Winston-Salem, North Carolina 7 Day Weather Forecast

Wx Forecast - Wx Discussion - Wx Aviation

779
FXUS62 KRAH 191747
AFDRAH

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Raleigh NC
147 PM EDT Sun Apr 19 2026

.WHAT HAS CHANGED...

* No major changes were made with the afternoon forecast
  package.

&&

.KEY MESSAGES...
As of 135 PM Sunday...

1) Increased Fire Danger today and again tomorrow, with
possible Red Flag criteria being met at times on Monday.

2) Patchy frost will be possible over rural nrn Piedmont
locations tonight, then again over most of cntl NC (except
perhaps the srn Sandhills and srn Coastal Plain) Tue morning.

3) Chances for measurable rainfall increase this weekend, but
no significant amounts are expected.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
As of 135 PM Sunday...

KEY MESSAGE 1...
Increased Fire Danger today and again tomorrow, with possible
Red Flag criteria being met at times on Monday.

Post-frontal gusts of 20 to 30 mph persist this afternoon while
drier air continues to filter in from the west. After
collaborating with the NCFS and surrounding NWS Offices in NC,
an Increased Fire Danger statement was issued for today for the
western Piedmont and Sandhills of central NC. The combination of
very dry to historic dryness within 100-hr fuels, dropping RH
values into the 20s and teens, and gusty northwest winds 20 to
30 mph will support a risk rapid spread of any wildfires by this
afternoon. Given the lack of rainfall from this morning, fine
fuels should recover/dry very quickly by this afternoon and be
prime for easy fire ignition.

On Monday, guidance is simulating quite deep mixing potential
(as high as 10,000 feet; ~700 mb). As such, went far above the
NBM for wind gusts tomorrow, peaking in the 20 to 30 mph range
much of the afternoon (infrequent 35 mph gusts may be possible).
Humidity will drop into the 15 to 25% range Monday afternoon.
The combination of gusts and low RH will surely require at the
very least an IFD for Monday. Further coordination with the NCFS
is ongoing to assess the potential for Red Flag Warnings for
possibly some of NC. An update will likely occur this evening.


KEY MESSAGE 2...
Patchy frost will be possible over rural nrn Piedmont locations
tonight, then again over most of cntl NC (except perhaps the
srn Sandhills and srn Coastal Plain) Tue morning.

Strong radiational cooling of the post-frontal airmass tonight
will favor low temperatures in the mid-upr 30s over rural
Piedmont locations to lwr-mid 40s elsewhere, supportive of
patchy frost in typically cooler, rural locations over the nrn
Piedmont.

A strong sfc high is expected to traverse over the Mid-Atlantic
Monday into Tuesday. This will lock in nely flow Monday night
with low-level thicknesses generally ranging between 1305 to
1325 m. Statistical guidance continues to suggest possible near
to just below freezing lows in our traditionally cooler spots
along the NC/VA border. There is some uncertainty wrt to how
much mixing might persist overnight, but overall looks to be a
decent signal for at least frost producing temperatures to be
reached Tuesday morning across the northern Piedmont/Coastal
Plain.


KEY MESSAGE 3...
Chances for measurable rainfall increase this weekend, but no
significant amounts are expected.

A mid/upper level ridge axis is expected to build over the
Great Lakes and Midwest by Thurs and slowly advect eastward with
time through the forecast period, supporting broad high
pressure draped over western Atlantic and extending westward
over the Southeast and Carolinas. This will greatly limit any
precip chances through the workweek with gradually moderating
surface temperatures. The pattern becomes marginally more
favorable for measurable rainfall this weekend as an occluding
surface low over Ontario directs a plume of greater deep-layer
moisture over the Southeast and into the Carolinas within
perturbed southwesterly flow aloft. Even so, no significant
rainfall is expected as LREF grand-ensemble probabilities of
>0.5"/24 hours remains incredibly low at 5-10% through the
weekend.

&&

.AVIATION /17Z SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/...
As of 130 PM Sunday...

The cold front has made it through all TAF sites with gusty
northwest winds in its wake. Strong wind gusts and low-level
turbulence will likely continue for the next few hours before
beginning to weaken after 21z and ceasing altogether by 00z. Patchy
light rain will continue to shift eastward across the area through
21z. A brief MVFR vsby is possible at RWI, but not expected at this
time. Lingering surface moisture, calm winds tonight, and clear
skies may support shallow near-surface mist at RWI between 09-12z.

Outlook: Ahead of a reinforcing cold front, gusty west to west-
northwesterly winds and low-level turbulence are expected Mon
morning through the late afternoon hours and range from 20-30 kts;
infrequent gusts as high as 40 kts are possible, but incoming cloud
cover lowers confidence in its occurrence at the surface.

&&

.RAH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
None.

&&

$$

DISCUSSION...Luchetti/AS
AVIATION...AS