286  
FXUS62 KKEY 180926  
AFDKEY  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KEY WEST FL  
426 AM EST WED DEC 18 2024  
   
..NEW DISCUSSION, MARINE, AVIATION
 
 
   
DISCUSSION
 
 
ISSUED AT 425 AM EST WED DEC 18 2024  
IT IS A WARM AND HUMID MID DECEMBER NIGHT ACROSS THE FLORIDA KEYS.  
SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE REMAINS IN PLACE ACROSS THE NORTH ATLANTIC  
WITH THE WESTERN PERIPHERY OF THIS RIDGE EXTENDING WEST INTO THE  
FLORIDA KEYS. THIS IS PROMOTING NORTHEAST TO EAST BREEZES OF 10 TO  
15 KNOTS SOUTH OF THE ISLAND CHAIN WITH 5 TO 10 KNOTS NORTH OF THE  
CHAIN. ISLAND COMMUNITIES ARE OBSERVING NORTHEAST TO EAST BREEZES  
OF 5 TO 10 MPH. IN ADDITION, MOISTURE CONTINUES TO STREAM INTO THE  
KEYS DUE TO THE EASTERLY FLOW ALONG THE SOUTHERN PERIPHERY OF THE  
RIDGE. DUE TO THIS, KBYX RADAR HAS BEEN DETECTING ISOLATED LIGHT  
SHOWERS/SPRINKLES, MAINLY ACROSS THE STRAITS OF FLORIDA FOR MUCH  
OF THE NIGHT. TEMPERATURES ALONG THE ISLAND CHAIN ARE IN THE LOWER  
TO MID 70S WITH DEW POINTS IN THE LOWER 70S.  
   
FORECAST
 
 
THE AFOREMENTIONED HIGH PRESSURE IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE TO  
SLOWLY MOVE EASTWARD FARTHER OUT INTO THE ATLANTIC TODAY AND  
TONIGHT. AS IT DOES SO, IT WILL CONTINUE TO LOOSEN ITS GRIP ON THE  
REGION RESULTING IN FURTHER SLACKENING BREEZES. THE HIGH IS  
EXPECTED TO HOLD JUST ENOUGH OF A GRIP, HOWEVER, TO ALLOW MOISTURE  
TO CONTINUE TO BE FUNNELED INTO THE KEYS KEEPING SLIGHT CHANCES  
IN THE FORECAST FOR TODAY. A SLIGHT UPTICK TO THE MOISTURE IS  
EXPECTED TONIGHT RESULTING IN CHANCES OF RAIN (30%).  
 
THEN, AN POSITIVELY TILTED UPPER LEVEL TROUGH CURRENTLY DIVING  
SOUTHEASTWARD OVER THE SOUTH-CENTRAL PLAINS THIS MORNING WILL  
CONTINUE MOVING TOWARDS THE NORTH GULF COAST. THE TROUGH IS  
EXPECTED TO REACH THE NORTH GULF COAST BY THIS EVENING. AS THE  
TROUGH SWINGS EASTWARD ACROSS THE NORTH GULF COAST AND FLORIDA, IT  
IS EXPECTED TO BECOME NEGATIVELY TILTED THURSDAY. AT THE SURFACE,  
A WEAK FRONT IS EXPECTED TO PRESS THROUGH THE KEYS AS A RESULT  
SOMETIME LATE THURSDAY OR THURSDAY EVENING. THIS WILL RESULT IN  
FRESHENING NORTHERLY BREEZES ALONG WITH MUCH DRIER AIR MOVING IN  
BEHIND IT. THEREFORE, TIMING WAS INTRODUCED FOR THE RAIN CHANCES  
THURSDAY EVENING WITH IT RAPIDLY DRYING OUT AFTER MIDNIGHT.  
ANOTHER MORE POTENT UPPER LEVEL TROUGH WILL SWING ACROSS THE  
TENNESSEE VALLEY AND THE NORTHEAST FRIDAY WHICH WILL SEND A  
SECONDARY FRONT AT THE SURFACE THROUGH THE KEYS FURTHER DROPPING  
THE DEW POINTS AND TEMPERATURES. TEMPERATURES ON SATURDAY ARE  
EXPECTED TO BE IN THE UPPER 60S WITH OVERNIGHT LOWS IN THE LOWER  
60S WITH POTENTIALLY THE UPPER 50S FOR THE UPPER KEYS SATURDAY  
NIGHT. DEW POINTS WILL ALSO DROP INTO THE 50S PERHAPS EVEN THE MID  
TO UPPER 40S. WINTER WILL MAKE A RETURN! ALSO, PLENTY OF DRY AIR  
WILL BE IN PLACE RESULTING IN A DRY FORECAST FRIDAY THROUGH  
SUNDAY NIGHT.  
 
IN THE WAKE OF THE SECONDARY FRONT, A LARGE AND STRONG HIGH  
PRESSURE BUILDS ACROSS THE EASTERN UNITED STATES OVER THE WEEKEND  
INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK WITH MOST ENSEMBLE AND DETERMINISTIC GUIDANCE  
ON BOARD WITH THIS SOLUTION. THIS WILL PROMOTE FRESHENING  
NORTHEAST TO EAST BREEZES WITH ANOTHER POTENTIALLY LENGTHY BLOW  
EXPECTED AS A HEALTHY PRESSURE GRADIENT DEVELOPS. INITIALLY,  
MOISTURE IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN SCARCE, BUT THIS IS EXPECTED TO  
RAPIDLY CHANGE AS MOISTURE QUICKLY INCREASES AT 850 MB. ANY  
SHOWERS WILL YET AGAIN REMAIN SHALLOW AND QUICK MOVING IN THE  
EASTERLIES PRODUCING MINOR RAINFALL AMOUNTS GENERALLY UNDER A  
TENTH OF AN INCH. THIS MAY BE JUST ENOUGH TO CREATE A WET LEAD-UP  
TO CHRISTMAS WITH THE WET REGIME AND WINDY CONDITIONS POTENTIALLY  
CONTINUING INTO THE CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY.  
 

 
   
MARINE
 
 
ISSUED AT 425 AM EST WED DEC 18 2024  
THERE ARE CURRENTLY NO WATCHES, WARNINGS, OR ADVISORIES IN EFFECT  
ACROSS THE FLORIDA KEYS COASTAL WATERS. FROM SYNOPSIS, HIGH  
PRESSURE OVER THE NORTH ATLANTIC WILL CONTINUE SLIDING FARTHER  
EAST LOOSENING ITS GRIP ACROSS THE FLORIDA KEYS. AS A RESULT,  
GENTLE TO MODERATE NORTHEAST TO EAST BREEZES THIS MORNING WILL  
CONTINUE TO FURTHER SLACKEN DURING THE DAY. BREEZES WILL FURTHER  
SLACKEN TONIGHT AND THURSDAY BECOMING LIGHT TO GENTLE AHEAD OF AN  
APPROACHING WEAK FRONT. THE WEAK FRONT IS ANTICIPATED TO PRESS  
THROUGH THE KEYS SOMETIME LATE THURSDAY RESULTING IN FRESHENING  
NORTHERLY BREEZES. A SECONDARY FRONT IS EXPECTED TO PRESS THROUGH  
THE KEYS LATE FRIDAY REINFORCING THE PREVIOUS FRONT.  
 

 
   
AVIATION
 
 
(06Z TAFS)  
ISSUED AT 425 AM EST WED DEC 18 2024  
VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL AT THE EYW AND MTH TERMINALS THROUGH  
WEDNESDAY EVENING. ISOLATED TO WIDELY SCATTERED SHOWERS MAY  
BRIEFLY IMPACT EITHER TERMINAL THROUGH THE MID MORNING HOURS, AND  
HAVE INCLUDED VCSH, BUT THE PROBABILITY OF SUB-VFR CONDITIONS IS  
TOO LOW TO MENTION IN THE TAFS. SURFACE WINDS WILL REMAIN FROM THE  
NORTHEAST TO EAST AT 4 TO 8 KNOTS.  
 

 
   
KEY WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
FL...NONE.  
GM...NONE.  

 
 

 
 
PUBLIC/MARINE/FIRE...MJV  
AVIATION/NOWCASTS....JACOBSON  
 
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