616  
FXUS61 KRLX 161738  
AFDRLX  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV  
138 PM EDT SUN AUG 16 2026  
   
WHAT HAS CHANGED  
 
136 PM UPDATE...  
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH ISSUED FOR ALL OF OUR SE OHIO  
COUNTIES AND A BULK OF OUR WEST VIRGINIA COUNTIES UNTIL 8 PM  
TONIGHT. ~18Z AVIATION DISCUSSION UPDATE.  
 
1204 PM UPDATE...  
UPDATES ON FLASH FLOODING AND SEVERE POTENTIAL FOR TODAY AND  
TONIGHT.  
 
 
   
KEY MESSAGES  
 
1) FLASH FLOODING AND SEVERE WEATHER ARE EXPECTED TODAY WITH A  
LINGERING, PERSISTENT ACTIVE WEATHER PATTERN. REPEATED ROUNDS OF  
HEAVY RAINFALL FROM TRAINING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS COULD  
RAPIDLY LEAD TO FLASH FLOODING, ESPECIALLY AREAS THAT ARE  
ALREADY SATURATED AND INUNDATED.  
 
 
   
DISCUSSION  
 
KEY MESSAGE 1...  
136 PM UPDATE...  
 
A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT IN TIL 8 PM TONIGHT.  
THIS IS FOR ALL OF OUR SOUTHEASTERN OHIO AND A MAJORITY OF OUR  
WEST VIRGINIA COUNTIES, BASICALLY THE I-64 CORRIDOR AND NORTH.  
LINCOLN, BOONE, AND RALEIGH ARE ALSO INCLUDED. SEEING GENEROUS  
CONVECTION FORMING ACROSS OUR WESTERN FORECAST AREA WITH  
DOWNBURST WIND GUSTS REACHING THE 40-50 MPH RANGE AS REPORTED BY  
A FEW ASOS SITES. EXPECTING THESE STORMS TO HOLD TOGETHER AND  
EVEN STRENGTHEN AS THEY TRAVERSE THE AREA ESEWARD.  
 
THE BEST WIND DYNAMICS WILL BE SITUATED ACROSS SE'RN OHIO AND  
NORTHERN WEST VIRGINIA (ESPECIALLY THE US-50 CORRIDOR) WHERE  
BETTER WIND SHEAR (20-40 KNOTS) IS PRESENT. RAPID CLEARING IS  
OCCURRING OVER THE CENTRAL LOWLANDS AND COALFIELDS WHICH WILL  
BUILD BETTER INSTABILITY THROUGH THE AFTERNOON. THIS WILL BE  
ANOTHER AREA TO WATCH LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.  
 
1204 PM UPDATE...  
FLASH FLOODING CONCERNS CONTINUE THROUGH TONIGHT. ADDITIONAL  
ROUNDS OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE ACROSS THE AREA  
THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING LEADING TO ADDITIONAL OR WORSENING  
FLOODING. ~12Z HRRR SHOWS THE NEXT ROUND FORMING TO OUR WEST IN  
OHIO AND SUBSEQUENTLY MOVING WEST TO EAST ACROSS OUR AREA LATER  
THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THE ~12Z NAM IS CONCERNING AS IT  
SHOWS THE NEXT ROUND FORMING OVER OHIO AND THEN TRACKING ACROSS  
OUR AREA BETWEEN 1 PM AND 3 PM, OFFERING ONLY A SMALL BREAK  
BETWEEN OUR MOST RECENT DELUGE. IT THEN SHOWS ANOTHER HEFTY  
ROUND LATER THIS EVENING THROUGH TONIGHT.  
 
SOME OF THESE STORMS COULD BE ON THE STRONG TO SEVERE SIDE  
CONTAINING DAMAGING WIND GUSTS AND OF COURSE HEAVY DOWNPOURS. CAPE  
IS EXPECTED TO BE BETWEEN 2,500 AND 3,500 J/KG IF TIMELY CLEARING  
OCCURS THIS AFTERNOON. THIS IS MORE THAN SUFFICIENT TO SPAWN  
WIDESPREAD SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS, WITH SCATTERED STRONG TO  
SEVERE STORMS BEING A POSSIBILITY.  
 
THERE IS THE CHANCE FOR A TORNADO OR TWO TO OCCUR WITH ANY MORE  
ORGANIZED, CLEAR-AIR STORMS. THE MAIN DRIVER FOR THIS THREAT WOULD  
BE IF AN ADDITIONAL SURFACE LOW FORMS ALONG THE STATIONARY FRONT  
CURRENTLY BISECTING THE AREA. THIS WOULD CAUSE A BACKING IN THE WIND  
FIELD INCREASING WIND SHEAR FROM 20-30 KNOTS TO AT LEAST 40-60  
KNOTS. OTHERWISE, DAMAGING DOWNBURST WINDS AND THE HEAVY RAINFALL  
WILL BE THE MAIN CONCERNS.  
 
CURRENT GUIDANCE SUGGESTS THAT AT LEAST ANOTHER 1-2 INCHES OF  
RAINFALL WILL FALL ACROSS THE AREA THROUGH TONIGHT. LOCALLY HIGHER  
AMOUNTS BETWEEN 3-5 INCHES COULD BE POSSIBLE SOMEWHERE IN OHIO OR  
CENTRAL/NORTHERN WV IF THE NAM SOLUTION IS RIGHT. A FLOOD WATCH GOES  
UNTIL 8 AM MONDAY TO COVER THE LIKELY ADDITIONAL FLASH FLOODING  
LATER THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH TONIGHT. A RARE MODERATE RISK  
(LEVEL 3/4) FOR EXCESSIVE RAINFALL SPANS THE BULK OF WV WITH THE  
REST OF THE AREA IN A SLIGHT RISK (LEVEL 2/4).  
 
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED AGAIN FOR MONDAY, BUT THE  
SEVERE THREAT AND PRIMARY HEAVY RAIN THREAT SHIFTS SOUTH OF OUR  
AREA AS A COLD FRONT CROSSES. A MARGINAL RISK (LEVEL 1/4) FOR  
EXCESSIVE RAINFALL IS STILL IN PLACE ACROSS OUR AREA FOR MONDAY  
WITH A MARGINAL RISK (LEVEL 1/5) FOR SEVERE WEATHER COVERS OUR  
VA AND FAR SOUTHERN WV COUNTIES.  
 
A BIT OF A REPRIEVE IS EXPECTED BEHIND THIS FRONT FOR TUESDAY  
AND WEDNESDAY UNTIL ANOTHER FRONT CROSSES THURSDAY.  
 
 
   
AVIATION /18Z SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/  
 
VFR AND MVFR CONDITIONS ARE BEING REPORTED ACROSS THE AREA WITH  
SCT TO BKN CIGS BETWEEN 1,000 AND 9,000 FEET AGL. SCATTERED TO  
NUMEROUS SH AND TS EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT  
CONTAINING DAMAGING WINDS, HEAVY DOWNPOURS, AND A TORNADO OR  
TWO BEING POSSIBLE.  
 
SHOWERS AND STORMS CONTINUE TONIGHT WITH WIDESPREAD MVFR, IFR,  
LIFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED WITH AND AFTER THE ACTIVITY MOVES OUT.  
INSTANCES OF LOW STRATUS AND RIVER FOG ARE LIKELY BEHIND THESE  
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS.  
 
WINDS WILL BE MOSTLY SW'RLY AND BREEZY THIS AFTERNOON GUSTING  
BETWEEN 15 AND 20 KNOTS. WINDS WILL BE ERRATIC AND GUSTY IN AND  
NEAR ANY THUNDERSTORMS WITH DAMAGING GUSTS POSSIBLE WITH ANY  
SEVERE STORMS. LIGHT AND SW'RLY WINDS EXPECTED TONIGHT.  
 
FORECAST CONFIDENCE AND ALTERNATE SCENARIOS THROUGH 18Z MONDAY...  
 
FORECAST CONFIDENCE: MEDIUM  
 
ALTERNATE SCENARIOS: TIMING AND LOCATION OF SHOWERS AND  
THUNDERSTORMS WILL VARY THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.  
 
EXPERIMENTAL TABLE OF FLIGHT CATEGORY OBJECTIVELY SHOWS CONSISTENCY  
OF WFO FORECAST TO AVAILABLE MODEL INFORMATION:  
H = HIGH: TAF CONSISTENT WITH ALL MODELS OR ALL BUT ONE MODEL.  
M = MEDIUM: TAF HAS VARYING LEVEL OF CONSISTENCY WITH MODELS.  
L = LOW: TAF INCONSISTENT WITH ALL MODELS OR ALL BUT ONE MODEL.  
 
UTC 1HRLY 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 00 01 02 03  
EDT 1HRLY 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23  
CRW CONSISTENCY H H H H H H H H H H M H  
HTS CONSISTENCY H H H H H H H H H H H H  
BKW CONSISTENCY H H H H H H H H H H H H  
EKN CONSISTENCY H L M M H H H H H H H H  
PKB CONSISTENCY M M H H H H H H H H H H  
CKB CONSISTENCY M M M H H H H H H H H H  
 
AFTER 18Z MONDAY...  
CHANCES FOR SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ON MONDAY  
LEADING TO POSSIBLE IFR CIGS/VIS. IFR OR LOWER POSSIBLE IN  
VALLEY FOG AND LOW STRATUS MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY MORNING.  
 
 
   
RLX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
WV...FLOOD WATCH THROUGH MONDAY MORNING FOR WVZ005>011-013>020-  
024>032-034-039-040-515>526.  
OH...FLOOD WATCH THROUGH MONDAY MORNING FOR OHZ066-067-075-076-  
083>087.  
KY...FLOOD WATCH THROUGH MONDAY MORNING FOR KYZ101>103-105.  
VA...NONE.  
 
 
 
 
 
DISCUSSION...LTC  
AVIATION...LTC  
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