306  
FXUS02 KWBC 040700  
PMDEPD  
 
EXTENDED FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NWS WEATHER PREDICTION CENTER COLLEGE PARK MD  
300 AM EDT TUE JUN 4 2024  
 
VALID 12Z FRI JUN 07 2024 - 12Z TUE JUN 11 2024  
 
...MAJOR HEATRISK EXPECTED FOR MANY AREAS IN THE WEST LATE WEEK  
WITH RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURES...  
   
..OVERVIEW  
 
BROADLY, A WESTERN UPPER RIDGE AND EASTERN UPPER TROUGH PATTERN  
WILL SET UP LATE THIS WEEK, THOUGH WEAK TROUGHING MAY APPROACH THE  
WEST COAST EARLY NEXT WEEK. THE RIDGE WILL PRODUCE POTENTIALLY  
HAZARDOUS HEAT ACROSS MUCH OF THE WEST THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK.  
THE FORECAST PATTERN SHOULD SUPPORT INCREASING COVERAGE AND  
INTENSITY OF SHOWERS/STORMS OVER THE CENTRAL OR SOUTH-CENTRAL  
ROCKIES AND PLAINS AS SYSTEMS RIDE THE RIDGE THROUGH MUCH OF THE  
FORECAST PERIOD. MEANWHILE, PERIODS OF LIGHT TO MODEST RAIN ARE  
LIKELY IN THE NORTHEASTERN U.S. UNDERNEATH THE SLOW-MOVING  
TROUGH/LOW.  
 
   
..GUIDANCE/PREDICTABILITY ASSESSMENT  
 
WHILE MODEL GUIDANCE IS GENERALLY AGREEABLE IN SHOWING THE WESTERN  
RIDGE/EASTERN TROUGH PATTERN IN SOME FASHION, DIFFERENCES IN THE  
DETAILS WILL IMPACT SENSIBLE WEATHER ACROSS THE LOWER 48. MOST  
MODELS HAVE FORTUNATELY CONVERGED SOMEWHAT REGARDING THE PLACEMENT  
OF THE GREAT LAKES UPPER LOW AND THE DEPTH OF THE TROUGH EXTENDING  
SOUTH THROUGH FRIDAY-SATURDAY, THOUGH THE 12Z CMC SEEMED TOO FAST  
TO MOVE IT EASTWARD. INTO SUNDAY AND BEYOND THOUGH, THE  
LOW/TROUGH'S MOVEMENT EASTWARD (OR LACK THEREOF) BECOMES  
QUESTIONABLE. ONE CONCERN WITH THE EVOLUTION OF THIS UPPER LOW IS  
THE POSSIBLE INTERACTION WITH ANOTHER UPPER LOW TO ITS NORTHWEST  
OVER CANADA. OVERALL THE 12Z GUIDANCE INDICATED THIS LOW OVER  
MANITOBA OR SO ON SUNDAY AND MOVING SOUTHEASTWARD, SERVING TO KICK  
THE GREAT LAKES LOW EAST EARLY NEXT WEEK. THE 18Z GFS WAS GENERALLY  
ALONE IN KEEPING THIS LOW WELL NORTHWEST OF THE OTHER GUIDANCE  
WHERE THE TWO LOWS DO NOT INTERACT MUCH. SO LEANED AWAY FROM THE  
18Z GFS...BUT THE NEWER 00Z MODEL SOLUTIONS CAME IN MORE LIKE THE  
18Z GFS, WITH THE CANADA UPPER LOW FARTHER REMOVED NORTHWEST AND  
THE GREAT LAKES UPPER LOW STALLING AND KEEPING THE TROUGH DEEPER  
ACROSS THE EAST EARLY NEXT WEEK. SO THERE WILL LIKELY NEED TO BE  
SOME CHANGES TO THE NEXT FORECAST TO SHOW THIS TREND.  
 
IN THE WEST, RIDGING THROUGH LATE WEEK IS AGREEABLE IN THE MODEL  
GUIDANCE. MODELS SHOW A SOUTHERN STREAM UPPER LOW NEAR/WEST OF BAJA  
CALIFORNIA OPENING UP AS IT APPROACHES THE SOUTHWEST THIS WEEKEND,  
WITH SOME EXPECTED DETAIL DIFFERENCES BUT WILL AT LEAST HELP  
DECREASE THE HEAT. MUCH FARTHER NORTH, UPPER LOW DEVELOPMENT IN THE  
NORTHEAST PACIFIC FRIDAY-SATURDAY WILL EXTEND TROUGHING SOUTH THAT  
APPROACHES THE WEST COAST EARLY NEXT WEEK. THE UPPER PATTERN OVER  
THE GULF OF ALASKA IS COMPLICATED AS TWO UPPER LOWS EXHIBIT A  
FUJIWARA EVOLUTION, BUT MODELS GENERALLY SHOW WEAKENING TROUGHING  
APPROACHING THE NORTHWEST BY SUNDAY. THIS TROUGH SHOULD TRACK EAST  
MONDAY-TUESDAY BUT WITH THE DETAILS DEPENDENT ON THE PATTERN  
DOWNSTREAM.  
 
THE WPC FORECAST USED A BLEND OF DETERMINISTIC GUIDANCE FAVORING  
THE ECMWF AND GFS EARLY IN THE FORECAST, LESSENING THE  
INCORPORATION OF THE DETERMINISTIC MODELS (PARTICULARLY THE 18Z  
GFS, POSSIBLY INCORRECTLY) AS THE PERIOD PROGRESSED IN FAVOR OF THE  
GEFS AND EC ENSEMBLE MEANS. THE MEANS REACHED 60 PERCENT OF THE  
BLEND BY DAYS 6-7. ADDITIONAL CHANGES TO THE FORECAST ARE EXPECTED,  
PARTICULARLY GIVEN HOW THE TRENDS IN THE GREAT LAKES UPPER LOW  
WILL IMPACT FRONTS AND TEMPERATURES AND QPF.  
 
   
..WEATHER/HAZARDS HIGHLIGHTS  
 
SOME RETURN FLOW OF MOISTURE (INCLUDING PACIFIC MOISTURE ADVECTING  
AROUND THE UPPER RIDGE) IS LIKELY ACROSS THE SOUTHERN/CENTRAL  
ROCKIES AND PLAINS, WITH ONE OR MORE SURFACE BOUNDARIES HELPING TO  
FOCUS MULTIPLE ROUNDS OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. PLACEMENT AND  
TRACK OF THIS CONVECTION EACH DAY IS RATHER UNCERTAIN BASED ON THE  
SHAPE OF THE RIDGE/TROUGH INTERFACE, AS REFLECTED BY THE RELATIVELY  
LOW QPF. HOWEVER, POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR MUCH HIGHER AMOUNTS AS  
EVIDENCED BY THE 90TH-95TH PERCENTILE QPF. MARGINAL RISKS ARE  
DELINEATED ON BOTH THE DAY 4 AND 5 EROS, LOCATED ACROSS KANSAS AND  
OKLAHOMA AND CLIPPING SURROUNDING STATES DAY 4/FRIDAY WITH A BIT OF  
AN EASTWARD EXPANSION INTO DAY 5/SATURDAY. THE AREAS ARE SOMEWHAT  
BROAD DUE TO THE UNCERTAINTY IN PLACEMENT--NOT ALL AREAS WITHIN MAY  
SEE HEAVY RAINFALL--BUT THESE MAY BE ABLE TO LESSEN IN SIZE IN  
FUTURE FORECASTS IF MODELS CONVERGE. ADDITIONAL ROUNDS OF RAIN ARE  
LIKELY IN THE PLAINS AND SOUTH-CENTRAL PARTS OF THE MISSISSIPPI  
VALLEY EARLY NEXT WEEK. RAIN CHANCES SHOULD ALSO GRADUALLY INCREASE  
ACROSS THE SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL ROCKIES LATE WEEK THROUGH THE  
WEEKEND AND REMAIN INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. THE THREAT FOR HEAVY  
RAINFALL TO CAUSE FLASH FLOODING THERE SEEMS SUB-MARGINAL AT THIS  
POINT GIVEN RECENT DRIER THAN AVERAGE CONDITIONS. SCATTERED LIGHT  
RAINFALL IS POSSIBLE LATE IN THE WEEK OVER PARTS OF THE INTERIOR  
WEST/NORTHERN ROCKIES, LIKELY INCREASING IN COVERAGE AND AMOUNTS  
EARLY NEXT WEEK AS UPPER TROUGHING APPROACHES.  
 
ROUNDS OF RAIN AND POSSIBLE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS THE  
LOWER GREAT LAKES TO THE NORTHEAST UNDERNEATH THE UPPER TROUGH. THE  
HEAVIEST RAIN AMOUNTS DURING THE MEDIUM RANGE PERIOD ARE FORECAST  
ON FRIDAY, BUT SINCE THE INITIAL FRONT WILL BE COMING THROUGH AND  
AMOUNTS LOOK TO DECREASE COMPARED TO THURSDAY (NOW DAY 3), DO NOT  
HAVE ANY MARGINAL RISK IN THE ERO FOR DAY 4/FRIDAY. HOWEVER, THERE  
IS A NON-ZERO RISK OF FLOODING CONCERNS ESPECIALLY IF HEAVY RAIN  
FALLS IN SIMILAR AREAS AS THE PREVIOUS DAY.  
 
THE WESTERN RIDGE WILL PROMOTE NOTABLY/RECORD HOT TEMPERATURES  
ACROSS THE WEST ESPECIALLY FOR THE LATTER PART OF THIS WEEK. HIGHS  
BROADLY WILL RUN 10-20 DEGREES ABOVE AVERAGE AND LOCALLY 20+  
DEGREES ABOVE AVERAGE IN THE GREAT BASIN. HIGH TEMPERATURES ABOVE  
110F ARE FORECAST FOR THE DESERT SOUTHWEST (INCLUDING LAS VEGAS),  
WITH 90S AND 100S STRETCHING INTO THE CENTRAL CALIFORNIA VALLEYS TO  
THE GREAT BASIN TO MUCH OF TEXAS. DAILY RECORD HIGH MINIMUM AND  
MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES ARE POSSIBLE. THROUGH FRIDAY, THE EXPERIMENTAL  
HEATRISK PRODUCT SHOWS A LARGE AREA OF MAJOR (LEVEL 3 OF 4) AND  
SOME EXTREME (LEVEL 4 OF 4) OUTLINE. THE HIGHER TEMPERATURE  
ANOMALIES LOOK TO SHIFT INTO THE NORTHWEST FOR THE WEEKEND WITH  
SOME MINOR MODERATION OF THE TEMPERATURES AND HEATRISK IN THE  
SOUTHWEST AS THE WEAKENING UPPER LOW APPROACHES FROM NORTHWESTERN  
MEXICO. MEANWHILE, MOST AREAS EAST OF THE ROCKIES SHOULD TREND TO  
SLIGHTLY BELOW NORMAL BEHIND THE COLD FRONT. EXCEPTIONS TO THIS  
TREND WILL BE TEXAS (ESPECIALLY SOUTHERN AREAS), AND FLORIDA WHERE  
HIGHS SEVERAL DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL MAY LEAD TO SOME DAILY RECORDS.  
 
TATE  
 
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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