688  
FXUS62 KRAH 182352  
AFDRAH  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC  
750 PM EDT FRI SEP 18 2026  
   
WHAT HAS CHANGED  
 
* UPDATE TO DISCUSSION AND AVIATION FORECAST SECTIONS.  
 
 
   
KEY MESSAGES  
 
AS OF 750 PM FRIDAY...  
 
1) SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED ON  
MONDAY AND TUESDAY. LOCALLY EXCESSIVE RAINFALL WILL BE POSSIBLE.  
 
2) A CAD PATTERN LOOKS TO SET UP FROM MID TO LATE NEXT WEEK,  
RESULTING IN MOSTLY CLOUDY SKIES, PATCHY LIGHT RAIN AND DRIZZLE, AND  
BELOW-NORMAL HIGH TEMPERATURES.  
 
 
   
DISCUSSION  
 
AS OF 750 PM FRIDAY...  
 
SHOWERS AND LOCALLY SEVERE STORMS HAVE ESSENTIALLY MOVED SE OF THE  
REGION OR WILL SO BY 900 PM (GOLDSBORO).  
 
OTHERWISE, LOOK FOR STRATUS AND FOG TO DEVELOP OVERNIGHT MAINLY  
AFTER 300 AM, WITH LOW STRATUS EXPECTED AT DAYBREAK SATURDAY.  
 
SHOWERS/STORMS SATURDAY SHOULD BE SOUTH AND WEST OF OUR REGION. THIS  
MAY CONTINUE INTO SUNDAY AS WEAK HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS OVER THE  
REGION.  
 
KEY MESSAGE 2... SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE  
EXPECTED ON MONDAY AND TUESDAY. LOCALLY EXCESSIVE RAINFALL WILL BE  
POSSIBLE.  
 
AS A MID/UPPER TROUGH DEVELOPS OVER THE UPPER MIDWEST AND GREAT  
LAKES REGION EARLY NEXT WEEK, A BACKDOOR COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH  
CENTRAL NC FROM THE NORTH ON MONDAY, PASSING THROUGH THE REGION ON  
TUESDAY. AHEAD OF THE FRONT, A WARM AND MOIST AIR MASS WILL PREVAIL,  
WITH HIGHS MOSTLY IN THE UPPER-80S TO LOWER-90S ON MONDAY BEFORE  
BECOMING COOLER (WITHIN A FEW DEGREES OF NORMAL) FOR TUESDAY. PW  
VALUES WILL BE AROUND 2-2.25 INCHES (125-150% OF NORMAL) BOTH DAYS  
AS SW FLOW ALOFT BRINGS GULF MOISTURE INTO THE CAROLINAS. THIS  
COMBINED WITH WEAK TO MODERATE INSTABILITY WILL RESULT IN SCATTERED  
TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. THIS WILL BE BENEFICIAL FOR  
THE ONGOING DROUGHT BUT COULD BRING LOCALLY EXCESSIVE RAINFALL WITH  
HOURLY AMOUNTS OF 2+ INCHES POSSIBLE WHERE STORMS MERGE OR TRAIN.  
THUS WPC HAS THE ENTIRE REGION IN A MARGINAL (LEVEL 1 OF 4) RISK FOR  
EXCESSIVE RAINFALL BOTH MONDAY AND TUESDAY, WITH A SLIGHT (LEVEL 2  
OF 4) RISK OVER OUR FAR NORTH.  
 
KEY MESSAGE 3... A CAD PATTERN LOOKS TO SET UP FROM MID TO LATE NEXT  
WEEK, RESULTING IN MOSTLY CLOUDY SKIES, PATCHY LIGHT RAIN AND  
DRIZZLE, AND BELOW-NORMAL HIGH TEMPERATURES.  
 
MID/UPPER TROUGHING WILL STRENGTHEN AND BUILD INTO THE EASTERN US  
FROM WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. MEANWHILE, ANOMALOUSLY STRONG SURFACE  
HIGH PRESSURE WILL NOSE DOWN FROM SE CANADA AND NORTHERN NEW ENGLAND  
INTO THE LEE SIDE OF THE APPALACHIANS, AS A SURFACE LOW DRIFTS NORTH  
IN THE WESTERN ATLANTIC, THOUGH MODELS DIFFER SUBSTANTIALLY ON ITS  
PLACEMENT. THIS WILL RESULT IN ROBUST N/NE LOW-LEVEL FLOW AND A  
LIKELY CAD PATTERN ACROSS THE SOUTHERN MID-ATLANTIC. CURRENT  
FORECAST HIGHS ARE IN THE UPPER-60S TO UPPER-70S, BUT SOME RAW  
GUIDANCE SUCH AS THE GFS IS EVEN COOLER. FORECAST LOWS ARE GENERALLY  
MID-50S TO MID-60S. POPS ARE IN THE SLIGHT TO LOW CHANCE RANGE, AND  
GIVEN THE STABLE CAD REGIME, PRECIPITATION IS MORE LIKELY TO BE OF  
THE STRATIFORM VARIETY (PATCHY LIGHT RAIN AND DRIZZLE) AS OPPOSED TO  
CONVECTIVE.  
 
 
   
AVIATION /00Z SATURDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/  
 
AS OF 750 PM FRIDAY...  
 
24 HOUR TAF PERIOD:  
 
SHOWERS AND STORMS EAST AND SOUTH OF RDU AND FAY WILL LIKELY  
DISSIPATE BY LATE EVENING. OTHERWISE, GENERALLY VFR CIGS UNTIL LATE  
TONIGHT. THEN, IFR/LIFR CEILINGS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP LATE  
TONIGHT INTO SATURDAY MORNING FAVORING 09Z THROUGH 14Z. CIGS WILL  
LIFT RATHER SLOWLY TO MVFR THEN VFR BY 18Z OR SO. GENERALLY VFR  
CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED AFTER 18Z SATURDAY THROUGH 06Z SUNDAY.  
 
OUTLOOK: MVFR TO IFR CEILINGS APPEAR LIKELY TO DEVELOP SATURDAY  
NIGHT INTO SUNDAY MORNING. AFTER MOSTLY DRY CONDITIONS SATURDAY  
NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT, EXPECT A GOOD CHANCE OF SHOWERS/STORMS  
MONDAY INTO TUESDAY. MVFR TO OCCASIONALLY IFR CONDITIONS ARE  
EXPECTED.  
 
 
   
RAH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
NONE.  
 
 
 
 
 
DISCUSSION...BADGETT/GREEN/DANCO  
AVIATION...BADGETT/GREEN  
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