873  
FXUS61 KRNK 291027  
AFDRNK  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA  
627 AM EDT TUE APR 29 2025  
   
SYNOPSIS
 
 
A COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED TO APPROACH THE REGION THIS EVENING,  
THEN WILL STALL ACROSS THE AREA THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK.  
THIS WILL BRING INCREASED RAIN CHANCES THROUGH THE END OF THE  
WEEK; HOWEVER, ACCUMULATED RAINFALL AMOUNTS LOOK TO REMAIN LOW  
AS ACTIVITY REMAINS SCATTERED TO ISOLATED IN NATURE. LATE  
SATURDAY MOISTURE WILL EXIT THE AREA AND THIS WILL USHER IN  
DRIER AIR AND HIGH PRESSURE ON SUNDAY AND INTO THE EARLY NEXT  
WEEK.  
 

 
   
NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/
 
 
AS OF 220 AM EDT TUESDAY...  
 
KEY MESSAGES:  
 
1) WARM AFTERNOON HIGHS AFTER A COOL START THIS MORNING.  
 
2) ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE THIS EVENING, MAINLY OVER THE  
MOUNTAINS.  
 
UPPER RIDGING BUILDS OVER THE REGION TODAY AS SURFACE HIGH  
PRESSURE SLIDES EAST INTO THE ATLANTIC. SOUTHWEST FLOW WILL  
INCREASE AHEAD OF AN APPROACHING FRONT THAT IS PROGGED TO MOVE  
INTO THE OHIO VALLEY THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.  
 
COOL TEMPERATURES THIS MORNING WILL QUICKLY WARM INTO THE UPPER  
70S TO MID 80S BY THIS AFTERNOON. SHOULD SEE INCREASING HIGH  
CLOUDS THROUGH THE DAY FROM AN UPSTREAM COLD FRONT AND  
ASSOCIATED CONVECTION. RETURN FLOW WILL RESULT IN DEW POINTS  
INCREASING THROUGH THE DAY. INCREASED BOUNDARY LAYER MOISTURE  
AND DAYTIME HEATING WILL ALLOW FOR SOME MODEST INSTABILITY TO  
DEVELOP OVER THE REGION. HOWEVER, TIMING OF STORMS WILL BE LATE  
THIS EVENING AND WILL ARRIVE IN A WEAKENED STATE DUE TO LOSS OF  
DAYTIME HEATING. AREAS ALONG AND WEST OF THE BLUE RIDGE HAVE THE  
BEST CHANCE AT SEEING RAIN OR AN ISOLATED THUNDERSTORM. AREAS  
EAST OF THE MOUNTAINS LIKELY TO REMAIN DRY THROUGH TONIGHT.  
 

 
   
SHORT TERM /WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/
 
 
AS OF 245 AM EDT TUESDAY...  
 
KEY MESSAGES:  
 
1) SHOWERS AND STORMS INCREASING IN COVERAGE EACH DAY.  
 
2) TEMPERATURES REMAIN WELL ABOVE AVERAGE.  
 
A STALLED FRONTAL BOUNDARY WILL RESIDE IN NORTHERN VIRGINA IN AN  
EAST TO WEST ORIENTATION ON WEDNESDAY. OUR AREA WILL REMAIN IN THE  
WARM SECTOR, WITH RISING DEWPOINTS ALLOWING AFTERNOON SHOWERS AND  
STORMS TO FORM. CONVECTION WILL REMAIN SCATTERED, AS AN UPPER LEVEL  
RIDGE TO THE SOUTH KEEPS INSTABILITY LIMITED. AREAS ALONG/WEST OF  
THE BLUE RIDGE WILL HAVE THE BEST CHANCE FOR PRECIPITATION, THOUGH  
POPS OF AT LEAST 30% ARE AREA-WIDE AS SOME STORMS MAY MAKE IT INTO  
THE PIEDMONT BEFORE DIURNAL HEATING ENDS, WITH ANY CONVECTION DYING  
OFF OVERNIGHT. THE SETUP REMAINS SIMILAR ON THURSDAY, THOUGH THE  
UPPER-LEVEL RIDGE BREAKS DOWN AND MOVES EAST, WHICH WILL ALLOW  
SHOWERS AND STORMS TO BE SLIGHTLY MORE WIDESPREAD. POPS REMAIN  
HIGHEST ALONG/WEST OF THE BLUE RIDGE, WITH SCATTERED CONVECTION IN  
THE PIEDMONT.  
 
FRIDAY WILL SEE MORE OF THE SAME, THOUGH A COLD FRONT APPROACHES THE  
AREA FROM THE WEST IN ASSOCIATION WITH A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM NEAR  
THE GREAT LAKES. MODELS CONTINUE TO DISAGREE WITH HOW WIDESPREAD THE  
RAIN WILL BE, BUT ONCE AGAIN AREAS ALONG/WEST OF THE BLUE RIDGE WILL  
LIKELY SEE RAIN, WITH MORE SCATTERED CONVECTION FOR THE PIEDMONT.  
QPF TOTALS FOR THE PERIOD WILL NOT BE PARTICULARLY HEAVY, WITH THE  
NBM SHOWING PIEDMONT AREAS ACCUMULATING BETWEEN 0.10-0.25" OF RAIN,  
WITH GENERALLY 0.25-0.50" WEST OF THE BLUE RIDGE.  
 
ABOVE AVERAGE TEMPERATURES WILL PERSIST THROUGH THE PERIOD DUE TO  
THE SOUTHERLY FLOW, WITH HIGHS IN THE 70S/80S EACH DAY, AND LOWS IN  
THE 50S/60S.  
 

 
   
LONG TERM /FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY/
 
 
AS OF 245 AM EDT TUESDAY...  
 
KEY MESSAGES:  
 
1) SHOWERS AND STORMS CONTINUE INTO SATURDAY AS A COLD FRONT MOVES  
THROUGH.  
 
2) NEAR SEASONAL TEMPERATURES AND QUIET WEATHER RETURNS SUNDAY INTO  
NEXT WEEK.  
 
SHOWER AND STORM CHANCES CONTINUE INTO SATURDAY, WHICH IS A CHANGE  
FROM YESTERDAY, AS MODELS NOW INDICATE THE MAIN COLD FRONT NOT  
MOVING THROUGH OUR AREA UNTIL AT LEAST EARLY SATURDAY DUE TO ANOTHER  
LOW FORMING IN THE OHIO VALLEY SATURDAY MORNING. FRIDAY NIGHT INTO  
SATURDAY WILL BE THE NEXT CHANCE OF WIDESPREAD RAIN ACROSS THE  
ENTIRE RNK CWA. THE FRONT FINALLY MOVES OUT OF THE AREA BY SATURDAY  
EVENING, WITH HIGH PRESSURE BUILDING BACK INTO THE MID-ATLANTIC  
REGION FOR SUNDAY INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. QUIET AND DRY WEATHER  
CONTINUES THROUGH THE END OF THE PERIOD AS THE HIGH DOMINATES THE  
WEATHER PATTERN.  
 
SEASONAL TEMPERATURES RETURN BEHIND THE FRONT THIS WEEKEND, WITH  
HIGHS IN THE 60S/70S INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. LOWS WILL BE IN THE 50S  
SATURDAY MORNING AHEAD OF THE FRONT, BUT FALL INTO THE 40S BEHIND  
THE FRONT INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. HIGHER ELEVATIONS ON SUNDAY MORNING  
MAY SEE LOWS IN THE 30S.  
 

 
   
AVIATION /12Z TUESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/
 
 
AS OF 620 AM EDT TUESDAY...  
 
VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED THROUGH THE ENTIRE TAF PERIOD.  
 
LIGHT/CALM WINDS THIS MORNING. WIND SPEEDS WILL INCREASE ONCE  
MIXING STARTS BY LATE MORNING, BY AROUND 14Z/10AM. WIND GUSTS  
OF 15 TO 20 KTS ARE LIKELY IN THE VIRGINIA AND NORTH CAROLINA  
FOOTHILLS AND PIEDMONT DURING THE AFTERNOON.  
 
SCATTERED TO ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP IN  
THE OHIO VALLEY DURING THE AFTERNOON. ANY PRECIPITATION IS  
EXPECTED TO REMAIN WEST OF KLWB AND KBLF UNTIL AFTER THE 00Z.  
ADDED VCTS FOR BLF/LWB AFTER 00Z/8PM, BUT CONFIDENCE REMAINS  
LOW.  
   
EXTENDED AVIATION OUTLOOK
 
 
A FRONTAL BOUNDARY WILL APPROACH FROM THE WEST AND STALLS  
ACROSS CENTRAL VIRGINIA BEFORE MOVING BACK NORTH ON WEDNESDAY  
AND THURSDAY. AS A RESULT THERE WILL BE A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND  
THUNDERSTORMS AND POTENTIAL SUB-VFR CONDITIONS, ESPECIALLY EACH  
AFTERNOON AND EVENING WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY.  
 
A COLD FRONT SHOULD CROSS THE APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS BY FRIDAY,  
WITH MORE WIDESPREAD PRECIPITATION AND SUB VFR FLIGHT  
CONDITIONS. THIS FRONT WILL BE EAST OF THE AREA WITH VFR  
CEILINGS AND VISIBILITY RETURNING BY SATURDAY NIGHT.  
 

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

 
 

 
 
SYNOPSIS...BMG  
NEAR TERM...BMG  
SHORT TERM...JCB  
LONG TERM...JCB  
AVIATION...BMG  
 
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