568  
FXUS62 KGSP 202329  
AFDGSP  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC  
629 PM EST FRI NOV 20 2009  
   
SYNOPSIS  
 
HIGH PRESSURE WILL REMAIN OVER THE REGION THROUGH SATURDAY. A LOW  
PRESSURE SYSTEM FROM THE GULF OF MEXICO WILL THEN APPROACH THE  
CAROLINAS LATE SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY AND MOVE ALONG THE  
CAROLINA COAST EARLY MONDAY. THIS LOW IS EXPECTED TO REACH THE NEW  
ENGLAND COAST BY TUESDAY AS HIGH PRESSURE SETTLES BRIEFLY BACK OVER  
THE SOUTHEAST STATES.  
 
 
   
NEAR TERM /THROUGH SATURDAY/  
 
HIGH CLOUDS WILL THICKEN AND LOWER OVER THE FA TONIGHT AND SATURDAY  
AS LOW PRESSURE DEVELOPS ALONG THE NRN GULF COAST. THERE IS  
CONSIDERABLE MODEL DIFFERENCE IN THE EVOLUTION OF THE LOW AND THE  
PCPN PATTERN THAT RESULTS. THE GFS IS MUCH FASTER WITH THE AREA OF  
RAIN THAN IS THE NAM. THE OLD EC AND THE SREF STRONGLY SUPPORT THE  
SLOWER NAM. IN ADDITION...THE AIRMASS OVER THE REGION IS QUITE  
DRY...AND WHILE HIGH CLOUDS WILL BE ON THE INCREASE...IT WILL BE  
HARD FOR US TO SEE ANY RAINFALL THROUGH THE DAYTIME HOURS ON  
SATURDAY UNDER THE DRY WEDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE THAT BUILDS DOWN THE  
THE EAST COAST. THE GFS SHOOTS A COUPLE LLVL POT VORT MAXES OUT OF  
THE NRN GULF TONIGHT. WHILE THERE IS AN MCS WELL SOUTH OF LA COAST  
ATTM...IT IS MOVING OFF TO THE ESE. PCPN IS HAVING A HARD TIME  
MAKING IT ONTO THE SRN LA AND NE TX COASTS ATTM...AND THE AREA OF  
PCPN THAT DEVELOPS ACROSS THIS AREA ON THE GFS ALREADY SEEMS  
OVERDONE. THIS ALSO GIVES ME CONFIDENCE IN GOING SLOWER THAN THE  
GFS. THEREFORE...I/VE ONLY GOT A SMALL AREA OF SLIGHT CHANCE POPS  
ALONG THE SW FRINGE OF THE FA LATE IN THE DAY ON SAT...MAINLY ACROSS  
NE GA.  
 
 
   
SHORT TERM /SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY/  
 
AS OF 110 PM FRIDAY...THE 12 UTC OP GFS FCST OF MASSIVE RESPONSE  
DEVELOPING INTO THE WEDGE...ASSOCIATED WITH LARGE SCALE FORCING WELL  
REMOVED FROM UNDER THE MAIN S/WV WILL BE DISCOUNTED FOR SATURDAY  
NIGHT. WILL PLAN TO TAKE THE MORE CONSERVATIVE NAM/SREF/ECMWF  
APPROACH STILL FEATURING THE INFLUX OF DEEPER RH FROM THE SW  
OVERNIGHT...ALTHOUGH ACCOMPANIED BY WEAKER FORCING THAN EARLIER  
EXPECTED. SO...THE SATURDAY NIGHT SENSIBLE WX WILL BE THICKENING  
CLOUDS...AND INCREASING RAIN CVRG...BECOMING WIDESPREAD ACRS THE SW  
CWFA AND UPSLOPE AREAS HEADING TOWARD SUNDAY MORNING.  
 
BAND OF DEEP RH IS STILL EXPECTED TO TRANSLATE NE ACRS THE CWFA  
SUNDAY ACCOMPANIED BY AN UNCERTAIN DEGREE OF FORCING...ALTHOUGH I  
SUSPECT IT WILL BE MODERATE AT BEST. LATER DAY ENCROACHMENT OF  
DRY SLOT REMAINS PROBABLE...BUT CONTINUED LLVL WAA FLOW ATOP  
THE CHILLY DAMMED AIRMASS SHOULD CONTINUE TO PROMOTE WIDESPREAD  
RAIN/DRIZZLE INTO THE EVENING. FOR SUNDAY NIGHT...DESPITE DEPARTURE  
OF DEEPER RH...BROAD WEAK TO MODERATE SSE LLVL FLOW SHOULD CONTINUE  
AID IN DEVELOPMENT OF AREAS OF LIGHT RAIN AND DRIZZLE WITHIN  
LINGERING WEDGE CONDITIONS INTO MONDAY MORNING. WILL PLAN ON MAKING  
PESSIMISTIC ADJUSTMENTS TO THE INHERITED FCST FOR MONDAY AS IT IS  
QUESTIONABLE ON JUST HOW MUCH SFC PRESSURES RISE WITHIN WEAKENING  
WEDGE...AND TO WHAT DEGREE THE SOUTHERLY FLOW JUST ABV THE SFC  
DIMINISHES AND VEERS. EXPECTING TO MAKE A DOWNWARD TWEAK TO MAX  
TEMPS AND EXTEND LINGERING LIGHT PCPN CHANCES.  
 
 
   
LONG TERM /MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY/  
 
AS OF 220 PM FRIDAY...THE ECMWF REMAINS THE MODEL OF CHOICE THROUGH  
THE EARLY MEDIUM RANGE. ON TUESDAY...H5 RIDGE AXIS WILL PIVOT ACROSS  
THE CWA AS A CLOSED LOW SWINGS OVER THE HEARTLAND. WEAK SFC HIGH  
PRESSURE WILL LIKELY PROVIDE PARTLY SUNNY SKY COVER. SIGNIFICANT  
INSOLATION COMBINED WITH MILD THICKNESSES WILL SUPPORT HIGH  
TEMPERATURES 5-8 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL.  
 
POOR MODEL CONSISTENCY AND AGREEMENT WILL YIELD A BELOW AVERAGE  
CONFIDENCE FORECAST FOR WED AND THANKSGIVING. 00Z ECMWF WAS KEEPING  
THE PERIOD DRY AND MILD...HOWEVER...THE NEW 12Z/20 RUN HAS A  
SOUTHERN STREAM SYSTEM SURGING NORTHWARD WEDS NIGHT AND  
THANKSGIVING. IF THE 12Z ECMWF SYSTEM VERIFIES...THEN THE FORECAST  
SHOULD REFLECT DAMP AND COOL CAD CONDITIONS. HOWEVER...FOLLOWING  
NATIONAL GUIDANCE AND THE GFS/ECMWF/GEM/ENSEMBLE MODEL CONSENSUS...I  
WILL INDICATE SCHC POPS DEVELOPING OVER THE CWA WEDS NIGHT AND  
REMAINING INTO THANKSGIVING EVENING. TEMPERATURE FORECAST WILL REMAIN  
VERY CLOSE TO NORMAL.  
 
ON FRIDAY...MEDIUM RANGE GUIDANCE FAVORS A DRY FORECAST.  
CONSIDERABLE MODEL SPREAD WITH THE MID LEVEL PATTERN WILL MAKE  
TEMPERATURE AND WIND FORECASTS UNCERTAIN. I WILL FAVOR VALUES 1-3  
DEGREES BELOW NORMAL...WITH LIGHT NORTHWEST WINDS.  
 
 
   
AVIATION /00Z SATURDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/  
 
AT KCLT AND ELSEWHERE...WINDS WILL FAVOR NORTHEAST THIS EVENING...  
BUT WILL PROBABLY GO LIGHT AND VARIABLE BY LATE EVENING. SOME CIRRUS  
IS NOTED ON IR SATELLITE IMAGERY AND THIS SHOULD STREAM OVERHEAD  
LATE TONIGHT. THE HIGH CLOUDS ARE EXPECTED TO THICKEN ON SATURDAY AS  
MOISTURE MOVES IN ALOFT. AT THIS POINT...CEILINGS SHOULD REMAIN  
ABOVE 15K FT SO THE TAFS WERE LEFT WITH A NEW FM GROUP AFTER SUNRISE  
TO BRING WIND BACK UP FROM THE NE AND THE HIGH CLOUD DETAILS WERE  
LEFT OUT.  
 
OUTLOOK...CLOUD CEILINGS WILL GRADUALLY LOWER SATURDAY EVENING WITH  
MVFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED AFTER MIDNIGHT SATURDAY NIGHT. RAIN WILL  
DEVELOP OVER THE REGION EARLY SUNDAY MORNING. WIDESPREAD IFR CIGS  
AND MVFR FOG ARE EXPECTED SUNDAY AND MOST OF MONDAY. FAIR AND DRY  
WEATHER IS THEN EXPECTED TUE AND WED.  
 
 
   
GSP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
GA...NONE.  
NC...NONE.  
SC...NONE.  
 
 
 
 
SYNOPSIS...SBK  
NEAR TERM...MCAVOY  
SHORT TERM...CSH  
LONG TERM...NED  
AVIATION...MCAVOY/PM  
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