900  
FXUS62 KCAE 261047  
AFDCAE  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLUMBIA SC  
647 AM EDT FRI JUN 26 2026  
   
WHAT HAS CHANGED  
 
ADDED SECOND KEY MESSAGE TO DISCUSS CONVECTION EXPECTED EACH DAY  
THROUGH MONDAY. AVIATION DISCUSSION UPDATED FOR 12Z TAFS.  
 
 
   
KEY MESSAGES  
 
- 1. PROLONGED HOT PATTERN EXPECTED WITH DANGEROUS HEAT POSSIBLE THIS  
WEEKEND AND A SIGNAL FOR A MORE IMPACTFUL, INTENSE HEAT EVENT  
BY THE END OF NEXT WEEK.  
 
- 2. SCATTERED AFTERNOON SHOWERS AND STORMS EACH DAY THROUGH  
MONDAY. ISOLATED SEVERE STORMS POSSIBLE SATURDAY AND SUNDAY.  
 
 
   
DISCUSSION  
 
KEY MESSAGE 1: PROLONGED HOT PATTERN EXPECTED WITH DANGEROUS HEAT  
POSSIBLE THIS WEEKEND AND A SIGNAL FOR A MORE IMPACTFUL, INTENSE  
HEAT EVENT BY THE END OF NEXT WEEK.  
 
UPPER RIDGING CONTINUES TO BE FAVORED FOR THIS WEEKEND WITH 500MB  
HEIGHTS EXPECTED TO BEGIN TO RISE TODAY, ALTHOUGH A WEAKENING  
SHORTWAVE MOVING THROUGH THE AREA TODAY WILL KEEP TEMPERATURES CLOSE  
TO SEASONAL AVERAGE WITH SCATTERED SHOWERS AND STORMS LIMITING HIGH  
TEMPERATURES SOMEWHAT. ABOVE AVERAGE TEMPERATURES ALONG WITH TRIPLE  
DIGIT HEAT INDICES EXPECTED BY THIS WEEKEND AS NAEFS MEAN INDICATES  
HEIGHTS ABOVE THE 90TH PERCENTILE. CONFIDENCE IN THE NEED FOR A HEAT  
ADVISORY IS LOW, HOWEVER, AS THE AREA WILL BE SITUATED ON THE  
EASTERN EDGE OF THE UPPER RIDGE WHICH LEAVES IT MORE LIKELY FOR  
SHORTWAVES PASSING THROUGH THE PERIPHERY OF THE RIDGE TO GENERATE  
SHOWERS AND STORMS. EVEN WITHOUT ANY HEAT ADVISORIES, HOWEVER, MUCH  
OF THE AREA WILL BE IN MAJOR HEATRISK THIS WEEKEND AND CAUTION  
SHOULD BE TAKEN IF SPENDING SIGNIFICANT TIME OUTDOORS DURING THE  
HOTTEST PORTION OF THE DAY. BLENDED GUIDANCE FAVORS A SLIGHTLY DRIER  
AIR MASS MOVING IN TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY, ALTHOUGH ABOVE AVERAGE  
TEMPERATURES EXPECTED TO CONTINUE.  
 
AS THE UPPER RIDGE SHIFTS EASTWARD, POTENTIAL FOR A MORE SUBSTANTIAL  
HEAT EVENT FOR THE SECOND HALF OF NEXT WEEK. NOT ONLY IS THERE  
STRONG AGREEMENT IN THE OVERALL STRENGTH OF THE UPPER RIDGE WITH EC  
AND GEFS ENSEMBLE MEANS INDICATING 500MB HEIGHTS WILL BE AROUND 2  
STANDARD DEVIATIONS HIGHER THAN NORMAL ALONG WITH HIGHER  
PROBABILITIES OF 850MB TEMPERATURES GREATER THAN 20C (70-80%) BUT  
ALSO THE LOCATION OF THE UPPER RIDGE DEPICTED BY GLOBAL MODELS  
AND ENSEMBLE WOULD FAVOR SUBSIDENCE OVER THE AREA, LIMITING  
CHANCES FOR AFTERNOON SHOWERS AND STORMS. REMARKABLY HIGH  
BLENDED PROBABILITIES THIS FAR OUT FOR THE PROBABILITY OF MAX  
TEMPERATURES GREATER THAN 100F, GENERALLY 50-70%, EACH DAY  
THURSDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. WITH THE 4TH OF JULY HOLIDAY WEEKEND,  
HEAT ILLNESSES WOULD BE AT A GREATER RISK WITH A HIGHER AMOUNT  
OF PEOPLE SPENDING TIME OUTDOORS.  
 
KEY MESSAGE 2: SCATTERED AFTERNOON SHOWERS AND STORMS EACH DAY  
THROUGH MONDAY. ISOLATED SEVERE STORMS POSSIBLE SATURDAY AND SUNDAY.  
 
HOT AND HUMID AIR MASS IN PLACE WILL SUPPORT SCATTERED SHOWERS AND  
STORMS EACH DAY, AT LEAST THROUGH MONDAY. FOR TODAY, A SHORTWAVE  
MOVING THROUGH THE AREA WILL LIKELY LEAD TO THE HIGHEST COVERAGE OF  
SHOWERS AND STORMS WITH SHOWERS ALREADY OBSERVED IN THE CSRA. WHILE  
MODERATE DESTABILIZATION IS EXPECTED INTO THE AFTERNOON, FORECAST  
SOUNDINGS INDICATE RELATIVELY SKINNY CAPE PROFILES AND NOT  
PARTICULARLY STRONG LOW LEVEL LAPSE RATES. WITH RISING HEIGHTS  
INTO SATURDAY, STORM COVERAGE WILL LIKELY BE A BIT MORE LIMITED  
WITH SPC HREF MEMBERS FAVORING HIGHEST COVERAGE NORTH OF THE  
AREA. WITH MORE ROBUST LOW LEVEL LAPSE RATES AND A BIT OF  
INTRUSION OF DRY AIR IN THE MID LEVELS, HOWEVER, POTENTIAL FOR  
ANY STORMS THAT DO DEVELOP TO PRODUCE ISOLATED DAMAGING WIND  
GUSTS. A MARGINAL RISK FROM THE SPC IS IN PLACE FOR THE  
NORTHERN HALF OF THE AREA FOR THIS POTENTIAL. WEAKNESSES IN THE  
RIDGE WILL LIKELY BE A BIT MORE PRONOUNCED ON SUNDAY AND MONDAY  
WITH BLENDED GUIDANCE FAVORING HIGHER POPS EACH DAY, STILL  
GENERALLY SCATTERED DURING THE AFTERNOON, FAVORING THE NORTHERN  
AND EASTERN PORTION OF THE FORECAST AREA. SLIGHTLY LOWER SEVERE  
POTENTIAL SUNDAY, ALTHOUGH CANNOT COMPLETELY RULE OUT A STRONG  
TO MARGINALLY SEVERE STORM.  
 
 
   
AVIATION /12Z FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/  
 
SCATTERED DIURNAL SHOWERS/STORMS EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON AND  
EVENING WITH ASSOCIATED RESTRICTIONS POSSIBLE.  
 
SCATTERED TO BROKEN MID LEVEL CLOUDS IN PLACE THIS MORNING AND  
WHILE THERE WAS A VERY BRIEF PERIOD OF VISIBILITY RESTRICTIONS  
AT AGS, VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGH THE TAF  
PERIOD. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING THIS  
AFTERNOON, ALTHOUGH LATEST GUIDANCE HAS BEEN BACKING OFF A BIT  
ON THE COVERAGE OF STORMS THIS AFTERNOON. AS A RESULT, HAVE KEPT  
TSRA WITHIN PROB30 GROUP FOR THIS AFTERNOON INTO EVENING. ANY  
STORMS THAT DO FORM WILL DISSIPATE AFTER SUNSET WITH VFR  
CONDITIONS EXPECTED OVERNIGHT WITH SOME MID LEVEL DEBRIS  
CLOUDINESS POSSIBLE OVER THE TERMINALS.  
 
EXTENDED AVIATION OUTLOOK...INCREASING HEAT AND HUMIDITY  
SATURDAY AND SUNDAY SHOULD YIELD DIURNAL CONVECTION AND POSSIBLE  
ASSOCIATED RESTRICTIONS. BRIEF MORNING VSBY/CIG RESTRICTIONS  
ALSO POSSIBLE THIS WEEKEND AND EARLY NEXT WEEK.  
 
 
   
CAE WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
SC...NONE.  
GA...NONE.  
 
 
 
 
 
DISCUSSION...96  
AVIATION...DH  
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