872  
FXUS61 KRLX 230542  
AFDRLX  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV  
142 AM EDT TUE APR 23 2024  
   
SYNOPSIS
 
 
DRY AND BREEZY TODAY AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT. LIGHT RAIN TONIGHT  
INTO EARLY WEDNESDAY. DRY AND WARMING FOR THE REST OF THE WORK  
WEEK. CHANCE FOR WEEKEND SHOWERS AND PERHAPS THUNDERSTORMS.  
 

 
   
NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/
 
 
AS OF 130 AM TUESDAY...  
 
SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW INCREASES TODAY IN RESPONSE TO SURFACE HIGH  
PRESSURE SHIFTING EAST ACROSS THE DEEP SOUTH AS A COMPACT AREA OF  
SURFACE LOW PRESSURE TRANSITS THE UPPER GREAT LAKES. A COMBINATION  
OF WARM ADVECTION AND AMPLE LATE APRIL SUN ANGLE WILL GET US QUICKLY  
AWAY FROM OUR FROSTY MORNING LOWS WITH AFTERNOON HIGHS IN THE  
UPPER 60S TO LOWER 70S. DEEP MIXING IN A DRY AIRMASS TO EVEN  
DRIER AIR ALOFT WILL YIELD LOW AFTERNOON RELATIVE HUMIDITY  
VALUES IN THE LOWER 20S FOR MOST LOCATIONS ACROSS THE FORECAST  
AREA. WINDS WILL ALSO BE ON THE BREEZIER SIDE THIS AFTERNOON  
WITH GUSTS 20 TO 25 MPH. LIVE FUEL MOISTURE SEEMS LARGELY FINE  
WITH A STRONG ON GOING GREEN UP, BUT DEAD FUEL MOISTURE, IN 10HR  
FUELS AND LIGHTER CONTINUES TO DRY OUT. SOME COORDINATION WAS  
DONE WITH LAND MANAGEMENT AGENCIES YESTERDAY WITH THOSE THAT  
WERE CONTACTED IN FAVOR OF A FIRE DANGER STATEMENT FOR THIS  
AFTERNOON. WILL BE COLLABORATING WITH OUR NEIGHBORS WHETHER ANY  
STATEMENTS ARE ISSUED WITH THE MORNING PACKAGE, OR IF ADDITIONAL  
LAND MANAGEMENT COORDINATION IS NEEDED FOR STATEMENTS THAT  
WOULD COME LATER THIS MORNING.  
 
A COLD FRONT ASSOCIATED WITH THE AFOREMENTIONED AREA OF LOW PRESSURE  
SWINGS THROUGH OVERNIGHT BRINGING GENERALLY LIGHT RAIN TO THE  
REGION. TOTAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS WILL BE ON THE LIGHTER SIDE,  
GENERALLY A TENTH OR TWO ACROSS THE REGION WITH SOME LOCALLY HIGHER  
AMOUNTS IN OROGRAPHIC FORCING.  
 

 
   
SHORT TERM /WEDNESDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT/
 
 
AS OF 225 PM MONDAY...  
 
KEY POINTS:  
* COLD FRONT CROSSES TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY MORNING.  
* DRY CONDITIONS RETURN BY LATE WEDNESDAY.  
 
A COLD FRONT ARRIVES TUESDAY NIGHT AND SPREADS PRECIPITATION ACROSS  
THE AREA AS IT PROGRESSES EASTWARD INTO WEDNESDAY MORNING. WHILE A  
RUMBLE OF THUNDER OR TWO CANNOT BE COMPLETELY DISCOUNTED DURING THE  
FRONTAL PASSAGE, POTENTIAL IS RATHER LOW DUE TO A LACK OF  
INSTABILITY. THE FRONT EXITS TO THE EAST WEDNESDAY MORNING,  
THEN SHOWERS TAPER OFF FROM WEST TO EAST ALLOWING DRIER  
CONDITIONS TO RETURN TO THE AREA BY EVENING. TOTAL PRECIPITATION  
AMOUNTS FROM TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY SHOULD BE LIGHT,  
GENERALLY AMOUNTING TO LESS THAN HALF AN INCH.  
 
LOW TEMPERATURES FOR TUESDAY NIGHT ARE EXPECTED TO RANGE FROM 40S TO  
LOW 50S. HIGHS REMAIN BELOW NORMAL DURING THE DAY WEDNESDAY,  
WITH UPPER 50S TO 60S IN THE LOWLANDS AND UPPER 40S TO LOW 60S  
FOR THE MOUNTAINS. A COOL, DRY AIR MASS BUILDS IN BEHIND THE  
FRONT WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND ALLOWS LOW TEMPERATURES TO DIP INTO  
THE 30S TO LOW 40S. BETWEEN CHILLY TEMPERATURES AND CLEARING  
SKIES, FROST MAY DEVELOP LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO EARLY  
THURSDAY MORNING.  
 

 
   
LONG TERM /THURSDAY THROUGH MONDAY/
 
 
AS OF 225 PM MONDAY...  
 
KEY POINTS:  
* FROST POSSIBLE THURSDAY MORNING.  
* SYSTEM ARRIVES LATE WEEK INTO THE WEEKEND.  
* WARMING TREND SETS IN LATE THIS WEEK INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK.  
 
HIGH PRESSURE BRINGS ANOTHER PERIOD OF DRY WEATHER THURSDAY  
THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT, THEN A MORE ACTIVE PATTERN INITIATES  
WITH A LATE WEEK SYSTEM.  
 
PRECIPITATION CHANCES INCREASE FRIDAY INTO SATURDAY AS A LOW  
TRACKS OUT OF THE CENTRAL PLAINS TOWARDS ONTARIO AND LIFTS A  
WARM FRONT TOWARDS AND THEN ACROSS THE CWA. THIS LOW PROGRESSES  
EAST AWAY FROM THE AREA DURING THE WEEKEND, WHILE ANOTHER LOW  
TRACKS OUT OF THE SOUTHWEST US AND INTO THE CENTRAL PLAINS. THE  
SECOND SYSTEM THEN CONTINUES NORTHEAST TOWARDS THE GREAT LAKES  
EARLY IN THE NEW WORK WEEK. DURING THIS TIME, SOUTHERLY FLOW  
CONTINUES TO TRANSPORT WARM, MOIST AIR INTO THE CWA AND SUSTAINS  
CHANCES OF SHOWERS AND AFTERNOON THUNDERSTORMS INTO EARLY NEXT  
WEEK.  
 
AFTER A BRISK, POTENTIALLY FROSTY THURSDAY MORNING,  
TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO WARM INTO THE 60S TO LOW 70S IN THE  
LOWLANDS AND MID 50S TO 60S IN THE MOUNTAINS. A STOUT WARMING  
TREND THEN TAKES HOLD AND ALLOWS TEMPERATURES TO RISE ABOVE  
NORMAL THIS WEEKEND. ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES PERSIST EARLY  
NEXT WEEK, WITH HIGHS LIKELY TO RISE INTO THE 80S ACROSS MUCH OF  
THE LOWLANDS.  
 

 
   
AVIATION /06Z TUESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/
 
 
AS OF 130 AM TUESDAY...  
 
JUST FEW-SCT CIRRUS TO CONTEND WITH FOR MUCH OF THE DAYLIGHT HOURS  
TODAY AS SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW INCREASES AHEAD OF COLD FRONTAL PASSAGE  
LIGHT. LIGHT RAIN AND MVFR CEILINGS AFTER 02Z WITH ACTIVITY ALONG  
THE COLD FRONT - PRECIPITATION CONTINUES THROUGH THE END OF THIS TAF  
SET.  
 
WINDS GENERALLY SOUTHWESTERLY, 5-12KTS WITH GUSTS 15-20KTS THIS  
AFTERNOON.  
 
FORECAST CONFIDENCE AND ALTERNATE SCENARIOS THROUGH 06Z WEDNESDAY...  
 
FORECAST CONFIDENCE: HIGH  
 
ALTERNATE SCENARIOS: NONE.  
 
EXPERIMENTAL TABLE OF FLIGHT CATEGORY OBJECTIVELY SHOWS CONSISTENCY  
OF WFO FORECAST TO AVAILABLE MODEL INFORMATION:  
H = HIGH: TAF CONSISTENT WITH ALL MODELS OR ALL BUT ONE MODEL.  
M = MEDIUM: TAF HAS VARYING LEVEL OF CONSISTENCY WITH MODELS.  
L = LOW: TAF INCONSISTENT WITH ALL MODELS OR ALL BUT ONE MODEL.  
 
DATE TUE 04/23/24  
UTC 1HRLY 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17  
EDT 1HRLY 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13  
CRW CONSISTENCY H H H H H H H H H H H H  
HTS CONSISTENCY H H H H H H H H H H H H  
BKW CONSISTENCY H H H H H H H H H H H H  
EKN CONSISTENCY H H H H H H H H H H H H  
PKB CONSISTENCY H H H H H H H H H H H H  
CKB CONSISTENCY H H H H H H H H H H H H  
 
AFTER 06Z WEDNESDAY...  
IFR CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE IN RAIN SHOWERS AND STRATUS EARLY  
WEDNESDAY MORNING.  
 

 
   
FIRE WEATHER
 
 
AS OF 130 AM TUESDAY...  
 
TIGHTENING GRADIENTS AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT WILL YIELD A BREEZY  
AND DRY DAY TODAY WITH AFTERNOON GUSTS 20 TO 25 MPH AND  
AFTERNOON RH VALUES IN THE LOWER TO MID 20S. ALTHOUGH LIVE FUELS  
ARE GENERALLY DOING FINE MOISTURE WISE, DEAD FUELS, ESPECIALLY  
DEAD FUELS FINER THAN 10HR ARE QUITE DRY AND READY TO CARRY  
FIRE. SOME COORDINATION WAS DONE YESTERDAY WITH LAND MANAGEMENT  
AGENCIES ABOUT A FIRE DANGER STATEMENT FOR TODAY, AND AT LEAST A  
PORTION OF THE AREA WILL LIKELY NEED TO BE COVERED. STILL  
WORKING OUT WHETHER THIS WILL BE ISSUED WITH THE EARLY MORNING  
PACKAGE OR WITH A LATE MORNING UPDATE.  
 
LIGHT RAIN ARRIVES TONIGHT BUT FORECAST AMOUNTS BETWEEN A TENTH  
AND TWO TENTHS WILL LIKELY NOT FULLY ADDRESS FUEL MOISTURE  
CONCERNS.  
 

 
   
RLX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
WV...FROST ADVISORY UNTIL 9 AM EDT THIS MORNING FOR WVZ005-006-008-  
013>020-024>034-039-040.  
OH...NONE.  
KY...FROST ADVISORY UNTIL 9 AM EDT THIS MORNING FOR KYZ105.  
VA...FROST ADVISORY UNTIL 9 AM EDT THIS MORNING FOR VAZ003-004.  
 

 
 

 
 
SYNOPSIS...JP  
NEAR TERM...JP  
SHORT TERM...JLB  
LONG TERM...JLB  
AVIATION...JP  
FIRE WEATHER...JP  
 
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