320  
FXUS61 KRNK 160721  
AFDRNK  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA  
221 AM EST SAT NOV 16 2024  
   
SYNOPSIS
 
 
HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS INTO THE AREA TODAY AND SUNDAY, BRINGING  
DRY WEATHER AND WARMING TEMPERATURES. A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM AND  
COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH THE AREA ON TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY,  
BRINGING THE NEXT CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION. A MUCH STRONGER COLD  
FRONT EXPECTED TO CROSS THE REGION WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY  
WILL USHER IN STRONG, GUSTY WIND, ALONG WITH MUCH COLDER AIR.  
 

 
   
NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/
 
 
AS OF 210 AM EST SATURDAY...  
 
KEY MESSAGE:  
 
- CLEARING IN THE MOUNTAINS THIS MORNING  
 
NIGHT FOG SATELLITE IMAGES SHOWED LOW CLOUDS WEST OF A LINE FROM HOT  
SPRINGS TO ROANOKE TO BOONE. STILL ENOUGH OF A PRESSURE GRADIENT FOR  
NORTHWEST UPSLOPE WIND THIS MORNING. BUT AS THE WIND SPEED  
DIMINISHES AND THE WIND DIRECTION TURNS MORE TO THE NORTH THE  
UPSLOPE WILL WEAKEN. SHORT RANGE GUIDANCE WAS IN GOOD AGREEMENT WITH  
THE TIMING OF WHEN ISOLATED SPRINKLES AND CLOUDS ERODE OVER THE  
MOUNTAINS. HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE OHIO VALLEY TODAY WILL BE  
CENTERED OVER THE CENTRAL APPALACHIANS BY SUNDAY MORNING,  
RESULTING IN A CALM TO LIGHT AND VARIABLE WIND OVERNIGHT.  
 
500 MB HEIGHTS RISE TODAY AND LOCATIONS THAT HAVE SUN WILL WARM INTO  
THE LOWER 60S. SPOTS IN SOUTHEAST WEST VIRGINIA THAT WILL HAVE  
CLOUDS LONGER TODAY WILL BE AROUND 50. PLAN TO TREND LOWER ON  
MINIMUM TEMPERATURES IN THE TYPICALLY FAVORED SHELTERED AND ELEVATED  
VALLEYS FOR LOWS TONIGHT. HIGH CLOUDS BEGIN TO SPREAD IN FROM THE  
WEST OVERNIGHT BUT NOT BEFORE THE TEMPERATURES DROP OFF SHARPLY IN  
THE EVENING.  
 

 
   
SHORT TERM /SUNDAY THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT/
 
 
AS OF 130 AM EST SATURDAY...  
 
KEY MESSAGES:  
 
1) CONFIDENCE IS HIGH FOR DRY AND ABNORMALLY WARM CONDITIONS THROUGH  
MONDAY NIGHT.  
 
2) A COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH FROM THE WEST TO PROVIDE CHANCES OF  
RAIN FOR TUESDAY AND TUESDAY NIGHT.  
 
HIGH PRESSURE ACROSS THE APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS WILL KEEP CONDITIONS  
DRY THROUGH SUNDAY AND MONDAY. MEANWHILE, AN UPPER LEVEL RIDGE  
SHOULD BUILD OVER THE SOUTHEAST TO PROMOTE ABOVE NORMAL WARMTH FOR  
THIS TIME OF YEAR. HIGH TEMPERATURES COULD EASILY REACH THE 60S EACH  
AFTERNOON. SOME INCREASE IN CLOUD COVER MAY OCCUR ON MONDAY MORNING  
AS A WARM FRONT PASSES TO THE NORTHWEST, BUT A MORE NOTEWORTHY  
INCREASE IN CLOUDINESS WILL OCCUR BY MONDAY NIGHT WHEN A COLD FRONT  
ENTERS THE OHIO RIVER VALLEY. CHANCES OF RAIN SHOULD RISE ON TUESDAY  
AND LINGER THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT. RAINFALL AMOUNTS DO NOT APPEAR  
IMPRESSIVE AS CONVECTION ALONG THE GULF COAST COULD ROB SOME OF THE  
MOISTURE STREAMING NORTHWARD.  
 

 
   
LONG TERM /WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/
 
 
AS OF 130 AM EST SATURDAY...  
 
KEY MESSAGES:  
 
1) CONFIDENCE IS MODERATE FOR CHANCES OF RAIN TO CONTINUE THROUGH  
WEDNESDAY.  
 
2) GUSTY NORTHWEST WINDS, COLDER AIR, AND RAIN CHANGING TO SNOW IN  
THE MOUNTAINS COULD OCCUR DURING THURSDAY AND FRIDAY.  
 
CHANCES OF RAIN WILL PERSIST INTO WEDNESDAY DUE TO THE MODELS  
SLOWING DOWN THE FRONTAL PASSAGE UNTIL WEDNESDAY NIGHT. A DEEPENING  
UPPER LEVEL LOW WILL ARRIVE AFTERWARDS TO SWING THE FLOW TOWARDS THE  
NORTHWEST AND BRING SHARPLY COLDER AIR. THE GUSTY NORTHWEST WIND AND  
INCREASED COLD AIR ADVECTION WILL SEND TEMPERATURES FALLING TOWARDS  
THE FREEZING POINT IN THE MOUNTAINS BY THURSDAY MORNING. THURSDAY  
AND FRIDAY COULD END UP FIFTEEN TO TWENTY DEGREES COLDER THAN THE  
EARLIER PART OF THE WORK WEEK, AND THE FIRST SNOW FLURRIES OR SNOW  
SHOWERS OF THE SEASON MAY BE FLYING IN THE WIND AT TIMES WEST OF THE  
BLUE RIDGE.  
 

 
   
AVIATION /07Z SATURDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/
 
 
AS OF 215 AM EST SATURDAY...  
 
NIGHT FOG SATELLITE IMAGES SHOWED EXTENSIVE MVFR TO IFR CLOUDS  
WEST OF A LINE FROM KHSP TO KROA TO KTNB. STILL ENOUGH OF A  
PRESSURE GRADIENT FOR NORTHWEST UPSLOPE WIND THIS MORNING. BUT  
AS THE WIND SPEED DIMINISHES AND THE WIND DIRECTION TURNS MORE  
TO THE NORTH THE UPSLOPE WILL WEAKEN. WILL STILL HAVE WIND GUSTS  
AS HIGH AS 25 KTS THROUGH 12Z/7AM, ESPECIALLY AT HIGHER  
ELEVATIONS.  
 
SHORT RANGE GUIDANCE WAS IN GOOD AGREEMENT WITH THE TIMING OF  
WHEN ISOLATED SPRINKLES AND CLOUDS ERODE OVER THE MOUNTAINS.  
HAVE KBLF AND KLWB BECOMING VFR BETWEEN 16-19Z/NOON-3PM. KBCB  
WILL RETURN TO VFR BEFORE 16Z/NOON.  
 
HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE OHIO VALLEY TODAY WILL BE CENTERED OVER  
THE CENTRAL APPALACHIANS BY SUNDAY MORNING, RESULTING IN A CALM  
TO LIGHT AND VARIABLE WIND OVERNIGHT.  
 
AVERAGE CONFIDENCE FOR THE TIMING OF IMPROVEMENT BACK TO VFR.  
AVERAGE CONFIDENCE FOR VISIBILITY AND WIND.  
 
EXTENDED AVIATION OUTLOOK  
 
VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY  
NIGHT.  
 
AN APPROACHING COLD FRONT WILL BRING THE CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND  
SUB-VFR CONDITIONS ON TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY, PRIMARILY IN THE  
MOUNTAINS.  
 

 
   
RNK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
VA...NONE.  
NC...NONE.  
WV...NONE.  
 

 
 

 
 
SYNOPSIS...AMS  
NEAR TERM...AMS  
SHORT TERM...PW  
LONG TERM...PW  
AVIATION...AMS/SH  
 
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