833 FXUS61 KRLX 200604 AFDRLX Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Charleston WV 104 AM EST Fri Jan 20 2017 .SYNOPSIS... Active pattern returns with a warm front crossing overnight into Friday, followed by a stronger system early next week. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 7 AM THIS MORNING/... As of 925 PM Thursday... Radiation continues over northern WV, so will lower overnight lows several more degrees. As of 215 PM Thursday... Midlevel clouds and cirrus are arriving out ahead of a warm front this afternoon. Up north at Parkersburg through Clarksburg, the edge of the low level stratus is slowly inching northward, but with no sunshine so far today I had to pull back high temperatures in these areas to the upper 40s. They still have a chance to see some late afternoon sun, but overall temps will not warm too much from current values. Clouds will continue to increase ahead of an approaching warm front through the evening. Overall, I just tweaked the timing for the arrival of rainfall just a bit later from the previous forecast. Rainfall will be light with widespread QPF amounts of a quarter to a third of an inch. Rainfall will end from south to north starting tomorrow morning, but the Northern Mountains will likely see light rain continue well into the afternoon. After the warm front passes we will warm up well into the 60s tomorrow across a large portion of the forecast area. Depending on the amount of clearing tomorrow, some areas will likely climb into the upper 60s. && .SHORT TERM /7 AM THIS MORNING THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT/... As of 340 PM Thursday... Very mild period in the wake of a warm front lifting through on Thursday. Low cloud and patchy fog around early Saturday morning should mix out by late morning. However, a warm front will bring an increase in clouds again, along with the chance for showers by late Saturday. Models are not as focused with precipitation associated with this front as in earlier runs, and the rainfall is not likely to amount to much. A major piece of energy coming eastward out of a long wave trough over the western U.S., barrels across the gulf states Sunday and Sunday night. Rain overspreads the area on Sunday in response to this system. The coverage becomes less certain Sunday night for different reasons. With its western track, the NAM would shoot a dry slot northward into the area. In sharp contrast, the global models continue trending farther south and east with the track, actually trying to shunt precipitation to the south of the area. No important deviations from guidance on temperatures as the January thaw continues, other then to lean on the high side on highs this weekend. && .LONG TERM /MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/... As of 340 PM Thursday... Upper level low moves up the east coast Monday through Tuesday. While the models continue to trend eastward with the track, rain still appears likely on Monday as surface low pressure tracks northeastward through eastern NC and southeast VA. Precipitation gradually pulls out / tapers off Monday night and Tuesday, as the system moves northeastward, away from the area. While the system will not have any access to fresh cold air, cold air produced dynamically aloft may be enough for snow across the higher terrain by early Tuesday morning. A cold front may bring rain showers Wednesday. There may be light showers Thursday across the north and in the mountains, in west to northwest upslope flow, a Lake MI trajectory, and weak disturbances on the cyclonic shear side of the upper level flow. While it will still be too warm for snow outside the mountains for most part on Thursday, the Wednesday front does signal the beginning of a change back to colder weather, with a long wave trough position in the east, and strong west coast ridging developing. Temperatures close to guidance and still a little above normal. && .AVIATION /06Z FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/... 06Z Friday thru 06Z Saturday... As of 1245 AM Friday... A warm front will push northward across the area overnight into Friday morning. This will provide ceilings lowering into the MVFR range with some rain as well ahead of the front. Some brief IFR conditions are also possible in the heavier rain, especially Ohio River and west including HTS and PKB, and on some of the east facing slopes of the northern WV mountains. The front will push north of the area Friday morning, allowing VFR ceilings to return in the warm sector Friday afternoon, starting first in the southwest. However, some showers can not be ruled in the warm sector Friday afternoon, especially north. Light easterly winds overnight, becoming southerly 5-12 KTS in the warm sector Friday. After 00Z Sunday, look for some clearing. If winds decouple enough and early, there may be some river valley IFR fog after 06Z. FORECAST CONFIDENCE AND ALTERNATE SCENARIOS THROUGH 06Z SATURDAY... FORECAST CONFIDENCE: Medium. ALTERNATE SCENARIOS: Timing of lowering ceilings and rain restrictions could vary later overnight and Friday morning. EXPERIMENTAL TABLE OF FLIGHT CATEGORY OBJECTIVELY SHOWS CONSISTENCY OF WFO FORECAST TO AVAILABLE MODEL INFORMATION: H = HIGH: TAF CONSISTENT WITH ALL MODELS OR ALL BUT ONE MODEL. M = MEDIUM: TAF HAS VARYING LEVEL OF CONSISTENCY WITH MODELS. L = LOW: TAF INCONSISTENT WITH ALL MODELS OR ALL BUT ONE MODEL. DATE FRI 01/20/17 UTC 1HRLY 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 EST 1HRLY 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 CRW CONSISTENCY H H M M M H M M H H M L HTS CONSISTENCY H M M M M H H H H H H M BKW CONSISTENCY H H H M M H H M H H H L EKN CONSISTENCY M M M H H M M M M M M L PKB CONSISTENCY H H H M M M L M H H H M CKB CONSISTENCY H H H H M M M M M M H M AFTER 06Z SATURDAY... IFR will be possible again Sunday through Monday with another system. && .RLX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WV...None. OH...None. KY...None. VA...None. && $$ SYNOPSIS...TRM/JMV/MPK NEAR TERM...RPY/MPK SHORT TERM...TRM LONG TERM...TRM AVIATION...JMV