FXCN01 CWHF 080809 FORECAST DISCUSSION FOR OPS AREA ALPHA AND THE ECHOES, CFB HALIFAX PROPERTIES AND 12 WING SHEARWATER ISSUED BY AVIATION AND DEFENCE SERVICES OF ENVIRONMENT AND CLIMATE CHANGE CANADA AT 0830Z ON FRIDAY 08 MAY =================================================================== KEY FORECAST POINTS: - UNSTABLE AIRMASS WILL COMBINE WITH DAYTIME HEATING TO GIVE SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE REGION TODAY. - CONVECTION IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ALONG THE SPINE OF NOVA SCOTIA AND TRACK OFF TO THE NORTHEAST SATURDAY AFTERNOON. - DIGGING UPPER TROUGH WILL SPREAD IMPULSES OF SHOWERS/RAIN INTO THE REGION LATE SATURDAY INTO MID WEEK.. EXPECT WET CONDITIONS WITH THE HEAVIEST TOTALS OCCURRING MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY. =================================================================== SHORT RANGE DISCUSSION FOR 0600Z 08 MAY TO 0300Z 10 MAY. MODEL DISCUSSION: USED RDPS/HRDPS. CONFIDENCE: GENERALLY HIGH. COMMENTS/IMPACTS: AN UNSTABLE AIRMASS LINGERS IN THE WAKE OF THE SYSTEM THAT AFFECTED THE REGION THURSDAY. EXPECT DAYTIME HEATING AND WEAK TROUGH TO ASSIST IN DEVELOPING SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE MARITIMES TODAY. MODELS HAVE CONTINUOUSLY PUSHED THE STRONGEST CONVECTION OFF TO THE NORTH AND EAST OF HALIFAX SO HAVE REMOVED THE RISK IN THE FORECAST. WHILE NOT ZERO, IT IS LESS THAN 20 PERCENT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS AFFECTING THE REGION TODAY. EXPECT CONVECTION WILL BEGIN DISSIPATE AFTER SUNSET AND CLEAR SKIES ARE GENERALLY EXPECTED BY MIDNIGHT. ONCE AGAIN, CONVECTIVE CLOUD WILL DEVELOP BUT THE FOCUS APPEARS ALONG THE SPINE OF NOVA SCOTIA SATURDAY. WHILE AFTERNOON CLOUDY PERIODS WILL DEVELOP, SHOWERS AND THE THREAT OF THUNDERSTORMS ARE FORECAST TO REMAIN INLAND. CLOUDY WILL BEING TO INCREASE LATE IN THE DAY SATURDAY AHEAD OF A DEVELOPING TROUGH MOVING OFF THE EASTERN SEABOARD WITH SHOWERS MOVING INTO THE HALIFAX REGION NEAR MIDNIGHT. GENERALLY LIGHT TO MODERATE WEST TO SOUTHWEST WINDS ARE FORECAST THROUGH THE PERIOD WITH AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING GUSTS IN THE LOW 20 KNOT RANGE. WIND ADVISORY FOR 12 WING SHEARWATER IS UNLIKELY. LONG RANGE DISCUSSION FOR 0300Z 10 MAY TO 0300Z 13 MAY. MODEL DISCUSSION: USED RDPS/GDPS. CONFIDENCE: GENERALLY HIGH... MEDIUM WITH PRECIPITATION AMOUNTS/WHERE BAND OF HEAVIEST RAINFALL WILL LINE UP MONDAY INTO TUESDAY. COMMENTS/IMPACTS: A DIGGING UPPER TROUGH WILL GRADUALLY MOVE INTO THE REGION BEGINNING LATE SATURDAY GIVING AN UNSTABLE AND WET FORECAST THROUGH THE EXTENDED. THE FIRST IMPULSE OF SHOWERS WILL MOVE INTO THE REGION NEAR MIDNIGHT SATURDAY. SHOWERS AND DRIZZLE WILL CONTINUE TO STREAM SOUTHWEST TO NORTHEAST ACROSS THE REGION THROUGH THE DAY SUNDAY. A FRONTAL TROUGH WILL APPROACH MONDAY GIVING SHOWERS, POSSIBLY AT TIMES HEAVY, THROUGHOUT THE DAY. A NEW LOW IS FORECAST TO DEVELOP ALONG THE TAIL END OF THE COLD FRONTAL TROUGH MONDAY INTO THE OVERNIGHT THEN INTENSIFY AND TRACK UP TOWARDS THE REGION TUESDAY GIVING PERIODS OF RAIN, LIKELY AT TIMES HEAVY. MODEL RUNS FROM 24 HOURS AGO HAD THE GDPS GIVING THE HEAVIEST RAINFALL AMOUNTS. IT NOW GIVES SOME OF THE LEAST AMOUNTS AS IT HAS THE FURTHEST EAST TRACK OF THE MODELS. GFS/ECMWF TRACK THE LOW TOWARDS CAPE BRETON AND GIVE PERIODS OF SIGNIFICANT RAINFALL TUESDAY WHILE THE ICON TRACKS THE LOW JUST OFF THE COAST OF HALIFAX AND GIVES THE HEAVIEST AMOUNTS TO THE LOCAL REGION. ALL THAT TO SAY.. WET CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED THROUGH THE EXTENDED WITH SOME AREAS ALONG THE NOVA SCOTIA COAST GETTING POSSIBLY SIGNIFICANT RAINFALL, DEPENDENT UPON THE TRACK OF TUESDAYS LOW. END/METOC-HFX