793  
FXUS61 KRLX 202324  
AFDRLX  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV  
624 PM EST MON JAN 20 2025  
   
SYNOPSIS  
 
FLURRIES THROUGH LATE THIS EVENING, PARTICULARLY ACROSS THE  
MOUNTAINS. VERY COLD THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING, WITH A  
REINFORCING FRONT LATE TUESDAY. TEMPERATURES MODERATE LATE WEEK.  
 
 
   
NEAR TERM /THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT/  
 
AS OF 505 PM MONDAY...  
 
FRESHENED UP DEWPOINT AND SKY GRIDS BASED ON OBSERVED TRENDS.  
OTHERWISE, THE CURRENT NEAR TERM FORECAST CONTINUES ON TRACK  
THIS EVENING.  
 
AS OF 252 PM MONDAY...  
 
COLD TONIGHT UNDER SFC HIGH, WITH LIGHT WINDS AND FRESH SNOW PACK IN  
PLACE. HOWEVER, AN INCREASE IN CLOUD COVER ASSOCIATED WITH AN  
APPROACHING SHORTWAVE SHOULD KEEP TEMPERATURES SOMEWHAT IN  
CHECK, AKA, FROM FALLING TOO MUCH OVERNIGHT. THIS SHORTWAVE  
WILL USHER IN A REINFORCING SHOT OF COLD AIR, AND PRODUCE  
PERIODS OF LIGHT SNOW SHOWERS OR FLURRIES ACROSS THE AREA ON  
TUESDAY, WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR SQUALLS PARTICULARLY DURING THE  
AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS, WITH A COLD FRONT PUSHING THROUGH  
THE AREA. DID ELECT TO EXPAND THE COLD WEATHER ADVISORY ACROSS  
MOST OF THE AREA OVERNIGHT BASED ON COORDINATION WITH NEIGHBORS.  
HOWEVER, WITH THE RELATIVELY LIGHT WINDS EXPECTED, AND EXPECTED  
CLOUD COVER, THINKING SOME OF OUR SOUTHERN MOST ZONES WILL NOT  
EXACTLY HIT ADVISORY CRITERIA. HOWEVER, WITH SCHOOL STARTING  
BACK UP ON TUESDAY, AND COORDINATION WITH NEIGHBORS, DID ELECT  
TO EXPAND FOR MOST OF THE CWA.  
 
 
   
SHORT TERM /WEDNESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/  
 
AS OF 215 PM MONDAY...  
 
KEY POINTS  
 
* COLDEST AIR TEMPERATURES OF THE WEEK WEDNESDAY MORNING. MOST  
LOWER ELEVATIONS WILL BE BELOW ZERO. MOUNTAIN LOWS IN THE  
TEENS BELOW ZERO.  
 
ANY LINGERING SNOW SHOWERS WILL CUT OFF BY MIDNIGHT TUESDAY  
NIGHT AS THE ARCTIC HIGH MOVES FULLY OVER THE CWA. THE CLEARING  
SKIES AND CALMING WINDS SHOULD ALLOW FOR THE COLDEST NIGHT OF  
THE WEEK FOR MOST OF THE CWA AS FAR AS AIR TEMPERATURES ARE  
CONCERNED. MOST LOWER ELEVATIONS SHOULD SEE WINDS CALM OVERNIGHT  
SUCH THAT THERE IS NO SIGNIFICANT ADDITIONAL WIND CHILL FACTOR,  
BUT WITH LOWS FORECAST IN THE -5 TO -10 RANGE FOR THE NORTHERN  
HALF OF OUR LOWLANDS, THEY LOOK TO VERIFY A COLD WEATHER  
ADVISORY THERE ON AIR TEMPS ALONE. FOR THE SOUTHERN HALF OT THE  
LOWLANDS, LOWS ARE FORECAST TO RANGE FROM -5F UP TO JUST ABOVE  
0F. WINDS SHOULD STAY ELEVATED ENOUGH IN THE MOUNTAINS TO KICK  
WIND CHILLS WELL BELOW ADVISORY CRITERIA FOR MOST, AND LIKELY  
BELOW WARNING CRITERIA FOR THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS.  
 
DESPITE A MIX OF SUN AND CLOUDS ON WEDNESDAY, IT WILL REMAIN  
WELL BELOW NORMAL FOR HIGH TEMPS. THE MOUNTAINS MAY WARM UP INTO  
THE LOWER TEENS, WHILE LOWLANDS WILL RANGE FROM THE MID-TEENS TO  
THE MID-20S. WEDNESDAY NIGHT WILL BE LESS COLD, WITH MOST OF THE  
AREA BACK ABOVE ZERO AS THE HIGH PRESSURE MOVES OFF TO THE EAST  
AND GENTLE S-SE'LY WINDS DEVELOP. THURSDAY SEES A NICE WARM UP  
AS WINDS SHIFT SW'LY AND INCREASE A BIT - WITH HIGHS ABOVE  
FREEZING FOR MOST LOWER ELEVATIONS, AND INTO THE 20S FOR MOST OF  
THE MOUNTAINS.  
 
 
   
LONG TERM /THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY/  
 
AS OF 230 PM MONDAY...  
 
NO MAJOR CHANGES IN THE LONG-TERM FORECAST AT THIS TIME. STILL  
EXPECTING A WEAK AND MOISTURE-CHALLENGED SYSTEM TO CROSS THE CWA  
LATE THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY. WE STILL SHOW SOME LIGHT  
SNOW SHOWERS DEVELOPING MOSTLY ALONG AND JUST WEST OF THE  
MOUNTAINS, BUT OUR HIGHEST POPS ARE UNDER 40 PERCENT AT THIS  
TIME, SO IT'S STILL A FAIRLY UNCERTAIN EVENT AT THIS TIME IN  
TERMS OF COVERAGE. TEMPERATURES ON FRIDAY WILL BE SIMILAR TO  
THURSDAY, SO IT SHOULD BE COLD ENOUGH FOR ALL SNOW, WHATEVER MAY  
OR MAY NOT FALL. AFTER A DRY SPELL SATURDAY, WHEN HIGHS SHOULD  
GET INTO THE UPPER 30S TO MID-40S FOR LOWER ELEVATIONS AND 20S  
TO MID-30S IN THE MOUNTAINS, MODELS HAVE SOME GENERAL AGREEMENT  
ON A SYSTEM MOVING THROUGH THE AREA TO START NEXT WEEK. HOWEVER,  
STILL A LOT OF DISAGREEMENT ON THE DETAILS REGARDING STRENGTH,  
TRACK, AND TEMPERATURES WITH THE SYSTEM. KEPT POPS TO 50 PERCENT  
OR LOWER FOR NOW, AND STILL SHOW AN ALL- SNOW START CHANGING TO  
RAIN IN THE LOWLANDS BY SUNDAY AFTERNOON.  
 
 
   
AVIATION /00Z TUESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/  
 
AS OF 0620 PM MONDAY...  
 
VFR IS CURRENTLY PRESENT AT ALL TERMINALS AND SHOULD PERSIST THROUGH  
THE NIGHT. CLOUD COVER INCREASES FROM SOUTH TO NORTH BEFORE  
DAYBREAK THEN CONTINUES TO THICKEN AS A FRONT APPROACHES,  
BRINGING CEILINGS DOWN TOWARD MVFR MID TO LATE MORNING. THIS  
FRONT REINTRODUCES POTENTIAL FOR SNOW SHOWERS, WHICH MAY RESULT  
IN MVFR OR WORSE VISIBILITIES AT TIMES DURING THE DAY. AT THIS  
POINT, PROB30 GROUPS HAVE BEEN ADDED TO ACCOUNT FOR THESE  
SHOWERS AS CONFIDENCE IN EXTENT AND TIMING IS FAIRLY LOW.  
 
LIGHT SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST WINDS ARE EXPECTED FOR TONIGHT. WINDS  
THEN INCREASE TO 5-12KTS AND TURN TO A MORE WESTERLY DIRECTION ON  
TUESDAY. GUSTS INTO THE TEENS WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE DURING THE  
DAY.  
 
FORECAST CONFIDENCE AND ALTERNATE SCENARIOS THROUGH 00Z WEDNESDAY...  
 
FORECAST CONFIDENCE: HIGH TONIGHT. LOW TO MEDIUM TUESDAY.  
 
ALTERNATE SCENARIOS: TIMING AND EXTENT OF SNOW SHOWERS AND  
MVFR/IFR RESTRICTIONS MAY VARY ON TUESDAY.  
 
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 21 22 23 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08  
EST 1HRLY 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 00 01 02 03  
CRW CONSISTENCY M H H H H H H H H H H H  
HTS CONSISTENCY H H H H H H H H H H H H  
BKW CONSISTENCY H L M M L L M H H H H H  
EKN CONSISTENCY H H H H H H H H M M M M  
PKB CONSISTENCY H H H H H H H H H H H H  
CKB CONSISTENCY H H H H H H H H H H H H  
 
AFTER 00Z WEDNESDAY...  
NO WIDESPREAD IFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.  
 
 
   
RLX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
WV...COLD WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 11 AM EST TUESDAY FOR WVZ005>011-  
013>020-024>034-039-040-515>521-524-525.  
COLD WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 7 PM TUESDAY TO NOON EST WEDNESDAY  
FOR WVZ516-518-520.  
COLD WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 1 AM TO 9 AM EST WEDNESDAY FOR  
WVZ008>011-016>020-027>032-039-040-515-517-519-521-525.  
EXTREME COLD WARNING UNTIL 8 AM EST THURSDAY FOR WVZ522-523-  
526.  
OH...COLD WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 11 AM EST TUESDAY FOR OHZ067-075-  
076-083>087.  
COLD WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL NOON EST TUESDAY FOR OHZ066.  
COLD WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 7 PM TUESDAY TO NOON EST WEDNESDAY  
FOR OHZ066.  
COLD WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 1 AM TO 9 AM EST WEDNESDAY FOR  
OHZ067-075-076-083>085.  
KY...COLD WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 11 AM EST TUESDAY FOR KYZ101>103-  
105.  
VA...NONE.  
 
 
 
 
 
SYNOPSIS...FK/SL  
NEAR TERM...SL/JLB  
SHORT TERM...FK  
LONG TERM...FK  
AVIATION...JLB  
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