300  
FXUS62 KCAE 020904  
AFDCAE  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC  
504 AM EDT FRI MAY 2 2025  
   
SYNOPSIS
 
 
SCATTERED SHOWERS AND STORMS TODAY AHEAD OF AN APPROACHING COLD  
FRONT. SHOWERS CONTINUE SATURDAY WITH MORE WIDESPREAD RAINFALL  
LATE SATURDAY AND SUNDAY AS THE FRONT MOVES THROUGH THE AREA.  
SOME SHOWERS REMAIN POSSIBLE INTO MONDAY, BUT THEN DRIER, COOLER  
WEATHER RETURN FOR THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK.  
 

 
   
NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/
 
 
KEY MESSAGE(S):  
 
- WARM AND UNSETTLED TODAY WITH SCATTERED SHOWERS-STORMS THIS  
AFTERNOON AND EVENING.  
 
THE SLOW MOVING TROUGH TO OUR WEST WILL STEADILY START TO INFLUENCE  
OUR SENSIBLE WEATHER TODAY DESPITE LITTLE CHANGE IN THE LOW LEVEL  
SYNOPTICS. SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE REMAINS OFFSHORE, CONTINUING SOUTH-  
SOUTHWESTERLY MOISTURE TRANSPORT INTO THE AREA AND AS SUCH PWAT'S  
WILL CLIMB TO AROUND 1.25" THIS AFTERNOON. AS THE AFOREMENTIONED  
TROUGH SHIFTS EAST, SOME VERY SUBTLE HEIGHT FALLS ALOFT WILL HELP  
SLOWLY DESTABILIZE THE AREA, IN CONJUNCTION WITH STRONG SURFACE  
HEATING AND DEW POINTS IN THE 60'S. SO, CONVECTIVE TEMP DRIVEN  
SHOWERS-STORMS ARE POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS THE AREA WITH GOOD  
SUPPORT IN THE RRFS, HRRR, AND HREF. BUT GIVEN THE LACK OF A STRONG  
FORCING MECHANISM, ONLY EXPECTING A HANDFUL OF SCATTERED SHOWERS  
ACROSS THE REGION. ALONG THE SAME LINES, THE LACK OF STRONG SYNOPTIC  
SUPPORT WILL YIELD VERY LIMITED SHEAR AND LITTLE-NO ORGANIZATION,  
BUT DEEP LOW LEVEL MIXING AND THETA-E DEFICITS SUPPORT SOME  
GUSTY WINDS IN ANY STORMS THAT DEVELOP.  
 

 
   
SHORT TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT/
 
 
KEY MESSAGE(S):  
 
- THUNDERSTORMS EXPECTED TO MOVE INTO THE AREA LATE SATURDAY  
- A FEW STORMS COULD PRODUCE DAMAGING WINDS OR SMALL HAIL  
 
A DEEP, UPPER TROUGH WILL DIG INTO THE EASTERN US AND THEN CUT  
OFF OVERNIGHT. AT THE SURFACE, A COLD FRONT WILL PUSH THROUGH  
THE SOUTHEAST DURING THE SHORT TERM. CONVERGENCE ALONG THE FRONT  
SHOULD LEAD TO CONVECTION DEVELOPING WEST OF THE FORECAST AREA  
THEN MOVING EAST THROUGH SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND OVERNIGHT. PWAT  
VALUES OF 150 PERCENT OF NORMAL AND A STRONG SHORTWAVE ROUNDING  
THE BASE OF THE TROUGH WILL SUPPORT A SEMI-COHERENT LINE OF  
CONVECTION AHEAD OF THE FRONT, WITH SOME SCATTERED SHOWERS OUT  
AHEAD OF THE MAIN LINE. POPS REMAIN IN THE CHANCE CATEGORY (30  
TO 50 PERCENT) DURING THE AFTERNOON THEN RISE TO 60 TO 80  
PERCENT IN THE LATE AFTERNOON AND OVERNIGHT AS THE MAIN LINE OF  
CONVECTION WORKS ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA. THE HEAVIEST RAIN  
RATES SHOULD MOVE ACROSS THE AREA PRETTY QUICKLY LIMITING THE  
RISK OF FLOODING. THE MEDIAN RAINFALL ON SAT FROM THE NBM  
MEMBERS IS ABOUT 0.75 INCHES WITH ONLY ABOUT ONE THIRD OF  
MEMBERS WITH RAINFALL ABOVE AN INCH. MEAN SREF MLCAPE VALUES ARE  
AROUND 1000 J/KG SATURDAY AFTERNOON SLIGHTLY LOWER THAN THE  
PREVIOUS DAY. EVEN THOUGH INSTABILITY IS WEAK TO MODERATE, STEEP  
LOW LEVEL LAPSE RATES COULD SUPPORT SOME DAMAGING WINDS ALONG  
THE CONVECTIVE LINE ALTHOUGH THE OVERALL THREAT OF SEVERE  
WEATHER IS LOW.  
 
GRADIENT WINDS THROUGH THE DAY WILL BE BREEZY AS THE PRESSURE  
GRADIENT TIGHTENS AHEAD OF THE FRONT, BUT DO NOT EXPECT TO REACH  
LAKE WIND CRITERIA. TEMPERATURES STILL MILD EVEN WITH THE  
POTENTIAL CLOUDS AND RAIN, WITH HIGHS IN THE MIDDLE 80S FOR MOST  
AREA. LOWS SATURDAY NIGHT IN THE LOW TO MIDDLE 60S.  
 

 
   
LONG TERM /SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/
 
 
KEY MESSAGE(S):  
 
- ISOLATED TO SCATTERED RAIN CHANCES SUNDAY  
 
MODELS CONTINUE TO SLOW THE PROGRESSION OF THE FRONT AS THE  
UPPER LOW CUTS OFF AND REMAINS NEARLY STATIONARY OVER THE  
EASTERN US. THE COLD FRONT WILL SLOWLY WORK ACROSS THE FORECAST  
AREA SUNDAY HANGING UP NEAR THE COAST. EXPECT LINGERING SHOWERS  
THROUGH THE MORNING AND EARLY AFTERNOON. THERE WILL BE A MINIMAL  
SEVERE THREAT WITH INSTABILITY LIMITED TO ALONG THE COASTLINE.  
DETERMINISTIC MODELS TEND TO FINALLY PUSH THE FRONT THROUGH THE  
AREA ON MONDAY WITH DRIER, COOLER AIR MOVING IN. HOWEVER THERE  
REMAINS SOME UNCERTAINTY IN GLOBAL ENSEMBLES WITH SOME MEMBERS  
ADVECTING MOISTURE BACK INTO THE EASTERN FA. WITH AN UPPER LOW  
NORTHWEST OF THE FA AND SW FLOW REDEVELOPING BY MIDWEEK, THERE  
WILL BE AT LEAST A SLIGHT CHANCE OF RAIN THROUGH THE LONG TERM  
WITH NEAR NORMAL TEMPERATURES.  
 

 
   
AVIATION /08Z FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/
 
 
VFR CONDITIONS GENERALLY EXPECTED OUTSIDE OF SHOWERS-STORMS THIS  
AFTERNOON-EVENING.  
 
WARM AND GENERALLY UNSETTLED CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE TODAY WITH  
SOUTHWESTERLY WINDS BECOMING SOUTHERLY BY THIS AFTERNOON; SUSTAINED  
6-8 KNOTS WITH SOME GUSTS TO 12-15 KNOTS. SOME CLASSIC SUMMER-LIKE  
CUMULUS IS THE PRIMARY CLOUD COVER OF NOTE THROUGH MID-AFTERNOON. A  
FEW SHOWERS AND STORMS ARE POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING AND  
AS SUCH A PROB30 GROUP IS INCLUDED AT ALL SITES FROM 19-01Z.  
CONFIDENCE IS A BIT HIGHER AT CAE AND CUB, SO A TEMPO GROUP MAY BE  
WARRANTED IF CONFIDENCE INCREASES AT THOSE SITES. WINDS WILL  
THEN WEAKEN AND REMAIN OUT OF THE SOUTH INTO SATURDAY MORNING.  
 
EXTENDED AVIATION OUTLOOK...MORE WIDESPREAD SHOWERS-STORMS  
LIKELY ON SATURDAY WITH ASSOCIATED RESTRICTIONS EXPECTED.  
 

 
   
CAE WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
SC...NONE.  
GA...NONE.  
 

 
 

 
 
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