000
FXUS61 KCTP 191902
AFDCTP

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
255 PM EDT SUN MAY 19 2013

.SYNOPSIS...
HIGH PRESSURE OVER NORTHERN NEW ENGLAND AND THE MOUTH OF THE ST. 
LAWRENCE LATE TODAY WILL SLIDE TO THE EAST OVERNIGHT. A DEEP 
SOUTHERLY FLOW IN THE WAKE OF THIS HIGH WILL BRING INCREASING WARMTH 
AND HUMIDITY TO THE REGION THROUGH THE MID-WEEK PERIOD...WITH WELL 
ABOVE NORMAL AFTERNOON TEMPERATURES TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY. SCATTERED 
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL OCCUR EACH AFTERNOON THROUGH THURSDAY 
AS A STORM SYSTEM CURRENTLY OVER THE CENTRAL PLAINS INCHES EASTWARD. 
TEMPERATURES WILL COOL BACK BELOW NORMAL WITH DRIER CONDITIONS FOR 
FRIDAY AND SATURDAY.

&&

.NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/...
A MOIST SOUTHEASTERLY FLOW NEAR THE SFC AND PLUME OF ANOMALOUSLY 
HIGH PWAT AIR /1.5-1.75 INCHES/ MOVING INTO THE REGION FROM THE 
SOUTH WILL CONTINUE TO LOCK IN THICK CLOUD COVER ACROSS PRACTICALLY 
ALL OF THE CWA FOR THE REST OF TODAY.    

PORTIONS OF THE NW MTNS WILL CONTINUE TO SEE PERIODS OF SUNSHINE 
THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THIS AFTERNOON...WITHIN THE VERY TIGHT 
GRADIENT OF 925-850 MB THETA-E...AND AIDED BY LLVL DOWNSLOPING TO 
THE WEST OF THE SPINE OF THE APPALACHIANS.

THE BASE OF THE THICK STRATUS/STRATOCU DECK WILL LIFT VERY LITTLE 
FROM THEIR 18Z LEVELS AND CONTINUE TO SHROUD THE HIGHER RIDGE TOPS 
THROUGH THIS EVENING....BEFORE GRADUALLY LOWERING DOWN THE SLOPES 
SIMILAR TO LAST NIGHT.   

WEAK FORCING IN THE FORM OF VERY GENTLE ISENTROPIC UPGLIDE FROM THE 
SOUTH TO SSW WITHIN THE I300-310K THETA CHANNEL WILL HELP TO PRODUCE 
A FEW LIGHT SHOWERS /OR MORE LIKELY AREAS OF LIGHT DRIZZLE/ THAT 
WILL DRIFT NNE ACROSS THE FCST AREA THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH TONIGHT.  

THE CLOUDS WILL KEEP AFTERNOON TEMPS ON THE COOL SIDE AND WELL BELOW 
NORMALS ACROSS MOST OF THE AREA. JUST THOSE LUCKY FEW PLACES OVER 
THE NORTHWEST MTNS COULD MEET OR EXCEED CLIMO HIGHS. MAX TEMPS WILL 
BE MAINLY IN THE MID 60S...BUT SHOULD HOLD AOB 60F ACROSS SOME OF 
THE EASTERN MTNS.

THIS BLANKET OF CLOUDS /AND RELATIVELY HIGH SFC DEWPOINTS...IN MID 
50S TO AROUND 60F/ WILL KEEP TEMPS 10-15F ABOVE CLIMO NORMALS 
OVERNIGHT.  

ANY MEASURABLE RAINFALL TONIGHT WILL BE LIMITED TO SEVERAL 
HUNDREDTHS OF AN INCH OR LESS.

&&

.SHORT TERM /MONDAY/...
UPPER RIDGE WILL BE IN PLACE FROM THE OHIO VALLEY TO THE GULF COAST. 
500 MB HEIGHTS WILL RISE SLIGHTLY /BY 10-20M/ DURING THE DAY 
MONDAY...AS THE MEAN /AND INITIALLY SOUTHERLY/ 925-850 MB FLOW VEERS 
AROUND TO THE WSW BY THE MIDDAY HOURS MONDAY.

LINGERING...EARLY MORNING LOW CLOUDS AND FOG SHOULD BE ERODED RATHER 
QUICKLY BETWEEN 14-17Z MONDAY...WITH PARTLY SUNNY SKIES IN MOST 
AREAS FOR THE AFTERNOON HOURS. DEEP VERTICAL MIXING OF THE WARM 
/PLUS 14-15C/ AIR AT 850 MB WILL YIELD ABOVE NORMAL AFTERNOON TEMPS 
IN THE MID 70S TO AROUND 80F.

SOME OF THE DEEPER VALLEYS EAST OF THE LAUREL HIGHLANDS...WHERE THE
GREATEST COMPRESSIONAL WARMING WILL OCCUR VIA AN ORTHOGONAL LLVL WSW 
FLOW...COULD SOAR INTO THE LOWERS 80S IF AMPLE CLEARING OCCURS AND 
SCTD SHOWERS/TSRA HOLD OFF UNTIL AFTER 20Z.

POPS FOR SCTD SHOWERS AND ISOLATED TSRA FOR MONDAY AFTERNOON WILL BE 
JUST UNDER 30 PERCENT ACROSS THE NW ZONES...AND 40-45 PERCENT IN THE 
SE.

&&

.LONG TERM /MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY/...
WEAK LOW PRESSURE ALOFT WILL FINALLY DISAPPEAR MONDAY NIGHT AS IT 
PASSES OVERHEAD. UPSTREAM CONVECTION WILL BE DROPPING ACROSS THE 
GREAT LAKES AND WILL ONLY PROLONG THE CLOUDY/SHOWERY FORECAST FOR 
LATE THIS PERIOD.

ON TUESDAY...WE SHOULD ENTER THE WARM SECTOR AHEAD OF THE STORM
LANGUISHING OVER THE PLAINS/MIDWEST/UPPER LAKES. THE WARM SECTOR
AIR WILL BE QUITE WARM FOR THE TIME OF YEAR...HAVING SPENT PLENTY
OF TIME COOKING OVER THE MS AND OH VALLEYS WITH GOOD GULF INFLOW.
TEMPS THERE RIGHT NOW ARE ABOUT 10F ABOVE AVERAGES. THEREFORE...THE
TEMPS SHOULD ROUND OUT TO 80F OR BETTER IN MANY LOCATIONS TUES.
BUT SCT AFTN CONVECTION IS THEN POSSIBLE.

THE MEDIUM RANGE GUIDANCE CONTINUES TO ADVERTISE A RATHER
UNSETTLED PERIOD OF TIME FOR MUCH OF THE UPCOMING WEEK. 

WE ARE AND WILL REMAIN BASICALLY UNDER A MEAN UPPER RIDGE...BUT
THE PROBLEM WILL BE A WEAK FRONTAL SYSTEM THAT WILL BE MEANDERING
AROUND CENTRAL PA FOR MUCH OF THE TIME INTO LATE WEEK. SO WHILE
THERE IS SUPPORT ALOFT FOR ORGANIZED PRECIP...THE SHOWERS WILL BE 
TIED TO SMALL SCALE FEATURES THAT WILL BE HARD TO SEE MORE THAN A
DAY OR TWO DOWN THE ROAD. THE LOW LEVEL FORCING AND INCREASING
HUMIDITY/INSTABILITY WILL BRING SEVERAL CHANCES FOR MAINLY DIURNAL
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS.

THE FORECAST HAS A LOT OF REDUNDANCY IN IT...IMPLYING A PROLONGED
PERIOD OF RAIN/STORMS. THE REALITY IS LIKELY TO BE MORE LIKE A
PERIOD OF MAINLY CLOUDY SKIES BUT WITH SUNNY BREAKS DURING THE
DAY...ALONG WITH SHOWERS THAT WILL BE MOST LIKELY IN THE AFTERNOON
AND EVENING. A DIFFUSE FRONT WILL ATTEMPT TO PUSH NORTHWARD DURING
THE MIDDLE OF THE WEEK. WHERE THE FRONT WILL BE ON ANY GIVEN DAY
WILL HAVE MUCH TO DO WITH MESOSCALE INFLUENCES FROM ANY CONVECTION
THAT MANAGES TO FORM.

DESPITE AMPLE CLOUD COVER AND THE CHANCES FOR RAIN...TEMPERATURES
SHOULD REMAIN ABOVE NORMAL UNTIL AT LEAST LATE WEEK WHEN GUIDANCE
SUGGESTS WE FINALLY SEE A COLD FRONT MOVE THROUGH USHERING IN
MUCH COOLER AIR AND DRIER CONDITIONS.

&&

.AVIATION /18Z SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/...
A WAVY FRONTAL BOUNDARY JUST TO OUR SOUTH WILL SLOWLY RETURN 
NORTHWARD ACROSS PENNSYLVANIA AS A WARM FRONT LATE TODAY INTO MONDAY.

WIDESPREAD IFR SOUTH /AND LOW-END MVFR CIGS CENTRAL AND NORTH/ WITH 
GENERALLY 7-10SM VSBYS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE AFTERNOON HOURS. 
LOWEST CONDITIONS WILL BE FOUND ACROSS THE SOUTHERN THIRD OF PENN. 

RIDGE TOPS AOA APPROX 1900 FT MSL WILL CONTINUE TO BE SHROUDED IN 
THE LOW CLOUDS/FOG THROUGH AT LEAST EARLY THIS AFTERNOON. 

AREAS OF DRIZZLE AND ISOLATED TO SCATTERED -SHRA WILL BE MOVING BACK 
TOWARD PA FROM THE SOUTH THIS AFTERNOON AS WELL. THE HIGHEST 
PROBABILITY FOR THE LIGHT QPF WILL BE ACROSS THE SOUTHERN PA TAF 
AIRFIELDS /KJST/LNS/MDT/CXY.

AFTER SOME MINOR...BRIEF IMPROVEMENT TO CIGS AND VSBYS THIS 
AFTERNOON...CONDITIONS QUICKLY SLIDE DOWN TO WIDESPREAD IFR 
BEGINNING LATER THIS EVE AND CONTINUING UNTIL 13-15Z MONDAY.

A RATHER UNSETTLED AND OCCASIONALLY WET PATTERN IS EXPECTED FOR 
MONDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH THURSDAY...WITH DAILY CHC/S FOR CONVECTIVE 
PCPN FOCUSED DURING THE AFTERNOON/EARLY EVENING /AND ASSOCD 
RESTRICTIONS/.

.OUTLOOK...
MON-THU...AREAS OF EARLY MORNING IFR CONDITIONS IN STRATUS AND 
FOG...TRANSITIONING TO VFR-MVFR WITH SCT PM THUNDERSTORM IMPACTS 
EACH DAY.

FRI-SAT...MAINLY VFR. PATCHY MVFR TO IFR CIGS POSSIBLE 09-13Z BOTH 
DAYS.


&&

.CTP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
NONE.

&&

$$
SYNOPSIS...LAMBERT
NEAR TERM...LAMBERT
SHORT TERM...LAMBERT
LONG TERM...LA CORTE/STEINBUGL
AVIATION...LAMBERT