321  
FXUS62 KMHX 210000  
AFDMHX  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEWPORT/MOREHEAD CITY NC  
700 PM EST WED NOV 20 2024  
   
SYNOPSIS
 
 
A STRONG COLD FRONT WILL MOVE ACROSS THE AREA TONIGHT. ANOTHER  
REINFORCING COLD FRONT MOVES THROUGH ON THURSDAY, FOLLOWED BY  
YET ANOTHER FRONT ON FRIDAY. HIGH PRESSURE THEN BUILDS IN OVER  
THE WEEKEND AND INTO NEXT WEEK.  
 

 
   
NEAR TERM /TONIGHT/
 
 
AS OF 7 PM WED...LATEST SURFACE ANALYSIS SHOWS THE PREVIOUSLY  
MENTIONED COLD FRONT IS NOW TRACKING RAPIDLY EASTWARDS ACROSS  
WESTERN NC THIS EVENING AND SHOULD BEGIN NEARING THE TRIANGLE  
AREA WITHIN THE NEXT HOUR OR TWO AND THEN THE COASTAL PLAIN  
SHORTLY AFTER THAT. LATEST RADAR DATA SHOWS SCATTERED SHOWER  
ACTIVITY MAINLY LOCATED ALONG AND NORTH OF HWY 70 THIS EVENING  
WITH THIS ACTIVITY PUSHING OFF TO THE NORTH AND EAST. ADDITIONAL  
SHOWER ACTIVITY IS FORECAST ALONG AND JUST OUT AHEAD OF THE  
APPROACHING FRONT WITH SHOWERS QUICKLY PUSHING OFFSHORE AFTER  
MIDNIGHT. OTHERWISE KEPT SIMILAR THINKING TO THE PREVIOUS  
FORECAST AND WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR TRENDS FOR THE 10PM  
UPDATE.  
 
PREV DISC...ATTENTION TURNS TO STRONG ARCTIC FRONT WHICH WILL  
BLAST THROUGH LOUDLY TONIGHT, AS IT WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY A  
SHORT BUT STRONG BURST OF GUSTY WINDS. THE FRONT IS CURRENTLY  
MOVING THROUGH THE TN VALLEY, AND WILL BE MOVING THROUGH THE NC  
MTNS EARLY THIS EVENING, AND THEN QUICKLY ACROSS THE STATE  
THROUGH ENC THROUGH THE LATE EVENING HOURS. THERE WILL BE SCT TO  
NUMEROUS SHOWERS ALONG AND JUST AHEAD OF THE FRONT, BUT THE BIG  
STORY WILL BE THE VERY GUSTY WINDS, AND HAVE INC WINDS AS A  
RESULT. THINK THAT MOST PLACES EVEN INLAND WILL GUST TO 30-40  
MPH, AND ON THE COAST 35-45 MPH AS IT PASSES THROUGH. HAVE  
RELIED HEAVILY ON THE HOURLY HRRR FOR THE FROPA AND ASSOCIATED  
WINDS AND TEMPS. THESE WINDS WILL BE SHORT LIVED AND LAST A HALF  
HOUR OR SO AT MOST BUT THE TEMPS WILL DROP SHARPLY IN ITS WAKE,  
GOING FROM THE 60S, THEN QUICKLY INTO THE 50S AND 40S FOR THEIR  
EVENTUAL LOWS BY MORNING.  
 

 
   
SHORT TERM /THURSDAY/
 
 
AS OF 3 PM WED...HIGH TEMPS RETURN TO CLOSER TO NORMAL AND EVEN  
SLIGHTLY LOWER THAN CLIMO, WITH READINGS IN THE UPPER 50S TO  
AROUND 60 FOR MOST. BLUSTERY CONDITIONS WITH WRLY WINDS OF 10-15  
GUSTING TO AROUND 20 MPH.  
 

 
   
LONG TERM /THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY/
 
 
AS OF 3:20 AM WEDNESDAY...  
 
THURSDAY NIGHT - SATURDAY NIGHT...THE NEXT FRONT WILL MOVE  
THROUGH LATE THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND ITS CAA WILL SEND LOWS INTO  
THE LOW TO MID 30S ACROSS THE COASTAL PLAIN. WINDS WILL REMAIN  
STRONG ENOUGH TO HELP MINIMIZE THE THREAT FOR WIDESPREAD  
FROST/FREEZE IMPACTS, BUT IT'S NOT OUT OF THE QUESTION FOR SOME  
SHELTERED AREAS TO DROP BELOW FREEZING. SATURDAY WILL FEEL VERY  
SIMILAR TO THURSDAY WITH HIGHS STRUGGLING TO EXCEED THE 50S AND  
BREEZY WINDS WESTERLY WINDS.  
 
SUNDAY - TUESDAY...HIGH PRESSURE WILL DEVELOP OVER THE  
SOUTHEASTERN US AND EXTEND UP THE MID-ATLANTIC COAST. THIS WILL  
SUPPORT A DRY FORECAST AND WARMING TREND WITH HIGH TEMPERATURES  
CLIMBING FROM THE UPPER 50S/LOW 60S ON SUNDAY TO THE UPPER  
60S/LOW 70S ON TUESDAY.  
 

 
   
AVIATION /00Z THURSDAY THROUGH MONDAY/
 
 
SHORT TERM /THROUGH THURSDAY/...  
 
AS OF 7 PM WEDNESDAY...  
 
- STRONG COLD FRONT TO BRING GUSTY WINDS, SHRA, AND SUB-VFR  
CONDITIONS TO ENC THIS EVENING  
 
A WIDE RANGE OF VFR TO LIFR CONDITIONS ARE CURRENTLY OVER ENC  
THIS EVENING OUT AHEAD OF A RAPIDLY APPROACHING FRONT. CURRENTLY  
OAJ/EWN ARE VFR WITH ISO AT LIFR CONDITIONS AND PGV AT MVFR  
CONDITIONS. GENERAL TREND REMAINS THE SAME WITH ANY LEFTOVER  
VFR CONDITIONS QUICKLY BECOMING MVFR AND IFR ACROSS THE REGION  
JUST OUT AHEAD OF THE APPROACHING FRONT WITH PGV/ISO MAINTAINING  
MVFR/IFR CEILINGS/VIS OVER THE NEXT FEW HOURS. THE COLD FRONTAL  
PASSAGE WILL THEN BE THE MAIN CHALLENGE TONIGHT. FRONT IS  
FORECAST TO ENTER INTO THE COASTAL PLAIN AROUND 02-04Z TONIGHT  
AND FIRST IMPACT PGV/ISO BETWEEN 03-04Z FOLLOWED BY EWN/OAJ  
BETWEEN 04-05Z BEFORE FINALLY PUSHING OFFSHORE BY 06Z. AS THE  
FRONT TRACKS ACROSS THE AREA WINDS WILL QUICKLY SHIFT FROM SW TO  
NW AND GUST TO AS HIGH AS 25 TO 30 KT FOR A BRIEF PERIOD OF  
TIME BEFORE GRADUALLY EASING OVER THE FOLLOWING SEVERAL HOURS.  
IN ADDITION TO THIS SOME CROSS WIND ISSUES MAINLY AT ISO/EWN  
WILL BE POSSIBLE AS THE FRONT TRACKS ACROSS THESE TAF SITES WITH  
A STRONG NW'RLY WIND. GUIDANCE SUGGESTS SOME HEAVIER SHOWERS  
IMMEDIATELY WITH THE FRONT, AND HAVE OPTED TO BRING IN TEMPORARY  
IFR CONDITIONS THIS EVENING. A FEW TSRA CANNOT BE RULED OUT,  
BUT THIS RISK APPEARS LOW (<20% CHANCE), AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO  
KEEP TSRA OUT OF THE TAFS FOR NOW DUE TO THE LOW RISK. BEHIND  
THE FRONT, CONDITIONS SHOULD QUICKLY BECOME VFR WHILE WINDS  
SHOULD DECREASE TO AROUND 10 KT BY 12Z. SOME INCREASE IN W'RLY  
WIND GUSTS THURSDAY TO 20KT.  
 
LONG TERM /THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY/...  
AS OF 4 AM WEDNESDAY...GUSTY WINDS WILL BE THE MAIN AVIATION  
CONCERN THROUGH THE LONG TERM. WITH MULTIPLE FRONTS FORECAST TO  
MOVE ACROSS THE AREA, WESTERLY WINDS AROUND 10-15 KT WITH GUSTS  
TO 20 KT WILL PERSIST THROUGH SATURDAY. WINDS WILL WEAKEN TO  
5-10 KT ON SUNDAY AS HIGH PRESSURE BEGINS TO EXTEND INTO THE  
AREA.  
 

 
   
MARINE
 
 
SHORT TERM /THROUGH THU/...  
AS OF 3 PM WED...S TO SW WINDS OF 10-15KT EXPECTED THROUGH  
EARLY EVENING. BIG STORY WILL BE STRONG ARCTIC FRONT THAT WILL  
BLAST THROUGH THE WATERS LATER THIS EVENING THROUGH EARLY  
MORNING HOURS. THE WIND SWITCH WILL BE VERY DRAMATIC, AND  
INCREASE OUT OF THE NW WITH A 35-40 KT GUST(S) AS THE FRONT  
PASSES THROUGH. BECAUSE THE GUSTS ARE EXPECTED TO BE TIED TO THE  
FROPA, WILL NOT ISSUE A GALE WARNING BECAUSE OF THE VERY BRIEF  
NATURE OF THE WINDS LASTING LESS THAN AN HOUR, BUT INSTEAD  
HANDLE WITH MWS'S AS THE FRONT NEARS THE WATERS, WHICH WILL BE  
AROUND MIDNIGHT. SCA'S REMAIN IN PLACE FOR ALL COASTAL WATERS  
AND INLAND RIVERS. HAVE ENDED THE NEUSE/PAMLICO/BAY RIVERS A BIT  
EARLIER, BUT LATER SHIFTS WILL LIKELY HAVE TO REISSUE THESE AS  
WINDS COME BACK UP LATE AFTERNOON OR EARLY EVE THU WITH  
REINFORCING FROPA.  
 
LONG TERM /THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY/...  
AS OF 4 AM WEDNESDAY...ADDITIONAL COLD FRONTS ON THURSDAY AND  
FRIDAY WILL GENERATE UNFAVORABLE MARINE CONDITIONS THAT WILL  
PERSIST THROUGH EARLY SUNDAY MORNING.  
 
SEAS WILL BE THE HIGHEST EARLY THURSDAY MORNING (6-7 FT) AND  
LATE FRIDAY NIGHT (6-7 FT) WITH A SLIGHT LULL BETWEEN THESE  
TIMES.  
 
A SLIGHT LULL IS EXPECTED DURING THE AFTERNOON, AFTER WHICH  
WINDS WILL BECOME WESTERLY AND RETURN TO THE SAME STRENGTH.  
WINDS WILL PEAK ON FRIDAY AT 25-30 KT WITH A FEW GUSTS TO 35 KT.  
WE CONTINUE TO CARRY A STRONGLY WORDED SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR  
THE CENTRAL WATERS AT THIS TIME, BUT A GALE WATCH WILL BE KEPT  
IN MIND.  
 
WINDS AND SEAS WILL DECREASE THROUGH THE DAY SATURDAY WITH ALL  
ZONES EXPECTED TO BE BELOW SCA CRITERIA BY EARLY SUNDAY.  
 

 
   
FIRE WEATHER
 
 
AS OF 3 PM WEDNESDAY...ELEVATED FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE  
POSSIBLE THURSDAY, WITH MIN RH VALUES FALLING TO 30-35% INLAND  
COMBINED WITH WESTERLY WIND GUSTS 20 TO 25 MPH.  
 

 
   
TIDES/COASTAL FLOODING
 
 
AS OF 3 PM WEDNESDAY...AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF 20-25KT WERLY  
WINDS BEHIND A COLD FRONT TONIGHT INTO SATURDAY MAY LEAD TO  
MINOR SOUNDSIDE FLOODING CONCERNS FOR THE OUTER BANKS. CURRENT  
THINKING IS THESE PERSISTENT WERLY WINDS SHOULD REMAIN JUST WEAK  
ENOUGH TO LIMIT IMPACTS, BUT MINOR WATER LEVEL RISES WILL BE  
POSSIBLE FOR SOUNDSIDE NOBX, HATTERAS AND OCRACOKE ISLANDS, AND  
ROANOKE ISLAND.  
 

 
   
MHX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
NC...NONE.  
MARINE...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FROM 11 PM THIS EVENING TO MIDNIGHT EST  
SATURDAY NIGHT FOR AMZ131-135-158-230-231.  
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FROM 11 PM THIS EVENING TO 8 AM EST  
THURSDAY FOR AMZ136-137.  
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FROM 11 PM THIS EVENING TO 3 AM EST  
SUNDAY FOR AMZ150-152-154-156.  
 

 
 

 
 
SYNOPSIS...MHX  
NEAR TERM...TL/RCF  
SHORT TERM...TL  
LONG TERM...CQD/OJC  
AVIATION...RCF/OJC  
MARINE...TL/OJC  
FIRE WEATHER...MHX  
TIDES/COASTAL FLOODING...MHX  
 
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