073  
FXUS02 KWBC 170620  
PMDEPD  
 
EXTENDED FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NWS WEATHER PREDICTION CENTER COLLEGE PARK MD  
219 AM EDT SUN SEP 17 2023  
 
VALID 12Z WED SEP 20 2023 - 12Z SUN SEP 24 2023  
   
..OVERVIEW
 
 
AN UPPER TROUGH LIFTS OUT OF THE NORTHEAST WEDNESDAY AS A RIDGE  
AMPLIFIES OVER THE CENTRAL PART OF THE COUNTRY AND A SHORTWAVE  
DIGGING INTO THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST WEDNESDAY. THIS SHORTWAVE  
SHOULD PHASE WITH A LOW CURRENTLY OFF CALIFORNIA AND CLOSE INTO A  
DEEP LOW, SETTLING OVER NORTHERN NEVADA THURSDAY-FRIDAY BEFORE  
GETTING KICKED EASTWARD INTO THE NORTHERN PLAINS NEXT WEEKEND.  
THIS KEEPS WEATHER RATHER UNSETTLED AND COOL ACROSS THE WEST MUCH  
OF THE PERIOD. AN UPPER LOW SETTLING OVER THE SOUTHEAST/FLORIDA  
LATER THIS WEEK BRINGS POTENTIAL FOR HEAVY COASTAL RAINS NEXT  
WEEKEND ALONG THE SOUTHEAST AND MID-ATLANTIC COASTS.  
 
   
..GUIDANCE EVALUATION/PREDICTABILITY ASSESSMENT
 
 
THERE WAS GOOD AGREEMENT WEDNESDAY-THURSDAY ON THE AMPLIFICATION  
OF THE NORTHWEST TROUGH AND PHASING WITH THE CA LOW INTO A  
SPRAWLING LOW TO USE A BLEND FAVORING THE DETERMINISTIC MODELS.  
AFTER THIS, THE UKMET IS DISPLACED A BIT TO THE SOUTH AND EAST  
WITH THE UPPER LOW, AND BY NEXT WEEKEND THE 12Z/SEP 16 CMC IS MUCH  
SLOWER TO MOVE THE LOW EAST INTO THE NORTHERN PLAINS DUE TO A MORE  
BLOCKY PATTERN UPSTREAM ACROSS THE EAST PACIFIC. THE CMC WAS NOT  
USED IN THE LATE PERIOD BLEND. HOWEVER, THE NEW 00Z CMC (AVAILABLE  
AFTER FORECAST GENERATION TIME) DID COME IN MUCH MORE IN LINE WITH  
THE GFS AND ECMWF BOTH OF WHICH ARE FASTER TO KICK THE SYSTEM INTO  
THE NORTHERN PLAINS AND ARE MORE CONSISTENT WITH THE ENSEMBLE  
MEANS. BY LATE WEEK, THERE IS DECENT AGREEMENT THAT AN AREA OF LOW  
PRESSURE MAY FORM OFF THE EASTERN FLORIDA COAST, WITH MUCH MORE  
UNCERTAINTY ON WHAT, IF ANY, TROPICAL CHARACTERISTICS THIS MAY  
EXHIBIT AS IT LIFTS NORTH ALONG THE SOUTHEAST COAST NEXT WEEK. THE  
WPC FORECAST CONTINUES TO FAVOR A WEAKER FRONTAL WAVE, WHICH  
REGARDLESS OF CHARACTERIZATION, HAS POTENTIAL TO SPREAD HEAVY  
RAINFALL UP THE SOUTHEAST AND MID-ATLANTIC COASTS NEXT WEEK. GIVEN  
THE INCREASING UNCERTAINTY IN THE PATTERN NEXT WEEKEND BOTH IN THE  
WEST AND THE SOUTHEAST, THE WPC BLEND FAVORED A BLEND CLOSEST TO  
THE ENSEMBLE MEANS, PLUS THE DETERMINISTIC ECMWF.  
 
   
..WEATHER/HAZARDS HIGHLIGHTS
 
 
A FETCH OF MOISTURE FROM THE WESTERN GULF AHEAD OF AN AMPLIFYING  
WESTERN TROUGH SHOULD ALLOW AREAS OF HEAVIER AND POSSIBLY  
ORGANIZED CONVECTIVE THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP ACROSS THE PLAINS,  
BUT THERE REMAINS A LOT OF UNCERTAINTY AND SPREAD IN THE LOCATION  
OF HEAVIEST AMOUNTS. THE BROAD MARGINAL RISK INHERITED ON THE DAY  
4/WEDNESDAY EXCESSIVE RAINFALL OUTLOOK WAS BROKEN UP INTO TWO  
AREAS -- FROM NORTHEAST TEXAS INTO MISSOURI WHERE INSTABILITY  
SHOULD BE STRONGEST, AND ANOTHER AREA ACROSS PARTS OF THE UPPER  
MIDWEST, WHERE MOISTURE ANOMALIES ARE GREATEST ALONG A SLOW  
MOVING/STATIONARY BOUNDARY. THE AMPLIFYING UPPER LOW OVER THE WEST  
BY MIDWEEK SHOULD BRING PROLONGED PRECIPITATION TO THE  
NORTHERN/CENTRAL INTERMOUNTAIN WEST AND NORTHERN ROCKIES. RAINFALL  
SHOULD GET HEAVIER WITH TIME AS THE LOW DEEPENS AND THERE IS A  
GENERAL FLOODING RISK FOR THE TERRAIN INTO THE NORTHERN PLAINS. A  
LARGE MARGINAL RISK WAS INTRODUCED ON THE DAY 5/THURSDAY ERO  
TONIGHT ACROSS THIS REGION. HIGHER ELEVATIONS IN THE NORTHERN  
ROCKIES ARE LIKELY TO SEE SNOW THAT THE EXTENT TO WHICH DEPENDS ON  
THE POSITION AND DEPTH OF THE UPPER TROUGH/DEVELOPING LOW.  
 
MEANWHILE, A STALLED FRONTAL BOUNDARY WILL MAINTAIN A FAIRLY WET  
PATTERN OVER THE FLORIDA PENINSULA THROUGH MUCH OF THE WEEK,  
THOUGH CONFIDENCE IN WHERE THAT WOULD FOCUS IS LOW ENOUGH TO NOT  
RAISE AN EXCESSIVE RAIN OUTLOOK AREA IN DAYS 4 OR 5 AT THIS TIME.  
THE POSSIBLE SURFACE LOW OFF THE COAST BY FRIDAY COULD TAP  
TROPICAL MOISTURE, INCREASING THE POTENTIAL FOR HEAVIER RAINS  
ALONG THE ATLANTIC COAST FROM FLORIDA TO THE MID-ATLANTIC. AMOUNTS  
AND EXTENT INLAND OF THE HEAVIER RAINS REMAINS EXTREMELY UNCERTAIN  
AT THIS POINT.  
 
AN AREA OF MAX TEMPERATURES GENERALLY 10-15F ABOVE NORMAL WILL  
SHIFT EAST WITH THE BROAD RIDGE AXIS FROM THE UPPER MIDWEST ON  
WEDNESDAY THROUGH THE GREAT LAKES THURSDAY-SATURDAY MODERATING  
SOME WITH TIME. THE UPPER LOW OVER THE WEST LOOKS TO BRING A  
COOLING TREND ACROSS MUCH OF THE WEST, WITH HIGH TEMPS AROUND 15F  
BELOW NORMAL FORECAST FROM MONTANA THROUGH CALIFORNIA THROUGH AT  
LEAST SATURDAY. MODEST ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES MAY RETURN TO  
PARTS OF TEXAS THIS WEEK, WHILE MUCH OF THE EASTERN U.S. SHOULD BE  
FAIRLY NEAR NORMAL.  
 
SANTORELLI  
 
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  
 
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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