411  
FXUS62 KRAH 212354  
AFDRAH  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC  
655 PM EST FRI FEB 21 2025  
   
SYNOPSIS  
 
COLD ARCTIC HIGH PRESSURE CENTERED OVER THE MIDWEST WILL SLOWLY  
WEAKEN AND WARM UP AS IT SLIDES TO THE SOUTHEAST STATES THROUGH  
SUNDAY. THIS HIGH WILL THEN SETTLE OVER THE GULF COAST THROUGH THE  
MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK, AHEAD OF THE NEXT STORM SYSTEM THAT ARRIVES  
LATE WEDNESDAY INTO THURSDAY.  
 
 
   
NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/  
 
AS OF 109 PM FRIDAY...  
 
TEMPERATURES WILL RISE A FEW MORE DEGREES THIS AFTERNOON BEFORE  
SUNSET, BUT GENERALLY SHOULD PEAK AROUND 40. ANY RESIDUAL GUSTINESS  
THIS AFTERNOON SHOULD SUBSIDE BY SUNSET, ALTHOUGH SOME LIGHT  
STIRRING IS LIKELY OVERNIGHT. 12Z GUIDANCE CONTINUES TO SUGGEST  
MOSTLY CLEAR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED OVERNIGHT. HOWEVER, AS WAS  
NOTED IN THIS MORNING'S DISCUSSION, LIGHT STIRRING AND A BIT THICKER  
LOW-LEVEL THICKNESSES WILL PROMOTE A BIT WARMER OVERNIGHT LOWS IN  
UPPER TEENS TO LOWER 20S. GIVEN THE LIGHTER WINDS, APPARENT  
TEMPERATURES SHOULD REMAIN ABOVE COLD WEATHER ADVISORY CRITERIA.  
 
 
   
SHORT TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT/  
 
AS OF 109 PM FRIDAY...  
 
LINGERING WNWLY FLOW EARLY SATURDAY WILL TURN A BIT MORE SWLY ALOFT  
SATURDAY AFTERNOON/EVENING AS A POTENT SHORT-WAVE APPROACHES. THE  
SHORT-WAVE WILL THEN EJECT EAST ACROSS CENTRAL NC SATURDAY NIGHT  
THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING.  
 
AT THE SFC, HIGH PRESSURE CENTERED OVER NC/VA WILL MOVE EAST AND  
OFFSHORE THROUGH SATURDAY EVENING. LIGHT FLOW EARLY IN THE DAY WILL  
ORGANIZE A BIT MORE FROM THE SSW SATURDAY AFTERNOON BUT REMAIN  
GENERALLY LIGHT. GIVEN THE RETURN FLOW, TEMPERATURES WILL MODERATE  
SOME BACK INTO THE MID TO UPPER 40S TO AROUND 50 IN THE FAR  
SOUTHWEST.  
 
PWAT WILL STILL REMAIN QUITE BELOW NORMAL AND THUS DESPITE THE UPPER  
FORCING ASSOCIATED WITH THE MID-LEVEL SHORT-WAVE, CENTRAL NC SHOULD  
ONLY SEE MID TO HIGH LEVEL CLOUDINESS BUT NO RAINFALL SATURDAY OR  
SATURDAY NIGHT (POINT SOUNDINGS ALSO INDICATE A QUITE DRY SUB-CLOUD  
LAYER).  
 
OVERNIGHT LOWS WILL DIP INTO THE MID TO UPPER 20S.  
 
 
   
LONG TERM /SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/  
 
AS OF 250 PM FRIDAY...  
 
* TEMPERATURES SHOULD MODERATE SUNDAY AND MONDAY, THEN REMAIN ABOVE  
NORMAL THROUGH AT LEAST THURSDAY.  
 
SUNDAY THROUGH TUESDAY: ALOFT, A S/W WILL MOVE ESEWD ACROSS CENTRAL  
NC SUN NIGHT/MON. ANOTHER S/W WILL APPROACH FROM THE NW LATE MON/MON  
NIGHT AND MOVE ACROSS THE REGION TUE/TUE NIGHT. AT THE SURFACE, HIGH  
PRESSURE WILL REMAIN IN PLACE OVER THE REGION THROUGH TUE, WHILE AN  
AREA OF LOW PRESSURE LIFTS NEWD ALONG BUT WELL OFF THE SOUTHEAST US  
COAST AND ANOTHER MOVES ACROSS THE NRN GULF AND ACROSS FL. A DRY  
COLD FRONT WILL MOVE ESEWD ACROSS THE AREA TUE/TUE NIGHT. AS FOR  
TEMPERATURES, SUN/SUN NIGHT SHOULD STILL BE NEAR TO BELOW NORMAL,  
WITH HIGHS IN THE 50S AND LOWS IN THE MID 20S TO LOW 30S. A RETURN  
TO ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES IS EXPECTED MON AND TUE, WITH HIGHS IN  
THE MID TO UPPER 60S BY TUE AND LOWS TUE NIGHT IN THE UPPER 30S TO  
LOW 40S.  
 
WEDNESDAY ONWARD: ALOFT, A BROAD LONGWAVE TROUGH OVER THE CNTL AND  
ERN CONUS WILL SHIFT EWD AND AMPLIFY OVER THE ERN US AS NRN STREAM  
SHORTWAVES MOVE THROUGH IT FROM WED-FRI. AT THE SURFACE, HIGH  
PRESSURE MAY BRIEFLY BUILD IN FROM THE SOUTH ON WED AHEAD OF ANOTHER  
LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM AND COLD FRONT. AS THE LOW MOVES THROUGH THE OH  
VALLEY/GREAT LAKES AND INTO THE NORTHEAST US, THE ATTENDANT COLD  
FRONT WILL MOVE EWD ACROSS CENTRAL NC. HOWEVER, THERE ARE STILL  
TIMING DIFFERENCES AMONGST THE MEDIUM-RANGE GUIDANCE, WITH FROPA WED  
NIGHT/EARLY THU (GFS) OR LATE THU/THU NIGHT (EC). FOR NOW, EXPECT  
GENERALLY HIGH PRESSURE TO BUILD IN BEHIND THE FRONT LATE-WEEK. THE  
BEST CHANCE FOR ANY SHOWERS WILL BE ALONG AND AHEAD OF THE FRONT,  
BUT THERE IS ALSO UNCERTAINTY WRT HOW MUCH MOISTURE WILL BE LEFT  
WITH THE SYSTEM BY THE TIME IT MOVES INTO CENTRAL NC AND WHEN THAT  
WILL BE. THE FROPA TIMING WILL ALSO IMPACT THE TEMPERATURE FORECAST,  
BUT FOR NOW EXPECT ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES THROUGH THU, RETURNING  
TO NEAR NORMAL THEREAFTER.  
 
 
   
AVIATION /00Z SATURDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/  
 
AS OF 655 PM FRIDAY...  
 
CONFIDENCE IS HIGH THAT VFR CONDITIONS WILL PERSIST OVER CENTRAL NC  
FOR THE NEXT 24 HOURS. FAIR TO CLEAR SKIES ARE EXPECTED THROUGH SAT  
MORNING, WITH LITTLE MORE THAN A FEW HIGH CLOUDS, THEN HIGH AND MID  
LEVEL CLOUDS WILL INCREASE AND THICKEN WITH LOWERING BASES AFTER 16Z  
SAT. CLOUD BASES WILL REMAIN VFR, HOWEVER, WITH NO VSBY RESTRICTIONS  
THROUGH SAT EVENING. SURFACE WINDS HAVE DIMINISHED AND WILL BE LIGHT  
AND VARIABLE THROUGH SAT MORNING, THEN FROM THE SW UNDER 10 KTS SAT  
AFTERNOON INTO EVENING.  
 
LOOKING BEYOND 00Z SUN, PERIODS OF MID AND HIGH LEVEL CLOUDS ARE  
EXPECTED OVER THE AREA THROUGH MID WEEK, HOWEVER THE CHANCE OF SUB-  
VFR CONDITIONS OR PRECIPITATION THROUGH THE PERIOD IS LOW. -GIH  
 
 
   
RAH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
NONE.  
 
 
 
 
 
SYNOPSIS...HARTFIELD  
NEAR TERM...LUCHETTI  
SHORT TERM...LUCHETTI  
LONG TERM...KC  
AVIATION...HARTFIELD  
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