textproduct: Wakefield

SYNOPSIS

High pressure builds tonight through this weekend with below normal temperatures expected. A weak coastal low may bring rain to southeastern portions of the area Sunday night into Monday. Otherwise, near to slightly below normal temperatures and mostly dry conditions return and continue into midweek.

NEAR TERM /THROUGH SATURDAY/

As of 215 PM EDT Friday...

Key Messages:

- A Frost Advisory is in effect for portions of south-central VA into northeast NC where the growing season is still active. Patchy frost is possible for areas further north and east.

- Dry and sunny conditions continue into Saturday with high pressure building back into the area.

This afternoon, ~975 mb low pressure (which impacted the area yesterday) is now centered over eastern portions of Quebec. High pressure is gradually building back into the area. Due to the pressure gradient between the two systems, it still remains breezy over the area with W to WSW winds gusting to 25 to 35 mph. Skies are sunny with temperatures in the upper 50s to lower 60s.

High pressure builds in from the SW tonight, allowing for the pressure gradient to slacken and winds to diminish after sunset. Mainly light winds continue overnight across E/NE portions of the FA which will likely keep temps from decoupling as much as areas further SW. Lows tonight will range from the mid to upper 30s for many inland areas with 40s near the coast/urban areas. A Frost Advisory has been issued for portions of south-central VA into northeast NC later tonight into Saturday morning. This area has the best chance to see winds decouple/more widespread frost formation. Patchy frost cannot be ruled out further north and east, but a continued light breeze should keep the threat a little more limited.

High pressure continues to build into the area tomorrow with mostly sunny and dry conditions. High temperatures will generally be in the lower 60s. Less wind is anticipated tomorrow compared to today with high pressure in the area.

SHORT TERM /SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY/

As of 245 PM EDT Friday...

Key Message:

- Chilly Saturday night into Sunday morning with lows in the mid-upper 30s inland and low-mid 30s across interior SE VA and NE NC. Additional Frost Advisories will likely be needed.

- Clouds increase Sunday with dry conditions likely through Sunday afternoon.

- Rain chances increase Sunday night into early Monday across mainly SE VA and NE NC as a weak coastal low develops offshore.

High pressure moves overhead Saturday night leading to calm winds and mostly clear skies. Temperatures are expected to decouple quickly with widespread readings in the mid to upper 30s inland. The coolest area looks to be interior portions of SE VA/NE NC where lows in the low to mid 30s are possible. Frost is looking increasingly likely for many inland areas where the growing season continues. Will note that there is still some uncertainty with respect to temps given the potential for increasing high cloud cover from W to E overnight into Sunday morning. If clouds move in faster, temps may trend warmer and vice versa. Additionally, NBM 25th percentile has lows around freezing across portions of interior SE VA/NE NC. While confidence is not high enough (given uncertainty with cloud cover and lack of other model support for these temps) for a Freeze Watch, cannot rule out a few locations reaching around freezing Sunday morning.

Remaining mainly dry during the daylight hours of Sunday, but we will see increasing cloud cover ahead of our next system. Temperatures will again generally be in the lower 60s, with some mid 60s across the SE. A trough moves across the Southeast US Sunday night into early Monday, still helping to form weak low pressure offshore. Models have come into better agreement this afternoon, with light to moderate rain overspreading the SE half of the area later Sunday night through Monday morning. The 12z ECMWF/EPS remains steady with QPF amounts, showing 0.5-1"+ across SE VA and NE NC. The 12z GFS/GEFS has also increased QPF amounts compared to the previous couple of runs. Rain comes to an end Monday afternoon, with sunshine potentially returning later in the day. Highs on Monday will generally be in the lower 60s.

LONG TERM /MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY/

As of 245 PM EDT Friday...

Key Message:

- A gradual warmup is expected through the week with near to slightly below normal temperatures expected.

By Monday night through the remainder of the period, the general synoptic pattern is a trough across New England and a ridge across the central CONUS with high pressure at the surface over the region. This will allow for a general warming trend with highs climbing into the mid-upper 60s by Wednesday. A (dry) cold front Thursday allows for cooler temps on Friday with highs in the upper 50s N to lower 60s S. Lows remain near normal with the coolest nights looking like Tuesday night/Wednesday morning and Thursday night/Friday morning when temps in the mid- upper 30s are possible.

AVIATION /19Z FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/

As of 215 PM EDT Friday...

VFR conditions continue through the 18z/31 TAF period. Mainly clear skies and dry conditions prevail over the next 24 hours with high pressure building back into the area. Breezy W to WSW winds this afternoon diminish this evening, with generally light W winds tonight into tomorrow.

Outlook: High pressure brings prevailing VFR conditions through the weekend. A weak coastal low may track offshore Sunday night into Monday, potentially bringing some light rain and flight restrictions to SE VA/NE NC. High pressure is expected to bring VFR Tuesday onward.

MARINE

As of 320 PM EDT Friday...

Key Messages:

- Gale warnings remain in effect through 7pm this evening across the Northern two ocean zones. Elsewhere, SCA remain in effect through this afternoon and into tomorrow morning.

- benign boating conditions returning to the local waters this weekend, as high pressure builds overhead from the west.

- Another potential Low pressure system is expected to form off the coast early next week bringing another round of SCA across the local waters.

Afternoon weather analysis shows a strong 978mb low pressure system over northern New England bordering Canada. Across our area the pressure gradient remains quite strong causing winds to remain between 20 to 25 kt with gusts upwards of 30 kt out of the west. The Gale warning for the northern bay zone has been able to be dropped and replaced with a SCA as winds are remaining below Gale criteria. However, across the northern two ocean zones, Gale warnings remain in effect through 1am as there are still some frequent gusts upwards of 35 kt. However, the Gale warning maybe canceled early if the winds start to decrease. If the Gale warning is canceled early it will most likely be replaced with an SCA. Elsewhere, SCA remain in effect. Seas this afternoon are between 2 to 4 ft across the bay and 4 to 7 ft across the ocean.

By this evening winds will begin to lower as the pressure gradient weakens slightly over the area. By 7pm the SCA for the rivers will be able to be dropped. While else where winds will remain between 15 to 20 kt with gusts upwards of 25 kt. These conditions will persist through the early morning of Saturday. By mid morning Saturday high pressure will start to move over the area improving marine conditions across all waters. Winds in the mid morning will be between 10 to 15 kt with gusts upwards of 20 kt out of the west. Then by the afternoon winds decrease out of the west to 5 to 10 kt across all waters. Waves will be between 1 to 2 ft across the bay and 3 to 4 ft across the ocean. These marine conditions will persist through Sunday with winds becoming more NE by Sunday afternoon. By Monday recent model guidance has continued to hint an additional coastal low pressure system forming just south of the waters. This potential coastal low will potentially bring SCA criteria back across the majority of the waters Monday and Tuesday. Then potentially middle to late next week multiple fronts may pass across the area bringing additional chances of elevated marine conditions.

AKQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

MD...None. NC...Frost Advisory from 2 AM to 9 AM EDT Saturday for NCZ012-013- 030. VA...Frost Advisory from 2 AM to 9 AM EDT Saturday for VAZ065-079- 080-087-088-092. MARINE...Small Craft Advisory until midnight EDT tonight for ANZ630>632- 634. Small Craft Advisory until 10 PM EDT this evening for ANZ633- 638. Small Craft Advisory until 7 PM EDT this evening for ANZ635>637. Gale Warning until 1 AM EDT Saturday for ANZ650-652. Small Craft Advisory until 6 AM EDT Saturday for ANZ654-656- 658.