640  
FXUS02 KWBC 141931  
PMDEPD  
 
EXTENDED FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NWS WEATHER PREDICTION CENTER COLLEGE PARK MD  
331 PM EDT SAT SEP 14 2024  
 
VALID 12Z TUE SEP 17 2024 - 12Z SAT SEP 21 2024  
 
...POSSIBLE SUBTROPICAL OR TROPICAL LOW COULD SPREAD HEAVY RAIN TO  
THE CAROLINAS AND MID-ATLANTIC INTO TUESDAY...  
   
..OVERVIEW  
 
RELOADING UPPER TROUGHING WILL BE IN PLACE ACROSS THE WESTERN U.S.  
THROUGH MUCH OF NEXT WEEK, PROMOTING COOLER WEATHER AND RAIN PLUS  
HIGHER ELEVATION SNOW. SOME RAIN MAY SPREAD INTO THE PLAINS AS  
WELL, POSSIBLY BECOMING MODERATE TO HEAVY AT SOME LOCATIONS, BUT  
WITH WARMER THAN AVERAGE TEMPERATURES. MEANWHILE IN THE EAST, A  
PERSISTENT UPPER LOW WILL MEANDER WHILE POTENTIALLY ACCOMPANIED BY  
SURFACE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEMS. IN PARTICULAR, NHC AND WPC ARE  
MONITORING POSSIBLE SURFACE LOW DEVELOPMENT IN THE SHORT TERM OFF  
THE SOUTHEAST COAST (MAY BECOME TROPICAL OR SUBTROPICAL) WITH A  
TRACK REACHING INTO NORTH CAROLINA OR VICINITY BY THE START OF THE  
PERIOD TUESDAY. HOWEVER THERE HAS BEEN CONSIDERABLE UNCERTAINTY  
WITH THIS SYSTEM'S EVOLUTION AND PATH ALONG WITH THE  
COVERAGE/INTENSITY OF ASSOCIATED RAINFALL.  
 
   
..GUIDANCE/PREDICTABILITY ASSESSMENT  
 
THE EASTERN U.S. IS THE AREA OF GREATEST UNCERTAINTY DURING THE  
PERIOD, DESPITE GENERAL AGREEMENT IN AN UPPER LOW SOUTH OF AN  
EAST-WEST ORIENTED RIDGE THAT SHOULD BE ERODING OVER THE NORTHEAST  
TUESDAY. THIS UPPER LOW MAY OPEN UP, WITH UNCERTAINTY OVER HOW MUCH  
NORTHERN STREAM TROUGHING OVER THE CANADIAN MARITIMES/NEW ENGLAND  
COULD INTERACT BY LATE WEEK. HOWEVER, DETAILS OF LOWER  
PREDICTABILITY SMALL-SCALE ENERGY WITHIN THE UPPER LOW AND TROUGH  
WILL IMPACT THE PATTERN AT THE SURFACE, INCLUDING A LOW PRESSURE  
SYSTEM THAT COULD SHOW TROPICAL OR SUBTROPICAL DEVELOPMENT EARLY TO  
MIDWEEK. THE LOW MAY BE MOST LIKELY SUBTROPICAL FOR A TIME AS  
CYCLONE PHASE SPACE DIAGRAMS FROM VARIOUS MODELS ARE GENERALLY  
SHOWING A SYMMETRIC WARM CORE LOW, BUT BORDERLINE AT TIMES, WHILE  
THERE SEEM TO BE SOME MOISTURE/TEMPERATURE GRADIENTS THAT WOULD  
SUGGEST FRONTS NEARBY. THERE IS NOTABLE UNCERTAINTY WITH THE LOW  
TYPE AND ALSO THE LOW TRACK. RECENT MODEL RUNS/CYCLES HAVE STARTED  
TO SHOW A BIT MORE PERSISTENCE FOR THE LOW TO MOVE INLAND INTO  
NORTH CAROLINA BY TUESDAY, WHILE GUIDANCE DIVERGES IN HOW FAR  
INLAND IT COULD MAINTAIN A LOW. AI MODELS THROUGH 00Z HAVE FAVORED  
A NEAR-COASTAL OR MORE OF AN OFFSHORE TRACK, BUT NEW 12Z DYNAMICAL  
GUIDANCE IS SHOWING BETTER CLUSTERING WITH A MORE INLAND TRACK  
(BUT STILL UP FOR DEBATE HOW FAR NORTHWEST, WITH THE GFS/CMC/UKMET  
ULTIMATELY REACHING THE UPPER OHIO VALLEY BUT THE ECMWF REMAINING  
SLOWER AND FARTHER EAST/SOUTHEAST). IN THE WAKE OF THIS SYSTEM,  
WEAK WAVINESS/FRONTS MAY PERSIST OR REFORM NEAR THE COAST OR OVER  
THE WESTERN ATLANTIC INTO LATE WEEK ON THE LEADING SIDE OF THE  
LINGERING UPPER TROUGH.  
 
IN THE WEST, THERE IS GENERALLY BETTER MODEL AGREEMENT FOR AT LEAST  
THE FIRST THREE DAYS OF THE PERIOD, AS AN UPPER LOW OVER THE GREAT  
BASIN EARLY TUESDAY PIVOTS NORTHEASTWARD WEDNESDAY-THURSDAY ALONG  
WITH A SURFACE LOW FOLLOWED BY TRAILING ENERGY DIGGING INTO  
CALIFORNIA/NEVADA WITH ANOTHER POTENTIAL EMBEDDED LOW. BY FRIDAY-  
SATURDAY THE DYNAMICAL/ML MODELS ALONG WITH ENSEMBLES SHOW  
INCREASING SPREAD REGARDING NORTH PACIFIC FLOW ENTERING THE WESTERN  
NORTH AMERICA MEAN TROUGH AND ITS INFLUENCE ON THURSDAY'S  
CALIFORNIA/NEVADA TROUGH OR UPPER LOW. THE MOST COMMON THEME IS FOR  
MORE NORTHERN STREAM INFLUENCE AND FASTER UPPER LOW EJECTION THAN  
DEPICTED BY THE 00Z CMC, AND THE NEW 12Z CMC HAS ADJUSTED MORE  
TOWARD CONSENSUS. ON THE OTHER HAND, THE NEW 12Z GFS TRENDS  
SOMEWHAT FAST/FLAT WITH THE NORTHERN STREAM BY NEXT SATURDAY.  
 
FOR ABOUT THE FIRST HALF OF THE PERIOD, THE UPDATED FORECAST BASED  
ON THE 00Z/06Z GUIDANCE STARTED WITH A 70 PERCENT MODEL/30 PERCENT  
ENSEMBLE MEAN (06Z GEFS/00Z ECENS) TO ACCOUNT FOR A PREFERRED  
INTERMEDIATE SOLUTION NEAR THE EAST COAST WHILE REFLECTING  
CONSENSUS ELSEWHERE. WEIGHTING SHIFTED TOWARD A 50/50 MIX LATER IN  
THE PERIOD AND REMOVED THE CMC GIVEN INCREASING DETAIL UNCERTAINTY  
WITHIN THE MORE AGREEABLE LARGER SCALE PATTERN. LATE ADJUSTMENTS  
WERE MADE ALONG THE EAST COAST TO ACCOMMODATE A COMPROMISE OF NEW  
12Z GUIDANCE AVAILABLE FOR REVIEW IN THE PROCESS OF WPC/NHC MEDIUM  
RANGE COORDINATION.  
 
   
..WEATHER/HAZARDS HIGHLIGHTS  
 
THE SURFACE LOW THAT MAY BE TROPICAL OR SUBTROPICAL PER NHC/WPC  
COORDINATION REMAINS MORE UNCERTAIN THAN DESIRED, BUT FOR NOW IS  
MOST LIKELY TO REACH NORTH CAROLINA AND VIRGINIA BY TUESDAY-  
WEDNESDAY, SPREADING RAIN INTO THE MID-ATLANTIC AND APPALACHIANS.  
MARGINAL RISK AREAS REMAIN IN PLACE OVER THIS REGION DURING THE  
DAYS 4-5 PERIOD, WITH DAY 5 REFLECTING SOMEWHAT OF A NORTHWARD  
SHIFT RELATIVE TO DAY 4. IF A RELATIVELY DEEP LOW ULTIMATELY  
DEVELOPS WITH STRONGER MOISTURE FOCUS, A RISK LEVEL HIGHER THAN A  
MARGINAL WOULD LIKELY BE WARRANTED PARTICULARLY ON TUESDAY, BUT  
LINGERING UNCERTAINTY IN THE LOW TRACK FAVORS HOLDING ONTO THE  
MARGINAL FOR NOW. SOME 12Z GUIDANCE OFFERS POTENTIAL FOR MEANINGFUL  
RAINFALL TO EXTEND FARTHER NORTHWARD INTO SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND AND  
VICINITY BUT WITH RELATIVELY DRY ANTECEDENT CONDITIONS PLUS THE  
GUIDANCE SPREAD/VARIABILITY PRECLUDING INCLUSION IN THE MARGINAL  
RISK AREA FOR NOW. SHOWERS MAY PERSIST INTO THE LATTER HALF OF THE  
WEEK AS UPPER TROUGHING REMAINS OVERHEAD. FRONTAL BOUNDARIES COULD  
ALSO HELP FOCUS MOISTURE ACROSS PARTS OF THE SOUTHEAST FOR RAIN  
AND THUNDERSTORM CHANCES. A MARGINAL RISK REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR DAY  
4/TUESDAY FOR THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE PARTICULARLY DUE TO THEIR WET  
ANTECEDENT CONDITIONS. INTO WEDNESDAY-THURSDAY, THE URBAN AREAS OF  
SOUTHEAST FLORIDA MAY BE A FOCUS FOR CONVECTION, POTENTIALLY  
PROMPTING MARGINAL RISK AREAS IN FUTURE FORECAST CYCLES IF GUIDANCE  
AGREES.  
 
THE MEAN TROUGH ALOFT OVER THE WEST WILL PROVIDE AMPLE  
LIFT/FORCING TO SUPPORT ROUNDS OF PRECIPITATION THERE NEXT WEEK.  
THE DAY 4/TUESDAY ERO SHOWS A MARGINAL RISK AREA OVER PARTS OF  
NORTHERN IDAHO TO THE WESTERN HALF OF MONTANA AS THE REGION COULD  
SEE HEAVY RAIN RATES NEAR THE TRACK OF A LEADING UPPER LOW EJECTING  
THROUGH THE NORTHERN ROCKIES, WITH POTENTIAL FOR SOME INSTABILITY  
TO BE IN PLACE. THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS CAN EXPECT SNOW WITH THIS  
SYSTEM GIVEN THE DEPTH OF THE UPPER LOW. ANOTHER ROUND OF ENERGY  
WILL CAUSE THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST TO SEE PRECIPITATION ON TUESDAY,  
SHIFTING INTO MUCH OF THE GREAT BASIN MIDWEEK AND THEN INTO THE  
NORTHERN ROCKIES. FARTHER EAST, SCATTERED RAIN AND THUNDERSTORMS  
ARE LIKELY IN THE PLAINS FOR MULTIPLE DAYS NEXT WEEK NEAR AND AHEAD  
OF FRONTAL SYSTEMS. RAINFALL AMOUNTS MAY INCREASE IN THE NORTH-  
CENTRAL U.S. BY LATER NEXT WEEK, AS THE FRONT TRAILING FROM THE  
INITIAL MONTANA INTO CANADA SYSTEM STALLS FOR A PERIOD OF TIME  
WHILE AWAITING SOME COMBINATION OF NORTHERN STREAM AND WESTERN U.S.  
DYNAMICS (WITH POSSIBLE WAVE DEVELOPMENT).  
 
THE WEST CAN EXPECT MUCH COOLER THAN NORMAL TEMPERATURES NEXT WEEK  
UNDER THE UPPER TROUGH. HIGH TEMPERATURES WILL BE 15-20F BELOW  
NORMAL ACROSS MUCH OF THE WEST, GRADUALLY MODERATING CLOSER TO  
NORMAL ACROSS THE WEST COAST STATES BUT WITH SOME MINUS 10-15F  
ANOMALIES PERSISTING IN THE INTERIOR WEST THROUGH AT LEAST FRIDAY  
AND REACHING THE NORTHERN HIGH PLAINS BY SATURDAY. SOME AREAS MAY  
REACH THE FREEZING MARK IN THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF THE GREAT  
BASIN/ROCKIES. MEANWHILE, THE CENTRAL U.S. SHOULD SEE WARMER THAN  
NORMAL HIGHS BY 10-15F AND LOWS BY 15-20F, INCLUDING HIGHS IN THE  
90S IN THE SOUTHERN HALF OF THE PLAINS. WARMER THAN AVERAGE  
TEMPERATURES WILL STRETCH INTO THE GREAT LAKES AND NORTHEAST (UNTIL  
A COLD FRONTAL PASSAGE IN THE NORTHEAST LATE WEEK), WITH MORE  
TYPICAL TEMPERATURES SOUTH OF THERE.  
 
RAUSCH/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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