351  
FXUS62 KCAE 170556  
AFDCAE  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC  
156 AM EDT WED JUN 17 2026  
   
WHAT HAS CHANGED  
 
POTENTIAL FOR ACTIVE WEATHER INCREASING FOR THE END OF THE  
WEEK. SHOWER CHANCES DECREASING FOR THIS MORNING. AVIATION  
DISCUSSION UPDATED FOR 06Z TAFS.  
 
 
   
KEY MESSAGES  
 
- 1. ACTIVE WEATHER INCREASINGLY LIKELY TO END THE WORK WEEK  
DUE TO SYSTEM FROM THE GULF MOVING ACROSS THE REGION, WITH  
POTENTIAL FOR LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL AND ISOLATED DAMAGING  
WINDS.  
 
- 2. SCATTERED SHOWERS THIS MORNING MOVE OUT AND DRY CONDITIONS  
RETURN INTO THURSDAY AHEAD OF THE ACTIVE WEATHER FROM KEY  
MESSAGE 1.  
 
 
   
DISCUSSION  
 
KEY MESSAGE 1: ACTIVE WEATHER INCREASINGLY LIKELY TO END THE  
WORK WEEK DUE TO SYSTEM FROM THE GULF MOVING ACROSS THE REGION,  
WITH POTENTIAL FOR LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL AND ISOLATED DAMAGING  
WINDS.  
 
POTENTIAL TROPICAL CYCLONE 1 (PTC 1) HAS MOVED OFF THE TX COAST  
AND INTO THE NORTHWEST GULF. WHILE OVER THE WARM WATERS, IT IS  
FORECAST TO INTENSIFY BRIEFLY BEFORE MAKING LANDFALL IN THE  
LOWER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY AND WEAKENING. GUIDANCE CONTINUES TO  
SHOW THAT THE UPPER WAVE ASSOCIATED WITH THIS SYSTEM MOVES ALONG  
A STALLED BOUNDARY OVER THE GULF COAST STATES AND TOWARD THE  
SOUTHEAST. ALTHOUGH THERE IS BETTER AGREEMENT IN TIMING, THERE  
IS STILL SOME DISCREPANCY BETWEEN MODEL SOLUTIONS, WITH THE  
ECMWF STILL BEING THE STRONGEST WITH THE ASSOCIATED SURFACE LOW.  
REGARDLESS OF HOW THE UPPER WAVE AND SURFACE LOW EVOLVE,  
CONFIDENCE IS INCREASING THAT WE'LL SEE ACTIVE WEATHER THURSDAY  
AFTERNOON/EVENING INTO FRIDAY.  
 
IN ADDITION TO THE UPPER WAVE ALONG THE GULF COAST, A COLD  
FRONT IS FORECAST TO START MOVING SOUTHWARD FROM THE MIDWEST  
LATE IN THE WEEK. AS A RESULT, THE PRESSURE GRADIENT IS EXPECTED  
TO TIGHTEN, CAUSING BREEZY TO GUSTY WINDS THURSDAY AFTERNOON.  
THERE IS A MODERATE CHANCE (50-60%) OF WIND GUSTS EXCEEDING 25  
MPH. INCREASED MOISTURE IS ALSO EXPECTED AS THE UPPER WAVE PULLS  
GULF MOISTURE INTO THE REGION, WITH PWATS OVER 2" LIKELY  
EVERYWHERE IN THE FORECAST AREA. FORECAST SOUNDINGS ALSO  
LOOK MOIST ADIABATIC THURSDAY EVENING INTO THE OVERNIGHT HOURS.  
LATEST QPF AMOUNTS HAVE INCREASED AS WELL, SO THE COMBINATION OF  
THESE FACTORS INDICATE THE THREAT FOR LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL IS  
INCREASING. DESPITE THE INCREASED THREAT FOR LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN,  
CONFIDENCE ISN'T HIGH ENOUGH THAT IT WILL BE WIDESPREAD ENOUGH  
TO WARRANT A FLOOD WATCH AT THIS TIME. THE HEAVIEST RAIN FROM  
THIS SYSTEM IS FORECAST TO REMAIN TO OUR SOUTHWEST. LASTLY,  
AHEAD OF THE HEAVY RAIN, THERE SHOULD BE SUFFICIENT CAPE (~1000  
J/KG OR GREATER) AND 0-6 KM SHEAR (~20-25 KTS) TO SUPPORT AN  
ISOLATED STRONG TO SEVERE STORM OR TWO WITH DAMAGING WINDS BEING  
THE MAIN THREAT.  
 
KEY MESSAGE 2: SCATTERED SHOWERS THIS MORNING MOVE OUT AND DRY  
CONDITIONS RETURN INTO THURSDAY AHEAD OF THE ACTIVE WEATHER FROM  
KEY MESSAGE 1.  
 
A WEAK SHORTWAVE TRANSLATING ACROSS THE SOUTH IS BRINGING  
SCATTERED SHOWERS TO THE FORECAST AREA EARLY THIS MORNING, BUT  
A MAJORITY OF THE ACTIVITY REMAINS SOUTH OF THE AREA. EXPECT  
SHOWER CHANCES TO CONTINUE AHEAD OF THIS SHORTWAVE, WHICH IS  
WEAKER THAN FORECAST, LEADING TO LESS ACTIVITY THAN ANTICIPATED  
PREVIOUSLY. ONCE THIS SHORTWAVE PASSES, DRY CONDITIONS CAN BE  
EXPECTED FOR THE REST OF TODAY AND INTO THURSDAY AHEAD OF THE  
SYSTEM DISCUSSED IN KEY MESSAGE 1. TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO  
REBOUND TO NEAR AVERAGE FOR TODAY AND TOMORROW AS WELL.  
 
 
   
AVIATION /06Z WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/  
 
RESTRICTIONS EXPECTED TO OVERSPREAD THE TERMINALS, ALTHOUGH  
GUIDANCE HAS BEEN A BIT AGGRESSIVE SO FAR.  
 
REGIONAL RADAR SHOWING SOME SCATTERED SHOWERS MOVING THROUGH THE  
REGION ASSOCIATED WITH AN UPPER DISTURBANCE THAT WILL CROSS THE  
ARE LATER THIS MORNING. CIGS HAVE BEEN INTERMITTENT BETWEEN LOW  
VFR AND MVFR BUT ALL GUIDANCE SUGGESTING RESTRICTIONS WOULD BE  
EXPECTED THROUGH MUCH OF THE NIGHT INTO LATE MORNING. WILL CARRY  
PREVAILING MVFR CIGS MOST TERMINALS AND HAVE A TEMPO FOR IFR  
CIGS 09Z-13Z TIME FRAME. WILL CARRY VCSH FOR PERSISTENT PASSING  
SHOWERS BUT THEY SHOULD END BY MID MORNING WITH DRIER AIR MOVING  
IN THIS AFTERNOON WITH IMPROVING CIGS BACK TO VFR. WINDS  
EXPECTED TO BE SOUTHWESTERLY 5 TO 10 KNOTS THEN PICK UP TO  
AROUND 10 KNOTS AFTER 15Z WITH SOME AFTERNOON GUSTS TO 20 KNOTS.  
 
EXTENDED AVIATION OUTLOOK...DIURNALLY FAVORED CONVECTION  
POSSIBLE EACH AFTERNOON, FAVORING THE SOUTHERN MIDLANDS AND  
CSRA. BREEZY CONDITIONS EXPECTED THU/FRI WITH INCREASED CHANCES  
OF RAIN AS A GULF COAST SYSTEM APPROACHES THE AREA.  
 
 
   
CAE WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
SC...NONE.  
GA...NONE.  
 
 
 
 
 
DISCUSSION...29  
AVIATION...23  
CLICK HERE TO GO TO PREVIOUS BULLETINS.
The Nexlab SC Page
The Nexlab GA Page
Main Text Page