682 FXUS61 KRLX 260555 AFDRLXAREA FORECAST DISCUSSION National Weather Service Charleston WV 155 AM EDT Fri Sep 26 2025
.SYNOPSIS... Surface high pressure builds across the OH valley and WV today. An upper level disturbance approaches from the southwest tonight, bringing showers and storms into Saturday.
&&
.NEAR TERM /THROUGH TODAY/... As of 153 AM Friday...
Areas of dense fog will gradually lift by mid morning, while areas of low status should improve by late morning.
A positively tilted upper-level trough, extending from PA and WV southwest across TN/KY, exits east while pushing a surface boundary east along the eastern mountains today. Drier airmass will filter in behind the front, while a theta-e gradient develops along the mountains. These conditions will produce periods of sunshine across most parts of SE OH, NE KY and most parts of WV through tonight.
However, an approaching cut-off low pressure system is expected to move east northeast across the Gulf states, approaching the TN/KY valley tonight. A shortwave in the northeast periphery of this low will inject along the aforementioned theata-e gradient to produce showers and thunderstorms over these areas. This will keep the highest probability for precipitation across extreme SW VA, and the eastern mountains of WV late this afternoon and tonight. This feature could bring up to 0.25 inches of rain across these areas through tonight. Accepted NBM solution with these features.
Fresher airmass under light northerly flow and partly sunny skies will allow for afternoon temperatures to reach lower 80s across the lowlands, ranging into the mid 60s northeast mountains. With dewpoints in the upper 50s, lows tonight are projected to be in the upper 50s lowlands, ranging into the mid 50s northeast mountains.
Calm flow and mostly clear skies will allow for dense fog formation mainly along river valleys tonight into Saturday morning.
&&
.SHORT TERM /TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY/... As of 150 PM Thursday...
Additional opportunities for showers and afternoon thunderstorms, especially along the higher terrain, will continue into the weekend as an upper level trough comes to a halt over the area. Activity will be driven mostly by daytime heating, and will diminish in coverage from west to east each evening across the lower elevations, while prevailing longer into the overnight hours along the mountains. A slight recovery in afternoon temperatures will return daytime highs into the low 80s in the Tri-State area amd 60s/70s along the mountains and foothills.
&&
.LONG TERM /SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY/... As of 150 PM Thursday...
A cut off upper level low stationed over the forecast area will enter into a halting pattern for the start of the new week amid tropical activity swirling around the eastern seaboard and further out into the Atlantic Ocean. The latest global model suite suggests landfall of one of these tropical systems off the Georgia and South Carolina coastline sometime during the day on Monday, with the northwestern flank of accompanying showers and storms nosing up into the Greenbrier Valley and the mountainous areas of the Appalachians. Off to the west, a building ridge will supply drier weather to parts of the Ohio Valley, which some of our western zones of the forecast area could relish under. It will be a battle between these two features of where the demarcation line from dry and active weather will set up each day from Monday onward as a result.
&&
.AVIATION /06Z FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/... As of 144 AM Friday...
Lingering low level moisture in the form of IFR/LIFR fog and low status will continue across most terminals through 13Z. Expect low stratus to lift into MVFR/VFR by 15-16Z Friday morning. MVFR low status could remain longer along the higher terrain.
A shortwave approaches from the southwest today, providing some forcing along southwest WV. Meanwhile, a surface boundary remains roughly along the eastern mountains today. These two features may interact to support isolated to scattered showers more probable along the central and southern mountains. This may include BKW, but since confidence runs low, decided to keep this activity out of BKW TAF.
Therefore, conditions will improve to MVFR/VFR by mid/late morning, and into widespread VFR Friday afternoon. IFR conditions are expected again Friday night under river dense valley fog.
Winds will be calm to light and variable through 13Z. Winds become light with a north to northwest component afterwards.
FORECAST CONFIDENCE AND ALTERNATE SCENARIOS THROUGH 06Z SATURDAY...
FORECAST CONFIDENCE: High.
ALTERNATE SCENARIOS: Extent of fog this morning may vary from forecast. Timing of dense fog tonight may vary from forecast.
EXPERIMENTAL TABLE OF FLIGHT CATEGORY OBJECTIVELY SHOWS CONSISTENCY OF WFO FORECAST TO AVAILABLE MODEL INFORMATION: H = HIGH: TAF CONSISTENT WITH ALL MODELS OR ALL BUT ONE MODEL. M = MEDIUM: TAF HAS VARYING LEVEL OF CONSISTENCY WITH MODELS. L = LOW: TAF INCONSISTENT WITH ALL MODELS OR ALL BUT ONE MODEL.
DATE FRI 09/26/25 UTC 1HRLY 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 EDT 1HRLY 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 CRW CONSISTENCY M M M M M M M M H H M H HTS CONSISTENCY H M L L M M M M M L H L BKW CONSISTENCY M M M M M M M M H H H H EKN CONSISTENCY L M M M M M M M M H H H PKB CONSISTENCY L M M M M M M M M H M H CKB CONSISTENCY L M M M M M M M M H M H
AFTER 06Z SATURDAY... IFR is possible at night with low stratus and/or fog through the weekend.
&&
.RLX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WV...None. OH...None. KY...None. VA...None.
&&
$$
SYNOPSIS...ARJ NEAR TERM...ARJ SHORT TERM...MEK LONG TERM...MEK AVIATION...ARJ
NWS RLX Office Area Forecast Discussion