597
FXUS01 KWBC 171843
PMDSPD
SHORT RANGE FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS WEATHER PREDICTION CENTER COLLEGE PARK MD
242 PM EDT TUE MAR 17 2026
VALID 00Z WED MAR 18 2026 - 00Z FRI MAR 20 2026
...AN ANOMALOUSLY EARLY HEATWAVE BEGINS TO INTENSIFY AND EXPAND
EAST ACROSS THE WESTERN U.S....
...ANOTHER NIGHT OF FREEZING TEMPERATURES ACROSS MUCH OF THE
SOUTHEAST WEDNESDAY MORNING...
...WET ACROSS WESTERN WASHINGTON AS A WINTRY MIX MOVES THROUGH THE
MIDWEST...
A HIGHLY AMPLIFIED PATTERN FEATURING AN EXPANDING EXTREMELY
ANOMALOUS UPPER-HIGH OVER THE WESTERN U.S. WILL BRING AN
INCREASINGLY SUMMER-LIKE PERIOD OF HEAT THIS WEEK AND INTO THE
WEEKEND. WELL ABOVE AVERAGE TEMPERATURES BY AS MUCH AS 20-30
DEGREES INITIALLY ACROSS CALIFORNIA AND INTO THE GREAT
BASIN/DESERT SOUTHWEST EARLY THIS WEEK WILL EXPAND EASTWARD INTO
THE ROCKIES AND THEN PLAINS BY THURSDAY. NUMEROUS, WIDESPREAD
DAILY AND MONTHLY RECORD HIGHS FOR MARCH ARE EXPECTED AS
TEMPERATURES SOAR INTO THE 80S, 90S, AND EVEN THE 100S IN THE
DESERT SOUTHWEST. MANY LOCATIONS WITHIN THE DESERT SOUTHWEST ARE
LIKELY TO SEE THEIR EARLIEST 100 DEGREE TEMPERATURE ON RECORD.
HEAT-RELATED ADVISORIES AND WARNINGS ARE IN PLACE ACROSS THE
DESERT SOUTHWEST AND THE CENTRAL/SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA COASTS WHERE
THIS HEAT MAY POSE MORE NOTABLE HEALTH RISKS CONSIDERING BOTH HOW
HOT THE TEMPERATURES ARE AND HOW RELATIVELY EARLY THEY ARE
OCCURRING. THE HEAT WAVE LOOKS TO CONTINUE INTO THE WEEKEND BEFORE
CONDITIONS BEGIN TO RETURN CLOSER TO AVERAGE EARLY NEXT WEEK.
ANOTHER CONCERN WILL BE RAPID SNOWMELT IN THE MOUNTAINS LEADING TO
RISING WATER LEVELS AND SWIFT CURRENTS FOR REGIONAL RIVERS.
ALTHOUGH AIR TEMPERATURES ARE WARM, ANYONE ENTERING THE WATER IS
AT RISK OF COLD WATER SHOCK AND HYPOTHERMIA. MEANWHILE, WELL BELOW
AVERAGE, VERY CHILLY CONDITIONS ACROSS MOST OF THE EASTERN U.S.
WILL BEGIN TO IMPROVE THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS AS THE AIR MASS
MODERATES FOLLOWING A COLD FRONT PASSAGE. AFTER ANOTHER NIGHT OF
FRIGID TEMPERATURES, WITH FREEZE WARNINGS IN PLACE ACROSS MUCH OF
THE SOUTHEAST, HIGHS WILL BEGIN TO QUICKLY SHIFT TO AVERAGE AND
THEN ABOVE AVERAGE TEMPERATURES, FIRST ACROSS THE MISSISSIPPI
VALLEY WEDNESDAY AND THEN TOWARDS THE EAST COAST THURSDAY AND
FRIDAY.
MOST OF THE COUNTRY WILL BE RELATIVELY QUIET PRECIPITATION-WISE
THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS. THE HEAVIEST PRECIPITATION BY FAR WILL BE
LIMITED TO THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST WITH A PERSISTENT STREAM OF
MOISTURE IN PLACE TO THE NORTH OF THE WESTERN RIDGE. THIS WILL
BRING MODERATE TO LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL, WITH SOME ISOLATED
FLOODING POSSIBLE, PARTICULARLY ALONG UPSLOPE REGIONS OF THE
OLYMPICS AND CASCADES. SNOW WILL BE FAIRLY LIMITED TO THE HIGHEST
ELEVATIONS OF THE MOUNTAINS WITH RELATIVELY WARM AIR IN PLACE.
LINGERING LAKE-EFFECT SNOWS DOWNWIND OF LAKES ERIE AND ONTARIO AS
WELL AS SNOW SHOWERS THROUGH THE APPALACHIANS WILL TAPER OFF THIS
EVENING. A LIGHT WINTRY MIX CAN BE EXPECTED IN VICINITY OF A PAIR
OF FRONTAL BOUNDARIES ACROSS THE UPPER MIDWEST TONIGHT, SHIFTING
INTO THE GREAT LAKES WEDNESDAY AND PORTIONS OF THE INTERIOR
NORTHEAST/APPALACHIANS THURSDAY. GUSTY WINDS WILL CONTINUE ALONG
THE HIGH PLAINS EAST OF THE ROCKIES TODAY, PARTICULARLY ACROSS
PORTIONS OF THE NORTHERN HIGH PLAINS. THE COMBINATION OF GUSTY
WINDS AND WARMING, DRY DOWNSLOPING WINDS HAS PROMPTED A CRITICAL
RISK OF FIRE WEATHER (LEVEL 2/3) FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWESTERN
OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST TEXAS THROUGH THIS EVENING, WITH ELEVATED
CONDITIONS (LEVEL 1/3) EXPECTED TO CONTINUE INTO WEDNESDAY ACROSS
PORTIONS OF THE CENTRAL TO NORTHERN HIGH PLAINS.
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