097
FXUS62 KRAH 010757
AFDRAH
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC
257 AM EST SUN MAR 01 2026
WHAT HAS CHANGED
AS OF 255 AM SUNDAY...
* SPOTTY AND LOCALIZED FOG EARLY THIS MORNING. MUCH WARMER THIS
AFTERNOON.
* THE SYSTEM EXPECTED MONDAY INTO MONDAY NIGHT CONTINUES TO TREND
TOWARD ONLY SOME LIGHT RAIN.
KEY MESSAGES
AS OF 255 AM SUNDAY...
1) A COLD FRONT WILL SURGE SOUTH THROUGH THE REGION VERY LATE TODAY
AND THIS EVENING. THERE IS A CHANCE OF A BRIEF SHOWER WITH THE
FRONTAL PASSAGE. WINDS WILL BE GUSTY FROM THE NE TO 25 MPH JUST
BEHIND THE FRONT FOR A FEW HOURS.
2) A CHILLY LIGHT RAIN IS EXPECTED MONDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH TUESDAY
MORNING. LOW OVERCAST, LIGHT RAIN/DRIZZLE AND MISERABLE MID 30S
RETURN.
3) WELL-ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES AND NEAR RECORD BREAKING WARMTH
EXPECTED LATE WEEK INTO THE WEEKEND.
DISCUSSION
AS OF 255 AM SUNDAY...
KEY MESSAGE 1... A COLD FRONT WILL SURGE SOUTH THROUGH THE REGION
VERY LATE TODAY AND THIS EVENING. THERE IS A CHANCE OF A BRIEF
SHOWER WITH THE FRONTAL PASSAGE. WINDS WILL BE GUSTY FROM THE NE TO
25 MPH JUST BEHIND THE FRONT FOR A FEW HOURS.
THE FOG THIS MORNING IS EXPECTED TO BE RATHER LOCALIZED TO LOW-LYING
AND FOG PRONE AREAS. IT IS CLEAR AND THE WINDS ARE LIGHT.
RADIATIONAL COOLING WILL LEAD TO SOME LOCALIZED FOG, SOME MAY BE
LESS THAN 1/4 MILE FOR A FEW HOURS. OTHERWISE, ANY FOG WILL BURN
OFF QUICKLY THIS MORNING WITH PLENTY OF WARM SUNSHINE EXPECTED THIS
AFTERNOON. HIGHS WILL WARM QUICKLY AND REACH THE UPPER 60S NE AND
WELL INTO THE 70S ELSEWHERE. THE WARMING WILL BE AIDED BY A DRYING
DOWNSLOPE BREEZE FROM THE WEST THIS AFTERNOON. THERE MAY BE A BRIEF
LIGHT SHOWER ASSOCIATED WITH THE BACKDOOR COLD FRONT LATE THIS
AFTERNOON, ESPECIALLY IN THE NORTH AND EAST.
THE BACKDOOR COLD FRONT WILL SURGE SOUTH THROUGH THE AREA LATE THIS
AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING. IT WILL BE PUSHED BY A 1035+ MB SURFACE
HIGH PRESSURE THAT WILL BE TRAVERSING THE GREAT LAKES STATES EAST TO
NY TONIGHT. CAA WITH THE NE FLOW TONIGHT WILL SEND TEMPERATURES
TUMBLING BACK INTO THE UPPER 30S TO LOWER 40S BY DAYBREAK MONDAY.
KEY MESSAGE 2... A CHILLY LIGHT RAIN IS EXPECTED MONDAY AFTERNOON
THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING. LOW OVERCAST, LIGHT RAIN/DRIZZLE AND
MISERABLE MID 30S RETURN.
THE LARGE AND STRONG (NEARLY 1040 MB) SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE WILL BE
VERY PROGRESSIVE IN MOVING OFF THE NEW ENGLAND COAST MONDAY NIGHT.
IT WILL EXTEND SW ACROSS OUR PIEDMONT DAMMING REGION INTO TUESDAY.
HOWEVER, THE COLDEST AND DRIEST PART OF THE LOW LEVEL AIR MASS WILL
BE DELIVERED DURING THE DAY MONDAY WITH THE PROGRESSIVE NATURE OF
THE HIGH. A MID-LEVEL DISTURBANCE IS EXPECTED TO REACH THE CENTRAL
APPALACHIANS FROM THE OH VALLEY EARLY MONDAY, THEN WEAKEN AS IT
MOVES ACROSS VA AND NORTHERN NC MONDAY AFTERNOON.
DEVELOPING ISENTROPIC LIFT A TOP THE SHALLOW SLOPED LOW/MID-LEVEL
FRONTAL BOUNDARY IS EXPECTED TO SUPPORT LIGHT STRATIFORM RAIN OVER
THE MID-ATLANTIC. THE MAJORITY OF THE GUIDANCE CONTINUES TO SUGGEST
A GENERAL LIGHT (0.01 TO 0.15) OF RAINFALL DURING MONDAY INTO MONDAY
NIGHT (HIGHEST TO THE NORTH). THE GFS HAS BEEN LEADING THE WAY WITH
A PERSISTENT SIGNAL OF SOME QPF, WITH THE NAM JUST CATCHING ON.
THEREFORE, POP HAS COME UP SOMEWHAT FROM THE PREVIOUS FORECASTS
ALONG WITH CONFIDENCE IN SOME LIGHT RAIN.
AS FOR THE P-TYPE, NOT SURPRISINGLY MOST GUIDANCE WITH A FEW
EXCEPTIONS (LESS THAN 10 PERCENT) DEPICT SURFACE WET BULB
TEMPERATURES 33-35 NORTH AND 35-38 SOUTH DURING THE CRITICAL TIME OF
LATE MONDAY AND MONDAY NIGHT WHEN WE SHOULD BE PRECIPITATING
LIGHTLY. THIS ESSENTIALLY SUPPORTS ALL LIQUID WITH A LOW PROBABILITY
OF SOME VERY LIGHT FREEZING RAIN NEAR THE VA BORDER AREA MONDAY
NIGHT THAT IS IF THE WET BULBS CAN FALL TO BELOW 32, WHICH IF IT
OCCURS SHOULD BE VERY LIMITED TO OUR FAR NORTH AND TO THE MONDAY
NIGHT PERIOD. IT SHOULD BE POINTED OUT THAT ROAD AND GROUND
TEMPERATURES WILL RISE WITH THE HEAT TODAY (AND WILL LIKELY REMAIN
WELL ABOVE FREEZING DURING THE LIGHT RAIN AND CHILLY TEMPERATURES
MONDAY NIGHT.
AS FOR SLEET OR SNOW - MODEL CONSENSUS CONTINUES TO DEPICT WARMTH
ALOFT, WITH THE WARM NOSE SIGNIFICANTLY ABOVE FREEZING. THIS, THE
MOST LIKELY SCENARIO FOR THIS EVENT WILL LIKELY BE PERIODS OF LIGHT
RAIN AND DRIZZLE WITH TEMPERATURES FALLING INTO THE MID 30S NORTH
AND LOWER 40S SOUTH BY LATE MONDAY, BOTTOMING OUT 33 TO 40 NORTH TO
SOUTH MONDAY NIGHT. QPF GENERALLY 0.10 TO 0.25 NORTH OF THE TRIAD TO
LESS ONLY A FEW HUNDREDTHS SOUTH. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER OR IMPACTS
TO TRAVEL EXPECTED.
WORST-CASE SCENARIO (10% CHANCE): THE SURFACE WET BULB TEMPERATURES
FALL INTO THE 31-32 RANGE OVER THE FAR NORTHERN PIEDMONT MONDAY
NIGHT WITH THE LIGHT RAIN, ALLOWING FOR SOME VERY LIGHT ICING
(FREEZING RAIN/DRIZZLE) ON ELEVATED SURFACES A SLICK BRIDGE OR
OVERPASS COULD THEN RESULT.
KEY MESSAGE 3... WELL-ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES AND NEAR RECORD
BREAKING WARMTH EXPECTED LATE WEEK INTO THE WEEKEND.
AN UNSEASONABLY STRONG AND DEEP RIDGE IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP OVER
THE EAST COAST BY MIDWEEK, BUT WILL BECOME MORE AMPLIFIED AS A
TROUGH DIVES SOUTH THROUGH THE FOUR CORNERS REGION LATE WEEK INTO
THE WEEKEND. THE MID/UPPER LEVEL PATTERN ALONG WITH A DEEP LAYER OF
UNSEASONABLY WARM TEMPERATURES IN THE LOWEST 500MB OF THE
TROPOSPHERE WILL FAVOR WELL ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES TO NEAR RECORD
BREAKING WARMTH FRI INTO THE WEEKEND. DURING THIS TIME, HIGHS
ECLIPSING 80 DEGREES BECOME LIKELY, ESPECIALLY FROM THE TRIANGLE
SOUTH AND EAST. TEMPERATURES IN THE MID 70S TO AROUND 80 WOULD
LIKELY RESULT IN MINOR HEAT-RELATED IMPACTS PRIMARILY TO INDIVIDUALS
EXTREMELY SENSITIVE TO HEAT AND WITHOUT COOLING/HYDRATION. PLEASE
SEE CLIMATE SECTION BELOW FOR DAILY RECORDS.
AVIATION /06Z SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/
AS OF 105 AM SUNDAY...
24-HOUR TAF PERIOD:
FOG IS GENERALLY FAVORED ACROSS THE FAR SOUTHERN PIEDMONT AND
SANDHILLS, WITH JUST SOME LOCALIZED FOG ELSEWHERE. IT IS RADIATION
FOG, THUS ANY FOG SHOULD BE GONE BY MID-MORNING, FOLLOWED BY VFR FOR
THE AFTERNOON AND LIGHT WINDS. A COLD FRONT WILL SURGE INTO THE AREA
FROM N-NE THIS EVENING WITH WINDS SHIFTING TO NE BEHIND THE FRONT
AND BECOMING GUSTY TO 20KT FOR SEVERAL HOURS. SUB-VFR CEILINGS ARE
ALSO EXPECTED BEHIND THE FRONT, THROUGH THEY MAY NOT MATERIALIZE
UNTIL AFTER 03Z.
LOOKING BEYOND 06Z MON: SOME LIGHT RAIN AND SUB-VFR CONDITIONS ARE
EXPECTED TO DEVELOP FROM THE WEST OR NORTHWEST DURING THE DAY MONDAY
AND LINGER INTO TUESDAY.
CLIMATE
RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURES:
MARCH 6:
KGSO: 78/2022
KRDU: 82/1967
KFAY: 86/1918
RECORD HIGH MINIMUM TEMPERATURES:
MARCH 6:
KGSO: 64/1967
KRDU: 64/1967
KFAY: 65/1961
RAH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
NONE.
DISCUSSION...BADGETT/LUCHETTI/AS
AVIATION...BADGETT
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