908  
FXUS02 KWBC 221840  
PMDEPD  
 
EXTENDED FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NWS WEATHER PREDICTION CENTER COLLEGE PARK MD  
240 PM EDT SUN SEP 22 2024  
 
VALID 12Z WED SEP 25 2024 - 12Z SUN SEP 29 2024  
 
...TROPICAL SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT THREAT FOR THE GULF OF MEXICO AND  
CENTRAL TO EASTERN GULF COAST/SOUTHEAST BY LATE WEEK...  
 
   
..GUIDANCE/PREDICTABILITY ASSESSMENT
 
 
GUIDANCE SEEMS TO BE FINALLY TRENDING TOWARDS A MORE CONSISTENT  
FLOW PATTERN ACROSS THE CONUS DURING THE MEDIUM RANGE PERIOD, WHICH  
INCLUDES THE EVENTUAL TRACK OF A POSSIBLE TROPICAL SYSTEM THROUGH  
THE GULF OF MEXICO AND TOWARDS THE CENTRAL-EASTERN GULF COAST  
REGION LATE THIS WEEK. MODELS HAVE TRENDED TOWARDS MORE SPLITTING  
OF FLOW AND A CUTOFF UPPER LOW LINGERING OVER THE MIDDLE  
MISSISSIPPI VALLEY MUCH OF THE PERIOD. THIS SHOULD HELP TO PULL A  
GULF TROPICAL SYSTEM NORTHWARD AND FASTER THAN PREVIOUS GUIDANCE.  
LATEST QPF/ERO FORECASTS FROM WPC AND NHC THOUGHTS REFLECTED THIS.  
STILL, VERY LITTLE CONFIDENCE IN ANY OF THE SPECIFICS ASSOCIATED  
WITH ESPECIALLY THE TROPICAL AND UNTIL AN ACTUAL SYSTEM FORMS,  
MODELS WILL LIKELY CONTINUE TO FLIP-FLOP. SHOULD ALSO NOTE THAT THE  
ENSEMBLE MEANS ARE A LITTLE SLOWER THAN THEIR DETERMINISTIC  
COUNTERPARTS, WHICH HIGHLIGHTS THE UNCERTAINTIES IN INDIVIDUAL  
ENSEMBLE MEMBERS. ELSEWHERE ACROSS THE CONUS, THERE IS SOME TIMING  
AND AMPLITUDE UNCERTAINTY WITH ANOTHER SHORTWAVE INTO THE WESTERN  
U.S. LATE WEEKEND AND REINFORCED TROUGHING/A CLOSED LOW NEAR THE  
NORTHEAST.  
 
THE WPC MEDIUM RANGE SUITE USED A BLEND OF THE DETERMINISTIC  
MODELS DAYS 3-4, WITH MORE WEIGHTING TOWARDS THE ECMWF WHICH WAS  
CLOSEST TO NHC THOUGHTS ON POTENTIAL GULF TROPICAL DEVELOPMENT.  
AFTER THIS, INCREASED ENSEMBLE MEAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO HALF OF THE  
BLEND BY DAY 6-7 GIVEN INCREASING UNCERTAINTY. OVERALL FASTER THAN  
WPC CONTINUITY WITH THE GULF COAST SYSTEM AND FASTER TO BRING QPF  
INTO THE COAST AND THE SOUTHEAST.  
 
   
..WEATHER/HAZARDS HIGHLIGHTS
 
 
UPPER TROUGH ENERGY EXITING THE GREAT LAKES/OHIO VALLEY MIDWEEK  
MAY BE FURTHER ENHANCED BY UNCERTAIN REINFORCING ENERGY INTO LATER  
WEEK OVER THE NORTHEAST. WAVY FRONTAL SYSTEMS WILL ALSO FOCUS  
DEEPENING MOISTURE TO FUEL A THREAT OF SHOWERS/THUNDERSTORMS WITH  
RUNOFF ISSUES GIVEN SLOWED MOTION AND POSSIBLE CLOSED LOW. THE DAY  
4 (WEDNESDAY) WPC EXCESSIVE RAINFALL OUTLOOK (ERO) EXPANDED THE  
MARGINAL RISK SLIGHTLY ACROSS THE MID-ATLANTIC/CENTRAL APPALACHIANS  
GIVEN NEWEST GUIDANCE. ON DAY 5 (THURSDAY) ERO, AND AFTER  
COLLABORATION WITH THE IMPACTED WFOS, WAS ABLE TO REMOVE THE  
MARGINAL RISK ACROSS NEW ENGLAND AS SOILS ARE DRY AND RAINFALL  
SHOULD BE MOSTLY BENEFICIAL.  
 
MEANWHILE, NHC AND WPC WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR POSSIBLE TROPICAL  
DEVELOPMENT IN THE CARIBBEAN OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS THAT LOOKS TO  
LIFT INTO THE GULF OF MEXICO TO THREATEN MARITIME INTERESTS AND THE  
CENTRAL TO EASTERN GULF COAST/SOUTHEAST MID-LATE WEEK. GIVEN  
PLANNED DEVELOPMENT, ULTIMATE TIMING AND TRACK REMAINS QUITE  
UNCERTAIN IN GUIDANCE. EVEN SO, THE VAST BULK OF RECENT GUIDANCE  
OFFERS A GROWING SIGNAL FOR IMPACTFUL WEATHER, INCLUDING A THREAT  
FOR HEAVY RAINFALL/WINDS/SURF FOR THE CENTRAL TO EASTERN GULF  
COAST, WITH IMPACTFUL WEATHER POSSIBLE THROUGH THE SOUTHEAST/EAST  
LATE WEEK/WEEKEND. WITH THE OVERALL FASTER TREND IN THE LATEST  
GUIDANCE, THE DAY 4 ERO MARGINAL RISK WAS EXPANDED NORTHWARD TO  
INCLUDE THE FL PANHANDLE. ON DAY 5/THURSDAY, ALSO EXPANDED THE  
MARGINAL AND SLIGHT RISKS NORTHWARD WELL INTO THE SOUTHEAST STATES.  
IF THE CURRENT FORECAST HOLD, IT IS LIKELY AT LEAST A MODERATE  
RISK WILL BE NEEDED CLOSER TO THE COAST FOR THIS TIME PERIOD, BUT  
WITH ONGOING UNCERTAINTY, IT SEEMS PRUDENT TO HOLD OFF FOR NOW.  
REGARDLESS, LATEST MODELS AND ENSEMBLES CONTINUE TO SUPPORT A HEAVY  
RAINFALL/STORM SURGE/FLOODING THREAT ACROSS THE CENTRAL TO EASTERN  
GULF COAST REGION.  
 
OUT WEST, MOST AREAS SHOULD STAY DRY. THE WASHINGTON COASTAL  
RANGES/CASCADES WILL BE AN EXCEPTION WITH GROWING DAILY ENHANCED  
RAIN POTENTIAL WITH PACIFIC SYSTEM ENERGY AND MOISTURE APPROACHES.  
 
SANTORELLI/SCHICHTEL  
 
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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