737
FXUS62 KRAH 192332
AFDRAH
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC
730 PM EDT SUN JUL 19 2026
WHAT HAS CHANGED
* A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR ALL OF CENTRAL
NC UNTIL 8 PM THIS EVENING.
KEY MESSAGES
AS OF 116 PM SUNDAY...
1) A HEAT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM AND ANOTHER ONE MAY
BE NEEDED FOR THE SANDHILLS AND SOUTHERN COASTAL PLAIN MONDAY.
2) A MARGINAL TO SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE STORMS REMAINS FOR TODAY AND
MONDAY, ALONG WITH A HEAVY RAINFALL THREAT.
3) CONTINUED PERIODS OF UNSETTLED WEATHER THIS WEEK AS A
STALLED FRONT LINGERS ACROSS NC.
DISCUSSION
AS OF 116 PM SUNDAY...
KEY MESSAGE 1... A HEAT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM AND
ANOTHER ONE MAY BE NEEDED FOR THE SANDHILLS AND SOUTHERN COASTAL
PLAIN MONDAY.
THE HEAT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF THE NORTHEAST
PIEDMONT, TRIANGLE, PORTIONS OF THE SOUTHERN PIEDMONT, SANDHILLS,
AND COASTAL PLAIN UNTIL 8PM THIS EVENING. DEPENDING ON STORM
DEVELOPMENT AND LOCATION THIS AFTERNOON, THE ADVISORY MAY BE ALLOWED
TO EXPIRE EARLY. HOWEVER, DEWPOINTS REMAIN MUCH HIGHER THAN
YESTERDAY, WITH A STRIPE OF MIDDLE 70S GENERALLY ALONG AND EAST OF
THE US-1 CORRIDOR. HEAT INDICES ARE CURRENTLY RUNNING FROM 104 TO
108 IN THE ADVISORY AREA.
A HEAT ADVISORY MAY ADDITIONALLY BE NEEDED MONDAY, BUT FOR A SMALLER
AREA OF THE EASTERN SANDHILLS INTO THE SOUTHERN COASTAL PLAIN. AS
DEWPOINTS REMAIN HIGH IN THE MID 70S AND TEMPERATURES WARM INTO THE
LOW 90S, HEAT INDICES WILL CERTAINLY GET CLOSE TO ADVISORY CRITERIA.
KEY MESSAGE 2... A MARGINAL TO SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE STORMS
REMAINS FOR TODAY AND MONDAY, ALONG WITH A HEAVY RAINFALL THREAT.
A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE STORMS REMAINS IN PLACE THROUGH TONIGHT FOR
ALL OF CENTRAL NC AND A MARGINAL RISK OF STORMS IS IN PLACE
MONDAY. A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR ALL OF
CENTRAL NC UNTIL 8 PM THIS EVENING. A SIMILAR THERMODYNAMIC
SETUP LOOKS TO BE IN PLACE BOTH TODAY AND MONDAY. THIS
AFTERNOON, MLCAPE WILL RANGE FROM 1500 TO 2500 J/KG, DEPENDING
ON WHICH MODEL AND ENSEMBLE YOU EXAMINE. THE 12Z MHX SOUNDING
SHOWED NEARLY 4000 J/KG OF MUCAPE, WITH FORECAST MUCAPE THIS
AFTERNOON IN PARTS OF CENTRAL NC UPWARDS OF 3000 J/KG. STEEP
LOW-LEVEL LAPSE RATES AND HIGH PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES WILL
ADDITIONALLY FUEL THE DAMAGING STRAIGHT LINE WIND POTENTIAL BOTH
TODAY AND MONDAY. A THUNDERSTORM WATCH MAY BE ISSUED ONCE AGAIN
TODAY AS WE SAW YESTERDAY.
AS FOR STORM COVERAGE, IT APPEARS ISOLATED TO SCATTERED ACTIVITY
THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING COULD BECOME WIDESPREAD OVER
PORTIONS OF THE REGION LATE TONIGHT AND OVERNIGHT. A SURFACE
BOUNDARY IS EVIDENT ON SATELLITE AND SURFACE OBS ALONG THE
NORTHERN PIEDMONT, BETWEEN THE TRIAD AND NORTH OF RDU. AT THE
SAME TIME, A COLD FRONT ACROSS THE LOWER OH VALLEY AND VA WILL
GRADUALLY APPROACH FROM THE NORTH. STORMS HAVE ALREADY FORMED
ALONG THE SURFACE BOUNDARY, IN A REGION OF A CAPE GRADIENT AND
MAY ADDITIONALLY TRACK SOUTH OF THE FRONT IN VA. A HEAVY
RAINFALL THREAT WILL EXIST THIS AFTERNOON BUT ESPECIALLY
TONIGHT. AS THE FRONT APPROACHES LATER TONIGHT AND EARLY
MONDAY, THERE REMAINS A THREAT OF HEAVY RAINFALL AS THE LOW TO
MID- LAYER FLOW IS NEARLY PARALLEL TO THE BOUNDARY TO SUPPORT
TRAINING STORMS. THE HREF/REFS DIFFER ON THIS POTENTIAL, WITH
THE HREF SHOWING MORE OF A SIGNAL FROM RALEIGH EAST AND SOUTH
INTO THE COASTAL PLAIN. THE 12Z HREF/HRRR APPEAR TO BE COMING IN
LINE WITH THIS SCENARIO AS WELL, GIVEN WEAK UPWIND PROPAGATION
VECTORS. A SWATH OF 2-4 INCHES IS POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS,
THOUGH CONFIDENCE ON EXACT LOCATION IS NOT GREAT.
THE FRONT AND/OR REMNANT OUTFLOWS WILL STALL ALONG OR NEAR THE US-64
CORRIDOR ON MONDAY. ADDITIONALLY, IT APPEARS THE SEA-BREEZE MAY BE
AN ADDITIONAL FOCUS FOR STORMS MONDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING,
SUGGESTED BY A FEW HREF MEMBERS. MOISTURE VALUES REMAIN HIGH, WITH
AGAIN THE LOW TO MID-LAYER FLOW PARALLEL OR SLIGHTLY SOUTHWEST OF
THE BOUNDARY, FAVORING AGAIN TRAINING STORMS FOR HEAVY RAINFALL.
BOTH THE HREF/REFS SHOW THIS HEAVY RAINFALL SIGNAL MONDAY ALONG THE
US-64 CORRIDOR, BUT THE THREAT COULD BE ANYWHERE STORMS TRAIN AND
MOVE SLOWLY.
KEY MESSAGE 3... CONTINUED PERIODS OF UNSETTLED WEATHER THIS WEEK AS
A STALLED FRONT LINGERS ACROSS NC.
BROAD AND WEAK TROUGHING OVER THE EASTERN CONUS ON MON WILL BECOME
REINFORCED BY A MORE VIGOROUS SHORTWAVE TROUGH PIVOTING ACROSS THE
GREAT LAKES AND SOUTHERN QUEBEC ON TUES. A LOW-AMPLITUDE LIKELY
CONVECTIVELY ALTERED PERTURBATION RIPPLING THROUGH THE BASAL
PORTION OF THE TROUGH IS FORECAST TO SHIFT ACROSS THE OHIO VALLEY
TUES MORNING BEFORE POTENTIALLY SHIFTING ACROSS THE SOUTHERN MID-
ATLANTIC DURING PEAK HEATING. THERE ARE SOME NOTABLE TIMING
DIFFERENCES WITH THE LOW-PREDICITABILITY FEATURE, BUT NEVERTHELESS,
ENHANCED WESTERLY WINDS OF > 30 KTS ARE FORECAST TO SINK SOUTH AND
INTO NORTH CAROLINA AND OVERLAP A CONTINUED MOIST AND UNSTABLE
ENVIRONMENT. ALTHOUGH FLOW THROUGHOUT THE TROPOSPHERE IS NOT
PARTICULARLY STRONG, CONSISTENTLY VEERING WINDS WITH HEIGHT WILL
SUPPORT CURVED HODOGRAPHS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING TRANSIENT SUPERCELLS
AND BOWING SEGMENTS. ANY RIGHT-MOVING STORM WILL HAVE A STORM MOTION
OF SOUTHEAST AND INCREASE THE LIKELIHOOD THAT STORMS MAY DRIFT INTO
OUR REGION FROM VA. ALL HAZARDS WILL BE ON THE TABLE FOR TUESDAY,
ALTHOUGH DAMAGING STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS WILL BE THE MOST LIKELY
PRIMARY AND MORE WIDESPREAD HAZARD.
AN UPSTREAM SHORTWAVE TROUGH IS FORECAST TO CROSS THE MOUNTAINS
WEDNESDAY WITH AN ATTENDANT SURFACE COLD FRONT IN TOW. WITH PW'S
STILL AT OR NEAR 2" AND NEARLY 2000 J/KG OF MLCAPE AVAILABLE, STRONG
TO SEVERE STORMS ARE MORE THAN PLAUSIBLE WITH THE FRONT.
SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER PW'S WILL FOLLOW THE FRONT WITH SUBSTANTIALLY
LOWER PRECIP CHANCES THURSDAY THROUGH SATURDAY, ALTHOUGH MODEL
INCONSISTENCIES REGARDING HOW FAR SOUTH THE FRONT AND DRIER AIR PUSH
SOUTH RESULTS IN AN LOWER FORECAST CONFIDENCE IN A DRY SPELL;
ESPECIALLY WITH SUCH A WEAK AND PROGRESSIVE SURFACE HIGH AND
CLIMATOLOGICALLY APPROACHING THE WINDOW WHEN IT IS DIFFICULT FOR
FRONTS TO PROGRESS ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE CAROLINAS.
AVIATION /00Z MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/
AS OF 730 PM SUNDAY...
TAF PERIOD: SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE
THROUGH THE EVENING INTO THE OVERNIGHT HOURS, AND THESE ARE
GENERALLY COVERED BY PROB30 GROUPS, EXCEPT FOR FAY WHERE
THUNDERSTORMS ARE MORE IMMINENT. AFTER PRECIPITATION DECREASES IN
COVERAGE, A NEARLY STATIONARY FRONT IN SOUTHERN VIRGINIA IS EXPECTED
TO DROP FAR ENOUGH SOUTH INTO NORTH CAROLINA TO ALLOW FOR LOW LEVEL
MOISTURE TO MOVE INTO THE REGION AND BRING WIDESPREAD IFR/LIFR
STRATUS. CONFIDENCE IS HIGHEST THAT THE STRATUS WILL REACH RDU AND
RWI, AND MODELS HAVE BEEN TRENDING FARTHER WEST WITH THE COVERAGE
TOWARDS INT/GSO - LOWERED THE HEIGHT OF THE CEILING IN THOSE
AIRPORT'S TAFS. THE STRATUS IS NOT EXPECTED TO REACH AS FAR SOUTH AS
FAY. MORE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED MONDAY AFTERNOON,
WITH -SHRA AND VCTS MENTIONS AT ALL SITES.
OUTLOOK: ADDITIONAL SHOWERS/STORMS ARE EXPECTED MONDAY THROUGH
MIDWEEK WITH ASSOCIATED SUB-VFR CONDITIONS. THERE WILL ALSO BE
LOW STRATUS AND FOG DURING THE MORNING HOURS THROUGH MIDWEEK.
CLIMATE
RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURES:
JULY 19:
KFAY: 101/2002
RECORD HIGH MINIMUM TEMPERATURES:
JULY 19:
KGSO: 75/2016
KRDU: 80/1942
KFAY: 77/2023
JULY 20:
KGSO: 75/2019
KRDU: 76/2025
JULY 21:
KGSO: 76/2011
KRDU: 78/1932
KFAY: 80/2017
JULY 22:
KGSO: 77/2011
KRDU: 78/2011
KFAY: 82/2017
RAH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
HEAT ADVISORY UNTIL 8 PM EDT THIS EVENING FOR NCZ008>010-
024>028-040>043-075>078-083>086-088-089.
DISCUSSION...KREN/SWIGGETT
AVIATION...GREEN/KREN
CLIMATE...RAH
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