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AMZ252 Coastal Waters From Cape Fear Nc To Little River Inlet Sc Out 20 Nm- 644 Am Est Mon Dec 11 2023
.small craft advisory in effect until noon est today...
Today..NW winds 15 to 20 kt with gusts up to 25 kt, becoming N 10 to 15 kt with gusts up to 20 kt this afternoon. Seas 5 to 8 ft, subsiding to 4 to 6 ft this afternoon.
Tonight..N winds 10 to 15 kt. Seas 3 to 5 ft.
Tue..NE winds 10 to 15 kt. Seas 2 to 4 ft.
Tue night..N winds 10 to 15 kt. Seas 2 to 4 ft.
Wed..N winds 10 to 15 kt. Seas 2 to 4 ft.
Wed night..N winds 15 to 20 kt, becoming ne 20 to 25 kt after midnight. Gusts up to 30 kt. Seas 4 to 6 ft.
Thu..NE winds 20 to 25 kt, diminishing to 15 to 20 kt. Seas 4 to 6 ft.
Fri..NE winds 10 to 15 kt. Seas 3 to 5 ft.

AMZ200 644 Am Est Mon Dec 11 2023
Synopsis for coastal waters from surf city north carolina to south santee river south carolina out to 20 nautical miles.. Winds and seas will gradually subside through the day on Monday as high pressure builds into the area. The high maintains control through the week, although a dry cold front will bring gusty winds and elevated seas around midweek.

FXUS62 KILM 111142 AFDILM

Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Wilmington NC 642 AM EST Mon Dec 11 2023

SYNOPSIS
High pressure will build in for most of the week bringing cool and dry weather to the region. Rain chances could increase late in the period due to a possible storm system to the south.

UPDATE
No major changes from the ongoing forecast with this update.
Biggest uncertainty lies in how quickly low clouds scour out and their potential impacts on high temps, mainly near and north of Cape Fear. Cold advection and subsidence aloft may keep stratocumulus deck locked in for longer than currently expected, which would keep high temps lower.

NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/
Much cooler temperatures have arrived behind a strong cold front which brought gusty winds across the CWA early this morning. Expect morning lows to bottom out in the low 40s driven by cold advection out of the NNW. Clearing will take place from west to east early this morning with stratocumulus hanging on the longest near and north of Cape Fear, where Pender and New Hanover counties may not break out of the clouds until late morning or early afternoon.
Otherwise, expect mostly sunny skies to dominate across the remainder of the region, with the shallow sun angle and continued cold advection causing temps to struggle to reach the low 50s. If low clouds hang on long enough in Pender and New Hanover counties, temps may not breach 50F.

Tonight, broad surface high pressure to the west builds closer to the region while shortwave energy aloft helps to keep general troughing in place at the mid-levels. With clear skies, low dewpoints, and a weak pressure gradient, am expecting great radiational cooling conditions. Thus, have opted to go on the lower side of guidance, which brings lows into the upper 20s to low 30s away from the immediate coast.

SHORT TERM /TUESDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT/
Sprawling surface high and progressive pattern aloft in place from Tue into Wed night. A backdoor cold front arrives late Wed night, providing a reinforcing shot of cold air for the end of the week.
The air mass is quite dry with precipitable water under 0.50" through Wed night and under 0.30" through Wed. Along with being very dry the air mass is chilly. Partial thickness values suggest an airmass where highs will struggle to reach mid 50s on Tue and upper 50s Wed despite sunny skies. As for lows, there should be enough boundary layer mixing Tue night to limit the effectiveness of radiational cooling. The approach of a dry, backdoor cold front Wed night will lead to an increase in wind after midnight. Most areas will be lower 30s Tue night with slightly warmer temps Wed night.

LONG TERM /THURSDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/
Northern stream shortwave drives a dry backdoor cold front across the area right before the start of the long term. This sets up enhanced northerly flow and cold advection for Thu. Temperatures end up about 5 degrees below climo Thu and Thu night. High pressure settles over the region Fri, slightly modifying as coastal trough develops. At this point uncertainty starts increasing. The cutoff emerges over the western Gulf of Mexico over the weekend and interacts with the remains of a stalled front. The timing of the 5h low will be the key to how quickly unsettled conditions are able to spread north over the Southeast. The range of solutions offered by the CMC/ECMWF/ICON/GFS are not unusual given the struggle the guidance routinely has with split flow. Given the amplified nature of the system the solutions with slower timing may end up winning out. Current forecast brings in precip chances Sat night but would not be shocked to see this delayed by about a day. Weekend temperatures will range from near climo during the day to above climo at night.

AVIATION /12Z MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/
MVFR to IFR restrictions remain at the coastal terminals due to stratocumulus deck in the post-frontal airmass. 5SM mist at the Myrtles should continue to be very transient for the next couple hours as winds keep things mixed. Cigs should reliably scatter out at the SC terminals by mid-morning while ILM is a bit less certain, where MVFR cigs may hold on into the early afternoon. Otherwise, VFR expected to persist inland and at the rest of the terminals once cigs scatter out.

Extended Outlook...VFR predominantly expected as high pressure dominates through the period.

MARINE
Through Tonight: Subsiding winds and seas will be the main story as offshore flow dominates and the pressure gradient weakens. Gale-force gusts associated with the frontal passage are coming to an end, with SCA-level gusts expected to persist through late morning. Seas should fall below 6 ft around noon in the NC waters. Seas will continue subsiding into the 3-5 ft range by evening and these 3-5 ft waves should continue through the night, driven mainly by a SE swell at 9 sec.

Tuesday through Friday: North to northeast flow will persist through Fri as high pressure builds in from the north. Backdoor cold front moves south across the area late Wed night, followed by a northeast surge Thu into Thu night. Speeds will be around 15 kt for much of the period, the exception being 20-25 kt Thu and Thu night with the aforementioned surge. Seas 3-4 ft Tue into Thu ramp up on Thu following the arrival of the northeast surge. Seas 4-7 will be possible with potential for 6 ft seas lingering into Fri. Conditions could be quite treacherous this week. A southeast swell will be present with the growing northeast wind wave becoming dominant by mid-week.

ILM WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
SC...None.
NC...None.
MARINE...Small Craft Advisory until noon EST today for AMZ250-252-254- 256.

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Shallotte Inlet (Bowen Point)
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Mon -- 12:34 AM EST     0.17 feet Low Tide
Mon -- 05:48 AM EST     Moonrise
Mon -- 06:44 AM EST     5.27 feet High Tide
Mon -- 07:08 AM EST     Sunrise
Mon -- 01:21 PM EST     0.31 feet Low Tide
Mon -- 03:51 PM EST     Moonset
Mon -- 05:04 PM EST     Sunset
Mon -- 06:50 PM EST     4.28 feet High Tide
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Shallotte Inlet (Bowen Point), North Carolina, Tide feet

Tubbs Inlet
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Mon -- 05:49 AM EST     Moonrise
Mon -- 06:15 AM EST     4.97 feet High Tide
Mon -- 07:08 AM EST     Sunrise
Mon -- 12:41 PM EST     0.32 feet Low Tide
Mon -- 03:51 PM EST     Moonset
Mon -- 05:05 PM EST     Sunset
Mon -- 06:21 PM EST     4.04 feet High Tide
Tide / Current data from XTide NOT FOR NAVIGATION

Tubbs Inlet, North Carolina, Tide feet

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