FXUS62 KCAE 081759 AFDCAE Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Columbia SC 1259 PM EST Thu Jan 8 2026 .SYNOPSIS... Fog is expected to develop across the region once again tonight into Friday morning, impacting the morning commute. Warm weather continues into the weekend. The next significant chance of rain, along with cooler temperatures, arrives later this weekend as a cold front moves through. A return to colder and closer to normal temperatures will then prevail through much of the week. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... Key message(s): - Potential for Dense Fog to form yet again late tonight. This afternoon: Well the fog has finally just about dissipated across the entire forecast area, with only the very extreme southeastern Midlands and CSRA still seeing some patchy fog. This will completely burn off shortly, with the remainder of the afternoon being partly cloudy and turning mild again. Afternoon high temperatures will be a degree or two cooler than preciously thought though, mainly due to how long the fog held on, and the cirrus passing across the region. Readings generally from around 70 north, to the lower 70s elsewhere. Tonight: Once again, FOG will be the running theme for a portion of the overnight hours. Plenty of low-level moisture resides over the southern half of the forecast area. This will moving further inland and northward tonight. There is a little bit more uncertainty though since the setup is not entirely identical as last night. Moisture is a little deeper, with a little less dry air aloft. There will also be a continuation of cirrus clouds overnight. With that being said, majority of the guidance is hitting the fog formation rather hard late tonight and into early Friday morning, and that signal is hard to ignore. Have at least included development of areas to widespread fog developing from midnight onward, and can not rule out another round of widespread dense fog for a good portion of the forecast area by sunrise on Friday. Conditions and guidance will continue to be monitored later this evening, and can not rule out the need for yet another dense fog advisory for later tonight and into Friday. Stay tuned. As for temperatures tonight, readings near 50 across the far north, while most other ares will see the middle 50s. && .SHORT TERM /FRIDAY THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT/... Key message(s): - Near Record High Temperatures Friday and Saturday. - Front leads to increased rain chances and gusty winds Saturday. Fog likely persists into the morning Friday. Upper ridging over the area with surface high pressure offshore will lead to temperatures continuing to rise for Friday and Saturday. High temperatures likely near record values (Record for Friday 80F at Columbia, 78F at Augusta, Saturday 82F at Columbia, 80F at Augusta). NAEFS mean continues to favor 500mb heights above the 90th percentile across the area. A cold front moving into the Appalachians Friday will allow for increased warm advection and moisture. HREF members indicating potential for showers in the northwestern portion of the forecast area late Friday into Friday night with relatively shallow isentropic lift. Any rainfall likely remains light, however, with forcing generally limited. Above average temperatures continue into Friday night with lows around 60. Upper trough to the west deepens over the Plains into Saturday with low pressure developing along the boundary to the northwest. Precip chances likely lessen as the boundary is pulled away from the area as a warm front. Gusty winds expected Saturday as blended guidance shows around 60-70% probability of max wind gust greater than 30 mph. Timing of the front appears to continue to be late Saturday into Saturday night where the rainfall will be most likely, although strongest forcing continues to appear to push north, limiting totals, especially in the southeastern area. && .LONG TERM /SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/... Key message(s): - Gusty winds behind the front Sunday with drier and cooler air mass into next week. After the front passes, much cooler, although ensembles do not point do particularly anomalous cold so expect temperatures slightly below average. Drier weather will continue into early next week. Sunday also looks to be another breezy day behind the exiting cold front due to the strong cold air advection with high probability of gusts above 30 mph again (~70%). The coolest day of the long term is forecast to be Monday. Another potential system is forecast to approach the area midweek, which could bring chances for rain, but there is quite a bit of uncertainty at this point. && .AVIATION /18Z THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/... Dense fog with lifr conditions expected at all locations late tonight and into a good portion of Friday morning. Airmass showing a good amount of low-level moisture across along and south of the I20 corridor this afternoon. This moisture will continue to slowly track northward and get deeper tonight and into Friday. Most taf sites have finally turned vfr, with mainly some cirrus tracking across the region being the only cloud cover. Vfr will continue into this evening, then conditions are expected to deteriorate back down to mvfr by midnight, then to lifr as fog develops across the region towards 06-07z. Guidance continues to be bullish on the formation of this widespread fog, and confidence in increasing once again that visibilities of 1/4sm or less will develop late tonight and into a good portion of Friday morning. If Friday is similar to the past few fog events, burn off will not occur until late morning at most locations, and will thus hold on to lifr at least until 15z when visibilities should finally be improving. Even so, mvfr conditions will then prevail through 18z. EXTENDED AVIATION OUTLOOK...A cold front will approach the area this weekend bringing showers and the potential for widespread restrictions Saturday night into Sunday. && .CAE WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... SC...None. GA...None. && $$