805  
FXUS02 KWBC 070659  
PMDEPD  
 
EXTENDED FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NWS WEATHER PREDICTION CENTER COLLEGE PARK MD  
159 AM EST THU NOV 7 2024  
 
VALID 12Z SUN NOV 10 2024 - 12Z THU NOV 14 2024  
   
..WATCHING HURRICANE RAFAEL AS IT TRACKS INTO THE GULF OF MEXICO
 
 
   
..OVERVIEW
 
 
THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER CONTINUES TO ISSUE ADVISORIES FOR  
HURRICANE RAFAEL AS IT TRACKS ACROSS THE GULF THIS WEEKEND INTO  
EARLY NEXT WEEK WHILE WEAKENING AS IT INTERACTS WITH A MEAN UPPER  
RIDGE STRETCHING FROM THE BAHAMAS. MODELS AND THE NHC FORECAST  
REFLECT RECENT TRENDS TOWARD KEEPING THE SYSTEM WELL SOUTH OF THE  
CENTRAL GULF COAST WHILE IT WEAKENS. HOWEVER THE COMBINATION OF  
RAFAEL'S MOISTURE AND A FRONTAL SYSTEM SUPPORTED BY AN UPPER LOW  
EJECTING NORTHEAST FROM THE PLAINS MAY PRODUCE SOME AREAS OF  
LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL FROM THE GULF COAST NORTHWARD THROUGH SUNDAY  
BEFORE THE FRONT CONTINUES EASTWARD WITH LIGHTER RAIN. FARTHER  
WEST, A LARGE SCALE SYSTEM WILL BRING AN EPISODE OF RAIN AND HIGH  
ELEVATION SNOW TO THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST THROUGH THE ROCKIES LATE  
WEEKEND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK WITH THIS SYSTEM CONTINUING INTO THE  
EASTERN HALF OF THE COUNTRY BY MID-LATE WEEK. ANOTHER SYSTEM SHOULD  
FOCUS ADDITIONAL PRECIPITATION OVER THE NORTHWEST BY MIDWEEK.  
EXPECT ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES OVER MOST OF THE EAST FOR A  
MAJORITY OF THE PERIOD WHILE THE UPPER TROUGH CROSSING THE WEST  
EARLY NEXT WEEK WILL BRING A COUPLE DAYS OF COOL TEMPERATURES TO  
THE REGION.  
 
   
..GUIDANCE/PREDICTABILITY ASSESSMENT
 
 
CONTINUE TO MONITOR LATEST NHC PRODUCTS FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION  
ON HURRICANE RAFAEL WHICH SHOULD WEAKEN AS IT TRACKS OVER THE GULF  
OF MEXICO. THERE ARE STILL THE STRAY HOLDOUTS LIKE THE 00Z CMC AND  
ONE OR MORE EARLIER MACHINE LEARNING (ML) MODEL RUNS THAT BRING  
RAFAEL TO THE GULF COAST, BUT OTHERWISE GUIDANCE INCLUDING THE GFS  
IS FURTHERING THE RECENT TREND TOWARD THE SYSTEM NOT REACHING ANY  
FARTHER NORTH THAN THE CENTRAL GULF DUE TO SUFFICIENTLY STRONG  
RIDGING TO THE NORTH. THE ECMWF/UKMET CONTINUE TO SHOW AN EVENTUAL  
TRACK INTO THE SOUTHWESTERN GULF.  
 
FARTHER NORTH, GUIDANCE REMAINS FAIRLY AGREEABLE FOR THE CLOSED  
UPPER LOW FORECAST TO DEPART FROM THE UPPER MIDWEST EARLY SUNDAY  
ONWARD. THERE IS STILL A FAIR AMOUNT OF SPREAD FOR TRAILING  
SHORTWAVE ENERGY REACHING THE WEST ON SUNDAY AND CONTINUING  
EASTWARD THEREAFTER. OTHER GUIDANCE SUGGESTS THAT THE 00Z CMC IS  
PARTICULARLY SUSPECT WITH ITS DEEPER TROUGH THAT ULTIMATELY CLOSES  
OFF AN UPPER LOW OFF THE EAST COAST BY TUESDAY (WITH A  
CORRESPONDING SURFACE LOW OFFSHORE NEW ENGLAND.  
 
A BLEND/COMPROMISE APPROACH AMONG RECENT GFS/ECMWF RUNS AND THEIR  
MEANS APPEARS MOST REASONABLE FOR RESOLVING TIMING/AMPLITUDE  
DETAILS OF THE LARGE SCALE UPPER TROUGH NEARING THE WEST COAST BY  
EARLY MONDAY AND CONTINUING INTO THE EAST AFTER MIDWEEK, AS WELL AS  
FOR THE RESULTING SURFACE EVOLUTION. THE UKMET STRAYED A BIT FAST  
BY THE END OF ITS RUN EARLY TUESDAY. THE ML MODEL AVERAGE AGREES  
WELL WITH THE MODEL/ENSEMBLE MEAN COMPROMISE FOR PLAINS INTO UPPER  
MIDWEST/GREAT LAKES/SOUTHERN CANADA LOW PRESSURE DURING WEDNESDAY-  
THURSDAY. IT WILL BE WORTH MONITORING FOR TRENDS/CONTINUITY IF THE  
DEEPER GFS/ECMWF SURFACE SOLUTIONS HOLD UP AS THOSE WOULD PRODUCE A  
PERIOD OF STRONGER WINDS OVER THE GREAT LAKES REGION. CMC RUNS  
HAVE BEEN RUNNING ON THE FAST SIDE WITH THIS TROUGH AS WELL AS WITH  
THE TRAILING ONE THAT SHOULD REACH OFFSHORE THE WEST COAST BY NEXT  
THURSDAY.  
 
FORECAST PREFERENCES WERE BEST REPRESENTED BY A BLEND OF THE  
12Z/18Z GFS AND 12Z ECMWF/UKMET EARLY, FOLLOWED BY A TREND TOWARD  
THOSE GFS/ECMWF RUNS AND THE 18Z GEFS/12Z ECENS MEANS MID-LATE  
PERIOD.  
 
   
..WEATHER/HAZARDS HIGHLIGHTS
 
 
 
WHILE CONFIDENCE IS GRADUALLY INCREASING THAT HURRICANE RAFAEL  
SHOULD REMAIN WELL SOUTH OF THE GULF COAST AS IT WEAKENS FROM THE  
WEEKEND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK, GUIDANCE CONTINUES TO SHOW AN AXIS  
OF ANOMALOUS MOISTURE EXTENDING NORTHWARD FROM THE GULF AND  
INTERACTING WITH A FRONT PROGRESSING ACROSS THE EAST-CENTRAL U.S.  
(SLOWER AND MORE WAVY OVER THE SOUTH) ALONG WITH SOME LIMITED  
INSTABILITY. MODEL/ENSEMBLE SOLUTIONS STILL VARY IN THE DETAILS BUT  
CONSISTENCY WITH THE OVERALL PATTERN FAVORS HOLDING VERY CLOSE TO  
CONTINUITY FOR THE EXISTING MARGINAL RISK AREA EXTENDING FROM THE  
CENTRAL GULF COAST INTO THE OHIO VALLEY/CENTRAL APPALACHIANS IN THE  
DAY 4 (SUNDAY-SUNDAY NIGHT) EXCESSIVE RAINFALL OUTLOOK. ANTICIPATE  
MUCH LIGHTER RAINFALL BY MONDAY ALL BUT THE FARTHEST SOUTH PART OF  
THE FRONT REACHES THE EAST COAST. PARTS OF FLORIDA MAY SEE SOME  
INCREASE IN RAINFALL AROUND SUNDAY-MONDAY WITH A WEAK WAVE  
BRUSHING THE SOUTHERN PART OF THE STATE.  
 
AN UPPER TROUGH WITH LEADING SURFACE FRONT APPROACHING THE PACIFIC  
NORTHWEST AND THEN MOVING INLAND SUNDAY-MONDAY WILL BRING AN  
EPISODE OF FOCUSED PRECIPITATION TO THE REGION. FOR THE DAY  
4/SUNDAY ERO THERE IS STILL SOME VARIANCE FOR RAINFALL AMOUNTS BUT  
FIRST- GUESS GUIDANCE AND NEUTRAL TO DAMP SOIL CONDITIONS FAVOR  
MAINTAINING THE MARGINAL RISK AREA OVER WESTERN WASHINGTON INTO  
NORTHWESTERN OREGON. BY DAY 5/MONDAY THE MOISTURE AXIS SHOULD SINK  
A LITTLE SOUTH BEFORE PROGRESSING INLAND, WHILE THE GFS IN  
PARTICULAR OFFERS POTENTIAL FOR MODEST INSTABILITY. THUS THE DAY 5  
ERO INTRODUCES A MARGINAL RISK AREA OVER PARTS OF WESTERN OREGON  
AND FAR NORTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA. HIGH ELEVATION SNOW IS LIKELY FROM  
THE CASCADES INTO THE SIERRA NEVADA, WHILE EASTWARD PROGRESS OF  
MOISTURE AND DYNAMICS WILL ALSO SPREAD SNOW INTO THE NORTHERN-  
CENTRAL ROCKIES DURING THE FIRST HALF OF NEXT WEEK. WITH SOME  
DIFFERENCE OF OPINION REGARDING WHETHER THERE MAY BE A BREAK AROUND  
TUESDAY, ADDITIONAL MEANINGFUL PRECIPITATION IS LIKELY OVER THE  
PACIFIC NORTHWEST BY WEDNESDAY-THURSDAY AS ANOTHER SYSTEM  
APPROACHES.  
 
THE SYSTEM AFFECTING THE WEST EARLY IN THE WEEK WILL PROGRESS  
EASTWARD AND BRING SOME AREAS OF PRECIPITATION TO THE EASTERN HALF  
OF THE COUNTRY DURING AT LEAST PARTS OF THE TUESDAY-THURSDAY  
PERIOD. IMPORTANT LOWER-PREDICTABILITY DETAILS STILL HAVE TO BE  
RESOLVED BEFORE CONFIDENCE CAN INCREASE REGARDING SPECIFICS OF  
WHERE/WHEN THE GREATEST TOTALS WILL OCCUR.  
 
WHILE SYSTEM PROGRESSION WILL PROVIDE SOME DAY-TO-DAY VARIABILITY,  
MUCH OF THE EASTERN HALF OF THE COUNTRY SHOULD SEE WELL ABOVE  
NORMAL TEMPERATURES FROM SUNDAY INTO EARLY NEXT THURSDAY. EXPECT  
THE WARMEST ANOMALIES TO BE FOR MORNING LOWS, INCLUDING SOME  
READINGS AT LEAST 20F ABOVE NORMAL OVER THE SOUTH EARLY SUNDAY.  
BROADEST COVERAGE OF PLUS 10F OR GREATER HIGHS SHOULD BE DURING  
MONDAY-WEDNESDAY. THE NORTHERN AND SOUTHERN THIRDS OF THE PLAINS  
WILL ALSO SEE A PERIOD OF WARMTH SUNDAY-TUESDAY (AND STILL SOUTHERN  
TEXAS ON WEDNESDAY). CORRESPONDING TO THESE RELATIVE ANOMALIES,  
THERE WILL BE BETTER POTENTIAL FOR SOME RECORD WARM LOWS VERSUS  
MORE ISOLATED RECORDS FOR DAYTIME HIGHS. PARTS OF THE NORTHEAST MAY  
BE NEAR NORMAL AT TIMES THOUGH. THE SOUTHERN ROCKIES/HIGH PLAINS  
WILL REMAIN CHILLY TO THE EXTENT THAT SNOW COVER LINGERS, WHILE THE  
UPPER TROUGH CROSSING THE WEST EARLY NEXT WEEK WILL BRING A BRIEF  
PERIOD OF MODERATELY BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES.  
 
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.PHPSCHICHTEL/HAMRICK  
 
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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