779  
FXUS02 KWBC 221857  
PMDEPD  
 
EXTENDED FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NWS WEATHER PREDICTION CENTER COLLEGE PARK MD  
157 PM 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 U.S., INCLUDING POTENTIAL NORTHERN TIER 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  
ALIGNED OVER THE EAST-CENTRAL PART OF THE COUNTRY BY LATE WEEK. TO  
THE SOUTH OF AN INITIAL TROUGH/UPPER LOW NEAR THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST  
COAST, 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. MOISTURE WILL LIKELY EXTEND ACROSS  
THE CENTRAL GREAT BASIN/INTERMOUNTAIN WEST/CENTRAL ROCKIES  
INCLUDING POTENTIAL FOR HEAVY SNOW IN HIGHER ELEVATIONS.  
PROGRESSION OF WEST COAST ENERGY AND EVENTUAL APPROACH OF CANADIAN  
FLOW SHOULD SUPPORT DEVELOPING LOW PRESSURE/FRONTAL SYSTEM THAT  
WOULD HELP TO FOCUS MOISTURE FARTHER EAST BY MIDWEEK AND BEYOND.  
HOWEVER CURRENT GUIDANCE SUGGESTS MUCH LOWER CONFIDENCE IN SURFACE  
DETAILS VERSUS THE OVERALL UPPER PATTERN EVOLUTION. THERE IS SOME  
CLUSTERING TOWARD AN AREA OF MODERATE TO HEAVY PRECIPITATION  
ACROSS THE TENNESSEE AND LOWER OHIO VALLEYS INTO THE APPALACHIANS  
BY WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY, WITH INCREASING SPREAD FOR  
AMOUNTS/COVERAGE TOWARD THE EAST COAST. SOME SNOW MAY BE POSSIBLE  
IN THE NORTHERN PART OF THE MOISTURE SHIELD AND IN HIGHER  
ELEVATIONS. INCREASING COVERAGE OF COLDER THAN AVERAGE  
TEMPERATURES IS LIKELY AS THE WEEK PROGRESSES UNDERNEATH THE  
DEEPENING UPPER TROUGH AND COLD SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE.  
 
   
..GUIDANCE/PREDICTABILITY ASSESSMENT  
 
LATEST GUIDANCE CONTINUES TO SHOW REASONABLE AGREEMENT WITH RESPECT  
TO THE LARGE SCALE PATTERN EVOLUTION DURING NEXT WEEK, BUT THERE  
ARE SOME EMBEDDED SENSITIVITIES THAT ULTIMATELY AFFECT SPECIFICS OF  
THE MIDWEST/GREAT LAKES INTO SOUTHEASTERN CANADA SYSTEM EARLY-MID  
WEEK AND TRAILING LOW PRESSURE THAT SHOULD BE OVER THE SOUTHERN  
HIGH PLAINS AS OF EARLY WEDNESDAY AND THEN AFFECT THE EASTERN U.S.  
LATER IN THE WEEK. BASED ON 00Z/06Z MODEL GUIDANCE, AN OPERATIONAL  
MODEL COMPOSITE EARLY AND THEN PARTIAL INCLUSION OF THE 06Z  
GEFS/00Z ECENS MEANS AFTER MIDWEEK PROVIDED A REASONABLE REFLECTION  
OF CONSENSUS IDEAS PLUS LATE WEEK TRENDS NEAR THE EAST COAST.  
 
THERE IS STILL SOME UNCERTAINTY OVER THE SPECIFICS OF SOUTHERN  
CANADA/NORTHERN TIER ENERGY SUPPORTING THE LEADING MIDWEST/GREAT  
LAKES SYSTEM EARLY IN THE WEEK, WITH THE 00Z ECMWF ALSO DIFFERING  
FROM OTHER GUIDANCE OVER EASTERN CANADA (SHOWING A QUEBEC UPPER LOW  
NOT SEEN IN OTHER SOLUTIONS, AND CORRECTED IN THE NEW 12Z RUN). AT  
THE VERY LEAST, OTHER OPERATIONAL MODELS AND MACHINE LEARNING (ML)  
GUIDANCE SUGGEST THAT LATEST GFS RUNS COULD BE A FEW MB DEEP WITH  
THE SURFACE LOW BY EARLY TUESDAY. THE MULTI-MODEL BLEND HELPS TO  
MITIGATE THESE AND OTHER DETAIL UNCERTAINTIES.  
 
WHILE THERE IS GOOD AGREEMENT TOWARD AN UPPER TROUGH AXIS REACHING  
NEAR THE EAST-CENTRAL U.S. BY LATE WEEK, THE UPPER SHORTWAVE AND  
SURFACE EVOLUTION DETAILS ARE MORE IN DOUBT. THERE HAS BEEN  
SPREAD ALONG WITH RUN-TO-RUN VARIABILITY FOR THE TIMING AND  
EVOLUTION OF INITIAL TROUGH/UPPER LOW ENERGY NEAR THE PACIFIC  
NORTHWEST, AND BEYOND THAT SOME DIFFERENCES FOR TRAILING NORTHERN  
STREAM FLOW PUSHING SOUTHEASTWARD FROM CANADA. THESE COMBINE TO  
YIELD INCREASING UNCERTAINTY FOR SURFACE LOW DETAILS OVER THE  
EASTERN U.S./WESTERN ATLANTIC AFTER MIDWEEK. IN THE 00Z/NEW 12Z  
CYCLES, THE MOST NOTABLE TREND IS IN THE ECMWF/ECENS AWAY FROM A  
SCENARIO OF PRIMARY LOW PRESSURE TRACKING INTO THE OHIO  
VALLEY/GREAT LAKES FOLLOWED BY SECONDARY COASTAL DEVELOPMENT AND  
TOWARD MOST GFS RUNS AND A NUMBER OF OTHER SOLUTIONS THAT DEPICT A  
SOMEWHAT FLATTER EVOLUTION THROUGH THE TENNESSEE VALLEY AND THEN  
CONTINUING EASTWARD/NORTHEASTWARD. INDIVIDUAL ENSEMBLE MEMBERS SHOW  
EVEN WIDER SPREAD BY EARLY FRIDAY, AS DO THE ML MODELS WHICH RANGE  
FROM ONE STILL OVER THE OHIO VALLEY AND AT LEAST ONE OTHER SO  
WEAK/PROGRESSIVE THAT IT MINIMIZES PRECIPITATION COVERAGE OVER THE  
EAST. ANOTHER COUPLE ML MODELS HAVE A WAVE OVER THE SOUTHEAST AS OF  
EARLY FRIDAY. MEANWHILE, THE 00Z/12Z CMC RUNS SHOW A DEEPER  
SURFACE LOW THAN OTHER DYNAMICAL/ML MODELS BY EARLY FRIDAY, ALBEIT  
WITH A POSITION NOT FAR FROM THE DYNAMICAL MODEL/ENSEMBLE MEAN  
MAJORITY CENTERED CLOSE TO THE NORTHERN MID-ATLANTIC/SOUTHERN NEW  
ENGLAND COAST. THIS DYNAMICAL MAJORITY CLUSTER SEEMS TO OFFER THE  
MOST REASONABLE STARTING POINT GIVEN THE CURRENT GUIDANCE SPREAD.  
 
   
..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 MAINTAINED THE MARGINAL RISK IN THE  
DAY 4/MONDAY ERO FOR THOSE AREAS WITH ONLY MINOR ADJUSTMENTS PER  
LATEST GUIDANCE. 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 SHOULD  
MOVE THROUGH THE EAST-CENTRAL U.S. MONDAY AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT AS  
LOW PRESSURE 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, WITH A BRIEF PERIOD OF BREEZY CONDITIONS POSSIBLE AS WELL.  
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 RELATIVELY HIGHER  
PROBABILITIES OF NOTABLE SNOW ARE INTO THE CENTRAL/NORTHERN  
APPALACHIANS INTO NORTHERN PENNSYLVANIA AND THE INTERIOR NORTHEAST  
BY THANKSGIVING DAY, POSSIBLY IMPACTING TRAVEL. THERE IS STILL  
CONSIDERABLE UNCERTAINTY OVER THE SYSTEM'S TRACK AND STRENGTH, SO  
CONFIDENCE REMAINS BELOW AVERAGE REGARDING SPECIFICS OF  
PRECIPITATION COVERAGE/TYPE/AMOUNTS. CONTINUE TO MONITOR FORECASTS  
AS DETAILS BECOME BETTER REFINED OVER THE COMING DAYS.  
 
EXPECT TEMPERATURES TO BE WARMER THAN AVERAGE FROM THE SOUTHERN  
TIER 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 (EQUATING TO AT LEAST 10-20F BELOW NORMAL).  
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.  
 
RAUSCH/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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