215  
FXUS02 KWBC 080658  
PMDEPD  
 
EXTENDED FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NWS WEATHER PREDICTION CENTER COLLEGE PARK MD  
158 AM EST FRI NOV 8 2024  
 
VALID 12Z MON NOV 11 2024 - 12Z FRI NOV 15 2024  
   
..HURRICANE RAFAEL NOT LIKELY A THREAT TO THE GULF COAST
 
 
   
..OVERVIEW
 
 
THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER CONTINUES TO ISSUE ADVISORIES FOR  
HURRICANE RAFAEL IN THE GULF OF MEXICO, BUT BASED ON THE CURRENT  
OFFICIAL FORECAST TRACK, RAFAEL SHOULD BE WEAKENING AND MOVING  
SOUTHWARD INTO THE BAY OF CAMPECHE BY MONDAY AND THEREFORE LIKELY  
NOT A THREAT TO THE U.S. GULF COAST ASIDE FROM SOME TROPICAL  
MOISTURE ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST. FARTHER WEST, A LARGE SCALE SYSTEM  
WILL BRING AN EPISODE OF RAIN AND HIGH ELEVATION SNOW TO THE  
PACIFIC NORTHWEST THROUGH THE ROCKIES INTO MONDAY 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 THROUGH ABOUT WEDNESDAY WHILE THE UPPER TROUGH CROSSING  
THE WEST EARLY NEXT WEEK WILL BRING A COUPLE DAYS OF COOLER  
TEMPERATURES TO THE REGION.  
 
   
..GUIDANCE/PREDICTABILITY ASSESSMENT
 
 
CONTINUE TO MONITOR LATEST NHC PRODUCTS FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION  
ON HURRICANE RAFAEL WHICH SHOULD WEAKEN BY THE START OF THE MEDIUM  
RANGE PERIOD AS IT TRACKS OVER THE GULF OF MEXICO. THERE REMAINS  
SOME UNCERTAINTY LATE WEEKEND/EARLY NEXT WEEK ON THE EXACT TRACK AS  
SOME ENSEMBLE MEMBERS (AND STILL THE CMC) BRING THE CENTER NEAR OR  
OVER THE CENTRAL GULF COAST (IN A VERY WEAKENED STATE), BUT THESE  
SOLUTIONS ARE CONSIDERED OUTLIERS. THE MOST RECENT NHC FORECAST  
TRACK CONTINUES TO SHOW A PREFERENCE MORE LIKE THE ECMWF/UKMET WITH  
A SOUTHWESTERN DIVE TOWARD THE BAY OF CAMPECHE AND POSSIBLY INTO  
MEXICO AS A WEAK SURFACE LOW. DESPITE THE SPREAD, AT LEAST IT IS  
PRETTY CLEAR THAT THE CENTER OF RAFAEL ITSELF SHOULD NOT IMPACT THE  
U.S., ASIDE FROM SOME TROPICAL MOISTURE SPREADING NORTHWARD INTO  
THE SOUTHEAST.  
 
A WEAK SHORTWAVE INTO THE MIDWEST ON MONDAY ALREADY SHOWS SOME  
UNCERTAINTY IN STRENGTH. THE CMC TRIES TO CLOSE OFF A LOW OVER THE  
SOUTHEAST BY TUESDAY AND IS AN OUTLIER IN DOING SO. PREFER A WEAKER  
SHORTWAVE THAT MOVES THROUGH THE NORTHEAST AS SUGGESTED BY  
ENSEMBLE MEAN GUIDANCE. BEHIND THIS, THE NEXT SYSTEM MOVES INTO THE  
WEST BY MONDAY WITH QUITE A BIT OF UNCERTAINTY TUESDAY AND BEYOND  
AS IT MOVES EAST. THE ECMWF CONTINUES TO BE SLOWER AND A LITTLE  
DEEPER WITH THIS SYSTEM, WHILE THE BETTER CONSENSUS (AND WPC  
CONTINUITY) IS MORE PROGRESSIVE INTO THE MIDWEST/NORTHEAST  
WEDNESDAY AND BEYOND. PREFER A BLEND TOWARDS THE GFS, CMC, AND  
ENSEMBLE MEANS FOR THIS SYSTEM. ANOTHER SHORTWAVE ENTERS THE  
NORTHWEST LATER IN THE WEEK AND WPC PREFERS A NON-GFS BLEND FOR  
THIS SYSTEM SINCE THE GFS IS SIGNIFICANTLY SLOWER.  
 
   
..WEATHER/HAZARDS HIGHLIGHTS
 
 
 
SOME TROPICAL MOISTURE FROM RAFAEL MAY EXTEND NORTHWARD AND FOCUS  
ALONG A FRONTAL BOUNDARY THROUGH THE SOUTHEAST EARLY IN THE WEEK,  
BUT OUTSIDE OF VERY LOCALIZED HEAVY RAINFALL POCKETS, LIMITED  
INSTABILITY IS EXPECTED TO LIMIT THE OVERALL THREAT.  
 
AN UPPER TROUGH WITH LEADING SURFACE FRONT FOCUSING AN ATMOSPHERIC  
RIVER WILL APPROACH THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST AND THEN MOVE INLAND BY  
MONDAY, BRINGING AN EPISODE OF FOCUSED PRECIPITATION TO THE REGION.  
GIVEN ANTICIPATED RAINFALL BEGINNING ON SUNDAY AT THE END OF THE  
SHORT RANGE PERIOD, A MARGINAL RISK REMAINS IN PLACE FOR THE NEW  
DAY 4/MONDAY EXCESSIVE RAINFALL OUTLOOK COVERING THE PACIFIC  
NORTHWEST INTO NORTHERN CALIFORNIA. ANOTHER AR LOOKS TO TAKE AIM  
INTO THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST BY LATER IN THE DAY 5/TUESDAY PERIOD,  
AND SO A MARGINAL RISK IS ALSO DEPICTED ON THE ERO THAT DAY AS  
WELL. PRECIPITATION FROM THIS SYSTEM SHOULD EXTEND INTO WEDNESDAY  
AND THURSDAY AS WELL. MODEST SNOWFALL IS EXPECTED IN THE HIGHER  
ELEVATIONS OF THE CASCADES AND INTO THE NORTHERN ROCKIES WITH THESE  
SYSTEMS.  
 
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. BUT THE LOW TRACK NEAR  
THE GREAT LAKES COULD SPREAD MODERATE TO HIGH WINDS ESPECIALLY OVER  
THE WATERS BUT POSSIBLY FOR SOME LAND AREAS LIKE MICHIGAN'S UPPER  
PENINSULA.  
 
WHILE SYSTEM PROGRESSION WILL PROVIDE SOME DAY-TO-DAY VARIABILITY,  
MUCH OF THE EASTERN HALF OF THE COUNTRY SHOULD SEE WELL ABOVE  
NORMAL TEMPERATURES INTO MID-WEEK. EXPECT THE WARMEST ANOMALIES TO  
BE FOR MORNING LOWS, WITH MORNING TEMPS 15-20F ABOVE NORMAL OVER  
THE SOUTHEAST/MID-ATLANTIC EARLY MONDAY. 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 MONDAY-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 WITH MORE SEASONABLE NORMAL TEMPERATURES RETURNING TO  
MUCH OF THE EAST LATE IN THE WEEK. 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.  
 
SANTORELLI  
 
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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