FXUS62 KRAH 082351
AFDRAH

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC
750 PM EDT THU MAY 8 2008

.SYNOPSIS...-- Changed Discussion --A STORM SYSTEM WILL MOVE ACROSS 
THE APPALACHIANS TONIGHT AND INTO THE POTOMAC RIVER AREA ON FRIDAY. 
THE ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT WILL WAVER ACROSS CENTRAL NC FRIDAY NIGHT 
THROUGH SATURDAY... THEN PRESS SOUTHWARD SATURDAY NIGHT.

&&

.NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/...

...TORNADO WATCH #282 IS IN EFFECT FROM 700 PM THROUGH 100 AM...

JUST A QUICK UPDATE TO REFLECT THE LATEST THOUGHTS CONCERNING THE
LATEST MESOSCALE CONVECTIVE TRENDS. A BROAD ZONE OF 1.5-3 MB/3HR
SURFACE PRESSURE FALLS FROM NEAR ALBANY GA TO HICKORY NC HAS
PERSISTED OVER THE LAST SEVERAL HOURS... IN ADVANCE OF A SUBTLE MID
LEVEL VORT LOBE EXTENDING FROM EASTERN TN TO EASTERN AL. SURFACE
WINDS ACROSS THE NC PIEDMONT AND FOOTHILLS HAVE ACCORDINGLY BACKED
SOME 30 DEGREES DURING THAT TIME... WHICH HAS PRODUCED A PERSISTENT
AREA OF LOW LEVEL CONFLUENCE ACROSS WEST CENTRAL NC AND SC. THERE
HAS BEEN AN INCREASE IN BOTH COVERAGE AND INTENSITY OF THUNDERSTORM
ACTIVITY IN THE WESTERN PORTION OF THE STATE... WHERE FORCING
ATTENDANT THE MID LEVEL WAVE AND PERHAPS OROGRAPHIC EFFECTS ARE
AIDING CONVERGENCE AND ASCENT. THE STRONGER FORCING FOR ASCENT IS
EXPECTED TO SPREAD INTO WESTERN AND CENTRAL NC AFTER 03Z... WHEN THE
EXIT REGION OF A 100+ KNOT UPPER LEVEL JET OVERSPREADS THE CAROLINAS
AND GEORGIA. NOT COINCIDENTALLY... THAT WILL ALSO BE WHEN THE LOW
LEVEL RETURN BRANCH OF THE THERMALLY INDIRECT CIRCULATION WITHIN THE
UPPER JET EXIT REGION DRAMATICALLY INTENSIFIES THE LLJ IN EXCESS OF
45 KNOTS.

THUS... EXPECT THAT MOST OF THE ACTIVITY DURING THE NEXT COUPLE OF
HOURS WILL POSE MAINLY A DAMAGING WIND AND HAIL THREAT... AS RUC
ANALYZED 0-6 KM BULK SHEAR OF 50 KNOTS WILL PROMOTE STORM
ORGANIZATION AND ROTATION IN A PLUME OF 7.0 TO 8.0 C/KM LOW LEVEL
LAPSE RATES. THEREAFTER... THE TORNADO THREAT WILL RAPIDLY INCREASE
AS THE LLJ ACCELERATES ACROSS THE AREA AND INITIALLY MARGINAL 15-20
KNOT 0-1 KM SHEAR VALUES INCREASE IN EXCESS OF 30 OR 35 KNOTS
BETWEEN 03 AND 09Z.  -MWS

WITH PW VALUES IN EXCESS OF 1.40 INCHES...CONVECTION HAS THE
POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE SIGNIFICANT RAIN. STORM CELLS SHOULD BE
PROGRESSIVE WITH VIGOROUS LOW LEVEL FLOW BUT TRAINING CELLS WOULD
RESULT IN A FLASH FLOOD THREAT.

&&

.SHORT TERM /FRIDAY THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT/...
CONVECTION WILL LIKELY BE ADVANCING EASTWARD ACROSS THE COASTAL
PLAIN TOWARD DAYBREAK FRIDAY AND THEN DIMINISHING DURING THE
MORNING. THE SURFACE BOUNDARY WILL LIKELY BE IN THE VICINITY OF THE
US 1 CORRIDOR ON FRIDAY WITH A DRIER AND MORE STABLE AIR MASS IN THE
W PIEDMONT AND A MORE MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIR MASS ACROSS THE COASTAL
PLAIN. SMALL CHC OF CONVECTION W OF THE BOUNDARY ON FRI WITH A
GREATER CHANCE ACROSS THE COASTAL PLAIN. EXTREME SE PORTION OF RAH
CWA IS IN THE DAY 2 BUT UPPER FLOW RELAXES AND SHEAR IS NOT THAT
IMPRESSIVE...SO WIDESPREAD SEVERE THREAT APPEARS REDUCED.

&&

.LONG TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/...
AS OF 230 PM THURSDAY...
STALLED FRONT ACROSS THE REGION ON SATURDAY WILL PRODUCE A STRONG
NORTH-SOUTH TEMP GRADIENT WITH A CHANCE OF SHOWERS ALONG AND SOUTH
OF THE FRONT. WILL KEEP THE CHANCES IN THE SLIGHT CATEGORY ACROSS
THE SOUTHERN TIER WITH HIGHS GRADUATED FROM LOWER 70S NORTH TO
UPPER 70S SOUTH. WEAK SHORT WAVE RIDGING ALOFT WILL BUILD ACROSS THE
AREA ON SATURDAY NIGHT...FURTHER HAMPERING ANY ATTEMPTS AT
CONVECTION.

DYNAMICS WILL BE GREATLY ENHANCED SUNDAY AS A 120KT JET ROUNDS THE
BASE OF A NEGATIVELY TILTED SHORT WAVE TROF DIGGING SOUTHEAST ACROSS
THE OHIO VALLEY. MODEL CONSENSUS IS QUITE GOOD CONCERNING THE TIMING
OF THIS SYSTEM...WHICH IS FASTER AND FURTHER NORTH THAN PREVIOUS
RUNS...LOW AND UPPER LEVELS ARE PHASED NICELY...BUT THERE IS SOME
DISSENTION ON THE STRENGTH OF THE LOW LEVEL H8 JET...45 KNOTS ON THE
NAM VS 70 KNOTS ON THE GFS...THUS SHEAR AND HELICITY ARE STILL IN
QUESTION. IN ANY EVENT...POPS WILL BE RAISED TO LIKELY AND
CATEGORICAL SUNDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH EARLY EVENING. TEMPS SHOULD
RANGE WIDELY...70 NORTHWEST TO 80 SOUTHEAST.

AS THE SYSTEM ROTATES OUT...SOME WRAP AROUND MOISTURE WILL LINGER
ACROSS THE NORTHERN TIER THROUGH MONDAY AFTERNOON...ONLY SMALL POPS.
MUCH COOLER TEMPS ARE ON TAP IN STRONG NORTHWEST FLOW BEHIND THE
SYSTEM...HIGHS MONDAY WILL BE IN THE 60S.

UPPER RIDGE BUILDS IN FROM THE MIDWEST TUE THROUGH EARLY WED...DRY
WITH HIGHS RECOVERING INTO THE MID AND UPPER 70S. ANOTHER SYSTEM
APPROACHING FROM THE WEST WILL INCREASE MOISTURE ADVECTION AND BEGIN
INDUCING A CHANCE OF SHOWERS/TSTMS IN THE FAR WEST AS EARLY AS WED
AFTERNOON...WITH ACTIVITY SPREADING EAST ACROSS THE AREA WED NIGHT.
SKIES WILL BE CLEARING BEHIND THIS SYSTEM FOR THURSDAY.

&&

.AVIATION /00Z FRIDAY THROUGH MONDAY/...
CONDITIONS AT THE TERMINALS TONIGHT WILL ULTIMATELY HINGE ON
CONVECTIVE DEVELOPMENT. NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE
DEVELOPING RAPIDLY IN THE FOOTHILLS OF THE MOUNTAINS WHERE UPSLOPE
FLOW AND INCREASING UPPER LEVEL FORCING IS COMBINING WITH FAVORABLE
INSTABILITY. EXPECT ACTIVITY TO CONTINUE DEVELOPING AND SPREADING
EAST INTO THE WESTERN PIEDMONT THIS EVENING. BEST TIMING FOR
CONVECTION AT INT/GSO AFTER 01Z AND LASTING WELL INTO THE NIGHT.
INCLUDED A BROAD -SHRA/VCTS MENTION FOR SEVERAL HOURS TO ACCOUNT FOR
THE POTENTIAL...WILE FOCUSING ON THE LATE EVENING/EARLY MORNING
HOURS AS THE BEST POTENTIAL FOR DETERIORATING CONDITIONS ASSOCIATED
WITH THE CONVECTION. FURTHER EAST... ACTIVITY NOT LIKELY TO SPREAD
INTO RDU/RWI/FAY UNTIL WELL AFTER MIDNIGHT AND LIKELY AFTER 06Z WHEN
THE BEST FORCING ARRIVES INTO THE AREA. CONVECTIVE POTENTIAL WILL
PERSIST PAST 12Z AT FAY/RWI. AMENDMENTS WILL BE NEEDED OVERNIGHT AS
CONVECTION DEVELOPS AND MOVES INTO THE AREA. WE WILL BE PROACTIVE IN
TRYING TO HIGHLIGHT THE BEST POTENTIAL TIMING FOR THUNDER AND
ASSOCIATED MVFR/IFR CONDITIONS.

LIKELY TO SEE AN IMPROVEMENT IN CONDITIONS BY MID MORNING AS THE
MAIN SHORTWAVE ENERGY PASSES OFF TO THE EAST. HOWEVER... THE
ASSOCIATED FRONT WILL LAG BEHIND... TAKING MOST OF THE DAY TO PUSH
THROUGH CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA. ENOUGH MOISTURE PRESENT DOWN AT FAY
TO MAINTAIN A CHANCE OF CONVECTION FOR MOST OF THE DAY... SO A CB
WAS INCLUDED FOR THE AFTERNOON AS INSTABILITY WILL INCREASE AHEAD OF
THE FRONT. OTHERWISE EXPECT PREDOMINANT VFR CONDITIONS WITH BROKEN
CUMULUS CEILINGS AT RDU/RWI/FAY...MAINLY DIURNALLY DRIVEN. LESS
MOISTURE IN THE TRIAD SHOULD RESULT IN JUST A FEW TO SCATTERED
DIURNAL CUMULUS. MAINLY VFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED FRIDAY NIGHT INTO
SATURDAY... ALTHOUGH THE LINGERING FRONTAL BOUNDARY IN THE SOUTHERN
PORTION OF THE AREA COULD LEAD TO MVFR CONDITIONS IN STRATUS/FOG
NEAR FAY SATURDAY MORNING.

SUNDAY...EXPECT WIDESPREAD SHOWERS AND STRONG THUNDERSTORMS AS A
POWERFUL NEGATIVELY TILTED SHORT WAVE DIVES SOUTHEAST INTO THE MID
ATLANTIC. THIS SYSTEM WILL LIFT NORTH