756 FXUS62 KCAE 152340 AFDCAEArea Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Columbia SC 740 PM EDT Mon Sep 15 2025
.SYNOPSIS... Weak surface high pressure lingers overnight with mostly dry weather expected. Aloft, a closed low may bring some slight rain chances for Tuesday across the northern forecast area. Dry and warming temps expected throughout the rest of the week.
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.NEAR TERM /UNTIL 7 AM TUESDAY MORNING/... Key message(s):
- Upper low remains near the SC/NC border into Tuesday morning.
- Dry weather expected overnight.
Water vapor imagery shows the upper low currently situated near the NC/SC border this evening as the surface low remains off the NC coast. These features have allowed for some low to mid level moisture advection where GOES derived PWAT values peak near 1.25", mainly in the northern FA. MRMS reflectivity shows some isolated showers and a storm or two toward the higher terrain in NC, slowly working into parts of the upstate of SC but CAMs remain insistent that this activity should remain north of the FA this evening and overnight. This solution continues to seem reasonable with the generous amount of dry air in forecast soundings below 850mb and thus mostly dry weather is expected overnight and into Tuesday morning with overnight lows in the upper 50s to near 60F.
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.SHORT TERM /7 AM TUESDAY MORNING THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT/... Key message(s):
- Upper low to continue meandering to the northeast, with lower rain chances than were previously expected.
Guidance has continued to trend drier with the upper low and its associated surface counter part on Tuesday. Models have consistently showing the low tracking into the outer banks, with the best moisture advection confined to North Carolina and Virginia now. As a result, forecast high temps have come up while precipitation chances have fallen. There is still a possibility of some isolated showers in the afternoon hours as a reinforcing shortwave traverses the area. These will likely be few and far between, though, with low PoPs in the grids at this point. Highs should range from the low to mid 80s regionally. They may stick in the upper 70s in the Pee Dee and northern Midlands but that seems unlikely with the thicker clouds remaining northeast of the FA. Overnight lows will likely end up where they have been - in the low 60s.
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.LONG TERM /WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY/... Key message(s):
- A return to ridging aloft and warming temps through the weekend.
Closed upper low will continue to depart northeastward on Wednesday and Thursday. Guidance does continue to point to a weak trough axis remaining across the area, with this slowly morphing into weak upper ridging or zonal flow aloft as a shortwave digs into the Midwest. Temps are expected to climb through the period, though guidance seems a bit aggressive with respect to afternoon highs. 90s look likely on Friday and Saturday, with GEFS/ECE/ECE AIFS guidance pointing to a near 100% chance of temps >=5F above normal both afternoons. Why this is the case is a bit uncertain as 850 hPa temps remain near normal in this period, heights are not very high, and there isn`t strong downsloping or anything. There is still a pretty high sun angle and the airmass will remain dry, both of which favor warmer temps. But how warm is my question. Consensus is overwhelmingly in favor of well above normal temps in this period, so will continue to forecast that. I would not be surprised to see the forecast high come down a degree or two over the next couple of days, though, especially for Saturday. Beyond that, a backdoor front may approach late in the period but confidence isn`t high in the timing or placement of that at this point.
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.AVIATION /00Z TUESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/... VFR conditions expected through the period.
Similar conditions expected with the primary feature a surface low off the Outer Banks and an upper low near the NC/SC border. With the location of these two lows, significant moisture increase is not expected to impact the terminals. As a result, expect just some mid to high level clouds at times but high confidence in VFR conditions. Winds will shift from northeasterly to northwesterly tomorrow. While winds will generally be between 5 to 10 knots, occasional gusts into the mid to upper teens are possible.
EXTENDED AVIATION OUTLOOK...A dry air mass will be over the region this week and no significant aviation restrictions expected.
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.CAE WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... SC...None. GA...None.
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NWS CAE Office Area Forecast Discussion