036  
FXUS02 KWBC 220700  
PMDEPD  
 
EXTENDED FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NWS WEATHER PREDICTION CENTER COLLEGE PARK MD  
200 AM EST FRI NOV 22 2024  
 
VALID 12Z MON NOV 25 2024 - 12Z FRI NOV 29 2024  
 
 
...MESSY THANKSGIVING DAY TRAVEL POSSIBLE IN THE EASTERN HALF OF  
THE COUNTRY, INCLUDING POTENTIAL MIDWEST/GREAT LAKES TO INTERIOR  
NORTHEAST WINTER WEATHER...  
 
   
..OVERVIEW
 
 
THE GENERAL UPPER-LEVEL PATTERN NEXT WEEK WILL START WITH QUASI-  
ZONAL FLOW ATOP THE LOWER 48 WITH EMBEDDED SHORTWAVES AT VARIOUS  
TIMES AND REGIONS, TRANSITIONING TO A BROAD DEEPENING TROUGH  
PATTERN BY LATE WEEK. SOME MOIST INFLOW, THOUGH MUCH WEAKER THAN  
THE ONGOING AR EVENT, WILL CONTINUE TO SPREAD INTO PARTS OF THE  
WEST AND PRODUCE PRECIPITATION EARLY NEXT WEEK. PRECIPITATION IS  
LIKELY TO SPREAD ACROSS THE CENTRAL GREAT BASIN/INTERMOUNTAIN  
WEST/CENTRAL ROCKIES INCLUDING POTENTIAL FOR HEAVY SNOW IN HIGHER  
ELEVATIONS. A FORMING LOW PRESSURE/FRONTAL SYSTEM IS FORECAST TO  
HELP FOCUS MOISTURE FARTHER EAST BY MIDWEEK AND BEYOND. CURRENTLY  
EXPECT MODERATE TO HEAVY PRECIPITATION ACROSS THE TENNESSEE AND  
LOWER OHIO VALLEYS INTO THE APPALACHIANS BY WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY,  
AND SOME PRECIPITATION MAY BE IN THE FORM OF SNOW IN HIGHER  
ELEVATIONS AND FARTHER NORTH ACROSS THE GREAT LAKES AND INTERIOR  
NORTHEAST, WITH QUESTIONABLE PRECIPITATION TYPES IN THE MID-  
MISSISSIPPI AND UPPER OHIO VALLEYS. INCREASING COVERAGE OF COLDER  
THAN AVERAGE TEMPERATURES IS LIKELY AS THE WEEK PROGRESSES  
UNDERNEATH THE DEEPENING UPPER TROUGHING AND COLD SURFACE HIGH  
PRESSURE.  
 
   
..GUIDANCE/PREDICTABILITY ASSESSMENT
 
 
MODEL GUIDANCE IS IN FAIRLY GOOD AGREEMENT REGARDING THE OVERALL  
PATTERN NEXT WEEK BUT VARIES WITH THE DETAILS OF SMALLER SCALE  
FEATURES. A SHORTWAVE IN THE NORTH-CENTRAL U.S./SOUTH-CENTRAL  
CANADA IS ONE EXAMPLE. THE 12Z ECMWF WAS MORE AGGRESSIVE WITH A  
SECONDARY SHORTWAVE (BEHIND A REASONABLY AGREEABLE ONE PROGRESSING  
ALONG THE U.S./CANADA BORDER FROM NORTHERN MINNESOTA TOWARD LAKE  
SUPERIOR AND EAST) DROPPING SOUTHEAST TOWARD NORTH DAKOTA TUESDAY-  
WEDNESDAY THAN OTHER DETERMINISTIC MODELS AND AI/ML GUIDANCE, WITH  
SOME IMPACTS ON THE SURFACE LOW TRACK. THE MORE RECENT 00Z RUN OF  
THE ECMWF SEEMS TO BE IN BETTER ALIGNMENT. FARTHER WEST, THE 12Z  
UKMET WAS ON ITS OWN HOLDING ONTO A SHORTWAVE JUST OFFSHORE  
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA INTO WEDNESDAY MORNING WHILE OTHER MODELS  
BROUGHT THAT ENERGY FARTHER INLAND INTO THE WEST. HOW MUCH THAT  
ENERGY DIGS, AS WELL AS ITS INTERACTIONS WITH NORTHERN STREAM  
SHORTWAVES, WILL IMPACT THE DEPTH AND POSITIONING OF THE DEEPENING  
BROAD TROUGH INTO LATER WEEK. THE 12Z CMC HELD TROUGHING BACK INTO  
THE CENTRAL GREAT BASIN INTO THURSDAY UNLIKE OTHER GUIDANCE THAT  
WAS MORE PROGRESSIVE. UNCERTAINTIES WITH FLOW UPSTREAM FROM THIS  
TROUGH WILL HAVE TO BE RESOLVED IN FUTURE FORECASTS.  
 
THE WPC FORECAST WAS BASED ON A BLEND FAVORING THE DETERMINISTIC  
12Z EC/CMC AND 18Z GFS WITH LESSER PROPORTIONS OF THE GEFS AND EC  
ENSEMBLE MEANS AND THE UKMET EARLY ON. GRADUALLY REDUCED THE  
PROPORTION OF DETERMINISTIC MODELS IN FAVOR OF THE ENSEMBLE MEANS,  
WITH THE LATTER OVER HALF BY DAYS 6-7 GIVEN VARIATIONS WITH THE  
INDIVIDUAL MODELS.  
 
   
..WEATHER/HAZARDS HIGHLIGHTS
 
 
 
AN UPPER TROUGH/POSSIBLE CLOSED LOW AND A SURFACE LOW OFFSHORE OF  
THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST COULD CONTINUE TO DIRECT MOISTURE INTO THE  
WEST COAST EARLY NEXT WEEK, THOUGH MUCH WEAKER THAN THE CURRENT  
ATMOSPHERIC RIVER. BY MONDAY THE HIGHEST MOISTURE ANOMALIES LOOK TO  
FOCUS INTO SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, WITH GENERALLY MODEST RAIN  
EXPECTED NEAR COASTAL AREAS THERE, BUT DO NOT CURRENTLY EXPECT  
FLOODING CONCERNS WITH THIS RAIN SINCE THIS AREA HAS NOT BEEN  
IMPACTED AS MUCH BY RECENT HEAVY RAIN. HOWEVER, SOME PRECIPITATION  
IS LIKELY INTO NORTHERN CALIFORNIA TOO, WHICH WILL HAVE MUCH WETTER  
ANTECEDENT CONDITIONS AFTER THE PAST FEW DAYS. RAIN AMOUNTS OF 1"  
TO LOCALLY 2" OF RAIN WOULD NOT TYPICALLY CAUSE CONCERNS IN  
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA/FAR SOUTHWESTERN OREGON, BUT THERE MAY BE A  
CHANCE FOR SOME FLOODING BECAUSE OF SATURATED SOILS AND ABOVE  
NORMAL STREAMFLOWS, SO HAVE ADDED A MARGINAL RISK TO THE DAY  
4/MONDAY ERO FOR THOSE AREAS. MEANWHILE SNOW IS LIKELY TO  
ACCUMULATE ACROSS THE OREGON CASCADES AND ESPECIALLY THE SIERRA  
NEVADA MONDAY-TUESDAY, SPREADING EAST ACROSS THE INTERMOUNTAIN WEST  
HIGHER ELEVATIONS INCLUDING THE WASATCH AND INTO THE CENTRAL  
ROCKIES. HEAVY SNOW AMOUNTS COULD PILE UP ESPECIALLY IN THE SIERRA  
(1 TO 3 FEET) AND IN THE COLORADO ROCKIES. PRECIPITATION SHOULD  
FINALLY ABATE IN THE WEST FOR THE LATTER PART OF NEXT WEEK.  
 
FARTHER EAST, A ROUND OF LIGHT TO MODERATE PRECIPITATION IS  
FORECAST TO MOVE THROUGH THE EAST-CENTRAL U.S. MONDAY AHEAD OF A  
COLD FRONT AS A RELATIVELY WEAK SURFACE LOW MOVES THROUGH THE GREAT  
LAKES REGION. MOST PRECIPITATION SHOULD BE RAIN OTHER THAN SOME  
NORTHERN TIER SNOW. LAKE EFFECT RAIN/SNOW SHOWERS SHOULD CONTINUE  
INTO TUESDAY BEHIND THE LOW. THEN AS ANOTHER LOW PRESSURE/FRONTAL  
SYSTEM DEVELOPS IN THE SOUTH-CENTRAL PLAINS AND TRACKS EASTWARD AS  
THE WEEK PROGRESSES, MOISTURE WILL STREAM INTO THE EASTERN HALF OF  
THE CONUS. CURRENTLY THE HEAVIEST RAINFALL AXIS LOOKS TO BE AROUND  
THE MID-SOUTH/TENNESSEE VALLEY/LOWER OHIO VALLEY, THOUGH WITH  
UNCERTAINTY IN PLACEMENT. NORTH OF THE LOW TRACK AND FRONTAL  
BOUNDARY, SNOW OR ICE MAY BE POSSIBLE. SOME WINTRY WEATHER MAY  
AFFECT THE MIDDLE TO UPPER MISSISSIPPI AND OHIO VALLEYS ALONG WITH  
THE GREAT LAKES REGION WEDNESDAY-THURSDAY, WHILE CURRENTLY THE  
HIGHEST PROBABILITIES OF NOTABLE SNOW ARE INTO THE CENTRAL/NORTHERN  
APPALACHIANS INTO NORTHERN PENNSYLVANIA AND THE INTERIOR NORTHEAST  
BY THANKSGIVING DAY, POSSIBLY IMPACTING TRAVEL. CONTINUE TO  
MONITOR FORECASTS AS DETAILS ARE LIKELY TO CHANGE.  
 
TEMPERATURES ARE FORECAST TO BE WARMER THAN AVERAGE IN THE  
SOUTHERN TIER STRETCHING INTO THE EAST-CENTRAL U.S. ON MONDAY AHEAD  
OF A COLD FRONT. THIS FRONT WILL COOL THE OHIO VALLEY BY TUESDAY  
AND THEN THE EAST BY WEDNESDAY, LEADING TO HIGHS A FEW DEGREES  
BELOW NORMAL. A COUPLE OF SURGES OF ARCTIC AIR LOOK TO IMPACT THE  
NORTHERN PLAINS EARLY IN THE WEEK AND AGAIN LATER WEEK, WITH HIGHS  
IN THE TEENS AND LOWS BELOW 0F IN SOME AREAS. THE SECOND SURGE OF  
COLD AIR IS FORECAST TO MAKE IT THROUGH MUCH OF THE LOWER 48 (IN  
MODERATED FASHION) BY LATER NEXT WEEK, EVEN COOLING THE SOUTHERN  
TIER TO NEAR OR BELOW NORMAL AFTER A WARM EARLY WEEK PERIOD WITH  
UPPER 80S IN SOUTHERN TEXAS.  
 
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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