264  
FXUS61 KAKQ 211145  
AFDAKQ  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WAKEFIELD VA  
645 AM EST SAT DEC 21 2024  
   
SYNOPSIS
 
 
LOW PRESSURE WILL TRACK FARTHER AWAY INTO ATLANTIC CANADA  
DURING TODAY, AS HIGH PRESSURE STARTS TO BUILD TOWARD THE AREA  
FROM THE NORTHWEST. DRY WEATHER AND MUCH COOLER TEMPERATURES ARE  
EXPECTED TODAY THROUGH MONDAY, AS THE HIGH BUILDS INTO AND OVER  
THE REGION. A SLOW MODERATING TREND IN TEMPERATURES WILL START  
TUESDAY.  
 

 
   
NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 PM THIS EVENING/
 
 
AS OF 350 AM EST SATURDAY...  
 
KEY MESSAGE:  
 
- DRY/COLDER AND BREEZY/WINDY TODAY UNDER A SUNNY OR MOSTLY  
SUNNY SKY.  
 
EARLY THIS MORNING, LOW PRESSURE WAS CENTERED WELL OFF THE NEW  
ENGLAND COAST, WHILE STRONG HIGH PRESSURE WAS CENTERED NEAR THE  
CANADIAN BORDER AND MINNESOTA. THE SKY COVER RANGED FROM CLEAR  
TO MOSTLY CLOUDY. TEMPS RANGED FROM THE UPPER 20S TO LOWER 40S.  
 
COLDER/DRY WX IS EXPECTED TODAY, AS STRONG HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS  
INTO THE GREAT LAKES, AND THE LOW TRACKS INTO ATLC CANADA. IN  
ADDITION, BREEZY/WINDY CONDITIONS (GUSTS TO 25-30 MPH) ARE  
EXPECTED FROM LATER THIS MORNING INTO EARLY THIS EVENING. UNDER  
A PARTLY SUNNY TO SUNNY SKY, HIGHS WILL ONLY BE IN THE UPPER  
30S TO MID 40S.  
 

 
   
SHORT TERM /6 PM THIS EVENING THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT/
 
 
AS OF 350 AM EST SATURDAY...  
 
KEY MESSAGE:  
 
- COLD AND DRY WEATHER WILL CONTINUE FROM TONIGHT THROUGH  
MONDAY, WITH WIND CHILLS IN THE SINGLE DIGITS AND TEENS  
SUNDAY/MONDAY MORNING.  
 
ANOTHER PUSH OF CAA IS EXPECTED TONIGHT THROUGH SUN NIGHT, AS  
THE SFC HIGH BUILDS TOWARD THE AREA (AND BECOMES CENTERED OVER  
THE MID ATLC/NE BY SUN NIGHT). CLEAR OR MOSTLY CLEAR AND COLD  
TONIGHT WITH LOWS MAINLY IN THE UPPER TEENS TO MID 20S. IT MAY  
STILL BE SOMEWHAT BREEZY NEAR THE COAST WITH BAY EFFECT CLOUDS,  
BUT WINDS SHOULD BECOME FAIRLY LIGHT INLAND. WIND CHILLS SUN  
MORNING WILL BE IN THE TEENS, WITH SINGLE DIGITS POSSIBLE ON THE  
MD EASTERN SHORE. COLD BUT SUNNY OR MOSTLY SUNNY ON SUN, WITH  
HIGHS ONLY RANGING THROUGH THE 30S. WITH THE HIGH OVERHEAD,  
WINDS BECOME LIGHT OR CALM SUN NIGHT. LOWS WILL RANGE THROUGH  
THE TEENS INLAND, WITH UPPER TEENS TO MID 20S NEAR THE COAST.  
WITH THE VERY LIGHT WINDS, WIND CHILLS WILL NOT BE MUCH LOWER  
THAN THE ACTUAL AIR TEMPERATURES. THE STRONG HIGH BECOMES  
CENTERED JUST OFFSHORE OF THE NEW ENGLAND COAST ON MON, BUT SFC  
RIDGING WILL STILL BE OVER THE LOCAL AREA WITH VERY LIGHT WINDS  
EXPECTED DURING THE DAY. MAINLY SUNNY AND STILL COLD ON MON  
WITH HIGHS IN THE MID 30S TO MID 40S. DRY AND NOT AS COLD MON  
NIGHT, WITH THE SKY BECOMING MOSTLY CLEAR TO PARTLY CLOUDY. LOWS  
WILL RANGE THROUGH THE 20S TO AROUND 30.  
 

 
   
LONG TERM /TUESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/
 
 
AS OF 400 AM EST SATURDAY...  
 
KEY MESSAGE:  
 
- A SLOW MODERATING TREND IN EXPECTED TUESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY  
WITH INCREASING CLOUDS.  
 
TEMPERATURES WILL MODERATE SOME DURING THE EXTENDED PERIOD.  
THE HIGH IS PROGGED TO PUSH WELL OUT INTO THE ATLC ON TUE, WHILE  
A WEAK/DRY BACKDOOR FRONT DROPS ACROSS THE AREA. NO PCPN IS  
EXPECTED WITH THIS FRONT (ASIDE FROM PERHAPS AN ISOLATED SHOWER  
UP NORTH). A PROLONGED PERIOD OF LIGHT ONSHORE FLOW IS POSSIBLE  
FROM WED-FRI, AS HIGH PRESSURE TRIES TO BUILD INTO THE AREA FROM  
THE NORTH. AT THE SAME TIME, A COUPLE OF SOUTHERN STREAM  
DISTURBANCES WEAKEN AS THEY APPROACH THE LOCAL AREA. FOR NOW,  
WILL KEEP DRY WEATHER FOR TUE AND WED, WITH JUST 15-25% POPS  
FOR RAIN LATE WED NIGHT THROUGH FRI, WITH A PARTLY TO MOSTLY  
CLOUDY SKY. HIGHS WILL RANGE FROM THE MID 40S TO MID 50S  
THROUGH THE PERIOD (WHICH IS CLOSE TO AVERAGE). LOWS MODERATE  
INTO THE 30S-LOWER 40S BY LATE NEXT WEEK.  
 

 
   
AVIATION /12Z SATURDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/
 
 
AS OF 645 AM EST SATURDAY...  
 
VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED AT ALL TAF SITES FROM THIS MORNING  
INTO SUN MORNING. NW OR N WINDS WILL INCREASE FOR LATER THIS  
MORNING INTO EARLY THIS EVENING. GUSTS TO 25 KT ARE LIKELY MOST  
AREAS FROM ~14Z THROUGH ~21Z TODAY. DIMINISHING WINDS THIS  
EVENING (THOUGH REMAINING A BIT BREEZY AT THE COAST INITIALLY).  
OTHERWISE, VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED AT ALL TAF SITES FROM  
LATER THIS MORNING INTO SUN MORNING.  
 
OUTLOOK: LESS WIND WITH DRY WX/VFR CIGS ARE EXPECTED SUN AND  
MON.  
 

 
   
MARINE
 
 
AS OF 245 AM EST SATURDAY...  
 
KEY MESSAGES:  
 
- ADVERSE BOATING CONDITIONS CONTINUE TODAY BEHIND A COLD  
FRONT. WINDS OF 15-25 KT WITH GUSTS TO 30-35 KT ARE EXPECTED.  
 
- SEAS STAY ELEVATED THROUGH SUNDAY. CALMER MARINE CONDITIONS  
ARE THEN EXPECTED FROM MONDAY THROUGH MIDWEEK.  
 
LATEST ANALYSIS REVEALS DEEPENING ~993MB LOW PRESSURE JUST EAST  
OF THE GULF OF MAINE EARLY THIS MORNING. MEANWHILE, COLD ~1040MB  
SFC HIGH PRESSURE CONTINUES TO BUILD SOUTH ACROSS THE NORTHERN  
PLAINS INTO THE UPPER MIDWEST. COLD AIR ADVECTION HAS ENSUED  
ACROSS THE LOCAL WATERS, WITH WINDS AVERAGING 15-20 KT WITH  
GUSTS TO 25 KT OVER THE CHESAPEAKE BAY AND ATLANTIC COASTAL  
WATERS, THOUGH WINDS ARE LAGGING A LITTLE BIT OVER THE EASTERN  
VA RIVERS AND CURRITUCK SOUND. EASTERLY SWELL HAS ALLOWED SEAS  
TO BUMP UP TO 4-7 FT OVER THE COASTAL WATERS, WITH WAVES ON THE  
ORDER OF 2-3 FT ON THE BAY, 1-2 FT ON THE RIVERS AND SOUND.  
 
NW WINDS INCREASE A BIT MORE TOWARD AND JUST AFTER SUNRISE,  
PEAKING LATE THIS MORNING AS THE PRESSURE GRADIENT TIGHTENS A  
BIT FURTHER. NW WINDS AVERAGE 20-25 KT WITH GUSTS TO ~30 KT ON  
THE CHESAPEAKE BAY AND COASTAL WATERS. A FEW OCCASIONAL  
OCCURRENCES OF GUSTS ~34 KT ARE EXPECTED OVER THE NORTHERN AND  
CENTRAL WATERS BETWEEN 10-15Z/5-10 AM EST THIS MORNING. ANY OF  
THESE OCCURRENCES ARE EXPECTED TO BE ISOLATED ENOUGH THAT THEY  
SHOULD BE BEST HANDLED WITH SPECIAL MARINE WARNINGS, AS NEEDED.  
SLIGHTLY WEAKER WINDS ARE EXPECTED IN THE UPPER RIVERS AND  
CURRITUCK SOUND, BUT STILL SOLIDLY TO SCA CRITERIA THROUGH THIS  
AFTERNOON. SEAS REMAIN 4-7 FT, WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR 8+ SEAS  
OFFSHORE OF THE SRN VA AND NC COASTAL WATERS THIS AFTERNOON  
BEFORE SEAS START TO SLOWLY SUBSIDE LATE TONIGHT. WAVES IN THE  
CHESAPEAKE BAY BUILD TO 3-5 FT THIS MORNING. WINDS GRADUALLY  
DIMINISH HEADING INTO SUNDAY AS THE PRESSURE GRADIENT SLACKENS  
AND HIGH PRESSURE SLOWLY BUILDS IN FROM THE N. SEAS/WAVES ALSO  
SLOWLY FALL, THOUGH 5 FT SEAS LINGER THROUGH MOST OF SUNDAY.  
BASED ON THIS, HAVE EXTENDED THE SCA FOR THE BAY, SOUND AND  
LOWER JAMES RIVER INTO LATER SUNDAY MORNING, WITH SCA FOR THE  
COASTAL WATERS N OF THE PARRAMORE ISLAND PUSHED INTO SUNDAY  
AFTERNOON, AND INTO SUNDAY EVENING FOR SOUTHERN COASTAL WATERS.  
FUTURE SHIFTS MAY ALSO NEED TO CONSIDER EXTENDING THE SOUTHERN  
WATERS INTO LATER SUNDAY NIGHT/EARLY MONDAY.  
 
THEREAFTER, MUCH WEAKER WINDS ARE THEN EXPECTED FROM MONDAY  
THROUGH MIDWEEK. MODIFYING COLD HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS TOWARD THE  
AREA, BUT REMAINS CENTERED JUST TO OUR N. WINDS BRIEFLY TURN  
SOUTHERLY TUESDAY AS THE HIGH SLIDES OFFSHORE, BECOMING NORTHERLY  
ON CHRISTMAS DAY/WEDNESDAY BEHIND ANOTHER (WEAKER) COLD FRONT.  
 

 
   
AKQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
MD...NONE.  
NC...NONE.  
VA...NONE.  
MARINE...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 1 PM EST SUNDAY FOR ANZ630>632-650-  
652.  
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 10 AM EST SUNDAY FOR ANZ633.  
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 4 PM EST SUNDAY FOR ANZ634.  
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 7 PM EST THIS EVENING FOR  
ANZ635>637.  
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 7 AM EST SUNDAY FOR ANZ638.  
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 7 PM EST SUNDAY FOR ANZ654-656-658.  
 

 
 

 
 
SYNOPSIS...TMG  
NEAR TERM...TMG  
SHORT TERM...ERI/TMG  
LONG TERM...ERI/TMG  
AVIATION...TMG  
MARINE...MAM/SW  
 
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