846
FXUS61 KPBZ 302212
AFDPBZ
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH PA
612 PM EDT SUN MAR 30 2025
SYNOPSIS
ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES CONTINUE WITH SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS
POSSIBLE SUNDAY NIGHT INTO EARLY MONDAY. A BRIEF BIT OF DRIER
AND COOLER WEATHER IS EXPECTED TUESDAY. HEAVY RAINFALL IS
EXPECTED ACROSS THE OHIO RIVER VALLEY LATE WEEK.
NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM MONDAY MORNING/
KEY MESSAGES:
- STRAY SHOWERS EXPECTED THROUGH 7PM
- LINE OF STORMS POSSIBLE LATE TONIGHT INTO EARLY MONDAY;
DAMAGING WIND AND ISOLATED TORNADOES ARE THE MAIN THREAT
- ABOVE AVERAGE TEMPERATURES CONTINUE
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WITH EXCESSIVE CLOUD COVERAGE AND REMNANT BOUNDARY LAYER
MOISTURE, TEMPERATURES HAVE LINGERING IN THE MID TO TO LOWER 60S
ACROSS THE REGION UNDER SOUTHERLY FLOW. DEW POINTS HAVE
INCREASED OVER THE LAST 2 HOURS OVER EASTERN OHIO INTO THE
LOW-60S. HOWEVER, WITH LITTLE FORCING AVAILABLE AND WARM AIR
ALOFT FROM A LINGERING RIDGE, THUNDERSTORM CHANCES WILL BE LOW
THROUGH 6PM TO 9PM FOR A LARGE PORTION OF THE AREA.
AS WE MOVE INTO THIS EVENING, A LINE OF SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS CURRENTLY ENTERING CENTRAL INDIANA WILL PROGRESS
EASTWARD ALONG A PRE-FRONTAL TROUGH MOVING INTO OUR EASTERN OHIO
COUNTIES TONIGHT BETWEEN 10PM TO MIDNIGHT. CAMS HAVE BEEN
WAFFLING AROUND WITH HOW FAR EAST THE LINE PROGRESSES BEFORE IT
WEAKENS. IN GENERAL, THEY OFTEN STRUGGLE WITH THE LIFETIME OF
DECAYING CONVECTIVE COMPLEXES AND WANT TO DISSIPATE THEM TOO
QUICKLY. THAT WAS THE CASE FOR MANY SEQUENCES OF RUNS UP TO THIS
MORNING WITH DISSIPATION IN EASTERN OHIO, BUT THE 12Z GUIDANCE
FLIPPED TO A BIT MORE AGGRESSIVE WITH THE LINE MAINTAINING
ITSELF INTO WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA. HREF PROBS FOR >500 J/KG OF
CAPE CUT OFF RAPIDLY RIGHT ON A ZANESVILLE TO COSHOCTON LINE
AFTER SUNSET TONIGHT. HOWEVER, THE PROBS FOR AT LEAST 100 J/KG
HAS SHIFTED FURTHER EAST AND IS AS HIGH AS 50% UP TO THE PA
BORDER. THIS LENDS HIGHER CONFIDENCE IN IMPACTS AT LEAST IN
EASTERN OHIO, BUT STILL LESS CONFIDENCE FARTHER EAST.
KINEMATICALLY, FORECAST SOUNDINGS SUGGEST THAT THE BULK OF THE
SHEAR WILL BE PACKED IN THE LOWER 3 KM (~35 KT OF 0-3 KM SHEAR
AND ~40 KT OF 0-6 KM SHEAR), AND THERMODYNAMICALLY, A GOOD
CHUNK OF THE AVAILABLE INSTABILITY ALSO IN THE LOWER LEVELS WITH
3CAPE VALUES BETWEEN 60-100 J/KG. THIS MAY HAVE A TWO FOLD
EFFECT IN THAT 1) IT CAN HELP OVERCOME THE MARGINAL INSTABILITY
AND MAINTAIN THE LINE AND 2) SUGGESTS ANOTHER ROUND OF QLCS
TORNADO POTENTIAL, ESPECIALLY IN ANY SEGMENTS OF THE LINE THAT
BOW AND ORIENT MORE NORTHWEST TO SOUTHEAST IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE
0-3 KM SHEAR VECTOR. DAMAGING WIND WILL BE THE PRIMARY HAZARD,
BUT IN COMPARISON TO OUR LAST EVENT, THE LOW-LEVEL WIND FIELD
LOOKS LESS POTENT, SO THOSE SIGNIFICANT GUSTS TO 80+ MPH ARE
LESS LIKELY.
SHORT TERM /6 AM MONDAY MORNING THROUGH 6 PM MONDAY/
KEY MESSAGES:
- COLD FRONT EXPECTED TO CROSS THE REGION SLOWLY ON MONDAY
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BY 6AM MONDAY MORNING, SHOWERS AND STORM WILL LIKELY STILL BE
ADVANCING THROUGH THE REGION. THE COLD FRONT MAY BE POSITIONED
OVER CENTRAL OHIO, A NOTED DELAY DUE TO THE UPPER-LEVEL WIND
FIELD RUNNING PARALLEL ALONG THE FRONT.
IF THE FRONT PROGRESSIVES FASTER, THIS COULD SET UP A FAVORABLE
TIME WINDOW FOR MUCH OF OUR REGION TO AVOID THE BRUNT OF ANY
SEVERE WEATHER EARLY ON MONDAY. MODEL CONSENSUS IS VERY STRONG
IN SHOWING MOST OF THE DESTABILIZATION MONDAY WELL EAST OF THE
RIDGES TOWARDS THE I-81 CORRIDOR. THIS LEAVES A NON-ZERO BUT LOW
CHANCE THAT IMPACTFUL SEVERE STORMS CAN FIRE ALONG THE FRONT
BRIGHT AND EARLY MONDAY MORNING AS THE FRONT CROSSES THE
REMAINDER OF OUR REGION. CONFIDENCE IS HIGH THAT BY 6PM THE
FRONT WILL BE AT LEAST PASSED COUNTIES NORTHWEST AND WEST
OF ALLEGHENY COUNTY (MERCER/VENANGO/LAWRENCE/COLUMBIANA).
TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN WELL ABOVE NORMAL MONDAY AFTER WITHIN
THE WARM SECTOR.
LONG TERM /MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY/
KEY MESSAGES:
- A COOL-DOWN IS MOST LIKELY MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY.
- ABOVE AVERAGE TEMPERATURES WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY.
- POTENTIAL FOR HEAVY RAIN THURSDAY INTO SATURDAY
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DRY AND COOLER CONDITIONS SETTLE IN TUESDAY BEHIND THE COLD
FRONT. BOTH ARE RATHER SHORT-LIVED AS ANOTHER SYSTEM CLIMBS
THROUGH THE UPPER MIDWEST ON WEDNESDAY DRAGGING A WARM FRONT
BACK THROUGH THE REGION. THIS USHERS IN THE RETURN OF ABOVE
NORMAL TEMPERATURES AND RAINFALL.
THERE LOOKS TO BE POTENTIAL FOR A BOUNDARY TO STALL ACROSS THE
OHIO VALLEY BEGINNING LATE-WEEK AND LASTING INTO THE WEEKEND.
THE EXACT PLACEMENT AND ANY FURTHER WOBBLING OF THIS STATIONARY
BOUNDARY WILL BE VERY IMPORTANT TO THE EXPECTED IMPACTS BUT IT
LOOKS LIKELY THAT SOMEWHERE IN THE OH VALLEY IS IN FOR ROUNDS OF
RAINFALL AND THE POSSIBILITY OF HIGH WATER IMPACTS. IT REMAINS
VERY EARLY TO SAY EXACTLY WHERE THESE IMPACTS WILL BE GREATEST
BUT CLUSTERED ANALYSIS. LONG-RANGE ENSEMBLES YIELD SEVERAL DAYS
NEXT WEEK WHERE THE CHANCE TO SEE >1 INCH OF RAINFALL IN 24HRS
IS ABOVE 30% IN OUR REGION. THERE IS ALSO A NOTED 50% CHANCE OF
SOME RIVERS REACHING 'ACTION' STAGE, INCLUDING DOWNTOWN
PITTSBURGH.
AVIATION /22Z SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/
ANOTHER ROUND OF RAIN ON THE NOSE OF AN IMPINGING 40 KNOT LOW-
LEVEL JET IS MOVING ACROSS THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON BRINGING
MORE RESTRICTIONS THAN THE EARLIER ONE WHICH AIDED IN SATURATING
THE DRY SUB-CLOUD LAYER. MOSTLY MVFR CIGS AND VIS HAVE
PREVAILED IN LIGHT TO MODERATE RAIN, THOUGH SOME EMBEDDED
HEAVIER RATES HAVE RESULTED IN PERIODIC DEGRADATION TO IFR. ONCE
THIS BATCH EXITS TO THE EAST, MVFR CIGS WILL TAKE AN EXTRA HOUR
TO TWO TO LIFT TO A BRIEF PERIOD OF VFR FAVORED UNTIL THE NEXT
LINE OF SHOWERS/STORMS ARRIVES LATE THIS EVENING. SURFACE WIND
GUSTS OF UP TO 30 MPH ARE POSSIBLE THROUGH THE AFTERNOON.
A LINE OF CONVECTION WILL BE PROGRESSING ACROSS OHIO TONIGHT,
AND THERE'S UNCERTAINTY HOW FAR EAST IT WILL BE ABLE TO HANG ON
WITH UNFAVORABLE TIMING WELL AFTER SUNSET. MODEL CONSENSUS IS
THAT IT HANGS ON AT LEAST INTO EASTERN OHIO AFFECTING ZZV WITH
HIGHEST CONFIDENCE AND LIKELY AS FAR EAST AS PIT/AGC. MOST
LIKELY TIMING FOR ZZV IS AROUND 02Z, PIT AT 04Z, AND LBE AT 06Z
IF IT HOLDS TOGETHER THAT FAR EAST. INTRODUCED PREVAILING LOW
END MVFR CONDITIONS WITH TEMPO GROUPS FOR IFR TSRA AT ALL SITES
AROUND THE TIMEFRAME OF THE HIGHEST IMPACT. GUSTS ARE LIKELY TO
BE STRONGER AND MORE SPORADIC WITH THE LINE OF CONVECTION.
THE COLD FRONT ITSELF WILL PASS THROUGH MONDAY MORNING WITH
PERHAPS A FEW SHOWERS ACCOMPANYING IT. COLD ADVECTION IN ITS
WAKE WILL REINFORCE LOW CLOUD COVERAGE AND MAINTAIN A 60-80%
CHANCE OF MVFR CIGS INTO THE DAYTIME HOURS. GUSTY WIND WILL
CONTINUE WITH 60-80% PROBABILITIES OF 30 MPH.
OUTLOOK...
VFR RETURNS TUESDAY UNDER HIGH PRESSURE. LOW PRESSURE MAY BRING
ANOTHER ROUND OF RAIN AND RESTRICTIONS WEDNESDAY INTO THURSDAY
WITH AN UNSETTLED PATTERN CONTINUING TO CLOSE OUT THE WEEK.
PBZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
PA...NONE.
OH...NONE.
WV...NONE.
SYNOPSIS...HEFFERAN/MB
NEAR TERM...HEFFERAN/MB
SHORT TERM...AK
LONG TERM...AK
AVIATION...MLB
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