185  
FXUS06 KWBC 172001  
PMDMRD  
PROGNOSTIC DISCUSSION FOR 6 TO 10 AND 8 TO 14 DAY OUTLOOKS  
NWS CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER COLLEGE PARK, MD  
300 PM EST FRI JANUARY 17 2025  
 
6-10 DAY OUTLOOK FOR JAN 23 - 27 2025  
 
A HIGHLY AMPLIFIED 500-HPA HEIGHT PATTERN IS FORECAST ACROSS THE FORECAST  
DOMAIN AT THE OUTSET OF THE 6-10 DAY PERIOD, WITH RIDGING OVER WESTERN NORTH  
AMERICA AND STRONG TROUGHING DOWNSTREAM OVER THE EASTERN HALF OF THE CONUS.  
THIS TROUGHING IS FORECAST TO QUICKLY LIFT OUT BY THE MIDDLE OF THE PERIOD,  
WITH THE 0Z ECENS AND CMCE RELOADING THE TROUGHING ACROSS THE WEST-CENTRAL  
CONUS BY DAY-10 AND INCREASING POSITIVE HEIGHT ANOMALIES ALONG THE EASTERN  
SEABOARD. THE MANUAL HEIGHT BLEND INDICATES ABOVE-NORMAL HEIGHTS ALONG THE WEST  
COAST OF THE CONUS AND EXTENDING NORTHWARD THROUGH ALASKA, WITH +210 METER  
POSITIVE HEIGHT ANOMALY TO THE SOUTH OF ALASKA. BELOW-NORMAL HEIGHTS ARE  
PREDICTED FOR MOST OF THE REMAINDER OF THE CONUS GIVEN THE INITIAL TROUGHING IN  
THE EAST AND THE TREND TOWARD ADDITIONAL TROUGHING IN THE INTERIOR WEST LATER  
IN THE PERIOD. SLIGHTLY ABOVE-NORMAL HEIGHTS ARE FORECAST ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST  
AND SOUTHERN MID-ATLANTIC. TROUGHING FORECAST OVER THE CENTRAL PACIFIC FAVORS  
NEAR- TO BELOW-NORMAL HEIGHTS ACROSS HAWAII FOR THE PERIOD AS A WHOLE.  
 
THE ARCTIC AIR OUTBREAK ACROSS THE EASTERN CONUS IS FORECAST TO BE ABATING AT  
THE START OF THE PERIOD, ALTHOUGH DAILY TEMPERATURE ANOMALIES OF AT LEAST -10  
DEG F ARE DEPICTED IN THE 0Z ECENS AND GEFS ALONG PARTS OF THE EASTERN SEABOARD  
ON DAY-6 (JAN 23). A SHORT PERIOD OF ABOVE-NORMAL TEMPERATURES IS FAVORED  
ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE NORTHERN PLAINS AND UPPER MIDWEST BEFORE THE TROUGHING  
RELOADS AT THE END OF THE PERIOD USHERING IN ANOTHER ROUND OF RELATIVELY COLDER  
TEMPERATURES. ELEVATED PROBABILITIES OF BELOW-NORMAL TEMPERATURES ARE FAVORED  
ACROSS MUCH OF THE CONUS, BUT WITH REDUCED PROBABILITIES COMPARED TO YESTERDAY,  
AND NEAR-NORMAL ACROSS THE UPPER MIDWEST GIVEN THE TRANSIENT PATTERN.  
NEAR-NORMAL TEMPERATURES ARE ALSO FORECAST ACROSS PARTS OF THE SOUTHWEST, WITH  
THE REFORECAST TOOLS CONTINUING TO INDICATE A WARMER OUTCOME COMPARED TO THE  
UNCALIBRATED GUIDANCE. RIDGING FAVORS HIGH CHANCES FOR ABOVE-NORMAL  
TEMPERATURES OVER MAINLAND ALASKA AND THE ALEUTIANS, WITH NEAR-NORMAL  
TEMPERATURES FORECAST FOR SOUTHEAST ALASKA DUE TO INCREASING OFFSHORE WINDS.  
THE CONSOLIDATION FORECAST TOOL SUPPORTS ENHANCED PROBABILITIES FOR  
ABOVE-NORMAL TEMPERATURES ACROSS HAWAII.  
 
MULTIPLE SHORTWAVES ARE FORECAST TO MOVE ACROSS THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN CONUS  
THROUGHOUT THE PERIOD. THIS RESULTS IN ELEVATED CHANCES FOR ABOVE-NORMAL  
PRECIPITATION ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE SOUTHERN PLAINS, MIDDLE AND LOWER  
MISSISSIPPI VALLEY, TENNESSEE VALLEY, MID-ATLANTIC, AND SOUTHEAST, WITH NEAR-  
TO SLIGHTLY ABOVE-NORMAL PRECIPITATION MORE LIKELY FOR THE GREAT LAKES AND  
NORTHEAST. WINTER WEATHER IS A CONCERN OVER SOME OF THESE AREAS DEPENDING ON  
THE NORTHERN STREAM INTERACTION. A TRANSITION TO MORE TROUGHING IN THE WEST  
TOWARD THE END OF THE PERIOD SUPPORTS ENHANCED ODDS FOR ABOVE-NORMAL  
PRECIPITATION ACROSS PARTS OF THE ROCKIES AND HIGH PLAINS. NEAR-TO BELOW NORMAL  
PRECIPITATION PROBABILITIES REMAIN ELEVATED FOR MUCH OF THE WEST COAST, FOUR  
CORNERS, AND SOUTHERN HIGH PLAINS GIVEN A RELATIVELY DRIER REGIME STILL FAVORED  
AT THE START OF THE PERIOD. INCREASED SOUTHERLY FLOW ALONG WITH WEAK TROUGHING  
OVER THE BERING SEA FAVORS ELEVATED CHANCES OF ABOVE-NORMAL PRECIPITATION OVER  
MOST OF ALASKA, WITH THE HIGHEST CHANCES ACROSS THE NORTHWESTERN MAINLAND DUE  
TO THE PROJECTED NORTHWARD SHIFT IN THE STORM TRACK AND REDUCED PRECIPITATION  
CLIMATOLOGY IN THIS REGION. ABOVE-NORMAL PRECIPITATION IS FAVORED ACROSS HAWAII.  
 
THE OFFICIAL 6-10 DAY 500-HPA HEIGHT BLEND CONSISTS OF 30% OF TODAY'S 6Z GFS  
ENSEMBLE MEAN CENTERED ON DAY 8, 35% OF TODAY'S 0Z EUROPEAN ENSEMBLE MEAN  
CENTERED ON DAY 8, AND 35% OF TODAY'S 0Z CANADIAN ENSEMBLE MEAN CENTERED ON DAY  
8  
 
 
FORECAST CONFIDENCE FOR THE 6-10 DAY PERIOD: AVERAGE, 3 OUT OF 5, DUE TO VERY  
GOOD MODEL AGREEMENT AT THE START OF THE PERIOD, OFFSET BY A POTENTIAL  
MID-LEVEL PATTERN REALIGNMENT LATER IN THE PERIOD.  
 
8-14 DAY OUTLOOK FOR JAN 25 - 31 2025  
 
A REALIGNMENT OF THE 500-HPA HEIGHT PATTERN IS FORECAST TO CONTINUE DURING  
WEEK-2, WITH THE 0Z ECENS, GEFS, AND CMCE BUILDING POSITIVE HEIGHT ANOMALIES  
OVER THE EAST, TROUGHING OVER WESTERN NORTH AMERICA, AND A RETROGRESSION OF THE  
RIDGE ACROSS THE EAST PACIFIC. THIS WOULD ALSO BE CONSISTENT WITH THE  
BACKGROUND LA NINA STATE AND ACTIVE MJO OVER THE INDIAN OCEAN. THE MANUAL  
HEIGHT BLEND FOR WEEK-2 DEPICTS BELOW-NORMAL HEIGHTS ACROSS MUCH OF THE WESTERN  
AND CENTRAL CONUS AND NEW ENGLAND, AND ABOVE-NORMAL HEIGHTS OVER PARTS OF THE  
SOUTHEAST, MID-ATLANTIC, TENNESSEE AND OHIO VALLEYS, AND LOWER NORTHEAST.  
ABOVE-NORMAL HEIGHTS CONTINUE TO BE DEPICTED OVER ALASKA UNDERNEATH RIDGING.  
NEAR- TO SLIGHTLY BELOW-NORMAL HEIGHTS REMAIN FAVORED FOR HAWAII DUE TO A  
VARIABLE HEIGHT PATTERN.  
 
ENHANCED CHANCES FOR BELOW-NORMAL TEMPERATURES ARE FORECAST ACROSS MOST OF THE  
CONUS DURING WEEK-2, ALTHOUGH REGIONAL VARIATION IN TEMPERATURES ARE LIKELY  
THROUGHOUT THE PERIOD AS THE MID-LEVEL PATTERN REALIGNS. OVERALL, THERE IS A  
GENERAL TREND TOWARD BELOW-NORMAL TEMPERATURES IN THE WEST AND CLOSER TO NORMAL  
TEMPERATURES IN THE EAST, ALTHOUGH ADDITIONAL TRANSIENT BURSTS OF COLD AIR ARE  
POSSIBLE ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE NORTHERN TIER AS DEPICTED IN THE 0Z ECENS. THE  
REPOSITIONING OF THE RIDGE AXIS OVER THE BERING SEA SUPPORTS A RELATIVELY  
COLDER PATTERN DEVELOPING ACROSS ALASKA AS THE PERIOD PROGRESSES. A SLIGHT TILT  
TOWARD ABOVE-NORMAL TEMPERATURES IS FAVORED ACROSS MUCH OF THE MAINLAND AND  
ALEUTIANS FOR THE PERIOD AS A WHOLE, WITH ELEVATED CHANCES FOR BELOW-NORMAL  
TEMPERATURES OVER THE FAR NORTHWESTERN MAINLAND AND SOUTHEAST ALASKA. THE  
CONSOLIDATION FORECAST TOOL SUPPORTS ENHANCED ODDS FOR ABOVE-NORMAL  
TEMPERATURES ACROSS HAWAII.  
 
THE RETROGRESSION OF THE RIDGE COMBINED WITH TROUGHING DEVELOPING OVER THE  
WEST-CENTRAL CONUS SUPPORTS INCREASING NEAR- TO ABOVE-NORMAL PRECIPITATION  
CHANCES OVER MUCH OF THE WEST, WITH DAILY PRECIPITATION TOTALS INCREASING  
ACROSS PARTS OF CALIFORNIA LATER IN THE PERIOD. AS IN THE 6-10 DAY PERIOD,  
THERE REMAINS HIGH UNCERTAINTY REGARDING THE STORM TRACK IN THE EAST, WITH THE  
DEGREE OF NORTHERN AND SOUTHERN STREAM INTERACTION INFLUENCING THE SURFACE LOW  
STRENGTH AND TRACK, ALONG WITH ANY IMPACTFUL WINTER WEATHER. THE OVERALL  
PATTERN SUPPORTS BROAD COVERAGE OF ENHANCED ABOVE-NORMAL PRECIPITATION  
PROBABILITIES. ABOVE-NORMAL PRECIPITATION PROBABILITIES REMAIN ELEVATED OVER  
MAINLAND ALASKA, BUT A DRYING TREND IS FORECAST AS THE RIDGE BECOMES MORE  
CENTERED OVER THE BERING SEA. AS A RESULT OF THIS, ALONG WITH INCREASING  
NORTHERLY MID-LEVEL FLOW, NEAR-NORMAL PRECIPITATION IS FAVORED ACROSS SOUTHEAST  
ALASKA. ABOVE-NORMAL PRECIPITATION IS FORECAST OVER HAWAII.  
 
THE OFFICIAL 8-14 DAY 500-HPA HEIGHT BLEND CONSISTS OF: 30% OF TODAY'S 6Z GFS  
ENSEMBLE MEAN CENTERED ON DAY 11, 35% OF TODAY'S 0Z EUROPEAN ENSEMBLE MEAN  
CENTERED ON DAY 11, AND 35% OF TODAY'S 0Z CANADIAN ENSEMBLE MEAN CENTERED ON  
DAY 11  
 
FORECAST CONFIDENCE FOR THE 8-14 DAY PERIOD: BELOW AVERAGE, 2 OUT OF 5, DUE TO  
A PREDICTED MID-LEVEL PATTERN SHIFT DURING THE PERIOD AND A MORE TRANSIENT  
SURFACE PATTERN EMERGING.  
 
FORECASTER: THOMAS COLLOW  
 
NOTES:  
 
AUTOMATED FORECASTS ARE ISSUED ON SATURDAY AND SUNDAY. OCCASIONALLY MANUAL  
INTERVENTION IS NECESSARY TO ADDRESS QUALITY CONTROL AND CONSISTENCY ISSUES. IN  
THESE CASES, FORECASTS ARE MANUALLY DRAWN BUT A FULL DISCUSSION IS NOT ISSUED.  
 
THE NOTATION FOR THE CATEGORICAL FORECAST INDICATED ON THE MAPS IS THE SAME AS  
THAT IN THE TABLES: A-ABOVE N-NEAR NORMAL B-BELOW  
 
THE TEMPERATURE MAP SHOWS REGIONS WITH > 33% CHANCE OF BEING WARMER (ORANGE,  
"A"), COLDER (BLUE, "B"), OR CLOSE TO (UNSHADED, "N"). HISTORICAL AVERAGE  
VALUES FOR THE CALENDAR PERIOD OF THE FORECAST (DASHES, "F"). LABELS ON THE  
SHADED LINES GIVE THE PROBABILITY (> 33%) OF THE MORE LIKELY CATEGORY (B OR A).  
PROBABILITY OF N IS ALWAYS < 40%.  
 
THE PRECIPITATION MAP SHOWS REGIONS WITH > 33% CHANCE OF BEING WETTER (GREEN,  
"A"), DRIER (TAN, "B"), OR CLOSE TO (UNSHADED, "N"). HISTORICAL MEDIAN VALUES  
FOR THE CALENDAR PERIOD OF THE FORECAST (DASHES, "INCHES"). LABELS ON THE  
SHADED LINES GIVE THE PROBABILITY (> 33%) OF THE MORE LIKELY CATEGORY (B OR A).  
PROBABILITY OF N IS ALWAYS < 40%.  
 
IN THE SOUTHWEST AND OTHER CLIMATOLOGICALLY DRY REGIONS - THERE WILL BE A  
GREATER THAN 33.3% CHANCE OF NO PRECIPITATION AND OCCASIONALLY EVEN A NORMAL  
(I.E. MEDIAN) VALUE OF ZERO - ESPECIALLY DURING THE DRY SEASONS. IN SUCH CASES  
A FORECAST OF NEAR NORMAL IS EFFECTIVELY A FORECAST OF LITTLE OR NO  
PRECIPITATION.  
 
THE CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER USES 1991-2020 BASE PERIOD MEANS AS REFERENCE IN  
THE CLIMATE OUTLOOKS.  
 
THE NEXT SET OF LONG-LEAD MONTHLY AND SEASONAL OUTLOOKS WILL BE RELEASED ON  
FEBRUARY 20.  
 
ANALOGS TO THE 5 DAY MEAN OBSERVED PATTERN CENTERED 3 DAYS AGO (D-3)  
FOR THE REGION FROM 20N TO 70N LATITUDE AND 175E TO 60W LONGITUDE  
INCLUDE THE 5 DAY PERIODS CENTERED ON THE FOLLOWING DATES:  
19661228 - 19800123 - 20080116 - 20020114 - 20090110  
 
ANALOGS TO THE 7 DAY MEAN OBSERVED PATTERN CENTERED 4 DAYS AGO (D-4)  
FOR THE REGION FROM 20N TO 70N LATITUDE AND 175E TO 60W LONGITUDE  
INCLUDE THE 7 DAY PERIODS CENTERED ON THE FOLLOWING DATES:  
20080117 - 20090123 - 19570103 - 20020114 - 19910120  
 
6-10 DAY OUTLOOK TABLE  
OUTLOOK FOR JAN 23 - 27 2025  
 
STATE TEMP PCPN STATE TEMP PCPN STATE TEMP PCPN  
WASHINGTON B N OREGON B N NRN CALIF N B  
SRN CALIF N B IDAHO B A NEVADA N N  
W MONTANA B A E MONTANA B A WYOMING B A  
UTAH B N ARIZONA B N COLORADO B A  
NEW MEXICO B N N DAKOTA N A S DAKOTA N A  
NEBRASKA B A KANSAS B N OKLAHOMA B A  
N TEXAS B A S TEXAS B A W TEXAS B N  
MINNESOTA N N IOWA N N MISSOURI B N  
ARKANSAS B A LOUISIANA B A WISCONSIN N N  
ILLINOIS N N MISSISSIPPI B A MICHIGAN N N  
INDIANA B N OHIO B N KENTUCKY B A  
TENNESSEE B A ALABAMA B A NEW YORK N N  
VERMONT N N NEW HAMP N N MAINE N N  
MASS B N CONN B A RHODE IS B A  
PENN B N NEW JERSEY B A W VIRGINIA B A  
MARYLAND B A DELAWARE B A VIRGINIA B A  
N CAROLINA B A S CAROLINA B A GEORGIA B A  
FL PNHDL B A FL PENIN B A AK N SLOPE A A  
AK ALEUTIAN A A AK WESTERN A A AK INT BSN A A  
AK S INT A A AK SO COAST A A AK PNHDL N N  
 
 
 
8-14 DAY OUTLOOK TABLE  
OUTLOOK FOR JAN 25 - 31 2025  
 
STATE TEMP PCPN STATE TEMP PCPN STATE TEMP PCPN  
WASHINGTON B N OREGON B A NRN CALIF B N  
SRN CALIF B A IDAHO B A NEVADA N A  
W MONTANA B A E MONTANA B A WYOMING B A  
UTAH N A ARIZONA B A COLORADO B A  
NEW MEXICO B A N DAKOTA B A S DAKOTA B A  
NEBRASKA B A KANSAS B A OKLAHOMA B A  
N TEXAS B A S TEXAS B A W TEXAS B N  
MINNESOTA B N IOWA B N MISSOURI B A  
ARKANSAS B A LOUISIANA B A WISCONSIN B N  
ILLINOIS B A MISSISSIPPI B A MICHIGAN B A  
INDIANA B A OHIO B A KENTUCKY B A  
TENNESSEE B A ALABAMA N A NEW YORK N A  
VERMONT N N NEW HAMP N N MAINE N N  
MASS N N CONN N N RHODE IS N N  
PENN B A NEW JERSEY N A W VIRGINIA B A  
MARYLAND B A DELAWARE N A VIRGINIA B A  
N CAROLINA N A S CAROLINA N A GEORGIA N A  
FL PNHDL A A FL PENIN A A AK N SLOPE N A  
AK ALEUTIAN A N AK WESTERN A A AK INT BSN A A  
AK S INT A A AK SO COAST A A AK PNHDL B N  
 
LEGEND  
TEMPS WITH RESPECT TO NORMAL PCPN WITH RESPECT TO MEDIAN  
A - ABOVE N - NEAR NORMAL A - ABOVE N - NEAR MEDIAN  
B - BELOW B - BELOW  
 
THE FORECAST CLASSES REPRESENT AVERAGES FOR EACH STATE. NORMAL  
VALUES - WHICH MAY VARY WIDELY ACROSS SOME STATES - ARE  
AVAILABLE FROM YOUR LOCAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST OFFICE.  
 
FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION SEE MESSAGE FXUS06 KWBC - ON AWIPS AS  
PMDMRD.  
 
 
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