


Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Blacksburg, VA
Issued by NWS Blacksburg, VA
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142 FXUS61 KRNK 082341 AFDRNK Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Blacksburg VA 741 PM EDT Fri Aug 8 2025 .SYNOPSIS... Surface high pressure begins to weaken over the next couple of days, bringing an end to consistently overcast skies and widespread cooler weather. A gradual warm-up is expected over the weekend and into next week, with the Piedmont area warming to near 90 degrees towards the end of the work week. Daily afternoon and evening showers and thunderstorms return beginning Monday. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH SATURDAY/... As of 700 PM EDT Friday... Persistent area of strato-cumulus clouds continue across the area of the Northern Mountains of NC and into parts of the NRV of Southwest Virginia. As we progress through the evening and overnight hours, this cloud cover is expected to experience a gradual dissipation of coverage. Eastern parts of the area already clear, will remain clear. Later tonight, we may see the development of some patchy fog, primarily withing the river valley regions. Have made minor tweaks to hourly temperatures, dew points, wind speed/gusts, and sky cover to better reflect the latest conditions and expected trends through the remainder of the evening hours. Confidence is moderate to high with the biggest question being specific locations for fog development. As of 210 PM EDT Friday... Key Messages: 1) Clouds persist overnight for parts of the Blue Ridge, with mostly clear skies and patchy fog elsewhere. 2) Warmer and dry tomorrow with clouds breaking up. Mid to upper level troughing was moving off the East Coast, allowing a high pressure ridge covering the southern and Central sections of the CONUS to shift east. At the surface, a strong high pressure wedge was still dammed along the east side of the Appalachians. This was notable in today`s visible satellite imagery, with mid level negative vorticity advection and subsidence drying contributing to clear skies over Southside VA and the NC Piedmont, while very dense cloud cover generally was found along and west of the Blue Ridge on the other side of the wedge front. While clouds will lift and scatter out some this afternoon and evening, expect a large area of stratocumulus/stratus to persist overnight in generally the same areas it is now. While cloud cover kept temperatures tamped down today, it will keep some areas warmer overnight, with upper 50s to low 60s forecast across the area. Saturday, subsidence should prevent any showers from forming again, and clouds will break up some as the wedge begins to break down, giving way to partly sunny skies. Temperatures will warm into the mid 70s to low 80s areawide Saturday. Confidence is high in the near term. && .SHORT TERM /SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT/... As of 1215 PM EDT Friday... Key Messages: 1) Mostly quiet weather continues through the weekend. 2) Rain chances increase late Monday. 3) Temperatures finally return to around normal. The strong high pressure wedge that has kept our area under constant cloudiness and below normal temperatures for over a week will finally weaken and dissipate Sunday into Monday. Still, a weak wedge will keep some clouds and slightly cooler weather around through the period, particularly for the NC mountains. Drier air aloft will suppress almost all convection on Sunday, with only an isolated shower possible across Northwest NC, where moisture is higher and upslope flow will aid in shower development. Monday will see an increase in rain coverage, due to moisture advection as the winds shift to the southeast, causing PoPs to rise to around 30-40%. With cloud cover decreasing and the wedge eroding, afternoon storms will be possible. Rain totals will be minimal, thanks to the drier air in place for most of the period. The northern half of the CWA will likely see little to no rainfall, with the highest rain totals in NC, around 0.25". Locally higher amounts will be possible in the strongest convection, especially on Monday as storms may develop. With the wedge hanging on, temperatures stay near to just below average. Highs will be in the 70s to low 80s on Sunday, with a slight increase into the mid 80s for the Piedmont on Monday. Overnight lows will be in the 50s/60s for the weekend, with widespread 60s returning early next week. && .LONG TERM /TUESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/... As of 1215 PM EDT Friday... Key Messages: 1) A summer-like pattern returns with daily afternoon storm chances. 2) Temperatures will be near to slightly above normal. Heading towards the middle of next week, the synoptic pattern will revert back to be more typical for late summer. A large Bermuda high pressure system will be in the Atlantic, and the clockwise flow will bring a southerly wind to the area, advecting moisture in and causing daily chances of afternoon storms. PoPs will be around 40- 50% area-wide each day, with slightly higher chances in the NC mountains. An upper level ridge builds over the Southeastern US, with the flow becoming zonal across the eastern half of the country midweek. By late week, a trough will approach the area, with a potential cold front trying to move in, but models widely vary on the timing and location of the trough/front. Therefore, confidence remains low in the forecast late in the week, aside from a daily chance of storms continuing. Temperatures will return to above average with the pattern changing. Highs will be in the 70s for the mountains through midweek with low to mid 80s elsewhere. By late week, widespread 80s return, with a few low 90s possible in the Piedmont. Lows will be in the 60s, with low 70s for the eastern Piedmont. && .AVIATION /00Z SATURDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... As of 730 PM EDT Friday... VFR conditions are expected through much of the evening hours. Later tonight, look for the development of some IFR/MVFR vsbys due to fog development, especially within the river valley regions. Some IFR/MVFR cigs are also possible for a few locations within the mountains, especially along a near a KTNB- KBCB-KLWB line. Any sub-VFR conditions are expected to improve to VFR soon after sunrise. Daytime heating will yield cumulus development. While limited ceilings are expected during the day, some of the early bases could start in the high end of MVFR levels before lifting into the low end of VFR by the early afternoon. Confidence in this forecast is moderate to high. .EXTENDED AVIATION OUTLOOK... Expect daily chances for afternoon and evening showers and thunderstorms beginning Monday and continuing through the week, and also some areas of morning fog and perhaps stratus. && .RNK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... VA...None. NC...None. WV...None. && $$ SYNOPSIS...SH NEAR TERM...DS/SH SHORT TERM...JCB LONG TERM...JCB AVIATION...DS/SH