277  
FXUS02 KWBC 150706  
PMDEPD  
 
EXTENDED FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NWS WEATHER PREDICTION CENTER COLLEGE PARK MD  
206 AM EST SUN DEC 15 2024  
 
VALID 12Z WED DEC 18 2024 - 12Z SUN DEC 22 2024  
 
   
..OVERVIEW  
 
THE PATTERN SHOULD BE TURNING MUCH MORE AMPLIFIED DURING THE  
MEDIUM RANGE PERIOD AS MEAN TROUGHING BECOMES ESTABLISHED OVER THE  
EAST, AND STRONG RIDGING BUILDS OVER THE WEST. A COUPLE OF  
SHORTWAVES WILL HELP REINFORCE THE EASTERN TROUGH DURING THE  
PERIOD, INCLUDING AN INITIAL ONE LATE THIS WEEK WHICH SHOULD ALLOW  
A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM TO LIFT FROM THE MID-SOUTH TO THE NORTHEAST  
WITH POTENTIAL SNOW ON THE NORTH SIDE OF THE TRACK. THE NEXT  
SHORTWAVE DIGGING DOWN THE WEST SIDE OF THE TROUGH SHOULD BRING  
WITH IT A FRESH BLAST OF ARCTIC AIR TO THE EAST BY NEXT WEEKEND,  
WHILE THE WEST TURNS PROGRESSIVELY WARMER. AN ATMOSPHERIC RIVER MAY  
BRING A PERIOD OF HEAVY RAIN/MOUNTAIN SNOWS TO PARTS OF THE WEST  
COAST BY NEXT WEEKEND AS WELL.  
 
   
..GUIDANCE/PREDICTABILITY ASSESSMENT  
 
LATEST MODELS AND ENSEMBLES CONTINUE TO SHOW GENERALLY GOOD  
AGREEMENT ON THE OVERALL SYNOPTIC PATTERN BUT PLENTY OF UNCERTAINTY  
IN THE DETAILS. MODELS ARE TRENDING CLOSER TOGETHER WITH THE  
INITIAL SHORTWAVE OFF THE SOUTHEAST COAST AND MORE NORTHERLY/INLAND  
WITH ASSOCIATED LOW PRESSURE OFF THE NORTHEAST COAST, BUT THERE  
DOES REMAIN SOME UNCERTAINTY IN THE TIMING. THE NEXT SHORTWAVE  
SHOULD MOVE THROUGH THE MIDWEST INTO THE EAST LATE WEEK INTO NEXT  
WEEKEND WITH PLENTY OF UNCERTAINTY IN THE DETAILS. UPSTREAM,  
RIDGING BUILDS OVER THE WEST THEN EVENTUALLY SHIFTS EASTWARD AS THE  
NEXT SHORTWAVE MOVES INTO THE WEST COAST NEXT WEEKEND. GENERALLY  
GOOD AGREEMENT ON THIS SETUP, BUT UNCERTAINTY IN THE TIMING AND  
EVOLUTION OF ENERGY AS IT PROGRESSES INLAND.  
 
THE WPC BLEND FOR TONIGHT LEANED MORE HEAVILY ON THE ECMWF, WITH  
MINOR CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE CMC AND UKMET EARLY PERIOD SINCE THE  
GFS WAS TOO SLOW/DIFFERENT WITH THE EASTERN TROUGH. WITH INCREASING  
UNCERTAINTY, USED INCREASINGLY MORE ENSEMBLE MEANS MID TO LATE  
WEEK AND NEXT WEEKEND.  
 
   
..WEATHER/HAZARDS HIGHLIGHTS  
 
 
A COLD FRONT SHIFTING THROUGH THE EAST MID WEEK WILL BE  
ACCOMPANIED BY MODEST PRECIPITATION. MODERATE TO HEAVY RAINFALL IS  
POSSIBLE ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE TENNESSEE/OHIO VALLEY INTO THE  
CENTRAL APPALACHIANS BUT LOW RAINFALL RATES AND THE OVERALL  
PROGRESSIVE NATURE OF THE FRONT SHOULD LIMIT ANY SORT OF EXCESSIVE  
RAINFALL/FLASH FLOOD THREAT. SOME WINTRY WEATHER IS POSSIBLE ON THE  
NORTHWESTERN SIDE OF THE SURFACE LOW WHICH TRACKS NEAR THE  
NORTHEAST COAST, WITH HIGHEST PROBABILITIES IN THE HIGHER TERRAIN.  
BEHIND THIS SYSTEM, WESTERLY FLOW ACROSS THE STILL RELATIVELY WARM  
LAKES SHOULD ALLOW FOR SOME LAKE EFFECT SNOWS, REINFORCED BY THE  
NEXT SHORTWAVE THROUGH THE REGION LATE WEEK/NEXT WEEKEND.  
 
MEANWHILE, OUT WEST, CONDITIONS SHOULD DRY OUT BY THE MEDIUM RANGE  
PERIOD, EXCEPT FOR SOME INCREASED PRECIPITATION ASSOCIATED WITH  
WEAK SHORTWAVES INTO THE NORTHWEST. INCREASING PRECIPITATION LOOKS  
LIKELY BY NEXT WEEKEND WITH THE NEXT ATMOSPHERIC RIVER INTO THE  
REGION.  
 
AFTER A WARMER DAY ON WEDNESDAY, THE EASTERN U.S. SHOULD TREND  
MUCH COLDER THROUGH THE PERIOD AS AN ARCTIC HIGH PRESSURE EXPANDS  
ACROSS THE MIDWEST AND EAST. BY NEXT WEEKEND, TEMPERATURES ACROSS  
MUCH OF THIS REGION COULD BE 10 TO 15 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL.  
MEANWHILE, FROM THE ROCKIES AND WESTWARD, TEMPERATURES SHOULD TREND  
WARMER WITH TIME WITH SOME SPOTS 10-15+ DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL.  
 
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.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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