FXUS61 KRLX 100851
AFDRLX
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV
350 AM EST THU DEC 10 2009
.SYNOPSIS...
GUSTY WINDS CONTINUE TODAY BEHIND DEPARTING LOW. HIGH PRESSURE WITH
COLD BUT DRIER CONDITIONS TODAY. ANOTHER STORM SYSTEM MOVES
IN FOR THE WEEKEND.
&&
.NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/...
MUCH DRIER WEATHER IS EXPECTED ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA IN THE NEAR
TERM AS THE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM...CURRENTLY CENTERED OVER THE GREAT
LAKES...FINALLY PULLS OFF TO THE NORTHEAST...ALLOWING HIGH PRESSURE
FROM THE WEST TO BUILD IN. STILL EXPECTING GUSTY WINDS TO CONTINUE
FOR MUCH OF THE NEAR TERM AS SURFACE PRESSURE GRADIENT BETWEEN THE
EXITING LOW AND BUILDING HIGH REMAINS. THESE WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO
LESSEN THURSDAY NIGHT ACROSS MOST OF THE CWA AS THE CENTER OF THE
HIGH IS FINALLY ABLE TO MOVE CLOSER TOWARDS THE REGION.
HOWEVER...GUSTY WINDS WILL CONTINUE ACROSS THE HIGHER TERRAIN
OVERNIGHT AS WINDS OF AT LEAST 30-40+ KTS REMAIN AT 850MB. ALTHOUGH
MUCH OF THE FORECAST AREA WILL REMAIN DRY THURSDAY...A FEW LIGHT
SNOW SHOWERS ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGH EARLY THURSDAY
AFTERNOON OVER NORTHERN WV...AND NORTHERN MOUNTAIN ZONES AS STRONG
WESTERLY WINDS ALOFT...IN CONJUNCTION WITH A SHORTWAVE MOVING
THROUGH OHIO/NORTHERN WV...AFFECT THE REGION.
HIGH TEMPERATURES THURSDAY WILL BE MUCH COLDER THAN IN RECENT DAYS.
MODELS INDICATING 850MB TEMPERATURES RANGING FROM -13 TO -17C ACROSS
THE FORECAST AREA...CREATING MAX TEMPS IN THE MID 20S TO LOWER 30S
ACROSS MUCH OF SE OHIO AND THE WV LOWLANDS...WITH TEMPS IN THE MID
TEENS TO LOWER 20S OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN. THIS IN COMBINATION WITH
GUSTY WINDS...WILL CREATE WIND CHILLS IN THE SINGLE DIGITS TO MID
TEENS ACROSS THE WEST VIRGINIA LOWLANDS AND SE OHIO TODAY...WITH
WIND CHILLS IN THE SINGLE DIGITS OVERNIGHT. OVER THE HIGHER
TERRAIN...WIND CHILLS WILL RANGE IN THE SINGLE DIGITS TO BELOW
ZERO...ESPECIALLY TONIGHT. THINKING COVERAGE OF WIND CHILL
TEMPERATURES BELOW -10 WILL BE ENOUGH TO WARRANT A WIND CHILL
ADVISORY TONIGHT OVER RANDOLPH AND POCAHONTAS COUNTIES.
&&
.SHORT TERM /FRIDAY THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT/...
HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS IN WITH COLD AIR MASS REMAINING IN PLACE
THURSDAY NIGHT. GRADIENT FLOW WEAKENS...WITH UPPER LEVEL HEIGHT
FIELDS SHOWING A MORE ZONAL PATTERN...WITH GRADUALLY RISING HEIGHT
VALUES BY THE WEEKEND.
MODELS IN PRETTY GOOD AGREEMENT IN KEEPING CONDITIONS DRY TO CLOSE
OUT THE WEEK. LATEST NAM AND GFS HAVE TRENDED TOWARDS KEEPING THE
WEEKEND SYSTEM AT BAY FOR ANOTHER DAY. THIS NEXT FEATURE DUE FOR THE
WEEKEND IS A SOUTHERN STREAM SYSTEM AND WILL DEVELOPING ALONG THE
GULF COAST SATURDAY.
SLIGHTLY WARMER AIRMASS RETURNS DURING THE DAY ON SATURDAY WITH SOME
OVER-RUNNING. THUS...AN UPTICK ON THE MID TO UPPER LEVEL CLOUDS CAN
BE EXPECTED.
UNDERCUT GUIDANCE FOR BOTH MAX AND MIN TEMP VALUES INTO FRIDAY.
ADJUSTED TEMPS A LITTLE CLOSER TO MAV NUMBERS LATER IN THE PERIOD AS
NEXT SYSTEM APPROACHES.
&&
.LONG TERM /MONDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/...
BUSY NEARLY ZONAL FLOW CONTINUES THROUGH THE PERIOD. MAIN CONCERN IS
OPPORTUNITY OF WINTRY MIX AGAINST THE EASTERN MOUNTAINS WITH WARM
AIR ADVECTION ON BACKSIDE OF HIGH SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY.
ALSO...A POTENTIALLY STRONG COLD FRONT MAY PASS EARLY TUESDAY.
TREND IN MODELS IS TO SLOW DOWN WARM AIR ADVECTION PRECIPITATION
THAT COMES IN FROM THE SOUTH SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY. ALSO
HOWEVER...MOST OF THE MOISTURE REMAINS TO OUR SOUTH. I WENT SLIGHTLY
BELOW HPC POPS TO ACCOUNT FOR THIS TREND. HOWEVER...COLD AIR DAMMING
ALONG THE EAST SLOPES OF THE WV MOUNTAINS...IS SUPPORTIVE OF
PROSPECT FOR POSSIBLE FREEZING RAIN THROUGH EARLY SUNDAY...WHILE
MOST OF THE REMAINDER OF THE AREA HAS PLAIN RAIN /PERHAPS A LITTLE
MIX IN THE NORTHERN LOWLANDS/. SO I HAVE ADDED ICE CHANCES TO THE
WEATHER GRIDS FOR THE AFFECTED AREAS. TEMPERATURES IN GENERAL WILL
BE COMPLICATED SATURDAY NIGHT...THAT IS...NON DIURNAL FOR MANY AREAS
DUE TO WARM AIR ADVECTION.
NEXT FEATURE OF INTEREST IS A COLD FRONT THAT LOOKS TO PASS THROUGH
SOMETIME IN THE LATE MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING TIME
FRAME. WENT ALONG WITH MID CHANCE RANGE FOR POPS...WITH MAINLY RAIN
ON FRONT END TRANSITIONING TO UPSLOPE SNOW FOR MAINLY THE MOUNTAINS
TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY.
WHILE OPERATIONAL GFS AND ECMWF GENERALLY AGREE WITH THIS
SCENARIO...RUN-TO-RUN CONSISTENCY IS NOT GREAT AND THERE IS A FAIR
AMOUNT OF SPREAD IN THE ENSEMBLES. NOT SURE HOW AMPLIFIED THE
ASSOCIATED INCOMING TROUGH WILL BE...AND THE DEGREE OF COLD AIR
ADVECTION BEHIND THE FRONT INTO MIDWEEK. THE ONLY CERTAIN THING WILL
BE A STRONG TEMPERATURE GRADIENT FROM THE GREAT LAKES IN THE
NORTH...TO THE OHIO VALLEY IN THE SOUTH.
&&
.AVIATION /09Z THURSDAY THROUGH MONDAY/...
MAINLY VFR CONDITIONS ACROSS THE REGION TONIGHT...EXCEPT FOR
OCCASIONAL MVFR IN LIGHT SNOW SHOWERS. GUSTY WNW WINDS WILL CONTINUE
OVERNIGHT AND DURING THE DAY THURSDAY...WITH GUSTS OF UP TO 28 KTS
EXPECTED. ANY LINGERING LIGHT SNOW SHOWERS WILL TAPER OFF TOMORROW
AS HIGH PRESSURE CONTINUES TO BUILD INTO THE REGION...FOR VFR
CONDITIONS AREA WIDE. MODERATE TO STRONG WESTERLY WINDS ALOFT.
AFTER 06Z FRIDAY...
NO SIGNIFICANT WEATHER EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
&&
.RLX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WV...NONE.
OH...NONE.
KY...NONE.
VA...NONE.
&&
$$
SYNOPSIS...TRM/SL
NEAR TERM...SL
SHORT TERM...TRM
LONG TERM...MDP
AVIATION...SL
