840 FXUS62 KCAE 021019 AFDCAEArea Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Columbia SC 619 AM EDT Thu Oct 2 2025
.SYNOPSIS... Dry weather likely through the remainder of the week. Northeasterly flow strengthens will promote cooler than normal temperatures. Rain chances increase again Sunday and into early next week as moisture increases.
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.NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... Key message(s):
- Cool, dry conditions
An upper level trough shifts offshore today as ridging builds into the Southeast. At the surface, high pressure centered over the Northeast will ridge down into the Carolinas promoting northeast flow and cool, dry conditions. Winds will gust to around 20 mph through the day diminishing in the evening. Winds will remain elevated tonight preventing ideal radiational cooling however, temperatures will still drop into the low to mid 50s.
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.SHORT TERM /FRIDAY THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT/... Key message(s):
- Continued cool and dry with occasionally breezy winds.
Upper ridging will be in place during the short term while surface high pressure remains centered off the New England coast. This will maintain the overall weather pattern across the FA during the period. Northeasterly winds will keep dry air in place with below normal temperatures. PWATs will remain low on Friday, gradually rising Saturday and especially Saturday night as winds shift more easterly. Winds could be breezy at times with gusts of 20 to 25 mph, higher on area lakes. In terms of temperatures, the deterministic NBM guidance remains at or above the 75th percentile, so while forecast highs are in the upper 70s to lower 80s, would not be surprised if they end up even further below normal. Friday should be mostly sunny but additional cloudiness is expected on Saturday as PWATs rise.
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.LONG TERM /SUNDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... Key message(s):
- Rain chances return during the extended.
- Temperatures warm through the period.
Not much change to the forecast in the long term. Rain chances return on Sunday as flow shifts out of the east allowing PWATs to rise above seasonal values. There will be a daily chance of showers, especially Sunday and Monday. Despite the clouds and rain, temperatures are expected to gradually rise as upper ridging remains in place. Wednesday is expected to be the warmest day of the week as a cold front approaches the region.
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.AVIATION /12Z THURSDAY THROUGH MONDAY/... VFR conditions likely through the 24hr forecast period.
KCAE VAD wind profile shows a 30 kt LLJ around 2,000 ft. Winds are expected to stay up through sunrise keeping the TAF sites just under LLWS criteria.
Persistent NE flow will continue through the 24 hr TAF period. As the low level jet mixes down this morning after 14Z we will begin to see NE gusts around 20 kts which continue into the afternoon. Dry air will prevent convection and keep conditions VFR with only a few high clouds overnight.
EXTENDED AVIATION OUTLOOK...Dry air remains in place through Friday night. Moisture returns to the region Saturday which will lead to increasing rain chances and the possibility of daily restrictions.
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.CAE WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... SC...None. GA...None.
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NWS CAE Office Area Forecast Discussion