916
FXUS61 KOKX 051554
AFDOKX

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service New York NY
1054 AM EST Wed Feb 5 2025

.SYNOPSIS...
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High pressure builds over the area through early this evening. A low pressure system will then impact the area late tonight into Thursday, followed by high pressure building in through the end of the week. Another area of low pressure impacts the area Saturday night into Sunday. High pressure will then build back in for the beginning of the next week, followed by a series of low pressure systems for the middle of the week.
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&& .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 PM THIS EVENING/...
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A upper level shortwave trough working across the Northeast today has suppressed much of the cloud cover to the SW with what now looks like a mostly sunny day. The high clouds will once again increase toward early evening ahead of the next disturbance. There is some uncertainty and this could vary by 1-2 hours. Otherwise, high pressure will continue to build over the area today. Strong subsidence leads to dry low levels with temperatures topping out below normal in the lower and middle 30s.
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&& .SHORT TERM /6 PM THIS EVENING THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT/... Main concern for tonight into Thursday will be a wintry mix and impacts to the Thursday morning commute. Broad low pressure moves over the Great Lakes tonight with its associated warm front lifting towards the area from the southwest. Warm advection increases tonight, especially after midnight, which will moisten the column and provide strong lift to develop precip after 3 am west and continue overspreading the area through day break. This will be a quick moving system with the bulk of the precip occurring Thursday morning and beginning to taper off from west to east in the afternoon. Thermal profiles are cold enough to support snow at the onset. Warming aloft is still expected bringing a wintry mix Thursday morning as secondary low pressure likely develops just south of Long Island. Initially the low level cold air looks deep enough to change the precip to sleet or a mix of snow/sleet. The low level cold air shrinks as warmer air advects in under a strengthening S-SE flow which will then introduce some freezing rain, which likely spreads north and east late morning. Plain rain is expected for much of the area except for the interior where freezing rain may persist into the early afternoon, depending on how quickly the surface cold can scour out. The intensity of the precip should drop off in the afternoon as the deeper moisture and lift push east of the area. Much of the precip should largely be over by the Thursday evening commute. Temperatures are a bit more challenging across the NYC metro, western Long Island, and coastal CT in the morning. The guidance can struggle with these situations on top of the fact the surface pattern is not favored for an all snow event. Surface temperatures will be rising in the morning, but with wet bulbing at the onset and temps beginning in the upper 20s, it may take some time to fully rise above freezing. The warming aloft and surface temperature concerns introduces a chance for a few hours of freezing rain or freezing rain mixed with some sleet for portions of the NYC metro, western Long Island, and coastal CT. Have decided to expand the Winter Weather Advisory to include these locations due the potential of a light glaze of ice. Snowfall amounts are not at criteria, but there will likely be travel impacts given the event is occurring during the morning commute. These conditions are enough to support the expansion of the Advisory. Temperatures should be well above freezing by late morning, so will let the Advisory end at 11 am. No changes were made to the rest of the Advisory. Snow and sleet accumulations are similar to the previous forecast with a slight adjustment upward across Southern CT where profiles remain coldest the longest. Around 2 inches of snow/sleet forecast across S CT with 1-2 inches across the Lower Hudson Valley and interior NE NJ down into the northern half of the NYC metro. For the southern half of the NYC metro and Long Island, generally around an inch expected. Snow amounts could be slightly higher if the warm air aloft is slower to move over the region. Up to a tenth of an inch of ice expected across much of the interior. Dry conditions expected Thursday night, but the trailing cold front likely does not move through until early Friday morning. High pressure then builds on Friday with a gusty NW flow in place over the area. Gusts may peak around 40 mph, but think winds stay below Advisory levels at this time. Highs on Friday look to be just above normal as the colder air will take some time to reach the area, similar to what just occurred on Tuesday. The high then settles over the area Friday night, but the fast zonal flow aloft continues with clouds likely increasing at night ahead of the next system. && .LONG TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/... High pressure over the area on Saturday will gradually shift offshore as a strengthening surface low pressure system approaches from the west. Models are in fairly good agreement on the low tracking generally over the area as it intensifies, allowing for a widespread shield of moderate precipitation to overspread the region Saturday night and through Sunday morning. Temperatures ahead of the low are expected to be in the middle to upper 30s along the coast with sub-freezing temperatures inland. This will likely result in initial widespread snowfall for much of the area. As temperatures fall a bit from wet- bulbing and a reduction in solar heating overnight, snowfall should continue, but as the center of the low tracks generally overhead, warm air aloft may intrude on the CWA. This allows for the possibility of precipitation transitioning from a primarily snow to a mix of snow, sleet, and freezing rain or plain rain. Temperatures should slowly warm late in the night such that much of the area ends with a plain rain with a rain/snow mix for northernmost areas. The low departs late Sunday with high pressure building in behind it. A brisk NW flow will usher in another cold airmass for the beginning of the week with highs generally in the middle 30s. Global models are then fairly consistent on a series of frontal waves developing and traversing south of the area early Tuesday through late Wednesday. The proximity of these systems will determine how much precipitation we receive, but being on the northern fringe of these system would promote primarily snow, though there remains ample uncertainty in the intensity, track, and moisture content of these systems. && .AVIATION /16Z WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/... High pressure settles over the area today. Low pressure approaches from the west late tonight and Thursday morning. VFR through late tonight. Low pressure brings MVFR cigs and -SN between 8-10Z Thursday. IFR cigs expected by 12Z. Transition to a wintry mix of snow, sleet, and freezing rain possible from 12-15Z, especially for the NYC and coastal terminals before completely becoming plain rain after 15Z. Northern terminals may remain mostly snow or mix with snow and sleet. IFR conditions expected much of the day Thursday. NW winds around 10kt through the AM push. Winds remain around 10 kt as they become more northerly during the day. Winds may go light and variable at night before shifting out of the E/SE at 5-10kt late tonight ahead of an approaching low pressure. ...NY Metro (KEWR/KLGA/KJFK/KTEB) TAF Uncertainty... Occasional gusts are possible for a few hours towards towards midday. Amendments may be possible for the timing of category changes and onset of snow Thursday morning. .OUTLOOK FOR 12Z THURSDAY THROUGH SUNDAY... Thursday: IFR or lower cond with light snow/sleet to start. Precip should change to rain after about 14Z-15Z at the NYC metros and KISP, by about 17Z at KBDR/KGON, and could transition to freezing rain at KSWF mid to late morning before changing to rain by 18Z. Snowfall amounts should be light, mainly either side of an inch. Thursday night: Rain ending with conditions becoming VFR. Friday: VFR. W winds G20-25kt. Saturday: Chance of snow with IFR cond in the afternoon. Snow changing to a wintry mix expected at night. Sunday: Precip should change over to all rain by daybreak Sunday except for KSWF. MVFR to IFR at times. Becoming VFR as precip ends during Sunday afternoon. Detailed information, including hourly TAF wind component forecasts, can be found at: https:/www.weather.gov/zny/n90 && .MARINE... A weak pressure gradient today into tonight will lead to winds and seas below SCA levels. The next chance of SCA conds will be on Thursday, and mainly on the ocean waters as low impacts the waters. Winds should weaken Thursday night, but elevated seas may remain on the ocean. Strong NW flow is expected Friday with SCA conditions on all waters. Think winds stay below gales at this time. Conditions should improve Friday night as the next high pressure builds over the waters. Sub-SCA conditions expected on Saturday with high pressure overhead. Wind and waves increase Saturday night and Sunday morning with SCA conditions on the ocean. Winds may result in SCA conditions for the sheltered waters as well but remain marginal at this time. Slight chance of gales on the ocean water Sunday depending on how close the strengthening low tracks. && .HYDROLOGY... There are no hydrologic concerns through the forecast period. && .OKX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... CT...Winter Weather Advisory from 4 AM to 1 PM EST Thursday for CTZ005>012. NY...Winter Weather Advisory from 4 AM to 1 PM EST Thursday for NYZ067>071. Winter Weather Advisory from 4 AM to 11 AM EST Thursday for NYZ072>075-078-080-176>179. NJ...Winter Weather Advisory from 4 AM to 1 PM EST Thursday for NJZ002-004-103>105-107. Winter Weather Advisory from 4 AM to 11 AM EST Thursday for NJZ006-106-108. MARINE...None. && $$ SYNOPSIS...DS/DW/MW NEAR TERM...DS/DW SHORT TERM...DS LONG TERM...MW AVIATION...BR/MW MARINE...DS/MW HYDROLOGY...DS/MW