


Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Wilmington, NC
Issued by NWS Wilmington, NC
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321 FXUS62 KILM 181924 AFDILM Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Wilmington NC 324 PM EDT Fri Apr 18 2025 .SYNOPSIS... High pressure offshore begins a warming trend through the weekend. Unseasonably warm temperatures will continue into next week. Rain chances increase for the middle of next week with the next frontal system. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH SATURDAY/... Quiet weather continues tonight and Saturday. High pressure offshore and ridging over the southeastern US will persist through tomorrow. As SW winds continue, temperatures gradually warm in weak warm air advection. Highs on Saturday in the upper 80s inland. A strong sea breeze will keep upper 70s to lower 80s near the coast. Boundary layer winds tonight remain around 15 knots which should prevent fog development outside of localized ground fog near sheltered wetland and low spots. Low temperatures tonight won`t be as cool as previous nights due to low level mixing and today`s warm air advection. Lows in the upper 50s to near 60 along the coast. && .SHORT TERM /SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT/... Nothing but dry weather on the way here, with surface and mid- level ridging dominating. Still have a couple questions on how much cirrus will be around on Sunday, but highs are still expected to reach up into the mid-to-upper 80s inland, while the seabreeze keeps the coastal locales cooler (in the upper 70s). Lows each night in the lower 60s. && .LONG TERM /MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/... Ridging continues Monday and Monday night, keeping the dry regime in place. Pattern finally changes by Tuesday, as the ridging aloft gets shoved south-southwestward. A cold front approaches the area, but looks to stall for much of next week. Lack of forcing keeps things from getting organized, but there`s still plenty of moisture and instability to create threats for showers and storms each afternoon. Temperature trends remain about the same, give or take 2-3 degrees. && .AVIATION /18Z FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... High confidence in VFR. Cumulus builds ahead of a sea breeze this afternoon with periodic gusts to 20 knots. Boundary layer winds in excess of 10 knots and surface winds around 5 knots should limit fog potential tonight other than isolated MIFG in sheltered and swampy areas. Extended Outlook... High confidence in VFR through the weekend. Increasing rain chances could bring restrictions early next week. && .MARINE... Through Saturday...Offshore high pressure maintains S and SW winds tonight through Saturday. Winds around 10-15 knots will generate a steady 2-3 foot wind wave with a diminishing 1 foot swell at 8 seconds. Saturday Night through Wednesday...South to southwest flow continues at mostly 5-10 kts, occasionally going up to 10-15 kts. Winds help keep the seas in check at 1-3 ft. && .ILM WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NC...None. SC...None. MARINE...None. && $$ SYNOPSIS...ILM NEAR TERM...21 SHORT TERM...IGB LONG TERM...IGB AVIATION...21 MARINE...21/IGB