525  
FXUS02 KWBC 190621  
PMDEPD  
 
EXTENDED FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NWS WEATHER PREDICTION CENTER COLLEGE PARK MD  
221 AM EDT SAT OCT 19 2024  
 
VALID 12Z TUE OCT 22 2024 - 12Z SAT OCT 26 2024  
   
..GENERAL OVERVIEW  
 
THE WEATHER PATTERN ACROSS THE CONTINENTAL U.S. ON TUESDAY WILL BE  
FEATURED WITH AN UPPER RIDGE AND SURFACE HIGH OVER THE EASTERN  
U.S., ACCOMPANIED BY ABOVE AVERAGE TEMPERATURES. AN INCOMING TROUGH  
FROM THE MIDWEST WILL THEN DISLODGE THIS RIDGE AND THE ASSOCIATED  
COLD FRONT WILL HERALD THE ARRIVAL OF COOLER WEATHER TOWARDS THE  
END OF THE WEEK, BUT IT WILL HAVE LIMITED MOISTURE TO WORK WITH SO  
RAINFALL AMOUNTS FROM THE GREAT LAKES TO THE NORTHEAST WILL BE  
GENERALLY LIGHT. MEANWHILE, THE NEXT PACIFIC STORM SYSTEM IS  
EXPECTED TO APPROACH THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST BY LATE THURSDAY AND  
INTO FRIDAY, BRINGING A RETURN TO RAIN AND HIGH MOUNTAIN SNOW FROM  
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA TO WASHINGTON STATE. AN UPPER RIDGE AND MILDER  
TEMPERATURES ARE LIKELY AHEAD OF THIS PACIFIC STORM SYSTEM.  
   
..GUIDANCE/PREDICTABILITY ASSESSMENT  
 
THE LATEST MODEL GUIDANCE FEATURES REASONABLY GOOD AGREEMENT  
ACROSS THE CONTINENTAL U.S. TO BEGIN THE FORECAST PERIOD TUESDAY,  
AND A BLEND OF THE GFS/ECMWF/CMC ALONG WITH SOME PREVIOUS WPC  
CONTINUITY SERVED AS A GOOD STARTING POINT IN THE FORECAST PROCESS.  
THERE IS STILL QUITE A BIT OF UNCERTAINTY ACROSS THE WESTERN U.S.  
IN REGARDS TO THE PLACEMENT OF THE UPPER RIDGE AXIS AHEAD OF THE  
APPROACHING PACIFIC LOW, WHICH ALSO HAS CONSIDERABLE MODEL  
UNCERTAINTY. THERE IS MORE CONFIDENCE IN THE FORECAST ACROSS THE  
SOUTH AND THE EASTERN U.S. WITH THE LARGE SCALE SURFACE HIGH THAT  
IS PROGGED TO BE IN PLACE. THE ENSEMBLE MEANS ACCOUNTED FOR ABOUT  
60% OF THE FORECAST BLEND BY NEXT SATURDAY.  
   
..WEATHER/HAZARDS HIGHLIGHTS  
 
 
THE COLD FRONT CROSSING THE GREAT LAKES AND INTO THE NORTHEAST FOR  
THE MIDDLE OF THE WEEK WILL LIKELY HAVE JUST ENOUGH MOISTURE AND  
LIFT TO PRODUCE SOME MAINLY LIGHT TO MODERATE SHOWERS FOR THE  
MIDDLE OF THE WEEK, MAINLY NORTH OF THE INTERSTATE 70 CORRIDOR. IT  
SHOULD CONTINUE TO REMAIN DRY AND MOSTLY SUNNY FOR AREAS FARTHER TO  
THE SOUTH ACROSS THE MID-ATLANTIC AND THE SOUTHEAST U.S., WHERE  
THE VERY PLEASANT FALL WEATHER WILL CONTINUE FOR A WHILE. THERE ARE  
NO RISK AREAS IN THE DAY 4 AND DAY 5 EXCESSIVE RAINFALL OUTLOOKS.  
 
OUT WEST, SHOWERS ARE EXPECTED TO RETURN TO THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST  
COAST BY THURSDAY AND BECOME HEAVIER GOING INTO FRIDAY AS THE COLD  
FRONT FROM THE PACIFIC LOW MOVES ASHORE. THIS CURRENTLY DOES NOT  
LOOK LIKE AN ATMOSPHERIC RIVER EVENT, BUT SOME AREAS COULD GET 1 TO  
LOCALLY 2 INCHES OF RAINFALL BY SATURDAY MORNING. LIGHTER  
PRECIPITATION IS POSSIBLE FOR THE NORTHERN ROCKIES BY THIS TIME. SNOW  
IS LIKELY FOR THE HIGHEST TERRAIN OF THE CASCADES.  
 
IN TERMS OF TEMPERATURES, IT WILL FEEL MORE LIKE SEPTEMBER ACROSS  
MUCH OF THE EAST-CENTRAL U.S. FOR THE MIDDLE OF THE WEEK, WITH  
HIGHS RUNNING 10-20 DEGREES ABOVE AVERAGE FOR LATE OCTOBER. THE  
COLD FRONT WILL BRING A RETURN TO MORE TYPICAL CONDITIONS FOR THIS  
TIME OF YEAR, BUT STILL QUITE PLEASANT. A WARMING TREND THEN  
COMMENCES FOR THE WESTERN HIGH PLAINS AND THE ROCKIES BY THE END OF  
THE WEEK AND INTO NEXT WEEKEND AS THE UPPER RIDGE REBUILDS AHEAD OF  
THE PACIFIC STORM SYSTEM.  
 
HAMRICK  
 
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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