754  
FXUS62 KCHS 252337  
AFDCHS  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC  
637 PM EST WED NOV 25 2009  
   
SYNOPSIS  
 
HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD IN FROM THE WEST TONIGHT. A DRY COLD  
FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH THE AREA THURSDAY...WITH HIGH PRESSURE  
THEN BUILDING INTO THE REGION THROUGH SUNDAY. ANOTHER STORM SYSTEM  
WILL APPROACH THE REGION EARLY NEXT WEEK.  
 
 
   
NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM THURSDAY MORNING/  
 
AS LOW PRESSURE OFF THE NC/SC COAST SHIFTS OFF TO THE NE  
TONIGHT...HIGH PRESSURE WILL START TO MOVE IN FROM THE W.  
LINGERING SHOWERS WILL SHIFT OFFSHORE AND CLOUDS WILL CONTINUE TO  
LIFT AND DISSIPATE THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT HOURS AS DRIER AIR ENTERS  
THE REGION. SKIES WILL BE MOSTLY CLEAR BY EARLY MORNING THURSDAY  
FOR MUCH OF THE CHS CWFA. MOST AREAS WILL HAVE WINDS SETTLE DOWN  
DUE TO DECOUPLING FROM THE NIGHTLY INVERSION...SETTING UP GROUND  
FOG DEVELOPMENT WITH THE LOW LEVEL MOISTURE TRAPPED UNDER THE  
INVERSION. MET MOS GUIDANCE AND SREF FORECAST PROGS HINT AT THIS  
SCENARIO SO HAVE INCLUDED PATCHY FOG FOR LATE TONIGHT.  
 
LOWS WELL INLAND WILL DROP INTO THE UPPER 30S WHILE LOW-MID 40S  
WILL BE MORE COMMON AWAY FROM THE COAST. NEAR THE SHORES...LOWS  
WILL ONLY DROP TO THE LWR 50S.  
 
 
   
SHORT TERM /6 AM THURSDAY MORNING THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT/  
 
MODEL SOLUTIONS SHOW A DRY BUT POTENT COLD FRONT PUSHING THROUGH  
THE AREA LATE THANKSGIVING DAY...BRINGING A NOTICEABLE PUNCH OF  
COLD AIR TO THE REGION FOR THURSDAY NIGHT. THE LACK OF ANY  
MOISTURE WITH THE FRONT WILL MAKE FOR A PRECIPITATION-FREE AND  
MOSTLY CLEAR THURSDAY FOLLOWED BY HIGH PRESSURE MOVING IN  
THURSDAY NIGHT...MAINTAINING CLEAR SKIES.  
 
WITH COLD AIR ADVECTION NOT KICKING IN UNTIL THURSDAY NIGHT... MAX  
TEMPS FOR THANKSGIVING WILL BE RIGHT AROUND NORMAL...GENERALLY IN  
THE MID TO UPR 60S WITH A FEW 70-DEGREE READINGS POSSIBLE IN ERN  
PORTIONS OF THE AREA. TEMPS WILL DROP OFF QUICKLY TMRW NIGHT AS  
STRONG NOCTURNAL DOWNSLOPING WILL FORCE MIN TEMPS INTO THE MID 30S  
WELL INLAND AND LWR 40S ALONG THE COAST. WITH WINDS NOT QUITE  
CALMING DOWN AND A VERY DRY AIRMASS ENTERING THE AREA...EVEN  
PATCHY FROST DOES NOT LOOK FAVORABLE TO DEVELOP SO HAVE NOT  
INCLUDED IT IN THE FORECAST FOR THU NIGHT.  
 
 
   
LONG TERM /FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/  
 
MEDIUM RANGE GUIDANCE IS IN RATHER GOOD AGREEMENT THROUGH SUNDAY  
NIGHT LEADING TO NORMAL TO ABOVE NORMAL FORECAST CONFIDENCE...THEN  
CONFIDENCE LOWERS THROUGH MID WEEK AS MODELS DIFFER WITH RESPECT  
TO A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM MOVING INTO THE GREAT LAKES.  
 
HIGH PRESSURE WILL SLIDE WEST TO EAST OVER THE AREA FRIDAY THROUGH  
THE WEEKEND PROVIDING DRY BUT UNSEASONABLY COOL CONDITIONS. IN  
FACT...FROST/FREEZE CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS INLAND AREAS  
FRIDAY...SATURDAY AND SUNDAY MORNINGS.  
 
RETURN FLOW ON THE WESTERN SIDE OF THE HIGH WILL SET UP ACROSS THE  
FORECAST AREA SUNDAY. MODEL DIFFERENCES BEGIN SUNDAY NIGHT INTO  
MONDAY REGARDING A DEVELOPING AREA OF LOW PRESSURE MOVING FROM THE  
LOWER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY NORTHEAST INTO THE GREAT LAKES REGION.  
FOR NOW HAVE FOLLOWED THE SLOWER ECMWF/HPC SOLUTION...MAINLY FOR  
CONSISTENCY PURPOSES. THIS KEEPS DEEP MOISTURE OVER THE AREA  
THROUGH WEDNESDAY AND THUS WILL MAINTAIN A CHANCE FOR SHOWERS  
MONDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY...WITH HIGHEST CHANCES MONDAY NIGHT INTO  
TUESDAY. WE MAY EVEN BE DEALING WITH SOME THUNDERSTORMS DURING  
THIS PERIOD BUT KEPT CHANCES MINIMAL FOR NOW DUE TO THE  
UNCERTAINTY IN THE AMOUNT OF INSTABILITY THAT CAN DEVELOP.  
 
BELOW AVERAGE TEMPERATURES WILL PERSIST THROUGH SUNDAY  
MORNING...THEN SHOULD RETURN ABOVE NORMAL SUNDAY THROUGH  
WEDNESDAY.  
 
 
   
AVIATION /00Z THURSDAY THROUGH MONDAY/  
 
OVERCAST HIGH LEVEL CLOUD COVER WILL CLEAR AS DRIER AIR FILTERS  
IN FROM THE WEST OVERNIGHT. THE CLEAR SKIES...MOIST GROUND  
CONDITIONS FROM EARLIER RAINFALL...AND WINDS BELOW 5 KT WILL  
SUPPORT SOME PATCHY FOG FORMATION AT THE TERMINALS DURING THE PRE-  
DAWN HOURS. AS A RESULT...THE FORECAST WILL REFLECT TEMPORARY  
VISIBILITY REDUCTIONS TO MVFR LEVELS IN THE 08-12Z TIME FRAME.  
OTHERWISE...VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL AT BOTH KCHS AND KSAV  
THROUGH 00Z FRIDAY.  
 
EXTENDED AVIATION OUTLOOK...VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO  
PREVAIL THROUGH SUNDAY. MVFR CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE MONDAY AHEAD  
OF A POTENT STORM SYSTEM.  
 
 
   
MARINE  
 
AS HIGH PRESSURE ENTERS FROM THE W BEHIND THE DEPARTING COASTAL  
LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM...WINDS WILL BACK TO WNW WITH SPEEDS NO HIGHER  
THAN 15 KT. SEAS WITHIN 20 NM OF SHORE WILL BE CAPPED AT 2 FT  
WHILE THE OUTER GA WATERS WILL SEE 3-4 FOOT WAVES.  
 
A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH THE WATERS LATE THURSDAY...WITH  
STRONG COLD AIR ADVECTION TO FOLLOW THURSDAY NIGHT. SPEEDS WILL  
LIKELY RISE ABOVE 20 KT FOR ALL MARINE ZONES /EXCEPT CHAS HARBOR/  
BY LATE THU EVENING. THE STRONG SURGE LOOKS TO LAST FOR MUCH OF  
THE NIGHT SO HAVE ISSUED SMALL CRAFT ADVISORIES FOR ALL NEARSHORE  
ZONES AND THE OUTER GA WATERS STARTING THU EVENING. THE OFFSHORE  
FETCH WILL PREVENT MUCH RISE IN THE NEARSHORE WATERS BUT THE OUTER  
GA WATERS WILL SEE SEAS REACH THE 6-7 FOOT RANGE.  
 
FRIDAY THROUGH MONDAY...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY CONDITIONS SHOULD  
CONTINUE INTO FRIDAY MORNING AS COLD AIR ADVECTION AND A TIGHT  
PRES GRADIENT LINGER OVER THE AREA. OTHERWISE...HIGH PRES WILL  
BUILD INTO THE AREA THROUGH THE WEEKEND WITH RATHER BENIGN MARINE  
CONDITIONS.  
 
AN APPROACHING COLD FRONT WILL LEAD TO AN INCREASE IN WINDS MONDAY  
BUT CONDITIONS SHOULD REMAIN BELOW ADVISORY THRESHOLDS.  
 
 
   
CHS WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
GA...NONE.  
SC...NONE.  
MARINE...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FROM 7 PM THURSDAY TO 10 AM EST FRIDAY  
FOR AMZ350-352.  
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FROM 7 PM THURSDAY TO 5 PM EST FRIDAY FOR  
AMZ374.  
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FROM 10 PM THURSDAY TO 5 AM EST FRIDAY  
FOR AMZ354.  
 
 
 
 
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