494  
FXUS62 KCAE 011809  
AFDCAE  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC  
209 PM EDT SAT AUG 1 2026  
   
WHAT HAS CHANGED  
 
MONITORING CONVECTIVE POTENTIAL THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. ANY  
ORGANIZED CONVECTION TODAY AND SUNDAY COULD PRODUCE LOCALLY  
HEAVY RAINFALL AND FLASH FLOODING IN ADDITION TO STRONG WIND  
GUSTS. AVIATION DISCUSSION UPDATED FOR 18Z TAFS.  
 
 
   
KEY MESSAGES  
 
- 1. RAIN AND THUNDERSTORM CHANCES INCREASE FOR THIS WEEKEND  
WITH A MORE TYPICAL SUMMERTIME PATTERN RETURNING NEXT WEEK.  
 
 
   
DISCUSSION  
 
- 1. RAIN AND THUNDERSTORM CHANCES INCREASE FOR THIS WEEKEND  
WITH A MORE TYPICAL SUMMERTIME PATTERN RETURNING NEXT WEEK.  
 
MIDDAY SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOWS SCATTERED FAIR WEATHER CUMULUS  
MOVING ACROSS THE REGION FROM THE SOUTHEAST, MORE ROBUST CUMULUS  
CLOUDS DEVELOPING IN THE WESTERN MIDLANDS AND THE CSRA, AND HIGH  
LEVEL CLOUDS MOVING NORTHWEST TO SOUTHEAST ACROSS THE EASTERN  
MIDLANDS. DESPITE THE MAINLY CLOUDY SKIES SO FAR TODAY,  
TEMPERATURES HAVE WARMED INTO THE UPPER 80S AND LOWER 90S ACROSS  
MUCH OF THE FA WITH A VERY MOIST AIR MASS IN PLACE. THE  
ATMOSPHERE IS ALREADY TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE MOISTURE AS  
ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHOWERS HAVE DEVELOPED, MAINLY IN THE  
WESTERN HALF OF THE CWA. EXPECT CONVECTIVE COVERAGE TO INCREASE  
ACROSS THE REGION AS THE AFTERNOON GOES ON, WITH SCATTERED TO  
NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. ONE POTENTIAL DETERRENT TO  
THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT WILL BE THE PRESENCE OF MID-LEVEL DRY  
AIR AND STABLE CONDITIONS WHICH (AT LEAST INITIALLY) SHOULD  
REDUCE THE THREAT OF STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS. MODEL  
GUIDANCE INDICATES THAT THIS DRY LAYER WILL MOISTEN TOWARDS  
EVENING SO TRENDS WILL NEED TO BE MONITORED. AREAS ACROSS THE  
WESTERN FA HAVE HIGHER PWATS AND LOWER DCAPE VALUES SUGGESTING  
HEAVY RAINFALL AND LOCALIZED FLASH FLOODING WILL BE THE PRIMARY  
HAZARD FROM ANY MATURE CONVECTION WHILE IN THE EAST PWATS ARE  
LOWER BUT DCAPE VALUES ARE MUCH HIGHER SUGGESTING A THREAT FOR  
DAMAGING WIND GUSTS. THERE IS SOME SHEAR (15-25 KNOTS OF  
EFFECTIVE SHEAR) AVAILABLE TODAY SO WOULD NOT BE SURPRISED IF A  
FEW THUNDERSTORMS APPROACH SEVERE CRITERIA DESPITE THE OVERALL  
LACK OF FORCING.  
 
MOISTURE IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE INCREASING TONIGHT INTO SUNDAY  
AHEAD OF A SLOW MOVING FRONTAL BOUNDARY. A SHORTWAVE OVER  
NORTHERN FLORIDA IS FORECAST TO EJECT NORTHEASTWARD, BRINGING  
ANOTHER ROUND OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ON SUNDAY. AS OF  
NOW, THE HIGHEST CHANCES FOR ACTIVITY LOOKS TO BE IN THE  
SOUTHEASTERN MIDLANDS AND SOUTHERN CSRA AS THE SHORTWAVE IS  
ANTICIPATED TO MOVE NEAR THE COAST. SIMILAR TO TODAY, ANY ROBUST  
CONVECTION COULD PRODUCE DAMAGING WIND GUSTS, LOCALLY HEAVY  
RAINFALL, AND LOCALIZED FLASH FLOODING.  
 
AFTER THE WEEKEND, MORE TYPICAL DIURNALLY DRIVEN ACTIVITY IS  
ANTICIPATED THROUGH MID-WEEK AS RESIDUAL MOISTURE HANGS AROUND  
THE AREA.  
 
 
   
AVIATION /18Z SATURDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/  
VFR CONDITIONS TO  
BEGIN THE TAF PERIOD, THEN INTERMITTENT RESTRICTIONS EXPECTED INTO  
TONIGHT AS SHRA/TSRA MOVE THROUGH THE REGION.  
 
VFR CONDITIONS WITH PARTLY SUNNY TO MOSTLY CLOUDY SKIES THIS  
AFTERNOON. -SHRA ARE BEGINNING TO DEVELOP ACROSS THE AREA, AND AS  
THE ATMOSPHERE CONTINUES TO DESTABILIZE, EXPECT AN INCREASING THREAT  
FOR -TSRA. MOISTURE WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE AND RESTRICTIONS ARE  
INCREASINGLY LIKELY AFTER 21Z AS PRECIP CONTINUES TO FILL IN ACROSS  
THE REGION. CONTINUED THE PROB30 GROUP BUT SHIFTED THE TIMING UP  
SLIGHTLY. WINDS GENERALLY LIGHT FROM THE SOUTHEAST AROUND 6 TO 9  
KNOTS THIS AFTERNOON AND POSSIBLY MORE SOUTHERLY. HOWEVER, PRECIP  
LOADING MAY LEAD TO A FEW STRONG DOWNBURSTS IN THE STRONGEST TSRA,  
AND WINDS OF 25-30 KTS MAY BE GUSTY AND ERRATIC AT TIMES.  
RESTRICTIONS ARE THEN LIKELY THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT WITH IFR CIGS AND  
LINGERING SHOWERS WHICH SHOULD DISSIPATE BY SUNRISE SUNDAY MORNING.  
VFR CONDITIONS THEN RETURN LATE SUNDAY MORNING WITH ADDITIONAL  
CONVECTION EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ONCE AGAIN.  
 
EXTENDED AVIATION OUTLOOK...RAIN AND RESTRICTIONS BECOME  
INCREASINGLY LIKELY LATER THIS WEEKEND AND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK.  
 
 
   
CAE WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
SC...NONE.  
GA...NONE.  
 
 
 
 
 
DISCUSSION...7  
AVIATION...EC  
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