542  
FXUS61 KLWX 260000  
AFDLWX  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE MD/WASHINGTON DC  
800 PM EDT SAT JUL 25 2026  
   
WHAT HAS CHANGED  
 
AS NOTED EARLIER TODAY, RAIN SHOWER COVERAGE WAS RATHER LIMITED  
NEAR THE APPALACHIANS. ANY SHOWER ACTIVITY SHOULD REMAIN MINIMAL  
THROUGH THE NIGHT.  
 
 
   
KEY MESSAGES  
 
- (1) GRADUALLY WARMING TEMPERATURES THROUGH MONDAY WITH  
INCREASING PRECIPITATION CHANCES EACH DAY.  
 
- (2) RETURNING TO A SUMMER-LIKE PATTERN NEXT WEEK.  
 
 
   
DISCUSSION  
 
KEY MESSAGE 1...GRADUALLY WARMING TEMPERATURES THROUGH MONDAY WITH INCREASING  
PRECIPITATION CHANCES EACH DAY.  
 
A WEAK LEE SURFACE TROUGH NEAR THE APPALACHIANS MAY STILL SPARK  
A SHOWER OR SPRINKLE THIS EVENING, BUT OTHERWISE IT SHOULD BE  
DRY TONIGHT WITH PASSING CLOUDS AND LOWS IN THE 50S AND 60S.  
 
ATMOSPHERE BECOMES A BIT MORE UNSTABLE SUNDAY AND MONDAY AIDED  
BY MID-LEVEL COOLING AND INCREASING WARMTH AND INSTABILITY AND  
FORCING FROM AN APPROACHING SHORTWAVE-TROUGH. SHOULD SEE A  
GRADUAL UPTICK IN CONVECTION EACH AFTERNOON THROUGH TUESDAY.  
 
KEY MESSAGE 2...RETURNING TO A SUMMER-LIKE PATTERN NEXT WEEK.  
 
GLOBAL ENSEMBLE MODELS AGREE ON A HIGHLY AMPLIFIED PATTERN ACROSS  
THE CONTINENT. IN PARTICULAR, A SPRAWLING UPPER RIDGE IS LIKELY TO  
DOMINATE THE DESERT SOUTHWEST INTO THE GREAT PLAINS. AT THE SAME  
TIME, BELOW AVERAGE HEIGHTS WILL PERSIST ALONG EASTERN SECTIONS OF  
NORTH AMERICA. WHILE THE CORE OF LOWER HEIGHTS STAYS IN CLOSE  
PROXIMITY TO HUDSON BAY, AN ELONGATED LONGWAVE TROUGH MAINTAINS ITS  
PRESENCE ALONG THE EASTERN SEABOARD. THIS CONFIGURATION WOULD  
SUPPORT A MAINLY NORTHWESTERLY FLOW REGIME ALOFT WITH EMBEDDED  
DISTURBANCES SWEEPING UP AND OVER THE PROMINENT CENTRAL U.S. RIDGE.  
 
TUESDAY STILL PRESENTS ITSELF AS THE MOST ACTIVE DAY OF THE PERIOD  
AS THE CALENDAR CLOSES ON THE MONTH OF JULY. ALTHOUGH ENSEMBLES  
SOMEWHAT WASH OUT THE SIGNAL OF THIS SHORTWAVE, DETERMINISTIC  
SOLUTIONS DEPICT THIS SHARPENING SYSTEM ENCROACHING ON THE AREA BY  
TUESDAY INTO TUESDAY NIGHT. AIDED BY MODEST HEIGHT/PRESSURE FALLS, A  
DEEP WAVE OF LOW PRESSURE IS EXPECTED TO TRACK FROM THE OHIO VALLEY  
TOWARD THE DELMARVA REGION. AMPLE INSTABILITY AND VERTICAL SHEAR ARE  
IN PLAY FOR AN ACTIVE DAY OF SEVERE WEATHER, BUT AT THE SAME TIME IS  
ACCOMPANIED BY MANY OF THE USUAL QUESTION MARKS. MANY GLOBAL  
SOLUTIONS INDICATE SOME ONGOING SHOWERS ON TUESDAY MORNING. HOW  
QUICKLY THESE SHOWERS AND RESIDUAL CLOUDS SCOUR OUT WILL DETERMINE  
WHETHER INSTABILITY IS FULLY REALIZED DURING THE CORE HEATING HOURS.  
AS IT STANDS NOW, DAMAGING WIND GUSTS AND TORRENTIAL DOWNPOURS  
CAPABLE OF FLASH FLOODING ARE THE MAIN THREATS TUESDAY INTO TUESDAY  
NIGHT.  
 
DURING THE MID TO LATE WEEK PERIOD, THE MID-ATLANTIC REGION SITS IN  
A POST-FRONTAL ENVIRONMENT AS THE EARLIER BOUNDARY LINGERS NEAR THE  
SOUTHEASTERN U.S. EXPECT REDUCED SHOWER CHANCES AND LESS HUMIDITY AS  
THE WEEK PROGRESSES. THE WARMEST CONDITIONS ARE LIKELY TO BE EARLY  
IN THE WEEK AS HIGHS PUSH TO NEAR 90 DEGREES. HOWEVER, THIS IS  
SIMPLY CLOSE TO CLIMATOLOGY FOR LATE JULY.  
 
 
   
AVIATION /00Z SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/  
 
VFR EXPECTED THROUGH MONDAY FOR THE MOST PART, WITH VFR  
(FL035-FL060) CU AT TIMES. A SHOWER OR THUNDERSTORM IS POSSIBLE  
MAINLY SUNDAY EVENING AND AGAIN MONDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING,  
BUT CONFIDENCE WAS TOO LOW FOR ANYTHING MORE THAN A PROB30 FOR  
POSSIBLE -SHRA IN THE TAFS FOR NOW. WINDS WILL GENERALLY VARY  
BETWEEN EAST AND SOUTH THE NEXT COUPLE DAYS.  
 
TUESDAY WILL PRESENT MULTIPLE OPPORTUNITIES FOR RESTRICTIONS.  
THIS WOULD BE DRIVEN BY ANY LOW CEILINGS FROM MORNING SHOWERS  
AND CONVECTIVE-BASED ISSUES FOR THE AFTERNOON/EVENING HOURS.  
SOUTHERLY WINDS COULD BE BREEZY AT TIMES WITH GUSTS UP TO 20  
KNOTS. A COLD FRONT ARRIVING LATE TUESDAY WILL EVENTUALLY SHIFT  
WINDS TO NORTHWESTERLY FOR WEDNESDAY INTO THURSDAY. VFR  
CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED DURING SUBSEQUENT DAYS ALTHOUGH SOME POP  
SHOWERS OR THUNDERSTORMS COULD YIELD A FEW BRIEF IMPACTS.  
 
 
   
MARINE  
 
LIGHT WINDS AND FAIR WEATHER THROUGH SUNDAY. WINDS STRENGTHEN  
MONDAY INTO TUESDAY WITH SCA CONDITIONS POSSIBLE. RISK OF  
THUNDERSTORMS ALSO INCREASES MONDAY INTO TUESDAY.  
 
SOUTHERLY WINDS PICK UP IN STRENGTH ON TUESDAY WITH CHANNELING  
EFFECTS LIKELY BRINGING GUSTS TO AROUND 20 KNOTS OR SO, PARTICULARLY  
ACROSS THE CHESAPEAKE BAY. SMALL CRAFT ADVISORIES MAY BE NEEDED  
AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT WHICH ARRIVES LATE IN THE EVENING. ACTIVE  
CONVECTION WILL ALSO MAKE FOR HAZARDOUS CONDITIONS ACROSS THE  
WATERWAYS. THIS MAY INCLUDE STRONG WINDS, ABRUPT WIND SHIFTS, AND  
FREQUENT LIGHTNING. BEHIND THE COLD FRONT, NORTHWESTERLY GUSTS  
SHOULD BE AROUND 10 TO 15 KNOTS ALTHOUGH SOME WINDS COULD NEAR  
ADVISORY CRITERIA AT TIMES.  
 
 
   
TIDES/COASTAL FLOODING  
 
GRADUALLY RISING WATER LEVELS ARE EXPECTED THROUGH TUESDAY IN  
STRENGTHENING SOUTHERLY FLOW COMBINED WITH NEAR A FULL MOON.  
ANNAPOLIS WILL LIKELY REACH MINOR COASTAL FLOODING EARLY  
TUESDAY.  
 
 
   
LWX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
DC...NONE.  
MD...NONE.  
VA...NONE.  
WV...NONE.  
MARINE...NONE.  
 
 
 
 
 
DISCUSSION...LFR/BRO/DHOF  
AVIATION...LFR/BRO/DHOF  
MARINE...LFR/BRO/DHOF  
TIDES/COASTAL FLOODING...LWX  
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