746  
FXUS02 KWBC 230614  
PMDEPD  
 
EXTENDED FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NWS WEATHER PREDICTION CENTER COLLEGE PARK MD  
214 AM EDT THU MAY 23 2024  
 
VALID 12Z SUN MAY 26 2024 - 12Z THU MAY 30 2024  
 
 
...HEAVY RAINFALL/FLOODING THREATS FROM PARTS OF THE MIDWEST TO  
THE NORTHEAST SUNDAY-MONDAY..  
 
...SOUTH TEXAS TO THE CENTRAL GULF COAST AND SOUTH FLORIDA HEAT  
THREAT INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK...  
 
   
..OVERVIEW
 
 
AN UPPER TROUGH (WHICH MAY BE A COMBINATION OF DIFFERENT ENERGY  
STREAMS) WILL TRAVERSE THE CONUS THROUGH THE MEDIUM RANGE PERIOD.  
THIS WILL SERVE AS THE MAIN DRIVER FOR HEAVY RAINFALL POTENTIAL  
EARLY IN THE PERIOD FROM THE MIDWEST/MID-SOUTH INTO THE EAST. AFTER  
MONDAY, THE OVERALL PATTERN SHOULD TURN MORE AMPLIFIED AS AN UPPER  
RIDGE BUILDS OVER THE INTERIOR WEST ALLOWING THE DOWNSTREAM TROUGH  
TO DEEPEN AND SLOW AS IT REACHES THE EAST EARLY NEXT WEEK.  
UPSTREAM, A DEEP UPPER LOW ANCHORED OFF THE WEST COAST SHOULD  
EVENTUALLY SEND ENERGY INTO THE NORTHWEST AND NORTHERN TIER AROUND  
THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK. MEANWHILE, RIDGING OVER MEXICO WILL HELP  
MAINTAIN A HAZARDOUS HEAT THREAT FROM SOUTH TEXAS TO THE GULF COAST  
AND SOUTHERN FLORIDA THROUGH ABOUT MONDAY BEFORE A COLD FRONT  
SWEEPS THROUGH THE SOUTH.  
 
   
..GUIDANCE/PREDICTABILITY ASSESSMENT
 
 
MODELS AND ENSEMBLES CONTINUE TO SHOW REASONABLY GOOD AGREEMENT ON  
THE OVERALL LARGE SCALE UPPER LEVEL PATTERN THROUGH MUCH OF THE  
MEDIUM RANGE PERIOD, BUT THERE ARE SOME SMALL-MID SCALE SYSTEM  
DIFFERENCES AND RUN TO RUN VARIANCES THAT REMAIN MORE UNCERTAIN.  
EARLY IN THE PERIOD, A NORTHERN STREAM SHORTWAVE INTO THE NORTHERN  
PLAINS AND A LEADING SOUTHERN STREAM SHORTWAVE SHOULD INTERACT WITH  
A COMPACT CLOSED LOW AND AMPLIFIED TROUGHING OVER THE OHIO VALLEY  
BY MONDAY. AFTER MONDAY, THERE IS A LOT OF UNCERTAINTY STILL ON THE  
EVOLUTION AND SPEED OF THIS TROUGH WHICH IS DEPENDENT ON  
ADDITIONAL CLOSED LOW ENERGY DROPPING IN FROM SOUTH-CENTRAL CANADA.  
EVENTUALLY, THIS SHOULD CREATE RENEWED TROUGHING OVER THE EAST  
THAT COULD BE SLOW TO MOVE OUT OF THE REGION.  
 
SHORTWAVE ENERGY FROM A CLOSED LOW JUST OFF THE BRITISH COLUMBIA  
COAST SHOULD ENTER THE NORTHWEST AROUND THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK,  
BUT THERE IS ALSO A LOT OF UNCERTAINTY ON THE SPEED AND AMPLITUDE  
OF THIS FEATURE. THROUGH THE 12Z/18Z MAY 22 MODEL RUNS, THE ECMWF  
WAS THE MOST AMPLIFIED WITH THIS, BUT THE NEW 00Z GFS DID COME IN  
TO MATCH. BUT GIVEN THE LATE PERIOD TIMING, A LOT CAN STILL CHANGE.  
 
THE WPC FORECAST TONIGHT WAS BASED ON A BLEND OF THE GFS, ECMWF,  
AND CMC THROUGH TUESDAY WHEN MODEL AGREEMENT WAS STILL DECENT.  
AFTER THIS, TRENDED MORE TOWARDS THE GFS WITH THE ENSEMBLE MEANS TO  
HELP MITIGATE THE SMALLER SCALE DIFFERENCES WHILE STILL  
MAINTAINING SOME SYSTEM DEFINITION. THIS ALSO MAINTAINED GOOD  
CONTINUITY WITH THE PREVIOUS WPC FORECAST FOR DAYS 3-6.  
 
   
..WEATHER/HAZARDS HIGHLIGHTS
 
 
A SURFACE LOW AND ASSOCIATED FRONTS WILL BE THE FOCUS FOR STRONG  
TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS AND HEAVY RAINFALL/FLOODING POTENTIAL  
SUNDAY AND MONDAY FROM PARTS OF THE MIDWEST TO THE EAST. A MARGINAL  
RISK OF EXCESSIVE RAINFALL REMAINS IN PLACE ACROSS MUCH OF THE  
OHIO VALLEY AND INTO THE TENNESSEE VALLEY ON SUNDAY/DAY 4, SHIFTING  
INTO THE NORTHEAST ON MONDAY/DAY 5. ESPECIALLY SUNDAY, THE  
GUIDANCE CONTINUES TO SHOW ELEVATED QPF TOTALS, BUT STILL WITH A  
LOT OF SPREAD IN EXACTLY WHERE. IT IS POSSIBLE THAT A THE GUIDANCE  
SIGNAL BECOMES MORE DEFINED, AN EMBEDDED SLIGHT RISK MAY BE NEEDED  
SOMEWHERE.  
 
THE HEAVIEST RAINFALL SHOULD EXIT THE EAST COAST AFTER MONDAY WITH  
THE COLD FRONT, BUT RENEWED TROUGHING ACROSS THE REGION WILL ALLOW  
FOR SHOWERS ACROSS THE GREAT LAKES AND INTO THE  
APPALACHIANS/NORTHEAST BEYOND MONDAY. ELSEWHERE, RAIN CHANCES  
SHOULD INCREASE FROM THE NORTHWEST TO NORTHERN PLAINS WHILE  
ADDITIONAL SHOWERS EXPAND ACROSS THE SOUTHERN PLAINS AS ENERGY  
EJECTS OUT FROM THE SOUTHWEST LATE PERIOD.  
 
EXPECT HAZARDOUS HEAT TO CONTINUE INTO THE MEDIUM RANGE PERIOD  
FROM SOUTH TEXAS THROUGH THE CENTRAL GULF COAST AND SOUTH FLORIDA  
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 ON SUNDAY 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 AFTER MONDAY ACROSS MUCH OF THE SOUTH  
FOLLOWING A STRONG COLD FRONT PASSAGE, BUT SOUTHERN FLORIDA SHOULD  
REMAIN WARM INTO MID-NEXT WEEK. THE FORECAST PATTERN WILL FAVOR  
BELOW AVERAGE HIGHS OVER THE NORTHWEST TO NORTHERN PLAINS FOR  
SUNDAY STILL BUT ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES WILL BUILD AGAIN ACROSS  
THE WEST EARLY NEXT WEEK UNDERNEATH OF AMPLIFIED UPPER RIDGING THAT  
SHIFTS INTO THE CENTRAL U.S. ABOVE AVERAGE TEMPERATURES ALONG THE  
EASTERN SEABOARD WILL MODERATE BACK TO NORMAL NEXT WEEK WITH SOME  
CHANCE FOR BELOW NORMAL HIGHS AROUND MID-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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