584 FXUS61 KAKQ 301947 AFDAKQ AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION National Weather Service Wakefield VA 247 PM EST Tue Dec 30 2025 .SYNOPSIS... Much cooler and breezy conditions are expected today. Cool and dry conditions will continue through the rest of the week. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM WEDNESDAY MORNING/... As of 230 PM EST Tuesday... Key Message: - Less wind overnight. Lows in the mid to upper 20s. Afternoon sfc analysis indicates strong low pressure near Nova Scotia and high pressure over the south-central CONUS. The flow aloft has a deep trough over the eastern half of the CONUS with its axis along the east coast. A chilly airmass is in place locally behind yesterday's cold front. Early afternoon temps are still in the mid to upper 30s for the vast majority of the FA. So far, only ECG has hit 40. Breezy conditions with gusts of 20-30mph are keeping wind chills closer to freezing. The good news is that it is at least sunny. Of course the upper Eastern Shore is the exception where skies are mostly cloudy. A disturbance passes through the flow aloft overnight, leading to an increase in cloud cover, particularly across the NW. Winds will diminish after sunset, but will not drop out entirely. Despite less than ideal radiational cooling conditions, temps will still be able to drop into the mid 20s for most locations, upper 20s immediately along the coast. && .SHORT TERM /6 AM WEDNESDAY MORNING THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT/... As of 230 PM EST Tuesday... Key Message: - Below average temperatures continue through Thursday night as a dry cold front crosses the area. The Mid-Atlantic remains sandwiched between high pressure to the south and low pressure well to the N on Wednesday. The UL trough remains in place as well. Not quite as cold, but still on the chilly side with highs generally in the mid 40s with a breeze strong enough to keep wind chills in the 30s for most of the day. Lows Wed night are forecast to be in the upper 20s across the far north and low 30s elsewhere. A reinforcing dry cold front drops through the area early Thursday morning. Couldn't rule out a stray flurry with the front, but any sort of precip looks unlikely at this point. Highs on Thurs will be in the mid to upper 30s across the N and low to mid 40s along and S of I-64. Lows in the low-mid 20s return Thurs night with some of typical colder spots perhaps seeing the upper teens. && .LONG TERM /FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/... As of 230 PM EST Tuesday... Key Message: - Near to below average temperatures and dry weather is expected through the bulk of the extended period. The upper trough remains in place through the weekend, though it becomes a bit less amplified by Sunday. Looks to be mostly dry through the period under the continued NW flow. Rain chances for Saturday have decreased yet again as the latest guidance shows low pressure and associated precip suppressed well to the S. Was not quite ready to wipe out rain chances entirely, so maintained a slight chance across NE NC Sat. Highs Fri-Sun will be pretty similar each day. Forecasting highs ranging from around 40 in the far north to around 50 in the far south. Temps could moderate a bit early next week, but uncertainty is higher given differences between the global models. && .AVIATION /19Z TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/... As of 1230 PM EST Tuesday... VFR conditions prevail for the 18z/30 TAF period. Starting out the period with clear skies with the exception of SBY, which is under BKN. Expecting increasing clouds overnight, especially at RIC/SBY, as a disturbance passes through the flow aloft. Mostly to partly cloudy skies expected tomorrow. W winds will continue to gust to ~20kt through the rest of the afternoon then subsiding after sunset. Winds turn to the SW tomorrow at 10kt with gusts around 15kt. Outlook: Dry and generally VFR conditions are expected to prevail through mid-late week. && .MARINE... As of 245 PM EST Tuesday... Key Messages: - Small Craft Advisories are in effect through this evening/early tonight as westerly winds gradually subside behind a cold front. - Additional SCAs are possible later Wednesday and especially Wednesday night-Thursday morning, ahead of and behind another cold front. Strong (sub-970 mb) low pressure is located NE of Maine this afternoon with high pressure well SW of the region. The pressure gradient between these features is leading to continued gusty winds out of the W/WNW, though the speeds are quite a bit lower than earlier this morning. Although winds will continue to gradually decrease through this evening, will keep the ongoing Small Craft Advisories in effect through this evening on the coastal waters and through early tonight on the Chesapeake Bay. Winds should become sub-SCA for a time later tonight into Wednesday morning, but another disturbance will approach the waters during the day Wednesday. In response, winds shift to the WSW and increase to around 15 kt. While a few 20-25 kt gusts are possible (particularly on the coastal waters), will refrain from issuing and/or extending headlines due to <30% probs for 25 kt wind gusts. SW winds then increase further to 15-25 kt Wednesday night ahead of the next cold front. Additionally, models depict a 35-45 kt LLJ overspreading the region with decently steep low-level lapse rates over the waters. This increases the confidence in meeting SCA criteria with gusts up to 30 kt. The cold front then crosses the waters Thursday morning with gusty NW winds in the CAA regime. SCAs likely continue through most of Thursday before diminishing in the evening and overnight. A weaker pressure gradient favors lighter winds to end the week, likely continuing into the weekend. Seas will diminish from 3-5 ft this afternoon and evening to 2- 3 ft tonight and Wednesday. Waves on the Chesapeake Bay generally average 1-2 ft, but likely will increase to 2-4 ft Wednesday night into Thursday. While the offshore wind direction will prevent seas from increasing too much, most guidance shows 3-5 ft during this time, highest 10+ nm offshore. && .AKQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MD...None. NC...None. VA...None. MARINE...Small Craft Advisory until 1 AM EST Wednesday for ANZ630>632- 634. Small Craft Advisory until 7 PM EST this evening for ANZ633- 638-656-658. Small Craft Advisory until 4 PM EST this afternoon for ANZ635>637. Small Craft Advisory until 10 PM EST this evening for ANZ650- 652-654. && $$ SYNOPSIS...ERI NEAR TERM...AC SHORT TERM...AC LONG TERM...AC AVIATION...AC MARINE...SW