438  
FXUS61 KRNK 261907  
AFDRNK  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BLACKSBURG VA  
307 PM EDT SUN JUL 26 2026  
   
WHAT HAS CHANGED
 
 
CONFIDENCE IS HIGH FOR ORGANIZED STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS  
ARRIVING LATE MONDAY NIGHT, AND REDEVELOPING ACROSS THE AREA ON  
TUESDAY.  
 
AVIATION UPDATED.  
 

 
   
KEY MESSAGES
 
 
1) CONFIDENCE IS HIGH FOR ORGANIZED STRONG TO SEVERE  
THUNDERSTORMS ARRIVING LATE MONDAY NIGHT, AND REDEVELOPING  
ACROSS THE AREA ON TUESDAY.  
 

 
   
DISCUSSION
 
 
KEY MESSAGE 1...CONFIDENCE IS HIGH FOR ORGANIZED STRONG TO  
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARRIVING LATE MONDAY NIGHT, AND  
REDEVELOPING ACROSS THE AREA ON TUESDAY.  
 
A SERIES OF SHORT WAVES MOVING SOUTH IN NNW FLOW ALOFT WILL  
TRIGGER SHOWERS AND STORMS TONIGHT. AT THE SURFACE, A LEE TROUGH  
SITUATED IN THE WESTERN PIEDMONT WILL HELP FOCUS CELLS. WITH  
WARMING THIS AFTERNOON, THERE SHOULD BE ENOUGH INSTABILITY TO  
SUPPORT AN OCCASIONAL STRONGER STORM WITH DAMAGING WINDS, BUT  
OVERALL THE SEVERE THREAT LOOKS MARGINAL. AFTER ABOUT MIDNIGHT,  
CONVECTION EXITS TO THE EAST, FOLLOWED BY ANOTHER WARM AND DAMP  
NIGHT WITH STRATUS AND FOG. MONDAY LOOKS MOSTLY RAIN-FREE WITH  
DRIER AIR IN THE REGION, ALTHOUGH THE LINGERING SURFACE TROUGH  
IN THE AREA MAY BRING ISOLATED SHOWERS AND A STORM OR TWO TO THE  
EASTERN PIEDMONT.  
 
ON MONDAY NIGHT, A WARM FRONT WILL LIFT ACROSS THE REGION INTO  
TUESDAY MORNING. AT THE SAME TIME, A STRONG SHORT WAVE WILL  
APPROACH FROM THE NW. THESE FEATURES WILL SUPPORT WIDESPREAD  
RAIN WITH EMBEDDED STORMS, A FEW WHICH MAY BE STRONG TO SEVERE  
WITH DAMAGING WINDS, IN THE FORM OF A BOWING MCS TRAVELING FROM  
THE OH VALLEY. CAMS ARE NOW STEERING THE BRUNT OF THIS FEATURE  
TO OUR WEST, OVER CENTRAL AND EASTERN KY. IF SO, WE MAY JUST GET  
AWAY WITH SOME HEAVY RAIN AND LESS OF A SEVERE THREAT, AT LEAST  
EARLY ON. AS THE DAY PROGRESSES, A SURFACE LOW SAGS SOUTH  
TOWARDS THE REGION, AND THE SHORT WAVE TRAIN CONTINUES. SEVERE  
WEATHER IN THE AFTERNOON WILL DEPEND ON HOW LONG THE MORNING  
CONVECTION LASTS AND HOW MUCH TIME THE ATMOSPHERE HAS TO  
RECOVER, OR DESTABILIZE AGAIN, AHEAD OF THE FRONT/UPPER LEVEL  
WAVE. IT APPEARS WE SHOULD HAVE AT LEAST A FEW HOURS WITH BREAKS  
IN CLOUD COVER BEFORE THE FRONT ARRIVES IN THE AFTERNOON.  
 
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH WET MICROBURST POTENTIAL LOOK LIKELY  
AS LONG AS WE CAN DESTABILIZE. CONSISTENT SEVERE WEATHER  
FORECASTS BY SEVERAL MODELS SUPPORT THIS SCENARIO. THE ECMWF  
EFI AND SHIFT OF TAILS FOR CAPE/SHEAR HAS A BULLSEYE OVER MUCH  
OF SW VA AND NW NC TUESDAY. DEEP LAYER SHEAR LOOKS TO PEAK  
AROUND 40 KTS, AND CURRENT TIMING OF THE BOUNDARIES AND DIVING  
SHORT WAVE ENERGY/JET STREAK IS AROUND PEAK HEATING. WE CONTINUE  
TO BE OUTLOOKED ON TUESDAY FOR A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE WEATHER  
FROM SPC, AND A MARGINAL RISK OF EXCESSIVE RAINFALL FROM WPC.  
DAMAGING WINDS AND HEAVY RAIN POSSIBLY LEADING TO FLASH FLOODING  
WILL BE THE MAIN CONCERNS.  
 
THE FRONT AND TROUGH AXIS MOVE TOWARDS THE COAST AND OFFSHORE BY  
WEDNESDAY MORNING. UPSLOPE FLOW MAY BRING A FEW SHOWERS TO THE  
MOUNTAINS, BUT THE SEVERE THREAT WILL BE OVER. THURSDAY AND  
FRIDAY ALSO LOOK QUIET, WITH A RETURN TO SCATTERED AFTERNOON  
SHOWERS AND STORMS SATURDAY.  
 

 
   
AVIATION /19Z SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/
 
 
AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE ARRIVES THIS EVENING AND MAY TRIGGER  
SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS, MOST LIKELY IMPACTING BLF,  
LWB, LYH, AND DAN. THIS ACTIVITY SHOULD END BY MIDNIGHT.  
WIDESPREAD LIFR TO IFR STRATUS AND FOG WILL REDEVELOP LATE  
TONIGHT INTO MONDAY MORNING.  
 
WINDS THROUGH THE PERIOD WILL BE LIGHT UNDER 10 KTS.  
 
EXTENDED AVIATION OUTLOOK...  
 
MONDAY WILL BE MAINLY VFR AFTER MORNING FOG/LOW CLOUDS DISSIPATE  
AFTER 13 OR 14Z. A LINE OF STRONG STORMS IS FORECASTED TO  
ARRIVE LATE MONDAY NIGHT, POTENTIALLY IMPACTING KBLF, KLWB, AND  
KBCB. BETTER COVERAGE OF THUNDERSTORMS IS EXPECTED TUESDAY  
AFTERNOON AND EVENING AS A COLD FRONT MOVES THROUGH. THERE IS  
INCREASING CONFIDENCE IN SEVERE STORMS WITH INTENSE WIND GUSTS.  
WIND GUSTS IN GENERAL INCREASE TO 20 TO 30 KNOTS MONDAY NIGHT  
INTO TUESDAY. GUSTY NW WINDS DEVELOP WEDNESDAY BEHIND THE  
FRONTAL PASSAGE, WITH GUSTS OF 20 TO 30 KNOTS, HIGHER ON  
RIDGELINES. WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY ARE FORECASTED TO VFR,  
OUTSIDE ANY MORNING FOG/STRATUS.  
 

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

 
 

 
 
DISCUSSION...SH  
AVIATION...SH  
 
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