177  
FXUS62 KMHX 020014  
AFDMHX  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEWPORT/MOREHEAD CITY NC  
714 PM EST SAT FEB 1 2025  
   
SYNOPSIS
 
 
A DRY REINFORCING COLD FRONT IS MOVING SOUTH ACROSS THE AREA  
TODAY AND HIGH PRESSURE WILL REBUILD BEHIND IT. A COASTAL TROUGH  
MAY BRING SCATTERED LIGHT SHOWERS TO THE AREA TOMORROW, FAIRLY  
QUIET CONDITIONS WILL PERSIST UNTIL MID TO LATE WEEK WHEN THE  
NEXT FRONTAL SYSTEM WILL BRING CHANCES OF RAIN TO THE AREA.  
 

 
   
NEAR TERM /TONIGHT/
 
 
AS OF 7 PM SAT... NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES TO THE FORECAST ON THIS  
UPDATE AS THE PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED COLD FRONT HAS MADE ITS WAY  
ACROSS JUST ABOUT ALL OF ENC THIS EVENING AND SHOULD PUSH  
FURTHER SOUTH AS THE NIGHT GOES ON. A SCT TO BKN DECK OF LOW  
LEVEL CLOUDS WILL ALSO LIKELY PERSIST ALONG AND BEHIND THIS  
FRONTAL PASSAGE FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS AS SOME LOW LEVEL  
MOISTURE REMAINS TRAPPED ACROSS THE AREA. OTHERWISE, TEMPS  
CURRENTLY RANGE FROM THE 40S TO LOW 50S NORTH OF HWY 264 AND IN  
THE LOW TO MID 50S SOUTH OF HWY 264 THIS EVENING AND SHOULD  
CONTINUE TO STEADILY LOWER THOUGH THE NIGHT.  
 
PREV DISC...A DRY REINFORCING COLD FRONT IS SINKING SOUTH  
ACROSS THE AREA AND CLOUD COVER IS INCREASING ALONG IT. THIS  
BOUNDARY HAS CREATED A LARGE TEMPERATURE GRADIENT WITH AREAS  
BEHIND THE FRONT (NOBX) ONLY IN THE UPPER-40S WHILE COMMUNITIES  
ALONG THE CRYSTAL COAST ARE IN THE MID- TO UPPER-60S. BREEZY  
NORTHEASTERLY WINDS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE REST OF THE DAY  
AND INTO THE OVERNIGHT HOURS, WHICH WILL HELP PRECLUDE ANY FOG  
DEVELOPMENT. THE COOLER AND DRIER AIR BEING USHERED IN WILL SEND  
OVERNIGHT LOWS INTO THE LOW- TO MID-30S ACROSS THE COASTAL  
PLAIN, A NEARLY 20 DEGREE DIFFERENCE FROM LAST NIGHT. THE COAST  
WILL STAY JUST A FEW DEGREES WARMER IN THE UPPER-30S TO LOW-40S.  
 

 
   
SHORT TERM /6 AM SUNDAY MORNING THROUGH 6 PM SUNDAY/
 
 
AS OF 3:30 PM SATURDAY...  
 
KEY MESSAGES:  
 
- SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS, ESPECIALLY SOUTH OF HIGHWAY 264  
 
A COASTAL TROUGH WILL SETUP TOMORROW AND INTRODUCE A SLIGHT  
CHANCE OF SHOWERS IN THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING, ESPECIALLY SOUTH  
OF HIGHWAY 264. LATEST HI-RES GUIDANCE IS SHOWING WIDESPREAD  
LIGHT SHOWERS, BUT MODEL SOUNDINGS SHOW A FAIRLY DRY PROFILE  
WITH THE MOIST LAYER BEING CONFINED TO 1-3 KFT UP UNTIL ~00Z.  
MOISTURE WILL BE INCREASING THROUGH THE AFTERNOON, BUT A DRY  
LAYER AT THE SURFACE LEANS THE FORECAST MORE TOWARDS VIRGA OR  
VERY LIGHT RAIN WITH QPF AT LESS THAN 0.1". HIGHS WILL BE IN THE  
MID- TO UPPER-50S ACROSS THE COASTAL PLAIN AND LOW- TO MID-50S  
ALONG THE BEACHES.  
 

 
   
LONG TERM /SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY/
 
 
AS OF 3 AM SAT...  
 
MONDAY AND TUESDAY...HIGH PRESSURE REMAINS ANCHORED OVER THE SE  
MONDAY, WITH NEARLY ZONAL FLOW ALOFT. THE HIGH WILL WEAKEN OVER  
THE AREA, AS A WEAK (DRY) FRONT MOVES THROUGH TUE AND TUE  
EVENING, BRINGING INCREASING CLOUDS AND A WIND SHIFT. ABOVE  
NORMAL TEMPS EXPECTED EACH DAY, WITH HIGHS RANGING FROM THE  
UPPER 50S TO MID 60S ALONG THE OUTER BANKS AND MID 60S TO LOW  
70S INLAND.  
 
WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY...THE PATTERN BECOMES UNSETTLED MID TO  
LATE WEEK, WITH LARGE SPREAD IN GUIDANCE AND UNCERTAINTY.  
STRENGTHENING LOW PRESSURE OVER THE MID-ATLANTIC WILL LIKELY  
PUSH ATTENDANT COLD FRONT THROUGH EASTERN NC FRI...POSSIBLY  
STALLING OVER/NEAR THE AREA. WILL KEEP SC POPS WED NIGHT THROUGH  
FRI, WITH BEST CHANCES LIKELY LATE WEEK WITH THE FRONTAL PASSAGE.  
ABOVE NORMAL TEMPS WILL CONTINUE, WITH THU LIKELY THE WARMEST  
DAY AS DEEPER SW FLOW DEVELOPS.  
 

 
   
AVIATION /00Z SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/
 
 
SHORT TERM /THROUGH SUNDAY/...  
AS OF 715 PM SAT... PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED COLD FRONT HAS SINCE  
PUSHED THROUGH ALL TAF TERMINALS AND SHOULD CONTINUE TO MOVE  
FURTHER AND FURTHER SOUTH THROUGH TONIGHT AS HIGH PRESSURE  
BEGINS TO WEDGE IN FROM THE NORTH. OVERALL ANY LEFT OVER GUSTY  
NE-E'RLY WINDS SHOULD QUICKLY DIMINISH OVER THE NEXT HOUR OR TWO  
LEAVING LIGHT NE-E'RLY WINDS AT 5-10 KTS ACROSS JUST ABOUT ALL  
OF ENC. THE LONE EXCEPTION WILL BE ALONG THE OBX WHERE GUSTIER  
WINDS WILL PERSIST, GENERALLY 5-10 KTS AS WELL, BUT WITH GUSTS  
UP NEAR 15 TO 20 KTS AT TIMES.  
 
OTHERWISE VFR CONDITIONS ARE FORECAST THROUGH MUCH OF THE  
PERIOD AS FOG IS NOT ANTICIPATED TONIGHT AND CEILINGS GENERALLY  
REMAIN ABOVE 6-8 KFT. BKN/SCT DECK OF LOWER STRATO CU AT  
6-8 KFT WILL PERSIST ACROSS THE COASTAL PLAIN OVER THE NEXT FEW  
HOURS BEHIND THE DEPARTING FRONT BEFORE SCATTERING OUT AND  
BRIEFLY LIFTING NEAR DAY BREAK. OUR NEXT CHANCE AT SEEING ANY  
SUB-VFR CONDITIONS WILL BE AFTER 18Z SUN AND LIKELY CLOSER TO  
00Z MON AS A COASTAL TROUGH SETS UP AND BRINGS A LOW END THREAT  
FOR SOME SHOWER ACTIVITY SUN AFTERNOON AND EVENING AND SOME  
SUB-VFR CEILINGS GENERALLY 1.5-3 KFT. SHOWER CHANCES ARE  
CURRENTLY TOO LOW TO INCLUDE IN THE TAFS AS OF RIGHT NOW BUT MAY  
BE INCLUDED IN FUTURE UPDATES.  
 
LONG TERM /SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY/...  
AS OF 3 AM SAT...SUB- VFR CIGS POSSIBLE SUNDAY EVENING AND  
SUNDAY NIGHT WITH COASTAL TROUGHING OFFSHORE. VFR CONDITIONS  
EXPECTED MON AND TUE. A WEAK DRY FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH TUE AND  
TUE EVENING, WITH INCREASING CLOUDS AND A WIND SHIFT.  
 

 
   
MARINE
 
 
SHORT TERM /THROUGH SUNDAY/...  
 
KEY MESSAGES:  
AS OF 4 PM SATURDAY...  
 
-REINFORCING COLD FRONT MOVING SOUTH THIS AFTERNOON AND  
EVENING, BRINGING 20-30 KT GUSTS FOR ALL WATERS  
 
THE REINFORCING COLD FRONT IS MOVING SOUTH AND IS CURRENTLY JUST  
SOUTH OF CAPE LOOKOUT. A SURGE OF NORTHEASTERLY WINDS IS  
ACCOMPANYING THIS BOUNDARY WITH CURRENT OBS REPORTING 20-25 KT  
WITH GUSTS TO 30 KT AND 4-7 FT SEAS. LATER TONIGHT, WINDS AND  
SEAS WILL BEGIN TO RELAX AND WILL BECOME 10-15 KT WITH GUSTS TO  
20 KT AND 4-5 FT SEAS (6 FT NEAR THE GULF STREAM) BY EARLY  
AFTERNOON TOMORROW. AS A COASTAL TROUGH MOVES IN TOMORROW  
AFTERNOON, WINDS WILL BEGIN TO VEER FROM NORTHEASTERLY TO  
EASTERLY AND SEAS WILL DROP TO 3-5 FT.  
 
SCAS REMAIN IN EFFECT FOR ALL BODIES OF WATER EXCEPT THE INLAND  
RIVERS. THE NORTHERN RIVERS AND ALL SOUNDS ARE FORECAST TO DROP  
BELOW SCA CRITERIA LATER TONIGHT. THE COASTAL WATERS FROM DUCK  
TO CAPE HATTERAS AND OCRACOKE INLET TO SURF CITY ARE FORECAST TO  
DROP BELOW SCA CRITERIA BY SUNRISE BUT THE WATERS SOUTH OF CAPE  
HATTERAS TO OCRACOKE INLET WILL HOLD ON TO 6 FT SEAS THROUGH  
TOMORROW AFTERNOON.  
 
LONG TERM /MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/...  
AS OF 3 AM SAT...HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE WATERS WILL LEAD TO  
LIGHT W-SW WINDS MONDAY AND SEAS 2-4 FT. THE GRADIENT TIGHTENS  
MON NIGHT AND EARLY TUE AHEAD OF APPROACHING COLD FRONT, WITH SW  
WINDS INCREASING TO 10-20 KT. OCCASIONAL GUSTS TO 25 KT WILL BE  
POSSIBLE ACROSS THE OUTER CENTRAL WATERS NEAR THE GULF STREAM.  
SEAS WILL BUILD TO 3-5 FT. A WEAK FRONT WILL PUSH THROUGH THE  
WATERS TUE AND TUE EVENING, WITH WINDS BECOMING NE-E 10-15 KT  
BEHIND IT. E-S FLOW 5-15 KT RETURNS WED WITH 2-4 FT SEAS.  
 

 
   
MHX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
NC...NONE.  
MARINE...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 10 PM EST THIS EVENING FOR AMZ131-  
230-231.  
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 1 AM EST SUNDAY FOR AMZ135.  
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 7 AM EST SUNDAY FOR AMZ150-152-156-  
158.  
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 5 PM EST SUNDAY FOR AMZ154.  
 

 
 

 
 
SYNOPSIS...MHX  
NEAR TERM...RCF/OJC  
SHORT TERM...OJC  
LONG TERM...CQD  
AVIATION...CQD/RCF  
MARINE...CQD/OJC  
 
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