668  
FXUS62 KCAE 202335  
AFDCAE  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC  
735 PM EDT FRI MAR 20 2026  
   
WHAT HAS CHANGED
 
 
UPDATED 00Z AVIATION DISCUSSION.  
 

 
   
KEY MESSAGES
 
 
- 1. ISOLATED SHOWERS AND STORMS DEVELOP TOMORROW AFTERNOON AND  
EVENING. MARGINAL RISK OF SEVERE STORMS IN THE NORTHERN AREA.  
 
- 2. WELL ABOVE AVERAGE TEMPERATURES EXPECTED TO CONTINUE  
THROUGH MONDAY BEFORE A FRONT MOVES IN NEXT WEEK.  
 

 
   
DISCUSSION
 
 
KEY MESSAGE 1: ISOLATED SHOWERS AND STORMS DEVELOP TOMORROW  
AFTERNOON AND EVENING. MARGINAL RISK OF SEVERE STORMS IN THE  
NORTHERN AREA.  
 
SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE EXPECTED TO SHIFT SOUTHWARD THROUGH THE DAY  
TODAY WITH UPPER RIDGING GENERALLY HANGING ON. INCREASING  
SOUTHWESTERLY TO WESTERLY LOW LEVEL FLOW WILL LEAD TO INCREASING  
MOISTURE INTO TOMORROW WITH THE HREF MEAN INDICATING BY THE  
AFTERNOON, PWATS WILL RISE TO ABOVE AN INCH. A SHORTWAVE WILL MOVE  
INTO THE SOUTHERN APPALACHIANS TOMORROW WHICH HAS TRENDED A BIT  
DEEPER OVER THE LAST COUPLE DAYS. THIS WILL LEAD FOR THE POTENTIAL  
FOR ISOLATED COVERAGE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TOMORROW MID  
AFTERNOON INTO EVENING WITH HIRES GUIDANCE GENERALLY FAVORING THE  
NORTHERN PORTION OF THE FORECAST AREA. SPC HAS HIGHLIGHTED THIS  
AREA IN A MARGINAL SEVERE RISK. WHILE THE HIGHEST MID-LEVEL  
LAPSE RATES (GREATER THAN 7C/KM) MAY REMAIN NORTHWEST OF OUR  
AREA, WET BULB ZERO HEIGHTS AROUND 9KFT, DEEP LAYER SHEAR NEAR  
30 KNOTS, AND HIGH HREF PROBABILITY OF SBCAPE GREATER THAN 500  
J/KG (AROUND 70-80%), THERE REMAINS THE POTENTIAL FOR STORMS TO  
PRODUCE HAIL, WITH A CEILING OF AROUND UP TO A QUARTER SIZED IN  
THE STRONGEST STORMS. WITH STRONG LOW LEVEL LAPSE RATES LIKELY  
AND RELATIVELY HIGH DCAPE INDICATED BY HIRES GUIDANCE, ALSO  
REMAINS POSSIBLE THAT STRONGEST STORMS PRODUCE ISOLATED DAMAGING  
WIND GUSTS. CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY WILL DIMINISH OVERNIGHT,  
ALTHOUGH MAY LINGER AFTER SUNRISE WITH THE FORCING PROVIDED BY  
THE SHORTWAVE.  
 
KEY MESSAGE 2: WELL ABOVE AVERAGE TEMPERATURES EXPECTED TO CONTINUE  
THROUGH MONDAY BEFORE A FRONT MOVES IN NEXT WEEK.  
 
VERY LITTLE CHANGE IN THE OVERALL TEMPERATURE FORECAST FOR THIS  
WEEKEND WITH HIGH CONFIDENCE IN THE WELL ABOVE AVERAGE  
TEMPERATURES AS UPPER RIDGING STRENGTHENS OVER THE AREA. NAEFS  
MEAN CONTINUES TO INDICATE 850MB TEMPERATURES RISE TO ABOVE THE  
97.5TH OR 99TH PERCENTILE. WHILE NOT EXPECTED TO REACH DAILY  
RECORDS THROUGH MONDAY, BLENDED GUIDANCE INDICATES HIGHS WILL BE  
15 TO 20 DEGREES ABOVE SEASONAL AVERAGE, GENERALLY IN THE MID TO  
UPPER 80S. FRONT WILL LIKELY MOVE IN LATE MONDAY, LEADING TO  
TEMPERATURES CLOSER TO SEASONAL AVERAGE FOR THE MIDDLE OF NEXT  
WEEK, ALTHOUGH NOT A PARTICULARLY COLD AIR MASS IS EXPECTED  
BEHIND THE FRONT WITH FROST OR FREEZE NOT EXPECTED THROUGH THE  
END OF NEXT WEEK.  
 

 
   
AVIATION /00Z SATURDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/
 
 
WIND SHEAR POTENTIAL TONIGHT AT CAE/CUB....  
 
SCT TO BKN HIGH LEVEL CLOUDINESS CONTINUES TO MOVE ACROSS THE  
FORECAST AREA THIS EVENING AS SURFACE WINDS BEGIN TO RELAX. THE  
PRIMARY RISK TONIGHT WILL BE THE POTENTIAL FOR WIND SHEAR,  
ESPECIALLY AT CAE/CUB WHERE IT HAS BEEN INTRODUCED TO THE  
FORECAST DUE TO A FORECAST 35 KNOT LOW-LEVEL JET. THE JET IS  
SLIGHTLY WEAKER ELSEWHERE THEREFORE LOW-LEVEL WIND SHEAR IS NOT  
MENTIONED AT OGB/AGS/DNL AT THIS TIME. WITH THE PASSING CLOUD  
COVER, AND DRY AIR AT THE SURFACE, FOG IS NOT EXPECTED TONIGHT  
BUT IS A NON-ZERO THREAT FOR TAF SITES NEAR BODIES OF WATER.  
 
FOR SATURDAY, A SLIGHT INCREASE IN MOISTURE COMBINED WITH A  
WEAK UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE WILL CAUSE A FEW MORE CLOUDS IN THE  
AFTERNOON. THE LATEST MODEL GUIDANCE SHOWS SHOWERS AND  
THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING IN UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA, PERHAPS  
MOVING TOWARDS CAE/CUB NEAR THE END OF THE CURRENT TAF PERIOD.  
GIVEN THE SLATED ARRIVAL, WILL OMIT ANY MENTION OF RESTRICTIONS  
DUE TO SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS FROM THE FORECASTS FOR NOW.  
 
EXTENDED AVIATION OUTLOOK... A MORE SIGNIFICANT COLD FRONT WILL  
MOVE THROUGH ON MONDAY, WITH A SLIGHTLY BETTER CHANCE FOR  
RESTRICTIONS. OVERALL, CONDITIONS WILL BE MOST LIKELY VFR FOR  
THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS.  
 

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

 
 

 
 
DISCUSSION...EC  
AVIATION...7  
 
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