374  
FXUS62 KILM 181748  
AFDILM  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC  
148 PM EDT SAT OCT 18 2025  
   
SYNOPSIS  
 
HIGH PRESSURE WILL MOVE OFFSHORE SUNDAY AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT.  
SUNDAY NIGHT WILL SEE A MINIMAL CHANCE OF RAIN AS THE FRONT  
PUSHES THROUGH. DRY HIGH PRESSURE WILL RETURN AND DOMINATE  
THROUGH MUCH OF THE WEEK. A DRY COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH  
TUESDAY NIGHT, MAINLY AFFECTING WINDS AND TEMPERATURES.  
 
 
   
NEAR TERM /THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT/  
 
WITH SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE NOW OFFSHORE AND SOUTHERLY FLOW IN  
PLACE FOR MOST OF THE AREA, WARMING TREND WILL CONTINUE THROUGH  
TOMORROW. TONIGHT'S LOWS WILL BE ALMOST 10 DEGREES HIGHER THAN  
THIS MORNING'S LOWS, WITH FORECASTED TEMPS IN THE MID 50S FOR  
SUNDAY MORNING. DECENT WAA WILL BRING WARM TEMPS ON SUNDAY WITH  
HIGHS AROUND 80F. SOUTHERLY WINDS WILL BE QUITE BREEZY, WITH  
GUSTS OF 25-30+ MPH POSSIBLE IN THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS  
AHEAD OF AN APPROACHING COLD FRONT. MAY HAVE A FEW LIGHT SHOWERS  
MOVE ONSHORE FROM THE SOUTH DURING THE DAY SUNDAY ACROSS  
COASTAL COUNTIES, BUT NOT EXPECTING MEASURABLE RAINFALL. COLD  
FRONT IS FORECASTED TO MOVE ACROSS THE AREA SUNDAY EVENING INTO  
EARLY OVERNIGHT HOURS, WITH SHOWERS ALONG THE FRONT. SINCE THE  
BULK OF UPPER LEVEL SUPPORT WILL BE NORTH OF THE AREA WITH THE  
LIFTING TROUGH, COVERAGE WILL BE MORE SCATTERED IN OUR AREA AND  
QPF IS ONLY AROUND 0.1". THERE IS A CHANCE FOR ISOLATED THUNDER  
NEAR THE COAST LATE SUNDAY EVENING/EARLY OVERNIGHT WHEN MEAGER  
INSTABILITY DEVELOPS JUST AHEAD OF THE FRONT. DRY AIR MOVES IN  
BEHIND THE FRONT AND LOWS AROUND 50F BY MONDAY MORNING.  
 
 
   
SHORT TERM /MONDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/  
 
HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD IN BEHIND EXITING COLD FRONT AND WILL  
MOVE SWIFTLY FROM THE TENNESSEE VALLEY MON MORNING TO THE  
OFFSHORE WATERS OF THE CAROLINA COAST BY TUES. NW WINDS BEHIND  
THE FRONT WILL BE MUCH LIGHTER ON MONDAY AND WILL BACK AND  
LIGHTEN AS THE CENTER OF THE HIGH SHIFTS EAST. COOLER AND DRIER  
AIR WILL MAINTAIN TEMPS IN THE 70S ON MON AND TUES. INLAND AREAS  
SHOULD HAVE HIGHER TEMPS ON TUES WITH A WARMER AND MOISTER  
SOUTHERLY RETURN FLOW DEVELOPING THROUGH LATE TUES. COASTAL  
AREAS MAY SEE WARMER TEMPS ON MON WITH THE OFFSHORE WESTERLY  
COMPONENT TO WINDS VS. ONSHORE TO SOUTHERLY COMPONENT OFF THE  
WATER ON TUES. OVERALL, A DRY PERIOD WITH OVERNIGHT LOWS ON THE  
COOL SIDE MON NIGHT, WITH MOST PLACES INLAND OF THE COAST IN THE  
40S.  
 
 
   
LONG TERM /TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY/  
 
ALTHOUGH THE DAYS WILL WARM IN LATE OCTOBER SUNSHINE, TEMPS  
WILL FLUCTUATE A BIT. A COLD FRONT PASSING THROUGH TUES NIGHT  
INTO EARLY WED WILL BRING A SLIGHT CHC OF SHWRS AND WARMER TEMPS  
AHEAD OF IT WITH COOLER AND DRIER AIR BEHIND IT FOR WED NIGHT  
INTO THURS. OVERALL, THE FLOW ALOFT WILL REMAIN FLATTER MOST OF  
THE WEEK AND THE CENTER OF THE SFC HIGH WILL MIGRATE ACROSS THE  
SOUTH WED THROUGH THURS, SHIFTING OFFSHORE BY FRI. THE WEEKEND  
WEATHER MAY BECOME A BIT MORE UNSETTLED AS A SHORTWAVE AND LOW  
POSSIBLY MOVE ACROSS THE SOUTH. TOO FAR OUT TO SAY WITH MUCH  
CONFIDENCE AT THIS POINT.  
 
 
   
AVIATION /18Z SATURDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/  
 
VFR. CLEAR SKIES THROUGH TONIGHT, WITH SCATTERED CUMULUS CLOUDS  
DEVELOPING DURING THE DAY SUNDAY. 5-10 KTS SOUTHERLY WINDS  
THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING BEFORE WIND SPEEDS INCREASE WITH  
TIGHTENING PRESSURE GRADIENT AHEAD OF AN APPROACHING COLD FRONT.  
WIND GUSTS AROUND 20 KTS FORECASTED TOWARDS THE END OF THE  
CURRENT TAF PERIOD (~17Z SUNDAY).  
 
EXTENDED OUTLOOK...GUSTS TO 30KTS WILL BE POSSIBLE SUNDAY  
AFTERNOON AND EVENING. BRIEF MVFR CONDITIONS POSSIBLE SUNDAY  
EVENING WITH COLD FRONTAL PASSAGE, WITH ISOLATED THUNDER AT  
COASTAL TERMINALS. THERE MAY ALSO BE A FEW HOURS OF LLWS LATE  
SUNDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING AHEAD OF AND ALONG COLD FRONT WITH  
S WINDS INCREASING TO 30-35 KTS AT 2 KFT. VFR CONDITIONS TO  
PREVAIL SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY.  
 
 
   
MARINE  
 
THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT...SOUTH-SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL BE INCREASING  
IN STRENGTH TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY, WITH HIGH PRESSURE NOW  
OFFSHORE AND COLD FRONT APPROACHING THE AREA LATE SUNDAY. WINDS  
AROUND 10 KTS TONIGHT INCREASE TO 15-20 KTS SUNDAY AFTERNOON  
BEFORE PEAKING AROUND 20-25 KTS SUNDAY EVENING. COLD FRONT MOVES  
ACROSS THE WATERS EARLY SUNDAY NIGHT AND WINDS SHIFT TO  
NORTHWESTERLY BEHIND IT. SEAS 2-3 FT TONIGHT BUILD TO 4-5 FT BY  
SUNDAY AFTERNOON, WITH 6 FOOTERS POSSIBLE IN THE COASTAL WATERS  
OFF OF SOUTHEAST NC SUNDAY NIGHT. A BRIEF SCA MAY BE ISSUED FOR  
SUNDAY NIGHT FOR GUSTY WINDS AND ELEVATED SEAS, MAINLY FOR SE NC  
WATERS, BEFORE CONDITIONS IMPROVE BEHIND THE FRONT. ISOLATED  
THUNDER IS FORECASTED ALONG THE FRONT AS WELL.  
 
MONDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY...WINDS AND SEAS WILL BE DIMINISHING  
AS COLD FRONT EXITS FARTHER OFFSHORE AND HIGH PRESSURE MOVES IN.  
THE NORTHERLY WINDS WILL BACK AND LIGHTEN THROUGH MON WITH SEAS  
DROPPING DOWN TO 3 FT OR LESS BY MON EVE. ANOTHER FRONT WILL  
MOVE ACROSS TUES NIGHT AND EXPECT A BUMP UP OF THE WINDS AND  
SEAS AT THAT TIME COMING DOWN BY LATE WED INTO THUR AS HIGH  
PRESSURE MOVES IN. OVERALL WINDS WILL BE NW BEHIND THE FRONT  
MON, THEN BACK SLOWLY AND LIGHTEN UP THROUGH LATE MON INTO TUES.  
THE SW WINDS AHEAD OF THE FRONT INTO TUES EVE WILL COME AROUND  
ONCE AGAIN TO THE N AS A FAIRLY DRY COLD FRONT MOVES THROUGH  
EARLY WED. SEAS MAY REACH BACK UP TO 3 TO 4 FT TUES NIGHT INTO  
WED ASSOCIATED WITH COLD FRONT, BUT NOT EXPECTING ANY SCA  
CONDITIONS AT THIS TIME.  
 
 
   
ILM WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
NC...COASTAL FLOOD ADVISORY FROM 7 PM TO 10 PM EDT THIS EVENING FOR  
NCZ107.  
SC...NONE.  
MARINE...NONE.  
 
 
 
 
 
SYNOPSIS...ILM  
NEAR TERM...VAO  
SHORT TERM...RGZ  
LONG TERM...RGZ  
AVIATION...VAO  
MARINE...RGZ/VAO  
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