466  
FXUS02 KWBC 220626  
PMDEPD  
 
EXTENDED FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NWS WEATHER PREDICTION CENTER COLLEGE PARK MD  
226 AM EDT WED MAY 22 2024  
 
VALID 12Z SAT MAY 25 2024 - 12Z WED MAY 29 2024  
 
 
...HEAVY RAINFALL/FLOODING THREATS FOR THE MID-MISSISSIPPI,  
TENNESSEE, AND OHIO VALLEYS THROUGH THE WEEKEND...  
 
...SOUTH TEXAS TO THE CENTRAL GULF COAST AND SOUTH FLORIDA HEAT  
THREAT...  
 
   
..OVERVIEW
 
 
A NORTHERN STREAM COMPACT CLOSED LOW AND SOUTHERN STREAM SHORTWAVE  
MOVING FROM THE WEST TO CENTRAL U.S. WILL BE THE MAIN DRIVERS FOR  
HEAVY RAINFALL POTENTIAL ACROSS PARTS OF THE MIDDLE MISSISSIPPI  
VALLEY TO OHIO VALLEY THIS WEEKEND. BY MONDAY, THE OVERALL PATTERN  
ACROSS THE CONUS SHOULD TURN MORE AMPLIFIED AS AN UPPER RIDGE  
BUILDS OVER THE INTERIOR WEST AND A LARGE CLOSED LOW ANCHORS OFF  
THE WEST COAST. THIS ALLOWS THE DOWNSTREAM TROUGHING TO DEEPEN AND  
SLOW AS IT REACHING THE EAST EARLY NEXT WEEK. A STRONG UPPER RIDGE  
OVER MEXICO WILL KEEP HAZARDOUS HEAT A THREAT FROM SOUTH TEXAS TO  
THE GULF COAST AND SOUTHERN FLORIDA THROUGH AT LEAST THE WEEKEND  
WITH DANGEROUSLY HIGH HEAT INDICES COUPLED WITH ANOMALOUSLY WARM  
NIGHTTIME LOWS.  
 
   
..GUIDANCE/PREDICTABILITY ASSESSMENT
 
 
MODELS AND ENSEMBLES CONTINUE TO SHOW GOOD AGREEMENT ON THE  
OVERALL LARGE SCALE UPPER LEVEL PATTERN THROUGH THE MEDIUM RANGE  
PERIOD, BUT THERE ARE SOME KEY DIFFERENCES STILL IN THE DETAILS  
ESPECIALLY THE SECOND HALF OF THE PERIOD. THERE WAS GOOD ENOUGH  
AGREEMENT THE FIRST HALF TO WARRANT A GENERAL BLEND OF THE  
DETERMINISTIC GUIDANCE. AFTER THIS, THE 12Z/18Z GUIDANCE SUITE  
CONTINUED TO ADVERTISE A FASTER MOVING SOUTHERN STREAM SHORTWAVE  
AHEAD OF THE NORTHERN STREAM UPPER LOW OVER THE WEST, WHICH WOULD  
LIMIT INTERACTIONS BETWEEN THE TWO AND BRINGS A WEAKER SYSTEM INTO  
THE EAST EARLY TO MID NEXT WEEK. THE 12Z/MAY 21 ECMWF WAS THE  
SLOWEST WITH THE SHORTWAVE AND SHOWED ENERGY INTERACTIONS WITH THE  
NEXT LOW BEHIND IT RESULTING IN A STRONGER SYSTEM THROUGH THE GREAT  
LAKES AND EAST. THERE IS SUPPORT FOR THIS FROM THE AI/ML GUIDANCE  
THOUGH SO THIS WILL NEED TO CONTINUE TO BE WATCHED. THE ECMWF WAS  
ALSO A LOT STRONGER WITH SHORTWAVE ENERGY INTO WESTERN CANADA LATE  
PERIOD RESULTING IN MUCH LESS AMPLIFIED RIDGING OVER THE WESTERN  
U.S. NEXT WEEK, WHICH DOES NOT HAVE MUCH/IF ANY SUPPORT FROM THE  
REST OF THE GUIDANCE. THE LATE PERIOD BLEND FOR THE WPC FORECAST  
LEANED MORE ON THE ENSEMBLE MEANS WITH SOME MODEST INCLUSION OF THE  
GFS AND CMC TO HELP MAINTAIN SOME SYSTEM DEFINITION AND DETAILS.  
 
   
..WEATHER/HAZARDS HIGHLIGHTS
 
 
A DEEPENING SURFACE LOW AND ASSOCIATED WARM FRONT WILL BE THE  
FOCUS FOR STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS AND HEAVY  
RAINFALL/FLOODING POTENTIAL THIS WEEKEND ACROSS PARTS OF THE MID-  
MISSISSIPPI VALLEY TO OHIO VALLEY. A MARGINAL RISK OF EXCESSIVE  
RAINFALL IS IN PLACE FROM EASTERN KANSAS TO THE LOWER OHIO VALLEY  
FOR SATURDAY AS A FRONTAL BOUNDARY STALLS AND LIFTS NORTH THROUGH  
THE REGION. AN ORGANIZED SURFACE LOW MOVING INTO THE MIDWEST LATER  
IN THE WEEKEND SHOULD HELP TAP ADDITIONAL MOISTURE AND INSTABILITY  
FOR HEAVY RAINFALL DEVELOPMENT FARTHER EAST ON SUNDAY INTO THE OHIO  
AND TENNESSEE VALLEY. MUCH OF THE GUIDANCE IS SHOWING SOME  
ELEVATED QPF TOTALS, BUT STILL WITH A LOT OF SPREAD IN EXACTLY  
WHERE. FOR NOW, INTRODUCED A BROAD MARGINAL RISK ACROSS THIS REGION  
ON THE DAY 5/SUNDAY ERO.  
 
ELSEWHERE, SHOWERS WILL MOVE FROM THE NORTHERN ROCKIES INTO THE  
PLAINS ASSOCIATED WITH THE NORTHERN STREAM SYSTEM THIS WEEKEND, AND  
THEN A STRONG COLD FRONT INTO THE EAST SHOULD BRING INCREASED RAIN  
CHANCES ACROSS THE EAST AND SOUTH EARLY NEXT WEEK.  
 
EXPECT HAZARDOUS HEAT TO EXPAND FROM SOUTH TEXAS THROUGH THE  
CENTRAL GULF COAST AND SOUTH FLORIDA DURING THE PERIOD WITH DAYTIME  
HIGHS AS MUCH AS 10-15 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL WITH MAX HEAT INDEX  
VALUES POSSIBLY REACHING 115 DEGREES, ESPECIALLY FOR SOUTH TEXAS.  
HIGHS NEAR 100 DEGREES COULD STRETCH FARTHER NORTH ACROSS THE  
SOUTHERN HIGH PLAINS THIS WEEKEND AS WELL. THE COMBINATION OF  
DANGEROUS HEAT INDICES AND LACK OF OVERNIGHT RECOVERY/COOLING WILL  
ALLOW FOR A MAJOR TO EXTREME HEAT RISK ACROSS SOUTH TEXAS, WITH  
WIDESPREAD MAJOR HEAT RISK ALSO EXTENDING INTO THE CENTRAL GULF  
COAST REGION AS WELL AS SOUTHERN FLORIDA. TEMPERATURES SHOULD TREND  
CLOSER TO NORMAL NEXT WEEK ACROSS THE SOUTH FOLLOWING PASSAGE OF A  
COLD FRONT. THE FORECAST PATTERN WILL FAVOR BELOW AVERAGE HIGHS  
OVER THE NORTHWEST TO NORTHERN PLAINS FOR THIS WEEKEND BUT ABOVE  
NORMAL TEMPERATURES WILL BUILD AGAIN ACROSS THE WEST EARLY NEXT  
WEEK UNDERNEATH OF AMPLIFIED UPPER RIDGING. ABOVE AVERAGE  
TEMPERATURES ALONG THE EASTERN SEABOARD WILL MODERATE BACK TO  
NORMAL NEXT WEEK.  
 
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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