Forecast Discussions mentioning any of "HRRR" "RAP" "RUC13" "RUC" "RR" received at GSD on 07/08/23


Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Amarillo TX
527 PM CDT Fri Jul 7 2023 ...New AVIATION... .SHORT TERM ... (This evening through Saturday night) Issued at 141 PM CDT Fri Jul 7 2023 Summary: Strong to severe thunderstorms are expected later this afternoon through this evening across the Panhandles. All severe hazards are possible, including hail up to or exceeding 2" early on, and potentially widespread damaging winds this evening with some gusts up to 80 mph possible. Strong to severe thunderstorms may be possible Saturday, though that is highly conditional upon sufficient destabilization. Details: The special 18z sounding shows the atmosphere is, unsurprisingly, still capped. There is still a decent layer of low- level moisture below an inversion associated with the beginning of a stout EML. There is impressive low-level shear along with favorable deep-layer shear for organized severe weather. Continued destabilization is expected across the area, though dew points are sticking around in the upper 60s to lower 70s. As recent as the 17z HRRR and RAP runs continue to overestimate the effects of mixing on the surface dew points. Observed dew points are sticking to around 67 degrees while HRRR and RAP suggest it should be 3-6 degrees lower. Therefore, expecting LCLs to be lower and instability to be higher than the near-term models depict. Thunderstorms are expected to develop in the western combined Panhandles, likely along a surface wind convergence boundary, around 3-4 PM. There will be enough shear for thunderstorms to become supercellular which may produce hail up to or exceeding 2" in diameter. A tornado or two will also be possible, especially in the north where stronger low-level shear is expected. Upscale growth into an MCS is eventually expected. The large hail threat will lower some in this stage but there will be an increased threat for potentially widespread damaging winds, including gusts up to 80 mph. A tornado or two will be possible in this stage as well. The MCS is expected to leave the area late this evening. There is a low chance for additional thunderstorm development later this afternoon in the eastern Texas Panhandle where a boundary may set up and be a focus for discrete thunderstorm development. Visible satellite is showing the development of streaks of low-level clouds around early this afternoon. If thunderstorm development does occur, a supercell would be favored with all hazards possible including hail up to or exceeding 2". Saturday: The overall setup doesn`t change much. However, today`s severe weather is expected to aggressively stabilize the atmosphere such that it is very uncertain whether it will be able to destabilize enough by Saturday evening. If it does, all severe hazards would be possible again. But given the uncertainty in sufficient destabilization, will opt to focus on today`s severe weather potential and re-assess the situation in future forecast packages. Vanden Bosch && .LONG TERM ... (Sunday through next Thursday) Issued at 141 PM CDT Fri Jul 7 2023 Additional chances for rain returns to the Panhandles, but it may not be as widespread. While some areas may get additional rainfall, others areas will begin to dry out with temperatures on the rise. As the center of the main H500 high pressure system slowly shifts north into central New Mexico, additional areas of thunderstorms are expected Sunday and Monday. Perturbations associated with ridge rollers, along with any residual surface boundaries from previous areas of convection and/or a stalled front will act as a catalyst for additional diurnally driven convection. In particular for Sunday and Sunday night, storms could be severe with large hail and damaging wind gusts being the main threat. High temperatures will be near to slightly below average, especially in the northern Panhandles where areas north of the stalled front will experience slightly below average temperatures. A small break in the precipitation chances should come mid week as latest 07/12Z model and numerical data shows the eastern extent of the main H500 high into the Panhandles. Large scale subsidence aloft should minimize rain chances and warm temperatures up. High temperatures Tues-Thur will range from mid 90s to 100-104. As main H500 high shifts further back to the west, NW H500 flow returns and so do our rain chances, favoring the northern Panhandles. Meccariello && .AVIATION... (00Z TAFS) Issued at 520 PM CDT Fri Jul 7 2023 A line of strong to severe thunderstorms is currently working through the combined OK/TX Panhandles from west to east. Even after this line leaves the Panhandles by 03Z there will still be scattered showers/tstorms that may impact the terminals through 12Z for KAMA and KGUY, 10Z for KDHT. Gusty winds possibly in excess of 40 kts will be possible with the line of thunderstorms that is now east of KDHT. Low clouds may move into the north impacting KGUY towards 10Z. However, confidence is low at this time and not in the TAF at this time. This will need to be reassessed during the next TAF issuances. 36 && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Amarillo TX 65 87 65 85 / 40 10 40 10 Beaver OK 63 78 60 77 / 70 10 70 20 Boise City OK 60 77 59 78 / 50 10 60 10 Borger TX 65 85 65 86 / 50 10 50 10 Boys Ranch TX 65 88 66 88 / 30 10 30 0 Canyon TX 65 89 65 87 / 40 10 30 0 Clarendon TX 68 87 66 83 / 50 10 40 10 Dalhart TX 62 81 61 82 / 30 10 40 0 Guymon OK 62 77 60 77 / 40 10 70 10 Hereford TX 65 91 66 91 / 30 10 20 0 Lipscomb TX 63 79 60 78 / 70 10 70 30 Pampa TX 65 82 64 81 / 70 10 60 20 Shamrock TX 66 86 64 83 / 60 10 50 20 Wellington TX 68 90 66 86 / 50 10 40 20 && .AMA WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... TX...None. OK...None. && $$ SHORT TERM...52 LONG TERM....29 AVIATION...36
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service La Crosse WI
1045 PM CDT Fri Jul 7 2023 .DISCUSSION...(This evening through Friday) Issued at 230 PM CDT Fri Jul 7 2023 Key Messages: - Increased shower chances south of I-90 through tonight and with a few showers north of I-90 Saturday - Periodic thunderstorm chances for much of next work week, although confidence in timing and in any organized stronger storms is lower. Overview: Surface high pressure has built into the area. Overnight lows dropped into 40s to around 50 for most locations and even a few upper 30s in our noted cold spots of Black River Falls (38) and Volk field (30). With the clear skies, relatively moist ground and light and variable winds, we did see river valley fog develop around 08Z. BCK also dropped down with dense fog for a short time after 1030Z. Most of the fog burned off by 14Z with high clouds on the increase by that time. Water vapor satellite imagery, heights and lightning showed the broad trough over central Canada into the Central Plains with another open wave over the Pacific Northwest. Deeper mid and upper level moisture were noted ahead of the trough from the Upper Mississippi Valley into the Plains with clusters of storms over parts of northern MN, southeast Nebraska and southwest Iowa, Kansas, and Oklahoma into northern Texas late this morning. Through Saturday, shortwave trough energy will swing through the Upper Mississippi Valley and the Plains with shower activity spreading into the forecast area. Shower/Storm chances through Saturday: An area of showers is pushing east across Iowa and southern Minnesota and into Wisconsin with thunderstorms farther to the southwest. Moisture transport is across southern Iowa, however there appears to be enough mid and upper level support to bring some of the deeper moisture northward per forecast soundings on the HRRR/RAP. The greater frontogenetic signal is south of the forecast area. Although the wave will be pushing into a drier airmass a few of the CAMs show enough moistening where a few showers and possibly some embedded thunder for parts of northeast Iowa should occur. The latest 07.12Z deterministic GFS/EC and HRRR are a bit more aggressive with the showers pushing across northeast Iowa. Although the operational NAM has suffered with convective feedback, the 07.12Z NAM has these trends as well. As a result of the latest radar trends and trends in the operational short term models, have increased shower chances south of I-90 through the evening. These trends may have to be adjusted further. A cold front will move into the area Saturday with steepening lapse rate and increasing instability. Convective temperatures are in the mid to upper 70s. For now I have a few showers north of I-90. Sunday-Friday: On the large scale, a strong upper level low will become established near Hudson Bay while broad upper level ridging extends from the Desert Southwest into the southern plains. In between, a belt of mid- level westerlies will be found across the Upper MS Valley with model guidance generally indicating several subtle, low predictability shortwave troughs passing through the flow resulting in broad- brushed rain chances through much of next week after a dry, seasonable Sunday. On Monday into Tuesday, a cold front will slide south across the region, although some timing discrepancies persist. As a result, precip chances remain only in the 20-50% range Monday afternoon/night. The higher deep layer shear is expected to be post- frontal on Monday. Thus, organized severe weather potential looks low, although CSU GEFS-based probabilities show low (5%) chances for severe weather Monday from southeast MN into northern WI and across northeast IA and far southwest WI on Tuesday. Beyond Tuesday, periodic showers/storms remain possible as shortwave troughs continue to rotate around the southern periphery of the trough across Canada, with the highest chances right now centered on Wednesday. For temps, Monday looks to be the warmest day of the week with highs in the 80s to near 90 ahead of the front. Later in the week, comfortable temps/humidity levels for mid-July are expected as seasonable to slightly below average temps are favored within the upper level west to northwest flow pattern. && .AVIATION...(For the 06Z TAFS through 06Z Saturday night) Issued at 1045 PM CDT Fri Jul 7 2023 VFR conditions should continue into Saturday. Mid level ceilings and showers associated with passing short wave will continue to break up or clear overnight with relatively light low level flow. Waining convection upstream could also contribute some mid to high level ceilings from time to time. Given scattered showers this evening, light winds, and clearing, will have to watch for patchy fog formation but at this time, not expected to impact TAF sites. Even quieter on Saturday with possibility of some diurnal cumulus with flow remaining weak. && .ARX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WI...NONE. MN...NONE. IA...NONE. && $$ DISCUSSION...Zapotocny/JM AVIATION...Shea
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Boston/Norton MA
944 PM EDT Fri Jul 7 2023 .SYNOPSIS... Could see a few showers or t-storms move into western MA/CT this evening. Stratus and fog develops across the south coast this evening and pushes northward tonight and burns off Sat AM. Still warm and humid Saturday with afternoon showers and t-storms. More active and unsettled for Sunday and Monday, with several opportunities for showers and thunderstorms capable of heavy downpours. Rain chances greater in central and western parts of Southern New England Sunday, then shifting eastward into most of Southern New England on Monday. Flooding may be possible. Hit-or-miss showers and thunderstorms on Tuesday. While Wednesday is finally a dry day, it will be hot and humid. The dry weather pattern is brief, with rain chances increasing through the end of the workweek. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM SATURDAY MORNING/... 945 PM update... A few weakening showers across northern MA will dissipate leading to a dry night. Still about 1000 J/kg of MLCAPE across western MA/CT and a few showers are moving east from eastern NY with a lone t-storm over SE NY. However, the environment is stabilizing and activity is weakening as it heads east. Otherwise, stratus and fog along the immediate south coast will expand back northward as the boundary layer cools a bit with nighttime radiational cooling. Under light SW flow, the area from about ORH to OWD probably serves as its northern limit. Fog should also be primarily to the immediate south coast, and it may again become locally dense. Lows mid 60s to low 70s still seem on track. && .SHORT TERM /6 AM SATURDAY MORNING THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT/... Highlights * Stratus/fog burns off Sat AM, but may linger into early afternoon across immediate south coast. Widely scattered showers/storms especially across the interior Sat PM. * Rinse and repeat as stratus/fog fills back Sat night into early Sun from the south coast. Cyclonic flow persists through this period. Will have a shortwave over the central Great Lakes early on Sat lift into the OH Valley by late in the day and eastern Great Lakes by early Sun. The stalled out frontal boundary will be situated just to the west of our region through this timeframe. As has been the case over the past several days will see the AM stratus/fog lift and burn off. Have once again leaned toward the HREF and other short term guidance as it shows this trend quite well. Think that there still could be low clouds lingering across the Cape/Islands into the into the afternoon. Main concern during this period is the return of more widespread scattered showers and storms, especially Sat afternoon. Expecting the heating of the higher terrain, localized sea breezes and nearby stalled out front to provide the forcing given we are a bit removed from the next shortwave lifting in. Won`t have any issues with moisture as dew points will be oppressive in the upper 60s to low 70s and PWATS of 1.5-1.75 inches. Should have instability values of roughly a few hundred to 2000 J/kg of MLCAPE. May be difficult for storms to get organized as we are lacking deep layer shear, which is essentially nil to perhaps 20 kts within the 0-6 km layer. The mid level lapse rates are meh around 5-6 degrees Celsius per km, while low level lapse rates are around 7-9 degrees Celsius per km and a fair amount of DCAPE. Think storms may be a pulsey in nature, but pose a locally heavy rainfall/flood risk along with the strong/damaging winds. The NCAR HRRR Neural Network 12Z guidance indicating some low probs of winds AOA 50 kts across the interior. Agree with WPC Day 2 excessive rainfall outlook with the risk highest across the interior. Should see this activity on the uptick Sat PM before it diminishes once again during the evening. Expecting it to remain hot and humid. High temperatures range from the mid 70s to the upper 80s. The stratus/fog returns as it lifts from the south coast Sat night into early Sun, though we could see some showers/storms push in toward daybreak. Lows bottom out in the mid 60s to low 70s. && .LONG TERM /SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/... Highlights: * Soggy Sunday and Monday, with bulk of rain and embedded t-storms Sunday into central and western sections of SNE, then shifting eastward Sunday night into Monday into most of SNE. Heavy rain possible along with potential for flooding and rises on rivers and streams. Remains warm and humid. Stay tuned! * More hit-or-miss showers and storms Tue but coverage should be less than Sun-Mon. * Dry Wednesday but rather hot and humid with mid 90s heat indices. * Another round of rains Thu and Fri, though somewhat more coverage on Fri. Details: Sunday and Monday: A broad mid-level trough will be positioned to our west over the northern Appalachians/northern mid-Atlc states Sun and Mon. This will interact with the humid and weakly-unstable air mass and a light SE to S upslope flow component. While the specific placement isn`t clear, models are also simulating an area of low pressure that moves NE/NNE from the mid-Atlantic to somewhere thru SNE/northern New England later Sunday night into Monday. There is a growing level of confidence on an active Sunday and Monday, with the greatest risk being slow moving heavy downpours and a related potential for flooding of urban/poor drainage areas as well as rises on rivers and creeks. This is also consistent with WPC`s Days 3 and 4 excessive rain outlooks. Given the above and that storm motions appear likely to become parallel to the mean 700-500 mb flow, it creates a potential training rainfall scenario with rain falling over the same areas. Pending continued model consistency and after an assessment of antecedent conditions from prior days` shower and storm activity, it`s too early to consider this as yet but will need to give some consideration to a potential flood watch for parts of or most of SNE Sunday and/or Monday. Current thinking is that the risk would be greater in the interior on Sunday, then moving and/or expanding eastward into the urban areas in central and eastern SNE for Monday. Utilized a blend of WPC and RFC`s forecast QPF for Sunday and then a WPC-NBM blend for Monday to generate Sunday thru Monday storm total rainfall ranging from up to an inch for eastern MA and RI, around 1- 2 inches for central MA and east-central sections of northern CT, with 2 to 3 inches of rain for western MA and Hartford County in CT. Confidence in the rain totals is rated as moderate, somewhat higher on the spatial extent but lower on the magnitudes and the potential for locally higher rain totals exists in more persistent downpours. For Sunday, while eastern portions of SNE should see a relative minimum in rain/thunder chances, the focus for several rounds of showers and thunderstorms (PoP in the higher-Likely category) mainly from ORH-IJD westward during the day on Sunday. This risk then begins to shift eastward into Sunday night and Monday. While the potential for severe weather is limited both days with rather abundant cloud cover tempering instability to around 1000 J/kg, Monday could have both a hydro component but also some isolated severe weather as the approaching low pres moves northward, given increasing mid level flow, low LCLs and the potential for low-level winds to become somewhat more backed (e.g. southeast/easterly). Highs should be around or somewhat lower than normal under abundant cloud cover and somewhat warmer than normal on the lows. It will nonetheless be quite humid through Monday. Tuesday: The active soggy pattern will continue into Tue, as the northern mid- Atlc trough migrates over and thru SNE. However shower and t-storm coverage should be a little more hit-or-miss than Sunday and Monday. Highs should also be a little warmer with lower to mid 80s and lows in the mid 60s. Wednesday through Friday: We do get into a drier weather pattern for at least Wednesday, although temperatures will rise back to above normal, summerlike levels in the mid 80s to low 90s and elevated humidity. For late Thurs and Fri, continued broad cyclonic flow over the central US/central Canada will lead to another shortwave trough to our west with a similar pattern to that for Sunday and Monday. Uncertainty on which day may offer better chances but NBM`s higher PoP (around 40%) on Fri seems most reasonable with more isolated to scattered coverage on Thu. && .AVIATION /02Z SATURDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... Forecast Confidence Levels: Low - less than 30 percent. Moderate - 30 to 60 percent. High - greater than 60 percent. 00z TAF Update: Tonight: High confidence. ISO/widely SCT SHRA/TS should dissipate by 02z mainly affecting BAF. Otherwise, VFR at least for a few hrs; IFR-LIFR fog/stratus now lurking over the southern waters to expand northward between 01-05z to PVD, the Cape airports and ACK, while expanding slightly northward into ORH/BDL after 06z. Think BOS should stay out of the stratus layer given light SSW winds but could be close/mainly at OWD. Areas of dense fog confined to the immediate south coast. Light S/SSW winds. Saturday...Moderate confidence. Will have any stratus/fog lift and burn off by roughly 12-14Z for most locations. The only exception is across the Cape/Islands where it may not lift until closer to 18Z, though a this point think ACK will have a similar trend to today. Scattered showers/t-storms develop across the interior around 16-18Z and persist into the evening. Winds out of the SE to the E at 5-10 kts. Saturday Night...Moderate confidence. Should see any lingering shower/storms tapering off during the evening. Generally expecting VFR, but could have some MVFR to perhaps IFR conditions across the CT River Valley with fog development. Could see showers/storms uptick again toward daybreak out west. Light S to SE winds. BOS Terminal...High confidence in TAF. S winds should ease in speed through tonight. Anticipating VFR tonight. MVFR-IFR stratus may be nearby overnight, but think the northern limit of stratus is around OWD. Sea breeze around 14z Sat. BDL Terminal...High confidence in TAF. Mainly VFR, but with MVFR-IFR stratus pushing in 05-07Z and lifting roughly 12-14Z. Potential for SHRA/TS after 16z Sat, which could be strong. Outlook /Sunday through Wednesday/... Sunday: Mainly VFR, with local MVFR possible. Chance SHRA, slight chance TSRA. Sunday Night: MVFR/IFR conditions possible. SHRA likely, chance TSRA. Monday: Mainly MVFR, with local IFR possible. SHRA likely, chance TSRA. Monday Night: Mainly VFR, with local IFR possible. Chance SHRA, isolated TSRA. Tuesday: VFR. Chance SHRA. && .MARINE... Forecaster Confidence Levels: Low - less than 30 percent. Medium - 30 to 60 percent. High - greater than 60 percent. Tonight through Saturday Night...High confidence. Boating conditions remain tranquil through the forecast with light winds and calm seas. As has been the case the past several days the main impact will be areas of poor visibility overnight into the morning as fog and stratus redevelop. The risk is especially high across the southern coastal waters, where fog could be dense at times. Outlook /Sunday through Wednesday/... Sunday: Winds less than 25 kt. Slight chance of rain showers. Sunday Night through Monday: Winds less than 25 kt. Chance of rain showers, slight chance of thunderstorms. Monday Night: Winds less than 25 kt. Chance of rain showers, isolated thunderstorms. Tuesday: Winds less than 25 kt. Chance of rain showers. && .BOX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... CT...None. MA...None. RI...None. MARINE...None. && $$ SYNOPSIS...Loconto/BL NEAR TERM...KJC/BL SHORT TERM...BL LONG TERM...Loconto AVIATION...Loconto/BL MARINE...Loconto/BL
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Cheyenne WY
521 PM MDT Fri Jul 7 2023 .SHORT TERM...(This evening through Sunday night) Issued at 240 PM MDT Fri Jul 7 2023 Concerns with this forecast package deal with severe thunderstorm potential this afternoon through Saturday. Currently...1018mb surface high located across north central Wyoming north of Converse County with a surface boundary across northwestern Colorado this afternoon. Convection has been percolating north of this front along the Wyoming/Colorado state line. Getting a few lightning strikes over the south Laramie Range...but everything else has not been producing any lightning at this time. Not too concerned with severe thunderstorms today...though SPC has us in a Marginal Risk area. SPC mesoanalysis showing SBCAPE around 1000 J/KG at the most extreme from RAP guidance. But given how storms have been performing the past several days...can not rule out a few severe storms. Saturday should be more interesting as boundary over northwest Colorado begins to move northeast into the southeast Wyoming plains. Upper disturbance tracks across southern Wyoming which aids in the front getting northeast. 95kt nw-se 250mb jet cuts across Carbon County with our eastern zones on the north and east side of this jet. Eastern Wyoming plains SBCAPE up near 1200-1800 J/KG with ample 0-6km shear. Panhandle may be a bit more capped Saturday with not a whole lot of instability. Looks like SPCs SLight Risk reflects that...keeping the Slight Risk area in southeast Wyoming. PWATs quite high Saturday afternoon as well...with all forecast sounding east of the Laramie Range forecast over an inch of PWAT. So heavy rain/possible flash flooding could be a concern tomorrow as well. WPC does outline a Marginal Risk for excessive rainfall for the southeast WYoming plains into northeast Wyoming for tomorrow afternoon. Rising heights for Sunday as southwestern ridge begins to slowly move into western Wyoming. 700mb temperatures climb to +12 to +15C...up from +8 to +12C Saturday. Have a few thunderstorms east of the Laramie Range along the I-80 corridor from Cheyenne to Sidney Sunday afternoon. Looks like ridge axis will be over the CWA Monday with dry conditions and very warm temperatures Monday afternoon. .LONG TERM...(Monday through Friday) Issued at 240 PM MDT Fri Jul 7 2023 Minimal changes made to the long term forecast from the previous shift. Long range models remain in close agreement that next week will be drier and warmer for the most part with isolated thunderstorm chances. GFS and ECMWF ensemble means continue to show the ridge across the southwest CONUS extending into southeast Wyoming and the Nebraska panhandle, injecting a much drier, more stable airmass, limiting thunderstorm concerns Monday. Tuesday the ridge is flattened out as a shortwave skims the Nebraska panhandle, providing isolated to scattered thunderstorm chances in the eastern panhandle and the warmest temperatures expected next week. High temperatures in the upper 80s to 90s across southeast Wyoming and the Nebraska panhandle. This is well-above-average for southeast Wyoming, but only 2 to 5 degrees above-average for the Nebraska panhandle. Wednesday and Thursday is a return to zonal flow with isolated thunderstorm chances, mainly in the Nebraska panhandle, and temperatures a few degrees cooler than Tuesday. This forecast is a welcome change from the widespread severe weather we have been experiencing! However, we want this precipitation to continue to limit fire weather concerns in the future. All in all, as long as the pattern holds we will finally experience some summer next week! && .AVIATION...(For the 00Z TAFS through 00Z Saturday evening) Issued at 514 PM MDT Fri Jul 7 2023 VFR conditions are expected to continue through the majority of the TAF period, with some chances for IFR tomorrow morning. Current radar imagery has some showers and thunderstorms along the CO/WY border and moving eastward across just south of the Nebraska Panhandle. Some uncertainty in the near term forecast with HiRes model guidance indicating some cells developing across southeast Wyoming later tonight and pushing eastward into the Panhandle through the late night hours. As a result, kept VCTS and VCSH in the TAFs to account for these model solutions. In addition, confidence is increasing for IFR conditions across KCYS where plenty of moisture at the surface and upslope flow will aid in low stratus and fog to develop. Will need to reevaluate the remaining terminals in southeast Wyoming to see if those conditions will be met at KRWL and KLAR. && .FIRE WEATHER... Issued at 240 PM MDT Fri Jul 7 2023 High pressure over central Wyoming this afternoon will bring east to northeast winds and cooler temperatures to most area today and Saturday. A stalled out surface front lays across central and western Colorado this afternoon. Looks like most thunderstorms today will be confined near the I-80 Corridor from Cheyenne to Rawlins. Showers and storms may continue this evening across southern Albany and maybe northern Carbon County as another disturbance moves through this evening. Better chances for wetting rains Saturday afternoon and evening along and east of the Laramie Range. A warmer and drier pattern taking shape for Sunday on into next week as high pressure builds over Wyoming from the southwest. Drier air currently over Utah and northern Arizona expected to move into the area that could result in daily critical afternoon humidity with poor overnight recoveries. && .CYS WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WY...None. NE...None. && $$ SHORT TERM...GCC LONG TERM...LK AVIATION...MRD FIRE WEATHER...GCC
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
National Weather Service Kansas City/Pleasant Hill MO
642 PM CDT Fri Jul 7 2023 .Discussion... Issued at 300 PM CDT FRI JUL 7 2023 Key Messages: -Scattered showers and thunderstorms are expected this evening. A couple strong storms are possible with the potential for brief heavy downpours, lightning, and small hail - especially south of I- 70. -Heat begins to build next week. High temperatures in the 90s and heat indicies near 100 are possible on Tuesday and Wednesday. Discussion: The remnants of the morning MCS has moved into northeast Missouri this afternoon. The outflow has made it into the northern KC metro as winds at KMCI have turned to the northeast as of the 2 PM observation. This boundary could be an area to watch for convective initiation late this afternoon south of I-70. There are weak radar returns showing up along the boundary early this afternoon. South of this boundary (south of I-70), surface based CAPE has climbed between 1000-2000 J/KG with higher PWATs and dewpoints. This area is also on the fringe of the higher midlevel wind field. There is enough speed shear to support a couple strong storms this evening. Widespread severe storms are not expected. A shortwave will push across the area this evening and tonight and is expected to trigger scattered showers and thunderstorms. Early morning runs of the HRRR as well as various other hi-res guidance were a little more robust with convection both in terms of coverage and intensity across the forecast area this evening. The latest runs have backed off. Thunderstorms will continue to be more numerous across east central and and portions of southern Missouri, as well as across southern Kansas. These areas have more instability and 925-850mb moisture transport will continue to be focused across southern Kansas. Early morning cloud cover should eventually give way to at least partial clearing by Saturday afternoon. The weekend is shaping up to be quite pleasant with a surface high settling in across the area. The weather will be dry with temperatures in the lower 80s for highs and dewpoints near 60. By early next week, the jet stream carves out a northerly path across the CONUS from the Pacific Northwest to the Great Lakes. Building heights are expected from the Plains to the Mississippi Valley. Southerly flow will usher in much warmer temperatures on Tuesday and Wednesday with 850mb GEFS temperature anomalies of approximately 5-10 C. This is certainly not a pattern indicative of record temperatures, but we should expect temperatures back in the 90s with heat indicies potentially eclipsing 100 F. There is still some uncertainty with precipitation during this time, especially once the ridge breaks down on Thursday and Friday. There should be some showers and thunderstorms during that time, but the details are unclear at this point. Regardless, it doesn`t appear to be a long term heat event locally. The hot and dry pattern will remain to our south across the Southern Plains and southwest US. && .Aviation...(For the 00Z TAFS through 00Z Saturday Evening) Issued at 638 PM CDT FRI JUL 7 2023 Broken line of showers with embedded thunderstorms will work south this evening along a cold front moving through the region. Behind, the front, MVFR stratus is expected to build in, and continue through the morning hours on Saturday. Could see ceilings briefly fall into the IFR range around sunrise, but confidence is not high enough to include in the forecast at this point. Also the potential for some light fog overnight, best chances at KSTJ. Ceilings are expected to gradually improve through the morning hours Saturday, returning to VFR Saturday afternoon. && .EAX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... KS...NONE. MO...NONE. && $$ Discussion...CLF Aviation...BT
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
National Weather Service Hastings NE
627 PM CDT Fri Jul 7 2023 ...Aviation Update... .DISCUSSION...(This evening through Friday) Issued at 355 PM CDT Fri Jul 7 2023 Key Messages: * Isolated to scattered showers/storms exit SE portions of the area this evening, leaving mainly dry and quite comfortable conditions for the rest of the weekend. * Temperatures warm back up closer to normal early next week. * Persistent NW upper flow leads to return of active pattern and multiple chances/rounds for storms next week, some of which could come in the form of strong-severe nocturnal complexes. Forecast Details: Shortwave disturbance seen on WV imagery moving from the Dakotas into Minnesota is forcing a cold front through the area from N to S this aftn. Plentiful low level moisture (PWATs around 1.5"), modest deep layer moisture flux convergence, and weak capping is leading to iso-scat tstms along and ahead of this cold front, which currently lies from OLU to HSI to HLC. SPC meso page shows decent MLCAPE of 1000-2000 J/kg (highest W of Hwy 281), and latest VAD confirms strong deep layer shear in place owing to strong veering from Srly sfc winds to 50kt+ WNW flow at H5. This CAPE/shear parameter space suggests a non-zero risk for a few severe storms ahead of the front, but so far activity has really struggled to maintain deep cores and organization. This is likely due to substantial subsidence behind this morning`s departing shortwave that produced a semi-organized band of effective rain- producing convection that gave areas N of I-80 burst of mod to hvy rain. Hwy 92 corridor was a particular benefactor of this system in which widespread 1-3" occurred. The ongoing subsidence appears to be keeping current convection in check, and with fairly high freezing levels and no significant shortwave nearby/upstream, seems unlikely there will be an appreciable incr to intensity/organization through the eve hrs. Area remains in an SPC Day 1 Marginal risk, but think main threats are sub-severe hail/gusty winds and torrential downpours. HRRR has been consistent with this activity weakening quickly around sunset. Not sure what to do with fog potential tonight due to conflicting signals and competing factors. On one hand, looks like temps will cool nicely back into the 50s with help of some clearing this eve, and today`s rainfall should keep some moisture in the BL, esp. N zones. However, the N/NE winds don`t completely decouple and may result in some dry air advection...and lingering low level moisture may manifest as stratus instead of fog. Have added some patchy fog wording as I could envision shallow ground fog in protected valleys, esp. on edges of any stratus. This should favor N/NW/W zones the most. The weekend as a whole is looking awfully nice by July standards as humidity will be held in check, temperatures will be pleasant in mid 70s to mid 80s amidst decent sunshine and fairly lgt winds. The weekend will have cool mornings for those who don`t like the heat, but also some warm afternoons factoring in the sunshine and lgt winds. Get out and enjoy it if you can! The pattern turns warmer early next week as upper heights rise in response to building ridge over the S High Plains and Desert SW. This will be short-lived, however, as an anomalously strong trough (-2 to -3 std dev) drops southward through central Canada. The impact to local pattern will be seasonably fast NWrly mid to upper level flow and steady stream of shortwave troughs that interact with oscillating warm sector and steep low/mid level lapse rates. Conceptually speaking, this type of weather pattern tends to be favorable for daily rounds of convection, and more specifically, nightly MCSs that roll off the high plains in the NW to SE upper flow, fed by nightly low level jets. Deterministic EC and ensemble has shown some consistency in this type of pattern and both show a sizable swath of above-normal pcpn right where one would expect in the Central Plains, consistent with this conceptual pattern idea. NBM hasn`t gone crazy on PoPs just yet, likely owing to differences in track/timing and ridge/trough magnitude, but appears Mon eve/night, Tue eve/night and Thu eve/night have best potential for organized MCSs. This active flow will likely keep temps in check in the 80s to near 90F, but this will depend on timing and effects of outflow. && .AVIATION...(For the 00Z KGRI/KEAR TAFS through 00Z Sunday) Issued at 623 PM CDT Fri Jul 7 2023 Winds will mostly be out of the north with some variability. Low ceilings are expected to develop around 06z and continue through most of the morning hours. Fog is possible tonight and early Saturday morning. && .GID WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NE...NONE. KS...NONE. && $$ DISCUSSION...Thies AVIATION...Schuldt
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Goodland KS
900 PM MDT Fri Jul 7 2023 .SHORT TERM...(This evening through Sunday) Issued at 308 PM MDT Fri Jul 7 2023 This afternoon skies are gradually clearing over the Tri-State area. With the broad clouds exiting, a cumulus field is beginning to show over the area as CAPE values increase and the cap slowly degrades over Northeast Colorado. Through most of the afternoon the area should remain dry as the cloud cover decreases. With temperatures warming into the 70s to lower 80s, instability is expected to increase over the Tri-State area while the higher mid- level lapse rates move north over the area. There hasn`t been much change in the SPC outlook for today. Latest guidance has storms forming off the Front Range and Palmer Divide over the next 2-4 hours, moving east to east-southeast towards our area. Most of the activity for this evening is expected to occur mainly along and south of I-70, with potential for the stronger storms to occur more in the Pueblo and Dodge forecast areas. Current thinking is that these storms will be similar in mode and path to last night, impacting those along and south of US-40 mainly. All hazards are possible again today with large hail up to 2 inches in diameter, up to 75 mph winds, and heavy rainfall. A tornado or two also can`t be ruled out. Storms are expected to taper off between midnight and sunrise tomorrow morning, with majority of the severe potential ending around midnight. Overnight lows will be in the 50s to lower 60s tonight. Tomorrow, the upper ridge is expected to amplify over the Western CONUS while the upper trough cross the Mississippi River Basin. Shortwave disturbances are expected to move along the northwest flow over the area on Saturday bringing more chances for storms during the afternoon to overnight hours. All hazards will once again be possible, with the main area of concern along and south of a Flagler to Cheyenne Wells to Leoti line. Temperatures are expected to be in the 70s for highs and in the mid to upper 50s overnight tomorrow. Sunday is a bit quieter with lower chances for convection. The upper ridge is expected to move further over the area while a surface high moves over Eastern Kansas. Shortwave disturbances are expected to help develop/strengthen a lee trough later in the day. As the disturbances move over, a few showers and storms may be triggered. The main area that could impact is our northern counties, especially Yuma County. Confidence is low at this time for convection to develop, but it can`t be completely ruled out. Temperatures look to warm a bit more on Sunday with highs in the mid 70s to lower 80s. Overnight lows will be in the upper 50s to lower 60s. .LONG TERM...(Monday through Friday) Issued at 145 PM MDT Fri Jul 7 2023 Ridge centered over the southern Rockies will be the dominant upper feature during the long term period. High temperatures will range from the upper 80s to lower 90s, with Tuesday looking like the warmest day when temperatures may reach the middle 90s. Weak disturbances moving over the top of the ridge will provide daily chances of mainly afternoon and evening thunderstorms. Chances should be more widely scattered early in the week with proximity to the ridge, but increase towards the end of the week as the ridge shifts further west and upper flow becomes more northwest. Hard to rule out at least some risk of severe storms each day with deep layer shear of at least 30 kts, increasing to 50 kts by the end of the week. There will also be a front involved by the end of the week which could further enhance severe risk. Given daily rounds of showers and storms, the marginal to slight risk of excessive rainfall is also likely to continue. && .AVIATION...(For the 06Z TAFS through 06Z Saturday night) Issued at 900 PM MDT Fri Jul 7 2023 KGLD...VFR conditions are expected through 10z with winds from the northeast to east at speeds under 10kts. From 11z-19z, sub VFR conditions are expected in stratus and possibly some fog which would reduce visibilities, potentially significantly. Latest HRRR run has stratus lingering through the afternoon so some adjustments may be needed. Winds remain from the east up to 10kts. After 20z, VFR conditions are currently forecast to return with winds continuing from the east up to 11kts. Regarding precipitation chances, cant rule out some showers/possible thunderstorms in the 16z-02z timeframe. Confidence is pretty low as some models keep us dry due to the stratus preventing any instability from developing. The better chance for precipitation appears to be after about 03z where -TSRA has been included in the forecast. KMCK...VFR conditions are expected from taf issuance through 10z with a light northeast wind. From 11z-14z, sub VFR cigs are expected in stratus and a light and variable wind. After 15z, VFR conditions return with winds remaining from the east up to 10kts. && .GLD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... KS...NONE. CO...NONE. NE...NONE. && $$ SHORT TERM...KMK LONG TERM...024 AVIATION...99
Area Forecast Discussion...Updated
National Weather Service Lincoln IL
845 PM CDT Fri Jul 7 2023 .SYNOPSIS... Issued at 844 PM CDT Fri Jul 7 2023 After a few evening showers mainly along and west of the I-55 corridor, scattered showers and thunderstorms will become more numerous across all of central Illinois overnight into Saturday. A few of the storms could become strong along and south of a Danville to Taylorville line Saturday afternoon. After that, a return to cool and dry weather is expected for Sunday. && .UPDATE... Issued at 844 PM CDT Fri Jul 7 2023 No major changes to the forecast over the next 12 hours, still expecting scattered showers and thunderstorms to increase in coverage after midnight as a shortwave approaches from the west and LLJ forcing ramps up. The regional radar mosaic already shows scattered convection blossoming/tracking east across southern IA, with some cells as far east as the MS River. As convection increases across the CWA overnight, CAMs do suggest a potential for localized areas of over 1" of rainfall, especially in the vicinity of the I-74 corridor, where showers/storms develop and track along the same east- west oriented zone. Regarding the marginal risk for severe storms across eastern IL on Saturday, the potential hinges on the timing of the cold front. Today`s 18z guidance trended faster (further southeast) with that front, showing little to no convection across eastern IL tomorrow afternoon. While the full 00z model suite isn`t in yet, the latest (00z) HRRR shows a similar evolution to 18z guidance. The severe weather potential for our CWA on Saturday afternoon certainly seems to be trending lower. Made some reductions to PoPs Saturday PM to account for these trends. Erwin && .SHORT TERM... (Through Late Saturday Night) Issued at 313 PM CDT Fri Jul 7 2023 The remnants of an MCS that formed over the High Plains late last night continues to track toward the Mississippi River. While the airmass further east across central Illinois is dry/subsident beneath prevailing high pressure, radar loops suggest showers will spill into the Illinois River Valley over the next 2-3 hours. Have therefore increased late afternoon PoPs to likely west of the Illinois River. The showers will continue to diminish as they push further eastward, but think at least scattered showers will reach the I-55 corridor early this evening. After the initial band of showers fades away, a lull in precip coverage will occur until the nocturnal low-level jet energizes the environment ahead of an approaching short-wave trough currently over northwest Iowa. All CAMs suggest scattered convection after midnight...with the greatest areal coverage focused immediately ahead of the wave across north-central Illinois. Have therefore carried high chance PoPs across much of the KILX CWA overnight...with likely along/north of a Galesburg to Bloomington line. Instability will remain meager with HREF ensemble mean MUCAPEs peaking at just 500-1000J/kg. This will be sufficient for thunder, but too paltry for any severe weather risk. Morning showers and thunderstorms will wane and/or track eastward into Indiana toward midday Saturday...with attention then turning to potential convective re-development along an advancing cold front during the afternoon. The pre-frontal environment south of the I-72 corridor will become modestly unstable/sheared with HREF ensemble mean SBCAPEs increasing to 1500-2000J/kg and 0-6km bulk shear values of 20-30kt. 12z 3km NAM and 18z HRRR both show development mainly south of the KILX CWA: however, would not be surprised to see widely scattered strong thunderstorm cells capable of marginally severe wind gusts/hail along/south of a Danville to Taylorville line from mid-afternoon through early evening. Barnes .LONG TERM... (Sunday through Next Friday) Issued at 313 PM CDT Fri Jul 7 2023 Once the front passes, a period of cooler/drier weather will be on tap for Saturday night through Monday night. After that, a second cold front will drop southward out of the Upper Midwest by the middle of next week. There is still some uncertainty as to how quickly the front will arrive: however, 12z Jul 7 models have come into better agreement focusing FROPA late Wednesday. As a result, have confined PoPs to the north and kept them in the slight chance category through Tuesday before raising to likely by Wednesday night as the front and a supporting upper wave arrive. Rain chances will linger into Thursday and Friday as well, as the frontal boundary becomes nearly stationary in the vicinity. Barnes && .AVIATION... (For the 00z TAFs through 00z Saturday Evening) Issued at 636 PM CDT Fri Jul 7 2023 * A weakening line of showers is progressing east and will move through KSPI/KBMI near the start of the period. No lightning activity has been observed with these showers in the last hour, and the gradual weakening trend is expected to continue. * Between 02-06z this evening, the terminals should be dry with VFR conditions. After 06z, scattered showers/storms overspread the area from west to east, continuing through about 14- 17z in the morning. Thunder chances are highest between 06-12z. * Guidance suggests low MVFR or IFR ceilings are likely between 11- 17z Saturday morning. The NBM showed a 40-50% chance of IFR ceilings during that period, so did include a few hours of IFR at most sites. MVFR ceilings linger into Saturday afternoon before lifting to VFR late in the period. Erwin && .ILX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && $$
Area Forecast Discussion...UPDATED
National Weather Service Indianapolis IN
942 PM EDT Fri Jul 7 2023 .Forecast Update... Issued at 942 PM EDT Fri Jul 7 2023 High level moisture plume and associated cirrus and mid clouds are increasing across the area this evening, and will continue to do so overnight. The combination of limited radiative conditions as a result, and weak warm advection should keep temperatures a few degrees warmer than previous nights. Model blend is acceptable in this pattern for temperatures without modification. As a deeper surge of moisture on mean southwesterly low-mid tropospheric flow arrives, showers and isolated thunderstorms will increase later tonight and persist through morning. This activity may be most concentrated with the leading edge of more pronounced low-level warm/moist advection tied to a lead shortwave trough embedded within the broader trough. Later in the day, diurnal surface-based convection should be confined to near and south of weakly baroclinic front and associated low-level convergence. Models are not completely aligned on its placement. Some are further south seemingly influenced to a more significant degree by amplified lower latitude shortwave trough/PV anomaly over West Kentucky. Others seem to have a broad surface low at higher latitudes perhaps forced primarily by the broader trough. In the former case, shallower mixing depths and lower theta-e post- frontal environment with uniform northerly flow should preclude convective development for at least the northwest half to two-thirds of central Indiana during the afternoon. The latter case would lead to a more north placement of frontal convergence and greater buoyancy with broader spatial coverage of convection across central Indiana. We will re-evaluate tonight and provide updated probabilities. The overall parameter space tomorrow afternoon will be characterized by moderate instability and weak deep layer shear. Loosely organized multicells upon collapse may produce strong wind gusts. The thermodynamic environment may be marginally supportive of severe wind gusts with the most intense convective cores, but lightning is expected to be the primary hazard. && .Short Term...(This evening through Saturday) Issued at 300 PM EDT Fri Jul 7 2023 - Partly Cloudy this evening, increasing clouds overnight. - Rain showers likely on Saturday. Surface analysis early this afternoon shows a disorganized area of high pressure in place over WI and the western Great Lakes. This high was providing dry easterly flow to central Indiana. GOES16 shows just a few CU across Central Indiana. Farther west, an upper trough was found over the eastern Dakotas and eastern NB. This feature was spreading clouds and rain across western IA and will be our main weather player on Saturday. Dew points across the area were still moist, in the 60s. Tonight... High pressure to the north of Central Indiana will continue to dominate our weather this evening, resulting in dry weather and partly cloudy skies. Forecast soundings remain dry this evening, however things begin to change overnight. Models show the arrival of a short wave from the plains states pushing toward Central Indiana. This wave was embedded with broad cyclonic flow in place aloft that stretched across much of central Canada and the Great Lakes. This wave is expected to result in a deepening of the cyclonic flow tonight, extending it farther south into the Ohio Valley. Forecast sounding and time heights begin to trend toward saturation overnight, with a saturated column arriving near 10-12Z within the Wabash Valley. Thus will continue a dry forecast this evening, but increasing clouds overnight as the surface high departs and the short wave arrives. Chance pops will be needed late at western points in the forecast area. Given the increasing clouds overnight as a slightly warmer air mass in the area today, lows will be warmer than yesterday, in the middle and upper 60s. Saturday... Rain looks likely on Saturday. Models show cyclonic flow in place aloft throughout the day. Furthermore, a pair of short waves, one in the morning and another in the afternoon, embedded within the flow appear poised to push across central Indiana through the day. This should provide adequate forcing for showers and thunderstorms. Forecast soundings show a saturated column by 18Z with pwats over 1.80 inches. HRRR shows showers pushing across Central Indiana through much of the day. Given the expected clouds and scattered showers in the area, daytime heating should be limited somewhat. This in turn will limit instability and thunderstorm chances. Thunderstorms cannot be ruled out, but should be more isolated in coverage compared to the expected showers. Thus given the forcing and favorable moisture conditions, will use at least high likely pops across much of the forecast area on Saturday. Given the rain in the area, highs will reach upper 70s to near 80. && .Long Term...(Saturday night through Friday) Issued at 300 PM EDT Fri Jul 7 2023 The long term will feature an unseasonably potent upper trough over interior/central Canada while seasonably hot weather continues over the Four Corners and southern Plains where a somewhat suppressed subtropical ridge will generally remain. Indiana will be sandwiched between these features which will promote occasional to frequent opportunities for showers and thunderstorms, with overall moderate humidity and seasonably warm conditions...while weather for any particular day is influenced by the position of the northern trough and any up/downstream lobing wave or dragging boundary. Saturday Night through Tuesday... A marginal threat of strong/severe storms will continue Saturday night with CAMs noting the potential for at least a couple further rounds for multi-cellular activity crossing the region in a west to east direction ahead of an approaching front. Latest guidance notes the set-up through this nocturnal period to be conditional with modest amounts of both overall and low-level shear, yet along with probably just enough instability to allow a few stronger cells, if not maintain marginal severe winds arriving from Illinois. Focus of concern so far would be more across southern/eastern counties where instability should be greater. Rather weak but organized frontal boundary should cross the region towards Sunday morning which would align any lingering convection into a more linear fashion after midnight, while likely ending any severe threat from west to east. Additional rainfall Saturday night should be light for most locations, although potential for moderate to locally heavy rainfall over southeast zones exists with up to 1.80 inches of precipitable water in the column ahead of the front. Any flash flood potential would be greater over area that received appreciable rains during the day Saturday, with the overall threat limited per the midsummer season and the vast majority of the region at a 3-hour Flash Flood Threshold of 2.75-3.75 inches. Early next week should have the only extended dry period of the long term with a broad yet low-amplitude southern extent of the upper trough gradually crossing the Midwest while slowly-weakening surface high pressure glides from the central Plains to the Ohio Valley. Convective chances will linger into Sunday amid the slowly passing frontal zone with a similar set-up to that seen in recent days...yet low confidence in any strong/severe cells per any near-zero shear and instability confined to far southeastern counties. Temperatures are expected to be lowest for Sunday/Sunday Night when readings will range around 80/60...with mid to upper 80s returning to most places by Tuesday on moderate southwesterly breezes. Wednesday through Friday... A more summery pattern will resume for the second half of the week, at least in the return of higher humidity, as southwesterly to westerly surface flow helps to bring the northeastern extent of the southern ridge towards the Midwest. Ensembles are suggesting the northern weakness pattern should shift slightly to broader and farther south with a couple short waves progged to cross the northern Plains and Great Lakes. This combo will bring at least widely scattered showers/TRW chances to northern zones around the Wednesday timeframe. Any MCS threat would be most likely near the Middle Mississippi Valley around the Thursday timeframe...with decaying cells sliding to the east-southeast and potentially into the CWA. The pattern would also promote frontal boundaries approaching and perhaps dragging across the Midwest which would bring at least high-chance POPs if not several convective threats. Although so far no higher confidence in organized or widespread severe episodes. Temperatures should be near to slightly above normal with highs in the 80s and lows in the 60s to near 70F. && .Aviation...(00Z TAF Issuance) Issued at 729 PM EDT Fri Jul 7 2023 Impacts: * Scattered showers and isolated TSRA possible after 12Z Discussion: A shortwave trough will move toward Indiana tonight and across the state on Saturday. High Clouds are expected to increase overnight as the trough approaches overnight, but any ceilings will remain VFR. Lower ceilings can be expected during the day with some at least brief MVFR possible. Showers and isolated thunderstorms can be expected from early morning lasting into the afternoon. && .IND WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && $$ Update...BRB Short Term...Puma Long Term...AGM Aviation...BRB
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Northern Indiana
801 PM EDT Fri Jul 7 2023 .SYNOPSIS... Issued at 747 PM EDT Fri Jul 7 2023 Dry conditions are expected through late tonight into Saturday evening, when we have chances for showers and thunderstorms. A few storms may be strong to severe, with damaging wind, locally heavy rain, and hail all possible threats. Low temperatures tonight will be in the 60s. Highs Saturday will be in the 70s under cloudy skies. && .SHORT TERM...(This Evening through Saturday) Issued at 300 PM EDT Fri Jul 7 2023 A broad trough across northern portions of the United States with shortwaves in the flow defines our weather in the short term. Subtle high pressure and residual dry air in the form of upper 50s to low 60s dew points keeps the area dry and mostly devoid of showers this afternoon. As such, expect dew points to drop back into the low to mid 60s tonight Meanwhile, the shortwave colocated with the linear convective system in Nebraska shifts east overnight and arrives in the Great Lakes region late tonight/Saturday morning. It brings increased low level moisture with dew points in the mid to upper 60s, but its connection to the Gulf of Mexico is loose and the better moisture content resides to our south. A low level jet slides through Saturday morning, but it`s rather weak at around 10 to 15 kts, which allows for just below adequate 25 kts of effective shear. This system arrives in the morning meaning instability will be meager to just beginning to grow. These signals indicate the system will initially be weak. Of course, the HRRR is much faster with this system than the NAMNest having it arrive at 9z and push through by 15z meaning it would allow for better instability recovery ahead of an afternoon shortwave. Even still, the later arriving NAMNest convects during the afternoon/evening just after the departing morning showers/storms. So, we`ll need to watch for how much influence morning debris clouds have on the afternoon shower/thunder chance, but the NAMNest and NSSL WRf don`t seem to be affected by potential lingering debris cloudiness in a weak flow environment. The shortwave approaching the area for the afternoon thunder chance (barring cloud debris, after 2pm) looks to split with the northern half taking a northeastward trek into southeastern Canada and the southern part decaying as it arrives. The ECMWF indicates between 500 to 1000 J/kg of MUCAPE may be available for use by any storms with the normally more juiced NAM indicating more. At this point, the strongest flow appears disjointed with where we would expect storms to form, but what flow does exist appears to have portions of boundary parallel flow potentially with some pre-boundary cell initiations. This would point to linear segments especially along any remnant outflow boundaries along a with a few single cells. Slower mid level lapse rates than 7 C/km likely takes large hail off the table, but gusty to damaging winds appear possible, with the storm mode being what it is, along with locally heavy rain. Highs Saturday are actually slightly cooler than normal reaching the mid to upper 70s although a few 80 degree readings cannot be ruled out. && .LONG TERM...(Saturday Night through Friday) Issued at 300 PM EDT Fri Jul 7 2023 The long term will be dominated by strong ridging over Greenland, an upper low over south central Canada and ridging over the southwestern US and western Canada. This allows the Pacific jet to intrude over the bulk of the United States with ridging developing over the western US and troughing over the eastern US. As the lagging cold front departs the area Sunday, it ushers in a period of drier weather that continues into Tuesday as surface high pressure and mid level ridging take over. Expect a warming trend as lingering cloud cover gives way to increasing sunshine and warming advection arriving Tuesday allowing low 80s on Sunday to become mid to upper 80s for Tuesday. Our next chance for showers and thunderstorms occurs later Wednesday or Wednesday night as a Pacific shortwave arrives and the low level jet initiates a moisture connection to the Gulf of Mexico bringing back the humidity. With a mid level PV anomaly, a bulls-eye of output precipitation, and an evolution that takes the system to the southeast, it appears to be an MCS type system that may just scrape our western counties. For Thursday, a shortwave pinwheels around the upper low in Canada allowing for pop storms within growing instability ahead of a stalled cold front from Wednesday. However, if the aforementioned MCS is able to dive southward, one would think that should allow the cold front to dive south as well with the developing cold pool of the MCS. Perhaps this discrepancy will get ironed out in future model runs with either a more eastward trekking MCS into Wednesday night or the thunder chance being removed for Thursday. && .AVIATION...(For the 00Z TAFS through 00Z Saturday Evening) Issued at 747 PM EDT Fri Jul 7 2023 Predominantly VFR to MVFR conditions expected at the TAF sites this period, with dips to IFR possible within the heaviest showers and t-storms Saturday morning into the late afternoon. Phasing northern/southern stream waves this period will congeal at or around northern Indiana, with a strong LLJ and steep mid level lapse rates lifting in by Saturday morning. First issue is how far east decaying convection gets (which I`ve added VCSH in for), and how quickly conditions decay to MVFR cigs/vis (and possible IFR). Redevelopment and strengthening of the wave is expected as it progresses eastward into the afternoon when there is better instability. Most of the guidance keeps the ceilings mid range MVFR or even VFR, so left out any IFR potential in the TAFs right now-expect later shifts can add detail to those more significant periods. Generally the 11-21z time frame is best for IFR potential for KSBN, and 14-00z at KFWA (confidence is too low to narrow timing down much further than this). && .IWX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... IN...NONE. MI...NONE. OH...NONE. LM...NONE. && $$ SYNOPSIS...MCD SHORT TERM...Roller LONG TERM...Roller AVIATION...MCD Visit us at www.weather.gov/iwx Follow us on Facebook...Twitter...and YouTube at: www.facebook.com/NWSNorthernIndiana www.twitter.com/nwsiwx www.youtube.com/NWSNorthernIndiana
Area Forecast Discussion...Updated Aviation
National Weather Service Saint Louis MO
1050 PM CDT Fri Jul 7 2023 .SHORT TERM... (Through Late Saturday Night) Issued at 257 PM CDT Fri Jul 7 2023 Showers and scattered thunderstorms with decaying MCS will continue to move east across the northern CWA the next few hours. Latest surface analysis is showing a warm front extending from central Kansas into southeast Missouri. To the south of this front, SPC mesoanalysis is showing MLCAPES in the 1000-3000 J/kg range. Latest visible imagery is showing a well developed CU field to the south of the warm front and the HRRR develops convection along and south of the front late this afternoon into this evening. While the axis of the best deep layer shear remains north of the instability, can`t rule out one or two strong to severe storms tonight. There will be some lull in the showers and thunderstorms overnight, but should see a pickup in the activity again tomorrow morning and early afternoon as the cold front over the northern Plains and upper Midwest moves southeast across the area. Here again, could see a strong storm or two tomorrow afternoon ahead of this front. Temperatures will be a bit below normal tomorrow with clouds and the front moving through during the day. Britt .LONG TERM... (Sunday through Next Friday) Issued at 257 PM CDT Fri Jul 7 2023 Will continue with a chance of showers and thunderstorms over southeast Missouri which will be unstable and in relatively close proximity to the front. Then will keep Sunday night into Monday night dry as there continues to be good ensemble agreement that a surface high will move through the area under northwest flow aloft. This flow will begin become more quasi-zonal as the ridge over the Rockies flattens out which will allow a couple of shortwaves to move across the area mid-late next week. This will also bring a surface front into the area resulting in a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs on Sunday will be below normal with 850mb temperatures around 15C with northerly surface winds, but will climb above normal by Tuesday as 850mb temperatures climb to around 20C with south to southwesterly winds. There is more uncertainty in the forecast Wednesday into Friday as both the 25th and 75th percentiles of the ensemble forecast are showing a wider spread, likely because of the front in the area. Either way, temperatures will likely be warm as 850mb temperatures will still be in the 15-20C range. Britt && .AVIATION... (For the 06z TAFs through 06z Saturday Night) Issued at 1046 PM CDT Fri Jul 7 2023 Scattered showers are expected to pass through the forecast area tonight, warranting VCSH at all terminals through sunrise. The St. Louis metropolitan terminals may experience a round of thunderstorms Friday afternoon as a cold front pushes southeast, but confidence is low in where exactly thunderstorms will initiate. A deck of mostly MVFR stratus will move into the forecast area from the northwest very early Friday morning. Pockets of high end IFR may be embedded within this stratus deck, so kept scattered IFR at most terminals to account for this. Recent guidance is showing the deck lifting slightly faster than before, but all terminals are still expected to be locked in to MVFR until the afternoon. VFR conditions will persist thereafter. Jaja && .LSX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MO...None. IL...None. && $$ WFO LSX
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Memphis TN
953 PM CDT Fri Jul 7 2023 ...New UPDATE... .UPDATE... Issued at 953 PM CDT Fri Jul 7 2023 A shortwave trough is moving across the Mid MS Valley this evening, enhancing large scale forcing for ascent across the Ozarks. Lift in this area is also aided by upper-level divergence associated with an approaching jet streak and broad warm advection aloft. The convection over the Mid-South, as well as that over central and southern AR, has dissipated, but showers and thunderstorms continue across north-central AR into southern MO. The 00z CAMs have picked up on this activity but certainly differ on its persistence over the next few hours. The last few runs of the HRRR do not appear to have as good a handle on the current activity as the previous (21-23z) runs and this time- lagged approach is enough evidence for me to raise PoPs overnight across northeast AR and the MO Bootheel to 40-50%. This round of showers may evolve into the first wave for tomorrow, affecting areas mainly east of the MS River after 12-15z. A second, more robust, round of storms is more likely by mid/late afternoon as the shortwave trough currently over the Southern High Plains approaches the Mid-South. MLCAPE ahead of this second wave may approach 2500 J/kg but deep-layer shear will still be rather weak at only ~20-25 kts. Locally enhanced deep-layer shear should be sufficient to organize updrafts into multicell clusters capable of damaging wind and perhaps some marginally severe hail. Also on the table is the potential for locally heavy rainfall. The localized probability-matched mean QPF from the 12z HREF indicate isolated pockets of 4+ inches of rain with more widespread amounts between 1/2 and 1 inch. MJ && .SYNOPSIS... Issued at 320 PM CDT Fri Jul 7 2023 Several rounds of thunderstorms are possible this weekend. Some of the thunderstorms may become severe with damaging winds and locally heavy rainfall as the main threats. Some locations could see over 2 inches of rain this weekend. A more typical summertime pattern with hot and humid temperatures and afternoon showers and thunderstorms returns for most of the upcoming week. && .DISCUSSION... (This evening through next Thursday) Issued at 320 PM CDT Fri Jul 7 2023 Scattered thunderstorms are moving slowly east across southern sections of the Mid-South this afternoon. Skies are partly cloudy across the region with temperatures mainly in the 80s to around 90 degrees. A weak frontal boundary is across north Mississippi at this time. This frontal boundary will continue to weaken tonight. Most of the current thunderstorm activity will diminish by this evening with most of the Mid-South having dry weather tonight and into early Saturday morning. Temperatures will be near normal tonight with lows Saturday morning in the upper 60s to mid 70s. A new cold front will move into northwest Arkansas on Saturday. Numerous showers and thunderstorms are expected to develop ahead of the front and move across the Mid-South Saturday and Saturday night. Some of the thunderstorms could be severe with damaging winds as the main threat. Locally heavy rainfall is also possible for both Saturday and Saturday night which could produce some urban and small stream flooding issues. The clouds and thunderstorm coverage will keep temperatures below normal on Saturday with highs in the mid 80s to around 90 degrees. The cold front will move into north Mississippi on Sunday with more showers and thunderstorms mainly south of the front. Severe thunderstorms will be possible on Sunday over north Mississippi with damaging winds as the main threat. Locally heavy rainfall will be possible again on Sunday. The cold front will drop into central Mississippi on Monday with scattered thunderstorms possible over the southern half of the Mid-South. The front will be far enough south of the region Monday night to keep any thunderstorms away from the Mid-South. The boundary will start to head back north on Tuesday with showers and thunderstorms returning to region ahead of the front. As the warm front moves into the Mid-South on Wednesday, more scattered showers and thunderstorms are expected to move through the region. The warm front should fall apart across the region by Thursday with another cold front heading toward the Mid-South from the north. This front will bring more showers and thunderstorms to the region. Behind the warm front, temperatures will return back to near normal for Tuesday through Thursday. && .AVIATION... (00Z TAFS) Issued at 615 PM CDT Fri Jul 7 2023 Confidence is increasing for two rounds of convection to effect all sites tomorrow morning and again in the afternoon through evening. VCTS and TSRA are likely at all sites. Brief periods of MVFR/IFR conditions, as well as lower CIGS are possible. Guidance hasn`t hinted at gusty/increasing winds, but FROPA trends generally contain gusty winds. Gusty winds were left out this TAF cycle, but will likely be added the next cycle. Some CAMS are depicting isolated redevelopment after the line sweeps through, but should still return to VFR and prevail by 04z Saturday night. DNM && .MEG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AR...None. MO...None. MS...None. TN...None. && $$ UPDATE...MJ PUBLIC FORECAST...ARS AVIATION...DNM
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Paducah KY
628 PM CDT Fri Jul 7 2023 ...AVIATION UPDATE... .SHORT TERM...(Tonight through Sunday night) Issued at 337 PM CDT Fri Jul 7 2023 A warm front will move northeast across the FA through this evening with more humid conditions. Dewpoints near 70 degrees are already being observed across portions of SEMO where isolated pcpn is possible through the rest of today. As a 500 mb impulse approaches this evening, some of the 12z CAMs including the HRRR show isolated convection developing along a boundary mainly across SEMO by 06-07Z. Given MLCAPE over 1000 J/kg and steeper mid-level lapses rates of 6.0 to 6.5 C/km due to an increase in forcing for ascent, an isolated strong to severe storm cannot be ruled out overnight with gusty winds and some hail where SPC has a marginal risk in their D1 outlook. The main concern then becomes Saturday as an influx in theta-e occurs behind the aformentioned warm front causing dewpoints to surge into the low to mid 70s. By midday, a 500 mb shortwave will approach the FA with synoptic scale forcing, causing pcpn chances to ramp up along the Mississippi River. One forecast question that remains is how widespread will morning convection be across portions of southeast Missouri and southern Illinois as this will have implications on instability. Have adjusted NBM PoPs as they remain to high with respect to the 12z CAMs. Overall, convection coverage is likely to shift east and be the greatest during the afternoon and early evening hours across southeast Kentucky and southwest Indiana when peak heating occurs. As for the severe weather potential, SPC`s D2 outlook has portions of the CWA outlooked in a slight risk. Model thermal profiles show 1500-2000 J/kg of MLCAPE and effective bulk shear around 40 kts which is sufficient for some severe storms. However, this once again will be contingent on morning convection and cloud cover. The greatest hazard of concern will be damaging wind gusts given DCAPE values of 700-900 J/kg and low-level lapse rates of 8.0 to 8.5 C/km. The 12z NAM in particular shows an EML between 600-500 mb which would favor the wind potential if morning convection is limited. Some hail is also possible in the strongest storms given mid-level lapse rates between 6.5 to 7.0 C/km, but the tornado risk is very low due to the lack of low-level shear. With PWAT`s between 1.75" to 2.00", locally heavy rainfall is also possible with QPF between 0.50" to 1.00" on average where convection occurs. With that said, a cold front will sweep across the Ohio Valley Saturday night providing quick relief from the humidity as dewpoints return to the lower 60s on Sunday. Given the potential for some radiational cooling Sunday night, bumped down low temps with a blend of the NBM 25th percentile and CONSMOS. As for pcpn chances, although the NBM maintains low chances for PoPs on Sunday, do think most of the FA ends up being mainly dry as even the slower 12z ECMWF is now more progressive with the frontal boundary. If an isolated shower or storm were to develop, the greatest risk for pcpn would be across the Kentucky Pennyrile. .LONG TERM...(Monday through Friday) Issued at 337 PM CDT Fri Jul 7 2023 Dry and tranquil conditions are in store for Monday and Tuesday as a weak sfc high pressure builds across the Ohio Valley. Unsettled weather and an increase in the heat and humidity is then in store for the remainder of the week as a warm front moves through the FA on Wednesday. A series of 500 mb impulses will then round the corner of a 594 dam ridge parked across the southwest CONUS bringing the risk for daily showers and storms. Due to the increase in humidity, heat indices may near heat advisory criteria across portions of the region by the middle of the week. && .AVIATION... Issued at 622 PM CDT Fri Jul 7 2023 Rounds of thunderstorms are possible tomorrow morning and again afternoon through evening. A lot will be dependent on the morning convection as to how the afternoon/evening convection sets up. Models indicating the afternoon may be the better bet for storms though and these would stand the better chance of impacting the terminals. Have included PROB30s to indicate the chances for direct impacts to the terminals. Cigs with these storms could go MVFR at times along with visbys. Winds will be fairly light except under storms where winds could be stronger and variable. && .PAH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... IL...None. MO...None. IN...None. KY...None. && $$ SHORT TERM...DW LONG TERM...DW AVIATION...SHAWKEY
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Pendleton OR
850 PM PDT Fri Jul 7 2023 .UPDATE...Isolated thunderstorms are diminishing over Grant and Crook Counties and the balance of the night should be dry. Decided to issue a heat advisory for Saturday and Sunday for the Lower Columbia Basin of Washington. Heat risk prototype is getting into the major category (heat affects anyone without effective cooling or hydration) in a fairly sizable portion of that zone during the period. In addition to the triple digit heat both days it will be warm Saturday night with overnight lows close to 70. The advisory area may need to be expanded on subsequent shifts. The other concern is thunderstorms for Saturday afternoon and evening for central Oregon. Decided to add to the Red Flag Warnings already issued for OR640 and OR642 a watch for 640 for abundant lightning. Mitigating factor includes the meager instability but the HRRR moves multiple rounds of convection through during the afternoon and evening. The greatest instability is actually along the WA Cascade east slopes but the 00Z HRRR and the 12Z HREF did very little there in terms of convection. Thus held off on any highlights in central WA for now. A significant shortwave trough will move through the region Monday which could lead to a more widespread shower/tstm event along with an increase in winds. 78 && .PREV DISCUSSION... /issued 420 PM PDT Fri Jul 7 2023 / SHORT TERM...Today through Sunday...Heat and the chance for mountain showers and thunderstorms will continue to plague the forecast area throughout the weekend. Weak zonal flow to ridging is to blame for the rising temperatures, which will slowly be replaced by a band of SW flow that guidance suggests will impact our forecast area throughout much of the next week. As far as the chances for mountain showers/thunderstorms is concerned, forecast has been tricky as models tend to be more bearish this time of year in depicting convection due to hot and dry conditions, however most recent CAMs are beginning to tap into the oncoming Pacific moisture, depicting isolated to scattered storm activity across the central and eastern mountains of Oregon, as well as portions of the central WA Cascades. Already seeing some isolated cells fire off this afternoon in Grant County despite a relatively dry air mass, so this further increases the confidence in storm activity over the weekend for the aforementioned areas. Went ahead and issued a Red Flag Warning for the John Day/central Blue Mountains area for Saturday, as guidance depicts plentiful mid-level moisture for the area, with CAMs depicting isolated to scattered storm activity. This, combined with the recent heat, should be enough for abundant lighting to trigger new fire starts. Biggest confounding variable would be the moisture content in the atmosphere, as models depict PWATs as high as 0.8 for the area, so some storms over the RFW area could be wetting in nature. That being said, given the isolated to patchy coverage of storms, plenty of lighting strikes could occur away from the thunderstorm core, so will err on the side of caution and not presume that the storms will be wet enough to preclude a risk of new fire starts. Confidence is shaky for storm coverage on Sunday as CAMs don`t go out far enough and global guidance is lackluster on coverage, yet the synoptic set-up still favors storm generation, spreading even into the lower elevations. Left coverage of slight chance to chance PoPs for the areas that are expected to receive storms on Saturday as well, but remains to be seen whether or not Sunday will be supportive of RFW conditions once again. With all this talk of a Pacific moisture surge via SW winds aloft, the most recent temperature forecast has moderated itself a bit as models seem to be tapping into the higher moisture content aloft. Still seeing daytime highs forecasted just into the triple digits for the lower Basin, especially on Sunday which continues to be the hottest day forecasted. However, Sunday previously looked to be a potential heat advisory day, but now looks less so with the highs ticking down a bit according to the latest guidance. Will be interesting to see if Sunday continues to track cooler if models start to better capture the oncoming moisture flow over future runs. Otherwise, still expecting widespread mid to upper 90s (at least) across our population centers throughout the weekend. Evans/74 LONG TERM...Monday through Friday...The beginning of the forecast period will prove to be the most active day in the period. Confidence that critical fire weather thresholds will be met is moderate (50-70%) and these conditions will continue to be monitored as the event draws near. Temperatures will dip for a brief period Monday before slowly trending upwards again through the period. Monday models are in firm agreement that an upper level shortwave will traverse across the region and exit by Tuesday morning. This new pattern will bring with it a few changes in temperature, winds and weather. The shortwave will cause a tightening of the surface pressure gradients over the Cascades causing increased winds across the area, especially through the Cascade Gaps along the foothills of the Blue Mountains and the southern portion of the Basin. Winds are expected to range between 10-20 mph with gusts to 35 to 45 mph possible. Some isolated locations could see sustained winds 25-30 mph. The shortwave will also bring temperatures a few degrees cooler, however the EFI does show that the area will continue to be slightly above the climate normal. Ensembles and the NBM show highs will be in the low to mid 90s through the Gorge, Basin and along the foothills of the Blue Mountains, 80s through Central Oregon and the John-Day Basin, with 70s near the higher terrains. Also, models are showing an influx of some upper level moisture, PWATs nearing 0.1- 0.3inches available, elevated CAPE values of 150-350J/kg and steep lapse rates of 7.6-8.1C/km has increased awareness of early morning and late afternoon thunderstorms across the WA Cascades through the Basin and into Wallowa County although confidence is marginally low at this time so only slight chances were forecasted (<20%). Tuesday the models show west-southwest flow returns and a slow warming trend begins. Wednesday is the next day with weather activity albeit not as strong of a signal as Mondays shortwave. Wednesday models are in relatively firm agreement that another upper level shortwave will traverse over the region bringing again slightly increased winds across the area. No precipitation is expected with this shortwave as all models show very little to no moisture transport. The shortwave will exit the region by Wednesday and westerly to southwesterly flow aloft will return and remain through the period. Temperatures will peak on Friday but mostly only by a degree or two warmer than the previous days. Again, EFI continues to show the area above normal. Bennese/90 AVIATION...00z TAFs...VFR conditions with just a few mid and high clouds through the period. Isolated to scattered thunderstorms on Saturday over the central and northeast ORE MTNS should stay mostly east of TAF sites KBDN and KRDM with a 10% to 15% chance of a storm impacting those sites. Winds will be sustained 4-12 kt and terrain driven except 15G25 kt at KDLS. 78 && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... PDT 63 94 65 96 / 0 0 10 10 ALW 67 98 68 101 / 0 0 0 10 PSC 66 100 69 102 / 0 0 10 0 YKM 65 98 67 98 / 0 0 10 0 HRI 66 99 68 101 / 0 0 20 10 ELN 63 98 65 96 / 10 0 10 10 RDM 54 90 56 91 / 0 10 30 10 LGD 59 92 63 95 / 0 10 10 0 GCD 58 90 60 95 / 20 40 30 10 DLS 62 92 62 93 / 0 0 10 0 && .PDT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... OR...Red Flag Warning from 11 AM to 11 PM PDT Saturday for ORZ642-644. Fire Weather Watch from Saturday morning through Saturday evening for ORZ640. WA...Heat Advisory from noon Saturday to 8 PM PDT Sunday for WAZ028. && $$ SHORT TERM...78 LONG TERM...90 AVIATION...78
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Raleigh NC
941 PM EDT Fri Jul 7 2023 .SYNOPSIS... A surface trough will remain in the lee of the southern and central Appalachians through Saturday. && .NEAR TERM /TONIGHT/... As of 930 PM Friday... A surface trough and numerous outflow boundaries led to countless storms this afternoon and evening. Drier air aloft moved into the region this afternoon, and helped to provide higher DCAPE, which led to gusty microbursts in storms, some of which knocked down trees and power lines. Hail up to the size of a half-dollar was reported near Fuquay-Varina, with a few other reports of 1 inch hail observed this afternoon. Most storms have diminished from lack of diurnal heating, however the front right quadrant of an upper jet moving across the area will help maintain isolated showers/thunderstorms through early tonight. Precipitable water values near 2 inches across the Coastal Plain could continue the threat of heavy rain and isolated flooding with any storms that develop. Patchy fog/mist may develop again tonight, with persistent muggy lows in the upper 60s to low 70s. && .SHORT TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT/... As of 350 PM Friday... Saturday and Saturday night: Not quite as hot, but with a persistence forecast of scattered afternoon-evening showers and storms. A couple of weak shortwave perturbations evident in water vapor satellite data over nern MS and s-cntl AL early this afternoon will pivot across the South Atlantic coast on Sat, while a couple of more- vigorous ones amplify and may partially phase from the mid MS to TN Valleys Sat night. The cntl Carolinas will generally remain in between each of these regions of synoptic forcing for ascent and stronger flow, in a region characterized by a mean wswly wind of only around 10-15 kts and which may include a couple of weak MCVs from today`s convection across GA and the Carolinas. The strongest of these MCVs will likely be one from a relatively stronger convective cluster with colder cloud tops now over cntl GA, which the RAP directs across the NC Sandhills and Coastal Plain Sat afternoon. At the surface, a persistent, southern and central Appalachian-lee trough will remain directly over the srn middle Atlantic and Carolinas. The models also suggest some very weak cooling of 925-850 mb temperatures may accompany a weakening cold front as it crosses the middle Atlantic and merges with the lee trough through Sat. The sensible weather resulting from the pattern described above will feature much of the same as previous days, with above average high temperatures and scattered, diurnal convection. Temperatures will likely be a degree or three cooler than those of today (Fri), however, owing to both a canopy of mid to high-level cloudiness and weak cooling behind the aforementioned weakening cold front. The surface trough will again provide the initial focus for pulse- type convection, with some local enhancement to coverage along the ultimate track of any MCVs, which appear at this time to most likely influence the NC Sandhills through Coastal Plain. Convection should wane with nocturnal and diabatic/outflow cooling by mid-evening, with persistence low temperatures in the upr 60s to lwr 70s. Sunday and Sunday night: As of Sunday morning, a surface low should be across western Ohio with a cold front extending to the southwest. The low should move to New York City by Monday morning. The arrival time of the cold front still remains a bit up in the air, with the front likely to approach central NC around sunset Sunday. Precipitation coverage appears to be a bit more scattered on most of the 12Z guidance suite compared to previous runs, although a potent upper shortwave should combine with the front to provide good coverage of rain across the area. CAPE values exceeding 2000 J/kg and effective shear values approaching 30 kt will bring a threat of severe weather to most of the forecast area, with all locations included in a slight (level 2 of 5) risk from the Storm Prediction Center. The primary threat will come from damaging winds, although large hail will also be possible. At this time, low level wind conditions do not look particularly favorable for tornadoes. Most locations are also under a marginal (level 1 of 4) risk for excessive rainfall, especially if storms are training over the same location. High temperatures should be slightly cooler in most locations on Sunday considering the widespread cloudy conditions, although temperatures could be a little bit higher in the southeast where the chances of rain are the least. Expect little change in the overnight temperatures. && .LONG TERM /MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/... As of 300 PM Thursday... On Monday the mid/upper level trough along with the surface cold front will be slowly shifting east and offshore by Tuesday morning. On the back side of the trough there is expected to be some left over instability and moisture on Monday as it exits the area, thus another round of strong summertime pulse storms will be possible Monday. As the front moves across the region, temperatures on Monday will be about 3 to 4 degrees below average. Highs will be in the low to mid 80s across the area with lows in the low to mid 60s. Along the frontal boundary, a secondary weak surface low develops over MS/AL on Tuesday and is expected to shift NE in the GA/SC region as a surface high pressure builds in from the Ohio Valley and over NC. Tuesday will start off mostly cloudy for areas in the SE but expect mostly sunny skies Tuesday and Wednesday as a weak high pressure influences the area. By Thursday the front and associated low pressure will move east and offshore while another front moves over the Ohio valley and into the Mid-Atlantic late week. Increased rain chances for Thursday and Friday afternoon with highs in the mid to upper 90s and heat indices in the low 100s. && .AVIATION /00Z SATURDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... As of 749 PM Friday... 24 hour TAF period: A few isolated storms will continue between KRDU and KFAY through 1000 PM; otherwise, a return to VFR conditions are expected for all areas by late evening. Patchy MVFR fog and some scattered low stratus can be expected around sunrise in the east. There is a chance of scattered storms again on Saturday afternoon and evening, particularly in the east. Outlook: There is a chance of thunderstorms on Sunday afternoon and evening; otherwise, generally VFR conditions are expected Sunday night through Tuesday. && .RAH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && $$ SYNOPSIS...MWS/np NEAR TERM...JJT SHORT TERM...MWS/Green LONG TERM...CA AVIATION...PWB