495  
FXUS02 KWBC 181828  
PMDEPD  
 
EXTENDED FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NWS WEATHER PREDICTION CENTER COLLEGE PARK MD  
228 PM EDT THU APR 18 2024  
 
VALID 12Z SUN APR 21 2024 - 12Z THU APR 25 2024  
 
   
..OVERVIEW  
 
A REASONABLY PROGRESSIVE FLOW PATTERN IS EXPECTED DURING THE  
MEDIUM RANGE PERIOD, WITH NOT MUCH EXPECTED IN TERMS OF  
SIGNIFICANT ORGANIZED 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 AMPLIFIED UPPER TROUGH/LOW REACH THE COAST IN A WEEK.  
 
   
..GUIDANCE/PREDICTABILITY ASSESSMENT  
 
RECENT 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  
GUIDANCE 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. OPTED FOR ANOTHER GUIDANCE COMPOSITE. 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 WITH THE SOUTHERN PART LIKELY HEADED TOWARDS THE WEST  
COAST IN ABOUT A WEEK. THERE IS SOME AGREEMENT IN POSSIBLE CLOSED  
LOW DEVELOPMENT OFF THE WEST COAST, BUT SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES IN  
THE NORTH-SOUTH PLACEMENT OF THIS LOW. FAVORED THE ENSEMBLE MEANS  
ALONG WITH SMALLER CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE DETERMINISTIC MODELS.  
   
..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 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 AREA REMAINS IN PLACE ACROSS THIS REGION  
FOR THE WPC DAY 4/SUNDAY EXCESSIVE RAINFALL OUTLOOK, BUT HAVE  
REDUCED THE AREAL COVERAGE/INLAND EXTENT GIVEN COASTAL POSITION OF  
THE NEARBY/WAVY FRONT AS PER LATEST WPC/GUIDANCE QPF AND ENSEMBLE  
HEAVIER QPF PROBABILITIES. 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 THURSDAY.  
 
SANTORELLI/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 (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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