366  
FXUS02 KWBC 200636  
PMDEPD  
 
EXTENDED FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NWS WEATHER PREDICTION CENTER COLLEGE PARK MD  
136 AM EST THU FEB 20 2025  
 
VALID 12Z SUN FEB 23 2025 - 12Z THU FEB 27 2025  
 
   
..WET PACIFIC NORTHWEST PATTERN THIS WEEKEND/EARLY NEXT WEEK
 
 
   
..OVERVIEW AND GUIDANCE/PREDICTABILITY ASSESSMENT
 
 
MODEL AND ENSEMBLE FORECAST SPREAD HAS DECREASED SOME OVER THE  
LAST FEW CYCLES IN A MEDIUM RANGE PATTERN NOW WITH AT LEAST AVERAGE  
PREDICTABILITY OVERALL. THERE REMAINS A COMMON FLOW EVOLUTION  
SIGNAL TOWARD A LARGER SCALE MEAN UPPER PATTERN HIGHLIGHTED INTO  
NEXT WEEK BY A WESTERN RIDGE AND EASTERN TROUGH. THIS IS WELL  
SUPPORTED BY MACHINE LEARNING MODELS AND WILL FOCUS MODERATE TO  
HEAVIER PRECIPITATION INTO THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST, ALONG WITH A  
PRONOUNCED WARMING TREND FROM WEST TO EAST OVER THE LOWER 48.  
 
ACCORDINGLY, THE WPC MEDIUM RANGE PRODUCT SUITE WAS PRIMARILY  
DERIVED FROM A PREFERRED BLEND OF THE MODELS AND ENSEMBLES WITH  
MAJORITY WEIGHTING IN THE BLEND APPLIED TO THE MODELS VALID FOR  
SUNDAY INTO TUESDAY, AND THEN THE ENSEMBLE MEANS INTO MID-LATER  
NEXT WEEK AMID RELATIVELY SLOWLY GROWING SYSTEM VARIANCES. THIS  
SOLUTION MAINTAINS REASONABLY GOOD CONTINUITY.  
   
..WEATHER/HAZARDS HIGHLIGHTS
 
 
IT REMAINS THE CASE THAT ABOVE AVERAGE TEMPERATURES WILL DEVELOP  
OVER THE WEST THEN FOR MUCH OF CENTRAL U.S. WHERE BY EARLY NEXT  
WEEK MOST LOCATIONS WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER WILL WARM TO MUCH  
ABOVE NORMAL WITH DECENT COVERAGE OF PLUS 10-25 DEGREE ANOMALIES.  
BEST POTENTIAL FOR HIGHEST ANOMALIES WILL BE NEAR THE NORTHERN  
PLAINS. THE EAST SHOULD ALSO WARM TO ABOVE NORMAL NEXT WEEK.  
 
GUIDANCE CONTINUES TO OFFER A STRONG SIGNAL FOR A PATTERN FAVORING  
A LONGER FETCH MOISTURE FEED TO FUEL MODERATE TO HEAVY LOWER  
ELEVATION RAIN AND HIGH ELEVATION/MOUNTAIN SNOW INTO THE PACIFIC  
NORTHWEST THIS WEEKEND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. ENHANCED SNOWS WILL  
ALSO WORK INLAND OVER THE NORTHERN INTERMOUNTAIN WEST/ROCKIES WITH  
DOWNSTREAM SYSTEM TRANSLATION. EXPECT HIGHEST PRECIPITATION TOTALS  
EXISTS OVER THE FAVORED TERRAIN AND COASTAL AREAS OF WESTERN  
WASHINGTON/OREGON AND INTO NORTHWEST CALIFORNIA. THE DAYS 4/5 WPC  
EXCESSIVE RAINFALL OUTLOOKS VALID FOR SUNDAY AND MONDAY EACH SHOW A  
MARGINAL RISK THREAT AREA GIVEN THE CUMULATIVE EFFECT OF THE  
MULTI-DAY EPISODE. THE NORTHWEST SHOULD TREND DRIER MIDWEEK AS A  
DYMANIC MONDAY- TUESDAY SYSTEM DEPARTS AND UPPER RIDGING BUILDS IN.  
 
DOWNSTREAM, SHORTWAVE ENERGY EJECTING FROM THE SOUTHERN ROCKIES  
OUT FROM THE WEEKEND AND MAY SUPPORT PERIODS OF MODERATE RAINFALL  
OVER THE GULF AND POSSIBLY INLAND INTO THE GULF COAST STATES AND  
SOUTHEAST TO THE NORTH OF A WAVY FRONTAL ZONES. MOST GUIDANCE HOLDS  
MAIN INSTABILITY OVER THE GULF. MOST PRECIPITATION SHOULD BE RAIN,  
THOUGH A LITTLE WINTRY WEATHER COULD BE POSSIBLE IN THE NORTHERN  
FRINGE OF THE MOISTURE SHIELD EARLY PERIOD IF IT EXTENDS FAR  
ENOUGH NORTH BEFORE THE AIRMASS MODERATES. SURFACE WAVE/FRONTAL  
DETAILS OVER THE GULF AND THE WESTERN ATLANTIC REMAIN QUITE  
UNCERTAIN FOR DETAILS INTO NEXT WEEK. HOWEVER FEATURES MAY EVOLVE,  
WAVES SHOULD BE RELATIVELY WEAK AND MOST PRECIPITATION SHOULD STAY  
OFFSHORE THE MID- ATLANTIC/NEW ENGLAND. DIGGING OF NORTHERN STREAM  
SHORTWAVE ENERGY THIS WEEKEND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK WILL SPREAD  
LIGHT-SIDE PRECIPITATION (MOSTLY SNOW) FROM THE GREAT LAKES REGION  
THROUGH NEW ENGLAND. LATEST GUIDANCE IS NOT TOO ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT  
POTENTIAL FOR WRAPBACK COASTAL LOW LINKAGE OVER THE NORTHEAST TO  
ENHANCE ACTIVITY EARLY- MID NEXT WEEK, BUT IT REMAINS WORTH  
MONITORING IN FUTURE RUNS. MODERATE CYCLOGENEIS AND FRONTOGENESIS  
MAY DEVELOP OVER THE PLAINS/MISSISSIPPI VALLEY NEXT WEDNESDAY AND  
WORK OVER THE EAST- CENTRAL U.S. BY THURSDAY. THE WARMER PATTERN BY  
THEN SHOULD MOSTLY FAVOR AN EMERGING AREA OF MODERATE WRAPPING  
RAINS WITH RETURN GULF MOISTURE FLOW ASIDE FROM A LITTLE WINTRY  
WEATHER ON THE FAR NORTH COOL SIDE OF THE LOW.  
 
SCHICHTEL  
 
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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