243  
FXUS21 KWNC 261903  
PMDTHR  
US HAZARDS OUTLOOK  
NWS CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER COLLEGE PARK MD  
300 PM EDT JULY 26 2024  
 
SYNOPSIS: A STRENGTHENING AND WESTWARD SHIFTING AREA OF MID-LEVEL HIGH PRESSURE  
SUPPORTS AN ELEVATED RISK OF EXCESSIVE HEAT CONDITIONS ALONG WITH INCREASED  
CHANCES FOR HIGH WINDS FOR THE WESTERN HALF OF THE CONTIGUOUS U.S. (CONUS). A  
SECONDARY AREA OF STRONG MID-LEVEL HIGH PRESSURE CENTERED OVER NEW ENGLAND IS  
EXPECTED TO MAINTAIN ELEVATED CHANCES FOR EXCESSIVE HEAT FOR MUCH OF THE  
MID-ATLANTIC, EASTERN GREAT LAKES AND THE NORTHEAST THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF  
WEEK-2. A HEALTHIER MONSOON CIRCULATION, AS WELL AS POSSIBLE TROPICAL CYCLONE  
ACTIVITY IN THE EASTERN PACIFIC LEADS TO INCREASED CHANCES FOR HEAVY  
PRECIPITATION OVER PARTS OF THE DESERT SOUTHWEST. POSSIBLE TROPICAL CYCLONE  
DEVELOPMENT IN THE CARIBBEAN LEADS TO INCREASED RISK FOR HEAVY PRECIPITATION  
AND HIGH WINDS OVER PORTIONS OF THE GULF COAST AND SOUTHEAST.  
 
HAZARDS  
 
HIGH RISK OF EXCESSIVE HEAT FOR PARTS OF THE NORTHERN INTERMOUNTAIN, NORTHERN  
GREAT BASIN, ROCKIES, AND NORTHERN AND CENTRAL HIGH PLAINS, SAT-MON, AUG 3-5.  
 
MODERATE RISK OF EXCESSIVE HEAT FOR PARTS OF CALIFORNIA, PACIFIC NORTHWEST,  
GREAT BASIN, ROCKIES AND THE GREAT PLAINS, SAT-FRI, AUG 3-9.  
 
MODERATE RISK OF EXCESSIVE HEAT FOR THE NORTHEAST, EASTERN GREAT LAKES, CENTRAL  
APPALACHIANS, AND MID-ATLANTIC REGION, SAT-WED, AUG 3-7.  
 
SLIGHT RISK OF EXCESSIVE HEAT FOR MUCH OF THE CONUS, EXCEPT FOR PARTS OF THE  
SOUTHERN PLAINS, LOWER MISSISSIPPI AND TENNESSEE VALLEYS, SOUTHERN  
APPALACHIANS, AND SOUTHEAST, SAT-FRI, AUG 3-9.  
 
SLIGHT RISK OF HEAVY PRECIPITATION FOR PARTS OF THE DESERT SOUTHWEST, SAT-WED,  
AUG 3-7.  
 
SLIGHT RISK OF HEAVY PRECIPITATION FOR PARTS OF THE SOUTHEAST AND LOWER  
MISSISSIPPI VALLEY, SAT-TUE, AUG 3-6.  
 
SLIGHT RISK OF HIGH WINDS FOR MUCH OF THE WESTERN CONUS, AND HIGH PLAINS,  
SAT-WED, AUG 3-7  
 
SLIGHT RISK OF HIGH WINDS FOR PARTS OF THE SOUTHEAST AND LOWER MISSISSIPPI  
VALLEY, SAT-WED, AUG 3-7.  
 
RAPID ONSET DROUGHT RISK FOR MUCH OF THE GREAT PLAINS, AND INTO WESTERN  
MISSOURI.  
 
DETAILED SUMMARY  
 
FOR MONDAY JULY 29 - FRIDAY AUGUST 02:  
HTTPS://WWW.WPC.NCEP.NOAA.GOV/THREATS/THREATS.PHP  
 
FOR SATURDAY AUGUST 03 - FRIDAY AUGUST 09: ANALYSIS OF THE MEAN WEEK-2 500-HPA  
FORECAST HEIGHT ANOMALY PATTERNS FROM THE GEFS AND ECMWF CONTINUES TO FEATURE  
STRONGLY AMPLIFIED RIDGING OVERSPREADING NEARLY THE ENTIRE CONUS, WITH NEAR TO  
SLIGHTLY BELOW NORMAL HEIGHTS OVER THE SOUTHERN TIER OF THE U.S. SINCE  
YESTERDAY, BOTH MODEL MEANS HAVE CONVERGED ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF TWO SEPARATE  
HEIGHT ANOMALY MAXIMAS IN THE CONUS, ONE SITUATED OVER THE NORTHERN  
INTERMOUNTAIN AND THE OTHER CENTERED OVER NEW ENGLAND WHERE THE LATEST  
TEMPERATURE GUIDANCE FAVORS THE GREATEST ODDS FOR ABOVE-NORMAL TEMPERATURES AND  
RISKS FOR EXCESSIVE HEAT. AS A RESULT OF THE AMPLIFYING RIDGE CENTER UPSTREAM  
ACROSS THE ACROSS THE WEST, HOWEVER, BOTH THE GEFS AND ECMWF FAVOR MORE  
NORTHWESTERLY FLOW ACROSS THE MIDWEST, WHICH IS ANTICIPATED TO LOWER THE RISK  
OF EXCESSIVE HEAT CONDITIONS, PARTICULARLY FOR PARTS OF THE PLAINS AND  
MISSISSIPPI VALLEY THAT REMAIN FAVORED TO EXPERIENCE THE STRONGEST POSITIVE  
TEMPERATURE DEPARTURES LATE IN WEEK-1.  
 
BASED ON RAW AND CALIBRATED TEMPERATURE TOOLS, A BROAD SLIGHT RISK OF EXCESSIVE  
HEAT REMAINS POSTED FOR ALL OF WEEK-2, AND IS EXPANDED TO INCLUDE NEARLY ALL OF  
THE WEST COAST IN TODAY'S OUTLOOK. WESTERN WASHINGTON IS EXCLUDED FROM THE  
SLIGHT RISK DUE TO THE LACK OF SUPPORT FOR TEMPERATURES REACHING HAZARD  
CRITERIA THROUGHOUT THE PERIOD. WITHIN THE BROAD SLIGHT RISK AREA, A MODERATE  
RISK OF EXCESSIVE HEAT IS CONTINUED FOR ALL OF WEEK-2, COVERING THE WESTERN  
HALF OF THE CONUS, AND IS LIKEWISE EXPANDED WESTWARD TO INCLUDE PARTS OF THE  
GREAT BASIN AND THE CENTRAL CALIFORNIA VALLEY GIVEN SHIFTS IN THE PREVAILING  
HEIGHT PATTERN, INCREASED WARM SIGNALS IN THE PROBABILISTIC EXTREMES TOOLS  
(PETS), AND SUPPORT IN THE NATIONAL BLEND OF MODELS (NBM) INDICATING SEVERAL  
LOCATIONS REACHING NEAR RECORD BREAKING DAYTIME TEMPERATURES WITHIN THE  
HIGHLIGHTED REGION. RELATIVE TO YESTERDAY'S OUTLOOK, THE HIGH RISK FOR  
EXCESSIVE HEAT IS REMOVED ACROSS THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN PLAINS DUE TO THE  
AFOREMENTIONED REDUCTION OF HEAT POTENTIAL OVER THIS PART OF THE COUNTRY, BUT A  
HIGH RISK IS INTRODUCED OVER PARTS OF THE NORTHERN GREAT BASIN, NORTHERN  
INTERMOUNTAIN, ROCKIES AND THE UPPER HIGH PLAINS CLOSEST TO THE ANOMALOUS RIDGE  
CENTER. WITHIN THE HIGH RISK AREA, PETS DEPICT 50-60% CHANCES OF MAXIMUM  
DAYTIME TEMPERATURES EXCEEDING THE 85TH PERCENTILE AND 95 (90) DEGREES F OVER  
THE LOWER (HIGHER ELEVATIONS). TIED TO THE SECONDARY HEIGHT CENTER OVER NEW  
ENGLAND, A MODERATE RISK OF EXCESSIVE HEAT REMAINS ISSUED FOR THROUGH THE  
MIDDLE OF WEEK-2, WHERE PETS SHOW 30-50% CHANCES OF TEMPERATURES EXCEEDING THE  
85TH PERCENTILE. THE ADDITION OF A HIGH RISK WAS CONSIDERED BASED ON THE ECMWF  
PET FAVORING >60% CHANCES FOR EXCEEDING THE 85TH PERCENTILE FOR PARTS OF MAINE,  
HOWEVER THE GEFS PET MAINTAINS RELATIVELY LOWER CHANCES AND THERE ARE LITTLE TO  
NO SIGNALS IN THE RAW TOOLS FOR MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES EXCEEDING 90 DEGREES TO  
SUPPORT A HIGHER HAZARD DESIGNATION.  
 
WITH THE AMPLIFYING RIDGING FAVORED ALOFT OVER THE NORTHWESTERN CONUS, AND  
POSSIBLE SURFACE LOW DEVELOPMENT OVER THE NORTHERN HIGH PLAINS EARLY IN THE  
PERIOD, STRENGTHENING PRESSURE GRADIENTS TO INDUCE EPISODES OF HIGH WINDS ARE  
FAVORED IN THE REGION, AS WELL AS FURTHER SOUTH IN DESERT SOUTHWEST. A SLIGHT  
RISK OF HIGH WINDS IS ISSUED (AUG 3-7) FOR MUCH OF THE WESTERN CONUS WHERE  
THERE ARE INCREASED CHANCES FOR WIND SPEEDS EXCEEDING THE 85TH PERCENTILE IN  
THE ECMWF PET. THE HOT, DRY AND WINDY CONDITIONS ARE LIKELY TO LEAD TO AN  
ENHANCED RISK OF WILDFIRES IN THE HIGHLIGHTED REGION, AND INHIBIT EFFORTS TO  
CONTAIN ANY ONGOING INCIDENTS.  
 
THE COMBINATION OF CONTINUED ABOVE-NORMAL TEMPERATURES AND BELOW-NORMAL  
PRECIPITATION ALSO SUPPORTS THE CONTINUATION OF A RAPID ONSET DROUGHT (ROD)  
RISK FROM MOST OF THE NORTHERN AND CENTRAL PLAINS INTO WESTERN MISSOURI. DRY  
SOILS, STRESSED VEGETATION, AND REDUCED WATER AVAILABILITY DUE TO LOW PONDS AND  
STREAMS MAY LEAD TO INCREASED IMPACTS TO AGRICULTURE AND LIVESTOCK, WITH SOME  
LOCATIONS ALREADY EXPERIENCING IMPACTS.  
 
FOR PRECIPITATION, THERE IS LITTLE SUPPORT IN THE MODELS FOR SUBSTANTIAL  
MID-LATITUDE FRONTAL FORCING AS ANY HEAVY PRECIPITATION RISKS LOOK TO BE MORE  
TROPICAL IN ORIGIN DURING WEEK-2. ANALYSIS OF UPPER-LEVEL VELOCITY POTENTIAL  
ANOMALIES FROM THE GEFS AND ECMWF CONTINUE TO FEATURE AN ENVELOPE OF ENHANCED  
DIVERGENCE ALOFT LIKELY TIED TO THE PASSAGE OF A CONVECTIVELY COUPLED KELVIN  
WAVE OVER THE TROPICAL AMERICAS. ALTHOUGH THE ECMWF REVEALS MORE OF AN  
MADDEN-JULIAN OSCILLATION (MJO) PRESENCE IN THESE FIELDS, REGARDLESS, THE  
LARGE-SCALE ENVIRONMENT APPEARS TO BE MORE FAVORABLE FOR TROPICAL CYCLONE (TC)  
GENESIS IN THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE, WHICH IS SUPPORTED IN THE GEFS AND ECMWF  
ENSEMBLES FEATURING ONE OR MORE AREAS OF DEEPENING LOW PRESSURE TO THE SOUTH OF  
MEXICO BY NEXT WEEKEND. GIVEN A MORE FAVORABLE MONSOONAL RIDGE AXIS FORECAST  
OVER THE FOUR CORNERS, POTENTIAL TC ACTIVITY TO TRIGGER A GULF OF CALIFORNIA  
SURGE EVENT (AS SUPPORTED IN DETERMINISTIC SOLUTIONS WITH INCREASED DEWPOINTS),  
AS WELL AS INCREASING SIGNALS IN THE PETS ACROSS THE DESERT SOUTHWEST, A SLIGHT  
RISK OF HEAVY PRECIPITATION IS ISSUED FOR AUG 3-7.  
 
ACROSS THE TROPICAL ATLANTIC, THE HAZARDS PERSPECTIVE HAS BECOME MORE  
INTERESTING. OVER THE PAST SEVERAL RUNS, THE ECMWF DETERMINISTIC AND ENSEMBLE  
SOLUTIONS HAVE LATCHED ONTO A TROPICAL WAVE TRACKING WESTWARD FROM THE WESTERN  
ATLANTIC, WITH INCREASED CHANCES FOR DEVELOPMENT BASED ON PROBABILISTIC TC  
GENESIS TOOLS BY NEXT WEEKEND. AS THIS POTENTIAL DISTURBANCE MOVES CLOSER TO  
THE SOUTHEASTERN U.S., BOTH RAW AND CALIBRATED PRECIPITATION TOOLS SHOW AN  
INCREASING RISK OF HEAVY PRECIPITATION AND HIGH WINDS OVER MANY PARTS OF THE  
SOUTHEAST AND INTO THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF WEEK-2.  
HOWEVER, BOTH THE GFS AND GEFS REMAIN LARGELY UNSUPPORTIVE OF THIS TROPICAL  
POTENTIAL, WITH LITTLE TO NO PRECIPITATION SIGNALS IN THE RAW AND CALIBRATED  
PET GUIDANCE. DESPITE THIS, THERE IS SOME SUPPORT IN THE CANADIAN FOR THIS  
POTENTIAL, AND THE LATEST TROPICAL WEATHER OUTLOOK FROM NATIONAL HURRICANE  
CENTER SHOWS AT LEAST A 20% CHANCE OF FORMATION OVER THE WESTERN ATLANTIC AND  
CARIBBEAN DURING THE NEXT SEVEN DAYS TIED TO THE TROPICAL WAVE. GIVEN THIS, AND  
GOOD CONTINUITY IN THE MODELS IN REGARDS TO LARGE SCALE CONDITIONS ALOFT  
BECOMING MORE FAVORABLE FOR TC DEVELOPMENT, A SLIGHT RISK OF HEAVY  
PRECIPITATION IS HIGHLIGHTED FOR MUCH OF THE SOUTHEAST AND PARTS OF THE LOWER  
MISSISSIPPI VALLEY FOR AUG 3-6. IN ADDITION, A SLIGHT RISK OF HIGH WINDS IS  
ALSO POSTED (AUG 3-7) WHERE THE ECMWF PET SHOWS INCREASED CHANCES FOR WIND  
SPEEDS EXCEEDING THE 85TH PERCENTILE.  
 
NO HAZARDS ARE POSTED FOR ALASKA DURING WEEK-2. HOWEVER, THERE IS A SIGNIFICANT  
CHANCE OF ACCUMULATING SNOW FOR PORTIONS OF THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN BROOKS  
RANGE, WHICH COULD HAVE AN IMPACT ON PEOPLE WITHIN THAT AREA. NEAR JUNEAU,  
LOCALIZED FLOODING MAY BE A CONCERN ASSOCIATED WITH THE GLACIAL OUTBURST FLOOD  
FOR THE MENDENHALL RIVER.  
 
FORECASTER: NICK NOVELLA  
 

 
 
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