871  
FXUS61 KCTP 161719  
AFDCTP  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA  
1219 PM EST MON DEC 16 2024  
   
SYNOPSIS  
 
WITH ONE WINTER STORM DEPARTING AND THE NEXT RAIN MAKER ON THE  
WAY THIS EVENING, MUCH OF TODAY WILL BE CLOUDY WITH DRIZZLE AND  
PATCHY FOG. AFTER A PERIOD OF RAIN THIS EVENING INTO TONIGHT,  
HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD INTO THE REGION TUESDAY INTO EARLY  
WEDNESDAY. THEN A WEAK AREA OF LOW PRESSURE LIFTING OUT OF THE  
OHIO VALLEY IS LIKELY TO PUSH INTO PENNSYLVANIA BY LATE  
WEDNESDAY WITH ANOTHER PERIOD OF RAIN POSSIBLY ENDING AS SNOW.  
 
 
   
NEAR TERM /UNTIL 8 PM THIS EVENING/  
 
A WEAK RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE AND LIGHT WIND OVER CENTRAL PA  
WILL DO LITTLE OR NOTHING TO IMPROVE THE WIDESPREAD LOW STRATUS  
AND RIDGE SHROUDING FOG TODAY WITH ONLY SOME PATCHY LIGHT  
DRIZZLE EXPECTED THROUGH THE MID AFTERNOON. LATER TODAY, ANOTHER  
ROUND OF PRECIP WILL SPREAD ENE ACROSS THE REGION, BUT THIS  
TIME THE PTYPE WILL BE EXCLUSIVELY LIQUID AS TEMPS AT THE SFC  
AND ALOFT WILL BE A FEW TO SEVERAL DEG C ABOVE FREEZING.  
 
THE LEADING EDGE OF THE RAIN REACHES A LINE FROM MERCERSBURG,  
STATE COLLEGE AND COUDERSPORT BY SUNSET.  
 
TEMPERATURES WILL BE STUCK IN THE 30S MOST OF THE DAY FOR THE  
CENTRAL RIDGES AND VALLEYS, WITH THE WARMEST TEMPS (MID 40S)  
FOUND IN THE LOWER SUSQ VALLEY AND THE WESTERN HIGHLANDS.  
 
 
   
SHORT TERM /8 PM THIS EVENING THROUGH WEDNESDAY/  
 
PERIODS OF RAIN WILL CONTINUE TONIGHT AS A WARM FRONT LIFTS  
NORTH THROUGH THE REGION. MUCH OF THE STEADIER RAIN WILL BE ON  
THE FRONT END OF THE SYSTEM EARLY THIS EVENING WHEN ISENTROPIC  
ASCENT AND MOISTURE TRANSPORT ARE STRONGEST, WHILE ANY LINGERING  
RAIN AFTER MIDNIGHT WILL LIKELY COME IN THE FORM OF SCATTERED  
SHOWERS. TOTAL RAINFALL WILL LIKELY RANGE FROM 0.15-0.50 INCH.  
HIGH PRESSURE BRIEFLY ATTEMPTS TO BUILD IN BEHIND A COLD FRONT  
TUESDAY NIGHT INTO THE FIRST HALF OF WEDNESDAY, WHICH WILL KEEP  
THE REGION MAINLY DRY. TUESDAY WILL BE THE WARMEST DAY OF THE  
PERIOD WITH HIGHS IN THE 40S AND 50S.  
 
 
   
LONG TERM /WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY/  
 
THE NEXT SYSTEM WILL BE MORE ENERGETIC WITH RAIN RETURNING TO  
THE FORECAST WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON OR EVENING, AS A DEVELOPING  
SURFACE LOW TRACKS OVER OR JUST EAST OF PENNSYLVANIA AND A  
PERIOD OF STRONG ISENT LIFT SPREADS ACROSS THE REGION IN  
ASSOCIATION WITH THE PASSAGE OF A SOUTHWESTERLY LLJ OF 55-65  
KTS. PRECIP WILL START OFF AS RAIN, BUT THE LATEST OPER MODELS  
AND ENSEMBLES SUGGEST ENOUGH COULD AIR SHOULD MOVE IN FROM THE  
WEST TO ALLOW FOR THE RAIN TO MIX WITH OR FULLY TRANSITION TO  
SNOW FOR AREAS WEST OF THE ALLEGHENY FRONT. NORTHWESTERLY FLOW  
BEHIND THIS SYSTEM SHOULD ALLOW FOR SOME LAKE EFFECT SNOW  
SHOWERS TO CONTINUE INTO THURSDAY.  
 
GUIDANCE IS BEGINNING TO COME INTO BETTER AGREEMENT IN REGARD TO  
THE SYSTEM THAT WILL MOVE THROUGH IN THE FRIDAY/SATURDAY  
TIMEFRAME. A WEAKENING SURFACE LOW WILL TRACK NEAR THE REGION ON  
SATURDAY AND WHILE MOISTURE LOOKS FAIRLY LIMITED, MOST OF THE  
REGION WILL LIKELY SEE LIGHT SNOW. UPSLOPE AND LAKE EFFECT SNOW  
SHOWERS LINGER THROUGH THE DAY ON SATURDAY BEFORE HIGH PRESSURE  
BUILDS IN FOR THE SECOND HALF OF THE WEEKEND AND INTO THE  
BEGINNING OF NEXT WEEK.  
 
TEMPERATURES WILL BE ON A DOWNWARD TREND THROUGH THE EXTENDED  
PERIOD, WITH MUCH COLDER AIR WORKING INTO CENTRAL PA BY SUNDAY.  
HIGH TEMPERATURES WILL BE IN THE 20S AND LOWS WILL BE IN THE  
SINGLE DIGITS AND TEENS.  
 
 
   
AVIATION /18Z MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/  
 
WIDESPREAD IFR/LIFR CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE THROUGHOUT THE  
MAJORITY OF THE TAF PERIOD WITH HIGH (~80-90%) CONFIDENCE IN ALL  
AIRFIELDS PREVAILING IFR TO LIFR THROUGH 12Z TUESDAY.  
 
MILER AND MOIST AIR ALOFT STREAMING NE OVER THE SHALLOW, COLDER  
AIR LOCKED IN PLACE ACROSS CENTRAL PA WILL HELP TO  
FORM/TRANSPORT AN AREA OF STEADY LIGHT, TO BRIEFLY MODERATE  
RAIN ACROSS ALL CENTRAL PA AIRFIELDS LATER THIS AFTERNOON  
THROUGH TONIGHT.  
 
THIS INJECTION OF MOISTURE AND AN UPTICK IN THE SOUTH TO  
SOUTHEASTERLY LOW-LEVEL FLOW WILL KEEP IFR/LIFR RESTRICTIONS IN  
PLACE ACROSS ALL AIRFIELDS THROUGH AT LEAST 10Z TUESDAY.  
 
ANOTHER ASPECT OF FLIGHT CONDITIONS, MAINLY BETWEEN 22Z MONDAY  
AND 10Z TUESDAY, WILL BE LLWS THRESHOLDS BEING MET WITH A SLIGHT  
ENHANCEMENT OF SOUTHERLY WINDS AT 925MB ALLOWING FOR SOME SHEAR  
WITH WINDS SOUTHWESTERLY WINDS AT THE SURFACE. THE AIRFIELDS OF  
MOST CONCERN AT OF 06Z MONDAY REMAIN ACROSS EASTERN AIRFIELDS  
(BFD/JST/AOO) WITH SLIGHTLY LOWER CONFIDENCE (BUT STILL  
NOTEWORTHY IN THE 12Z TAF PACKAGE) AT UNV/IPT/MDT/LNS.  
 
OUTLOOK...  
 
TUE...IMPROVING CONDITIONS.  
 
WED-THU...FOG POSSIBLE WED MORNING, THEN RAIN MOVES IN DURING  
THE AFTERNOON AND CONTINUES INTO THURSDAY, BEFORE PARTIAL  
CLEARING LATER THURSDAY.  
 
FRI...RESTRICTIONS POSSIBLE WITH SNOW SHOWERS.  
 
 
   
CLIMATE  
 
ASTRONOMICAL WINTER (SOLSTICE) BEGINS ON SATURDAY, DECEMBER 21ST  
AT 4:19 A.M. EST.  
 
 
   
CTP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
NONE.  
 
 
 
 
 
SYNOPSIS...LAMBERT/COLBERT  
NEAR TERM...LAMBERT/COLBERT  
SHORT TERM...LAMBERT/COLBERT  
LONG TERM...LAMBERT/BAUCO  
AVIATION...LAMBERT/NPB  
CLIMATE...STEINBUGL  
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