612  
FXUS02 KWBC 190658  
PMDEPD  
 
EXTENDED FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NWS WEATHER PREDICTION CENTER COLLEGE PARK MD  
257 AM EDT SAT AUG 19 2023  
 
VALID 12Z TUE AUG 22 2023 - 12Z SAT AUG 26 2023  
 
***MAJOR HEAT WAVE FOR THE CENTRAL U.S. AND EXTENDING TO THE GULF  
COAST REGION FOR MUCH OF NEXT WEEK WITH NUMEROUS RECORD HIGHS  
LIKELY***  
 
   
..SYNOPTIC OVERVIEW
 
 
AN IMPRESSIVE 600DM UPPER RIDGE WILL BE ANCHORED IN PLACE ACROSS  
THE MIDWEST FOR THE BEGINNING TO MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK WITH  
WIDESPREAD EXCESSIVE HEAT AND HUMIDITY ACCOMPANYING IT. THIS  
RIDGE WILL LIKELY START TO DECAY SOME GOING INTO THE END OF THE  
WEEK AND THEN GETS DISPLACED TOWARDS THE SOUTH AS SHORTWAVE ENERGY  
IMPINGES UPON IT FROM THE NORTH, BUT THE HEAT AND HUMIDITY WILL  
LIKELY CONTINUE TO MAKE WEATHER HEADLINES FOR MUCH OF THE  
SOUTH-CENTRAL STATES. ACROSS THE NORTHEAST U.S., AN UPPER LEVEL  
TROUGH IS EXPECTED TO BE IN PLACE FOR MOST OF THE WEEK AND THIS  
WILL SHIELD THE REGION FROM THE EXCESSIVE HEAT THAT IS EXPECTED  
ACROSS THE CENTRAL U.S., AND AN INCREASE OF MOISTURE ACROSS THE  
NORTHERN GULF WILL FUEL MORE WIDESPREAD COVERAGE OF SHOWERS AND  
STORMS ACROSS SOUTHERN TEXAS GOING INTO TUESDAY. SHOWERS ARE ALSO  
EXPECTED FROM THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST TO THE NORTHERN ROCKIES  
THROUGH MID-WEEK.  
   
..GUIDANCE EVALUATION/PREDICTABILITY ASSESSMENT
 
 
THE 00Z MODEL GUIDANCE SUITE INDICATES VERY GOOD OVERALL SYNOPTIC  
SCALE AGREEMENT ACROSS THE FORECAST DOMAIN FOR THE MIDDLE OF THE  
WEEK, WITH ABOVE AVERAGE CONFIDENCE WITH THE HUGE UPPER RIDGE OVER  
THE CENTRAL U.S. EARLY IN THE WEEK, WITH MULTIPLE MODELS  
INDICATING A RARE 600DM CONTOUR OVER IOWA AND MISSOURI. THE MAIN  
DIFFERENCES NOTED LATER IN THE WEEK INVOLVE THE TIMING AND  
MAGNITUDE OF SHORTWAVES TRAVERSING AROUND THE NORTHERN PERIPHERY  
OF THE RIDGE, WITH THE CMC/ECMWF SLOWER WITH THE SHORTWAVE  
PASSAGES. THE CMC BECOMES A LITTLE TO THE WEST OF THE MODEL  
CONSENSUS WITH THE CORE OF THE UPPER HIGH BY NEXT SATURDAY, BUT  
THE 00Z RUN IS IN BETTER ALIGNMENT COMPARED TO THE 12Z THAT WAS  
NOT FAVORED BEYOND THURSDAY. THE GFS TEMPERATURES WITH THE  
UPCOMING HEATWAVE ARE LIKELY TOO HIGH ACROSS MUCH OF THE MIDWEST  
AND EVEN ACROSS PARTS OF THE GREAT LAKES AND OHIO VALLEY, WITH THE  
ECMWF AND ENSEMBLE MEAN TEMPERATURES CLOSER TO WHAT IS EXPECTED TO  
EVOLVE. THE WPC BLEND FOR THE FRONTS/PRESSURES INCORPORATED A  
NEARLY DETERMINISTIC MODEL BLEND THROUGH WEDNESDAY, AND THEN  
REDUCING THE CMC AND SLOWLY TRANSITIONING TO ABOUT 40-50% OF THE  
18Z GEFS/12Z ECENS ENSEMBLE MEANS FOR FRIDAY AND SATURDAY.  
   
..WEATHER/HAZARDS HIGHLIGHTS
 
 
THE GOOD NEWS HERE IS THE HEAVIEST RAIN ASSOCIATED WITH THE  
REMNANTS OF HILARY SHOULD BE OVER BY TUESDAY MORNING WITH JUST  
SOME SCATTERED SHOWERS AND STORMS REMAINING IN ITS WAKE ACROSS THE  
DESERT SOUTHWEST AND THE INTERMOUNTAIN WEST. HOWEVER, THERE WILL  
LIKELY BE A MORE CONCENTRATED CORRIDOR OF MOISTURE CONVERGENCE  
FROM EASTERN OREGON TO NORTHERN IDAHO WHERE THE MODELS ARE  
DEPICTING LOCAL RAINFALL MAXIMA AROUND AN INCH ON TUESDAY, AND  
GIVEN EXPECTED RAINFALL PRIOR TO THIS TIME, A SLIGHT RISK AREA IS  
PLANNED FOR DAY 4 ACROSS THIS REGION. ACROSS THE GULF COAST  
REGION, A TROPICAL WAVE MOVING UNDERNEATH THE STRONG UPPER RIDGE  
IS EXPECTED TO ADVECT WESTWARD ACROSS THE GULF OF MEXICO AND  
INLAND ACROSS SOUTHERN TEXAS, SUPPORTING THE DEVELOPMENT OF  
WIDESPREAD SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ON TUESDAY, AND THEN ACROSS  
NORTHERN MEXICO BY WEDNESDAY AND BEYOND. A MARGINAL RISK AREA IS  
PLANNED FOR THIS REGION AS A RESULT WITH 1-2 INCHES OF RAINFALL  
POSSIBLE SOUTH OF THE INTERSTATE 10 CORRIDOR. THERE IS ALSO A  
MARGINAL RISK AREA PLANNED FOR PORTIONS OF THE MID-ATLANTIC ON DAY  
5 WITH A POTENTIAL MCS TRACKING SOUTHEAST FROM THE GREAT LAKES,  
ALTHOUGH CONFIDENCE ON ITS EVOLUTION IS LIMITED FOR NOW.  
ELSEWHERE, VERY LITTLE IN THE WAY OF RAIN IS EXPECTED ACROSS A  
WIDE EXPANSE OF THE CENTRAL U.S. AS THE RIDGE SEVERELY RESTRICTS  
THE DEVELOPMENT OF ANY SHOWERS OR STORMS.  
 
A MAJOR LATE SUMMER HEATWAVE IS EXPECTED ACROSS MUCH OF THE  
MIDWEST AND EXTENDING ACROSS THE CENTRAL PLAINS THROUGH ABOUT  
THURSDAY WITH THE MASSIVE UPPER RIDGE IN PLACE AND SUPPRESSING  
CLOUD DEVELOPMENT. WIDESPREAD 100+ DEGREE HIGH TEMPERATURES ARE  
EXPECTED FROM SOUTHERN SOUTH DAKOTA AND POINTS SOUTHWARD, AND SOME  
OVERNIGHT LOWS MAY STAY ABOVE 80 DEGREES, ESPECIALLY FOR LARGER  
URBAN AREAS. THESE READINGS ACROSS THE MIDWEST ARE ON THE ORDER  
OF 10-20 DEGREES ABOVE LATE AUGUST AVERAGES, WITH THE CORE OF THE  
ANOMALIES CENTERED MAINLY OVER IOWA AND PORTIONS OF ADJACENT  
STATES THROUGH MID-WEEK. THERE WILL LIKELY BE SOME ABATEMENT TO  
THE LATE SUMMER HEATWAVE ACROSS THE MIDWEST BY FRIDAY AND INTO  
NEXT WEEKEND AS THE RIDGE IS SUPPRESSED TO THE SOUTH. MEANWHILE,  
THE INTENSE HEAT IS EXPECTED TO PERSIST UNABATED ACROSS TEXAS AND  
THE DEEP SOUTH STATES THROUGH THE END OF THE FORECAST PERIOD WITH  
HIGHS RUNNING 10-15 DEGREES ABOVE AVERAGE, WITH MANY LOCATIONS  
ACROSS THE DEEP SOUTH LIKELY HAVING THEIR WARMEST AUGUST ON  
RECORD. NUMEROUS DAILY RECORDS AND PERHAPS SOME MONTHLY RECORD  
HIGHS ARE EXPECTED.  
 
THE OPPOSITE HOLDS TRUE FROM CALIFORNIA TO INTERIOR PORTIONS OF  
THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST WITH TEMPERATURES RUNNING 10 TO 20 DEGREES  
BELOW AVERAGE OWING TO EXPANSIVE CLOUD COVER AND WIDESPREAD  
RAINFALL, PERHAPS SETTING SOME RECORD LOW MAX TEMPERATURES ACROSS  
THIS REGION ON TUESDAY. TEMPERATURES SLOWLY MODERATE GOING INTO  
THE SECOND HALF OF THE WEEK ACROSS THIS REGION AND RETURN CLOSER  
TO LATE AUGUST AVERAGES BY NEXT WEEKEND. MUCH OF THE NORTHEAST  
U.S. SHOULD ALSO AVOID THE BRUTAL HEAT WITH MULTIPLE SHORTWAVE  
PASSAGES REINFORCING A COMFORTABLE AIRMASS ACROSS THE REGION.  
 
HAMRICK  
 
ADDITIONAL 3-7 DAY HAZARD INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND ON THE WPC  
MEDIUM RANGE HAZARDS OUTLOOK CHART AT:  
HTTPS://WWW.WPC.NCEP.NOAA.GOV/THREATS/THREATS.PHP  
 
HAZARDS:  
- HEAVY RAIN ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE NORTHWESTERN U.S. FROM EASTERN  
OREGON INTO CENTRAL IDAHO, MON, AUG 21.  
- HEAVY RAIN ACROSS PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN TEXAS, TUE-WED, AUG  
22-AUG 23.  
- HAZARDOUS HEAT ACROSS MUCH OF THE MID-SECTION OF THE COUNTRY  
INCLUDING THE LOWER AND MID-MISSISSIPPI VALLEY, PORTIONS OF THE  
OHIO VALLEY, THE SOUTHEAST, AND INTO NORTHERN FLORIDA, MON-FRI,  
AUG 21-AUG 25.  
- HAZARDOUS HEAT ACROSS THE INNER COASTAL PLAIN OF THE CAROLINAS,  
TUE, AUG 22 AND FRI, AUG 25.  
 
WPC MEDIUM RANGE 500MB HEIGHTS, SURFACE SYSTEMS, WEATHER GRIDS,  
QUANTITATIVE PRECIPITATION FORECAST, EXCESSIVE RAINFALL OUTLOOK,  
WINTER WEATHER OUTLOOK PROBABILITIES, HEAT INDICES AND KEY  
MESSAGES ARE AT:  
 
HTTPS://WWW.WPC.NCEP.NOAA.GOV/MEDR/5DAYFCST500_WBG.GIF  
HTTPS://WWW.WPC.NCEP.NOAA.GOV/MEDR/5DAYFCST_WBG_CONUS.GIF  
HTTPS://WWW.WPC.NCEP.NOAA.GOV/5KM_GRIDS/5KM_GRIDSBODY.HTML  
HTTPS://WWW.WPC.NCEP.NOAA.GOV/QPF/DAY4-7.SHTML  
HTTPS://WWW.WPC.NCEP.NOAA.GOV/#PAGE=ERO  
HTTPS://WWW.WPC.NCEP.NOAA.GOV/WWD/PWPF_D47/PWPF_MEDR.PHP?DAY=4  
HTTPS://WWW.WPC.NCEP.NOAA.GOV/HEAT_INDEX.SHTML  
HTTPS://WWW.WPC.NCEP.NOAA.GOV/#PAGE=OVW  
 

 
 

 
 
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