982  
FXUS61 KRNK 082326  
AFDRNK  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA  
726 PM EDT FRI MAY 8 2026  
   
WHAT HAS CHANGED  
 
AVIATION UPDATED.  
 
 
   
KEY MESSAGES  
 
1) A COLD FRONT WILL BRING THE NEXT OPPORTUNITY FOR  
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS SUNDAY INTO MONDAY. COOLER AIR AGAIN  
TO START THE WORK WEEK.  
 
 
   
DISCUSSION  
 
KEY MESSAGE 1...A COLD FRONT WILL BRING THE NEXT OPPORTUNITY FOR  
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS SUNDAY INTO MONDAY. COOLER AIR AGAIN  
TO START THE WORK WEEK.  
 
TRANQUIL WEATHER UNDER HIGH PRESSURE PREVAILS THROUGH MUCH OF  
THE WEEKEND. MAY HAVE AN ISOLATED SHOWER OR RUMBLE OF THUNDER ON  
SATURDAY AFTERNOON ACROSS THE PIEDMONT REGION. SUNDAY WILL BE  
EVEN WARMER WITH LIGHTER WINDS. INCREASING HEIGHTS WILL YIELD  
HIGHS IN THE MID 70S TO LOW 80S.  
 
A COOLER AIRMASS ARRIVES AGAIN BY MONDAY AND TEMPERATURES WILL  
REMAIN BELOW NORMAL THROUGH TUESDAY. COLDEST TIME PERIOD WILL BE  
TUESDAY MORNING, WHICH COULD POTENTIALLY BRING ANOTHER ROUND OF  
FROST TO THE MOUNTAINS AS LOWS ARE FORECAST TO FALL INTO THE  
LOWER 30S.  
 
PERSISTENT TROUGH OVER THE EASTERN STATES WILL CONTINUE TO BRING  
WAVES OF UPPER ENERGY THROUGH THE REGION, COURTESY OF A 150 KT  
JET ALOFT (ABOUT 3-4 STANDARD DEVIATIONS ABOVE NORMAL ACCORDING  
TO NAEFS). THE NEXT DECENT CHANCE FOR RAIN WILL BE SUNDAY  
AFTERNOON THROUGH MONDAY AS WEAK LOW PRESSURE DEVELOPS ALONG AN  
APPROACHING COLD FRONT. AT THIS TIME, RAINFALL LOOKS TO BE LIGHT  
AND SPOTTY, WITH THE BULK OF PRECIPITATION REMAINING FARTHER  
SOUTH AND EAST OF THE FORECAST AREA. MAY SEE A FEW THUNDERSTORMS  
BUT NOTHING STRONG IS EXPECTED.  
 
EARLY WEDNESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY, A MESSY SURFACE LOW PRESSURE  
PATTERN BRINGS SCATTERED CONVECTION TO THE REGION AGAIN, WITH  
PWATS BRIEFLY JUMPING CLOSE AN INCH SOUTH OF HIGHWAY 460.  
 
 
   
AVIATION /00Z SATURDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/  
 
VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS THE REGION THROUGH THE  
CONCLUSION OF THE VALID TAF FORECAST PERIOD, 00Z SUNDAY, 8PM EDT  
SATURDAY.  
 
WIND GUSTS WILL SUBSIDE WITHIN A COUPLE OF HOURS OF SUNSET THIS  
EVENING, WITH WINDS TRENDING LIGHT AND VARIABLE. ON SATURDAY,  
WINDS WILL GRADUALLY INCREASE, WITH GUSTS OF 15 TO 20 KTS LIKELY  
FOR MOST LOCATIONS FROM THE LATE MORNING THROUGH THE LATE  
AFTERNOON.  
 
EXTENDED AVIATION OUTLOOK...  
 
A STRAY SHOWER/STORM MAY OCCUR IN THE MOUNTAINS SATURDAY AFTERNOON,  
AND WESTERLY WINDS CONTINUE TO GUST 20-25 KNOTS INTO THE EVENING  
BEFORE BECOMING LIGHT OVERNIGHT. VFR FLIGHT CONDITIONS AND QUIET  
WEATHER ARE THEN EXPECTED TO CONTINUE UNTIL SUNDAY AFTERNOON WHEN A  
COLD FRONT APPROACHES, BRINGING A BETTER CHANCE OF SHOWERS/STORMS  
AND SUB-VFR CONDITIONS TO THE MOUNTAINS. MORE WIDESPREAD RAIN MOVES  
IN SUNDAY NIGHT INTO MONDAY, BRINGING LIKELY SUB-VFR FLIGHT  
CONDITIONS WITH SHOWERS/STORMS. RAIN CLEARS OUT BY MONDAY EVENING,  
AS HIGH PRESSURE ALLOWS QUIET WEATHER AND VFR CONDITIONS TO RETURN  
TO THE AREA. WINDS AGAIN INCREASE MONDAY AFTERNOON, GUSTING TO  
AROUND 20 KNOTS FROM THE NORTHWEST BEHIND THE FRONT. QUIET WEATHER  
AND VFR CONTINUES THROUGH EARLY WEDNESDAY WHEN THE NEXT SYSTEM MOVES  
INTO THE AREA, BRINGING RAIN AND LIKELY SUB-VFR BACK TO THE  
AREA.  
 
 
   
RNK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
VA...NONE.  
NC...NONE.  
WV...NONE.  
 
 
 
 
 
DISCUSSION...BMG/SH  
AVIATION...DS/JCB  
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