Jacksonville, North Carolina 7 Day Weather Forecast

Wx Forecast - Wx Discussion - Wx Aviation

658
FXUS62 KMHX 210913
AFDMHX

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Newport/Morehead City NC
413 AM EST Thu Nov 21 2024

.SYNOPSIS...
A potent cold front has moved across the area overnight.
Another reinforcing cold front will move through today followed
by yet another front on Friday. High pressure then builds in
over the weekend and into next week.

&&

.NEAR TERM /TODAY/...
As of 2:30 AM Thursday...A potent cold front has nearly cleared
the CWA and a much cooler, drier Arctic air mass is expanding
over ENC. Lows will reach the 40s and 50s tonight with very dry
dew points in the 20s and 30s across the coastal plain. A
second (and dry) cold front will move through this afternoon,
which will reinforce the CAA. This continued tightened gradient
will keep WNW winds gusting to around 20 mph today. The
combination of inland min RHs around 30-35% and gusty winds will
result in elevated fire weather conditions today (see the Fire
Weather section below).

Skies will gradually clear through the morning and highs will be
seasonable in the upper 50s to low 60s.

&&

.SHORT TERM /TONIGHT/...
As of 3 AM Thursday...Strong CAA throughout the day and ample
radiative cooling overnight will cause temps to fall to nearly
freezing. It`s also not out of the question for some well-
sheltered areas to dip into the 20s. For these reasons, a Freeze
Watch has been issued for Martin, Pitt, Greene, Lenoir, Duplin,
and inland Onslow counties.

&&

.LONG TERM /FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/...
As of 315 AM Thursday...

 - Breezy and cold Friday

 - Trending warmer late weekend into early next week

A highly amplified upper level pattern this week will transition to
a lower confidence zonal flow aloft pattern as we move into the week
of Thanksgiving. At the surface, a broad area of cyclonic flow will
reside across the Eastern U.S. through Saturday thanks to persistent
low pressure off the New England coast. Late in the weekend and into
early next week, high pressure will build in across the Southeast
U.S. By the middle of next week, medium range guidance differ quite
a bit, but the potential exists for a front to move through the
Carolinas a day or so either side of Thanksgiving.

Friday - Saturday: Yet another potent shortwave will traverse the
Carolinas late Friday into Friday night. This wave will be
accompanied by another surge of gusty winds, with peak gusts of 25-
35 mph for most of ENC, with higher gusts to 40 mph possible along
the OBX. Increased CAA associated with the wave will not only
support gusty winds, but also colder temps. After a chilly start to
the day, highs on Friday will struggle to reach the low 50s. By
Saturday, thicknesses begin to increase, which should allow temps to
top out about 5-10 degrees warmer than Friday. Steep lapse rates
beneath the anomalous upper low plus modest low-mid level moisture
may allow a few diurnal showers to develop Friday. However, recent
ensemble guidance suggests the chance is <10%, so we`ll keep a
mention out of the forecast for now. Drier air works in aloft on
Saturday, further lowering the risk of showers.

Sunday - Monday: High pressure is forecast to be centered off to our
south over Florida, allowing a west or southwest low-level flow
to develop. This should allow temperatures to gradually warm
into early next week, with highs potentially topping out near 70
once again by Monday. Winds will be noticeably lighter as well.

Tuesday - Thursday: From a 50,000 ft view, zonal flow aloft is
forecast to reside across the CONUS next week. Within this flow,
medium range guidance show significant differences, primarily
focused on an upper level trough forecast to move ashore along the
U.S. West Coast, and how it evolves as it moves downstream through
the week. One camp of guidance suggests this wave will dampen with
time, leading to a mostly uneventful cold front passage on Tuesday,
followed by cool and dry conditions lasting through Thanksgiving
Day. In the other camp, Tuesday`s front stalls, with a more
significant wave riding along the front late next week. That second
camp would lead to a more eventful Thanksgiving travel period
compared to the first camp. Something to watch in the coming days.
For now, our forecast will reflect the cooler, drier, and less
eventful scenario.

&&

.AVIATION /08Z THURSDAY THROUGH MONDAY/...
SHORT TERM /through Thursday/...
As of 12:45 AM Thursday...A potent cold front is racing across
ENC and is currently draped from NE to SW just west of Highway
17. It is producing gusty winds, showers, and a wide range of
VFR to IFR conditions. As the front passes, there will be a
sharp shift in wind with gusts up to 25-30 kt (higher along the
coast). Skies will clear behind the front and all TAF sites
should return to VFR within the next hour or two. WNW winds
could gust to 20 kt through today but will dissipate after
sunset.

LONG TERM /Thursday night through Monday/...
As of 315 AM Thursday...

 - Gusty west to northwest winds Friday into Saturday

 - Sub VFR CIGs possible Friday

A potent upper level wave will move through on Friday, leading to a
renewed surge of gusty winds Friday into Saturday. During this time,
gusts of 20-35kt are expected. A period of sub-VFR CIGs may develop
during peak heating Friday, with a few SHRA not completely out of
the question. VFR conditions then look to prevail Saturday into
early next week.

&&

.MARINE...
SHORT TERM /through Thu/...
As of 3:40 AM Thursday...Westerly winds over the coastal waters
are currently gusting to 30-40 kts in response to the strong
cold front that moved through overnight. The coastal waters will
continue to gust to 25-30 kts through today and as a
reinforcing front moves through later this evening, gusts will
briefly jump to 30-35 kt. Overnight, the gusts will drop back to
25-30 kt. Seas will respond by increasing to 4-6 ft today.

Conditions will improve across the inland rivers this morning,
but unfavorable winds and seas will continue across the
remaining rivers, sounds, and coastal waters through the end of
the week.

LONG TERM /Thursday night through Monday/...
As of 315 AM Thursday...

 - Gale Watch issued for portions of the ENC waters Friday evening
into Saturday morning

A potent upper level wave will move through the region on Friday,
likely leading to another surge of strong west to northwest winds
Friday evening into Saturday morning. During this time, guidance
continues to show a strong signal for gale-force gusts. Given the
consistent signal, we have issued a Gale Watch for a portion of the
ENC waters where confidence is the highest. An expansion of the
watch is possible if the current signal holds. Winds will finally
begin to lay down by late in the weekend.

The building winds on Friday will lead to seas building to 4-7 ft
across the coastal waters, with elevated seas lasting into Saturday.
Late in the weekend, seas will lay down to 2-3 ft.

&&

.FIRE WEATHER...
As of 4 AM Thursday...Elevated fire weather conditions are
possible today. Inland min RH values will fall to 30-35% and
westerly winds will gust to 20 to 25 mph.

&&

.TIDES/COASTAL FLOODING...
As of 3 PM Wednesday...An extended period of 20-25kt Werly
winds behind a cold front tonight into Saturday may lead to
minor soundside flooding concerns for the Outer Banks. Current
thinking is these persistent Werly winds should remain just weak
enough to limit impacts, but minor water level rises will be
possible for soundside NOBX, Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands, and
Roanoke Island.

&&

.MHX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
NC...Freeze Watch from late tonight through Friday morning for
     NCZ090-198.
MARINE...Small Craft Advisory until midnight EST Saturday night for
     AMZ131-135-158-230-231.
     Small Craft Advisory until 8 AM EST this morning for AMZ136-
     137.
     Small Craft Advisory until 3 AM EST Sunday for AMZ150-152-154-
     156.

&&

$$

SYNOPSIS...MHX
NEAR TERM...OJC
SHORT TERM...OJC
LONG TERM...RM
AVIATION...OJC/RM
MARINE...OJC/RM
FIRE WEATHER...MHX
TIDES/COASTAL FLOODING...MHX