658  
FXUS62 KCAE 220223  
AFDCAE  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC  
1023 PM EDT SAT MAR 21 2026  
   
WHAT HAS CHANGED
 
 
SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS EXPECTED ALONG AND  
NORTH/EAST OF THE I-26 CORRIDOR THIS EVENING. THE REMAINDER OF  
THE FORECAST AREA SHOULD REMAIN DRY.  
 

 
   
KEY MESSAGES
 
 
- 1: SHOWERS AND PERHAPS A THUNDERSTORM REMAIN POSSIBLE THIS  
EVENING ALONG AND NORTH/EAST OF THE I-26 CORRIDOR.  
 
- 2. WELL ABOVE AVERAGE TEMPERATURES EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGH  
MONDAY BEFORE A FRONT MOVES IN NEXT WEEK.  
 

 
   
DISCUSSION
 
 
KEY MESSAGE 1: SHOWERS AND PERHAPS A THUNDERSTORM REMAIN POSSIBLE THIS  
EVENING ALONG AND NORTH/EAST OF THE I-26 CORRIDOR.  
 
RADAR THIS EVENING SHOWS AN AREA OF DECAYING CONVECTION MOVING  
SOUTHEAST THROUGH THE MIDLANDS. ANOTHER AREA OF SHOWERS AND  
THUNDERSTORMS CURRENTLY IN THE UPSTATE WILL MOVE IN BEHIND THIS  
BATCH. RAIN IS EXPECTED TO BE MOSTLY CONFINED TO THE I-26  
CORRIDOR AND POINTS TO THE NORTH AND EAST. AN ISOLATED  
THUNDERSTORM CANNOT BE RULED OUT BUT THE SEVERE THREAT HAS ENDED  
ACROSS THE FA.  
 
KEY MESSAGE 2: WELL ABOVE AVERAGE TEMPERATURES EXPECTED TO CONTINUE  
THROUGH MONDAY BEFORE A FRONT MOVES IN NEXT WEEK.  
 
NO NOTABLE CHANGES IN THE FORECAST FOR LATE WEEKEND AND EARLY NEXT  
WEEK AS CONFIDENCE REMAINS HIGH IN WELL ABOVE AVERAGE TEMPERATURES  
SUNDAY-MONDAY AS UPPER RIDGING STRENGTHENS OVER THE AREA. NAEFS MEAN  
CONTINUES TO INDICATE 850MB TEMPERATURES RISE TO ABOVE THE 99TH TO  
99.5TH PERCENTILE. WHILE NOT EXPECTED TO REACH DAILY RECORDS THROUGH  
SUNDAY OR MONDAY, BLENDED GUIDANCE INDICATES HIGHS WILL BE 15 TO 20  
DEGREES ABOVE SEASONAL AVERAGE, GENERALLY IN THE MID TO UPPER 80S. A  
FRONT IS EXPECTED TO MOVE INTO THE AREA LATE MONDAY, LEADING TO A  
SLIGHT CHANCE FOR SHOWERS AND STORMS FOLLOWED BY TEMPERATURES CLOSER  
TO SEASONAL AVERAGE FOR THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK. THE AIR MASS BEHIND  
THE FRONT IS NOT FORECAST TO BE PARTICULARLY COLD, SO FROST OR  
FREEZE ARE NOT EXPECTED THROUGH THE END OF NEXT WEEK.  
 
GIVEN THE PERSISTENT LOW-LEVEL DRY AIR AND NORTHWEST WINDS, WE ARE  
ENTERING A PERIOD OF INCREASING FIRE DANGER CONCERNS GIVEN THE  
LINGERING DROUGHT CONDITIONS. WIND SPEEDS HOWEVER ARE EXPECTED TO  
REMAIN BELOW CRITICAL THRESHOLDS, WITH MAX WIND GUSTS AROUND 20 MPH  
SUNDAY-TUESDAY.  
 

 
   
AVIATION /02Z SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/
 
 
VFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED OVER THE 24HR FORECAST PERIOD.  
 
QUIET CONDITIONS CONTINUE ACROSS THE AREA THIS EVENING. THE  
EXPECTED SHOWERS/STORMS HAVE DEVELOPED ACROSS THE UPSTATE BUT  
ARE PROMPTLY WEAKENING AND FALLING APART AS THEY APPROACH OUR  
FORECAST AREA. AS SUCH, TAF SITES SHOULDN'T SEE MUCH OUTSIDE OF  
SOME LEFT OVER CLOUD DEBRIS. THERE MAY BE A REMNANT LIGHT SHOWER  
THAT IMPACTS CAE/CUB IN A FEW HOURS BUT THIS IS A LOW  
PREDICTABILITY OUTCOME RIGHT NOW GIVEN THE WAY THESE STORMS HAVE  
STRUGGLED THIS EVENING. WINDS ARE FORECAST TO HANG AROUND THE  
AREA THIS EVENING AS A STRONG LOW-LEVEL JET DEVELOPS OVERNIGHT,  
AROUND 20-25 KNOTS. EXPECT VARIABLE SURFACE WINDS OF 3-6 KNOTS  
THROUGHOUT THE NIGHT BECAUSE OF THIS. AS WE GET INTO THE DAY ON  
SUNDAY, BREEZY WINDS ARE EXPECTED FOR MUCH OF THE DAY. LOOK FOR  
SOUTHWESTERLY WINDS AROUND 10 KNOTS WITH GUSTS UP TO 20 KNOTS  
EXPECTED. ANY CLOUDS THAT DEVELOP ARE FORECAST TO REMAIN VFR  
THROUGH THE DAY.  
 
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...7  
AVIATION...PL  
 
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