Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Mt. Holly, NJ
Issued by NWS Mt. Holly, NJ
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113 FXUS61 KPHI 141040 AFDPHI Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Mount Holly NJ 640 AM EDT Sun Jul 14 2024 .SYNOPSIS... Weak high pressure slides across our area today into tonight. A surface trough may be in place Monday into Tuesday, then a cold front approaches during the day Wednesday before crossing our area Wednesday night and Thursday. High pressure should then extend into our area Friday and Saturday. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... Forecast is mostly on track this morning. Fog has been fairly patchy across the area, and any lingering fog should lift and dissipate over the next hour or so, giving way to mostly sunny skies today. Cannot rule out patchy fog lingering along the immediate shorelines, however. Surface high pressure builds over the Northeast today before sliding south of the region tonight. Zonal flow aloft sets up, and an increasingly hot and humid airmass spreads into the region. Some shortwave energy will pass through the region this afternoon, and given how hot and humid it will be, SB CAPE values will be upwards of 1500 to 2000 J/kg, there may be some showers and thunderstorms. 0-6 km Bulk Shear will will average 20 to 25 kt and PWATs will be 1.5 to 1.75 inches. The 06Z NAM and the 09Z HRRR indicating convection, mainly around the I-95 corridor late this afternoon. This seems to be due to some weak surface forcing from an approaching sea breeze boundary interacting with that shortwave. Will carry chance PoPs, bumped up to around 40 percent from previous forecast. Surface forcing will not be strong, so not expecting a severe weather threat, but a few brief downpours are possible in that highlighted area. With highs in the low 90s and surface dew points mainly in the low 70s, max heat index values will be around 100 degrees to as high as 105 degrees for most of the region. The Heat Advisory remains in effect for most of New Jersey, southeast Pennsylvania, and northern Delaware. Any convection ends by sunset. A warm and muggy night on tap for tonight with lows in the 70s. Patchy fog may develop once again, especially along the coasts. && .SHORT TERM /MONDAY THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT/... Excessive heat probable with it peaking on Tuesday. High pressure anchored in the western Atlantic and low pressure across the Great Lakes will focus heat and humidity northward across the East Coast. A more zonal flow aloft is forecast, although with a trough and jet feature approaching gradually with each day. Meanwhile, a convective complex (MCS) upstream across the Midwest to the eastern Great Lakes may toss some clouds into at least portions of our area. The trajectory for this looks to mostly follow areas to our west and northwest, with even a convectively induced surface low tracking near the eastern Great Lakes to northern New York. There is some potential this activity turns more southeastward into growing instability, or additional development takes place on the southward tail of the associated shortwave. The convection should generally be favored during the afternoon and evening time frame, mainly near and northwest of I-95 where diurnal instability is greater. There is considerable uncertainty however on the convective evolution and also the severe weather risk with this setup, especially given the more zonal flow aloft. Overall, any severe weather risk (and greater coverage of thunderstorms) will be determined by upstream convection and therefore the predictability in our area remains low at this time. The excessively hot and humid stretch continues. Temperatures Monday will be a bit hotter than Sunday with highs mainly in the mid to upper 90s outside of the higher terrain and away from the coast. However, dew points should mix out a bit resulting in peak heat indices in the upper 90s to low 100s. The Heat Advisory continues through Monday night, although given peak heat indices forecast to be right around 100 degrees will add Warren, Morris and Sussex counties (NJ) to the advisory. Low temperatures will be quite warm as well, in the 70s Monday night, which will not offer much relief from the heat. For Tuesday, temperatures increase even more along with lower chances for convection. Tuesday is shaping up to be the hottest and most oppressive of this stretch, with highs largely in the upper 90s. Dew points remaining in the lower 70s will support peak heat indices of 105-110 degrees across much of the area. Lows Tuesday night will likely be the warmest of this hot stretch. Given the extent of the heat, a shower or thunderstorm in the afternoon and evening cannot be ruled out. The Excessive Heat Watch continues for much of the area Tuesday into Wednesday, however it will be expanded to include Sussex County in New Jersey. && .LONG TERM /WEDNESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/... Summary...Excessive heat Wednesday gets knocked down by a cold front and associated showers and thunderstorms, then temperatures should be closer to average Thursday through Saturday with lowered humidity. Synoptic Overview...An upper-level trough is forecast to pivot into and across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions Thursday into Friday. The western Atlantic ridge may try to expand eastward again into the Mid-Atlantic Saturday, however an upper- level trough is forecast to remain from eastern Canada down across the Great Lakes and into the Mid-Mississippi Valley. This may be enough to keep the main part of the ridge at bay along with the associated hotter temperatures. At the surface, a cold front arrives Wednesday night and gradually shifts offshore during Thursday. High pressure should then extend eastward into our area Friday into Saturday. For Wednesday and Thursday...As an upper-level trough arrives, a cold front will approach during the day Wednesday before crossing our region Wednesday night and Thursday. A pre-frontal trough may also develop on the leeward side of the mountains. This combined with increasing forcing for ascent and greater effective shear should result in showers and thunderstorms developing and becoming more widespread with time. The convective organization may be more tied to the pre-frontal trough as it shifts eastward later Wednesday, and given ample instability and enough shear some thunderstorms could be strong to severe Wednesday afternoon and evening. The details however remain a bit unclear. The highest PoPs are included Wednesday afternoon and evening, however the PoPs remain at least in the chance range Thursday for most of the region as the front may be slow to clear our area. The arrival of convection and also the cold front will knock down the excessive heat, and therefore Thursday is expected to be noticeably cooler than Wednesday. The Excessive Heat Watch continues for much of the area Wednesday (Sussex County in New Jersey now included). For Friday and Saturday...The main part of the upper-level trough should be lifting up across the Canadian Maritimes later Friday, however this trough (weaker form) may extend southwestward across the Great Lakes and into the Mid- Mississippi Valley. Pending that the front clears our entire area by Friday and drier air advects in, precipitation chances then drop off during this time frame. Surface high pressure centered near the Midwest should then extend eastward with time and into our area. This should promote a more light northerly flow, although may result in a sea breeze both days, and therefore temperatures much closer to average and also lowered humidity. && .AVIATION /12Z SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/... The following discussion is for KPHL, KPNE, KTTN, KABE, KRDG, KILG, KMIV, KACY and surrounding areas. Today...VFR. Scattered afternoon SHRA/TSRA, but confidence is too low that a given storm will pass over a given terminal to warrant including in the TAF. Terminals that could be impacted are the I-95 terminals, including KPHL, and generally in the 19Z to 00Z timeframe. LGT/VRB winds early, becoming SW 5 to 10 kt. Afternoon sea breezes will turn winds S first at KMIV/KACY, then at the I-95 corridor terminals late in the afternoon. Tonight...VFR initially. MVFR or lower VSBYs in fog possible after 06Z. Highest potential for VSBY restrictions in fog will be at KMIV/KACY. LGT/VRB winds. Moderate confidence. Outlook... Monday...A chance of some showers and thunderstorms later in the afternoon and at night. Tuesday...VFR overall. Wednesday and Thursday...Showers and thunderstorms. && .MARINE... Sub-Small Craft Advisory conditions today and tonight. South to southwest winds 5 to 10 kt. Seas 2 to 4 feet. Not really seeing much in the way of marine dense fog, so will cancel the Marine Dense Fog Advisory. Will keep a mention of patchy fog on the ocean for today and tonight, and fog may redevelop on Delaware Bay late tonight. Outlook... Monday and Tuesday...The conditions should be below Small Craft Advisory criteria. Some fog possible at times. Wednesday and Thursday...A Small Craft Advisory may be needed, especially Wednesday. Showers and thunderstorms develop Wednesday afternoon with some continuing into Thursday. Rip Currents... For today and Monday, south to southwest flow will average 10 to 15 mph with wave heights only 1 to 3 feet and a 5 to 7 second period. Therefore, there is a LOW risk for the development of dangerous and life threatening rip currents for both the New Jersey Shore and the Delaware Beaches. Fog at times will cause reduced visibility along the shoreline through this afternoon. For specific beach forecasts, visit weather.gov/beach/phi && .PHI WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... PA...Heat Advisory from 10 AM this morning to 6 AM EDT Tuesday for PAZ060>062-070-071-101>106. Excessive Heat Watch from Tuesday morning through Wednesday evening for PAZ060>062-070-071-101>106. NJ...Heat Advisory from 10 AM this morning to 6 AM EDT Tuesday for NJZ009-010-012-013-015>022-027. Excessive Heat Watch from Tuesday morning through Wednesday evening for NJZ001-007>010-012-013-015>022-027. Heat Advisory from 10 AM Monday to 6 AM EDT Tuesday for NJZ001- 007-008. DE...Heat Advisory from 10 AM this morning to 6 AM EDT Tuesday for DEZ001. Excessive Heat Watch from Tuesday morning through Wednesday evening for DEZ001. Excessive Heat Watch from Tuesday morning through Wednesday evening for DEZ002>004. MD...Excessive Heat Watch from Tuesday morning through Wednesday evening for MDZ012-015-019-020. MARINE...None. && $$ SYNOPSIS...Gorse NEAR TERM...MPS SHORT TERM...Gorse/Staarmann LONG TERM...Gorse/Staarmann AVIATION...Gorse/MPS MARINE...Gorse/Hoeflich/MPS