Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Charleston, WV
Issued by NWS Charleston, WV
Versions:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
027 FXUS61 KRLX 221505 AFDRLX AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION National Weather Service Charleston WV 1005 AM EST Fri Nov 22 2024 .SYNOPSIS... An upper level system brings wintry precipitation, with accumulating snow in the mountains, through Saturday. Dry Sunday into early Monday. Rain returns Monday afternoon. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... As of 1005 AM Friday... Upgraded Northwest Pocahontas and Southeast Randolph counties to a Blizzard Warning, in effect until 15Z Saturday. The Winter Storm Warning for these counties will continue from 15Z Saturday until 00Z Saturday. The Wind Advisory that was in effect for these counties is also replaced by the Blizzard Warning. Strong winds combined with both heavy falling snow and previous snowfall will create blowing snow and whiteout conditions across the higher elevations of Pocahontas and Randolph counties through the warning period, creating visibilities below a quarter of a mile for prolonged periods of time. Blowing snow remains possible through the duration of the Winter Storm Warning as well but should be less significant than this afternoon through Saturday morning. As of 915 AM Friday... The Winter Weather Advisories for McDowell, Boone, Logan, and Mingo counties in WV and Buchanan/Dickenson counties in VA have been ended as precipitation should largely remain light through the rest of today with snowfall totals under criteria expected as snow transitions to mainly rain this afternoon. As of 535 AM Friday... The Winter Weather Advisories have been upgraded to Winter Storm Warnings for Barbour, Upshur and Western Webster counties for accumulating snow showers today prior to temperatures rising above freezing later this afternoon. It has also been extended in time to 6 PM EST this evening. An area of snow showers was moving into this area early this morning, under the mid/upper-level short wave trough pivoting through there. As of 335 AM Friday... Snow associated with surface low pressure moving southeastward across the area was confined to southern portions of the area early this morning, and will be out of there by dawn. The low was associated with a mid/upper-level shortwave trough extending west-southwestward out of elongated low pressure over the northern Mid-Atlantic. The trough should also pass southeast of the area by dawn. Light additional snowfall accumulations occur across the southern Coal Fields and southern mountains before dawn. We have had an inch of snow so far here at the Charleston WFO and at nearby Hurricane, with 2 to 3 inches across the lower mountainous terrain, and close to a half a foot up at Snowshoe. Temperatures were near and below freezing throughout the area, and should drop another degree or so early this morning. Temperatures will be slow to rise today, especially this morning, but low level warm advection will actually keep temperatures rising this evening, and tonight will be milder than early this morning, above freezing throughout the lowlands and even into the lower mountainous terrain. As such, showers that become more numerous north to south today, especially this afternoon, on enhanced low level upslope flow and deepening wrap around moisture, will take the form of rain across the lowlands, while snow levels gradually rise in the mountains through tonight. For the foothills of the northern mountains of WV, temperatures will be slowly approaching and then rising above freezing this afternoon, with snow showers becoming more numerous midday and early this afternoon. With the latest guidance showing more of an intersection of still at or below temperatures and wet-bulb temperatures, and snowfall, will upgrade our Winter Weather Advisories to Winter Storm Warning for Upshur, Barbour and western Webster counties. The rest of the Advisories still look OK. With QPF better resolved along the terrain, amounts along the higher windward slopes could exceed two feet event total. && .SHORT TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH MONDAY/... As of 205 AM Friday... Surface high pressure shifts east into the Gulf of Maine on Saturday gradually shifting parcel trajectories away from the Upper Great Lakes and into the Midwest cutting off the upstream moisture source. This will bring any residual mountain snow showers to a culmination by mid-afternoon with perhaps up to an additional half inch of snowfall along the most favored west facing ridges from Saturday morning. As cold air associated with the core of the low shifts east and it is replaced by warmer air aloft, a strong low level inversion will develop likely trapping moisture beneath it and yielding a rather dreary stratus filled day Saturday, may even see a little drizzle out of this as the column squashes down. Skies should eventually clear late Saturday night into Sunday morning with fair conditions expected through the balance of the weekend and into the first half of the day Monday amid a return to near normal temperatures. && .LONG TERM /MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY/... As of 205 AM Friday... The next chance for precipitation comes Monday afternoon into Tuesday morning as a quick hitting northern stream shortwave glances the region to the north. Precipitation amounts with this system are expected to be relatively light, up to perhaps a quarter of an inch. Surface temperatures will support all liquid hydrometeors at all elevations. Dry conditions return briefly Wednesday before a southern stream system approaches Wednesday night into Thursday. Initial precipitation type will once again be all rain. Models solutions do display some differences with the strength of this system and resultant strength of cold advection on the back side with potential lake enhanced moisture. Mountain snow appears probable on Thursday, with lake enhanced showers possibly continuing on Friday if parcel trajectories are favorable. In this scenario, the mountains would receive additional snowfall with some snow mixing in even in the lowlands by Friday night. At this time, forecast confidence is low. && .AVIATION /15Z FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/... As of 630 AM Friday... Snow showers in and near the mountains, associated with a mid/upper-level shortwave trough, will diminish early this morning, except north, as the trough swings on through. Ceilings will remain MVFR, with MVFR visibility in any snow showers this morning, otherwise VFR. Any ceiling improvement to VFR will be brief, and BKW will have IFR ceilings through much of the TAF period. Light west surface flow will strengthen and become increasingly gusty from the west during the day today. As moderate northwest flow aloft becomes stronger during the day today, enhanced upslope and diurnal heating will result in showers becoming increasingly widespread from north to south today, especially this afternoon. However, the boundary layer will warm due to the diurnal heating, and the arrival of warmer air. As a result, the showers will take the form of rain with primarily MVFR conditions across the lowlands, and IFR in snow at EKN later this morning through this afternoon, and MVFR to IFR in snow at CKB and BKW this afternoon, will at least mix with rain at these sites this evening, and then actually become all rain overnight tonight. CKB should be all rain by this evening. However, ceilings should settle into IFR most everywhere tonight. Tonight will be warmer than early this morning, with temperatures above freezing all TAF sites, as the gusty west winds diminish only slightly overnight. FORECAST CONFIDENCE AND ALTERNATE SCENARIOS THROUGH 12Z SATURDAY... FORECAST CONFIDENCE: Medium. ALTERNATE SCENARIOS: Timing and intensity of restrictions in precipitation will vary. Gusty winds will fluctuate. EXPERIMENTAL TABLE OF FLIGHT CATEGORY OBJECTIVELY SHOWS CONSISTENCY OF WFO FORECAST TO AVAILABLE MODEL INFORMATION: H = HIGH: TAF CONSISTENT WITH ALL MODELS OR ALL BUT ONE MODEL. M = MEDIUM: TAF HAS VARYING LEVEL OF CONSISTENCY WITH MODELS. L = LOW: TAF INCONSISTENT WITH ALL MODELS OR ALL BUT ONE MODEL. UTC 1HRLY 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 00 01 02 EST 1HRLY 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 CRW CONSISTENCY H H H M H H M M M H H H HTS CONSISTENCY H H H H H H L M M M M M BKW CONSISTENCY H H H H H M M H L M L L EKN CONSISTENCY L L L L L L M M M H H H PKB CONSISTENCY H H H H H M M M M M M M CKB CONSISTENCY M M M H H H H H H H H H AFTER 12Z SATURDAY... IFR ceilings at least in and near the mountains Saturday into Sunday. && .RLX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WV...Winter Weather Advisory until 4 PM EST this afternoon for WVZ032. Winter Weather Advisory until 7 PM EST Saturday for WVZ034- 515>517-519-524. Winter Storm Warning until 6 PM EST this evening for WVZ039- 040-521. Winter Storm Warning until 7 PM EST Saturday for WVZ518-520- 522-525. Blizzard Warning until 10 AM EST Saturday for WVZ523-526. Winter Storm Warning from 10 AM to 7 PM EST Saturday for WVZ523-526. OH...None. KY...None. VA...None. && $$ SYNOPSIS...TRM/JP NEAR TERM...28/TRM SHORT TERM...JP LONG TERM...JP AVIATION...TRM