022  
FXUS02 KWBC 010700  
PMDEPD  
 
EXTENDED FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NWS WEATHER PREDICTION CENTER COLLEGE PARK MD  
159 AM EST MON JAN 01 2024  
 
VALID 12Z THU JAN 04 2024 - 12Z MON JAN 08 2024  
   
..OVERVIEW
 
 
THE MEDIUM RANGE PERIOD FEATURES A RATHER PROGRESSIVE FLOW PATTERN  
AS A PARADE OF STORM SYSTEMS TRAVERSES THE COUNTRY FROM WEST TO  
EAST. ONE WILL BE EXITING THE EAST COAST AS ANOTHER MOVES THROUGH  
THE SOUTHWEST ON THURSDAY, WITH POTENTIAL FOR ANOTHER ROUND OF  
HEAVY RAIN ACROSS THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY/SOUTHEAST BY  
FRIDAY. AS THIS SYSTEM LIFTS UP THE EAST COAST NEXT WEEKEND, IT  
HAS POTENTIAL TO BRING HEAVY PRECIPITATION (RAIN TO THE SOUTH,  
SNOW TO THE NORTH) TO MUCH OF THE EAST. OUT WEST, THE NEXT SYSTEM  
LOOKS TO MOVE IN NEXT WEEKEND AS WELL WITH ANOTHER ROUND OF VALLEY  
RAIN AND MOUNTAIN SNOWS PROGRESSING FROM CALIFORNIA INTO THE FOUR  
CORNERS REGION.  
   
..GUIDANCE/PREDICTABILITY ASSESSMENT
 
 
THE LATEST GUIDANCE CONTINUES TO SHOW GOOD AGREEMENT ON THE  
OVERALL SYNOPTIC PATTERN DURING THE THURSDAY-MONDAY MEDIUM RANGE  
PERIOD. THERE ARE SOME MORE SENSITIVE DIFFERENCES IN THE DETAILS  
AND TIMING OF INDIVIDUAL SYSTEMS. THE BIGGEST UNCERTAINTY IS WITH  
DEVELOPING LOW PRESSURE ACROSS THE GULF COAST WHICH MODELS ARE  
INCREASINGLY SUGGESTING MAY STRENGTHEN AS IT LIFTS ALONG THE EAST  
COAST NEXT WEEKEND. THERE REMAINS CONSIDERABLE SPREAD IN THE EXACT  
TRACK AND TIMING OF THIS SYSTEM, WHICH HAS HUGE IMPLICATIONS FOR  
PRECIPITATION TYPE ACROSS SOME OF THE MAJOR CITIES OF THE  
MID-ATLANTIC/NORTHEAST. ELSEWHERE, SOME DIFFERENCES WITH NORTHERN  
STREAM SHORTWAVES THROUGH THE GREAT LAKES AND ALSO WITH THE SECOND  
TROUGH ENTERING THE WEST/SOUTHWEST NEXT WEEKEND AND POTENTIAL LOW  
PRESSURE DEVELOPMENT ACROSS THE SOUTH-CENTRAL PLAINS NEXT MONDAY.  
 
THE WPC FORECAST FOR TONIGHT USED A BLEND OF THE DETERMINISTIC  
GUIDANCE EARLY IN THE PERIOD, INCREASING CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE  
ENSEMBLE MEANS BEGINNING ON DAY 5 TO HELP SMOOTH OUT SOME OF THE  
DIFFERENCES WITH THE EAST COAST SYSTEM. THIS ALSO HELPED TO  
MAINTAIN FAIRLY GOOD CONTINUITY WITH THE PREVIOUS WPC FORECAST FOR  
THIS STORM AS WELL. LEANED MORE ON THE ECMWF AND ENSEMBLE MEANS  
LATE PERIOD ACROSS THE WEST.  
   
..WEATHER/HAZARDS HIGHLIGHTS
 
 
PRECIPITATION ACROSS THE FOUR CORNERS/SOUTHERN-CENTRAL PLAINS TO  
START ON THURSDAY SHOULD BECOME MORE WIDESPREAD IN NATURE AS THE  
FIRST OF A SERIES OF UPPER LOWS TAPS GULF OF MEXICO MOISTURE TO  
FUEL ANOTHER ROUND OF MODERATE TO LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL ACROSS  
THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY/CENTRAL GULF COAST STATES ON FRIDAY.  
THERE IS ENOUGH INSTABILITY AND MOISTURE TO SUPPORT A MARGINAL  
RISK ACROSS THIS REGION ON THE DAY 5 EXCESSIVE RAINFALL OUTLOOK,  
ESPECIALLY CONSIDERING THE POTENTIAL FOR MODEST RAINFALL ACROSS  
PARTS OF THIS REGION DURING THE SHORT RANGE AS WELL. HEAVY  
PRECIPITATION WILL SPREAD ACROSS THE  
SOUTHEAST/MID-ATLANTIC/NORTHEAST NEXT WEEKEND, WITH INCREASING  
POTENTIAL FOR SNOW TO THE NORTH AND WEST OF THE LOW. EXACT AMOUNTS  
AND PRECIPITATION TYPE FOR SOME OF THE MAJOR EAST COAST CITIES  
REMAINS HIGHLY UNCERTAIN AT THIS POINT, BUT DOES NEED TO BE  
WATCHED AS THERE IS POTENTIAL FOR SOME MODEST SNOWS ACROSS AT  
LEAST INTERIOR PORTIONS OF THIS REGION, AS HIGHLIGHTED BY THE WPC  
WINTER WEATHER OUTLOOK, WHICH COULD AFFECT THE DC-NYC CORRIDOR  
DEPENDING ON THE TRACK OF THE LOW.  
 
THE NEXT SYSTEM MOVES INTO THE WESTERN STATES NEXT WEEKEND  
SPREADING MODERATE TO LOCALLY HEAVY PRECIPITATION ACROSS THE WEST  
COAST/CALIFORNIA AND INTO THE INTERIOR WEST NEXT MONDAY. SOME  
SIGNAL FOR DECENT MOUNTAIN SNOWS ACROSS PARTS OF THE CASCADES,  
SIERRAS, AND INTERIOR MOUNTAIN RANGES/SOUTHERN ROCKIES. SURFACE  
CYCLOGENESIS ACROSS THE SOUTH-CENTRAL PLAINS EARLY NEXT WEEK  
SHOULD ALLOW PRECIPITATION TO MOVE INTO THE CENTRAL U.S., WITH  
POTENTIAL FOR SNOW TO THE NORTH OF THE LOW TRACK.  
 
ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES SHOULD BE MOSTLY CONFINED TO THE FAR  
NORTHERN TIER WITH ANOMALOUS GENERALLY +5-15F. SOME MODERATELY  
ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES MAY RETURN TO THE SOUTHERN PLAINS/LOWER  
MISSISSIPPI VALLEY EARLY NEXT WEEK. NEAR TO BELOW NORMAL  
TEMPERATURES SHOULD SPREAD ACROSS THE EAST INTO THE WEEKEND, WITH  
TEMPERATURES ALSO TRENDING MUCH COOLER ACROSS THE WEST AS UPPER  
TROUGHING MOVES INTO THE REGION LATE IN THE PERIOD.  
 
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  
 

 
 

 
 
CLICK HERE TO GO TO PREVIOUS BULLETINS.

The Nexlab HPC Page Main Text Page