940  
FXUS62 KILM 020531  
AFDILM  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC  
131 AM EDT WED APR 2 2025  
   
SYNOPSIS
 
 
HIGH PRESSURE WILL BRING ONSHORE FLOW THROUGH WEDNESDAY. THE  
LINGERING FRONT TO THE SOUTH WILL LIFT BACK NORTH AS A WARM  
FRONT LATE WEDNESDAY WITH MUCH ABOVE NORMAL WARMTH ARRIVING FOR  
THURSDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. OUTSIDE OF LOW RAIN CHANCES LATE  
WEDNESDAY, THE NEXT CHANCE OF RAIN WILL BE LATE SUNDAY INTO  
MONDAY ACCOMPANYING ANOTHER COLD FRONT.  
 

 
   
UPDATE
 
 
THERE'S QUITE A DEWPOINT GRADIENT ACROSS THE AREA FROM COASTAL  
TO INLAND LOCATIONS. SHALLOW ATLANTIC MOISTURE PUSHING ONSHORE  
BEHIND THIS AFTERNOON'S SEABREEZE SHOULD PUSH FARTHER INLAND  
OVERNIGHT, LIKELY YIELDING A LAYER OF LOW STRATUS CLOUDS WITH  
TIME. THERE'S ALREADY SIGNS OF THIS STRATUS DEVELOPING AT NORTH  
MYRTLE BEACH WHERE SOME 600 FOOT AGL CLOUDS WERE RECENTLY  
REPORTED. THE LARGEST AERIAL EXTEND OF STRATUS IS EXPECTED TO  
DEVELOP INLAND ACROSS THE PEE DEE REGION AFTER MIDNIGHT.  
 
ONE MORE FEATURE OF NOTE IS A SECONDARY SURGE OF NORTHEASTERLY  
WINDS MAKING ITS WAY DOWN THE NORTH CAROLINA COASTLINE. THE  
LATEST HRRR AND THE 18Z NAM SHOW THIS REACHING THE COASTAL  
WATERS BEFORE MIDNIGHT WITH AN INCREASE IN WIND SPEEDS EXPECTED.  
I'VE BLENDED IN THESE TWO MODELS TO BRING WIND SPEEDS UP  
ANOTHER FEW KNOTS, MAINLY FOR THE NC WATERS LATE TONIGHT. THE  
18Z NWPS WAVE RUN DID NOT SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASE FORECAST SEA  
HEIGHTS.  
 
NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES HAVE BEEN MADE TO TEMPERATURES OR SKY  
COVER FORECASTS OVERNIGHT.  
 

 
   
NEAR TERM /THROUGH WEDNESDAY/
 
 
THE COLD FRONT HAS STALLED FROM ALONG THE COAST WESTWARD THROUGH THE  
PEE DEE REGION AND IS DEMARCATING DEW POINTS IN THE LOW 60S  
FROM THOSE IN THE LOW-MID 50S. CLOUDINESS HAS LARGELY  
DISSIPATED, EXCEPT IN THE VICINITY OF THE FRONT ALONG THE  
COAST. EXPECT THE CONTINUED ADVECTION OF LOW-LEVEL DRY AIR AND  
INCREASING SUBSIDENCE ALOFT TO GRADUALLY DRY OUT THESE CLOUDS BY  
LATE IN THE DAY, LEAVING A MOSTLY CLEAR SKY FOR THIS EVENING  
INTO EARLY TONIGHT. HOWEVER, AS HIGH PRESSURE TO THE NORTH  
SHIFTS OFFSHORE, WINDS WILL VEER TO SOUTHEASTERLY TONIGHT AND  
BRING INCREASING MOISTURE BACK OVER THE SHALLOW DRY AIR MASS  
THAT ARRIVED ON TUESDAY. THIS WILL LEAD TO INCREASING CLOUDINESS  
AS STRATUS CLOUDS DEVELOP OVERNIGHT AND SPREAD ACROSS THE  
REGION. WITH GENERALLY LIGHT WINDS AND MAINLY CLEAR SKIES THIS  
EVENING, EXPECT TEMPERATURES TO DROP RATHER QUICKLY BEFORE  
SLOWING DOWN OR GOING STEADY AS EASTERLY WINDS PICK UP BY  
MIDNIGHT. AS STRATUS CLOUDS ARRIVE, TEMPS WILL HOLD STEADY OR  
EVEN RISE A LITTLE WHERE THEY MOVE OVERHEAD DURING THE LATTER  
HALF OF THE NIGHT. EXPECT LOWS GENERALLY IN THE MIDDLE 50S,  
EXCEPT LOW 50S IN NORTHEASTERN PORTIONS OF THE FORECAST AREA.  
 
ON WEDNESDAY, AN ANOMALOUS RIDGE BEGINS BUILDING OVER THE  
ATLANTIC NEAR THE BAHAMAS, SETTING UP SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW  
OVERHEAD AND RAISING MID-LEVEL HEIGHTS. NEAR THE SURFACE, HIGH  
PRESSURE NORTHEAST OF THE AREA WILL MAINTAIN EAST TO  
SOUTHEASTERLY WINDS THROUGH THE DAY, KEEPING A FLOW OF MOIST  
OCEAN AIR INTO THE FORECAST AREA OVER A SHALLOW WEDGE OF  
RELATIVELY DRY AIR. THE END RESULT SHOULD BE CONSIDERABLE  
CLOUDINESS CONTINUING THROUGH THE DAY ON WEDNESDAY, WITH  
DAYTIME HEATING HELPING TO EAT AWAY AT THE CLOUDS SOMEWHAT,  
ALTHOUGH JUST HOW MUCH CLEARING CAN BE ACHIEVED IN THE AFTERNOON  
CARRIES LOWER THAN NORMAL CONFIDENCE. IT IS QUITE POSSIBLE THAT  
CLOUDY OR MOSTLY CLOUDY SKIES REMAIN IN PLACE ALMOST  
EVERYWHERE, WHICH WOULD KEEP DAYTIME HIGHS SOMEWHAT COOLER THAN  
FORECAST. ASSUMING AN INITIALLY CLOUDY MORNING WITH MIXED CLOUDS  
AND SUN IN THE AFTERNOON, HIGHS SHOULD REACH THE MID-UPPER 70S,  
EXCEPT LOW 70S NEAR THE COAST. ISOLATED SHOWERS ARE POSSIBLE ON  
WEDNESDAY MAINLY NEAR THE COAST, ALTHOUGH THEY SHOULD BE LIGHT  
OWING TO THE SHALLOW NATURE OF THE MOISTURE AND WEAK FORCING.  
 

 
   
SHORT TERM /WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT/
 
 
WARMING WILL BEGIN IN FORCE AS LINGERING BOUNDARY LIFTS BACK  
NORTH AS WARM FRONT AND WINDS COME AROUND TO THE SOUTH WITH DEEP  
RIDGE BEGINNING TO BUILD ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST. ANY LOW CLOUDS  
OR LIGHT PCP WED EVE INTO EARLY THURS SHOULD BREAK UP. COULD  
SEE SOME AFTERNOON CU, BUT NOT EXPECTING ANY PCP WITH A VERY DRY  
MID TO UPPER LEVEL COLUMN THURS AFTN ONWARDS.  
 
RISING H5 HEIGHTS INCREASING ABOVE 590 DAM BY THURS WILL RISE  
EVEN FURTHER. THE 850 TEMPS WILL RISE FROM NEAR 11C TO 17C BY  
THURS. OVERALL, SUMMER-LIKE WEATHER WITH THE GREATEST WARMUP SO  
FAR THIS SEASON, BRINGING HIGH TEMPS WELL INTO THE 80S INLAND.  
THE COOLER OCEAN WATERS WILL KEEP TEMPS ALONG THE BEACHES AND  
CLOSER TO THE COAST COOLER, ESPECIALLY WITH A DECENT SEA BREEZE  
PUSHING INLAND IN THE AFTERNOON. DEWPOINTS WILL REBOUND INTO THE  
60S WITH OVERNIGHT LOWS IN THE MID 60S IN A WARM AND MORE HUMID  
AIRMASS.  
 

 
   
LONG TERM /FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/
 
 
DEEP RIDGING UP THROUGH THE SOUTHEAST WILL SLIP SLOWLY AWAY  
OVER THE WEEKEND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK AS DEEP MID TO UPPER  
TROUGH PUSHES A COLD FRONT EAST. INITIALLY RISING H5 HEIGHTS  
SHOULD PEAK ON FRI AND ALTHOUGH HEIGHTS BEGIN TO FALL THROUGH  
THE WEEKEND, THE RIDGE HOLDS ON WITH CONTINUED SUBSIDENCE AND  
DRY AIR THROUGH THE MID LEVELS KEEPING ANY SHOWERS OUT OF THE  
PICTURE UNTIL AT LEAST LATER ON SUN. THIS WILL LEAD TO PLENTY OF  
SUNSHINE AND VERY WARM TEMPS FRI INTO THE WEEKEND WITH HIGHS  
WELL INTO THE 80S INLAND AND COULD SEE OUR FIRST 90 DEGREE DAY.  
TEMPS AT THE BEACHES WILL BE SEVERAL DEGREES COOLER AS THE WATER  
TEMPS WERE STILL IN THE 60S. EXPECT THE COOLER 70 DEGREE TEMPS  
TO SPREAD INLAND WITH THE SEA BREEZE EACH AFTN. THE WARM AND  
MORE HUMID AIR MASS WILL KEEP OVERNIGHT LOWS IN THE MID 60S  
THROUGH SUN NIGHT.  
 
A DEEP MID TO UPPER TROUGH WILL PUSH A COLD FRONT INTO THE  
CAROLINAS ON SUN. EXPECT INCREASING CLOUDS AND CHC OF PCP LATE  
SUN INTO SUN NIGHT. BEST SHORTWAVE ENERGY WILL DAMPEN OUT AS IT  
APPROACHES THE EASTERN CAROLINAS, BUT SHOULD SEE SHWRS AND ISO  
STORMS COME MON AFTN AS FRONT MOVES THROUGH LOCAL AREA. TEMPS  
SHOULD ONLY REACH INTO THE 70S ON MON WITH CLOUDS AND PCP AND BY  
MON NIGHT INTO TUES, MUCH COOLER AIR WILL MOVE IN BEHIND FRONT.  
OVERNIGHT LOWS MON NIGHT WILL BE DOWN BELOW 50 MOST PLACES AND  
HIGHS ON TUES ONLY IN THE 60S.  
 

 
   
AVIATION /06Z WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/
 
 
ONSHORE FLOW IS RESULTING IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF CLOUDS IN THE 500 TO  
1000 FT RANGE EARLY THIS MORNING. ALL TERMINALS CONTAIN AT LEAST  
TEMPO CIGS BELOW 1KFT BETWEEN NOW AND ABOUT DAYBREAK. CIGS WILL  
GRADUALLY LIFT TO VFR CONDITIONS WITH DAYTIME HEATING BUT IT COULD  
TAKE TILL MIDDAY OR LATER, ESPECIALLY INLAND. ATTM, NOT  
ANTICIPATING A REPEAT WED NIGHT INTO THURSDAY AS WINDS WILL BECOME  
MORE SE-S BY THE END OF THE VALID TAF PERIOD.  
 
EXTENDED OUTLOOK...MAINLY VFR THROUGH THE PERIOD.  
 

 
   
MARINE
 
 
THROUGH WEDNESDAY...HIGH PRESSURE NORTH OF THE FORECAST AREA  
WILL MAINTAIN STEADY EASTERLY WINDS TONIGHT, WHICH WILL  
GRADUALLY VEER TO SOUTHEASTERLY ON WEDNESDAY. SEAS IN THE 2-4 FT  
RANGE THIS AFTERNOON INCREASE TONIGHT TO 3-4 FT AND REMAIN IN  
THAT RANGE THROUGH WEDNESDAY. SEAS WILL BE DRIVEN BY A  
COMBINATION OF SOUTHEASTERLY SWELLS OF 2-4 FT AT 8-9 SECONDS AND  
EASTERLY WIND WAVES OF 1-3 FT AT 4-5 SECONDS.  
 
WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY...WINDS WILL TRANSITION FROM SE  
TO S WED NIGHT INTO THURS AS WARM FRONT LIFTS NORTH WITH A  
PERSISTENT SOUTHERLY FLOW SETTING UP THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF  
THE WEEK. WINDS WILL BE IN THE 10 TO 15 KT RANGE AND WILL SHIFT  
FROM S TO A MORE SW DIRECTION FRI INTO THE WEEKEND WITH SEAS  
MAINTAINING A 3 TO 4 FT RANGE.  
 

 
   
ILM WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
NC...NONE.  
SC...NONE.  
MARINE...NONE.  
 

 
 

 
 
SYNOPSIS...ILM  
UPDATE...TRA  
NEAR TERM...ABW  
SHORT TERM...RGZ  
LONG TERM...RGZ  
AVIATION...31  
MARINE...RGZ/ABW  
 
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