322  
FXUS62 KRAH 152343  
AFDRAH  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC  
643 PM EST SUN DEC 15 2024  
   
SYNOPSIS  
 
HIGH PRESSURE AND ASSOCIATED COLD AIR DAMMING WILL EXTEND ACROSS THE  
PIEDMONT OF THE CAROLINAS, WHILE GRADUALLY WEAKENING, THROUGH  
TUESDAY. A SERIES OF COLD FRONTS WILL PROGRESS ACROSS THE REGION  
WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY.  
 
 
   
NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/  
 
AS OF 205 PM SUNDAY...  
 
* LIGHT RAIN WILL MOVE ACROSS THE NORTHERN PIEDMONT AND COASTAL  
PLAIN THROUGH TONIGHT.  
* AREAS OF FOG, POTENTIALLY DENSE DEVELOPING BY MON MORNING.  
 
REGIONAL SATELLITE IMAGERY AND SURFACE OBSERVATIONS SHOW THE  
EXPECTED CAD REGIME TACKING SHAPE OVER THE WESTERN PIEDMONT WHERE  
LOW OVERCAST AND TEMPERATURES HAVE ONLY MANAGED TO REACH INTO THE  
LOW 40S TO UPPER 30S THIS AFTERNOON. ELSEWHERE, MID/HIGH LEVEL  
CLOUDS HAVE MOVED EAST AND HAVE RESULTING IN PARTLY CLOUDY SKIES  
ACROSS THE EASTERN PIEDMONT AND COASTAL PLAIN. THIS HAS SUPPORTED  
TEMPERATURES RISING INTO THE 50S TO LOW 60S, CREATING A 20 DEGREE  
TEMPERATURE GRADIENT ACROSS CENTRAL NC.  
 
REGIONAL RADAR IMAGERY HAS SHOWN WAVES OF LIGHT RAIN AND MOSTLY  
DRIZZLE OVER THE NORTHWEST PIEDMONT, SUPPORTING THE CLASSICAL CAD  
DEVELOPMENT. ONLY TRACE AMOUNTS TO A HUNDREDTH OR TWO HAVE BEEN  
MEASURED SO FAR, BUT A MORE PERSISTENT AREA OF RAIN LOCATED OVER  
UPSTATE SC AND SOUTHERN APPALACHIANS IS FORECAST TO MOVE ENE AND INTO  
THE AREA LATER THIS AFTERNOON. ISENTROPIC ANALYSIS FROM THE RAP  
SHOWS THAT IN THE ABSENCES OF MID/UPPER LEVEL FORCING, THIS AREA OF  
RAIN WILL BE SUPPORTED BY MOIST ISENTROPIC UPGLIDE FROM THE 280 TO  
295K SURFACE. THE ASCENT IS NOT PARTICULARLY STRONG, SO MOSTLY LIGHT  
AMOUNTS ARE EXPECTED WITH UP TO 0.2 OF AN INCH IN THE TRIAD TO  
SEVERAL HUNDREDTHS AROUND THE TRIANGLE. LOCATIONS SOUTH AND EAST OF  
MAY SEE A FEW SPRINKLES, BUT WILL LARGELY REMAIN DRY.  
 
A SOUTHEASTWARD EXPANSION IN THE CAD REGIME, FEATURING LOW OVERCAST  
AND PATCHY FOG, IS EXPECTED THROUGHOUT THE NIGHT AS NOCTURNAL COOLING  
BEGINS AFTER SUNSET AND BOUNDARY LAYER MOISTURE INCREASES. AHEAD OF  
THE CAD BOUNDARY, CALM SURFACE CONDITIONS AND INCREASED BOUNDARY  
LAYER MOISTURE WITH DEW POINTS IN THE MID/UPPER 40S MAY SUPPORT AN  
AREA OF FOG, POTENTIALLY DENSE, WITH GREATEST RISK IN THE COASTAL  
PLAIN INTO THE EASTERN SANDHILLS. OVERNIGHT LOWS WILL SETTLE INTO  
THE UPPER 30S TO UPPER 40S, ONLY DROPPING 2-4 DEGREES IN THE NW  
PIEDMONT FROM THEIR AFTERNOON HIGH.  
 
 
   
SHORT TERM /MONDAY AND MONDAY NIGHT/  
 
AS OF 200 PM PM SUNDAY...  
 
UPPER LEVEL LOW OVER THE NORTHEAST EARLY MONDAY MORNING WILL SHIFT  
OFFSHORE FOLLOWED BY UPPER LEVEL RIDGE BUILDING OVER THE EASTERN US  
THROUGH THE DAY. MONDAY MORNING WILL START OUT WITH PATCHY FOG AND  
SOME ISOLATED SHOWERS ACROSS THE NORTHERN PIEDMONT BEFORE THE CAD  
ERODES THROUGH MID/LATE MORNING. WHILE MUCH OF THE DAY WILL BE DRY,  
SKIES ARE EXPECTED TO BE MOSTLY CLOUDY AS AN APPROACHING COLD FRONT  
MOVES IN FROM THE WEST. ANOTHER ROUND OF MOISTURE WILL MOVE THROUGH  
PORTIONS OF THE NORTHERN PIEDMONT (ESPECIALLY THE NORTHWESTERN  
AREAS) WITH SOME ISOLATED SHOWERS IN THE EVENING AND OVERNIGHT HOURS  
AS A COLD FRONT MOVES THROUGH THE REGION. NOT MUCH MOISTURE WILL BE  
AVAILABLE ON THE EAST SIDE OF THE MOUNTAINS SO LIMITED POPS TO LOW  
END SLIGHT CHANCE. HIGH TEMPERATURES WILL RANGE FROM MID 50S NW TO  
MID/UPPER 60S SE. AS THE COLD FRONT MOVES THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT, LOW  
TEMPERATURES WILL RANGE FROM THE MID/UPPER 40S TO LOW 50S.  
 
 
   
LONG TERM /TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/  
 
AS OF 245 PM SUNDAY...  
 
A SURFACE LOW IS EXPECTED TO MOVE ACROSS THE OHIO VALLEY ON TUESDAY  
AND WEDNESDAY BEFORE EXITING THE MID-ATLANTIC COAST ON THURSDAY. THE  
GFS MOVES THIS LOW FASTER WITH A MORE NORTHERLY TRACK, VERSUS THE  
ECMWF WHICH KEEPS THE LOW FURTHER TO THE SOUTH. GENERALLY, MODELS  
AGREE THAT THE ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH CENTRAL NC  
LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT/EARLY THURSDAY MORNING. THE FRONT WILL BRING A  
CHANCE OF RAIN BEGINNING EARLY WEDNESDAY BEFORE CLEARING THE REGION  
THURSDAY. AFTER THIS, HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD BACK IN LEAVING THE  
REST OF THE FORECAST COOL AND DRY.  
 
MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES ON TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY SHOULD WARM INTO THE  
MID-60S TO LOW-70S. AFTER THE COLD FRONT MOVES THROUGH EARLY  
THURSDAY, HIGH TEMPERATURES WILL BE IN THE 50S THURSDAY AND FRIDAY.  
WEEKEND TEMPERATURES WILL BE CHILLY WITH HIGHS IN THE MID TO UPPER  
40S ON SATURDAY AND UPPER 30S TO LOW 40S ON SUNDAY. LOW TEMPERATURES  
WILL COOL EACH NIGHT, GOING FROM LOW 50S TUESDAY NIGHT TO UPPER  
TEENS BY SUNDAY NIGHT.  
 
 
   
AVIATION /00Z MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/  
 
AS OF 640 PM SUNDAY...  
 
IFR TO LIFR CIGS AND MVFR TO IFR VSBYS ARE EXPECTED THROUGH  
15Z/MONDAY. CONDITIONS MAY IMPROVE A BIT IN THE EAST, BUT REMAIN SUB-  
VFR IN THE TRIAD INTO MONDAY NIGHT. SOME VERY LIGHT RAIN OR  
SPRINKLES ARE EXPECTED, MAINLY THIS EVENING. OTHERWISE, JUST A BIT  
OF DRIZZLE AND MIST.  
 
OUTLOOK: SUB-VFR CONDITIONS WITH MVFR TO IFR CIGS AND MVFR VSBYS  
EXPECTED INTO WEDNESDAY. THERE IS ALSO A CHANCE OF SHOWERS.  
 
 
   
RAH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
NONE.  
 
 
 
 
SYNOPSIS...MWS  
NEAR TERM...SWIGGETT  
SHORT TERM...CA  
LONG TERM...HELOCK  
AVIATION...BADGETT  
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