963 FXUS61 KAKQ 261438 AFDAKQAREA FORECAST DISCUSSION National Weather Service Wakefield VA 1038 AM EDT Fri Sep 26 2025
.SYNOPSIS... A slow moving cold front lingers over the area through Saturday, with an upper trough settling over the Southeast by the weekend. This will bring more unsettled conditions through the weekend. Impacts from any tropical development would be late Monday through Tuesday night if they occur. However, uncertainity remains high regarding this.
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.NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... As of 1035 AM EDT Friday...
Key Message:
-Additional showers and storms are possible later this afternoon into this evening bringing heavy rain and isolated Flash Flooding across SE VA/NE NC.
Upper ridging remains anchored off the SE CONUS coast late this morning. Meanwhile, a southern stream trough is over the TN Valley/Deep South with a northern stream shortwave passing by to our north. At the surface, a weak cold front has moved into the CWA and has stalled from south-central to eastern VA. Still seeing low cloud cover across much of our VA zones and the eastern shore, with partly cloudy skies (and temps already around 80F) over far SE VA and NE NC. The overnight convection finally moved offshore shortly after 7 AM, and we are dry at this hour. The northern stream shortwave will pass by to our NE later today/tonight while the upper trough to our WSW slowly moves eastward toward the area.
Another round of aftn/evening showers/tstms is expected south of the boundary later today, which should initially be confined to far SE VA/NE NC (generally south of where the 1-3" of rain fell last night). Storms likely initiate after 2 PM with coverage peaking over our SE counties during the evening hours. While severe wx isn`t expected, localized flash flooding is possible in poor drainage and urban areas. The flow aloft eventually becomes southerly over the area tonight, allowing for additional deep moisture to move overhead. PW values across southern VA/NE NC will climb to 2-2.2" by early Sat AM. This, combined with the forcing from the approaching upper trough, will allow for scattered to numerous showers (and perhaps a few tstms) to overspread the area from S to N tonight. There are some signs that NE NC may see a break in the precip tonight as it focuses more across central/southern VA after 2 AM. Localized totals of 1"+ are certainly possible with the round of showers late tonight (but the heaviest rain will likely occur during the day on Saturday). WPC has maintained a marginal ERO for the southern half of the area for this afternoon through tonight. Temperatures for today will not be as warm with highs in the low to middle 80s and lows will drop into the middle to upper 60s.
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.SHORT TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/... As of 350 AM EDT Friday...
Key Messages:
- Another round of localized Flooding is possible Saturday
- Shower chances continue on Sunday with less in the way of thunder chances.
Through Saturday the upper low will be just to the west but will maintain southerly flow over our area. At the surface, the stalled cold front will slowly push east but will stall out again over south central amd SE VA/NE NC allowing for additional development of showers and storms during the afternoon and evening of Saturday. PW values will maintain themselves from Friday night and will continue to be between 2 to 2.2" through the day. This environment will be conducive of any strong shower and storm to produce heavy rain fall that could potentially lead to localized Flash Flooding. Especially for already saturated ares from the previous night. Latest 00z HREF has shown a broad area of a 30% chance of 3 inches of rain within an hour across south central and SE VA/ NE NC. WPC has upgraded to a slight risk ERO for most of the area. Temperatures for Saturday will cool down and be more pleasant with highs ranging from the lower 70s across the NW to the lower 80s across the SE. Shower chances continue Saturday night/Sunday as the closed low lingers just to our W/SW. With the low-level increasing a little bit out of the NE, expect it to be more stable on Sunday with less in the way of thunder chances (but cloudy and showery throughout the day). Highs only reach the mid-upper 70s with areal avg QPF of 0.25-0.5". WPC once again has a Marginal Excessive Rainfall Risk for the entire area on Sun.
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.LONG TERM /SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY/... As of 350 AM EDT Friday...
Key Messages:
- A unsettled pattern continues late this weekend into early next week.
- Tropical Storm Humberto is forecast to become a major hurricane well offshore and AL94 has a 80% chance of development through 48 hours and 90% through 7 days.
Through early next week the upper closed low will continue to remain over the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast. While to the north a decently strong high pressure builds just SE of Quebec and Ontario. Further complications arise from AL94 and TS Humberto (forecast to become a major hurricane by late Sunday), how these systems interact with each other, and how much the trough interacts with AL94. The recent 00z guidance continues to have a large spread in terms of both track/intensity with respect to AL94, there is increasing confidence that there will be some degree of tropical development off the SE CONUS coast by Monday morning. If there are direct impacts, and if they do occur, it would likely be from late Monday through late Tuesday. Nevertheless, unsettled weather conditions and rain chances will continue through early next week. Depending on the track of the system, locally heavy rainfall is certainly possible across parts of the area which could lead to flooding especially with the rain already expected this weekend. By the middle of the week, high pressure builds father south with fairly strong CAA expected. Breezy NE winds are likely by Wed/Wed night as the gradient between the high to our north and any low to our S/SW/SE increases. Also, drier wx should finally return by Wed or Wed night.
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.AVIATION /14Z FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/... As of 702 AM EDT Friday...
A mix of flight restrictions have been noted across all terminals this morning. The showers and storms have finally pushed offshore but some light to moderate showers remain across SE VA. These showers could cause additional flight restrictions primarily across PHF and ORF. Some patchy fog has developed across RIC and SBY but will soon dissipate as the sun rises. CIGs gradually rise to MVFR by midday today and likely improve to VFR later this afternoon. Showers and thunderstorms are possible across SE VA/NE NC late this afternoon/ evening. With some moderate confidence have added prob30s to ORF,ECG, PHF, and RIC.
Widespread showers likely at all of the terminals on Saturday. Occasional sub-VFR conditions are expected. A chc of showers lingers into Sunday and Monday.
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.MARINE... As of 245 AM EDT Friday...
Key Messages:
- Sub-SCA through the weekend, with scattered showers and storms today and Saturday.
- Deteriorating boating conditions and building NE winds are likely from for the first half of next week. Continue to monitor the forecast and the latest information from the National Hurricane Center regarding the progress of Humberto and Tropical Disturbance 94L.
Latest analysis reveals ~1000mb over northern New England into Atlantic Canada, with high pressure to the west and northwest over the Ohio Valley and mid-south and the upper midwest into central Canada. The associated surface cold front is draped to the SSW and is still pushing into the mid-Atlantic just west of the local waters. Winds ahead of the front are mainly SSW 5-10 kt, with some scattered showers and storms along and just behind the front. Seas are 2-3 ft, waves ~1 ft.
The front slowly pushes toward the waters this morning, before stalling over the rivers and bay this afternoon. Winds remain light and variable ~5-10 kt today into tonight. Additional scattered to numerous showers and thunderstorms are expected, mainly this afternoon and tonight along and ahead of the crossing frontal boundary, though additional showers and storms are also expected over the weekend in association with this weakening front. High pressure centered north of the region ridges into the local area late tomorrow into the weekend, and will nudge the front just offshore Saturday afternoon and Sat night, though the weakening front/coastal trough lingers there along/just off the coastal Carolinas through the weekend. Winds veer from the E-NE on Saturday (5-10 kt) to the S-SW Sat night and early Sunday, becoming NNE as the front settles offshore on Sunday and Sun night, increasing to 10-15 kt Sun aftn/night into Monday.
Unsettled marine conditions are likely from early-mid next week. Previously referenced Canadian high pressure continues to slowly build SE from the Great Lakes through midweek. Meanwhile, Tropical Cyclone Humberto remains out in the central Atlantic Basin, and Invest (Tropical Disturbance) 94L over Hispaniola is expected to organize into a tropical cyclone later today while crossing the southeast Bahamas late today into Saturday. 00z EC/CMC are a bit slower with the progress of 94L. This opens up at least the possibility of the system interacting with what will then likely be Hurricane Humberto over the weekend. This could serve to pull 94L farther offshore, as it lifts farther out into the Atlantic into early next week. However, the other camp lead by the 00z GFS still shows the system getting absorbed into the east coast upper low, with a subsequent landfall somewhere along the Coastal Carolinas. Take home point at this time is that there remains little confidence with a track or intensity regarding 94L, and therefore latching onto any one solutions is not a great idea at this time range.
What we can say is that while we await emerging model consensus, marine interests should keep a close eye to the forecast over the upcoming weekend, as well as the latest track from the NHC regarding Humberto and 94L. The wind forecast is still obviously dependent on the progress of these systems. Regardless of the exact track though, elevated NE winds look increasingly likely Monday afternoon through at least midweek. The pressure gradient quickly tightens between previously referenced strong Canadian high pressure building south and 94L meandering somewhere along the southeast coast and Humberto looming farther out into the Atlantic. SCA winds are likely Monday and Monday night, with higher winds then possible Tue-Wed. Seas also quickly ramp up during this period, with strong E-SE swell ramping seas upwards of 6-10 ft Tue night and Wednesday.
Rip Risk is low today and through this weekend, though it will likely ramp back up to high risk for much of next week as that swell from both Humberto and 94L lift up into the region.
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.AKQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MD...None. NC...None. VA...None. MARINE...None.
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SYNOPSIS...ERI/HET NEAR TERM...ERI/HET SHORT TERM...ERI/HET LONG TERM...ERI/HET AVIATION...HET/RHR MARINE...AC/MAM
NWS AKQ Office Area Forecast Discussion