436  
FXUS61 KLWX 190800  
AFDLWX  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE MD/WASHINGTON DC  
400 AM EDT FRI APR 19 2024  
   
SYNOPSIS
 
 
LOW PRESSURE WILL TRACK WELL TO OUR NORTH TODAY, CAUSING A COLD  
FRONT TO MOVE THROUGH LATE TONIGHT. HIGH PRESSURE WILL GRADUALLY  
BUILD IN FROM THE WEST THIS WEEKEND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK WHILE  
WAVES OF LOW PRESSURE PASS WELL TO THE SOUTH. THE NEXT COLD  
FRONT WILL REACH THE AREA WEDNESDAY.  
 

 
   
NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/
 
 
ONSHORE FLOW BETWEEN LOW PRESSURE EAST OF THE DELMARVA AND HIGH  
PRESSURE OVER NEW ENGLAND HAS BEEN ADVECTING MARINE STRATUS  
WESTWARD OVERNIGHT. THESE CLOUDS WILL BE MOST PREVALENT EAST OF  
THE BLUE RIDGE THROUGH THE MORNING, WITH SOME SPILLING WEST INTO  
THE NORTHERN SHENANDOAH VALLEY. ALTHOUGH THE LOW CLOUDS MAY MIX  
OUT TOWARD MIDDAY AS WINDS TAKE ON A MORE SOUTHERLY COMPONENT,  
ADDITIONAL CLOUDS WILL HAVE ADVECTED OVER THE AREA AHEAD OF THE  
NEXT WEATHER SYSTEM.  
 
THAT COLD FRONT WILL SLOWLY APPROACH FROM THE OHIO VALLEY  
THROUGH THE DAY. SHOWER CHANCES WILL GRADUALLY INCREASE WEST OF  
THE BLUE RIDGE THROUGH THE MORNING, BUT IT APPEARS DOUBTFUL MORE  
THAN SPOTTY LIGHT SHOWERS WILL ADVANCE EAST OF THE BLUE RIDGE  
INTO THE AFTERNOON. AS WEAK INSTABILITY INCREASES, A FEW  
THUNDERSTORMS ARE ALSO POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON WEST OF I-81. THE  
DURATION OF LOW CLOUDS WILL IMPACT TEMPERATURES TODAY, WITH  
AREAS NEAR/NORTHEAST OF THE POTOMAC REMAINING IN THE LOWER TO  
MID 60S. SOME SPOTS IN CENTRAL VIRGINIA AND THE VALLEYS WEST OF  
THE BLUE RIDGE COULD TOP 70 WITH ENOUGH CLOUD BREAKS.  
 
THE COLD FRONT WILL CONTINUE EASTWARD TONIGHT ACCOMPANIED BY  
SCATTERED SHOWERS. WITH WEAK FORCING AND A DOWNSLOPING WIND  
COMPONENT ALOFT, IT APPEARS SHOWERS WILL HAVE DIFFICULTY HOLDING  
TOGETHER, AND HAVE CAPPED POPS AT 50 PERCENT OR LESS EAST OF THE  
BLUE RIDGE. A STRAY THUNDERSTORM COULD CROSS SOUTHERN MARYLAND  
WITH SOME WEAK ELEVATED INSTABILITY, BUT AN OVERALL POOR  
CONVECTIVE ENVIRONMENT SHOULD PRECLUDE THUNDER ACROSS MUCH OF  
THE AREA. SOME PATCHY FOG COULD DEVELOP WITH LIGHT WINDS  
OVERNIGHT, BUT THIS IS LESS CERTAIN. COOLER AIR BEGINS ENTERING  
WESTERN AREAS LATE, WITH LOWS NEAR 40 IN THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS,  
INCREASING TO THE MID 50S TO THE SOUTH AND EAST.  
 

 
   
SHORT TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT/
 
 
WNW WINDS WILL BECOME GUSTY BEHIND THE FRONT ON SUNDAY, WITH  
GUSTS OF 20-30 MPH COMMON. CLEARING SKIES AND THE DOWNSLOPING  
WINDS WILL RESULT IN WARM TEMPERATURES RANGING FROM THE MID 60S  
TO MID 70S IN THE LOWER ELEVATIONS. HIGH LEVEL CLOUDS BEGIN TO  
INCREASE SATURDAY NIGHT WITH LOWS FROM THE UPPER 30S TO MID 40S.  
THE HIGHER ALLEGHENIES WILL LIKELY FALL BELOW FREEZING.  
 
LOW PRESSURE WILL PASS WELL SOUTH OF THE AREA SUNDAY ALONG THE  
STALLED FRONT. HIGH PRESSURE EXTENDING EASTWARD FROM THE PLAINS  
WILL LIKELY KEEP THE AREA DRY, ALTHOUGH THERE IS STILL A 20  
PERCENT CHANCE SOME LIGHT RAIN COULD REACH NELSON TO ST. MARYS  
COUNTIES SHOULD A NORTHERN SOLUTION VERIFY. EVEN THOUGH IT WILL  
BE DRY, MID AND HIGH LEVEL CLOUDS WILL BE PREVALENT THROUGH THE  
DAY. THESE CLOUDS WILL CLEAR TO THE EAST SUNDAY NIGHT, AND WINDS  
SHOULD BE FAIRLY LIGHT. THIS WILL RESULT IN A CHILLY NIGHT WITH  
LOWS RANGING FROM THE MID 30S TO MID 40S. WITH DEW POINTS IN THE  
UPPER 20S AND LOWER 30S, SOME FROST CAN'T BE RULED OUT IN RURAL  
VALLEYS, ESPECIALLY WEST OF THE BLUE RIDGE.  
 

 
   
LONG TERM /MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/
 
 
TO START OFF THE WORK WEEK, THE HEMISPHERIC PATTERN FEATURES A SPLIT  
FLOW REGIME. AN EXPANSIVE LONGWAVE TROUGH EXTENDING INTO THE HIGH  
LATITUDES WILL PULL AWAY FROM THE NORTHEASTERN U.S. AT THE SAME  
TIME, A WEAK SHORTWAVE IN THE SOUTHERN STREAM IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN  
SUPPRESSED WITH NO DIRECT INFLUENCE ON THE LOCAL WEATHER. EVENTUALLY  
THE HEIGHT FALLS WITH THIS SYSTEM WILL INDUCE CYCLOGENESIS OFF THE  
SOUTHEASTERN U.S. COAST ON MONDAY EVENING. ENSEMBLES AGREE ON  
CARRYING THIS AREA OF LOW PRESSURE WELL OUT TO SEA AS HIGH PRESSURE  
BRIEFLY SETTLES OVER THE SOUTHERN/CENTRAL APPALACHIANS ON TUESDAY  
MORNING. FARTHER UPSTREAM, THE NEXT WEATHER MAKER LOOMS ACROSS THE  
UPPER GREAT LAKES. THE ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT IS LIKELY TO CROSS THE  
MID-ATLANTIC REGION EARLY WEDNESDAY. THE PROGRESSIVE NATURE OF THIS  
SYSTEM SHOULD LIMIT TOTAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS. IN THE WAKE, A GUSTY  
NORTHWESTERLY WIND IS EXPECTED THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE DAY. THE  
CURRENT FORECAST PACKAGE CALLS FOR GUSTS AROUND 20 TO 25 MPH,  
LOCALLY A BIT HIGHER IN THE TERRAIN. HIGH PRESSURE RETURNS ON  
THURSDAY INTO FRIDAY WHICH WILL FAVOR A RETURN TO DRY WEATHER.  
 
FAIRLY SEASONABLE TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED THROUGH MID-WEEK WITH  
HIGHS IN THE MID 60S TO LOW 70S, WITH 50S ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS.  
BEHIND THE FRONT, COLD ADVECTION WILL HELP LOWER TEMPERATURES BACK  
DOWN INTO THE UPPER 50S TO MID 60S BY THURSDAY. REGARDING OVERNIGHT  
CONDITIONS, ONLY TUESDAY NIGHT APPEARS MILD GIVEN THE WARM ADVECTION  
PATTERN. OTHERWISE, MULTIPLE NIGHTS SEE LOW TEMPERATURES FALLING  
INTO THE MID/UPPER 30S WHICH COULD BRING SOME FROST CONCERNS WHERE  
THE GROWING SEASON HAS COMMENCED (EVERYWHERE OUTSIDE THE  
ALLEGHENIES). FOR THE ALLEGHENY MOUNTAIN RANGE, LOWS PUSH NEAR TO  
BELOW FREEZING AT TIMES THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT.  
 

 
   
AVIATION /08Z FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/
 
 
ONSHORE WINDS HAVE ADVECTED MARINE STRATUS INTO THE AREA THIS  
MORNING. SO FAR THESE CLOUDS HAVE BEEN MVFR, ALTHOUGH IFR IS  
DEVELOPING TOWARD CENTRAL VIRGINIA. IT STILL APPEARS A PERIOD OF  
IFR CONDITIONS IS LIKELY FOR SEVERAL HOURS FROM DAYBREAK THROUGH  
LATE MORNING (WITH POSSIBLE EXCEPTION OF DCA WHERE WIND OFF THE  
RIVER MAY KEEP BASES ABOVE THE THRESHOLD). THESE CLOUDS WILL  
LIKELY LIFT BY THIS AFTERNOON AS WINDS TAKE ON A MORE SOUTHERLY  
COMPONENT. HOWEVER, THE TIMING IS UNCERTAIN, AS WELL AS IF AND  
HOW LONG SOME LOCATIONS MAY LIFT INTO VFR.  
 
A COLD FRONT WILL PROGRESS INTO THE AREA LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND  
TONIGHT. SHOWERS AHEAD OF THE FRONT APPEAR SCATTERED AT BEST,  
WITH A SLIGHTLY BETTER CHANCE AT MRB. THE SHOWERS WILL BE LIGHT  
IN NATURE AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE UNLIKELY. MVFR CONDITIONS LIKELY  
RETURN THIS EVENING AS WINDS WILL BE LIGHT NEAR THE FRONT, AND  
IFR CAN'T BE RULED OUT. A DRYING NW WIND WILL ARRIVE LATE  
TONIGHT AND SCOUR OUT LOWER CLOUDS.  
 
WNW WIND GUSTS OF 20-25 KT ARE LIKELY BEHIND THE FRONT ON  
SATURDAY WITH VFR CONDITIONS. LOW PRESSURE WILL PASS WELL TO THE  
SOUTH BETWEEN SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY NIGHT, WITH ANY CEILINGS  
MID/HIGH LEVEL IN NATURE. W TO NW WINDS WILL GENERALLY BE 5-10  
KT THROUGH THIS PERIOD.  
 
VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED ON BOTH MONDAY AND TUESDAY. THE FORECAST  
SHOULD BE DRY AS HIGH PRESSURE LARGELY REMAINS IN CHARGE.  
NORTHWESTERLY WINDS ON MONDAY WILL EVENTUALLY GIVE WAY TO SOUTHERLY  
FLOW MONDAY EVENING INTO TUESDAY. AFTERNOON WINDS ON TUESDAY MAY  
GUST UP TO 20 KNOTS.  
 

 
   
MARINE
 
 
LIGHT ONSHORE FLOW IS PRESENT THIS MORNING. AS WINDS TAKE ON A  
MORE SOUTHEASTERLY COMPONENT THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING,  
MARGINAL SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED SOUTH OF  
THE BAY BRIDGE AND THE POTOMAC BELOW DAHLGREN. A COLD FRONT WILL  
CROSS OVER THE WATERS TONIGHT, CAUSING WINDS TO TURN OUT OF THE  
NORTHWEST. SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY CONDITIONS APPEAR LIKELY IN  
NORTHWESTERLY SATURDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT, ALTHOUGH THERE MAY BE  
THREE STAGES: AN INITIAL SURGE DOWN THE WATERS BEHIND THE FRONT  
EARLY SATURDAY MORNING, DIURNAL MIXING ACROSS THE NORTHERN BAY  
AND UPPER POTOMAC THROUGH THE AFTERNOON, THEN ANOTHER SURGE DOWN  
THE WATERS SATURDAY NIGHT.  
 
WINDS SHOULD BE LIGHTER SUNDAY AND SUNDAY NIGHT WITH LOW  
PRESSURE PASSING WELL TO THE SOUTH AND HIGH PRESSURE BUILDING IN  
FROM THE WEST. HOWEVER, A FEW 18 KT GUSTS CAN'T BE RULED OUT  
DURING PERIODS OF PRESSURE RISES.  
 
WINDS OVER THE MARINE WATERS REMAIN BELOW ADVISORY LEVELS ON MONDAY.  
WINDS SHIFT FROM NORTHWESTERLY TO SOUTHERLY BY LATE MONDAY.  
SOUTHERLY FLOW ON TUESDAY LIKELY BRINGS GUSTS UP TO 20 KNOTS WHICH  
SUGGESTS SMALL CRAFT ADVISORIES MAY BE NEEDED.  
 

 
   
TIDES/COASTAL FLOODING
 
 
TIDAL ANOMALIES HAVE SPIKED IN A COUPLE OF LOCATIONS DUE TO THE  
ENHANCED EASTERLY FLOW. HOWEVER, NO LOCATIONS ARE EXPECTED TO SEE  
ANY COASTAL FLOODING DURING THIS HIGH TIDE CYCLE. SUBSEQUENT TIDAL  
CYCLES WILL NEED TO BE MONITORED AS SOUTHERLY WINDS TODAY SHOULD  
FURTHER PILE UP WATER. THE USUAL MORE SENSITIVE LOCATIONS LIKE  
ANNAPOLIS, STRAIT'S POINT, AND THE SOUTHWEST DC WATERFRONT MAY HIT  
MINOR DURING THE NEXT COUPLE OF HIGH TIDES THROUGH EARLY SATURDAY.  
THEREAFTER, A GUSTY NORTHWESTERLY WIND SHOULD QUICKLY LOWER WATER  
LEVELS THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE WEEKEND.  
 

 
   
LWX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
DC...NONE.  
MD...NONE.  
VA...NONE.  
WV...NONE.  
MARINE...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FROM 3 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO MIDNIGHT EDT  
TONIGHT FOR ANZ532>534-537-541-543.  
 

 
 

 
 
SYNOPSIS...ADS  
NEAR TERM...ADS  
SHORT TERM...ADS  
LONG TERM...BRO  
AVIATION...ADS/BRO  
MARINE...ADS/BRO  
TIDES/COASTAL FLOODING...BRO  
 
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