571
FXUS62 KILM 172351
AFDILM
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC
651 PM EST TUE FEB 17 2026
WHAT HAS CHANGED
UPDATED AVIATION 00Z TAF DISCUSSION.
KEY MESSAGES
1) ABOVE NORMAL TEMPS THRU LATE WEEK, POSSIBLY REACHING
RECORD LEVELS INLAND FRIDAY
DISCUSSION
KEY MESSAGE 1: ABOVE NORMAL TEMPS THRU LATE WEEK, POSSIBLY REACHING
RECORD LEVELS INLAND FRIDAY
ANOMOLOUSLY STRONG MID-LEVEL HIGH PRESSURE, ALONG WITH MAINLY SW
SURFACE WINDS, SHOULD PREVAIL THROUGH LATE WEEK KEEPING TEMPS WELL
ABOVE NORMAL. RECORD HIGHS ARE POSSIBLE FRI AFTERNOON (SEE CLIMATE
SECTION BELOW FOR DETAILS), ESPECIALLY INLAND AWAY FROM THE COOLING
INFLUENCE OF THE ATLANTIC. ALTHOUGH LOW-LEVEL THICKNESSES SUGGEST
HIGHS WARMER THAN CURRENTLY FORECAST, INCLUDING LOWER 80S FRI, THERE
REMAINS SOME UNCERTAINTY DUE TO CLOUDS/FOG/RAIN/SEA BREEZE.
AVIATION /00Z WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/
HIGH CONFIDENCE EXISTS FOR VFR TO CONTINUE THROUGH THE TAF PERIOD AS
LIGHT SOUTH WINDS PREVAIL WITH INCREASINGLY THICK HIGH CLOUDS
ARRIVING TONIGHT. WHILE MVFR MIST IS STILL POSSIBLE NEAR THE COAST
THIS EVENING, WINDS SHOULD PREVENT THAT FROM HAPPENING. OTHERWISE,
THE MAIN IMPACT TO AVIATION WILL BE GUSTY WINDS STARTING BY MID-LATE
MORNING WEDNESDAY.
EXTENDED FORECAST...PREDOMINANTLY VFR DURING THE DAY THROUGH MID-
WEEK, WITH A CHANCE OF FOG/STRATUS EACH NIGHT AND EARLY MORNING.
MARINE
THROUGH WEDNESDAY... LIGHT SOUTH TO SOUTHEAST WINDS WILL SETTLE ON
SSW BY LATE TONIGHT AS HIGH PRESSURE SHIFTS INCREASINGLY OFFSHORE.
SPEEDS WILL INCREASE ABOVE 10 KTS DURING WEDNESDAY MORNING AND PEAK
AROUND 15-18 KTS DURING THE AFTERNOON INTO THE EVENING. SEAS
SETTLING TO 1-3 FT THROUGH TONIGHT WILL REBOUND TO 3-5 FT BY LATE
AFTERNOON ON WEDNESDAY. A FEW DIFFERENT WAVE GROUPS WILL CONTRIBUTE
TO THE WAVE SPECTRUM, WITH A LINGERING EASTERLY 1-2 FT WIND WAVE AT
5-6 SEC DECAYING TONIGHT, A SE 1-2 FT SWELL AT 7-8 SEC DECAYING
WEDNESDAY MORNING, AN ENE 1-3 FT SWELL AT 11-12 SEC CONTINUING
THROUGH WEDNESDAY, AND A SOUTHERLY WIND WAVE GROWING UP TO 3-4 FT AT
5-6 SEC DEVELOPING WITH THE INCREASE IN WINDS ON WEDNESDAY.
WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT...NO BIG CHANGES TO THE
PREVIOUS FORECAST. SOUTHERLY WINDS WILL PREVAIL INTO LATE WEEK WITH
HIGH PRESSURE CENTERED TO THE E-SE. A STORM SYSTEM THIS WEEKEND WILL
LEAD TO VARYING WIND DIRECTIONS. THERE IS A LOW END RISK FOR
MARGINAL SCA CONDITIONS FRI AHEAD OF AN APPROACHING COLD FRONT. SEA
FOG IS ALSO A RISK MUCH OF THIS PERIOD AS A WARMER AND MOISTER AIR
MASS MOVES INTO THE AREA WHILE THE NEARSHORE WATER TEMPS REMAIN
QUITE COOL, ALTHOUGH WINDS MAY ULTIMATELY BE TOO STRONG FOR MUCH
FOG.
CLIMATE
RECORD HIGHS FOR 2/20/2026...
WILMINGTON NC - KILM (81 LAST SET IN 1991)
LUMBERTON NC - KLBT (80 LAST SET IN 2018)
N. MYRTLE BEACH SC - KCRE (77 LAST SET IN 1949)
FLORENCE SC - KFLO (83 LAST SET IN 2014)
ILM WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
NC...NONE.
SC...NONE.
MARINE...NONE.
WHAT HAS CHANGED...ILM
KEY MESSAGES...RJB
DISCUSSION...RJB
AVIATION...31
MARINE...RJB/ABW
CLICK HERE TO GO TO PREVIOUS BULLETINS.
Main Text Page