249
FXUS61 KAKQ 221740
AFDAKQ
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WAKEFIELD VA
140 PM EDT SUN MAR 22 2026
WHAT HAS CHANGED
AN INCREASED FIRE DANGER STATEMENT HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR TODAY
(MARCH 22) IN THE VA PIEDMONT AND I-95 CORRIDOR DUE TO BREEZY
SW WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITIES.
THERE IS INCREASED CONFIDENCE IN FIRE WEATHER CONCERNS FOR
MONDAY.
KEY MESSAGES
1) VERY MILD TODAY, THEN COLD FRONT BRINGS A
POSSIBILITY OF SHOWERS EARLY LATE TONIGHT/EARLY MONDAY. IF SHOWERS
ARE LIMITED THERE IS THE POTENTIAL FOR AN INCREASE IN FIRE WEATHER.
2) TEMPS COOL DOWN TUESDAY, THEN WARM BACK TO SLIGHTLY ABOVE AVERAGE
TEMPS MID TO LATE WEEK. THE PATTERN BECOMES POTENTIALLY UNSETTLED BY
THE END OF THE WEEK AND INTO THE WEEKEND.
DISCUSSION
AS OF 940 AM EDT SUNDAY...
KEY MESSAGE 1... VERY MILD TODAY (WITH ELEVATED FIRE WX CONCERNS
IN THE PIEDMONT/I-95 CORRIDOR), THEN A COLD FRONT BRINGS A
POSSIBILITY OF SHOWERS LATE TONIGHT/EARLY MONDAY. IF SHOWERS ARE
LIMITED THERE IS THE POTENTIAL FOR AN INCREASE IN FIRE DANGER.
MORNING UPDATE: LOOKING AT FORECAST SOUNDINGS THIS AFTERNOON,
THINK THERE IS A GOOD SHOT AT ELEVATED FIRE WX CONDITIONS FOR
THE VA PIEDMONT AND PORTIONS OF THE I-95 CORRIDOR TODAY (MARCH
22). MIN RELATIVE HUMIDITIES OF 25-35% AND GUSTY SW WINDS ARE
EXPECTED. AFTER COORDINATING W/ STATE FORESTRY OFFICIALS AND
SURROUNDING OFFICES, HAVE ISSUED AN INCREASED FIRE DANGER
STATEMENT FOR THESE AREAS THROUGH 7 PM THIS EVENING.
A VERY WARM DAY IS IN STORE TODAY AS A WARM FRONT LIFTS TO THE NORTH
AND SOUTHWEST FLOW KICKS UP AHEAD OF AN APPROACHING COLD FRONT.
TEMPS WILL CLIMB INTO THE MID 80S FOR MOST LOCATIONS AND THE MID 70S
ON THE EASTERN SHORE AND OTHER AREAS IMMEDIATELY NEAR THE COAST.
SKIES WILL BE MOSTLY SUNNY, THOUGH SOME MARINE FOG COULD CREATE
DREARIER CONDITIONS BY THE WATER. A COLD FRONT IS THEN SET TO DROP
INTO THE AREA LATE TONIGHT INTO TOMORROW. WHILE THE SYSTEM WILL
LIKELY PRODUCE A FEW SEVERE STORMS TO THE NW OF THE AREA, THERE IS
GOOD MODEL CONSENSUS THAT THE FRONT LOOSES STEAM BY THE TIME IT GETS
HERE. THIS IS NOT SURPRISING GIVEN THAT THE UL TROUGH BEHIND IT
WON'T BE VERY AMPLIFIED AND THE LACKLUSTER MOISTURE IN PLACE. THE
LOCAL AREA WILL LIKELY STILL SEE SCATTERED OR WIDELY SCATTERED
SHOWERS/THUNDERSTORMS, BUT THE QPF IS RATHER PITIFUL AT ONLY A FEW
HUNDREDTHS OF AN INCH IF THAT. THAT SAID, CANNOT RULE OUT A FEW
RUMBLES OF THUNDER OR A STRONGER STORM CLIPPING THE FAR NW COUNTIES
GIVEN THAT THE HIGH-RES GUIDANCE DEPICT A FEW HUNDRED J/KG OF MUCAPE
(LIKELY ELEVATED).
THE SFC HIGH BUILDING IN BEHIND THE COLD FRONT IS ON THE STRONGER
SIDE (~1032MB), SO IT DOES APPEAR THAT THERE WILL BE MODERATELY
STRONG CAA BEHIND IT AND A STEEP DROP OFF IN DEWPOINTS. THIS, OF
COURSE, ALSO MEANS GUSTY WINDS. WITHOUT MUCH IN THE WAY OF PRECIP
RECENTLY, THIS CREATES FIRE WEATHER CONCERNS, PARTICULARLY IN THE
PIEDMONT. BY THE MID AFTERNOON, RHS ARE EXPECTED TO DROP TO 30% OR
LOWER AND WINDS WILL BE GUSTING 20-25MPH. WILL NEED TO COORDINATE
WITH THE STATE FORESTRY SERVICE AND NEIGHBORING OFFICES, BUT THERE'S
CERTAINLY THE POSSIBILITY OF A FIRE WEATHER WATCH BEING ISSUED LATER
TODAY FOR MONDAY. AT THE VERY LEAST, AN IFD WILL LIKELY NEED TO BE
ISSUED.
KEY MESSAGE 2... TEMPS COOL DOWN TUESDAY, THEN WARM BACK TO
SLIGHTLY ABOVE AVERAGE TEMPS MID TO LATE WEEK. THE PATTERN
BECOMES POTENTIALLY UNSETTLED BY THE END OF THE WEEK AND INTO
THE WEEKEND.
STRONG HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS BEHIND MONDAY'S FRONT, BRINGING IN
COOLER TEMPERATURES. HIGHS ON TUESDAY WILL ONLY BE IN THE MID-UPPER
50S INLAND AND NEAR 50F AT THE COAST. THE SURFACE HIGH LOOKS TO BE
RATHER TRANSIENT, ALLOWING A RETURN TO SOUTHERLY SURFACE FLOW
WEDNESDAY AS THE HIGH SLIDES OFFSHORE. ADDITIONALLY, THE STRONG
UPPER LEVEL TROUGH OVER WESTERN CONUS SHIFTS EASTWARD BY LATE WEEK,
WHICH WILL INCREASE THICKNESS HELPING MILD TEMPERATURES RETURN.
HIGHS IN THE 60S AND 70S WILL RETURN WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY.
PRECIP CHANCES RETURN LATE IN THE WEEK INTO THE WEEKEND AS THE
PATTERN TURNS MORE UNSETTLED. STILL PLENTY OF UNCERTAINTY THIS FAR
OUT, BUT FRIDAY AND SATURDAY LOOK LIKE A REPEAT OF MONDAY AND
TUESDAY.
AVIATION /18Z SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/
AS OF 140 PM EDT SUNDAY...
EARLIER FLIGHT RESTRICTIONS AND LOW STRATUS HAVE CLEARED AS OF
18Z. MAINLY CLEAR SKIES EXPECTED THROUGH THE REST OF TODAY INTO
TONIGHT AS JUST SOME SCT CIRRUS SLIDES THROUGH. WINDS THIS
AFTERNOON COULD BECOME LOCALLY GUSTY OUT OF THE SW, UP TO ~20
KT. WINDS SHOULD DIMINISH A FEW KT TONIGHT BUT DO EXPECT SOME
WSW LLWS TO DEVELOP AFTER 02Z OR SO. A COLD FRONT WILL ALSO BE
DROPPING SOUTH, BRINGING WITH IT A CHC FOR SHRA (BEST CHANCE
SBY) AND A WIND SHIFT TO THE N BY 12Z MONDAY. A GRADUAL
THICKENING AND LOWERING OF THE SKY COVER IS ALSO EXPECTED, WITH
MVFR CIGS POSSIBLY BY 10-12Z AT RIC AND SBY AND BY 13-15Z AT
ORF, PHF, AND ECG. CANNOT RULE OUT A PERIOD OF IFR CIGS, BUT
CONFIDENCE IN THIS IS LOW AT THIS TIME.
OUTLOOK: BREEZY NORTHERLY WINDS ARE EXPECTED BEHIND THE COLD
FRONT MONDAY AFTERNOON. VFR CONDITIONS ARE ANTICIPATED TUESDAY
AND WEDNESDAY.
MARINE
AS OF 230 AM EDT SUNDAY...
KEY MESSAGES:
- SOME PATCHY FOG THIS MORNING, AS A WARM FRONT LIFTS ACROSS THE
WATERS.
- MAINLY SUB-SCA BOATING CONDITIONS TODAY INTO THIS EVENING, WITH
SSE WINDS BECOMING SSW LATER THIS MORNING INTO TONIGHT.
- A STRONGER COLD FRONT SOLID SCAS ACROSS THE LOCAL WATERS MONDAY
MORNING THROUGH TUESDAY JUST AHEAD OF AND FOLLOWING A COLD FRONTAL
PASSAGE. THERE IS A LOW-END POTENTIAL FOR A BRIEF PERIOD OF 35 KT
GUSTS IMMEDIATELY POST-FRONTAL MONDAY NIGHT.
LATEST OBS REFLECT LIGHT E-SE WINDS 5-10 KT ACROSS THE LOCAL WATERS.
WEAK, TRANSIENT HIGH PRESSURE HAS SLID OFFSHORE OF THE NEW ENGLAND
COAST THIS MORNING, WITH A WEAKENING FRONTAL BOUNDARY JUST S OF THE
LOCAL AREA. SOME PATCHY FOG IS POSSIBLE THROUGH MID-MORNING, AS THE
FRONT LIFTS BACK NORTH AS A WARM FRONT. NOTHING LOCALLY DENSE
JUST YET ON LOCAL CAMERAS, BUT WILL BE KEEPING A CLOSE EYE THIS
MORNING FOR POTENTIAL MWS/MARINE DENSE FOG ADVISORIES. WINDS
VEER TO THE SSW BY THIS AFTERNOON, INCREASING TO 10-15 KT, WITH
GUSTS TO ~20KT POSSIBLE NEARSHORE. BY LATE THIS
EVENING/OVERNIGHT, A COLD FRONT APPROACHES THE WATERS FROM THE
N. SOUTHERLY WINDS ARE FORECAST TO INCREASE TO ~15 KT ON THE
CHESAPEAKE BAY AND 15-20 KT ON THE OCEAN. THAT FRONT DROPS
ACROSS THE NORTHERN WATERS TOMORROW MORNING, EVENTUALLY PUSHING
SOUTH OF THE REGION BY EARLY EVENING. SCA HAVE BEEN ISSUED FOR
ALL ZONES FOR MONDAY THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT, ENCOMPASSING BOTH THE
INITIAL FRONTAL PASSAGE MONDAY MORNING AND THEN A SECOND SURGE
MONDAY NIGHT, AS MARKEDLY COOLER AIR PUSHES INTO THE AREA MONDAY
NIGHT INTO TUESDAY MORNING. PREVAILING (NORTHERLY) WINDS LIKELY
REMAIN IN THE 20-25 KT RANGE WITH GUSTS 25-30 KT. HOWEVER,
THERE WILL PROBABLY BE OCCASIONAL PERIODS WITH GUSTS OF 30-35
KT. PROBABILITIES FOR FREQUENT GALE-FORCE GUSTS REMAIN LESS THAN
10%, HAVING DECREASED FROM THE PREVIOUS FORECAST PACKAGES. THIS
SURGE WOULD LIKELY BEST BE HANDLED BY SHORT-FUSED SMW RATHER
THAN A GALE HEADLINE, THUS THE SCA FOR ALL ZONES. THE CAA SURGE
IS RATHER SHORT- LIVED, WITH NNW FLOW WEAKENING QUICKLY TUESDAY
AFTERNOON AND NIGHT, THEN VEERING BACK TO THE SSW THROUGH
MIDWEEK. THE NEXT POTENTIAL FOR SCAS IS NOT UNTIL FRIDAY IN SW
FLOW. SEAS BUILD TO 4-6 FT, POSSIBLY HIGHER OVER SOUTHERN WATERS
MONDAY EVENING INTO TUESDAY. WAVES IN THE CHESAPEAKE BAY
INCREASE AS WELL, LIKELY TO 2-4 FT (HIGHEST AT THE MOUTH).
HOWEVER, SEAS/WAVES QUICKLY SUBSIDE TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY
AS THE FLOW TURNS OFFSHORE.
AKQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
MD...NONE.
NC...NONE.
VA...INCREASED FIRE DANGER UNTIL 7 PM EDT THIS EVENING FOR VAZ048-
060>062-064>069-075-076-079>083-509>522.
MARINE...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FROM 6 AM MONDAY TO 6 AM EDT TUESDAY FOR
ANZ630>632-634.
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FROM 1 PM MONDAY TO 6 AM EDT TUESDAY FOR
ANZ633-650-652-654-656-658.
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FROM 1 PM TO 7 PM EDT MONDAY FOR
ANZ635>637.
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FROM 10 AM MONDAY TO 6 AM EDT TUESDAY FOR
ANZ638.
DISCUSSION...AC/SW
AVIATION...SW
MARINE...MAM/SW
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