551  
FXUS61 KLWX 170125 AAA  
AFDLWX  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE MD/WASHINGTON DC  
825 PM EST MON FEB 16 2026  
   
WHAT HAS CHANGED
 
 
POSSIBLE FOG FORMATION OVERNIGHT. SYNOPTICALLY, SETUP APPEARS  
FAVORABLE TONIGHT FOR FOG TO DEVELOP WITH UPPER RIDGE BUILDING  
(I.E.SUBSIDENCE INVERSION STRENGTHENING), MOIST GROUND FROM  
YESTERDAY'S RAIN, AND LIGHT WINDS. HOWEVER, MODEL GUIDANCE SHOW  
DEWPOINTS DECREASING OVERNIGHT, WHICH INDEED METAR TRENDS SHOW  
IS HAPPENING, AND MID-HIGH LEVEL CLOUDS INCREASING. SO, OVERALL  
CONFIDENCE IS NOT HIGH FOR WIDESPREAD DENSE FOG OVERNIGHT,  
ALTHOUGH PATCHY FOG IS CERTAINLY POSSIBLE.  
 

 
   
KEY MESSAGES
 
 
- 1) ABOVE AVERAGE TEMPERATURES THROUGH FRIDAY BEFORE  
TURNING COOLER AND MORE UNSETTLED LATE IN THE WEEK.  
 

 
   
DISCUSSION
 
 
KEY MESSAGE 1...ABOVE AVERAGE TEMPERATURES THROUGH FRIDAY BEFORE  
TURNING COOLER AND MORE UNSETTLED LATE IN THE WEEK.  
 
BEHIND AN EXITING SHORTWAVE TROUGH THAT TRACKS FURTHER OFFSHORE  
TONIGHT, MID/UPPER HEIGHTS WILL BUILD IN EARNEST THROUGH THE WEEK.  
OVER THE NEXT DAY, 500-MB HEIGHTS ARE FORECAST TO RISE IN RESPONSE  
TO A LONGWAVE RIDGE CURRENTLY OVER THE MIDDLE OF THE COUNTRY.  
CHARACTERIZED BY 24-HOUR HEIGHT RISES OF AROUND 5-10 DM, THIS WILL  
CARRY OVERALL HEIGHTS TO AROUND 560-567 DM. WHILE HEIGHTS LOWER A  
BIT THROUGH THE LATTER PORTION OF THE WORK WEEK, EXPECT POSITIVE  
HEIGHT ANOMALIES THROUGH MUCH OF THE PERIOD. THE RIDGE AXIS STARTS  
TO FLATTEN BY THURSDAY IN RESPONSE TO A DEEP EXPANSIVE TROUGH  
ENCOMPASSING MUCH OF THE WESTERN U.S. EVENTUALLY THESE LOWER  
UPSTREAM HEIGHTS MAKE THEIR WAY ACROSS THE REST OF THE COUNTRY BY  
FRIDAY AND INTO THE WEEKEND. THE EVOLUTION OF THIS TROUGH AND  
CORRESPONDING PATTERN SHIFT REMAINS COMPLICATED AT THIS JUNCTURE.  
HOWEVER, GLOBAL ENSEMBLE TEMPERATURE FORECASTS DO SHOW A DOWNWARD  
FALL OVER THE WEEKEND AND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK.  
 
THE SURFACE PATTERN WILL FEATURE A BROAD AREA OF HIGH PRESSURE  
TONIGHT INTO TUESDAY. DESPITE THE ANTICYCLONE NEARBY, ENOUGH CLOUD  
COVER TONIGHT SHOULD KEEP LOWS CLOSE TO THE FREEZING MARK. THE RIDGE  
BEGINS TO DROP TOWARD THE SOUTHEAST WHICH YIELDS A SOUTH TO  
SOUTHWESTERLY RETURN FLOW BY TUESDAY. 850-MB TEMPERATURES ARE  
FORECAST TO REBOUND TO AROUND 5-7C WHICH SUPPORTS THE MARKED WARM  
UP. ALTHOUGH FORECAST SOUNDINGS SHOW DRY ADIABATIC MIXING TO AROUND  
900-MB, IT DOES NOT APPEAR PROFILES MIX UP TO THE 850-MB LAYER. AS  
SUCH, THIS CAPS TUESDAY'S HIGH TEMPERATURES IN THE MID 50S TO LOW  
60S (WARMEST ACROSS CENTRAL VIRGINIA AND FROM I-81 BACK TO THE  
ALLEGHENY MOUNTAIN VALLEYS). LOOKING AHEAD, WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY  
MIGHT BE THE WARMEST DAYS OF THE PERIOD AS HIGHS SOAR INTO THE LOW  
TO PERHAPS MID 60S. THESE COULD BE A TAD OPTIMISTIC THOUGH BASED ON  
THE ADDED CLOUD COVER AND SOME INCREASING SHOWER CHANCES,  
PARTICULARLY BY THURSDAY. WITH A WEST-EAST ORIENTED FRONTAL ZONE  
ARCING JUST NORTH OF THE MASON-DIXON LINE, ANY SOUTHWARD SHIFT IN  
THIS BOUNDARY WOULD ALSO ALTER THE TEMPERATURE FORECAST. MILD  
TEMPERATURES CONTINUE INTO FRIDAY BEFORE A RETURN TO COOLER WEATHER  
ENSUES OVER THE WEEKEND AND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK.  
 
AN UNSETTLED PATTERN IS LIKELY FRIDAY AND THROUGH THE WEEKEND. THIS  
IS IN RESPONSE TO THE INITIAL TROUGH AND DEEP SURFACE LOW WHICH MOVE  
TOWARD THE GREAT LAKES ON FRIDAY. EVENTUALLY A COOLER POST-FRONTAL  
AIR MASS ENSUES BY SATURDAY MORNING. AT THE SAME TIME, THE SOUTHERN  
STREAM BEGINS TO UNDERGO SOME DEGREE OF AMPLIFICATION ACROSS THE  
SOUTHERN U.S. HOW THIS SYSTEM TRACKS ON ITS EASTWARD TREK TOWARD THE  
ATLANTIC COAST WILL DICTATE ANY NOTABLE IMPACTS TO THE LOCAL AREA.  
RANDOM DETERMINISTIC MODELS SHOW A WINTRY PRECIPITATION SCENARIO FOR  
THE SECOND HALF OF THE WEEKEND. HOWEVER, THERE IS STILL PLENTY OF  
UNCERTAINTY IN THIS COMPLEX PATTERN THAT THESE RANDOM SIGNALS WILL  
LIKELY SHOW UP HERE AND THERE. WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THOUGH.  
 
ARCTIC HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS ACROSS THE MIDDLE OF THE NATION BY EARLY  
NEXT WEEK. THIS SETS THE STAGES FOR A COOL START TO THE NEXT WORK  
WEEK.  
 

 
   
AVIATION /01Z TUESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/
 
 
LOW CONFIDENCE ON FOG FORMATION OVERNIGHT DUE TO DECREASING  
DEWPOINTS AND MID-HIGH LEVEL CLOUDS INCREASING. BEST CHANCE  
STILL APPEARS TO BE OVER BWI AND MTN AIRPORTS.  
 
GUIDANCE REMAINS SPLIT ON HOW FAR SW ADDITIONAL LOW CLOUDS FORM  
TONIGHT. CURRENTLY HIGHEST ODDS ACROSS NE NEAR BWI/MTN.  
 
VFR TUE AND WED WITH MID TO HIGH CLOUDS AND LOW CHANCE OF  
PASSING SHOWER. BACKDOOR FRONT BRINGS WIND SHIFT THU, EXCEPT  
PERHAPS CHO. CHANCE FOR RAIN SHOWERS INCREASE THU PM INTO FRI.  
 

 
   
MARINE
 
 
SCA CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE TUE NIGHT INTO THU MORNING, PARTICULARLY  
ACROSS THE SOUTHERN WATERS DUE TO STRENGTHENING FLOW.  
 

 
   
TIDES/COASTAL FLOODING
 
 
ONSHORE WINDS RETURN TONIGHT INTO TUE WHICH IS EXPECTED TO  
RESULT IN HIGHER TIDE LEVELS ACROSS THE AREA. MANY SENSITIVE  
LOCATIONS COULD REACH ACTION STAGE DURING HIGH TIDE, WITH  
ANNAPOLIS POSSIBLY REACHING MINOR FLOOD STAGE DURING THE TUESDAY  
HIGH TIDE CYCLES.  
 

 
   
LWX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
DC...NONE.  
MD...NONE.  
VA...NONE.  
WV...NONE.  
MARINE...NONE.  
 

 
 

 
 
DISCUSSION...LFR/BRO  
AVIATION...LFR/CPB  
MARINE...LFR/CPB  
 
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