587  
FXUS61 KPHI 160245  
AFDPHI  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ  
945 PM EST SUN DEC 15 2024  
   
SYNOPSIS  
 
STRONG HIGH PRESSURE ACROSS NEW ENGLAND MOVES OFFSHORE BY TONIGHT. A  
WEAK UPPER AIR SYSTEM MOVES ACROSS OUR AREA LATER TODAY AND INTO  
EARLY MONDAY, FOLLOWED BY ANOTHER SYSTEM LATER MONDAY INTO EARLY  
TUESDAY. HIGH PRESSURE LOOKS TO BUILD IN BRIEFLY LATER TUESDAY  
BEFORE ANOTHER LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM AFFECTS OUR REGION LATER  
WEDNESDAY INTO THURSDAY. HIGH PRESSURE MOVES IN ON THURSDAY, WITH A  
CLIPPER SYSTEM POTENTIALLY MOVING INTO THE AREA TO CLOSE OUT THE  
WEEK.  
 
 
   
NEAR TERM /THROUGH MONDAY/  
 
PRECIP IS EXPANDING OVER THE AREA, WITH A VARIETY OF TYPES. FOR  
THE SOUTHERN POCONOS, MOSTLY SNOW, AND FROM PHILADELPHIA SOUTH,  
RAIN. IN BETWEEN IS A MIX OF SNOW AND SLEET, AND THIS WINTRY MIX  
WILL PERSIST FOR MOST OF THE OVERNIGHT. FOR THE POCONO PLATEAU,  
THIS IS LOOKING LIKE IT WILL BE A MAINLY SNOW EVENT WITH A GOOD  
2 TO 4 INCHES NOW FORECAST, WITH A FEW SPOTS PICKING UP CLOSE TO  
5 INCHES POSSIBLE. FOR LOWER ELEVATIONS IN THE NORTH, THIS WILL  
BE MORE LIKE A 1 TO 2 INCH SNOW EVENT FOLLOWED BY A LIGHT GLAZE  
OF ICE THAT SHOULD AMOUNT TO LESS THAN A TENTH OF AN INCH.  
OVERNIGHT LOWS WILL RANGE FROM THE 20S TO LOW 30S IN OUR AREAS  
IN THE NORTH UNDER THE WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY WHILE AREAS  
FARTHER SOUTH NEAR AND SOUTH OF THE I-95 CORRIDOR WILL SEE LOWS  
RANGING FROM THE MID 30S TO LOW 40S.  
 
WARM ADVECTION SHOULD CHANGE PRECIP TO ALL RAIN BY MIDDAY MONDAY IF  
NOT SOONER, JUST AS PRECIP IS WINDING DOWN, WITH JUST LINGERING  
PATCHY LIGHT RAIN AND DRIZZLE IN THE WAKE OF THE SYSTEM FOR THE  
AFTERNOON HOURS. TOTAL LIQUID PRECIP AMOUNTS (RAIN IN THE SOUTH,  
LIQUID EQUIVALENT RAIN/SNOW/ICE IN THE NORTH) LOOK TO GENERALLY  
RANGE FROM ONE TO TWO THIRDS OF AN INCH. THE SOUTHEASTERLY FLOW  
SHOULD BRING TEMPS INTO THE 50S SOUTHEAST OF I-95 BY MONDAY  
AFTERNOON, WITH 40S FURTHER NORTHWEST, THOUGH THE POCONO PLATEAU MAY  
REMAIN STUCK IN THE UPPER 30S.  
 
 
   
SHORT TERM /MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY/  
 
ANOTHER SYSTEM ARRIVES FOR MONDAY NIGHT QUICKLY ON THE HEELS OF THE  
FIRST ONE AS ANOTHER UPPER LEVEL TROUGH SWINGS BY TO THE NORTH. THIS  
WILL PUSH A WARM FRONT THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT FOLLOWED BY A COLD FRONT  
EARLY TUESDAY. THE UPSHOT IS THAT FOLLOWING ANY LULL IN PRECIP  
MONDAY AFTERNOON, RAIN/SHOWERS WILL PICK UP AGAIN FOR MONDAY NIGHT  
AS THIS FRONTAL SYSTEM MOVES THROUGH. IT WILL BE A MILD NIGHT AS WE  
GET INTO THE SYSTEM'S WARM SECTOR SO TEMPERATURES WILL PRETTY MUCH  
JUST KEEP GRADUALLY RISING THROUGH MONDAY EVENING INTO THE  
OVERNIGHT. THUS, MONDAY NIGHT'S LOWS WILL BE PRETTY CLOSE TO  
MONDAY'S HIGHS AND SHOULD BE EXPERIENCED IN THE EVENING. WITH THESE  
WARMER TEMPERATURES, NO CONCERNS FOR WINTRY PRECIPITATION WITH THIS  
SECOND ROUND. THE RAIN ENDS WEST TO EAST TUE MORNING WITH FAIR MILD  
CONDITIONS FOLLOWING FOR THE REST OF THE DAY. HIGHS WILL BE MAINLY  
IN THE 50S TO LOW 60S EXCEPT UPPER 40S OVER THE POCONO PLATEAU.  
TOTAL RAIN AMOUNTS FOR MONDAY NIGHT / EARLY TUESDAY LOOK TO RANGE  
FROM AROUND .50 INCHES NORTH TO JUST SEVERAL HUNDREDTHS OF AN INCH  
OVER OUR MOST SOUTHERN AREAS. THE URBAN CORRIDOR SHOULD SEE AROUND  
.25 INCHES.  
 
 
   
LONG TERM /TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY/  
 
HIGH PRESSURE MOVES OFFSHORE ON TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY WITH A  
FRONTAL SYSTEM COMING IN WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO THURSDAY. TUESDAY  
NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY ITSELF LOOKS PRETTY DRY, WITH LOWS ON TUESDAY  
NIGHT IN THE 30S. WITH WARM ADVECTION RAMPING UP ON WEDNESDAY AHEAD  
OF THE NEXT SYSTEM, HIGHS WILL BE SEVERAL DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL  
(UPPER 40S/LOW 50S TO AS HIGH AS 60 OVER SOUTHERN DELAWARE).  
 
A DEEP TROUGH APPROACHES ON WEDNESDAY EVENING WITH A WEAK SURFACE  
LOW MOVING NEARLY OVERHEAD. THIS WILL BRING SOME LIGHT TO MODERATE  
RAIN TO THE AREA OVERNIGHT INTO THURSDAY MORNING. COLDER AIR WORKING  
IN ON THE BACKSIDE OF THE LOW COULD RESULT IN A FEW FLAKES IN THE  
POCONOS, BUT THIS IS ANTICIPATED TO BE A RAIN EVENT PRIMARILY  
GIVEN THE TRACK OF THE SURFACE LOW. THE SYSTEM DOES NOT LOOK  
OVERLY IMPACTFUL AT THIS TIME. JUST A BENEFICIAL RAIN WITH NBM  
PROBABILITIES OF RAINFALL OVER AN INCH ONLY AROUND 10-25%  
REGION-WIDE.  
 
HIGH PRESSURE MOVES IN FOR THURSDAY WITH TEMPERATURES FALLING BACK  
TO NEAR NORMAL. SHOULD BE DRY AND RELATIVELY QUIET OVERALL IN  
BETWEEN SYSTEMS.  
 
GUIDANCE HAS STARTED TO KEY IN ON A CLIPPER SYSTEM MOVING THROUGH  
FOR THE END OF THE WEEK. STILL FAR OUT BUT CAN'T RULE OUT SOME SNOW  
SHOWERS AT POINTS FRIDAY EVENING INTO SATURDAY. THERE IS HIGHER  
CONFIDENCE IN A PERIOD OF BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES NEXT WEEKEND  
HOWEVER IN THE WAKE OF THE CLIPPER.  
 
 
   
AVIATION /03Z MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/  
 
THE FOLLOWING DISCUSSION IS FOR KPHL, KPNE, KTTN, KABE, KRDG, KILG,  
KMIV, KACY AND SURROUNDING AREAS...  
 
TONIGHT...DETERIORATING TO MVFR AND THEN IFR CIGS AND VSBY AS  
RAIN OVERSPREADS THE REGION. CONDITIONS LOOK TO DROP TO MVFR  
BETWEEN 00Z AND 03Z FOR MOST SITES (CLOSER TO 03Z-05Z FOR SOUTH  
JERSEY TERMINALS). FREEZING RAIN AND SNOW POSSIBLE AT THE ONSET  
FOR KRDG AND ESPECIALLY KABE, CHANGING TO ALL RAIN BY AROUND  
03-05Z AND IFR CONDITIONS BEGIN DEVELOPING AROUND THIS TIME. IFR  
CONDITIONS PROGRESS EASTWARD REACHING I-95 TERMINALS AROUND  
07-09Z AND SOUTH JERSEY TERMINALS CLOSER TO DAWN. E-NE WINDS 5  
KTS OR SO. LLWS POSSIBLE AS SOUTHEASTERLY WINDS AROUND 30-35 KTS  
DEVELOP AROUND 2000 FT, MOST LIKELY AFTER 05Z. LOW CONFIDENCE,  
PARTICULARLY ON TIMING OF CATEGORY CHANGES.  
 
MONDAY...IFR/LIFR CIGS MOST OF THE DAY WITH SOME CHANCE OF IFR  
VSBY TOO DUE TO LINGERING MIST/DRIZZLE. WINDS BECOMING E-SE  
AROUND 5-10 KTS. LOW CONFIDENCE.  
 
OUTLOOK...  
 
MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY...MAINLY IFR WITH WIDESPREAD RAIN MONDAY  
NIGHT THEN GRADUALLY IMPROVING BACK TO VFR DURING THE DAY ON TUESDAY  
AS RAIN ENDS WITH THE PASSAGE OF A COLD FRONT. WIND GUSTS UP AROUND  
20 KNOTS POSSIBLE AT TIMES.  
 
TUESDAY NIGHT...VFR. NO SIGNIFICANT WEATHER.  
 
WEDNESDAY...PRIMARILY VFR, THOUGH SOME SHOWERS WORK IN LATE IN THE  
DAY, POTENTIALLY RESULTING IN LOWER CEILINGS.  
 
WEDNESDAY NIGHT...SUB-VFR CONDITIONS LIKELY (80-100% CHANCE) WITH  
PERIODS OF RAIN AND LOW CLOUDS/VISIBILITIES EXPECTED.  
 
THURSDAY...SUB-VFR CONDITIONS POSSIBLE (40-50%) TO START THE DAY,  
BUT IMPROVEMENT TO VFR PROBABLE LATER IN THE DAY.  
 
THURSDAY NIGHT...VFR. NO SIGNIFICANT WEATHER.  
 
FRIDAY...SUB-VFR CONDITIONS POSSIBLE (20-40%) WITH SCATTERED  
RAIN/SNOW SHOWERS IN THE FORECAST.  
 
 
   
MARINE  
 
SEAS START TO RAMP UP TONIGHT WITH A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY  
BEGINNING IN OUR SOUTHERN OCEAN ZONES THIS EVENING AND EXPANDING  
INTO OUR NORTHERN ZONES MONDAY. A PERIOD OF STRONGER SOUTHERLY  
WINDS GUSTING UPWARDS OF 25 TO 30 KNOTS WILL FOLLOW FOR MONDAY  
NIGHT FOLLOWED BY LINGERING HIGH SEAS INTO TUESDAY. THEREFOR, WE  
CONTINUE THE SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY RIGHT THROUGH MUCH OF  
TUESDAY.  
 
OUTLOOK...  
 
TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY...NO MARINE HEADLINES EXPECTED.  
 
WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY...SCA CONDITIONS POSSIBLE (40-50%)  
WITH WIND GUSTS OUT OF THE WEST/NORTHWEST APPROACHING 25 KT  
 
 
   
PHI WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
PA...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 9 AM EST MONDAY FOR PAZ054-055.  
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 3 AM EST MONDAY FOR PAZ060>062.  
NJ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 9 AM EST MONDAY FOR NJZ001-008.  
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 6 AM EST MONDAY FOR NJZ007.  
DE...NONE.  
MD...NONE.  
MARINE...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FROM NOON MONDAY TO 6 PM EST TUESDAY FOR  
ANZ450.  
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FROM 6 AM MONDAY TO 6 PM EST TUESDAY FOR  
ANZ451.  
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 1 PM EST TUESDAY FOR ANZ452>455.  
 
 
 
 
 
SYNOPSIS...HOEFLICH/OHARA  
NEAR TERM...FITZSIMMONS/MPS  
SHORT TERM...FITZSIMMONS  
LONG TERM...HOEFLICH  
AVIATION...AKL/HOEFLICH/MPS  
MARINE...FITZSIMMONS/HOEFLICH  
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