057  
FXUS61 KRNK 240637  
AFDRNK  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA  
237 AM EDT WED APR 24 2024  
   
SYNOPSIS
 
 
A COLD FRONT CROSSES OUR REGION TODAY WITH SCATTERED SHOWERS  
MAINLY ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS. TEMPERATURES REMAIN A FEW DEGREES  
EITHER SIDE OF NORMAL THROUGH THE WEEK WITH HIGH PRESSURE  
RETURNING BEHIND THE FRONT. SUNDAY THROUGH TUESDAY LOOK  
ESPECIALLY WARM.  
 

 
   
NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/
 
 
AS OF 230 AM EDT WEDNESDAY...  
 
KEY MESSAGES:  
 
1. LIGHT SHOWERS FOR THE WESTERN MOUNTAINS END BY MID MORNING.  
 
2. SUNNY AND WARM BY AFTERNOON WITH GUSTY NW WINDS.  
 
THE FIRST OF TWO WEAK BOUNDARIES WAS IN THE PROCESS OF CROSSING  
THE FORECAST AREA FROM NW TO SE THIS MORNING. RADAR IMAGERY  
SHOWED LIGHT PRECIPITATION ECHOES, BUT SOME OF THIS IS NOT  
REACHING THE GROUND AS IT FALLS THROUGH A DRY SUBLAYER. A  
SECONDARY BOUNDARY MOVES THROUGH SHORTLY BEHIND THIS ONE, AND  
SHOULD DELIVER SOME LIGHT SHOWERS TO THE WESTERN MOUNTAINS AS  
WELL. AGAIN QPF LOOKS VERY LOW OUTSIDE OF WESTERN GREENBRIER  
COUNTY. MAIN MID/UPPER LEVEL SUPPORT WILL REMAIN TO OUR NORTH,  
AND SHOWERS SHOULD FALL APART AS THEY MOVE SOUTH, LARGELY COMING  
TO AN END BY MID MORNING.  
 
SKIES BEGIN TO CLEAR OUT LATE MORNING AND WE SHOULD SEE  
TEMPERATURES IN THE 60S AND 70S. WNW WINDS WILL BE GUSTY,  
ESPECIALLY ON THE RIDGES, AND EXPECT 20-25 MPH GUSTS AT TIMES  
BEFORE THEY CALM DOWN THIS EVENING. OVERNIGHT, LIGHT FOG AND  
POSSIBLY SOME FROST IS POSSIBLE WHERE IT RAINS TODAY, HOWEVER  
MODELS ARE INDICATING SOME CLOUD COVER AROUND ASSOCIATED WITH  
ENERGY WITHIN THE NW FLOW, SO DID NOT GO VERY AGRESSIVE ON  
EITHER OF THESE WEATHER TYPES. OVERNIGHT LOWS WILL BE IN THE MID  
30S TO MID 40S.  
 
CONFIDENCE IN THE NEAR TERM IS HIGH.  
 

 
   
SHORT TERM /THURSDAY THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT/
 
 
AS OF 130 AM EDT WEDNESDAY...  
 
KEY MESSAGES:  
 
1) CONFIDENCE IS HIGH FOR DRY WEATHER ON THURSDAY.  
 
2) A CHANCE OF SHOWERS EXISTS IN THE MOUNTAINS ON FRIDAY, WHILE  
HIGH PRESSURE WEDGES AGAINST THE EASTERN SLOPES OF THE BLUE  
RIDGE.  
 
SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE CENTERED OVER LAKE ONTARIO WILL PROVIDE  
DRY WEATHER FOR THE MID ATLANTIC ON THURSDAY. AS THE HIGH  
MOVES EASTWARD BY THURSDAY NIGHT, IT WILL WEDGE AGAINST THE  
EASTERN SLOPES OF THE BLUE RIDGE. A COOLER EASTERLY FLOW SHOULD  
KEEP TEMPERATURES LOWER ON FRIDAY COMPARED TO THURSDAY.  
MEANWHILE, A WARM FRONT WILL HEAD NORTHWARD ALONG THE WESTERN  
PERIPHERY OF THE WEDGE AND SPARK A LOW CHANCE OF SHOWERS IN THE  
MOUNTAINS FOR FRIDAY AND FRIDAY NIGHT. BY SATURDAY, THE WARM  
FRONT SHOULD HEAD TOWARDS THE GREAT LAKES, AND HIGH PRESSURE  
SHOULD DRIFT OFF THE EAST COAST. THE FLOW WILL TURN TO THE  
SOUTHEAST, WHICH WOULD INCREASE MOISTURE AND KEEP OCCASIONAL  
CLOUDINESS LINGERING THROUGHOUT THE DAY. TEMPERATURES SHOULD  
TICK UPWARD ON SATURDAY DESPITE THE CLOUDINESS AS AN UPPER LEVEL  
RIDGE BUILDS ALOFT AND WARM AIR ADVECTION AT THE SURFACE  
INCREASES.  
 

 
   
LONG TERM /SUNDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/
 
 
AS OF 130 AM EDT WEDNESDAY...  
 
KEY MESSAGES:  
 
1) CONFIDENCE IS HIGH FOR A WARMING TREND DURING EARLY NEXT  
WEEK.  
 
2) THE CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL INCREASE BY LATE  
MONDAY INTO TUESDAY FROM AN APPROACHING COLD FRONT.  
 
WITH THE MID ATLANTIC NOW FIRMLY IN THE WARM SECTOR BY SUNDAY, A  
SOUTHERLY FLOW WILL ERODE THE LINGERING WEDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE  
EAST OF THE BLUE RIDGE. A STRONG UPPER LEVEL RIDGE OVERHEAD AND  
NOTABLE WARM AIR ADVECTION AT THE SURFACE WILL BOOST  
TEMPERATURES ABOVE NORMAL TO START THE NEW WEEK. THE WARMEST DAY  
IN THIS FORECAST PERIOD OCCURS ON MONDAY WHEN HIGH TEMPERATURES  
COULD REACH THE MID 70S TO THE MID 80S, WHICH IS ABOUT TEN TO  
FIFTEEN DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL FOR LATE APRIL. AS A CONSEQUENCE OF  
THIS INCREASING HEAT AND A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM APPROACHING FROM  
THE WEST, THE CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CLIMB BY  
MONDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING IN THE MOUNTAINS AND EVENTUALLY  
SPREAD EASTWARD TOWARDS TUESDAY. THE FRONTAL PASSAGE MIGHT NOT  
TAKE PLACE UNTIL TUESDAY EVENING.  
 

 
   
AVIATION /06Z WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/
 
 
AS OF 230 AM EDT WEDNESDAY...  
 
VFR CONDITIONS ARE STILL IN PLACE THIS MORNING AS A COLD FRONT  
MOVES SOUTHEAST INTO THE AREA. OVERCAST VFR OVER THE MOUNTAINS  
WILL LOWER TO MVFR FOR BLF/LWB/BCB BY DAYBREAK. ONLY EXPECTING A  
FEW HOURS OF -SHRA BEFORE CEILINGS IMPROVE AND SHOWERS COME TO  
AN END. AFTER 15Z, EXPECT VFR CONDITIONS WITH SOME CEILINGS  
AROUND THROUGH THE AFTERNOON AROUND 5-9 KFT. SW WINDS BECOME  
MORE WNW BEHIND THE FRONT AND WILL GUST TO 20 KTS OR SO AT  
TIMES. WINDS DIMINISH THIS EVENING UNDER HIGH PRESSURE.  
 
TONIGHT THERE MAY BE A LITTLE FOG AROUND BUT NOT EXPECTING  
ANYTHING WIDESPREAD.  
 
EXTENDED AVIATION OUTLOOK...  
 
THURSDAY LOOKS DRY AND VFR.  
 
A WARM FRONT APPROACHES FRIDAY, AND ALTHOUGH VFR CONDITIONS  
REMAIN, BUT COULD START TO SEE SUB-VFR TOWARD LWB/BLF FRIDAY  
INTO SATURDAY. -SHRA LOOKS UNLIKELY OUTSIDE OF SPRINKLES DURING  
THIS TIME FOR BLF. SUNDAY WILL BE VFR.  
 

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

 
 

 
 
SYNOPSIS...SH  
NEAR TERM...SH  
SHORT TERM...PW  
LONG TERM...PW  
AVIATION...SH  
 
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