


Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Sterling, VA
Issued by NWS Sterling, VA
682 FXUS61 KLWX 230144 AFDLWX Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Baltimore MD/Washington DC 844 PM EST Sat Feb 22 2025 .SYNOPSIS... High pressure will settle to the south by Sunday, bringing continued dry conditions along with a gradual warmup. This high pressure system moves offshore Monday. A mainly dry cold front will push through the region on Tuesday, while a wetter system may impact the area later in the week. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH SUNDAY/... Water vapor imagery shows a shortwave disturbance located overhead this evening. Most the large scale ascent and associated mid-high level clouds ahead of this disturbance are starting to depart off toward the east this evening. Skies will continue to clear moving into the overnight as this disturbance progresses off to our east. At the surface, high pressure will build to our south. Most clear skies and light winds are expected overnight, with lows in the lower to middle 20s for most (near 30 in downtown DC/Baltimore, upper teens in the mountains). && .SHORT TERM /SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT/... As the aforementioned area of high pressure moves further south on Sunday, the winds will become more westerly. This favors downsloping winds which in turn will have two impacts. The first is compressional warming which should result in highs close to climo if not a few degrees above for most locales (40s to 50s for most, 30s mtns). The second is downsloping winds bringing drier air down to the surface tomorrow afternoon. Have undercut NBM Tds by several degrees in favored areas. This brings RHs into the mid to upper 20s for a few hours tomorrow afternoon. Winds will remain light (less than 10 kt gusts) along with recent snowmelt and rain should keep any fire weather threat minimal. Like the previous day, mid/high clouds will pass overhead as disturbances aloft track through. But these should not hinder warming given ample boundary layer mixing. Heading into Sunday night, forecast lows stay very close to late February climatology (mid/upper 20s, locally cooler in the mountains). The warming trend continues Monday as H5 heights continue to rise. A return flow with southerly winds will result in gusts up to 15 to 20 mph before subsiding after sunset. This flow will bring temperatures into the 50s for most locales (40s mtns). Monday night will be the warmest in some time, due to increasing clouds, which should keep most areas outside of the Alleghenies above freezing. && .LONG TERM /TUESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/... A disturbance and its associated cold front will move toward our area Tuesday and should move across Tuesday evening. Moisture should be limited. Most, if any, precipitation should be light and isolated and could be kept near the Mason-Dixon region and our northern mountains. Temperatures will be on the warm side, reaching the upper 50s to lower 60s widespread. High pressure will build in behind the disturbance and cold front Wednesday, before moving east Wednesday night. Dry and slightly cooler conditions will be possible. A westerly component to the surface wind could result in a continuation of warm temperatures with highs near or slightly above 60 degrees. A low pressure system and cold front could approach the region Wednesday night before moving across the region Thursday into Thursday night. This combination will increase our rain chances during this period compared to the Tuesday system. High temperatures may be a couple of degrees cooler but still on the mild side for late February. Cloud cover and a couple of existing rain showers will be the factors that keep the temperatures down just a few degrees. Friday is expected to be even cooler bringing our high temperatures closer to average or just a few degrees below average. Some early morning rain over the Chesapeake should move out during the day Friday with some upslope rain and snow in the mountains fading away as well. Highs more likely near 50 or lower 50s. About 7 to 15 degrees colder in the mountains. && .AVIATION /02Z SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/... A sprawling area of high pressure will maintain VFR conditions across the TAF sites through the weekend and into early next week. Some mid/high clouds are expected to track overhead each day, but these should be little impact to aviation interests. Light southwesterly winds give way to northwesterly flow by Sunday. On Monday, southerlies should increase to around 10 to 15 knots ahead of the next system. VFR conditions Tuesday through Wednesday night. Some light rain is possible near MRB Tuesday into Tuesday evening; otherwise, dry conditions and mild temperatures expected through the forecast period. Winds southwest shifting northwest 5 to 10 knots Tuesday and Tuesday night. Winds northwest becoming southwest 5 to 10 knots Wednesday and Wednesday night. && .MARINE... Winds remain light through the evening with gusts around 10 knots or less, before a slight increase tonight to 15 knots as winds shift to south-southwesterly. Winds turn light again on Sunday before an increase in southerly winds ensues by Monday. Some of these winds could push into the 15 to 20 knot range requiring SCAs. No marine hazards Tuesday through Wednesday night. Winds southwest around 10 knots Tuesday shifting northwest Tuesday night. Winds northwest becoming southwest 5 to 10 knots Wednesday and Wednesday night. && .LWX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... DC...None. MD...None. VA...None. WV...None. MARINE...None. && $$ SYNOPSIS...BRO/CPB NEAR TERM...KJP SHORT TERM...BRO/CPB LONG TERM...KLW AVIATION...KLW/CPB MARINE...KLW/CPB