377
FXUS61 KCTP 231236
AFDCTP
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
736 AM EST SUN FEB 23 2025
SYNOPSIS
A RELATIVELY ZONAL FLOW IS EXPECTED THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF NEXT
WEEK, WITH A SHORTWAVE AND ASSOCIATED WEAK COLD FRONT COMING
THROUGH LATE TUESDAY. A DEEPENING UPPER LEVEL TROUGH IS
EXPECTED OVER THE REGION LATE NEXT WEEK, PRECEDED BY THE PASSAGE
OF A COLD FRONT THURSDAY.
NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 PM THIS EVENING/
SURFACE RIDGING WILL ENSURE FAIR AND SEASONABLE WEATHER TODAY
ACROSS CENTRAL PA. WARM ADVECTION ALOFT AHEAD OF AN UPSTREAM
SHORTWAVE OVER THE GRT LKS WILL SPREAD INCREASING HIGH CLOUDS
INTO THE REGION THIS AFTERNOON, ESPECIALLY OVER THE N MTNS.
MODEL SOUNDINGS BECOME MIXED THIS AFTERNOON TO 900MB, WHERE
TEMPS AROUND -4C/-5C SUPPORT HIGHS RANGING FROM THE MID 30S OVER
THE ALLEGHENIES, TO THE MID 40S IN THE LOWER SUSQ VALLEY.
SHORT TERM /6 PM THIS EVENING THROUGH TUESDAY/
A FAIRLY POTENT UPSTREAM SHORTWAVE IS PROGGED TO TRACK ACROSS PA
THIS EVENING. LACK OF MOISTURE SHOULD LIMIT ITS EFFECTS TO A
PERIOD OF OVERCAST SKIES AND PERHAPS A FLURRY OVER MOST OF
CENTRAL PA. HOWEVER, WOULD'T RULE OUT QUICK DUSTING OVER THE NW
MTNS, WHERE ENSEMBLE GUIDANCE SUPPORTS POPS OF AROUND 15PCT, DUE
TO OROGRAPHIC LIFT IN SOUTHWEST FLOW. BREAKING CLOUDS ARE
EXPECTED LATE TONIGHT, AS LARGE SCALE SUBSIDENCE ARRIVES BEHIND
THE EXITING SHORTWAVE.
GUIDANCE CONTINUES TO SUPPORT FAIR AND GENERALLY DRY WEATHER
EARLY NEXT WEEK ASSOCIATED WITH A ZONAL FLOW PATTERN WITH
FAST-MOVING, MOISTURE-STARVED SHORTWAVES. ONE SUCH SHORTWAVE IS
PROGGED TO PASS WELL NORTH OF PA MONDAY PM, BRINGING AN
INCREASE IN CLOUD COVER DURING THE AFTERNOON/EVENING, BUT
PROBABLY NO PRECIPITATION. A SECOND SHORTWAVE AND WEAK
ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT IS PROGGED TO PASS OVER PA TUESDAY,
BRINGING A DECENT CHANCE OF LIGHT RAIN SHOWERS, ESPECIALLY OVER
THE N MTNS. ENSEMBLE MEAN QPF TUESDAY IS GENERALLY <0.05 INCHES.
A BROAD SOUTHWEST FLOW BETWEEN HIGH PRESSURE OFF OF THE EAST
COAST AND A DYING COLD FRONT OVER THE N GRT LKS WILL FLOOD THE
REGION WITH MILD AIR EARLY NEXT WEEK. GEFS 2M TEMP ANOMALIES
RISE 5-10 DEGREES ABOVE AVERAGE, TRANSLATING TO HIGHS IN THE 40S
TO LOW 50S AND LOWS MONDAY NIGHT IN THE 30S.
LONG TERM /TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY/
PROGRESSIVE AND MILD PATTERN PERSISTS INTO MIDWEEK WITH RIDGE
AXIS EXTENDING NORTHWARDS FROM THE CENTRAL APPALACHIANS KEEPS
FAIR WEATHER OVER MOST OF CENTRAL PA WEDNESDAY.
FAST MOVING CLIPPER SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO CROSS THE REGION
WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO THURSDAY WITH A FROPA CHANGING -SHRA TO
SHSN BY THURSDAY MORNING. A STRONGER PUSH OF COLDER AIR MAY
BRUSH THE REGION IN THE THURSDAY/FRIDAY TIMEFRAME WITH THE
POTENTIAL FOR A RAIN/SNOW SHOWERS ENDING AS SNOW OR A WINTRY
MIX. MODELS INDICATE ANOTHER CLIPPER MAY DROP ACROSS THE CENTRAL
AND EASTERN GLAKS BEFORE LIFTING INTO UPSTATE NEW YORK BY
SATURDAY NIGHT, KEEPING PENNSYLVANIA (FOR NOW) IN THE WARM
SECTOR. THIS WILL SUPPORT LOW CHANCE POPS AND BRING ANOTHER
SURGE OF MILD TEMPS, WITH HIGHS IN THE 50S POSSIBLE ACROSS
SOUTHEAST CENTRAL PA.
AVIATION /13Z SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/
MAINLY CLEAR SKIES AND RELATIVELY LIGHT WIND COVERED MOST OF
CENTRAL PA THIS MORNING. THE SOUTHERN EDGE OF A LARGE AREA OF
HIGH-BASED STRATOCU AND ALTOCU CLOUDS EXTENDED ACROSS THE
NORTHERN TIER COUNTIES OF PA.
DRY AND RELATIVELY TRANQUIL WEATHER WITH GOOD/VFR FLYING
CONDITIONS WILL OCCUR FOR THE BULK OF THE REGION TODAY AND
TONIGHT WITH VARIABLE AMOUNTS OF MAINLY MID AND HIGH LEVEL
CLOUDS (ALTOCUMULUS AND CIRRUS). THE EXCEPTION WILL BE ACROSS
THE NW MTNS (KBFD) WHERE A MEAN WESTERLY FLOW IN THE LOWEST
SEVERAL KFT AGL WILL BRING OCCASIONAL MVFR CIGS THROUGH TODAY
AND INTO TONIGHT BEFORE A WARM FRONT LIFTS NORTH ACROSS THE
COMMONWEALTH LATE TONIGHT AND LEADS TO HIGHER CLOUD BASES AND A
MEAN SWRLY FLOW IN THE SFC-5 KFT AGL LAYER.
MAINLY VFR WILL OCCUR TONIGHT, THOUGH MVFR CIGS WITH A FEW
FLURRIES OR A BRIEF SNOW SHOWER (VFR TO BRIEF MVFR VSBYS) WILL
OCCUR AT KBFD, WITH BORDERLINE MVFR/VFR CIGS LIKELY AS FAR
SOUTH AS KIPT FROM 03Z MONDAY ON.
FOR LATE MONDAY MORNING INTO AT LEAST EARLY MONDAY NIGHT (JUST
BEYOND THE END OF THIS 12Z TAF PERIOD), A STRONG SWRLY LOW LEVEL
JET WILL MOVE SE FROM THE GLAKES REGION AND IMPACT THE
AIRFIELDS ACROSS MAINLY THE NW HALF OF PA WITH A RATHER LENGTHY
PERIOD (I.E., GRTN 10 HOURS) OF LOW LEVEL WIND SHEAR.
OUTLOOK...
MON...MAINLY VFR. BRIEF MVFR (NW). LLWS LIKELY AT KBFD LATE
MONDAY MORNING INTO MONDAY NIGHT. THE PRIMARY PERIOD OF LLWS AT
KIPT, KUNV AND KJST WOULD BE MONDAY AFTERNOON INTO MONDAY NIGHT.
MORE MARGINAL LLWS AT KMDT AND KLNS FROM ABOUT 00Z-06Z TUESDAY.
MON NIGHT AND TUE...RAIN SHOWERS (AND SOME SNOW SHOWERS
ACROSS THE HIGHEST TERRAIN) WILL BECOME NUMEROUS ACROSS THE NW
MTNS TUESDAY, BUT REMAIN ISOLATED TO SCATTERED OVER THE THE
MIDDLE AND LOWER SUSQ VALLEY
WED...VFR/NO SIG WX.
THU...CHANCE OF RAIN ASSOCIATED WITH A COLD FRONT.
CTP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
NONE.
SYNOPSIS...FITZGERALD
NEAR TERM...FITZGERALD
SHORT TERM...FITZGERALD
LONG TERM...DEVOIR/MARTIN/GARTNER
AVIATION...LAMBERT
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