002  
FXUS62 KILM 242324  
AFDILM  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC  
724 PM EDT FRI MAY 24 2013  
   
SYNOPSIS
 
 
HIGH PRESSURE WILL RIDGE DOWN FROM THE NORTHWEST BRINGING COOL  
AND DRY WEATHER DURING THE WEEKEND. A GRADUAL WARM UP BEGINS ON  
MONDAY WITH SEASONABLE TEMPERATURES EXPECTED FOR MUCH OF THE  
UPCOMING WEEK. NO SIGNIFICANT RAINFALL IS EXPECTED.  
 

 
   
NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM SATURDAY MORNING/
 
 
AS OF 3:30 PM FRIDAY...COOL AND DRY NORTHWEST FLOW FORCING DEWPOINTS  
DOWN THROUGHOUT THE EASTERN CAROLINAS AS CANADIAN HIGH PRESSURE  
SYSTEM BUILDS IN. A FEW TINY SHOWERS...THE RESULT OF RESIDUAL LOW  
LEVEL MOISTURE AND STEEP LAPSE RATES...HAVE MOVED SE ACROSS PENDER  
COUNTY AND NORTHERN NEW HANOVER COUNTY AND THEN OFFSHORE. THAT IS  
ABOUT IT FOR THE DAY AS FAR AS PRECIPITATION GOES. THE DEEP UPPER  
TROUGH RESPONSIBLE FOR THE STEEP LAPSE RATES WILL SWING OFFSHORE  
THIS EVENING AS COOL AND DRY AIR CONTINUES TO POUR IN. ASSOCIATED CU  
FIELD WILL ALSO DIMINISH THIS AFTERNOON AS THE ABOVE FACTORS COME  
INTO PLAY.  
 
EXPECT A DRY AND CLEAR OVERNIGHT PERIOD WITH RECORD OR NEAR RECORD  
LOW TEMPERATURES. FORECAST MINIMUMS RANGE FROM THE MID 40S INLAND TO  
AROUND 50 AT THE COAST. RECORD LOWS FOR MAY 25TH ARE ILM-50 LBT-45  
FLO-48 MYR-52 AND CRE-55. SOME OR ALL OF THESE RECORDS MAY BE BROKEN  
TONIGHT.  
 

 
   
SHORT TERM /6 AM SATURDAY MORNING THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT/
 
 
AS OF 300 PM FRIDAY...SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE RIDGING DOWN FROM THE  
NORTH AND BROAD CYCLONIC FLOW WITHIN A LONGWAVE UPPER TROUGH CREATES  
COOL AND DRY CONDITIONS FOR THE WKND. WHILE THE WKND WILL BE  
PLEASANT WITH MOSTLY SUNNY SKY CONDITIONS OTHER THAN SOME INCREASED  
MID LEVEL CLOUD COVER BENEATH A WEAK SHORTWAVE LATE SAT  
NIGHT...TEMPS WILL STRUGGLE TO 4-8 DEGREES BELOW CLIMO FOR LATE MAY.  
STRONGER CAA SATURDAY WILL KEEP MAX TEMPS ONLY IN THE MID 70S EVEN  
WITH FULL SUNSHINE. A WEAK SURFACE TROUGH ASSOCIATED WITH THE PASSING  
VORT WILL TURN WINDS BRIEFLY TO THE NORTH SAT NIGHT...BUT A MORE  
WESTERLY COMPONENT WILL DEVELOP SUNDAY WHICH EASES THE CAA AND HELPS  
TEMPS RISE TO NEAR 80. LIGHT WINDS IN THE COOL/DRY AIR MASS WILL  
PERMIT DECENT RADIATIONAL COOLING SAT NIGHT...WITH MINS FALLING TO  
10+ DEGREES BELOW NORMAL...UPPER 40S IN THE COOLER SPOTS TO AROUND  
50 EVERYWHERE ELSE. HIGH PRESSURE DRIFTING OFFSHORE LATE IN THE  
PERIOD CREATES SOME WARMER SOUTHERLY WINDS SUNDAY NIGHT...AND MINS  
FALL ONLY INTO THE LOW/MID 50S BY MONDAY MORNING.  
 

 
   
LONG TERM /MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/
 
 
AS OF 300 PM FRIDAY...MOST OF THE COUNTRY WILL REMAIN FAIRLY  
ACTIVE THROUGH THE PERIOD WITH THE NOTABLE EXCEPTION OF THE  
SOUTHEAST...WHERE MID LEVEL RIDGING WILL DOMINATE ESPECIALLY LATE  
IN THE EXTENDED FORECAST.  
 
WPC FAVORS THE ECMWF WHICH SHOWS AN ACTIVE MID LEVEL PATTERN ACROSS  
THE SOUTHWEST WITH A MEANDERING CLOSED LOW AND BAROCLINIC ZONE  
EXTENDING WEST TO EAST WELL TO OUR NORTH. THE ONLY POPS FOR OUR AREA  
ARE SLIGHT CHANCE VALUES LATE MONDAY ACROSS NORTHERN AREAS AS A WARM  
FRONT MOVES NORTH AND TUESDAY BEFORE MID LEVEL RIDGING BUILDS WHICH  
WILL ALL BUT PUT A LID ON CONVECTION FOR WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY.  
TEMPERATURE TRENDS REFLECT THE BUILDING RIDGE WITH AT OR JUST BELOW  
SEASONAL NORMALS EARLY TRENDING TO ABOVE CLIMATOLOGY TUESDAY AND  
WEDNESDAY WHERE THEY REMAIN THROUGH THE PERIOD.  
 

 
   
AVIATION /00Z SATURDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/
 
 
AS OF 00Z...VFR WILL PREVAIL AT ALL TERMS THROUGH THIS TAF PERIOD.  
EXPECT CLEAR SKIES TONIGHT WITH NNW WINDS AOB 10 KTS AS HIGH  
PRESSURE BUILDS INTO THE CAROLINAS. DRY AIR AND SUBSIDENCE  
ASSOCIATED WITH THIS SFC HIGH SHOULD SUPPRESS ANY CLOUD COVER ON  
SATURDAY. N/NW WINDS AROUND 10 KTS DURING THE DAY WILL BECOME MORE  
WESTERLY AFTER 18Z...AND THE WIND SPEEDS WILL DIMINISH AS THE  
PRESSURE GRADIENT WEAKENS OVER OUR CWA.  
 
EXTENDED OUTLOOK...MORNING FOG POSSIBLE MONDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY.  
OTHERWISE VFR.  
 

 
   
MARINE
 
 
NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/...  
AS OF 3:30 PM FRIDAY...HAVE CANCELED THE SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR  
OUR WATERS BUT HAVE RAISED EXERCISE CAUTION HEADLINES FOR MOST OF  
OUR MARINE ZONES IN ITS PLACE. NORTH TO NW WINDS IN THE 15 TO 20 KT  
RANGE WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE NEAR TERM AS COOL CANADIAN HIGH  
PRESSURE BUILDS IN. SEAS WILL BUILD INTO THE 3 TO 5 FT RANGE OVER  
THE OUTER FRINGES OF OUR WATERS THIS AFTERNOON...OTHERWISE EXPECT 2  
TO 4 FT SEAS. AMZ254 OFFSHORE OF HORRY COUNTY WILL STAY IN THE 2 TO  
4 FT RANGE THROUGHOUT THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...SO NO HEADLINES  
FOR THIS ZONE.  
 
SHORT TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT/...  
AS OF 300 PM FRIDAY...SLIGHTLY PINCHED GRADIENT AHEAD OF AN  
ADVANCING HIGH PRESSURE AT THE START OF THE PERIOD WILL CREATE N/NW  
WINDS OF 10-15 KTS EARLY SATURDAY BEFORE THE HIGH MOVES OVERHEAD  
CAUSING MUCH WEAKER WIND SPEEDS. WINDS BECOME NW LESS THAN 10 KTS  
SAT NIGHT INTO SUNDAY...BEFORE VEERING TO THE SE AT LESS THAN 10 KTS  
SUNDAY NIGHT WHEN HIGH PRESSURE MOVES OFFSHORE. COMBINATION OF LIGHT  
WINDS AND A WEAK 2FT/8SEC SE SWELL WILL KEEP WAVE AMPLITUDES LOW  
THROUGH THE PERIOD...1-3 FT...HIGHEST EARLY SATURDAY.  
 
LONG TERM /MONDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/...  
AS OF 300 PM FRIDAY...THE MARINE COMMUNITY CAN EXPECT A  
SUMMERTIME PATTERN THROUGH THE PERIOD WITH SOUTH TO OCCASIONALLY  
SOUTHWEST WINDS. WIND SPEEDS WILL HOVER AROUND 10-15 KNOTS FOR  
MOST OF THE PERIOD WITH THE HIGHER END TUESDAY AS THE GRADIENT  
INCREASES COURTESY OF A WAVE MOVING BY WELL TO THE NORTH. SEAS ARE  
REPRESENTATIVE OF A SUMMER PATTERN AS WELL WITH 2-3 FEET WITH  
MOSTLY SHORTER PERIOD WIND WAVES.  
 

 
   
ILM WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
SC...NONE.  
NC...NONE.  
MARINE...NONE.  
 

 
 

 
 
SYNOPSIS...JDW  
NEAR TERM...REK  
SHORT TERM...JDW  
LONG TERM...SHK  
AVIATION...BJR  
MARINE...REK/JDW/SHK  
 
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