362  
FXUS62 KILM 280827  
AFDILM  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC  
427 AM EDT WED MAY 28 2025  
   
SYNOPSIS  
 
A STORM SYSTEM WILL BRING UNSETTLED WEATHER THROUGH TONIGHT.  
THE LOW WILL LIFT NORTH OF THE AREA WEDNESDAY, WITH UNSETTLED  
WEATHER REMAINING IN THE FORECAST THROUGH END OF THE WEEK. A  
COLD FRONT WILL CROSS THE AREA LATE FRIDAY, FOLLOWED BY DRIER  
WEATHER FOR NEXT WEEKEND.  
 
 
   
NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/  
 
KEY MESSAGES/HIGHLIGHTS:  
*DRIER CONDITIONS EXPECTED, ALTHOUGH ISOLATED TO WIDELY SCATTERED  
SHOWERS/STORMS ARE LIKELY THIS AFTN/EARLY EVE, WITH A VERY LOW RISK  
OF A SEVERE STORM PRODUCING DAMAGING WIND GUSTS  
*PATCHY DENSE FOG POSSIBLE THROUGH DAYBREAK AND AGAIN LATE TONIGHT  
*NEAR NORMAL TEMPS TODAY AND ABOVE NORMAL TEMPS TONIGHT  
 
CONFIDENCE:  
*MODERATE TO HIGH  
 
DETAILS: A FRONTAL SYSTEM OVER THE AREA WILL SHIFT TO THE NORTH AWAY  
FROM SE NC AND NE SC THIS MORNING BRINGING DRIER CONDITIONS TO THE  
AREA. HOWEVER, ISOLATED TO WIDELY SCATTERED SHOWERS/STORMS ARE  
EXPECTED TO DEVELOP THIS AFTN/EARLY EVE AS WE RETURN TO MORE OF A  
NORMAL LATE SPRING PATTERN. INSTABILITY, SHEAR AND FORCING APPEAR  
MINIMAL BUT THERE IS DECENT DOWNDRAFT CAPE (DCAPE) SO IF ANY  
UPDRAFTS COULD GET STRONG ENOUGH THERE COULD BE A DAMAGING WIND  
GUST. HIGHS SHOULD GENERALLY BE NEAR NORMAL IN THE LOWER TO MID 80S.  
 
MAINLY DRY WEATHER IS EXPECTED OVERNIGHT WITH LOWS STAYING ABOVE  
NORMAL IN THE UPPER 60S MOST LOCALES.  
 
 
   
SHORT TERM /THURSDAY THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT/  
 
MAIN FOCUS OF THE SHORT TERM WILL BE THE POSSIBILITY OF SEVERE  
WEATHER FRIDAY DUE TO AN APPROACHING COLD FRONT, PARTICULARLY DURING  
THE AFTERNOON.  
 
FOR THURSDAY, A SHORTWAVE WILL MOVE THROUGH ALOFT, INCREASING SHOWER  
CHANCES THROUGH THE PM HOURS AS MOISTURE BUILDS IN FROM THE SW.  
THUNDER CHANCES WILL PEAK IN THE AFTERNOON, DECREASING AWAY FROM THE  
COAST AFTER SUNSET. PWATS WILL BE +1.5" WHICH SHOULD SUPPORT  
MODERATE RAINFALL WITH STRONGER AFTERNOON CELLS, BUT OVERNIGHT  
RAINFALL SHOULD LARGELY BE LIGHTER.  
 
INTO FRIDAY MORNING, A COLD FRONT SHOULD BE PUSHING INTO THE EASTERN  
CAROLINAS, A WAVE OF 40-50 KT BULK SHEAR SURGING AHEAD OF IT. THIS  
WILL ENTER THE AREA AROUND PEAK HEATING HOURS. MLCAPE COULD REACH  
1000-1500 J/KG WITH NAM MUCAPE SHOWING +2000 J/KG. THIS WILL SUPPORT  
INCREASED COVERAGE OF STORMS INTO FRIDAY AFTERNOON WITH ORGANIZATION  
POSSIBLE. THE MAIN THREATS WILL BE DAMAGING WIND AND LARGE HAIL,  
PARTICULARLY FOR OUR INLAND COUNTIES AT THIS TIME. ISOLATED STRONGER  
CELLS MAY BE POSSIBLE CLOSER TO THE COAST. THE FRONT SHOULD PUSH  
THROUGH SOMETIME FRIDAY NIGHT BRINGING THE SEVERE THREAT TO AN END.  
 
 
   
LONG TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/  
 
MOSTLY DRY CONDITIONS EXPECTED THROUGH THE LONG TERM PERIOD BEHIND  
THE COLD FRONT. A PASSING SHORTWAVE MAY BRING A SLIGHT CHANCE OF  
SHOWERS MONDAY. TEMPERATURES WILL WARM THROUGH THE PERIOD,  
PARTICULARLY INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK AS WE GET CLOSE TO FULL SUN EVERY  
DAY.  
 
 
   
AVIATION /09Z WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/  
 
HIGH CONFIDENCE IN PREVAILING MVFR/IFR CEILINGS THROUGH AT LEAST  
MID DAY AS LOW PRESSURE MOVES NORTH THROUGH THE AREA BEFORE VFR  
CIGS LIKELY RETURN, LIKELY STARTING NEAR THE COAST (KILM/KCRE/KMYR)  
AND THEN INLAND (KLBT/KFLO). SOME HEAVY SHOWERS/STORMS COULD  
IMPACT THE TERMS OVERNIGHT, MAINLY NEAR THE COAST, WITH IFR/LIFR  
VSBYS POSSIBLE. SHOWER/STORM COVERAGE SHOULD BECOME MORE  
ISOLATED/WIDELY SCATTERED DURING THE DAY ONCE THE LOW MOVES  
NORTH OF THE AREA AND A MORE TYPICAL LATE SPRING PATTERN RETURNS.  
 
EXTENDED OUTLOOK...PERIODIC IFR/MVFR POSSIBLE IN STORMS EACH  
DAY THROUGH FRIDAY, CONFIDENCE IN TIMING AND DETAILS IS LOW. VFR  
RETURNS THIS WEEKEND.  
 
 
   
MARINE  
 
THROUGH TONIGHT...MODERATE TO HIGH CONFIDENCE. A FRONTAL SYSTEM WILL  
BE SHIFTING NORTH OF THE AREA TODAY WITH MORE OF A TYPICAL LATE  
SPRING WEATHER PATTERN RETURNING WITH MORE SOUTHERLY WINDS. SEAS  
WILL PEAK THIS MORNING, UP TO 5 FT OFF CAPE FEAR, THEN FALL TO 2-3  
FT BY DAYBREAK THURSDAY.  
 
THURSDAY THROUGH MONDAY...UNSETTLED WEATHER WILL CONTINUE UNTIL A  
COLD FRONT PUSHES OFFSHORE FRIDAY NIGHT INTO SATURDAY. WINDS WILL  
PREDOMINANTLY BE OUT OF THE SW ~10 KTS, INCREASING AHEAD OF THE  
FRONT ON FRIDAY TO 15-20 KTS. FOR NOW, CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO BE  
JUST SHY OF SCA CRITERIA FRIDAY, BUT GUSTS ~25 KT AND SEAS NEARING 6  
FT MAY CONSTITUTE AN ADVISORY. OTHERWISE, SEAS GENERALLY 2-4 FT.  
WINDS BEHIND THE FRONT FOR THE END OF THE PERIOD WILL BE MORE  
VARIABLE AS HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS IN AND ~10 KTS.  
 
 
   
TIDES/COASTAL FLOODING  
 
OTHER - RIP CURRENTS: THERE IS A HIGH RISK OF RIP CURRENTS FOR  
BEACHES NORTH OF CAPE FEAR WEDNESDAY DUE TO A 4-5 FT 8 SEC E  
SWELL. LIGHTER WINDS THAN YESTERDAY SHOULD ALLOW MORE RIP  
CURRENTS TO FORM IN THE ABSENCE OF A STRONGER LONGSHORE  
CURRENT.  
 
 
   
ILM WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
NC...HIGH RISK FOR RIP CURRENTS THROUGH THIS EVENING FOR NCZ106-108.  
SC...NONE.  
MARINE...NONE.  
 
 
 
 
 
SYNOPSIS...ILM  
NEAR TERM...RJB  
SHORT TERM...LEW  
LONG TERM...LEW  
AVIATION...RJB  
MARINE...RJB/LEW  
TIDES/COASTAL FLOODING...  
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