218
FXUS61 KCTP 200113
AFDCTP
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
913 PM EDT THU MAR 19 2026
WHAT HAS CHANGED
*SPC HAS INTRODUCED A MRGL RISK FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS
THE LAUREL HIGHLANDS AND SW PA VALID FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND
EVENING
KEY MESSAGES
1) A BROKEN LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS CENTRAL AND WESTERN PA
IS LIKELY LATE FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND INTO FRIDAY EVENING,
FOLLOWING A WIDESPREAD LIGHT TO MODERATE RAIN EARLIER IN THE
DAY.
2) COLD FRONTAL PASSAGE SUNDAY SHOULD MAKE WIDESPREAD RAIN
SHOWERS PERHAPS ENDING AS A BRIEF PERIOD OF SNOW ACROSS THE
NORTH, FOLLOWED BY WINDY AND COLDER TEMPS ON MONDAY.
DISCUSSION
1) A BROKEN LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS CENTRAL AND WESTERN PA
IS LIKELY LATE FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND INTO FRIDAY EVENING,
FOLLOWING A MORE WIDESPREAD LIGHT RAIN EARLIER IN THE DAY.
A CLIPPER SYSTEM EMBEDDED WITHIN STRONG MID AND UPPER LEVEL
FLOW WILL CROSS THROUGH THE GREAT LAKES AND INTO NEW YORK STATE
ON FRIDAY. ISENTROPIC ASCENT WITH PW VALUES RISING TO NEAR 0.75
INCH WILL LIKELY RESULT IN AN AREA OF STRATIFORM LIGHT TO
MODERATE RAIN MOVING FROM NW TO SE DURING THE AFTERNOON. AS A
COLD FRONT APPROACHES DURING THE EVENING HOURS, A BROKEN LINE OF
SHOWERS (EAST) AND THUNDERSTORMS (WEST) IS EXPECTED TO FORM ON
THE BACK EDGE OF THE PRECIP AREA, PERHAPS WITH A DRY BREAK
BETWEEN THE TWO AREAS OF RAINFALL. WITH 850 HPA FLOW BETWEEN 30
AND 40 KTS AND A FEW HUNDRED JOULES OF MLCAPE, ISOLATED SEVERE
WIND GUSTS CAN NOT BE RULED OUT PARTICULARLY ACROSS THE LAURELS
AND POINTS SOUTHWEST. TOTAL QPF IS PROGGED BETWEEN 0.25 AND 0.50
INCH. HIGH TEMPS WILL END UP ABOUT 10F MILDER THAN THE PREVIOUS
DAY (49-63F ACROSS THE CWA FM N TO S).
--------------------------------------
KEY MESSAGE 2: COLD FRONTAL PASSAGE SUNDAY SHOULD MAKE
WIDESPREAD RAIN SHOWERS PERHAPS ENDING AS A BRIEF PERIOD OF
SNOW ACROSS THE NORTH, FOLLOWED BY WINDY AND COLDER TEMPS ON
MONDAY.
990MB SFC LOW OVER ND SAT EVENING WILL RIDE QUICKLY TO THE
EAST. THE SFC LOW IS PROGGED BY MOST MODELS TO BE SOMEWHERE NEAR
BUF SUN EVENING. THE WARM ADVECTION PRECIP LOOKS LIKE IT WILL
PASS MAINLY NORTH OF PA FOR SUNDAY DAYTIME. A LITTLE -RA MAY
BRUSH THE FAR NRN TIER DURING THE DAYLIGHT HOURS. MORE CERTAINTY
EXISTS IN THE PASSAGE OF THE CONNECTED COLD FRONT ON SUNDAY
NIGHT.
QPF SUN NIGHT ACTUALLY LOOKS VERY SIMILAR TO FRIDAY'S AMOUNTS.
MUCH OF THE PRECIP WILL FALL ALONG AND BEHIND THE FRONT. THE
COLD AIR BEING FORCED IN FROM THE N AND THE RAINFALL WILL
QUICKLY DROP TEMPS SUN NIGHT. DESPITE MAXES IN THE UPPER 50S IN
THE N (THEY'LL BE NEAR 70 FOR THE SRN HALF OF THE CWA) ON
SUNDAY, THE COOLING WILL PROBABLY (50%) TURN THE RAIN TO SN OVER
THE NRN MTNS. IF IT DOES TURN TO SN THERE, IT SHOULDN'T OVER
THE CENTRAL AND SRN TWO- THIRDS OF THE CWA DUE TO THE WARMER
START WHEN THE RAIN ARRIVES. MAYBE A LITTLE MIX COULD HAPPEN ON
THE TOP OF THE RIDGES OF THE CENTRAL MTNS. MINS WILL BE 25-30F
IN THE N, BUT JUST ABOVE 40F ALONG THE MD BORDER (LOWER ELEVS).
THE PRECIP WILL BE S OF THE MD BORDER AROUND OR JUST AFTER
SUNRISE MON.
MON-TUE LOOK DRY WITH TEMPS A LITTLE BELOW NORMAL. MODERATE
PRESSURE RISES OF 3-4 MB/3 HR WILL SUPPORT NW WIND GUSTS IN THE
HIGH 20S TO MID 30S (KTS) DURING THE DAYLIGHT HOURS MONDAY. WENT
ABOVE NBM GUIDANCE BY 10 KTS OR SO IN THE WIND CATEGORY.
WED SHOULD BE A FEW DEGS WARMER THAN NORMAL AND THU MUCH WARMER
WITH LOTS OF PLACES >=60F.
AVIATION /00Z FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/
A FEW SHOWERS NEAR UNV AT THIS TIME, BUT MOST AREAS WILL HAVE
CLOUDS INTO FRIDAY. MVFR CIGS WILL BE MOST LIKELY AT BFD, LESS
LIKELY ELSEWHERE.
MAIN ISSUE FOR FRIDAY WILL BE GUSTY WINDS IN THE AFTERNOON INTO
THE EVENING, AS STRONG JET STREAM RESULTS IN MORE SHOWERS AND
GUSTY WINDS WITH A FAST MOVING COLD FRONT LATE IN THE DAY.
SOME CHANCE FOR A LOW TOPPED THUNDERSTORM, BUT LEFT OUT OF
THE 00Z TAF PACKAGE FOR NOW.
SATURDAY AT THIS POINTS LOOKS LIKE THE BEST DAY OF THE WEEK
SO FAR.
SUNDAY WILL FEATURE A STRONG NORTH TO SOUTH TEMPERATURE
GRADIENT, AS LOW PRESSURE MOVES ACROSS THE AREA. MOST OF
THE SHOWERS WILL BE ON BACK SIDE OF THE FRONT. POTENTIAL
FOR MORE GUSTY WINDS SUNDAY INTO MONDAY, AS THE COLDER AIR
WORKS INTO THE AREA. ALSO POTENTIAL FOR MORE SNOW LATE
SUNDAY NIGHT INTO MONDAY MORNING ACROSS THE NORTHWEST.
OUTLOOK...
FRIDAY NIGHT...RESTRICTIONS IN RAIN SHOWERS.
SAT-SUN...MAINLY VFR.
SUN NIGHT - MON...COLD FRONT PASSAGE, RESTRICTIONS IN RAIN; SOME
WINTRY MIX POSSIBLE ACROSS THE NORTH.
TUE...DRY WITH VFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED.
CTP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
NONE.
WHAT HAS CHANGED...COLBERT
KEY MESSAGES...LAMBERT/COLBERT
DISCUSSION...LAMBERT/COLBERT
AVIATION...LAMBERT/MARTIN
CLICK HERE TO GO TO PREVIOUS BULLETINS.
Main Text Page