760  
FXUS61 KRLX 180640  
AFDRLX  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV  
240 AM EDT THU SEP 18 2025  
   
SYNOPSIS  
 
WARM AND MOSTLY DRY WEATHER PREVAILS INTO THE WEEKEND UNDER  
HIGH PRESSURE. POTENTIAL FOR RAIN RETURNS TO THE FORECAST NEXT  
WEEK.  
 
 
   
NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/  
 
AS OF 140 AM THURSDAY...  
 
SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE WILL SIT SQUARELY OVER THE REGION STARTING  
TODAY, AND UPPER-LEVEL RIDGING WILL BUILD IN FROM THE WEST.  
AS A RESULT, WE CAN EXPECT LIGHT WINDS AND VERY FEW CLOUDS,  
WHILE AFTERNOON RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES DIP INTO THE 25-35%  
RANGE FOR MANY LOWER ELEVATION LOCATIONS. THERE COULD BE A BIT  
OF VALLEY FOG TO START THE PERIOD, BUT THAT SHOULD BURN OFF  
WITHIN AN HOUR OR TWO OF SUNRISE. INCREASINGLY DRY AIR UNDER THE  
HIGH PRESSURE REGIME WOULD SEEM TO MAKE FOG TONIGHT LESS LIKELY,  
EVEN WITH CLEAR SKIES AND CALM WINDS. IT WILL BE MUCH WARMER  
THAN NORMAL ACROSS THE AREA, WITH LOWER-ELEVATION HIGHS  
GENERALLY MID-80S TO AROUND 90 DEGREES, AND THE MOUNTAINS  
GETTING INTO THE 70S AND LOWER 80S.  
 
 
   
SHORT TERM /FRIDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/  
 
AS OF 155 AM THURSDAY...  
 
THE UPPER LEVEL RIDGING WILL REMAIN IN CONTROL OF THE WEATHER  
PATTERN THROUGH AT LEAST FRIDAY. THERE ARE SOME HINTS IN THE  
MODEL DATA THAT A WEAK TROUGH OR SURFACE FRONT COULD MOVE SOUTH  
FROM THE GREAT LAKES LATER FRIDAY OR FRIDAY NIGHT. A FEW  
SOLUTIONS EVEN SHOW SOME SPECKLES OF QPF OVER NORTHERN WV AND  
SOUTHEAST OH. BUT GIVEN THE VERY DRY AIR SUCH A FEATURE WOULD  
BE MOVING INTO, AS WELL AS THE UPPER RIDGING DELIVERING SOME  
SUBSIDENCE, IT SEEMS RATHER UNLIKELY THAT ANY RAIN ACTUALLY  
MAKES IT TO OUR AREA, AND THE FORECAST FOR NOW REFLECTS NO RAIN  
CHANCES.  
 
HOWEVER, IN A BIT OF A CHANGE FROM LAST NIGHT'S FORECAST, THERE  
ARE NOW SOME COHERENT SIGNS IN THE GUIDANCE THAT AN UPPER-LEVEL  
TROUGH AXIS MAY SHIFT EAST FROM THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY FAR  
ENOUGH TO DISPLACE THE UPPER RIDGING OVER THE WEEKEND. THIS IN  
TURN COULD BRING SOME LOW-END RAIN CHANCES TO THE CWA. AT THIS  
TIME, GIVEN EXPECTED LIMITED MOISTURE AVAILABILITY, THE BEST  
CHANCES ARE EXPECTED TO BE IN AND NEAR THE MOUNTAINS, WHERE THE  
TOPOGRAPHY MAY HELP KICK OFF CONVECTION MORE EASILY. REGARDLESS,  
ANY SHOWER ACTIVITY IS LIKELY TO BE MORE ON THE LIGHT SIDE, AND  
MAINLY ISOLATED IN NATURE, SO IT WON'T BE A MAJOR DROUGHT RELIEF  
BY ANY STRETCH.  
 
THE UNSEASONABLE WARMTH CONTINUES IN THIS PERIOD, WITH HIGHS  
EACH DAY LIKELY SIMILAR TO TODAY'S FORECAST, THOUGH IF ANY  
SHOWERS TO SPRING UP IN THE MOUNTAINS, THAT MIGHT KEEP THEM A  
BIT COOLER.  
 
 
   
LONG TERM /SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY/  
 
AS OF 215 AM THURSDAY...  
 
THE SEESAWING FORECAST OF PRECIPITATION CHANCES CONTINUES FOR  
NEXT WORK WEEK. THE MOST RECENT GUIDANCE SHIFTS A BIT TOWARDS  
FAVORING AN ACTIVE STRETCH WITH A SLOW-MOVING TROUGH ENCROACHING  
FROM THE WEST GIVING US PERSISTENT UPPER-LEVEL SW'LY FLOW AND  
THE POTENTIAL FOR WAVES TO MOVE ALONG IT. HOWEVER, THE GUIDANCE  
ISN'T ENTIRELY IN AGREEMENT, WITH THE GFS SUITE SHOWING A  
STRONGER RIDGE THAT TAKES LONGER TO BREAK DOWN, WHILE THE CMC  
AND EURO BOTH SHOW A SOMEWHAT FASTER EASTWARD PROGRESSION OF THE  
TROUGH.  
 
AT THIS POINT, THE LONG-RANGE FORECAST REFLECTS BOTH THIS  
UNCERTAINTY AND THE RUN-TO-RUN INCONSISTENCY IN THE FORECAST  
MODELS, WITH FORECAST POPS GENERALLY KEPT TO 35% OR LESS FOR  
TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY. AND THE FORECAST COULD GO EITHER WAY - IT  
COULD SWING BACK DRIER, AND GIVEN RECENT CONDITIONS IT IS  
UNDERSTANDABLE TO BE PESSIMISTIC, BUT IT COULD ALSO START TO  
SHOW MORE CERTAINTY OF A WET PERIOD, WHERE WE STAY 'UNDER THE  
GUN' OF PERSISTENT RAIN CHANCES WHICH COULD START TO ADD UP.  
 
 
   
AVIATION /06Z THURSDAY THROUGH MONDAY/  
 
AS OF 120 AM WEDNESDAY...  
 
FOG MAY START TO DEVELOP AS EARLY AS THE START OF THE TAF  
PERIOD, ESPECIALLY AROUND EKN, BUT IT SEEMS MORE LIKELY TO HOLD  
OFF ANOTHER HOUR OR SO. REGARDLESS, SOME VALLEY FOG IS FORECAST  
TO DEVELOP AND SPREAD THROUGH THE REST OF THE NIGHT. CONDITIONS  
ARE MOST LIKELY TO GO DOWN HARD AT EKN, SO THEY HAVE LIFR  
CONDITIONS PUT INTO THE TAF. FOG IS LESS CERTAIN FOR CKB, CRW,  
AND PKB, SO THOSE SITES WERE HANDLED WITH TEMPO GROUPS LATER  
TONIGHT. EITHER WAY, ANY VALLEY FOG SHOULD BURN OFF BY AROUND  
13Z, WITH CLEAR SKIES AND LIGHT WINDS EXPECTED THE REST OF THE  
PERIOD. INCREASINGLY DRY AIR ACROSS THE REGION WOULD SEEM TO  
MAKE VALLEY FOG LESS LIKELY TOMORROW NIGHT.  
 
FORECAST CONFIDENCE AND ALTERNATE SCENARIOS THROUGH 06Z FRIDAY...  
 
FORECAST CONFIDENCE: HIGH.  
 
ALTERNATE SCENARIOS: TIMING AND EXTENT OF VALLEY FOG TONIGHT  
INTO THURSDAY MORNING MAY VARY FROM THE FORECAST.  
 
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.  
 
DATE THU 09/18/25  
UTC 1HRLY 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17  
EDT 1HRLY 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13  
CRW CONSISTENCY H H L L L L L H H H H H  
HTS CONSISTENCY H H H H H L H H H H H H  
BKW CONSISTENCY H H H H H H H H H H H H  
EKN CONSISTENCY L M M M M M M L H H H H  
PKB CONSISTENCY H H H H L L L H H H H H  
CKB CONSISTENCY H H L L L L H H H H H H  
 
AFTER 06Z FRIDAY...  
NO WIDESPREAD IFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED.  
 
 
   
RLX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
WV...NONE.  
OH...NONE.  
KY...NONE.  
VA...NONE.  
 
 
 
 
 
SYNOPSIS...FK  
NEAR TERM...FK  
SHORT TERM...FK  
LONG TERM...FK  
AVIATION...FK  
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