


Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Huntsville, AL
Issued by NWS Huntsville, AL
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293 FXUS64 KHUN 280449 AFDHUN Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Huntsville AL 1149 PM CDT Wed Aug 27 2025 ...New AVIATION... .NEAR TERM... (Rest of tonight and Thursday) Issued at 1033 PM CDT Wed Aug 27 2025 Elevated lift and moisture advection well aloft is generating high cloud cover across the region this evening. This will tend to lower a bit overnight as an area of sheared vorticity moves SEWRD into the region. A few light sprinkles could result mainly in NW portions of the area later tonight, but dry air in the low/mid levels will limit chances for any accumulating precipitation to less than 10%. Otherwise, opaque alto/cirro stratus clouds will also tend to limit temp decreases overnight with lows expected in the upr 50s to lwr 60s. && .SHORT TERM... (Thursday night through Saturday night) Issued at 1033 PM CDT Wed Aug 27 2025 The large scale pattern will tend to remain in place as a phasing of vort maxima from the Upr Midwest and the Intermountain West will help to maintain the NW flow pattern across the mid- Miss/OH/TN Valley regions. A low-level frontal boundary will likewise become positioned nearly parallel to the deeper flow pattern, but will likely setup well to our southwest, keeping more unstable air out of reach. Thus, this resulted in a need to dust off the old isentropic analysis to help determine elevated lift/moisture availability across the area. With that said, the latest global operational models do not suggest a strongly favorable situation for significant precipitation, while tending to maintain marginal lift/moisture and the presence of dry air in the low/mid levels at times. Another issue is the apparent mild dry advection that could be ongoing in the low-levels. NBM guidance and the ensemble suite was slightly more robust in the portrayal of QPF, but that was still largely relegated to far western and generally southern portions of the area (Cullman County probably having the best overall chances). Nevertheless, given the ongoing discrepancies and inconsistency of important features (lift and vertical moisture structure), it would appear that QPF amounts would tend to be around one-quarter to one half inch at most for locations through Sunday morning. It`s important to realize there are still scenarios where little rainfall occurs in the area, so POPs will tend to be relatively low due to the lingering uncertainties, with our area on the edge of better moisture/dynamics. The better chances for precipitation will probably come in two waves, one on Thursday into Friday morning, and then another on Saturday as a wave of low pressure may develop near and just to the south of our area. && .LONG TERM... (Sunday through Wednesday) Issued at 1033 PM CDT Wed Aug 27 2025 Extended range model consensus suggests that a mid/upper-level longwave trough will remain established across eastern North America from Sunday-Wednesday, with WNW flow aloft of 10-20 knots expected to persist across the TN Valley. At the surface, an ill-defined area of low pressure (initially along the northeastern Gulf Coast) is predicted to gradually become more organized as it tracks southeastward into the FL Peninsula by Monday, before turning northeastward into the southwestern North Atlantic Monday night. Although the gradient between the low to our southeast and a broad ridge of high pressure (extending from the Upper MS Valley into New England) will maintain a light NE flow at times, gradual modification of the local airmass will support dewpoints returning to the u50s-l60s from Sunday-Monday night. As a subtle surface trough (originating off the low to our southeast) shifts westward across our forecast area Sunday, isolated showers will be possible during the afternoon/evening hours. A similar feature will bring a slightly greater coverage of showers (and perhaps a few thunderstorms) on Monday given the gradual increase in deep layer moisture and CAPE. However the greatest spatial concentration of precipitation appears as if it will be in more favorable regions of upslope flow to our north/east, and POPs in our region will remain between 10-30%. Highs both Sunday and Monday will range from the u70s-l80s/E to mid 80s/W, with lows in the l-m 60s. During the period from Tuesday-Wednesday, low-level southwesterly flow will gradually increase as a northern stream clipper system and surface low drop southeastward across the northern Plains and Upper- MS Valley. This will contribute to further moistening of the boundary layer and a notable increase in CAPE by Wednesday, when highs will return to the m-u 80s. Thus, a gradual increase in the coverage of showers/thunderstorms is expected during this timeframe (both during the day and at night), and strengthening mid-level winds may result in a few more organized convective cells on Wednesday. && .AVIATION... (06Z TAFS) Issued at 1149 PM CDT Wed Aug 27 2025 There have been no major changes to previous aviation forecast reasoning, as overcast cirrostratus will continue to spread southeastward across the region for much of the TAF period, providing cigs arnd 20-25 kft. Present indications are that our region will remain on the northern periphery of an axis of rain/embedded TSRA that will eventually become established from portions of KS/OK across the Lower MS Valley and into central AL, as a sfc low develops south-southeastward over the southern High Plains. Although probabilities for precipitation remain too low to include at HSV, a PROB30 group for lgt RA has been included at MSL from 20Z Thursday-2Z Friday. Any precipitation reaching the ground will fall from cloud layers with bases btwn 8-12 kft, and should have little-no impact on visibility. && .HUN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AL...None. TN...None. && $$ NEAR TERM...KDW SHORT TERM...KDW LONG TERM...70/DD AVIATION...70/DD