921  
FXUS61 KAKQ 290302  
AFDAKQ  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WAKEFIELD VA  
1102 PM EDT WED MAY 28 2025  
   
SYNOPSIS
 
 
LOW PRESSURE LIFTS THROUGH THE AREA THIS EVENING INTO TONIGHT,  
WITH HIGH PRESSURE AND COLD AIR DAMMING GRADUALLY WEAKENING. A  
STRONG COLD FRONT CROSSES THE AREA FRIDAY INTO FRIDAY NIGHT,  
LEADING TO WIDESPREAD SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. ANOTHER COLD  
FRONT CROSSES THE AREA SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY, WITH DRY  
CONDITIONS EXPECTED EARLY NEXT WEEK.  
 

 
   
NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM THURSDAY MORNING/
 
 
AS OF 1055 PM EDT WEDNESDAY...  
 
KEY MESSAGES:  
 
- DRYING OUT WITH PARTIAL CLEARING THIS EVENING. LOW CLOUDS  
INCREASE, WITH SOME PATCHY FOG DEVELOPING TOWARD MORNING.  
 
LATEST ANALYSIS REVEALS WEAK ~1016MB SFC LOW PRESSURE OVER E  
VA AS OF THIS WRITING. WEAK 1025+MB SFC HIGH PRESSURE REMAINS  
OVER EASTERN NEW ENGLAND, WITH REMNANT CAD WEDGE IN PLACE OVER  
THE MID-ATLANTIC, WITH THE WEDGE FRONT EXTENDING INTO THE  
CAROLINAS. PLENTY OF LOW TO MID CLOUDS LINGER IN PLACE OVER THE  
REGION AT THIS HOUR, THOUGH SHOWERS ARE QUICKLY TAPERING OFF  
WITH DRIER AIR ALOFT FILTERING INTO THE REGION FROM THE WEST.  
MAINTAINED A CHANCE FOR A SHOWER OR TWO THROUGH ABOUT 02Z OR SO,  
BUT OTHERWISE, DRYING OUT. DESPITE THE DRYING ALOFT AND PARTIAL  
CLEARING OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF HOURS, A CONTINUED MOIST  
BOUNDARY LAYER ACROSS THE REGION WILL AGAIN BE CONDUCTIVE TO LOW  
STRATUS RECURRING OVERNIGHT, WITH PATCHY LOW FOG ALSO EXPECTED  
WHERE CLEARING CAN HANG ON THE LONGEST, MOST LIKELY ACROSS THE  
PIEDMONT GIVEN LATEST SATELLITE TRENDS. EARLY MORNING LOW  
TEMPERATURES WILL RANGE FROM THE LOW-MID 50S NW TO THE LOW 60S  
ACROSS SE/E.  
 

 
   
SHORT TERM /6 AM THURSDAY MORNING THROUGH SATURDAY/
 
 
AS OF 300 PM EDT WEDNESDAY..  
 
KEY MESSAGES:  
 
- SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOP THURSDAY AFTERNOON  
(HIGHEST COVERAGE SOUTH).  
 
- HIGHER CHANCES FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORM CHANCES ARE  
EXPECTED FRIDAY. ADDITIONALLY, THERE IS AN INCREASING CHANCE  
FOR STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS OVER PORTIONS OF THE AREA.  
 
THURSDAY IS FORECAST TO BE DRIER AND WARMER THAN PREVIOUS DAYS,  
THOUGH THERE COULD BE SOME LINGERING LOW CLOUDS AND PATCHY FOG  
EARLY IN THE DAY. DO ANTICIPATE AT LEAST A PARTLY SUNNY SKY  
DEVELOPING, ALLOWING HIGH TEMPERATURES TO REACH NEAR NORMAL, IN  
THE UPPER 70S TO LOWER 80S. EXPECT ANOTHER ROUND OF SCATTERED  
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP THURSDAY AFTERNOON WITH THE  
BEST COVERAGE SOUTH OF I-64 AND ESPECIALLY NEAR/ALONG THE  
ALBEMARLE SOUND IN NC WHERE WE HAVE 40-50% POPS. CANNOT RULE OUT  
A FEW STRONGER THUNDERSTORMS TOMORROW, MAINLY ALONG THE  
ALBEMARLE SOUND, WHERE SPC HAS US HIGHLIGHTED FOR IN DAY 2  
MARGINAL RISK. MODEL SOUNDINGS WOULD INDICATE A LOW-END DAMAGING  
WIND THREAT FOR THESE FAR SOUTHERN LOCATIONS.  
 
THE MODELS STILL REMAIN IN REASONABLY GOOD AGREEMENT THAT THE NEXT  
POTENT SHORTWAVE ROTATES FROM THE UPPER MIDWEST THROUGH THE OH  
VALLEY (LOOSELY ASSOCIATED AROUND THE BASE OF A DEEP UPPER LOW  
CENTERED NEAR HUDSON BAY CANADA). AS THIS OCCURS, STRONG SFC LOW  
PRESSURE DEEPENS WHILE TRACKING NE FROM THE OH VALLEY INTO PA/NY  
STATE ON FRIDAY. WITH A SW FLOW ALOFT REMAINING OVER THE LOCAL AREA  
FRIDAY, AMPLE LOW LEVEL INSTABILITY (POTENTIALLY 1500 TO 2000+ J/KG  
OF MLCAPE) IS FORECAST TO DEVELOP, ALONG WITH STRONG H7-H5 WINDS.  
CURRENTLY, THE LOCAL AREA IS MAINLY IN A DAY 3 MARGINAL RISK WITH A  
SMALL AREA OF SLIGHT RISK CLIPPING THROUGH THE CAROLINAS INTO OUR  
INTERIOR NE NC ZONES. THIS WILL NEED TO BE MONITORED GIVEN THE  
STRONG DYNAMICS AND AND POTENTIAL FOR SUPERCELLS, CAPABLE OF  
DAMAGING WIND, LARGE HAIL, AND EVEN ISOLATED TORNADOES. SOME OF THE  
EARLY CAM RUNS SUCH AS THE 12Z 3KM NAM HINT AT A WEAK WARM FRONT OR  
BOUNDARY MOVING THROUGH THE AREA FRIDAY AFTERNOON WHICH WOULD RESULT  
IN AN INCREASED SEVERE WEATHER OR TORNADO POTENTIAL. AFTERNOON-  
EVENING POPS ARE IN THE 70-80% THROUGHOUT THE CWA. IN ADDITION, WENT  
AHEAD AND ADDED THUNDERSTORMS WORDING TO THE ENTIRE AREA FRIDAY  
AFTERNOON/EVENING GIVEN THE AMPLE INSTABILITY. HIGHS FRIDAY WILL BE  
IN THE MID/UPPER 70S TO LOWER 80S. RAIN/STORM CHANCES DIMINISH FROM  
WEST TO EAST FRIDAY NIGHT AS A COLD FRONT MOVES THROUGH THE AREA.  
LOWS FRIDAY NIGHT GENERALLY IN THE 50S, WITH SOME LOWER 60S ACROSS  
THE SE.  
 
BY SATURDAY, A CLOSED UPPER LOW LINGERS OFF TO OUR N/NE ON SATURDAY  
LEADING TO DIURNAL SHOWERS/STORMS AND THE POTENTIAL FOR UNSETTLED  
CONDITIONS SATURDAY AFTERNOON. POPS ARE CURRENTLY HIGHEST  
ALONG/NORTH OF I-64 (~50-60% POPS). HIGHS WILL RANGE FROM THE LOW-  
MID 70S N TO THE UPPER 70S-AROUND 80 SOUTH.  
 

 
   
LONG TERM /SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY/
 
 
AS OF 300 PM EDT WEDNESDAY...  
 
KEY MESSAGES:  
 
- MAINLY DRY WITH MODERATING TEMPERATURES SUNDAY THROUGH EARLY NEXT  
WEEK.  
 
THERE ARE STILL SOME MODEL DIFFERENCES WITH RESPECT TO SUNDAY, WITH  
SOME OF THE GUIDANCE SHOWING ONE FINAL SHORTWAVE PIVOTING THROUGH  
THE MID-ATLANTIC AND SE WHICH WOULD LEAD TO ANOTHER ROUND OF  
ISOLATED TO SCATTERED STORMS. THE NBM WAS FOLLOWED, WHICH YIELDS  
SLIGHT CHC( 15-20% POPS) SUNDAY. THEREAFTER, THE PATTERN IS FOR AN  
UPPER LEVEL RIDGE TO MOVE TOWARDS THE REGION FROM THE MIDWEST,  
THOUGH SOME OF THE OPERATIONAL MODELS SHOW SOME UPPER TROUGHINESS  
LINGERING ACROSS THE SE CONUS. WILL MAINTAIN A DRY FORECAST THROUGH  
EARLY NEXT WEEK WITH SEASONABLY WARM TEMPERATURES WITH HIGHS INTO  
THE 80S AND LOWS IN THE UPPER 50S TO MID 60S.  
 

 
   
AVIATION /03Z THURSDAY THROUGH MONDAY/
 
 
AS OF 746 PM EDT WEDNESDAY...  
 
WHILE ALL OF THE RAIN HAS FINALLY SHIFTED OFFSHORE AND AWAY FROM THE  
TERMINALS, LOWERED CIGS AND POSSIBLE PATCHY FOG OVERNIGHT WILL KEEP  
DEGRADED FLIGHT CONDITIONS THROUGH AT LEAST THE MORNING. HAVE  
INCLUDED MENTION OF BR AT ALL TERMINALS ASIDE FROM ECG, WHERE WE  
HAVE JUST KEPT LOWERED CIGS FOR NOW. CONDITIONS SHOULD START TO  
IMPROVE AFTER SUNRISE TOMORROW MORNING. WINDS WILL GENERALLY BE  
LIGHT FROM THE WNW OVERNIGHT BUT WILL LIKELY BE VARIABLE AT TIMES.  
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE FORECAST STAY AWAY FROM THE TERMINALS  
THROUGH EARLY TOMORROW AFTERNOON, BUT COULD PICK UP IN THE LATE  
AFTERNOON/EARLY EVENING HOURS. DUE TO THE UNCERTAINTY IN TIMING AND  
LOCATION, HAVE LEFT OUT MENTION OF CONVECTION FOR NOW.  
 
OUTLOOK: EXPECT A LOWER COVERAGE FOR MAINLY LATE AFTN/EVENING  
SHOWERS/TSTMS THURSDAY, WITH A HIGHER PROBABILITY FRI  
AFTN/EVENING WHERE SHOWERS WOULD BE MORE WIDESPREAD AND FLIGHT  
RESTRICTIONS BE MORE PERSISTENT. ISOLATED/WIDELY SCATTERED  
AFTN/EVENING SHOWERS/TSTMS ARE EXPECTED SATURDAY, FOLLOWED BY  
DRY CONDITIONS ON SUNDAY.  
 

 
   
MARINE
 
 
AS OF 300 PM EDT WEDNESDAY...  
 
KEY MESSAGES:  
 
- SMALL CRAFT ADVISORIES REMAIN IN EFFECT ACROSS ALL LOCAL WATERS  
THROUGH THIS EVENING BEFORE ELEVATED WINDS SUBSIDE TONIGHT.  
 
- WESTERLY WINDS BECOME GUSTY BEHIND A COLD FRONT THIS WEEKEND.  
 
AFTERNOON SURFACE ANALYSIS DEPICTS HIGH PRESSURE OFF THE MID-  
ATLANTIC COAST WITH A STATIONARY FRONT ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST, WINDING  
ITS WAY INTO NORTHEAST NORTH CAROLINA. WINDS ARE BEGINNING TO  
SUBSIDE ACROSS THE WATERS AS OF EARLY AFTERNOON, WITH CURRENT  
OBSERVATIONS SHOWING VARIABLE WIND DIRECTIONS DUE TO THE RAIN MOVING  
THROUGH, THOUGH A GENERAL EAST/SOUTHEASTERLY COMPONENT REMAINS  
ACROSS THE SOUTH WITH WEST/NORTHWESTERLY ACROSS THE NORTH. SPEEDS  
ARE AROUND 12-18KT WITH GUSTS TO 20-25KT; WITH THE PERIOD OF  
STRONGEST WINDS BEHIND US, EXPECT ALL WINDS TO GRADUALLY BECOME  
WEST/NORTHWESTERLY LATER THIS EVENING INTO TONIGHT AS THE LOW  
PRESSURE SYSTEM MOVES FARTHER AWAY. SEAS ARE 5-6FT WITH WAVES IN THE  
BAY AROUND 3-4FT. AS THE WINDS CONTINUE TO DIMINISH, THE SCAS WILL  
BE ALLOWED TO COME DOWN FOR THE RIVERS AND SOUND THIS EVENING, AND  
THE BAY OVERNIGHT. SEAS WILL BE SLOWER TO SUBSIDE, THUS SCAS LINGER  
FOR THE COASTAL WATERS UNTIL MID-DAY THURSDAY. POCKETS OF MODERATE  
TO HEAVY RAIN WILL REMAIN POSSIBLE THROUGH THIS EVENING, BEFORE RAIN  
CHANCES COME TO AN END TONIGHT.  
 
BENIGN CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED FOR THURSDAY. WAVES BECOME 1-2FT WITH  
SEAS OF 3-4FT BY THE AFTERNOON HOURS. A MODERATE RIP RISK REMAINS  
LIKELY AT ALL BEACHES ON THURSDAY AS WE TRANSITION OUT OF THIS  
SWELL/ELEVATED/WASHING MACHINE SEA-STATE, ESPECIALLY ACROSS NORTHERN  
BEACHES. MOST OF FRIDAY WILL BRING CALMER MARINE CONDITIONS AS WELL,  
HOWEVER, STORM CHANCES WILL BE MORE LIKELY. THERE COULD BE SOME  
STRONG, GUSTY WINDS FROM ANY STORM THAT PASSES OVER THE WATERS.  
ANOTHER ROUND OF SCA CONDITIONS MAY BE POSSIBLE BEHIND THE COLD  
FRONTAL PASSAGE FRIDAY EVENING/NIGHT.  
 

 
   
TIDES/COASTAL FLOODING
 
 
AS OF 300 PM EDT WEDNESDAY...  
 
ONSHORE FLOW PERSISTS INTO THIS EVENING ALLOWING WATER LEVELS TO  
RISE, PARTICULARLY IN THE NORTHERN BAY AND ALONG THE RAPPAHANNOCK  
RIVER. THE TIDES LAST EVENING/THIS MORNING UNDERPERFORMED, BUT  
KEEPING A CLOSE EYE ON THIS EVENING'S HIGH TIDE CYCLE SINCE THE  
WINDS BECAME MUCH STRONGER TODAY, POTENTIALLY PUSHING MORE WATER  
INTO THE MIDDLE AND NORTHERN BAY. BISHOPS HEAD AND LEWISETTA WILL BE  
THE MOST VULNERABLE FOR ANY KIND OF FLOODING THIS EVENING. HOWEVER,  
GENERALLY EXPECTING THAT THERE SHOULDN'T BE ANYTHING MORE THAN  
NUISANCE FLOODING DURING THE HIGH TIDE CYCLE THIS EVENING/EARLY  
TONIGHT. WINDS SHIFT AND BECOME LIGHTER AND WEST/NORTHWESTERLY  
TONIGHT, ALLOWING FOR WATER LEVELS TO GRADUALLY RETURN TO NORMAL.  
 
THE RIP RISK REMAINS MODERATE ON THURSDAY DUE TO LINGERING  
ONSHORE SWELL AND ELEVATED SEAS, PARTICULARLY ACROSS THE  
NORTHERN BEACHES. CONDITIONS SHOULD IMPROVE BY THE END OF THE  
WEEK.  
 

 
   
AKQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
MD...NONE.  
NC...NONE.  
VA...NONE.  
MARINE...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 1 AM EDT THURSDAY FOR ANZ634.  
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 1 PM EDT THURSDAY FOR ANZ650-652.  
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 10 AM EDT THURSDAY FOR ANZ654-656-  
658.  
 

 
 

 
 
SYNOPSIS...AJB/LKB  
NEAR TERM...AJB/MAM  
SHORT TERM...AJB/LKB  
LONG TERM...AJB/LKB  
AVIATION...JKP/NB  
MARINE...JKP/RMM  
TIDES/COASTAL FLOODING...  
 
CLICK HERE TO GO TO PREVIOUS BULLETINS.

The Nexlab VA Page
The Nexlab NC Page
The Nexlab MD Page Main Text Page