783 FXUS62 KRAH 090004 AFDRAHArea Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Raleigh NC 804 PM EDT Wed Oct 8 2025
.SYNOPSIS... A lead cold front will move off the NC coast this evening, while a secondary, backdoor one will move south southwestward across central NC. Canadian high pressure will follow and build across the Middle Atlantic through Friday.
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.NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... As of 240 PM Wednesday...
* Cold front sweeps through the area this evening with clearing skies, gusty winds, and a cooler night ahead
An upper level trough sweeping east across the Northeast and New England tonight will help drive a cold front--currently over the NC mtns and foothills-- through central NC by this evening.
Limited by poor lapse rates and weak instability, pre-frontal convection has struggled mightily, with only spotty showers and a few isolated thunderstorms noted mainly east of the area across the coastal plain. This sparse convective trend continue, with only isolated re-development expected until the front clears the region around 03z.
In it`s wake, Canadian high pressure over the Great Lakes will build southeast into the Eastern US. Increasing sfc pressure rises and low- level CAA will support post-frontal northerly gustiness of 15-25 mph late this evening and overnight, with gustiness becoming more intermittent towards daybreak. Skies will clear from north to south, with lows ranging from upper 40s north to mid 50s south.
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.SHORT TERM /THURSDAY AND THURSDAY NIGHT/... As of 240 PM Wednesday...
*Crisp fall weather with the coldest night since April
Sprawling Canadian high pressure will usher in the coldest air of the young season. Daytime heating will promote re-newed gustiness after daybreak, peaking by midday with NELY gusts of 20 to 25 mph. Under mostly sunny skies, afternoon temperatures will warm into the mid to upper 60s north to lower 70s south(3-6 degrees below-normal).
Low-level thicknesses Thursday night are forecast to fall into the 1335 m range. While the pressure gradient should remain sufficiently taut to maintain a slight stirring of winds overnight, limiting optimal radiational cooling, temperatures are still expected to fall to their coldest levels since last April. Expect lows from lower/mid 40s north to upper 40s/lower 50s south.
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.LONG TERM /FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... As of 200 PM Wednesday...
* Below normal high temperatures expected, warming to near normal by Wednesday.
* A coastal low is expected to develop this weekend, bringing the next chance of rain and gusty winds mainly east of US-1.
The cool, dry high pressure will continue to weaken and move eastward on Friday. This will allow temperatures to stay below normal, with highs in the upper 60s to mid 70s and lows dropping into the 50s overnight.
This weekend, the region should return to a period of unsettled weather as a coastal low is expected to develop from the stalled front off the southeast coast. The best chance of rain from this system should start on Saturday and last through Monday morning as the low moves up the coast and looks to be closest to the Outer Banks on Sunday. Around 0.5-1 inch of rain is expected over the weekend around the US-1 corridor and east, with some values up to 1.5 inches possible especially further to the east. However, expected rainfall totals could change based on the track and strength of the low. The low will also bring gusty winds to the eastern portions of the region, with gusts around 30 mph possible Saturday and Sunday afternoons. The progression of the low at the beginning of the work week is uncertain after it is expected to interact/merge with a northern low. This means that rain could continue into the week based on the track of the low. For temperatures, high temperatures are expected to be in the upper 60s to low 70s on Saturday, rising to the 70s to around 80 on Wednesday. Lows should be in the 50s each night.
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.AVIATION /00Z THURSDAY THROUGH MONDAY/... As of 800 PM Wednesday...
A secondary, backdoor cold front --evident in surface observational and radar data at 00Z from the nrn Pamlico Sound to near RWI and TDF in cntl NC-- will continue sswwd across cntl NC during the next several hours. The passage of the front will bring about 2-4 hour period of gusty surface winds between 20-30 kts, strongest and most likely at FAY, RWI, and RDU, and also an isolated shower at or in the vicinity of those three sites. A brief MVFR ceiling may also accompany the frontal passage for an hour or so at FAY and near and especially just east of RWI. In the absence of surface gustiness behind the front, near low-level wind shear conditions may be met at RDU, RWI, and FAY, owing to the development of a ~35 kt, nely low- level jet in the post-frontal regime over east-cntl NC overnight.
A band of stratocumulus based around 5-6 thousand ft AGL will otherwise linger post-frontal tonight, then clear from north to south Thu morning. Daytime heating and mixing Thu will cause nely surface winds to increase and become gusty area-wide, though gustiness will probably subside over the Piedmont by early to mid- afternoon.
Outlook: Coastal low pressure will favor a chance of flight restrictions and rain at ern TAF sites this weekend.
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.RAH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None.
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SYNOPSIS...MWS NEAR TERM...CBL SHORT TERM...CBL LONG TERM...LH AVIATION...MWS
NWS RAH Office Area Forecast Discussion