844  
FXUS61 KAKQ 020722  
AFDAKQ  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WAKEFIELD VA  
322 AM EDT WED SEP 2 2026  
   
WHAT HAS CHANGED
 
 
- HEAT ADVISORY WAS EXPANDED TO INCLUDE PIEDMONT COUNTIES AND  
EXTENDED THROUGH THURSDAY.  
 

 
   
KEY MESSAGES
 
 
1) HOT AND HUMID CONDITIONS WITH HEAT INDICES  
AROUND 105F EXPECTED THROUGH THE REST OF THE WEEK. HEAT ADVISORIES  
HAVE BEEN ISSUED FOR INLAND LOCATIONS FOR TODAY AND TOMORROW.  
 
2) THERE ARE DAILY CHANCES FOR THUNDERSTORMS  
THROUGH SATURDAY. SOME STORMS MAY BE STRONG TO SEVERE WITH DAMAGING  
WINDS GUSTS AND LARGE HAIL.  
 

 
   
DISCUSSION
 
 
AS OF 320 AM EDT WEDNESDAY...  
 
KEY MESSAGE 1...HOT AND HUMID CONDITIONS WITH HEAT INDICES  
AROUND 105F EXPECTED THROUGH THE REST OF THE WEEK. HEAT ADVISORIES  
HAVE BEEN ISSUED FOR INLAND LOCATIONS FOR TODAY AND TOMORROW.  
 
A LATE SUMMER (OR EARLY FALL, DEPENDING ON WHAT DEFINITION YOU  
PREFER) HEAT WAVE REMAINS ON TAP FOR THE REST OF THE WEEK. THE HEAT  
SHOULD PEAK TODAY AND TOMORROW AS A STRONG UL RIDGE BUILDS, ITS AXIS  
JUST TO THE WEST OF THE LOCAL AREA. THERE IS INCREASED CONFIDENCE IN  
A BACKDOOR COLD FRONT AT THE SFC WILL MOVE IN, LEADING TO WINDS  
BECOMING NE AND PROVIDING A LITTLE BIT OF RELATIVE RELIEF FROM THE  
HEAT NEAR THE COAST. INLAND TEMPS PEAK IN THE MID TO UPPER 90S AND  
HEAT INDICES BETWEEN 102 AND 106 WHILE COASTAL AREAS STAY IN THE 80S  
AND LOW 90S. AFTER COLLABORATION WITH NEIGHBORS, THE DECISION WAS  
MADE TO GO AHEAD AND EXPAND THE HEAT ADVISORY FOR TODAY TO INCLUDE  
OUR PIEDMONT COUNTIES. THE HEAT CONTINUES INTO TOMORROW WITH HIGHER  
CONFIDENCE IN WIDESPREAD HEAT INDICES AT OR EXCEEDING 105. THIS TIME  
THE COASTAL COUNTIES WILL BE INCLUDED IN THE PARTY SINCE WINDS WILL  
SHIFT BACK TO THE SW. WENT AHEAD AND EXTENDED TODAY'S HEAT  
ADVISORIES THROUGH TOMORROW SINCE CONFIDENCE IS HIGH. ADVISORIES FOR  
THE COASTAL COUNTIES WILL LIKELY BE ADDED IN FOLLOWING FORECAST  
PACKAGES. THE HEAT CONTINUES FRIDAY, BUT A COLD FRONT PASSAGE COULD  
MEAN SOME RELIEF, ESPECIALLY ACROSS NORTHERN COUNTIES. THE EXTENT OF  
POTENTIAL HEAT ADVISORIES WILL DEPEND ON EXACT TIMING OF THE FRONT,  
BUT THERE IS A PRETTY GOOD CHANCE THAT AT LEAST NE NC AND SE VA GET  
ANOTHER ROUND OF THEM. WE WILL FINALLY SEE A BREAK FROM THE HOT  
WEATHER BEHIND THE FRONT OVER THE WEEKEND.  
 
KEY MESSAGE 2...THERE ARE DAILY CHANCES FOR THUNDERSTORMS  
THROUGH SATURDAY. SOME STORMS MAY BE STRONG TO SEVERE WITH DAMAGING  
WINDS GUSTS AND LARGE HAIL.  
 
UNFORTUNATELY THE CONFIDENCE IN THE THUNDERSTORM FORECAST IS NOT AS  
HIGH AS THE CONFIDENCE IN THE TEMPERATURE FORECAST. TODAY HAS THE  
LOWEST CONFIDENCE IN SEVERE WEATHER OF THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS  
WITH A WIDE VARIETY OF SOLUTIONS FROM THE CAMS. IT IS ONE OF  
THOSE DAYS WHERE THE CEILING FOR POTENTIAL IMPACTS IS HIGH, BUT  
THE CONFIDENCE IN STORM COVERAGE IS RATHER LOW. STILL, IF STORMS  
CAN FORM NEAR THE LOCAL AREA THERE IS CHANCE THAT THEY JUST  
RIDE THE BOUNDARY (BACKDOOR FRONT) SOUTH AND SWEEP THROUGH WITH  
DAMAGING WIND GUSTS AND PERHAPS HAIL. SOME OF THE MORE TYPICALLY  
AGGRESSIVE CAMS, SUCH AT THE NAM3K, DEPICT THIS VERY SCENARIO  
AND HAVE AN MCS SHOOTING DOWN THE I-95 CORRIDOR. SPC HAS  
OUTLOOKED THE NORTHERN HALF OF THE AREA WITH A SLIGHT CLIPPING  
THE NE AND A MARGINAL DOWN TO ROUGHLY THE US-460 CORRIDOR.  
 
THE STRONG RIDGE ALOFT STARTS TO BREAK DOWN/FLATTEN LATE IN THE  
WEEK. MEANWHILE, A SFC COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH AND PASS THROUGH THE  
AREA SOMETIME FRIDAY, LIKELY LATE. AN INITIAL ROUND OF STORMS WILL  
BE POSSIBLE THURSDAY, BUT COVERAGE STILL LOOKS ON THE LOW SIDE AND  
THESE CHANCES ULTIMATELY DEPEND ON WHERE THAT BACKDOOR FRONT IS  
SITUATED. THE MOST FAVORABLE OVERLAP OF FORCING, SHEAR, AND  
INSTABILITY IS EXPECTED FRIDAY. AT THE SURFACE, THE AFOREMENTIONED  
FRONT TO OUR N WILL FINALLY MAKE APPRECIABLE PROGRESS AND DESCEND  
INTO OUR LOCAL AREA. ALOFT, NW FLOW WILL REMAIN IN PLACE AND  
PROGRESSIVELY STRENGTHEN AS THE ASSOCIATED TROUGH DROPS SOUTHWARD  
ALONG THE NE/MID-ATLANTIC COAST, INCREASING THE DEEP-LAYER SHEAR.  
THIS ALL SUGGESTS A BONAFIDE SEVERE WX THREAT FOR THE MAJORITY OF  
THE AREA FRIDAY, WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR SEVERAL FAST-MOVING CLUSTERS  
CAPABLE OF WIDESPREAD DAMAGING WINDS, ALONG WITH ISOLATED SUPERCELLS  
AND LARGE HAIL. SPC HAS EXPANDED THE SLIGHT RISK FOR THURSDAY TO  
ENCOMPASS MOST OF THE AREA, AND A SIMILAR OUTLOOK IS ANTICIPATED IN  
THE UPDATED DAY 3 OUTLOOK FOR FRIDAY. THE RISK FOR STORMS (AND ANY  
POTENTIAL SVR WX) SATURDAY IS DEPENDENT ON WHERE THE FRONT IS  
SITUATED DURING PEAK HEATING.  
 

 
   
AVIATION /07Z WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/
 
 
AS OF 130 AM EDT WEDNESDAY...  
 
VFR CONDITIONS PREVAIL FOR 06Z/02 TAF PERIOD. A BACKDOOR COLD  
FRONT PUSHES IN ALONG THE COAST TOMORROW WHICH WILL SWITCH WINDS  
AROUND THE THE NE FOR THE COASTAL TERMINALS AND PERHAPS BRING  
MVFR CIGS TO SBY STARTING MID-MORNING. LIGHT SW WINDS WILL  
CONTINUE AT RIC AND PROBABLY ECG THROUGH THE PERIOD. THERE IS A  
LOT OF UNCERTAINTY REGARDING THUNDERSTORM CHANCES TOMORROW GIVEN  
THE SPREAD BETWEEN THE HIGH-RES MODELS. IF STORMS MAKE IT INTO  
THE AREA, IT LIKELY WOULDN'T IMPACT THE TERMINALS UNTIL THE LATE  
EVENING. THEREFORE, LEFT OUT ANY MENTION OF PRECIP FOR NOW. THE  
12Z MODELS WILL HOPEFULLY BRING SOME CLARITY.  
 
OUTLOOK: A STRONGER COLD FRONT IS SET TO PASS THROUGH THE AREA  
FRIDAY NIGHT INTO SATURDAY. THE FRONT WILL LIKELY TRIGGER  
SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS EACH DAY WHICH MAY CAUSE FLIGHT  
RESTRICTIONS AND STRONG WIND GUSTS.  
 

 
   
MARINE
 
 
S OF 230 AM EDT WEDNESDAY...  
 
KEY MESSAGE:  
 
- HIGH PRESSURE REMAINS CENTERED OFFSHORE THROUGH MUCH OF THE WEEK  
LEADING TO SUB-SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY CONDITIONS.  
 
- A COLD FRONT APPROACHES THE WATERS LATE IN THE WEEK AND MAY BRING  
ELEVATED WINDS.  
 
EARLY THIS MORNING, HIGH PRESSURE STILL REMAINS IN CONTROL OF THE  
LOCAL WEATHER PATTERN LEADING TO LIGHT (~5 TO 10 KNOT) S-SW WINDS  
OVER THE WATERS. A COLD FRONT IS DRAPED JUST NORTH OF THE LOCAL  
WATERS, NEAR THE ENTRANCE OF THE DELAWARE BAY. THE COLD FRONT  
BUCKLES TO THE SW AND APPROACHES THE FAR NE WATERS OVER THE NEXT FEW  
HOURS AND WILL CONTINUE TO DROP SOUTH TO ROUGHLY THE VA/NC BORDER BY  
THIS AFTERNOON. THE FRONT LIFTS BACK TO THE NORTH AS A WARM FRONT  
THIS EVENING INTO TONIGHT. IN THE WAKE OF THE FRONT, WINDS TURN  
AROUND TO THE NE-E ~10 KNOTS. A COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH THE REGION  
THURSDAY INTO FRIDAY WITH STRENGTHENING FLOW AHEAD OF AND BEHIND THE  
BOUNDARY THIS WEEKEND. GUIDANCE CONTINUES TO TREND LOWER WITH WINDS  
BEHIND THE FRONT, WITH IN-HOUSE WIND PROBS SUGGESTING A SIMILAR  
LOWER FORECASTED WINDS. WITH THAT BEING SAID, THE WATER IS VERY WARM  
AND WITH A COOLER AIRMASS MOVING OVER THE AREA, THIS WILL LIKELY  
LEAD TO AT LEAST THE POTENTIAL FOR SCA CONDITIONS ACROSS THE BAY.  
AFTERNOON AND EVENING THUNDERSTORM CHANCES BEGIN TO RAMP UP TODAY,  
BECOMING EVEN MORE WIDESPREAD ON THURSDAY AND ESPECIALLY FRIDAY. ANY  
STORMS WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BE STRONG OR SEVERE WITH LOCALLY  
STRONG WIND GUSTS, LARGE HAIL, AND POTENTIALLY A FEW WATERSPOUTS.  
MARINERS SHOULD KEEP A CLOSE EYE ON THE FORECAST EACH DAY THROUGH  
FRIDAY.  
 

 
   
CLIMATE
 
 
RECORD HIGHS THROUGH FRIDAY, 9/4:  
 
RICHMOND: RECORD HIGH:  
 
WED (9/2) 101/2014  
THU (9/3) 99/1984  
FRI (9/4) 98/2023  
 
NORFOLK: RECORD HIGH:  
 
WED (9/2) 99/2014  
THU (9/3) 97/1977  
FRI (9/4) 96/1985  
 
SALISBURY: RECORD HIGH:  
 
WED (9/2) 97/2014  
THU (9/3) 99/1930  
FRI (9/4) 95/1944  
 
ELIZABETH CITY: RECORD HIGH:  
 
WED (9/2) 96/1943  
THU (9/3) 97/2020  
FRI (9/4) 98/1944  
 

 
   
AKQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
MD...NONE.  
NC...HEAT ADVISORY FROM 11 AM THIS MORNING TO 8 PM EDT THURSDAY FOR  
NCZ012>017-030>032.  
VA...HEAT ADVISORY FROM 11 AM THIS MORNING TO 8 PM EDT THURSDAY FOR  
VAZ048-060>062-064>069-079>083-087>090-092-097-509>520-  
528-529.  
MARINE...NONE.  
 

 
 

 
 
DISCUSSION...AC/SW  
AVIATION...AC  
MARINE...AJB/NB  
CLIMATE...AJB  
 
CLICK HERE TO GO TO PREVIOUS BULLETINS.

The Nexlab VA Page
The Nexlab NC Page
The Nexlab MD Page Main Text Page