029  
FXUS02 KWBC 101903  
PMDEPD  
 
EXTENDED FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NWS WEATHER PREDICTION CENTER COLLEGE PARK MD  
203 PM EST MON FEB 10 2025  
 
VALID 12Z THU FEB 13 2025 - 12Z MON FEB 17 2025  
 
...HEAVY RAIN AND FLASH FLOODING POSSIBLE FOR COASTAL CALIFORNIA AND HEAVY SNOW FROM THE SIERRA NEVADA INLAND THURSDAY-FRIDAY...  
 
...ANOTHER ROUND OF SNOW FROM THE MIDWEST TO NORTHEAST FRIDAY-  
SUNDAY WITH HEAVY RAIN LIKELY IN THE TENNESSEE VALLEY AGAIN  
ESPECIALLY SATURDAY...  
 
   
..OVERVIEW  
 
THE MEDIUM RANGE PERIOD WILL FEATURE A SERIES OF SYSTEMS PRODUCING  
AREAS OF SIGNIFICANT RAINFALL AND WINTER WEATHER. THE FIRST SYSTEM  
SHOULD LINGER IN THE NORTHEAST ON THURSDAY WITH SNOW FOR NORTHERN  
NEW ENGLAND AT THE SAME TIME A WET/SNOWY SYSTEM REACHES THE WEST  
COAST, WITH HEAVIEST PRECIPITATION FOCUSED OVER CALIFORNIA.  
CONTINUED PROGRESSION OF THE WEST COAST SYSTEM'S UPPER TROUGH WILL  
LIKELY SUPPORT LOW PRESSURE REACHING THE EAST BY SUNDAY AND THE  
CANADIAN MARITIMES BY MONDAY. THIS LOW SHOULD SPREAD WINTRY WEATHER  
FROM THE UPPER MIDWEST THROUGH THE NORTHEAST, WITH HEAVY RAIN  
FARTHER SOUTH OVER SOME AREAS THAT MAY BE AFFECTED BY PRIOR HEAVY  
RAIN, LIKE THE TENNESSEE VALLEY. THE NEXT PACIFIC SYSTEM WILL  
TRACK FARTHER NORTH THAN THE FIRST ONE, CONFINING THE RAIN AND  
HIGHER ELEVATION SNOW MORE TO THE NORTHWEST FROM THE WEEKEND INTO  
EARLY NEXT WEEK. PARTS OF THE PLAINS WILL SEE THE MOST PRONOUNCED  
COLD ANOMALIES, ESPECIALLY ON THURSDAY AND THE WEEKEND, WHILE  
GRADUALLY INCREASING PACIFIC INFLUENCE SHOULD HELP THE WEST TO  
MODERATE FROM ITS COLD TEMPERATURES AS OF THURSDAY. THE SOUTHEAST  
WILL TEND TO SEE ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES FROM LATE WEEK THROUGH  
THE WEEKEND.  
 
   
..GUIDANCE/PREDICTABILITY ASSESSMENT  
 
MODEL GUIDANCE IS REASONABLY AGREEABLE FOR MOST LARGE-SCALE  
SYSTEMS THROUGH THE PERIOD. A TROUGH AXIS MOVING THROUGH THE  
NORTHERN TIER WILL SUPPORT A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WITH GOOD  
AGREEMENT OVER THE LOWER GREAT LAKES REGION AT THE START OF THE  
PERIOD 12Z THURSDAY QUICKLY TRACKING ACROSS THE NORTHEAST, AND A  
MULTI-MODEL BLEND WORKED WELL FOR THAT. MEANWHILE, UPPER AND  
SURFACE LOWS OVER THE EASTERN PACIFIC THURSDAY WILL PUSH INTO THE  
WEST COAST BY FRIDAY, WITH THE REMAINING TROUGH MOVING ACROSS MUCH  
OF THE LOWER 48 OVER THE WEEKEND-MONDAY. MORE MODEL DIFFERENCES  
GRADUALLY ARISE INTO THE EAST, ESPECIALLY WITH THE RESULTING  
SURFACE LOW. LOW PRESSURE SHOULD REDEVELOP OVER THE SOUTH-CENTRAL  
PLAINS SATURDAY BUT AS IT TRACKS QUICKLY NORTHEASTWARD, THERE IS  
VARIABILITY WITH ITS PLACEMENT BY SUNDAY IN THE EAST, PERHAPS MADE  
MORE COMPLICATED BY THE POTENTIAL FOR A DOUBLE-BARRELLED LOW.  
RECENT MODELS CLUSTER A MAIN LOW SOMEWHERE AROUND THE CENTRAL  
APPALACHIANS/MID-ATLANTIC BUT SOME MODELS REMAIN WELL NORTH OF  
THERE, INCLUDING THE 00Z ECMWF AND GFS. THIS LOW SHOULD STRENGTHEN  
AS IT MOVES QUICKLY NORTHWARD INTO EASTERN CANADA BY MONDAY.  
UPSTREAM, THE GENERAL IDEA OF TROUGHING MOVING INTO THE PACIFIC  
NORTHWEST BY NEXT MONDAY IS IN GUIDANCE BUT WITH DIFFERENCES IN THE  
STRENGTH AND TIMING, INCLUDING A SLIGHTLY FASTER TREND IN THE NEW  
12Z GFS AND CMC.  
 
GIVEN THE REASONABLY GOOD AGREEMENT OVERALL, THE WPC FORECAST WAS  
BASED ON A BLEND OF THE 00/06Z DETERMINISTIC MODELS EARLY IN THE  
PERIOD, WITH GRADUALLY INCREASING PROPORTIONS OF THE ENSEMBLE MEANS  
TO 40 PERCENT BY DAY 7 TO MINIMIZE DIFFERENCES FROM INDIVIDUAL  
MODELS.  
 
   
..WEATHER/HAZARDS HIGHLIGHTS  
 
THE SYSTEM TRACKING THROUGH THE NORTHEAST ON THURSDAY WILL BRING  
MEANINGFUL SNOW TO NORTHERN NEW ENGLAND, WHILE THE TRAILING COLD  
FRONT WILL CROSS THE SOUTHEAST. RECENT GUIDANCE RUNS HAVE BEEN  
NARROWING THE SPREAD FOR THIS FRONT AND ITS ASSOCIATED AXIS OF  
MOISTURE. MODELS SHOW SOME INSTABILITY WITH THIS FRONT AND  
POTENTIAL FOR SOME LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL, MAINLY OVER PARTS OF  
NORTHERN FLORIDA INTO GEORGIA. HOWEVER THIS REGION HAS DRY  
ANTECEDENT CONDITIONS WITH VERY HIGH FLASH FLOOD GUIDANCE VALUES.  
THUS THE DAY 4/THURSDAY EXCESSIVE RAINFALL OUTLOOK CONTINUES TO  
DEPICT NO RISK AREA FOR THIS ACTIVITY. WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR FOR  
ANY TRENDS TOWARD BROADER ORGANIZED HEAVY RAINFALL ON THE HIGHER  
END OF THE ENVELOPE.  
 
WITH FAIRLY STRONG LOW PRESSURE AND ASSOCIATED FRONTAL SYSTEM  
REACHING THE WEST COAST THURSDAY INTO EARLY FRIDAY, GUIDANCE HAS  
MAINTAINED GOOD CONTINUITY OVER THE PAST DAY REGARDING FAVORABLE  
MOISTURE ANOMALIES/ENHANCED IVT VALUES FOCUSING HEAVIEST RAINFALL  
AND HIGHER ELEVATION SNOW OVER CALIFORNIA. THE INHERITED SLIGHT  
RISK AREA FOR DAY 4/THURSDAY OVER A MAJORITY OF COASTAL CALIFORNIA  
AND EXTENDING INTO THE SIERRA NEVADA FOOTHILLS STILL LOOKS GOOD.  
EXPECT COASTAL AREAS FROM THE BAY AREA SOUTH INTO THE LOS ANGELES  
METRO INCLUDING RECENT BURN SCARS TO HAVE RELATIVELY HIGHER  
PROBABILITIES OF SEEING FLOODING IMPACTS, AND THIS IS CONSIDERED A  
HIGH-END SLIGHT RISK. ESPECIALLY AS SHORTER TERM GUIDANCE REFINES  
THE BEST FOCUS OF HEAVIEST RAINFALL AND WHAT THE RAIN RATES WILL  
BE, IT IS POSSIBLE AN EVENTUAL UPGRADE TO A MODERATE RISK MAY BE  
NEEDED ACROSS SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA AND IN PARTICULAR THE BURN SCAR  
AREAS. THE DAY 5/FRIDAY ERO CONTINUES TO DEPICT A MARGINAL RISK  
AREA ALONG THE FAR SOUTHERN COAST, WITH LINGERING MOISTURE EARLY IN  
THE DAY AND THE UPPER TROUGH PASSING OVERHEAD TO PROVIDE SOME  
POSSIBLE INSTABILITY OVER BURN SCAR AREAS THAT WOULD BE MOST  
SENSITIVE TO ADDITIONAL SHOWERS.  
 
CONTINUED PROGRESSION OF THIS SYSTEM WILL SPREAD AREAS OF RAIN AND  
HEAVY MOUNTAIN SNOW FARTHER INLAND, EASTWARD TO THE ROCKIES. THE  
UPPER TROUGH WILL LIKELY SUPPORT SURFACE LOW DEVELOPMENT OVER THE  
EASTERN HALF OF THE COUNTRY DURING THE WEEKEND. SOUTH-CENTRAL AREAS  
THAT WILL ALREADY BE SENSITIVE DUE TO PRIOR HEAVY RAINFALL CAN  
EXPECT ANOTHER EPISODE OF HEAVY RAIN, PARTICULARLY SATURDAY IN THE  
TENNESSEE VALLEY. MEANWHILE AREAS FROM THE MIDWEST INTO THE  
NORTHEAST WILL SEE THE BEST POTENTIAL FOR SIGNIFICANT SNOW FRIDAY-  
SUNDAY. A TRANSITION ZONE OF WINTRY MIX MAY SEPARATE THE RAIN/SNOW  
AREAS. THERE MAY BE A PERIOD OF GUSTY WINDS OVER PARTS OF THE EAST  
BEHIND THIS SYSTEM.  
 
A FARTHER NORTHWARD TRACK OF THE NEXT PACIFIC SYSTEM WILL FAVOR THE  
NORTHWEST FOR THE NEXT ROUND OF RAIN AND HIGHER ELEVATION SNOW FROM  
THE WEEKEND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. AMOUNTS SHOULD START OUT ON THE  
LIGHT TO MODERATE SIDE ON SATURDAY BUT MAY TREND SOMEWHAT HEAVIER  
ON SUNDAY. EXPECT MOISTURE TO SPREAD FARTHER EASTWARD/SOUTHEASTWARD  
INTO THE ROCKIES BY MONDAY.  
 
PARTS OF THE CENTRAL U.S. WILL SEE WELL BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES  
FOR MOST OF THE PERIOD, WITH SOME CENTRAL-SOUTHERN PLAINS  
LOCATIONS 20-30F BELOW NORMAL FOR HIGHS ON THURSDAY FOLLOWED BY  
ANOTHER COLD SURGE BRINGING SIMILAR ANOMALIES INTO THE FAR NORTHERN  
PLAINS ON FRIDAY AND EXTENDING FARTHER SOUTHWARD DURING THE  
WEEKEND. PROGRESSION OF AN UPPER TROUGH INTO THE EAST WILL SPREAD A  
MODIFIED FORM OF THIS COLD AIR EASTWARD BY NEXT MONDAY WITH MOST  
OF THE NORTHEASTERN QUADRANT OF THE LOWER 48 SEEING HIGHS 10-20F  
BELOW NORMAL. COLD AIR WILL ALSO EXTEND INTO THE NORTHWEST THROUGH  
LATE WEEK BUT THE WEST AS A WHOLE WILL GRADUALLY TREND WARMER AS  
PACIFIC FLOW GAINS INFLUENCE. THE FOUR CORNERS STATES AND VICINITY  
MAY ACHIEVE ABOVE NORMAL HIGHS BY THE START OF NEXT WEEK. SYSTEMS  
FORECAST TO REACH THE EAST AROUND THURSDAY AND SUNDAY SHOULD PULL  
SOME ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES NORTHWARD FROM THE GULF  
COAST/SOUTHEAST. A FEW LOCATIONS OVER THE FLORIDA PENINSULA COULD  
CHALLENGE RECORD HIGHS ON ONE OR MORE DAYS. EVEN THE SOUTHEAST  
COULD COOL TO A BIT BELOW NORMAL BY NEXT MONDAY BEHIND A COLD  
FRONT.  
 
TATE/RAUSCH  
 
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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