213  
FXUS02 KWBC 190659  
PMDEPD  
 
EXTENDED FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NWS WEATHER PREDICTION CENTER COLLEGE PARK MD  
259 AM EDT FRI APR 19 2024  
 
VALID 12Z MON APR 22 2024 - 12Z FRI APR 26 2024  
 
   
..GENERAL OVERVIEW
 
 
THE FORECAST PERIOD BEGINS ON MONDAY WITH AN UPPER TROUGH CROSSING  
THE SOUTHEAST U.S., AND A SECOND TROUGH AMPLIFYING OVER THE GREAT  
LAKES AND THE NORTHEAST U.S. GOING INTO TUESDAY-WEDNESDAY. THIS  
WILL BRING A STRONG COLD FRONT ACROSS THE EASTERN U.S. WITH COLDER  
HIGH PRESSURE SETTLING IN BEHIND IT. A SECOND TROUGH LIKELY  
DEVELOPS OVER THE WESTERN U.S. BY THE MIDDLE TO END OF THE WORK  
WEEK, WITH A CORRESPONDING SURFACE LOW EXPECTED TO DEVELOP OVER THE  
WESTERN HIGH PLAINS BY FRIDAY. THIS WOULD PROBABLY BE THE NEXT  
BEST CHANCE FOR POTENTIALLY IMPACTFUL WEATHER IN TERMS OF RAIN,  
THUNDERSTORMS, AND WIND ACROSS THE CENTRAL U.S.  
 
   
..GUIDANCE/PREDICTABILITY ASSESSMENT
 
 
THE 00Z MODEL GUIDANCE SUITE INDICATED BETTER THAN AVERAGE AGREEMENT  
ACROSS THE CONTINENTAL U.S. THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK ON THE  
SYNOPTIC SCALE FEATURES. IN TERMS OF SPECIFIC FEATURES, THE  
GUIDANCE IS SHOWING A STRONGER SOLUTION ACROSS THE NORTHEAST U.S.  
FOR MIDWEEK AS A POTENT DISTURBANCE DROPS SOUTH FROM THE HUDSON BAY  
REGION AND INVIGORATES THE SHORTWAVE APPROACHING FROM THE GREAT  
LAKES REGION. THE GFS IS MOST AMPLIFIED WITH THIS TROUGH AND HAS  
THE CORE OF THE UPPER LOW OVER NORTHERN NEW ENGLAND. FOR THE  
WESTERN U.S., THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE BROAD UPPER TROUGH BY THE END  
OF NEXT WEEK WILL BE CONTINGENT ON THE LEVEL OF PHASING OF TWO  
SEPARATE SHORTWAVE TROUGHS, WITH ONE ORIGINATING WEST OF  
CALIFORNIA, AND THE OTHER DROPPING SOUTH FROM THE GULF OF ALASKA.  
THE GFS IS QUICKER TO BRING THE TROUGH ONSHORE ACROSS THE  
SOUTHWESTERN U.S, WHEREAS THE CMC IS SLOWEST WITH THIS, AND THE  
GEFS MEAN SERVES AS A REASONABLE MIDDLE GROUND SOLUTION. THE WPC  
FRONTS/PRESSURES FORECAST WAS PRIMARILY DERIVED FROM A  
CMC/ECMWF/GFS CONSENSUS THROUGH WEDNESDAY, AND THEN INCREASING  
CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE GEFS MEAN GOING INTO THURSDAY AND FRIDAY  
WHILE STILL USING SOME PREVIOUS WPC CONTINUITY.  
   
..WEATHER/HAZARDS HIGHLIGHTS
 
 
 
THE SHORTWAVE CROSSING THE UPPER MIDWEST TO THE GREAT LAKES AND  
THEN THE NORTHEAST WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY SOME GENERALLY LIGHT TO  
MODERATE RAIN MONDAY INTO TUESDAY, MAINLY AHEAD OF AND ALONG THE COLD  
FRONT. GIVEN THE OVERALL PROGRESSIVE NATURE OF THIS STORM SYSTEM,  
AND THE LACK OF APPRECIABLE INSTABILITY AND QPF, NO FLASH FLOOD  
THREAT AREAS ARE CURRENTLY WARRANTED FOR THE EXCESSIVE RAINFALL  
OUTLOOKS ON BOTH DAYS 4 AND 5. THE NEXT ROUND OF LIGHT RAIN AND  
MOUNTAIN SNOW SHOULD ARRIVE IN THE NORTHWESTERN STATES BY NEXT  
WEDNESDAY AHEAD OF THE AMPLIFYING TROUGH, AND BECOMING HEAVIER  
GOING INTO THURSDAY ACROSS THE NORTHERN ROCKIES. MORE WIDESPREAD  
SHOWERS AND STORMS ARE THEN EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ACROSS THE PLAINS  
BY THE END OF THE WEEK AS MOISTURE AND INSTABILITY INCREASE IN THE  
WARM SECTOR OF A SURFACE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM, AND THE POTENTIAL  
EXISTS FOR SOME STRONG STORMS AHEAD OF THE DRYLINE IN THE SOUTHERN  
PLAINS.  
 
IN TERMS OF TEMPERATURES, THERE WILL LIKELY BE A MODEST WARM UP  
EXPECTED FROM THE SOUTHERN PLAINS TO THE MID-ATLANTIC REGION ON  
TUESDAY, BUT THE NEXT SHORTWAVE INTO THE NORTHERN TIER SHOULD KEEP  
TEMPERATURES CHILLY FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR FROM THE ROCKIES TO THE  
GREAT LAKES AND EVENTUALLY INTO THE NORTHEAST FOR MIDWEEK. INITIAL  
RIDGING OUT WEST SHOULD SUPPORT ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES, BUT  
TEMPERATURES ARE LIKELY TO FALL TO BELOW NORMAL LEVELS ALONG MUCH  
OF THE WEST COAST AND INLAND BY NEXT THURSDAY. WARMER TEMPERATURES  
AND INCREASING HUMIDITY ARE FORECAST FOR THE SOUTH-CENTRAL U.S. BY  
NEXT FRIDAY AS THE UPPER RIDGE AXIS BUILDS BACK, AND SOUTHERLY FLOW  
FROM THE WESTERN GULF ADVECTS MOISTURE NORTHWARD AHEAD OF A  
DEVELOPING SURFACE LOW.  
 
HAMRICK  
 
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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