236  
FXUS62 KRAH 022007  
AFDRAH  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC  
306 PM EST MON FEB 2 2026  
   
WHAT HAS CHANGED  
 
AS OF 254 PM MONDAY...  
 
SPS ISSUED FOR SLICK ROADS VIA BLACK ICE TONIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY  
MORNING.  
 
 
   
KEY MESSAGES  
 
AS OF 254 PM MONDAY...  
 
1) BITTER COLD TEMPERATURES TONIGHT UNDER LINGERING SNOW COVER. ICY  
DRIVING CONDITIONS WILL PERSIST THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING.  
 
2) MODERATING TEMPERATURES TUESDAY THROUGH MID-WEEK, FOLLOWED BY  
PERIODS OF COLD THURSDAY INTO THE WEEKEND.  
 
3) A COLD FRONT CROSSING THE AREA WILL BRING LIGHT PRECIPITATION  
FROM TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY NIGHT. WHILE MAINLY RAIN IS  
EXPECTED, A BRIEF CHANGEOVER TO SNOW AT THE END OF THE EVENT CAN'T  
BE RULED OUT ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT, BUT ANY ACCUMULATIONS WOULD BE  
LIGHT AND IMPACTS SHOULD BE LIMITED.  
 
 
   
DISCUSSION  
 
AS OF 254 PM MONDAY...  
 
KEY MESSAGE 1...BITTER COLD TEMPERATURES TONIGHT UNDER LINGERING  
SNOW COVER. ICY DRIVING CONDITIONS WILL PERSIST THROUGH TUESDAY  
MORNING.  
 
SFC ANALYSIS THIS AFTERNOON SHOWED THE CENTER OF THE HIGH OVER THE  
DEEP SOUTH. THIS FEATURE WILL CONTINUE TO SLIDE EASTWARD THROUGH  
TOMORROW. AS THE HIGH NUDGES NORTHWARD, LOW-LEVEL THICKNESSES SHOULD  
RISE SOME OVERNIGHT COMPARED TO THIS MORNING. RANGING FROM 1290-1295  
TONIGHT, THESE THICKNESSES WOULD TRADITIONALLY SUPPORT LOWS AROUND  
20 OR SO. HOWEVER, GIVEN GENERALLY CLEAR TO PARTLY CLOUDY CONDITIONS  
EXPECTED TONIGHT IN ADDITION TO THE LINGERING SNOW PACK, EXPECTING  
TEMPS TO DROP MORE-SO INTO THE MID TO UPPER TEENS. GIVEN THE CALM  
WINDS, HOWEVER, WIND CHILLS DO NOT DROP INTO COLD WEATHER ADVISORY  
CRITERIA TONIGHT.  
 
GIVEN THE COLD TEMPERATURES EXPECTED ALONG WITH ADDITIONAL MELTING  
FROM TODAY'S SLIGHT WARMER TEMPERATURES AND GOOD SUN, BLACK ICE WILL  
AGAIN BE A CONCERN TONIGHT AND DURING THE EARLY TUESDAY MORNING  
COMMUTE.  
 
KEY MESSAGE 2... MODERATING TEMPERATURES TUESDAY THROUGH MID-WEEK,  
FOLLOWED BY PERIODS OF COLD THURSDAY INTO THE WEEKEND.  
 
ZONAL FLOW ALOFT AND SLY RETURN FLOW ALONG THE WESTERN RIDGE OF THE  
EXITING SFC HIGH WILL PROMOTE WARMER DAYTIME HIGHS TUESDAY IN THE  
MID TO UPPER 40S. INCREASING CLOUDS AND LOW-LEVEL THICKNESSES  
TUESDAY NIGHT/EARLY WEDNESDAY WILL PROMOTE WARMER OVERNIGHT LOWS IN  
THE LOWER 30S.  
 
OUR NEXT FRONTAL SYSTEM WILL APPROACH AND POSSIBLY PUSH THROUGH SOME  
NORTHERN AREAS WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. AHEAD OF THE SYSTEM,  
TEMPERATURES SHOULD STILL PUSH INTO THE 40S (NORTHERN AREAS MIGHT  
HOVER IN THE UPPER 30S). BEHIND THE SYSTEM, EXPECT ANOTHER COLD  
BLAST WITH HIGHS ONLY IN THE MID TO UPPER 30S THURSDAY AND OVERNIGHT  
LOWS THURSDAY INTO FRIDAY IN THE UPPER TEENS. ANOTHER SURGE OF  
COLDER AIR THEN LOOKS POSSIBLE FRIDAY INTO THE WEEKEND.  
 
KEY MESSAGE 3...A COLD FRONT CROSSING THE AREA WILL BRING LIGHT  
PRECIPITATION FROM TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY NIGHT. WHILE MAINLY  
RAIN IS EXPECTED, A BRIEF CHANGEOVER TO SNOW AT THE END OF THE EVENT  
CAN'T BE RULED OUT ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT, BUT ANY ACCUMULATIONS WOULD  
BE LIGHT AND IMPACTS SHOULD BE LIMITED.  
 
THE UPPER PATTERN WILL AMPLIFY THROUGH THE WEEK, AS A NORTHERN  
STREAM MID/UPPER TROUGH DIGS ACROSS THE LOWER MS VALLEY ON TUESDAY  
NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY, SPAWNING A SURFACE LOW AND PUSHING A COLD FRONT  
THROUGH CENTRAL NC. ENSEMBLE GUIDANCE IS IN GOOD AGREEMENT THAT  
PRECIPITATION WILL MOVE IN FROM NW TO SE DURING THIS PERIOD ALONG  
THE FRONT, SO POPS HAVE INCREASED TO HIGH CHANCE TO LIKELY. QPF  
AMOUNTS LOOK LIGHT, AROUND A QUARTER INCH OR LESS, AND BOUNDARY  
LAYER TEMPERATURES SHOULD BE WARM ENOUGH FOR ALL LIQUID.  
 
ADDITIONAL PRECIPITATION IS POSSIBLE ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT AS THE  
SHORTWAVE AMPLIFIES AND THE SURFACE LOW MOVES EAST ACROSS GA/SC. THE  
BEST CHANCE WOULD BE IN THE SE WHERE THE BEST FORCING WILL BE. A  
CHANGEOVER TO SNOW AT THE END CAN'T BE RULED OUT AS THE COLD FRONT  
WILL HAVE MOVED THROUGH BY THIS POINT AND TEMPERATURES IN THE COLUMN  
COOL TO BELOW FREEZING. BOTH DETERMINISTIC AND ENSEMBLE GUIDANCE OF  
THE GFS/ECMWF/CMC HAVE GOTTEN WETTER, WHICH HAS RESULTED IN MORE  
ENSEMBLE MEMBERS PRODUCING MEASURABLE SNOW. THE BEST CHANCE WOULD BE  
ACROSS THE NORTH. HOWEVER, THIS IS A CASE OF COLD AIR "CHASING" THE  
PRECIPITATION, WHICH TYPICALLY RESULTS IN LIMITED SNOWFALL IF ANY  
ACROSS OUR AREA. STILL CERTAINLY WORTH MONITORING.  
 
 
   
AVIATION /18Z MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/  
 
AS OF 1230 PM MONDAY...  
 
VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED THROUGH THE 24 HR TAF PERIOD. SOME MID  
TO HIGH LEVEL CLOUDINESS MAY MOVE ACROSS THE TRIAD THIS EVENING. BY  
EARLY TUESDAY MORNING, GUIDANCE INDICATES LOW POTENTIAL FOR SOME  
NEAR SUB-VFR CEILINGS POSSIBLY AT KINT/KGSO/KRDU. HOWEVER,  
CONFIDENCE IS TOO LOW TO ADD TO THIS TAF PACKAGE (THEY LOOK FLEETING  
AT BEST WITH LOWEST CEILINGS MOSTLY PINNED TO THE WESTERN SLOPES OF  
THE MOUNTAINS). OTHERWISE EXPECT CALM CONDITIONS OVERNIGHT.  
 
MID TO HIGH LEVEL CLOUDINESS WILL INCREASE THROUGHOUT THE DAY  
TUESDAY AS OUR NEXT FRONTAL SYSTEM APPROACHES. ANY PRECIPITATION  
AND SUB-VFR CONDITIONS WILL HOLD OFF UNTIL ~00Z.  
 
OUTLOOK: FLIGHT RESTRICTIONS AND LIGHT PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED  
TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY EVENING. A RETURN TO VFR IS EXPECTED  
BEHIND THE SYSTEM INTO THE WEEKEND.  
 
 
   
CLIMATE  
 
RECORD LOW TEMPERATURES:  
 
FEBRUARY 2:  
KGSO: 6/1971  
KFAY: 15/1971  
 
FEBRUARY 3:  
KFAY: 10/1917  
 
 
   
RAH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
 
 
 
 
DISCUSSION...LUCHETTI/DANCO  
AVIATION...LUCHETTI  
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