382 FXUS61 KRLX 150731 AFDRLXAREA FORECAST DISCUSSION National Weather Service Charleston WV 331 AM EDT Wed Oct 15 2025
.SYNOPSIS... Dry weather stretches across the work week amid strong upper level ridging. A moisture starved cold frontal passage today will bring cooler weather to close out the work week.
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.NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... As of 330 AM Wednesday...
Early morning satellite imagery shows a strong fog signature along our mainstem rivers and their tributaries, with visibilities reduced to a mile or less at local airports. Will continue to monitor satellite trends and traffic webcams for possible need of a Special Weather Statement or a Dense Fog Advisory ahead of this morning`s commute.
The latest surface analysis paints a cold front through the lower Ohio Valley up into the eastern Great Lakes region. This boundary is slated to travel through the forecast area today, imposing little to no impacts during the course of its passage. Increased cloud cover is likely to transpire in the next few hours along the front and will gradually scatter out this afternoon and evening. An influential upper level ridge parked to our west has retained enough dry air over the region to reduce any showers or storms from developing along the front, yielding a dry forecast for today.
In the wake of the front, winds veer out of the northwest by this evening, inviting cooler air associated with building high pressure to filter down into the area. This will yield overnight low temperatures to bottom out into the 30s and potential frost formation for parts of the northeast West Virginia mountains by Thursday morning. Opted to hoist a Frost Advisory for areas most susceptible to the anticipated frost development starting late tonight.
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.SHORT TERM /THURSDAY THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT/... As of 330 AM Wednesday...
High pressure perusing the Upper Great Lakes region at the start of the forecast period will gradually pivot down into the Mid- Atlantic for the end of the work week. This surface feature will supply predominantly dry weather across the Central Appalachians and a subtle warming trend for Thursday and Friday. Daytime highs on Thursday will range closer to their climatological norm for this time of year in the wake of Wednesday`s dry cold front, but will rise back into the 60s and 70s for Friday afternoon.
By late Thursday night, the center of the surface high is progged to be positioned over the forecast area, yielding strong radiational cooling amid clear skies and weak surface flow. As a result, much of the forecast area will see overnight lows plunge down into the mid to upper 30s, with mountain locations dropping near or below freezing. Additional frost/freeze headlines will likely be needed for Thursday night, but will hold off from doing so with this forecast package to allow more time to key in on potential affected counties and the impacts from this upcoming freeze.
Only other thing of note within the short term period will be the abundant amounts of dry air noted on forecast soundings parked just above the surface each afternoon. As daytime mixing transpires, especially along slightly breezy flow over the mountains, this drier air could loft down to the surface and bring dew points lower than currently forecast. Minimum relative humidity values bottom out into the 30s/40s on Thursday as it currently stands, but further drops into the upper 20s to low 30s for Friday afternoon. However, the aforementioned positioning of the surface high overhead by Friday will diminish the breezier profile winds and decrease opportunities for fire spread.
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.LONG TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/... As of 330 AM Wednesday...
The weekend will feature the conclusion of dominating upper level ridging over the region as it navigates off the eastern seaboard. This will be to make room for a trough and its attendant surface low pressure system that will be progressing across the country. The center of the surface low will pivot up into Canada, while developing a tail of showers and thunderstorms along a strengthening cold front throughout the course of the weekend. In the midst of its evolution, the Central Appalachians will see an unseasonably warm and dry day on Saturday as surface flow veers out of the south ahead of the disturbance`s arrival. Many spots across the Tri-State area will see afternoon temperatures rise into the low 80s while mountain zones will plateau within the 60s and 70s.
Forecast trends have gravitated towards a slower onset arrival time of showers, now bringing the initial precipitation shield into our far western zones by late Saturday night into early Sunday morning. Central guidance then carries a ribbon of higher POPs throughout the day Sunday, denoting the likely timeframe of the cold front`s passage. This weekend system has already caught the attention of SPC and WPC, who have begun to highlight various areas within the Tennessee and far western Ohio Valleys regarding severe weather and flash flooding potential. Whether that potential reaches as far east as our forecast area remains questionable, especially given the late arrival timing of activity on Saturday and the unfavorable conditions for instability on Sunday as the front passes overhead.
The forecast then grows more uncertain as guidance spread shows varying solutions for the start of next week. Some models hold on to adverse weather far longer than others for Monday, while there are some signs of restoration of dry weather for the end of the forecast period.
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.AVIATION /06Z WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/... As of 120 AM Wednesday...
A strong signal of river valley fog is present on nighttime satellite imagery and local webcams this morning across the Charleston metro area and southward into the coalfields. Additionally, a small corridor of overcast skies was observed blanketing the northeast WV mountains. Both features will impose a forecasting challenge through the predawn hours as sub-VFR conditions are strongly possible across the majority of our TAF sites. Will attempt to handle these fluctuations with tempo groups heading into daybreak this morning.
After sunrise, fog erosion is set to take place while cloud coverage are progged to increase in the midst of a passing cold front. At the time of writing, the front was draped through the Ohio River Valley, with the expectation that the boundary will cross over our airspace throughout the morning into the afternoon. Surface flow will shift out of the north/northwest in its wake, with clouds slow to scatter out through the late afternoon hours. High pressure will quickly regain control late tonight into Thursday, with quiet flight conditions progged for the later half of the TAF period as a result.
FORECAST CONFIDENCE AND ALTERNATE SCENARIOS THROUGH 06Z THURSDAY...
FORECAST CONFIDENCE: Medium.
ALTERNATE SCENARIOS: Timing and extent of early morning river valley fog may vary from the 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 WED 10/15/25 UTC 1HRLY 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 EDT 1HRLY 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 CRW CONSISTENCY M M M M L L M L L H H H HTS CONSISTENCY H H H H H H H H H H H H BKW CONSISTENCY H H H H H H M H H H H H EKN CONSISTENCY H H H H M L L L M M H M PKB CONSISTENCY H H H H H H H H H H H H CKB CONSISTENCY H H H H L L M L H H H H
AFTER 06Z THURSDAY... Patchy IFR river valley fog is possible each morning for the rest of this week.
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.RLX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WV...Frost Advisory from 2 AM to 9 AM EDT Thursday for WVZ032-039- 040-521>523-525-526. OH...None. KY...None. VA...None.
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SYNOPSIS...05 NEAR TERM...05 SHORT TERM...05 LONG TERM...05 AVIATION...05
NWS RLX Office Area Forecast Discussion