948  
FXUS62 KRAH 170818  
AFDRAH  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC  
317 AM EST MON FEB 17 2025  
   
SYNOPSIS
 
 
CONTINENTAL POLAR HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD ACROSS THE MIDDLE  
ATLANTIC AND CAROLINAS THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT. LOW PRESSURE WILL THEN  
TRACK ACROSS THE GULF AND SOUTH ATLANTIC COASTS WEDNESDAY AND  
WEDNESDAY NIGHT. ARCTIC HIGH PRESSURE WILL FOLLOW AND MIGRATE FROM  
THE NORTHERN PLAINS TO THE MIDDLE ATLANTIC, WHILE WEAKENING AND  
MODIFYING, THROUGH NEXT WEEKEND.  
 

 
   
NEAR TERM /TONIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT/
 
 
AS OF 317 AM MONDAY...  
 
HIGH PRESSURE WILL CONTINUE TO FUNNEL CAA THIS MORNING. THE PRESSURE  
GRADIENT WILL RELAX THIS AFTERNOON WITH LESS WIND. EXPECT MOSTLY  
SUNNY SKIES WITH SEASONABLY COLD TEMPERATURES IN THE MID 40S NORTH  
RANGING INTO THE LOWER 50S SOUTH. CLEAR AND COLD CONDITIONS ARE  
EXPECTED TONIGHT WITH LOWS IN THE 20S.  
 
A DRY COLD FRONT WILL PUSH SOUTH INTO THE REGION TUESDAY EVENING,  
THEN SETTLE SOUTH OF THE AREA TUESDAY NIGHT. A VERY COLD SURFACE  
HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD DOWN THE EASTERN SEABOARD LATE TUESDAY  
NIGHT. EXPECT PARTLY SUNNY SKIES TUESDAY WITH HIGHS IN THE UPPER 40S  
TO MID 50S NORTH TO SOUTH. INCREASING CLOUDINESS AND COLD TUESDAY  
NIGHT WITH LOWS IN THE MID 20S NE TO LOWER 30S SW.  
 

 
   
SHORT TERM /WEDNESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/
 
 
AS OF 300 AM MONDAY...  
 
LOW PRESSURE WILL BE CENTERED NEAR NEW ORLEANS AS OF WEDNESDAY  
MORNING, MOVE OVER FLORIDA WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON, THEN MOVE NORTHEAST  
ALONG THE COASTLINE OF THE CAROLINAS WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO THURSDAY  
MORNING. OVERALL, PERHAPS THE GREATEST CHANGE WITH THE 00Z GUIDANCE  
IS THAT LIQUID PRECIPITATION TOTALS HAVE COME DOWN FROM THE 12Z  
GUIDANCE. THIS IS LIKELY RELATED TO THE 00Z ECMWF SHOWING THE  
SURFACE LOW 5-10 MB WEAKER THAN THE 12Z RUN, ALTHOUGH THE 00Z GFS  
DOES NOT SHOW MUCH DIFFERENCE WITH THE STRENGTH OF THE LOW COMPARED  
TO THE 18Z RUN. THE OFFICIAL QPF IS ABOUT HALF AS MUCH IN THE TRIAD  
AS BEFORE, WITH A SMALLER REDUCTION FARTHER TO THE EAST.  
 
THERE IS STILL A GREAT DEAL OF UNCERTAINTY AS TO PRECIPITATION TYPE.  
ALL PRECIPITATION TYPES ARE EXPECTED TO OCCUR SOMEWHERE ACROSS THE  
FORECAST AREA. COMPARED TO THE PREVIOUS FORECAST, ONE PRIMARY CHANGE  
IS THAT THE WARM NOSE APPEARS STRONG ENOUGH TO PRODUCE A LARGER AREA  
OF SLEET ALONG AND SOUTH OF US-64 TO THE WEST OF I-40 ON WEDNESDAY.  
THE OTHER PRIMARY CHANGE IS THAT THE CHANCE FOR FREEZING RAIN IS  
STILL INITIALLY ALONG AND SOUTH OF US-64 WEDNESDAY MORNING, BUT THEN  
THAT AREA GREATLY EXPANDS TO THE SOUTH AND NORTHEAST IN THE LATE  
AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THE MODEL TREND WAS TO BRING SURFACE  
TEMPERATURES DOWN SLIGHTLY, WHICH EXPANDS THE AREA THAT COULD  
RECEIVE FREEZING RAIN INSTEAD OF LIQUID RAIN. IT STILL APPEARS THAT  
PRECIPITATION WILL BE MAKING ITS WAY INTO THE REGION FROM SOUTHWEST  
TO NORTHEAST WEDNESDAY MORNING, WITH WIDESPREAD PRECIPITATION  
WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON, THEN PRECIPITATION SHOULD BEGIN WINDING DOWN  
FROM SOUTHWEST TO NORTHEAST WEDNESDAY NIGHT, WITH PERHAPS A STRAY  
FLURRY POSSIBLE THURSDAY MORNING ACROSS THE NORTHEAST.  
 
THE OFFICIAL SNOW/ICE FORECASTS NOW GO THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING, AND  
SHOULD COVER ALL ACCUMULATING PRECIPITATION. THE SPECIFICS OF THOSE  
TOTALS ARE LIKELY TO CHANGE CONSIDERING THE UNCERTAINTY IN REGARD TO  
PRECIPITATION TYPE, BUT IT APPEARS THAT EXCEPT FOR SOUTHERN TIER  
COUNTIES, ALL AREAS ARE LIKELY TO RECEIVE AT LEAST SOME ACCUMULATING  
SNOW, WITH THE HIGHEST TOTALS NORTH AND EAST OF THE TRIANGLE  
COINCIDENT WITH THE HIGHEST QPF. IT ALSO APPEARS THAT NEARLY ALL  
LOCATIONS WILL RECEIVE AT LEAST SOME ACCUMULATING FREEZING RAIN,  
WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE TRIAD AND NORTHERN PERSON/VANCE COUNTIES  
WHERE NO ICE ACCUMULATION IS FORECAST, AND THE HIGHEST ICE TOTALS  
ARE CURRENTLY IN JOHNSTON/WILSON/WAYNE COUNTIES. ALTHOUGH SOME  
LOCATIONS HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO REACH WARNING CRITERIA FOR EITHER  
SNOW OR ICE, THERE IS NOT ENOUGH CONFIDENCE IN THOSE VALUES DUE TO  
THE UNCERTAINTY IN PRECIPITATION TYPES, AND A WINTER STORM WATCH  
WILL NOT BE ISSUED ON THIS SHIFT.  
 

 
   
LONG TERM /THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY/
 
 
AS OF 100 AM MONDAY...  
 
THE ARCTIC HIGH WILL BUILD DOWN INTO THE CENTRAL PLAINS AND MID-MS  
VALLEY ON THURSDAY NIGHT AND FRIDAY, THEN THE TN VALLEY ON SATURDAY  
AND THE EAST COAST ON SUNDAY. THIS WILL BRING A VERY COLD AND DRY  
AIR MASS WHICH GRADUALLY MODIFIES THROUGH THE END OF THE PERIOD.  
TEMPERATURES, JUST HOW COLD IT GETS, WILL NOT BE DETERMINED UNTIL  
THE POTENTIAL FOR THE WINTER STORM IS OVER. WE WILL KEEP THE  
PREVIOUS FORECAST OF THURSDAY NIGHT LOWS IN THE TEENS TO LOWER 20S.  
FRIDAY'S FORECAST HIGHS ONLY IN THE UPPER 30S TO LOWER 40S, THEN  
40S ON SATURDAY AND SUNDAY.  
 

 
   
AVIATION /06Z MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/
 
 
AS OF 100 AM MONDAY...  
 
VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED THROUGH 06Z/TUE.  
 
OUTLOOK: POTENTIAL LOW PRESSURE MAY BRING A CHANCE OF WINTRY  
PRECIPITATION AND FLIGHT RESTRICTIONS TO CNTL NC LATE TUE NIGHT  
THROUGH WED. OTHERWISE, VFR.  
 

 
   
RAH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
NONE.  
 

 
 

 
SYNOPSIS...MWS  
NEAR TERM...BADGETT  
SHORT TERM...GREEN  
LONG TERM...BADGETT  
AVIATION...BADGETT/MWS  
 
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