125  
FXUS02 KWBC 100715  
PMDEPD  
 
EXTENDED FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NWS WEATHER PREDICTION CENTER COLLEGE PARK MD  
214 AM EST SUN DEC 10 2023  
 
VALID 12Z WED DEC 13 2023 - 12Z SUN DEC 17 2023  
   
..AN EMERGING WET PATTERN OVER THE SOUTH/SOUTHEAST
 
 
   
..PATTERN OVERVIEW AND GUIDANCE/PREDICTABILITY ASSESSMENT
 
 
THE 18 UTC GFS AND 12 UTC ECMWF/CANADIAN/UKMET SOLUTIONS SEEM  
REASONABLY WELL CLUSTERED WEDNESDAY INTO THURSDAY FOR MUCH OF THE  
COUNTRY AND VICINITY. THIS IS EVIDENT IN A PATTERN WITH A  
DEVELOPING AND SEPARATING SOUTHERN STREAM CLOSED LOW DIGGING INTO  
THE SOUTHWEST, WELL DETACHED FROM A SERIES OF SYSTEMS RIDING MORE  
PROGRESSIVELY FROM THE PACIFIC INLAND THROUGH SOUTHERN CANADA AND  
THE U.S. NORTHERN TIER WITHIN NORTHERN STREAM FLOWS. A MODEL  
COMPOSITE COUPLED WITH THE 01 UTC NATIONAL BLEND OF MODELS  
MAINTAINS GREAT WPC PRODUCT CONTINUITY IN THIS PERIOD WITH AT  
LEAST AVERAGE PREDICTABILITY. LATEST 12 UTC GUIDANCE STAYS MAINLY  
IN LINE.  
 
HOWEVER, THE MODELS THEN INCREASINGLY SHOW LESS THAN STELLAR MODEL  
TO MODEL AND RUN CYCLE TO RUN CYCLE CONTINUITY ISSUES LATER WEEK  
INTO NEXT WEEKEND WITH THE BULK OF THE DIFFERENCES/QPF ASSOCIATED  
WITH THE POTENTIALLY WET DOWNSTREAM EJECTION OF THE AFOREMENTIONED  
SOUTHWEST SOUTHERN STREAM SYSTEM AND THE EXTENT OF PHASING WITH  
NORTHERN STREAM ENERGIES. THIS LEADS TO SIGNIFICANT VARIANCE WITH  
THE POTENTIAL DEVELOPMENT AND AREAL EXTENT OF GULF OF MEXICO THEN  
SOUTHEAST AND VICINITY COASTAL LOW GENESIS AND ASSOCIATED MOISTURE  
FUELING RAINFALL PATTERN. THE 12 UTC ECMWF SHOWED SYSTEM PHASING  
FRIDAY, BUT THE ASSOCIATED NORTHERN STREAM SYSTEM OFFERS TIMING  
ISSUES THAT OFTEN PORTEND QUITE UNCERTAIN PHASING. THE NEWER 00  
UTC ECMWF HAS FLIPPED AWAY FROM PHASING. THE 18 UTC GFS WAITED  
UNTIL SATURDAY TO OFFER SOME SYSTEM PHASING, BUT IS ALSO THE MOST  
EARNEST OF THE MODELS TO DEVELOP LEADING ACTIVITY/QPF OVER THE  
EASTERN GULF/FLORIDA THIS WEEK THAT LEADS INTO A MORE SIGNIFICANT  
LOW UP THE EASTERN SEABOARD NEXT WEEKEND. THE NEWER 00 UTC GFS  
OFFERS VERY DIFFERENT SYSTEM INTERACTIONS, SHOWING ENHANCED  
SENSITIVITY AND LOWERING FORECAST CONFIDENCE. THE 12 UTC AND NOW  
00 UTC CANADIAN RUNS MAINTAIN A SEPARATED SOUTHERN STREAM SYSTEM  
THAT EVENTUALLY LEADS INTO VERY DEEP COASTAL LOW DEVELOPMENT HELD  
OFF FLORIDA/SOUTHEAST. PREFERENCE IS TO DISCOUNT LESS LIKELY  
STREAM PHASING SCENARIOS THAT RELY ON UNCERTAIN SHORTWAVE  
INTERACTIONS AT MEDIUM RANGE TIME SCALES UNTIL A MORE COMMON  
GUIDANCE SIGNAL IS ESTABLISHED. THE 12 UTC AND NEWER 00 UTC  
CANADIAN RUNS CERTAINLY OFFERS A ROBUST OPTION, BUT INSTEAD  
PREFER, GIVEN GROWING UNCERTAINTIES IN THE FLOW, A BROAD COMPOSITE  
OF MORE COMPATIBLE GEFS/ECMWF/NAEFS/CANADIAN ENSEMBLE MEANS THAT  
GENERALLY MAINTAINS SPLIT FLOW WITH FOCUS ON THE MORE PREDICTABLE  
EMBEDDED SYSTEMS. 01 UTC NATIONAL BLEND OF MODEL QPF ALSO SEEMS A  
REASONABLE BASELINE FOR THIS PATTERN.  
   
..WEATHER/HAZARDS HIGHLIGHTS
 
 
ACCORDINGLY AND OVERALL, CHANCES FOR PRECIPITATION SHOULD INCREASE  
ACROSS THE SOUTHERN PLAINS BY MIDWEEK AS AN UPPER LOW SETTLES OVER  
THE SOUTHWEST/FOUR CORNERS AND THE INLAND RETURN OF GULF MOISTURE  
INTERACTS WITH A WAVY LEAD FRONT. SOME OF THIS PRECIPITATION MAY  
BE SNOW FROM THE SOUTHERN ROCKIES/HIGH PLAINS, WITH TYPICAL  
ELEVATION/COVERAGE UNCERTAINTY. DETAILS OF PRECIPITATION  
COVERAGE/AMOUNTS/TYPE WILL DEPEND ON THE UPPER LOW TRACK, WHICH AT  
THIS TIME GUIDANCE SUGGESTS COULD BE ANYWHERE OVER THE CENTRAL OR  
SOUTHERN PLAINS. IN THE CASE OF BOTH SNOW AND RAIN AREAS, SOME  
TOTALS COULD BE LOCALLY HEAVY. MOST OF THE SOUTHERN HIGH PLAINS  
REGION HAS FAIRLY DRY ANTECEDENT CONDITIONS AND SHORT-TERM  
RAINFALL RATES DO NOT APPEAR TO BE HIGH ENOUGH TO MERIT  
SIGNIFICANT RUNOFF CONCERNS. HOWEVER, INTRODUCED A WPC EXCESSIVE  
RAINFALL "MARGINAL THREAT" AREA OVER THE VICINITY OF THE TEXAS  
HILL COUNTRY FOR DAY 5/THURSDAY GIVEN FAVORABLE SOUTHEAST UPSLOPE  
FLOW LONGEVITY.  
 
ACROSS FLORIDA, EXPECT EASTERLY FLOW TO SET UP SOUTH OF STRONG  
EASTERN U.S. HIGH PRESSURE WHILE MOISTURE AND INSTABILITY INCREASE  
FOR MIDWEEK AND BEYOND. THE DAY 4/WEDNESDAY AND DAY 5/THURSDAY  
EXCESSIVE RAINFALL OUTLOOK OFFERS A MARGINAL RISK AREA FOR  
SOUTHEASTERN FLORIDA GIVEN THESE INGREDIENTS FOR HEAVY RAINFALL  
ARE IN PLACE ACROSS THE SENSITIVE URBAN CORRIDOR. THERE IS STILL  
UNCERTAINTY OVER THE MAGNITUDE AND NORTHWARD EXTENT OF  
INSTABILITY/DEEP MOISTURE THOUGH. THE SENSIBLE WEATHER FORECAST  
OVER A BROADER PORTION OF THE SOUTH/EAST BECOMES INCREASINGLY  
UNCERTAIN TOWARD FRIDAY AND NEXT WEEKEND, GIVEN THE COMBINED  
SPREAD FOR UPPER LEVEL TROUGHING EXPECTED TO REACH THE CENTRAL  
U.S. (ANCHORED BY THE EMERGING WESTERN UPPER LOW BUT POSSIBLY  
CONTAINING ENERGY APPROACHING FROM THE NORTHWEST) AND SOUTHERN  
STREAM IMPULSES ALOFT ALONG WITH HOW THESE FEATURES MAY INFLUENCE  
THE SURFACE PATTERN. THE MOST LIKELY SCENARIO WOULD HAVE SOME  
RAINFALL EXTENDING EAST THROUGH THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY AND BY THE  
WEEKEND AND SHIFTING WITH MORE EARNEST OVER THE SOUTHEAST THIS  
PERIOD, BUT WITH LOWER TOTALS/COVERAGE THAN DEPICTED IN SOME  
RECENT GFS/GEFS RUNS.  
 
OVER THE WEST, A WEAKENING FRONT MAY BRING SOME LIGHT  
PRECIPITATION TO THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST AROUND MIDWEEK OR SO, WITH  
ONLY LIGHT/SCATTERED ACTIVITY EXTENDING FARTHER INLAND BY  
THURSDAY. INCREASING PRECIPITATION CHANCES ARE LESS LIKELY NOW FOR  
CALIFORNIA INTO NEXT WEEKEND AS AN EASTERN PACIFIC LOW PRESSURE  
SYSTEM HOLDS MORE OFF THE COAST. NBM QPF WAS ACCORDINGLY REDUCED.  
 
THE MOST ANOMALOUS TEMPERATURES DURING THE PERIOD WILL BE OF THE  
WARM VARIETY ACROSS THE NORTHERN PLAINS AND UPPER MIDWEST FROM  
WEDNESDAY ONWARD. MORE MODERATE WARMTH SHOULD ALSO EXTEND INTO THE  
NORTHERN HALF TO TWO-THIRDS OF THE EAST LATER IN THE WEEK. EXPECT  
DECENT COVERAGE OF TEMPERATURES 10F OR MORE ABOVE NORMAL AND  
PORTIONS OF THE DAKOTAS INTO UPPER MIDWEST MAY BE 15-25F ABOVE  
NORMAL THURSDAY INTO EARLY FRIDAY. MEANWHILE CLOUDS/PRECIPITATION  
OVER AND NEAR THE SOUTHERN HIGH PLAINS MID-LATE WEEK WILL SUPPORT  
A FAIRLY NARROW TEMPERATURE RANGE (ABOVE NORMAL LOWS, BELOW NORMAL  
DAYTIME HIGHS). MUCH OF THE WEST WILL LIKELY SEE NEAR TO SLIGHTLY  
ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES DURING THE PERIOD.  
 
SCHICHTEL  
 
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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