017  
FXUS02 KWBC 181859  
PMDEPD  
 
EXTENDED FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NWS WEATHER PREDICTION CENTER COLLEGE PARK MD  
259 PM EDT TUE JUN 18 2024  
 
VALID 12Z FRI JUN 21 2024 - 12Z TUE JUN 25 2024  
 
...RECORD-BREAKING HEAT FROM THE MIDWEST TO THE EAST COAST EXPECTED  
TO MODERATE BY EARLY NEXT WEEK, WHILE SOME HEAT SHIFTS SOUTH...  
 
...HEAVY RAINFALL THREAT FROM THE NORTHERN PLAINS INTO UPPER  
GREAT LAKES INTO FRIDAY-SATURDAY...  
 
   
..OVERVIEW  
 
LATEST MODELS AND ENSEMBLES CONTINUE TO SHOW THE LARGE SCALE  
PATTERN TRANSITIONING TOWARD A MORE TYPICAL EARLY SUMMER REGIME  
LATE WEEKEND AND EARLY NEXT WEEK, AS INITIALLY STRONG RIDGING OVER  
THE EASTERN HALF OF THE COUNTRY GIVES WAY TO A LEADING TROUGH  
CROSSING THE NORTHERN TIER U.S. AND SOUTHERN CANADA (REACHING THE  
EAST COAST BY AROUND NEXT TUESDAY) WHILE A SYSTEM REACHING THE  
NORTHEAST PACIFIC AND WEST COAST THIS WEEKEND CONTINUES EASTWARD  
THEREAFTER. ALTHOUGH GRADUALLY WEAKENING, THE EASTERN UPPER RIDGE  
WILL STILL SUPPORT A BROAD AREA OF HAZARDOUS HEAT WITH POTENTIAL  
FOR DAILY RECORDS EXTENDING FROM THE OHIO VALLEY/LOWER GREAT LAKES  
INTO THE MID-ATLANTIC FRIDAY INTO THE WEEKEND. THE NORTHERN PLAINS  
INTO UPPER GREAT LAKES SHOULD SEE A CONTINUED THREAT FOR HEAVY  
RAINFALL THROUGH FRIDAY-SATURDAY AS DEVELOPING NORTHERN PLAINS INTO  
GREAT LAKES/ONTARIO LOW PRESSURE AND ASSOCIATED FRONTS INTERACT  
WITH ANOMALOUS MOISTURE ALREADY IN PLACE. SOME OF THIS RAINFALL  
WILL EXTEND INTO THE NORTHEAST. A TRAILING NORTHEAST PACIFIC SYSTEM  
WILL LIKELY BRING A WELL-DEFINED FRONT INTO THE WEST BY SUNDAY,  
CONTINUING EAST THEREAFTER. TO THE SOUTH OF THE WARM UPPER RIDGE  
ULTIMATELY SETTLING OVER THE FAR SOUTHERN TIER, POTENTIAL TROPICAL  
CYCLONE ONE (SEE NHC FOR UPDATES) SHOULD DISSIPATE OVER MEXICO BY  
FRIDAY WHILE NHC IS MONITORING POTENTIAL FOR ANOTHER FEATURE OVER  
THE WESTERN GULF MID-LATE PERIOD.  
 
   
..GUIDANCE/PREDICTABILITY ASSESSMENT  
 
MODEL GUIDANCE REMAINS AGREEABLE WITH THE MAIN ASPECTS OF THE  
PATTERN ESPECIALLY THROUGH THE WEEKEND. THE UPPER RIDGE SHOULD  
BEGIN FRIDAY OVER THE MID-SOUTH TO MID-ATLANTIC, GETTING SUPPRESSED  
SOUTH WITH TIME AS SOUTHERN AND NORTHERN STREAM ENERGY PHASE TO  
CREATE A SHORTWAVE AND LIKELY SMALL CLOSED LOW NEAR THE GREAT LAKES  
BY SUNDAY. THIS FEATURE SHOWS REASONABLY GOOD AGREEMENT IN THE  
UPPER LEVELS WITH DYNAMICAL AND AI MODELS, BUT AT THE SURFACE THERE  
WAS SOME SPREAD IN THE LOW STRENGTH AND TRACK. THE 00Z ECMWF  
(DETERMINISTIC) SEEMED TO BE AN OUTLIER WITH A STRONG SURFACE LOW  
AND NORTHWEST TRACK COMPARED TO OTHER DYNAMICAL/AI MODELS THAT WERE  
FARTHER SOUTHEAST AND WEAKER, BUT THE 12Z EC HAS COME INTO BETTER  
AGREEMENT. THE SHORTWAVE AND THE COLD FRONT ASSOCIATED WITH THE  
SURFACE LOW TRACKING NORTHEASTWARD SHOULD TRACK THROUGH THE  
NORTHEAST MONDAY-TUESDAY, WITH TYPICAL LEVELS OF SPREAD.  
 
THE NEXT SHORTWAVE OF NOTE LOOKS TO COME INTO THE NORTHWEST EARLY  
NEXT WEEK, WITH SOME SPREAD IN ITS TIMING AND DEPTH AS IT TRACKS  
EAST NEAR THE U.S./CANADIAN BORDER. THERE WAS A GENERAL TREND  
TOWARD THE SHORTWAVE AND THE ASSOCIATED SURFACE FRONTAL SYSTEM  
MOVING FASTER COMPARED TO THE PREVIOUS FORECAST. THEN, ATTENTION  
TURNS TO THE WESTERN GULF OF MEXICO WHERE THERE IS A POSSIBILITY OF  
A TROPICAL SYSTEM. MOST DETERMINISTIC MODELS AND MANY ENSEMBLE  
MEMBERS SHOW A LOW APPROACHING NORTH FROM THE BAY OF CAMPECHE, BUT  
AI MODELS SHOW LESS POTENTIAL.  
 
THE WPC FORECAST USED A MULTI-MODEL DETERMINISTIC BLEND EARLY IN  
THE FORECAST PERIOD WITH INCLUSION OF THE GEFS AND EC ENSEMBLE  
MEANS BY DAY 5 AND INCREASING THEIR PERCENTAGE TO HALF BY DAYS 6-7.  
 
   
..WEATHER/HAZARDS HIGHLIGHTS  
 
THE MOST PROMINENT FOCUS FOR HEAVY RAINFALL DURING THE PERIOD WILL  
BE FROM THE NORTHERN PLAINS INTO UPPER GREAT LAKES DURING FRIDAY-  
SATURDAY AS UPPER DYNAMICS EMERGING FROM WESTERN NORTH AMERICA  
ENCOURAGE NORTHERN PLAINS INTO GREAT LAKES/ONTARIO SURFACE  
DEVELOPMENT. THIS SYSTEM AND ASSOCIATED FRONTS WILL INTERACT WITH  
ANOMALOUS MOISTURE THAT HAS BEEN PERSISTING OVER THE REGION FOR  
MULTIPLE DAYS. THE DAY 4 EXCESSIVE RAINFALL OUTLOOK FOR FRIDAY  
MAINTAINS A SLIGHT RISK AREA FROM PARTS OF THE DAKOTAS ACROSS  
MINNESOTA AND THE NORTHERN HALF OF WISCONSIN INTO THE U.P. OF  
MICHIGAN (CLOSE TO CONTINUITY). THIS COULD BE A HIGHER-END SLIGHT  
ACROSS CENTRAL PARTS OF MINNESOTA INTO NORTHWESTERN WISCONSIN. THE  
DAY 5 ERO FOR SATURDAY WILL CONTINUE A SLIGHT RISK AREA FROM  
NORTHEASTERN MINNESOTA/NORTHERN WISCONSIN INTO NORTHERN MICHIGAN.  
SURROUNDING MARGINAL RISK AREAS ACCOUNT FOR LESS EXTREME BUT STILL  
LOCALLY SIGNIFICANT RAINFALL POTENTIAL OVER THE NORTHERN PLAINS  
(DAY 4) AND OVER THE MIDWEST ALONG THE TRAILING COLD FRONT (DAY 5).  
SOME AREAS ACROSS THE NORTHERN TIER WILL BE SENSITIVE TO  
ADDITIONAL RAINFALL DUE TO ALREADY WET GROUND HEADING INTO FRIDAY.  
 
ELSEWHERE, THE UPDATED DAY 4 ERO MAINTAINS CONTINUITY WITH A  
MARGINAL RISK AREA OVER PARTS OF THE SOUTHERN ROCKIES/FOUR CORNERS  
REGION DUE TO THE ABUNDANT MOISTURE LIKELY FROM BOTH THE PACIFIC  
AND THE GULF ARRIVING, SOME FORECAST INSTABILITY, AND SOME MODEL  
SIGNALS FOR LOCALLY ENHANCED RAINFALL. GUIDANCE SUGGESTS THAT THE  
GREATEST MOISTURE ANOMALIES SHOULD GET PUSHED TO THE SOUTH AND WEST  
DURING SATURDAY, WITH RAINFALL OVER THE REGION LIKELY TO BE  
LIGHTER AND MORE SCATTERED, SO A DAY 5 MARGINAL RISK STILL DOES NOT  
SEEM NEEDED. MEANWHILE THE NORTHEAST CONTINUES TO MERIT MONITORING  
FROM FRIDAY INTO THE WEEKEND. THE COMBINATION OF MOISTURE AND  
INSTABILITY ALONG WITH AN EAST-WEST FRONT SETTLING OVER THE REGION  
COULD SUPPORT SOME LOCALLY ENHANCED RAINFALL RATES AND  
TRAINING/REPEAT ACTIVITY. HOWEVER ANTECEDENT CONDITIONS SHOULD BE  
RATHER DRY BY THAT TIME, STREAMFLOWS ARE ALREADY NEAR TO BELOW  
NORMAL, AND MODEL QPF IS NOT EXCEPTIONALLY HEAVY THUS FAR.  
THEREFORE THE OUTLOOKS CONTINUE TO DEPICT NO RISK AREA AT THIS TIME  
FOR FRIDAY-SATURDAY. BY SUNDAY (WHAT IS CURRENTLY DAY 6), FORCING  
INCREASES WITH A SHORTWAVE AND COLD FRONT APPROACHING, SO THIS MAY  
WARRANT AN EVENTUAL ERO RISK.  
 
CONTINUED PROGRESSION OF THE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM THAT SHOULD BE  
NEAR THE GREAT LAKES AS OF EARLY SUNDAY WILL BRING THE TRAILING  
COLD FRONT THROUGH THE EASTERN U.S. AND TRAILING BACK INTO THE  
PLAINS BY THE START OF NEXT WEEK, BRINGING AREAS OF SHOWERS AND  
THUNDERSTORMS OF VARYING INTENSITY. ANOTHER FRONT REACHING THE  
NORTHWEST THIS WEEKEND MAY BRING SOME LIGHT/SCATTERED RAINFALL OVER  
NORTHERN AREAS. CONTINUED PROGRESS OF THIS FRONT MAY GENERATE SOME  
SHOWERS/THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE CENTRAL U.S. BY THE FIRST HALF OF  
NEXT WEEK. SOME SCATTERED DIURNAL CONVECTION MAY PERSIST OVER THE  
SOUTHERN ROCKIES. OCCASIONAL SHOWERS/STORMS ARE POSSIBLE ALONG THE  
GULF COAST, BUT WITH INCREASING UNCERTAINTY OVER SPECIFICS OF THE  
GULF OF MEXICO PATTERN AT THE SURFACE AND ALOFT BY EARLY NEXT WEEK  
KEEPING CONFIDENCE LOW REGARDING ANY POTENTIAL INCREASE IN MOISTURE  
AT THAT TIME.  
 
WITH A COLD FRONT REACHING NEW ENGLAND BY FRIDAY AND PROVIDING A  
COOLING TREND THERE, THE GREATEST TEMPERATURE ANOMALIES FROM LATE  
THIS WEEK INTO THE WEEKEND SHOULD EXTEND FROM THE MIDWEST AND OHIO  
VALLEY/LOWER GREAT LAKES INTO THE MID-ATLANTIC AND NORTHEAST, WITH  
READINGS TENDING TO BE 10-15F ABOVE NORMAL. THIS WOULD TRANSLATE TO  
HIGHS WELL INTO THE 90S, ALONG WITH LOWS IN THE UPPER 60S TO UPPER  
70S PROVIDING LITTLE OVERNIGHT HEAT RELIEF. DAILY RECORDS FOR  
MAX/WARM MIN TEMPERATURES WILL BE POSSIBLE WITHIN THE ABOVE AREAS  
THROUGH THE WEEKEND, UP THROUGH WARM MINIMUM TEMPERATURES EARLY  
MONDAY (IF THEY HOLD ON THROUGH THE CALENDAR DAY). MEANWHILE MUCH  
OF THE WEST WILL TREND WARMER/HOTTER LATE THIS WEEK INTO THE  
WEEKEND WITH HIGHS REACHING 10F OR MORE ABOVE NORMAL FOR A COUPLE  
DAYS OR SO. THE FRONT REACHING THE NORTHWEST SHOULD BRING COOLER  
AIR TO THAT REGION BY SUNDAY-MONDAY, WHILE SOME OF THE LEADING  
WESTERN HEAT SHOULD REACH THE NORTHERN-CENTRAL HIGH PLAINS AT THAT  
TIME--CONNECTING WITH LINGERING HEAT OVER PARTS OF THE PLAINS INTO  
THE SOUTHERN HALF OF THE EAST. HIGHS WELL INTO THE 90S AND HIGH  
DEWPOINTS IN THE SOUTHEAST WILL LEAD TO HEAT INDICES AROUND 105F,  
WITH WIDESPREAD AREAS OF MAJOR HEATRISK BY EARLY NEXT WEEK. CLOUDS  
AND RAINFALL WILL SUPPORT BELOW NORMAL HIGHS OVER THE SOUTHERN  
ROCKIES/HIGH PLAINS LATE THIS WEEK.  
 
TATE/RAUSCH  
 
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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