951
FXUS61 KAKQ 010153
AFDAKQ

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
National Weather Service Wakefield VA
953 PM EDT Fri Oct 31 2025

.SYNOPSIS...
High pressure builds tonight through this weekend with below
normal temperatures expected. A weak coastal low may bring rain
to southeastern portions of the area Sunday night into Monday.
Otherwise, near to slightly below normal temperatures and mostly
dry conditions return and continue into midweek.

&&

.NEAR TERM /THROUGH SATURDAY/...
As of 950 PM EDT Friday...

Key Messages:

- A Frost Advisory is in effect for portions of south-central VA
  into northeast NC where the growing season is still active.
  Patchy frost is possible for areas further north and east.

- Dry and sunny conditions continue into Saturday with high
  pressure building back into the area.


High pressure builds in from the SW tonight, allowing for the
pressure gradient to slacken and winds to diminish after
early tonight. Mainly light winds continue overnight across
E/NE portions of the FA which will likely keep temps from
decoupling as much as areas further SW. Lows tonight will range
from the mid to upper 30s for many inland areas with 40s near
the coast/urban areas. A Frost Advisory has been issued for
portions of south- central VA into northeast NC later tonight
into Saturday morning. This area has the best chance to see
winds decouple/more widespread frost formation. Patchy frost
cannot be ruled out further north and east, but a continued
light breeze should keep the threat a little more limited.

High pressure continues to build into the area tomorrow with
mostly sunny and dry conditions. High temperatures will
generally be in the lower 60s. Less wind is anticipated tomorrow
compared to today with high pressure in the area.

&&

.SHORT TERM /SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY/...
As of 245 PM EDT Friday...

Key Message:

- Chilly Saturday night into Sunday morning with lows in the
  mid-upper 30s inland and low-mid 30s across interior SE VA and
  NE NC. Additional Frost Advisories will likely be needed.

- Clouds increase Sunday with dry conditions likely through
  Sunday afternoon.

- Rain chances increase Sunday night into early Monday across
  mainly SE VA and NE NC as a weak coastal low develops
  offshore.

High pressure moves overhead Saturday night leading to calm
winds and mostly clear skies. Temperatures are expected to
decouple quickly with widespread readings in the mid to upper
30s inland. The coolest area looks to be interior portions of
SE VA/NE NC where lows in the low to mid 30s are possible. Frost
is looking increasingly likely for many inland areas where the
growing season continues. Will note that there is still some
uncertainty with respect to temps given the potential for
increasing high cloud cover from W to E overnight into Sunday
morning. If clouds move in faster, temps may trend warmer and
vice versa. Additionally, NBM 25th percentile has lows around
freezing across portions of interior SE VA/NE NC. While
confidence is not high enough (given uncertainty with cloud
cover and lack of other model support for these temps) for a
Freeze Watch, cannot rule out a few locations reaching around
freezing Sunday morning.

Remaining mainly dry during the daylight hours of Sunday, but we
will see increasing cloud cover ahead of our next system.
Temperatures will again generally be in the lower 60s, with some
mid 60s across the SE. A trough moves across the Southeast US
Sunday night into early Monday, still helping to form weak low
pressure offshore. Models have come into better agreement this
afternoon, with light to moderate rain overspreading the SE half
of the area later Sunday night through Monday morning. The 12z
ECMWF/EPS remains steady with QPF amounts, showing 0.5-1"+
across SE VA and NE NC. The 12z GFS/GEFS has also increased QPF
amounts compared to the previous couple of runs. Rain comes to
an end Monday afternoon, with sunshine potentially returning
later in the day. Highs on Monday will generally be in the lower
60s.

&&

.LONG TERM /MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY/...
As of 245 PM EDT Friday...

Key Message:

- A gradual warmup is expected through the week with near to slightly
  below normal temperatures expected.

By Monday night through the remainder of the period, the
general synoptic pattern is a trough across New England and a
ridge across the central CONUS with high pressure at the surface
over the region. This will allow for a general warming trend
with highs climbing into the mid-upper 60s by Wednesday. A (dry) cold
front Thursday allows for cooler temps on Friday with highs in
the upper 50s N to lower 60s S. Lows remain near normal with the
coolest nights looking like Tuesday night/Wednesday morning and
Thursday night/Friday morning when temps in the mid- upper 30s
are possible.

&&

.AVIATION /01Z SATURDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/...
As of 735 PM EDT Friday...

VFR prevails for the 00z/01 TAF period. Clear skies persist
overnight and through most of tomorrow with perhaps a few clouds
building in from the NW by the end of the period. Gusty winds at
SBY and ORF will continue through the early overnight hours
before relaxing back to 5-10kt later tonight.

Outlook: High pressure brings prevailing VFR conditions through
the weekend. A weak coastal low may track offshore Sunday night
into Monday, potentially bringing some light rain and flight
restrictions to SE VA/NE NC. High pressure is expected to bring
VFR Tuesday onward.

&&

.MARINE...
As of 600 PM EDT Friday...

Key Messages:

- Gale warnings have been cancelled for the northern two ocean
  zones. SCAs remain in effect tonight for most of the waters.

- Benign boating conditions return to the local waters this
  weekend, as high pressure builds overhead from the west.

- Another potential Low pressure system is expected to form off
  the coast early next week bringing another round of SCAs
  across the local waters.

Converted the Gale Warnings to SCAs for the coastal waters N of
Parramore Island...as winds continue to only gust to 25-30 kt.
SCAs run through 10z/6 AM Saturday. The remainder of the
forecast remains on track.

Previous Discussion:

Afternoon weather analysis shows a strong 978mb low pressure system
over northern New England bordering Canada. Across our area the
pressure gradient remains quite strong causing winds to remain
between 20 to 25 kt with gusts upwards of 30 kt out of the west. The
Gale warning for the northern bay zone has been able to be dropped
and replaced with a SCA as winds are remaining below Gale criteria.
However, across the northern two ocean zones, Gale warnings remain in
effect through 1am as there are still some frequent gusts upwards of
35 kt. However, the Gale warning maybe canceled early if the winds
start to decrease. If the Gale warning is canceled early it will
most likely be replaced with an SCA. Elsewhere, SCAs remain in
effect. Seas this afternoon are between 2 to 4 ft across the bay and
4 to 7 ft across the ocean.

By this evening winds will begin to lower as the pressure gradient
weakens slightly over the area. By 7pm the SCA for the rivers will
be able to be dropped. While elsewhere winds will remain
between 15 to 20 kt with gusts upwards of 25 kt. These
conditions will persist through the early morning of Saturday.
By mid morning Saturday high pressure will start to move over
the area improving marine conditions across all waters. Winds in
the mid morning will be between 10 to 15 kt with gusts upwards
of 20 kt out of the west. Then by the afternoon winds decrease
out of the west to 5 to 10 kt across all waters. Waves will be
between 1 to 2 ft across the bay and 3 to 4 ft across the ocean.
These marine conditions will persist through Sunday with winds
becoming more NE by Sunday afternoon. By Monday recent model
guidance has continued to hint at an additional coastal low
pressure system forming just south of the waters. This potential
coastal low will potentially bring SCA criteria back across the
majority of the waters Monday and Tuesday. Then potentially
middle to late next week multiple fronts may pass across the
area bringing additional chances of elevated marine conditions.

&&

.AKQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
MD...None.
NC...Frost Advisory from 2 AM to 9 AM EDT Saturday for NCZ012-013-
     030.
VA...Frost Advisory from 2 AM to 9 AM EDT Saturday for VAZ065-079-
     080-087-088-092.
MARINE...Small Craft Advisory until 4 AM EDT Saturday for ANZ630>632-
     634.
     Small Craft Advisory until 10 PM EDT this evening for ANZ633-
     638.
     Small Craft Advisory until 6 AM EDT Saturday for ANZ650-652-
     654-656-658.

&&

$$

SYNOPSIS...AJB/RMM
NEAR TERM...AJB/AC
SHORT TERM...AJB/RMM
LONG TERM...AJB/RMM
AVIATION...AC
MARINE...ERI/HET

NWS AKQ Office Area Forecast Discussion