Forecast Discussions mentioning any of "HRRR" "RAP" "RUC13" "RUC" "RR" received at GSD on 11/16/16


Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Albany NY
952 PM EST Tue Nov 15 2016 .SYNOPSIS... Low pressure will move over eastern New England overnight with showers continuing from the Capital Region north. The skies will gradually clear tomorrow. Fair and mild conditions are forecast Thursday into Saturday with high pressure in control. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM WEDNESDAY MORNING/... As of 952 PM EST...Low pressure continues to move slowly north to northeast to the central MA/NE CT border. The h500 closed circulation remains centered over KBGM according to the latest RAP. This coastal wave tracked closer to the region and had a strong warm conveyor belt of moisture with rainfall totals from 1 to close to 3 inches across much of the mid-Hudson Valley...Eastern Catskills and Capital Region. Please see our latest Public Information Statement with more details on the rainfall amounts. Much lower totals fell northwest of the Capital Region. Overall...this soaking rainfall was beneficial due to the moderate to severe drought conditions in place across most of the forecast area. Overnight...rain and scattered showers associated with the mid and upper deformation zone with the system will persist especially from the Capital District north and west. The POPS were kept the highest in these locations especially the southern Adirondacks and the western Mohawk Valley the next few hours. The latest trends from the HRRR are for a continued tapering to isolated to scattered showers overnight. Little or no shower activity is expected south of the Tri Cities. Plenty of clouds will persist with the lower troposphere loaded with moisture. Temps will not move much and were retooled and slightly increased with widespread upper 30s to lower 40s. There could be some spotty mid 30s over the higher terrain. The winds will increase well after midnight from the west to northwest at 5-10 mph. && .SHORT TERM /6 AM WEDNESDAY MORNING THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT/... With the upper trough still overhead, there will be more clouds than sun for Wednesday, although some breaks will occur from time to time for valley areas. There could be a few additional light rain showers or sprinkles across western areas thanks to the passing upper level trough, but it should be dry for most of the day. Highs will be milder once again, with temperatures reaching into the 50s for valley areas. As the upper level through starts to slide eastward, strong upper level ridging will build into the area for the remainder of the work week, as a large area of surface high pressure dominates much of the eastern US. This will allow for dry weather with clearing skies for Wed night through Thursday Night. Temps aloft will be warming, allowing for above-normal daytime highs. Overnight lows on Wed/Thurs nights will generally be in the 30s and highs on Thursday look to reach the upper 40s to upper 50s across the area. Most spots will see highs of 5 to 10 degrees above normal. && .LONG TERM /FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/... A strong ridge of high pressure at both the surface and aloft will bring fair and mild weather to the area Friday into Saturday. Lows generally in the 30s with highs mainly in the 50s. With a very dry atmospheric column, the lows both mornings could be 5-7 degrees colder than forecast with light winds and clear skies. Uncertainty in the forecast grows as an upper trough is expected to approach and become negatively tilted (12Z GFS) or cut off south of the area (12Z Euro). GFS solution would bring a period of rain followed by colder air and lake effect snows as colder air get pulled in from Canada. Euro solution would imply a significant snow storm for at least the northwest part of our forecast area. GFS solution is also faster and would have some precipitation reaching our area by later Saturday. WPC probabilistic guidance has a 30-50 percent chance of accumulating snow Sunday into Monday across the western part of the forecast area. For now, just put a statement in our HWO for entire area mentioning the possibility of accumulating snow Sunday into Monday. Lows on sunday in the 30s with highs in the 30s and 40s. Lows on Monday from the Mid 20s to low 30s and highs from the upper 20s to around 40. By Tuesday, weather looks cold and brisk with northwest flow with lake effect snows in the favored areas and snow flurries possible across the rest of the area. Lows in the teens and 20s with highs in the upper 20s to around 40. && .AVIATION /03Z WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/... Low pressure continues to slowly move north to northeast across southern New England this evening. It will be near the Gulf of Maine tomorrow morning....and move further north towards Maine in the afternoon. In the moist and damp air mass flight conditions have fallen to IFR/MVFR levels at KALB/KPSF/KPOU/KGFL. KPOU and KALB continue to have IFR VSBYS...and KGFL/KPSF MVFR. The conditions are expected to worsen to IFR/Low MVFR with the intermittent rain tapering to sct showers and drizzle shortly before or just after 05Z. A slow improvement is expected at KPOU btwn 09Z-12Z to MVFR conditions in terms of CIGS/VSBYS. However...KALB/KGFL/KPSF may hold with IFR CIGS at least until 14Z. A gradually improvement to high MVFR/low VFR is expected thereafter. KPSF will likely hold with low MVFR CIGS until the early pm when drier air finally filters in. Overall...after 18Z WED...high MVFR/VFR conditions will return to all the terminals. The winds will be north to northwest at 5-10 kts early this evening...and then will become light and variable in direction at 5 kts or less. The winds will increase from the west to northwest at 5-8 kts after 12Z WED...and will increase to around 10 kts by the afternoon. Outlook... Wednesday Night to Saturday: No Operational Impact. NO SIG WX. Saturday Night: Moderate Operational Impact. Chance of SHRA. Sunday: Moderate Operational Impact. Likely SHRA. && .FIRE WEATHER... Low pressure will move from south of Long Island this evening to north of Boston, Massachusetts tonight, bringing periods of rain to the area. Skies should gradually clear on Wednesday. Fair and mild conditions are forecast Thursday into Saturday. RH values will stay elevated tonight with light northerly winds. On Wednesday, clouds will break for some sunshine, mainly for valley areas. RH values will fall to 50 to 70 percent in the afternoon with west winds of 5 to 15 MPH. Winds become northwesterly and will diminish to 5 MPH or less Wednesday night as RH values recover to near 100 percent. && .HYDROLOGY... Rainfall today has ranged from a quarter inch over the far northern Herkimer and Hamilton Counties to 1 to 2+ inches across the eastern Catskills and Mid Hudson valley. Further north the Albany Airport has reported 1.43 inches as of 00Z. Although a stray lingering shower can`t be ruled out for western areas on Wednesday, dry weather will return for Wednesday night through Saturday. Another chance of rain will arrive with another frontal boundary for Saturday night into Sunday. The US Drought Monitor continues to have much of the area in the D1 (Moderate Drought) to D2 (Severe Drought) categories. This rainfall is helpful, but probably not enough to significantly change these classifications this week. For details on specific area rivers and lakes, including observed and forecast river stages and lake elevations, please visit the Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service /AHPS/ graphs on our website. && .ALY WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... CT...None. NY...None. MA...None. VT...None. && $$ SYNOPSIS...SND/Wasula NEAR TERM...Wasula SHORT TERM...SND/Wasula LONG TERM...SND AVIATION...Wasula FIRE WEATHER...SND HYDROLOGY...Wasula/SND
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Bismarck ND
931 PM CST Tue Nov 15 2016 .UPDATE... Issued at 927 PM CST Tue Nov 15 2016 Main update was to remove any mention of freezing rain from forecast grids. A few radar returns are showing up across southwestern North Dakota however at this time no observations of rain making it to the ground, which has been the case for eastern Montana through the night. UPDATE Issued at 540 PM CST Tue Nov 15 2016 Previous forecast mostly on track. Only update was to add in a slight chance of rain southwest as the latest HRRR runs are picking up on some radar returns near Miles City Montana. && .SHORT TERM...(This evening through Wednesday) Issued at 230 PM CST Tue Nov 15 2016 The main concern tonight will be the chance for light precipitation across mainly northern parts of North Dakota. Short term models solutions are in general agreement that there will be a weak lead upper wave tonight along with increasing H85 warm air advection. This will bring a chance of precipitation to northern parts of the state tonight. Have carried the highest pops (likely) near the border with Canada. Precipitation type should primarily be rain, with thermal profiles warm enough to support all liquid, but have some concern a few spots in the far north could have surface temperatures fall to near freezing overnight. Will have only a few small grid points with any freezing rain potential for a brief period late tonight, so will not draw any special attention to it for now. .LONG TERM...(Wednesday night through Tuesday) Issued at 230 PM CST Tue Nov 15 2016 The main concern in the long term continues to surround the storm which is expected to move across parts of the Central and Northern Plains Thursday and Friday. The 12z model suite has continued to show a more southern track to the storm which would bring a smaller area of potential snow accumulations to western and central North Dakota. GEFS ensemble QPF plumes have also been showing more agreement, so confidence in general has been increasing with this system.Have shown the best snow chances from south of Bismarck towards the James River Valley. Have issued another Special Weather Statement to provide the latest information with this storm and its potential impacts to western and central North Dakota. While the snow potential has been in question with this storm across our area, the colder temperatures remain more certain. Will see high temperatures in the 30s for Thursday, and upper 20s to lower 30s Friday. The coldest temperatures are not expected to last very long with a warming trend forecast through the weekend. && .AVIATION...(For the 00Z TAFS through 00Z Wednesday evening) Issued at 540 PM CST Tue Nov 15 2016 VFR conditions expected at all terminals through the 00Z forecast cycle. There will be a chance of rain showers north at KISN and KMOT and have added in VCSH for those locations. Also a slight chance tonight at KDIK but very slight and have opted to keep mention of rain out of TAF for KDIK. && .BIS WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && $$ UPDATE...MM SHORT TERM...CK LONG TERM...CK AVIATION...MM
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service BROWNSVILLE TX
944 PM CST Tue Nov 15 2016 .DISCUSSION...Made a few edits to weather grids in an attempt to better pin down onset, ending, extent, and density of fog later on tonight. Removed any mention of fog until 06Z per observational trends and 00Z NAM MOS guidance. Greatest extent of fog still expected between 09-15Z, but kept wording at only "patchy" for Upper Valley where dewpoint depressions are still running 10-15 deg F. Left areas of dense fog for the mid-Lower RGV as they were, but ended fog at 15Z (as indicated in 00Z TAF`s) as it should be fairly quick to burn off...more so than this morning. Updated text products have been sent. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /issued 556 PM CST Tue Nov 15 2016/ DISCUSSION...Updated for latest aviation discussion below. AVIATION...Primary aviation weather issue for the next 24 hours will again be reduced visibilities in fog overnight. Calm winds and clear skies should provide nearly ideal conditions for radiational cooling, but the situation isn`t totally analogous to last night when VLIFR fog developed at HRL and MFE. Dewpoints are down 5-10 degrees vs. 24 hours at those terminals but approximately the same for BRO. HRRR model focuses lowest dewpoint depressions overnight over Cameron County, especially BRO, but statistical guidance once again hitting MFE and HRL harder with the fog. All that being said, kept the trend of previous TAF`s intact, attempted to pin down timing a little more, and went a bit less pessimistic on lowest visibilities expected at BRO. Generally expecting MVFR mist to form around 06Z, gradually lowering to prevailing IFR by 09Z, with TEMPO LIFR at BRO and VLIFR at HRL/MFE through around sunrise. With the lower dewpoints at the surface, fog should burn off more quickly than today, with VFR returning by 15Z. Winds shift to SE tomorrow afternoon with continued VFR. PREV DISCUSSION... /issued 206 PM CST Tue Nov 15 2016/ SHORT TERM (Tonight through Wednesday night): 500mb ridge across northern Mexico and west Texas will provide subsidence across the CWA tonight through Wednesday night. Surface high pressure across the northwest Gulf coast will provide light winds across the CWA tonight. With clear skies...radiational fog will likely redevelop across the area late tonight into early Wednesday. Some areas of fog will be locally dense. Dense fog advisories will likely be needed for portions of the Rio Grande valley after midnight tonight. The fog will begin to lift and burn off Wed morning as diurnal heating increases. Will mention patchy fog for Wed night as winds will increase slightly but some isolated dense fog cannot be ruled out for tomorrow night. LONG TERM (Thursday through Tuesday): The main forecast issue this long term relates mainly to a cold front arriving late in the week. Thursday will be warm, several degrees above normal, with moderate to breezy southeast winds due to Gulf high pressure interacting with plains low pressure. A cold front will push into Northwest Texas ahead of a mid level short wave trough reaching its nadir over the Central to Southern High Plains, itself ahead of mid level ridging building over the West Coast. Overnight low temperatures will range from the mid 60s to the lower 70s. Conditions on Friday will initially be copacetic, with moisture pooling during the day leading to some additional cloudiness and knocking a couple of degrees off high temperatures versus those of the previous day. A few coastal and even mid valley showers may be encouraged to develop, hinted by moisture pooling and the omega field. High temps should not be moderated by the front itself, which will not arrive until temps are already cooling after sundown. Look for the wind shift after sundown Friday, strengthening from the north through midnight. A good indicator is better seen over the marine areas, where the strongest winds reach the Brownsville line around midnight or shortly thereafter. Isolated thunder may occur, mainly near the coast, but the shallow cold air wedge and lack of upper support should limit deeper convection. Cold air advection should be enough to drop low temperatures into the 50s by Saturday morning, with moderate to breezy north winds. A few showers and low clouds will linger through Saturday, mainly near the coast. High temperatures look like they will be mainly in the 60s for the day. The second night will be the coolest, with low temperatures dipping into the 40s Saturday night inland, oh my! Drier air and the return of the sun on Sunday will help high temps recover into the upper 60s to lower or mid 70s, near normal, with an otherwise pristine day. The remainder of the long term will be uneventful with a slow warming trend to slightly warmer than normal temps on Monday and Tuesday. MARINE: Tonight through Wednesday night...Seas were near 2 feet with west winds near 8 knots at buoy020 this afternoon. Light and variable winds will prevail across the coastal waters tonight with weak surface high pressure across the western Gulf of Mexico. The pressure gradient will remain weak across the lower Texas coast Wednesday. Light southeast winds will develop across the coastal waters Wednesday and increase Wed night as low pressure develops along the lee side of the rockies and high pressure prevails across the southeast United States. Thursday through Sunday...Light to moderate southeast winds and low to moderate seas will prevail on Thursday as broad high pressure over the Gulf interacts with lower pressure over the central high plains. As plains low pressure shifts northeast late Thursday with a maturing storm system, the associated cold front will push into North Texas with high pressure right behind it. The gradient will flatten and marine winds will weaken on Friday through early aftn. The cold front will reach the coast late Friday evening, shifting winds to northeast and strengthening them. Small craft advisory conditions should develop by midnight, although gusts may push conditions into the gale category over the Gulf waters for much of the rest of Friday night and early Saturday morning. Wave heights are projected to build to between 8 and 10 ft offshore by Saturday afternoon. High pressure will spread over the area on Saturday, with winds and seas decreasing Saturday night into Sunday. Small craft advisory conditions for elevated seas on the Gulf waters may persist into Saturday night. Though mid level ridging should limit deeper convection, showers and tstms will be possible with the front from late Friday into Saturday morning. && .BRO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... TX...None. GM...None. && $$ This product is also available on the web at: HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/RGV 53-Schroeder...Short-term 60...Long-term
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Caribou ME
955 PM EST Tue Nov 15 2016 .SYNOPSIS... Low pressure will approach from the south and track into the Gulf of Maine overnight. The low will lift to our north on Wednesday. High pressure builds Thursday into Saturday. Low pressure is expected to bring unsettled conditions Saturday night into Monday. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... 10 PM Update: The latest radar imagery showed rain expanding further n into western and downeast areas. Surface analysis showed ridging from high pres to the n helping to keep the rain at bay w/drier air holding on. This will change however over the next 2 to 4 hrs as the ridge breaks down. Low pres was moving into MA w/coastal front just offshore. Still expecting periods of moderate to heavy rain overnight into Wednesday morning w/45 kt llvl jet pulling northward. Adjusted the timing using the latest HRRR and 18z NAM which was handling rain shield well. Hrly temps were adjusted to match the latest conditions and will stay where they are for a while before warming a bit by Wednesday morning. Left out the mention of any tstms as airmass looks to stable w/marine layer in place. This could change on Wednesday across eastern areas as waa hits in the llvls and the column destabilizes. Previous Discussion... The 12z NAM seems to hv the most lkly scenario. Parent H5 low wl continue to lift thru the Hudson Vly and pull tropical moisture north to feed into the system. PW values increase to 2-3 SD abv normal thru the ovrngt to nr 1.10 inches. If any convection can get going ovrngt, expect locally hvy rainfall in moist airmass. Hwvr, mid-lvl lapse rates dcrs the further north and east of the low so hv opted not to include in fcst attm. QPF amnts look to be highest acrs the Bangor Region up into the Central Highlands. Total QPF wl range fm 1.25-1.50 inches with amnts arnd 1 inch elsewhere. As for mins tonight, not expecting much drop off aft midnight, in fact temps wl lkly rise aft this time. Expect srn zones to be in the 50s by 09z and rising thru the rmndr of the day Wed. && .SHORT TERM /WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY/... On Wednesday night, the weakening surface low will drift over the forecast area through the evening and gradually give way to a northwest flow later in the night as high pressure builds from the west. There will still be some rain in the early evening towards the Saint John Valley before the weakening shortwave propagates northward into Quebec. There will be a great deal of sub H850 moisture and resultant cloud cover through Wednesday night. Patchy fog is likely until the northwest flow arrives later in the night and have introduced into the grids. Lows will be mild in the mid 40s. Surface and upper level ridging will build Thursday with northwest winds, but the moisture will be trapped under a subsidence inversion all day in northern zones. Bangor and the Down East region will see some sunshine if winds stay NW due to downsloping, but this will not materialize if wind stay more northerly. Highs will be well above normal in the low to mid 50s as there`s no significant cold air advection behind the low. Although the ridge will build over the forecast area Thursday night, the stratocumulus will probably not erode until the H925 ridge line has crossed the area. Have pushed this ridge line further west through Thursday and kept clouds in the forecast through most of Thursday night. This also resulted in a slight uptick in the overnight low forecast. If any clearing does occur, especially in northern zones, temperatures will quickly drop to freezing with patchy fog and black ice possible. On Friday, the stratocumulus fields will gradually erode as the northerly flow ends and drier air advects over the area. This will produce yet another mild day with highs in the low to mid 50s...and possibly warmer looking at H925 temps. && .LONG TERM /FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY/... Long term begins with mild and partly cloudy skies under weakening high pressure as two low pressure systems approach, one from the Great Lakes and the second from the NW Atlantic. The Atlantic low will be the first to affect the region as winds shift to the east bringing a greater potential of low clouds and showers to the area on Saturday. Expect rainshowers to spread across the area from the southeast through the afternoon and evening Saturday and becoming widespread by Sunday morning as this system merges with the approaching Great Lakes low. Currently expect more enhanced showers across northern and western areas. Colder air begins to filter into the region through Monday with showers mixing or changing to snow mainly over western and northern regions by Monday night. Temperatures should begin above normal on Saturday but return to near normal conditions by Monday evening. && .AVIATION /03Z WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/... NEAR TERM: VFR conditions remain through 05z at FVE before quickly dropping to IFR overnight. MVFR at CAR, PQI and HUL will drop to IFR after 09z tonight in low cigs and -RA. BGR and BHB expected to see IFR next next 24 hours. LLWS expected at BHB after 06z and possibly BGR toward 09z but confidence is low and will let later forecasts introduce the potential. SHORT TERM: IFR conditions due to cig and vis are expected Wednesday night, but will improve to MVFR later in the night. MVFR cigs will persist through Thursday night north of HUL. BGR and BHB are expected to be predominately VFR Thursday and Friday with just a chance of MVFR cigs. All terminals will become VFR by later Friday morning. && .MARINE... NEAR TERM: SCA in effect tonight through Wed afternoon with wind gusts over 25kts this evng and seas building to between 5-8 feet. May need to extend SCA through Wed evng for hazardous seas as winds diminish. SHORT TERM: Some gusts may approach 25 kts later Thursday night into Friday morning, but confidence is not high for an SCA. && .TIDES/COASTAL FLOODING... A Proxigean Spring Tide will occur this week. The moon will make the closest approach to Earth since Jan 1948. The tide, also known as the King Tide, will bring abnormally high and low tides thru the 17th. Low pressure will ride into srn New England tonight and progged to be in southwest Maine around the time of high tide. High tide at Bar Harbor is at 1129 am tomorrow. The strongest onshore flow now looks to correspond to high tide. If the winds were several kts stronger then we would be concerned with minor coastal flooding, however they appear to be just below 28kt gusts. Hwvr any change in the strength of the wind with the latest runs tonight wl need to be very closely monitored. For the time being hv issued a Coastal Flood Advisory for coastal Hancock and Washington counties btwn 15z and 18z Wed. Currently expecting minor splashover at low-lying and exposed areas right along the immediate coast. && .CAR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... ME...Coastal Flood Advisory from 10 AM to 1 PM EST Wednesday for MEZ029-030. MARINE...Small Craft Advisory until 4 PM EST Wednesday for ANZ050>052. && $$ Near Term...Hewitt
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Peachtree City GA
937 PM EST Tue Nov 15 2016 .UPDATE... Evening water vapor loop shows several vort maxes across the state...while at the sfc a weakening trough axis associated with weak sfc low over Michigan is moving towards the area. No impacts to sensible weather expected overnight with these features. Lows expected to be in the 40s. Mid level height rises will allow high temps on Wednesday to rebound into the lower 70s all locations except the mtns. Biggest concern continues to be smoke dispersion from wildfires. Eastern portions of the CWA may see lingering effects/minor visibility reductions/ overnight tongiht...while other portions of the CWA will notice smoky conditions around/just after sunrise. The northerly component to the wind on Wednesday will be responsible for dispersing the smoke south across most of the CWA...with low-level temp inversion helping to trap the smoke near the sfc. Refer to SPS and AQA products for more details on smoky conditions. Please continue to take fire and air quality information seriously. Kovacik && .PREV DISCUSSION... /Issued 311 PM EST Tue Nov 15 2016/ SHORT TERM /Tonight through Thursday/... As mentioned in previous update discussion, main concerns are fire weather forecast conditions and smoke trajectory/ concentration forecasts. Latest model guidance confirming observed trends showing mid level clouds and what little precip that is occurring dissipating quickly. Expect clear skies by late evening. Surface winds will weaken but continue from the NW and is expected to shift to more NW or NNW overnight. Flow in lowest few thousand feet overnight will be strong enough to bring smoke particulates back into Atlanta metro area and continue through much of Wednesday. Does not appear from USFS and HRRR smoke model guidance that concentrations will be as high as they were Monday but too much uncertainty to rule that out, especially if fires expand or intensify. Georgia DNR EPD has issued Code Red for tomorrow for Atlanta Metro areas, which is the only area that can have such alerts issued. Outside of these areas, our special weather statement also highlights the risk from smoke. As the surface high pushes east, surface winds will become SE Thursday. So should see a couple day break from the smoke until flow becomes NW again. Thursday will also see very warm temps with highs in the upper 70s to around 80. Does not appear daily records will be broken however. See climate section below. No significant precip expected through early next week. SNELSON LONG TERM /Thursday Night through Tuesday/... A few tweaks were made to the long term. Winds have been increased a bit for Saturday into Sunday. New guidance showing winds stronger during that time period. Have also reduced the slight chance area for Saturday. Models continue to show a drying trend as the front moves to the south. Otherwise the forecast looks on track. 41 .CLIMATE... Records for 11-17 Max Temperature Min Temperature Station High Low High Low ------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- KAHN 84 1958 44 1951 63 1930 25 1997 1984 1943 KATL 81 1985 42 1951 63 1930 22 1997 1958 1914 1890 KCSG 84 1958 47 1951 65 1986 22 1901 1921 1916 1929 KMCN 85 1964 48 1951 65 1986 22 1901 1958 1920 1957 1914 Records for 11-18 Max Temperature Min Temperature Station High Low High Low ------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- KAHN 80 1994 39 2014 63 1930 22 2014 1942 1938 KATL 80 1985 37 2014 63 1930 18 1891 2000 1928 KCSG 84 1985 42 2014 66 1986 26 2014 1951 KMCN 85 2013 42 2014 66 1986 23 2014 1957 1997 .FIRE WEATHER... RH values got close to critical thresholds this afternoon across middle georgia. These will recover quickly. With abundant sunshine, dry conditions and light NW winds. Conditions may approach criteria Wednesday and will likely be met on Thursday when daytime humidity drops to 20 to 30 percent across much of the area. Will need to monitor this. Fortunately, winds will remain light on Thursday. .AVIATION... 00Z Update... Main forecast challenge will be timing and intensity of smoke dispersion from wildfires in N Ga/W NC. AHN will likely be affected by FU this entire TAF cycle...while all other TAF sites /except CSG/ will likely see minor reductions in VSBY more towards sunrise/shortly thereafter. Kept mention of fog out of TAFs for now but will monitor trends. Winds will remain out of the NW this period between 5-10kts. Any lingering low-level and/or high level cloud cover will diminish by early afternoon. //ATL Confidence...00Z Update... Medium confidence in smoke trajectory/VSBY High confidence on all other elements Kovacik && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Athens 46 70 44 74 / 0 0 0 0 Atlanta 49 70 48 75 / 0 0 0 0 Blairsville 41 64 38 74 / 0 0 0 0 Cartersville 43 69 42 76 / 0 0 0 0 Columbus 50 73 47 78 / 0 0 0 0 Gainesville 48 68 46 73 / 0 0 0 0 Macon 45 73 42 78 / 0 0 0 0 Rome 43 71 41 77 / 0 0 0 0 Peachtree City 45 71 41 76 / 0 0 0 0 Vidalia 46 72 46 77 / 0 0 0 0 && .FFC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && $$ SHORT TERM...Kovacik LONG TERM....17 AVIATION...Kovacik
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Wichita KS
813 PM CST Tue Nov 15 2016 .UPDATE... Issued at 806 PM CST Tue Nov 15 2016 There is once again the potential for fog in SE KS from late tonight til early/mid morning tomorrow. Both the NAM & HRRR soundings (more so the NAM) depict nearly all of SE KS being fogged in by 5 AM. There is some disparity in the potential for dense fog, and as such checked the swing on issuing a Dense Fog Advisory for time being. && .SHORT TERM...(This evening through Friday night) Issued at 215 PM CST Tue Nov 15 2016 Mild and dry weather conditions will persist on Wed-Thu before a cold front arrives ushering in more seasonable air and a slight chance for light precipitation late Thu. Meanwhile, windy and warm weather conditions will drive the grassland fire danger index into the very high category across much of south central and central KS on Wed. A few locations across central KS may see a brief period where the GFDI reaches the extreme category, however given the short duration and small areal coverage no headlines are planned at this time. In addition, record high temperatures are also expected at RSL, ICT and SLN. A vigorous mid/upper trough will move into the Rockies on Thursday driving a strong cold front into the Central Plains states. Wind speeds across central KS will subside within the prefrontal trough axis while windy conditions persist across much of south central and southeast KS. Strong southwest winds will drive the grassland fire danger index into the very high category once again across much of the forecast area on Thu afternoon. A record high temperature or two may fall across south central and southeast KS on Thu although cooler air will arrive over central KS. Low pops were maintained across southeast KS although better chances for light rain should remain south and east of the area. Breezy northwest winds will persist across the area again on Friday with highs struggling to climb out of the 40s over parts of central KS. Breezy northwest winds will combine with minimum relative humidities around 40 percent helping to drive the GFDI into the very high category over much of central/south central KS on Fri afternoon. .LONG TERM...(Saturday through Tuesday) Issued at 215 PM CST Tue Nov 15 2016 Dry weather conditions and seasonably mild temperatures are anticipated at the start of the period as a mid/upper ridge builds eastward across the central Conus. The ridge is progged to break down as we move into the early next week as a progressive shortwave trough emerges from the southern Rockies late Mon into Tue. The GFS/ECMWF are fairly consistent with the phase but differ considerable with amplitude and maintained pops across the area late Mon into Tue. && .AVIATION...(For the 00Z TAFS through 00Z Wednesday evening) Issued at 600 PM CST Tue Nov 15 2016 Fog has proven to be a major problem in SC & spcly SE KS the past 2 mrngs & wl be agn fm late Tngt-Wed Mrng. Vsbys acrs SE KS are lkly to rpdly drop to 1-3SM ~09Z w/ wdsprd 1/2SM FG lkly arnd day break. Vsbys wl rpdly improve ~14Z as S winds incr to a sustained 13-17kts. All of Cntrl & SC KS remain VFR altho S winds wl incr considerably in mrng w/ sustained ~25kts lkly in most areas ~18Z w/ ~30kt gusts. && .CLIMATE... Issued at 132 AM CST Tue Nov 15 2016 Record Highs Wed 11/16: Wichita:77 Russell:74 Salina:77 Chanute:81 Record Highs Thu 11/17: Wichita:78 Russell:81 Salina:80 Chanute:76 && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Wichita-KICT 44 81 57 76 / 0 0 0 10 Hutchinson 42 80 56 75 / 0 0 0 10 Newton 44 79 56 75 / 0 0 0 0 ElDorado 45 79 57 77 / 0 0 0 0 Winfield-KWLD 44 80 58 78 / 0 0 0 0 Russell 40 82 53 70 / 0 0 0 10 Great Bend 41 81 54 72 / 0 0 0 10 Salina 41 79 56 75 / 0 0 0 10 McPherson 41 79 55 75 / 0 0 0 10 Coffeyville 44 79 58 79 / 0 0 0 0 Chanute 43 77 58 78 / 0 0 0 0 Iola 44 76 58 77 / 0 0 0 0 Parsons-KPPF 44 78 59 78 / 0 0 0 0 && .ICT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && $$ UPDATE...EPS SHORT TERM...MWM LONG TERM...MWM AVIATION...EPS CLIMATE...MWM
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Lincoln IL
925 PM CST Tue Nov 15 2016 .UPDATE... Issued at 925 PM CST Tue Nov 15 2016 Current forecast has a good handle on the weather situation for the remainder of the night and into tomorrow. Skies will be clear overnight and winds have become light and variable. Current forecast overnight lows also looks good. Therefore no update required tonight. && .SHORT TERM...(This evening through Wednesday) ISSUED AT 227 PM CST Tue Nov 15 2016 A surface trough axis currently analyzed from Minnesota to eastern Kansas will push slowly eastward into Illinois tonight. With little to no moisture to work with, am expecting no sensible weather with the arrival of the trough. As winds become light/variable and skies remain mostly clear, the potential exists for fog development overnight. Both the 12z NAM and 16z Rapid Refresh soundings suggest at least patchy fog...much like what was observed last night. HRRR continues to favor northern Illinois into northern/central Indiana for possible widespread dense fog, with only minor visby reductions further southwest into the KILX CWA. Since the airmass remains essentially unchanged, will follow a persistence forecast and include patchy fog across much of central Illinois later tonight. Once the fog dissipates, mostly sunny and warmer conditions will be on tap for Wednesday. Surface winds will initially be light and variable...then will become S/SE by late afternoon. Given very weak advection and the continued easterly component to the low-level flow, have remained close to numeric guidance for highs...with readings topping out in the lower to middle 60s. .LONG TERM...(Wednesday night through Tuesday) ISSUED AT 227 PM CST Tue Nov 15 2016 Main forecast concern continues to revolve around the strong storm system and its affect on our area Friday, followed by much colder weather for the weekend and into early next week. Surface high pressure will drift off to our east Wednesday night as the deep trof and associated surface low pushes into the Plains by Thursday morning. This should allow an increasing southerly flow to develop over our area late Wednesday night and especially during the day on Thursday which should help propel temperatures close to or above record levels in many areas (See Climate section below). Winds are expected to gust between 30 and 35 mph out of the south by afternoon as highs soar into the low to mid 70s with a few upper 70s possible across parts of extreme west central Illinois. Those gusty winds should continue Thursday night as the surface low tracks into northern Iowa by Friday morning. Initially, moisture transport ahead of the front Friday morning is not very impressive, but as the front shifts east during the day the persistent southerly flow will eventually draw moisture north out of the Gulf of Mexico, with the NAM12 indicating mid 50 dew points into parts of southeast and east central Illinois Friday afternoon. Still not seeing much surface based instability with those dew points but it should be interesting to see how models adjust in the next several runs with low level moisture transport immediately ahead of the front. Wind shear is not lacking to say the least with 0-6km bulk shears in the 60-70 kt range, but that in itself may be a detriment to any sustained updrafts ahead of the surging cold front Friday afternoon. Still the threat for some quick moving, low topped storms to develop between I-55 and I-57 early in the afternoon and then push east with the front into Indiana by 00z where it will start to catch up to a more favorable moisture profile. Highest POPs Friday afternoon will be along and east of the Interstate 57 corridor with likely POPs indicated, while decreasing rain chances will be the story to the west behind the cold front. As the cold front continues to race away from the area Friday evening, we should see the rain chances move out of the entire forecast area by late evening before some wrap-around moisture shifts southeast behind the departing storm system early Saturday morning. May see some brief sprinkles or flurries early Saturday morning thanks to the deep cyclonic flow/strong cold advection across the area with models now trending faster with the surface low exiting the region and the resulting wrap-around moisture, so have backed off any mention of the sprinkles or flurries in the forecast for now. Windy and much colder weather will be the story for Saturday with highs mainly in the 40s. The combination of the gusty winds and morning lows around 30 in our northern counties will yield wind chills in the upper teens to lower 20s Saturday morning! Morning lows on Sunday will drop to between 20 and 25 degrees with wind chills of between 10 and 15 degrees. Chilly weather will dominate the weather across the area Sunday through Monday night, although winds will be considerably lighter than what we will have across the area on Saturday. Afternoon temperatures Sunday and Monday should be in the low to mid 40s with temperatures moderating back to around 50 on Tuesday. By Tuesday, another storm system should take shape to our southwest with precip breaking out in the warm advection regime to our west and south Tuesday morning and gradually spreading northeast into our area during the day Tuesday. Models not showing much, if any agreement with the speed of the system and timing of precipitation into our area, with the GFS much quicker in pushing the storm and precip off to our east Wednesday, while the ECMWF is quite a bit slower and keeps precipitation going across our area into Thanksgiving morning. For now, POPs starting to increase from southwest to northeast Tuesday morning, with even the possibility for a brief period of a very light rain/snow mixture for a couple of hours Tuesday morning, with rain chances taking over late morning through the remainder of the day Tuesday. && .AVIATION...(For the 00Z TAFS through 00Z Wednesday evening) Issued at 526 PM CST Tue Nov 15 2016 Scattered cirrus will move across the TAF sites this evening and then become clear later tonight and through tomorrow. A dry front will push through the area in the morning, but it will not be bringing any precip or clouds. Winds will become light and variable tonight and continue through tomorrow as high pressure builds into the area behind the cold front. && .CLIMATE... Issued at 235 PM CST Tue Nov 15 2016 Record high temperatures for Thursday, Nov 17th... Peoria........75 degrees set back in 1941 Springfield...75 degrees set back in 1941, 1952 Lincoln.......75 degrees set back in 1941 Galesburg.....75 degrees set back in 1952 Jacksonville..78 degrees set back in 1952 Bloomington...78 degrees set back in 1986 Decatur.......77 degrees set back in 1952 && .ILX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && $$ UPDATE...Auten SHORT TERM...Barnes LONG TERM...Smith AVIATION...Auten CLIMATE...EJL
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Newport/Morehead City NC
909 PM EST Tue Nov 15 2016 .SYNOPSIS... High pressure will build in from the west-southwest through Friday. A strong cold front will move through Saturday night and early Sunday. High pressure will build in behind the front for early next week. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM WEDNESDAY MORNING/... As of 910 PM Tuesday...NC will remain in a dry NW flow between high pressure to the SW and low pressure vicinity of New England. Skies have become clear and winds have decoupled inland which will produce strong radiational cooling and lead to cool low temperatures in the upper 30s to lower 40s. Expect patchy, shallow fog but conditions are not looking favorable for widespread low clouds and fog overnight despite the strong radiational cooling as forecast hydrolapse profiles are not conducive for fog formation and forecast soundings indicate only very shallow low level moisture. The NARRE and HRRR aviation guidance indicate widespread dense fog developing over eastern SC and spreading north to about Wilmington so will continue to monitor to see if this threat will spread North into our area but at this point we are not expecting it to. && .SHORT TERM /6 AM WEDNESDAY MORNING THROUGH 6 PM WEDNESDAY/... As of 305 PM Tuesday, high pressure will dominate the area on Wednesday with pleasant high temperatures in the mid/upper 60s with lower 60s Outer Banks. Another strong shortwave will move north of the region but clouds should be at a minimum as downsloping surface flow keeps skies clear. && .LONG TERM /WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY/... As of 315 PM Tue...No big changes to the extended forecast. Strong secondary cold front will lead to some of the coldest air of the fall season late next week. Kept a very small PoP in the forecast, mainly northern sections Saturday night and Sunday. Previous Discussion... Mainly dry and seasonable through most of the long term period, then a strong cold front and coldest airmass of the season arrives over the weekend and early next week. Wednesday through Friday...Strong shortwave will push through Wednesday, pushing off the coast Wednesday night and Thursday as surface high builds over the area. Moisture continues to look very limited with this feature and given overall model agreement, will remove sc pop Wed. Low level thickness values and mostly sunny skies support highs in the 60s Wed and Thu...and overnight lows ranging from the upper 30s/low 40s inland to mid 40s to around 50 along the coast. Temps will continue to gradually moderate into Fri as upper ridge builds, with highs in the low 60s to around 70 degrees. Saturday through Tuesday...Long range model suite in fairly good agreement with progression of a strong shortwave across the eastern half of the CONUS this weekend. However, there are still some timing differences though the consensus seems to be moving it through the region Saturday evening. Saturday should be a warm and mostly dry day with ridge amplifying ahead of the shortwave, thicknesses/guidance suggestive of highs in the mid 60s to low 70s. Did add sc shower late Sat inland, with ECMWF still much wetter than the GFS...and kept sc pop for most locations Sat night, though front continues to look moisture starved and not sure how much precip will make it east of the mountains. Sunday will see strong CAA develop, strengthening post frontal WNW winds and high temps only in the 50s. Sunday night will continue blustery and cold with lows well down into the 30s but wind chills likely in the 20s. High pressure will build in from the west Monday and Tuesday as upper level flow gradually becomes more zonal. Low level thickness values support highs in the 50s Monday and Tuesday as well...with overnight lows in the 30s inland and upper 30s to around 40 along the Outer Banks. && .AVIATION /02Z WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/... Short Term /Through Wednesday/... As of 625 PM Tuesday...High confidence in a mainly VFR forecast through the period as the region remains in a dry NW flow through Wednesday. Forecast hydrolapse profiles are not conducive for fog formation and forecast soundings indicate only very shallow low level moisture. The NARRE and HRRR aviation guidance indicate widespread dense fog/low ceilings developing over eastern SC again this evening and spreading north to about Wilmington after midnight so will continue to monitor to see if this threat will expand into our TAF zones. Previous forecast indicated a period of MVFR visibilities late and will continue with this forecast but none of the aviation guidance is indicating sub VFR conditions except for the LAMP guidance at PGV. Any fog that develops will dissipate quickly with VFR conditions to prevail through Wednesday. Long Term /Wednesday night through Sunday/... As of 235 AM Tue...Pred VFR conditions expected through the period. Isolated showers possible late Sat and Sat night with a cold front. && .MARINE... Short Term /Tonight and Wednesday/... As of 910 PM Tuesday...The NC waters will remain in a light NW flow through Wednesday between high pressure to the SW and low pressure vicinity of New England with winds 10 KT or less. Seas are forecast to remain 2-4 feet through tomorrow. Long Term /Wednesday night through Sunday/... As of 235 AM Tue...High pressure will be the dominant feature through most of the period. W/NW winds 5-15 kt Wed with seas 2-4 feet. Increasing winds Wed night into Thursday behind exiting shortwave. N/NW 10-20 kt with seas building to 2-5 feet, highest north of Ocracoke. At this time think conditions will remain below SCA levels, but a brief period of SCA will be possible north of Ocracoke Thu. Winds diminish to 5-15 kt Friday with seas 2-4 feet. Increasing winds ahead of an approaching front Sat...W/NW 5-10 kt early becoming W 10-15 kt late. Strong CAA develops behind the front Sat night and Sunday with SCA conditions likely developing. && .MHX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NC...None. MARINE...None. && $$ SYNOPSIS...JME/CTC NEAR TERM...JME/CTC SHORT TERM...CTC LONG TERM...CQD AVIATION...JME/CTC/CQD MARINE...JME/CTC/JBM/CQD
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Tallahassee FL
656 PM EST Tue Nov 15 2016 .UPDATE... A few light showers are persisting across portions of southeast Alabama near the border with Florida, but these are only expected to last a few more hours before dissipating. Extended a slight chance of light showers for a few more hours in this area and increased the cloud cover a bit, otherwise no changes to the previous forecast were made. && .AVIATION... [Through 00z Thursday] An area of mid-level clouds currently over DHN will continue to move southeastward through the CWA overnight. With the increase in cloud cover, fog development is not likely but MVFR conditions are possible at DHN with some lower ceilings possible late tonight. After sunrise, clear skies with a northwesterly flow will persist over the region. && .PREV DISCUSSION [222 PM EST]... .NEAR TERM [Through Tonight]... A shortwave will push through the CWA tonight with a weak front moving through overnight as well. There have been some showers and low to mid levels clouds associated with this system over Alabama this afternoon. As the wave moves through the CWA tonight, will see a slight increase in cloud coverage, however based on the latest visible satellite loop there is somewhat of a decreasing trend in the clouds and thus do not expect cloud coverage over the CWA to be quite as extensive as it is now over central AL. With the dry air in place, there is also a dissipating trend with the showers over central AL. HRRR has been trending toward the showers making it further east than initially expected and given latest radar trends, can`t rule out a light shower or sprinkle making it to the northwest part of the CWA. Given this, have added a slight chance of showers to mainly our AL counties before 00z tonight. Rainfall amounts would be minimal. With some clouds persisting into tonight will see low temperatures a few degrees warmer than this morning with lows Wednesday morning in the mid to upper 40s inland and low to mid 50s along the coast. .SHORT TERM [Wednesday Through Thursday Night]... The upper trough that brought a slight increase in clouds today will continue to move off to our east, with light northwesterly flow on Wednesday and an upper level ridge building over our area on Thursday. A large area of high pressure at the surface will also build over our region throughout this period. As a result, dry conditions will prevail under generally clear skies. Highs will range from the mid-upper 70s, with lows dipping to the upper 40s inland under ideal radiational cooling conditions. Lows will be in the 50s along the Gulf Coast. .LONG TERM [Friday Through Tuesday]... Dry weather will likely continue across our area through this period. Deep layer ridging on Friday will be replaced by an upper level trough and fairly strong cold front moving eastward through our CWA on Saturday. Due to a lack of moisture across our area, the front will likely pass through without producing much if any rainfall, and have kept any mention of rain offshore for now. However, it is likely that this front will usher in the coolest temperatures so far this season, with lows forecast to drop into the mid-upper 30s by Monday morning and highs in the 60s Sunday and Monday. Extremely dry air will also push into our area behind the front, ending any chances of rain through early next week as we continue our prolonged period of dry conditions. .MARINE... Northwesterly winds will gradually become easterly later this week, generally remaining around 10 knots. Seas will remain around 2 feet or less until Friday and then increase as a strong cold front moves through our area early in the weekend. Seas could increase to 4 to 6 feet on Saturday night, with locally higher waves possible offshore as northerly winds could increase to 20 to 25 knots. .FIRE WEATHER... Dry conditions will continue through the rest of the week. Minimum relative humidity values will fall into the mid 20s to mid 30s range away from the coast each afternoon. Winds appear light and below critical thresholds for red flag criteria. .HYDROLOGY... No significant rainfall is expected for the next several days. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Tallahassee 48 77 47 79 49 / 10 0 0 0 0 Panama City 55 74 55 75 57 / 10 0 0 0 0 Dothan 48 76 47 79 47 / 10 0 0 0 0 Albany 46 76 46 79 46 / 0 0 0 0 0 Valdosta 46 76 46 78 47 / 0 0 0 0 0 Cross City 47 75 48 77 49 / 0 0 0 0 0 Apalachicola 54 73 55 74 57 / 0 0 0 0 0 && .TAE WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... FL...None. GA...None. AL...None. GM...None. && $$ UPDATE...DVD NEAR TERM...Fieux SHORT TERM...Lahr LONG TERM...Lahr AVIATION...DVD/Chaney MARINE...Lahr FIRE WEATHER...Fieux HYDROLOGY...Lahr
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Tampa Bay Ruskin FL
747 PM EST Tue Nov 15 2016 .UPDATE... 00Z water vapor and H4 RAP analysis shows an active upper level pattern across the CONUS this evening. Strong northern stream flow arrives over the northern California/Oregon coast around the southern periphery of longwave troughing moving ashore into BC/Pacific northwest states. This flow then ridges up over the inter-mountain west into the southern Canadian Rockies before diving back south and east into longwave troughing covering the entire eastern third of the nation. This longwave trough over the eastern CONUS is rather complex with several lobes of energy embedded within the larger scale synoptic flow. One such shortwaveis approaching the Florida peninsula from the NW this evening. The strong PVA and associated cold pool aloft has been enough to support a few clusters of thunderstorms dropping southward the past 4-8 hours across Alabama. Although some of this energy and certainly the colder temps aloft are expected to swing across the northern Florida peninsula overnight...there simply does not appear to be enough moisture in the column this far south to support any thunder into the northern peninsula. Another band of sct-bkn clouds is likely to swing across the I-10 corridor overnight...but as of now...not forecasting any showers. That being said...NWP sampling of the atmosphere is never exactly perfect. Can I completely rule out that a very brief shower or two will not surprise us and swing across the NE Gulf/Nature Coast during the pre-dawn hours? No...never say never in meteorology...but the potential seems low enough to keep out of forecast at this point. However will be monitoring things closely over the next several hours. Otherwise...a few-sct clouds around 10-15Kft are pivoting across the central Peninsula head of the main trough...but are fairly steadily dropping to the southeast. Should see the Tampa Bay/Sarasota region clear out in the next couple of hours...and eventually clearing out completely for the far southern zones down toward Fort Myers. The main mid/upper trough axis will pivot across the Peninsula during Wednesday morning...with one final weaker shortwave aloft crossing over later in the day. Neither of these will have enough moisture to work with to produce anything but maybe a few clouds at times...so the forecast remains benign through Wednesday. In fact...the deep layer Qvector divergence/subsidence is very strong over the peninsula behind the initial shortwave...and is likely going to be enough to keep our skies mostly clear to clear. Well-defined mid/upper ridging then builds overhead for Thursday and Friday...with a very dry column aloft. Essential zero chances for rain Thursday and Friday...with PW values well below 1" across the entire region. Have a great rest of your evening everyone! && .AVIATION (16/00Z through 17/00Z)... VFR condition prevail through the duration of the TAF period. Few-Sct clouds exist from TPA/PIE southward between 10-15KFT this evening...and these clouds will continue to push southward and diminish overnight. Mostly clear skies for all terminals through the daylight hours Wednesday. Light generally northerly flow overnight increases slightly to between 7-10knots during the late morning and afternoon Wednesday. && FIRE WEATHER... Relative humidity values are forecast to dip below 35 percent across a large portion of the region Wednesday afternoon. Many inland areas may see between 3-5 hours of critical relative humidity. As of now...the only zone that runs a threat of reaching red flag criteria is interior Manatee County...where around 4 hours of critical RH and ERC values over 37 are expected. Elsewhere...despite the dry conditions...ERC values are forecast below 37 and wind will be generally light. If similar conditions are expected with the next forecast cycle early Wednesday morning...then a red flag warning may become necessary for interior Manatee County Wednesday afternoon. Relative humidity is forecast to slowly increase Thursday through Saturday..with no additional threat of red flag conditions. Post frontal conditions on Sunday will find much drier/cooler air filter down the peninsula, increasing fire weather sensitivity Sun into early next week. && .Prev Discussion... /issued Issued by National Weather Service Melbourne FL/ SHORT TERM...(TONIGHT-WEDNESDAY)...Approaching shortwave will act to shunt frontal boundary and lingering mid level cloudiness southward into this evening. Weak surface high pressure will build in behind the front with relatively light N-NE winds tonight and Wed. Atmosphere will be generally dry and stable with skies becoming mostly clear overnight, followed by plenty of sunshine on Wednesday. Overnight min temps falling into lower 50s much of the area...but expect upper 40s in the normally colder rural northern interior sections. A bit warmer for mins south with mid/upper 50s and upper 50s/near 60 immediate coast. High temperatures on Wednesday in the mid-upper 70s much of the area...some spots reaching around 80 in the southern sections. LONG TERM...(Wednesday Night-Tuesday)...Exiting upper troughing to the east as mid-level ridging builds from the central CONUS to the eastern seaboard and across the Florida peninsula thru Fri night. The upper ridging flattens out across the region Sat thru the remainder of the extended as another strong upper trough moves thru the Upper Midwest/Great Lakes over the weekend. Closer towards the surface, high pressure over the southeast U.S. and Deep South expands across the eastern seaboard thru Fri. A cold front will push thru WCFL Sat night with northerly winds into Mon before veering northeast/east late Mon into Tue. Moisture and dynamics will be lacking and will continue with a dry forecast over the period. Temperatures near to slightly above climo thru Sat, then much cooler and drier air areawide behind the front Sun into Tue as high pressure builds back into the area. Expect highs/lows on the order of several degrees or more below normal Sun thru Mon night. MARINE...Tonight-Wed...High pressure building in to the north with winds generally from N-NE in over the northern Gulf of Mexico through Wed with winds 10-15 knots or less...seas 1-2 feet near shore and up to 3 feet well offshore. Wed night-Sun...High pressure will influence the weather pattern Fri, then a fairly strong cold front will push thru the area Sat night and usher in gusty north winds and much cooler/drier air. Wind speeds will generally hold at around 15 knots or less through Saturday, then increase Saturday night with approach/passage of a cold front. Cautionary to advisory level winds and seas will be possible Saturday night and into early Monday before high pressure builds back in early next week with the pressure gradient relaxing and seas on a subsiding trend. && .Preliminary Point Temps/PoPs... TPA 58 77 59 79 / 0 0 0 0 FMY 58 79 58 81 / 0 0 0 0 GIF 53 78 55 79 / 0 0 0 0 SRQ 59 77 55 80 / 0 0 0 0 BKV 51 77 48 79 / 0 0 0 0 SPG 61 76 60 79 / 0 0 0 0 && .TBW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... FL...None. Gulf waters...None. && $$ UPDATE/AVIATION/FIRE WEATHER...Mroczka Previous Discussion...SEDLOCK/GLITTO
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Albany NY
441 AM EST Wed Nov 16 2016 .SYNOPSIS... As a storm system continues to lift across New England, some additional showers are expected through the morning hours today, mainly for northern parts of the area. Clouds will gradually break for some sunshine by this afternoon with milder temperatures. Dry weather with above normal temperatures is expected for Thursday through Saturday, before much colder weather arrives for the end of the weekend into next week. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 PM THIS EVENING/... As of 441 AM EST...Surface low pressure is located close to Boston across eastern Massachusetts and it will continue to slowly track northward across New England. Meanwhile, a closed off 500 hpa low is situated directly over eastern New York and this feature will also continue to slowly track east-northeast today into New England. Regional mosaic radar continues to show some light rain showers/drizzle over eastern New York, with some deformation rain across central New York. During the morning hours, these showers will continue to impact the region, mainly for areas north and west of Albany. The 3km HRRR shows the best chance for seeing showers will be before 10 AM, as the best lift/moisture will be shifting away from the area after that time. Any showers that do occur this morning look to be fairly light and most areas won`t see any more than an additional tenth of an inch of rainfall. It looks fairly cloudy through the morning hours, with some patches of mist/drizzle/fog as well. However, some drier air (already seen on the water vapor imagery over the eastern Great Lakes and upper Ohio River Valley) will start to work its way into the area by this afternoon, which should allow for some breaks in the cloud cover, especially for valley areas. Highs today will range from the mid 40s over northern and high terrain areas to the mid 50s in southern valley areas. These temperatures are slightly above normal for mid-November. && .SHORT TERM /6 PM THIS EVENING THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT/... Mainly dry and quiet weather is expected through the entire short term period with above normal temperatures. The upper level trough will continue to depart tonight with gradually clearing skies. Cloud cover looks to hang on the longest across the western Adirondacks. Lows look to be in the mid 30s to low 40s. The upper level trough will be cutting off just east of the region over the western Atlantic Ocean. Meanwhile, upper level ridging will be building into our area from the west with a large area of surface high pressure. This should allow for a partly to mostly sunny sky on Thursday with above-normal temperatures. Highs look to reach the upper 40s to upper 50s across the entire area. Clear skies and light winds will allow temps to fall back into the lower 30s for Thursday night. The ridge axis will be centered over the eastern seaboard on Friday with even higher heights and warmer temps aloft. 850 hpa temps will be 11-13 degrees C on Friday, which is 1-3 STD above normal. Mixing won`t be overly deep due to the weak November sun, but still, much of the area will see highs near 60 with full sunshine. Continued clear skies/light winds look to allow for another seasonably chilly night on Friday night with lows in the 30s. && .LONG TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/... Guidance continues to show an amplified longwave pattern across the CONUS through the period. There is agreement an upper level trough becomes negatively tilted as it approaches the region with a low cutting off over/in the vicinity of the region over the weekend. The differences in the details with how this evolves will have a large impact on the local forecast especially the positioning of the storm. What is certain it will turn much colder as we end into Thanksgiving week after another bout of above normal/mild temperatures. Have taken the lead for the forecast from the Weather Prediction Center which notes the operational ECMWF has become an outlier solution and lacks support from its ensemble members. Ridging is expected to give way to an approaching low pressure system Saturday. Chances for showers will be on the increase Saturday as the system occludes as its cold front crosses the region. Much colder air will be ushered into the region the passage of the front. The forecast gets complicated as a vigorous short wave rotates about the base of the deep trough causing it to become negatively tilted and resulting in the development of an upper low with a stacked system by the end of the weekend. With this will come unsettled cold weather with rain and snow showers. In addition, the flow of the cold air across the relatively warm water of the Great Lakes will result in lake enhancement of the showers. At this time, accumulating snowfall is possible across a portion of the forecast area mainly for areas to the northwest of the Capital District particularly the western Adirondacks. The storm is anticipated to move northward into the Canadian Maritimes Monday with cold and blustery conditions across the region along with rain/snow showers in cyclonic flow. Higher pressure should build in for Tuesday. Note there is much uncertainty in the forecast and changes to it are to be expected. && .AVIATION /09Z WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/... An area of low pressure will continue to slowly move northward across New England and eventually reach the Canadian Maritimes late Wednesday evening. Have a deep moist airmass in place across the region with mainly IFR conditions. Expect these conditions to persist through the early morning hours with periods of drizzle. A gradual improvement is expected as the low moves off to our north and east during the day. MVFR conditions are expected to linger through the morning at KALB, KGFL and KPSF with VFR conditions developing in the afternoon. VFR conditions are expected to develop in the morning at KPOU. VFR conditions are then expected through the evening, however clouds will be on the increase from the west as a short wave moves through the upper trough over the region. Light winds from the southwest to north overnight with a west wind of 7 to 10 knots during the day Wednesday. Outlook... Thursday Night: No Operational Impact. NO SIG WX. Friday: No Operational Impact. NO SIG WX. Friday Night: No Operational Impact. NO SIG WX. Saturday: No Operational Impact. NO SIG WX. Saturday Night: Moderate Operational Impact. Chance of SHRA. Sunday: High Operational Impact. Likely SHRA. Sunday Night: Moderate Operational Impact. Chance of SHRA...SHSN. Monday: Moderate Operational Impact. Chance of SHRA...SHSN. && .FIRE WEATHER... Much of the area saw a wetting rainfall yesterday. A few lingering showers are possible this morning, mainly for northern areas. Some clearing is expected by this afternoon, when RH values will fall to 50 to 70 percent across the area. The lowest values will be across the mid-Hudson Valley. West winds will be 5 to 15 MPH today. RH values look to recover to near 100 percent tonight with light winds. Dry weather is expected the next few days. RH values will fall to 45 to 65 percent on Thursday with northwest winds of 5 to 15 MPH. RH values will be lower on Friday, but winds will be lighter as well. && .HYDROLOGY... The departing storm brought a widespread rainfall to the region. Many areas saw in excess of one inch, with a few spots totaling over two inches. Due to recent dry conditions, this rainfall only allowed for minor rises on rivers and streams across the region. Although a few lingering showers are expected this morning, additional rainfall will be generally a tenth of an inch or less. Dry weather is then expected to return for this evening through Saturday. As a result, rivers and streams will recede and then be fairly steady through the rest of the week. Some additional precipitation is expected Sunday into Monday as another complex storm system impacts the region. The US Drought Monitor continues to have much of the area in the D1 (Moderate Drought) to D2 (Severe Drought) categories. This recent rainfall was very helpful, but probably not enough to significantly change these classifications this week. For details on specific area rivers and lakes, including observed and forecast river stages and lake elevations, please visit the Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service /AHPS/ graphs on our website. && .ALY WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... CT...None. NY...None. MA...None. VT...None. && $$ SYNOPSIS...Frugis NEAR TERM...Frugis SHORT TERM...Frugis LONG TERM...IAA AVIATION...IAA FIRE WEATHER...Frugis HYDROLOGY...Frugis
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Dodge City KS
356 AM CST Wed Nov 16 2016 ...Updated Short Term, Long Term, Fire Weather Sections... .SHORT TERM...(Today and tonight) Issued at 355 AM CST Wed Nov 16 2016 Today we will see the first signs of the approaching storm system by way of increased southerly winds as the MSLP gradient increases. The inherited wind grids look pretty good, and we will continue to use the highest guidance for the official wind grids, given the fact that much of the area is now in a moderate drought which supports deeper mixing and thus better momentum transfer. Peak winds this afternoon should reach around 25-30 mph with gusts in the 35-40 mph range. Areas across far west central KS closer to the Colorado border will see weaker winds given the proximity to the lee trough axis and thus a generally weaker gradient. Official temperatures for today will closely follow the very warm HRRR model, which has actually done very well in our very dry/warm regime since early Fall. Given this, we have increased MaxT to 85 at Dodge City and 86-87 right along the Oklahoma border from Liberal to Ashland. Dewpoint grids were lowered in collaboration with neighboring offices to add the much drier HRRR influence over the SuperBlend guidance. This will affect fire weather, which will be expanded on in the Fire Weather section. The fairly tight pressure gradient will continue through the night tonight with 15-20 mph winds much of the night generally east of a Liberal to Dodge City to La Crosse line. This will keep the boundary layer mixed enough to prevent a substantial drop in temperature. Lows will be in the lower to mid 50s east of this line also. From Syracuse to Scott City, where winds will be weaker very near the trough axis, temperatures should bottom out in the lower to mid 40s. .LONG TERM...(Thursday through Tuesday) Issued at 355 AM CST Wed Nov 16 2016 Thursday and Friday garnered much of the interest and focus for this forecast. The anticipated storm strength and track still look good, which meant that there are no huge surprises or radical forecast changes. All the models are coming into line now with the surface low coming out from east-central Colorado into far west central KS by late afternoon Thursday. A massive synoptic dry intrusion air stream with incredible downward vertical motion and downslope will push into far southwest Kansas by afternoon. Intense gradient through the depth of the lower-mid troposphere will result in very strong winds. We are most concerned about very far southwest Kansas the most regarding winds -- with sustained winds likely approaching 40 mph at times in the Johnson, Elkhart, and Liberal areas. This would include gusts well over 50 mph at times for a few hours. The main question is how far northeast this winds will extend. The more aggressive GFS and even both WRF-ARW and NMM suggest the dry intrusion airstream winds will reach as far northeast as about Jetmore. The next question is then precipitation. The track of the low will put the brunt of precipitation well north into western and central Nebraska. Nevertheless, the wrap around trajectories could bring light accumulating precip down to as far south as Syracuse to Scott City to Wakeeney-Hays. A brief period of wet snow is a distinct possibility. The progressive nature of the storm system will prevent a long enough duration of meaningful precipitation, however. The coldest air of the year will then plunge into the western Kansas region by Friday. Highs Friday will be radically cooler than what we have seen, with updated forecast highs for Friday in the mid to upper 40s. A 1035mb surface high will become centered over western Kansas in the wake of the storm Friday Night/Saturday morning. Much of the guidance has widespread lows of lower to mid 20s for lows, which certainly makes sense given light winds, clear skies and a very dry airmass. There wasn`t much time to delve into the periods beyond Saturday, but another storm system will be on the horizon for early to mid next week. This storm, as it looks now, will take a more southern track, which would put southwestern Kansas in a much better position for widespread accumulating precipitation. It is far too early to get into any more detail than that at this time. && .AVIATION...(For the 06Z TAFS through 06Z Wednesday night) Issued at 1132 PM CST Tue Nov 15 2016 As a significant storm takes shape across the Great Basin region tomorrow, the pressure gradient will tighten in response across western Kansas. South winds will increase to midday/afternoon values of 20 to 24 knots sustained with gusts in the lower 30s. The atmosphere will remain dry, so VFR conditions will continue. && .FIRE WEATHER... Issued at 400 aM CST Mon Nov 14 2016 Significant fire weather concerns both today and Thursday. The Red Flag Warning will be expanded northward to I-70 given concerns of drier air pushing in than many of the models suggest. The HRRR and its dry/warm bias compared to all other models is actually most favored in this moderate drought regime we are currently in. A Fire Weather Watch will also be issued for Thursday. Much stronger winds are forecast for far southwest Kansas, to the tune of 35 to 40 mph with gusts to around 55 mph. This combined with afternoon relative humidity in the 10-15 percent range translates to Extremely Critical conditions -- and Storm Prediction Center has issued such an outlook for Thursday covering portions of far southwest Kansas from Johnson to Elkhart to Hugoton. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... DDC 85 53 75 33 / 0 0 0 10 GCK 85 47 72 31 / 0 0 0 20 EHA 85 49 71 29 / 0 0 0 10 LBL 86 52 76 31 / 0 0 0 10 HYS 82 50 68 35 / 0 0 0 20 P28 82 56 77 40 / 0 0 0 10 && .DDC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Red Flag Warning from noon CST /11 AM MST/ today to 7 PM CST /6 PM MST/ this evening for KSZ030-031-043>046-061>065-074>078- 084>088. Fire Weather Watch from Thursday morning through Thursday evening for KSZ061>064-074>078-084>088. && $$ SHORT TERM...Umscheid LONG TERM...Umscheid AVIATION...Umscheid FIRE WEATHER...Umscheid
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Wilmington NC
414 AM EST Wed Nov 16 2016 .SYNOPSIS... A gradual warming trend is slated for the remainder of the week. A strong cold front will cross the region on Saturday with only a very slight chance for showers. Some of the coldest air of the season will follow for the remainder of the weekend. Freezing temperatures are possible Sunday night. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... As of 330 AM Wednesday...Morning fog, patches of dense especially across the ILM SC CWA, will quickly burn off by mid- morning. Progged soundings and latest 11-3.9 micron IR imagery both illustrate no stratus this morning. Just shallow ground based fog within the sfc based inversion which has been aided by the decent rad cooling conditions. A nearly full latitude and amplified upper trof lies across eastern Canada and the eastern U.S. this morning. This upper trof axis nearly overhead this morning, will push off the Carolina coasts and offshore during this period. Flow aloft will become NW to NNW later today thru tonight. This will help divert the smoke from the Appalachian wildfires, away from the ILM CWA, ie. keeping the smoke west and south of the FA by the end of this period. Weak sfc ridging today from the Gulf coast will give way to a weak and dry sfc boundary that drops southward across the ILM CWA late tonight. Not much in the way of clouds associated with it but rather and mainly a wind direction change. Aloft, will see some drying as the well amplified upper ridging across the central U.S. progresses eastward toward the FA. Max/min temps this period will be at or a few degrees above normal. Have indicated fog across the FA toward daybreak Thu but not as robust like the past few days. Latest hourly bufr soundings late tonight indicate only a modest sfc based inversion at best. In addition, winds just off the deck will run from the N-NNE at 10 to 20 kt which may mix some drier air aloft down to the sfc. && .SHORT TERM /THURSDAY THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT/... As of 330 AM Wednesday...Ridging sfc and aloft will dominate the sensible weather this period. With the amplified upper ridge axis remaining west of the ILM CWA this period and flow aloft having a downslope trajectory within it, skies will for the most part remain clear at night and sunny during the day. With the upper ridge axis coming in close proximity late Friday, cirrus may ride over it`s axis and across portions of the the FA. Not enough to detour from a clear/mostly clear Fri night though. Temperatures this period will run 1 to possibly 2 categories above normal. Expect widespread 70s, especially on Fri. Overnight lows in the 40s to around 50 along the immediate coast. With the airmass much drier than in the beginning of this week, the threat for early morning widespread fog, including dense, will be quite low. && .LONG TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/... As of 300 AM Wednesday...Strong cold front will cross the Carolinas on Saturday, moving offshore Saturday night. This occurs beneath a deep and negatively tilting upper low, which will skirt just north of the local area. Still some uncertainty into whether there will be enough forcing and pre-frontal moisture return to create any showers, but will maintain the inherited SCHC for the northern zones late on Saturday. More notably will be the sharp temperature drop that occurs behind this FROPA. While highs on Saturday will climb into the 70s, 5-10 degrees above climo, temps Sun-Mon will fall to values more typical for January than mid-November. The combination of 850mb temps falling below 0 and strong CAA may allow for widespread freezing temperatures, especially Sunday night. Temps will begin to recover on Tuesday as the upper low pulls away from New England, but will remain below climo through the end of the period. && .AVIATION /08Z WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/... As of 06Z...High confidence in IFR across the SC terminals tonight, with VFR/MVFR predominant in NC. Continued weak pressure gradient as high pressure edges eastward has allowed winds to decouple this morning. This has allowed winds to decouple to calm, and fog has developed across SC. Very little of the guidance is modeling this well, but both UPS fog tool and HRRR have fog overspreading the region through the remainder of the overnight, with isolated dense fog possible. The best chance for IFR will be across SC where stratus took most of Tuesday to burn off, and hence very little drying occurred so near-surface moisture is higher. At LBT/ILM confidence is lower, and have opted to keep any mention of IFR to a TEMPO group where vsbys may fluctuate. At FLO, landing mins may be exceeded most of the overnight once again. Fog/Stratus will again be slow to burn off after sunrise, but VFR is expected by late morning at all terminals as NW winds of 5-10 kts advect drier air into the region. VFR will then persist through the rest of the valid period. Extended Outlook...VFR. A cold front may bring a few showers Saturday. && .MARINE... NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... As of 330 AM Wednesday...Benign conditions to prevail this period with wind directions the problem child due to a disorganized sfc pressure pattern. Models suggest weak ridging to extend across the area waters from the Gulf of Mexico today. For tonight, a weak sfc boundary drops southward across the area waters before dissipating. No pcpn or clouds associated with it, just a wind direction change. The sfc pg remains loose, resulting in wind speeds around 10 kt or less. Significant seas will be around 2 ft with an ESE 9 second period ground swell dominating the seas spectrum. SHORT TERM /Thursday THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT/... As of 330 AM Wednesday...This will be a top 10, 2 day forecast, for this Fall season that will be in the mariner`s favor or interest. The area waters will be under the control of sfc and upper ridging. The well offshore and high seas cutoff Low depicted by the models, will meander over these Atlantic waters during this period, staying east of the 70 degree longitude line. This will slow the eastward progression of the upper and sfc ridging located across the Central U.S. at the start of this period. The sfc high`s elongated and expansive center will lie just inland from the Carolina coasts by Friday. A slightly tightened sfc pg at the start of this period will yield around 10 kt, occasionally 15 kt across the ILM NC waters early. Winds will become 10 kt or less thruout Thu night thru Friday night. Significant seas will run 2 to 3 ft at the start, becoming 2 ft or less Thu thru Friday. For the most part, an ESE 9 second period ground swell will dominate the local waters with a small wind chop on top. Latest Wavewatch3 and Swan models indicate that an organized ground swell from the cutoff Low could affect the local waters during Fri by introducing an ENE pseudo swell at 6 to 8 second periods. It could add 1 to possibly 2 ft to the total seas. But for now, will keep the sig. seas around 2 ft until more confidence with this potential swell is realized. LONG TERM /sATURDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/... As of 300 AM Wednesday...A cold front approaching from the NW Saturday will cause winds to increase from the W/SW up to 15-20 kts by Saturday evening. The FROPA will occur late Saturday, accompanied by a wind shift to the NW and a steady increase in speed to 20-25 kts. These winds will then persist much of Sunday. The increasing winds will drive wave heights from 2-3 ft early Saturday, to 4-6 ft Saturday night and then slowly fall to 3-5 ft late Sunday thanks to the persistent offshore wind component. An SCA will likely be needed beginning late Saturday and persist through the wknd. && .ILM WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... SC...None. NC...None. MARINE...None. && $$ SYNOPSIS...JDW NEAR TERM...DCH SHORT TERM...DCH LONG TERM...JDW AVIATION...JDW
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Lincoln IL
357 AM CST Wed Nov 16 2016 .SHORT TERM...(Today and tonight) ISSUED AT 356 AM CST Wed Nov 16 2016 Weak cold front pushing SE through central IL early this morning to bring yet another shift in generally light winds...from SW to NW for late morning. The front will reach the Indiana state line by mid morning. As a surface high pressure ridge crosses the area early in the afternoon winds will be quite light. As a cold front approaches from the central Plains...SE winds will begin tonight and increase to around 10 mph overnight. As weak warm advection begins today...highs should increase a few degrees...ranging from around 63 along/north of I-74 to the mid and upper 60s from Springfield to Lawrenceville southwestward. Lows should range from the mid to upper 40s to some lower 50s in west central IL tonight. Predominantly clear skies expected for the next 24 hours...other than patchy fog across the area this morning and a layer of high cloud from afternoon through tonight. So far...thin fog noted in obs from Champaign to Effingham eastward...with dewpoint depressions generally around 5 degrees to the west near the frontal boundary. Farther behind the front...dewpoint depressions fall off to a few degrees or less and HRRR model suggesting another area of fog to develop. As a result...will continue patchy fog developing across the area by sunrise and continuing until around 9 a.m. && .LONG TERM...(Thursday through Tuesday) ISSUED AT 356 AM CST Wed Nov 16 2016 Models remain in good agreement with the timing and the track of the next storm system for Friday, and the temperatures ahead of it inching up into the 70s for Thursday. Cold air moving in behind the boundary bringing a chilly weekend. The warm air from the building ridge over the southwest surges into the region...with a well above normal max temp expected on Thursday, with 850 mb temps in the 16-17C range. The storm system developing over the Plains will move northeast and into the Upper Midwest on Friday, dragging a cold front through the region on Friday. Plenty of warm air in the region should provide some instability, but the significant lack of moisture in the boundary layer is resulting in some negligible CAPEs and other indices. Pretty decent 0-6km shear in place for Friday afternoon should any storms materialize. Warmer max temps possible in the eastern half of ILX would collide a better chance for thunderstorms developing as the cold front moves through closer to peak heating. The region is not in a convective outlook per SPC...likely because of the lack of low level moisture and the general mid level ridging over the Gulf Coast blocking any significant moisture advection with the warmer air from the SW. Behind the cold front, plenty of cold air will put the chill back into the region for the weekend...and some flurries possible across the northern tier of Illinois early Saturday. A solid freeze expected Sat night/Sun morning and again on Monday morning as lows drop into the 20s. Next storm system moving across the country expected to develop Tuesday/Wednesday time frame across the Midwest. ECMWF and GFS still with some timing differences, and with the collision of the system with the cold air in place for the region...watching precip types closely at this point. && .AVIATION...(For the 06Z TAFS through 06Z Wednesday night) Issued at 1146 PM CST Tue Nov 15 2016 Light fog still appears possible during the early morning hours. Vis at TAF sites has not started to decrease yet, but some lower visibilities are being seen in southeast IL and temp/dwpt spreads have decreased at some of the sites. So have kept the light fog at all sites with lowest of 2sm at CMI. Skies should remain clear remainder of the night and through tomorrow, then looks like more cirrus moves into the area late afternoon into evening. Winds will be light and variable and then become southeasterly tomorrow evening as the ridge moves east of the area. && .CLIMATE... Issued at 356 AM CST Wed Nov 16 2016 Record high temperatures for Thursday, Nov 17th... Peoria........75 degrees set back in 1941 Springfield...75 degrees set back in 1941, 1952 Lincoln.......75 degrees set back in 1941 Galesburg.....75 degrees set back in 1952 Jacksonville..78 degrees set back in 1952 Bloomington...78 degrees set back in 1986 Decatur.......77 degrees set back in 1952 && .ILX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && $$ SHORT TERM...Onton LONG TERM...HJS AVIATION...Auten CLIMATE...EJL
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Marquette MI
500 AM EST Wed Nov 16 2016 .SHORT TERM...(Today and tonight) Issued at 459 AM EST WED NOV 16 2016 WV imagery and RAP analysis indicated a mid/upper level ridge from the srn plains to Manitoba and a trough from wrn Hudson Bay through nrn Ontario into the cntrl Great Lakes. At the surface, a ridge from IA into MN was building eastward resulting in light winds over the wrn cwa and diminishing wnw winds over the east where the clouds were slowly departing. The clearing skies and leftover low level moisture has allowed areas of fog to develop over the wrn third of Upper Michigan. Expect that daytime heating will be enough to burn off the low clouds and fog over the west by mid to late morning. Otherwise, with increasing WAA and mixing heights to around 925-900 mb, temps should climb to around 50. increasing mid clouds and south winds will keep min temps around 40 inland to the mid 40s near the Great Lakes. .LONG TERM...(Wednesday night through Tuesday) Issued at 358 PM EST TUE NOV 15 2016 Main emphasis for the long term will be on strong storm system expected this weekend. Many areas in Upper Michigan will see first accumulating snow with this system with several inches of lake enhanced snow possible over especially the higher terrain of western Upper Michigan late Fri night/Sat morning into Sat night. Strong winds will also affect most of the area and it will turn sharply colder. Due to the snow and winds, seems likely that some winter weather headlines will be needed, but still too far out in time to issue those. Have already highlighted the storm in the Hazardous Weather Outlook and will now start to cover more through social media. Start of long term features upper ridging aloft across the central Conus while strong troughing that will help to form the storm digs across the western Conus. Lee cyclogenesis takes place Wed night into Thu then as the shortwave trough slides across the central plains the sfc low is expected to deepen blo 1000mb while reaching Iowa into southern Minnesota by daybreak on Fri. Warm with well above normal temps into the 50s both Thu and Fri. Stronger winds on Fri will make it feel a little cooler though though not near as cold as it will feel for the upcoming weekend. Though majority of precip Thu night into Fri in the form of rain will remain northwest of Upper Michigan in right entrance region of jet across northern Ontario and where mid level frontogenesis is maximized, H925-h7 moisture advection and weak lift along h85 inverted trough should lead to light rain into northwest half of cwa. Low-level jet and theta-e advection could also bring isold-scattered showers into scntrl and east cwa by Fri aftn. SI/s nearing zero could result in a small chance of tsra. Too low of chance to include attm though. Forecast models continue to shift around with track of the low Fri into Sat. As of right now though the main three models of GFS, ECMWF and GEM are in real good agreement come Fri night into Sat. Unfortunately though given that the main shortwave trough leading to the low remains off the west coast until Wed morning, there will likely be more wobbling in the sfc low track over the next couple days. For now, following consensus of the models brings the low across northern Wisconsin or western Upper Michigan by Fri evening, then across eastern Upper Michigan or eastern Lk Superior by daybreak on Sat. What is interesting is this track remains on the western edge of the various SREF and GEFS ensembles for sfc low, indicating there could be some room for the sfc low to still track east. Have to wait on that one as it would result in better chance of more widespread snow Fri Night and would allow colder air to arrive sooner. Again staying with the consensus for now, once the low moves over eastern Upper Michigan and Lk Superior overnight on Fri night, expect cold air (h85 temps down to -10c overnight Fri night) to quickly charge over western Lk Superior and western Upper Michigan. Even though widespread cold conveyor belt snow will be north of Lk Superior, deep moisture and lift tied to upper trough, sharp cyclonic nw low-level flow with delta t/s over 17c will lead to moderate to possibly heavy lake enhanced snow. GFS forecast soundings are impressive with inversions up to 10kft and decent amount of moist layer within the dendritic snow growth zone. Delta t/s become even more favorable later on Sat into Sat night with values over 20c. Deeper moisture at h7 begins to pull out on Sat night as upper level trough axis refocuses toward mid Atlantic states. Even with diminishing upper level forcing, likely will see light to moderate snow continue over cntrl and eastern cwa Sat night into Sun with the amount of overwater instability forecast and since inversions remain well above 5kft. Low-level flow stays somewhat convergent as lake induced troughing persists with h85 temps down to -14c. Lowering inversions should finally lead to diminishing trend to the lake effect later Sun into Sun night. Most areas of Upper Michigan will see first measurable snow with this system. Several inches of snow are possible across higher terrain areas of western Upper Michigan. Winds will be a potential hazard with this storm as well. As the low wraps up and passes east of Lk Superior late Fri night into Sat morning, northwest winds will quickly ramp up across Lk Superior and eventually all of Upper Michigan. Soundings from GFS and 925mb and 850mb winds from ECMWF and GEM indidicate mixed layer winds over 40 mph across northern and eastern Upper Michigan on Sat with gusts possibly reaching 60 mph near the shoreline of Lk Superior Sat into Sat evening. Winds this strong could topple trees and lead to power outages. Also, with waves building to 15-20 feet on portions of Lk Superior, could see beach erosion and we will eventually need a lakeshore flood advisory or maybe even a warning with the higher water levels seen in the last couple years. Strength of system and sharpness of temp gradient with the system point to widespread advy level wind gusts even at inland points and near Lk Michigan. Cold conditions will be another item with this storm as temps will be falling through the day on Sat and should stay in the low to mid 30s on Sun. Wind chill readings will fall into the teens on Sat and remain there into Sun. As high drifts across western Upper Michigan on Sun night it could end up quite chilly with readings as low as lower teens. Overall this storm could have quite a widespread impact over our region. Even though it falls on a weekend not affecting school or work commutes, it could be higher impact than it would be otherwise since it is occurring the first full weekend of the fire arm rifle deer hunting season. Beyond the weekend rest of the long term is quiet with slight warming trend as high pressure ridge is main weather feature. Beyond the long term, will have to keep eye on another storm system that could bring some light snow across the western Great Lakes late Wed into Thanksgiving. && .AVIATION...(For the 06Z TAFS through 06Z Wednesday night) Issued at 1147 PM EST TUE NOV 15 2016 In the wake of a cold front that has passed, diminishing winds and radiational cooling will probably lead to some fog/IFR conditions developing. At this point, it appears KIWD has the best chance of seeing IFR conditions at times overnight, potentially even LIFR. At KSAW, MVFR cigs should scatter out later in the night with a light downslope wind probably preventing fog/stratus. Drier air mass over the area associated with passing high pres ridge will result in VFR conditions/light winds today after any morning fog/stratus dissipates. && .MARINE...(For the 4 AM Lake Superior forecast issuance) Issued at 459 AM EST WED NOV 16 2016 ...Strong storm system to move through late this week... South winds will increase to 30 knots tonight over the ern half of the lake as the pres gradient tightens between the departing ridge and a trough into MN. The next chance for gales, especially over the western lake, is expected by late Thursday night into Friday as northeast winds increase in response to a deep low pressure system approaching from the plains. While uncertainty remains with the track of that low...high end north to northwesterly gales are expected over most of Lake Superior, and storm force winds to 50 knots are possible, Friday night into early Sunday as the low exits the Upper Great Lakes. A Marine Weather Statement was issued to provide additional information on this storm system. && .MQT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Upper Michigan... None. Lake Superior... None. Lake Michigan... None. && $$ SHORT TERM...JLB LONG TERM...JLA AVIATION...Rolfson MARINE...JLB
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Portland Oregon
816 PM PST Tue Nov 15 2016 .SYNOPSIS...Off and on showers will continue through Wednesday with snow levels lowering below Cascades passes this afternoon and evening. Showers should decrease Thursday with temperatures dropping to some of the coldest readings so far this fall by Friday morning. While Friday should end up dry, expect wet, but mild conditions to return for the weekend. && .SHORT TERM...Today through Friday...Water Vapor satellite imagery shows a longwave trough over the Pacific Northwest spanning west over the NE Pacific. Unstable conditions generated by cold air aloft are generating scattered showers across the region and over the waters. Scattered showers to continue overnight. RAP and NAM both show MUCAPE values of 500 to 800 J/kg and LI values around -1 to -4 over the waters overnight, so am leaving a slight chance of thunderstorms over the waters. With temperatures cooling over land, however, the threat for thunderstorms should be over. Colder air has spread across the region, and we are observing snow accumulating down to around 3800 ft in the Cascades this evening. Snow levels will continue to lower to around 3000-3500 ft by Wednesday morning. We`re expecting around 3-7 inches total, with higher amounts above 6000 ft overnight. We appear right on track with the current winter weather advisory for the Cascades. Tides today caused some nuisance ponding in spots along the Coast. As tides should be weaker tomorrow, don`t expect any additional issues along the Coast. Shortwave ridging moves across the region late Thursday and Friday, which means drier weather and areas of valley fog away from the Columbia River Gorge, which will see increasing easterly winds. There is a good chance that many locations will see their coldest temperatures so far this fall Friday morning, with a good chance for frost in more rural areas away from the Columbia Gorge. -McCoy .LONG TERM...Friday night through Monday...No changes. Previous discussion follows...Models are in decent agreement that a low pressure system will move into the eastern Pacific and bring a mild and wet pattern in general to the region. There are enough differences between models that timing breaks in the wet weather remains a lost cause so few significant changes were made to the forecast. /Neuman && .AVIATION...VFR across much of the area as of 04Z, except areas of MVFR likely in the higher terrain due to orographic shower activity. Air mass looks to be well mixed to maintain VFR at all TAF sites through Wed afternoon. Showers continue Wed, but not as numerous and favoring higher terrain where periods of MVFR can be expected. Snow levels have fallen to around 3500 feet this evening, with brief periods of IFR vis likely in the Cascades through Wed morning. KPDX AND APPROACHES...VFR at the terminal and vicinity at 04Z and should continue through Wed afternoon. There is the potential for local MVFR cigs around sunrise in some of the sheltered valleys and also 18Z Wed through 03Z Thu in heavier showers. Weishaar && .MARINE...Wind speeds slow to diminish this evening. Enough instability remains this evening to produce isolated gusts to 25 kt. The small craft advisory for wind has already expired. Despite these isolated 25 kt gusts, will not re-issue as the air mass will gradually stabilize tonight and models show decreasing boundary layer wind speeds. Wind speeds remain 15 kt or less Wed through Thu evening, then start to ramp up from the southeast late Thu night and Fri. Possible gale force wind beginning over the outer waters late Fri afternoon. Seas running a foot or two higher than guidance this evening. Buoy 050 was at 17 ft at 03Z. Seas slowly ease over the next 24 to 36 hours, but will remain above 10 ft. The east to southeast wind late in the week will drive seas below 10 ft. However, seas may rise to the mid-teens late Fri night and Sat if gales develop as forecast. Weishaar && .PQR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... OR...Winter Weather Advisory until 6 PM PST Wednesday for Cascades in Lane County-Northern Oregon Cascades. WA...Winter Weather Advisory until 6 PM PST Wednesday for South Washington Cascades. PZ...Small Craft Advisory for hazardous seas until 4 PM PST Thursday for Coastal Waters from Cape Shoalwater WA to Florence OR out 60 nm. Small Craft Advisory for Rough Columbia River Bar until 4 PM PST Wednesday. && $$ 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
National Weather Service Topeka KS
335 AM CST Wed Nov 16 2016 .SHORT TERM...(Today and tonight) Issued at 304 AM CST Wed Nov 16 2016 Please see Fire Weather discussion below for specific info on that topic. Wednesday morning is starting off cool with readings in the middle to upper 30s as an area of sfc high pressure drifts eastward towards southern Iowa. The calm winds this morning are expected to veer to the south and increase as the incoming upper wave induces the sfc trough to deepen over the western high plains through tonight. By noon, southerly winds of 15 to 20 mph sustained are likely with occasional gusts to 30 mph. Forecast soundings have some of the dry air aloft mixing down towards the sfc while the strongest winds remain above the inversion layer at 900 mb by late afternoon. This will need to be monitored during the late afternoon as there is a slight potential for temps to be a few degrees warmer, allowing the RH values to fall into the upper 20s. For now, forecast sided closer to the drier bias from the RAP and HRRR which are still holding minimum humidity values in the lower 30s across north central Kansas, where the driest fuels reside. Elsewhere humidity values fall to the middle and upper 30 percent range. Fire danger concerns are elevated, however are not dry enough to warrant headlines at this time. Record highs are expected today with the strong warm advection anticipated. Most of the MOS guidance is pointing to upper 70s, perhaps a few 80 degree readings today. Southerly winds remain strong overnight between 15 and 20 mph sustained as the sfc low deepens and stretches eastward over the central plains. By 12Z Thursday, the approaching cold front`s location is just northwest of the CWA, accompanied by increasing high clouds. The increasing cloudiness and persistent mixing overnight results in near record warm lows once again in the upper 50s to lower 60s. .LONG TERM...(Thursday through Tuesday) Issued at 304 AM CST Wed Nov 16 2016 Please see Fire Weather discussion below for specific info on that topic. Thursday will be very windy as surface low pressure rapidly deepens in western Kansas in response to the incoming strong upper trough and associated jet streak. The heart of the negatively-tilted upper trough will travel from SE Colorado to NE Nebraska by sunrise on Friday, deepening along the way. This should track the surface low roughly across north central KS with the cold front surging across the forecast area between 9 PM and 3 AM. In advance of the system on Thursday, the pressure gradient will strengthen considerably with wind speeds at the top of the mixed layer around 50 kts and strong unidirectional flow through much of the troposphere. This suggests a likelihood for wind gusts greater than 40 mph and potential for some wind gusts in the 50 mph range during the daytime hours. Gusts will continue into the evening and then could see a couple hours of 40+ mph northwesterly gusts immediately behind the cold front. Gusty winds will then continue into Friday, mainly in the 30-40 mph range. Temperatures on Thursday will remain quite warm, flirting with records. Regarding precipitation with this storm system, surface dewpoints are still expected to be on the low end while a strong cap will be in place across the area. This will limit convective potential, but the overall strength of the forcing with this system continues to point to at least a chance for convective showers or even a few storms Thursday night in eastern KS. Widespread activity looks unlikely and strong storms look improbable given the strong cap and virtually no instability. A second area of precipitation will be associated with the upper level low with very strong vertical motion aloft. This will occur on the edge of a mid level dry slot across the local forecast area, and there is a chance that this will keep the precip just to the northwest. However, given a bit of uncertainty in the exact storm track along with the relative proximity of the forcing, have maintained chance pops over north central KS. At this time it looks like any precip would probably occur just prior to temperatures becoming cold enough for snowflakes to reach the surface, but even still can not completely rule out a brief period of rain/snow mix in north central KS. It will be much colder for Friday through the weekend but there will be substantial warm advection and upper height rises by late Sunday into Monday with highs expected to warm well back into the 50s by Monday into next week. There is strong model agreement in the next storm system crossing the Plains by Tuesday into Wednesday of next week with general agreement that it will produce widespread precipitation across the region. By this time, there should be sufficient warm air to keep the precip type as all rain, but some forecast soundings do suggest low-end potential of temperature profiles cooling enough by Wednesday morning to at least pay attention to winter precip potential. && .AVIATION...(For the 06Z TAFS through 06Z Wednesday night) Issued at 1136 PM CST Tue Nov 15 2016 VFR conditions expected through much of the period. LLWS increases quickly tomorrow evening despite surface winds not decoupling. && .FIRE WEATHER... Issued at 304 AM CST Wed Nov 16 2016 Today Forecast soundings have some of the dry air aloft mixing down towards the sfc while the strongest winds remain above the inversion layer at 900 mb by late afternoon. This will need to be monitored during the late afternoon as there is a slight potential for temps to be a few degrees warmer, allowing the RH values to fall into the upper 20s. For now, forecast sided closer to the drier bias from the RAP and HRRR which are still holding minimum humidity values in the lower 30s across north central Kansas, where the driest fuels reside. Elsewhere humidity values fall to the middle and upper 30 percent range. Fire danger concerns are elevated at this time, however are not dry enough to warrant headlines at this time. Thursday - Friday The main story on Thursday will be wind with southwest winds gusting in the 40 to 45 mph range and at least a low end potential for a few stronger gusts. Currently the MinRH forecast for the afternoon ranges from 36-42 percent, but dry air at the top of a very turbulent mixing layer lends at least some suggestion that the RH could be a bit lower through mid afternoon. A very strong cold front will pass through Concordia roughly around 9 PM, Manhattan close to midnight, and Topeka around 3 AM. This will provide a sharp shift to northwesterly winds that will likely be in the 20-30 mph range through Friday with stronger gusts approaching 35-40 mph. There may also be a brief period 1-2 hours behind the front during which winds could gust 40-45 mph with a relative minimum in RH...even though it will occur during the overnight hours. && .CLIMATE... Issued at 310 PM CST Tue Nov 15 2016 Current Record High Temperatures ---------------------------------------------------------- November 16 November 17 Topeka 79 76 (year) (1963) (1999) Concordia 72 76 (year) (1999, 1958, 1954) (1943) && .TOP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && $$ SHORT TERM...Prieto LONG TERM...Barjenbruch AVIATION...67 FIRE WEATHER...Barjenbruch/Prieto CLIMATE...Prieto
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Columbia SC
942 AM EST Wed Nov 16 2016 .SYNOPSIS... Dry high pressure will extend into the area from the west through Friday with above normal temps. A dry cold front will come through Saturday, reinforcing dry conditions with cooler temps for the weekend and into next week. Smoke from wildfires in the southern Appalachians will continue to affect the region through much of the period. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 PM THIS EVENING/... The forecast area will be situated in between an upper trough axis off the coast and an upper ridge over the central US. This will promote northwesterly flow aloft across the forecast area. Surface high pressure over the central Gulf will gradually shift northeastward into the region. The airmass will remain relatively dry with precipitable water values around half an inch. Smoke from the southern Appalachian wildfires will continue to be the main forecast issue. Northwesterly low level winds will allow the smoke to filter into the forecast area with hazy skies expected. May see slight improvement during the afternoon due to mixing. Downsloping expected to promote above normal high temperatures today, in the lower 70s. && .SHORT TERM /6 PM THIS EVENING THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT/... Dry conditions to continue as surface high pushes eastward and into the region. A general NW low level flow expected to provide continued smoky conditions across the area into tonight, with visibilities further reduced by late night/morning fog. Surface high center will remain in the region Thursday with light winds, and smoke still possibly trapped in the area. Fair and dry through the period, with above normal max temps, but near normal min temps due to dry conditions and appearance of good radiational cooling conditions. && .LONG TERM /FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/... An upper level ridge and surface high pressure will be over the Southeast Friday. Expect above normal afternoon temperatures, light winds and dry weather. For this weekend, the models continue to indicate a cold front moving through the region Saturday. Precipitation still appears to be rather unlikely with relatively dry air over the region. West winds during the day will help dry out some of the moisture ahead of the front as it moves eastward. The best chance of showers will be in the northern and western portions of the forecast area where there is better moisture. Mainly slight chance pops or less for the area ahead of the front. Expect breezy conditions behind the front with a moderately strong cold advection pattern. Freezing temperatures will also be possible Monday and Tuesday mornings. The pressure gradient will begin to relax early next week as surface high pressure moves over the area and the upper trough moves off the coast. && .AVIATION /15Z WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/... Low level northwesterly flow will continue to allow smoke to filter into the forecast area today. Expect MVFR visibilities in smoke to persist at all of the terminals through much of the day based on the HRRR model. A return to IFR visibilities in smoke and fog may occur again tonight. EXTENDED AVIATION OUTLOOK...Reduced visibilities in smoke/fog could continue through Thursday. Lower VSBYS would be expected late night/morning, with some improvement in the afternoon due to mixing. && .CAE WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... GA...None. SC...None. && $$
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Dodge City KS
500 AM CST Wed Nov 16 2016 ...updated aviation... .SHORT TERM...(Today and tonight) Issued at 355 AM CST Wed Nov 16 2016 Today we will see the first signs of the approaching storm system by way of increased southerly winds as the MSLP gradient increases. The inherited wind grids look pretty good, and we will continue to use the highest guidance for the official wind grids, given the fact that much of the area is now in a moderate drought which supports deeper mixing and thus better momentum transfer. Peak winds this afternoon should reach around 25-30 mph with gusts in the 35-40 mph range. Areas across far west central KS closer to the Colorado border will see weaker winds given the proximity to the lee trough axis and thus a generally weaker gradient. Official temperatures for today will closely follow the very warm HRRR model, which has actually done very well in our very dry/warm regime since early Fall. Given this, we have increased MaxT to 85 at Dodge City and 86-87 right along the Oklahoma border from Liberal to Ashland. Dewpoint grids were lowered in collaboration with neighboring offices to add the much drier HRRR influence over the SuperBlend guidance. This will affect fire weather, which will be expanded on in the Fire Weather section. The fairly tight pressure gradient will continue through the night tonight with 15-20 mph winds much of the night generally east of a Liberal to Dodge City to La Crosse line. This will keep the boundary layer mixed enough to prevent a substantial drop in temperature. Lows will be in the lower to mid 50s east of this line also. From Syracuse to Scott City, where winds will be weaker very near the trough axis, temperatures should bottom out in the lower to mid 40s. .LONG TERM...(Thursday through Tuesday) Issued at 355 AM CST Wed Nov 16 2016 Thursday and Friday garnered much of the interest and focus for this forecast. The anticipated storm strength and track still look good, which meant that there are no huge surprises or radical forecast changes. All the models are coming into line now with the surface low coming out from east-central Colorado into far west central KS by late afternoon Thursday. A massive synoptic dry intrusion air stream with incredible downward vertical motion and downslope will push into far southwest Kansas by afternoon. Intense gradient through the depth of the lower-mid troposphere will result in very strong winds. We are most concerned about very far southwest Kansas the most regarding winds -- with sustained winds likely approaching 40 mph at times in the Johnson, Elkhart, and Liberal areas. This would include gusts well over 50 mph at times for a few hours. The main question is how far northeast this winds will extend. The more aggressive GFS and even both WRF-ARW and NMM suggest the dry intrusion airstream winds will reach as far northeast as about Jetmore. The next question is then precipitation. The track of the low will put the brunt of precipitation well north into western and central Nebraska. Nevertheless, the wrap around trajectories could bring light accumulating precip down to as far south as Syracuse to Scott City to Wakeeney-Hays. A brief period of wet snow is a distinct possibility. The progressive nature of the storm system will prevent a long enough duration of meaningful precipitation, however. The coldest air of the year will then plunge into the western Kansas region by Friday. Highs Friday will be radically cooler than what we have seen, with updated forecast highs for Friday in the mid to upper 40s. A 1035mb surface high will become centered over western Kansas in the wake of the storm Friday Night/Saturday morning. Much of the guidance has widespread lows of lower to mid 20s for lows, which certainly makes sense given light winds, clear skies and a very dry airmass. There wasn`t much time to delve into the periods beyond Saturday, but another storm system will be on the horizon for early to mid next week. This storm, as it looks now, will take a more southern track, which would put southwestern Kansas in a much better position for widespread accumulating precipitation. It is far too early to get into any more detail than that at this time. && .AVIATION...(For the 12Z TAFS through 12Z Thursday morning) Issued at 500 AM CST Wed Nov 16 2016 VFR is expected through the TAF pd. Winds will increase mid morning and peak in the 20-35 kt range during the afternoon. Winds will decrease a bit during the evening. Overnight LLWS will be possible as well. && .FIRE WEATHER... Issued at 400 aM CST Mon Nov 14 2016 Significant fire weather concerns both today and Thursday. The Red Flag Warning will be expanded northward to I-70 given concerns of drier air pushing in than many of the models suggest. The HRRR and its dry/warm bias compared to all other models is actually most favored in this moderate drought regime we are currently in. A Fire Weather Watch will also be issued for Thursday. Much stronger winds are forecast for far southwest Kansas, to the tune of 35 to 40 mph with gusts to around 55 mph. This combined with afternoon relative humidity in the 10-15 percent range translates to Extremely Critical conditions -- and Storm Prediction Center has issued such an outlook for Thursday covering portions of far southwest Kansas from Johnson to Elkhart to Hugoton. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... DDC 85 53 75 33 / 0 0 0 10 GCK 85 47 72 31 / 0 0 0 20 EHA 85 49 71 29 / 0 0 0 10 LBL 86 52 76 31 / 0 0 0 10 HYS 82 50 68 35 / 0 0 0 20 P28 82 56 77 40 / 0 0 0 10 && .DDC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Red Flag Warning from noon CST /11 AM MST/ today to 7 PM CST /6 PM MST/ this evening for KSZ030-031-043>046-061>065-074>078- 084>088. Fire Weather Watch from Thursday morning through Thursday evening for KSZ061>064-074>078-084>088. && $$ SHORT TERM...Umscheid LONG TERM...Umscheid AVIATION...Sugden FIRE WEATHER...Umscheid
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Quad Cities IA IL
553 AM CST Wed Nov 16 2016 ...AVIATION UPDATE... .SYNOPSIS... Issued at 406 AM CST Wed Nov 16 2016 A light low level NW flow downstream of a high pressure ridge axis over NW MO into western IA was so far keeping significant fog from developing over the forecast area early this morning. Patchy dense fog has been limited to WI, while visibilities were in the 3 to 6 mile range over much of east central IA and northern IL. Satellite imagery showed mainly clear skies over the region outside some high clouds topping the upper level ridge axis centered over the central plains. Temperatures ranged from the mid 30s in sheltered locations in east central IA to 50 in far SE IA in the MS river valley. && .SHORT TERM...(Today and Tonight) ISSUED AT 406 AM CST Wed Nov 16 2016 Initial challenge is the fog potential for this morning, then attention turns to how warm it will get today as warm advection commences following the passage of the surface ridge axis. The surface ridge axis is expected to quickly migrate east, passing over the forecast area roughly between 12z and 15z this morning. This is when the HRRR and RAP continue to depict fog, potentially dense, expanding S-SW across NW IL into east central IA as developing weak north to northeast level winds advect the low level moisture responsible the current fog in southern WI. This is shown to linger until 16z or 17z this morning. With satellite imagery suggesting a lack of high clouds, it will be a close call between the how fast the morning sunshine can erode the any developing or advecting fog. For now, will stay on the conservative side considering 1), the lesser extent of fog tonight compared to last night at this time, and 2) how much the models appear to be too pessimistic on visibilities and extent of the fog where it is occurring over southern WI. Will mention patchy fog only over the northeast, dissipating by 10 am and watch trends closely for updates. The rest of today will be another very mild day with be near full sunshine under a developing strong warm air advection regime aloft as the plains upper ridge spreads eastward. The amount of warming will be limited by the southeast winds at the surface that will tap into only slightly warmer air than yesterday as mixing reaches only 925 mb to perhaps 900 mb. Highs should thus reach around 60 north to the mid 60s in the south, which is on the warm side of most model guidance. Tonight, the developing system in the plains will lead to a tightening pressure gradient over the area. Southeast to south surface winds of 10 to 15 mph through much of the night, along with increasing high level clouds, will result in a very mild night for mid November, with lows from the upper 40s northeast to the mid 50s south. .LONG TERM...(Thursday through Tuesday) ISSUED AT 406 AM CST Wed Nov 16 2016 Overview: After near record highs on Thursday, a pattern change to cooler weather is likely by this weekend continuing into next week. Thursday... As mentioned, near record highs are forecast on Thursday into the upper 60s to middle 70s (see Climate Section for the daily records at select cities). Models have a sfc low and trough intensifying over Kansas into western Iowa during the day. Since the warm front is setting up well to the North and West, E Iowa/NW Illinois will be in the warm sector of this system with 850mb temps surging to the 16-18 C range or 2-2.5 standard deviations above the climatological mean. Winds: The very warm temps will be accompanied by breezy conditions. The strongest winds will occur south of I-80. In this area, NAM/GFS BUFKIT soundings show mixing into 35 kt winds. Downward momentum transfer should yield sfc gusts of 30-35 mph. Friday and Saturday... Most significant weather impacts will be strong winds and much cooler temps by Friday night/Saturday. Forecast highs on Saturday are in the upper 30s north to lower 40s south. Precipitation: The sfc low is forecast to move into NW Wisconsin on Friday bringing heavy precip to parts of Minnesota and Wisconsin; however, significant precipitation is not expected for E Iowa/NW Illinois because the low- level jet is veered to the WSW causing less than optimal WV transport along the cold front. The southern and eastern CWA stand the best chance for showers and isolated storms Friday morning into the early afternoon before a mature dry-slot punches into the region from the SW as it wraps into the center of the low. Many locations may receive either no rain or less than a tenth of an inch. On the backside of the low, wrap around snow showers or flurries are likely, especially across the NE half of the area with the Quad Cities on the edge. Areas that have snow showers could get a very light dusting on grassy or elevated surfaces. Winds: As the sfc low reaches the Northern Great lakes, a strong pressure gradient will reside to the W/SW. Cold air advection/isentropic downglide should foster deep dry adiabatic profiles extending from the sfc to above 850mb. Like last night, trended above SuperBlend to increase sustained winds to 20-25 mph and gusts to 30-40 mph. GFS/NAM BUFKIT forecast soundings display a small amount of sfc-based CAPE, increasing confidence in the potential for occasional gusts around 40 mph Friday Evening into Saturday morning due to efficient momentum mix down. Sunday and Monday: High pressure brings quiet but cool weather with highs in the 30s and 40s, and lows in the 20s/upper teens. Tuesday and Wednesday: ECMWF/GFS now in better agreement on timing of next trough to impact the Midwest, but differ on thermal profiles and QPF. The ECMWF is colder with 850mb temps sub 0 c across the north, thus the possibility for some frozen precip. The GFS is warm enough for mostly rain. Mentioned rain/snow mix across the northern third of the CWA, about all the detail we can provide 6-7 days out. Uttech && .AVIATION...(For the 12Z TAFS through 12Z Thursday Morning) ISSUED AT 553 AM CST Wed Nov 16 2016 Forecast confidence is low in the near term with the expected onset of fog early this morning. Have initially gone out with conditions deteriorating to MVFR at most sites between 12z and 16z. There will be the potential for periods of IFR and possibly LIFR at CID, MLI and DBQ due to low visibilities before 15z. VFR conditions are then likely from midday through overnight with winds veering from light east to southeast and increasing to 10 to 15 kts overnight. && .CLIMATE... ISSUED AT 406 AM CST Wed Nov 16 2016 Record Highs for November 17... Moline.........74 in 1941 Cedar Rapids...73 in 1941 Dubuque........71 in 1941 Burlington.....75* in 1952 *Record is listed as 86 in 1899 but is thought to be incorrect due to faulty equipment && .DVN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... IA...NONE. IL...NONE. MO...NONE. && $$ SYNOPSIS...Sheets SHORT TERM...Sheets LONG TERM...Uttech AVIATION...Sheets CLIMATE...Uttech
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Wilmington NC
959 AM EST Wed Nov 16 2016 .SYNOPSIS... A gradual warming trend for the remainder of the week. A strong cold front will cross the region on Saturday with only a very slight chance for showers in southeast North Carolina. Some of the coldest air of the season will follow for the remainder of the weekend. Freezing temperatures are possible Sunday night. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... As of 955 AM Wednesday...The morning fog continues to burn off this morning and this will give way to sunny skies with some smokey/hazy conditions expected across most of the area from the fires to our west. mainly in the Georgetown and Williamsburg areas. Maximum temperatures are expected to reach the lower 70s. Overnight, the models are not showing the fog as dense but with the residual flow being light at the surface there is a good probability that we will again see fog again overnight. The 13 UTC HRRR 18 hour forecast is showing visibilities lowering at 07 utc. && .SHORT TERM /THURSDAY THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT/... As of 330 AM Wednesday...Ridging sfc and aloft will dominate the sensible weather this period. With the amplified upper ridge axis remaining west of the ILM CWA this period and flow aloft having a downslope trajectory within it, skies will for the most part remain clear at night and sunny during the day. With the upper ridge axis coming in close proximity late Friday, cirrus may ride over it`s axis and across portions of the the FA. Not enough to detour from a clear/mostly clear Fri night though. Temperatures this period will run 1 to possibly 2 categories above normal. Expect widespread 70s, especially on Fri. Overnight lows in the 40s to around 50 along the immediate coast. With the airmass much drier than in the beginning of this week, the threat for early morning widespread fog, including dense, will be quite low. && .LONG TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/... As of 300 AM Wednesday...Strong cold front will cross the Carolinas on Saturday, moving offshore Saturday night. This occurs beneath a deep and negatively tilting upper low, which will skirt just north of the local area. Still some uncertainty into whether there will be enough forcing and pre-frontal moisture return to create any showers, but will maintain the inherited SCHC for the northern zones late on Saturday. More notably will be the sharp temperature drop that occurs behind this FROPA. While highs on Saturday will climb into the 70s, 5-10 degrees above climo, temps Sun-Mon will fall to values more typical for January than mid-November. The combination of 850mb temps falling below 0 and strong CAA may allow for widespread freezing temperatures, especially Sunday night. Temps will begin to recover on Tuesday as the upper low pulls away from New England, but will remain below climo through the end of the period. && .AVIATION /14Z WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/... As of 06Z...High confidence in IFR across the SC terminals tonight, with VFR/MVFR predominant in NC. Continued weak pressure gradient as high pressure edges eastward has allowed winds to decouple this morning. This has allowed winds to decouple to calm, and fog has developed across SC. Very little of the guidance is modeling this well, but both UPS fog tool and HRRR have fog overspreading the region through the remainder of the overnight, with isolated dense fog possible. The best chance for IFR will be across SC where stratus took most of Tuesday to burn off, and hence very little drying occurred so near-surface moisture is higher. At LBT/ILM confidence is lower, and have opted to keep any mention of IFR to a TEMPO group where vsbys may fluctuate. At FLO, landing mins may be exceeded most of the overnight once again. Fog/Stratus will again be slow to burn off after sunrise, but VFR is expected by late morning at all terminals as NW winds of 5-10 kts advect drier air into the region. VFR will then persist through the rest of the valid period. Extended Outlook...VFR. A cold front may bring a few showers Saturday. && .MARINE... NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... As of 955 AM Wednesday...Light winds from the north to west at 10 knots are less will continue over the waters with seas around 2 feet and continue over the waters. There still is an 8 second East-Southeast swell. SHORT TERM /Thursday THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT/... As of 330 AM Wednesday...This will be a top 10, 2 day forecast, for this Fall season that will be in the mariner`s favor or interest. The area waters will be under the control of sfc and upper ridging. The well offshore and high seas cutoff Low depicted by the models, will meander over these Atlantic waters during this period, staying east of the 70 degree longitude line. This will slow the eastward progression of the upper and sfc ridging located across the Central U.S. at the start of this period. The sfc high`s elongated and expansive center will lie just inland from the Carolina coasts by Friday. A slightly tightened sfc pg at the start of this period will yield around 10 kt, occasionally 15 kt across the ILM NC waters early. Winds will become 10 kt or less thruout Thu night thru Friday night. Significant seas will run 2 to 3 ft at the start, becoming 2 ft or less Thu thru Friday. For the most part, an ESE 9 second period ground swell will dominate the local waters with a small wind chop on top. Latest Wavewatch3 and Swan models indicate that an organized ground swell from the cutoff Low could affect the local waters during Fri by introducing an ENE pseudo swell at 6 to 8 second periods. It could add 1 to possibly 2 ft to the total seas. But for now, will keep the sig. seas around 2 ft until more confidence with this potential swell is realized. LONG TERM /sATURDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/... As of 300 AM Wednesday...A cold front approaching from the NW Saturday will cause winds to increase from the W/SW up to 15-20 kts by Saturday evening. The FROPA will occur late Saturday, accompanied by a wind shift to the NW and a steady increase in speed to 20-25 kts. These winds will then persist much of Sunday. The increasing winds will drive wave heights from 2-3 ft early Saturday, to 4-6 ft Saturday night and then slowly fall to 3-5 ft late Sunday thanks to the persistent offshore wind component. An SCA will likely be needed beginning late Saturday and persist through the wknd. && .ILM WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... SC...None. NC...Coastal Flood Advisory until noon EST today for NCZ107. MARINE...None. && $$ NEAR TERM...HAWKINS SHORT TERM...DCH LONG TERM...JDW AVIATION...MRR
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Lincoln IL
934 AM CST Wed Nov 16 2016 .UPDATE... Issued at 932 AM CST Wed Nov 16 2016 Weak boundary has pushed into southeast Illinois and will exit the forecast area soon, but has little to show for it as skies are largely clear aside from a few high clouds. Temperatures still on track to reach the lower to mid 60s and little change was needed to the forecast, aside from removal of the morning fog. && .SHORT TERM...(Today and tonight) ISSUED AT 356 AM CST Wed Nov 16 2016 Weak cold front pushing SE through central IL early this morning to bring yet another shift in generally light winds...from SW to NW for late morning. The front will reach the Indiana state line by mid morning. As a surface high pressure ridge crosses the area early in the afternoon winds will be quite light. As a cold front approaches from the central Plains...SE winds will begin tonight and increase to around 10 mph overnight. As weak warm advection begins today...highs should increase a few degrees...ranging from around 63 along/north of I-74 to the mid and upper 60s from Springfield to Lawrenceville southwestward. Lows should range from the mid to upper 40s to some lower 50s in west central IL tonight. Predominantly clear skies expected for the next 24 hours...other than patchy fog across the area this morning and a layer of high cloud from afternoon through tonight. So far...thin fog noted in obs from Champaign to Effingham eastward...with dewpoint depressions generally around 5 degrees to the west near the frontal boundary. Farther behind the front...dewpoint depressions fall off to a few degrees or less and HRRR model suggesting another area of fog to develop. As a result...will continue patchy fog developing across the area by sunrise and continuing until around 9 a.m. .LONG TERM...(Thursday through Tuesday) ISSUED AT 356 AM CST Wed Nov 16 2016 Models remain in good agreement with the timing and the track of the next storm system for Friday, and the temperatures ahead of it inching up into the 70s for Thursday. Cold air moving in behind the boundary bringing a chilly weekend. The warm air from the building ridge over the southwest surges into the region...with a well above normal max temp expected on Thursday, with 850 mb temps in the 16-17C range. The storm system developing over the Plains will move northeast and into the Upper Midwest on Friday, dragging a cold front through the region on Friday. Plenty of warm air in the region should provide some instability, but the significant lack of moisture in the boundary layer is resulting in some negligible CAPEs and other indices. Pretty decent 0-6km shear in place for Friday afternoon should any storms materialize. Warmer max temps possible in the eastern half of ILX would collide a better chance for thunderstorms developing as the cold front moves through closer to peak heating. The region is not in a convective outlook per SPC...likely because of the lack of low level moisture and the general mid level ridging over the Gulf Coast blocking any significant moisture advection with the warmer air from the SW. Behind the cold front, plenty of cold air will put the chill back into the region for the weekend...and some flurries possible across the northern tier of Illinois early Saturday. A solid freeze expected Sat night/Sun morning and again on Monday morning as lows drop into the 20s. Next storm system moving across the country expected to develop Tuesday/Wednesday time frame across the Midwest. ECMWF and GFS still with some timing differences, and with the collision of the system with the cold air in place for the region...watching precip types closely at this point. && .AVIATION...(For the 12Z TAFS through 12Z Thursday morning) Issued at 538 AM CST Wed Nov 16 2016 Light fog creating MVFR vsby remains possible at central IL terminals for the first few hours of the TAF period however most likely development will be along I-74 terminals KPIA-KBMI-KCMI where low dewpoint depressions and nearby fog noted in observations. Otherwise...VFR conditions expected next 24 hours. Winds light and highly variable until 00Z...becoming SE 10-12 kts. && .CLIMATE... Issued at 356 AM CST Wed Nov 16 2016 Record high temperatures for Thursday, Nov 17th... Peoria........75 degrees set back in 1941 Springfield...75 degrees set back in 1941, 1952 Lincoln.......75 degrees set back in 1941 Galesburg.....75 degrees set back in 1952 Jacksonville..78 degrees set back in 1952 Bloomington...78 degrees set back in 1986 Decatur.......77 degrees set back in 1952 && .ILX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && $$ UPDATE...Geelhart SHORT TERM...Onton LONG TERM...HJS AVIATION...Onton CLIMATE...EJL
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Baltimore MD/Washington DC
1006 AM EST Wed Nov 16 2016 .SYNOPSIS... A weak disturbance will pass through the region today. High pressure returns to the area Thursday and Friday. A cold front will move through the region Saturday into Saturday night. Low pressure will rapidly intensify to our northeast on Sunday while Canadian high pressure approaches from the northwest. Canadian high pressure will build overhead early next week. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... Patches of clouds are moving across the area this morning ahead of an upper level trough. While skies may cloud up at times, some breaks of sun are also expected. As surface trough and vort max aloft nears this afternoon, some of the showers currently over western PA may approach northern parts of the area. Have added isolated showers for this area, with model consensus showing Baltimore area most likely to see a shower. HRRR suggests higher POPs/greater area affected, but 0.36 PWAT on 12Z IAD sounding will be difficult to overcome with limited low level moisture advection. Have made little adjustment to high temperature forecast of upper 50s to mid 60s, but if cloud cover is persistent enough in any one area, it could be cooler. Clearing skies are expected tonight as the trough moves to the east. Lows will be in the 30s to lower 40s. && .SHORT TERM /THURSDAY THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT/... Ridging (aloft and at sfc) builds across the area Thursday through Friday. This will allow for pleasant weather as airmass continues to modify...with mostly sunny skies and unseasonably warm weather. Highs Thursday in L/M60s (5-10F above climo norms)...even warmer Friday with highs in M60s-L70s (10-15F above climo norms) as upper level ridge amplifies over the area. Slightly elevated dewpoints should keep low temperatures AOA freezing...and could allow for some patchy early morning fog. && .LONG TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/... A potent cold front will pass through Saturday into Saturday night...bringing the chance for showers. The boundary will move off to the east overnight Saturday while the low pressure associated with the boundary rapidly intensifies off to our north and east. A cutoff upper-level low is also expected to develop to our north and east overnight Saturday and it will linger through Sunday and possibly even into Monday. Certainty as to exactly where the upper-level low will cutoff is low and that will have an impact on the forecast. If the upper- level low is farther off to the north and east...then dry conditions will prevail. However...if it cuts off farther south and west toward our area...then rain or snow showers cannot be ruled out. Will lean toward continuity overnight Saturday through Monday...which does allow for the chance of a few rain/snow showers mainly across the northern half of the CWA. However...accumulating snow is most likely to remain across locations along and west of the Allegheny front where upslope winds will add to the lift. Significant snow accumulations are possible for locations along and west of the Allegheny Front. The main story during this time will be the windy and cold conditions that will develop behind the cold front. Max temps will remain in the 40s for both Sunday and Monday for most locations with min temps in 20s to lower 30s each night. Also...it may turn out quite windy later Saturday through Sunday...and possibly even into Monday due to a tight gradient between surface low pressure to the northeast and Canadian High pressure approaching from the north and west. The high should build overhead Tuesday...bringing dry and chilly conditions. However...it should not be as windy. && .AVIATION /15Z WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/... VFR cigs at times today as upper trough moves across the area. There could be an isolated shower this afternoon, especially Baltimore area, but will leave out of TAFs for now due to low probability of impact. Outside of early morning fog at the typically favored sites (e.g., MRB,CHO) VFR conditions expected to prevail through Friday night as high pressure remains in control of the weather. A potent cold front will pass through the terminals Saturday. Gusty northwest winds are expected behind the front later Saturday through Sunday. && .MARINE... Elevated wind gusts just below SCA criteria are possible this afternoon, but based on hi-res models, there will be a more definitive surge of NW winds behind a trough tonight into Thursday morning. While winds may be sporadic and only marginally to SCA levels, there seems to be enough evidence to issue a SCA for the wider waterways. Winds diminish Thursday afternoon and become light Friday as high pressure builds across the area. A potent cold front will pass through the waters later Saturday. Gusty northwest winds are expected behind the front Saturday night through Sunday and possibly through Monday. A Gale Warning will likely be needed during this time. && .TIDES/COASTAL FLOODING... Tidal anomalies increase to between a half to three quarters of foot through today. This will lead to Annapolis reaching action stage for this evening`s high tide cycle. If current trends continue of running a little above forecast, then a Coastal Flood Advisory may be needed. Otherwise, no tidal issues expected over the next few tide cycles. Strong northwest winds behind a cold front Saturday night through Monday will likely cause blowout tides. && .LWX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... DC...None. MD...None. VA...None. WV...None. MARINE...Small Craft Advisory from 8 PM this evening to noon EST Thursday for ANZ531>533-537-539>541. Small Craft Advisory from 8 PM this evening to 4 PM EST Thursday for ANZ534-543. && $$ SYNOPSIS...BJL NEAR TERM...ADS SHORT TERM...MSE LONG TERM...BJL AVIATION...BJL/ADS/MSE MARINE...BJL/ADS/MSE TIDES/COASTAL FLOODING...ADS/MSE
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Marquette MI
508 AM EST Wed Nov 16 2016 .SHORT TERM...(Today and tonight) Issued at 459 AM EST WED NOV 16 2016 WV imagery and RAP analysis indicated a mid/upper level ridge from the srn plains to Manitoba and a trough from wrn Hudson Bay through nrn Ontario into the cntrl Great Lakes. At the surface, a ridge from IA into MN was building eastward resulting in light winds over the wrn cwa and diminishing wnw winds over the east where the clouds were slowly departing. The clearing skies and leftover low level moisture has allowed areas of fog to develop over the wrn third of Upper Michigan. Expect that daytime heating will be enough to burn off the low clouds and fog over the west by mid to late morning. Otherwise, with increasing WAA and mixing heights to around 925-900 mb, temps should climb to around 50. increasing mid clouds and south winds will keep min temps around 40 inland to the mid 40s near the Great Lakes. .LONG TERM...(Thursday through Tuesday) Issued at 508 AM EST WED NOV 16 2016 Focus in the long term will be on strong storm system expected this weekend. Many areas in Upper Michigan will see first accumulating snow with this system with several inches of lake enhanced snow possible over the higher terrain of western and north central Upper Michigan beginning late Fri night in the west and spreading east into North Central counties east of MQT Sat into Sat night. Strong NW winds will also affect most of the area and it will turn sharply colder. Due to the snow and winds, seems likely that some winter weather headlines will be needed, but still too far out in time to issue those. Will continue to highlight the storm in the Hazardous Weather Outlook and in social media. Beginning Thu...Amplified mid-upper ridge axis shifts east in advance of the strong storm system beginning to lift ne from the Four Corners region of the CONUS. Weak ridging and anticyclonic flow aloft should maintain dry conditions on Thu although sw flow aloft will bring increasing mid-upper level moisture into region for mid- high clouds. Expect above normal temps with highs in the 50s. Thu night into Fri....Increasing 700 mb fgen and deep layer q-vector convergence setting up over western counties along strengthening baroclinic/deformation zone associated with advancing and deepening storm system from the sw could allow some light rain to develop over western counties Thu night. Expect rain chances to increase into Fri over the western counties with increasing upper diffluence...waa and dpva ahead of strong leading shortwave and associated deepening sfc low. As storm system lifts ne into western Upper Mi Fri afternoon, expect forcing/dynamics with system to work east through the rest of the cwa warranting chc pops for rain over the east half of the forecast area in the afternoon. Fri night into Sat...Latest 00Z GFS has now trended much quicker with storm system and is remarkably similar with track/timing to 12Z ECMWF although the 12z ECMWF was about 5 mb deeper with low than the 00z GFS. The latest 00z ECMWF interestingly enough shows a similar track/strength with system than the 00z GFS but is now about 6 hours slower. Of course, the timing of the system will be crucial for determining timing of ptype change from rain to snow Fri night in the western counties. Suspect there will continue to be some model variability until strong shortwave energy from this system moves onshore of the Northern CA Coast later this morning and can be better sampled by models. For now will lean toward a 00Z GFS/12Z ECMWF model blend solution given the good agreement between these runs. This model blend indicates the sfc low moving into western Upper Mi late Fri afternoon and reaching Huron Bay by 00z Sat. The storm system slows down a bit on Fri night with mid-upper trough taking on a more negative tilt as stronger shortwave tracks through Central Plains and Mid-MS Valley. Both the 00z GFS and 00z/12z ECMWF indicate sfc low tracking slowly into far eastern Lake Superior by 12z Sat. Given quicker timing trend of the 00z GFS expect a quicker arrival of much colder air in nw flow on backside of system and subsequently quicker changeover to lake enhanced snow beginning late Fri evening in the western cwa and late Fri night/Sat morning over the eastern cwa. Models indicate h85 temps dropping as cold as -10 to 12c late Fri night over the western portion of the cwa and Sat morning over the east half. Also with more progressive model trend, drier air/subsidence moves in quicker w/ridging from the nw which could really shut off the significant snow accumulation by late Sat morning/early afternoon in the west and by late Sat evening for counties east of MQT. During period of enhancement for lake snow showers, GFS BUFR model soundings indicate around .3 inch water equivalent pcpn for western counties and .4 inch over eastern counties. With best forcing/omega during enhancement period initially below favorable dendritic snow growth region, snow ratio initially may be lowered, which overall would probably lead to average snow ratios during the event closer to 10/12:1. This would equate to closer to three maybe four inches of snow west during best enhancement period Fri night/early Sat and probably not much more than 3 inches over eastern counties Sat into Sat evening as diurnal heating could offset caa on Sat and lead to some initial melting of snow. In other words at this point, snow amounts look to be mostly advisory criteria during event, and possibly low end advisory at that. Sat night into Sun...With pronounced ridging/subsidence and associated drier air moving in beneath subsidence inversion quickly from the west, expect an abrupt cut-off in lake enhanced snow east by late evening/early overnight with maybe only 1-2 inches additional acccumulation over eastern counties, and very little additional accumulation in nw snow belts of the western counties. Along with the potential for the first widespread accumulating snow of the season, the other big part of the story with this storm system will be the wind and cold. With the influx of cold air beginning in the far west Fri night and spreading east on Sat, the corresponding increase in instability will also increase mixing to allow for strong and gusty nw winds to develop. GFS soundings indicate the potential for a period of storm force winds over the east half and north central portions of Lake Superior from mainly Sat morning into early afternoon. High wind warning criteria gusts to near 60 mph may also be possible from over the tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula to Lake Superior shoreline areas east of Marquette over roughly the same time period. A period of wind advisory gusts to 45 seem possible across a good portion of the rest of the cwa on Sat. The combination of the snow, falling temps and strong winds will be a rude awakening after the above normal fall temps experienced thus far, and headlines will likely be needed across much of the region. Also expect wind chills to plummet through the teens over the west half Sat afternoon and across the entire U.P. on Sat night. Sun night into Mon morning...Lingering lake effect snow and nw winds will continue to diminish through this period as gradient slackens on backside of departed storm system and sfc ridge axis continues to move in from the west. Lake effect snow will tend to hang on longer over the east half of the cwa due to slower diminishment of nw winds and longer fetch across the eastern half of Lake Superior, so as a result there could be some additional very minor snow accumulations. Late Mon into Tue...This period should be mostly dry as models indicate strong mid-upper ridging building in from the west with airmass gradually moderating and high temps on Tue rebounding into the 35 to 40F range from the near to sub freezing temps over the weekend. && .AVIATION...(For the 06Z TAFS through 06Z Wednesday night) Issued at 1147 PM EST TUE NOV 15 2016 In the wake of a cold front that has passed, diminishing winds and radiational cooling will probably lead to some fog/IFR conditions developing. At this point, it appears KIWD has the best chance of seeing IFR conditions at times overnight, potentially even LIFR. At KSAW, MVFR cigs should scatter out later in the night with a light downslope wind probably preventing fog/stratus. Drier air mass over the area associated with passing high pres ridge will result in VFR conditions/light winds today after any morning fog/stratus dissipates. && .MARINE...(For the 4 AM Lake Superior forecast issuance) Issued at 459 AM EST WED NOV 16 2016 ...Strong storm system to move through late this week... South winds will increase to 30 knots tonight over the ern half of the lake as the pres gradient tightens between the departing ridge and a trough into MN. The next chance for gales, especially over the western lake, is expected by late Thursday night into Friday as northeast winds increase in response to a deep low pressure system approaching from the plains. While uncertainty remains with the track of that low...high end north to northwesterly gales are expected over most of Lake Superior, and storm force winds to 50 knots are possible, Friday night into early Sunday as the low exits the Upper Great Lakes. A Marine Weather Statement was issued to provide additional information on this storm system. && .MQT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Upper Michigan... None. Lake Superior... None. Lake Michigan... None. && $$ SHORT TERM...JLB LONG TERM...Voss AVIATION...Rolfson MARINE...JLB
...Update to aviation forecast discussion...

.SHORT TERM...(Today and tonight) Issued at 304 AM CST Wed Nov 16 2016 Please see Fire Weather discussion below for specific info on that topic. Wednesday morning is starting off cool with readings in the middle to upper 30s as an area of sfc high pressure drifts eastward towards southern Iowa. The calm winds this morning are expected to veer to the south and increase as the incoming upper wave induces the sfc trough to deepen over the western high plains through tonight. By noon, southerly winds of 15 to 20 mph sustained are likely with occasional gusts to 30 mph. Forecast soundings have some of the dry air aloft mixing down towards the sfc while the strongest winds remain above the inversion layer at 900 mb by late afternoon. This will need to be monitored during the late afternoon as there is a slight potential for temps to be a few degrees warmer, allowing the RH values to fall into the upper 20s. For now, forecast sided closer to the drier bias from the RAP and HRRR which are still holding minimum humidity values in the lower 30s across north central Kansas, where the driest fuels reside. Elsewhere humidity values fall to the middle and upper 30 percent range. Fire danger concerns are elevated, however are not dry enough to warrant headlines at this time. Record highs are expected today with the strong warm advection anticipated. Most of the MOS guidance is pointing to upper 70s, perhaps a few 80 degree readings today. Southerly winds remain strong overnight between 15 and 20 mph sustained as the sfc low deepens and stretches eastward over the central plains. By 12Z Thursday, the approaching cold front`s location is just northwest of the CWA, accompanied by increasing high clouds. The increasing cloudiness and persistent mixing overnight results in near record warm lows once again in the upper 50s to lower 60s. .LONG TERM...(Thursday through Tuesday) Issued at 304 AM CST Wed Nov 16 2016 Please see Fire Weather discussion below for specific info on that topic. Thursday will be very windy as surface low pressure rapidly deepens in western Kansas in response to the incoming strong upper trough and associated jet streak. The heart of the negatively-tilted upper trough will travel from SE Colorado to NE Nebraska by sunrise on Friday, deepening along the way. This should track the surface low roughly across north central KS with the cold front surging across the forecast area between 9 PM and 3 AM. In advance of the system on Thursday, the pressure gradient will strengthen considerably with wind speeds at the top of the mixed layer around 50 kts and strong unidirectional flow through much of the troposphere. This suggests a likelihood for wind gusts greater than 40 mph and potential for some wind gusts in the 50 mph range during the daytime hours. Gusts will continue into the evening and then could see a couple hours of 40+ mph northwesterly gusts immediately behind the cold front. Gusty winds will then continue into Friday, mainly in the 30-40 mph range. Temperatures on Thursday will remain quite warm, flirting with records. Regarding precipitation with this storm system, surface dewpoints are still expected to be on the low end while a strong cap will be in place across the area. This will limit convective potential, but the overall strength of the forcing with this system continues to point to at least a chance for convective showers or even a few storms Thursday night in eastern KS. Widespread activity looks unlikely and strong storms look improbable given the strong cap and virtually no instability. A second area of precipitation will be associated with the upper level low with very strong vertical motion aloft. This will occur on the edge of a mid level dry slot across the local forecast area, and there is a chance that this will keep the precip just to the northwest. However, given a bit of uncertainty in the exact storm track along with the relative proximity of the forcing, have maintained chance pops over north central KS. At this time it looks like any precip would probably occur just prior to temperatures becoming cold enough for snowflakes to reach the surface, but even still can not completely rule out a brief period of rain/snow mix in north central KS. It will be much colder for Friday through the weekend but there will be substantial warm advection and upper height rises by late Sunday into Monday with highs expected to warm well back into the 50s by Monday into next week. There is strong model agreement in the next storm system crossing the Plains by Tuesday into Wednesday of next week with general agreement that it will produce widespread precipitation across the region. By this time, there should be sufficient warm air to keep the precip type as all rain, but some forecast soundings do suggest low-end potential of temperature profiles cooling enough by Wednesday morning to at least pay attention to winter precip potential. && .AVIATION...(For the 12Z TAFS through 12Z Thursday morning) Issued at 506 AM CST Wed Nov 16 2016 Shallow fog may temporarily reduce visibility to MVFR through sunrise at KTOP, otherwise VFR prevails at terminals through period. Main concern is the strong south winds through the afternoon and evening. An incoming system quickly increases winds through 2000 feet from 15 kts at the sfc, to 55 kts at 2000 feet. Inserted low level wind shear aft 00Z for all sites, expected to increase towards midnight. && .FIRE WEATHER... Issued at 304 AM CST Wed Nov 16 2016 Today Forecast soundings have some of the dry air aloft mixing down towards the sfc while the strongest winds remain above the inversion layer at 900 mb by late afternoon. This will need to be monitored during the late afternoon as there is a slight potential for temps to be a few degrees warmer, allowing the RH values to fall into the upper 20s. For now, forecast sided closer to the drier bias from the RAP and HRRR which are still holding minimum humidity values in the lower 30s across north central Kansas, where the driest fuels reside. Elsewhere humidity values fall to the middle and upper 30 percent range. Fire danger concerns are elevated at this time, however are not dry enough to warrant headlines at this time. Thursday - Friday The main story on Thursday will be wind with southwest winds gusting in the 40 to 45 mph range and at least a low end potential for a few stronger gusts. Currently the MinRH forecast for the afternoon ranges from 36-42 percent, but dry air at the top of a very turbulent mixing layer lends at least some suggestion that the RH could be a bit lower through mid afternoon. A very strong cold front will pass through Concordia roughly around 9 PM, Manhattan close to midnight, and Topeka around 3 AM. This will provide a sharp shift to northwesterly winds that will likely be in the 20-30 mph range through Friday with stronger gusts approaching 35-40 mph. There may also be a brief period 1-2 hours behind the front during which winds could gust 40-45 mph with a relative minimum in RH...even though it will occur during the overnight hours. && .CLIMATE... Issued at 310 PM CST Tue Nov 15 2016 Current Record High Temperatures ---------------------------------------------------------- November 16 November 17 Topeka 79 76 (year) (1963) (1999) Concordia 72 76 (year) (1999, 1958, 1954) (1943) && .TOP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && $$ SHORT TERM...Prieto LONG TERM...Barjenbruch AVIATION...Prieto FIRE WEATHER...Barjenbruch/Prieto CLIMATE...Prieto
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Wakefield VA
339 PM EST Wed Nov 16 2016 .SYNOPSIS... A weak trough of low pressure pushes through the Mid Atlantic and Northeast states through this evening...with high pressure then building over the local area Thursday and Friday. A strong cold front pushes across the region Saturday night, with cooler and continued dry weather expected for late in the weekend into early next week. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... Latest analysis indicating ~1020mb surface high pressure extending from the West-Central Gulf Coast into the Mid-South and Southern Appalachians. To the north, ~1010MB SFC with low pressure continues to slide across northern New England, with the associated weak sfc cool front extending back into the eastern Ohio Valley. Aloft, quick moving shortwave trough digging across the interior northeast toward the Delmarva, as strong, broad upper ridging builds across the Mississippi River Valley. Noting a narrow area of isolated to widely scattered showers focused along and ahead of the front/sfc trough over central PA into western MD. Height falls are minimal ahead of the sheared vorticity lobe and modeled omega fields also indicate limited available forcing for ascent. Precipitable water values per the RAP and NAM remain no higher than 0.5-0.75", and expect that minimal lift will likely not be sufficient to overcome the limited moisture and dry sub- cloud layer to produce widespread rainfall. However, given obs upstream, showing a smattering of trace/light pcpn amounts over SW/South Central PA from this morning into early aftn, have added iso-sct shower wording for late aftn/early evening for the Lower Maryland Eastern Shore. QPF would be no more than a few hundredths at the most over locations that can pick up a quick shower through early evening. Otherwise, warm W-SW flow has allowed for temperatures to warm well into the 50s to lower 60s across the area under a mainly clear sky. Do expect an increase in mid level clouds over the next few hours, especially across the northeast where sky will likely briefly become mostly cloudy to overcast this aftn/early evening. Tonight... Shortwave pushes offshore by midnight, as the shearing front crosses the area. Any lingering clouds should erode quickly from west to east as drier air pushes east. look for early morning lows to average in the upper 30`s to low 40`s inland to mid to upper 40`s near the coast. && .SHORT TERM /THURSDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/... Broad ridging at the sfc and aloft builds over the eastern third of the nation, in response to another strong trough digging into the Desert Southwest. Large scale subsidence behind departing upper trough will bring mainly clear/sunny conditions through the period. Warm, dry conditions will eventually give way to sharply colder air for the latter half of the weekend as previously referenced west coast trough translates east Friday/Saturday, with the attendant strong cold front crossing into the area late Saturday. Thursday... Minimal cold air advection behind the front tonight and into Thursday. In fact, 850Mb temperatures actually warm to +10 to +12C by Thu aftn. Model cross-sections continue to indicate a reasonably sharp low-level inversion developing which will prevent maximum mixing, keeping temps well below the potential numbers that local thickness tools are indicating, especially with breezy N-NW flow along the coastal plain. That said, expect temperatures to gradually warm through the period. Look for high temperatures warming into the mid to upper 60`s over the piedmont Thursday under a sunny sky. Meanwhile, NNW flow will keep temperatures Thursday similar to those of today over the eastern half of the area...mainly in the low to mid 60s. Decoupling winds, clear sky and high pressure overhead will bring a seasonably cold night Thursday night with lows ranging from the mid 30s to lower 40s. Friday... The upper ridge axis locates over the Mid- Atlantic region on Friday, as surface high pressure becomes centered along the Southeast coast. Warming trend commences as return SSW flow develops. GEFS plumes indicate 850mb temps warm to +12 to +14C, as pronounced low-level inversion mixes out a bit more. This should allow for a markedly warmer day on Friday, with maxima warming into the low to mid 70s inland (+1 standard deviation) with mid to upper 60`s near the coast. A bit milder Friday night with lows mainly in the 40s to near 50 along the coast. Saturday... Remaining warm on Saturday, with the front not crossing through until late in the day out west into early Sat night along the coast. Once again, minimal forcing and dry PW/Dry sub-cloud layer makes pcpn quite unlikely aside from perhaps some scant/trace amounts with the actual frontal passage. For that reason, have capped pop Saturday afternoon at no higher than 20%. Highs Saturday in the upper 60s to low 70s. && .LONG TERM /SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... A potent upper level trough (-2 st dev) will sweep across the eastern seaboard Saturday night into Sunday. A strong cold front will accompany this trough with 850mb temperatures dropping to around -5 to -8C by Sunday. The airmass will remain rather well mixed Saturday night and hence low temperatures should only drop into the mid 30s inland to around 40 at the coast, and then highs only rising into the mid 40s to around 50 Sunday, which are around -1 to -1.5 st dev below seasonal means. Windy conditions are expected Sunday with a nw wind of 15-25 mph expected, with gusts of 30-35 mph possible, and locally stronger over the Eastern Shore with a nw wind of 20-30 mph and gusts up to 40 mph possible. Moisture will be limited with this system with only a 20-40% PoP for showers Saturday evening from e- central VA to the coast. Surface high pressure then gradually builds into the area Sunday night into Monday. Forecast lows Sunday night range from the mid 20s to low 30s, with highs Monday in the upper 40s to low 50s. High pressure remains in vicinity of the coast Monday night and then gradually slides offshore Tuesday. Forecast lows Monday night range from the upper 20s to low 30s, with highs Tuesday moderating into the low/mid 50s. High pressure slides farther offshore by the middle of next week as another trough and associated cold front push through the Great Lakes and Ohio Valley. && .AVIATION /19Z WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY/... Mainly clear skies (VFR conds) and light winds attm across area terminals. Weak sfc trough/frontal boundary to the west will cross the area late tonight, providing wind shift to the N/NW later tonight, with low level flow becoming light or onshore on Thu. Minimal moisture/forcing to work with and confidence in predominate period of showers is low. Have therefore added vicinity shower wording at SBY from 22z-03z to cover for now. Other terminals should remain dry and predominately VFR through the period. Expect quick clearing to erode any lingering clouds overnight behind the frontal passage, as high pressure builds from the west. Outlook: VFR and dry conditions are expected to continue through midday Sat. There will be a chance for showers early Sunday (highest chc across the NE at SBY). Continued dry weather early next week but with periodic MVFR ceilings possible at SBY Sun/Mon. && .MARINE... A weak trough of low pressure will clip the coast tonight. This will result in a nnw wind of 15-20kt over the ocean and 10-15kt elsewhere late tonight through Thursday morning. High pressure will then prevail over the marine area Thursday aftn through Friday. A nw wind aob 15kt Thursday aftn into Thursday night will become light and back to the sw Friday. High pressure then slides offshore Friday night into early Saturday as a strong cold front approaches from the nw. A sw wind of 5-10kt is expected Friday night and then increases to 10-15kt early Saturday. The cold front is expected to sweep across the area late Saturday aftn into Saturday evening. A WNW wind should sharply increase in the wake of the front with strong caa and gale force gusts are possible Saturday night into Sunday. A nw wind of 15-25kt should continue Sunday night into Monday as high pressure builds across the Southeast and low pressure departs well to the ne of the region. Seas/waves should generally be 2-3ft/1-2ft through early Saturday, and then increase to 5-6ft/3-5ft in the wake of the cold front, before gradually subsiding to 4-5ft/2-4ft Sunday night into Monday. && .AKQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MD...None. NC...None. VA...None. MARINE...None. && $$ SYNOPSIS...MAM NEAR TERM...MAM SHORT TERM...LKB/MAM LONG TERM...AJZ AVIATION...MAM MARINE...AJZ
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Columbia SC
435 PM EST Wed Nov 16 2016 .SYNOPSIS... Dry high pressure will extend into the area from the west through Friday with above normal temps. A dry cold front will come through Saturday, reinforcing dry conditions with cooler temps for the weekend and into next week. Smoke from wildfires in the southern Appalachians will continue to affect the region through much of the period. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM THURSDAY MORNING/... The forecast area will be situated between an upper trough axis moving off the east coast and an upper ridge building from the Gulf of Mexico into the eastern Great Lakes. This will promote northwesterly flow aloft across the forecast area. Surface high pressure over the central Gulf will gradually shift northeastward into the region. The air mass will remain relatively dry with precipitable water values around half an inch. Smoke from the southern Appalachian wildfires will continue to be the main forecast issue. Northwesterly low-level winds will allow the smoke to filter into the forecast area. Overnight lows will be mainly in the upper 30s to lower 40s with smoke. && .SHORT TERM /6 AM THURSDAY MORNING THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT/... Surface/Upper level ridge over the Gulf coast will build northeast over the Southeastern States as upper trough moves from the Northern Plains toward the Mississippi valley. A dry air mass will remain in place. Strong subsidence will result in above normal mild afternoon temperatures and cool nights with dry air in place and favorable net radiational cooling conditions. With surface high centered over the area and light winds...smoke should remain trapped in the area at least through Thursday. This is supported by the latest HRRR smoke model guidance. Winds from the southwest Friday may result in improving conditions with regards to smoke...although winds remain light. && .LONG TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... A strong cold front will move through the region Saturday afternoon. Moisture will be limited with the front and showers appear at most isolated mainly north of the region. Mild temperatures ahead of the front but strong cold advection developing in the afternoon with gusty west-northwest winds possibly up to 30 mph. This may spread smoke back into the area through mixing in the boundary layer should increase smoke dispersion. Temperatures below normal through much of the period with cold nights with favorable net radiational cooling conditions. A freeze is possible Saturday night but more likely Sunday night. && .AVIATION /22Z WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY/... The low-level northwesterly flow will continue to allow smoke to filter into the forecast area. Vsbys will be mainly low-end VFR or high-end MVFR through the evening. A return to IFR visibilities in smoke and fog may occur again overnight as the latest HRRR Smoke model indicating more issues with smoke later tonight. Expect heating and mixing with an improvement to VFR conditions later Thursday morning. EXTENDED AVIATION OUTLOOK...Reduced visibilities in smoke and fog could continue through Friday. Lower VSBYS would be expected during the early morning hours with some improvement in the afternoon because of mixing. && .CAE WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... GA...None. SC...None. && $$ SYNOPSIS...99 NEAR TERM...99 SHORT TERM...99 LONG TERM...99 AVIATION...99
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Phoenix AZ
301 PM MST Wed Nov 16 2016 .SYNOPSIS... A low pressure system will begin moving through the western states through Thursday. This will result in breezy to windy conditions and much cooler temperatures, most noticeably on Thursday when highs in the low deserts will be around 70 degrees. The coolest morning so far this month will be on Friday. A warming trend is expected over the weekend. A weather system may bring unsettled conditions with chance of showers mainly across south central Arizona by the beginning of next week. && .DISCUSSION... Widespread mid and high clouds continue to stream northeastward ahead of a broad trough extending from the Pacific Northwest into central California. The clouds have inhibited insolation this afternoon, resulting in temperatures generally in the upper 70s and lower 80s across the lower deserts. Meanwhile, the lower levels of the atmosphere remain relatively dry with dewpoints in the 20s and 30s. Short-term models remain in good agreement that a clearing trend from west to east will take place overnight behind the eastward- advancing trough axis. Low-level pressure gradient will also tighten behind a frontal boundary, producing breezy conditions across portions of southeastern California and southwestern Arizona. Latest runs of the HRRR indicate wind gusts in these areas may reach 25 to 30 mph, particularly across ridgetops including JTNP. && .PREVIOUS DISCUSSION... Over the past several days, the operational GFS has been sort of a yo-yo with respect to the approaching Pacific trof, at times digging it further south into central/southern Arizona with strong winds and sharp cooling, then alternating with more of a brush-by, with lighter winds and less cooling and little or no threat of precip over the southern half of the state. GEFS ensemble members were always a mixed bag with the strength of this system. ECMWF has typically been a bit weaker with the brunt of the trof passing by to our north, and the latest few GFS operational runs have come into a good alignment/agreement with the ECMWF. As such, we are expecting a fast moving Pacific trof to push east across the area tonight through Thursday evening with the main weather impacts being breezy/windy conditions (mainly over the western deserts and favored areas of southeast CA) and marked cooling. High temps Thursday should lower into the upper 60s to low 70s over most of the lower deserts and Phoenix should see the high fall to 71 degrees (4 degrees below normal). For now we will keep our winds mostly below wind advisory thresholds, except for a few spots over ridgetops and open country across favored areas of southeast California such as Joshua Tree National Park. There may be a few winds gusts to around 40 mph Wednesday night over the western deserts and far southeast CA but we will not be issuing a wind advisory for this system at this time due to borderline conditions. Dry subsident northwest flow aloft will quickly spread in from the west Thursday night into Friday as a flatter upper ridge builds into the area, leading to sunny skies and slight warming. High temps should climb to near seasonal normals on Friday over the deserts. High pressure aloft will continue through the day on Saturday allowing for a continued modest warming trend where the lower deserts climb into the upper 70s to lower 80s under sunny or mostly sunny skies. The progressive nature of the flow pattern will lead to yet another sharp change in the weather for the desert southwest late this weekend and into early next week as another fast moving but much wetter Pacific low appears poised to race through the area bringing scattered showers along with considerable clouds and cooling. As the trof sharpens up just off the California coast Sunday, the southwest flow ahead of it taps into some subtropical moisture and sends quite a bit of mainly high clouds into the state. By Monday morning, the trof axis will be moving inland along the far northern Baja/southern CA coast, with strong upper difluence and PVA moving into southern Arizona. PWAT values are progged to climb over one inch across south central Arizona, and these values will rise above the 90th percentile of climo as shown by the situational awareness table guidance. Operational runs of the GFS and ECMWF are very similar and are trending wetter with this next system and the latest MRAMOS guidance for Phoenix has climbed to 88 percent for Monday. NAEFS POPs are also climbing and with values in excess of 50 percent over much of south central AZ by Monday afternoon. As a result we have raised our POPs sharply on Sunday night and Monday, with values into the likely category over the higher terrain east of Phoenix by Monday. Given the clouds and high chances for showers, high temps will cool sharply and we have this reflected in our max temp forecasts. At this time we are going with a high of 70 for Phoenix on Monday but we may well see readings falling into the 60s should the showers pan out. As the system quickly races off to the east Monday night into Tuesday we can expect a marked drying trend from the west; by Tuesday afternoon there will be just a lingering slight chance of showers over the higher terrain east of Phoenix with skies becoming mostly sunny over the western lower deserts. && .AVIATION... South-Central Arizona including KPHX, KIWA, and KSDL: Broken to overcast mid and high clouds across the area will persist for the remainder of the day before clearing out early tomorrow morning. Westerly winds will persist for longer than usual with a brief period of south to southeasterly winds late this evening into early tomorrow morning. Winds will generally remain aob 10 kts with a brief period of breezy southeasterly winds (only up to teens in gusts) late this evening/early tomorrow morning. Southeast California/Southwest Arizona including KIPL and KBLH: Broken to overcast mid and high clouds across the area will persist for the remainder of the day before clearing out early tomorrow morning. As a dry strong frontal system sweeps through the area, gusty westerly winds will develop. The strongest winds will be at KBLH, where sustained winds will be near 15 kts with gusts up to 30 kts. At KIPL, westerly winds will be a little lighter, but expecting them to gust up to 25 kts this afternoon into early tomorrow morning. Aviation discussion not updated for amended TAFs. && .FIRE WEATHER... Friday through Tuesday: Fairly cool temperatures to persist into Friday (highs in the 70s over the lower deserts) followed by warming for this weekend. Humidities will be quite low through the weekend with afternoon minimum values between 10-20 percent over the lower deserts. Winds will be light Friday through Sunday with occasional afternoon breeziness. A weather system approaching from the west will lead to continued increasing humidity on Monday along with a good chance of wetting rains across the area. This system will bring another shot of cooler air with temperatures back to near normals for Monday and Tuesday. && .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Skywarn radio Net activation will not be needed through Sunday. && .PSR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AZ...None. CA...None. && $$ Visit us on Facebook...Twitter...and at weather.gov/phoenix DISCUSSION...Hirsch PREVIOUS DISCUSSION...CB AVIATION...Hernandez FIRE WEATHER...Kuhlman