334  
FXUS61 KRLX 291749  
AFDRLX  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV  
149 PM EDT FRI MAY 29 2026  
   
WHAT HAS CHANGED  
 
NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES, LARGELY QUIET WEATHER CONTINUES THROUGH  
THURSDAY.  
 
 
   
KEY MESSAGES  
 
1.) CLEAR SKIES AND WET GROUND CONDITIONS WILL LEAD TO AREAS OF  
VALLEY FOG TONIGHT. A WEAK, DRY COLD FRONT CROSSES SATURDAY  
MORNING, BRINGING BREEZY NORTHEASTERLY WINDS WITH GUSTS OF 15 TO  
20 MPH.  
 
2.): UNSEASONABLY CHILLY TEMPERATURES IN THE MID TO UPPER 30S  
ARE EXPECTED SUNDAY MORNING IN MOUNTAIN VALLEYS SUBJECT TO COLD  
AIR DRAINAGE..  
 
3.) MOSTLY DRY WEATHER PREVAILS THROUGH MUCH OF NEXT WEEK, WITH  
ONLY A SLIGHT CHANCE OF LIGHT SHOWERS ACROSS THE SOUTHERN  
COALFIELDS SUNDAY INTO MONDAY.  
 
 
   
DISCUSSION  
 
KEY MESSAGE 1...  
 
CURRENT OBSERVATIONS SHOW CLEAR SKIES AND LIGHT WINDS ACROSS THE  
AREA, WITH TEMPERATURES GENERALLY IN THE 70S. HIGH PRESSURE  
REMAINS THE DOMINANT SYNOPTIC FEATURE. TONIGHT, WET ANTECEDENT  
GROUND CONDITIONS COMBINED WITH CLEAR SKIES AND CALM WINDS WILL  
LEAD TO STRONG RADIATIONAL COOLING. AS THE BOUNDARY LAYER  
DECOUPLES, VALLEY INVERSIONS WILL FORM, SETTING THE STAGE FOR  
AT LEAST PATCHY VALLEY FOG OVERNIGHT. THIS FOG WILL BE MOST  
PREVALENT ALONG THE RIVER VALLEYS.  
 
A WEAK AND DRY BACKDOOR COLD FRONT IS FORECAST TO DROP INTO THE  
REGION SATURDAY MORNING. THIS FEATURE WILL TIGHTEN THE LOCAL  
PRESSURE GRADIENT, RESULTING IN BREEZY NORTHEASTERLY WINDS  
GUSTING TO 15 TO 20 MPH DURING THE DAY. THE INCREASED LOW-LEVEL  
MIXING FROM THESE WINDS SHOULD HELP DISSIPATE THE VALLEY FOG  
EARLIER IN THE NORTHEAST PORTION OF THE FORECAST AREA BEFORE  
DAYBREAK SATURDAY MORNING.  
 
KEY MESSAGE 2...  
 
WINDS WILL DECREASE SATURDAY NIGHT AS GRADIENTS RELAX AND HIGH  
PRESSURE REASSERTS CONTROL. THIS WILL ONCE AGAIN SUPPORT STRONG  
RADIATIONAL COOLING. GIVEN THE INFLUX OF A VERY DRY AIRMASS  
BEHIND SATURDAY MORNING'S FRONT, TEMPERATURES WILL PLUMMET  
OVERNIGHT. LOWS ARE FORECAST TO FALL INTO THE MID TO UPPER 30S  
BY SUNDAY MORNING IN MOUNTAIN VALLEYS. ACROSS THE LOWER  
ELEVATIONS LOWS WILL RANGE FROM THE MID 40S TO MID 50S, WITH THE  
HIGHEST UNCERTAINLY ACROSS THE SOUTH WHERE AN INFLUX OF HIGH  
CLOUDS FROM THE SOUTH LATE SATURDAY NIGHT MAY SOMEWHAT INHIBIT  
OPTIMAL RADIATIONAL COOLING.  
 
KEY MESSAGE 3...  
 
THE EXTENDED PERIOD REMAINS LARGELY INFLUENCED BY A BLOCKING  
HIGH PRESSURE PATTERN, KEEPING THE MAJORITY OF THE REGION DRY.  
HOWEVER, A WEAK DISTURBANCE PASSING TO THE SOUTH ON SUNDAY,  
FOLLOWED BY A NORTHERN STREAM SHORTWAVE DROPPING OUT OF CANADA  
ON MONDAY, WILL INTERACT WITH THE NORTHERN FRINGES OF TROPICAL  
MOISTURE TO OUR SOUTH. THIS WILL BRING A SLIGHT CHANCE FOR LIGHT  
SHOWERS TO THE SOUTHERN COALFIELDS SUNDAY AND MONDAY.  
OTHERWISE, LITTLE TO NO PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED ACROSS THE  
AREA THROUGH THURSDAY. TEMPERATURES WILL GRADUALLY MODERATE BACK  
TO NEAR NORMAL LEVELS NEXT WEEK. THE NEXT WIDESPREAD CHANCE FOR  
PRECIPITATION DOES NOT ARRIVE UNTIL FRIDAY.  
 
 
   
AVIATION /18Z FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/  
 
VFR CONDITIONS CONTINUE ACROSS ALL TERMINALS WITH CLEAR SKIES  
AND LIGHT WINDS THROUGH THE EARLY OVERNIGHT. PATCHY VALLEY FOG  
IS POSSIBLE ACROSS THE MOUNTAIN TERMINALS AND YEAGER HEADING  
INTO TOMORROW MORNING.  
 
A DRY BACKDOOR COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH THE REGION SATURDAY  
MORNING. NORTHEASTERLY WINDS WILL INCREASE TO 10 TO 15KTS WITH  
OCCASIONAL HIGHER GUSTS BEHIND THE FRONT,, THIS MAY DISSIPATE  
ANY FOG AT EKN PRIOR TO DAYBREAK. VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL  
FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE DAY SATURDAY.  
 
FORECAST CONFIDENCE AND ALTERNATE SCENARIOS THROUGH 18Z SATURDAY...  
 
FORECAST CONFIDENCE: HIGH.  
 
ALTERNATE SCENARIOS: NONE.  
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 H 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 H H H H H H H H H H H  
PKB CONSISTENCY H H H H H H H H H H H H  
CKB CONSISTENCY H H H H H H H H H H H H  
 
AFTER 18Z SATURDAY...  
IFR IN PATCHY MORNING VALLEY FOG POSSIBLE EACH DAY THROUGH MID-  
WEEK UNDER HIGH PRESSURE.  
 
 
   
RLX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
WV...NONE.  
OH...NONE.  
KY...NONE.  
VA...NONE.  
 
 
 
 
 
DISCUSSION...JP  
AVIATION...JP  
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