216  
FXUS61 KRLX 161919  
AFDRLX  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV  
319 PM EDT SAT MAY 16 2026  
   
WHAT HAS CHANGED
 
 
LOWER CONFIDENCE ON TODAY'S SEVERE POTENTIAL. HAVE REFINED POPS  
TODAY THROUGH TONIGHT TO BETTER REPRESENT THE LATEST TRENDS.  
 

 
   
KEY MESSAGES
 
 
1) STRONG THUNDERSTORMS COULD OCCUR LATER THIS EVENING INTO  
EARLY TONIGHT, BUT OVERALL, CONFIDENCE REMAINS QUITE LOW. THE  
MAIN THREATS WILL BE STRONG WIND GUSTS AND SOME HAIL.  
 
2) SUMMERLIKE WEATHER IS EXPECTED BEGINNING SUNDAY AND LASTING  
THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK. A BIG COOL DOWN WILL THEN  
ARRIVE THURSDAY. THE NEXT CHANCE FOR WIDESPREAD RAIN IS ON  
WEDNESDAY.  
 

 
   
DISCUSSION
 
 
KEY MESSAGE 1...  
 
SCATTERED SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE ACROSS THE  
AREA THIS AFTERNOON AS A SHORTWAVE MOVES ACROSS THE REGION. THIS  
ACTIVITY IS EXPECTED TO EXIT/DISSIPATE OVER THE NEXT FEW HOURS,  
PROVIDING BENEFICIAL RAIN TO THE AREA. THE REGION REMAINS QUITE  
STABLE AND SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT ANTICIPATED WITH THIS ACTIVITY.  
 
ANOTHER ROUND OF SHOWERS/STORMS IS EXPECTED LATER THIS EVENING  
INTO TONIGHT AS A MCV, CURRENTLY POSITIONED ACROSS WESTERN  
KENTUCKY, SHIFTS EASTWARD INTO A MORE FAVORABLE ENVIRONMENT FOR  
THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT. THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY THAT DEVELOPS  
IN KENTUCKY IS EXPECTED TO GRADUALLY MOVE INTO THE WESTERN  
PORTION OF THE FORECAST AREA BY LATER THIS EVENING AS IT  
CONTINUES TO MOVE EASTWARD. WHILE THE POTENTIAL FOR STRONG  
STORMS REMAINS WITH THIS NEXT ROUND, OVERALL CONFIDENCE IS QUITE  
LOW AS THERE LIKELY WILL NOT BE MUCH INSTABILITY TO WORK WITH  
GIVEN THE CURRENT CLOUD COVER ACROSS THE AREA. THE MAIN HAZARDS  
WITH ANY STRONGER THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE STRONG WINDS AND HAIL.  
 
SOME PATCHY FOG IS ANTICIPATED OVERNIGHT GIVEN ANY BREAKS IN  
CLOUD COVER. ANY FOG THAT DEVELOPS LIFTS/DISSIPATES SHORTLY  
AFTER SUNRISE, GIVING WAY TO A MAINLY DRY SUNDAY AMID MUCH  
WARMER TEMPERATURES AS A WARM FRONT LIFTS NORTH OF THE REGION.  
 
KEY MESSAGE 2...  
 
MUCH WARMER TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED SUNDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY  
AS AN UPPER RIDGE STEADILY AMPLIFIES ACROSS THE EASTERN CONUS.  
ASSOCIATED RETURN FLOW WILL QUICKLY PUSH TEMPERATURES INTO THE  
MID/UPPER 80S ACROSS THE LOWLANDS ON SUNDAY, WITH MONDAY/TUESDAY  
EXPECTED TO BE A COUPLE OF DEGREES WARMER. DID TWEAK HIGH  
TEMPERATURES DOWN SLIGHTLY FROM CENTRAL GUIDANCE FOR THESE  
DAYS, HOWEVER. RECORDS COULD BE BROKEN AT A FEW SITES DURING  
THIS STRETCH OF HOT WEATHER. MORE DETAILS ON CLIMATE RECORDS  
CAN BE SEEN IN THE CLIMATE SECTION BELOW.  
 
MAINLY DRY WEATHER IS EXPECTED SUNDAY/MONDAY SAVE ISOLD  
SHOWERS/STORMS ACROSS THE HIGHER TERRAIN VIA ANABATIC  
CONVERGENCE. THE CHANCE FOR SHOWERS/STORMS WILL STEADILY  
INCREASE TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY AS A COLD FRONT PUSHES  
TOWARDS/THROUGH THE FORECAST AREA, BRINGING A RETURN TO NEAR  
NORMAL TEMPERATURES BEGINNING ON THURSDAY. RAIN CHANCES WILL  
THEN CONTINUE THROUGH THE REST OF THE WORK WEEK AS THE FRONT  
EITHER STALLS JUST SOUTH OF THE AREA, OR EVEN LIFTS BACK NORTH  
THROUGH THE REGION.  
 

 
   
AVIATION /18Z SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/
 
 
MAINLY VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED THROUGHOUT THIS TAF PERIOD.  
AT PRESENT, SCT SHOWERS AND ISOLD THUNDERSTORMS ARE PROGRESSING  
WEST TO EAST ACROSS THE REGION, BRINGING PERHAPS VERY BRIEF  
MVFR VSBY AT TIMES. THIS ACTIVITY SHOULD EXIT/DISSIPATE BY EARLY  
EVENING, WITH ANOTHER ROUND OF SHOWERS/STORMS POSSIBLE  
OVERNIGHT (AFTER ~ 2Z) CENTRAL/NORTH THROUGH APPROXIMATELY 13Z.  
BRIEF MVFR/IFR VSBY COULD OCCUR WITH THIS ACTIVITY, WITH  
PRIMARILY DRY CONDITIONS THEREAFTER SAVE AN ISOLATED  
SHOWER/STORM ACROSS THE FAR NORTH. SOME PATCHY FOG IS EXPECTED  
TONIGHT GIVEN ANY BREAKS IN CLOUD COVER, BUT OVERALL, CONFIDENCE  
IN LOCATION/INTENSITY IS QUITE LOW. SOME RESTRICTIONS REMAIN  
POSSIBLE, HOWEVER.  
 
WEST-SOUTHWEST FLOW IS EXPECTED TODAY AND COULD BE BREEZY AT  
TIMES. CALM OR LIGHT SOUTHERLY FLOW IS EXPECTED TONIGHT, WITH  
WEST-SOUTHWEST FLOW ON SUNDAY.  
 
FORECAST CONFIDENCE AND ALTERNATE SCENARIOS THROUGH 18Z SUNDAY...  
 
FORECAST CONFIDENCE: MEDIUM.  
 
ALTERNATE SCENARIOS: FOG TONIGHT MAY BE MORE WIDESPREAD THAN  
ANTICIPATED.  
 
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.  
 
UTC 1HRLY 18 19 20 21 22 23 00 01 02 03 04 05  
EDT 1HRLY 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 00 01  
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 18Z SUNDAY...  
NO WIDESPREAD IFR EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.  
 

 
   
CLIMATE
 
 
FORECAST / RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURES  
--------------------------------------------------------  
SUN, 5/17 | MON, 5/18 | TUE, 5/19 |  
-------------------------------------------------------  
CRW | 88 / 91 (1962) | 90 / 92 (1982) | 92 / 95 (1931) |  
HTS | 89 / 95 (1908) | 90 / 92 (1962) | 91 / 92 (1996) |  
CKB | 84 / 90 (1962) | 90 / 92 (1962) | 91 / 90 (1959) |  
PKB | 86 / 94 (1962) | 90 / 95 (1962) | 92 / 90 (1964) |  
BKW | 83 / 86 (1962) | 84 / 87 (1996) | 85 / 89 (1996) |  
EKN | 82 / 87 (2017) | 86 / 89 (1911) | 88 / 93 (1996) |  
--------------------------------------------------------  
 

 
   
RLX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
WV...NONE.  
OH...NONE.  
KY...NONE.  
VA...NONE.  
 

 
 

 
 
DISCUSSION...GW  
AVIATION...GW  
CLIMATE...GW  
 
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