Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Columbia, SC
Issued by NWS Columbia, SC
931 FXUS62 KCAE 232315 AFDCAE Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Columbia SC 615 PM EST Sun Nov 23 2025 .SYNOPSIS... Slightly cooler temperatures are expected tonight, cooling further on Monday as high pressure passes to the north. Tuesday and Wednesday are warm with a chance of showers and perhaps a few thunderstorms with the passage of a cold front on Wednesday. A very dry and much colder air mass moves in behind the front for the remainder of Thanksgiving week. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM MONDAY MORNING/... Key message(s): - Dry and cooler through tonight. The weather continues to be beautiful across the area. High pressure and dry air settled across the region this afternoon yielding temperatures into the 70s but much lower dewpoints than we have had the last few days. Looking towards tonight, high pressure is forecast to keep things dry and quiet across the forecast area, with light winds also fostering near ideal radiational cooling conditions. Dewpoints are in the mid 40s, so lows won`t be too low tonight but should end up falling into the low to mid 40s for most tonight. Expect clear skies for the most part as well. && .SHORT TERM /6 AM MONDAY MORNING THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... Key message(s): - Continued dry and a bit cooler on Monday. - Warmer Tuesday and Wednesday with a chance of showers and perhaps a few thunderstorms with the passage of a cold front on Wednesday. The axis of an upper ridge will pass through the region on Monday while surface high pressure to the north moves offshore. After any patchy morning fog burns off, the day will begin mainly sunny with increasing high-level cloudiness as the day goes on. Winds around high pressure will be northeast shifting east around midday. As a result, forecast highs are slightly lower than today despite ridging aloft with values ranging from the upper 60s to mid-70s. PWATs increase quickly Monday night as the next storm system approaches allowing clouds to lower and thicken. This limits cooling somewhat with lows in the mid-40s to lower 50s. The upper flow will be southwesterly on Tuesday and Wednesday as a trough moves from the Upper Great Plains into the Great Lakes region. The surface cyclone will move from around Minneapolis at daybreak Tuesday, across Lake Superior, and into Ontario by the end of the short term. This storm system will drag a cold front through the FA on Wednesday. Surface winds shift to the south on Tuesday and southwest on Wednesday ahead of the advancing cold front. Rain chances increase on Tuesday with rain most likely Tuesday night into Wednesday when a few thunderstorms will also be possible. While precipitation is in the forecast, forecast rainfall amounts are not high and are generally under an inch with this event. Daytime temperatures will be above normal both Tuesday and Wednesday with forecast highs in the 70s. && .LONG TERM /WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY/... Key message(s): - Very dry and much colder weather is expected for Thanksgiving and the remainder of the week. A significant pattern change occurs during the extended as a much colder and very dry air mass filters in behind the cold front for Wednesday night and the remainder of Thanksgiving week. Temperatures Wednesday night fall into the mid-30s to lower 40s as skies clear out. Below normal temperatures are then expected Thursday through Saturday. The chance of rain is very low, less than 10 percent through the extended period. && .AVIATION /00Z MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/... Mainly VFR conditions are expected through the 24hr forecast period, although some fog/stratus may be possible at OGB/AGS. High pressure centered over the OH Valley will continue to build into the region overnight. Skies should remain clear overnight with only some possible higher clouds moving through the CSRA on Monday. However, HRRR and NBM guidance is suggesting some stratus/fog may develop along the Coastal Plain and move southwestward along the eastern Midlands possibly impacting OGB/AGS during the 09-13z time frame, so including a tempo group for IFR restrictions there. Otherwise, near calm winds overnight then pick up to around 5 to 7 knots from the east after 15z Monday. EXTENDED AVIATION OUTLOOK...No significant aviation concerns expected through early next week. By mid-week, another approaching cold front Wednesday into Thursday could bring a return of restrictions. && .CAE WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... SC...None. GA...None. && $$