951  
FXUS62 KRAH 020003  
AFDRAH  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC  
801 PM EDT TUE APR 1 2025  
   
SYNOPSIS
 
 
HIGH PRESSURE WILL SLOWLY SHIFT OFFSHORE TONIGHT. THIS WILL ALLOW A  
MORE MOIST RETURN FLOW FROM THE SOUTHEAST LATER TONIGHT AND TUESDAY.  
A WARM-UP WILL START WEDNESDAY WITH NEAR RECORD WARMTH POSSIBLE LATE  
WEEK INTO PART OF THE WEEKEND.  
 

 
   
NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/
 
 
AS OF 225 PM TUESDAY...  
 
HIGH PRESSURE IS CURRENTLY CENTERED OVER ONTARIO WITH RIDGING  
EXTENDING SOUTH-SOUTHEAST INTO THE CAROLINAS. THE HIGH IS EXPECTED  
TO SLIDE TO THE SOUTHEAST THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT, WHICH WILL  
SLOWLY TURN THE WIND FROM THE NORTH TO THE EAST BY MIDNIGHT.  
ALTHOUGH THIS WILL NOT RESULT IN MUCH OF A DIFFERENCE WITH THE  
SURFACE DEWPOINT, THE EASTERLY FLOW WILL BRING ADDITIONAL MOISTURE  
INTO CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA, AND LOW CLOUDS SHOULD INCREASE IN  
COVERAGE. WHILE LOCATIONS TO THE EAST SUCH AS ROANOKE RAPIDS, ROCKY  
MOUNTAIN, AND CLINTON SHOULD REMAIN PARTLY CLOUDY OVERNIGHT, EXPECT  
MOSTLY CLOUDY SKIES IN WADESBORO AND WINSTON-SALEM BY DAYBREAK.  
OVERNIGHT LOWS WILL RANGE FROM THE LOW 40S IN THE NORTHEAST TO THE  
LOW 50S IN THE SOUTHWEST.  
 

 
   
SHORT TERM /WEDNESDAY AND WEDNESDAY NIGHT/
 
 
AS OF 110 PM TUESDAY...  
 
STRONG AND EXPANSIVE MID LEVEL RIDGING WILL CONTINUE TO BUILD OVER  
AND OFF THE SOUTHEAST COAST WED, RESULTING IN A CLOSED ANTICYCLONE E  
OF FL WED NIGHT. AT THE SURFACE, HIGH PRESSURE CENTERED WELL TO OUR  
N OVER QUEBEC WILL EXTEND WEAKLY INTO CENTRAL AND EASTERN NC EARLY  
WED, WITH SLOWLY WANING INFLUENCE THROUGH WED AND WED NIGHT AS THE  
HIGH'S CENTER TRACKS NE OVER E CANADA AWAY FROM NC. THE MOIST  
UPGLIDE WHICH RAMPS UP QUICKLY IN THE PREDAWN HOURS OVER THE  
SANDHILLS AND W PIEDMONT AT 285-300K WILL PERSIST THROUGH WED,  
FOCUSED ALONG A SLOPED FRONTAL ZONE LIFTING NNE THROUGH THE REGION,  
RESULTING IN MOSTLY CLOUDY TO CLOUDY SKIES IN THE NW AND PARTLY  
CLOUDY SE. PATCHY LIGHT RAIN OR DRIZZLE REMAINS POSSIBLE,  
PARTICULARLY FOCUSED ALONG THIS FRONTAL ZONE IN AREAS W OF HWY 1.  
HYDROMETEORS WILL BE SMALL GIVEN THE LACK OF SATURATION ALOFT, SO  
ANY PRECIP SHOULD BE VERY LIGHT, WHICH IS SUPPORTED BY HREF  
MEASURABLE RAIN CHANCES WHICH ARE VERY LOW AND CONFINED TO THE FAR  
NW. THE STRENGTHENING SSE/SE FLOW RIDING ATOP THE LOW LEVEL STABLE  
POOL DEPOSITED BY THE EXITING HIGH AND RESULTANT CLOUDS AND THIS  
LIGHT PRECIP POTENTIAL SHOULD HELP LOCK IN THE COOLER STABLE AIR  
THROUGH MUCH OF THE DAY OVER THE NW PIEDMONT, WITH THE IN SITU WEDGE  
REGIME REINFORCED THROUGH DIFFERENTIAL THERMAL ADVECTION IN THE  
VERTICAL. AS A RESULT, WHILE HIGHS ARE LIKELY TO REACH INTO THE 70-  
75 RANGE FROM THE TRIANGLE S AND E, THE FAR NW PIEDMONT INCLUDING  
THE TRIAD SHOULD SEE HIGHS IN THE 60-65 RANGE WITH REDUCED  
INSOLATION. THE SURFACE RIDGE WILL BE RATHER TRANSITORY, PROPELLED  
IN PART BY A POLAR STREAM LOW TRACKING ENE OVER THE UPPER MIDWEST  
AND S ONTARIO, SO THE LINGERING STABLE POOL IN THE NW SHOULD  
EVENTUALLY SUCCUMB TO THE ELEVATED/DEEPENING WAA LATE WED.  
WIDESPREAD STRATOCU IS LIKELY TO FORM AREAWIDE WED NIGHT, WITH  
STRONG LOW LEVEL WAA LEADING TO STEADY OR SLOWLY RISING TEMPS (THE  
LATTER PARTICULARLY IN THE NW) OVERNIGHT. LOWS, WHICH MAY OCCUR IN  
THE EVENING, WILL RANGE FROM AROUND 60 TO THE MID 60S. -GIH  
 

 
   
LONG TERM /THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/
 
 
AS OF 300 PM TUESDAY...  
 
A GENERALLY LOW-POP/QPF PERIOD WITH NEAR-RECORD WARMTH (SEE CLIMATE  
SECTION BELOW) IS EXPECTED THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT, WITH GOOD RAIN  
CHANCES SUN/MON FOLLOWED BY DRY AND MORE SEASONABLE WEATHER TUE.  
 
THU-FRI: SUBTROPICAL RIDGING WILL HOLD OFF THE SOUTHEAST/MID  
ATLANTIC COAST THROUGH LATE WEEK, WITH SOUTHERLY LOW-LEVEL FLOW  
PERSISTING OVER THE GULF STATES, SOUTHEAST, AND CAROLINAS, AND A  
SURFACE FRONTAL ZONE SITUATED TO OUR W AND N AROUND THE PERIPHERY OF  
THE RIDGE. THE WARM AND DRY CAPPING IN OUR MID LEVELS WILL STAVE OFF  
ANY DEEP CONVECTION, BUT SHOTS OF MOIST UPGLIDE AND SHALLOW  
CONVECTION WILL NECESSITATE LEAVING A SMALL CHANCE OF SHOWERS OVER  
THE NW CWA THU. MODELS STILL SHOW A POTENT POLAR STREAM SHORTWAVE  
TROUGH CROSSING SE CANADA THU NIGHT/FRI WHICH WILL NUDGE THE FRONT  
SOUTHWARD TOWARD THE VA/NC BORDER FRI/FRI NIGHT. WHILE LARGE SCALE  
FORCING FOR ASCENT NEAR THIS FRONT WILL BE SMALL TO ABSENT, A RIBBON  
OF PW NEAR 1.5" IN ITS VICINITY ALONG WITH SUFFICIENT HEATING FOR A  
WINDOW OF MARGINAL TO MODERATE MUCAPE SHOULD SUPPORT A PERIOD OF  
CHANCE POPS FRI AFTN/NIGHT. STEADY WAA WILL PUSH THICKNESSES UP TO  
40-50 M ABOVE NORMAL, INDICATING HIGHS IN THE 80S TO AROUND 90 BOTH  
DAYS, WITH MILD LOWS IN THE 60S.  
 
SAT-TUE: THE SURFACE FRONT WILL HEAD BACK WELL TO OUR N EARLY SAT,  
KEEPING US IN AN ANOMALOUSLY WARM REGIME. A STRONG AND DIGGING POLAR  
STREAM TROUGH WILL AMPLIFY OVER THE GREAT LAKES REGION AND NORTHEAST  
OVER THE WEEKEND, WHICH ALONG WITH THE EJECTION OF SHORTWAVE ENERGY  
FROM THE DESERT SOUTHWEST LOW INTO THE SOUTHERN PLAINS AND MID MISS  
VALLEY WILL GRADUALLY FLATTEN OUR ANTICYCLONIC FLOW ALOFT, WITH  
INCREASING SW STEERING FLOW INTO THE CAROLINAS. WE MAY SEE A FEW  
LIGHT SHOWERS IN THE N/NW SAT/SAT NIGHT, BUT THE BEST CHANCE FOR  
PREFRONTAL CONVECTION STILL LOOKS TO BE LATE SUN AFTERNOON THROUGH  
SUN NIGHT, AND WILL CONTINUE FOCUS THE HIGHEST POPS THEN, PEAKING AT  
LIKELY FOR NOW UNTIL TIMING AND AMOUNTS COME INTO BETTER FOCUS.  
POLAR AND SOUTHERN STREAM PHASING APPEAR LIKELY, CULMINATING IN  
POSITIVELY TILTED LONGWAVE TROUGHING FROM QUEBEC TO TX MON, AND  
HAVING THE STEERING FLOW LIKELY TO BE ROUGHLY PARALLEL TO THE COLD  
FRONT SHOULD RESULT IN A SLOW FRONTAL MOVEMENT THROUGH NC, AND WILL  
LEAVE IN A CHANCE OF RAIN ESP E MON. COOL AND DENSE HIGH PRESSURE  
BUILDING IN FROM THE MIDWEST SHOULD FINALLY PUSH THE FRONT TO OUR SE  
BY TUE, LEADING TO CLEARING SKIES. EXPECT HIGHS ONCE AGAIN IN THE  
80S TO AROUND 90 SAT/SUN, THEN BACK DOWN TO NEAR NORMAL MON, IN THE  
MID 60S TO LOWER 70S, THEN 60S AREAWIDE TUE. -GIH  
 

 
   
AVIATION /00Z TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/
 
 
AS OF 801 PM TUESDAY...  
 
TAF PERIOD: AS HIGH PRESSURE MOVES OFF THE COAST TONIGHT, A MOIST  
SOUTHERLY FLOW WILL BEGIN. THEREFORE, VFR CONDITIONS WILL BECOME IFR  
CIGS IN THE WEST WITH MVFR TO IFR CIGS IN THE EAST LATE TONIGHT.  
THESE CIGS MAY LIFT A BIT ON WEDNESDAY; HOWEVER, IFR CIGS MAY  
CONTINUE THROUGH MUCH OF THE DAY IN THE TRIAD.  
 
OUTLOOK: IFR CEILINGS IN LIGHT RAIN OR DRIZZLE WEDNESDAY NIGHT IN  
THE TRIAD, WITH IFR CIGS LIKELY AS WELL IN THE EAST. THEN, VFR  
CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED THU-SAT. THE NEXT CHANCE FOR SHOWERS AT ALL  
TERMINALS WILL COME SUNDAY AFTERNOON.  
 

 
   
CLIMATE
 
 
RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURES:  
 
APRIL 3:  
KRDU: 91/1967  
KFAY: 90/1934  
 
APRIL 4:  
KGSO: 86/1934  
KRDU: 88/1934  
KFAY: 93/1910  
 
APRIL 5:  
KGSO: 87/1942  
KRDU: 90/1942  
KFAY: 91/1942  
 
APRIL 6:  
KGSO: 89/2010  
KRDU: 93/1967  
KFAY: 91/2010  
 
RECORD HIGH MINIMUM TEMPERATURES:  
 
APRIL 3:  
KGSO: 64/1946  
KRDU: 62/2000  
KFAY: 65/1977  
 
APRIL 4:  
KGSO: 62/1999  
KRDU: 63/2017  
KFAY: 63/2017  
 
APRIL 5:  
KGSO: 60/2023  
KRDU: 64/1910  
KFAY: 64/2008  
 
APRIL 6:  
KGSO: 65/2023  
KRDU: 69/2023  
KFAY: 69/2023  
 

 
   
RAH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
NONE.  
 

 
 

 
SYNOPSIS...BADGETT  
NEAR TERM...GREEN  
SHORT TERM...HARTFIELD  
LONG TERM...HARTFIELD  
AVIATION...BADGETT  
CLIMATE...RAH  
 
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