750  
FXUS02 KWBC 271903  
PMDEPD  
 
EXTENDED FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NWS WEATHER PREDICTION CENTER COLLEGE PARK MD  
300 PM EDT WED SEP 27 2023  
 
VALID 12Z SAT SEP 30 2023 - 12Z WED OCT 04 2023  
   
..OVERVIEW
 
 
AN AMPLIFIED TROUGH IS FORECAST TO CLOSE OFF INTO A LARGE UPPER  
LOW OVER THE WESTERN U.S. WHILE AN EXPANDING RIDGE OVER THE  
MID-SECTION OF THE COUNTRY WILL TEND TO NUDGE THE EAST COAST  
TROUGH FARTHER OFFSHORE. THE THREAT OF ENHANCED RAINFALL SHOULD  
SUBSIDE OVER SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND ON SATURDAY AS THE WESTERN U.S.  
TROUGH AMPLIFIES AND SPREADS AREAS OF MODERATE TO POSSIBLY LOCALLY  
HEAVY RAIN FROM THE GREAT BASIN ON SATURDAY TO NORTHERN ROCKIES  
AND NORTHERN HIGH PLAINS SUNDAY TO EARLY MONDAY. HIGH-ELEVATION  
SNOWS CAN BE EXPECTED OVER PORTIONS OF THESE SAME AREAS ON THE  
BACKSIDE OF THIS SYSTEM. MEANWHILE, CONVECTIVE RAINS ARE FORECAST  
ON SATURDAY OVER THE SOUTHERN HIGH PLAINS, BUT THEY ARE EXPECTED  
TO LINGER INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK AND SLIDE SLOWLY SOUTHWARD ACROSS  
THE FLORIDA PENINSULA.  
 
   
..GUIDANCE EVALUATION/PREDICTABILITY ASSESSMENT
 
 
THE GUIDANCE CONTINUES TO SHOW VERY GOOD OVERALL AGREEMENT THROUGH  
THE MEDIUM-RANGE. THE DETERMINISTIC GUIDANCE SHOWS HIGHER  
UNCERTAINTY REGARDING THE PLACEMENT OF THE MODERATE PRECIPITATION  
ACROSS THE WESTERN U.S. THIS WEEKEND, WITH THE CMC BEING THE  
FASTEST WHILE THE GFS AND ECMWF SOLUTIONS ARE COMPARABLE. THE  
ENSEMBLE MEANS SHOW A CLOSER AGREEMENT ON THE PRECIPITATION  
DISTRIBUTION THOUGH. MEANWHILE, THE ECMWF CONTINUES TO OFFER THE  
MOST AMPLIFIED SOLUTION REGARDING THE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM JUST OFF  
THE MID-ATLANTIC COAST ON SATURDAY, WHICH WOULD KEEP THE HEAVY  
RAIN AND GUSTY WIND THREAT FOR SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND AS THE  
MEDIUM-RANGE PERIOD BEGINS ON SATURDAY. THE 12Z CMC ALSO  
INDICATES A STRONGER LOW THAT EDGES CLOSER TO THE SOUTHERN NEW  
ENGLAND COAST AS WELL.  
 
ENSEMBLE MEANS AGREE QUITE WELL THAT THE LARGE CUTOFF LOW OVER THE  
WESTERN U.S. WILL DEAMPLIFY INTO A POSITIVELY-TILTED TROUGH EARLY  
NEXT WEEK AND SLOWLY SLIDE EASTWARD INTO THE ROCKIES BY MIDWEEK  
NEXT WEEK. MUCH OF THE UNCERTAINTY IS SEEN OVER THE SOUTHWESTERN  
U.S. REGARDING WHETHER AND WHERE A CLOSED LOW MIGHT FORM NEAR THE  
BASE OF THE DEAMPLIFYING TROUGH.  
 
THE WPC MEDIUM-RANGE FORECAST PACKAGE WAS BASED ON A 40% BLEND OF  
THE 00Z ECMWF/00Z EC MEAN, WITH 40% FROM THE 00Z GFS/06Z GFS/GEFS,  
AND 20% FROM THE 00Z CMC/CMC MEAN. THIS BLEND KEPT GOOD  
CONTINUITY, THE DAYS 4-7 QPF WAS A BLEND OF THE GFS, ECMWF,  
CANADIAN, BIAS-CORRECTED QPF AND 14Z NBM.  
 
   
..WEATHER/HAZARDS HIGHLIGHTS
 
 
A FRONT DROPS THROUGH THE FLORIDA STRAITS AS A FRONTAL WAVE FORMS  
TO THEIR EAST, PROGRESSING TOWARDS BERMUDA BEFORE  
STALLING/WRAPPING BACK TOWARDS A MID-LEVEL CLOSED LOW WHICH FORMS  
UNDER THE BASE OF A STRONG MID-LEVEL HEIGHT ANOMALY.  
 
FOR DAY 4-5/SATURDAY INTO MONDAY MORNING, THE SIGNAL FOR HEAVY  
RAINFALL ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE FL PENINSULA CONTINUES DUE TO  
INSTABILITY FROM THE VERY WARM SUBTROPICAL NORTH ATLANTIC AND GULF  
OF MEXICO, PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES OVER 2.25", THE 850 HPA SLICE  
OF THE FRONT SHIFTING SLOWLY SOUTHWARD ACROSS THE FL PENINSULA  
WHILE HELPING TO FOCUS ACTIVITY, AND ENHANCED EAST-NORTHEAST FLOW  
JUST BEHIND IT ADVECTING SOME COOLER AIR ALOFT ALL POTENTIALLY  
LEADING TO EFFICIENT SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS, SO MARGINAL RISK  
AREAS ARE IN PLACE BOTH DAYS. THE RISK AREA COVERS REGIONS WHERE  
RAINFALL THIS PAST WEEK HAS BEEN A BIT ABOVE AVERAGE, LEAVING THE  
AREAS MORE SENSITIVE THAN USUAL. A MARGINAL RISK AREA REMAINS IN  
PLACE FOR THE SOUTHERN HIGH PLAINS FOR DAY 4/SATURDAY INTO SUNDAY  
MORNING AS MODEL AGREEMENT REMAINS GOOD FOR CONVECTION-INDUCED  
HEAVY RAIN POTENTIAL ACROSS WESTERNMOST TX AND NEAR AN AMPLIFYING  
LEE TROUGH IN NM.  
 
A DIGGING WESTERN TROUGH WILL CLOSE INTO A CUT OFF LOW THIS PERIOD  
WHICH WILL FOCUS MODERATE PRECIP OVER THE INTERMOUNTAIN WEST  
THROUGH NORTHERN ROCKIES, AND NORTHERN HIGH PLAINS. SNOW AT  
HIGHER ELEVATION BECOMES INCREASINGLY FAVORED WITH TIME ACROSS THE  
WEST AS THE UPPER LEVEL LOW DEVELOPS AND IT COOLS OFF ALOFT.  
PORTIONS OF CENTRAL MONTANA APPEAR TO HAVE SOME INSTABILITY  
AVAILABLE TO THEIR EAST AND ENOUGH MOISTURE TO WONDER ABOUT  
EXCESSIVE RAINFALL, THE QPF SIGNAL IS NOT STRONG ENOUGH FOR A  
MARGINAL RISK AT THIS TIME FOR EITHER DAYS 4 OR 5 (SATURDAY INTO  
MONDAY MORNING).  
 
INCREASED RIDGING OVER THE CENTER OF THE COUNTRY AND TROUGHING  
ACROSS THE WEST, WILL SLOWLY SHIFT TEMPERATURES OF 10 TO 15  
DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL EAST ACROSS THE CENTRAL PLAINS THROUGH THE  
GREAT LAKES WITH TEMPERATURES BELOW NORMAL EXPANDING FROM THE  
NORTHWEST TO ACROSS THE WEST. BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES OVER THE  
MID-ATLANTIC STATES CAN BE EXPECTED INTO FRIDAY BEFORE MODERATING  
ON APPROACH OF THE RIDGE AXIS.  
 
KONG/ROTH  
 
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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