646  
FXUS02 KWBC 292042  
PMDEPD  
 
EXTENDED FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NWS WEATHER PREDICTION CENTER COLLEGE PARK MD  
341 PM EST THU DEC 29 2022  
 
VALID 12Z SUN JAN 01 2023 - 12Z THU JAN 05 2023  
 
...WINTER STORM THREAT FOR THE NORTH-CENTRAL ROCKIES/PLAINS AND  
UPPER MIDWEST EARLY NEXT WEEK AS A HEAVY RAIN/SEVERE WEATHER  
THREAT REEMERGES FOR THE MID-LOWER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY/MID-SOUTH  
THEN SOUTHEAST MIDWEEK...  
 
...MORE ROUNDS OF MODERATE TO HEAVY PRECIPITATION FOR THE WEST  
WITH FOCUS ACROSS CALIFORNIA THROUGH MIDWEEK...  
 
   
..OVERVIEW
 
 
A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM FORECAST TO DEVELOP EARLY NEXT WEEK OVER THE  
CENTRAL U.S. WILL LIKELY LEAD TO A WINTER WEATHER EVENT FROM THE  
NORTH-CENTRAL ROCKIES THROUGH THE NORTHERN PLAINS, WHILE HEAVY  
RAIN AND SEVERE WEATHER APPEAR LIKELY ACROSS THE DEEP SOUTH TO THE  
SOUTHEAST MONDAY-WEDNESDAY AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT. MEANWHILE THE  
WEST SHOULD SEE ADDITIONAL ROUNDS OF MODERATE TO HEAVY  
PRECIPITATION NEXT WEEK, WITH HIGHEST AMOUNTS MAINLY ACROSS  
CALIFORNIA THROUGH MIDWEEK.  
 
   
..GUIDANCE/PREDICTABILITY ASSESSMENT
 
 
MODEL GUIDANCE CONTINUES TO INDICATE THE FORMATION OF THE LOW  
PRESSURE SYSTEM OVER THE CENTRAL U.S. EARLY NEXT WEEK. THE ECMWF  
HAS CONTINUED TO SHOW A LOW TRACK THAT IS QUITE A BIT FARTHER TO  
THE SOUTH TOWARD THE GREAT LAKES THAN THE REST OF THE GUIDANCE.  
BY MIDWEEK, THE ECMWF HAS BEEN FASTER BRINGING IN THE NEXT SYSTEM  
TOWARD CALIFORNIA. IN THE MEANTIME, THE ECMWF LIKES TO FAVOR THE  
DEVELOPMENT OF ANOTHER LOW TRACKING FROM THE DEEP SOUTH TOWARD THE  
NORTHERN MID-ATLANTIC THAN THE GFS AND CMC.  
 
THE WPC FORECAST KEEPS A MIDDLE GROUND SOLUTION BY BLENDING 40% OF  
THE 06Z GFS/GEFS, 40% OF THE 00Z ECMWF/EC MEAN WITH THE REST OF  
THE CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE 00Z CMC/CMC MEAN AND THE 00Z UKMET,  
TRANSITIONING TO MOSTLY A BLEND OF THE ENSEMBLE MEANS BY DAY 7.  
 
   
..WEATHER/HAZARD HIGHLIGHTS
 
 
THE NORTHEASTERN U.S. COULD SEE SOME MAINLY RAIN SHOWERS (WITH  
PERHAPS SOME MINOR SNOW ACCUMULATIONS IN HIGHER ELEVATIONS) EARLY  
SUNDAY WITH AN EXITING LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM. THEN, AS THE NEXT  
UPPER TROUGH EMERGES AFTER PRODUCING POSSIBLY HEAVY SNOW ACROSS  
THE CENTRAL ROCKIES, SURFACE LOW PRESSURE CONSOLIDATING ACROSS THE  
CENTRAL HIGH PLAINS SHOULD BRING A SWATH OF SNOW ACROSS THE  
NORTHERN HALF OF THE HIGH PLAINS INTO THE UPPER MIDWEST, ALONG  
WITH INCREASINGLY WINDY CONDITIONS WITH AN ICY TRANSITIONAL ZONE.  
INFLOW EAST OF THE LOW AND LINGERING COLD AIR MAY ALSO SUPPORT  
SOME SNOW/ICE DOWNSTREAM FROM THE NORTHERN GREAT LAKES TO NORTHERN  
NEW ENGLAND. MEANWHILE FARTHER SOUTH, THE FRONTAL SYSTEM  
ASSOCIATED WITH THIS LOW AND FAVORABLE GULF MOISTURE/INSTABILITY  
AND RIGHT ENTRANCE REGION UPPER JET LIFT SHOULD PROVIDE A FOCUS  
FOR ANOTHER EPISODE OF WIDESPREAD HEAVY RAIN, ALONG WITH A THREAT  
OF SEVERE WEATHER AS PER SPC, ACROSS PARTS OF THE MISSISSIPPI  
VALLEY INTO THE TENNESSEE VALLEY AND SOUTHEAST BY  
MONDAY-WEDNESDAY. THEREAFTER, A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM COULD DEVELOP  
UNDER THE RIGHT ENTRANCE REGION UPPER JET OVER THE DEEP SOUTH AND  
THEN TRACK TOWARD THE NORTHERN MID-ATLANTIC WED-THU, AS IS FAVORED  
BY THE ECMWF. THIS COULD SPREAD A PERIOD OF MODERATE TO HEAVY RAIN  
UP THE MID-ATLANTIC STATES BUT UNCERTAINTY WITH THIS SCENARIO IS  
ON THE HIGH SIDE AT THIS TIME.  
 
THE WEST COAST STATES CAN EXPECT A BRIEF BREAK FROM THE HEAVY  
PRECIPITATION ON SUNDAY AS THE TROUGH AXIS SHIFTS FARTHER TO THE  
EAST. BUT ADDITIONAL ROUNDS OF PRECIPITATION ARE EXPECTED AS THE  
WEEK PROGRESSES. THERE IS QUITE A BIT OF UNCERTAINTY WITH THE  
TIMING OF ADDITIONAL HEAVY PRECIPITATION EVENTS AT THIS POINT, BUT  
GENERALLY AMOUNTS LOOK TO TREND UPWARD BY TUESDAY-THURSDAY ACROSS  
CALIFORNIA AS A STRONGER FRONTAL SYSTEM APPROACHES FROM THE  
PACIFIC. MANY AREAS ARE LIKELY TO BE SENSITIVE TO ADDITIONAL  
RAINFALL BY THAT TIME GIVEN THE AMPLE RECENT RAINFALL AND  
ADDITIONAL RAIN DURING THE SHORT RANGE PERIOD.  
 
MILDER THAN AVERAGE TEMPERATURES FOR WINTER WILL BE WIDESPREAD  
ACROSS THE EASTERN HALF OF THE COUNTRY FOR EARLY NEXT WEEK. LOWS  
OF AROUND 15-30F ABOVE AVERAGE AND HIGHS AROUND 10-20F ABOVE  
AVERAGE WILL BE COMMON, EVEN REACHING 20-30F ANOMALIES IN THE OHIO  
VALLEY/GREAT LAKES TUESDAY AND THE NORTHEAST ON WEDNESDAY. DAILY  
RECORDS FOR WARM LOWS COULD BE WIDESPREAD FOR PARTS OF THE CENTRAL  
AND EASTERN U.S., WHILE DAILY RECORD HIGHS ARE POSSIBLE AS WELL  
ESPECIALLY IN THE OHIO VALLEY. MEANWHILE IN THE WEST, THE OVERALL  
WET/SNOWY PATTERN WILL TEND TO KEEP DAYTIME TEMPERATURES AROUND  
5-10F BELOW NORMAL. LOWS ARE FORECAST TO BE ABOVE AVERAGE FOR THE  
ENTIRE COUNTRY SUNDAY MORNING. BUT AS THE LARGE-SCALE UPPER TROUGH  
MOVES THROUGH THE WESTERN U.S. INTO THE PLAINS, NEAR TO BELOW  
AVERAGE TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO WORK THEIR WAY FROM WEST TO  
EAST ACROSS THESE AREAS.  
 
KONG/TATE  
 
HAZARDS:  
- HEAVY PRECIPITATION ACROSS PORTIONS OF CALIFORNIA, MON-THU, JAN  
2-JAN 5.  
- HEAVY RAIN ACROSS PORTIONS OF CALIFORNIA, TUE-THU, JAN 3-JAN 5.  
- HEAVY RAIN ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE CENTRAL PLAINS, THE LOWER  
MISSISSIPPI VALLEY, THE TENNESSEE  
VALLEY, THE GREAT LAKES, THE MIDDLE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY, THE  
MID-ATLANTIC, THE SOUTHERN  
APPALACHIANS, THE SOUTHEAST, THE SOUTHERN PLAINS, AND THE OHIO  
VALLEY, MON-TUE, JAN 2-JAN 3.  
- HEAVY RAIN ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE CENTRAL APPALACHIANS, THE  
TENNESSEE VALLEY, THE MID-ATLANTIC,  
THE SOUTHERN APPALACHIANS, THE SOUTHEAST, AND THE OHIO VALLEY,  
WED, JAN 4.  
- HEAVY SNOW ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE CENTRAL PLAINS, THE CENTRAL  
ROCKIES, THE CENTRAL GREAT BASIN,  
THE NORTHERN PLAINS, THE NORTHERN ROCKIES, THE SOUTHERN ROCKIES,  
THE NORTHERN GREAT BASIN, AND THE  
SOUTHWEST, SUN, JAN 1.  
- HEAVY SNOW ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE CENTRAL ROCKIES, THE CENTRAL  
PLAINS, AND THE NORTHERN PLAINS,  
SUN-MON, JAN 1-JAN 2.  
- HEAVY SNOW ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE CENTRAL PLAINS, THE UPPER  
MISSISSIPPI VALLEY, AND THE NORTHERN  
PLAINS, MON-TUE, JAN 2-JAN 3.  
- SEVERE WEATHER ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE MIDDLE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY,  
THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY,  
THE SOUTHERN PLAINS, THE OHIO VALLEY, AND THE TENNESSEE VALLEY,  
MON, JAN 2.  
- HIGH WINDS ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE SOUTHERN PLAINS, MON, JAN 2.  
 
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, EXPERIMENTAL EXCESSIVE RAINFALL  
OUTLOOK, WINTER WEATHER OUTLOOK PROBABILITIES AND HEAT INDICES 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  
 

 
 

 
 
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