863  
FXUS62 KCHS 161915  
AFDCHS  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC  
215 PM EST SUN FEB 16 2025  
   
SYNOPSIS
 
 
A STRONG COLD FRONT WILL IMPACT THE AREA TODAY, FOLLOWED BY  
HIGH PRESSURE FOR MONDAY AND TUESDAY. A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM  
WILL MOVE ACROSS THE REGION DURING THE MIDDLE OF THE WEEK. HIGH  
PRESSURE WILL THEN RETURN LATE WEEK.  
 

 
   
NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/
 
 
TODAY: THE SQUALL LINE HAS EXITED THE COAST WITH ONLY LIGHT  
STRATIFORM RAIN REMAINING. THIS PRECIPITATION WILL EXIT THE  
COAST OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS WITH WINDS AGAIN PICKING BACK  
UP AS CAA SETS IN BEHIND SURFACE COLD FRONT.  
 
TONIGHT: DRY HIGH PRESSURE WILL SPREAD ACROSS THE FORECAST  
AREA, WITH CLEAR TO MOSTLY CLEAR CONDITIONS EXPECTED THROUGH  
TONIGHT. BUILDING HIGH PRESSURE SHOULD SUPPORT NORTHWEST WINDS  
BETWEEN 5 TO 10 MPH THROUGH MOST OF THE NIGHT. LOW TEMPERATURES  
ARE FORECAST TO RANGE FROM AROUND 30 INLAND TO THE MID TO UPPER  
30S ACROSS THE COASTAL COUNTIES.  
 

 
   
SHORT TERM /MONDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/
 
 
MONDAY AND TUESDAY: AT THE SURFACE, COLD CANADIAN HIGH PRESSURE WILL  
EXTEND SOUTHEASTWARD ACROSS THE MIDWEST AND INTO THE SOUTHEASTERN  
U.S. INTO TUESDAY. QUASI-ZONAL FLOW ALOFT WILL KEEP THE FORECAST  
RELATIVELY QUIET. SOME SEMBLANCE OF A COASTAL TROUGH LOOKS TO FORM  
BY EARLY TUESDAY MORNING WHICH WILL INCREASE CLOUD COVER THROUGH THE  
DAY. THE TROUGH SHARPENING LATER IN THE EVENING AND OVERNIGHT COULD  
RESULT IN SHOWERS OFFSHORE WHICH COULD THEN APPROACH THE COAST, BUT  
FOR NOW IT LOOKS TO STAY DRY OVER LAND. HIGHS WILL ONLY REACH THE  
MID TO UPPER 50S UNDER FULL SUN MONDAY, AND THEN REBOUND QUICKLY  
TUESDAY TO NEAR NORMAL IN THE LOW TO MID 60S. MONDAY NIGHT WILL BE  
COLD WITH MIN TEMPS IN THE LOW TO MID 30S INLAND AND LOW TO MID 40S  
ALONG THE COAST. "WARMER" TEMPS ARE EXPECTED TUESDAY NIGHT; IN THE  
LOW TO MID 40S INLAND AND LOW 50S ALONG THE COAST.  
 
WEDNESDAY: THE AXIS OF AN UPPER TROUGH WILL MOVE ACROSS THE  
CENTRAL/SOUTHERN PLAINS AND TOWARD THE EAST COAST. CYCLOGENESIS  
ALONG THE GULF COAST WILL SPIN UP A SURFACE LOW WHICH IS PROGGED TO  
MOVE OVER THE FL/GA BORDER BY THE AFTERNOON AND THEN LIFT NORTHEAST  
ALONG THE CAROLINA COAST LATER IN THE EVENING. THIS WILL BRING A  
ROUND OF WIDESPREAD RAINFALL TO THE AREA. LOOKS TO BE ANOTHER HIGH  
SHEAR/LOW CAPE SCENARIO WITH LITTLE TO NO INSTABILITY PRESENT AND 50-  
70 KT DEEP LAYER (0-6 KM) SHEAR. FOR NOW, LOW PROBABILITIES OF  
THUNDER WILL KEEP ONLY MENTION OF SHOWERS IN THE FORECAST WITH THE  
EXCEPTION OF EXTREME SOUTHEAST GEORGIA AND THE COASTAL WATERS.  
OTHERWISE A DECENT AMOUNT OF RAINFALL COULD COME OF THIS SYSTEM, UP  
TO 1 INCH, POSSIBLY MORE. HOWEVER, PLACEMENT OF THE LOW, IN ADDITION  
TO HOW PROGRESSIVE THIS SYSTEM MOVES WILL LARGELY IMPACT RAINFALL  
TOTALS. HIGHS WILL BE SOMEWHAT TRICKY TO PIN DOWN WITH A LARGE  
TEMPERATURE GRADIENT IN PLACE. WE CURRENTLY HAVE LOWER 50S ACROSS  
THE FAR INTERIOR TO UPPER 50S/LOWER 60S ALONG THE BEACHES AND  
SOUTHEAST GEORGIA.  
 

 
   
LONG TERM /WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY/
 
 
THE MAIN CONCERN FOR THIS PERIOD WILL BE THE VERY COLD/ARCTIC HIGH  
PRESSURE THAT WILL QUICKLY FILTER IN THE WAKE OF THE AFOREMENTIONED  
DEPARTING SURFACE LOW. MOST OF THE RAINFALL SHOULD MOVE OFFSHORE  
WEDNESDAY EVENING; HOWEVER, SOME P-TYPE CONCERNS COULD BE PRESENT  
WEDNESDAY NIGHT IF SHOWERS LINGER BEHIND THE LOW, BUT AS OF NOW  
THOSE CONCERNS REMAIN NORTH OF THE FORECAST AREA. LOWS IN THE LOWER  
TO MID 30S INLAND TO LOW 40S ALONG THE COAST WEDNESDAY NIGHT COULD  
DROP AS LOW AS THE MID 20S TO LOWER 30S BOTH THURSDAY AND FRIDAY  
NIGHT. WILL NEED TO MONITOR THE POTENTIAL FOR A COLD WEATHER  
ADVISORY (WIND CHILL 20F OR COLDER) THURSDAY NIGHT. ANOTHER LOW  
PRESSURE SYSTEM COULD AFFECT THE AREA NEXT WEEKEND.  
 

 
   
AVIATION /19Z SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/
 
 
THIS AFTERNOON: ALL TAF SITES ARE VFR THIS AFTERNOON AS THE LINE  
OF SHOWERS (AND ISOLATED RUMBLES OF THUNDER) HAVE EXITED THE  
COAST. STRATIFORM RAIN REMAINS ACROSS COASTAL SC/ GA AND IS  
FORECAST TO EXIT THE COAST OVER THE NEXT HOUR OR TWO. A COLD  
FRONT WILL THEN SWEEP ACROSS THE TAF SITES WITH WINDS TURNING  
FROM THE WEST WITH GUSTS UP TO 30 KT.  
 
TONIGHT: VFR. HIGH PRESSURE WILL SLOWLY BUILD INTO THE REGION  
FROM THE NORTHWEST WITH WIND GUSTS BECOMING MORE INFREQUENT  
THROUGH THE NIGHT. TAKING A LOOK AT FORECAST SOUNDINGS, SHOWS A  
PBL NOT FULL DECOUPLING THOUGH THANKS TO THE STRONG CAA. SO TAF  
SITES WILL LIKELY NOT LOSE THE WIND GUSTS COMPLETELY THOUGH THE  
NIGHT.  
 
MONDAY: VFR. WEAK HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD OVERHEAD WITH WINDS  
SLACKENING TO BELOW 10 KT. NO CLOUDS ARE EXPECTED.  
 
EXTENDED AVIATION OUTLOOK: GENERALLY VFR TO PREVAIL THROUGH EARLY  
TUESDAY NIGHT. A STORM SYSTEM COULD IMPACT THE AREA WEDNESDAY WITH  
FLIGHT RESTRICTIONS POSSIBLE.  
 

 
   
MARINE
 
 
THIS AFTERNOON: WINDS HAVE FALLEN BELOW GALE CRITERIA FOR THE  
GA WATERS AS WELL AS AMZ352 AS THE LINE OF SHOWERS HAS SINCE  
EXITED THE REGION. THESE ZONES HAVE BEEN TRANSITIONED TO A SMALL  
CRAFT ADVISORY (ALONG WITH THE CHARLESTON HARBOR). THE  
CHARLESTON ADJACENT WATERS IS THE ONLY ZONE LEFT WITH A GALE  
WARNING. THIS WILL LIKELY BE ABLE TO BE TRANSITIONED TO A SMALL  
CRAFT BY THIS EVENING.  
 
TONIGHT: A SURFACE COLD FRONT WILL SWEEP ACROSS THE WATERS WITH  
WINDS VEERING FROM THE NORTHWEST 20 TO 25 KT WITH GUSTS UP TO 30  
KT AND SEAS 6 TO 9 FT. SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD IN FROM  
THE NORTHWEST WITH THE GRADIENT STARTING TO SLOWLY RELAX. AS  
THIS OCCURS WINDS WILL SLOWLY FALL, BUT REMAIN ABOVE SMALL CRAFT  
ADVISORY CRITERIA.  
 
MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY: HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD OVER THE REGION  
THROUGH TUESDAY WITH NO HIGHLIGHTS/CONCERNS EXPECTED. WINDS WILL  
GENERALLY BE OUT OF THE NORTHEAST AROUND 10 KT OR LESS AND SEAS 2-4  
FT DROPPING TO 2-3 FT. HIGH PRESSURE WILL MOVE EAST OF THE WATERS  
TUESDAY NIGHT AHEAD OF A PROGRESSIVE SURFACE LOW MOVING TOWARD THE  
SOUTHEAST COAST. SOUTHERLY WINDS WILL INCREASE, WITH THE POTENTIAL  
FOR SMALL CRAFT ADVISORIES WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO THURSDAY NIGHT FOR  
25 KT GUSTS AND 4-6 FT SEAS. CONDITIONS WILL IMPROVE FRIDAY AS HIGH  
PRESSURE SETTLES ACROSS THE REGION.  
 
HIGH SURF: GIVEN THAT SEAS ARE 6-10 FEET ON THE NEARSHORE  
WATERS, A HIGH SURF ADVISORY FOR CHARLESTON COUNTY REMAINS IN  
EFFECT. ELSEWHERE, THE FLOW IS MORE PARALLEL TO THE COAST.  
 

 
   
CHS WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
GA...WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM EST THIS EVENING FOR GAZ087-088.  
SC...WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM EST THIS EVENING FOR SCZ040-042>045-  
047>052.  
HIGH SURF ADVISORY UNTIL 4 PM EST THIS AFTERNOON FOR SCZ050.  
MARINE...GALE WARNING UNTIL 3 PM EST THIS AFTERNOON FOR AMZ330.  
GALE WARNING UNTIL 6 PM EST THIS EVENING FOR AMZ350-352-354-  
374.  
 

 
 

 
 
NEAR TERM...HAINES/NED  
SHORT TERM...BRS  
LONG TERM...BRS  
AVIATION...HAINES  
MARINE...BRS/HAINES  
 
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