245  
FXUS02 KWBC 030714  
PMDEPD  
 
EXTENDED FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NWS WEATHER PREDICTION CENTER COLLEGE PARK MD  
214 AM EST TUE MAR 3 2026  
 
VALID 12Z FRI MAR 06 2026 - 12Z TUE MAR 10 2026  
 
...HEAVY RAIN/FLOODING AND SEVERE WEATHER EXPECTED IN THE SOUTH-  
CENTRAL U.S. LATE WEEK THROUGH THE WEEKEND...  
 
   
..OVERVIEW
 
 
SHORTWAVE TROUGH ENERGY WILL EJECT THROUGH THE NORTHEAST FRIDAY  
AND PROMOTE PRECIPITATION INCLUDING WINTRY WEATHER INTO A COLD AIR  
DAMMED AIRMASS. WELL BEHIND THIS FEATURE, BROADER TROUGHING IS  
FORECAST TO DIVE THROUGH AN UNSETLED WEST LATE WEEK AND SPLIT OFF A  
SOUTHERN STREAM UPPER LOW NEAR NORTHERN MEXICO BY THE WEEKEND.  
THIS PATTERN WILL ADVECT AMPLE MOISTURE AND INSTABILITY ESPECIALLY  
INTO THE CENTRAL U.S. IN A CHANNEL STUCK BETWEEN WESTERN U.S.  
TROUGHING AND SOUTH/SOUTHEAST/EAST UPPER RIDGING. THIS WILL FUEL  
WIDESPREAD THUNDERSTORMS WITH SEVERE AND FLOODING POTENTIAL WITH  
REPEAT FOCUS OVER THE SOUTH-CENTRAL U.S. AND VICINITY AS ENHANCED  
BY WAVY FRONTAL SYSTEMS. ADDITIONALLY, EXPECT UNSEASONABLY WARM  
PRE- FRONTAL TEMPERATURES TO INCLUDE SOME WIDESPREAD RECORD VALUES  
IN THE EASTERN HALF OF THE U.S. UNDER THE DOWNSTREAM UPPER RIDGE.  
   
..GUIDANCE/PREDICTABILITY ASSESSMENT
 
 
FORECAST SPREAD AND UNCERTAINTY HAS DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY OVER  
THE LAST SEVERAL GUIDANCE CYCLES FOR MUCH OF THE NATION THROUGH  
MEDIUM RANGE TIME SCALES, BOLSTERING FORECAST CONFIDENCE. A  
COMPOSITE OF WELL CLUSTERED OUTPUT OF THE GFS/ECMWF/UKMET/CANADIAN  
MODELS, ENSEMBLE MEANS AND MACHINE LEARNING GUIDANCE PROVIDES A  
SOLID FORECAST BASIS IN LINE WITH THE NATIONAL BLEND OF MODELS.  
   
..WEATHER/HAZARDS HIGHLIGHTS
 
 
A SHORTWAVE TROUGH AND WAVY FRONTAL SYSTEM WILL EJECT FROM THE  
MIDWEST THROUGH THE NORTHEAST INTO FRIDAY AND POOLING MOISTURE MAY  
FUEL LINGERING AREAS OF MODERATE RAINS. FARTHER NORTH, OVERRUNNING  
MOISTURE INTO COLD DAMMED CANADIAN HIGH PRESSURE AS DRIVEN BY MORE  
PROGRESSIVE NORTHERN STREAM ENERGIES SHOULD ALSO SUPPORT SOME SNOW  
FROM NORTHERN PORTIONS OF THE UPPER MIDWEST/GREAT LAKES TO THE  
INTERIOR NORTHEAST WHERE CONDITIONS ALSO SUPPORT AN ICE/FREEZING  
RAIN TRANSITION ZONE TO MONITOR.  
 
UPSTREAM, AN AMPLIFIED UPPER TROUGH WILL DIG SHARPLY SOUTHEASTWARD  
THROUGH THE WEST INTO FRIDAY AND BRING UNSETTLED AND COOLING FLOW  
ALONG WITH A WIDESPREAD MODERATE PRECIPITATION FOCUS OUT FROM THE  
PACIFIC NORTHWEST THROUGH THE NORTH-CENTRAL INTERMOUNTAIN/ROCKIES  
TO INCLUDE TERRAIN ENHANCED SNOWS. A SPLIT UPPER FLOW PATTERN  
SHOULD BECOME DOMINANT AS THIS ENERGY SEPARATES INTO THE SOUTHERN  
STREAM AND STALLS NEAR BAJA CALIFORNIA INTO THE WEEKEND AND EARLY  
NEXT WEEK. WITH THE WESTERN TROUGH AND UPPER LOW PATTERN, PACIFIC  
AND GULF MOISTURE WILL FLOW INTO THE CENTRAL U.S. ALONG WITH  
INSTABILITY, WHILE A WAVY FRONT IS IN PLACE. RUNOFF THREATS MAY  
BUILD WITH EACH ROUND OF RAIN GIVEN A REPEATING PATTERN WITH SOME  
CELL TRAINING POTENTIAL. MARGINAL RISK AREAS FOR THE THREAT OF  
EXCESSIVE RAINFALL FOR FLOODING/RUNOFF ARE IN PLACE FOR PORTIONS OF  
THE SOUTH-CENTRAL PLAINS INTO THE MID-MISSISSIPPI VALLEY AND  
VICINITY DAY 4/FRIDAY AND ESPECIALLY BY DAY 5/SATURDAY WITH A  
PROTRACTED WET PERIOD AT LEAST THROUGH THIS WEEKEND TO MONITOR. SPC  
IS ALSO HIGHLIGHTING SEVERE WEATHER POTENTIAL. MORE MODEST  
PRECIPITATION SHOULD SPREAD INTO THE NORTHEAST, MOSTLY IN THE FORM  
OF RAIN, THOUGH THE NORTHERN FRINGE MAY SEE WINTRY WEATHER.  
 
IN THIS PATTERN, AMPLIFIED SOUTHEAST U.S./ATLANTIC CENTERED UPPER  
RIDGING SIGNIFICANT SPRINGTIME WARMING WILL BUILD OVER THE CENTRAL  
AND EASTERN U.S. LATE WEEK, LASTING IN THE EAST INTO EARLY NEXT  
WEEK. TEMPERATURES WILL BE 20-30 DEGREES ABOVE AVERAGE, WITH 80S  
REACHING AS FAR NORTH AS PARTS OF THE OHIO VALLEY AND MID-ATLANTIC.  
DAILY RECORDS COULD BECOME WIDESPREAD.  
 
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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