509  
FXUS61 KRNK 260247  
AFDRNK  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA  
1047 PM EDT THU APR 25 2024  
   
SYNOPSIS
 
 
A WEDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS IN BY EARLY FRIDAY MORNING,  
BRINGING CLOUDS, LOWER TEMPERATURES, AND A LOW CHANCE FOR  
DRIZZLE IN THE MOUNTAINS THROUGH SATURDAY. SUNDAY INTO THE  
BEGINNING OF NEXT WEEK LOOK ESPECIALLY WARM, WITH SHOWER CHANCES  
RETURNING TUESDAY.  
 

 
   
NEAR TERM /THROUGH FRIDAY/
 
 
AS OF 1045 PM EDT THURSDAY...  
 
KEY MESSAGE:  
 
- CLOUDS, FOG AND DRIZZLE DEVELOP TONIGHT  
 
SATELLITE IMAGES WERE SHOWING LOW CLOUDS EXPANDING ALONG THE  
EAST SLOPES OF THE APPALACHIANS THIS EVENING. HAVE FOG AND  
DRIZZLE DEVELOPING OVERNIGHT. ONLY MINOR CHANGES TO MINIMUM  
TEMPERATURES. GLAMP GUIDANCE HAVE TEMPERATURES FALLING UNTIL  
CLOUD COVER FILLS IN, THEN NEARLY STEADY FOR THE REST OF THE  
NIGHT.  
 
AS OF 630 PM EDT THURSDAY...  
 
WHILE WE ARE STILL EXPECTING A TREND TOWARDS INCREASING LOW  
CLOUDS AND PATCHY DRIZZLE DEVELOPING OVERNIGHT FOR SECTIONS OF  
THE REGION, OUR THE ONSET OF THE CLOUDS AND DRIZZLE NOW LOOK TO  
BE ABOUT TWO OR THREE HOURS SLOWER THAN OUR PREVIOUS FORECAST  
ADVERTISED. CURRENTLY, CLEAR TO MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES PREVAIL  
ACROSS THE REGION. A HEALTHY ONSHORE FLOW IS NOTED IN THE  
SURFACE OBSERVATIONS ACROSS EASTERN VA/NC. THESE SHOULD ADVECT  
MOISTURE UNDER A DEVELOPING NOCTURNAL INVERSION THAT WILL  
DEVELOP AFTER SUNSET, POOL MOISTURE ALONG THE LEE OF THE  
APPALACHIANS, HELPING TO DEVELOP THE CLOUDS/DRIZZLE, STARTING  
AROUND 10PM. HAVE MADE MINOR TWEAKS TO ADJUST HOURLY  
TEMPERATURE, DEW POINT, SKY COVER, AND WIND SPEED/GUSTS TO  
BETTER MATCH THE CURRENT OBSERVATIONS AND EXPECTED TRENDS  
THROUGH THE EVENING.  
 
AS OF 200 PM EDT THURSDAY...  
 
DRY AND MOSTLY SUNNY TODAY AND SHOULD REMAIN THAT WAY THROUGH  
THE EVENING HOURS. HIGH PRESSURE BUILDING IN FROM THE NORTH WILL  
WEDGE INTO THE REGION AND BRING A MARINE LAYER OF CLOUDS AND  
SOME DRIZZLE TONIGHT.  
 
EAST WINDS AND COOL AIR WEDGING WILL CONTINUE INTO FRIDAY  
KEEPING CLOUDS IN PLACE THROUGHOUT MUCH OF THE DAY, ESPECIALLY  
FOR LOCATIONS ALONG AND EAST OF THE BLUE RIDGE. CLOUDS, SOME  
DRIZZLE AND EASTERLY FLOW WILL KEEP HIGH TEMPERATURES ON THE  
COOLER SIDE WITH 50S IN THE MOUNTAINS AND 60S IN THE LOWER  
ELEVATIONS.  
 

 
   
SHORT TERM /FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT/
 
 
AS OF 115 PM EDT THURSDAY...  
 
KEY MESSAGES:  
 
1) CLOUDY AND COOLER ON FRIDAY WITH LIGHT RAIN POSSIBLE  
 
2) DRYING OUT SATURDAY WITH WARMING TEMPERATURES.  
 
WEAK WARM ADVECTION ALOFT ASSOCIATED WITH A WARM FRONT LIFTING  
THROUGH THE TENNESSEE VALLEY WILL RESULT IN INCREASING CLOUD COVER  
THROUGH DAYBREAK FRIDAY. AS SURFACE WINDS TAKE ON AN INCREASINGLY  
EASTERLY COMPONENT, LOW LEVEL SATURATION WILL ALLOW FOR SOME AREAS  
OF DRIZZLE TO START THE DAY. THIS WILL LIKELY CONTINUE INTO THE  
EARLY AFTERNOON HOURS BEFORE BL MIXING INTRODUCES ENOUGH DRY AIR TO  
DRY THINGS OUT BY MID DAY. HOWEVER AS THE AFOREMENTIONED WARM FRONT  
MOVES INTO THE OHIO VALLEY BY FRIDAY EVENING, WEAK ISENTROPIC ASCENT  
WILL INCREASE AND LIGHT RAIN SHOULD RETURN THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT  
HOURS INTO EARLY SATURDAY MORNING. RAINFALL AMOUNTS WILL BE LIGHT  
AND SHOULD END FROM SOUTH TO NORTH BY LATE SATURDAY MORNING.  
 
TEMPERATURES ON FRIDAY WILL STRUGGLE A BIT GIVEN CLOUD COVER AND  
DRIZZLE, WITH HIGHS RANGING FROM THE MID 50S TO LOWER 60S. LOWS  
FRIDAY NIGHT WILL FALL INTO THE MID 40S TO LOWER 50S. AS THE WARM  
FRONT LIFTS NORTH ON SATURDAY, CLOUDS WILL SLOWLY DECREASE AND TEMPS  
WILL RISE ABOUT 8-10 DEGREES WITH HIGHS RANGING FROM THE UPPER 50S  
TO LOWER 70S. LOWS SATURDAY NIGHT WILL FALL INTO THE LOW TO MID 50S.  
 

 
   
LONG TERM /MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/
 
 
AS OF 115 PM EDT THURSDAY...  
 
KEY MESSAGES:  
 
1) WARMUP CONTINUES THROUGH TUESDAY  
 
2) SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL ACCOMPANY A COLD FRONT TUESDAY  
AFTERNOON/EVENING  
 
SUNDAY WILL SEE A STRENGTHENING RIDGE ALOFT WITH 580-582DM 500MB  
HEIGHTS OVERSPREADING THE AREA. THIS WILL TRANSLATE TO INCREASING  
TEMPS AND DECREASING CLOUD COVER ACROSS THE AREA. TEMPS WILL WARM  
WELL ABOVE NORMAL FOR LATE APRIL WITH HIGHS SUNDAY IN THE UPPER 70S  
TO LOWER 80S, WITH A FURTHER 5-8 DEGREES OF WARMING EXPECTED ON  
MONDAY. THIS IS ALL AHEAD OF AN APPROACHING COLD FRONT WHICH SHOULD  
MOVE THROUGH THE AREA ON TUESDAY. INCREASING SOUTHWESTERLY WINDS  
AHEAD OF THE FRONT WILL KEEP TEMPS IN THE MID 80S THROUGH TUESDAY  
AFTERNOON AND WITH FROPA NOT LIKELY UNTIL LATE AFTERNOON/EARLY  
EVENING, THERE SHOULD BE PLENTY OF TIME FOR THE BL TO DESTABILIZE.  
MLCAPES LOOK TO APPROACH 500-1000 J/KG ACROSS THE AREA AHEAD OF THE  
FRONT AND I MAINTAINED THE MENTION OF THUNDERSTORMS IN THE FORECAST.  
 
THE PERIOD OF WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY LOOKS TO BE ACTIVE AS THE FLOW  
ALOFT TAKES ON A MORE ZONAL COMPONENT AND A SERIES OF FAST MOVING  
EMBEDDED SHORTWAVE TROUGHS MOVE THROUGH THE FLOW. SHOWERS AND  
ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE BOTH WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY WITH  
CONTINUED TEMPERATURES IN THE LOW TO MID 80S BOTH DAYS.  
 

 
   
AVIATION /03Z FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/
 
 
AS OF 712 PM EDT THURSDAY...  
 
VFR CONDITIONS CONTINUE TO PREVAIL ACROSS THE AREA. THAT WILL  
START TO CHANGE FROM EAST TO EAST STARTING BETWEEN 03-05Z. A  
PERSISTENT EASTERLY FETCH OF LOW LEVEL MOISTURE WILL ADVECT  
FROM THE ATLANTIC, UNDER WHAT WILL BE DEVELOPING NOCTURNAL  
INVERSION. THE RESULT WILL BE LOWERING OF CEILINGS TO IFR/MVFR  
RANGE FOR MOST OF THE AREA WHICH WILL CONTINUE INTO AND THROUGH  
THE DAY FRIDAY. PATCHY DRIZZLE WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE ESPECIALLY  
IN AREAS NEAR THE ESCARPMENT OF THE BLUE RIDGE.  
 
AVERAGE CONFIDENCE IN THE AVIATION FORECAST.  
 
EXTENDED AVIATION OUTLOOK...  
 
NON-VFR WEATHER LIKELY TO CONTINUE FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY  
MORNING AS A WARM FRONT LIFTS THROUGH THE AREA. CONDITIONS WILL  
IMPROVE BY SUNDAY. ON MONDAY WE SHOULD SEE IMPROVEMENT TO VFR.  
WINDS TURN MORE SOUTHERLY SUNDAY AND MONDAY. TUESDAY WILL SEE A COLD  
FRONT APPROACH THE AREA WITH NON-VFR WEATHER POSSIBLE AREA-WIDE.  
 

 
   
RNK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
VA...NONE.  
NC...NONE.  
WV...NONE.  
 

 
 

 
 
SYNOPSIS...BMG  
NEAR TERM...AMS/BMG/DS  
SHORT TERM...  
LONG TERM...  
AVIATION...DS  
 
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