311  
FXUS62 KILM 292355  
AFDILM  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC  
755 PM EDT SUN MAR 29 2026  
   
WHAT HAS CHANGED
 
 
FIRE DANGER STATEMENT EXPIRES AT 8PM.  
 
AVIATION DISCUSSION UPDATED WITH 00Z TAF ISSUANCE.  
 
THE STATEWIDE BURNING BAN ACROSS SC WILL BE LIFTED AT 7AM  
MONDAY, MARCH 30TH. METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS WILL IMPROVE  
ENOUGH TO LIFT THE STATEWIDE BURN BAN, BUT DRY FUELS REMAIN  
PLENTIFUL GIVEN THE ONGOING DROUGHT ACROSS THE STATE. IF ONE  
BURNS, BE COGNIZANT AND REMAIN WITH YOUR FIRE UNTIL ITS  
SUPPRESSED.  
 
THE SC STATE FORESTRY COMMISSION ALSO REMINDS EVERYONE THAT  
THE UPCOMING MONTH, APRIL, HAS HISTORICALLY SEEN THE MOST  
DAMAGING AND COSTLIEST WILDFIRES ACROSS SC.  
 

 
   
KEY MESSAGES
 
 
1) UNSETTLED WEATHER IS POSSIBLE DURING THE LATTER HALF OF THIS  
WEEK, BUT CONFIDENCE IS LOW REGARDING THE DETAILS.  
 

 
   
DISCUSSION
 
 
KEY MESSAGE 1... UNSETTLED WEATHER IS POSSIBLE DURING THE LATTER  
HALF OF THIS WEEK, BUT CONFIDENCE IS LOW REGARDING THE DETAILS.  
 
A COMPLICATED UPPER PATTERN EVOLUTION IS EXPECTED THIS WEEK.  
FIRST, AN UPPER TROUGH AND ASSOCIATED SURFACE LOW CROSSING THE  
NORTHERN US DURING THE EARLY TO MIDDLE PART OF THE WEEK LEAVES A  
STALLED FRONT EXTENDING FROM THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY INTO THE  
MID-ATLANTIC. WITH ROBUST SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE STATIONED NEAR  
BERMUDA, EXPECT GRADUALLY WARMING TEMPS AND RISING DEW POINTS  
THROUGH MIDWEEK. NEXT, A POWERFUL TROUGH IS EXPECTED TO ENTER THE  
PACIFIC NORTHWEST WEDNESDAY NIGHT WHILE A SOUTHERN STREAM SHORTWAVE  
TROUGH AND RIDGE PAIR CROSS THE COUNTRY AHEAD OF IT. THE DETAILS  
PERTAINING TO HOW THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST TROUGH EVOLVES, AND  
SUBSEQUENTLY HOW THE DOWNSTREAM PATTERN RESPONDS, RESULTS IN LOW  
CONFIDENCE FOR HOW UNSETTLED THE WEATHER WILL BECOME AS THE  
PLACEMENT OF THE STALLED FRONT WILL BE AFFECTED BY THESE UPPER  
FEATURES. FURTHERMORE, A STRONG HIGH PRESSURE CENTER TRANSLATING  
ACROSS SOUTHERN CANADA ON THE NORTH SIDE OF THE STALLED FRONT WILL  
ALSO INFLUENCE HOW FAR SOUTH THE FRONT SETTLES.  
 
RUN-TO-RUN CONSISTENCY AMONGST OPERATIONAL MODEL GUIDANCE REMAINS  
LOW, BUT ENSEMBLE PROBABILITY TRENDS AND CLUSTER ANALYSIS TOOLS  
GENERALLY SUPPORT A DRIER SCENARIO BEING THE MOST LIKELY OUTCOME,  
WHICH HAS RESULTED IN A SLIGHT DECREASE IN OVERALL PRECIP CHANCES  
MID WEEK. THE LATEST MODEL TRENDS HAVE SHIFTED TOWARD A STRONGER  
OFFSHORE RIDGE, THUS KEEPING THE FRONT FURTHER AWAY AND PRECIP  
COVERAGE LIMITED DUE TO STRONGER SUBSIDING AIR BENEATH THE RIDGE.  
NEVERTHELESS, THERE SHOULD STILL BE DAILY CHANCES FOR AT LEAST  
ISOLATED POP-UP SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS, STARTING WEDNESDAY, AS  
THE WARM AND HUMID BERMUDA HIGH PRESSURE PATTERN SUPPORTS A MORE  
SUMMER-LIKE RESULT THROUGH THE WEEK.  
 

 
   
AVIATION /00Z MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/
 
 
VFR EXPECTED THROUGHOUT THE 24 HR TAF ISSUANCE PERIOD.  
THE ONLY EXCEPTION WILL BE THE POSSIBILITY OF GROUND FOG THAT  
MAY REDUCE VSBY TO 3SM TO 5SM BETWEEN 09Z AND 13Z, MAINLY ACROSS  
THE INLAND TERMINALS. OTHERWISE, WILL OBSERVE A THIN/OPAQUE  
CIRRUS DECK TRAVERSE THE AREA THIS 24 HR PERIOD. AND MAY OBSERVE  
SOME ONSHORE MOVEMENT OF STRATOCU FROM OFF THE WATERS TONIGHT,  
AFFECTING ONLY THE COASTAL TERMINALS. FOR MON, WILL SEE DAYTIME  
CU AND SC ESPECIALLY FROM 14Z THRU 00Z IN THE 4500-6500 FOOT  
RANGE. NO VERTICAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE CU EXPECTED. WITH THE SFC  
RIDGE AXIS EXTENDING BACK ACROSS THE AREA FROM THE HIGH'S CENTER  
WELL OFFSHORE FROM THE CAROLINA COASTS, WIND DIRECTIONS WILL  
RANGE FROM ESE-SSE. WIND SPEEDS TONIGHT AOB 4 KT, CALM AT TIMES  
DURING THE PRE-DAWN MON HRS. WINDS PICK UP TO 5 TO 10 KT BY MID  
MORNING AND CONTINUING THRU THE DAY. SEA BREEZE MAY ADD 5 KT TO  
THE COASTAL TERMINALS DURING THE AFTN/EVENING.  
 
EXTENDED FORECAST...VFR CONDITIONS SHOULD PREVAIL, ALTHOUGH  
THERE WILL BE POSSIBLE MINOR FLIGHT RESTRICTIONS, MAINLY DUE TO  
EARLY MORNING FOG/STRATUS AND SHOWERS STARTING WED. BY THU, SEA  
FOG MOVING ONSHORE COULD ALSO BECOME AN ISSUE.  
 

 
   
MARINE
 
 
THROUGH MONDAY...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY CONDITIONS HAVE BASICALLY  
ENDED ACROSS THE WATERS ASIDE FROM A FEW 6 FTERS POSSIBLE IN THE  
OUTER WATERS DIMINISHING INTO EARLY THIS EVENING. OTHERWISE HIGH  
PRESSURE EXTENDING INTO THE WATERS FROM THE NORTH WILL SHIFT  
FARTHER OFFSHORE ALLOWING ONSHORE WINDS TO SHIFT FROM E TO SE  
AND EVENTUALLY MORE SOUTHERLY BY LATE MON. SEAS WILL DIMINISH  
FROM 4 TO 5 FT THIS AFTERNOON DOWN TO 2 TO 4 FT BY MON.  
 
MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY... SUB-SCA CONDITIONS CONTINUE FOR THE  
DURATION OF THIS WEEK. WITH BERMUDA HIGH PRESSURE LOCKED IN PLACE  
WELL OFFSHORE AND LOW PRESSURE SYSTEMS STAYING OFF TO THE NORTH AND  
WEST, WINDS WILL AVERAGE OUT OF THE SOUTH AT ONLY 5-15 KT, WITH SOME  
DAILY ENHANCEMENT NEARSHORE FROM THE SEA BREEZE. SEAS STEADY AT 2-4  
FT, MAINLY CONSISTING OF 7-8 SECOND SE WAVES.  
 

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

 
 

 
 
WHAT HAS CHANGED...DCH  
KEY MESSAGES...MAS/RGZ  
DISCUSSION...MAS/RGZ  
AVIATION...DCH  
MARINE...MAS/RGZ  
 
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