239  
FXUS62 KILM 152329  
AFDILM  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC  
629 PM EST SUN DEC 15 2024  
   
SYNOPSIS
 
 
HIGH PRESSURE OFF TO THE NORTHEAST WILL PUSH FARTHER OFFSHORE  
THE NEXT COUPLE DAYS AS A WEAK COASTAL TROUGH REMAINS OFF THE  
CAROLINA COAST. A STRONG COLD FRONT CROSSES THE LOCAL AREA  
WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO THURSDAY MORNING, FOLLOWED BY HIGH PRESSURE  
FOR FRIDAY.  
 

 
   
NEAR TERM /THROUGH MONDAY/
 
 
RIDGING INTO THE CAROLINAS FROM THE HIGH NOW CENTERED OFF THE  
NEW ENGLAND COAST WILL PERSIST THROUGH TONIGHT, BUT BEGIN TO  
BREAK DOWN DURING MONDAY. ADDITIONALLY, A COASTAL TROUGH, JUST  
OFFSHORE, CONTINUES TO HAVE WIDELY SCATTERED -SHRA WITH IT.  
THESE SHOWERS ATTEMPT TO MOVE TOWARD THE COAST BUT RUN INTO DRY  
AIR AND DISSIPATE. A FEW MAY MAKE IT ONSHORE THIS AFTERNOON AND  
EVENING, ESPECIALLY IN THE VICINITY OF CAPE FEAR. MOISTURE IN  
THE LOW-LEVELS WILL GRADUALLY INCREASE TONIGHT AND DEWPOINTS  
NEAR CROSSOVER TEMPERATURES SHOULD PROMOTE SOME AREAS OF FOG,  
MAINLY INLAND LATER TONIGHT. ANY ST/FG WOULD PERSIST UNTIL AFTER  
SUNRISE DURING MONDAY. THE MODERATING RIDGE DURING MONDAY WILL  
ALLOW TEMPERATURES TO RISE ABOVE NORMAL WITH HIGHS GENERALLY  
WITHIN A COUPLE/FEW DEGREES OF 70F (NORMALS ARE 57-59F ACROSS  
THE AREA).  
 

 
   
SHORT TERM /MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT/
 
 
CONTINUED DRY THIS PERIOD WITH SFC HIGH PRESSURE CENTERED WELL  
OFF TO THE EAST AND A SUBTLE COASTAL TROUGH REMAINING OFFSHORE,  
BUT WITHOUT ANY UPR-LEVEL SUPPORT OR INCREASE IN DEEP-LAYER  
MOISTURE PROFILES TO SUPPORT MENTION OF RAIN CHANCES. MAIN STORY  
WILL BE THE RETURN TO ABOVE NORMAL TEMPS...LOWS ONLY IN THE 50S  
BOTH MONDAY AND TUESDAY NIGHTS WITH HIGHS TUESDAY IN THE  
LOW/MID 70S (NOT QUITE AT RECORD LEVELS) UNDER A PARTLY CLOUDY  
SKY.  
 

 
   
LONG TERM /WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/
 
 
UPR-LEVEL TROUGH AXIS WILL TRAVERSE THE EASTERN CONUS EARLY THIS  
PERIOD, DRAGGING A COLD FRONT THROUGH THE LOCAL AREA LATE  
WEDNESDAY INTO EARLY THURSDAY. GUIDANCE HAS COME INTO BETTER  
AGREEMENT ON THE TIMING OF THE FRONT COMPARED TO PREVIOUS DAYS,  
BUT THERE IS STILL UNCERTAINTY OVER HOW WIDESPREAD THE RAIN WILL  
BE WITH THE FRONT AS THERE'S NOT A LOT OF MOISTURE TO WORK WITH  
ASIDE FROM AT THE LOWER LEVELS. BEST CHANCES (50-60%) NOW ARE  
FOR WEDNESDAY AFTN AND EVENING, WITH A SHARP DRYING TREND  
THEREAFTER AS WINDS VEER TO THE WEST THEN NORTH. SFC HIGH  
PRESSURE AND DRY WEATHER THEN RETURN INTO THE WEEKEND ALONG  
WITH A TREND BACK TOWARDS BELOW NORMAL TEMPS IN ASSOCIATION WITH  
POST FRONTAL CAA.  
 

 
   
AVIATION /00Z MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/
 
 
THE PERSISTENT NORTHEAST FLOW WITH INTERVALS OF LIMITED  
MOISTURE AND LIFT WILL WEAKEN THROUGH THIS FORECAST PERIOD. THE  
LOWER WINDS AND RESIDUAL MOISTURE MAY LEAD TO SOME MVFR BR  
INLAND AND IN CRE IN THE EARLY MORNING HOURS OTHERWISE VFR  
CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE.  
 
EXTENDED OUTLOOK...PERIODS OF LOW CLOUDS AND NIGHTTIME FOG  
ARE POSSIBLE. BEST CHANCE OF SHOWERS WILL BE WEDNESDAY  
NIGHT/EARLY THURSDAY AS A COLD FRONT MOVES THROUGH WITH BREEZY  
CONDITIONS AND MAYBE EVEN A FEW THUNDERSTORMS.  
 

 
   
MARINE
 
 
THROUGH MONDAY...THE PERSISTENT NELY FETCH CONTINUES TO YIELD 5  
TO 7 FT SEAS ACROSS THE ADJACENT WATERS. THE EXCEPTION IS  
LIKELY THE NEARSHORE WATERS OFF BRUNSWICK COUNTY WHERE THE FETCH  
IS BLOCKED. HIGH PRESSURE CENTERED OFF NEW ENGLAND CURRENTLY  
RIDGES INTO THE CAROLINAS WITH A WEAK COASTAL TROUGH IN PLACE  
JUST OFFSHORE. THE HIGH WILL MOVE FARTHER OFFSHORE AND THE  
LINGERING RIDGE WILL ERODE THROUGH MONDAY. OVERALL, THE PRESSURE  
GRADIENT WILL RELAX WITH LIGHTER WINDS ACROSS THE WATERS. SEAS  
WILL GRADUALLY SUBSIDE DURING MONDAY W/ A SC.Y TO REMAIN IN  
PLACE THROUGH THE DAY.  
 
MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY...THE SCA CONTINUES INTO MONDAY  
NIGHT DUE TO LINGERING 10-11 SECOND EASTERLY SWELL UP TO 6 FT,  
WHILE WINDS WILL BE BELOW 10 KT. IMPROVING MARINE CONDITIONS  
THEN FOR TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY WITH ONLY 2-4 FT SEAS AND WINDS  
STILL AOB 10 KT. NEXT COLD FROPA OCCURS EARLY THURSDAY OVER THE  
WATERS, FOLLOWED BY NORTHERLY WINDS UP TO 15-20 KT WITH  
OCCASIONAL GUSTS UP TO 25 KT POSSIBLE.  
 

 
   
ILM WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
NC...NONE.  
SC...NONE.  
MARINE...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 7 AM EST TUESDAY FOR AMZ250-252-254-  
256.  
 

 
 

 
 
SYNOPSIS...MAS  
NEAR TERM...SRP  
SHORT TERM...MAS  
LONG TERM...MAS  
AVIATION...SHK  
MARINE...MAS/SRP  
 
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