571  
FXUS62 KMHX 120807  
AFDMHX  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEWPORT/MOREHEAD CITY NC  
407 AM EDT WED MAR 12 2025  
   
SYNOPSIS
 
 
DEPARTING LOW CONTINUES TO PUSH FARTHER OFF THE NORTH CAROLINA  
COAST WITH A RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE BUILDING IN FROM THE SOUTH  
AND WEST. THIS RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE REMAINS IN PLACE INTO THE  
WEEKEND BRINGING FAIR WEATHER AND WARMING TEMPS TO THE AREA INTO  
THIS WEEKEND. THE NEXT POTENTIAL FRONTAL SYSTEM IMPACTS THE  
AREA LATE THIS WEEKEND.  
 

 
   
NEAR TERM /THROUGH TODAY/
 
 
AS OF 230 AM WEDNESDAY...TEMPS IN THE 40S EARLY THIS MORNING  
WITH LIGHT VARIABLE WINDS AND CLEAR SKIES. DRY ATMOSPHERIC  
PROFILE PRECLUDES ANY IMPACTFUL FOG FROM FORMING, AND TEMPS  
SHOULD ONLY DROP A FEW MORE DEGREES BY SUNRISE. STRONG INVERSION  
AT LOW LEVELS WILL RAPIDLY BREAK DOWN THIS MORNING, AND TEMPS  
WILL QUICKLY RISE AFTER SUNRISE.  
 
RIDGING NOSING IN FROM THE SW THROUGH THE MORNING, KEEPING  
SKIES CLEAR AND WINDS LIGHT. LOW PRESSURE IS WELL OFFSHORE, AND  
WILL MOVE FURTHER AWAY THROUGH THE DAY TODAY. HIGH PRESSURE WILL  
REMAIN OVER THE AREA THROUGH TODAY WITH ZONAL FLOW ALOFT,  
RESULTING IN CLEAR SKIES AND SOUTHERLY WINDS 5-15MPH. WARM DAY  
IN STORE, ESPECIALLY INLAND, WITH THE POTENTIAL TO REACH THE LOW  
80S IN SPOTS. CLOSER TO THE COAST, THE SEA BREEZE WILL HELP  
KEEP TEMPS A BIT COOLER, BUT IT WILL STILL BE VERY PLEASANT. AS  
WE GET INTO THE LATE AFTERNOON/EARLY EVENING HOURS, HIGH  
PRESSURE BUILDS TO OUR NORTH, AND WHAT LOOKS TO BE A WEAK BACK  
DOOR COLD FRONT APPROACHES NOBX, DROPPING TEMPS A TAD AND  
SHIFTING WINDS IN THE EVENING FOR NOBX. THIS WEAK, SURFACE BASED  
BOUNDARY INTERACTS WITH A STRONG BAROCLINIC ZONE THANKS TO THE  
LABRADOR CURRENT AND AT THE SAME TIME THERE IS WEAK VORTICITY  
ADVECTION AT MID LEVELS. THIS WILL RESULT IN WEAK CYCLOGENESIS  
(MINIMAL UPPER LEVEL SUPPORT BEING THE LIMITING FACTOR) AND A  
VERY WEAK SFC LOW MAY FORM UP OFFSHORE OF NOBX IN THE EVENING.  
THIS WEAK LOW, IF DEVELOPED, WILL BE NON IMPACTFUL. SOME HIGH  
CLOUDS MOVE THROUGH IN THE LATE AFTERNOON/EARLY EVENING THANKS  
TO THE WEAK UPPER LEVEL SHORTWAVE AND VORTICITY ADVECTION.  
 

 
   
SHORT TERM /TONIGHT/
 
 
AS OF 245 AM WEDNESDAY...BEHIND THE BACK DOOR COLD FRONT MOVING  
THROUGH NOBX, WE COULD SEE SOME LOW STRATUS AND/OR FOG.  
HOWEVER, CURRENT INDICATION IS THE BULK OF THE CLOUD COVER WILL  
REMAIN JUST NORTH OF NOBX. THIS MEANS THE CWA WILL LIKELY BE  
CLOUD FREE YET AGAIN TONIGHT. WINDS WILL BE A TAD BIT STRONGER  
AS THE COL WE ARE CURRENTLY UNDER MOVES OFFSHORE, AND A STRONGER  
PRESSURE GRADIENT MOVES OVERHEAD. THIS SHOULD KEEP US FOG FREE  
THROUGH THE NIGHT.  
 

 
   
LONG TERM /THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/
 
 
AS OF 400 AM WED...QUIET WEATHER EXPECTED ACROSS EASTERN NC FOR  
THE REST OF THE WORK WEEK AS HIGH PRESSURE BECOMES THE DOMINANT  
WEATHER DRIVER FOR THE REST OF THE WORK WEEK. A WEAK BACKDOOR  
COLD FRONT BRIEFLY SWINGS ACROSS THE REGION ON FRIDAY WITH  
LITTLE FANFARE, BUT ATTENTION REMAINS ON A STRONGER COLD FRONT  
EXPECTED TO IMPACT MUCH OF THE EASTERN CONUS OVER THE WEEKEND,  
REACHING OUR AREA TO START NEXT WEEK.  
 
FAST MOVING SHORTWAVE MOVES ACROSS THE AREA TOMORROW. MOISTURE  
WILL BE LIMITED BY THE TIME THE WAVE REACHES EASTERN NC AND  
EXPECT ONLY AN INCREASE IN CLOUDS, BUT WOULD NOT BE SURPRISED TO  
SEE SHOWERS DEVELOPING ALONG THE OFFSHORE COASTAL TROUGH WHICH  
MAY THREATEN COASTAL LOCALES. AS WEAK LOW PRESSURE DEVELOPS OFF  
THE VIRGINIA COAST, IT WILL PUSH A BACKDOOR FRONT ACROSS THE  
REGION FRIDAY MORNING. OVERALL MOISTURE WILL BE TOO LACKING TO  
SUPPORT ANY SHOWERS BUT GUIDANCE DOES HINT AT A BANK OF LOW  
STRATUS FILTERING IN BEHIND THE BOUNDARY, AT LEAST IN THE  
MORNING HOURS. LATEST GUIDANCE NOW SHOWS THE FRONT FULLY  
CROSSING THE REGION AND A TEMPERATURE FORECAST MORE  
REPRESENTATIVE OF NORTHEASTERLY FLOW - MID TO UPPER 70S INLAND  
BUT 50S AND 60S ALONG THE OUTER BANKS.  
 
UPPER RIDGING SLIDES OFFSHORE SATURDAY AS A STRONG UPPER  
TROUGH AND ATTENDANT FRONTAL SYSTEM PUSHES INTO THE TENNESSEE  
RIVER VALLEY. TIMING DIFFERENCES STILL REMAIN ON WHEN THIS FRONT  
WILL CROSS EASTERN NC, ALTHOUGH THE MOST PROBABLE TIME REMAINS  
LATE SUNDAY INTO MONDAY. ENSEMBLE MEMBERS CONTINUE TO BE IN  
STRONG AGREEMENT IN THE PRESENCE OF THE FRONT, ALTHOUGH THERE IS  
A SPLIT AMONG ALL ENSEMBLE MEMBERS ON WHETHER THE FRONT IS MORE  
PROGRESSIVE AND QUICKLY MOVES OFFSHORE (FAVORED BY THE  
DETERMINISTIC GFS) OR HANGS UP ALONG THE COAST AND A SECONDARY  
LOW LIFTS ALONG IT, NOT CLEARING THE AREA UNTIL LATE MONDAY (AS  
DEPICTED BY THE ECMWF). REGARDLESS OF SYSTEM EVOLUTION, THE RISK  
REMAINS FOR BREEZY CONDITIONS AHEAD OF THE FRONT WITH THE  
ATTENDANT RISK OF COASTAL FLOODING AND ROUGH SURF. SHEAR WITH  
THE SYSTEM WILL BE AMPLE BUT INSTABILITY WILL BE DEPENDENT ON  
WHETHER THE FRONT MOVES THROUGH DURING PEAK HEATING. AT LEAST  
SOME SEVERE RISK IN THE FORM OF DAMAGING WINDS EXISTS, AND SPC  
CARRIES A DAY 6 RISK AREA.  
 
DRY WEATHER RETURNS AND PREVAILS THROUGH MID WEEK AS HIGH  
PRESSURE BUILDS INTO THE AREA FROM THE WEST.  
 

 
   
AVIATION /07Z WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/
 
 
SHORT TERM /THROUGH 6Z THURSDAY/...  
AS OF 2 AM WEDNESDAY...VFR CONDITIONS WITH LIGHT TO CALM WINDS  
ARE EXPECTED THROUGH THE MORNING AS HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS OVER  
THE AREA. DESPITE THE RADIATIONAL COOLING CONDITIONS, AIRMASS  
APPEARS TOO DRY TO SUPPORT IMPACTFUL FOG THIS MORNING. TODAY, WE  
REMAIN CLEAR (EXCEPT FOR SOME HIGH CLOUDS MOVING THROUGH IN THE  
AFTERNOON/EVENING), AND WINDS BECOME 10-20MPH OUT OF THE SOUTH  
IN THE AFTERNOON DURING PEAK HEATING. BACK DOOR COLD FRONT  
MOVING THROUGH NOBX THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING COULD BRING SOME  
ELEVATED LLWS CONCERNS (30KT FROM SW AT 2KFT) WITH IT,  
PARTICULARLY FOR MQI AND FFA IN THE EVENING/EARLY NIGHT TODAY.  
ANOTHER FOG FREE NIGHT EXPECTED TONIGHT AS LIGHT WINDS STRUGGLE  
TO BECOME CALM.  
 
LONG TERM /THURSDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/...  
AS OF 405 AM WED...PREDOMINANTLY VFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED INTO  
SATURDAY AS HIGH PRESSURE REMAINS IN CONTROL. INCREASE IN CLOUDS  
LIKELY TOMORROW AND FRIDAY AHEAD OF AN APPROACHING MID-LEVEL  
WAVE BUT WILL REMAIN SAFELY AT VFR LEVELS. BACKDOOR COLD FRONT  
IS FORECAST TO PUSH ACROSS ALL TERMINALS FRIDAY MORNING AND MAY  
BRING WITH IT A RISK OF IFR LOW STRATUS AND FOG IN THE AM HOURS.  
 
STRONG FRONT APPROACHES THE TERMINALS ON SATURDAY AND IS  
FORECAST TO CROSS ON SUNDAY. GUSTY SOUTH WINDS LIKELY ON  
SATURDAY, PEAKING ON SUNDAY WITH GUSTS UP TO 30 KT AT TIMES.  
POTENTIALLY STRONG STORMS WILL ACCOMPANY THE FRONT LATE SUNDAY,  
BRINGING A WINDOW OF DAMAGING WIND GUSTS.  
 

 
   
MARINE
 
 
SHORT TERM /THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT/...  
AS OF 3 AM WEDNESDAY...AS HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS IN FROM THE  
WEST, EXPECT WINDS TO REMAIN WELL BELOW SCA CRITERIA THROUGH  
THIS MORNING WITH SEAS GRADUALLY LOWERING. SCA'S STILL LINGERING  
ALONG THE COASTAL WATERS FROM OCRACOKE INLET TO OREGON INLET FOR  
6 FT SEAS. WAVES SHOULD FURTHER SUBSIDE TO 3-5 FT BY LATE IN  
THE DAY TODAY AS HIGH PRESSURE CONTINUES TO BUILD INTO THE  
AREA. THERE IS A CHANCE FOR A COUPLE HOURS OF 25KT WIND GUSTS  
FOR THE GULF STREAM WATERS OFF HATTERAS ISLAND TONIGHT AS  
PRESSURE GRADIENT TIGHTENS A BIT. ELECTED TO NOT GO WITH A SCA  
FOR THIS CONSIDERING THE MARGINAL, AND SHORT DURATION NATURE OF  
THE 25KT GUSTS.  
 
LONG TERM /WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY/...  
AS OF 410 AM WED...HIGH MOVES OFFSHORE TOMORROW BRINGING SOUTH  
TO SOUTHWESTERLY WINDS AROUND 10-15 KT WITH SEAS AROUND 2-4 FT.  
CONDITIONS BEGIN TO DETERIORATE SATURDAY AS A POWERFUL COLD  
FRONT APPROACHES THE EASTERN SEABOARD. SMALL CRAFT CONDITIONS  
ARE LIKELY TO BEGIN BY SATURDAY AFTERNOON WITH A RISK GALES BY  
SUNDAY MORNING, MOST LIKELY OVER THE OFFSHORE WATERS.  
 

 
   
MHX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
NC...NONE.  
MARINE...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 11 AM EDT THIS MORNING FOR AMZ152-  
154.  
 

 
 

 
 
SYNOPSIS...MHX  
NEAR TERM...RJ  
SHORT TERM...RJ  
LONG TERM...MS  
AVIATION...MS/RJ  
MARINE...MS/RJ  
 
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