478  
FXUS61 KRLX 191729  
AFDRLX  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV  
1229 PM EST THU DEC 19 2024  
   
SYNOPSIS
 
 
A MIX OF FREEZING DRIZZLE, DRIZZLE, OR LIGHT SNOW SHOWERS IN/NEAR  
THE MOUNTAINS OVERNIGHT. WINTRY PRECIPITATION AND RAIN POSSIBLE  
FRIDAY, WITH ACCUMULATING SNOW POSSIBLE FRIDAY NIGHT INTO SATURDAY.  
 

 
   
NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/
 
 
AS OF 705 AM THURSDAY...  
 
THE WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR ALONG THE MOUNTAINS OVERNIGHT  
WAS ALLOWED TO EXPIRE AT THE TOP OF THE HOUR.  
 
AS OF 120 AM THURSDAY...  
 
LOW LEVEL MOISTURE COMBINED WITH A NORTHWEST WIND FLOW AND COLD  
AIR ADVECTION IS SQUEEZING OUT SOME LIGHT PRECIPITATION THIS  
MORNING. THIS PRECIPITATION WILL FALL AS DRIZZLE, FREEZING  
DRIZZLE, OR SOME LIGHT SNOW. WITH A LIGHT GLAZE OF ICE POSSIBLE  
IN THE HIGHER TERRAIN OF THE NORTHERN WEST VIRGINIA MOUNTAINS,  
WILL CONTINUE WITH THE WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY.  
 
A HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL BUILD IN LATER THIS MORNING,  
BRINGING AN END TO THE UPSLOPE PRECIPITATION. THERE WILL BE  
BREAKS IN THE CLOUD BY THIS AFTERNOON, ALLOWING FOR SOME  
SUNSHINE. EVEN SO, TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN BELOW NORMAL FOR  
THIS TIME OF YEAR.  
 
DRY WEATHER WILL PERSIST THURSDAY NIGHT, BUT AN APPROACHING  
SYSTEM WILL CAUSE AN INCREASE IN CLOUDS.  
 

 
   
SHORT TERM /FRIDAY THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT/
 
 
AS OF 155 AM THURSDAY...  
 
COLD FRONT APPROACHES THE AREA FROM THE WEST FRIDAY MORNING, WITH A  
WARM FRONT LIFTING OVER THE AREA AHEAD OF IT. THERE IS A CHANCE FOR  
PRECIPITATION IN THE FORM OF SNOW SHOWERS IN THE MOUNTAINS AND A  
WINTRY MIX WITH SOME POCKETS OF FREEZING DRIZZLE IN THE LOWLANDS  
FRIDAY MORNING. THE EXTENT OF THIS REALLY DEPENDS ON TEMPERATURES  
FRIDAY MORNING. SNOW SHOWERS IN THE MOUNTAINS SEEM PLAUSIBLE, BUT  
WINTRY MIX ACROSS THE LOWLANDS IS STILL A QUESTION MARK AS THE WARM  
FRONT WILL CAUSE TEMPERATURES AROUND FREEZING TO RISE AS THIS  
PRECIPITATION MOVES IN. WILL LEAVE MENTION IN THE HWO TO COVER  
POSSIBLE SLICK ROADS IN SPOTS. BY AFTERNOON, SNOW SHOWERS WILL BE  
MORE STEADY ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS AND RAIN/SNOW MIX ACROSS THE  
LOWLANDS WILL BE ALL RAIN.  
 
COLD FRONT PUSHES THROUGH LATE FRIDAY AFTERNOON/EVENING FORCING A  
CHANGE OVER TO ALL SNOW AS COLDER TEMPERATURES ARRIVE. A GRADUAL  
TAPER IN ACTIVITY TAKES PLACE FROM WEST TO EAST OVERNIGHT INTO  
SATURDAY MORNING. THE MOUNTAINS OF COURSE WILL SEE HIGHER SNOWFALL  
TOTALS, RANGING BETWEEN 1" AND 4" INCHES WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS  
ABOVE 4" INCHES ABOVE 3,000 FEET ELEVATION. THE LOWLANDS COULD EVEN  
SEE SOME LIGHT SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS OF LESS THAN AN INCH,  
DEPENDING ON WHEN THESE COLDER TEMPERATURES ARRIVE.  
 
SNOW SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE ON SATURDAY, MOSTLY ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS,  
WITH UPSLOPE NNW FLOW. WINDS WILL BE BREEZY AT TIMES AND  
TEMPERATURES WILL STRUGGLE TO RISE ABOVE FREEZING. MOST OF THE  
LOWLANDS WILL SEE TEMPERATURES IN THE LOWER 30S WITH THE MOUNTAINS  
STAYING DOWN IN THE TEENS AND 20S. LOWS IN THE SINGLE DIGITS AND  
TEENS ARE LIKELY SATURDAY NIGHT. BREEZY NW WINDS COULD CREATE SOME  
COLD WIND CHILLS IN THE SINGLE AND NEGATIVE DIGITS SATURDAY  
NIGHT.  
 

 
   
LONG TERM /SUNDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/
 
 
AS OF 155 AM THURSDAY...  
 
TEMPERATURES REMAIN COLD SUNDAY, THOUGH NORTHERLY WINDS WILL BE  
LIGHT TO CALM MEANING WIND CHILLS WON'T BE QUITE AS QUARRELSOME.  
HIGH PRESSURE MOVES IN TO KEEP CONDITIONS DRY AND QUIET THROUGH AT  
LEAST MONDAY.  
 
AFTER ANOTHER COLD NIGHT ON SUNDAY, A WARMING TREND WILL OCCUR ON  
MONDAY LASTING THROUGH WEDNESDAY, WITH THE LOWLANDS FINALLY  
REACHING THE 40S.  
 
ACTIVE WEATHER IN THE FORM OF RAIN AND WINTRY PRECIPITATION MIGHT BE  
POSSIBLE WITH A SYSTEM THAT APPROACHES TUESDAY. MODELS ARE  
STILL DIVERGENT ON A SOLUTION, BUT A WET CHRISTMAS IS MIGHT BE A  
POSSIBILITY. STILL TOO FAR OUT TO BE CONFIDENT IN IT THOUGH.  
 

 
   
AVIATION /18Z THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/
 
 
AS OF 1230 PM THURSDAY...  
 
CEILINGS ARE SLOWLY RISING INTO LOW END VFR THIS AFTERNOON AS  
HIGH PRESSURE SWEEPS THROUGH THE AREA. THIS SHOULD ALLOW VFR  
CONDITIONS TO HOLD THROUGH THE EVENING AND FIRST HALF OF THE  
OVERNIGHT HOURS BEFORE THE NEXT SYSTEM ARRIVES FRIDAY MORNING.  
 
MVFR CEILINGS AND LOWERED VISIBILITIES OOZE INTO THE ARE DURING  
THE PREDAWN HOURS ON FRIDAY AND WILL GRADUALLY ENCASE THE FLIGHT  
SPACE WITHIN SUB-VFR CONDITIONS FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE TAF  
PERIOD. A COMBINATION OF RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS WILL SLIDE IN  
ALONG A COLD FRONT ON FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND WILL PERSIST INTO  
LATE TOMORROW NIGHT AND SATURDAY MORNING. DURING WHICH TIME,  
CEILINGS WILL CONTINUE TO DROP THROUGHOUT THE DAY AND MAY REACH  
DOWN INTO THE IFR BY THE CONCLUSION OF THE VALID TAF PERIOD.  
 
CALM WINDS TODAY WILL TRIUMPH INTO THE OVERNIGHT HOURS BEFORE  
BECOMING PREDOMINANTLY OUT OF THE SOUTHWEST ON FRIDAY PRECEDING  
THE COLD FRONTAL PASSAGE.  
 
FORECAST CONFIDENCE AND ALTERNATE SCENARIOS THROUGH 18Z FRIDAY...  
 
FORECAST CONFIDENCE: HIGH.  
 
ALTERNATE SCENARIOS: LIFTING CEILINGS MAY VARY FROM THE FORECAST  
THIS AFTERNOON. THE ARRIVAL OF MVFR CEILINGS EARLY FRIDAY  
MORNING MAY ALSO VARY.  
 
EXPERIMENTAL TABLE OF FLIGHT CATEGORY OBJECTIVELY SHOWS CONSISTENCY  
OF WFO FORECAST TO AVAILABLE MODEL INFORMATION:  
H = HIGH: TAF CONSISTENT WITH ALL MODELS OR ALL BUT ONE MODEL.  
M = MEDIUM: TAF HAS VARYING LEVEL OF CONSISTENCY WITH MODELS.  
L = LOW: TAF INCONSISTENT WITH ALL MODELS OR ALL BUT ONE MODEL.  
 
UTC 1HRLY 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 00 01 02  
EST 1HRLY 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21  
CRW CONSISTENCY H H H H H H H H M H H H  
HTS CONSISTENCY H H H H H H H H H H H H  
BKW CONSISTENCY L L L M H H H M M H M H  
EKN CONSISTENCY H H H H H M L H H H H H  
PKB CONSISTENCY H H H H H H H H H H H H  
CKB CONSISTENCY H H H H H H H L H H H H  
 
AFTER 18Z FRIDAY...  
IFR POSSIBLE FRIDAY NIGHT IN SNOW SHOWERS AND LOW STRATUS.  
 

 
   
RLX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
WV...NONE.  
OH...NONE.  
KY...NONE.  
VA...NONE.  
 

 
 

 
 
SYNOPSIS...RPY/LTC  
NEAR TERM...MEK/RPY  
SHORT TERM...LTC  
LONG TERM...LTC  
AVIATION...MEK  
 
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