WIND OVERNIGHT AND KEEP TEMPS ABOVE FREEZING MOST PLACES. THE BEST CHANCE OF DECOUPLING AND RADIATIONAL COOLING WILL BE IN THE VALLEYS OF NORTHERN AND WESTERN MASS...WHERE THERE WILL BE THE BEST CHANCE OF DIPPING BELOW 30. WE WILL NEED TO MONITOR THIS...SUCH COOLING MAY BE ABLE TO EXTEND FARTHER SOUTH AND EAST. && .LONG TERM /SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/... OVERVIEW... LONG WAVE TROUGH ALONG THE EASTERN SEABOARD EARLY THIS WEEKEND WILL SHIFT E AS OVERALL NORTH AMERICAN UPPER LEVEL STEERING CURRENTS REMAIN PROGRESSIVE. BROAD H5 VORTEX ELONGATES FROM THE ARCTIC CIRCLE INTO LABRADOR AND NEWFOUNDLAND BY SUNDAY...WITH THE BASE OF THE VORTEX KEEPING A FAST W-NW UPPER FLOW ACROSS THE REGION FOR MOST IF NOT ALL OF THE UPCOMING WEEK. THE NEXT APPROACHING FRONT WILL MOVE INTO THE REGION BY THE BEGINNING OF THE WORK WEEK AND...AS IT BECOMES PARALLEL TO THE UPPER FLOW...WILL SEE MUCH NEEDED RAIN SHOWERS MOVE ACROSS AS THE FRONT SLOWLY PUSHES OFFSHORE. CANADIAN HIGH PRESSURE BRINGS DRY CONDITIONS WEDNESDAY. THEN LOW CONFIDENCE ON THE TIMING AND TRACK AS A QUICK MOVING LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM THAT SHOULD APPROACH THE REGION OUT OF THE OHIO VALLEY AND SOUTHERN GREAT LAKES TOWARDS THE END OF THE UPCOMING WORKWEEK. DETAILS... SUNDAY...MODERATE TO HIGH CONFIDENCE. HIGH PERSSURE PASSES OVERHEAD DURING THE DAY. ANTICIAPTE MOSTLY SUNNY SKIES...THOUGH THE FRONT TO THE NORTHWEST OF OUR AREA MAY ALLOW FOR SOME AFTERNOON CIRRUS AND MID DECK CLOUDS. SEA BREEZES ARE LIKELY ALONG THE COAST BY THE AFTERNOON. TEMPS NEAR NORMAL TO A FEW DEGREES BELOW NORMAL. SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY...MODERATE CONFIDENCE. CLOUDS WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE SUNDAY NIGHT AS A COLD FRONT MOVES OUT OF N NY STATE AND NORTHERN NEW ENGLAND. THE FRONT WILL MOVE SLOWLY TO THE SOUTHEAST...BUT LOOKS LIKE IT WILL REMAIN DRY THROUGH AT LEAST MIDNIGHT. THE POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR A FEW SHOWERS LATE SUNDAY NIGHT...MAINLY ACROSS N MA. THE FRONT LOOKS TO SLOW ITS FORWARD PROGRESS AS IT BECOMES PARALLEL TO THE UPPER LEVEL WIND FLOW DURING MONDAY. CONTINUE TO EXPECT A COUPLE OF WAVES OF LOW PRES MOVE ALONG THE FRONT...WHICH WILL ALSO TEND TO SLOW THE FRONT DOWN. STARTING TO SEE A BIT MORE MOISTURE CONVERGENCE SETTING UP AS THE FRONT CROSSES...ESPECIALLY MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY...BRINGING SOME MUCH NEEDED RAINFALL. FORECAST QPF AMOUNTS LOOK TO BE ON THE ORDER OF 0.5 TO 1 INCH FROM MONDAY AFTERNOON INTO TUESDAY. AS THE FRONT CROSSES THE REGION LATE MON NIGHT AND TUESDAY... COOLER AIR WORKS IN AS WINDS SHIFT TO N AND NE. HIGHS WILL BE CLOSE TO SEASONAL NORMALS ON MONDAY...BUT WILL FALL DOWN TO SEVERAL DEGREES BELOW SEASONAL LEVELS ON TUESDAY. TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY...MODERATE CONFIDENCE. THE FRONT SHOULD PUSH SOUTH OF OUR AREA DURING TUESDAY NIGHT...WITH CANADIAN HIGH PRESSURE BUILDING SOUTHEASTWARD. HAVE VERY LOW CHANCE POPS TO START TUESDAY NIGHT. OTHERWISE EXPECT CLEARING SKIES TUESDAY NIGHT. FAST FLOW ALOFT WILL PUSH HIGH PRES ACROSS THE REGION ON WEDNESDAY WITH DRY BUT COOL CONDITIONS. MOSTLY SUNNY SKIES FORECAST. WEDNESDAY NIGHT THRU FRIDAY...LOW CONFIDENCE. A LOT OF QUESTIONS REMAIN ON THE TIMING OF A FAST MOVING LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM THAT IS EXPECTED TO AFFECT OUR AREA DURING THISTIMEFRAME. AT THIS POINT HAVE DRY CONDITIONS FOR MOST OF WED NIGHT...FOLLOWED BY CHANCE TO SLIGHT CHANCE POPS FOR SHOWERS THU INTO FRI. && .AVIATION /21Z FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... FORECASTER CONFIDENCE LEVELS... LOW...LESS THAN 30 PERCENT. MODERATE...30 TO 60 PERCENT. HIGH...GREATER THAN 60 PERCENT. SHORT TERM /THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT/... 510 PM UDPATE... THRU 23Z...MODERATE CONFIDENCE. SHOWERS AND ISOLATED T-STORMS MOVING MAINLY W-E ACROSS SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND...WITH THE BEST CHANCE FOR T-STORMS WESTERN-CENTRAL MA AND NORTHERN CT. SOME OF THE SHOWERS AND ESPECIALLY T-STORMS HAVE BEEN PRODUCING OUTFLOW BOUNDARIES RESULTING IN ABRUPT AND SUBSTANTIAL WIND SHIFTS IN VARIABLE DIRECTIONS. THIS WILL BE A RISK THRU 00Z. MAINLY VFR CONDITIONS ACROSS THE AREA THRU 00Z...WITH LOCALIZED MVFR CIGS/VSBYS WHERE MODERATE TO HEAVY RAINFALL OCCURS. AFTER 23Z THIS EVENING...HIGH CONFIDENCE. GENERALLY VFR THROUGH MIDNIGHT. SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS THIS EVENING IN WESTERN AND CENTRAL MASS AND NORTHERN CT. SOME SHOWERS MAY BRIEFLY LOWER CIGS AND VSBYS TO MVFR. TONIGHT...MODERATE CONFIDENCE. AFTER THE FIRST SET OF SHOWERS DIMINISHES...A SECOND AREA OF SHOWERS WILL MOVE UP FROM THE SOUTHWEST AFTER MIDNIGHT. EXPECT VFR CIGS TO LOWER TO MVFR OVERNIGHT IN A FEW SHOWERS...WHILE SOUTH COASTAL NEW ENGLAND WILL LOWER TO IFR OR LIFR IN SHOWERS AND DEVELOPING FOG. SATURDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT... HIGH CONFIDENCE. VFR CONDITIONS IN THE WEST. CIGS/VSBYS IMPROVE TO VFR IN THE EAST. NORTH WIND AROUND 10 KNOTS WITH POTENTIAL GUSTS NEAR 20 KNOTS IN THE AFTERNOON. WINDS DIMINISH TOWARD EVENING. KBOS TERMINAL...MODERATE TO HIGH CONFIDENCE. EAST SEA BREEZE SHOULD SWITCH TO SOUTH-SOUTHWEST BY LATE AFTERNOON. VFR CONDITIONS SHOULD PERSIST THROUGH EARLY EVENING...BUT LEFTOVER SHOWERS FROM WESTERN MASS MAY BRING BRIEF MVFR CIGS/VSBYS THIS EVENING. ANOTHER AREA OF SHOWERS MOVES THROUGH LATER TONIGHT WITH MVFR CONDITIONS. KBDL TERMINAL...MODERATE TO HIGH CONFIDENCE. MAINLY VFR. HOWEVER...BRIEF LOWER CONDITIONS POSSIBLE THIS EVENING IN SCATTERED SHOWERS AND PERHAPS A THUNDERSTORM. ALSO A PERIOD OF MVFR CIGS POSSIBLE OVERNIGHT. OUTLOOK /SUNDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... SUNDAY AND SUNDAY NIGHT...HIGH CONFIDENCE. VFR SUNDAY INTO SUNDAY EVENING. MAY SEE MVFR CIGS/VSBYS MOVE INTO NORTHERN AREAS MAINLY NEAR AND N OF THE MASS PIKE AFTER MIDNIGHT SUNDAY NIGHT. MONDAY AND TUESDAY...MODERATE CONFIDENCE. AREAS OF MVFR CIGS/VSBYS IN SHOWERS AND PATCHY FOG. CONDITIONS SHOULD IMPROVE FROM N-S TUE NIGHT...THOUGH TIMING IS IN QUESTION. WEDNESDAY...MODERATE CONFIDENCE. VFR. && .MARINE... FORECASTER CONFIDENCE LEVELS... LOW...LESS THAN 30 PERCENT. MODERATE...30 TO 60 PERCENT. HIGH...GREATER THAN 60 PERCENT. SHORT TERM /THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT/... TONIGHT...MODERATE TO HIGH CONFIDENCE. PERSISTENT SOUTHWEST FLOW AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT WILL REMAIN BELOW 20 KNOTS. THE PERSISTENT FLOW WILL BUILD SEAS A LITTLE WITH 5 FOOT HEIGHTS ON THE OUTER WATERS SOUTH OF THE ISLANDS. SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY CONTINUES ON THOSE WATERS. AREAS OF FOG DEVELOP DURING THE NIGHT WHICH MAY BECOME LOCALLY DENSE...RESULTING IN POOR VISIBILITY. WINDS WILL SHIFT LATER AT NIGHT AND COME FROM THE NORTH OR NORTHWEST. SATURDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT...NORTH WINDS WITH GUSTS TO 20 KNOTS SATURDAY AND 20 TO 25 KNOTS SATURDAY NIGHT. SEAS WILL BE 3-4 FEET SATURDAY. HEIGHTS OF 4-6 FEET POSSIBLE ON THE EASTERN OUTER WATERS SATURDAY NIGHT. A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY MAY BE NEEDED ON SOME OF THE WATERS. OUTLOOK /SUNDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... SUNDAY...MODERATE CONFIDENCE. N WINDS VEERING TO THE SE ON SUNDAY. GUSTS UP TO 25 KT POSSIBLE DURING THE MORNING...MAINLY ALONG THE OUTER COASTAL WATERS. LINGERING 5 FOOT SEAS ON THE OUTER COASTAL WATERS SHOULD GRADUALLY SUBSIDE DURING THE DAY. MONDAY...MODERATE CONFIDENCE. WINDS AND SEAS BELOW SCA THRESHOLDS. MAY SEE VSBY RESTRICTIONS IN SCATTERED SHOWERS AND PATCHY FOG MONDAY. MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY...LOW TO MODERATE CONFIDENCE. COLD FRONT SLOWLY MOVES FROM N TO S ACROSS THE WATERS. S WINDS BECOME N DURING MON NIGHT/TUE. THEN THE N WINDS MAY GUST UP TO 20 KT DURING TUE. SEAS BUILD UP TO 5-6 FT ACROSS THE SOUTHERN WATERS MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY...AND MAY REACH TO E OF CAPE COD DURING TUESDAY. SHOULD HAVE SUBSIDING SEAS TUESDAY NIGHT. VSBY RESTRICTIONS IN SHOWERS AND PATCHY FOG. WEDNESDAY...MODERATE CONFIDENCE. WINDS/SEAS BELOW SCA THRESHOLDS. && .FIRE WEATHER... SATURDAY...WIDELY SCATTERED SHOWERS MAY LINGER ACROSS SE MA/E RI SATURDAY MORNING WITH N-NW WIND GUSTS UP TO 20 MPH. THESE SHOULD PUSH OFFSHORE BY MIDDAY. DRY CONDITIONS WILL TAKE OVER SATURDAY AFTERNOON WITH NORTH TO NORTHWEST WINDS USHERING LOWERING DEWPOINTS. MINIMUM RELATIVE HUMIDITIES WILL BE FROM 25 TO 40 PERCENT NORTH AND WEST OF I-95 AND 40 TO 60 PERCENT TO THE SOUTH AND EAST. SUNDAY...HIGH PRESSURE WILL MOVE ACROSS THE REGION. LIGHT N WINDS AT 5 TO 10 MPH WILL BECOME SW DURING THE AFTERNOON...WITH SEA BREEZES PROBABLE. MINIMUM RH VALUES WILL BE FROM 20 TO 30 PERCENT FOR MUCH OF THE AREA...EXCEPT 35 TO 45 PERCENT ALONG THE IMMEDIATE COAST. MONDAY AND TUESDAY...A SLOW MOVING FRONT COULD BRING A SOAKING RAINFALL TO SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND. THE BEST CHANCE FOR APPRECIABLE RAIN IS MONDAY AFTERNOON THRU TUESDAY MORNING. AT THIS TIME THE POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR 0.5 TO AROUND 1.0 INCH OF RAINFALL. && .BOX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... CT...NONE. MA...NONE. RI...NONE. MARINE...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 11 AM EDT SATURDAY FOR ANZ255-256. && $$ SYNOPSIS...WTB/NMB NEAR TERM...WTB/NMB SHORT TERM...WTB LONG TERM...NMB AVIATION...WTB/NMB MARINE...WTB/NMB FIRE WEATHER...
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS TAUNTON MA
418 PM EDT FRI APR 22 2016 .SYNOPSIS... A COLD FRONT OVER NEW YORK CROSSES SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND TONIGHT AND MOVES OFFSHORE SATURDAY. HIGH PRESSURE THEN BUILDS FOR LATER SATURDAY AND SUNDAY BRINGING DRY AND SEASONABLE WEATHER. A FRONT WILL PUSH SLOWLY ACROSS THE REGION MONDAY AND TUESDAY WHICH WILL BRING MUCH NEEDED SHOWERS TO THE REGION. DRY AND SEASONABLE CONDITIONS SHOULD MOVE IN AROUND THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK. THEN A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM MAY BRING ADDITIONAL RAINFALL TO OUR AREA THIS UPCOMING THURSDAY AND FRIDAY. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM SATURDAY MORNING/... THIS EVENING/EARLY NIGHT... NORTHERN STREAM SHORTWAVE AND SUPPORTING JET MOVE ACROSS NEW ENGLAND THIS EVENING. FAVORABLE JET DYNAMICS ALONG WITH LI AROUND -2 AND SBCAPE AROUND 1000 HAVE BEEN HELPING TO GENERATE SHOWERS AND A FEW TSTMS OVER THE BERKSHIRES AND HUDSON VALLEY WHICH THEN MOVE ACROSS WESTERN AND NORTHERN MASS. THESE FAVORABLE CONDITIONS WILL FADE AFTER SUNSET...BUT UNTIL THEN EXPECT SHOWERS AND A FEW TSTMS OVER WESTERN/NORTHERN MASS AND NORTHERN CT. TONIGHT... THE NEW YORK COLD FRONT EXTRAPOLATES TO THE BERKSHIRES 6-8 PM...THE WORCESTER HILLS 9-11 PM...AND THE EASTERN COAST 12-2 AM. MEANWHILE...AN OPEN SHORTWAVE OVER OHIO IS MOVING EAST AND WILL REACH THE MID ATLANTIC COAST BY SATURDAY MORNING. THE SHORTWAVE IS SUPPORTED BY AN 85-KNOT JET THAT WILL OVERLAY NEW JERSEY AND LONG ISLAND OVERNIGHT. THIS SHORTWAVE MAY TURN THE UPPER FLOW MORE PARALLEL TO THE SURFACE COLD FRONT...SLOWING THE FORWARD PROGRESS OF THAT FRONT. THE SHORTWAVE AND JET MAY ALSO GENERATE A WAVE ALONG THE FRONT OVERNIGHT. BOTH THE GFS AND HRRR ARE HINTING AT THIS. THE ECMWF SURFACE MSLP FIELD SHOWS A BAGGINESS SOUTH OF NEW ENGLAND AT 12Z SAT THAT ALSO HINTS AT THIS. DEW POINTS HAVE CLIMBED INTO THE 50S. WATER TEMPERATURES ARE IN THE MID TO UPPER 40S. THIS COOLING OF THE MOIST AIR MAY CREATE AREAS OF FOG THAT WOULD AFFECT THE SOUTH COAST. WHILE THE EVENING PCPN TAPERS OFF...THE CHANCE OF SHOWERS ALONG THE FRONT WILL LINGER UNTIL FROPA. THE UPPER SHORTWAVE AND JET WILL MAINTAIN A CHANCE OF SHOWERS THROUGH THE NIGHT WITH THE BEST CHANCE ALONG THE SOUTH COAST. WE WILL MAINTAIN CHANCE POPS THROUGH THE NIGHT MOST PLACES AND CARRY LIKELY POPS ALONG/SOUTH OF A HARTFORD-PROVIDENCE LINE. WITH DEW POINTS IN THE UPPER 40S AND 50S...EXPECT MIN TEMPS IN THIS SAME RANGE. && .SHORT TERM /6 AM SATURDAY MORNING THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT/... UPPER TROUGH MOVES EAST OF NEW ENGLAND SATURDAY AND PUSHES THE SURFACE FRONT WELL SOUTH OF OUR AREA. LEFTOVER SHOWERS...MAINLY OVER RI/SOUTHEAST MASS...SHOULD MOVE OFF WITH THE TROUGH. HIGH PRESSURE OVER CANADA WILL BUILD INTO NEW ENGLAND BRINGING DRIER AIR AND CLEARING SKIES. MIXING IS FORECAST TO 900 MB...POSSIBLY A LITTLE HIGHER. TEMPS AT THAT HEIGHT WOULD SUPPORT MAX SFC TEMPS IN THE 60S. WINDS IN THE MIXED LAYER WILL BE 15-20 KNOTS...WHICH MAY BE MIXED TO THE SURFACE IN GUSTS. AS THE HIGH BUILDS IN...THE PRESSURE GRADIENT WILL LESSEN. NOT CLEAR WHETHER IT WILL DIMINISH ENOUGH TO ALLOW THE SURFACE AIR TO DECOUPLE AND ALLOW RADIATIONAL COOLING. DEW POINTS WILL FALL INTO THE 20S...WHICH WOULD BE QUITE A CHILLY START TO THE DAY IF MINS REACHED THAT LOW. WE WILL ALLOW A LIGHT NORTH WIND OVERNIGHT AND KEEP TEMPS ABOVE FREEZING MOST PLACES. THE BEST CHANCE OF DECOUPLING AND RADIATIONAL COOLING WILL BE IN THE VALLEYS OF NORTHERN AND WESTERN MASS...WHERE THERE WILL BE THE BEST CHANCE OF DIPPING BELOW 30. WE WILL NEED TO MONITOR THIS...SUCH COOLING MAY BE ABLE TO EXTEND FARTHER SOUTH AND EAST. && .LONG TERM /SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/... OVERVIEW... LONG WAVE TROUGH ALONG THE EASTERN SEABOARD EARLY THIS WEEKEND WILL SHIFT E AS OVERALL NORTH AMERICAN UPPER LEVEL STEERING CURRENTS REMAIN PROGRESSIVE. BROAD H5 VORTEX ELONGATES FROM THE ARCTIC CIRCLE INTO LABRADOR AND NEWFOUNDLAND BY SUNDAY...WITH THE BASE OF THE VORTEX KEEPING A FAST W-NW UPPER FLOW ACROSS THE REGION FOR MOST IF NOT ALL OF THE UPCOMING WEEK. THE NEXT APPROACHING FRONT WILL MOVE INTO THE REGION BY THE BEGINNING OF THE WORK WEEK AND...AS IT BECOMES PARALLEL TO THE UPPER FLOW...WILL SEE MUCH NEEDED RAIN SHOWERS MOVE ACROSS AS THE FRONT SLOWLY PUSHES OFFSHORE. CANADIAN HIGH PRESSURE BRINGS DRY CONDITIONS WEDNESDAY. THEN LOW CONFIDENCE ON THE TIMING AND TRACK AS A QUICK MOVING LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM THAT SHOULD APPROACH THE REGION OUT OF THE OHIO VALLEY AND SOUTHERN GREAT LAKES TOWARDS THE END OF THE UPCOMING WORKWEEK. DETAILS... SUNDAY...MODERATE TO HIGH CONFIDENCE. HIGH PERSSURE PASSES OVERHEAD DURING THE DAY. ANTICIAPTE MOSTLY SUNNY SKIES...THOUGH THE FRONT TO THE NORTHWEST OF OUR AREA MAY ALLOW FOR SOME AFTERNOON CIRRUS AND MID DECK CLOUDS. SEA BREEZES ARE LIKELY ALONG THE COAST BY THE AFTERNOON. TEMPS NEAR NORMAL TO A FEW DEGREES BELOW NORMAL. SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY...MODERATE CONFIDENCE. CLOUDS WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE SUNDAY NIGHT AS A COLD FRONT MOVES OUT OF N NY STATE AND NORTHERN NEW ENGLAND. THE FRONT WILL MOVE SLOWLY TO THE SOUTHEAST...BUT LOOKS LIKE IT WILL REMAIN DRY THROUGH AT LEAST MIDNIGHT. THE POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR A FEW SHOWERS LATE SUNDAY NIGHT...MAINLY ACROSS N MA. THE FRONT LOOKS TO SLOW ITS FORWARD PROGRESS AS IT BECOMES PARALLEL TO THE UPPER LEVEL WIND FLOW DURING MONDAY. CONTINUE TO EXPECT A COUPLE OF WAVES OF LOW PRES MOVE ALONG THE FRONT...WHICH WILL ALSO TEND TO SLOW THE FRONT DOWN. STARTING TO SEE A BIT MORE MOISTURE CONVERGENCE SETTING UP AS THE FRONT CROSSES...ESPECIALLY MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY...BRINGING SOME MUCH NEEDED RAINFALL. FORECAST QPF AMOUNTS LOOK TO BE ON THE ORDER OF 0.5 TO 1 INCH FROM MONDAY AFTERNOON INTO TUESDAY. AS THE FRONT CROSSES THE REGION LATE MON NIGHT AND TUESDAY... COOLER AIR WORKS IN AS WINDS SHIFT TO N AND NE. HIGHS WILL BE CLOSE TO SEASONAL NORMALS ON MONDAY...BUT WILL FALL DOWN TO SEVERAL DEGREES BELOW SEASONAL LEVELS ON TUESDAY. TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY...MODERATE CONFIDENCE. THE FRONT SHOULD PUSH SOUTH OF OUR AREA DURING TUESDAY NIGHT...WITH CANADIAN HIGH PRESSURE BUILDING SOUTHEASTWARD. HAVE VERY LOW CHANCE POPS TO START TUESDAY NIGHT. OTHERWISE EXPECT CLEARING SKIES TUESDAY NIGHT. FAST FLOW ALOFT WILL PUSH HIGH PRES ACROSS THE REGION ON WEDNESDAY WITH DRY BUT COOL CONDITIONS. MOSTLY SUNNY SKIES FORECAST. WEDNESDAY NIGHT THRU FRIDAY...LOW CONFIDENCE. A LOT OF QUESTIONS REMAIN ON THE TIMING OF A FAST MOVING LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM THAT IS EXPECTED TO AFFECT OUR AREA DURING THISTIMEFRAME. AT THIS POINT HAVE DRY CONDITIONS FOR MOST OF WED NIGHT...FOLLOWED BY CHANCE TO SLIGHT CHANCE POPS FOR SHOWERS THU INTO FRI. && .AVIATION /19Z FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... FORECASTER CONFIDENCE LEVELS... LOW...LESS THAN 30 PERCENT. MODERATE...30 TO 60 PERCENT. HIGH...GREATER THAN 60 PERCENT. SHORT TERM /THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT/... THIS EVENING... HIGH CONFIDENCE. GENERALLY VFR THROUGH MIDNIGHT. SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS THIS EVENING IN WESTERN AND CENTRAL MASS AND NORTHERN CT. SOME SHOWERS MAY BRIEFLY LOWER CIGS AND VSBYS TO MVFR. TONIGHT...MODERATE CONFIDENCE. AFTER THE FIRST SET OF SHOWERS DIMINISHES...A SECOND AREA OF SHOWERS WILL MOVE UP FROM THE SOUTHWEST AFTER MIDNIGHT. EXPECT VFR CIGS TO LOWER TO MVFR OVERNIGHT IN A FEW SHOWERS...WHILE SOUTH COASTAL NEW ENGLAND WILL LOWER TO IFR OR LIFR IN SHOWERS AND DEVELOPING FOG. SATURDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT... HIGH CONFIDENCE. VFR CONDITIONS IN THE WEST. CIGS/VSBYS IMPROVE TO VFR IN THE EAST. NORTH WIND AROUND 10 KNOTS WITH POTENTIAL GUSTS NEAR 20 KNOTS IN THE AFTERNOON. WINDS DIMINISH TOWARD EVENING. KBOS TERMINAL...MODERATE TO HIGH CONFIDENCE. EAST SEA BREEZE SHOULD SWITCH TO SOUTH-SOUTHWEST BY LATE AFTERNOON. VFR CONDITIONS SHOULD PERSIST THROUGH EARLY EVENING...BUT LEFTOVER SHOWERS FROM WESTERN MASS MAY BRING BRIEF MVFR CIGS/VSBYS THIS EVENING. ANOTHER AREA OF SHOWERS MOVES THROUGH LATER TONIGHT WITH MVFR CONDITIONS. KBDL TERMINAL...MODERATE TO HIGH CONFIDENCE. MAINLY VFR. HOWEVER...BRIEF LOWER CONDITIONS POSSIBLE THIS EVENING IN SCATTERED SHOWERS AND PERHAPS A THUNDERSTORM. ALSO A PERIOD OF MVFR CIGS POSSIBLE OVERNIGHT. OUTLOOK /SUNDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... SUNDAY AND SUNDAY NIGHT...HIGH CONFIDENCE. VFR SUNDAY INTO SUNDAY EVENING. MAY SEE MVFR CIGS/VSBYS MOVE INTO NORTHERN AREAS MAINLY NEAR AND N OF THE MASS PIKE AFTER MIDNIGHT SUNDAY NIGHT. MONDAY AND TUESDAY...MODERATE CONFIDENCE. AREAS OF MVFR CIGS/VSBYS IN SHOWERS AND PATCHY FOG. CONDITIONS SHOULD IMPROVE FROM N-S TUE NIGHT...THOUGH TIMING IS IN QUESTION. WEDNESDAY...MODERATE CONFIDENCE. VFR. && .MARINE... FORECASTER CONFIDENCE LEVELS... LOW...LESS THAN 30 PERCENT. MODERATE...30 TO 60 PERCENT. HIGH...GREATER THAN 60 PERCENT. SHORT TERM /THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT/... TONIGHT...MODERATE TO HIGH CONFIDENCE. PERSISTENT SOUTHWEST FLOW AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT WILL REMAIN BELOW 20 KNOTS. THE PERSISTENT FLOW WILL BUILD SEAS A LITTLE WITH 5 FOOT HEIGHTS ON THE OUTER WATERS SOUTH OF THE ISLANDS. SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY CONTINUES ON THOSE WATERS. AREAS OF FOG DEVELOP DURING THE NIGHT WHICH MAY BECOME LOCALLY DENSE...RESULTING IN POOR VISIBILITY. WINDS WILL SHIFT LATER AT NIGHT AND COME FROM THE NORTH OR NORTHWEST. SATURDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT...NORTH WINDS WITH GUSTS TO 20 KNOTS SATURDAY AND 20 TO 25 KNOTS SATURDAY NIGHT. SEAS WILL BE 3-4 FEET SATURDAY. HEIGHTS OF 4-6 FEET POSSIBLE ON THE EASTERN OUTER WATERS SATURDAY NIGHT. A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY MAY BE NEEDED ON SOME OF THE WATERS. OUTLOOK /SUNDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... SUNDAY...MODERATE CONFIDENCE. N WINDS VEERING TO THE SE ON SUNDAY. GUSTS UP TO 25 KT POSSIBLE DURING THE MORNING...MAINLY ALONG THE OUTER COASTAL WATERS. LINGERING 5 FOOT SEAS ON THE OUTER COASTAL WATERS SHOULD GRADUALLY SUBSIDE DURING THE DAY. MONDAY...MODERATE CONFIDENCE. WINDS AND SEAS BELOW SCA THRESHOLDS. MAY SEE VSBY RESTRICTIONS IN SCATTERED SHOWERS AND PATCHY FOG MONDAY. MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY...LOW TO MODERATE CONFIDENCE. COLD FRONT SLOWLY MOVES FROM N TO S ACROSS THE WATERS. S WINDS BECOME N DURING MON NIGHT/TUE. THEN THE N WINDS MAY GUST UP TO 20 KT DURING TUE. SEAS BUILD UP TO 5-6 FT ACROSS THE SOUTHERN WATERS MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY...AND MAY REACH TO E OF CAPE COD DURING TUESDAY. SHOULD HAVE SUBSIDING SEAS TUESDAY NIGHT. VSBY RESTRICTIONS IN SHOWERS AND PATCHY FOG. WEDNESDAY...MODERATE CONFIDENCE. WINDS/SEAS BELOW SCA THRESHOLDS. && .FIRE WEATHER... SATURDAY...WIDELY SCATTERED SHOWERS MAY LINGER ACROSS SE MA/E RI SATURDAY MORNING WITH N-NW WIND GUSTS UP TO 20 MPH. THESE SHOULD PUSH OFFSHORE BY MIDDAY. DRY CONDITIONS WILL TAKE OVER SATURDAY AFTERNOON WITH NORTH TO NORTHWEST WINDS USHERING LOWERING DEWPOINTS. MINIMUM RELATIVE HUMIDITIES WILL BE FROM 25 TO 40 PERCENT NORTH AND WEST OF I-95 AND 40 TO 60 PERCENT TO THE SOUTH AND EAST. SUNDAY...HIGH PRESSURE WILL MOVE ACROSS THE REGION. LIGHT N WINDS AT 5 TO 10 MPH WILL BECOME SW DURING THE AFTERNOON...WITH SEA BREEZES PROBABLE. MINIMUM RH VALUES WILL BE FROM 20 TO 30 PERCENT FOR MUCH OF THE AREA...EXCEPT 35 TO 45 PERCENT ALONG THE IMMEDIATE COAST. MONDAY AND TUESDAY...A SLOW MOVING FRONT COULD BRING A SOAKING RAINFALL TO SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND. THE BEST CHANCE FOR APPRECIABLE RAIN IS MONDAY AFTERNOON THRU TUESDAY MORNING. AT THIS TIME THE POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR 0.5 TO AROUND 1.0 INCH OF RAINFALL. && .BOX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... CT...NONE. MA...NONE. RI...NONE. MARINE...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 5 AM EDT SATURDAY FOR ANZ255-256. && $$ SYNOPSIS...WTB/EVT NEAR TERM...WTB/EVT SHORT TERM...WTB LONG TERM...EVT AVIATION...WTB/EVT MARINE...WTB/EVT FIRE WEATHER...
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS TALLAHASSEE FL
141 PM EDT FRI APR 22 2016 .Aviation... [Through 18Z Saturday] Numerous SHRA and isolated TSRA will continue to affect south GA, southeast AL, and the FL Panhandle and Big Bend this afternoon. The rain will end this evening, but low clouds and fog (IFR) will develop later tonight across much of the region. A cold front will pass through the area Saturday morning, eventually clearing the clouds and fog late in the morning. && .Prev Discussion [909 AM EDT]... .Near Term [Through Today]... The 7 am EDT regional surface analysis showed a cold front from northeast MS to the coastal waters of TX. Vapor imagery and upper air data showed a positive-tilted trough approaching from the west. There was an MCS propagating eastward across the FL Panhandle and Southeast AL, which the latest HRRR appears to have initialized fairly well. This system is expected to weaken a bit as it moves into a region with less favorable thermodynamics, but we are still forecasting high rain chances across most of our area this afternoon given the expected Q-G forcing and moisture ahead of the approaching trough. Forecast max MLCAPE values will be around 1000 J/kg, and 0-6 km bulk shear values will be in the 20-30 KT range. These levels are marginal for storm organization/strong updrafts, but we can`t rule out a marginally damaging wind gust. .Short Term [Tonight Through Sunday]... The frontal boundary will be clearing the area tonight with showers and thunderstorms rapidly decreasing after sunset. Thereafter, dry conditions will prevail through the weekend with temperatures near to slightly above average, generally low to mid 80s for highs and upper 50s to lower 60s for lows. .Long Term [Sunday Night Through Friday]... A rather dry and warm pattern will dominate through next week with weak upper level ridging in place over the southeast. Expect to see highs in the lower to mid 80s with lows in the 60s throughout the period. .Marine... Generally light winds will shift to the northwest tonight behind a cold frontal passage. Winds and seas are expected to remain on the low side through early next week. A sea breeze is possible near the coast on Saturday afternoon as well as Sunday afternoon. .Fire Weather... Aside from high dispersion values Saturday, there are no fire weather concerns at least for the next several days. .Hydrology... Steady or falling river levels are expected through this weekend. Rainfall amounts with today`s frontal system are expected to average generally less than 1 inch for most areas with no significant impacts on area rivers. && .Preliminary Point Temps/PoPs... Tallahassee 62 85 58 87 61 / 10 0 0 0 0 Panama City 65 79 63 80 64 / 10 0 0 0 0 Dothan 58 82 57 85 60 / 30 0 0 0 0 Albany 58 83 57 84 60 / 40 0 0 0 0 Valdosta 61 86 58 88 60 / 30 0 0 0 0 Cross City 63 84 59 86 61 / 10 0 0 0 0 Apalachicola 64 80 62 79 64 / 10 0 0 0 0 && .TAE WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... FL...NONE. GA...NONE. AL...NONE. GM...NONE. && $$ NEAR TERM...FOURNIER SHORT TERM...DVD LONG TERM...DVD AVIATION...FOURNIER MARINE...DVD FIRE WEATHER...BARRY HYDROLOGY...DVD
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS PEACHTREE CITY GA
322 PM EDT FRI APR 22 2016 .SHORT TERM /TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY/... CONVECTION CONTINUES TO INCREASE ACROSS AL...ERN TN AND NW GA. SO FAR NOTHING TOO BAD WITH A COUPLE SIG WX ADVISORIES ISSUED OVER NRN AL. CURRENT TEMPS STILL IN THE UPPER 60S TO AROUND 70 AND DEWPOINTS AROUND 60. RESULTING SBCAPE OVER ERN AL AND FAR NW GA STILL LIMITED TO 500-1000 J/KG AND VERTICAL WIND SHEAR QUITE WEAK. LOW END DAMAGING WIND AND SMALL HAIL THREAT APPEARS TO BE IN LINE WITH SPC MARGINAL RISK BUT WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR. EXPECT ISOLD TO SCT /20-40PCT/ COVERAGE OF STORMS REST OF AFTERNOON THRU 10 PM OR SO TONIGHT BEFORE DIMINISHING. SO POPS APPEAR OK. ALL PRECIP SHOULD BE OUT OF CWA BY MIDNIGHT. NO FCST PROBLEMS EXPECTED THRU REST OF SHORT TERM FCST PERIOD. IF WINDS DIE DOWN TONIGHT...AS SOME MOS FORECASTS INDICATE...COULD SEE PATCHY GROUND FOG. TEMPERATURES NEAR OR ABOVE NORMAL THIS WEEKEND. BLEND INCORPORATING BIAS CORRECTION AND RECENT PERFORMANCE GENERALLY ACCEPTED. SNELSON && .LONG TERM /SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY/... NLISTEMAA NO MAJOR CHANGES TO THE LONG TERM PORTION OF THE FORECAST WERE NEEDED. TWO SYSTEMS ARE EXPECTED TO IMPACT THE CWFA...ONE DURING THE MIDDLE PART OF THE WEEK WITH THE NEXT SYSTEM EXPECTED FOR FRIDAY INTO THE EARLY WEEKEND. HIGH PRESSURE WILL REMAIN ACROSS THE WESTERN ATLANTIC THROUGH TUESDAY. HOWEVER, THE HIGH CENTER WILL GET SHIFTED TO THE SOUTH AND EAST BY LATE TUESDAY/EARLY WEDNESDAY AS A FRONTAL BOUNDARY APPROACHES FROM THE NORTH. THE 500MB FLOW WILL REMAIN ZONAL THROUGH THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK...SO THE BOUNDARY SHOULD NOT MAKE IT TOO FAR INTO THE NORTHERN CWFA BEFORE STALLING. THE HIGHEST POPS FOR THE MIDDLE PART OF THE WEEK SHOULD BE IN THE VICINITY OF THIS BOUNDARY. CURRENTLY...THE LONG TERM MODELS HAVE THE NEXT BOUNDARY IMPACTING THE CWFA ON FRIDAY INTO EARLY SATURDAY. NLISTEMAA PREV LONG TERM DISCUSSION /SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY/... /ISSUED 344 AM EDT FRI APR 22 2016/ LONG TERM PERIOD BEGINS WITH LAST OF THE SHORTWAVE ENERGY EXITING EAST AND TAKING ALL OF THE DEEP LAYER MOISTURE WITH IT. WITH TIME...THROUGH SUNDAY...THE TROUGH WILL BE REPLACED BY AND UPPER LEVEL RIDGE PROVIDING FOR A DRY PATTERN AND INCREASING TEMPERATURES. BY SUNDAY AFTERNOON...MOST LOCATIONS WILL BE APPROACHING THE 80 DEGREE MARK ONCE AGAIN WHICH WILL BE SOME 3 TO 5 DEGREES ABOVE SAT VALUES. A FAIRLY STAGNANT PATTERN IN STORE THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT AS UPPER RIDGE DOMINATES FOR MOST OF THE PERIOD BUT DOES BREAK DOWN INTO MORE OF A ZONAL FLOW BY TUE MORNING. SURFACE RIDGE WILL GRADUALLY SHIFT FROM THE CAROLINAS TO WELL OFFSHORE WHICH WILL PROMOTE MORE OF A MOIST SOUTHERLY FLOW ACROSS THE AREA. IMPULSES MOVING QUICKLY ACROSS THE SOUTH WILL EVENTUALLY IMPACT PORTIONS OF NORTH GEORGIA TUESDAY AFTERNOON. MOISTURE WILL CONTINUE TO BE LIMITED BUT ENOUGH LIFT AND INSTABILITY PRESENT TO WARRANT LOW END CHANCE POPS ACROSS THE FAR NORTHERN TIER. WILL CONTINUE WITH THE MAINLY DIURNAL CONVECTION AND LOW END CHANCE POPS ACROSS THE FAR NORTH THROUGH WED. THEREAFTER...A COLD FRONT WILL SAG INTO THE STATE WITH INCREASED DEEP LAYER MOISTURE. FRONT HOWEVER STALLS QUICKLY AS UPPER RIDGE BUILDS BACK IN AND MOISTURE LESSENS. SOME INDICATIONS FOR LATE FRI INTO NEXT WEEKEND OF POTENTIAL NW FLOW STORMS BUT OVERALL A BENIGN PATTERN FOR MID SPRING. DEESE && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 228 PM EDT FRI APR 22 2016/ UPDATE... ALREADY DID TWEAKS TO NEAR TERM POP...WX AND SKY GRIDS BASED ON RADAR TRENDS. HIRES MODELS AND HRRR DOING A DECENT JOB HANDLING THE RAIN BAND AND NOW DEVELOPING ISOLD CONVECTION IN ERN AL...NW GA AND CENTRAL/ERN TN. INSTABILITY INCREASING IN ERN AL BUT NOT AS MUCH AS FEARED EVEN THOUGH TEMPS AROUND 80F IN COUNTIES SOUTH AND EAST OF RAIN AREA IN EC GA. ANY STORMS THAT DEVELOP OVER NW GA THIS AFTERNOON COULD HAVE SOME STRONG WINDS AND SMALL HAIL THREAT. SNELSON && AVIATION... 18Z UPDATE... SEVERAL ISSUES WITH FORECAST...IFR CIGS FINALLY DISSIPATING IN RAIN AREA. STUBBORN TO CLEAR OUT OF KCSG BUT MOST OTHER AREAS MVFR OR VFR AT THIS TIME. SFC WINDS MOSTLY SW BUT MAY BRIEFLY SWITCH TO SE ON BACK SIDE OF RAIN AREA MOVING THROUGH. ISOLD TSRA EXPECTED TO INCREASE OVER NW 1/2 OF GA THRU 23Z. EXPECTED COVERAGE JUST ENOUGH TO WARRANT TEMPO FOR 21-24Z AT ATL METRO AIRPORTS. RAPID CLEARING EXPECTED AFTER 02Z BUT COULD SEE PATCH GROUND FOG AFTER 10Z WHERE WINDS GO CALM AND PREVIOUS RAINFALL SLOW TO EVAPORATE. SFC WINDS WILL REMAIN ON WEST COMPONENT THRU FCST. NO SIGNIFICANT GUSTS EXPECTED. //ATL CONFIDENCE...18Z UPDATE... MEDIUM CONFIDENCE ON TSRA LIKELIHOOD AND LOCATIONS. MEDIUM CONFIDENCE ON FOG OVERNIGHT. HIGH CONFIDENCE ON ALL OTHER ELEMENTS. SNELSON && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... ATHENS 55 78 54 79 / 40 0 0 0 ATLANTA 56 75 56 78 / 40 0 0 0 BLAIRSVILLE 52 72 49 76 / 50 0 0 0 CARTERSVILLE 53 74 51 79 / 30 0 0 0 COLUMBUS 57 77 56 81 / 40 0 0 0 GAINESVILLE 55 75 54 77 / 40 0 0 0 MACON 57 78 55 81 / 40 0 0 0 ROME 54 75 51 79 / 30 0 0 0 PEACHTREE CITY 53 76 52 79 / 50 0 0 0 VIDALIA 62 80 59 82 / 40 5 0 0 && .FFC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && $$ SHORT TERM...SNELSON LONG TERM....NLISTEMAA AVIATION...SNELSON
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NWS PEACHTREE CITY GA
228 PM EDT FRI APR 22 2016 .UPDATE... ALREADY DID TWEAKS TO NEAR TERM POP...WX AND SKY GRIDS BASED ON RADAR TRENDS. HIRES MODELS AND HRRR DOING A DECENT JOB HANDLING THE RAIN BAND AND NOW DEVELOPING ISOLD CONVECTION IN ERN AL...NW GA AND CENTRAL/ERN TN. INSTABILITY INCREASING IN ERN AL BUT NOT AS MUCH AS FEARED EVEN THOUGH TEMPS AROUND 80F IN COUNTIES SOUTH AND EAST OF RAIN AREA IN EC GA. ANY STORMS THAT DEVELOP OVER NW GA THIS AFTERNOON COULD HAVE SOME STRONG WINDS AND SMALL HAIL THREAT. SNELSON && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 803 AM EDT FRI APR 22 2016/ SHORT TERM /TODAY THROUGH SATURDAY/... NEAR TERM MAINLY WITH PRE-FRONTAL MIDLEVEL WAVE OF MOISTURE ALLOWING FOR SCATTERED SHOWERS PUSHING ACROSS PORTIONS OF NORTH GEORGIA EARLY THIS MORNING...THOUGH GREATEST CHANCE WILL BE THIS AFTERNOON INTO EVENING AHEAD AND ALONG RATHER HIGH AMPLITUDE UPPER SHORTWAVE TROUGH AND TRANSLATED SFC FROPA. HAVE TRENDED LIKELY POPS ACCORDINGLY WITH GREATEST CHANCE CENTERED IN THE 15-21Z WINDOW. PROGGED CAPE VALUES LOOK TO INCREASE ENOUGH FOR GENERAL CHANCE THUNDER THOUGH LOOK TO REMAIN BELOW 1000 J/KG EVEN WITH THE MU PARCEL. ANY LINGERING CLOUD COVERAGE AHEAD OF SYSTEM MAY ALSO SERVE TO LIMIT DESTABILIZATION... THOUGH WILL HAVE MARGINAL DEEP LAYER SHEAR NEAR 30-35 KTS AND RATHER LOW FRZING LEVEL WITH DECENT LOW LEVEL LAPSE RATES SO SOME STRONG STORMS...POSSIBLY LOW END SEVERE COULD DEVELOP. GUSTY WINDS...HAIL...AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING WOULD BE MAIN THREATS THIS AFTERNOON WITH STRONGER CONVECTION. OTHERWISE LOOKING TO HAVE CLEARING SKIES OVERNIGHT TONIGHT WITH UPPER RIDGING AND POST-FRONTAL REGIME. ENHANCED GRADIENT NW WINDS ON TAP FOR SATURDAY WITH DRY CONDITIONS. TEMPS SHOULD STAY SLIGHTLY BELOW NORMAL TODAY THEN ACTUALLY A BIT WARMER CLOSER TO OR SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL FOR SATURDAY WITH DECENT DIURNAL HEATING DESPITE THE FROPA. BAKER LONG TERM /SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY/... LONG TERM PERIOD BEGINS WITH LAST OF THE SHORTWAVE ENERGY EXITING EAST AND TAKING ALL OF THE DEEP LAYER MOISTURE WITH IT. WITH TIME...THROUGH SUNDAY...THE TROUGH WILL BE REPLACED BY AND UPPER LEVEL RIDGE PROVIDING FOR A DRY PATTERN AND INCREASING TEMPERATURES. BY SUNDAY AFTERNOON...MOST LOCATIONS WILL BE APPROACHING THE 80 DEGREE MARK ONCE AGAIN WHICH WILL BE SOME 3 TO 5 DEGREES ABOVE SAT VALUES. A FAIRLY STAGNANT PATTERN IN STORE THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT AS UPPER RIDGE DOMINATES FOR MOST OF THE PERIOD BUT DOES BREAK DOWN INTO MORE OF A ZONAL FLOW BY TUE MORNING. SURFACE RIDGE WILL GRADUALLY SHIFT FROM THE CAROLINAS TO WELL OFFSHORE WHICH WILL PROMOTE MORE OF A MOIST SOUTHERLY FLOW ACROSS THE AREA. IMPULSES MOVING QUICKLY ACROSS THE SOUTH WILL EVENTUALLY IMPACT PORTIONS OF NORTH GEORGIA TUESDAY AFTERNOON. MOISTURE WILL CONTINUE TO BE LIMITED BUT ENOUGH LIFT AND INSTABILITY PRESENT TO WARRANT LOW END CHANCE POPS ACROSS THE FAR NORTHERN TIER. WILL CONTINUE WITH THE MAINLY DIURNAL CONVECTION AND LOW END CHANCE POPS ACROSS THE FAR NORTH THROUGH WED. THEREAFTER...A COLD FRONT WILL SAG INTO THE STATE WITH INCREASED DEEP LAYER MOISTURE. FRONT HOWEVER STALLS QUICKLY AS UPPER RIDGE BUILDS BACK IN AND MOISTURE LESSENS. SOME INDICATIONS FOR LATE FRI INTO NEXT WEEKEND OF POTENTIAL NW FLOW STORMS BUT OVERALL A BENIGN PATTERN FOR MID SPRING. DEESE && .AVIATION... 18Z UPDATE... SEVERAL ISSUES WITH FORECAST...IFR CIGS FINALLY DISSIPATING IN RAIN AREA. STUBBORN TO CLEAR OUT OF KCSG BUT MOST OTHER AREAS MVFR OR VFR AT THIS TIME. SFC WINDS MOSTLY SW BUT MAY BRIEFLY SWITCH TO SE ON BACK SIDE OF RAIN AREA MOVING THROUGH. ISOLD TSRA EXPECTED TO INCREASE OVER NW 1/2 OF GA THRU 23Z. EXPECTED COVERAGE JUST ENOUGH TO WARRANT TEMPO FOR 21-24Z AT ATL METRO AIRPORTS. RAPID CLEARING EXPECTED AFTER 02Z BUT COULD SEE PATCH GROUND FOG AFTER 10Z WHERE WINDS GO CALM AND PREVIOUS RAINFALL SLOW TO EVAPORATE. SFC WINDS WILL REMAIN ON WEST COMPONENT THRU FCST. NO SIGNIFICANT GUSTS EXPECTED. //ATL CONFIDENCE...18Z UPDATE... MEDIUM CONFIDENCE ON TSRA LIKELIHOOD AND LOCATIONS. MEDIUM CONFIDENCE ON FOG OVERNIGHT. HIGH CONFIDENCE ON ALL OTHER ELEMENTS. SNELSON && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... ATHENS 72 55 78 55 / 70 40 0 0 ATLANTA 71 56 76 57 / 80 20 0 0 BLAIRSVILLE 67 51 73 50 / 80 30 0 0 CARTERSVILLE 72 52 75 51 / 70 20 0 0 COLUMBUS 74 57 78 55 / 80 30 0 0 GAINESVILLE 69 55 75 55 / 90 30 0 0 MACON 77 57 78 54 / 70 40 0 0 ROME 74 53 75 51 / 60 20 0 0 PEACHTREE CITY 72 53 76 52 / 80 30 0 0 VIDALIA 82 61 80 58 / 70 50 0 0 && .FFC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && $$ SHORT TERM...SNELSON LONG TERM....NLISTEMAA AVIATION...SNELSON
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
National Weather Service Topeka KS
1207 PM CDT FRI APR 22 2016 ...Update to aviation forecast discussion... .SHORT TERM...(Today and Tonight) Issued at 300 AM CDT FRI APR 22 2016 07Z water vapor imagery showed an upper trough over IL moving to the east and an upper low off the OR coast. In between these two lows was an upper ridge along the Rockies. Surface obs showed a weak ridge of high pressure gradually building south through the central plains. The forecast continues to call for dry weather today and tonight due to no real forcing for precip within the upper ridge. Additionally there should be some modest dry air advection with the surface ridge through the day preventing any real chance for precip. There is an area of low clouds moving south through the MO river valley. RAP and NAM progs show these clouds should hold together long enough to move into northeast KS this morning. Otherwise there should be good insolation by the afternoon. Because of this and with forecast soundings mixing the boundary layer to near 800 MB, have adjusted highs for today up a little from the prev forecast expecting readings between 70 and 75. The surface ridge is progged to move off to the east tonight with winds freshening from the southeast. Although the gradient does not appear to be all that strong. Therefore think low lying areas may decouple with winds remaining fairly light through the night allowing lows to fall into the mid 40s. Elevated locations may see enough wind through the night for lows to be around 50. .LONG TERM...(Saturday through Thursday) Issued at 300 AM CDT FRI APR 22 2016 Only minor edits to the extended forecast with model guidance remaining fairly similar to the previous forecast package. Upper ridging in control with a developing sfc trough to the west Saturday afternoon will bring gusty south winds to the CWA. Speeds between 15 and 25 mph are likely with gusts peaking at 30 to 35 mph. Gulf moisture increases dewpoints to the 50s while highs warm back into the upper 70s and lower 80s. Chances for thunderstorms commence Saturday evening as a lee trough lifts eastward over the western plains. GFS and NAM runs at 00Z continue to advertise a slightly faster progression of the sfc low and weak upper impulse, developing scattered showers and thunderstorms over north central Kansas overnight. The ECMWF is slightly slower with these features with the optimal chances arriving Mon at 12Z. Have adjusted pops accordingly, increasing the probabilities Sunday afternoon and evening as the upper trough axis crosses southern NE, while the sfc low and dryline are depicted similarly over central Kansas 00Z Monday. Steepening lapse rates and warm moist conditions ahead of the system translate up to 2000 J/KG of sfc based CAPE with little CIN to prevent thunderstorm development. Main uncertainty will be mesoscale in nature such as cloud cover and morning precip which could hinder severity of convection overnight. However, with this setup any updraft that does form in the late afternoon will likely be severe with speed shear up to 6 km near 40 kts. 0-1 km shear enhances with the LLJ by 00Z as well increasing the threat for tornadoes with any isolated convection. Otherwise large hail and damaging winds are the most likely hazards as convection is likely to congeal into a line as tracks over the CWA Sunday evening. The passing frontal boundary is still hanging up over southeast Kansas on Monday with the GFS and ECMWF generating additional convection Monday evening near the boundary over far east central and southeast Kansas. Enough MUCAPE and effective shear in this area will support a few strong to severe storms. Long term models are still advertising a possible severe weather event for a portion of the central plains region Tuesday afternoon and evening as a strong negatively tilted trough lifts out of the Inter-mountain West. Main discrepancies lie with the exact position of the frontal boundary and timing of the approaching system as the boundary lifts northward as a warm front through the day. ECMWF is faster with the sfc low, lifting the warm front further north with convection, placing the boundary over northern KS and most of the CWA within the warm sector. The GFS however is still showing the warm front bisecting the CWA west to east by 00Z with severe convection focusing along and north of the boundary. er north with the dryline centered over central KS. Meanwhile the slower GFS has been persistent with the warm front bisecting the CWA from west to east by 00Z Monday. GFS has also been the stronger solution with over 2000 J/KG of sfc CAPE, minimal CIN and 0-6 KM bulk shear up to 50 kts. Lower lvl shear is stronger as well, enhancing the tornado threat. Will need to keep monitoring changes, but it does appear likely for a few severe storms in the area and have increased precip chances during this period. The remainder of the extended is more uncertain as the upper low slowly exits eastward and dry conditions return on Thursday. Next upper trough appears slower with this package so have backed off on pops for Thursday at this time. && .AVIATION...(For the 18Z TAFS through 18Z Saturday Afternoon) Issued at 1156 AM CDT FRI APR 22 2016 For the 18z TAFs, VFR conditions should hold for the afternoon into the evening as current stratus deck continues to erode with the heating of the day. Not confident enough at this point to add fog for the 11-13Z time frame in the morning. However, there is a possibility for some reduced VIS and patchy FG around 12Z mainly at KTOP/KFOE. Have left mention out of the TAFs for now, but this will be something to monitor TAFs for if decoupling allows for the set up to occur. Winds will increase by late morning from the SSE. && .TOP Watches/Warnings/Advisories... NONE. && $$ SHORT TERM...Wolters LONG TERM...Bowen AVIATION...Drake
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS WAKEFIELD VA
353 PM EDT FRI APR 22 2016 .SYNOPSIS... A COLD FRONT PUSHES ACROSS THE AREA AND OFF THE COAST TONIGHT INTO EARLY SATURDAY MORNING. AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE WILL DROP THROUGH THE REGION SATURDAY. HIGH PRESSURE RETURNS SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY. THE NEXT COLD FRONT DROPS ACROSS THE REGION TUESDAY NIGHT. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM SATURDAY MORNING/... LATEST GOES WATER VAPOR IMAGERY DEPICTS THE UPPER CLOSED LOW OVER THE OH VALLEY THIS AFTERNOON WITH A PLUME OF MOISTURE EXTENDING ALONG THE SOUTHEAST COASTAL PLAIN INTO THE LOCAL AREA. THE COLD FRONT STILL LAGS OVER CENTRAL OH/KY/TN. LATEST REGIONAL RADAR DEPICTS BROAD AREA OF SHOWERS EAST OF INTERSTATE 95 WITH SCATTERED SHOWERS WEST. ONLY LINGER THUNDER REMAINS OVER THE ERN SHORE NEAR THE COAST. THE NEXT BATCH OF SHOWERS AND EMBEDDED THUNDER IS LOCATED OVER CENTRAL AND EASTERN NC. HI-RES GUIDANCE LIFTS THE SHOWERS INTO THE SE HALF OF THE LOCAL AREA THRU THE REST OF THE AFTERNOON. ANOTHER AREA OF SHOWERS ASSOCIATED WITH THE NEXT PLUME OF MOISTURE AND THE UPPER LOW PUSHES INTO THE PIEDMONT...BUT IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN SCATTERED. SHOWERS HAVE LIMITED WHAT LITTLE INSTABILITY THERE WAS...BUT TEMPS REMAIN IN THE MID 70S ACROSS NE NC. RAP GUIDANCE INDICATES MLCAPE VALUES AROUND 500 J/KG. WILL KEEP MENTION OF CHANCE THUNDER WITH LIKELY POPS. PRECIP BEGINS TO TAPER OFF INLAND THIS EVENING AS THE COLD FRONT APPROACHES. EXPECT ONLY SCATTERED SHOWERS ALONG THE FRONT AS IT REACHES THE AREA AROUND MIDNIGHT. YET ANOTHER WAVE CURRENTLY ASSOCIATED WITH PRECIP OVER GA/SC IS PROGGED TO LIFT INTO THE SE LOCAL AREA OVERNIGHT. THE ADDED LIFT FROM THE APPROACHING UPPER LOW AND COLD FRONT WILL ENHANCE PRECIP ACROSS THE SE VA/NE NC AGAIN. LIKELY POPS PREVAIL ALONG THE COAST THRU THE OVERNIGHT. MILD TEMPS EXPECTED OVERNIGHT WITH CLOUDS/PRECIP. LOWS GENERALLY IN THE MID/UPPER 50S INLAND TO LOW 60S SOUTHEAST. && .SHORT TERM /6 AM SATURDAY MORNING THROUGH MONDAY/... SFC FRONT PUSHES OFFSHORE SAT MORNING AS THE UPPER LEVEL FRONT LAGS BEHIND. SHORTWAVE DROPS OVER THE LOCAL AREA SAT AFTERNOON...PUSHING OFFSHORE SAT EVENING. PWATS DROP TO AOB 1 INCH SAT...BUT CROSS SECTIONS AND BUFR SOUNDINGS INDICATE REMNANT MID LEVEL MOISTURE. ADDED FORCING FOR ASCENT AND SHARPENING LAPSE RATES AS COLDER AIR ALOFT ADVECTS INTO THE REGION WILL RESULT IN ONGOING CHANCES FOR SHOWERS SAT MORNING. THE BEST CHANCES WILL BE ALONG THE COAST...BUT STILL EXPECT LIGHT SHOWERS INLAND. MOISTURE REMAINS RATHER SHALLOW...SO EXPECT ONLY A FEW TENTHS OF AN INCH AT BEST. NLY WINDS INCREASE TO 10 TO 15 MPH SAT AFTERNOON WITH CLEARING SKIES NW TO SE THRU THE AFTERNOON. MODEST CAA (AT BEST) AND MIXING WILL PUSH TEMPS BACK INTO THE LOW/MID 70S (COOLER ALONG THE COAST). UPPER/SFC HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS OVER THE REGION SAT NIGHT...LOCATING OVER THE MID ATLANTIC REGION SUN. EXPECT A CLEAR/SUNNY SKY WITH SEASONABLE TEMPERATURES. LOWS SAT NIGHT IN THE MID/UPPER 40S TO LOW 50S AND HIGHS SUN IN THE LOW 70S INLAND AND MID/UPPER 60S NEAR THE COAST. LIGHT ONSHORE FLOW WILL RESULT IN TEMPS IN THE UPPER 50S ALONG THE IMMEDIATE COAST. THE HIGH PUSHES OFFSHORE SUN NIGHT WITH SLY/RETURN FLOW FORECAST INTO MONDAY. LOWS SUN NIGHT IN THE UPPER 40S TO LOW 50S. SUNNY MONDAY AND WARM AS H85 TEMPS WARM TO AROUND 12C (+1 STD DEV). THICKNESSES YIELD TEMPS IN THE LOW/MID 80S UNDER A SUNNY SKY. HIGH CLOUDS MAY INCREASE LATE MON AS THE NEXT COLD FRONT APPROACHES THE REGION FROM THE NW. && .LONG TERM /MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY/... HIGH PRESSURE SETTLES OFF THE SOUTHEAST COAST BY TUESDAY. MEANWHILE...A SHORTWAVE TROUGH AND AN ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT APPROACH FROM THE NW BY TUESDAY AFTN. TUESDAY CONTINUES TO TREND TOWARD BEING A VERY WARM DAY WITH DEEP LAYER WSW FLOW ASSOCIATED WITH A BREAKING DOWN UPPER RIDGE OVER THE E-CENTRAL/SERN CONUS. MODEL CONSENSUS GENERALLY SUPPORTS 850MB TEMPERATURES OF 12-15C...WHICH WITH FULL MIXING AND DOWNSLOPING SHOULD EASILY PUSH HIGHS TO THE LOW/MID 80S W OF THE BAY...WITH UPPER 70S FOR THE ERN SHORE...AFTER MORNING LOWS IN THE UPPER 50S TO LOW 60S. SKY COVER SHOULD GENERALLY BE MOSTLY CLEAR MONDAY NIGHT...AND BECOME PARTLY SUNNY BY TUESDAY. THE TROUGH AND COLD FRONT SWING THROUGH THE AREA TUESDAY AFTN INTO TUESDAY NIGHT. THE MAIN FORCING ASSOCIATED WITH THE MID/UPPER SHORTWAVE TROUGH GENERALLY PASSES N OF THE LOCAL AREA...AND DEEP LAYER RH DIMINISHES AS THE FEATURE PASSES OVER THE LOCAL AREA SO FORECAST POPS FOR SHOWERS/TSTMS REMAIN ~20%...WITH A STRIP OF 30% ACROSS THE FAR N...AND 40% FOR THE LOWER MD ERN SHORE. HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS IN FROM THE N WEDNESDAY...AND SLIDES OFFSHORE THURSDAY. HIGHS WEDNESDAY SHOULD DROP BACK TO THE MID/UPPER 60S NE...TO THE MID/UPPER 70S FARTHER INLAND...AND THEN TREND UPWARD THURSDAY INTO THE MID 70S TO LOW 80S AS THE HIGH SLIDES OFFSHORE. LOWS SHOULD GENERALLY BE IN THE 50S. A WEAK COLD FRONT SWINGS ACROSS THE AREA LATER IN THE WEEK WITH ONLY A MINIMAL CHC FOR SHOWERS/TSTMS. && .AVIATION /20Z FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... CONVECTION HAS DEVELOPED THIS AFTERNOON IN THE WARM MOIST SOUTHERLY FLOW AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT...THAT IS MOVING THROUGH EASTERN OH/KY AT 18Z. THE MAIN BAND OF CONVECTION HAS MOVED THROUGH RIC AND IS NOW IMPACTING THE DELMARVA AND AREAS FURTHER SOUTH. BEHIND THIS BAND OF CONVECTION MORE SHOWERS ARE POSSIBLE...BUT ARE NOT EXPECTING TO SEE THUNDER FOR RIC. ONCE THE MAIN BAND CLEARS THROUGH SBY BY 20Z...AGAIN COULD SEE MORE SHOWERS BUT THE BETTER LIFT AND INSTABILITY WILL THEN SETTLE TO THE SOUTH. WITH THE CONVECTION EXPECT TO SEE BRIEF PERIODS OF MVFR TO IFR CONDITIONS WITH MAINLY MVFR TO VFR CONDITIONS IN THE SHOWERS. THERE IS ALSO A SHORTWAVE TROUGH IN THE SOUTHERN STREAM THAT IS SLIDING ACROSS AL/GA. THIS WAVE WILL GET PULLED NORTHWARD AHEAD OF THE NORTHERN STREAM TROUGH TONIGHT AND WILL KEEP THE THREAT FOR RAIN/STORMS ON GOING THROUGH THE EVENING INTO THE OVERNIGHT HOURS FOR THE VA TIDEWATER AND NERN NC. AGAIN EXPECT MVFR TO IFR CONDITIONS IN THE SHOWERS/THUNDERSTORMS. AFTER 6Z...EXPECT THE BEST FORCING TO MOVE OFF THE COAST AND WITH THE WINDS EXPECTED TO WEAKEN...WILL SEE A VERY MOIST ATMOSPHERE WILL LITTLE STIRRING...WHICH SHOULD ALLOW LOW STRATUS TO FORM WITH SOME MINOR FOG...SO HAVE A PERIOD OF MVFR VIS/IFR CEILINGS UNTIL THE FRONT CROSSES THE AREA BETWEEN ABOUT 10Z AND 15Z SATURDAY. ONCE THE FRONT CLEARS AND THE WINDS START TO PICK UP FROM THE NORTHWEST...EXPECT TO SEE IMPROVING CEILINGS AND VISIBILITIES AS DRIER AIR MOVES IN FROM THE NORTHWEST. ANY LINGERING SHOWERS WITH THE UPPER LOW ARE EXPECT TO IMPACT THE DELMARVA LOCATIONS SATURDAY AFTERNOON WITH SOME MVFR LEVEL SHOWERS. OUTLOOK SAT NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY...HIGH PRESSURE RETURNS SAT NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT WITH MAINLY VFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED. A COLD FRONT WILL SLIDE THROUGH FROM THE NORTH LATE ON TUESDAY...BUT LOOKS MOISTURE STARVED. HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS IN AGAIN ON WEDNESDAY. THROUGH THE OUTLOOK PERIOD....EXPECT MAINLY VFR CONDITIONS. && .MARINE... HIGH PRESSURE IS SITUATED WELL OFFSHORE THIS AFTN...WITH A COLD PUSHING TOWARD THE WRN SLOPES OF THE APPALACHIANS. MOISTURE AHEAD OF THE FRONT HAS TRIGGERED SHOWERS/TSTMS ACROSS THE MARINE AREA THIS AFTN...WITH A FEW CELLS PRODUCING WIND GUSTS TO 30-40KT. THE COLD FRONT SLOWLY APPROACHES FROM THE W TONIGHT...AND PUSHES THROUGH THE AREA SATURDAY MORNING...WITH A SUBSEQUENT NORTHERLY SURGE SATURDAY AFTN...WITH A SECONDARY SURGE SATURDAY EVENING THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. LOW-END SCA CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED OVER THE BAY WITH A 15-20KT N WIND...LIKELY IN TWO SURGES...ONE SATURDAY AFTN...AND THE OTHER LATER SATURDAY EVENING THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. AN SCA FLAG HAS BEEN RAISED FOR THE BAY TO ACCOUNT FOR THIS. THE OCEAN IS GENERALLY EXPECTED TO REMAIN SUB- SCA...ALTHOUGH SEAS COULD BRIEFLY REACH ~5FT OFF THE CURRITUCK OUTER BANKS LATER SATURDAY NIGHT INTO EARLY SUNDAY AS THE WIND BECOMES MORE NNE. HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS OVER THE AREA SUNDAY...SLIDES OFFSHORE MONDAY...AND SETTLES OFF THE SOUTHEAST COAST TUESDAY. SEAS GENERALLY AVERAGE 2-4FT...WITH 2-3FT WAVES IN THE BAY. ANOTHER COLD FRONT CROSSES THE AREA TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY. && .AKQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MD...NONE. NC...NONE. VA...NONE. MARINE...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FROM 1 PM SATURDAY TO 7 AM EDT SUNDAY FOR ANZ632-634. SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FROM 1 PM SATURDAY TO 4 AM EDT SUNDAY FOR ANZ630-631. && $$ SYNOPSIS...SAM NEAR TERM...SAM SHORT TERM...SAM LONG TERM...AJZ AVIATION...ESS MARINE...AJZ
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS WAKEFIELD VA
241 PM EDT FRI APR 22 2016 .SYNOPSIS... A COLD FRONT APPROACHES FROM THE WEST TODAY. THE COLD FRONT PUSHES ACROSS THE AREA AND OFF THE COAST TONIGHT INTO EARLY SATURDAY MORNING. AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE WILL DROP THROUGH THE REGION DURING SATURDAY. HIGH PRESSURE RETURNS FOR SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY. THE NEXT COLD FRONT DROPS ACROSS THE REGION TUESDAY NIGHT. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 PM THIS EVENING/... LATEST REGIONAL RADAR MOSAIC DEPICTS AN AREA OF SHOWERS LIFTING NEWD INTO THE ERN VA PIEDMONT LATE THIS MORNING. THIS WELL IN ADVANCE OF THE COLD FRONT...CURRENTLY LOCATED OVER THE OH VALLEY. AREA OF SHOWERS MATCHES UP WELL WITH ISENTROPIC LIFT IN THE 300K SFC. MODEST HEIGHT FALLS AND INCREASING WINDS ALOFT HAVE PROVIDED FORCING FOR ASCENT AS THE UPPER RIDGE AXIS HAS PUSHED OFFSHORE. H85 MOISTURE TRANSPORT HAS ADVECTED PWATS OF 1.0 TO 1.25 INCHES INTO THE REGION. FOLLOWING HI-RES GUIDANCE (WHICH HAS VERIFIED WELL SO FAR)...EXPECT PRECIP TO LIFT INTO CENTRAL VA AROUND NOON AND THEN POINTS EWD THRU THE AFTERNOON. RAP SBCAPE DEPICTS LIMITED INSTABILITY OVER THE REGION THIS MORNING...SO ONLY ANTICIPATED ISOLATED THUNDER THIS MORNING. BETTER FORCING ARRIVES THIS AFTERNOON AS PWATS INCREASE TO AROUND 1.2 TO 1.45 INCHES (+1 STD DEV). NAM/RAP/SREF MLCAPE REMAINS MARGINAL AT BEST...GENERALLY AOB 750 J/KG. LAPSE RATES ALSO REMAIN MODEST AS THE COLDEST AIR ALOFT REMAINS WEST OF THE REGION ASSOCIATED WITH THE UPPER LEVEL FRONT. EFF SHEAR ALSO AOB 30 KT. WITH THAT SAID...ONLY EXPECT EMBEDDED/UNORGANIZED THUNDERSTORMS. HI- RES GUIDANCE AND NAM12 300K KEEPS THE BEST LOW LEVEL FORCING OVER THE SOUTHEAST HALF OF THE FORECAST AREA...WHERE HIGHEST POPS WILL BE MAINTAINED. HOWEVER...EXPECT MORE SCATTERED SHOWER ACTIVITY ACROSS THE NW...SO HAVE TRIMMED POPS BACK INTO CHANCE RANGE. THE FRONT PUSHES ACROSS THE REGION LATE TODAY AS ADDITIONAL UPPER LEVEL PERTURBATIONS LIFT INTO THE REGION. EXPECT ADDITIONAL COVERAGE LATE AFTERNOON ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST HALF OF THE LOCAL AREA. WILL RETAIN LIKELY POPS...WITH THE NW POSSIBLY SEEING A DRYING TREND. BETTER INSTABILITY EXPECTED MID-LATE AFTERNOON (ALBEIT STILL MARGINAL) ACROSS THE SE...SO PERHAPS A BETTER CHANCE TO SEE THUNDER. RETURN FLOW AND BREAKS IN THE CLOUDS WILL PUSH TEMPS INTO THE UPPER 70S TO NEAR 80 EAST OF INTERSTATE 95 (COOLER ALONG THE COAST AND BAY). TEMPS WEST OF INTERSTATE 95 WILL LEVEL OFF IN THE LOW/MID 70S LATE THIS MORNING THRU MID AFTERNOON. && .SHORT TERM /6 PM THIS EVENING THROUGH SUNDAY/... WITH THE UPR LO/TROF LAGGING BEHIND THE COLD FRONT...AND PLENTY OF LO LEVEL MOISTURE/LIFT IN PLACE...NOW HAVE LIKELY POPS EVERYWHERE INTO TNGT. HAVE ALSO KEPT SLGT CHC OF THUNDER. LATER TNGT INTO SAT MORNG...BULK OF PCPN WILL MOVE EWRD AND OFF THE CST AS THE UPR LO/TROF PUSHES THE COLD FRONT ACRS THE AREA AND OFFSHR. PWATS CLIMB TO 1.25 TO 1.5 INCHES...WHICH MAY RESULT IN PERIODS OF MODERATE TO LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL. HOWEVER...QPF AMTS THRU TNGT WILL GENERALLY RANGE FM ARND .30 INCH ACRS THE N TO NEAR .60 INCH ACRS THE S. LOWS TNGT IN THE MID 50S TO LWR 60S. MODEL TRENDS CONTINUE TO LINGER MID LEVEL MOISTURE TO GO ALONG WITH THE STRONG DYNAMICS PROVIDED BY THE UPR LO DROPPING THRU THE REGION THRU SAT AFTN. WILL HOLD ONTO SOLID CHC POPS THRU LATE MORNG INLAND FOR SCTD SHOWERS...AND ALONG SE VA/NE NC THRU SAT AFTN. CLOUDY CONDITIONS BECOME PARTLY CLOUDY INLAND SAT AFTN...BUT REMAIN MOSTLY CLOUDY ALNG THE CST. TRENDED TOWARD THE COOLER SIDE OF THE MOS GUIDANCE...DUE TO CLOUD COVER AND MODEST CAA...BUT TEMPS REMAIN SEASONABLE IN THE UPR 60S TO MID 70S. N WINDS GENERALLY 10 TO 15 MPH WITH GUSTS OF 20 TO 25 MPH. TROF AXIS PUSHES WELL OFFSHORE SAT NGT...WITH DRY CONDITIONS FCST ACRS THE AREA. LOWS IN THE MID TO UPR 40S INLAND...TO THE LWR 50S NEAR THE CST UNDER A CLEAR OR MOSTLY CLEAR SKY. HI PRES BLDS INTO THE NE U.S. AND TWD NEW ENGLAND SAT NGT...THEN SLIDES TO JUST OFF THE NE U.S. AND MID ATLC CST BY 00Z MON. THE RESULT WILL BE ONGOING DRY CONDITIONS ON SUN UNDER A MOSTLY SNY SKY. HI TEMPS WILL RANGE FM THE MID 60S TO LWR 70S OVR MOST OF THE REGION.. && .LONG TERM /SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY/... HIGH PRESSURE SLIDES FARTHER OFFSHORE SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY...AND SETTLES OFF THE SOUTHEAST COAST BY TUESDAY. MEANWHILE...A SHORTWAVE TROUGH AND AN ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT APPROACH FROM THE NW BY TUESDAY AFTN. MONDAY AND TUESDAY ARE TRENDING TOWARD BEING VERY WARM DAYS WITH DEEP LAYER WSW FLOW ASSOCIATED WITH A BREAKING DOWN UPPER RIDGE OVER THE E-CENTRAL/SERN CONUS. MODEL CONSENSUS GENERALLY SUPPORTS 850MB TEMPERATURES OF 12-15C...WHICH WITH FULL MIXING AND DOWNSLOPING SHOULD EASILY PUSH HIGHS TO 80-85F W OF THE BAY...WITH UPPER 70S FOR THE ERN SHORE. LOWS SUNDAY NIGHT SHOULD BE IN THE LOW/MID 50S...WITH 55-60F MONDAY NIGHT. SKY COVER SHOULD GENERALLY BE MOSTLY CLEAR/SUNNY SUNDAY NIGHT...MONDAY INTO MONDAY NIGHT...AND BECOME PARTLY SUNNY TUESDAY. THE TROUGH AND COLD FRONT SWING THROUGH THE AREA TUESDAY AFTN INTO TUESDAY NIGHT. THE MAIN FORCING ASSOCIATED WITH THE MID/UPPER SHORTWAVE TROUGH GENERALLY PASSES N OF THE LOCAL AREA...AND DEEP LAYER RH DIMINISHES AS THE FEATURE PASSES OVER THE LOCAL AREA SO FORECAST POPS ARE ONLY 20%...WITH A NARROW STRIP OF 30% ACROSS THE FAR N. HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS IN FROM THE N WEDNESDAY...AND SLIDES OFFSHORE LATER IN THE WEEK. HIGHS WEDNESDAY SHOULD DROP BACK TO THE MID/UPPER 60S NE...TO THE MID/UPPER 70S FARTHER INLAND...AND THEN TREND UPWARD INTO THURSDAY AS THE HIGH SLIDES OFFSHORE. LOWS SHOULD GENERALLY BE IN THE 50S. && .AVIATION /18Z FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... CONVECTION HAS DEVELOPED THIS AFTERNOON IN THE WARM MOIST SOUTHERLY FLOW AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT...THAT IS MOVING THROUGH EASTERN OH/KY AT 18Z. THE MAIN BAND OF CONVECTION HAS MOVED THROUGH RIC AND IS NOW IMPACTING THE DELMARVA AND AREAS FURTHER SOUTH. BEHIND THIS BAND OF CONVECTION MORE SHOWERS ARE POSSIBLE...BUT ARE NOT EXPECTING TO SEE THUNDER FOR RIC. ONCE THE MAIN BAND CLEARS THROUGH SBY BY 20Z...AGAIN COULD SEE MORE SHOWERS BUT THE BETTER LIFT AND INSTABILITY WILL THEN SETTLE TO THE SOUTH. WITH THE CONVECTION EXPECT TO SEE BRIEF PERIODS OF MVFR TO IFR CONDITIONS WITH MAINLY MVFR TO VFR CONDITIONS IN THE SHOWERS. THERE IS ALSO A SHORTWAVE TROUGH IN THE SOUTHERN STREAM THAT IS SLIDING ACROSS AL/GA. THIS WAVE WILL GET PULLED NORTHWARD AHEAD OF THE NORTHERN STREAM TROUGH TONIGHT AND WILL KEEP THE THREAT FOR RAIN/STORMS ON GOING THROUGH THE EVENING INTO THE OVERNIGHT HOURS FOR THE VA TIDEWATER AND NERN NC. AGAIN EXPECT MVFR TO IFR CONDITIONS IN THE SHOWERS/THUNDERSTORMS. AFTER 6Z...EXPECT THE BEST FORCING TO MOVE OFF THE COAST AND WITH THE WINDS EXPECTED TO WEAKEN...WILL SEE A VERY MOIST ATMOSPHERE WILL LITTLE STIRRING...WHICH SHOULD ALLOW LOW STRATUS TO FORM WITH SOME MINOR FOG...SO HAVE A PERIOD OF MVFR VIS/IFR CEILINGS UNTIL THE FRONT CROSSES THE AREA BETWEEN ABOUT 10Z AND 15Z SATURDAY. ONCE THE FRONT CLEARS AND THE WINDS START TO PICK UP FROM THE NORTHWEST...EXPECT TO SEE IMPROVING CEILINGS AND VISIBILITIES AS DRIER AIR MOVES IN FROM THE NORTHWEST. ANY LINGERING SHOWERS WITH THE UPPER LOW ARE EXPECT TO IMPACT THE DELMARVA LOCATIONS SATURDAY AFTERNOON WITH SOME MVFR LEVEL SHOWERS. OUTLOOK SAT NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY...HIGH PRESSURE RETURNS SAT NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT WITH MAINLY VFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED. A COLD FRONT WILL SLIDE THROUGH FROM THE NORTH LATE ON TUESDAY...BUT LOOKS MOISTURE STARVED. HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS IN AGAIN ON WEDNESDAY. THROUGH THE OUTLOOK PERIOD....EXPECT MAINLY VFR CONDITIONS. && .MARINE... TOUGH CALL WRT SCA HEADLINES TODAY AS ANY CRITERIA THAT MAY BE MET WILL BE MINIMAL AT BEST. WILL KEEP SUSTAINED WINDS IN THE BAY CAPPED AT 15 KT FOR NOW...ALTHOUGH OCNL GUSTS TO 20 KTS WILL BE POSSIBLE THROUGH LATE AFTERNOON. SEAS CRNTLY 3-5 FT ACROSS MD COASTAL WATERS (3 FT NEAR SHORE BUT 5 FT NEAR 44009) SO HAVE ISSUED A SCA ACROSS THE MD COASTAL WATERS THROUGH 14Z WITH THE EXPECTATION THAT SEAS OUT NEAR 20 NM DROP BELOW 5 FEET LATER THIS MORNING. ELECTED NOT TO HAVE ANY HEADLINES FOR THE CHES BAY AND WILL DEFER TO THE DAY SHIFT IF WINDS BECOME HIGHER THAN EXPECTED. COLD FRONT PROGGED ACROSS THE MARINE AREA SAT MORNING. LATEST GUIDANCE SHOWING TWO CAA SURGES...ONE SAT AFTERNOON AND ANOTHER ONE SAT NIGHT. THE SAT AFTERNOON ONE APPEARS TO BE MARGINAL AT BEST FOR ANY SCA HEADLINE SO WILL KEEP WINDS CAPPED AT 15 KTS ATTM. THE SECOND CAA SURGE SAT NIGHT APPEARS TO BE A BIT STRONGER WITH WINDS INCREASING INTO THE SCA RANGE FOR A FEW HOURS OVER THE CHES BAY. HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS OVER THE AREA SUNDAY...SLIDES OFFSHORE MONDAY...AND SETTLES OFF THE SOUTHEAST COAST TUESDAY. && .AKQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MD...NONE. NC...NONE. VA...NONE. MARINE...NONE. && $$ SYNOPSIS...SAM/TMG NEAR TERM...SAM SHORT TERM...SAM/TMG LONG TERM...AJZ AVIATION...ESS MARINE...MPR
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS MARQUETTE MI
434 PM EDT FRI APR 22 2016 .SHORT TERM...(THIS EVENING THROUGH SATURDAY) ISSUED AT 309 PM EDT FRI APR 22 2016 WV IMAGERY AND RAP ANALYSIS INDICATED WNW MID/UPPER LEVEL FLOW INTO THE NRN LAKES ON THE PERIPHERY OF A DEEP LOW INTO NRN HUDSON BAY. LOW LEVEL CAA WITH NRLY WINDS KEPT LOW CLOUDS ACROSS MUCH OF THE FCST AREA INTO EARLY AFTERNOON...BUT NOW BUILDING HIGH PRES FM NW OF LAKE SUPERIOR HAS ALLOWED FOR INFLUX OF DRIER AIR AND ERODING CLOUD COVER MID-LATE THIS AFTERNOON. MAX TEMPS TODAY HAVE RANGED FM THE MID TO UPPER 30S ALONG LAKE SUPERIOR TO AROUND 50F CLOSER TO THE WI BORDER. TONIGHT...ALTHOUGH WINDS WILL DIMINISH WITH THE SFC HIGH PRES RIDGE SLIDING OVER THE AREA...WAA MID CLOUDS FROM SRN MANITOBA AND NRN MN ARE EXPECTED TO SPREAD IN FM THE W OVERNIGHT DUE TO INCREASING 295- 300K ISENTROPIC ASCENT WHICH SHOULD KEEP TEMPS FROM DROPPING OFF TOO FAR. TEMPS MAY STILL FALL INTO THE MID 20S CENTRAL AND EAST BEFORE THE CLOUDS MOVE IN. OTHERWISE...EXPECT MIN READINGS IN THE LOWER 30S WEST. SAT...A WNW FLOW ALOFT WILL DOMINATE THE UPPER GREAT LAKES BETWEEN AN UPR RIDGE AXIS IN THE PLAINS AND AN UPR TROUGH OVER ERN CANADA. MODELS SHOW MID/HIGH CLDS CONTINUING TO SPREAD INTO UPPER MI WITH WAA TO THE NE OF SHARPENING FNT FM THE DAKOTAS INTO MN. HOWEVER...THE MAJORITY OF MODELS INDICATE LINGERING LLVL DRY AIR ASSOCIATED WITH SLOWLY DEPARTING SFC HIGH PRES WL KEEP THE CWA DRY. ONLY THE 12Z GFS SHOWS RAIN REACHING INTO THE NW CWA WHERE MODELS INDICATE PROXIMITY TO STRONGER H7 FGEN ALONG AND NE OF SHARPENING FRONTAL BOUNDARY. .LONG TERM...(SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY) ISSUED AT 434 PM EDT FRI APR 22 2016 BUILDING HEIGHTS OVER GREENLAND (500MB HEIGHTS UP TO 2.5 STANDARD DEVIATIONS ABOVE CLIMATOLOGY) THRU EARLY NEXT WEEK WILL SUPPORT TROFFING OVER SE CANADA AND FAIRLY COLD AIR FOR LATE APR ACROSS ONTARIO AND QUEBEC. AS A RESULT...A RATHER SHARP BAROCLINIC ZONE WILL SET UP ACROSS THE UPPER LAKES BTWN THE LATE SEASON COLD AIR EXPANDING ACROSS SE CANADA AND WARM AIR SPREADING ACROSS THE PLAINS AHEAD OF A SRN STREAM SHORTWAVE LIFTING OUT OF A MEAN TROF OVER THE CNTRL/SRN ROCKIES. THIS BAROCLINIC ZONE WILL SET THE STAGE FOR ACTIVE WEATHER AND POTENTIAL OF MDT TO EVEN HVY PCPN AMOUNTS IN THE SUN/MON TIME FRAME. GIVEN THE PROXIMITY OF THE COLD AIR...IT`S NOT OUT OF THE QUESTION THAT ACCUMULATING WET SNOW COULD ALSO OCCUR IN SOME AREAS OF UPPER MI. LATER NEXT WEEK...THE HEIGHT ANOMALIES WILL WEAKEN...BUT THE TROF WILL REMAIN IN SE CANADA...RESULTING IN A CONTINUED BLO NORMAL TEMP REGIME LIKELY PERSISTING FOR UPPER MI THRU THE ENTIRE WEEK. AFTER THE SUN/MON PCPN...ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY OF PCPN MAY OCCUR WED/THU IF THE NEXT SHORTWAVE LIFTING OUT OF THE MEAN ROCKIES TROF MOVES FAR ENOUGH NE TO AFFECT THE UPPER LAKES. DRY WEATHER SHOULD THEN ROUND OUT THE WEEK. LOOKING FARTHER AHEAD... NAEFS OUTLOOKS IN THE 8-14DAY PERIOD (APR30-MAY7) INDICATE TEMPS OVERALL CLOSE TO NORMAL FOR UPPER MI. BEGINNING SAT NIGHT...-RA WILL DEVELOP/SPREAD INTO THE FCST AREA WITHIN SHARPENING BAROCLINIC ZONE...LOW-MID LEVEL FGEN...UPPER DIVERGENCE IN RRQ OF 120KT UPPER JET ACROSS NRN ONTARIO/SRN QUEBEC AND STRENGTHENING ISENTROPIC ASCENT. WILL CARRY HIGHER CATEGORICAL POPS INTO ROUGHLY THE FAR HALF IN THE 06Z-12Z PERIOD. SUN/MON...PCPN GENERATION IN THE BAROCLINIC ZONE WILL CONTINUE TO BE MAINTAINED BY LOW-MID LEVEL FGEN AND THE RIGHT ENTRANCE OF UPPER JET ACROSS NRN ONTARIO/SRN QUEBEC. IN ADDITION...SHORTWAVE ENERGY EJECTING FROM THE CNTRL/SRN ROCKIES INTO THE UPPER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY...THOUGH WEAKENING...WILL FURTHER AID THE PCPN. WITH PRECIPITABLE WATER OF 0.75 TO A LITTLE OVER 1 INCH...ROUGHLY 200- 250PCT OF NORMAL...POTENTIAL WILL BE THERE FOR MDT TO EVEN LOCALLY HVY PCPN AMOUNTS. THIS FCST WILL SHOW TOTAL QPF SAT NIGHT TO MON EVENING RANGING FROM AROUND ONE-THIRD OF AN INCH OVER THE NRN KEWEENAW PENINSULA TO AROUND 2 INCHES ALONG THE WI/MI BORDER INTO SCNTRL UPPER MI. MODELS HAVE NOT BE VERY CONSISTENT ON THERMAL FIELDS AND POTENTIAL FOR ACCUMULATING SNOW. ABOUT ALL THAT CAN BE SAID AT THIS POINT IS THAT THERE IS SOME POTENTIAL FOR ACCUMULATING WET/HVY SNOW OVER PARTS OF UPPER MI...MAINLY THE HIGHER TERRAIN OF THE W HALF LATE SUN NIGHT/MON MORNING. PCPN SHOULD DIMINISH/END W TO E MON NIGHT AS WEAKENING SHORTWAVE ENERGY LIFTING INTO THE UPPER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY MON SHIFTS E ACROSS THE GREAT LAKES REGION. WILL IGNORE THE CANADIAN MODEL WHICH IS AN OUTLIER IN BEING MUCH SLOWER TO SHIFT THE SHORTWAVE E...RESULTING IN PCPN (RAIN/SNOW) LINGERING INTO TUE AFTN. SKIES WILL CLEAR OUT FOR TUE. IN FACT...WITH GFS FCST SOUNDINGS SHOWING A DEEP DRY AIR MASS...SHOULD SEE ABUNDANT SUNSHINE. DESPITE THE SUN...IT WILL BE CHILLY UNDER 850MB TEMPS OF -2 TO -4C AT MIDDAY. IN ADDITION...CHILL WILL BE AIDED BY A GRADIENT NE WIND TO START THE DAY AND THEN MESO HIGH DEVELOPING OVER LAKE SUPERIOR IN THE AFTN MAINTAINING LAKE COOLING. WED/THU...ATTENTION SHIFTS TO THE NEXT CLUSTER OF SHORTWAVE ENERGY THAT SETTLED INTO THE MEAN CNTRL/SRN ROCKIES TROF MON/TUE. MUCH WILL DEPEND ON THE STRENGTH OF THE CONTINUED SE CANADA TROF WHICH WILL BE EVOLVING INTO A MID LEVEL LOW. IF ITS INFLUENCE REMAINS STRONGER FARTHER S...THE EJECTING ENERGY WILL BE SUPPRESSED S OF THE AREA... KEEPING UPPER MI UNDER DRY WEATHER...SIMILAR TO RECENT GFS RUNS AND THE 12Z CANADIAN. IF THE TROF/CLOSED LOW IN SE CANADA IS WEAKER/FARTHER N...THE EJECTING ENERGY WILL LIFT FARTHER TO THE NE AND BRING MORE RAIN INTO UPPER MI...SIMILAR TO RECENT ECMWF RUNS. HOWEVER...THE 12Z ECMWF HAS STARTED TO BACK AWAY FROM ITS MORE AGGRESSIVE NE PUSH OF PCPN. FOR NOW...FCST WILL UTILIZE A CONSENSUS APPROACH WHICH RESULTS IN MOSTLY SCHC POPS WED/THU. DRY WEATHER WILL THEN ROUND OUT THE WEEK AS HIGH PRES BUILDS SE INTO THE GREAT LAKES. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z SATURDAY AFTERNOON) ISSUED AT 109 PM EDT FRI APR 22 2016 MVFR CLOUD DECK AT KSAW WILL ERODE SHORTLY AFT 18Z AS DRIER AIR WORKS IN FROM NORTH OF THE LAKE. HIGH PRES BUILDING INTO THE REGION WILL MAINTAIN VFR CONDITIONS FOR ALL TAF SITES THROUGH THE REST OF THE FCST PERIOD. THERE WILL BE SOME INCREASE IN MID-HIGH CLOUDS INTO KCMX AND KSAW LATE SAT MORNING AS WARM AIR PUSHES NORTH OF A FRONTAL BOUNDARY OVER THE NORTHERN PLAINS. && .MARINE...(FOR THE 4 PM LAKE SUPERIOR FORECAST ISSUANCE) ISSUED AT 309 PM EDT FRI APR 22 2016 HIGH PRES WILL MOVE ACROSS LAKE SUPERIOR TONIGHT WITH WINDS DIMINISHING TO 15 KNOTS OE LESS INTO SAT. AS THE HIGH EXITS TO THE EASTERN SEABOARD AND LOW PRESSURE DEVELOPS OVER THE PLAINS ON SUNDAY, NORTHEAST WINDS WILL INCREASE TO 20-30 KTS SUNDAY INTO MONDAY. THE STRONGEST WINDS WILL BE OVER WESTERN LAKE SUPERIOR WHERE WINDS MAY APPROACH GALES AT TIMES. WINDS DIMINISH TO LESS THAN 20 KTS MONDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY AS HIGH PRESSURE MOVES BACK ACROSS THE REGION. && .MQT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... UPPER MICHIGAN... NONE. LAKE SUPERIOR... NONE. LAKE MICHIGAN... NONE. && $$ SHORT TERM...VOSS LONG TERM...ROLFSON AVIATION...VOSS MARINE...VOSS
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS DETROIT/PONTIAC MI
404 PM EDT FRI APR 22 2016 .DISCUSSION... DESPITE A TRUE SPLIT FLOW CONFIGURATION OVER THE HEMISPHERE...THE WEATHER FOR SOUTHEASTERN MICHIGAN WILL CONTINUE TO BE INFLUENCED IN THE NEAR TERM (NEXT 6-8 HRS) BY A DAMPENING UPPER LEVEL TROUGH. THIS TROUGH FEATURE IS THE OLD TEXAS UPPER LEVEL PV ANOMALY BECOMING REACCLIMATED TO THE CONSOLIDATED POLAR WESTERLY BELT. ALL OF THIS...WITH A PARTIAL CONNECTION BETWEEN PV RESERVOIR HAS BEEN SLOW TO OCCUR. THUS...THE SLUGGISH SOUTHWARD PROGRESSION TO THE FRONT/DEWPOINT GRADIENT SEEN OVER MONROE COUNTY TODAY. HIGHER THAN EXPECTED DEWPOINTS IN THE MID 50S HAS RESULTED IN SBCAPES OF AROUND 500 J/KG. LATEST HIRES EXPLICIT CAM OUTPUT SUPPORTS A CONTINUED POTENTIAL FOR SOME SHOWERS THROUGH 21Z BEFORE ENDING. RAP BASED SPC MESOANALYSIS SHOWS THAT THE POCKET OF INSTABILITY HAS ESSENTIALLY BEEN PUSHED SOUTH OF THE CWA BORDER ALREADY...AND LATEST RADAR TRENDS SUPPORT THIS IDEA. MAIN FORECAST ITEM FOR TONIGHT CENTERS ON HOW FAST CLOUDS WILL CLEAR OUT. VISIBLE IMAGERY SUGGESTS A STRONG DEPENDENCE/FOOTING WITHIN THE BOUNDARY LAYER. GIVEN DRY AIR ADVECTION IN THE MODELS...AND THIS DEPENDENCE ON BOUNDARY LAYER CLOUD...THE IDEA IS THAT CLOUDS WILL CLEAR OUT RAPIDLY THIS EVENING. THE CLEAR SKIES...LIGHT WINDS WITH BUILDING SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE SUGGESTS COLD TEMPERATURES TONIGHT. WENT VERY AGGRESSIVE AND WORKED IN THE COLDEST OF THE GUIDANCE WITH LOWS SATURDAY MORNING OF LOWER TO MIDDLE 30S. STABLE SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE AND CLEAR SKIES SATURDAY WILL PROVIDE EFOR WONDERFUL WEATHER TO SOUTHEASTERN MICHIGAN. FORECASTED MIXING HEIGHTS ARE NOT PARTICULARLY LOW...BUT UPSTREAM AIRMASS NORTH OF LAKE HURON IS VERY DRY AND STABLE...(DEWPOINTS IN THE 20S AND TEENS). PATTERN RECOGNITION AND TIME OF YEAR SUGGESTS OVERACHIEVEMENT POTENTIAL FROM THE INSOLATION...BUT REALLY WENT COOLER FOR SATURDAY. THE OUTGOING FORECAST WILL READ MIDDLE TO UPPER 50S MANY AREAS...LOWER TO MIDDLE 40S ALONG THE SHORELINE. NO REAL WIND TO SPEAK OF...BUT THE DRY AIRMASS/EVAPORATIVE COOLING POTENTIAL WILL MAKE THINGS COOLER THAN THEY WOULD OTHERWISE SEEM. SUNDAY...THE MAIN QUESTION IS EXACTLY WHERE A STRETCHING DEFORMATION AXIS OR THE NARROW THINNING WEAKNESS IN THE GEOPOTENTIAL HEIGHT FIELD WILL RESIDE. FORECAST TRENDS THE PAST 24 HOURS HAS BEEN POINTING TO NORTH OF THE CWA. CONFIDENCE AT THIS TIME IS REASONABLY THAT IT WILL BE NORTH ENOUGH TO KEEP PRECIPITATION CHANCES OUT OF AREAS SOUTH OF M46. FOR THE TRI CITIES...THE POTENTIAL FOR SOME RAIN WILL INCREASE BY THE LATE AFTERNOON...BUT CANNOT GO MORE THAN A CHANCE POP. LATEST FORECAST DATA SUGGESTS THE SATURATION TRAPPED WITHIN THIS DEFORMATION ZONE WILL UNDERGO A SIGNIFICANT ONSLAUGHT OF DRY AIR ADVECTION FROM BOTH THE NORTH AND SOUTH ON SUNDAY. IN FACT...SOME PROGS SUGGEST THAT A SIGNIFICANT CENTROID OF THE UPPER LEVEL RIDGE WILL ROLL THROUGH SOUTHEASTERN MICHIGAN EARLY SUNDAY. DUE TO THE SPLIT FLOW...THIS AIRMASS WILL NOT BE A PARTICULARLY WARM/HOT ONE...BUT WONDERFUL WEATHER IS NOW EXPECTED FOR A GOOD PORTION OF THE CWA WITH TEMPERATURES REACHING THE UPPER 60S TO LOW 70S. SURFACE LOW PRESSURE WILL TRACK ACROSS LOWER MICHIGAN ON MONDAY...ALLOWING RAIN SHOWERS TO PERSIST MUCH OF THE DAY AND INTO MONDAY NIGHT. THE LOW WILL SLOWLY TRACK EASTWARD ON TUESDAY MORNING AS HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS INTO THE REGION OUT OF CANADA. THIS HIGH WILL ALLOW DRY CONDITIONS AND COOLER AIR TO FILTER INTO SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN RESULTING IN HIGH TEMPS ON TUESDAY TO ONLY BE IN THE UPPER 50S. THIS HIGH WILL LAST THROUGH WEDNESDAY EVENING. THE NEXT MAJOR SYSTEM ARRIVES WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND INTO THURSDAY AS A WARM FRONT PUSHES NORTHWARD INTO SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN. THE CENTER OF THE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL THEN TRACK OVER LOWER MICHIGAN ON THURSDAY AND THURSDAY EVENING KEEPING CONDITIONS ACROSS SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN WET AND CLOUDY. && .MARINE... NORTHERLY FLOW OVER LAKE HURON BETWEEN 15 TO 20 KNOTS THIS AFTERNOON WILL GRADUALLY EASE JUST A BIT TO AROUND 15 KNOTS TONIGHT...AND BECOMING NORTHEAST IN PROCESS. THIS WILL ALLOW WAVES TO DIMINISH FROM THE 3 TO 6 FOOT RANGE TO MORE LIKE 2 TO 4 FEET OVER THE SOUTHERN LAKE HURON BASIN. HIGH PRESSURE BUILDING INTO THE CENTRAL GREAT LAKES TOMORROW WILL LEAD TO FAVORABLE BOATING CONDITIONS...WITH LIGHT WINDS AND LOW WAVES...ALONG WITH FULL SUNSHINE. A DEVELOPING FRONTAL BOUNDARY FOR THE SECOND HALF OF THE WEEKEND WILL LEAD TO STRENGTHENING EASTERLY WINDS IN EXCESS OF 20 KNOTS OVER NORTHERN LAKE HURON...ALONG WITH SHOWERS...WHICH WILL SPREAD ACROSS THE ENTIRE MARINE WATERS AS WE HEAD INTO MONDAY. && .HYDROLOGY... A STRENGTHENING FRONTAL BOUNDARY ON SUNDAY WILL BRING THE NEXT CHANCE OF SHOWERS TO THE AREA...BUT BULK OF THE RAINFALL IS EXPECTED TO OCCUR OVER NORTHERN LOWER MICHIGAN. A LOW RIDING ALONG THE FRONT ON MONDAY WILL ALLOW FOR SHOWERS TO SPREAD ACROSS ALL OF SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN...WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR RAINFALL TOTALS IN EXCESS OF HALF AN INCH. && .AVIATION...ISSUED 1256 PM EDT FRI APR 22 2016 LOW LEVEL MOISTURE GRADUALLY SCOURING OUT...WITH MVFR CEILINGS LIKELY DISSIPATING LATE THIS EVENING...ALTHOUGH EXACT TIMING IS UNCERTAIN...AS COLD NORTH/NORTHEAST FLOW OFF LAKE HURON COMPLICATES THE FORECAST A BIT. HIGHER CONFIDENCE SKIES WILL BECOME CLEAR/MOSTLY CLEAR AFTER MIDNIGHT...CONTINUING INTO THE DAY ON SATURDAY AS SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE TAKES HOLD OF THE CENTRAL GREAT LAKES. FOR DTW...SHOWERS TOWARD THE SOUTHERN MICHIGAN BORDER EARLY THIS AFTERNOON EXPECTED TO REMAIN SOUTH OF THE TERMINAL. //DTW THRESHOLD PROBABILITIES... * HIGH FOR CEILINGS 5 KFT OR LESS THROUGH THE AFTERNOON...MEDIUM THIS EVENING...THEN LOW OVERNIGHT. && .DTX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MI...NONE. LAKE HURON...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 10 PM EDT THIS EVENING FOR LHZ421- 441>443. LAKE ST CLAIR...NONE. MICHIGAN WATERS OF LAKE ERIE...NONE. && $$ DISCUSSION...CB MARINE.......SF HYDROLOGY....SF AVIATION.....SF YOU CAN OBTAIN YOUR LATEST NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECASTS ONLINE AT WWW.WEATHER.GOV/DETROIT (ALL LOWER CASE).
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS MARQUETTE MI
311 PM EDT FRI APR 22 2016 .SHORT TERM...(THIS EVENING THROUGH SATURDAY) ISSUED AT 309 PM EDT FRI APR 22 2016 WV IMAGERY AND RAP ANALYSIS INDICATED WNW MID/UPPER LEVEL FLOW INTO THE NRN LAKES ON THE PERIPHERY OF A DEEP LOW INTO NRN HUDSON BAY. LOW LEVEL CAA WITH NRLY WINDS KEPT LOW CLOUDS ACROSS MUCH OF THE FCST AREA INTO EARLY AFTERNOON...BUT NOW BUILDING HIGH PRES FM NW OF LAKE SUPERIOR HAS ALLOWED FOR INFLUX OF DRIER AIR AND ERODING CLOUD COVER MID-LATE THIS AFTERNOON. MAX TEMPS TODAY HAVE RANGED FM THE MID TO UPPER 30S ALONG LAKE SUPERIOR TO AROUND 50F CLOSER TO THE WI BORDER. TONIGHT...ALTHOUGH WINDS WILL DIMINISH WITH THE SFC HIGH PRES RIDGE SLIDING OVER THE AREA...WAA MID CLOUDS FROM SRN MANITOBA AND NRN MN ARE EXPECTED TO SPREAD IN FM THE W OVERNIGHT DUE TO INCREASING 295- 300K ISENTROPIC ASCENT WHICH SHOULD KEEP TEMPS FROM DROPPING OFF TOO FAR. TEMPS MAY STILL FALL INTO THE MID 20S CENTRAL AND EAST BEFORE THE CLOUDS MOVE IN. OTHERWISE...EXPECT MIN READINGS IN THE LOWER 30S WEST. SAT...A WNW FLOW ALOFT WILL DOMINATE THE UPPER GREAT LAKES BETWEEN AN UPR RIDGE AXIS IN THE PLAINS AND AN UPR TROUGH OVER ERN CANADA. MODELS SHOW MID/HIGH CLDS CONTINUING TO SPREAD INTO UPPER MI WITH WAA TO THE NE OF SHARPENING FNT FM THE DAKOTAS INTO MN. HOWEVER...THE MAJORITY OF MODELS INDICATE LINGERING LLVL DRY AIR ASSOCIATED WITH SLOWLY DEPARTING SFC HIGH PRES WL KEEP THE CWA DRY. ONLY THE 12Z GFS SHOWS RAIN REACHING INTO THE NW CWA WHERE MODELS INDICATE PROXIMITY TO STRONGER H7 FGEN ALONG AND NE OF SHARPENING FRONTAL BOUNDARY. .LONG TERM...(SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY) ISSUED AT 351 AM EDT FRI APR 22 2016 LOOKS LIKE A CHILLY...ACTIVE WX PATTERN WL DOMINATE LATE THIS WEEKEND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK AS A VERY TIGHT BAROCLINIC ZN WL SETUP ACRS THE UPR GREAT LKS UNDER THE CONFLUENCE ZN BTWN ARCTIC AIRSTREAM IN CANADA AND AN ACTIVE POLAR BRANCH FLOW OVER THE NRN CONUS. SOME MDT TO HEAVY PCPN IS LIKELY TO FALL OVER AT LEAST THE S HALF OF UPR MI...WHICH WL BE CLOSER TO A STNRY FNT RUNNING W-E THRU THE UPR MIDWEST. IF ENUF COLD AIR IN THE NNE FLOW BTWN BLDG HI PRES INTO NRN ONTARIO AND THE LOWER PRES TO THE S ADVECTS INTO THE CWA AND THIS AIR IS NOT EXCESSIVELY DRY...THERE COULD BE SOME ACCUMULATING WET SN OVER MAINLY THE HIER TERRAIN OF NRN UPR MI ON SUN NGT INTO MON. QUIETER BUT STILL RELATIVELY CHILLY WX WL BE THE RULE FOR MID WEEK. SAT...UPR MI IS FCST TO BE DOMINATED BY WNW FLOW ALF BTWN UPR RDG AXIS IN THE PLAINS AND UPR TROFFING IN ERN CANADA. ALTHOUGH MODELS INDICATE A GOOD DEAL OF MID/HI CLDS RELATED TO WAA TO THE NE OF SHARPENING FNT FM THE DAKOTAS INTO MN WL IMPACT THE CWA...SUSPECT LINGERING LLVL DRY AIR ASSOCIATED WITH SLOWLY DEPARTING SFC HI PRES WL KEEP THE CWA DRY. BEST CHC FOR SOME RAIN WL BE OVER THE NW CWA CLOSER TO BAND OF STRONGER H7 FGEN TO THE NE OF SHARPENING FNT. SAT NGT...MODELS IN FAIRLY GOOD AGREEMENT SHOWING MORE WIDESPREAD RA DVLPG OVER THE CWA ESPECIALLY NEAR THE WI BORDER WITH SHARPENING BAROCLINIC ZN/FGEN/INCRSG UPR DVGC IN RRQ OF 120KT H3 JET CORE MOVING TO JUST S OF JAMES BAY BY 12Z SUN. WL CARRY THE HIER CATEGORICAL POPS NEAR THE WI BORDER IN THE 06Z-12Z PERIOD. SUN THRU MON...UPR MI IS FCST TO BE CLOSE TO SHARP BAROCLINIC ZN UNDER CONFLUENCE ZN BTWN ARCTIC BRANCH NW FLOW DOMINATING QUEBEC AND A WSW POLAR BRANCH FLOW OVER THE NRN CONUS. DESPITE THE UNFAVORABLE LOOK OF THE CONFLUENT UPR FLOW WELL TO THE NE OF SHRTWV RIDING ENEWD THRU THE NRN PLAINS WHICH WOULD TEND TO FAVOR DRY WX...MOST OF THE MEDIUM RANGE MODELS GENERATE SOME MDT TO HEAVY PCPN OVER MAINLY THE S HALF OF THE CWA. UPR DVGC IN RRQ OF 120KT H3 JET MAX JUST S OF JAMES BAY AS WELL AS SHARP...PERSISTENT H85-7 FGEN N OF THE H85 WARM/STNRY FNT STRETCHING E ACRS WI FM LO IN THE NRN PLAINS AND UNDER AXIS OF PWAT AOA AN INCH OVER THE SRN CWA LOOK TO BE THE ENHANCEMENT FACTORS THAT WOULD OVERCOME THE UPR CONFLUENCE THAT WL WEAKEN DISTURBANCES RIDING ENEWD TOWARD THE CWA AHEAD OF THE MAIN SHRTWV TO THE SW. ALTHOUGH SOME OF THE COLDER MODELS` FCST SDNGS/ THERMAL FIELDS WITH H85 TEMPS AOB 0C INDICATE AT LEAST SOME OF THE PCPN NEAR THE NRN EDGE OF THE BAND WL BE IN THE FORM OF SN...SHARP GRADIENT IN SFC-H85 MSTR BTWN THE FNT AND CHILLY HI PRES BLDG INTO NRN ONTARIO WL LIKELY BRING A RATHER SHARP NRN EDGE TO THE PCPN BAND AND LIMIT THE COVERAGE OF SGNFT SN. BUT IF THE COLDER GUIDANCE IS CORRECT AND THE LLVL DRYING IS NOT TOO AGGRESSIVE...NOT OUT OF THE QUESTION THERE COULD BE SEVERAL INCHES OF WET...HEAVY SN OVER PORTIONS OF THE NRN CWA MAINLY ON SUN NGT/MON MRNG AS STEADY LLVL NE WINDS ADVECT COLDER AIR INTO THE LKS TO THE S OF THE ONTARIO HI PRES. MON NGT THRU THU...AS THE HI PRES OVER NORTHERN ONTARIO BUILDS S INTO THE UPR LKS UNDER CONFLUENT NW FLOW ALF BTWN UPR RDG AXIS SHIFTING E FM THE PLAINS AND CLOSED UPR LO OVER QUEBEC...EXPECT LINGERING PCPN TO END ON MON NGT...WITH THE HI PRES BRINGING DRY WX/MOCLR SKIES ON TUE INTO WED. DEPENDING ON HOW QUICKLY THE QUEBEC CLOSED LO WEAKENS AND WHETHER OR NOT THE UPR FLOW INTO THE GREAT LKS TURNS MORE PROGRESSIVE...ANOTHER LO PRES MOVE ENE FM THE PLAINS COULD BRING MORE PCPN TO THE AREA NEXT THU. BUT IF THE QUEBEC CLOSED LO IS MORE RESILIENT...THAT NEXT PLAINS LO COULD BE SHUNTED TO THE SW. EXPECT RELATIVELY CHILLY WX THRU THE EXTENDED PERIOD WITH SUB ZERO H85 TEMPS DOMINATING. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z SATURDAY AFTERNOON) ISSUED AT 109 PM EDT FRI APR 22 2016 MVFR CLOUD DECK AT KSAW WILL ERODE SHORTLY AFT 18Z AS DRIER AIR WORKS IN FROM NORTH OF THE LAKE. HIGH PRES BUILDING INTO THE REGION WILL MAINTAIN VFR CONDITIONS FOR ALL TAF SITES THROUGH THE REST OF THE FCST PERIOD. THERE WILL BE SOME INCREASE IN MID-HIGH CLOUDS INTO KCMX AND KSAW LATE SAT MORNING AS WARM AIR PUSHES NORTH OF A FRONTAL BOUNDARY OVER THE NORTHERN PLAINS. && .MARINE...(FOR THE 4 PM LAKE SUPERIOR FORECAST ISSUANCE) ISSUED AT 309 PM EDT FRI APR 22 2016 HIGH PRES WILL MOVE ACROSS LAKE SUPERIOR TONIGHT WITH WINDS DIMINISHING TO 15 KNOTS OE LESS INTO SAT. AS THE HIGH EXITS TO THE EASTERN SEABOARD AND LOW PRESSURE DEVELOPS OVER THE PLAINS ON SUNDAY, NORTHEAST WINDS WILL INCREASE TO 20-30 KTS SUNDAY INTO MONDAY. THE STRONGEST WINDS WILL BE OVER WESTERN LAKE SUPERIOR WHERE WINDS MAY APPROACH GALES AT TIMES. WINDS DIMINISH TO LESS THAN 20 KTS MONDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY AS HIGH PRESSURE MOVES BACK ACROSS THE REGION. && .MQT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... UPPER MICHIGAN... NONE. LAKE SUPERIOR... NONE. LAKE MICHIGAN... NONE. && $$ SHORT TERM...VOSS LONG TERM...KC AVIATION...VOSS MARINE...VOSS
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS MARQUETTE MI
113 PM EDT FRI APR 22 2016 .SHORT TERM...(TODAY AND TONIGHT) ISSUED AT 457 AM EDT FRI APR 22 2016 WV IMAGERY AND RAP ANALYSIS INDICATED WNW MID/UPPER LEVEL FLOW INTO THE NRN LAKES ON THE PERIPHERY OF A DEEP LOW INTO NRN HUDSON BAY. LOW LEVEL CAA WITH NRLY WINDS INCREASED OVERNIGHT AS THE PRES GRADIENT TIGHTENED BETWEEN HIGH PRESSURE INTO NRN ONTARIO AND TROUGH OVER THE LOWER LAKES. CONVERGENT AND UPSLOPE FLOW INTO N CNTRL UPPER MI COMBINED WITH LINGERING LOW LEVEL MOISTURE SUPPORTED SOME DZ/FZDZ THAT HAS MIXED WITH LIGHT SNOW. TODAY...EXPECT THAT THE LIGHT SNOW WILL TRANSITION TO MAINLY DZ/FZDZ EARLY THIS MORNING AS THE DEEPER MOISTURE DEPARTS...LEAVING THE MOIST LAYER WARMER THAN -8C. SATELLITE AND MODEL 925-900 MB RH FCST TRENDS SUGGEST THAT THE LIGHT PCPN SHOULD DIMINISH OR END AROUND 12Z-14Z BUT THAT THE CLOUDS MAY PERSIST...MOVING OUT BTWN 15Z-18Z AS HIGH PRESSURE WITH LOW LEVEL DRYING BUILDS IN. OTHERWISE...SUNSHINE WITH 850 MB TEMPS NEAR -2C DURING THE AFTERNOON WILL HELP BOOST INLAND TEMPS TO AROUND 50. OTHERWISE...NRLY FLOW OFF OF LAKE SUPERIOR WILL LIMIT HIGH TEMPS CLOSER TO 40. TONIGHT...ALTHOUGH WINDS WILL DIMINISH WITH THE SFC RIDGE OVER THE AREA...MID CLOUDS MOVING IN OVERNIGHT WITH 700-500 MB WAA WILL KEEP TEMPS FROM DROPPING OFF TOO FAR. TEMPS MAY STILL FALL INTO THE MID 20S CENTRAL AND EAST BEFORE THE CLOUDS MOVE IN. OTHERWISE...EXPECT MIN READINGS IN THE LOWER 30S WEST. .LONG TERM...(SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY) ISSUED AT 351 AM EDT FRI APR 22 2016 LOOKS LIKE A CHILLY...ACTIVE WX PATTERN WL DOMINATE LATE THIS WEEKEND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK AS A VERY TIGHT BAROCLINIC ZN WL SETUP ACRS THE UPR GREAT LKS UNDER THE CONFLUENCE ZN BTWN ARCTIC AIRSTREAM IN CANADA AND AN ACTIVE POLAR BRANCH FLOW OVER THE NRN CONUS. SOME MDT TO HEAVY PCPN IS LIKELY TO FALL OVER AT LEAST THE S HALF OF UPR MI...WHICH WL BE CLOSER TO A STNRY FNT RUNNING W-E THRU THE UPR MIDWEST. IF ENUF COLD AIR IN THE NNE FLOW BTWN BLDG HI PRES INTO NRN ONTARIO AND THE LOWER PRES TO THE S ADVECTS INTO THE CWA AND THIS AIR IS NOT EXCESSIVELY DRY...THERE COULD BE SOME ACCUMULATING WET SN OVER MAINLY THE HIER TERRAIN OF NRN UPR MI ON SUN NGT INTO MON. QUIETER BUT STILL RELATIVELY CHILLY WX WL BE THE RULE FOR MID WEEK. SAT...UPR MI IS FCST TO BE DOMINATED BY WNW FLOW ALF BTWN UPR RDG AXIS IN THE PLAINS AND UPR TROFFING IN ERN CANADA. ALTHOUGH MODELS INDICATE A GOOD DEAL OF MID/HI CLDS RELATED TO WAA TO THE NE OF SHARPENING FNT FM THE DAKOTAS INTO MN WL IMPACT THE CWA...SUSPECT LINGERING LLVL DRY AIR ASSOCIATED WITH SLOWLY DEPARTING SFC HI PRES WL KEEP THE CWA DRY. BEST CHC FOR SOME RAIN WL BE OVER THE NW CWA CLOSER TO BAND OF STRONGER H7 FGEN TO THE NE OF SHARPENING FNT. SAT NGT...MODELS IN FAIRLY GOOD AGREEMENT SHOWING MORE WIDESPREAD RA DVLPG OVER THE CWA ESPECIALLY NEAR THE WI BORDER WITH SHARPENING BAROCLINIC ZN/FGEN/INCRSG UPR DVGC IN RRQ OF 120KT H3 JET CORE MOVING TO JUST S OF JAMES BAY BY 12Z SUN. WL CARRY THE HIER CATEGORICAL POPS NEAR THE WI BORDER IN THE 06Z-12Z PERIOD. SUN THRU MON...UPR MI IS FCST TO BE CLOSE TO SHARP BAROCLINIC ZN UNDER CONFLUENCE ZN BTWN ARCTIC BRANCH NW FLOW DOMINATING QUEBEC AND A WSW POLAR BRANCH FLOW OVER THE NRN CONUS. DESPITE THE UNFAVORABLE LOOK OF THE CONFLUENT UPR FLOW WELL TO THE NE OF SHRTWV RIDING ENEWD THRU THE NRN PLAINS WHICH WOULD TEND TO FAVOR DRY WX...MOST OF THE MEDIUM RANGE MODELS GENERATE SOME MDT TO HEAVY PCPN OVER MAINLY THE S HALF OF THE CWA. UPR DVGC IN RRQ OF 120KT H3 JET MAX JUST S OF JAMES BAY AS WELL AS SHARP...PERSISTENT H85-7 FGEN N OF THE H85 WARM/STNRY FNT STRETCHING E ACRS WI FM LO IN THE NRN PLAINS AND UNDER AXIS OF PWAT AOA AN INCH OVER THE SRN CWA LOOK TO BE THE ENHANCEMENT FACTORS THAT WOULD OVERCOME THE UPR CONFLUENCE THAT WL WEAKEN DISTURBANCES RIDING ENEWD TOWARD THE CWA AHEAD OF THE MAIN SHRTWV TO THE SW. ALTHOUGH SOME OF THE COLDER MODELS` FCST SDNGS/ THERMAL FIELDS WITH H85 TEMPS AOB 0C INDICATE AT LEAST SOME OF THE PCPN NEAR THE NRN EDGE OF THE BAND WL BE IN THE FORM OF SN...SHARP GRADIENT IN SFC-H85 MSTR BTWN THE FNT AND CHILLY HI PRES BLDG INTO NRN ONTARIO WL LIKELY BRING A RATHER SHARP NRN EDGE TO THE PCPN BAND AND LIMIT THE COVERAGE OF SGNFT SN. BUT IF THE COLDER GUIDANCE IS CORRECT AND THE LLVL DRYING IS NOT TOO AGGRESSIVE...NOT OUT OF THE QUESTION THERE COULD BE SEVERAL INCHES OF WET...HEAVY SN OVER PORTIONS OF THE NRN CWA MAINLY ON SUN NGT/MON MRNG AS STEADY LLVL NE WINDS ADVECT COLDER AIR INTO THE LKS TO THE S OF THE ONTARIO HI PRES. MON NGT THRU THU...AS THE HI PRES OVER NORTHERN ONTARIO BUILDS S INTO THE UPR LKS UNDER CONFLUENT NW FLOW ALF BTWN UPR RDG AXIS SHIFTING E FM THE PLAINS AND CLOSED UPR LO OVER QUEBEC...EXPECT LINGERING PCPN TO END ON MON NGT...WITH THE HI PRES BRINGING DRY WX/MOCLR SKIES ON TUE INTO WED. DEPENDING ON HOW QUICKLY THE QUEBEC CLOSED LO WEAKENS AND WHETHER OR NOT THE UPR FLOW INTO THE GREAT LKS TURNS MORE PROGRESSIVE...ANOTHER LO PRES MOVE ENE FM THE PLAINS COULD BRING MORE PCPN TO THE AREA NEXT THU. BUT IF THE QUEBEC CLOSED LO IS MORE RESILIENT...THAT NEXT PLAINS LO COULD BE SHUNTED TO THE SW. EXPECT RELATIVELY CHILLY WX THRU THE EXTENDED PERIOD WITH SUB ZERO H85 TEMPS DOMINATING. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z SATURDAY AFTERNOON) ISSUED AT 109 PM EDT FRI APR 22 2016 MVFR CLOUD DECK AT KSAW WILL ERODE SHORTLY AFT 18Z AS DRIER AIR WORKS IN FROM NORTH OF THE LAKE. HIGH PRES BUILDING INTO THE REGION WILL MAINTAIN VFR CONDITIONS FOR ALL TAF SITES THROUGH THE REST OF THE FCST PERIOD. THERE WILL BE SOME INCREASE IN MID-HIGH CLOUDS INTO KCMX AND KSAW LATE SAT MORNING AS WARM AIR PUSHES NORTH OF A FRONTAL BOUNDARY OVER THE NORTHERN PLAINS. && .MARINE...(FOR THE 4 AM LAKE SUPERIOR FORECAST ISSUANCE) ISSUED AT 457 AM EDT FRI APR 22 2016 NORTHERLY WINDS 15-25 KNOTS EARLY THIS MORNING ARE EXPECTED TO DIMINISH TO 20 KTS OR LESS FRIDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH MOST OF SATURDAY NIGHT AS A HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE CROSSES LAKE SUPERIOR. AS THE HIGH EXITS TO THE EASTERN SEABOARD AND LOW PRESSURE DEVELOPS OVER THE PLAINS ON SUNDAY, NORTHEAST WINDS WILL INCREASE TO 20-30 KTS SUNDAY INTO MONDAY. THE STRONGEST WINDS WILL BE OVER WESTERN LAKE SUPERIOR WHERE WINDS MAY APPROACH GALES AT TIMES. WINDS DIMINISH TO LESS THAN 20 KTS MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY AS HIGH PRESSURE MOVES BACK ACROSS THE REGION. && .MQT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... UPPER MICHIGAN... NONE. LAKE SUPERIOR... NONE. LAKE MICHIGAN... NONE. && $$ SHORT TERM...JLB LONG TERM...KC AVIATION...VOSS MARINE...JLB
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS LAS VEGAS NV
305 PM PDT FRI APR 22 2016 .SYNOPSIS...A SERIES OF PACIFIC STORM SYSTEMS WILL BRING COOLER TEMPERATURES, WINDY PERIODS, AND CHANCES OF PRECIPITATION TO PORTIONS OF THE REGION THROUGH EARLY NEXT WEEK. THE BEST CHANCES OF PRECIPITATION APPEAR TO BE IN THE SIERRA AND SOUTHERN GREAT BASIN TONIGHT THEN AGAIN ON MONDAY. && .SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT. THE VIGOROUS TROUGH DIVING OVER NORTHERN AND CENTRAL CALIFORNIA WILL CONTINUE TO PRODUCE WIDESPREAD SOUTH-SOUTHWEST WINDS GUSTING OVER 40 MPH ACROSS MUCH OF THE FORECAST AREA THIS EVENING. THE TROUGH AXIS IS FORECAST TO QUICKLY TRAVERSE SOUTHERN NEVADA BETWEEN 06Z AND 12Z SATURDAY MORNING AND WE WILL LIKELY SEE SOME OF THE STRONGEST GUSTS ACROSS SOUTHERN NEVADA AND THE MOJAVE DESERT REGION BETWEEN 05Z AND 09Z. SEVERAL SENSORS ACROSS THE NEVADA NATIONAL SECURITY SITE IN NORTHERN NYE COUNTY RECORDED GUSTS OVER 60 MPH THIS AFTERNOON AND A HIGH WIND WARNING WAS ISSUED FOR CENTRAL/SOUTHERN NYE AND WESTERN LINCOLN COUNTIES AS SIMILAR GUSTS WILL CONTINUE INTO EARLY THIS EVENING. THE LATEST HIGH RES MODELS INDICATE A FAIRLY QUICK DROP IN WIND SPEEDS AFTER 04Z ACROSS INYO COUNTY AND SOUTH CENTRAL NEVADA THEN DECREASING AFTER 10Z FOR THE SPRING MOUNTAINS AND MUCH OF THE MOJAVE DESERT ZONES. NUMEROUS SHOWERS WILL OCCUR ACROSS NORTHERN INYO AND ESMERALDA COUNTIES THIS EVENING AND POPS WERE INCREASED CONSIDERABLE FOR THOSE ZONES. SATURDAY SHOULD BE A FAIRLY PLEASANT DAY WITH NORTHWEST WINDS GENERALLY LESS THAN 15 MPH AND TEMPERATURES RUNNING ABOUT 10-12 DEGREES COOLER ACROSS SOUTHERN NEVADA AND SURROUNDING AREAS. ATTENTION THEN TURNS TO THE NEXT PACIFIC SYSTEM WHICH WILL BE NEAR THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST SUNDAY MORNING THEN DIVING TOWARD SOUTHERN NEVADA SUNDAY NIGHT. THIS WILL BRING INCREASING SOUTH-SOUTHWEST WINDS AHEAD OF IT SUNDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING AND THE POTENTIAL FOR SHOWERS WILL SPREAD DOWN ACROSS INYO COUNTY AND SOUTH CENTRAL NEVADA INTO THE SPRING MOUNTAINS AND SHEEP RANGE SUNDAY NIGHT. .LONG TERM...MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. ACTIVE PATTERN CONTINUES WITH TWO MORE STORMS IN THE LONG TERM PERIOD. THE FIRST WILL BE AFFECTING OUR AREA MONDAY. MODELS ARE CURRENTLY IN GOOD AGREEMENT...AND IF THE SOLUTIONS PAN OUT...PRECIP CHANCES WOULD BE ROUGHLY FROM LAS VEGAS NORTH WITH STRONG WESTERLY WINDS FROM LAS VEGAS SOUTH. JUDGING FROM THE CURRENT MODELS...WIND ADVISORIES WOULD LIKELY BE NEEDED AGAIN FOR MUCH OF THE MOJAVE DESERT...BUT WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR FOR ANY NORTHWARD OR SOUTHWARD SHIFTS IN THE STORM TRACK. SINCE THE STORM IS TRACKING EASTWARD RATHER THAN SOUTHWARD...POST FRONTAL NORTHERLY WINDS TUESDAY SHOULD NOT BE SIGNIFICANT. BY WEDNESDAY THE NEXT STORM APPROACHES THE WEST COAST WITH SOUTHWEST WINDS INCREASING AGAIN. THERE IS MORE MODEL SPREAD WITH THE TRACK AND STRENGTH OF THIS STORM...AS IS TYPICAL 6-7 DAYS OUT. A MODEL CONSENSUS WOULD SUGGEST A SIMILAR OUTCOME TO THE MONDAY STORM...EXCEPT PERHAPS SLIGHTLY LESS STRONG WIND. PLENTY OF TIME TO WATCH THIS...WITH THE MAIN MESSAGE AT THIS TIME BEING TO PREPARE FOR WINDY AND RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER FOR MUCH OF NEXT WEEK. SPEAKING OF RAPIDLY CHANGING...TEMPERATURES WILL CRASH DOWN TO ABOUT TEN DEGREES BELOW NORMAL AREAWIDE ON MONDAY AND TUESDAY...RISE A BIT WEDNESDAY...THEN GET KNOCKED DOWN AGAIN ON THURSDAY AS THE NEXT STORM ARRIVES. && .AVIATION...FOR MCCARRAN...WINDY EVENING IN STORE FOR THE TERMINAL AS A STORM SYSTEM MOVES THROUGH THE AREA TONIGHT AND TOMORROW. SOUTH WINDS HAVE INCREASED THIS AFTERNOON AND SPEEDS/GUSTS SHOULD CONTINUE TO CLIMB GRADUALLY THROUGH THIS EVENING AS DIRECTIONS VERY SLOWLY TO A MORE SOUTHWESTERLY DIRECTION OVERNIGHT. MAX SPEEDS EXPECTED TO BE 20-30 KTS WITH GUSTS UP TO 40 KTS BETWEEN ABOUT 03Z AND 09Z. WINDS WILL CONTINUE TO VEER AS A COLD FRONT APPROACHES THE VALLEY LATE TONIGHT...BUT SPEEDS WILL DECREASE RAPIDLY AFTER 09Z. WINDS WILL SWITCH TO N OR NW IN THE 12Z TO 16Z PERIOD. ALTHOUGH WINDS MAY PICK UP DURING AND JUST AFTER FRONTAL PASSAGE...MOST GUIDANCE SUGGESTS SPEEDS 5-15 KTS WITH AN OCCASIONAL GUST TO 20 KTS TOMORROW WITH THE STRONGEST WINDS IN THE MORNING. FEW-SCT MID AND HIGH CLOUDS EXPECTED THROUGH THE PERIOD. MECHANICAL TURBULENCE CAN BE EXPECTED THROUGH TONIGHT ESPECIALLY DOWNSTREAM OF THE SPRING MOUNTAINS. FOR THE REST OF SOUTHERN NEVADA...NORTHWEST ARIZONA...AND SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA...SOUTH/SOUTHWEST WINDS HAVE INCREASED ACROSS THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON WITH SPEEDS GENERALLY 15-30 KTS WITH GUSTS UP TO 40 KTS. WINDS SHOULD CONTINUE TO INCREASE SLOWLY THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS...ESPECIALLY IN THE SOUTHERN GREAT BASIN AND INYO COUNTY. SPOTTY AREAS OF BLOWING DUST HAVE BEEN REPORTED THIS AFTERNOON...AND CAN BE EXPECTED THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS. SPEEDS SHOULD BEGIN TO DECREASE RAPIDLY AFTER 09Z. MOUNTAIN WAVE ACTIVITY IS POSSIBLE DOWNSTREAM OF THE SIERRA, WHITES, AND SPRING MOUNTAINS, AND MECHANICAL TURBULENCE IS LIKELY THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. A COLD FRONT WILL SWEEP ACROSS THE AREA OVERNIGHT AND TOMORROW MORNING, SWITCHING WINDS TO NORTH/NORTHWEST. DURING AND JUST AFTER FRONTAL PASSAGE, WINDS MAY PICK UP (10-20 KTS), BUT OVERALL SPEEDS WILL BE CONSIDERABLY LOWER TOMORROW THAN THOSE OBSERVED TODAY. BRIEF SHOT OF LIGHT PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED IN THE SIERRA AND WHITE MOUNTAINS THIS EVENING/OVERNIGHT WITH BKN-OVC 050-120 CIGS AND SOME MOUNTAIN OBSCURATIONS POSSIBLE...OTHERWISE FEW-SCT MID AND HIGH CLOUDS ARE ANTICIPATED FOR MOST OF THE REGION THROUGH THE PERIOD. && .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...SPOTTERS SHOULD REPORT ANY SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. $$ SHORT TERM...ADAIR LONG TERM.... MORGAN AVIATION....SHAFER FOR MORE FORECAST INFORMATION...SEE US ON OUR WEBPAGE: HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/LASVEGAS OR FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER
  [top] Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Reno NV 303 PM PDT FRI APR 22 2016 .SYNOPSIS... A strong Pacific storm will continue to move through the Sierra and Western Nevada tonight. Rain and heavy mountain snow are expected this evening near and south of I-80. A break is expected Saturday before more showers are expected Sunday into Monday with another system. Unsettled weather will continue through next week with below average temperatures. && .SHORT TERM... A strong spring storm continues to move through. Heavy snow is falling in the Sierra with rates approaching 3"/hr. It is best to avoid travel in the Sierra for the next few hours if possible. Heavy convective snowfall continues in the Sierra with the bands extending from Westwood south into Bridgeport. Heavy snow is falling above 6000 feet, with the snow level locally down to 4500 feet in the heaviest bands. Latest satellite/radar trends support the HRRR in keeping the heaviest rain/snow going thru 03Z near and south of I-80. After there will be a rapid reduction in showers as the upper forcing moves east and the airmass stabilizes. Until then, another 6+ inches of snow is possible above 7000 feet with another 2-4" down to 5500-6000 feet. Rainfall into Western NV will be heaviest in the Sierra front where an additional 1/4" of rain is possible. It may mix with snow at times in the foothills while lighter amounts are expected toward the highway 95 corridor. Winds are much weaker along the Sierra Front with the precip falling, but strong gusts continue east of a Bridgeport to Lovelock line. Will cancel the advisory for Reno-Carson-Minden, but leave the remainder as the winds continue there. Behind this storm, a break is expected Saturday with continued cool temps, but lighter winds and dry conditions. Another upper low is expected Sunday afternoon into Monday. Showers are expected Sunday afternoon with enough instability for a few thunderstorms as well. The core of the low will move overhead Monday morning with much colder air. Snow levels will fall to near the valley floors. While this storm will have some moisture with it, the best forcing is expected to remain over Eastern NV so we are not expecting another big precip event. However, there remains a threat (low at this time) of some light snowfall during the Monday morning commute along the I-80 and highway 50 corridors. Wallmann .LONG TERM...Monday Night through Friday... Unsettled weather pattern is expected to continue through next week as late season storm systems line up to move into the West Coast. Wednesday-Friday could be a rather wet period for much of the region with potential for additional snow in higher elevations. For Monday night, the first upper low is likely to be on its way out with lingering rain and snow showers diminishing. Tuesday still looks like the least active weather day, although a few showers remain possible as residual moisture will remain in place. Even though temperatures are expected to increase about 10-15 degrees from Monday, highs in the lower 60s and around 50 degrees near the Sierra will still be a few degrees below average for late April. For next Wednesday-Friday, medium range guidance continues to indicate a potent low pressure tracking southward along the California coast, then swing inland across the southwest US (or possibly farther north into eastern NV). Despite this southerly track, a broad area of upper divergence and instability is projected to set up over the Sierra and western NV, along with a decent tap of Pacific moisture. A few thunderstorms are also possible each afternoon, although the better instability looks to be trending north of I-80 by next Friday. Current projections favor the best overall rain and snow chances Wednesday night and higher thunderstorm potential on Thursday, but this could vary depending on the eventual storm track. Widespread cloud cover will keep daytime temps a few degrees below average each day, with nighttime temps slightly above average. Early snow level projections generally range from 6000-7000 feet in the Sierra, although these snow levels could occasionally drop several hundred feet during convection or heavier precip bands. MJD && .AVIATION... The most significant weather effects on aviation will continue through this evening with IFR/LIFR cigs/vsby in snow near the Sierra including KTVL/KTRK/KMMH, and a few inches of snow accumulating on pavement. For lower elevations including KRNO- KCXP, rain will produce MVFR cigs/vsby with mountain obscurations, IFR at times during heavier rain bands. The strongest winds have ended at KRNO-KCXP but some gusts to 35 KT remain possible. KMMH may receive stronger gusts above 40 KT until 03z. Later tonight, if cloud cover breaks up sufficiently, areas of FZFG would develop across many Sierra valleys around Tahoe and northeast CA, including KTRK. For Saturday, generally VFR conditions are expected with lighter winds. MJD && .REV Watches/Warnings/Advisories... NV...Winter Weather Advisory until 11 PM PDT this evening NVZ002. Wind Advisory until 8 PM PDT this evening NVZ001-004. CA...Winter Weather Advisory until 5 PM PDT this afternoon above 5500 feet in CAZ071. Wind Advisory until 8 PM PDT this evening CAZ073. Winter Weather Advisory until 11 PM PDT this evening CAZ072. && $$ For more information from the National Weather Service visit... http://weather.gov/reno
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NWS ALBUQUERQUE NM
1152 AM MDT FRI APR 22 2016 .AVIATION... 18Z TAF CYCLE SOUTHERLY WINDS TODAY WILL DELIVER AN INFLUX OF MOISTURE FOR -SHRA/TSRA AFT 22Z BTWN THE CONT DVD AND THE CENTRAL MT CHAIN. GREATEST CHANCE FOR GUSTY OUTFLOW WINDS AND MEASURABLE PRECIP WILL OCCUR AROUND KAEG...KABQ...AND KSAF BTWN 00Z AND 06Z. NO IMPACTS BELOW VFR ARE EXPECTED. ACTIVITY MAY ALSO SLIDE OFF THE CENTRAL MT CHAIN TO KLVS AND KROW DURING THE EVENING/OVERNIGHT PERIOD BUT CONFIDENCE NOT AS HIGH THERE. DRIER SW FLOW WILL MOVE IN SATURDAY WITH A FEW REMNANT -SHRA POSSIBLE OVER THE NORTHERN HIGH TERRAIN AND THE NE PLAINS. GUYER && .PREV DISCUSSION...333 AM MDT FRI APR 22 2016... .SYNOPSIS... MODEST MOISTURE CONTINUES TO WORK ITS WAY INTO CENTRAL NEW MEXICO FROM THE SOUTHEAST AS A COUPLE OF LOW PRESSURE SYSTEMS CROSS THE WEST COAST. THESE SYSTEMS WILL SKIRT AROUND NEW MEXICO TO THE NORTH AND SOUTH...BUT THE MOISTURE IN PLACE WILL HELP SPARK SCATTERED TO ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS MAINLY OVER CENTRAL AREAS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...THEN ALONG AND TO A LESSER EXTENT EAST OF THE CENTRAL MOUNTAIN CHAIN ON SATURDAY. THE JET STREAM WILL MOVE OVER THE COLORADO AND NEW MEXICO BORDER ON SATURDAY WITH SURFACE WIND GUSTS PROBABLY REACHING 50 MPH OVER A GOOD PORTION OF NORTHERN NEW MEXICO IN THE AFTERNOON. FIRE WEATHER CONCERNS WILL RAMP UP WEST OF THE CENTRAL MOUNTAIN CHAIN SATURDAY...THEN CONTINUE TO PLAGUE PORTIONS OF NORTHERN AND CENTRAL NEW MEXICO THROUGH TUESDAY AS DRIER AIR MOVES IN FROM THE WEST AND BREEZY TO WINDY CONDITIONS RETURN DAILY. && .DISCUSSION... SOME STORMS WILL PRODUCE LITTLE OR NO RAIN WEST OF THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE TODAY...THEN AT LOWER ELEVATIONS BETWEEN THE CENTRAL MOUNTAIN CHAIN AND CONTINENTAL DIVIDE ON SATURDAY. MEANWHILE...THERE IS A MARGINAL RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING IN UNION COUNTY/FAR NE NM. A PACIFIC COLD FRONT WILL CROSS FROM THE WEST SATURDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT USHERING COOLER TEMPERATURES AND DRY AIR FOR SUNDAY. READINGS WILL VARY AROUND NORMAL MOST PLACES...EXCEPT ON THE FAR EASTERN PLAINS WHERE READINGS 4 TO 10 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL SHOULD PERSIST. BREEZY TO WINDY CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO RETURN IN THE VICINITY OF THE I-40 CORRIDOR OF EASTERN NM SUNDAY AFTERNOON WITH WESTERLY DOWNSLOPE FLOW. ANOTHER UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL DIG INTO THE GREAT BASIN ON MONDAY...THEN PASS NORTH OF NEW MEXICO ON TUESDAY STEERING THE JET STREAM SQUARELY OVER THE FORECAST AREA. THIS WILL KEEP BREEZY TO WINDY CONDITIONS IN THE FORECAST ACROSS WESTERN AREAS MONDAY AND AREAWIDE TUESDAY. IT WILL CAUSE FIRE WEATHER CONCERNS TO PERSIST. SHORT WAVE RIDGING WILL CAUSE WINDS TO SETTLE DOWN WEDNESDAY...BUT SW FLOW LOOKS TO STRENGTHEN AGAIN DURING THE LATTER HALF OF THE WEEK AS YET ANOTHER UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM DIGS INTO THE GREAT BASIN AND APPROACHES NM FROM THE W OR NW. 44 && .FIRE WEATHER... CRITICAL CONDITIONS WILL BE AT LEAST SPOTTY SATURDAY THROUGH MONDAY WITH MORE WIDESPREAD CRITICAL CONDITIONS POSSIBLE NEXT TUESDAY. VENT RATES WILL BE GOOD TO EXCELLENT TODAY THROUGH NEXT WEDNESDAY. THE LATEST MODELS QUITE CONSISTENT WITH PREVIOUS VERSIONS IN THE SHORTER TERM. THE UPPER RIDGE WILL BE MOVING OVER NEW MEXICO TODAY AND THEN TO THE EAST OF THE STATE SATURDAY AS AN UPPER LOW TRACKS INTO THE GREAT BASIN AND THROUGH THE CENTRAL ROCKIES. WINDS ALOFT WILL TRANSITION TO SOUTHWEST LATER TODAY AND TONIGHT...AND WILL STRENGTHEN WITH TIME. LOW LEVEL MOISTURE APPEARS TO BE MIGRATING INTO SOUTH CENTRAL NM AT THIS TIME...AND A SUSTAINED SOUTHEAST TO SOUTH FLOW REMAINS FORECAST...WHICH WOULD BRING HIGHER DEW POINTS UP THE RGV AND TOWARDS THE CONTDVD...AS THE GFS HAS BEEN INDICATING FOR SEVERAL DAYS. RUC AND HRRR NOW JUMPING ONBOARD BREAKING OUT CONVECTION ALONG THE CONTDVD AND CENTRAL MT CHAIN BY MIDAFTERNOON. WITH THE POOR RH RECOVERIES ALONG/WEST OF THE CONTDVD AT THIS TIME...CAN/T HELP BUT THINK THERE MAY BE SOME HIGH BASED VIRGA SHOWERS/ISOLD DRY LIGHTNING OVER THIS AREA LATER TODAY...GIVEN THE INSTABILITY FORECAST BY THE NAM12. CONVECTION THIS EVENING MAY RESULT IN SOME WETTING PRECIPITATION BETWEEN THE CONTDVD AND EAST SLOPES OF THE CENTRAL MT CHAIN. SATURDAY STILL LOOKS TO SEE WIND GUSTS TO AROUND 45 OR 50 MPH AS THE WESTERLY WINDS SHOVE THE LOW LEVEL MOISTURE FROM WEST TO EAST OVER THE STATE. MIN RH VALUES FALL BELOW 15 PERCENT FOR PORTIONS OF THE MIDDLE RGV AND WEST. DECIDED TO GO AHEAD WITH A FIRE WEATHER WATCH FOR AREAS BELOW SNOWPACK FOR THE NORTHWEST/WEST CENTRAL AND MIDDLE RGV ALTHOUGH MAINLY FOR BERNALILLO AND VALENCIA COUNTIES IF THE GRIDS ARE CLOSE. NOT SURE OF THE STATE OF GREENUP AT THIS TIME...BUT RECENT COOLER WEATHER MAY HAVE RETARDED IT. HIGHS WILL BE ABOVE AVERAGE...BUT NOT OVERLY SO...IN THE RANGE OF 5 TO 10 DEGREES. CONVECTION WILL BE FOCUSED OVER THE CENTRAL AND EAST SATURDAY/SATURDAY NIGHT BUT SUNDAY LOOKS TO BE DRY. THERE MAY BE A FEW SHOWERS OR STORMS ON THE DRIER SIDE FROM THE CENTRAL MT CHAIN WWD AS THE MOISTURE BECOMES MORE SHALLOW ON SATURDAY. RIDGETOP WINDS MAY PERSIST SATURDAY NIGHT BEFORE RELENTING SOMEWHAT SUNDAY UNDER ZONAL FLOW...BUT NOT ENOUGH TO ELIMINATE THE POTENTIAL FOR CRITICAL CONDITIONS IN THE EAST CENTRAL SUNDAY AFTERNOON. RH RECOVERIES SATURDAY AND SUNDAY NIGHT WILL BE FAIR TO POOR FOR MANY LOCALES. MONDAY THROUGH TUESDAY WILL SEE INCREASING WINDS AS ANOTHER SYSTEM SWINGS THROUGH THE CENTRAL ROCKIES. POOR RH RECOVERIES LOOK TO BE WIDESPREAD MONDAY NIGHT. HIGHS WILL FALL TO AROUND 5 TO 10 DEGREES BELOW AVERAGE WEST AND CENTRAL AND TO NEAR AVERAGE EAST BY TUESDAY... TO HELP MODERATE THE COMBO OF WIND AND SUB 15 PERCENT RH FROM THE MIDDLE RGV TO THE EAST CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST PLAINS TUESDAY AFTERNOON... WHERE CRITICAL CONDITIONS LOOK TO BE WIDESPREAD. ANY WETTING PRECIPITATION WILL BE CONFINED TO THE HIGHER TERRAIN OF THE NORTHWEST AND NORTH CENTRAL MONDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. GUSTY WEST WINDS MAY CONTINUE TUESDAY NIGHT BEFORE SLACKING OFF. ANOTHER SYSTEM LINED UP FOR THE END OF NEXT WEEK BUT GFS IS DRIER AND WINDIER...THE ECMWF IS WETTER. && .ABQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... FIRE WEATHER WATCH FROM SATURDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH SATURDAY EVENING FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES... NMZ101-105-106. && $$
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS RALEIGH NC
1240 PM EDT FRI APR 22 2016 .SYNOPSIS...A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE SLOWLY EAST ACROSS CENTRAL NC LATE TONIGHT THROUGH EARLY SATURDAY MORNING. HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD INTO THE REGION BEHIND THE FRONT SATURDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH SUNDAY. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... AS OF 1030 AM FRIDAY... MAIN ADJUSTMENTS THIS MORNING WERE TO RAISE POPS WHERE STEADY SHOWERS ARE ONGOING OR IMMINENT. INCREASINGLY WARM AND MOIST SSW LOW LEVEL FLOW IS PULLING ABOVE NORMAL PW INTO THE AREA (NEAR 1.5")... AND DEEPENING FORCING FOR ASCENT (INCLUDING MODEST MID LEVEL HEIGHT FALLS AND IMPROVING UPPER DIVERGENCE) AND MINOR INSTABILITY WITH MIXING/HEATING WILL LEAD TO FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF SHOWERS AND ISOLATED STORMS THROUGH THE AFTERNOON... YIELDING SEVERAL HOURS OF CATEGORICAL POPS AREAWIDE. WHILE QPF FROM THE CAMS STILL APPEARS OVERDONE IN SPOTS... THE OVERALL TOTAL QPF APPEARS TO BE TRENDING A BIT HIGHER THAN WAS DENOTED YESTERDAY... WITH OBSERVATIONS INDICATING A QUARTER TO HALF INCH FOR MOST AREAS THROUGH TONIGHT WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS. THE RISK OF THUNDER APPEARS MARGINAL WITH RAP SURFACE CAPE PEAKING AT 200-500 J/KG NW TO SE... ALTHOUGH DEEP LAYER SHEAR SHOULD BE IMPROVING IN THE EAST. WILL LEAVE IN A MENTION OF ISOLATED THUNDER AREAWIDE... AND MONITOR CLOSELY FOR ANY AREAS OF ENHANCED HEATING THAT MIGHT PUSH CAPE UP. OBSERVED TRENDS AND HIGH RES GUIDANCE SHOW A SMALL TEMP CLIMB TODAY GIVEN THE CLOUDS AND PRECIP... SO EXPECT HIGHS OF 69-78 NW TO SE. -GIH EARLIER DISCUSSION FROM 335 AM: WATER VAPOR IMAGERY AT 07Z DEPICTS WELL DEFINED S/W LIFTING E-NE OUT OF THE LOWER MS VALLEY. NEAR TERM MODEL GUIDANCE HAS DECENT HANDLE ON THIS FEATURE...LIFTING IT ACROSS OUR REGION LATER TODAY. THE APPROACH OF THIS SYSTEM INTERACTING WITH AVAILABLE MOISTURE WILL TRIGGER SCATTERED-NUMEROUS SHOWERS...INITIALLY OVER THE WESTERN PIEDMONT AFTER 9-10AM...AND ACROSS THE BULK OF CENTRAL THIS AFTERNOON. MODEL GUIDANCE HAS TRENDED DEEPER WITH THE LIFT THROUGH THE COLUMN...SUPPORTIVE OF HIGHER RAINFALL AMOUNTS THAN SUGGESTED A COUPLE OF DAYS AGO. NOT READY TO CLIMB ONBOARD THE GUIDANCE FROM WPC...SUGGESTING RAINFALL TOTALS IN THE RDU AREA 1-1.33 INCHES TODAY AND TONIGHT. HAVE LEANED TOWARD AMOUNTS GENERALLY IN THE HALF TO THREE-QUARTERS OF AN INCH WITH POCKETS AROUND AN INCH. RAIN WILL BE WELCOMED FOR MOST FOLKS AS MEASURABLE RAINFALL HAS NOT BEEN OBSERVED IN 8-9 DAYS. THUNDER THREAT STILL APPEARS CONFINED TO AREAS ALONG AND EAST OF HIGHWAY 1 DURING PEAK HEATING THOUGH LOW LEVEL INSTABILITY MEAGER WITH SBCAPE NO WORSE THAN A 1000-1200 J/KG AND MLCAPE AT OR BELOW 300 J/KG.0-6KM BULK SHEAR INCREASES THIS AFTERNOON TO AROUND 35 KTS...SO EXPECT THE SMATTERING OF SHOWERS THIS MORNING TO EVENTUALLY ORGANIZED INTO BROKEN BAND OF SHOWERS BY MID AFTERNOON. MAX TEMPS TODAY HIGHLY DEPENDENT UPON WHEN SHOWER COVERAGE INCREASES. A DELAY IN THE ARRIVAL OF SHOWERS AT ANY ONE SPOT WILL TRANSLATE TO WARMER HIGH TEMPS. USED A BLEND OF MOS GUIDANCE...YIELDING MAX TEMPS LOWER 70S NW TO MID-UPPER 70S EAST-SE. TONIGHT...MAY SEE A TEMPORARY LULL IN SHOWER COVERAGE DEVELOP LATE IN THE DAY/EARLY EVENING AS S/W TRAVERSES ACROSS THE REGION. EXPECT TO SEE AN UPTICK IN SHOWER COVERAGE AFTER SUNSET AS SFC COLD FRONT ASSOCIATED WITH THE NORTHERN STREAM S/W APPROACHES/CROSSES OUR REGION. THIS BAND OF SHOWERS SHOULD EXIT THE PIEDMONT AROUND OR SHORTLY AFTER MIDNIGHT...AND THE COASTAL PLAIN COUNTIES PRIOR TO DAYBREAK SATURDAY. EXPECT PARTIAL CLEARING BEHIND THE EXITING FRONT THOUGH RESIDUAL LOW LEVEL MOISTURE COUPLED WITH A LIGHT WIND REGIME SUGGEST A GOOD POTENTIAL FOR LOW CLOUDS TO DEVELOP ACROSS THE AREA OVERNIGHT. MIN TEMPS MID-UPPER 50S NW-LOWER 60S SE. && .SHORT TERM /SATURDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT/... AS OF 350 AM FRIDAY... NORTHERN STREAM S/W CROSSES OVERHEAD SATURDAY. WHILE MOISTURE BASICALLY CONFINED TO THE LOWEST 10K FEET...MID LEVEL LAPSE RATES BETWEEN 6 AND 6.5 C/KM ALONG WITH HEATING SHOULD TRIGGER A FEW LOW TOPPED SHOWERS IN THE LATE MORNING AND AFTERNOON HOURS. EXPECT HIGHEST RISK FOR SHOWERS (1:4 CHANCE) OVER THE FAR NE PIEDMONT AND THE COASTAL PLAIN. SHOWER THREAT SHOULD DIMINISH/END PRIOR TO SUNSET. EARLY MORNING LOW CLOUDS SHOULD LIFT INTO A SCATTERED/BROKEN DECK BY LATE MORNING. THE PARTIAL SUNSHINE AND A RELATIVELY MILD START TO THE DAY SHOULD ALLOW TEMPS TO RECOVER INTO THE MID-UPPER 70S...WARMEST IN THE SW WHERE MORE SUN/FEWER (IF ANY) SHOWERS EXPECTED. HIGH PRESSURE OVER SOUTHERN SECTIONS OF ONTARIO/QUEBEC BUILDS SWD INTO THE SOUTHERN APPALACHIANS SATURDAY NIGHT. THIS WILL LEAD TO CLEARING SKIES AND SLIGHTLY COOLER TEMPS. MIN TEMPS BY EARLY SUNDAY 50-55 DEGREES. && .LONG TERM /SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/... AS OF 305 AM FRIDAY... SUNDAY THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT: MID LEVEL RIDGING WILL BUILD BACK OVER THE AREA FOR THE SECOND HALF OF THE WEEKEND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. MEANWHILE SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE... INITIALLY LOCATED OVER THE REGION TO START THE PERIOD WILL SHIFT TO THE COAST AND THEN OFFSHORE SUNDAY EVENING INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. THIS WILL RESULT IN A DRY AND WARMING FORECAST FOR THIS TIME FRAME. HIGHS SUNDAY ARE EXPECTED TO RANGE FROM THE LOWER 70S NE TO THE UPPER 70S SW. HIGHS MONDAY SHOULD BE A COUPLE OF CATEGORIES WARMER WITH A SOUTHERLY RETURN FLOW AROUND OFFSHORE HIGH PRESSURE. THUS... EXPECT HIGHS ON MONDAY WILL BE IN THE LOWER TO MID 80S. LOWS WILL FOLLOW A SIMILAR TREND... INCREASING EACH MORNING. LOWS ARE EXPECTED TO BE IN 50S FOR MONDAY MONDAY MORNING... AND NEAR 60/LOWER 60S ON TUESDAY MORNING. TUESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY: THE MID LEVEL RIDGE WILL HAVE FLATTENED BY TUESDAY MORNING AS A S/W DISTURBANCE TRACKS EASTWARD ACROSS THE GREAT LAKES AND NORTHEAST U.S. MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY. HOW THIS SYSTEM INTERACTS WITH THE EASTERN CANADA DEEP MID/UPPER LEVEL LOW WILL PLAY A ROLE ON HOW FAR SOUTH THE ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT (FROM THE S/W TRACKING EAST ACROSS THE NORTHEASTERN U.S.) MEDIUM RANGE MODELS HAVE STRUGGLED WITH HOW FAR SOUTH THE FRONT WILL MAKE IT NEXT WEEK. THE 00Z/22ND GFS CONTINUES TO DRIVE THE FRONT SOUTHWARD THROUGH THE AREA TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY... WHILE THE 00Z/22ND ECMWF STALLS THE FRONT JUST TO OUR NORTH AND NORTHEAST. THUS... CONFIDENCE REMAINS LOW FOR TEMPS TUESDAY NIGHT ONWARD AND PRECIP CHANCES FOR TUESDAY EVENING INTO WEDNESDAY. FOR NOW WILL GO WITH ONLY A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND STORMS FROM LATE TUESDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. TEMPS WILL BE GREATLY DEPENDENT BY THE PLACEMENT OF THE FRONT... WITH LIKELY A LARGE TEMPERATURE GRADIENT NEAR THE FRONT. REGARDLESS THOUGH... TUESDAY LOOKS TO BE WARM... WITH HIGHS IN THE MID TO UPPER 80S. WILL FOLLOW CLOSE TO WPC AND GO WITH HIGHS WEDNESDAY RANGING FROM THE UPPER 70S NE TO UPPER 80S SW... WITH THE COLD FRONT BISECTING THE AREA ON WEDNESDAY MORNING. LOWS ARE EXPECTED TO RANGE FROM THE MID TO UPPER 50S TO THE LOWER 60S. THE NEXT COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED TO APPROACH THE AREA ON THURSDAY WITH INCREASING CHANCES FOR SHOWERS AND STORMS... WITH HIGHS NEAR 80 NORTH TO THE MID TO UPPER 80S SOUTH... WITH THE STALLED FRONT EXPECTED TO BE TO THE NORTH OF THE AREA BY THURSDAY. && .AVIATION /18Z FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... AS OF 1240 PM FRIDAY... DIFFICULT AVIATION FORECAST AS ROUNDS OF SHOWERS AND ISOLATED STORMS WILL LEAD TO WIDELY VARYING CIGS/VSBYS FOR THE NEXT 12-15 HOURS. A WARM MOIST FLOW FROM THE SW ALONG WITH AN APPROACHING COLD FRONT AND UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE WILL GENERATE INCREASING COVERAGE OF SHOWERS AT ALL TERMINALS THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON. IFR TO LOW-END MVFR CIGS BETWEEN 500 AND 1500 FT AGL ARE LIKELY WITHIN THE MODERATE TO HEAVY SHOWERS WITH IFR VSBYS... AND WHEN RAIN IS LIGHT OR ABSENT... THE LOWER CLOUDS WILL BECOME SCATTERED WITH VFR CIGS ABOVE 4KFT AGL AND MVFR-VFR VSBYS. THE BEST CHANCE FOR DOMINANT SUB-VFR CONDITIONS ARE 18-22Z AND 01Z-05Z AT RDU/FAY/RWI... AND 22Z-02Z AT INT/GSO. A THUNDERSTORM IS POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON... MAINLY AT RDU/FAY/RWI. THE SHOWERS WILL BE ON A DIMINISHING TREND IN COVERAGE AND INTENSITY FROM WEST TO EAST LATER THIS EVENING INTO THE OVERNIGHT HOURS (03Z- 08Z)... BUT WITH LIGHT SURFACE WINDS AND HIGH HUMIDITY LINGERING OVER CENTRAL NC AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT... LOWER CIGS (AGAIN IN THE 500-1500 AGL RANGE) IN THE FORM OF BROKEN SHALLOW STRATUS CLOUDS ARE LIKELY TO RE-DEVELOP TONIGHT AS THE RAIN TAPERS DOWN... AND ISOLATED POCKETS OF MVFR-IFR VSBYS ARE POSSIBLE AS WELL. THESE LOW CLOUDS WILL DISPERSE AND LIFT... LEADING TO VFR-DOMINANT CONDITIONS AT ALL SITES AFTER 14Z SAT. LOOKING BEYOND 18Z SAT... A FEW SHOWERS ARE POSSIBLE ESPECIALLY AT NORTHERN TERMINALS SAT AFTERNOON BUT ANY SUB-VFR CONDITIONS WOULD BE VERY BRIEF. OTHERWISE... THE COLD FRONT WILL FINALLY DROP SE THROUGH THE AREA SAT NIGHT WITH HIGH PRESSURE BUILDING INTO AND OVER THE AREA SUN/MON BEFORE SHIFTING OFFSHORE THROUGH MIDWEEK... LEADING TO VFR CONDITIONS AND A WARMING TREND SUN INTO TUE. AN APPROACHING BACKDOOR FRONT MAY BRING A FEW SHOWERS TO NORTHERN TERMINALS TUE NIGHT/WED BUT VFR CONDITIONS SHOULD STILL PREVAIL. -GIH && .RAH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && $$ SYNOPSIS...WSS/HARTFIELD NEAR TERM...HARTFIELD/WSS SHORT TERM...WSS LONG TERM...BSD AVIATION...HARTFIELD
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS BISMARCK ND
1204 PM CDT FRI APR 22 2016 .UPDATE... ISSUED AT 1204 PM CDT FRI APR 22 2016 LATEST SURFACE ANALYSIS SHOWS INCREASING SOUTHEAST WINDS ACROSS SOUTHWEST NORTH DAKOTA...ON TRACK WITH OUR GRIDDED WIND DATA. THE LATEST HRRR EXPERIMENTAL CONTINUES TO PORTRAY DEWPOINTS IN THE 30S AND THIS SEEMS REASONABLE GIVEN THE UPSTREAM OBSERVATIONS IN SOUTH DAKOTA. NO CHANGES TO CURRENT FORECAST AT THIS TIME. UPDATE ISSUED AT 1006 AM CDT FRI APR 22 2016 ONCE AGAIN...NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES WITH THIS UPDATE. MORNING SURFACE ANALYSES REVEAL SURFACE PRESSURE FALLS BEGINNING ACROSS EASTERN MT AND THE WESTERN DAKOTAS AS A REFLECTION OF WARM AIR ADVECTION ALOFT. THIS IS INDUCING INCREASING SOUTHEAST FLOW AND GIVEN UPSTREAM OBSERVED DEWPOINTS IN THE 30S TO AROUND 40 F FROM SD INTO NEB...SOME MODEST LOW-LEVEL MOISTURE ADVECTION WILL OCCUR THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. GUIDANCE...INCLUDING THE EXPERIMENTAL/ ESRL-RUN HRRR THAT HAS VERIFIED WELL LATELY...SUGGESTS HUMIDITIES IN FAR SOUTHWEST ND WILL NOT FALL BELOW 25 PERCENT ACROSS A LARGE ENOUGH AREA TO WARRANT ISSUANCE OF A RED FLAG WARNING. UPDATE ISSUED AT 640 AM CDT FRI APR 22 2016 NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGE WITH THIS FORECAST UPDATE OTHER THAN TO BLEND TO OBSERVED TRENDS THROUGH 11 UTC. WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR CONDITIONS ACROSS SOUTHWEST NORTH DAKOTA THROUGH THE DAY SHOULD A RED FLAG WARNING BECOME NECESSARY. && .SHORT TERM...(TODAY AND TONIGHT) ISSUED AT 320 AM CDT FRI APR 22 2016 POTENTIAL NEAR CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS FAR SOUTHWEST TODAY HIGHLIGHT THE SHORT TERM FORECAST. SEE THE FIRE WEATHER DISCUSSION BELOW FOR DETAILS. A STATIONARY FRONT ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL THROUGH SOUTHEAST MONTANA THIS MORNING WILL PROPAGATE EAST TODAY AS A WARM FRONT AND APPROACH FAR SOUTHWEST NORTH DAKOTA LATE THIS AFTERNOON. AS A RESULT...A LARGE TEMPERATURE GRADIENT IS EXPECTED ACROSS THE AREA TODAY WITH HIGHS IN THE 50S ACROSS THE TURTLE MOUNTAINS TO NEAR 80 ACROSS THE FAR SOUTHWEST. BREEZY SOUTHEAST WINDS OF 20 TO 30 MPH ARE EXPECTED ACROSS THE WEST THIS AFTERNOON WITH A TIGHTENING PRESSURE GRADIENT AND ISALLOBARIC FORCING FROM PRESSURE FALLS AHEAD OF THE WARM FRONT. GIVEN GOOD AGREEMENT...A BLEND OF THE 00 UTC GLOBAL AND HIGH RESOLUTION SUITES WERE USED...WITH PREFERENCE GIVEN TO THE WARMER EDGE OF GUIDANCE FOR TEMPERATURES ACROSS THE WEST PER VERIFICATION TRENDS. .LONG TERM...(SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY) ISSUED AT 302 AM CDT FRI APR 22 2016 WIDESPREAD PRECIPITATION LATE SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY MORNING HIGHLIGHTS THE EXTENDED FORECAST. THE 00 UTC DETERMINISTIC AND ENSEMBLE GLOBAL SUITES ARE IN GOOD AGREEMENT ON THE UPPER LOW COMING ON SHORE TO CALIFORNIA AND OREGON TODAY PROPAGATING INTO THE NORTHERN PLAINS SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY MORNING. THE TREND OVER THE LAST 24 HOURS HAS BEEN FOR A SLIGHT NORTHWARD SHIFT IN THE LOW TRACK...YIELDING MORE WIDESPREAD AND HIGHER PRECIPITATION CHANCES ACROSS MUCH OF WESTERN AND CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA. REGARDING DETAILS...SURFACE CYCLOGENESIS IS FORECAST ACROSS WESTERN SOUTH DAKOTA SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY MORNING WITH RESULTING INCREASING MOISTURE TRANSPORT INTO THE REGION. WITH STRONG DIFFLUENCE ALOFT AND STEEP MID LEVEL LAPSE RATES...THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY MORNING MORNING. CERTAINLY COULD NOT RULE OUT A FEW STRONG ELEVATED STORMS ACROSS SOUTHERN NORTH DAKOTA WITH MUCAPE OF 500-1000 J/KG AT 750 MB AND THE PRESENCE OF STRONG DEEP LAYER SHEAR. PRECIPITATION ACROSS NORTH DAKOTA IS FORECAST TO TRANSITION TO STRATIFORM THROUGH THE DAY ON SUNDAY AS THE SYSTEM BECOMES NEARLY VERTICALLY STACKED ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL SOUTH DAKOTA. AS SUB- FREEZING LOW LEVEL AIR ADVECTS INTO THE SYSTEM SUNDAY NIGHT INTO MONDAY MORNING...RAIN MAY TRANSITION TO SNOW WITH PERHAPS LIGHT ACCUMULATIONS ON GRASSY SURFACES. WIDESPREAD RAINFALL TOTALS OVER AN INCH ARE STILL FORECAST SOUTH OF US HIGHWAY 2. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z SATURDAY AFTERNOON) ISSUED AT 1204 PM CDT FRI APR 22 2016 VFR CONDITIONS ARE FORECAST ACROSS WESTERN AND CENTRAL ND THROUGH THE 18 UTC TAF CYCLE. HOWEVER...THERE IS A LOW PROBABILITY OF MVFR OR EVEN IFR CEILINGS /STRATUS/ DEVELOPING OVER THE SOUTHERN JAMES RIVER VALLEY BETWEEN 09 AND 15 UTC. OTHERWISE...BREEZY SOUTHEAST WINDS WITH GUSTS TO 30 KT ARE EXPECTED ACROSS WESTERN ND AT KISN AND KDIK THIS AFTERNOON. LOW-LEVEL WIND SHEAR IS POSSIBLE AT KDIK...KBIS AND KJMS TONIGHT AND EARLY SATURDAY MORNING. && .FIRE WEATHER... ISSUED AT 1006 AM CDT FRI APR 22 2016 NEAR CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS FAR SOUTHWEST NORTH DAKOTA TODAY IN GOLDEN VALLEY...SLOPE...BILLINGS AND BOWMAN COUNTIES. HIGH TEMPERATURES TODAY WILL BE IN THE UPPER 70S WITH SOUTHEAST WINDS OF 20 TO 25 MPH...GUSTING AT 30 TO 35 MPH. OF GREATEST UNCERTAINTY ARE FORECAST RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES. AFTERNOON RELATIVE HUMIDITY MAY FALL INTO THE 20 TO 25 PERCENT RANGE THIS AFTERNOON...WITH EVEN LOWER VALUES POSSIBLE ACROSS THE BORDER IN MONTANA. HOWEVER...THE LATEST INDICATIONS ARE THAT HUMIDITY VALUES WILL NOT FALL LOW ENOUGH OVER A LARGE ENOUGH AREA OF ANY GIVEN COUNTY TO WARRANT ISSUANCE OF A RED FLAG WARNING. && .BIS WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && $$ UPDATE...KS SHORT TERM...AYD LONG TERM...AYD AVIATION...CJS FIRE WEATHER...AYD/CJS
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS PORTLAND OR
325 PM PDT FRI APR 22 2016 CORRECTED MARINE AND AVIATION SECTIONS .SYNOPSIS...A COOL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL BE OVER OREGON FOR MORE SHOWERS AND POSSIBLY AN AFTERNOON THUNDERSTORM...THEN MOVE EAST OF SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON AND NORTHWEST OREGON LATER TONIGHT AND EARLY SATURDAY FOR DECREASING SHOWERS. THE NEXT SYSTEM WILL SPREAD MORE SHOWERS INTO THE FORECAST AREA LATER SATURDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT. THE ASSOCIATED EVEN COLDER LOW WILL NOT MOVE OUT OF THE FORECAST AREA UNTIL LATER MONDAY AND MONDAY NIGHT. THIS LOW WILL DROP SNOW LEVELS BELOW THE CASCADE PASSES SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY... AND SEVERAL INCHES OF SNOW ARE POSSIBLE. THE NEXT SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY AS UNSETTLED WEATHER CONTINUES. && .SHORT TERM...SHOWER ACTIVITY IS SLOW TO INCREASE THIS AFTERNOON. CURRENT INSTABILITY ANALYSIS AND HRRR MODEL TRENDS SHOW STRONGER SHOWER ACTIVITY IN THE NEXT FEW HOURS. THE HRRR MODEL RECENTLY DEPICTING STRONGER SHOWERS OVER THE COAST RANGE AND OREGON CASCADES WITH A FEW CELLS OVER THE CENTRAL AND SOUTH VALLEY FROM ABOUT 3 PM TO 6 PM. THERE WAS A REPORT OF A FUNNEL CLOUD NEAR MONMOUTH LATE THIS MORNING. NAM BUFR SOUNDING SHOW WEAK LOW LEVEL DIRECTIONAL WIND SHEAR FOR THAT TIME SO ITS POSSIBLE THAT THE INITIAL RELEASE OF INSTABILITY ALLOWED A SHOWER TO SPIN UP THIS FUNNEL. MODEL SOUNDINGS SHOW LESS FAVORABLE CONDITIONS FOR FUNNEL CLOUDS THIS AFTERNOON. MODELS SHOW THE AIR MASS STABILIZING A LOT QUICKER THAN THE THU NIGHT SYSTEM SO EXPECT THREAT OF THUNDERSTORMS TO QUICKLY DIMINISH BY 7 OR 8 PM. PRECIPITATION AMOUNTS DO NOT LOOK AS HEAVY THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING IN A LARGE SCALE SENSE...THOUGH INDIVIDUAL CELLS COULD STILL PRODUCE HEAVY RAIN. THE UPPER LOW MOVES EAST OF THE FORECAST AREA LATER TONIGHT AND SATURDAY MORNING WITH SHOWER ACTIVITY MAINLY OVER THE MOUNTAINS THEN INCREASE AGAIN OVER THE LOWLANDS IN THE AFTERNOON. THERE IS INDICATION OF RENEWED INSTABILITY SAT AFTERNOON BUT SHOWERS SHOULD REMAIN CAPPED BELOW -10C LEVEL. THE NEXT SYSTEM APPROACHES LATER SATURDAY AND PUSHES A FRONT INTO THE AREA SATURDAY NIGHT FOR MORE SHOWERS. THE ASSOCIATED COOL UPPER TROUGH SAGS ACROSS THE AREA SAT NIGHT AND SUN WITH LOWERING SNOW LEVELS. THE CASCADE PASSES WILL PROBABLY SEE SEVERAL INCHES OF NEW SNOW BY SUN AFTERNOON. THE COOL UPPER TROUGH WILL BRING ALSO INCREASE INSTABILITY SO WILL INCLUDE A SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS ON SUN. TOTAL RAINFALL ACCUMULATIONS THROUGH SUNDAY COULD REACH 1 TO 1.5 ALONG THE COAST AND IN THE MOUNTAINS...AND FROM 0.50 TO 1 INCHES IN THE VALLEYS. THUS THIS LOOKS TO BE A REASONABLY WET PERIOD AFTER OUR RECENT COUPLE OF UNSEASONABLY WARM SPELLS. /MH .LONG TERM...MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY. SHOWERS START TAPERING OFF MONDAY NIGHT AS SHORTWAVE RIDGING BUILDS IN TO THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST. TUESDAY FOR THE MOST PART LOOKS DRY. MODELS HAVE BEEN VERY INCONSISTENT WITH THE FORECAST FOR MID-TO-LATE WEEK NEXT WEEK...BUT IT IS STARTING TOO LOOK LIKE THE NEXT SYSTEM WILL PROBABLY DROP TO OUR SOUTH. THIS MAY CLIP SOUTHERN PARTS OF OUR AREA...BUT AREAS SALEM NORTHWARD WILL PROBABLY STAY DRY. HAVE LEFT A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS ACROSS OUR AREA TO ACCOUNT FOR THE INCONSISTENCY WITH THE TRACK OF THIS SYSTEM BETWEEN MODEL RUNS. WILL PROBABLY SEE FORECAST TREND DRIER IF MODELS CONTINUE TO SHOW THIS SYSTEM DROPPING SOUTH OF US. ON THURSDAY WE SEE A SHORTWAVE TROUGH DROP DOWN OUT OF CANADA ALONG THE EAST SIDE OF THE CASCADES BRINGING SHOWERS TO THE CASCADE CREST...BUT FURTHER WEST WILL PROBABLY BE DRY AS RIDGING STARTS TO BUILD BACK OVER THE EASTERN PACIFIC ALONG THE WEST COAST. MODELS DIFFER ABOUT WHETHER THIS RIDGE PERSISTS INTO THE WEEKEND...OR IS ONLY A TEMPORARY REPRIEVE BEFORE MORE RAIN MOVES IN OVER THE WEEKEND...THEREFORE CONFIDENCE IS LOW AT THIS TIME IN THE FORECAST FOR FRIDAY AND BEYOND. -MCCOY && .AVIATION...MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIR MASS CONTINUES TO PRODUCE SCATTERED SHOWERS ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA...THOUGH CONDITIONS IN GENERAL REMAIN VFR. HEAVIER SHOWERS MAY BRIEFLY LOWER CIGS/VSBYS INTO THE MVFR CATEGORY BEFORE MOVING ALONG SLOWLY TO THE NORTH. ISOLD TSRA REMAIN POSSIBLE DUE TO THE INSTABILITY...THOUGH TODAYS CONVECTION SHOULD BE LESS ORGANIZED THAN IT HAS BEEN THE PAST COUPLE DAYS. SHOWERS SHOULD TAPER OFF QUICKLY AFTER SUNSET DUE TO LOSS OF DAYTIME HEATING. SOME RELATIVE CLEARING IS POSSIBLE THIS EVENING...WHICH COULD LEAD TO SOME VERY THIN PATCHES OF GROUND FOG AT THE MORE FOG-PRONE TERMINALS LIKE KEUG/KHIO THIS EVENING. HIGHER CLOUD COVER IS EXPECTED TO INCREASE SAT MORNING AHEAD OF AN APPROACHING WEAK COLD FRONT...WHICH SHOULD MITIGATE FOG FORMATION. WILL HINT AT SOME MIFG IN KHIO/KEUG TAFS...BUT WILL KEEP PREVAILING WX VFR UNTIL SHOWERS ARRIVE AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT AROUND 18Z SAT. THERE IS ALSO ABOUT A 40 PERCENT CHANCE OF A LOW CLOUD DECK DEVELOPING WITH BASES AROUND 2000-3000 FT LATER TONIGHT OR SAT AM...WHICH WOULD ALSO INHIBIT FOG FORMATION IF IT DEVELOPS. KPDX AND APPROACHES...EXPECT VFR TO PREVAIL MOST OF THE TIME THROUGH TONIGHT WITH GENERAL LIGHT-MDT S-SW FLOW. ANOTHER ROUND OF SHRA/ISOLD TSRA IS DEVELOPING THIS AFTERNOON DUE TO THE MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIR MASS. CONVECTION THIS AFTERNOON SHOULD BE LESS ORGANIZED THAN THE LAST COUPLE DAYS...BUT COULD STILL PRODUCE BRIEF MVFR AND LOCALIZED GUSTY OUTFLOW UP TO 25 KT. SHRA SHOULD DISSIPATE QUICKLY AFTER 02Z WITH LOSS OF DAYTIME HEATING. AREAS OF MVFR WILL LIKELY DEVELOP AS LOW CLOUDS FORM LATER TONIGHT...THOUGH ONLY ABOUT A 40 PERCENT CHANCE OF MVFR IMPACTING THE PDX TERMINAL ITSELF. WEAGLE && .MARINE...S-SW WINDS ARE EASING THIS AFTERNOON AFTER AN EARLIER SURGE BROUGHT SOME GUSTS TO 25 KT TO MOST OF THE COASTAL WATERS. WILL HOLD ON TO THE SCA FOR WIND IN THE NORTHERN WATERS UNTIL 4 PM FOR THE NORTHERN WATERS...AS THERE ARE STILL A FEW GUSTS NEAR 20 KT BEING REPORTED ALONG THE COAST. LOW CENTER PRESENTLY NEAR 43N/128W WILL SLOWLY MEANDER ONSHORE INTO SOUTHERN OR TONIGHT/EARLY SAT MORNING...AND THERE MAY BE A BRIEF SURGE OF S-SW WINDS GUSTING TO 20 KT EARLY SAT DUE TO THE REMNANTS OF THE LOWS OCCLUDED FRONT. THAT SAID...IT APPEARS WINDS WILL REMAIN BELOW SCA CRITERIA SAT MORNING. A BATCH OF WESTERLY SWELL ASSOCIATED WITH THE LOW IS AIMING FOR THE CENTRAL/S OREGON COAST AND SHOULD PUSH SEAS BACK UP TO 10+ FT TONIGHT. WILL ISSUE AN SCA FOR SEAS FOR OUR SOUTHERN WATERS LATER TONIGHT/SAT. HIGH PRESSURE BUILDING IN BEHIND THE LOW WILL CAUSE WINDS TO VEER NW AND INCREASE SAT NIGHT/SUN...WITH GUSTS 20-25 KT PERSISTING THROUGH EARLY MON. HIGH PRES RIDGE AXIS WILL SLIDE ACROSS THE WATERS LATER MON/TUE FOR LIGHTER WINDS AND SEAS. WEAGLE && .PQR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... OR...NONE. WA...NONE. PZ...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR WINDS UNTIL 4 PM PDT THIS AFTERNOON FOR COASTAL WATERS FROM CAPE SHOALWATER WA TO CASCADE HEAD OR OUT 60 NM. SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR HAZARDOUS SEAS FROM 11 PM THIS EVENING TO 5 PM PDT SATURDAY FOR COASTAL WATERS FROM CASCADE HEAD OR TO FLORENCE OR OUT 60 NM. SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR ROUGH COLUMBIA RIVER BAR FROM 2 AM TO 9 AM PDT SATURDAY. && && .PQR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... OR...NONE. WA...NONE. PZ...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR WINDS UNTIL 4 PM PDT THIS AFTERNOON FOR COASTAL WATERS FROM CAPE SHOALWATER WA TO CASCADE HEAD OR OUT 60 NM. SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR WINDS UNTIL 10 AM PDT THIS MORNING FOR COASTAL WATERS FROM CASCADE HEAD OR TO FLORENCE OR OUT 60 NM. SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR ROUGH COLUMBIA RIVER BAR FROM 2 AM TO 9 AM PDT SATURDAY. && $$ INTERACT WITH US VIA SOCIAL MEDIA WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/NWSPORTLAND WWW.TWITTER.COM/NWSPORTLAND THIS DISCUSSION IS FOR NORTHWEST OREGON AND SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON FROM THE CASCADE CREST TO 60 NAUTICAL MILES OFFSHORE. THE AREA IS COMMONLY REFERRED TO AS THE FORECAST AREA.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS PORTLAND OR
225 PM PDT FRI APR 22 2016 .SYNOPSIS...A COOL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL BE OVER OREGON FOR MORE SHOWERS AND POSSIBLY AN AFTERNOON THUNDERSTORM...THEN MOVE EAST OF SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON AND NORTHWEST OREGON LATER TONIGHT AND EARLY SATURDAY FOR DECREASING SHOWERS. THE NEXT SYSTEM WILL SPREAD MORE SHOWERS INTO THE FORECAST AREA LATER SATURDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT. THE ASSOCIATED EVEN COLDER LOW WILL NOT MOVE OUT OF THE FORECAST AREA UNTIL LATER MONDAY AND MONDAY NIGHT. THIS LOW WILL DROP SNOW LEVELS BELOW THE CASCADE PASSES SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY... AND SEVERAL INCHES OF SNOW ARE POSSIBLE. THE NEXT SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY AS UNSETTLED WEATHER CONTINUES. && .SHORT TERM...SHOWER ACTIVITY IS SLOW TO INCREASE THIS AFTERNOON. CURRENT INSTABILITY ANALYSIS AND HRRR MODEL TRENDS SHOW STRONGER SHOWER ACTIVITY IN THE NEXT FEW HOURS. THE HRRR MODEL RECENTLY DEPICTING STRONGER SHOWERS OVER THE COAST RANGE AND OREGON CASCADES WITH A FEW CELLS OVER THE CENTRAL AND SOUTH VALLEY FROM ABOUT 3 PM TO 6 PM. THERE WAS A REPORT OF A FUNNEL CLOUD NEAR MONMOUTH LATE THIS MORNING. NAM BUFR SOUNDING SHOW WEAK LOW LEVEL DIRECTIONAL WIND SHEAR FOR THAT TIME SO ITS POSSIBLE THAT THE INITIAL RELEASE OF INSTABILITY ALLOWED A SHOWER TO SPIN UP THIS FUNNEL. MODEL SOUNDINGS SHOW LESS FAVORABLE CONDITIONS FOR FUNNEL CLOUDS THIS AFTERNOON. MODELS SHOW THE AIR MASS STABILIZING A LOT QUICKER THAN THE THU NIGHT SYSTEM SO EXPECT THREAT OF THUNDERSTORMS TO QUICKLY DIMINISH BY 7 OR 8 PM. PRECIPITATION AMOUNTS DO NOT LOOK AS HEAVY THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING IN A LARGE SCALE SENSE...THOUGH INDIVIDUAL CELLS COULD STILL PRODUCE HEAVY RAIN. THE UPPER LOW MOVES EAST OF THE FORECAST AREA LATER TONIGHT AND SATURDAY MORNING WITH SHOWER ACTIVITY MAINLY OVER THE MOUNTAINS THEN INCREASE AGAIN OVER THE LOWLANDS IN THE AFTERNOON. THERE IS INDICATION OF RENEWED INSTABILITY SAT AFTERNOON BUT SHOWERS SHOULD REMAIN CAPPED BELOW -10C LEVEL. THE NEXT SYSTEM APPROACHES LATER SATURDAY AND PUSHES A FRONT INTO THE AREA SATURDAY NIGHT FOR MORE SHOWERS. THE ASSOCIATED COOL UPPER TROUGH SAGS ACROSS THE AREA SAT NIGHT AND SUN WITH LOWERING SNOW LEVELS. THE CASCADE PASSES WILL PROBABLY SEE SEVERAL INCHES OF NEW SNOW BY SUN AFTERNOON. THE COOL UPPER TROUGH WILL BRING ALSO INCREASE INSTABILITY SO WILL INCLUDE A SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS ON SUN. TOTAL RAINFALL ACCUMULATIONS THROUGH SUNDAY COULD REACH 1 TO 1.5 ALONG THE COAST AND IN THE MOUNTAINS...AND FROM 0.50 TO 1 INCHES IN THE VALLEYS. THUS THIS LOOKS TO BE A REASONABLY WET PERIOD AFTER OUR RECENT COUPLE OF UNSEASONABLY WARM SPELLS. /MH .LONG TERM...MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY. SHOWERS START TAPERING OFF MONDAY NIGHT AS SHORTWAVE RIDGING BUILDS IN TO THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST. TUESDAY FOR THE MOST PART LOOKS DRY. MODELS HAVE BEEN VERY INCONSISTENT WITH THE FORECAST FOR MID-TO-LATE WEEK NEXT WEEK...BUT IT IS STARTING TOO LOOK LIKE THE NEXT SYSTEM WILL PROBABLY DROP TO OUR SOUTH. THIS MAY CLIP SOUTHERN PARTS OF OUR AREA...BUT AREAS SALEM NORTHWARD WILL PROBABLY STAY DRY. HAVE LEFT A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS ACROSS OUR AREA TO ACCOUNT FOR THE INCONSISTENCY WITH THE TRACK OF THIS SYSTEM BETWEEN MODEL RUNS. WILL PROBABLY SEE FORECAST TREND DRIER IF MODELS CONTINUE TO SHOW THIS SYSTEM DROPPING SOUTH OF US. ON THURSDAY WE SEE A SHORTWAVE TROUGH DROP DOWN OUT OF CANADA ALONG THE EAST SIDE OF THE CASCADES BRINGING SHOWERS TO THE CASCADE CREST...BUT FURTHER WEST WILL PROBABLY BE DRY AS RIDGING STARTS TO BUILD BACK OVER THE EASTERN PACIFIC ALONG THE WEST COAST. MODELS DIFFER ABOUT WHETHER THIS RIDGE PERSISTS INTO THE WEEKEND...OR IS ONLY A TEMPORARY REPRIEVE BEFORE MORE RAIN MOVES IN OVER THE WEEKEND...THEREFORE CONFIDENCE IS LOW AT THIS TIME IN THE FORECAST FOR FRIDAY AND BEYOND. -MCCOY && .AVIATION...PLENTY OF SHOWERS EXPECTED TODAY ACROSS THE REGION... THOUGH THE PREVAILING FLIGHT CATEGORY ON AVERAGE WILL BE VFR. OCCASIONAL MVFR CIGS/VSBYS WILL OCCUR WITH HEAVIER SHOWERS. DRY SLOT BEHIND INITIAL BATCH OF SHOWERS...PRESENTLY S OF KSLE...WILL LIKELY BRING A BREAK IN THE ACTIVITY FROM S TO N DURING THE MIDDAY HOURS. HOWEVER IT DOES APPEAR THERE WILL BE ENOUGH INSTABILITY FOR ADDITIONAL SHOWERS AND ISOLD TSRA TO DEVELOP LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...THOUGH TODAYS CONVECTION SHOULD BE LESS ORGANIZED THAN IT HAS BEEN THE PAST COUPLE DAYS. KPDX AND APPROACHES...FIRST BATCH OF HEAVY SHOWERS FROM EARLIER THIS MORNING HAS GENERALLY MOVED NW OF THE PDX METRO AREA...SO EXPECT VFR TO PREVAIL MUCH OF THE DAY. COULD BE AREAS OF -RA AND MVFR PERSISTING UNTIL ABOUT 18Z. ANOTHER ROUND OF SHRA/ISOLD TSRA POSSIBLE AFTER 20Z...BUT SHOULD BE LESS ORGANIZED THAN PREVIOUS CONVECTION THE LAST COUPLE DAYS. WEAGLE && .MARINE...COLD FRONT CONTINUES TO LIFT N THROUGH THE NORTHERN OREGON COASTAL WATERS THIS MORNING...WITH A BRIEF BURST OF S WINDS BEHIND IT. BUOY 46050 HAD A BRIEF GUST TO 33 KT AT 13Z...LIKELY AIDED BY A SQUALL LINE THAT DEVELOPED WITH THE FRONT. THIS APPEARS TO HAVE STIRRED UP SEAS LOCALLY...WITH BUOY 46050 REPORTING 9 FT AT 8 SEC AT THE MOMENT. DECIDED NOT TO ISSUE AN SCA FOR SEAS DUE TO THE APPARENTLY LOCALIZED NATURE OF THESE SEAS...AND EXPECT THE SEAS TO SETTLE DOWN TO 5-7 FT LATER TODAY. HOWEVER A BATCH OF WESTERLY SWELL IS AIMING FOR THE CENTRAL/S OREGON COAST AND SHOULD PUSH SEAS BACK UP TO 10+ FT TONIGHT. WILL LIKELY NEED TO ISSUE AN SCA FOR SEAS FOR AT LEAST OUR SOUTHERN WATERS LATER TONIGHT/SAT. OTHERWISE BROAD LOW PRESSURE WILL PREVAIL OVER THE WATERS THROUGH THE WEEKEND...CONTINUING THE UNSETTLED WEATHER BUT KEEPING PRES GRADIENTS RATHER LIGHT FOR LIGHT TO MODERATE S-SW WINDS. NEXT COLD FRONT CROSSING 150W MAY BRING A BRIEF SURGE IN NW WINDS WITH GUSTS 20-25 KT AS COOL AIR PUSHES IN BEHIND IT SAT NIGHT/SUN AM. HIGH PRES EXPECTED TO BUILD IN MON/TUE FOR LIGHTER WINDS/SEAS EARLY NEXT WEEK. WEAGLE && .PQR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... OR...NONE. WA...NONE. PZ...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR WINDS UNTIL 4 PM PDT THIS AFTERNOON FOR COASTAL WATERS FROM CAPE SHOALWATER WA TO CASCADE HEAD OR OUT 60 NM. SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR WINDS UNTIL 10 AM PDT THIS MORNING FOR COASTAL WATERS FROM CASCADE HEAD OR TO FLORENCE OR OUT 60 NM. SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR ROUGH COLUMBIA RIVER BAR FROM 2 AM TO 9 AM PDT SATURDAY. && $$ INTERACT WITH US VIA SOCIAL MEDIA WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/NWSPORTLAND WWW.TWITTER.COM/NWSPORTLAND THIS DISCUSSION IS FOR NORTHWEST OREGON AND SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON FROM THE CASCADE CREST TO 60 NAUTICAL MILES OFFSHORE. THE AREA IS COMMONLY REFERRED TO AS THE FORECAST AREA.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS STATE COLLEGE PA
644 PM EDT FRI APR 22 2016 .SYNOPSIS... A COLD FRONT WILL PUSH THROUGH PA THIS EVENING AND EARLY TONIGHT. HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD INTO THE REGION THIS WEEKEND. ANOTHER COLD FRONT IS LIKELY TO PUSH ACROSS THE AREA MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM SATURDAY MORNING/... WIND SHIFT TO THE NW AT KBFD AND KFKL IN THE LAST HR. SO THE FRONT MUST BE PUSHING THRU THERE NOW. HRRR AND RAP NOT HANDLING THE INITIAL AND FIRST HR/TWO OF QPF AND PLACEMENT OF CONVECTION VERY WELL THIS EVENING. THIS MAY BE DUE TO THE LIGHT RADAR RETURNS WITH MID CLOUDS AHEAD OF THE MAIN AREA OF SCT SHRA BEING INGESTED INTO THE MODEL INITS. SHOWERS IN THE NORTH ARE UNDERDONE AND IN THE SOUTH ARE OVERDONE. IN ANY CASE...THE SHOWERS ARE MOVING SLOWLY...BUT THE RADAR ESTIMATES ARE VERY LOW SAVE FOR SOME PINPRICKS OF >0.25IN IN THE THE ONE HR ESTIMATES. PWATS ARE NOT THAT HIGH...AND ARE ONLY A LITTLE HIGHER THAN NORMAL FOR LATE APRIL. VERY LITTLE ICE IN THEM AND THUS LITTLE LIGHTNING. JUST ENOUGH LTG TO KEEP MENTIONS OF IT IN THE FCST. WILL CARRY ON WITH HIGH POPS IN THE SE FOR THE LATE EVENING AND EARLY TONIGHT. PREV... A DISTINCT AREA OF LLVL RIDGING HELPED TO BRING MAINLY DRY CONDITIONS ACROSS MUCH OF CENTRAL PENN TODAY BENEATH AN OVC LAYER OF THICK ALTO CU AND ALTO/CIRROSTRATUS CLOUDS. AN AREA OF SHOWERS LINKED TO THE NOSE OF A 30-40 KT SWRLY LLJ WAS SLIDING ACROSS OUR EXTREME SERN COUNTIES ATTM...WHILE A SECOND AREA OF SCATTERED SHOWERS /ASSOCIATED WITH THE LEFT EXIT REGION OF A SOUTHERLY UPPER JETLET JUST AHEAD OF THE SFC COLD FRONT/ WAS AFFECTING THE NRN MTNS AND WRN PLATEAU OF PENN.. MIXED LAYER CAPE WILL INCREASE TO 200-500 J/KG ACROSS SOUTHERN AND WESTERN PARTS OF THE FCST AREA LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING /WITH SOME POCKETS OF CAPE APPROACHING 1000 J/KG POSSIBLE/. THIS MODEST INCREASE IN INSTAB AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT WILL SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT OF ISOLATED HEAVIER SHOWERS AND A FEW LOW-TOPPED TSRA...MAINLY NEAR AND WEST OF RT 219 AND TO THE SOUTH OF THE RT 22/322 CORRIDOR. TEMPS AT 18Z ARE NEARING THEIR FORECAST HIGHS /SEVERAL DEG ABV CLIMO/...IN THE LOWER TO MID 60S ACROSS THE NRN AND WRN MTNS...AND UPPER 60S TO LOWER 70S ELSEWHERE ACROSS CENTRAL AND SERN PA. AS THE COLD FRONT SLIDES SE ACROSS THE ALLEGHENIES AND INTO CENTRAL PENN LATER THIS EVENING THROUGH ABOUT 06Z...THE TIMING SHOULD COINCIDE NICELY WITH THE EWD PROGRESSION OF AN AREA OF STRONG UPPER DIFFLUENCE/UVVEL JUST AHEAD OF THE COMPACT UPPER TROUGH SEEN OVER OHIO LATE THIS AFTERNOON. HRRR AGREES WITH THIS SCENARIO AND PAINTS OF FEW SMALL AREAS OF ENHANCED CONVECTION AND QPF OVER THE SOUTHERN HALF TO TWO THIRDS OF THE CWA. ALTHOUGH A FEW RUMBLES OF THUNDER CAN/T BE RULED OUT...SCATTERED MDT TO BRIEFLY HEAVY SHRA WILL LIKELY BE THE DOMINANT FORM OF CONVECTION THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT. ADDITIONAL RAINFALL RANGING FROM 1-2 TENTHS ACROSS THE REGION NORTH OF I-80...AND UP TO 3 TENTHS OF AN INCH IN THE SOUTH STILL LOOKS IN GOOD SHAPE FORECAST-WISE BASED ON THE PAST SEVERAL RUNS OF THE HRRR...THE LATEST SREF AND GEFS...AND 12Z OPER MODELS. WINDS WILL BE VERY LIGHT AND VARIABLE IN DIRECTION TO START THE AFTERNOON...THEN BECOME SOUTHWESTERLY AT 5 TO 8 KTS LATER THIS AFTERNOON/EVENING JUST AHEAD OF THE CFRONT. AFTER THE CFROPA LATE TONIGHT AND EARLY SATURDAY...LLVL WINDS WILL BLOW FROM 340-010 DEG...WITH SOME GUSTS INTO THE MID AND UPPER TEENS BY LATE SAT MORNING. A PERIOD OF LOW STRATUS/STRATOCU APPEARS LIKELY LATE TONIGHT THROUGH 14-16Z SAT /ESP ACROSS THE NRN AND WRN MTNS OF PENN/. LOW TEMPS EARLY SATURDAY WILL VARY FROM THE U30S NW TO LOWER 50S IN THE SE. && .SHORT TERM /6 AM SATURDAY MORNING THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT/... CAN/T RULE OUT A FEW LINGERING SHOWERS LASTING THRU LATE SAT AM ACROSS THE LOWER SUSQ VALLEY. THE MAIN FCST PROBLEM FOR LATER SATURDAY MORNING WILL SURROUND THE EXTENT OF LOW CLOUDS...AND TIMING OF THEIR DISSIPATION. THE ARRIVAL OF HIGH PRESSURE AND DRIER NNW FLOW SHOULD BRING MSUNNY SKIES TO THE ENTIRE AREA BY SAT AFTN. SUPERBLEND TEMPS LOOKING SEASONABLE SAT...FROM THE U50S NW MTNS TO M-U60S SE COUNTIES. THE WIND WILL AVERAGE 10-15 KTS WITH SOME GUSTS IN THE UPPER TEENS LIKELY CENTRAL AND WESTERN PENN. SUSTAINED AND PEAK GUSTS NORTHERLY WIND GUSTS COULD BE 5-8 KTS HIGHER ACROSS THE EAST WHERE LLVL P-GRADIENT IS THE TIGHTEST AHEAD OF HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE GLAKES REGION. LATER SHIFTS MAY HAVE TO CONSIDER/COLLABORATE WITH SURROUNDING WFOS A FIRE WEATHER WATCH OR RED FLAG WARNING FOR SATURDAY SHOULD RAINFALL AMOUNTS BE LESS THAN CURRENTLY FCST. HIGH PRESSURE WILL BECOME CENTERED OVER THE REGION SATURDAY NIGHT WITH CLEAR SKIES...LOW PWATS AND NEARLY CALM AIR. INCLUDED PATCHY FROST ACROSS THE MTNS NEAR THE I-80 CORRIDOR AND LARGER AREAS OF FROST ACROSS THE NRN MTNS. HOWEVER...THIS AREA OF THE STATE IS STILL OUTSIDE OF THE BEGINNING OF THE GROWING SEASON. A LOW PROB FOR A FROST ADVISORY IS IN THE EAST/WEST SLIVER OF COUNTIES JUST ALONG AND JUST SOUTH OF I-80 WHERE THE OFFICIAL START TO THE GROWING SEASON WAS THURSDAY/APRIL 21ST. && .LONG TERM /SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/... GUIDANCE HAS BEEN CONSISTENT IN SHOWING THE BROAD TROUGH/RIDGE/TROUGH CONFIGURATION EXTENDING FROM THE GREAT BASIN TO THE PLAINS INTO THE MID ATLANTIC REGION AT THE START OF THE LONG TERM PERIOD TRANSITIONING TOWARD A MEAN WESTERN TROUGH/BUILDING RIDGE IN THE EAST THRU NEXT WEEK. UNCERTAINTY HAS ALSO DECREASED OVER THE POSITION OF AN EAST/WEST SFC FRONTAL BOUNDARY AND LOW LEVEL BAROCLINIC ZONE WITH COLDER TEMPERATURES STAYING WELL TO THE NORTH OF PA ALONG THE NRN TIER STATES/CANADIAN BORDER. THE WEEKEND AS A WHOLE LOOKS FAIR AND DRY WITH A RISK OF FROST/FREEZE CONDITIONS SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY MORNING. WAVES OF LOW PRESSURE MOVG EWD ALONG WAVY SFC FRONTAL BOUNDARY PRESSING SWD FROM THE LOWER LAKES/UPSTATE NY SHOULD BRING PERIODS OF RAIN EARLY NEXT WEEK BUT CONFIDENCE IN EXACT TIMING OF GREATEST PCPN RISK IS STILL BELOW AVERAGE AND COULD EASILY SHIFT +/- 12 HOURS. MODEL CONSENSUS FAVORS A DRY PERIOD ON WEDNESDAY BEFORE RAIN PROBS TREND HIGHER FROM WEST TO EAST INTO THE SECOND HALF OF NEXT WEEK. ASIDE FROM A CHILLY SUNDAY MORNING...THE GLOBAL ENSEMBLE MEANS ALONG WITH NATIONAL/REGIONAL BLENDS ALL SUPPORT ABOVE NORMAL TEMPS THROUGH THE MEDIUM RANGE PERIOD. && .AVIATION /00Z SATURDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... COLD FRONT WILL PUSH SLOWLY ACROSS THE REGION LATER TODAY AND TONIGHT. AHEAD OF THAT...LLJET WILL SWING THROUGH THE SOUTHEASTERN THIRD OF THE STATE...BRINGING A PLUME OF MOISTURE THROUGH EARLY THIS AFTERNOON...THAT WILL SUPPORT A FEW AREA OF MAINLY LIGHT SHOWERS AND BRING CIG REDUCTIONS MAINLY TO WESTERN HALF. THE AREA OF DRYING AND MAINLY VFR...MID-LEVEL CLOUDS THAT OCCURRED BEHIND THE DEPARTING LL JET OVER NRN MD AND SERN PENN WILL TRANSITION TO AN INCREASING THREAT FOR SHOWERS OVER THE WRN MTNS AFTER 20Z. THE COLD FRONT AND APPROACHING UPPER LOW WILL BRING NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND PERHAPS A FEW ISOLATED LATE TODAY/ THIS EVENING /AND MAINLY OVERNIGHT IN THE SE/...ALONG WITH RESTRICTIONS RETURNING TO THE WEST AND INTERMITTENT RESTRICTIONS TO THE EAST. RESTRICTIONS CONTINUE OVER WESTERN AND CENTRAL MTNS INTO SAT AS UPPER TROUGH PASSES THROUGH. OUTLOOK... SAT...AM LOW CIGS W MTNS. SUN...NO SIG WX EXPECTED. MON-TUE...PM SHRA DEVELOPING MONDAY AND CONTINUING INTO TUESDAY. REDUCTIONS POSSIBLE...MAINLY NW PA. && .CTP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && $$ SYNOPSIS...LAMBERT NEAR TERM...DANGELO/LAMBERT SHORT TERM...LAMBERT LONG TERM...FITZGERALD/GARTNER AVIATION...LAMBERT/RXR
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS STATE COLLEGE PA
330 PM EDT FRI APR 22 2016 .SYNOPSIS... A COLD FRONT ALONG THE SOUTH SHORE OF LAKE ERIE THIS AFTERNOON WILL PUSH SLOWLY SOUTHEAST ACROSS PENNSYLVANIA LATE TODAY AND TONIGHT. THIS FRONT WILL COMBINE WITH A COMPACT UPPER LOW HEADING EAST FROM OHIO TO BRING AN INCREASING CHANCE FOR SHOWERS LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING ACROSS CENTRAL AND WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA...AND LATE TONIGHT OVER THE SOUTHEAST. HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD INTO THE REGION THIS WEEKEND. ANOTHER COLD FRONT IS LIKELY TO PUSH ACROSS THE AREA MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM SATURDAY MORNING/... A DISTINCT AREA OF LLVL RIDGING HELPED TO BRING MAINLY DRY CONDITIONS ACROSS MUCH OF CENTRAL PENN TODAY BENEATH AN OVC LAYER OF THICK ALTO CU AND ALTO/CIRROSTRATUS CLOUDS. AN AREA OF SHOWERS LINKED TO THE NOSE OF A 30-40 KT SWRLY LLJ WAS SLIDING ACROSS OUR EXTREME SERN COUNTIES ATTM...WHILE A SECOND AREA OF SCATTERED SHOWERS /ASSOCIATED WITH THE LEFT EXIT REGION OF A SOUTHERLY UPPER JETLET JUST AHEAD OF THE SFC COLD FRONT/ WAS AFFECTING THE NRN MTNS AND WRN PLATEAU OF PENN.. MIXED LAYER CAPE WILL INCREASE TO 200-500 J/KG ACROSS SOUTHERN AND WESTERN PARTS OF THE FCST AREA LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING /WITH SOME POCKETS OF CAPE APPROACHING 1000 J/KG POSSIBLE/. THIS MODEST INCREASE IN INSTAB AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT WILL SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT OF ISOLATED HEAVIER SHOWERS AND A FEW LOW-TOPPED TSRA...MAINLY NEAR AND WEST OF RT 219 AND TO THE SOUTH OF THE RT 22/322 CORRIDOR. TEMPS AT 18Z ARE NEARING THEIR FORECAST HIGHS /SEVERAL DEG ABV CLIMO/...IN THE LOWER TO MID 60S ACROSS THE NRN AND WRN MTNS...AND UPPER 60S TO LOWER 70S ELSEWHERE ACROSS CENTRAL AND SERN PA. AS THE COLD FRONT SLIDES SE ACROSS THE ALLEGHENIES AND INTO CENTRAL PENN LATER THIS EVENING THROUGH ABOUT 06Z...THE TIMING SHOULD COINCIDE NICELY WITH THE EWD PROGRESSION OF AN AREA OF STRONG UPPER DIFFLUENCE/UVVEL JUST AHEAD OF THE COMPACT UPPER TROUGH SEEN OVER OHIO LATE THIS AFTERNOON. HRRR AGREES WITH THIS SCENARIO AND PAINTS OF FEW SMALL AREAS OF ENHANCED CONVECTION AND QPF OVER THE SOUTHERN HALF TO TWO THIRDS OF THE CWA. ALTHOUGH A FEW RUMBLES OF THUNDER CAN/T BE RULED OUT...SCATTERED MDT TO BRIEFLY HEAVY SHRA WILL LIKELY BE THE DOMINANT FORM OF CONVECTION THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT. ADDITIONAL RAINFALL RANGING FROM 1-2 TENTHS ACROSS THE REGION NORTH OF I-80...AND UP TO 3 TENTHS OF AN INCH IN THE SOUTH STILL LOOKS IN GOOD SHAPE FORECAST-WISE BASED ON THE PAST SEVERAL RUNS OF THE HRRR...THE LATEST SREF AND GEFS...AND 12Z OPER MODELS. WINDS WILL BE VERY LIGHT AND VARIABLE IN DIRECTION TO START THE AFTERNOON...THEN BECOME SOUTHWESTERLY AT 5 TO 8 KTS LATER THIS AFTERNOON/EVENING JUST AHEAD OF THE CFRONT. AFTER THE CFROPA LATE TONIGHT AND EARLY SATURDAY...LLVL WINDS WILL BLOW FROM 340-010 DEG...WITH SOME GUSTS INTO THE MID AND UPPER TEENS BY LATE SAT MORNING. A PERIOD OF LOW STRATUS/STRATOCU APPEARS LIKELY LATE TONIGHT THROUGH 14-16Z SAT /ESP ACROSS THE NRN AND WRN MTNS OF PENN/. LOW TEMPS EARLY SATURDAY WILL VARY FROM THE U30S NW TO LOWER 50S IN THE SE. && .SHORT TERM /6 AM SATURDAY MORNING THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT/... CAN/T RULE OUT A FEW LINGERING SHOWERS LASTING THRU LATE SAT AM ACROSS THE LOWER SUSQ VALLEY. THE MAIN FCST PROBLEM FOR LATER SATURDAY MORNING WILL SURROUND THE EXTENT OF LOW CLOUDS...AND TIMING OF THEIR DISSIPATION. THE ARRIVAL OF HIGH PRESSURE AND DRIER NNW FLOW SHOULD BRING MSUNNY SKIES TO THE ENTIRE AREA BY SAT AFTN. SUPERBLEND TEMPS LOOKING SEASONABLE SAT...FROM THE U50S NW MTNS TO M-U60S SE COUNTIES. THE WIND WILL AVERAGE 10-15 KTS WITH SOME GUSTS IN THE UPPER TEENS LIKELY CENTRAL AND WESTERN PENN. SUSTAINED AND PEAK GUSTS NORTHERLY WIND GUSTS COULD BE 5-8 KTS HIGHER ACROSS THE EAST WHERE LLVL P-GRADIENT IS THE TIGHTEST AHEAD OF HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE GLAKES REGION. LATER SHIFTS MAY HAVE TO CONSIDER/COLLABORATE WITH SURROUNDING WFOS A FIRE WEATHER WATCH OR RED FLAG WARNING FOR SATURDAY SHOULD RAINFALL AMOUNTS BE LESS THAN CURRENTLY FCST. HIGH PRESSURE WILL BECOME CENTERED OVER THE REGION SATURDAY NIGHT WITH CLEAR SKIES...LOW PWATS AND NEARLY CALM AIR. INCLUDED PATCHY FROST ACROSS THE MTNS NEAR THE I-80 CORRIDOR AND LARGER AREAS OF FROST ACROSS THE NRN MTNS. HOWEVER...THIS AREA OF THE STATE IS STILL OUTSIDE OF THE BEGINNING OF THE GROWING SEASON. A LOW PROB FOR A FROST ADVISORY IS IN THE EAST/WEST SLIVER OF COUNTIES JUST ALONG AND JUST SOUTH OF I-80 WHERE THE OFFICIAL START TO THE GROWING SEASON WAS THURSDAY/APRIL 21ST. && .LONG TERM /SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/... GUIDANCE HAS BEEN CONSISTENT IN SHOWING THE BROAD TROUGH/RIDGE/TROUGH CONFIGURATION EXTENDING FROM THE GREAT BASIN TO THE PLAINS INTO THE MID ATLANTIC REGION AT THE START OF THE LONG TERM PERIOD TRANSITIONING TOWARD A MEAN WESTERN TROUGH/BUILDING RIDGE IN THE EAST THRU NEXT WEEK. UNCERTAINTY HAS ALSO DECREASED OVER THE POSITION OF AN EAST/WEST SFC FRONTAL BOUNDARY AND LOW LEVEL BAROCLINIC ZONE WITH COLDER TEMPERATURES STAYING WELL TO THE NORTH OF PA ALONG THE NRN TIER STATES/CANADIAN BORDER. THE WEEKEND AS A WHOLE LOOKS FAIR AND DRY WITH A RISK OF FROST/FREEZE CONDITIONS SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY MORNING. WAVES OF LOW PRESSURE MOVG EWD ALONG WAVY SFC FRONTAL BOUNDARY PRESSING SWD FROM THE LOWER LAKES/UPSTATE NY SHOULD BRING PERIODS OF RAIN EARLY NEXT WEEK BUT CONFIDENCE IN EXACT TIMING OF GREATEST PCPN RISK IS STILL BELOW AVERAGE AND COULD EASILY SHIFT +/- 12 HOURS. MODEL CONSENSUS FAVORS A DRY PERIOD ON WEDNESDAY BEFORE RAIN PROBS TREND HIGHER FROM WEST TO EAST INTO THE SECOND HALF OF NEXT WEEK. ASIDE FROM A CHILLY SUNDAY MORNING...THE GLOBAL ENSEMBLE MEANS ALONG WITH NATIONAL/REGIONAL BLENDS ALL SUPPORT ABOVE NORMAL TEMPS THROUGH THE MEDIUM RANGE PERIOD. && .AVIATION /20Z FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... COLD FRONT WILL PUSH SLOWLY ACROSS THE REGION LATER TODAY AND TONIGHT. AHEAD OF THAT...LLJET WILL SWING THROUGH THE SOUTHEASTERN THIRD OF THE STATE...BRINGING A PLUME OF MOISTURE THROUGH EARLY THIS AFTERNOON...THAT WILL SUPPORT A FEW AREA OF MAINLY LIGHT SHOWERS AND BRING CIG REDUCTIONS MAINLY TO WESTERN HALF. THE AREA OF DRYING AND MAINLY VFR...MID-LEVEL CLOUDS THAT OCCURRED BEHIND THE DEPARTING LL JET OVER NRN MD AND SERN PENN WILL TRANSITION TO AN INCREASING THREAT FOR SHOWERS OVER THE WRN MTNS AFTER 20Z. THE COLD FRONT AND APPROACHING UPPER LOW WILL BRING NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND PERHAPS A FEW ISOLATED LATE TODAY/ THIS EVENING /AND MAINLY OVERNIGHT IN THE SE/...ALONG WITH RESTRICTIONS RETURNING TO THE WEST AND INTERMITTENT RESTRICTIONS TO THE EAST. RESTRICTIONS CONTINUE OVER WESTERN AND CENTRAL MTNS INTO SAT AS UPPER TROUGH PASSES THROUGH. OUTLOOK... SAT...AM LOW CIGS W MTNS. SUN...NO SIG WX EXPECTED. MON-TUE...PM SHRA DEVELOPING MONDAY AND CONTINUING INTO TUESDAY. REDUCTIONS POSSIBLE...MAINLY NW PA. && .CTP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && $$ SYNOPSIS...LAMBERT NEAR TERM...LAMBERT SHORT TERM...LAMBERT LONG TERM...FITZGERALD/GARTNER AVIATION...LAMBERT/RXR
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS STATE COLLEGE PA
253 PM EDT FRI APR 22 2016 .SYNOPSIS... A COLD FRONT ALONG THE SOUTH SHORE OF LAKE ERIE THIS AFTERNOON WILL PUSH SLOWLY SOUTHEAST ACROSS PENNSYLVANIA LATE TODAY AND TONIGHT. THIS FRONT WILL COMBINE WITH A COMPACT UPPER LOW HEADING EAST FROM OHIO TO BRING AN INCREASING CHANCE FOR SHOWERS LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING ACROSS CENTRAL AND WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA...AND LATE TONIGHT OVER THE SOUTHEAST. HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD INTO THE REGION THIS WEEKEND. ANOTHER COLD FRONT IS LIKELY TO PUSH ACROSS THE AREA MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... A DISTINCT AREA OF LLVL RIDGING HELPED TO BRING MAINLY DRY CONDITIONS ACROSS MUCH OF CENTRAL PENN TODAY BENEATH AN OVC LAYER OF THICK ALTO CU AND ALTO/CIRROSTRATUS CLOUDS. AN AREA OF SHOWERS LINKED TO THE NOSE OF A 30-40 KT SWRLY LLJ WAS SLIDING ACROSS OUR EXTREME SERN COUNTIES ATTM...WHILE A SECOND AREA OF SCATTERED SHOWERS /ASSOCIATED WITH THE LEFT EXIT REGION OF A SOUTHERLY UPPER JETLET JUST AHEAD OF THE SFC COLD FRONT/ WAS AFFECTING THE NRN MTNS AND WRN PLATEAU OF PENN.. MIXED LAYER CAPE WILL INCREASE TO 200-500 J/KG ACROSS SOUTHERN AND WESTERN PARTS OF THE FCST AREA LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING /WITH SOME POCKETS OF CAPE APPROACHING 1000 J/KG POSSIBLE/. THIS MODEST INCREASE IN INSTAB AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT WILL SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT OF ISOLATED HEAVIER SHOWERS AND A FEW LOW-TOPPED TSRA...MAINLY NEAR AND WEST OF RT 219 AND TO THE SOUTH OF THE RT 22/322 CORRIDOR. TEMPS AT 18Z ARE NEARING THEIR FORECAST HIGHS /SEVERAL DEG ABV CLIMO/...IN THE LOWER TO MID 60S ACROSS THE NRN AND WRN MTNS...AND UPPER 60S TO LOWER 70S ELSEWHERE ACROSS CENTRAL AND SERN PA. AS THE COLD FRONT SLIDES SE ACROSS THE ALLEGHENIES AND INTO CENTRAL PENN LATER THIS EVENING THROUGH ABOUT 06Z...THE TIMING SHOULD COINCIDE NICELY WITH THE EWD PROGRESSION OF AN AREA OF STRONG UPPER DIFFLUENCE/UVVEL JUST AHEAD OF THE COMPACT UPPER TROUGH SEEN OVER OHIO LATE THIS AFTERNOON. HRRR AGREES WITH THIS SCENARIO AND PAINTS OF FEW SMALL AREAS OF ENHANCED CONVECTION AND QPF OVER THE SOUTHERN HALF TO TWO THIRDS OF THE CWA. ALTHOUGH A FEW RUMBLES OF THUNDER CAN/T BE RULED OUT...SCATTERED MDT TO BRIEFLY HEAVY SHRA WILL LIKELY BE THE DOMINANT FORM OF CONVECTION THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT. ADDITIONAL RAINFALL RANGING FROM 1-2 TENTHS ACROSS THE REGION NORTH OF I-80...AND UP TO 3 TENTHS OF AN INCH IN THE SOUTH STILL LOOKS IN GOOD SHAPE FORECAST-WISE BASED ON THE PAST SEVERAL RUNS OF THE HRRR...THE LATEST SREF AND GEFS...AND 12Z OPER MODELS. WINDS WILL BE VERY LIGHT AND VARIABLE IN DIRECTION TO START THE AFTERNOON...THEN BECOME SOUTHWESTERLY AT 5 TO 8 KTS LATER THIS AFTERNOON/EVENING JUST AHEAD OF THE CFRONT. AFTER THE CFROPA LATE TONIGHT AND EARLY SATURDAY...LLVL WINDS WILL BLOW FROM 340-010 DEG...WITH SOME GUSTS INTO THE MID AND UPPER TEENS BY LATE SAT MORNING. A PERIOD OF LOW STRATUS/STRATOCU APPEARS LIKELY LATE TONIGHT THROUGH 14-16Z SAT /ESP ACROSS THE NRN AND WRN MTNS OF PENN/. LOW TEMPS EARLY SATURDAY WILL VARY FROM THE U30S NW TO LOWER 50S IN THE SE. && .SHORT TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT/... CAN/T RULE OUT A FEW LINGERING SHOWERS LASTING THRU LATE SAT AM ACROSS THE LOWER SUSQ VALLEY. THE MAIN FCST PROBLEM FOR LATER SATURDAY MORNING WILL SURROUND THE EXTENT OF LOW CLOUDS...AND TIMING OF THEIR DISSIPATION. THE ARRIVAL OF HIGH PRESSURE AND DRIER NNW FLOW SHOULD BRING MSUNNY SKIES TO THE ENTIRE AREA BY SAT AFTN. SUPERBLEND TEMPS LOOKING SEASONABLE SAT...FROM THE U50S NW MTNS TO M-U60S SE COUNTIES. THE WIND WILL AVERAGE 10-15 KTS WITH SOME GUSTS IN THE UPPER TEENS LIKELY CENTRAL AND WESTERN PENN. SUSTAINED AND PEAK GUSTS NORTHERLY WIND GUSTS COULD BE 5-8 KTS HIGHER ACROSS THE EAST WHERE LLVL P-GRADIENT IS THE TIGHTEST AHEAD OF HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE GLAKES REGION. LATER SHIFTS MAY HAVE TO CONSIDER/COLLABORATE WITH SURROUNDING WFOS A FIRE WEATHER WATCH OR RED FLAG WARNING FOR SATURDAY SHOULD RAINFALL AMOUNTS BE LESS THAN CURRENTLY FCST. HIGH PRESSURE WILL BECOME CENTERED OVER THE REGION SATURDAY NIGHT WITH CLEAR SKIES...LOW PWATS AND NEARLY CALM AIR. INCLUDED PATCHY FROST ACROSS THE MTNS NEAR THE I-80 CORRIDOR AND LARGER AREAS OF FROST ACROSS THE NRN MTNS. HOWEVER...THIS AREA OF THE STATE IS STILL OUTSIDE OF THE BEGINNING OF THE GROWING SEASON. A LOW PROB FOR A FROST ADVISORY IS IN THE EAST/WEST SLIVER OF COUNTIES JUST ALONG AND JUST SOUTH OF I-80 WHERE THE OFFICIAL START TO THE GROWING SEASON WAS THURSDAY/APRIL 21ST. && .LONG TERM /SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/... GUIDANCE HAS COME INTO MUCH BETTER AGREEMENT IN THE PATTERN VERSUS PREVIOUS DAYS...SHOWING A MIGRATION FROM A BROAD TROUGH/RIDGE/TROUGH CONFIGURATION EXTENDING FROM THE GREAT BASIN TO THE PLAINS INTO THE MID ATLANTIC REGION AT THE START OF THE PERIOD...TOWARD A MEAN WESTERN TROUGH/BUILDING RIDGE IN THE EAST BY NEXT THU AS THE STRONG HIGH LATITUDE BLOCKING WEAKENS OVER GREENLAND/EASTERN CANADA. UNCERTAINTY HAS ALSO DECREASED OVER THE POSITION OF AN EAST/WEST SFC FRONTAL BOUNDARY AND LOW LEVEL BAROCLINIC ZONE WITH COLDER TEMPERATURES STAYING WELL TO THE NORTH OF PA ALONG THE NRN TIER STATES/CANADIAN BORDER. THE WEEKEND AS A WHOLE LOOKS FAIR AND DRY WITH A RISK OF FROST/FREEZE CONDITIONS SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY MORNING. WAVES OF LOW PRESSURE MOVG EWD ALONG WAVY SFC FRONTAL BOUNDARY PRESSING SWD FROM THE LOWER LAKES/UPSTATE NY SHOULD BRING PERIODS OF RAIN EARLY NEXT WEEK BUT CONFIDENCE IN EXACT TIMING OF GREATEST PCPN RISK IS STILL BELOW AVERAGE AND COULD EASILY SHIFT +/- 12 HOURS. MODEL CONSENSUS FAVORS A DRY PERIOD ON WEDNESDAY BEFORE RAIN PROBS TREND HIGHER FROM WEST TO EAST INTO THE SECOND HALF OF NEXT WEEK. ASIDE FROM A CHILLY SUNDAY MORNING...THE GLOBAL ENSEMBLE MEANS ALONG WITH NATIONAL/REGIONAL BLENDS ALL SUPPORT ABOVE NORMAL TEMPS THROUGH THE MEDIUM RANGE PERIOD. && .AVIATION /18Z FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... COLD FRONT WILL PUSH SLOWLY ACROSS THE REGION LATER TODAY AND TONIGHT. AHEAD OF THAT...LLJET WILL SWING THROUGH THE SOUTHEASTERN THIRD OF THE STATE...BRINGING A PLUME OF MOISTURE THROUGH EARLY THIS AFTERNOON...THAT WILL SUPPORT A FEW AREA OF MAINLY LIGHT SHOWERS AND BRING CIG REDUCTIONS MAINLY TO WESTERN HALF. THE AREA OF DRYING AND MAINLY VFR...MID-LEVEL CLOUDS THAT OCCURRED BEHIND THE DEPARTING LL JET OVER NRN MD AND SERN PENN WILL TRANSITION TO AN INCREASING THREAT FOR SHOWERS OVER THE WRN MTNS AFTER 20Z. THE COLD FRONT AND APPROACHING UPPER LOW WILL BRING NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND PERHAPS A FEW ISOLATED LATE TODAY/ THIS EVENING /AND MAINLY OVERNIGHT IN THE SE/...ALONG WITH RESTRICTIONS RETURNING TO THE WEST AND INTERMITTENT RESTRICTIONS TO THE EAST. RESTRICTIONS CONTINUE OVER WESTERN AND CENTRAL MTNS INTO SAT AS UPPER TROUGH PASSES THROUGH. OUTLOOK... SAT...AM LOW CIGS W MTNS. SUN...NO SIG WX EXPECTED. MON-TUE...PM SHRA DEVELOPING MONDAY AND CONTINUING INTO TUESDAY. REDUCTIONS POSSIBLE...MAINLY NW PA. && .CTP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && $$ SYNOPSIS...LAMBERT NEAR TERM...LAMBERT SHORT TERM...LAMBERT LONG TERM...FITZGERALD/STEINBUGL AVIATION...LAMBERT/RXR
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS BLACKSBURG VA
202 PM EDT FRI APR 22 2016 .SYNOPSIS... A SLOW MOVING COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH THE REGION FROM THE WEST TODAY BEFORE PASSING THROUGH THE AREA OVERNIGHT INTO EARLY SATURDAY. HIGH PRESSURE SHOULD BUILD IN BEHIND THIS SYSTEM LATER SATURDAY AND REMAIN OVER THE REGION THROUGH MONDAY. THE NEXT COLD FRONT WILL SLIDE SOUTH THROUGH THE AREA ON TUESDAY. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... AS OF 240 AM EDT FRIDAY... WEAKENING UPPER LOW AND ITS ASSOCIATED SURFACE COLD FRONT WILL FINALLY PUSH EAST TODAY REACHING THE BLUE RIDGE THIS EVENING BEFORE THE FRONT SLIDES TOWARD THE COAST TOWARD DAYBREAK SATURDAY. QUICK INCREASE IN DEEPER MOISTURE PER SPIKE IN PWATS TO JUST BELOW 1.5 INCHES SHOULD BRING A BIT MORE IN THE WAY OF MUCH NEEDED RAINFALL INTO THIS EVENING. HOWEVER JUST HOW THINGS UNFOLD AND THE DEGREE OF DEEPER CONVECTION REMAINS UNCERTAIN...ESPCLY GIVEN POTENTIAL FOR MULTIPLE BANDS AHEAD OF THE FRONT DESPITE LACK OF DEEP INSTABILITY PER LIMITED HEATING. LATEST MODELS DEPICT THIS WELL WITH AN INITIAL BAND OF SHOWERS REDEVELOPING OVER THE WEST THIS MORNING ALONG AN AXIS OF DIFFLUENCE AND DRIVEN BY WEAK SHORTWAVE ENERGY JUST AHEAD OF THE ACTUAL FRONT. HRRR HAS THIS AXIS OF SHOWERS ALL THE WAY OUT TO THE BLUE RIDGE THIS MORNING WHICH LOOKS OVERDONE...ALTHOUGH OTHER SOLUTIONS VARY ON TIMING BUT TEND TO SUPPORT THIS SCENARIO. THEREFORE TRENDED HIGHER POPS IN THAT DIRECTION EARLY ON. ONCE THIS BAND SPREADS EAST...GUIDANCE SHOWS SOME INCREASE IN INSTABILITY PIEDMONT ALONG ITS LEADING EDGE...AND THEN OUT WEST AHEAD OF ANOTHER BAND OR TWO JUST AHEAD OF THE FRONT. HOWEVER FORECAST CAPES/BULK SHEAR NOT IMPRESSIVE ESPCLY WITH INSOLATION TEMPERED BY CLOUDS/SHRA UNLESS MODELS ARE OVERDONE AND MORE HEATING IS REALIZED. FOR NOW WILL TREND TOWARD WESTERN SHOWER COVERAGE EARLY...THEN HAVE MORE WIDESPREAD SHOWERS PER LIKELY OR BETTER POPS THIS AFTERNOON ALL SECTIONS...INCLUDING MORE THUNDER MENTION FAR WEST AND ESPCLY SOUTHEAST WHERE SHOULD GET A LITTLE MORE HEATING. OTRW KEEPING MAINLY ISOLATED THUNDER MENTION ELSEWHERE WHICH MAY BE GENEROUS. TRIMMED HIGH TEMPS BACK A CAT OR SO ESPCLY WEST WHERE COULD GET STUCK IN THE LOW/MID 60S WITH ONLY THE EAST PERHAPS 67-72 OR WARMER. CORRIDOR OF BETTER LIFT SHOULD SPILL EAST OF THE AREA AHEAD OF THE FRONT THIS EVENING WITH THE OPENING 5H LOW LIKELY KEEPING SOME SHOWERS AND ISOLATED TSRA GOING MAINLY NORTH/NW ESPCLY BEFORE MIDNIGHT. OTRW FLOW TURNING NW BEHIND THE BOUNDARY LOOKS TO CUT INTO LINGERING SHRA ELSEWHERE...SO STEADILY REDUCING POPS AFTER 00Z WITH ONLY 20/30 POPS REMAINING FOR THE MOST PART AFTER MIDNIGHT. TOTAL QPF LOOKS TO BE A BIT MORE PENDING COVERAGE WITHIN BANDS PERHAPS RESULTING IN .30 TO .75 WITH THE HIGHEST AMOUNTS OVER THE SOUTH AND WEST AT THIS POINT. COOL ADVECTION BEHIND THE FRONT RATHER WEAK OVERNIGHT AND WITH LINGERING CLOUDS EXPECT LOWS TO REMAIN MOSTLY IN THE UPPER 40S TO MID 50S. && .SHORT TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT/... AS OF 245 AM EDT FRIDAY... AN UPPER LOW WILL DROP SOUTHEAST ACROSS THE REGION ON SATURDAY WITH ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHOWERS. HIGH TEMPERATURES ON SATURDAY WILL RANGE FROM THE UPPER 50S IN THE MOUNTAINS TO THE MID 70S IN THE PIEDMONT. THE UPPER TROUGH WILL PUSH OUT INTO THE ATLANTIC OCEAN SATURDAY EVENING. THIS WILL ALLOW HIGH PRESSURE TO BUILD INTO OUR REGION SATURDAY NIGHT. LOW TEMPERATURES SATURDAY NIGHT WILL VARY FROM AROUND 40 IN THE NORTHWEST MOUNTAINS TO THE LOWER 50S IN THE PIEDMONT. A 1020 MB SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD ACROSS OUR AREA SUNDAY. HIGH TEMPERATURES WILL WARM INTO THE UPPER 60S IN THE WEST TO THE UPPER 70S IN THE EAST. UNDER MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES...SUNDAY NIGHT LOW TEMPERATURES WILL DROP INTO THE UPPER 40S TO LOWER 50S. HIGH PRESSURE WILL REMAINS JUST OF THE NORTH CAROLINA COAST MONDAY INTO MONDAY NIGHT. IT WILL BE A WARM START TO THE WORKWEEK WITH HIGHS MONDAY FROM THE MID 70S IN THE MOUNTAINS TO THE LOWER 80S IN THE PIEDMONT. LOW TEMPERATURES MONDAY NIGHT WILL BE MILD WITH READINGS GENERALLY IN THE MID 50S TO AROUND 60 DEGREES. && .LONG TERM /TUESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/... AS OF 245 AM EDT FRIDAY... GUIDANCE OFFERS SOLUTIONS OF A COLD FRONT APPROACHING AND CROSSING THE AREA TUESDAY INTO WEDNESDAY. HOWEVER...TIMING VARIES BETWEEN THE GFS AND ECMWF...ALONG WITH THE EXTENT PRECIPITATION WILL REACH AND PERSIST INTO THE FORECAST REGION. THE UNCERTAINTY OF THE ABOVE EVENT...TIES INTO THE EVEN GREATER UNCERTAINTY OF THE NEXT EVENT. THE COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED TO STALL EITHER OVER...OR SOUTH OF...THE REGION FOR A BRIEF PERIOD OF TIME. AN APPROACHING UPPER LOW/TROUGH WILL HELP SWING LOW LEVEL WINDS TO THE SOUTHWEST WEDNESDAY INTO THURSDAY AND LIFT THE STALLED FRONT BACK NORTH AS A WARM FRONT. AGAIN...WITH EACH SOLUTION OFFERING DIFFERENCES IN TIMING...PRECIPITATION AMOUNTS AND EXTENT OF THE PRECIPITATION. OUR LATEST FORECAST WILL REFLECT A CONSENSUS OF THESE AND OTHER SOLUTIONS BY WEIGHING HEAVILY ON THE SUPERBLEND SOLUTION. THIS SCENARIO OFFERS A SLIGHTLY SLOWER ARRIVAL TIME OF THE PRECIPITATION MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY...LITTLE CHANGE TO THE PRIOR WEDNESDAY FORECAST...AND SCATTERED SHOWERS ACROSS THE AREA ON THURSDAY. INSTABILITY LOOKS STRONG ENOUGH FOR AT LEAST ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS TUESDAY...WEDNESDAY...AND THURSDAY AFTERNOON. TEMPERATURES DURING THIS PORTION OF THE FORECAST WILL TREND MILDER THROUGH TUESDAY...AND THEN SLIGHTLY COOLER THROUGH THURSDAY. READINGS WILL BE AROUND TEN DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR. && .AVIATION /18Z FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... AS OF 150 PM EDT FRIDAY... MULTIPLE BANDS OF SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WILL CROSS SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA...SOUTHEAST WEST VIRGINIA AND NORTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT. MODERATE TO HEAVY RAIN WILL PRODUCE MVFR VISIBILITIES. CEILINGS WERE WIDELY VARIABLE...RANGING FROM VFR TO IFR. NCAR ENSEMBLE AND GEFS FORECAST...AS WELL AS OTHER MODELS WERE CONSISTENT ON TIMING...WITH A BULK OF THE PRECIPITATION MOVING EAST OF KDAN AND KLYH AROUND MIDNIGHT. ONCE THE PRECIPITATION ENDS...HIGH CONFIDENCE OF FOG AND STRATUS OVERNIGHT. WINDS TURN TO THE NORTHWEST THEN NORTH BEHIND THE COLD FRONT THAT CROSSES THROUGH THE REGION TONIGHT. THE DOWNSLOPE WIND AND ARRIVAL OF A DRIER AIRMASS WILL RESULT IN CLEARING ON THE LEE SIDE OF THE BLUE RIDGE SATURDAY MORNING. MEDIUM TO HIGH CONFIDENCE THAT KROA WILL ONLY HAVE SCATTERED CLOUDS LEFT BY THE 18Z END OF THE TAF FORECAST PERIOD. CLOUDS ASSOCIATED WITH THE UPPER LOW MAY LINGER IN KLYH AND KDAN LONGER ON SATURDAY. CONFIDENCE ON WHEN CLEARING WILL OCCUR IS NOT AS HIGH FOR THESE SITES. IN THE MOUNTAINS...LOWER CLOUDS WILL LINGER WELL INTO THE AFTERNOON. EXTENDED AVIATION DISCUSSION... WEAK HIGH PRESSURE FOLLOWS SATURDAY NIGHT INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. HOWEVER SOME LOWER CIGS MIGHT REDEVELOP ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS BY SUNDAY AS LIGHT EASTERLY FLOW SETS UP UNDER ANOTHER WEAK WEDGE WHICH SHOULD FADE BY EARLY NEXT WEEK. THE NEXT WEAK BACKDOOR COLD FRONT MAY BRING A BAND OF SHOWERS ALONG WITH MOUNTAIN SUB-VFR ON TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY. && .RNK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... VA...NONE. NC...NONE. WV...NONE. && $$ SYNOPSIS...JH NEAR TERM...JH SHORT TERM...KK LONG TERM...DS/KK AVIATION...AMS/JH
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS SEATTLE WA
900 AM PDT FRI APR 22 2016 .SYNOPSIS...AN UPPER LOW WILL BRING SHOWERS TODAY. AFTER A DRIER PERIOD EARLY SATURDAY...ANOTHER SYSTEM WILL BRING SHOWERS LATER SATURDAY AND SUNDAY. A DRYING TREND WILL FOLLOW NEXT WEEK. && .SHORT TERM...SHOWERS OVER NW OREGON AND SW WA WILL SPREAD NORTH BY AFTERNOON. THE UPPER LOW CENTERED OFF THE NORTH CALIF COAST WILL MOVE TO SRN IDAHO BY MIDDAY SATURDAY AND SHOWER ACTIVITY SHOULD DECREASE AS THE LOW DEPARTS. A NEW UPPER TROUGH WILL BRING AN INCREASING CHANCE OF SHOWERS AGAIN AROUND SATURDAY EVENING. THAT UPPER TROUGH WILLS SAG INTO THE GREAT BASIN THROUGH MONDAY WITH SHOWERS DECREASING AGAIN OVER WRN WA AS THAT LOW DEPARTS. .LONG TERM...A WEAK UPPER RIDGE WILL MOVE OVER THE AREA ON TUESDAY SO THAT SHOULD BE A DRY DAY. A SPLITTING FRONT WILL FALL APART JUST OFFSHORE ON WEDNESDAY WITH THE BULK OF THAT PRECIP HEADING INTO NRN CALIF. MODEL SOLUTIONS DIVERGE ON THURSDAY. THE GFS HAS ANOTHER UPPER LOW BRUSH THE AREA WITH SOME SHOWERS. THE ECMWF HAS A RIDGE FOR DRY WEATHER. && .AVIATION...AN UPPER LEVEL LOW OVER THE PAC NW WILL MAINTAIN SHOWERS ACROSS WESTERN WA TODAY. THE AIR MASS IS MOIST WITH SOUTHERLY FLOW ALOFT. THE HIGHEST INSTABILITY IS OVER THE CASCADES THIS AFTERNOON WITH ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE. LOW LEVEL ONSHORE FLOW WILL INCREASE TONIGHT WITH MVFR CIGS LIKELY. 33 KSEA...SHOWERS IN THE VICINITY TODAY. SOUTH FLOW AT THE SURFACE. CIGS LOWERING TONIGHT WITH MVFR CONDITIONS. 33 && .MARINE...WEAK HIGH PRESSURE ALONG THE COAST WILL MAINTAIN ONSHORE FLOW ACROSS WESTERN WA TODAY. WEST WINDS WILL INCREASE THOUGH THE STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA THIS AFTERNOON - A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT. ONSHORE FLOW WILL INCREASE ON SATURDAY AS A COLD FRONT MOVES INLAND. ONSHORE FLOW WILL CONTINUE THROUGH EARLY NEXT WEAK WITH HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE NE PAC. THE NEXT FRONT WILL ARRIVE TUESDAY NIGHT OR WEDNESDAY. 33 && .SEW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WA...NONE. PZ...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO MIDNIGHT PDT TONIGHT FOR CENTRAL U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA-EAST ENTRANCE U.S. WATERS STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA. && $$ WWW.WEATHER.GOV/SEATTLE YOU CAN SEE AN ILLUSTRATED VERSION OF THIS DISCUSSION AT WWW.WEATHER.GOV/SEATTLE/GAFD/LATEST_WEBAFD.HTML
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Spokane WA 1104 AM PDT FRI APR 22 2016 .SYNOPSIS... A strong upper level low and associated cold front will push into the region today bringing a chance showers with thunderstorms possible this afternoon and evening. A few of the thunderstorms will be capable of producing hail and gusty winds. As the low dives into southern Idaho late tonight, it will shift the focus for precipitation across southeast Washington and the southern Idaho Panhandle. This precipitation could be locally heavy at times with possible mounain snow into Saturday morning. The threat of showers will then continue through the rest of the weekend and into early next week, especially for the Idaho panhandle. Temperatures will be considerably cooler than what what was experienced over the past several days. && .DISCUSSION... First band of convection is sliding northward of Spokane across northeast Washington and across the Panhandle with mainly light precipitation. Winds veer to the south-southwest behind this band and expect partial clearing. This will allos the boundary layer to heat up and instability increase. May see some surface based convection bubble up by mid afternoon, but it looks to be isolated. The HRRR shows the best chances across the Cascade crest, the Blues and across the southern Panhandle. This convective activity will spread northward into the evening hours with occasional lightning strikes, brief downpours, gusty winds and possibly small hail. The arrival of an upper level disturbance late tonight will bring a more widespread area of showers across the southeast portion of the forecast area. /rfox. && .AVIATION... 12Z TAFS: Light showers with mid level CIGs will be found north and east of KGEG through early afternoon. The next round of convection will be surface based, with the best instability after 21z from KOMK-KGEG-KLWS with a chance of thunderstorms, gusty winds and possibly small hail. The instability will decrease after 03z, but a band of light showers will move up from the south after 08z reaching KLWS and KPUW toward KCOE through the early morning hours. Little thunderstorm threat expected in KEAT & KMWH, and winds will veer to the west to northwest by early evening. /rfox. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Spokane 72 47 61 43 57 40 / 30 50 30 20 60 10 Coeur d`Alene 72 45 58 42 57 39 / 30 70 80 40 50 10 Pullman 70 42 57 41 55 37 / 40 90 90 20 40 20 Lewiston 76 48 60 45 62 42 / 50 90 100 20 40 30 Colville 74 45 68 42 60 39 / 40 60 40 50 60 30 Sandpoint 70 42 58 40 55 36 / 40 70 60 60 50 10 Kellogg 72 41 53 39 54 36 / 60 80 100 50 60 30 Moses Lake 76 45 71 44 66 40 / 20 30 10 10 40 10 Wenatchee 73 48 68 47 63 43 / 20 20 10 20 50 20 Omak 74 46 72 44 62 41 / 30 20 10 20 60 30 && .OTX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... ID...None. WA...None. && $$