166
FXUS62 KFFC 241848
AFDFFC
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PEACHTREE CITY GA
248 PM EDT FRI APR 24 2026
..AFTERNOON AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
KEY MESSAGES
- A HAZY SKY WILL PERSIST ACROSS PARTS OF THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON
AND EVENING AS SMOKE CONTINUES TO SPREAD FROM WILDFIRES ACROSS SOUTHERN
GEORGIA AND NORTHERN FLORIDA.
- DRY CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE TODAY, LEADING TO HIGH FIRE DANGER
FOR PORTIONS OF THE AREA.
- SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA
SATURDAY THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK. WIDESPREAD SEVERE
WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME, BUT RAINFALL MAY IMPROVE
DROUGHT CONDITIONS IN SOME AREAS.
SHORT TERM
(THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH SATURDAY)
ISSUED AT 214 PM EDT FRI APR 24 2026
THE FOLLOWING IS THE SHORT TERM FORECAST DISCUSSION FROM THE
OVERNIGHT SHIFT, WITH MINIMAL TWEAKS:
THE FINAL VESTIGES OF OUR (EXITING) PERSISTENT SURFACE HIGH
PRESSURE, AND LOW AMPLITUDE RIDGING ALOFT, WILL SUPPORT A CLEAR,
WARM, AND DRY END TO THE WORK WEEK FOR MOST. SOME HIRES GUIDANCE
SUGGESTS SPOTTY/PATCHY COVERAGE OF SHOWERS THIS AFTERNOON AS A
WEAK DISTURBANCE TRAVERSES MID-LEVEL FLOW, PRIMARILY FOR AREAS
ALONG AND EAST OF THE METRO. COVERAGE WILL BE SCANT IF ANYTHING
MATERIALIZES, BUT HAVE BLENDED IN SOME HREF AND ARW GUIDANCE TO
RAISE POPS TO SLIGHT CHANCE (15%). HIGHS ARE EXPECTED TO RISE INTO
THE 80S AREAWIDE, PERHAPS APPROACHING 90 ACROSS OUR FAR
SOUTHEASTERN TIER. SOUTHWESTERLY SURFACE WINDS ON THE FAR WESTERN
EDGE OF THE AFOREMENTIONED SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEM SHOULD
HELP DIRECT WILDFIRE SMOKE OFFSHORE/PREVENT PORTIONS OF NORTH AND
CENTRAL GEORGIA FROM BEING SMOKED OUT TO THE EXTENT OF PREVIOUS
DAYS. MILKY AND HAZY SKIES AND PERHAPS DECREASED AIR QUALITY ARE
NEVERTHELESS POSSIBLE ACROSS PORTIONS OF SOUTH CENTRAL GEORGIA
UNDER RELATIVELY WEAK FLOW AS WILDFIRES CONTINUE TO BURN. MOISTURE
WILL BEGIN A GRADUAL REBOUND OVER THE COURSE OF THE DAY FRIDAY
AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT THAT WILL BRING MUCH-NEEDED RAIN CHANCES,
BUT A FIRE DANGER STATEMENT HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR PORTIONS OF
CENTRAL GEORGIA DUE TO VALUES OF RELATIVE HUMIDITY EXPECTED TO
DROP BELOW 30% THIS AFTERNOON. CONTINUE TO BE COGNIZANT OF (AND
HEED) ANY BURN RESTRICTIONS OR BANS AS VEGETATION REMAINS
ABNORMALLY DRY DUE TO ONGOING DROUGHT.
MOVING INTO SATURDAY, A COLD FRONT APPROACHES FROM THE NORTHWEST,
AND CHANCES FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE ON THE INCREASE
OUT AHEAD OF IT FROM MIDNIGHT ON. BEST CHANCES FOR STRONG TO SEVERE
STORMS APPEAR TO REMAIN WELL TO OUR WEST WHERE A DECAYING MCS IS
PROGGED TO DROP SOUTHEASTWARD ACROSS ALABAMA. CAMS SUGGEST
RELATIVELY ANEMIC INSTABILITY OVERNIGHT (SUB-250 J/KG) ALONG WITH
FAIRLY DISORGANIZED UPPER LEVEL FLOW (UNIMPRESSIVE HODOGRAPHS). IN
GENERAL, EXPECT A WAVE OF SHOWERS AND STORMS TO PUSH ACROSS NORTH
GEORGIA THROUGH DAYBREAK, WITH COVERAGE INCREASING INTO THE
AFTERNOON FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE FORECAST AREA AS THE FRONT
FILTERS TO THE SOUTH. RAINFALL ON THE ORDER OF A TENTH TO A HALF OF
AN INCH IS FORECAST THROUGH LATE SATURDAY AFTERNOON/EARLY SATURDAY
EVENING, WITH "HIGHEST" AMOUNTS SKEWED NORTH AND WEST. HIGHS WILL BE
A FEW DEGREES COOLER ALONG AND NORTH OF I-85 (APPROXIMATE FRONTAL
PROGRESSION BEFORE PEAK HEATING IS REACHED), TOPPING OUT IN THE MID-
TO-UPPER 70S. ELSEWHERE, HIGHS WILL RISE INTO THE MID-TO-UPPER 80S.
LONG TERM
(SUNDAY MORNING THROUGH NEXT THURSDAY)
ISSUED AT 214 PM EDT FRI APR 24 2026
SLIGHTLY DRIER CONDITIONS EXPECTED ACROSS THE AREA SUN AND MONDAY
AS A HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE BUILDS IN BEHIND THE EXITING SYSTEM FROM
THE SHORT TERM. THIS BREAK IN THE INCOMING PATTERN CHANGE WILL BE
SHORT LIVED AS THE NEXT WAVE/FRONT PUSHES INTO NW GA TUES MORNING.
LATE MONDAY INTO TUESDAY, A SHORTWAVE TROUGH AND STRENGTHENING
LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL ADVANCE FROM THE GREAT PLAINS THROUGH THE
MIDWEST, WITH ANOTHER COLD FRONT EXTENDING INTO THE SOUTHEAST.
MORE WIDESPREAD SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE FORECAST TO RETURN
TO THE STATE TUE AND CONTINUE WED AS A SECOND WAVE MOVES IN FROM
THE LOWER MS RIVER VALLEY. THIS SECOND WAVE RIDES ALONG THE TAIL
END OF THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY THAT PUSHES IN TUE. THIS WAVE AND
FRONT PUSHES SOUTH INTO NORTHERN FL BY THU MORNING WITH ANOTHER
DRY AIRMASS MOVING IN BEHIND IT. THINGS CLEAR OUT FOR DAY 7 BUT
LOOKS LIKE WE WILL STILL HAVE A FEW MORE DAYS OF PRECIP AS WE GET
INTO THE END OF NEXT WEEK AS THE MODELS ARE SHOWING MORE WAVES
DEVELOPING ACROSS THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN PLAINS. 7 DAY RAINFALL
TOTALS ARE IN THE 2" TO 3" RANGE ACROSS NW GA WITH 1" TO 2" TOTALS
ACROSS THE ATL/AHN AREAS. LOCATIONS SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 20 WILL
SEE 1" OR LESS.
AVIATION
(18Z TAFS)
ISSUED AT 134 PM EDT FRI APR 24 2026
VFR CONDITIONS WILL PERSIST THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE DAY INTO
THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. A CU FIELD BETWEEN 5-7 KFT WILL REMAIN
THROUGH MUCH OF THE AFTERNOON UNDERNEATH MID-LEVEL CLOUDS AT 10-12
KFT. ISOLATED CONVECTION IS ANTICIPATED IN FAR NORTHEAST GEORGIA
THIS AFTERNOON FROM 18Z THROUGH SUNSET, THOUGH IT SHOULD REMAIN
NORTH OF ALL TAF SITES. CEILINGS WILL BEGIN TO LOWER DURING THE
EARLY MORNING HOURS, DROPPING TO MVFR BY 12-14Z AND LIFTING TO LOW
VFR AROUND 17Z. CHANCES FOR -SHRA WILL INCREASE FROM NW TO SE IN
THE MORNING, WITH VCSH BEING INTRODUCED AT 12Z AT ATL FOLLOWED BY
PREVAILING -SHRA AFTER 17Z. A PROB30 FOR TSRA HAS ALSO BEEN
INTRODUCED FROM 18-00Z AT ATL TOMORROW AFTERNOON. WINDS WILL
REMAIN SW AT 5-10 KTS.
//ATL CONFIDENCE...18Z UPDATE...
MEDIUM CONFIDENCE ON SHRA COVERAGE AND TIMING.
HIGH CONFIDENCE ON ALL OTHER ELEMENTS.
PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS
ATHENS 60 80 58 83 / 0 60 60 20
ATLANTA 62 79 61 83 / 10 60 60 20
BLAIRSVILLE 55 73 52 79 / 20 60 40 20
CARTERSVILLE 60 79 56 83 / 30 60 40 10
COLUMBUS 61 83 62 86 / 10 60 60 20
GAINESVILLE 61 78 58 83 / 10 60 50 20
MACON 60 85 61 86 / 0 50 60 20
ROME 60 79 56 84 / 50 60 40 10
PEACHTREE CITY 60 81 58 84 / 10 60 60 20
VIDALIA 62 89 64 89 / 0 30 60 30
FFC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
NONE.
SHORT TERM...MARTIN
LONG TERM....01
AVIATION...KING
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