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ANZ543 Tangier Sound And The Inland Waters Surrounding Bloodsworth Island- 633 Pm Est Sat Dec 9 2023
.small craft advisory in effect from 1 am est Sunday through Sunday afternoon...
.gale watch in effect from Sunday evening through Monday afternoon...
Tonight..S winds 10 kt. Waves 1 ft. A slight chance of rain after midnight.
Sun..S winds 10 to 15 kt with gusts to 25 kt. Waves 2 ft. Rain. Vsby 1 nm or less.
Sun night..S winds 15 to 20 kt with gusts to 25 kt... Becoming sw 20 to 25 kt with gusts to 30 kt late in the evening, then becoming nw 25 to 30 kt after midnight. Waves 3 ft. Rain with a chance of tstms. Vsby 1 nm or less.
Mon..NW winds 25 to 30 kt. Waves 3 ft.
Mon night..NW winds 15 to 20 kt with gusts to 25 kt. Waves 1 to 2 ft.
Tue..W winds 5 to 10 kt. Waves 1 ft.
Tue night..SW winds 10 kt. Waves 1 ft.
Wed..NW winds 10 to 15 kt. Waves 1 ft.
Thu..NW winds 5 to 10 kt. Waves 1 ft.
winds and waves higher and visibilities lower in and near tstms.

ANZ500 633 Pm Est Sat Dec 9 2023
Synopsis for the tidal potomac and md portion of the chesapeake bay..
broad high pressure will move offshore through tonight. A strong frontal system will impact the waters Sunday into Monday. Periods of gales are likely during this time. High pressure will return Tuesday through Thursday next week. A small craft advisory will likely be needed Monday night.

FXUS61 KAKQ 100004 AFDAKQ

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION National Weather Service Wakefield VA 704 PM EST Sat Dec 9 2023

SYNOPSIS
A strong frontal system will impact the region Sunday into early Monday. Expect gusty and rainy conditions across the entire area, with locally heavy rain possible at times. Colder air will sharply move in behind the frontal system as high pressure builds back into the region early next week.

NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM SUNDAY MORNING/
As of 230 PM EST Saturday...

Afternoon analysis shows surface high pressure continuing to move further offshore into the Atlantic. An area of light showers has moved along the Blue Ridge this morning, and though most of the showers have dissipated before moving into our area, some light returns have tried to move into the far west, like Farmville and Louisa; thus, a few spits of rain will be possible out that way.
Anticipating the rest of the activity to dissipate before moving our way, though cloud cover will continue to move in and thicken overnight ahead of the main system that will impact us on Sunday.
Temperatures have warmed nicely into the mid to upper 60s across the south, with upper 50s to lower 60s across the north. Southwest winds have picked up a bit this afternoon with gusts of 15-20mph being observed. May see a slight lull in the breeze later this evening before winds begin to ramp up Sunday morning, especially closer to the coast. As winds and cloud cover increase, expect overnight lows to remain mild. Have forecast lows in the mid 50s for most of the area. Rain will be on our doorstep, moving in from the west by sunrise Sunday.

SHORT TERM /6 AM SUNDAY MORNING THROUGH TUESDAY/
As of 230 PM EST Saturday...

Forecast for the incoming storm system still looks to be on track.
The strong cold front will approach from the west on Sunday and push through the area during the evening and overnight hours. Meanwhile, the upper trough will continue to amplify on Sunday and eventually take on a negative tilt as it approaches and crosses the area during the same time frame. Anomalous high amounts of deep-layered moisture will advect into the area ahead of the system on Sunday, with PWs expected to surge to 1.50-1.75". There will be a strong southerly flow ahead of the front on Sunday, especially during the afternoon and evening. Forecasting winds to pick up to 15-25mph, with the stronger speeds closer to the coast. Wind gusts upwards of 30-40mph will be possible at times, particularly in any storms that develop and along the front itself. High temperatures will warm into the upper 60s to lower 70s, though the front will bring in a very sharp temperature gradient, quickly plummeting temperatures Sunday night (more on that below).

Showers are likely during the morning, with numerous showers and even isolated thunderstorms expected during the early afternoon and into the evening. Strong LLJ may allow for strong to severe winds to mix down to the surface in the strongest cells. Exact timing of severe threat seems to have expanded a bit earlier, possibly starting as early as mid-day and persisting into the evening hours, especially across SE VA and NE NC. It'll be hard to get much heating going with all of the cloud cover and rain, but anywhere that does see any limited heating occur will have slightly more instability.
SBCAPE is forecast to be capped around 100-300 J/kg as moist, warm southerly flow continues to stream in. Low level wind fields will strengthen during the day, so would certainly expect strong winds to be the primary threat during this event. However, localized backing of the surface wind field near any triple point that forms may enhance the threat of an isolated tornado or two, mainly across southern and eastern locations. A secondary threat for strong winds will likely accompany the front itself during the later evening hours. The line of showers and storms is expected to form along the front and have the potential to produce wind gusts upwards of 45- 65mph. Damage to power lines and trees will be possible in any of the gusty winds that occur throughout the day.

In addition to the severe threat, widespread rainfall amounts of 1.5- 3 inches are expected with this system. Localized higher amounts upwards of 4 inches can't be ruled out, but will be dependent on where the convection moves through. Lastly, expect a very quick 15- 20 F temperature drop as winds abruptly turn to the NW following the frontal passage. Also, winds may gust to 40-45 mph for a couple of hours in any given location (regardless of whether strong storms occur) after the front passes by. Stratiform rain will continue for a few hours early Mon AM behind the front as moisture wraps around the system as it exits and continues to strengthen. The precipitation is forecast to end by 3-5 AM west/5-8 AM east. Cannot completely rule out a few wet snowflakes mixing in across far north western locations before the precip ends. If the precip does change over to snow any faster than currently expected, there may be a dusting of snow on the ground in these aforementioned locations. Lows are forecast to fall into the mid 30s-around 40F. Gusty NW winds to 25-40 mph will persist through the night, especially across the east.

High pressure will then build in behind the front during the day on Monday. Expect clouds to gradually clear out throughout the late morning to early afternoon hours. Highs on Monday will struggle to reach back into the upper 40s to around 50 degrees. A chilly night is forecast Monday night as the cold air really settles in, with most inland locations falling into the lower 20s and coastal spots dipping to around 30 degrees. Tuesday will bring much of the same as high pressure centers itself across the region. Expect clear skies, light winds, and high temperatures around 50 degrees. Tuesday night won't be quite as cold with lows in the upper 20s inland and low to mid 30s along the coast.

LONG TERM /TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY/
As of 200 PM EST Friday...

Benign weather looks to start the long term period with dry and seasonably cool conditions. Zonal flow will be in place as surface high pressure becomes centered over the region. Some clouds may pass through on Wednesday before clearing out overnight allowing for temperatures to fall into the low to mid 20s inland and low to mid 30s along the coast. A reinforcing secondary high pressure will keep the dry and cool airmass in place for Thursday, with highs holding in the upper 40s to around 50. Models then start to indicate a potent low pressure system developing somewhere across the Intermountain West to Southwest before moving eastward across the country. Differences in placement and timing of this system are very noticeable by the Friday-Saturday timeframe. Will keep monitoring this developing system through time since both have it making it to the Mid-Atlantic region and impacting our local weather at the very end of the long term period.

AVIATION /00Z SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/
As of 700 PM EST Saturday...

VFR/dry conditions prevail through tonight with S winds of 5-10kt. CIGs gradually lower tonight to ~5kft AGL as a strong cold front begins to approach from the NW. MVFR CIGs are expected at RIC by 12z Sunday, expanding to eastern terminals over the following several hours. CIGs are expected to drop to IFR by midday-early aftn at RIC/SBY. LLWS of ~40kt from the SSW will develop over RIC later tonight and persist through ~15z.
Showers start to move in from west to east after 12z, with isolated tstms possible from midday through the evening. The best chc of seeing thunder is in SE VA/NE NC. Brief gusty winds of 35-50kt are possible with the stronger convective cells.
VSBYs will average 3-5SM in the showers, with brief IFR VSBYs likely in the heavier showers/tstms. On Sunday, southerly winds are expected to increase to 12-16kt inland with terminals closer to the coast seeing sustained winds of 15-20kt. Southerly wind gusts upwards of 25-30kt are possible ahead of the front Sunday afternoon.

The front is progged to cross the terminals from NW-SE between 01-07z Monday. Expect an abrupt wind shift to the NW following the FROPA. A short period of 30-40kt gusts is possible at the terminals early Mon AM shortly following the FROPA.
Precipitation will continue through much of Sun night/early Mon AM, and could end as a rain/snow mix at RIC/SBY. Breezy conditions continue on Monday with W-NW winds as the system gradually moves off the coast. Expect skies to clear throughout the day. VFR conditions are forecast into midweek as high pressure builds in.

MARINE
As of 355 PM EST Saturday...

Gale Watches have been converted to Gale Warnings for Sun night across all of the local waters. High pressure remains off the SE coast into Sun with winds remaining S 10-15 kt through tonight. The initial low occludes in Canada tonight with the strong cold front approaching from the W. Secondary cyclogenesis is expected along the front late Sun into Sun evening in central NC. This low is expected to move NE and rapidly deepen Sun night as the trough aloft goes from neutral to negatively tilted. As rapid height falls occur with the deepening low, the wind field will tighten over the local waters. As such, expect strengthening S winds Sun into Sun night with winds increasing to 15-25 kt with gusts to 30 kt over the Ches Bay and 20-25 kt with gusts to 30 kt over the coastal waters Sun.
CAMs show lower S winds than initially expected due mainly to ongoing convection keeping the synoptic winds from efficiently mixing to the surface. However, the cold front moves through from WNW to ESE from 00-09z Mon with strong NW winds aloft mixing down to the surface behind the front. Will note that hi-res CAMs have trended faster with the cold front and have reflected this in the forecast. Gale conditions are likely (high confidence) across the Ches Bay and coastal waters behind the cold front (highest for the first hour or two). Mariners should prepare for strong S winds rapidly shifting to even stronger NW winds with gusts to 40 kt possible (45 kt possible initially behind the cold front). The greatest chance for 45 kt gusts is over the coastal waters but would not be surprised to see a few gusts to 45 kt across the Ches Bay (especially the mouth of the bay). Given bufkit soundings and the strong NW winds behind the front, gusts to 35 kt will also be possible over all the rivers and Currituck Sound (at least for a couple hours). As such, have included all rivers and the Currituck Sound in the Gale Warning. Additionally, the Gale Warning for the N coastal waters begins at 21z Sun due to the highest chance for S Gales ahead of the front over this area. Confidence in Gale conditions has increased due to the recent trend in 12/18z models for a stronger secondary low to develop in central NC before moving up the coast Sun night. The stronger the low, the stronger the NW winds behind the cold front. Gale Watches taper off from W to E Mon as winds diminish. SCAs remain in effect ahead of the Gale Warnings Sun. Widespread showers and isolated-scattered thunderstorms are expected Sun into Sun night with the best chance for storms ahead of and along the cold front Sun afternoon into Sun night. Waterspouts and gusts to >45 kt will be possible with stronger thunderstorms.

NW winds diminish to 20-25 kt with gusts to 30 kt Mon afternoon, eventually diminishing to 10-15 kt Mon night. Sub-SCA conditions are expected Tues through Fri as high pressure dominates the local weather. NE winds increase next weekend with SCA conditions possible.

Waves and seas were 1-2 ft and 2-3 ft respectively. Waves and seas build to 2-4 ft and 4-7 ft Sun, eventually building to 4-6 ft and 6- 10 ft Sun night into Mon. Waves drop below SCA criteria Mon evening with seas remaining elevated into Mon night.

AKQ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
MD...None.
NC...None.
VA...None.
MARINE...Small Craft Advisory from 10 AM to 7 PM EST Sunday for ANZ630- 631-654-656.
Gale Warning from 7 PM Sunday to 1 PM EST Monday for ANZ630- 631-654-656.
Small Craft Advisory from 10 AM to 10 PM EST Sunday for ANZ632- 634-658.
Gale Warning from 10 PM Sunday to 10 AM EST Monday for ANZ632- 634-638-658.
Small Craft Advisory from 1 PM Sunday to 1 AM EST Monday for ANZ633.
Gale Warning from 1 AM to 10 AM EST Monday for ANZ633.
Small Craft Advisory from 4 PM to 10 PM EST Sunday for ANZ635>637.
Gale Warning from 10 PM Sunday to 7 AM EST Monday for ANZ635>637.
Small Craft Advisory from 1 PM to 10 PM EST Sunday for ANZ638.
Small Craft Advisory from 10 AM to 4 PM EST Sunday for ANZ650- 652.
Gale Warning from 4 PM Sunday to 1 PM EST Monday for ANZ650- 652.

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Great Shoals Light
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Sat -- 03:35 AM EST     Moonrise
Sat -- 04:49 AM EST     0.20 feet Low Tide
Sat -- 07:08 AM EST     Sunrise
Sat -- 11:01 AM EST     2.38 feet High Tide
Sat -- 02:21 PM EST     Moonset
Sat -- 04:43 PM EST     Sunset
Sat -- 05:45 PM EST     0.31 feet Low Tide
Sat -- 11:15 PM EST     1.99 feet High Tide
Tide / Current data from XTide NOT FOR NAVIGATION

Great Shoals Light, Monie Bay, Chesapeake Bay, Maryland, Tide feet

Salisbury
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Sat -- 03:03 AM EST     -0.72 knots Max Ebb
Sat -- 03:35 AM EST     Moonrise
Sat -- 06:37 AM EST     0.00 knots Slack
Sat -- 07:07 AM EST     Sunrise
Sat -- 09:45 AM EST     0.61 knots Max Flood
Sat -- 12:53 PM EST     -0.00 knots Slack
Sat -- 02:20 PM EST     Moonset
Sat -- 03:54 PM EST     -0.68 knots Max Ebb
Sat -- 04:41 PM EST     Sunset
Sat -- 07:40 PM EST     0.00 knots Slack
Sat -- 09:58 PM EST     0.35 knots Max Flood
Tide / Current data from XTide NOT FOR NAVIGATION

Salisbury, Maryland (2 miles below) Current, knots

Full Color Weather Map

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