876  
FXUS61 KAKQ 210702  
AFDAKQ  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WAKEFIELD VA  
302 AM EDT FRI AUG 21 2026  
   
WHAT HAS CHANGED
 
 
- THE CHANCE OF HEAVY RAINFALL REMAINS HIGHEST IN THE SOUTHERN PORTIONS  
OF THE AREA, WITH TIMING TRENDING LATER IN THE EVENING TO  
OVERNIGHT.  
 

 
   
KEY MESSAGES
 
 
1) SHOWERS AND STORMS LATE THIS EVENING INTO OVERNIGHT WILL BE  
CAPABLE OF PRODUCING HEAVY RAINFALL, POTENTIALLY LEADING TO  
LOCALIZED FLASH FLOODING. ADDITIONAL RAINFALL IS EXPECTED  
SATURDAY.  
 
2) MAINLY DRY WITH SEASONABLE TEMPERATURES SUNDAY THROUGH  
TUESDAY.  
 

 
   
DISCUSSION
 
 
AS OF 300 AM EDT FRIDAY...  
 
KEY MESSAGE 1...SHOWERS AND STORMS LATE THIS EVENING INTO OVERNIGHT WILL BE  
CAPABLE OF PRODUCING HEAVY RAINFALL, POTENTIALLY LEADING TO  
LOCALIZED FLASH FLOODING. ADDITIONAL RAINFALL IS EXPECTED  
SATURDAY.  
 
A WEAKENING COLD FRONT BISECTS THE AREA, NOW LINGERING IN THE SE.  
THE SURFACE FRONT IS NEARLY PARALLEL TO THE FLOW ALOFT, CAUSING IT  
TO STALL OVER THE AREA NEAR THE VA/NC BORDER. THIS WILL ALLOW FOR  
THE MOISTURE RICH AIR TO REMAIN OVER THE AREA WITH PWAT VALUES OF  
1.75-2.0" IN THE SOUTHERN PORTIONS OF THE AREA. SHOWERS AND  
THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP THIS EVENING AND OVERNIGHT, PRIMARILY  
NEAR THE BOUNDARY AND MOISTURE. THESE STORMS HAVE THE POTENTIAL OF  
PRODUCING HEAVY RAINFALL WITH QPF VALUES OF 0.50-1.25" FOR THE  
SOUTHERN HALF OF THE AREA AND 0.10-0.50" FOR THE NORTHERN HALF. THIS  
MAY LEAD TO FLASH FLOODING, ESPECIALLY IN THE SOUTHERN URBAN AREAS.  
THE LATEST MODEL GUIDANCE HAS SHIFTED THE TIMING BACK FOR THE  
POTENTIAL HEAVY RAINFALL, NOW SHOWING SHOWERS/STORMS DEVELOPING  
AFTER 8 PM, WHICH SHOULD LEAVE MOST OF THE DAY DRY. A FEW STRONG TO  
SEVERE STORMS CANNOT BE RULED OUT NEAR THE VA/NC BORDER AND NE NC,  
BUT THE THREAT IS MARGINAL AS CAPE VALUES ARE ONLY FORECAST TO BE  
AROUND 500 J/KG.  
 
THE FRONT WILL CONTINUE TO LINGER OVER THE AREA SATURDAY, BEGINNING  
TO PUSH FURTHER NORTH AND OFFSHORE. WHILE THE FRONT REMAINS OVER THE  
AREA SATURDAY, ADDITIONAL SHOWERS ARE LIKELY, ESPECIALLY FOR AREAS  
EAST OF THE I-95 CORRIDOR. UP TO AN ADDITIONAL 0.50-1.00" IN  
RAINFALL IS POSSIBLE, BUT MAY BE IN AREAS THAT DIDN'T SEE MUCH  
RAINFALL TONIGHT. UNLIKE FRIDAY, THERE IS A CHANCE OF RAIN MOST OF  
THE DAY.  
 
KEY MESSAGE 2...MAINLY DRY WITH SEASONABLE TEMPERATURES SUNDAY  
THROUGH TUESDAY.  
 
THE WEAK FRONT WILL FINALLY MOVE OFFSHORE, AS THE MAIN UPPER LEVEL  
TROUGH AXIS SHIFTS OFFSHORE AND SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS INTO  
THE SE CONUS. THE HIGH PRESSURE WILL USHER IN A DRIER AIRMASS WITH  
SEASONABLE TEMPERATURES IN THE 80S AND DEW POINTS IN THE 60S SUNDAY  
INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. THE HIGH PRESSURE WILL BREAK DOWN MID WEEK,  
WITH UNSETTLED CONDITIONS AND THE CHANCE OF PRECIP RETURNING MID TO  
LATE WEEK.  
 

 
   
AVIATION /06Z FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/
 
 
AS OF 150 AM EDT FRIDAY...  
 
A SLOW MOVING COLD FRONT IS SITUATED ACROSS THE  
SOUTHERN PORTION OF THE AREA EARLY THIS MORNING, BRINGING DEGRADED  
FLIGHT CONDITIONS FOR A LARGE PORTION OF THE 06Z/21 TAF PERIOD. A  
STORM IN THE VICINITY OF ORF MOVES TO THE EAST, AND IF THE BOUNDARY  
IS ABLE TO PUSH FAR ENOUGH SOUTH, STORMS MAY DEVELOP NEAR ECG  
OVERNIGHT. THE CONFIDENCE IN THIS IS LOW, HENCE THE PROB30 FROM 06-  
08Z. AFTER THIS, STORMS SHOULD NOT AFFECT THE TERMINALS. LOW LEVEL  
CLOUDS MOVES IN BEHIND THE STORMS WITH EVIDENCE OF LOWERED MVFR CIGS  
ALREADY ALONG THE EASTERN HALF OF THE AREA INCLUDING SBY AND ECG  
(WITH RIC/ORF/PHF LIKELY SEEING CIG DROPS BY 07-08Z). MVFR CIGS  
(WITH LOCALIZED IFR CIG POSSIBLE) WILL LINGER THROUGH THE MORNING,  
WITH CONDITIONS GRADUALLY IMPROVING LATER IN THE DAY. THEN,  
SHOWERS/STORM POTENTIAL RETURNS TO THE SE TERMINALS THIS EVENING  
INTO TONIGHT AS THE FRONT TRIES TO PUSH BACK NORTH.  
 
OUTLOOK: REMAINING UNSETTLED THROUGH SATURDAY WITH ADDITIONAL  
SHOWERS/STORMS EXPECTED. EVENTUALLY DRYING OUT LATER SATURDAY NIGHT  
AND SUNDAY, WITH VFR CONDITIONS RETURNING SUNDAY MORNING THROUGH  
MONDAY.  
 

 
   
MARINE
 
 
AS OF 300 AM EDT FRIDAY...  
 
KEY MESSAGES:  
 
- GENERALLY BENIGN MARINE CONDITIONS EXPECTED THROUGH THE  
WEEKEND, OUTSIDE OF AFTERNOON/EVENING THUNDERSTORMS.  
 
EARLY MORNING MARINE OBSERVATIONS DEPICT A MODEST NORTHERLY SURGE  
ONGOING IN THE CHESAPEAKE BAY. WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO INCREASE TO ~15  
KT WITH A FEW GUSTS TO 20 KT POSSIBLE. A QUICK REDUCTION IS EXPECTED  
BY THIS AFTERNOON WITH THE WIND DIRECTION GRADUALLY TURNING TO THE  
E/NE. SOUTHERLY FLOW RETURNS SATURDAY, BECOMING SW SATURDAY NIGHT  
AND THEN W SUNDAY. A WEAK COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED TO CROSS THE WATERS  
LATE SUNDAY NIGHT WITH ANOTHER BRIEF PERIOD OF NORTHERLY WINDS  
LASTING THROUGH MONDAY MORNING. BENIGN CONDITIONS WITH DAILY SEA  
BREEZES ARE THEN EXPECTED FOR MOST OF NEXT WEEK. SEAS GENERALLY  
AVERAGE 2-3 FT THROUGH THE PERIOD, WITH 1-2 FT WAVES IN THE  
CHESAPEAKE BAY (POTENTIALLY ~3 FT EARLY THIS MORNING). ADDITIONAL  
ROUNDS OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE LATER  
TODAY INTO TONIGHT AND AGAIN ON SATURDAY.  
 
A LOW RIP CURRENT RISK IS EXPECTED TODAY INTO THE UPCOMING  
WEEKEND.  
 

 
   
AKQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
MD...NONE.  
NC...NONE.  
VA...NONE.  
MARINE...NONE.  
 

 
 

 
 
DISCUSSION...KMC  
AVIATION...KMC  
MARINE...SW  
 
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