576  
FXUS62 KCAE 171101  
AFDCAE  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC  
601 AM EST TUE DEC 17 2024  
   
SYNOPSIS
 
 
WARM AND DRY CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED AS MID-LEVEL RIDGING  
DEVELOPS ACROSS THE SOUTHEASTERN US TODAY. 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 /THROUGH TONIGHT/
 
 
KEY MESSAGE(S):  
 
- DENSE FOG ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH 8 AM FOR THE WESTERN  
MIDLANDS AND NORTHERN CSRA  
- PATCHY DENSE FOG MAINLY NEAR LAKES AND RIVERS ACROSS THE  
REMAINDER OF THE CWA  
- CLEARING THIS MORNING WITH CLOUDS AND A FEW SHOWERS POSSIBLE  
TONIGHT  
 
FOG WHICH HAD BEEN RAPIDLY EXPANDING EARLY OVERNIGHT HAS SINCE  
BEEN VERY SLOW TO DEVELOP WITH MANY LOCATIONS THROUGH THE  
CENTRAL MIDLANDS AND CSRA MOSTLY CLEAR. DENSE FOG REMAINS ACROSS  
THE WESTERN MIDLANDS AND NORTHERN CSRA WITH SOME PATCHY DENSE  
FOG ELSEWHERE MAINLY NEAR AREA LAKES AND RIVERS. THE DENSE FOG  
ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT THROUGH 8 AM FOR FAIRFIELD COUNTY  
SOUTH/SOUTHWEST INTO THE NORTHERN CSRA COUNTIES.  
 
WITH LIGHT WINDS EXPECTED TODAY THE FOG WILL TAKE SOME TIME TO  
ERODE HOWEVER SKIES WILL BECOME PARTLY TO MOSTLY SUNNY ACROSS  
THE FORECAST AREA BY LATE MORNING. MID LEVEL RIDGING WILL AGAIN  
BE OVER THE REGION WITH A COLD FRONT APPROACHING LATE TOADY AND  
TONIGHT. AFTERNOON HIGH TEMPERATURES WILL RANGE FROM THE UPPER  
60S IN THE WESTERN MIDLANDS AND NORTHERN CSRA TO THE MID 70S IN  
THE FAR EASTERN MIDLANDS. WITH THE FRONT NORTH OF THE FORECAST  
AREA TONIGHT A FEW LIGHT SHOWERS WILL BE POSSIBLE AFTER  
MIDNIGHT. LOW TEMPERATURES WILL BE IN THE LOW TO MID 50S.  
 

 
   
SHORT TERM /WEDNESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT/
 
 
KEY MESSAGE(S):  
 
- AN APPROACHING FRONT WILL DEVELOP SOME SHOWERS AND  
THUNDERSTORMS FOR WEDNESDAY. AN ISOLATED STRONG STORM CANNOT  
BE RULED OUT.  
- FIRST FRONT PASSES WEDNESDAY NIGHT, WITH A SECOND QUICKLY ON  
ITS HEELS THURSDAY NIGHT.  
 
REALLY INTERESTING FORECAST HAS DEVELOPED ON WEDNESDAY AS GUIDANCE  
HAS TRENDED SLOWER AND DEEPER WITH THE APPROACHING TROUGH. THE  
SLOWER TIMING AND DEPTH OF THE TROUGH OVERALL LOOKS POISED TO ALLOW  
GREATER MOISTURE RETURN IN ADVANCE OF THE SURFACE LOW PRESSURE  
SYSTEM AND FRONT ITSELF. SOUTH AND SOUTH-SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW AT THE  
SURFACE AND 850 HPA SHOULD YIELD DEWPOINTS BACK UP INTO THE LOW 60S  
BY WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. LOW CLOUDS OR FOG EARLY ON WEDNESDAY SHOULD  
GIVE WAY TO CUMULUS DURING THE AFTERNOON, WITH BREAKS IN THE CLOUDS  
LIKELY RESULTING IN MORE SIGNIFICANT DESTABILIZATION THAT WAS  
PREVIOUSLY ANTICIPATED. BOTH OPERATIONAL AND ENSEMBLE GUIDANCE HAVE  
TRENDED TOWARDS SBCAPE IN THE 500-1000 J/KG RANGE BY WEDNESDAY  
AFTERNOON AND EVENING. WARM AIR ADVECTION SHOWERS MAY BE SOMETHING  
THAT LIMITS OVERALL DESTABILIZATION BUT THE GENERAL TREND IS TOWARDS  
GREATER INSTABILITY WITHIN GUIDANCE. AND MODELS ARE SHOWING  
CONVECTION DEVELOPING ALONG, AND IN ADVANCE OF, THE APPROACHING COLD  
FRONT WEDNESDAY EVENING. SHEAR PROFILES ARE SUPPORTIVE OF ORGANIZED  
CONVECTION, WITH 6KM BULK SHEAR FORECAST TO BE 30-40 KNOTS BY THE  
TIME OF PEAK HEATING. SO THIS PAINTS THE PICTURE OF POTENTIAL STRONG  
CONVECTION DURING THE AFTERNOON HOURS. NOT SURE THAT THE COVERAGE  
WILL BE GREAT, BUT THE TREND DEFINITELY SUPPORTS ISOLATED STRONG TO  
MARGINALLY SEVERE STORMS AHEAD OF THE FRONT. HIGHS WEDNESDAY LIKELY  
WILL BE IN THE 70-75F RANGE FOR MOST. RAIN SHOWERS OR THUNDERSTORMS  
ARE LIKELY TO HANG AROUND UNTIL THE FINAL PUSH OF THE FRONT  
WEDNESDAY NIGHT. LOWS SHOULD BE ELEVATED DESPITE THE FRONT PASSING  
THROUGH WITH LOWS IN THE UPPER 40S AND LOW 50S. ANOTHER TROUGH IS  
FORECAST TO QUICKLY APPROACH ON THURSDAY, WITH SHORTWAVE RIDGING  
DEVELOPING AND PASSING THROUGH THE DAY. TEMPS SHOULD BE NICE, ALBEIT  
A BIT COOLER, WITH HIGHS IN THE UPPER 50S AND LOW 60S EXPECTED.  
OVERNIGHT, LOOK FOR LOWS TO REMAIN ELEVATED IN THE 40S AS CLOUDS AND  
ISOLATED SHOWERS DEVELOP IN ADVANCE OF THE APPROACHING SHORTWAVE  
TROUGH.  
 

 
   
LONG TERM /FRIDAY 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.  
 
CONFIDENCE IS FAIRLY HIGH DURING THE LONG TERM. SECOND SHORTWAVE IN  
AS MANY DAYS IS FORECAST TO QUICKLY APPROACH AND PUSH THROUGH THE  
REGION THURSDAY NIGHT AND FRIDAY. THIS SHOULD FORCE A SURFACE LOW  
OFF THE CAROLINA COASTLINE, WITH SOME SHOWERS POTENTIALLY DEVELOPING  
AS THE FORCING PUSHES THROUGH EARLY ON FRIDAY. CLOUDS ARE LIKELY TO  
START THE DAY BUT WILL CLEAR QUICKLY AS DRY AIR PUSHES INTO THE  
REGION BEHIND THE TROUGH AND ASSOCIATED FRONT. FROM THERE,  
CONFIDENCE IS HIGH IN THE FORECAST THROUGH EARLY NEXT WEEK. STRONG,  
COLD HIGH PRESSURE IS FORECAST TO SHIFT INTO THE EASTERN CONUS  
UNDERNEATH STRONGLY CONVERGENT MID/UPPER LEVEL FLOW THROUGH  
EARLY NEXT WEEK. THIS HIGH IS FORECAST TO BE ON THE ORDER OF  
1038-1040 MB AT ITS CORE, WITH A SURFACE RIDGE AXIS EXTENDING  
SOUTHWARD ALONG THE APPALACHIANS. WELL BELOW NORMAL TEMPS ARE  
EXPECTED WITH THIS OVER THE WEEKEND, WITH HIGHS NOT GETTING OUT  
OF THE UPPER 40S OR LOW 50S SATURDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. OVERNIGHT  
LOWS ARE LIKELY TO BE COLDER AND IN THE 20S. NBM 50TH  
PERCENTILE IS WELL BELOW THE OPERATIONAL NBM & DID A MUCH BETTER  
JOB WITH THE LAST SHOT OF COLD AIR. HAVE ADDED A MIX OF  
NBM50/NBM FOR LOWS IN THE LONG TERM. OVERALL, IT IS A BIT  
UNCERTAIN JUST HOW COLD WE GET BECAUSE THE CENTER OF THE SURFACE  
HIGH IS NOT EXPECTED TO BE DIRECTLY OVER THE AREA. THIS WILL  
MAKE IT TOUGH TO GET IDEAL RADIATIONAL COOLING CONDITIONS.  
REGARDLESS, THE AIRMASS IS FORECAST TO BE VERY COLD, SO BE SURE  
TO TAKE EXTRA PRECAUTIONS TO PROTECT PIPES IF YOU ARE TRAVELING  
IN ADVANCE OF THE CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY NEXT WEEK. ADDITIONALLY, IT  
DOES LOOK LIKE WE COULD BE COLD ENOUGH TO APPROACH OUR CRITERIA  
FOR NEW 2024 COLD WEATHER PRODUCTS, SO KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE  
FORECAST FOR THE LATEST!  
 

 
   
AVIATION /12Z TUESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/
 
 
VARIABLE RESTRICTIONS THROUGH 14Z THEN RETURNING TO VFR.  
 
SATELLITE IMAGERY AND SURFACE OBS SHOW DENSE FOG WEST AND EAST  
OF THE TERMINALS THE PATCHY FOG AND LOW CLOUDS PRODUCING  
VARIABLE CONDITIONS AT THE TAF SITES. EXPECT LITTLE CHANGE  
THROUGH SUNRISE WITH CONDITIONS REMAINING VARIABLE BETWEEN VFR  
AND LIFR AS THE LOW CIGS MOVE THROUGH THE AREA. ALTHOUGH WINDS  
WILL BE VARIABLE AT 5 KNOTS OR LESS THROUGH THE PERIOD WITH  
ONSET OF MIXING ALL SITES WILL RETURN TO VFR BY 14Z. THE NEXT  
CONCERN IS A FRONTAL BOUNDARY WHICH WILL BE MOVING NORTH OF THE  
AREA THIS EVENING AND OVERNIGHT. A FEW LIGHT SHOWERS WILL BE  
POSSIBLE MAINLY AFTER MIDNIGHT HOWEVER POTENTIAL AT ANY TERMINAL  
REMAINS TOO LOW TO INCLUDE ATTM.  
 
EXTENDED AVIATION OUTLOOK...POTENTIAL FOR SHOWERS AND ASSOCIATED  
RESTRICTIONS WEDNESDAY AND WEDNESDAY NIGHT.  
 

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

 
 

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