840  
FXUS61 KCTP 042102  
AFDCTP  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA  
502 PM EDT THU SEP 4 2025  
   
SYNOPSIS  
 
* A SERIES OF COLD FRONTS WILL BRING A RISK FOR STRONG  
THUNDERSTORMS THURSDAY AND AGAIN SATURDAY.  
* TWO ROUNDS OF STORMS ARE EXPECTED TODAY, ONE AHEAD OF THE COLD  
FRONT AND THE SECOND ALONG THE FRONT AS IT PUSHES SOUTHEAST.  
* TEMPERATURES TREND BELOW NORMAL AGAIN NEXT WEEK WITH HIGH  
PRESSURE AND DRY WEATHER PREVAILING.  
 
 
   
NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM FRIDAY MORNING/  
 
UNDER A PREVAILING UPPER TROUGH, A MID-LEVEL VORTICITY MAXIMUM  
WILL ROTATE THROUGH THE MID ATLANTIC TODAY ACCOMPANIED BY A  
SURFACE COLD FRONT. MORNING RADAR AND SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOWS  
WEAK CONVECTION MOVING ACROSS WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA AHEAD OF THE  
MAIN COLD FRONT CURRENTLY DRAPED OVER THE SOUTHERN GREAT LAKES  
REGION AND INTO CENTRAL OHIO. AS THE FRONT MOVES EAST, THESE  
SHOWERS AND STORM SHOULD RE- INTENSIFY AS THEY ENCOUNTER  
SUFFICIENT MOISTURE WITH DEWPOINTS IN THE UPPER 50S TO LOW 60S,  
MARGINAL INSTABILITY (UP TO 750 J/KG), AND AMPLE SHEAR (30 -  
40KTS).  
 
CONVECTION ALLOWING MODELS DEPICT POTENTIAL FOR TWO DISTINCT  
ROUNDS OF SHOWERS/STORMS. THE FIRST WOULD BE ASSOCIATED WITH THE  
AFOREMENTIONED LINE OF STORMS THAT WILL ADVANCE INTO SOUTHEAST  
PA BY LATER AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THE SECOND WOULD BE ALONG  
THE SURFACE COLD FRONT, WHICH LIKELY STRUGGLES TO GET PAST THE  
I-99/I-80 CORRIDOR BY THURSDAY EVENING. THE SPC HAS ISSUED A  
MARGINAL RISK FOR NEARLY ALL OF PENNSYLVANIA. THE BEST SHEAR  
WILL BE ACROSS NORTHERN PA INTO NEW YORK, WHILE THE BEST  
INSTABILITY WILL BE WELL SOUTH OF THE REGION (SOUTHERN  
APPALACHIANS). PENNSYLVANIA WILL HAVE SUFFICIENT AMOUNTS OF  
INSTABILITY AND SHEAR TO SUPPORT A MARGINAL THREAT OF DAMAGING  
WINDS.  
 
HIGHS TODAY WILL RANGE FROM THE MID 60S IN NORTHWEST PA WHERE  
MORE CLOUDS/PRECIPITATION WILL KEEP TEMPERATURES AT BAY, TO THE  
MID 80S IN SOUTHEAST PA WHERE MOST OF THE DAY SHOULD REMAIN  
SUNNY OR AT LEAST PARTLY CLOUDY BEFORE CONVECTION ARRIVES.  
TONIGHT, LOWER DEWPOINTS WILL FILTER INTO NORTHWEST PA BEHIND  
THE COLD FRONT ALLOWING TEMPERATURES TO DROP INTO THE MID 40S.  
FARTHER SOUTHEAST, MORE CLOUDS/LINGERING SHOWERS WILL KEEP  
TEMPERATURES MUCH MORE MILD IN THE UPPER 50S TO LOWER 60S.  
 
 
   
SHORT TERM /6 AM FRIDAY MORNING THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT/  
 
ON FRIDAY, HIGH PRESSURE WILL BRIEFLY REGAIN CONTROL OF THE  
REGION GIVING WAY TO MOSTLY SUNNY SKIES, DRY CONDITIONS, AND  
ANOTHER SEASONABLY MILD DAY. FRIDAY MORNING WILL BE RELATIVELY  
MILD WITH PATCHY VALLEY FOG LIKELY OVER MOST OF THE CWA. IT IS  
WORTH NOTING THAT THURSDAY'S COLD FRONT WILL GET HUNG UP ACROSS  
THE CENTRAL MOUNTAINS, IT WILL STILL BE RATHER HUMID ON FRIDAY  
AFTERNOON IN SOUTHEAST PA. GIVEN THAT THE FRONT IS EXPECTED TO  
STALL OUT HIGHS ON FRIDAY WILL BE SLIGHTLY WARMER THAN THURSDAY  
WITH PARTS OF THE SOUTHEAST REACHING TO MID 80S.  
 
 
   
LONG TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/  
 
FOR THE LONG TERM PERIOD, A PREVAILING UPPER TROUGH ACROSS THE  
EASTERN US WILL REMAIN IN PLACE, PERHAPS LIFTING A BIT BY THE  
MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK.  
 
BY SATURDAY, A STRONGER COLD FRONT (COMPARED TO THURSDAY) WILL  
SWEEP THROUGH THE COMMONWEALTH AND BRING A RENEWED CHANCE FOR  
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. THERE REMAINS SOME UNCERTAINTY  
REGARDING HOW MUCH INSTABILITY WILL BE IN PLACE AHEAD OF THE  
FRONT, BUT SCATTERED STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS SEEM LIKE A  
GOOD BET. AS IS TYPICAL WITH THESE SYSTEMS, THE BEST CHANCE FOR  
SEVERE WILL LIKELY BE IN SOUTHEAST PA AND AN SPC MARGINAL RISK  
IS PROBABLE FOR SATURDAY.  
 
AFTER THE COLD FRONT SWEEPS THROUGH, ANOTHER FALL-LIKE PATTERN  
WILL SETTLE IN FOR THE SECOND HALF OF THE WEEKEND AND INTO NEXT  
WEEK. THE AIRMASS MOVING OVERHEAD WILL BE THE COOLEST OF THE  
SEASON SO FAR. HIGHS IN THE 60S AND 70S WILL PAIR WITH LOWS IN  
THE 30S TO 50S. FROST OR FREEZE CONDITIONS SEEM LIKE A GOOD BET  
FOR THE TYPICAL COOL SPOTS IN NORTHWEST PA EARLY NEXT WEEK ALONG  
WITH RIVER VALLEY FOG. ABUNDANT SUNSHINE AND DRY CONDITIONS ARE  
FAVORED, WITH INCREASING MOISTURE AND CHANCES FOR RAIN TOWARD  
THE MIDDLE TO END OF THE WEEK.  
 
 
   
AVIATION /21Z THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/  
 
21Z/5PM EDT UPDATE: A QUICK 21Z/5PM EDT UPDATE TO THE TAF  
PACKAGE HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR ALL TERMINALS. THIS UPDATE HAS  
DEVIATED SLIGHTLY FROM THE 18Z TAF PACKAGE DUE TO CURRENT RADAR  
TRENDS WHICH WILL ALLOW FOR EXTENDED WINDOWS OF RELATIVELY DRY  
CONDITIONS OVER THE NEXT HOURS FOR THE BULK OF CENTRAL  
PENNSYLVANIA'S AIRFIELDS. THE NEXT BATCH OF PRECIPITATION  
ASSOCIATED WITH THE SURFACE COLD FRONT STATIONED EAST OF BFD  
WILL CONTINUE TRACKING EAST AND IMPACT JST/AOO CLOSER TO THE  
22-23Z TIMEFRAME AND GRADUALLY OVERSPREAD THE AREA. THE MOST  
RECENT SUITE OF HI-RES MODEL GUIDANCE DOES INDICATE SOME DECAY  
OF PRECIPITATION CLOSER TO MDT/LNS SO HAVE TRIMMED BACK MENTIONS  
OF PRECIPITATION THIS EVENING AT MDT; HOWEVER, SHRA/TSRA FROM  
MD IS EXPECTED TO MAKE A RUN AT LNS FOR A TWO- HOUR PERIOD NEAR  
SUNSET.  
 
GIVEN THE PRECIPITATION EXPECTED AND THAT HAS ALREADY HIT THE  
GROUND, HAVE DECIDED TO INCREASE LOW-LEVEL CLOUD MENTIONS ACROSS  
MUCH OF THE AREA OUTSIDE OF AOO WHERE PRECIPITATION CHANCES ARE  
SLIGHTLY LOWER OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF HOURS. LOW CONFIDENCE AT  
MDT/LNS AS GLAMP MODEL GUIDANCE DEVIATES FROM RAP/HREF MODEL  
GUIDANCE WITH RESPECT TO LOW CLOUDS OVERNIGHT WITH HIGHER  
CONFIDENCE AT JST/BFD/UNV/IPT OVERNIGHT. CLEARING WILL BE  
RELATIVELY QUICK WITH SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW; HOWEVER, IPT WILL  
LIKELY HOLD ONTO LOWER CEILINGS/VISIBILITIES THROUGH ~14Z  
FRIDAY. CLEARING SKIES ARE PROJECTED BY THE BULK OF MODEL  
GUIDANCE ALLOWING FOR WIDESPREAD VFR CONDITIONS THROUGH 18Z FRI.  
 
OUTLOOK...  
 
SAT...CHANCE OF SHRA W/ TSRA POSSIBLE, ESPECIALLY SE.  
 
SUN-MON...CLEARING WITH VFR CONDITIONS. BREEZY.  
 
TUE-WED...CLEAR.  
 
 
   
CTP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
NONE.  
 
 
 
 
 
SYNOPSIS...BANGHOFF/BOWEN  
NEAR TERM...BOWEN  
SHORT TERM...BOWEN  
LONG TERM...BANGHOFF/BOWEN  
AVIATION...NPB  
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