528  
FXUS02 KWBC 180522  
PMDEPD  
 
EXTENDED FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NWS WEATHER PREDICTION CENTER COLLEGE PARK MD  
122 AM EDT THU APR 18 2024  
 
VALID 12Z SUN APR 21 2024 - 12Z THU APR 25 2024  
 
   
..OVERVIEW  
 
A GENERALLY PROGRESSIVE FLOW PATTERN IS EXPECTED DURING THE MEDIUM  
RANGE PERIOD WITH NOT MUCH EXPECTED IN TERMS OF SIGNIFICANT WEATHER  
HAZARDS. TROUGHING ACROSS THE GREAT LAKES INTO THE NORTHEAST WILL  
BE PERIODICALLY RENEWED AS SHORTWAVES TRAVERSE THROUGH THE BASE OF  
THE TROUGH, BRINGING SOME GENERALLY LIGHT PRECIPITATION FROM PARTS  
OF THE UPPER MIDWEST TO THE EAST. OUT WEST, UPPER RIDGING EARLY IN  
THE WEEK WILL SLIDE EASTWARD AS THE NEXT TROUGH AND POSSIBLE CLOSED  
LOW REACH THE COAST BY WEDNESDAY AND SLOWLY MOVES INLAND.  
 
   
..GUIDANCE/PREDICTABILITY ASSESSMENT  
 
THE LATEST GUIDANCE SHOWS FAIRLY GOOD AGREEMENT ACROSS THE CONUS  
THROUGH MUCH OF THE PERIOD (SUNDAY-THURSDAY). THERE REMAIN SOME  
TIMING DIFFERENCES WITH SHORTWAVE TROUGHING THROUGH THE SOUTHEAST  
SUNDAY-MONDAY AND AGAIN WITH THE NEXT SHORTWAVE THROUGH THE GREAT  
LAKES/NORTHEAST TUESDAY-WEDNESDAY. THESE DETAILS CREATE SOME  
UNCERTAINTY IN THE EVENTUAL (GENERALLY LIGHT) PRECIPITATION  
PATTERN ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST AND NORTHEAST EARLY NEXT WEEK, BUT A  
GENERAL DETERMINISTIC MODEL COMPROMISE FOR THE MOST PART GAVE A  
GOOD STARTING POINT. ENERGY DROPPING SOUTH OUT OF A LARGE CLOSED  
LOW OVER HUDSON BAY EARLY TO MID NEXT WEEK ALSO PRESENTS A FORECAST  
CHALLENGE AND HOW IT MAY OR MAY NOT INTERACT WITH THE SHORTWAVE  
INTO THE NORTHEAST AT THE SAME TIME. THE 17/12Z RUN OF THE ECMWF  
WAS MUCH STRONGER WITH THIS, BRINGING A DEEP CLOSED LOW THROUGH  
SOUTHEAST CANADA AND INTO THE NORTHEAST LATE PERIOD, WHILE THE GFS  
AND CMC FAVORED JUST A WEAK SHORTWAVE. WAS NOT READY TO BE AS  
AGGRESSIVE AS THE ECMWF SO FAVORED THE GFS (AND CMC), ALONG WITH  
THE ENSEMBLE MEANS FOR THIS SYSTEM. THERE IS ALSO A LOT OF  
UNCERTAINTY LATE PERIOD WITH THE EVOLUTION OF A DEEP CLOSED LOW  
OVER THE GULF OF ALASKA WHICH MAY SPLIT INTO TWO FACTIONS -- THE  
SOUTHERN PART LIKELY HEADED TOWARDS THE WEST COAST BY NEXT  
WEDNESDAY. THERE IS AGREEMENT IN POSSIBLE CLOSED LOW DEVELOPMENT  
OFF THE WEST COAST BUT SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES IN THE NORTH-SOUTH  
PLACEMENT OF THIS LOW. THE CMC AT THIS POINT SEEMED AN OUTLIER AS  
IT THEN SPLITS THE ENERGY AGAIN BRINGING A CLOSED LOW INTO THE  
SOUTHWEST AND ANOTHER ONE INTO BRITISH COLUMBIA. FAVORED THE  
ENSEMBLE MEANS PRETTY HEAVILY FOR THIS SYSTEM, ALONG WITH SMALLER  
CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE GFS AND ECMWF.  
 
   
..WEATHER/HAZARDS HIGHLIGHTS  
 
 
COMBINED SHORTWAVE ENERGY ACROSS THE TENNESSEE VALLEY/SOUTHEAST  
WILL INTERACT WITH A FRONT DROPPING SLOWLY THROUGH THE SOUTHEAST  
SUPPORTING MODERATE TO LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL FROM THE CENTRAL GULF  
COAST INTO THE SOUTHEAST/CAROLINAS ON SUNDAY. THOUGH QPF AMOUNTS  
ARE NOT PARTICULARLY HIGH, THERE IS SOME ANOMALOUS MOISTURE AND  
INSTABILITY PRESENT WHICH WOULD SUPPORT HIGHER RAIN RATES AND  
POSSIBLE FLASH FLOODING. A MARGINAL RISK IS IN PLACE ACROSS THIS  
REGION FOR THE DAY 4 EXCESSIVE RAINFALL OUTLOOK. THE NEXT SHORTWAVE  
THROUGH THE NORTHERN PLAINS-GREAT LAKES-NORTHEAST WILL BE  
ACCOMPANIED BY SOME GENERALLY LIGHT TO MODERATE RAIN NEXT WEEK  
ALONG THE ATTENDANT COLD FRONT THROUGH THE UPPER MIDWEST, OHIO  
VALLEY, AND NORTHEAST. A FLASH FLOOD THREAT IS NOT ANTICIPATED  
WITH THIS SYSTEM IN THE ABSENCE OF ANY APPRECIABLE MOISTURE  
ANOMALIES OR INSTABILITY. THE NEXT ROUND OF LIGHT RAIN/MOUNTAIN  
SNOW SHOULD ARRIVE IN THE WEST BY NEXT TUESDAY AHEAD OF THE  
AMPLIFIED TROUGH, WITH SOME PRECIPITATION FARTHER INLAND ACROSS THE  
NORTHERN ROCKIES AS WELL.  
 
THE MEAN UPPER TROUGH OVER THE EAST MUCH OF THE PERIOD SHOULD  
SUPPORT GENERALLY BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES FOR MOST AREAS EAST OF  
THE ROCKIES EXCEPT FLORIDA SUNDAY-MONDAY. SOME WARM UP EXPECTED  
FROM THE SOUTHERN PLAINS INTO THE MID-ATLANTIC AROUND NEXT TUESDAY  
BUT THE NEXT SHORTWAVE INTO THE NORTHERN TIER SHOULD KEEP  
TEMPERATURES CHILLY FROM THE ROCKIES TO THE GREAT LAKES AND  
EVENTUALLY INTO THE NORTHEAST TUESDAY-THURSDAY. INITIAL RIDGING OUT  
WEST SHOULD SUPPORT ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES, BUT TEMPERATURES  
LOOK TO DROP BACK BELOW NORMAL ALONG MUCH OF THE WEST COAST AND  
INLAND BY NEXT WEDNESDAY-THURSDAY.  
 
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 (QPF), EXCESSIVE RAINFALL  
OUTLOOK (ERO), WINTER WEATHER OUTLOOK (WWO) PROBABILITIES, HEAT  
INDICES, AND KEY MESSAGES CAN BE ACCESSED FROM:  
 
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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