


Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Melbourne, FL
Issued by NWS Melbourne, FL
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116 FXUS62 KMLB 241732 AFDMLB Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Melbourne FL 132 PM EDT Sun Aug 24 2025 ...New AVIATION... .KEY MESSAGES... Issued at 204 AM EDT Sun Aug 24 2025 - A HIGH Risk of life-threatening rip currents continues at all Atlantic beaches of Central Florida. - Unsettled weather continues early this week, with higher-than- normal chances for showers and storms. Occasional lightning and locally heavy rain leading to minor flooding are the primary hazards. - While a return to more typical afternoon and evening storms is expected by mid to late this week, the forecast supports above- normal rainfall as we wrap up August. && .PREVIOUS DISCUSSION... Issued at 204 AM EDT Sun Aug 24 2025 -----------Synoptic Overview----------- A rather amplified upper-air pattern, for late August, was analyzed tonight across the Lower 48. Ridging has been pushed over the Four Corners while a trough digs into the Great Lakes. An additional shortwave resides over the Deep South and North Florida. This disturbance has an associated surface reflection, characterized by a stalled front and weak low pressure along the I-10 corridor. Immediately south of the feature, deep-layer westerly flow is drawing rich tropical moisture off the Gulf and over the Florida Peninsula. Weak low pressure is forecast to push into the Atlantic over the next 2-3 days, leaving its surface boundary behind over North or Central Florida. Frontolysis will gradually occur, but anomalously high moisture content is expected to hold over the district through at least Tuesday. From mid to late week, ensemble guidance shifts the longwave trough toward the Eastern Seaboard. A reinforcing cold front should enter North Florida but climatology and a preponderance of guidance both suggest it will not make it much farther southward than that. Continental surface high pressure will follow this front, dragging unseasonably cool weather into the Ohio Valley and Mid-Atlantic. The positioning of the surface high to our north should promote easterly (onshore) winds late in the week. While a glancing pass of drier air may impinge on northern portions of Central Florida around mid-week, moisture values should return to near normal. By next weekend, guidance is persistent with a mean trough over the Eastern U.S. and reinforcing high pressure across the Northeast. This should allow long-fetch SE flow over Florida. The exception is that a cluster (15-20%) of members, led by the ECMWF, dig a shortwave into the Southeast, allowing another area of low pressure to form just north of Florida. Additionally, some members also show a tropical wave passing through the NW Caribbean Sea. Anticipate near-to-above-normal moisture values to remain in place. -------Sensible Weather & Impacts------- Today - Monday... We`re contending with a somewhat unusual setup this weekend, one that would be more likely to occur in late September rather than late August. The combination of a nearby front and persistent moisture flow off the Gulf will promote waves of showers and storms. While deep moisture and frictional convergence will be maximized on the Gulf Coast, occasional rain/storm bands should work eastward into our area for the next couple of days. While rain chances remain high (70-90%), timing is difficult; ensemble members generally support a similar setup to the last couple of days. Ripples of energy along the front will support showers and storms in the morning or even pre-dawn hours over the I-4 corridor before activity drifts east and southward through the rest of the day. Excessive rainfall is not out of the question, but the highest potential for this should lie along the I-75 corridor. Nonetheless, max-member REFS rainfall tallies are 2-4" each of the next two days, indicating at least a low threat of minor flooding. Areal average rainfall totals from 1/2" to 1 1/2" will be more common. We still anticipate enough breaks in cloud cover to reach the mid 80s to low 90s each day. Statistical guidance has been running on the high side, so lowered temps just a bit. The lingering long-period swell in the Atlantic will continue to cause numerous life-threatening rip currents at our beaches. Tuesday - Wednesday... The front loses its definition over the area during this timeframe, leaving behind the plume of higher moisture, particularly from near Orlando and southward. Additional weak energy crossing the area and stronger daytime heating should continue to support scattered to numerous (60-70%) showers and storms. Boundary-layer flow remains westerly on Tuesday, which may once again allow an earlier start to the storms. As the flow becomes light northeasterly on Wednesday, we should start to return to our normal afternoon/evening peak coverage. Seasonably hot temps in the low/mid 90s will continue with peak heat indices from 100-107 deg F. Thursday - Next Weekend... Onshore winds resume to end the work week, leading to a focus of storm development over the interior. The setup looks favorable for some of the storms to drift back toward the coast before diminishing in the evening hours. As the synopsis outlined above, the weekend picture is quite murky due to multiple outcomes depicted in the grand ensemble. For now, we will trend toward above normal coverage of showers and storms each day, along with seasonably hot/humid conditions. The CPC 6-10 day outlook supports above-normal rainfall as we close out August. && .MARINE... Issued at 204 AM EDT Sun Aug 24 2025 A lingering 12-14 second swell from former Hurricane Erin will be slow to abate, prolonging hazardous currents at our inlets during outgoing tides for at least 2-3 more days. In the open Atlantic today and Monday, seas from 3-5 FT persist. Occasional 6 FT seas through tonight well beyond 20 NM. By the middle of the week, seas diminish to 2-4 FT. Expect southwest winds up to around 15 KT with gusts to 20 KT through Monday. Winds decrease quickly on Tuesday, allowing a sea breeze to potentially form in the afternoon. Onshore breezes return for the remainder of the work week, up to 12 KT. Offshore-moving gusty showers and storms are forecast each day through Tuesday. && .AVIATION... (18Z TAFs) Issued at 115 PM EDT Sun Aug 24 2025 Very low confidence in convective evolution the rest of the afternoon and evening as rounds of quick moving TS/SH impact the ECFL terminals. Made numerous adjustments to TS timing over the next 6 hours based on latest trends and guidance. Overall, window for TS impacts has been extended later in the evening due to a slower (although still early) start than the last couple days, through around 22Z at KMCO and area terminals, to 23Z-01Z along the coast. TEMPOs have essentially become nowcasts at this point as confidence in TS timing and location drops off considerably after about 3 hours, and short-fused AMDs can be expected. Mostly quiet after the TS window closes, but can`t rule out so ISO TS/SH through the night. Setup continues to favor an earlier than normal start to TS/SH Monday, but hi-res models have become increasingly pessimistic about chances, and will need to monitor forecast trends. Winds SWrly around 10 kts today, becoming gusty along the portions of the coast ease overnight, then pick back up to 5-10 kts Monday. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... DAB 74 90 74 91 / 40 70 20 60 MCO 75 90 74 92 / 40 80 20 70 MLB 75 89 75 90 / 50 80 30 70 VRB 73 90 73 91 / 40 80 40 70 LEE 75 89 75 91 / 40 70 20 70 SFB 75 90 75 92 / 40 70 20 70 ORL 75 90 75 92 / 40 80 20 70 FPR 73 91 72 91 / 40 80 40 70 && .MLB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... FL...None. AM...None. && $$ DISCUSSION...Heil AVIATION...Haley