Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Raleigh/Durham, NC
Issued by NWS Raleigh/Durham, NC
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195 FXUS62 KRAH 070555 AFDRAH Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Raleigh NC 1250 AM EST Sun Dec 7 2025 .SYNOPSIS... A front will hold to our southeast through the rest of the weekend, as weak high pressure settles over North Carolina and the Mid Atlantic region. An Arctic cold front will move southeastward through the area on Monday, while an upper level disturbance passes overhead. Chilly high pressure will build in from the north Monday night and Tuesday, then move to our southeast, allowing a southwest flow and milder temperatures to return for Wednesday and Thursday. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... As of 946 PM Saturday... We issued a Dense fog Advisory for our southern zones and a Freezing Fog Advisory over the Triad and far northern Piedmont along/north of I-85. The prior discussion follows below. Prior discussion from this afternoon... * Patchy light rain in the far southeast this afternoon, otherwise dry. * Areas of dense fog likely tonight. * Below normal temperatures expected. A frontal system remains stalled off the NC coast, with the associated low pressure well to our northeast. This has left weak high pressure over the region. This should keep the majority of central NC dry, with exception of the far southeast where patchy light rain associated with the frontal boundary looks to be possible over the next several hours. Temperatures this afternoon will stay below normal for this time of year and are generally expected to reach the low to mid 40s. Additionally, in the overnight hours dense fog looks to be probable. The HREF is showing the probability of visibilities less than 0.5 miles between about 50-70% for much of the region, with the higher probabilities focused mostly in the southwest and to a lesser extent the northeast regions of the CWA. Low temperatures overnight look to dip at or below freezing everywhere, with mid/upper 20s in the north. This means that anywhere fog may develop, freezing fog is possible when temperatures are at and below freezing. && .SHORT TERM /8 AM SUNDAY MORNING THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT/... As of 120 PM Saturday... * Continued fog expected into the morning hours. * Temperatures slightly warmer than today, but still below normal. Weak high pressure will continue to pass through the mid-Atlantic through the day on Sunday ahead of an approaching trough and associated cold front. Through the morning hours, areas of potentially dense fog will slowly dissipate with the daytime heating. After fog dissipates, partly cloudy skies are expected throughout the afternoon, with increasing cloudiness overnight as the cold front approaches. Increased low level thicknesses will support slightly warmer temperatures on Sunday. Thus, highs are expected to reach the upper 40s to low 50s, with lows dipping in the upper 20s to mid 30s. While most of the precipitation with the front looks to hold off until after daybreak on Monday, there is a possibility of some very light rain reaching western portions of the region late Sunday night. Temperature profiles do not look conducive of any wintry precipitation before sunrise on Monday at this time. && .LONG TERM /MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/... As of 130 PM Saturday... -Chilly, below average temperatures expected Mon-Tues. -Light wintry mix possible Monday mainly across northern Piedmont. -Another chance for precip late Thursday into Friday. A cold front will move across the region on Monday, with cold air chasing the departing precipitation through the day. Morning temperatures will start near freezing along the VA border and in the mid to upper 30s elsewhere. Rain will be the primary precipitation type, but temperatures will gradually fall through the afternoon as colder air arrives. This may allow for a rain/snow mix across portions of the northern Piedmontgenerally from Rocky Mount to Raleigh to Lexington. Before precipitation tapers off early Monday evening, a brief changeover to light snow is possible near the VA border. Any accumulations would be minor and mainly limited to elevated surfaces given warm ground temperatures. All precipitation will exit the region by Monday evening. By Tuesday morning, surface high pressure will settle over the Mid- Atlantic. A surge of overnight cold air will allow temperatures to drop into the upper teens to low 20s. With light to calm winds, any leftover moisture on roads may freeze, creating the potential for black ice during the Tuesday morning commute. High pressure will dominate Tuesday and Wednesday, supporting dry weather. Highs both days will range from the low to mid-40s. Lows will fall into the 20s Tuesday morning and into the mid to upper 30s Wednesday morning. Late in the week, another shortwave will move across the northern US, bringing increasing precipitation chances. While guidance shows some spread in the timing, track, and moisture availability, the general consensus suggests precipitation could return by late Thursday afternoonmainly across the NW Piedmontbefore a front sweeps through the region on Friday. Conditions should dry out again by Saturday morning. Behind the front, highs on Saturday will be cool, in the upper 30s to low 40s, with another round of lows in the upper teens to low 20s Saturday morning. && .AVIATION /06Z SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/... As of 1250 AM Sunday... * Dense fog this morning, followed by slowly improving aviation conditions today, and then another period of sub-VFR tonight. With no airmass change in the past couple of days, and none expected until Monday, dense fog has set in quickly across nearly all of central NC and will persist perhaps as late as 15Z this morning. With temps solidly below freezing across the Piedmont, many areas are susceptible to some freezing fog. Once the fog begins to lift, conditions should again be slow to improve today, with some guidance suggesting some sub-VFR ceilings at least temporarily lingering in the afternoon. Based on persistence forecasts, will lean toward the slow improvement today and indicate VFR potential after 18Z. Light and variable or southerly winds will prevail. Once again with the same moist airmass in place tonight, fog is a possibility, although high clouds streaming in from the SW ahead of an approaching upper disturbance may inhibit widespread dense fog. Outlook: A strong upper disturbance crossing the region on Monday will bring a mix of rain and snow, changing to snow in some northern areas before ending Monday evening. Chances of light snow are higher from INT/GSO to RDU and RWI. VFR conditions will then persist through much of early to middle of next week. && .RAH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Freezing Fog Advisory until 9 AM EST Sunday for NCZ007>011- 021>028-041. Dense Fog Advisory until 9 AM EST Sunday for NCZ038>040-042- 043-073>078. Dense Fog Advisory until 8 AM EST Sunday for NCZ083>086-088- 089. && $$ SYNOPSIS...Hartfield NEAR TERM...AK/Helock SHORT TERM...Helock LONG TERM...CA AVIATION...BLS