192  
FXUS61 KAKQ 211736  
AFDAKQ  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WAKEFIELD VA  
1236 PM 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 950 AM EST SATURDAY...  
 
KEY MESSAGE:  
 
- DRY/COLDER AND BREEZY/WINDY TODAY UNDER A SUNNY OR MOSTLY  
SUNNY SKY.  
 
FORECAST REMAINS ON TRACK THIS MORNING WITH ONLY MINOR  
ADJUSTMENTS TO ACCOUNT FOR THE LATEST OBSERVATIONS. THERE ARE  
SOME LIGHT RADAR RETURNS JUST TO THE WEST OF DORCHESTER COUNTY  
MARYLAND. IT IS POSSIBLE THAT A FEW SPRINKLES OR FLURRIES MAKE  
IT OVER TO DORCHESTER COUNTY OF WESTERN PORTIONS OF THE MD  
EASTERN SHORE OVER THE NEXT HOUR OR SO, THOUGH WITH DEWPOINT  
DEPRESSIONS OF 10+ DEGREES F, AM NOT EXPECTING MUCH TO MAKE IT  
TO THE GROUND.  
 
PREVIOUS DISCUSSION: 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 /18Z SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/  
 
AS OF 1235 PM EST SATURDAY...  
 
VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE AT ALL TAF SITES THROUGH  
THE FORECAST PERIOD. THE MAIN AVIATION IMPACT THIS AFTERNOON  
WILL BE CONTINUED GUSTY NW WINDS, GUSTING TO 25+ KNOTS AT TIMES.  
WINDS DIMINISH THIS EVENING INTO TONIGHT (REMAINING A BIT BREEZY  
AT THE COAST INITIALLY). LESS WIND AND SKC SKIES ARE EXPECTED  
LATER TONIGHT THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE FORECAST PERIOD AS  
HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS INTO THE REGION.  
 
OUTLOOK: LESS WIND WITH DRY WEATHER AND VFR CONDITIONS ARE  
EXPECTED THROUGH MONDAY.  
 
 
   
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...AJB/TMG  
SHORT TERM...ERI/TMG  
LONG TERM...ERI/TMG  
AVIATION...AJB  
MARINE...MAM/SW  
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