665  
FXUS62 KRAH 220203  
AFDRAH  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC  
903 PM EST SAT DEC 21 2024  
   
SYNOPSIS  
 
ARCTIC HIGH PRESSURE CENTERED OVER ONTARIO CANADA WILL EXTEND  
SOUTHWARD INTO NORTH CAROLINA, AS IT DRIFTS SOUTHEASTWARD OVER THE  
NORTHEAST AND MID ATLANTIC STATES OVER THE WEEKEND. HIGH PRESSURE  
WILL REMAIN IN CONTROL THROUGH EARLY NEXT WEEK, WITH SLOWLY  
MODERATING TEMPERATURES.  
 
 
   
NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/  
 
AS OF 903 PM SATURDAY...  
 
STRONG (1036+ MB) SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE WAS LOCATED OVER ONTARIO  
THIS EVENING. THE HIGH PRESSURE EXTENDED SOUTH AND EAST THROUGHOUT  
MUCH OF THE EASTERN U.S. CAA CONTINUED WITH 5-12 MPH NNW SURFACE  
WINDS AT MID-EVENING. DEW POINTS WERE IN THE TEENS NORTH AND WEST TO  
LOWER 20S SE. WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO DROP OFF TO LESS THAN 6 MPH  
OVERNIGHT (LIGHT). HOWEVER, THIS WILL STILL PRODUCE ENOUGH MIXING  
FOR ONLY FAIR TO GOOD RADIATIONAL COOLING LATER TONIGHT. IT IS  
EXPECTED TO REMAIN MOSTLY CLEAR AS A FEW HIGH CLOUDS SHOULD CONTINUE  
TO SKIRT THE REGION UNDER THE UPPER TROUGH. LOWS GENERALLY IN THE  
LOWER TO MID 20S.  
 
 
   
SHORT TERM /SUNDAY AND SUNDAY NIGHT/  
 
AS OF 259 PM SATURDAY...  
 
A CHILLY SFC HIGH WILL DRIFT EAST OVER THE MID-ATLANTIC SUNDAY  
PROMOTING CHILLY NNELY SFC FLOW OVER CENTRAL NC. HIGHS ON SUNDAY  
WILL STRUGGLE TO REACH THE UPPER 30S/LOWER 40S. ANY STRATOCU SHOULD  
LARGELY REMAIN OFFSHORE. AS THE CENTER OF THE HIGH REMAINS NEAR  
SUNDAY NIGHT, AND WINDS GO CALM, EXCELLENT RADIATIONAL COOLING  
CONDITIONS SHOULD YIELD COLD OVERNIGHT LOWS IN THE MID TO UPPER  
TEENS.  
 
 
   
LONG TERM /MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/  
 
AS OF 259 PM SATURDAY...  
 
AS OF MONDAY MORNING, HIGH PRESSURE IS FORECAST TO BE SITTING OVER  
NEW YORK WITH A RIDGE EXTENDING SOUTHWEST INTO THE CAROLINAS. A WEAK  
SHORTWAVE IN THE UPPER LEVEL FLOW SHOULD FORCE A WEAK SURFACE LOW TO  
DEVELOP OFF THE FLORIDA COAST MONDAY EVENING. THE LOW SHOULD REACH  
ITS CLOSEST POINT TO CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA TUESDAY AFTERNOON OFF  
THE COAST OF WILMINGTON AND MOVE NORTHEAST OFFSHORE AFTER THAT.  
THERE IS A BIT OF UNCERTAINTY AS TO HOW FAR NORTHWEST THE  
PRECIPITATION WILL EXTEND, AND AT THIS POINT, HAVE KEPT A DRY  
FORECAST MONDAY NIGHT BUT INTRODUCED A SLIGHT CHANCE OF POPS ACROSS  
SOUTHEASTERN COUNTIES TUESDAY. CANNOT RULE OUT THE POTENTIAL THAT  
PRECIPITATION COULD START OFF VERY BRIEFLY AS FREEZING RAIN, AS  
SOUNDINGS SHOW A THICK LAYER OF ABOVE FREEZING AIR ABOVE THE  
SURFACE, BUT CONFIDENCE IS TOO LOW TO INCLUDE FREEZING RAIN IN THE  
FORECAST AT THIS TIME; THE PRECIPITATION IS PRIMARILY EXPECTED TO  
FALL AS RAIN. AS THE LOW MOVES OFF THE COAST TUESDAY NIGHT, HAVE  
REMOVED POPS FROM THAT PART OF THE FORECAST. MONDAY WILL BE SLIGHTLY  
WARMER THAN SUNDAY, WITH HIGHS RANGING FROM THE UPPER 30S TO THE  
UPPER 40S. SIMILARLY, MONDAY NIGHT WILL BE SLIGHTLY WARMER THAN  
SUNDAY NIGHT, RANGING FROM THE LOWER 20S TO THE LOWER 30S. ALL  
LOCATIONS SHOULD RISE INTO THE 50S ON TUESDAY.  
 
THE NEXT SYSTEM WILL DEVELOP OVER THE PLAINS ON CHRISTMAS AND MOVE  
EAST. HOWEVER, THERE IS QUITE A BIT OF UNCERTAINTY BETWEEN ALL  
MODELS IN HOW QUICKLY EAST PRECIPITATION WILL MAKE ITS WAY INTO  
NORTH CAROLINA, ESPECIALLY CONSIDERING ANOTHER HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEM  
WILL EXTEND FROM THE NORTHEAST INTO THE CAROLINAS, BRINGING  
ADDITIONAL DRY AIR. PRIMARILY RELYING ON ENSEMBLES, HAVE GONE WITH  
SLIGHT CHANCE POPS ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE AREA FROM WEDNESDAY  
AFTERNOON THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT, CONSIDERING THE DETERMINISTIC  
MODELS ARE DRY THROUGH THIS PERIOD. IT'S NOT UNTIL FRIDAY THAT THE  
GEFS AND EPS BOTH START TO SHOW A MORE SUBSTANTIAL AREA OF RAINFALL  
MOVE IN FROM THE WEST, AND HAVE CHANCE POPS THROUGH THE REST OF THE  
FORECAST. TEMPERATURES WILL BE SLIGHTLY BELOW NORMAL, WITH HIGHS IN  
THE UPPER 40S AND 50S AND LOWS MOSTLY IN THE 30S.  
 
 
   
AVIATION /00Z SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/  
 
AS OF 714 PM SATURDAY...  
 
24 HOUR TAF PERIOD: HIGH CONFIDENCE VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL  
THROUGH THE TAF PERIOD. A FEW LINGERING MID-LEVEL CLOUDS SHOULD  
GRADUALLY DRIFT EWD OUT OF THE AREA THIS EVENING. WINDS SHOULD  
GENERALLY BE 3-6 KTS THROUGH THE PERIOD.  
 
OUTLOOK: VFR CONDITIONS SHOULD LARGELY PREVAIL THROUGH THU. HOWEVER,  
A BRIEF PERIOD OF LIGHT PRECIPITATION AND SUB-VFR CIGS IS POSSIBLE  
LATE MON NIGHT/EARLY TUE, MAINLY IN THE SOUTHEAST (KFAY AND KRWI).  
 
 
   
RAH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
NONE.  
 
 
 
 
 
SYNOPSIS...BADGETT  
NEAR TERM...BADGETT/LUCHETTI  
SHORT TERM...LUCHETTI  
LONG TERM...GREEN  
AVIATION...KC  
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