630  
FXUS62 KILM 161517  
AFDILM  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC  
1017 AM EST MON DEC 16 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 COLDER HIGH  
PRESSURE LATE IN THE WEEK INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK.  
 

 
   
UPDATE
 
 
ADJUSTED TEMPERATURES BASED ON THE LATEST SKY COVER OBS AND  
EXPECTED TRENDS. THE SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY WAS CANCELLED FOR SC  
WATERS AS WAVE HEIGHTS HAVE FALLEN BELOW 6 FEET.  
 

 
   
NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/
 
 
THE SURFACE MAP HASN'T CHANGED IN A FEW DAYS WITH HIGH PRESSURE TO  
THE NORTH AND EAST EXTENDING A RIDGE AXIS INTO THE CAROLINAS. IN  
THE MID LEVELS A LOW AMPLITUDE RIDGE WILL BUILD THROUGH THE NEAR  
TERM. THIS WILL ADD JUST A FEW DEGREES TO TODAY'S HIGHS  
COMPARED TO THEIR PREVIOUS DAY COUNTERPARTS. THIS WILL FAVOR  
QUIET WEATHER AND MILD TEMPERATURES. THE LEAST CERTAIN FACET OF  
THE FORECAST IS THE EXTENT OF CLOUD COVER AS MOISTURE MAY HAVE  
TROUBLE MIXING OUT BENEATH AN INVERSION SOMEWHERE BETWEEN ABOUT  
6-8KFT. MOST GUIDANCE SEEMS FAIRLY OPTIMISTIC THAT THIS DOES  
OCCUR BUT WOULD NOT BE SURPRISED IF DAY SHIFT HAS TO TREND  
FORECAST A BIT MORE TOWARDS CLOUD COVER ESPECIALLY WITH THE AID  
OF VIS SATELLITE IMAGERY.  
 

 
   
SHORT TERM /TUESDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT/
 
 
HIGHLIGHTS:  
*MUCH ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES  
*GENERALLY DRY THROUGH TUE NIGHT W/ ELEVATED RAIN CHANCES WED/WED  
NIGHT  
 
CONFIDENCE:  
*MODERATE TO HIGH  
 
DETAILS:  
 
EXPECT MOSTLY DRY CONDITIONS THROUGH TUE NIGHT WITH THE LINGERING  
COASTAL TROUGH BEING THE MAIN WEATHER PLAYER. A COLD FRONT SHOULD  
PUSH THROUGH WED NIGHT BUT LIKELY WITH LIMITED MOISTURE WHICH SHOULD  
KEEP RAIN AMOUNTS DOWN TO ABOUT A QUARTER INCH OR LESS FOR MOST  
AREAS (HIGHEST GENERALLY CLOSER TO THE COAST). HOWEVER, THERE IS  
A SMALL CHANCE FOR A BIT MORE RAINFALL, ESPECIALLY NEAR THE  
COAST IF ANY STRONGER CONVECTION OR EVEN THUNDERSTORMS OCCUR.  
TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN WELL ABOVE NORMAL THROUGH THE PERIOD.  
RECORD HIGHS TUE/WED NEAR 80 INLAND STILL APPEAR TO BE SAFE  
THOUGH.  
 

 
   
LONG TERM /THURSDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/
 
 
HIGHLIGHTS:  
*MAINLY DRY AND COLDER W/ BELOW NORMAL TEMPS LIKELY STARTING FRI  
NIGHT  
 
CONFIDENCE:  
*MODERATE TO HIGH  
 
DETAILS:  
 
A COLD FRONT SHOULD BE PUSHING THROUGH EARLY THU WHICH WOULD BRING  
AN END TO ANY LINGERING PRECIP PRETTY QUICKLY, ALTHOUGH SOME  
ADDITIONAL SHORTWAVE ENERGY ALOFT COULD PRODUCE A FEW SPRINKLES AS  
LATE AS THU EVENING DEPENDING ON HOW STRONG IT IS AND HOW MUCH  
MOISTURE IS STILL AROUND. ANOTHER STRONG SHORTWAVE COULD MOVE  
THROUGH FRI BUT MOISTURE WILL STILL BE LIMITED SO NOT LIKELY TO SEE  
ANY MEASURABLE PRECIP. TEMPS WILL GET PROGRESSIVELY COLDER THROUGH  
THE PERIOD, FALLING TO NEAR FREEZING FRI NIGHT, MUCH BELOW SAT NIGHT  
AND THEN EVEN MORESO SUN NIGHT WHEN BETTER RADIATIONAL COOLING  
CONDITIONS SHOULD OCCUR AND SOME INLAND SPOTS COULD FALL INTO THE  
TEENS.  
 

 
   
AVIATION /15Z MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/
 
 
GENERALLY VFR NOW EXPECTED AS MID LEVEL CLOUD DECK HAS INHIBITED FOG  
DEVELOPMENT. WINDS REMAIN LIGHT AND CLOUDS SHOULD SCATTER OUT ONCE  
HEATING ENSUES. FOG APPEARS A BETTER BET TONIGHT AS DEWPOINTS RISE.  
 
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 TONIGHT... THE NE WINDS THAT HAVE BEEN PERSISTENT FOR MANY  
DAYS NOW HAS DIMINISHED TO UNDER 10KT ACROSS THE WATERS. HOWEVER  
ADVISORY-WORTHY 6 FT SWELLS CONTINUE AS SEAS ARE ALWAYS SLOWER TO  
ABATE THAN WIND. THE CURRENT ADVISORY EXPIRATION TIME SEEMS A BIT  
PESSIMISTIC. SIX FOOT WAVES WILL BECOME INCREASINGLY RELEGATED TO  
THE VERY OUTER PORTIONS OF THE 20NM FORECAST ZONES THROUGH THE  
PERIOD. IF FUTURE SHIFTS CAN DETERMINE WHEN A FORECAST THAT INCLUDES  
6 FT WAVES IS NO LONGER REPRESENTATIVE OF THE FORECAST AREA THEN THE  
HEADLINE CAN BE DROPPED EARLY. RIGHT NOW THAT LOOKS LIKE IT COULD BE  
LATER THIS AFTERNOON. NEXT FORECAST SHIFT CAN SEE IF THIS IS STILL  
THE CASE, HOPEFULLY ABLE TO LOWER SCA ABOUT 12HRS EARLY.  
 
TUESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY...WEAK COASTAL TROUGHING WILL BE GIVING WAY  
TO A PASSING COLD FRONT WHICH SHOULD BE EARLY THU. GENERALLY BENIGN  
WINDS/SEAS WILL INCREASE AROUND THE TIME OF THE FRONTAL PASSAGE AND  
COULD NEED A MARGINAL SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY LATE THU/THU NIGHT AS A  
RESULT.  
 

 
   
ILM WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
NC...COASTAL FLOOD ADVISORY UNTIL NOON EST TODAY FOR NCZ107.  
SC...NONE.  
MARINE...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 10 PM EST THIS EVENING FOR AMZ250-  
252.  
 

 
 

 
 
SYNOPSIS...ILM  
UPDATE...ABW  
NEAR TERM...MBB  
SHORT TERM...RJB  
LONG TERM...RJB  
AVIATION...MBB  
MARINE...RJB/MBB  
 
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