928  
FXUS01 KWBC 080800  
PMDSPD  
 
SHORT RANGE FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NWS WEATHER PREDICTION CENTER COLLEGE PARK MD  
400 AM EDT TUE OCT 08 2024  
 
VALID 12Z TUE OCT 08 2024 - 12Z THU OCT 10 2024  
 
...HURRICANE MILTON HAS INTENSIFIED INTO A POWERFUL CATEGORY 5  
STORM AND IS EXPECTED TO MAKE LANDFALL ALONG THE WEST COAST OF  
FLORIDA LATE WEDNESDAY EVENING...  
 
...MILTON WILL BRING LIFE-THREATENING IMPACTS TO MUCH OF FLORIDA  
INCLUDING A DESTRUCTIVE STORM SURGE, DEVASTATING HURRICANE-FORCE  
WINDS, AND CONSIDERABLE FLASH AND URBAN FLOODING...  
 
...UNSEASONABLY HOT TEMPERATURES EXPAND OVER MUCH OF THE WESTERN  
AND CENTRAL U.S., SOME RECORD-TYING/BREAKING HIGHS POSSIBLE...  
 
HURRICANE MILTON HAS RAPIDLY INTENSIFIED INTO A POWERFUL CATEGORY  
4 STORM, CURRENTLY LOCATED NEAR THE YUCATAN PENINSULA AND FORECAST  
BY THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER (NHC) TO TRACK NORTHEASTWARD AND  
MAKE LANDFALL IN THE TAMPA BAY VICINITY LATE WEDNESDAY EVENING.  
HOWEVER, THE HURRICANE WILL HAVE WIDE-REACHING IMPACTS FAR AWAY  
FROM THE LANDFALL LOCATION BEGINNING BY EARLY WEDNESDAY AND  
COVERING THE WEST COAST OF FLORIDA AND MUCH OF THE CENTRAL AND  
NORTHERN FLORIDA PENINSULA. THIS INCLUDES BUT IS NOT LIMITED TO  
TAMPA-ST. PETERSBURG, SARASOTA-BRADENTON, CAPE CORAL-FORT MYERS,  
LAKELAND-WINTER HAVEN, AND ORLANDO. A LARGE AREA OF DESTRUCTIVE,  
POTENTIALLY CATASTROPHIC STORM SURGE WILL OCCUR ALONG THE WEST  
COAST OF FLORIDA ON WEDNESDAY, WITH THE HIGHEST PEAK SURGE  
FORECAST TO BE BETWEEN 10-15 FEET IN THE TAMPA BAY AREA SOUTH TO  
CHARLOTTE HARBOR. POTENTIALLY DEVASTATING HURRICANE-FORCE WINDS  
ARE EXPECTED ALONG PORTIONS OF THE WEST COAST OF FLORIDA WHERE A  
HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT. MILTON IS FORECAST TO REMAIN A  
HURRICANE AS IT CROSSES THE FLORIDA PENINSULA AND LIFE-THREATENING  
HURRICANE-FORCE WINDS, ESPECIALLY IN GUSTS, ARE EXPECTED TO SPREAD  
WELL INLAND ACROSS THE ENTIRE FLORIDA PENINSULA. AREAS OF HEAVY  
RAINFALL MAY BEGIN AS EARLY AS TODAY (TUESDAY) FOR THE PENINSULA,  
WITH A SLIGHT RISK OF EXCESSIVE RAINFALL IN EFFECT FOR SOME  
SCATTERED FLASH FLOODING. THEN, BY LATE TUESDAY/EARLY WEDNESDAY,  
THE COVERAGE AND INTENSITY OF RAINFALL WILL RAPIDLY INCREASE WITH  
THE APPROACH AND LANDFALL OF MILTON, PARTICULARLY FOR CENTRAL AND  
NORTHERN PORTIONS OF THE PENINSULA WHERE A HIGH RISK OF EXCESSIVE  
RAINFALL (LEVEL 4/4) HAS BEEN ISSUED. RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 5 TO 12  
INCHES, WITH LOCALIZED TOTALS UP TO 18 INCHES, ARE POSSIBLE AND  
WILL LEAD TO SIGNIFICANT AND CONSIDERABLE FLASH, URBAN, AND AREA  
FLOODING, ALONG WITH MODERATE TO MAJOR RIVER FLOODING. FLOODING  
WILL BE EXACERBATED IN AREAS WHERE COASTAL AND INLAND FLOODING  
COMBINE TO INCREASE THE OVERALL THREAT. IF MILTON REMAINS ON ITS  
CURRENT TRACK, IT WILL BE THE WORST STORM TO IMPACT THE TAMPA AREA  
IN OVER 100 YEARS, PLEASE EVACUATE IF TOLD TO DO SO. IN ADDITION,  
WHILE HURRICANE MILTON IS EXPECTED TO EXPERIENCE SOME WEAKENING  
PRIOR TO LANDFALL, THE FORECAST FOR POTENTIALLY LIFE-THREATENING  
IMPACTS ALREADY TAKES THIS INTO ACCOUNT AND THE DEVASTATING WINDS,  
DESTRUCTIVE STORM SURGE, AND CONSIDERABLE FLASH AND URBAN FLOODING  
REMAINS REGARDLESS OF THIS WEAKENING. KEEP CHECKING THE LATEST  
FORECAST FROM THE NHC, WPC, AND YOUR LOCAL NWS FORECAST OFFICE FOR  
THE MOST UP-TO-DATE INFORMATION REGARDING MILTON INCLUDING TRACK,  
INTENSITY, AND IMPACT INFORMATION.  
 
UNSEASONABLY HOT TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO EXPAND IN COVERAGE  
OVER MUCH OF THE WESTERN AND CENTRAL U.S. UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF  
AN UPPER-LEVEL RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE INTO MID-WEEK. WHILE  
FORECAST HIGHS HAVE COME DOWN A FEW DEGREES IN CALIFORNIA AND THE  
DESERT SOUTHWEST FOLLOWING A LONG-DURATION HEAT WAVE AND MOST  
HEAT-RELATED ADVISORIES AND WARNINGS HAVE EXPIRED, CONDITIONS WILL  
STILL BE UNSEASONABLY HOT. FORECAST HIGHS WILL BE IN THE 90S FOR  
INTERIOR CENTRAL CALIFORNIA AND INTO THE 100S IN THE DESERT  
SOUTHWEST. TEMPERATURES IN GENERAL WILL BE UPWARDS OF 10-20  
DEGREES ABOVE AVERAGE FOR MANY LOCATIONS, PARTICULARLY IN THE  
NORTHERN PLAINS, WHERE FORECAST HIGHS TUESDAY-WEDNESDAY WILL REACH  
AS HIGH AS THE MID-80S. AREAS OF THE CENTRAL PLAINS WILL BE IN THE  
MID- TO UPPER 80S WITH UPPER 80S TO MID-90S FOR THE SOUTHERN  
PLAINS/TEXAS. THE GREAT BASIN AND LOWER ELEVATIONS OF THE ROCKIES  
WILL BE INTO THE 80S AS WELL.  
 
ELSEWHERE, SOME LAKE-EFFECT SHOWERS ARE EXPECTED THE NEXT COUPLE  
OF DAYS EAST OF THE LOWER GREAT LAKES OVER NEW YORK, WITH SOME  
MORE SPOTTY SHOWERS POSSIBLE INTO NORTHERN NEW ENGLAND AS AN  
UPPER-LEVEL LOW CHURNS OVERHEAD. MUCH OF THE EASTERN U.S. WILL SEE  
GENERALLY SEASONABLE HIGHS FOR FALL FOLLOWING A COLD FRONT  
PASSAGE, WITH 50S FOR THE UPPER GREAT LAKES/INTERIOR NORTHEAST,  
60S FOR THE COASTAL NORTHEAST, 60S TO 70S FOR THE MIDWEST/OHIO  
VALLEY/MID-ATLANTIC, AND 70S TO LOW 80S IN THE SOUTH. SOME AREAS  
OF THE UPPER GREAT LAKES AND INTERIOR NORTHEAST MAY SEE LOWS DROP  
INTO THE 30S WITH SOME PATCHY FROST POSSIBLE. A SYSTEM MOVING INTO  
THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST WILL BRING SOME SHOWERS TUESDAY, TAPERING  
OFF WEDNESDAY, WITH HIGHS IN THE 60S.  
 
PUTNAM  
 
GRAPHICS AVAILABLE AT  
HTTPS://WWW.WPC.NCEP.NOAA.GOV/BASICWX/BASICWX_NDFD.PHP  
 
 
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