353  
FXUS62 KMHX 171900  
AFDMHX  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEWPORT/MOREHEAD CITY NC  
300 PM EDT THU JUL 17 2025  
   
SYNOPSIS  
 
HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS INTO EASTERN NC THROUGH THE WEEKEND WITH  
DANGEROUS HEAT AND HUMIDITY. A WAVY FRONTAL BOUNDARY WILL BRING  
SCATTERED THUNDERSHOWERS FRIDAY INTO NEXT WEEK.  
 
 
   
NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/  
 
AS OF 3 PM THU...ANY LINGERING CONVECTION WILL WANE WITH LOSS  
OF HEATING EARLY THIS EVENING, THOUGH MAY BEGIN TO SEE  
NOCTURNAL COASTAL SHOWERS AND ISO STORMS DEVELOP LATE, SOME  
DEVELOPING OVER THE OBX ZONES IN VCNTY OF THE VERY WARM PAMLICO  
SOUND. OVERNIGHT LOWS AGAIN 75-82 DEG, VERY WARM EVEN FOR MID  
JULY IN ENC.  
 
 
   
SHORT TERM /FRIDAY/  
 
AS OF 3 PM THU...  
 
KEY MESSAGES...  
 
- DANGEROUS HEAT AND HUMIDITY WITH HEAT INDICES OF 105-110  
DEGREES.  
 
- FLOOD WATCH FOR AREAS ALONG AND NORTH OF HWY 264 FOR HEAVY  
RAINFALL RATES AND POTENTIAL FLOODING DUE TO SCATTERED TO  
NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS.  
 
- A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM RISK AS WELL MAINLY ALONG AND NORTH OF  
HWY 264, WITH DAMAGING WINDS THE MAIN THREAT.  
 
BELT OF WESTERLIES WILL SINK SOUTH ON FRI WITH A FRONTAL  
BOUNDARY CURRENTLY RESIDING OVER THE MID ATLANTIC STATES. AHEAD  
OF IT, HEAT WILL INC AND THE STILL-OPPRESSIVE DEWPOINTS IN THE  
75-80 DEGREE RANGE WILL COMBINE TO PRODUCE DANGEROUS HEAT  
INDICES IN THE 105-110 DEGREE RANGE. A HEAT ADV HAS BEEN ISSUED  
FOR ALL OF ENC AS A RESULT.  
 
WITH THE AFOREMENTIONED FRONT SINKING INTO THE NORTHERN PARTS OF  
ENC, A FOCUS FOR SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS WILL  
DEVELOP IN THE AFTERNOON HOURS. MEAN FLOW IS NEARLY PARALLEL  
WITH THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY, AND WITH PW'S IN THE 2.25-2.5" RANGE,  
A THREAT FOR FLOODING/FLASH FLOODING WILL BE PRESENT. ATTM,  
THINKING THAT INITIATION WILL OCCUR IN THE  
CROATAN/ROANOKE/ALBEMARLE CONVERGENCE ZONE, AND THEN SPREAD  
WESTWARD THROUGH LATE IN THE DAY THROUGH THE HWY 64 AND 264  
CORRIDORS. HAVE ISSUED A FLOOD WATCH FOR COUNTIES ALONG AND  
NORTH OF HWY 264. RAINFALL RATES COULD BE QUITE INTENSE, WITH  
RATES OF OVER 2" PER HOUR AT TIMES. FURTHER SOUTH, CONVECTION  
WILL BE MORE SCT TO ISO IN NATURE.  
 
IN ADDITION TO THE FLOOD THREAT, A SEVERE RISK WILL BE PRESENT,  
AGAIN MOST LIKELY ALONG AND NORTH OF HWY 264 WHERE DEEP LAYER  
SHEAR IS AOA 20 KT. LARGE FAT CAPES WILL PRODUCE FREQUENT  
LIGHTNING IN STORMS, AND WITH STEEP LOW LEVEL LAPSE RATES  
PRESENT, WET MICROBURST WINDS WILL BE A THREAT WITH LOCALLY  
DAMAGING GUSTS POSSIBLE.  
 
 
   
LONG TERM /FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY/  
 
AS OF 530 AM THURSDAY...  
 
KEY MESSAGES...  
 
-DIURNAL SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED THROUGH THE LONG TERM  
 
-POTENTIAL FOR HAZARDOUS HEAT CONTINUES THIS WEEKEND.  
 
JET STREAM AND A STREAM OF SHORTWAVES ARE PINNED WELL TO OUR  
NORTH WITH RIDGING DOMINATING THE SYNOPTIC FLOW OVER THE SE  
THROUGH SATURDAY. THE RIDGING BRINGS HOT, HUMID CONDITIONS AND  
DIURNAL TSTORM CHANCES FOCUSED ALONG THE SEA BREEZE AND THE  
THERMAL TROUGH IN THE COASTAL PLAIN. FRIDAY THROUGH SATURDAY  
HIGH TEMPS IN THE MID 90S PAIRED WITH TDS IN THE MID TO UPPER  
70S BRINGS APPARENT TEMPERATURES BETWEEN 100-110F. PROPER  
PRECAUTIONS SHOULD BE TAKEN BY THOSE WHO EITHER WORK OUTDOORS OR  
ARE PLANNING ON SPENDING AN EXTENDED AMOUNT OF TIME OUTSIDE  
FRIDAY INTO THE WEEKEND. SATURDAY NIGHT THE HIGH STARTS TO SHIFT  
SW'WARD, PUTTING US ON THE NORTHERN PERIPHERY OF THE RIDGING.  
MODELS ARE BEGINNING TO INDICATE A SHORTWAVE RIDING THE NORTHERN  
PERIPHERY OF THIS RIDGE, MAYBE IN THE FORM OF AN MCS, SATURDAY  
NIGHT. HIGH PWATS GREATER THAN 2", 500MB WINDS AT 15-30KTS, AND  
LINGERING INSTABILITY MAKES THE ENVIRONMENT CONDUCIVE TO  
STRONGER STORMS MOVING THROUGH THE REGION SATURDAY NIGHT. THE  
LIMITING FACTOR IS FORCING, AS THE PLACEMENT OF THE RIDGE  
DETERMINES WHERE ALONG THE NORTHERN PERIPHERY THE SHORTWAVE, AND  
BY EXTENSION THE MCS, MOVES THROUGH. IF THE MCS MAINTAINS ITS  
STRENGTH AND MOVES THROUGH ENC, IT WOULD BE CAPABLE OF HEAVY  
RAINFALL AND STRONG WIND GUSTS. WPC HAS PORTIONS OF OUR WARNING  
AREA IN A SLIGHT (2/4) RISK FOR EXCESSIVE RAINFALL SATURDAY  
THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT.  
 
SUNDAY RIDGING WEAKENS OVER ENC WITH THE SW SHIFT OF THE HIGH,  
BRINGING TEMPS DOWN A NOTCH (BUT STILL FLIRTING WITH HEAT  
ADVISORY CRITERIA). MONDAY A BACK DOOR COLD FRONT MOVES THROUGH  
THE REGION, INCREASING POPS TO ABOVE CLIMO AS ADDITIONAL  
FORCING IS EXPECTED TO INCREASE STORM COVERAGE. WEDNESDAY AND  
THURSDAY SUBSIDENCE ALOFT DRIES UP THE MID AND UPPER LEVELS,  
BRINGING POPS DOWN AS STORM COVERAGE ALONG BOUNDARIES IS  
EXPECTED TO BE ISOLATED TO SCATTERED AT BEST.  
 
 
   
AVIATION /19Z THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/  
 
SHORT TERM /THROUGH FRI MORNING/...  
AS OF 2 PM THU...SW WINDS WILL GUST 15-20 KT THIS AFTERNOON.  
BUILDING SUBSIDENCE ALOFT WILL KEEP CONVECTION MORE ISOLATED  
THIS AFTERNOON, BUT HAVE A VCTS FOR KOAJ AND KEWN THROUGH EARLY  
EVENING FOR SOME SEA BREEZE CONVECTION. TONIGHT, SUB VFR IS NOT  
EXPECTED DUE TO SWRLY WINDS OF 5-10 KT, THOUGH MAY SEE A LOW  
PROB OF MVFR STRATUS DEVELOP LATE.  
 
LONG TERM /FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY/...  
AS OF 115 AM THURSDAY...THERE WILL BE A CHANCE FOR SHOWERS AND  
THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH MONDAY, BRINGING WITH IT REDUCED VIS AND  
CIGS WITHIN THUNDERSTORMS. THERE WILL BE A FOG AND LOW STRATUS  
THREAT AT NIGHT AS WELL WITH LIGHT TO CALM WINDS AND MOIST LOW  
LEVELS, EXACERBATED BY ANY AREAS THAT SEE MEANINGFUL RAINFALL  
DURING THE DAYTIME.  
 
 
   
MARINE  
 
SHORT TERM /THROUGH FRI/...  
AS OF 3 PM THU...LATEST OBS SHOW SW WINDS 10-20 KT WITH SEAS  
2-4 FT. A STRONGER THERMAL GRADIENT WILL DEVELOP TODAY, WITH SW  
WINDS INCREASING TO 15-25 KT LATER THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH THE  
NIGHT. SCAS CONTINUE FOR THE COASTAL WATERS AS WELL AS PAMLICO,  
CROATAN, ROANOKE SOUNDS THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH TONIGHT. SEAS  
WILL BUILD TO 3-5 FT AS A RESULT. WINDS DIMINISH BELOW SCA  
THRESHOLD BY 5AM, WITH GENERAL 10-20 KT THROUGH THE DAY FRI. INC  
THREATS FOR THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE ABLEMARLE REGION AND  
NORTHER WATERS NEAR AND NORTH OF OREGON INLET FOR FRI AFTERNOON  
INTO EVENING WITH STRONG WINDS AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING.  
 
LONG TERM /FRIDAY THROUGH MONDAY/...  
AS OF 130 AM THURSDAY...AS WE GET INTO THE WEEKEND WINDS DO  
EASE SLIGHTLY AS RIDGING WEAKENS, ALLOWING SW`RLY WINDS TO FALL  
FROM 15- 20 KTS ON FRI TO 10-15 KTS ON SAT AND SUN. 2-4 FT SEAS  
ON FRI DECREASE TO 2-3 FT FOR THE WEEKEND AND MONDAY. DIURNAL  
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE THROUGH THE PERIOD.  
 
 
   
HYDROLOGY  
 
AS OF 3 PM THU...A FRONTAL BOUNDARY WILL SINK INTO NORTHERN  
PARTS OF ENC ON FRIDAY. SLOW MOVING SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS  
THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP ALONG THE FRONT, AND WITH A VERY  
MOIST ATMOSPHERE WILL PRODUCE A THREAT FOR FLOODING AND FLASH  
FLOODING. RAIN RATES MAY APPROACH OR EXCEED 2 INCHES PER HOUR AT  
TIMES, WITH RAINFALL TOTALS THROUGH FRIDAY EVENING OF 2 TO 4  
INCHES, WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS OVER 4 INCHES POSSIBLE.  
 
 
   
MHX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
NC...HEAT ADVISORY FROM 11 AM TO 8 PM EDT FRIDAY FOR NCZ029-044>047-  
079>081-090>092-094-193>196-198-199-203>205.  
FLOOD WATCH FROM FRIDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH LATE FRIDAY NIGHT  
FOR NCZ029-044>047-080-081-203-205.  
BEACH HAZARDS STATEMENT UNTIL 8 PM EDT THIS EVENING FOR NCZ195-  
196-199-204-205.  
MARINE...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 4 AM EDT FRIDAY FOR AMZ135-150-158-  
231.  
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 6 AM EDT FRIDAY FOR AMZ152-154-156.  
 
 
 
 
 
SYNOPSIS...MHX  
NEAR TERM...TL  
SHORT TERM...TL  
LONG TERM...RM/RJ  
AVIATION...TL/RJ  
MARINE...TL/RJ  
HYDROLOGY...MHX  
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