535  
FXUS62 KCAE 180823  
AFDCAE  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC  
323 AM EST WED DEC 18 2024  
   
SYNOPSIS  
 
DENSE FOG TO START THE DAY AS A COLD FRONT APPROACHES THE  
REGION THIS AFTERNOON. THERE IS A CHANCE FOR SHOWERS AND  
ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON AND EVENING  
HOURS. COLD AND DRY CONDITIONS THEN DOMINATE FOR THE REMAINDER  
OF THE WEEK AND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK.  
 
 
   
NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM THIS MORNING/  
 
KEY MESSAGE(S):  
 
- PATCHY DENSE FOG EXPECTED THROUGH DAYBREAK.  
 
A DEEP UPPER LEVEL TROUGH TO OUR WEST WILL PROMOTE SOUTHWEST  
FLOW OVER THE SOUTHEAST. AS THE UPPER TROUGH AMPLIFIES,  
MOISTURE AND CLOUD COVER WILL INCREASE. THERE WILL ALSO BE A  
SHORT WAVE WHICH MOVES ACROSS THE AREA EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING.  
WE CAN'T RULE OUT ISOLATED LIGHT SHOWERS ESPECIALLY ALONG THE  
I-95 CORRIDOR EARLY THIS MORNING. DENSE FOG HAS DEVELOPED ACROSS  
MUCH OF THE AREA AND CONTINUES TO ADVECT TOWARD THE UPSTATE.  
VISIBILITIES OF LESS THAN 1/4 TO 1/2 MILE ARE EXPECTED.  
OVERNIGHT LOWS WILL BE A LITTLE WARMER THAN THE PREVIOUS NIGHT,  
LOW TO MID 50S.  
 
 
   
SHORT TERM /6 AM THIS MORNING THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT/  
 
KEY MESSAGE(S):  
 
- WEDNESDAY IS WARM WITH A CHANCE FOR LATE DAY SHOWERS AND  
ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS AHEAD OF AN APPROACHING COLD FRONT.  
- THURSDAY IS COOLER AND CLOUDY BEHIND THE COLD FRONT.  
 
WEDNESDAY AND WEDNESDAY NIGHT: THE UPPER FLOW WILL BE  
SOUTHWESTERLY AHEAD OF AN APPROACHING TROUGH, WHICH IS SLATED  
TO MOVE INTO THE FORECAST AREA AROUND DAYBREAK THURSDAY. AT THE  
SURFACE, THE ATTENDANT COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH DURING THE DAY  
ON WEDNESDAY, CROSSING THE FORECAST AREA AT NIGHT. THIS WILL  
ALLOW FOR MOISTURE ADVECTION OUT OF THE GOMEX WITH PWATS  
GENERALLY IN THE 1 TO 1.25 INCH RANGE. EARLY MORNING LOW CLOUDS  
AND FOG SHOULD GIVE WAY TO SCATTERED CUMULUS OR STRATOCUMULUS BY  
MIDDAY. IN TERMS OF CONVECTIVE POTENTIAL, MODEL GUIDANCE SHOWS  
A VARIETY OF SOLUTIONS WITH THE 12Z HRRR PRODUCING ISOLATED  
DEVELOPMENT DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING WHILE  
THE 12Z NAMNEST SHOWS NOTHING AT ALL. MODELED SBCAPE IN THE 500  
TO 1000 J/KG RANGE AND 30 TO 40 KNOTS OF 0-6KM SHEAR WOULD BE  
SUFFICIENT FOR A FEW STRONGER THUNDERSTORMS, HOWEVER THE OVERALL  
LACK OF A TRIGGER AND CLOUD COVER COULD LIMIT ANY DEVELOPMENT  
UNTIL THE COLD FRONT MOVES THROUGH AT NIGHT. WILL CONTINUE TO  
MONITOR THE POTENTIAL FOR STRONGER THUNDERSTORMS BUT FOR NOW  
AGREE WITH THE GENERAL THUNDER OUTLOOKED ON THE LATEST SPC DAY 2  
SWO. A WARM DAY IS EXPECTED DESPITE THE ABUNDANT CLOUDINESS  
WITH FORECAST HIGHS IN THE UPPER 60S TO LOWER 70S. TEMPERATURES  
FALL INTO THE MID-40S TO MID-50S AT NIGHT.  
 
THURSDAY AND THURSDAY NIGHT: SHORTWAVE TROUGH MOVES THROUGH THE  
FA AT THE START OF THE DAY WHILE A SECOND TROUGH APPROACHES  
FROM THE NORTH AND WEST. PWATS DECREASE AS A COLD AND DRIER AIR  
MASS BEGINS TO FILTER INTO THE REGION. HOWEVER, LATEST GUIDANCE  
SHOWS CLOUDS LINGERING THROUGH THE DAY AS MOISTURE BECOMES  
TRAPPED IN THE LOWER LEVELS OF THE ATMOSPHERE. TEMPERATURES WILL  
BE ABOUT 5 TO 10 DEGREES COLDER THAN WEDNESDAY WITH HIGHS IN  
THE UPPER 50S TO UPPER 60S AND OVERNIGHT LOWS IN THE MID-30S TO  
LOWER 40S.  
 
 
   
LONG TERM /FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/  
 
KEY MESSAGE(S):  
 
- THE EXTENDED IS COLD AND DRY AS TEMPERATURES DECLINE THROUGH  
THE PERIOD.  
- SEVERAL NIGHTS OF SUBFREEZING TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED.  
 
SECOND TROUGH MOVES INTO THE EASTERN CONUS ON FRIDAY AND REMAINS  
IN PLACE THROUGH THE WEEKEND, BEFORE RIDGING BUILDS IN NEAR THE  
END OF THE LONG TERM. AT THE SURFACE, A WEAK CLIPPER SYSTEM WILL  
PASS TO OUR NORTH, BUT IT APPEARS IT WILL BE TOO DRY FOR ANY  
PRECIPITATION FROM IT. SKIES FINALLY CLEAR OUT ON FRIDAY ONCE  
THIS SYSTEM PASSES TO OUR EAST AND WE COME UNDER THE INFLUENCE  
OF CANADIAN HIGH PRESSURE. THIS WILL KEEP THE REGION IN A COLD,  
DRY AIR MASS BUT WITH THE ANTICYCLONE NEVER PASSING OVERHEAD,  
CONDITIONS WILL NOT BE IDEAL FOR RADIATIONAL COOLING AT NIGHT.  
REGARDLESS, WELL BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED WITH  
SUNDAY AND MONDAY BEING THE COLDEST DAYS. OVERNIGHT TEMPERATURES  
ARE LIKELY TO BE BELOW FREEZING EACH NIGHT BUT THE LACK OF A  
SURFACE HIGH PASSING OVERHEAD CALLS INTO QUESTION HOW COLD  
TEMPERATURES GET. WILL NEED TO MONITOR FOR A POTENTIAL COLD  
WEATHER ADVISORY, ESPECIALLY ON SUNDAY NIGHT. REGARDLESS, COLD  
WEATHER PRECAUTIONS SHOULD BE TAKEN, ESPECIALLY IF YOU PLAN TO  
BE AWAY FROM YOUR HOME THIS WEEKEND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK.  
 
 
   
AVIATION /08Z WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/  
 
IFR TO LIFR RESTRICTIONS EXPECTED THROUGH MID-MORNING.  
 
LOW LEVEL MOISTURE HAS INCREASED WHICH HAS LED TO WIDESPREAD  
IFR/LIFR CIG/VSBY RESTRICTIONS. IMPROVEMENT IS LIKELY BY MID TO  
LATE MORNING WITH LIGHT SOUTHWESTERLY WINDS. MVFR CONDITIONS ARE  
EXPECTED BY MIDDAY, RETURNING TO VFR THIS AFTERNOON. SOME LIGHT  
SHOWERS ARE POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING, BUT UNCERTAINTY  
AS TO THEIR COVERAGE SO HAVE LEFT THEM OUT OF THE TAF. ANOTHER  
ROUND OF RESTRICTIONS IS POSSIBLE TONIGHT, BUT THEY MAY NOT BE  
AS WIDESPREAD.  
 
EXTENDED AVIATION OUTLOOK...LINGERING SHOWERS POSSIBLE INTO  
WEDNESDAY EVENING. PATCHY FOG AND LOW CEILINGS POSSIBLE  
THURSDAY AND FRIDAY MORNING.  
 
 
   
CAE WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
SC...DENSE FOG ADVISORY UNTIL 10 AM EST THIS MORNING FOR SCZ018-020-  
021-025-026-115-116.  
DENSE FOG ADVISORY UNTIL 10 AM EST THIS MORNING FOR SCZ016-022-  
027>031-035-037-038-041-135>137.  
GA...DENSE FOG ADVISORY UNTIL 10 AM EST THIS MORNING FOR GAZ040-063-  
064.  
DENSE FOG ADVISORY UNTIL 10 AM EST THIS MORNING FOR GAZ065-077.  
 
 
 
 
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