833  
FXUS62 KILM 311020  
AFDILM  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC  
620 AM EDT FRI JUL 31 2026  
   
WHAT HAS CHANGED
 
 
ONLY MINOR CHANGES FOR THE NEW FORECAST PERIOD. COASTAL FLOOD  
ADVISORY ISSUED FOR DOWNTOWN CAPE FEAR FRIDAY NIGHT. AVIATION  
SECTION UPDATED FOR THE 12Z TAF ISSUANCE.  
 

 
   
KEY MESSAGES
 
 
1)MAINLY DRY CONDITIONS THROUGH SATURDAY WITH ONE MORE DAY OF LOWER  
HUMIDITY LEVELS  
 
2) WET AND UNSETTLED SUNDAY INTO NEXT WEEK  
 

 
   
DISCUSSION
 
 
KEY MESSAGE 1...MAINLY DRY CONDITIONS THROUGH SATURDAY WITH  
ONE MORE DAY OF LOWER HUMIDITY LEVELS  
 
WEAK SFC HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE AREA WILL GRADUALLY WEAKEN AND  
DISSIPATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. HOWEVER, A VERY DRY AIRMASS  
WILL REMAIN IN PLACE ACROSS THE AREA, LARGELY LIMITING ANY SEABREEZE-  
DRIVEN CONVECTION TODAY WHILE PROVIDING ONE MORE DAY OF  
RELATIVELY COMFORTABLE HUMIDITY LEVELS.  
 
BY SATURDAY, THE HUMIDITY WILL BE ON THE RISE AS LOW-LEVEL FLOW  
BECOMES INCREASINGLY SOUTHERLY AHEAD OF AN APPROACHING WARM FRONT.  
WHILE MOST LOCATIONS WILL REMAIN DRY, A FEW SHOWERS CANNOT BE RULED  
OUT. RAIN CHANCES INCREASE SATURDAY NIGHT AS THE FRONT MOVES INTO  
THE AREA.  
 
KEY MESSAGE 2...WET AND UNSETTLED SUNDAY INTO NEXT WEEK  
 
A SHORTWAVE TROUGH WILL DROP SOUTH OUT OF THE UPPER MS VALLEY LATE  
INTO THE WEEKEND, WITH GUIDANCE SUGGESTING IT MAY EVOLVE INTO A WEAK  
UPPER LOW OVER THE TN VALLEY/DEEP SOUTH AND LINGER INTO LATE WEEK  
BEFORE GRADUALLY FILLING.  
 
DEEP SOUTHWESTERLY MOISTURE TRANSPORT BETWEEN THIS SLOW MOVING  
SYSTEM AND SUBTROPICAL RIDGING OVER THE WESTERN ATLANTIC WILL  
MAINTAIN AN AXIS OF ANOMALOUSLY MOIST AIR, WITH PWATS OF 2.0-2.50",  
ACROSS EASTERN PORTIONS OF THE CAROLINAS THROUGH MUCH OF THE PERIOD.  
 
COMBINED WITH A QUASI-STATIONARY FRONTAL ZONE DRAPED ACROSS AND  
DAILY DIURNAL HEATING, SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO  
BECOME NUMEROUS AT TIMES BEGINNING SUNDAY AND PERSIST THROUGH MUCH  
OF NEXT WEEK. THIS PATTERN COULD PROVIDE SOME MUCH NEEDED DROUGHT  
RELIEF, WITH WIDESPREAD RAINFALL TOTAL OF 1 TO 2 INCHES POSSIBLE  
DURING THE PERIOD. LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS WILL BE POSSIBLE WHERE  
STORMS REPEATEDLY TRACK OVER THE SAME AREA, WHICH COULD ALSO LEAD TO  
ISOLATED FLOOD.  
 
WIDESPREAD/PERSISTENT CLOUD COVER AND ELEVATED RAIN CHANCES  
SHOULD KEEP TEMPERATURES NEAR TO SLIGHTLY BELOW NORMAL THROUGH  
THE PERIOD.  
 

 
   
AVIATION /10Z FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/
 
 
VERY DRY AIR REMAINS IN PLACE ACROSS THE REGION, SUPPORTING  
PREDOMINATELY VFR CONDITIONS THROUGH THE TAF PERIOD.  
 
EXTENDED FORECAST... ONSET OF SOUTH-SOUTHEASTERLY RETURN FLOW  
WILL INCREASE THE POTENTIAL FOR LOW STRATUS AND/OR FOG SATURDAY  
AND SUNDAY MORNINGS. AN UNSETTLED AVIATION PATTERN IS EXPECTED  
SUNDAY THROUGH TUESDAY AS A SLOW MOVING UPPER TROUGH, STALLED  
FRONTAL BOUNDARY, AND ANOMALOUSLY MOIST AIRMASS IMPACT THE  
REGION. NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND STORMS ARE EXPECTED EACH AFTERNOON  
AND EVENING, WITH PERIODIC SUB-VFR RESTRICTIONS IN HEAVY RAIN  
AND THUNDERSTORMS. THE MOIST LOW-LEVEL AIRMASS WILL ALSO SUPPORT  
A GREATER POTENTIAL FOR MORNING STRATUS EACH DAY.  
 

 
   
MARINE
 
 
THROUGH MONDAY...THROUGH MONDAY... LIGHT AND VARIABLE WINDS WILL  
BECOME SOUTHEASTERLY THIS AFTERNOON AS WEAK SFC HIGH PRESSURE OVER  
THE AREA DISSIPATES THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. SOUTHEAST WINDS  
GRADUALLY INCREASE LATE SATURDAY AND VEER TO SOUTHERLY OVER SATURDAY  
NIGHT AS A STALLED FRONT LIFTS BACK TO THE COAST. WINDS INCREASE  
CONSIDERABLY ON SUNDAY AS THE PRESSURE GRADIENT TIGHTENS AND THE  
FRONT LIFTS INLAND, RESULTING IN BREEZY SOUTH WINDS WITH GUSTS  
LIKELY TO PASS SCA CRITERIA ON SUNDAY AND POSSIBLY INTO MONDAY.  
 
WEAK WINDS WILL YIELD BENIGN SEAS BETWEEN 1-3 FT THROUGH SATURDAY  
NIGHT. SEAS RAPIDLY INCREASE TO 4-6 FT AS WINDS INCREASE ON SUNDAY  
AND THESE CONTINUE INTO MONDAY BEFORE RELAXING GRADUALLY ON MONDAY  
NIGHT.  
 

 
   
ILM WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
NC...COASTAL FLOOD ADVISORY FROM 10 PM THIS EVENING TO 1 AM EDT  
SATURDAY FOR NCZ107.  
SC...NONE.  
MARINE...NONE.  
 

 
 

 
 
WHAT HAS CHANGED...CBL  
KEY MESSAGES...CBL  
DISCUSSION...CBL  
AVIATION...MAS/CBL  
MARINE...ABW/CBL  
 
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