370  
FXUS61 KLWX 211906  
AFDLWX  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE MD/WASHINGTON DC  
306 PM EDT TUE MAR 21 2023  
   
SYNOPSIS
 
 
HIGH PRESSURE WILL MOVE OFFSHORE TONIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY. A  
COLD FRONT WILL DROP INTO THE AREA FROM THE NORTH THURSDAY NIGHT  
INTO FRIDAY. THE FRONT WILL STALL OUT NEARBY THROUGH FRIDAY  
NIGHT. LOW PRESSURE WILL PASS TO OUR WEST SATURDAY INTO  
SATURDAY NIGHT BEFORE HIGH PRESSURE BRIEFLY RETURNS SUNDAY.  
ANOTHER LOW MAY IMPACT THE AREA EARLY NEXT WEEK.  
 

 
   
NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/
 
 
HIGH PRESSURE WILL MOVE OFFSHORE TONIGHT. A LIGHT AND PERSISTENT  
SOUTHERLY FLOW WILL RESULT IN MILDER TEMPERATURES TONIGHT. LOWS  
WILL BE IN THE 30S TO THE LOWER 40S IN DOWNTOWN WASHINGTON AND  
BALTIMORE. A WEAK PIECE OF MID-LEVEL ENERGY WILL MOVE INTO THE  
AREA LATE TONIGHT. AN ISOLATED SHOWER OR SPRINKLE CANNOT BE  
RULED OUT OVER THE ALLEGHENY HIGHLANDS. MOST AREAS WILL BE DRY.  
 

 
   
SHORT TERM /WEDNESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT/
 
 
ANOTHER PIECE OF ENERGY WILL PASS THROUGH THE REGION ON  
WEDNESDAY. THE SOUTHERLY FLOW WILL INCREASE SOME DURING THE  
AFTERNOON. MILD TEMPERATURES, SIMILAR TO THIS AFTERNOON, ARE  
ANTICIPATED WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. HIGHS MAINLY IN THE 60S WITH  
SLIGHTLY COOLER TEMPERATURES IN THE MOUNTAINS AND ALONG THE  
BAYFRONT.  
 
A LONG POSITIVELY TILTED TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE WILL SETUP OVER  
THE GREAT LAKES INTO THE ROCKIES WEDNESDAY NIGHT. THE SURFACE  
COLD FRONT ASSOCIATED WITH THIS TROUGH WILL REMAIN OVER THE  
SAME AREA. SOUTHERLY WINDS WILL CONTINUE TO USHER IN MILDER  
CONDITIONS FOR WEDNESDAY NIGHT WITH LOWS IN THE 40S FOR MOST  
AREAS (NEAR 50 IN DOWNTOWN WASHINGTON AND BALTIMORE). STRONGER  
WARM ADVECTION WILL DRAW IN SOME MORE MOISTURE FROM THE GULF OF  
MEXICO. THE WARM AND MOIST AIR OVERRUNNING COOLER AIR NEAR THE  
SURFACE WILL INCREASE LIFT, AND THIS COMBINED WITH SHORTWAVE  
ENERGY MEANS THAT THERE WILL BE A BETTER CHANCE FOR SHOWERS,  
ESPECIALLY NEAR AND NORTH OF INTERSTATE 66 AND US 50.  
 
LOW PRESSURE WILL LIKELY PASS BY TO OUR NORTH THURSDAY WITH A  
SOUTHWEST FLOW ACROSS OUR AREA. WARMER TEMPERATURES EXPECTED  
WITH HIGHS IN THE 70S AND DRY CONDITIONS.  
 
A COLD FRONT, ASSOCIATED WITH THE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM, WILL  
DROP INTO OUR AREA FROM THE NORTH THURSDAY NIGHT, BRINGING AN  
INCREASED CHANCE FOR SHOWERS.  
 

 
   
LONG TERM /FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/
 
 
TEMPERATURES LATER THIS WEEK ARE FORECAST TO BE WELL ABOVE NORMAL,  
BUT THERE STILL REMAINS A GOOD BIT OF UNCERTAINTY REGARDING THE  
TEMPERATURE FORECAST FOR FRIDAY AND SATURDAY. A STALLED FRONTAL  
BOUNDARY WILL BE TO OUR NORTH/NORTHWEST CREATING A LARGE SPREAD IN  
TEMPERATURES ACROSS THE AREA. UNCERTAINTY REMAINS REGARDING WHERE  
THE BOUNDARY STALLS AND WHERE THE COOLER TEMPERATURES ARE EACH DAY.  
THE MOST LIKELY SCENARIO SHOWS TEMPERATURES IN THE UPPER 60S AND 70S  
FOR THE SOUTHERN PORTIONS OF THE FORECAST AREA WITH TEMPERATURES IN  
50S ALONG THE PENNSYLVANIA AND MARYLAND STATE BORDER.  
 
IN ADDITION TO THE LARGE TEMPERATURE SPREAD ON FRIDAY AND SATURDAY,  
THE STALLED FRONTAL BOUNDARY WILL BRING INCREASED RAIN CHANCES. UP  
TO HALF AN INCH OF RAINFALL IS POSSIBLE IN THE NORTHERN PORTIONS OF  
THE FORECAST AREA WITH THOSE ALONG AND WEST OF THE ALLEGHENIES  
POSSIBLY RECEIVING OVER AN INCH OF RAINFALL. GIVEN HOW DRY IT HAS  
BEEN, RAINFALL LOOKS TO BE MOSTLY BENEFICIAL AT THIS TIME. AS AN UL  
TROUGH PIVOTS OVER THE REGION ON SATURDAY, THERE IS A RISK OF  
THUNDERSTORMS. WITH CAPE VALUES NEAR 200 J/KG AND OVER 70 KNOTS OF  
BULK SHEAR, CONVECTION CANNOT BE RULED OUT.  
 
DRY CONDITIONS RETURN ON SUNDAY AS HIGH PRESSURE TEMPORARILY BUILDS  
OVERHEAD. RAIN CHANCES RETURN SUNDAY NIGHT INTO MONDAY AS ANOTHER  
SYSTEM APPROACHES THE AREA.  
 

 
   
AVIATION /19Z TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/
 
 
VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED THROUGH THURSDAY. HIGH PRESSURE TO  
THE EAST AND OFFSHORE WILL ALLOW FOR A SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST FLOW  
TO DEVELOP, PERSIST, AND INCREASE SOME THROUGH THE NEXT 36 TO 48  
HOURS. A FEW SHOWERS ARE POSSIBLE WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO EARLY  
THURSDAY, BUT MOST PLACES WILL BE DRY.  
 
A COLD FRONT WILL LIKELY DROP INTO THE AREA THURSDAY NIGHT,  
INCREASING THE CHANCES FOR SHOWERS AND SUBVFR CONDITIONS.  
 
SUB-VFR CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE FRIDAY AND SATURDAY DURING RAIN  
SHOWERS AS A FRONTAL BOUNDARY STALLS NEARBY.  
 

 
   
MARINE
 
 
A SOUTHERLY FLOW WILL DEVELOP AND CONTINUE THROUGH THURSDAY.  
THIS FLOW SHOULD INCREASE ENOUGH THAT SMALL CRAFT ADVISORIES  
HAVE BEEN ISSUED FOR THE UPPER POTOMAC AND THE NORTHERN HALF OF  
THE BAY.  
 
THE GRADIENT WILL STRENGTHEN FOR WEDNESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY, AND  
AN SCA WILL LIKELY BE NEEDED FOR PORTIONS OF THE WATERS. THE  
BREEZIEST CONDITIONS WILL MOST LIKELY BE THURSDAY AFTERNOON WITH  
SOME GUSTS AROUND 20 TO 30 KNOTS POSSIBLE (MAINLY AWAY FROM THE  
OPEN WATERS). A COLD FRONT MAY DROP INTO THE AREA FROM THE NORTH  
THURSDAY NIGHT, BUT AN SCA MAY STILL BE NEEDED.  
 
NORTHERLY WINDS ON FRIDAY WILL BE RIGHT AT SCA CRITERIA THROUGHOUT  
THE DAY. WINDS SHIFT TO EASTERLY ON SATURDAY AND WILL LIKELY BE SCA  
CRITERIA. GUSTY WINDS ARE POSSIBLE DURING CONVECTION.  
 

 
   
FIRE WEATHER
 
 
A SOUTHERLY FLOW IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE WITH DRY CONDITIONS.  
THE RELATIVE HUMIDITY WILL STAY NEAR 15 TO 25 PERCENT FOR MOST  
AREAS. TEMPERATURES WILL BE IN THE 60S FOR MOST AREAS. SOUTHERLY  
WINDS OF 10 TO 15 MPH.  
 
THE NEXT WEATHER SYSTEM WILL APPROACH WEDNESDAY AND ATMOSPHERIC  
MOISTURE WILL BEGIN TO INCREASE. SMALL CHANCES OF LIGHT RAINFALL  
EXIST WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY, BUT HIGHER CHANCES OF AREAWIDE  
RAINFALL WON'T ARRIVE UNTIL THE END OF THE WEEK.  
 

 
   
LWX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
DC...NONE.  
MD...NONE.  
VA...NONE.  
WV...NONE.  
MARINE...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FROM 2 PM TO 10 PM EDT WEDNESDAY FOR  
ANZ530>532-535-538>540.  
 

 
 

 
SYNOPSIS...BJL  
NEAR TERM...KLW  
SHORT TERM...KLW  
LONG TERM...AVS  
AVIATION...AVS/KLW  
MARINE...AVS/KLW  
FIRE WEATHER...KLW  
 
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