FXUS62 KFFC 191816 AFDFFC Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Peachtree City GA 216 PM EDT Thu Mar 19 2026 ...New 18Z Aviation Discussion... .KEY MESSAGES... Updated at 215 PM EDT Thu Mar 19 2026 - Temperatures will gradually increase each day this week, reaching more than 10-15 degrees above average this weekend. - Dry conditions will persist through the weekend, with any potential low rain chances holding off until at least Monday. && .SHORT TERM... (Today through Friday) Issued at 233 AM EDT Thu Mar 19 2026 Not much to write home about in the short term. Dry weather will continue amid a rapid warming trend. After our brief bout of chilly weather the last couple of days and this morning's frosty temperatures, we'll rebound back to near normal this afternoon with highs from the mid 60s to around 70. Northwest flow aloft will persist through the end of the week, though any moisture-starved disturbance will only bring intermittent increased midlevel clouds. In keeping with this March's theme of above normal temperatures, mid 70s return to most spots on Friday, some 5-10 degrees above normal. && .LONG TERM... (Friday night through Wednesday) Issued at 233 AM EDT Thu Mar 19 2026 Dry and Warmer This Weekend: Over the weekend, a very strong ridge centered over the Southwest US will continue to reach over our area, providing a warming trend and continued dry conditions. High temperatures will return to the 80s across much of the area over the weekend. At this time, Sunday looks to be the warmest day of the next 7, with highs in the mid to upper 80s, which would be near daily records. Morning lows will climb to the mid to upper 50s. Between the dry northwest mid-level flow, subsidence from the ridge, and the synoptic storm track remaining off to the north, rain chances will remain below 10% through at least Sunday. Cooler with Low End Rain Chances Early to Mid Next Week: For early to mid next week, model guidance continues to have quite a bit of spread, with about 33% of the ensembles showing the ridge continuing to hold strong, and about 50% having the ridge weakening as troughing drops into the central and eastern US. There has been a growing number of ensemble members showing the latter, which would start to bring some low end rain chances (10-20%) back into our area, as well as cooling temperatures down a bit. Our confidence in the details of the forecast for this time period is low, but our confidence in relatively hazard-free conditions is medium to high. The details on the forecast for early to mid next week will become clearer in the next day or two. && .AVIATION... (18Z TAFS) Issued at 215 PM EDT Thu Mar 19 2026 VFR conditions are expected through the TAF period. Light winds will generally have a SSW-SW direction at 5kt or less, and nearly calm overnight. Intermittent high clouds will diminish overnight. //ATL Confidence...18Z Update... High confidence on all elements. 31 && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Athens 40 73 52 81 / 0 0 0 10 Atlanta 46 74 55 82 / 0 0 0 10 Blairsville 38 71 48 77 / 0 0 10 10 Cartersville 41 76 52 82 / 0 0 0 10 Columbus 43 77 51 83 / 0 0 0 0 Gainesville 42 73 53 80 / 0 0 0 10 Macon 40 75 50 82 / 0 0 0 0 Rome 42 79 53 85 / 0 0 0 10 Peachtree City 42 75 52 82 / 0 0 0 10 Vidalia 42 76 50 83 / 0 0 0 0 && .FFC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && $$ SHORT TERM...31 LONG TERM....Culver AVIATION...31