FXUS61 KRLX 211302 AFDRLX Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Charleston WV 902 AM EDT Tue Apr 21 2026 .WHAT HAS CHANGED... 902 AM update... The freeze warning has expired on time at 9 AM as temperatures gradually rise into the upper 30s and lower 40s. && .KEY MESSAGES... 1) Cold temperatures this morning with widespread freezing conditions. Southwesterly flow beginning today will encourage a warming trend for the rest of the work week and mitigating concerns for frost/freeze potential during the overnight hours. 2) Elevated fire danger on tap today with critically low RH values in the afternoon and breezy daytime gusts. 3) Light rain showers possible Wednesday amid a passing shortwave disturbance. Another shot for beneficial rain arrives with a cold front this weekend. && .DISCUSSION... KEY MESSAGE 1... Strong radiational cooling amid clear skies and calm winds are underway this morning. Local weather observation stations at the time of writing display sub-freezing temperatures creeping down from the northeast WV mountains down into the Ohio River Valley and Charleston metro areas, with further spread of these cold temperatures expected before daybreak. Widespread Freeze Warnings remain in play until 9 AM this morning as a result. A pocket of high pressure that has supplied dry weather over the area the past two days will slide offshore today, allowing surface flow to shift out of the southwest. This will encourage a warming trend to ensue, bringing temperatures back towards their seasonable norm for this time of year. Overnight temperatures will steer above freezing within this warming regime, mitigating any additional concerns for frost/freeze conditions through the next 7 days. KEY MESSAGE 2... Another day of elevated fire weather concerns is on tap for today amid dry weather advertised by the departing surface high. Warming temperatures, low dew points, and breezy afternoon surface gusts will yield minimum relative humidities in the upper teens to mid 20s across the forecast area. An uptick in dewpoints will begin across our western zones this afternoon as surface winds become predominantly southwesterly and ushering up Gulf moisture. Low level moisture will spread further into the foothills and mountains late tonight into Wednesday ahead of a passing weak disturbance. Minimum RH values will rise as a result for Wednesday afternoon and for the second half of the week. Some isolated locales may stumble down into the 30s for minRH values in the wake of the midweek disturbance, but fire danger concerns look to become less widespread after today for the time being. KEY MESSAGE 3... Weak mid-level troughing in the lower Great Lakes region will drape across the Ohio Valley and down into the Central Appalachians on Wednesday. Shower development along this feature will pivot down into the forecast area shortly after midnight tonight and sluggishly drift southeastward throughout the day. Light rainfall amounts ranging from a few hundredths of an inch to around three quarters of an inch will be possible across our northern zones from Wednesday morning through late Wednesday night, with locally higher amounts possible in any embedded convective activity. The next chance for widespread beneficial rainfall is slated to arrive for the start of the weekend with a cold frontal passage. Global models are in decent agreement of the front sliding through on Saturday into Sunday morning, which should serve up precipitation amounts that will help put a dent in the abnormally dry ground conditions currently present across parts of the forecast area. && .AVIATION /13Z TUESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/... Departing high pressure will supply one more day of dry weather and VFR conditions before a weak disturbance arrives Wednesday morning. Light showers drop down from the north near the conclusion of the valid TAF period in addition to MVFR ceilings in close proximity to our northern terminals. Sub-VFR conditions arrive after 12Z Wednesday morning. Calm winds early this morning will become light out of the west/southwest after sunrise. Some occasional afternoon gusts of around 15 to 20kts could be observed along the higher terrain. A low level jet developing overhead tonight will yield potential for LLWS at several terminals, including CRW, CKB, and EKN. FORECAST CONFIDENCE AND ALTERNATE SCENARIOS THROUGH 12Z WEDNESDAY... FORECAST CONFIDENCE: High. ALTERNATE SCENARIOS: None. EXPERIMENTAL TABLE OF FLIGHT CATEGORY OBJECTIVELY SHOWS CONSISTENCY OF WFO FORECAST TO AVAILABLE MODEL INFORMATION: H = HIGH: TAF CONSISTENT WITH ALL MODELS OR ALL BUT ONE MODEL. M = MEDIUM: TAF HAS VARYING LEVEL OF CONSISTENCY WITH MODELS. L = LOW: TAF INCONSISTENT WITH ALL MODELS OR ALL BUT ONE MODEL. UTC 1HRLY 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 EDT 1HRLY 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 CRW CONSISTENCY H H H H H H H H H H H H HTS CONSISTENCY H H H H H H H H H H H H BKW CONSISTENCY H H H H H H H H H H H H EKN CONSISTENCY H H H H H H H H H H H H PKB CONSISTENCY H H H H H H H H H H H H CKB CONSISTENCY H H H H H H H H H H H H AFTER 12Z WEDNESDAY... No widespread IFR anticipated. && .RLX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WV...None. OH...None. KY...None. VA...None. && $$ DISCUSSION...05/26 AVIATION...05