233  
FXUS62 KCAE 170259  
AFDCAE  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC  
959 PM EST MON DEC 16 2024  
   
SYNOPSIS
 
 
WARM AND DRY CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED AS MID-LEVEL RIDGING  
DEVELOPS ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST. A FRONT WITH SOME SCATTERED  
SHOWERS IS EXPECTED ON WEDNESDAY, WITH A STEADY COOL DOWN  
EXPECTED FOLLOWING THIS FRONT INTO THE WEEKEND. WELL BELOW  
AVERAGE TEMPS ARE LIKELY SUNDAY AND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK.  
 

 
   
NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM TUESDAY MORNING/
 
 
KEY MESSAGE(S):  
 
- DENSE FOG DEVELOPING ACROSS THE WRN MIDLANDS AND NR CSRA  
- DENSE FOG POSSIBLE TONIGHT ACROSS THE REMAINDER OF THE CWA  
 
BASED ON OBSERVATIONS AND SATELLITE DATA, A DENSE FOG ADVISORY  
HAS BEEN ISSUED FROM FAIRFIELD COUNTY SOUTH/SOUTHWEST INTO THE  
NORTHERN CSRA COUNTIES. ADDITIONAL COUNTIES MAY NEED TO BE ADDED  
OVERNIGHT. WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR.  
 
CLEAR SKIES AND NEAR CALM WINDS THIS EVENING  
HAVE LEAD TO STRONG NOCTURNAL COOLING. THE GUIDANCE HAS  
CONTINUED TO INDICATE WIDESPREAD FOG DEVELOPMENT. THE FOG HAS  
ALREADY FORMED ACROSS PORTION OF THE UPSTATE AND INTO THE  
WESTERN MIDLANDS AND NORTHERN CSRA. TRENDS AND ATMOSPHERIC  
CONDITIONS INDICATE ADDITIONAL AREAS OF FOG DEVELOPMENT ACROSS  
THE MIDLANDS AND CSRA AROUND MIDNIGHT. THIS IS SUPPORTED BY THE  
NBM, LAMP AND HRRR. FOG MAY BECOME DENSE ACROSS THE ENTIRE CWA.  
STAYED CLOSE TO THE NBM FOR OVERNIGHT LOWS WITH UPPER 40S TO  
LOW 50S.  
 

 
   
SHORT TERM /6 AM TUESDAY MORNING THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT/
 
 
KEY MESSAGE(S):  
 
- WARM AND DRY TUESDAY. AN APPROACHING FRONT WILL DEVELOP SOME  
SHOWERS FOR WEDNESDAY.  
 
FOLLOWING A FOGGY START ACROSS MOST OF THE AREA, BROAD HEIGHT  
RISES WILL CONTINUE ACROSS THE REGION ON TUESDAY BUT THE 500MB  
RIDGING ALOFT WILL STEADILY FLATTEN OUT AND BECOME MORE ZONAL.  
WITH THE 850MB AND SURFACE RIDGING OFFSHORE, STRENGTHENING  
SOUTHWESTERLY WILL DEVELOP ACROSS OUR AREA TUESDAY. ANY RESIDUAL  
FOG-STRATUS SHOULD EASILY BE SCOURED OUT THROUGHOUT THE MORNING  
DUE TO THIS INCREASING FLOW. BETWEEN THE RIDGING ALOFT,  
SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW, AND 850MB TEMPS 8-12 C, A WARM DAY IS IN  
STORE WITH HIGHS INTO THE LOW- MID 70'S EXPECTED.  
 
A QUICKLY DIVING 500MB SHORTWAVE WILL DRIVE A BROAD COLD FRONT  
INTO THE EASTERN US AS WE MOVE INTO WEDNESDAY. THE ASSOCIATED  
STRENGTHENING FLOW AHEAD OF THE FRONT WILL INCREASE MOISTURE  
CONVERGENCE AND PWAT'S WILL PUSH BACK TO AROUND 1.0" BY  
WEDNESDAY MORNING. THERE IS NOT A LARGE RESERVOIR OF MOISTURE  
AVAILABLE TO THE SOUTHWEST HOWEVER, HENCE WHY PWAT'S ONLY RISE  
TO AROUND 1.0" FOR MOST OF THE AREA. THE DETERMINISTIC GUIDANCE  
HAS COME INTO MUCH BETTER AGREEMENT WITH THE PRECIP DEPICTION  
FOR THIS SYSTEM, WITH DEVELOPING PREFRONTAL, ISENTROPICALLY  
FORCED SHOWERS THROUGHOUT THE DAY BUT THEN VERY LITTLE, IF ANY,  
PRECIP FROM THE FRONTAL FORCING ITSELF LATER WEDNESDAY  
AFTERNOON; THIS IS AGAIN PRIMARILY A RESULT OF THE RELATIVELY  
WEAK MOISTURE CONVERGENCE BUT ALSO A LACK OF SYNOPTIC SCALE  
FORCING OVER OUR AREA. IN THE PREFRONTAL WAVE OF PRECIP, WE  
COULD SEE AN ISOLATED THUNDERSTORM IN THE DEEPEST MOISTURE  
ACROSS THE EASTERN MIDLANDS; GEFS AND EC DEVELOPS SOME LOW END  
SURFACE BASED INSTABILITY BETWEEN 300-500 J/KG BUT MID-LEVEL  
LAPSE RATES ARE VERY WEAK. THE FRONT SHOULD PUSH THROUGH THE  
AREA LATE WEDNESDAY AND OVERNIGHT THURSDAY, SHIFTING WINDS OUT  
OF THE NORTHWEST BY THURSDAY MORNING.  
 

 
   
LONG TERM /THURSDAY THROUGH MONDAY/
 
 
KEY MESSAGE(S):  
 
- A GENERAL COOL DOWN IS EXPECTED THROUGH THE WEEKEND. THE  
COLDEST AIR OF THE SEASON WILL LIKELY PUSH IN FOR SUNDAY AND  
INTO MONDAY.  
 
BROAD TROUGHING ALOFT IS EXPECTED TO SETTLE IN ACROSS THE  
EASTERN CONUS THROUGHOUT THE LONG TERM PERIOD WITH WELL BELOW  
AVERAGE TEMPS EXPECTED BY LATE IN THE WEEKEND. A SERIES OF SHARP  
SHORTWAVES WILL PUSH IN FROM THE NORTHWEST, DRIVING SOME  
REINFORCING FRONTS INTO THE AREA AND DIGGING THE TROUGH FURTHER.  
WELL BELOW AVERAGE TEMPS WILL THEN LIKELY DEVELOP FOR SATURDAY  
ALONG WITH EXTREMELY DRY AIR AS PWAT'S FALL TO AROUND 0.25".  
DETERMINISTIC AND ENSEMBLE GUIDANCE ARE ALL IN GOOD AGREEMENT  
OVER THIS INITIAL SLUG OF COLD, DRY AIR WITH ONLY A 5 DEGREE  
INTERQUARTILE RANGE IN THE NBM MEMBERS FOR HIGH TEMPS ON  
SATURDAY (MEDIAN OF 49 F), DESPITE BEING DAY 5. ANOTHER  
REINFORCING SHORTWAVE IS EXPECTED SUNDAY AND INTO MONDAY WHICH  
MUCH OF THE GUIDANCE CONTINUES TO HIT AT. BASED ON THE GEFS AND  
ECE, MEAN 850 MB ANOMALIES PUSH OVER -15 C BY SUNDAY MORNING AND  
INTO MONDAY. EC AND GEFS ENSEMBLE PERCENTILES ARE HIGHLIGHTING  
THIS TIME PERIOD WITH TEMPS AND HEIGHTS BELOW IN THE 1-10TH  
PERCENTILE; MUCH THE SAME FOR THE EC EFI, WITH THE ENTIRE  
HIGHLIGHTED, BUT NOT NOTABLE SOT AT THIS TIME. SO THE ENSEMBLE  
SOLUTION WOULD SUGGEST A COLD, BUT NOT QUITE THREATENING  
RECORDS, TYPE OF EVENT WITH DAYTIME HIGHS IN THE 40'S AND  
OVERNIGHT LOWS IN THE 20'S, MAYBE INTO THE 10'S. AS AN FYI,  
CURRENT FORECASTED WIND CHILLS ARE BELOW 20 F WHICH IS NEAR COLD  
WEATHER ADVISORY CRITERIA (A NEW PRODUCT FOR 2024).  
 

 
   
AVIATION /03Z TUESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/
 
 
LIFR RESTRICTIONS EXPECTED AFTER 06Z DUE TO DENSE FOG  
DEVELOPMENT.  
 
HIGH PRESSURE GENERALLY REMAINS IN CONTROL ACROSS THE AREA. WITH  
LINGERING LOW LEVEL MOISTURE, MODERATELY HIGH CONFIDENCE IN  
LIFR VISIBILITIES AND CEILINGS DEVELOPING AT THE COLUMBIA AND  
AUGUSTA TERMINALS AFTER MIDNIGHT. A BIT MORE QUESTIONABLE AS TO  
THE RESTRICTIONS THAT DEVELOP AT OGB WITH GUIDANCE TRENDING MORE  
TOWARDS TEMPORARY MVFR RESTRICTIONS POSSIBLE BUT BACKING OFF TO  
THE OVERALL POTENTIAL FOR WIDESPREAD RESTRICTIONS. RESTRICTIONS  
LIKELY DIMINISH BY MID TO LATE MORNING. OVERALL THROUGHOUT THE  
TAF PERIOD, WINDS EXPECTED TO REMAIN LIGHT AND VARIABLE.  
 
EXTENDED AVIATION OUTLOOK...POTENTIAL FOR SHOWERS AND ASSOCIATED  
RESTRICTIONS WEDNESDAY INTO THURSDAY.  
 

 
   
CAE WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
SC...DENSE FOG ADVISORY UNTIL 8 AM EST TUESDAY FOR SCZ018-020-021-  
025-026.  
GA...DENSE FOG ADVISORY UNTIL 8 AM EST TUESDAY FOR GAZ040-063-064.  
 

 
 

 
 
SYNOPSIS...  
NEAR TERM...  
SHORT TERM...  
LONG TERM...  
AVIATION...  
 
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