Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS State College, PA
Issued by NWS State College, PA
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681 FXUS61 KCTP 121003 AFDCTP Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service State College PA 603 AM EDT Fri Jun 12 2026 .WHAT HAS CHANGED... * Expanded heat advy into Franklin Co. && .KEY MESSAGES... 1) Heat advisory still warranted, and have expanded it to the west one county. Relief should be here for Sat. 2) Thunderstorms are expected to flare up this afternoon and produce damaging winds. Highest coverage of and strength of storms will be in the SErn third of PA. 3) More storms will move into PA Sunday afternoon. && .DISCUSSION... KEY MESSAGE 1: Heat advisory still warranted, and have expanded it to the west one county. Relief should be here for Sat. As expected for many days, the heat and humidity will remain high through the daylight hours over the SE. Overall tweaks to the temps/dewpoints were very few. However, we`ve collaborated with LWX on slightly higher numbers to put enough of Franklin Co into the low 100s on the heat index that it warranted expanding the advisory to include them. The passage of a cold front will usher in lower dewpoint air and make it feel much less muggy on Sat. Afternoon RH in the 35-45% range will feel refreshing after a couple of very humid days. Temps will still be hot, getting into the 80s and perhaps near 90F Sat. --------------------------------------------------- KEY MESSAGE 2: Thunderstorms are expected to flare up this afternoon and produce damaging winds. Highest coverage of and strength of storms will be in the SErn third of PA. A large patch of low clouds has developed over the Alleghenies and seems to be expanding. The wind from the SW should help nudge them north and east through the morning. The timing of the cold frontal passage may be slightly before the atmosphere can juice up again, perhaps keeping the stability high enough to thwart deep convection there. The cold front should arrive in Warren Co around or slightly before 18Z, and cross the CWA over the following 6 hours. The convergence at the sfc is poor with nearly uni-directional flow in the morning. Storms are possible before the FROPA, and may be well ahead of the front as a significant sfc trough will develop to the SE. Many of the models develop few, if any, storms NW of State College - and some not even until past Harrisburg. PoPs will be a generic 30-50pct across the board today based on expected coverage. The SPC has also kept the outlook for day1 very close to what it was for day2. A slight risk exists over a good portion of the CWA excepting the far NW. There is even a 30% chc of tstm wind dmg w/in 25sm of any given point over the extreme SE part of our CWA. That is a bit higher coverage than we usually expect on a slight risk day. Seems logical, though, with NAMNest CAPE at LNS nearing 3000J/kg, and moderate 30KTs of deep layer shear. WBZ is a little higher than ideal for large hail, so the main threat will be wind damage from increasingly organized clusters which is not much different than yesterday/Thurs. The slightly stronger wind aloft may help some of the storms in NErn PA spin a bit and yield a non-zero tornado threat there. With storm coverage expected to be sparse over some or most of the CWA today, the risk for any downpours hitting the wetter areas of the CWA is low. So, the risk for flash flooding is minimal. Some places took 2 inches of precip yesterday without much of a blip upward on local stream gauges. Of course, the cumulative effects of repeated rainfall will likely lower FFG overall. --------------------------------------------------- KEY MESSAGE 3: More storms will move into PA Sunday afternoon. After the drier Sat, the flow backs and the more-southerly flow brings more-humid air back into PA. The mugginess will be noticed the most in the SE, with the Td just nearing 60F in the aftn. A very narrow jet buckles just a little and provides sufficient dynamics for another afternoon and evening round of severe thunderstorms. Arrival looks mid-late aftn NW with the storms crossing the CWA and exiting to the SE by 10-11PM. Some storms are possible out ahead of the front associated with the upper dynamics. The next visit from organized storms will likely not be until at least mid week (Thurs). && .AVIATION /09Z FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/... As we near the first day of Summer, fcst in line with the obs. Some spots across the north and west have low CIGS and fog. Still expect conditions to improve. Activity over Ohio earlier has weaken as of 6 AM. More information below. Not a lot of change from when I did the 00Z TAF package earlier. For the 06Z TAFS, the main issue early on was to add some showers to BFD and adjust showers in JST for weakening line of showers and storms over central Ohio at 130 AM. The other change was to add a line after sunset today, for clearing and weakening winds. Showers and storms largely east of the area. A few light showers near IPT, but that is about it as of 130 AM. Fog and low clouds have been in and out of the area since last evening, but just enough wind to keep much of the area with limited fog so far. Looked over the potential for LLWS, held off for now, as a bit borderline. More information below. Lower clouds and fog will likely form overnight, mainly in areas that had rain today. Expect winds to pick up Friday morning, with conditions expected to become VFR again by late morning or early aft. Have some VCSH in most of the TAFS later Friday, NAM model not showing much potential with showers and storms. Did not have VCSH in BFD, as even less chc there. Later shifts can adjust more on Friday as needed. A break on Saturday, but a stronger cold front on Sunday will bring the potential for more strong storms on Sunday. Outlook... Saturday...Mainly VFR. Sunday...VFR favored early, with restrictions possible as FROPA brings chance of -SHRA/-TSRA later in the day. Monday...Additional scattered -SHRA and associated restrictions possible. Tuesday...Still a slight chance of showers and storms. && .CTP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Heat Advisory until 8 PM EDT this evening for PAZ036-057-059- 063>066. && $$ WHAT HAS CHANGED...Dangelo KEY MESSAGES...Dangelo DISCUSSION...Dangelo AVIATION...Martin