215  
FXUS02 KWBC 082003  
PMDEPD  
 
EXTENDED FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NWS WEATHER PREDICTION CENTER COLLEGE PARK MD  
303 PM 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
 
 
A REASONABLY PROGRESSIVE PATTERN IS FORECAST NEXT WEEK AS A COUPLE  
OF SHORTWAVES TRAVERSE THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN U.S. EARLY WEEK  
WHILE A LARGER SCALE AND DEEPER TROUGH MOVES THROUGH THE WEST  
MONDAY-TUESDAY, INTO THE CENTRAL U.S. MIDWEEK, AND THROUGH THE EAST  
LATE WEEK. THIS TROUGH WILL DIRECT AN ATMOSPHERIC RIVER INTO THE  
NORTHWEST EARLY WEEK FOR SOME HEAVY RAIN AND SNOW, WITH ADDITIONAL  
ROUNDS OF HEAVY PRECIPITATION THERE AS THE WEEK PROGRESSES.  
GENERALLY MODERATE PRECIPITATION (MOSTLY RAIN) IS EXPECTED TO  
DEVELOP IN THE CENTRAL U.S. AROUND TUESDAY AND GRADUALLY SHIFT INTO  
THE EAST BY THURSDAY. TEMPERATURES ARE FORECAST TO VARY FROM DAY  
TO DAY BUT WITH A GENERAL TENDENCY TOWARD WARMER THAN AVERAGE  
TEMPERATURES IN THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN U.S. AND NEAR TO COOLER  
THAN AVERAGE IN THE WEST. MEANWHILE THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER  
FORECASTS WHAT IS CURRENTLY HURRICANE RAFAEL TO WEAKEN AND DECAY  
OVER THE GULF, WITH MINIMAL IMPACTS TO THE LOWER 48 DURING THE  
MEDIUM RANGE PERIOD ASIDE FROM PERHAPS PROVIDING MOISTURE TO SOME  
LINGERING SHOWERS ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST MONDAY.  
 
   
..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 INTO NEXT WEEK ON THE EXACT TRACK AS SOME  
ENSEMBLE MEMBERS, OLDER CMC RUNS, AND A CONTINGENT OF THE 00Z AI/ML  
MODELS TAKE A WEAK LOW INTO OR RIDING NEAR THE CENTRAL GULF COAST.  
THE 12Z CMC HAS FINALLY GOTTEN INTO ALIGNMENT WITH THE BETTER  
CONSENSUS FARTHER SOUTH. 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 REMNANT SURFACE LOW. DESPITE THE LINGERING 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.  
 
OVER THE CONUS, THE PLACEMENT AND STRENGTH OF SHORTWAVES REMAIN  
SOMEWHAT IN QUESTION EVEN EARLY IN THE PERIOD. THE 00Z CMC SEEMED  
LIKE THE MAIN OUTLIER AS IT SHOWS A STRONGER SHORTWAVE A BIT  
FARTHER WEST IN THE CENTRAL PLAINS ON MONDAY, WHICH ALMOST CLOSES  
OFF AN UPPER LOW WHEN IT REACHES THE LOWER OHIO VALLEY TUESDAY  
WHILE THE CONSENSUS OF OTHER MODELS IS WEAKER AND MORE PROGRESSIVE.  
THE 12Z CMC HAS SOMEWHAT BETTER ALIGNMENT WITH THIS FEATURE THOUGH  
STILL A BIT ON THE SLOW SIDE. UPSTREAM, MODELS SEEM TO HAVE A GOOD  
HANDLE REGARDING THE EXISTENCE OF THE SYNOPTIC SCALE UPPER TROUGH  
MOVING INTO THE WEST MONDAY AND EASTWARD THROUGH THE WEEK. THERE  
ARE SOME TIMING DIFFERENCES THOUGH, WITH GFS RUNS NOW ON THE FASTER  
SIDE COMPARED WITH THE ECMWF, WITH A MIDDLE GROUND POSITION  
SEEMING MOST LIKELY. AN UPPER LOW MAY FORM OUT OF THIS TROUGH OVER  
THE EASTERN SEABOARD OR WESTERN ATLANTIC BY NEXT FRIDAY, BUT  
WITHOUT MUCH CONVERGENCE ON WHERE EXACTLY YET. UPPER RIDGING SHOULD  
COME IN BEHIND THE TROUGH IN THE AMPLIFIED PATTERN, WHILE ANOTHER  
TROUGH AXIS LOOKS TO BE NEAR THE WEST COAST BY NEXT FRIDAY. WITH  
THIS TROUGH, GFS RUNS ARE ON THE SLOWER SIDE AND CMC RUNS ON THE  
FASTER SIDE, WITH THE ECMWF SEEMINGLY SHOWING THE BEST COMPROMISE  
AT THIS TIME.  
 
THE WPC FORECAST WAS BASED ON A BLEND OF THE 06Z GFS, 00Z ECMWF,  
AND A LITTLE OF THE 00Z UKMET EARLY IN THE PERIOD, WITH NO CMC  
GIVEN THE 00Z RUN'S AFOREMENTIONED ISSUES. AS THE PERIOD  
PROGRESSED, BLENDED IN THE EC AND GEFS MEANS WITH INCREASING  
PROPORTIONS TO TRY TO CREATE A MIDDLE GROUND FORECAST WITH THE  
PATTERN.  
 
   
..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, LOW  
INSTABILITY IS EXPECTED TO LIMIT ANY FLASH FLOODING THREAT.  
 
A LEADING SURFACE FRONT FOCUSING AN ATMOSPHERIC RIVER AHEAD OF AN  
UPPER TROUGH WILL BE MOVING SOUTHWARD THROUGH THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST  
INTO NORTHERN CALIFORNIA INTO MONDAY, BRINGING AN EPISODE OF  
FOCUSED PRECIPITATION TO THE REGION. ADDITIONALLY, THE NEXT AR MAY  
START TO IMPACT WESTERN WASHINGTON BY LATE MONDAY/MONDAY NIGHT.  
THUS BOTH AREAS ARE COVERED BY A MARGINAL RISK ON THE DAY 4/MONDAY  
EXCESSIVE RAINFALL OUTLOOK. THE SECOND AR MAY BE LONGER-LASTING AND  
MOVE MORE SLOWLY SOUTHWARD THROUGH THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST,  
WARRANTING A MARGINAL RISK FOR DAY 5/TUESDAY ESPECIALLY CONSIDERING  
THE WET ANTECEDENT CONDITIONS FROM THE FIRST ROUND. HEAVY  
PRECIPITATION IS FORECAST TO LAST INTO WEDNESDAY AND MAY GRADUALLY  
LIGHTEN SOMEWHAT BY THURSDAY. ACCUMULATED SNOW MAY BECOME HEAVY IN  
THE CASCADES AS THE WEEK PROGRESSES, WITH MODEST SNOW AMOUNTS INTO  
THE NORTHERN ROCKIES.  
 
THE UPPER TROUGH 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. THE MINOR MODEL DISAGREEMENTS IN THE TROUGH  
POSITION DO CAUSE SOME SPREAD FOR THE POSITIONING OF PRECIPITATION  
ON INDIVIDUAL DAYS, BUT ON A BROAD SCALE, MODEST PRECIPITATION  
SHOULD AFFECT PARTS OF THE PLAINS AND MISSISSIPPI VALLEY TUESDAY,  
SPREADING INTO THE MIDWEST/GREAT LAKES AND OHIO/TENNESSEE VALLEYS  
TO APPALACHIANS WEDNESDAY, AND TOWARD THE EASTERN SEABOARD  
THURSDAY. MOST PRECIPITATION LOOKS TO FALL AS RAIN GIVEN THE WARMER  
THAN NORMAL TEMPERATURES, UNTIL SOME ICE AND SNOW ARE POSSIBLE IN  
HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF THE INTERIOR NORTHEAST MID- TO LATER WEEK. THE  
SURFACE LOW TRACK ASSOCIATED WITH THIS TROUGH 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 MIDWEEK. THE GREATEST ANOMALIES WILL BE  
15-25F FOR LOWS OVER MUCH OF THE SOUTHEASTERN U.S. MONDAY AND  
TUESDAY MORNINGS, WITH HIGHS AROUND 10-15F (LOCALLY HIGHER) ABOVE  
NORMAL FROM TEXAS NORTHEASTWARD. TEMPERATURES ARE FORECAST TO  
MODERATE BEHIND A COLD FRONT ACROSS THE GREAT LAKES REGION TUESDAY  
AND OVER MUCH OF THE EASTERN SEABOARD WEDNESDAY, AND FINALLY IN THE  
EAST-CENTRAL U.S. THURSDAY BEHIND THE SECONDARY COLD FRONT.  
MEANWHILE LINGERING SNOW COVER IN THE CENTRAL/SOUTHERN ROCKIES WILL  
PROMOTE COOLER THAN NORMAL HIGHS THERE. THE WEST OTHERWISE SHOULD  
GENERALLY NEAR TO A BIT BELOW NORMAL, THOUGH RIDGING BUILDING IN  
THE CENTRAL U.S. SHOULD LEAD TO ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES THERE BY  
LATER NEXT WEEK.  
 
TATE  
 
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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