618  
FXUS62 KRAH 220825  
AFDRAH  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC  
325 AM EST SUN DEC 22 2024  
   
SYNOPSIS
 
 
ARCTIC HIGH PRESSURE CENTERED OVER SOUTHERN ONTARIO WILL EXTEND  
SOUTHWARD INTO NORTH CAROLINA AS IT DRIFTS OVER THE NORTHEAST AND  
MID ATLANTIC STATES THROUGH EARLY MONDAY. THE HIGH WILL WEAKEN AND  
PUSH OFFSHORE LATE MONDAY, ALLOWING FOR GRADUALLY WARMING  
TEMPERATURES THROUGH MID WEEK.  
 

 
   
NEAR TERM /TODAY AND TONIGHT/
 
 
AS OF 150 AM SUNDAY...  
 
TODAY STILL APPEARS TO BE THE COLDEST DAY AND NIGHT OF THIS STRETCH,  
AS THE SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE AND THERMAL TROUGH CENTERED TO OUR N  
PASSES OVER LK ONTARIO AND EXTENDS DOWN THROUGH CENTRAL NC. HI-RES  
AND LARGE SCALE MODELS AND ENSEMBLE SYSTEMS CONTINUE TO FAVOR  
PLENTIFUL SUNSHINE TODAY, WITH A DRY/STABLE COLUMN, NO LOW LEVEL  
MOISTURE ADVECTION INTO THE AREA, AND A FAST DRY NW FLOW ALOFT.  
EXPECT NO MORE THAN A FEW PASSING HIGH THIN CLOUDS WITH PWS UNDER A  
QUARTER INCH, LESS THAN 25% OF NORMAL. LOW LEVEL THICKNESSES ARE  
EXPECTED TO BE 45-50 M BELOW NORMAL THIS MORNING, WITH FAIRLY  
SHALLOW MIXING, FAVORING MUCH BELOW NORMAL HIGHS OF 36-43. CLEAR  
SKIES THROUGH TONIGHT ALONG WITH VERY LIGHT TO CALM WIND WILL RESULT  
IN EXCELLENT RADIATIONAL COOLING CONDITIONS, AS OVERNIGHT  
THICKNESSES WILL STILL BE 30 M BELOW NORMAL. THIS WILL SUPPORT VERY  
CHILLY LOWS IN THE MID TEENS TO LOWER 20S. -GIH  
 

 
   
SHORT TERM /MONDAY/
 
 
AS OF 325 AM SUNDAY...  
 
ANOTHER QUIET AND CHILLY DAY WITH LOTS OF SUNSHINE. THE SURFACE  
HIGH'S CENTER WILL BE SHIFTING OFF THE NORTHEAST COAST MON, WHILE  
CONTINUING TO EXTEND DOWN THROUGH CENTRAL NC. SURFACE FLOW FROM THE  
NE OR ENE WILL REMAIN LIGHT, BUT FALLING SURFACE PRESSURES AND  
INVERTED TROUGH DEVELOPMENT JUST OFF THE GA/SC COAST WILL KEEP NE  
WINDS UP A BIT IN OUR SE. THE LOW-MID LEVEL FLOW (850-500 MB) WILL  
BACK FROM NW TO SW, BUT THE DRY TRAJECTORY WILL CONTINUE WITH STABLE  
AND WARM AIR ALOFT IMMEDIATELY UPSTREAM, SO SKIES WILL REMAIN MOSTLY  
CLEAR. TEMPS WILL BE A BIT LESS CHILLY WITH SLOW AIR MASS  
MODIFICATION, SO EXPECT HIGHS GENERALLY IN THE LOW-MID 40S. -GIH  
 

 
   
LONG TERM /MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/
 
 
AS OF 259 PM SATURDAY...  
 
AS OF MONDAY MORNING, HIGH PRESSURE IS FORECAST TO BE SITTING OVER  
NEW YORK WITH A RIDGE EXTENDING SOUTHWEST INTO THE CAROLINAS. A WEAK  
SHORTWAVE IN THE UPPER LEVEL FLOW SHOULD FORCE A WEAK SURFACE LOW TO  
DEVELOP OFF THE FLORIDA COAST MONDAY EVENING. THE LOW SHOULD REACH  
ITS CLOSEST POINT TO CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA TUESDAY AFTERNOON OFF  
THE COAST OF WILMINGTON AND MOVE NORTHEAST OFFSHORE AFTER THAT.  
THERE IS A BIT OF UNCERTAINTY AS TO HOW FAR NORTHWEST THE  
PRECIPITATION WILL EXTEND, AND AT THIS POINT, HAVE KEPT A DRY  
FORECAST MONDAY NIGHT BUT INTRODUCED A SLIGHT CHANCE OF POPS ACROSS  
SOUTHEASTERN COUNTIES TUESDAY. CANNOT RULE OUT THE POTENTIAL THAT  
PRECIPITATION COULD START OFF VERY BRIEFLY AS FREEZING RAIN, AS  
SOUNDINGS SHOW A THICK LAYER OF ABOVE FREEZING AIR ABOVE THE  
SURFACE, BUT CONFIDENCE IS TOO LOW TO INCLUDE FREEZING RAIN IN THE  
FORECAST AT THIS TIME; THE PRECIPITATION IS PRIMARILY EXPECTED TO  
FALL AS RAIN. AS THE LOW MOVES OFF THE COAST TUESDAY NIGHT, HAVE  
REMOVED POPS FROM THAT PART OF THE FORECAST. MONDAY WILL BE SLIGHTLY  
WARMER THAN SUNDAY, WITH HIGHS RANGING FROM THE UPPER 30S TO THE  
UPPER 40S. SIMILARLY, MONDAY NIGHT WILL BE SLIGHTLY WARMER THAN  
SUNDAY NIGHT, RANGING FROM THE LOWER 20S TO THE LOWER 30S. ALL  
LOCATIONS SHOULD RISE INTO THE 50S ON TUESDAY.  
 
THE NEXT SYSTEM WILL DEVELOP OVER THE PLAINS ON CHRISTMAS AND MOVE  
EAST. HOWEVER, THERE IS QUITE A BIT OF UNCERTAINTY BETWEEN ALL  
MODELS IN HOW QUICKLY EAST PRECIPITATION WILL MAKE ITS WAY INTO  
NORTH CAROLINA, ESPECIALLY CONSIDERING ANOTHER HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEM  
WILL EXTEND FROM THE NORTHEAST INTO THE CAROLINAS, BRINGING  
ADDITIONAL DRY AIR. PRIMARILY RELYING ON ENSEMBLES, HAVE GONE WITH  
SLIGHT CHANCE POPS ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE AREA FROM WEDNESDAY  
AFTERNOON THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT, CONSIDERING THE DETERMINISTIC  
MODELS ARE DRY THROUGH THIS PERIOD. IT'S NOT UNTIL FRIDAY THAT THE  
GEFS AND EPS BOTH START TO SHOW A MORE SUBSTANTIAL AREA OF RAINFALL  
MOVE IN FROM THE WEST, AND HAVE CHANCE POPS THROUGH THE REST OF THE  
FORECAST. TEMPERATURES WILL BE SLIGHTLY BELOW NORMAL, WITH HIGHS IN  
THE UPPER 40S AND 50S AND LOWS MOSTLY IN THE 30S.  
 

 
   
AVIATION /06Z SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/
 
 
AS OF 1215 AM SUNDAY...  
 
CONFIDENCE IS HIGH THAT VFR CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE ACROSS CENTRAL  
NC TERMINALS FOR THE NEXT 24 HOURS, AS A DRY AND CHILLY AIR MASS  
EXTENDS OVER THE REGION. LITTLE MORE THAN A FEW HIGH CLOUDS ARE  
EXPECTED. SURFACE WINDS WILL BE FROM THE NE OR ENE UNDER 8 KTS.  
 
LOOKING BEYOND 06Z MON, VFR CONDITIONS WILL HOLD THROUGH MON. THERE  
IS A GOOD CHANCE OF SUB-VFR CONDITIONS WITH LIGHT RAIN MON NIGHT  
THROUGH TUE AT RDU/FAY/RWI, WITH THE GREATEST CHANCES AT FAY/RWI, AS  
WEAK LOW PRESSURE TRACKS NE ALONG THE NC COAST. VFR CONDITIONS  
SHOULD THEN DOMINATE FROM TUE NIGHT THROUGH THU, ALTHOUGH A SHORT  
PERIOD OF SUB-VFR CIGS IS POSSIBLE WED/WED NIGHT AS AN UPPER LEVEL  
DISTURBANCE CROSSES THE REGION. -GIH  
 

 
   
RAH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
NONE.  
 

 
 

 
 
SYNOPSIS...HARTFIELD  
NEAR TERM...HARTFIELD  
SHORT TERM...HARTFIELD  
LONG TERM...GREEN  
AVIATION...HARTFIELD  
 
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