240  
FXUS62 KILM 071804  
AFDILM  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC  
104 PM EST WED JAN 7 2026  
   
SYNOPSIS
 
 
A BACKDOOR COLD FRONT WILL SINK SOUTH OF THE REGION TONIGHT,  
LIFTING BACK NORTH EARLY FRIDAY. A SIGNIFICANT WARMING TREND  
COULD BRING RECORD HIGHS FRIDAY AND SATURDAY. A STRONG BUT  
MOISTURE DEPRIVED COLD FRONT SUNDAY WILL BRING TEMPERATURES BACK  
TO JANUARY VALUES INTO NEXT WEEK.  
 

 
   
NEAR TERM /THROUGH THURSDAY/
 
 
HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD INTO THE REGION TONIGHT BEHIND A DRY  
COLD FRONT THIS EVENING. DESPITE A DRIER (AND DRYING) BOUNDARY  
LAYER THAN PREVIOUS NIGHTS, SOME PATCHY FOG MAY BE POSSIBLE.  
BOUNDARY LAYER WINDS TURN NORTHEASTERLY AND INCREASE TO AROUND  
10-15 KNOTS NEAR SUNRISE WHICH WOULD LIKELY FORCE LOW LEVEL FOG  
TO LIFT TO STRATUS OR DISSIPATE COMPLETELY. THIS SHOULD EASE ANY  
IMPACT TO THE MORNING COMMUTE. GIVEN THE UNCERTAINTY IN FOG  
DEVELOPMENT OVER THE LAST FEW NIGHTS, SAFE TO CALL THIS A LOW  
CONFIDENCE FORECAST.  
 
EXPECT ANOTHER STELLAR DAY ON THURSDAY. HIGH PRESSURE WILL  
SLIDE OFFSHORE OF THE DELMARVA COAST DURING THE AFTERNOON.  
EASTERLY FLOW DURING THE LATE MORNING WILL TRANSITION TO  
SOUTHEASTERLY WINDS FOR THE AFTERNOON. HIGHS WILL TOUCH THE 70  
DEGREE MARK WITH INCREASING DEW POINTS IN THE UPPER 50S TO  
AROUND 60.  
 

 
   
SHORT TERM /THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT/
 
 
FRONT STALLED TO THE SOUTH WILL LIFT NORTH OF THE AREA THURSDAY  
NIGHT INTO EARLY FRIDAY. THIS WILL KICK OFF STRONG WAA AND WELL  
ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES INTO THE WEEKEND, DESPITE PLENTY OF  
HIGH CLOUDS. HIGH TEMPS FRIDAY, AWAY FROM THE IMMEDIATE  
COASTLINE, IS FORECASTED AROUND 75-77F. RECORD HIGHS FOR LBT AND  
FLO IS 78F FOR JAN 9TH. THERE MAY BE A FEW SHALLOW, VERY LIGHT  
SHOWERS MOVING ONSHORE IN RETURN FLOW FRIDAY, WITH VERY DRY MID  
LEVEL AIR LIMITING POPS. LOW TEMPS FRIDAY MORNING IN THE LOW  
50S, WHILE LOWS FRIDAY NIGHT WILL BE WARMER THAN TYPICAL HIGHS  
THIS TIME OF YEAR AROUND 60F.  
 

 
   
LONG TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/
 
 
ANOTHER VERY WARM DAY SATURDAY WITH HIGHS IN THE UPPER 70S,  
APPROACHING 80F. RECORD HIGHS FOR THE 10TH AT FLO AND LBT ARE  
80F AND 78F, RESPECTIVELY. BREEZY SATURDAY AFTERNOON WITH GUSTS  
AROUND 25-30 MPH. MID LEVEL DRY AIR STILL PRESENT DURING THE DAY  
SATURDAY, FINALLY ERODING LATE IN THE DAY AS COLD FRONT  
APPROACHES. LIGHT SHOWERS MOVE ACROSS THE AREA SATURDAY NIGHT,  
WITH LIMITED QPF, WITH STRONG COLD FRONT MOVING THROUGH LATE  
SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY MORNING. DEPENDING ON TIMING OF  
FRONT, HIGH TEMPS SUNDAY WILL LIKELY BE EARLIER IN THE DAY  
BEFORE FALLING THROUGH THE AFTERNOON. 850MB TEMPS DROP FROM 12C  
SATURDAY NIGHT TO -6C SUNDAY NIGHT, AIDING IN BELOW NORMAL TEMPS  
TO START NEXT WEEK. UPPER SHORTWAVE MOVES ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST  
SUNDAY EVENING, BUT THERE WILL BE VIRTUALLY NO MOISTURE LEFT FOR  
ANY SENSIBLE WEATHER. AFTER FREEZING TEMPS MONDAY MORNING,  
HIGHS WILL STRUGGLE TO REACH 50F IN THE AFTERNOON. COOL HIGH  
PRESSURE AND ASSOCIATED RADIATIONAL COOLING WILL MAKE MONDAY  
NIGHT THE COLDEST OF THE FORECAST PERIOD, WITH CURRENT FORECAST  
IN THE UPPER 20S. TEMPS WARM BACK TO NEAR NORMAL HEADING INTO  
THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK. COASTAL TROUGH/LOW MAY PRODUCE SOME  
SHOWERS WEDNESDAY.  
 

 
   
AVIATION /18Z WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY/
 
 
VFR FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING. CLEAR  
SKIES THIS EVENING AND INCREASED LOW LEVEL MOISTURE MAY LEAD TO  
SOME PATCHY FOG ACROSS THE REGION. THE BEST CHANCE OF THIS WILL  
BE NEAR THE COAST. A DRY COLD FRONT WILL DIP SOUTHWARD  
OVERNIGHT, BRINGING INCREASED BOUNDARY LAYER WINDS AND SCOURING  
ANY FOG THAT DEVELOPS. SOME STRATUS IS POSSIBLE THEREAFTER, BUT  
THE INTRODUCTION OF LOW LEVEL DRY AIR MAY ALSO LEAD TO CLEAR  
SKIES.  
 
VFR DEVELOPS QUICKLY ON THURSDAY. ONSHORE FLOW BY LATE MORNING  
MAY PRODUCE SOME MVFR CIGS AT THE COAST.  
 
EXTENDED FORECAST...VFR. BOUNDARY LAYER MOISTURE INCREASES THIS  
WEEKEND WITH THE POTENTIAL TO BRING BRIEF RESTRICTIONS DURING  
THE MORNING DUE TO LOW STRATUS AND/OR FOG. SEA FOG APPEARS  
LIKELY FRIDAY AND SATURDAY WHICH WOULD IMPACT COASTAL TERMINALS  
DURING THE DAYLIGHT HOURS TOO. CONFIDENCE IN SEA FOG IMPACTS IS  
LOW.  
 

 
   
MARINE
 
 
THROUGH THURSDAY...SOUTHWEST WINDS WEAKEN TODAY AND TURN  
NORTHEASTERLY TONIGHT AS A DRY COLD FRONT MOVES OFFSHORE. HIGH  
PRESSURE BUILDING NORTH OF THE REGION WILL QUICKLY SLIDE  
OFFSHORE ON THURSDAY. WHILE WINDS REMAIN LIGHT, THEY WILL VARY  
IN DIRECTION FROM NORTHEAST EARLY THURSDAY MORNING TO SOUTHEAST  
BY THURSDAY AFTERNOON. LIGHT AND VARIABLE WINDS KEEP SEAS AROUND  
1-2 FEET.  
 
THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY...LIGHT ENE WINDS THURSDAY NIGHT  
WILL TURN SOUTHERLY EARLY FRIDAY AS WARM FRONT LIFTS NORTH.  
SOUTH- SOUTHWEST WINDS PERSIST THROUGH LATE SATURDAY, INCREASING  
TO 15-20 KTS SATURDAY EVENING. STRONG COLD FRONT PUSHES  
OFFSHORE EARLY SUNDAY, WITH GUSTY OFFSHORE WINDS DEVELOPING BY  
SUNDAY AFTERNOON. SEAS AROUND 2 FT FRIDAY INCREASE TO 3-4 FT BY  
SATURDAY EVENING WITH BUILDING SOUTHERLY WIND WAVE. SEAS LINGER  
AROUND 3-4 FT THROUGH SUNDAY, WITH DIMINISHING SOUTHERLY WAVE  
COMPONENT BEING REPLACED BY OFFSHORE WAVES. THERE IS A ALSO A  
CHANCE OF PATCHY SEA FOG FRIDAY INTO SATURDAY AS DEWPOINTS RISE  
INTO THE 60S.  
 

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

 
 

 
 
SYNOPSIS...ILM  
NEAR TERM...21  
SHORT TERM...VAO  
LONG TERM...VAO  
AVIATION...21  
MARINE...VAO/21  
 
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