950  
FXUS02 KWBC 101823  
PMDEPD  
 
EXTENDED FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NWS WEATHER PREDICTION CENTER COLLEGE PARK MD  
223 PM EDT FRI JUL 10 2026  
 
VALID 12Z MON JUL 13 2026 - 12Z FRI JUL 17 2026  
 
 
...DANGEROUS HEAT SPREADS FROM THE INTERMOUNTAIN WEST TO THE  
NORTHERN PLAINS AND UPPER MIDWEST THROUGH NEXT WEEK...  
 
   
..OVERVIEW
 
 
A BROAD AND ANOMALOUSLY STRONG UPPER-LEVEL RIDGE WILL BE IN PLACE  
ACROSS THE INTERMOUNTAIN WEST TO NORTH-CENTRAL U.S. NEXT WEEK,  
LEADING TO A SIGNIFICANT AND DANGEROUS HEAT WAVE CONTINUING ACROSS  
THOSE REGIONS. RAIN AND THUNDERSTORM CHANCES WILL MAINLY OCCUR  
ACROSS SOUTHERN STATES TO THE SOUTH OF THE RIDGE, THOUGH SOME  
NORTHERN TIER RAIN/STORMS ROUNDING THE RIDGE ARE POSSIBLE AS WELL.  
ADDITIONALLY, MONSOONAL MOISTURE IS FORECAST TO INCREASE AND  
PRODUCE SHOWERS AND STORMS ACROSS THE SOUTHWEST AND FOUR CORNERS  
STATES.  
 
   
..GUIDANCE/PREDICTABILITY ASSESSMENT
 
 
THE MODEL SUITE REMAINS IN GOOD AGREEMENT THROUGH THE FIRST PORTION  
OF THE PERIOD WITH RELATIVELY SMALL SPREAD REGARDING THE BROAD  
UPPER- LEVEL RIDGE AND HIGH NORTH- CENTRAL U.S. BY MIDWEEK, THE  
ENSEMBLE SPREAD GRADUALLY INCREASES AS THE SHORTWAVE ENERGY MOVES  
ACROSS SOUTHWARD OF THE RIDGE. THIS WILL BRING SOME UNCERTAINTY  
WITH TIMING AND AMPLITUDE OF ASSOCIATED SURFACE FRONTAL FEATURES,  
BUT THE ENSEMBLE MEANS CONTINUE TO DEPICT THE OVERALL SYNOPTIC  
PATTERN. TOWARD THE LATER PORTION OF THE PERIOD, UNCERTAINTY GROWS  
AS MODELS DIVERGE WITH THE LARGE-SCALE FEATURES OVER WESTERN AND  
SOUTHERN U.S., AS WELL AS THE PROGRESSION OF THE NORTHERN STREAM  
ENERGY. ECMWF CONTINUES TO SHOW A SLOWER PROGRESSION OF THE UPPER  
TROUGH MOVING INTO THE NORTHWEST, WHILE THE CMC AND GFS SHOWS A  
MORE REASONABLE SOLUTION. ENSEMBLE MEANS FROM THE GEFS AND ECENS  
PROVIDE THE MOST STABLE DEPICTION OF THE LARGE- SCALE PATTERN AND  
HELP SMOOTH OUT RUN- TO- RUN VARIABILITY FROM THE DETERMINISTIC  
MODELS. THEREFORE, THE FORECAST WAS BASED ON A BLEND OF THE GFS,  
ECMWF, CMC, ECAIFS, AND UKMET FOR THE FIRST PORTION OF THE PERIOD,  
WHILE INCORPORATING THE ENSEMBLE MEANS FOR THE LATTER PORTION.  
 
   
..WEATHER/HAZARDS HIGHLIGHTS
 
 
A STRONG AND EXPANSIVE RIDGE SPRAWLING FROM THE WESTERN U.S. TO  
THE CENTRAL U.S. WILL LEAD TO AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF DANGEROUS HEAT  
FOR PARTS OF THE INTERMOUNTAIN WEST, NORTHERN PLAINS, AND UPPER  
MIDWEST THROUGH MOST OF NEXT WEEK. SEVERAL DAYS OF WELL ABOVE  
NORMAL AND POTENTIALLY RECORD-BREAKING MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM  
TEMPERATURES WILL LEAD TO WIDESPREAD MAJOR TO EXTREME HEATRISK. WPC  
CONTINUES TO UPDATE HEAT KEY MESSAGES FOR THIS EVENT, WHICH CAN BE  
FOUND ON OUR HOMEPAGE. FARTHER EAST, PERIODS OF WARMER THAN  
AVERAGE TEMPERATURES ARE LIKELY FOR THE NORTHEAST PARTICULARLY ON  
TUESDAY, SHIFTING INTO THE MID-ATLANTIC MIDWEEK AND BEYOND WHILE  
THE NORTHEAST COOLS BEHIND A COLD FRONT.  
 
MEANWHILE, MUCH OF THE SOUTHERN TIER COULD SEE NEAR TO SLIGHTLY  
BELOW AVERAGE TEMPERATURES AS A FRONT STALLS NEAR THE GULF COAST  
AND ACTS AS A FOCUS FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH AT LEAST  
MIDWEEK. THE VERY MOIST AND UNSTABLE ENVIRONMENT COULD LEAD TO  
FLASH FLOODING CONCERNS, AND MARGINAL TO SLIGHT RISKS OF FLASH  
FLOODING ARE IN PLACE FOR DAYS 4-5 (MONDAY-TUESDAY). BY THE LATTER  
PART OF NEXT WEEK, SUBTROPICAL RIDGING IS FORECAST TO BUILD INTO  
FLORIDA, WHERE TEMPERATURES SHOULD STAY WARM AND ELEVATED HEATRISK  
IS FORECAST.  
 
INCREASING SOUTHERLY FLOW AROUND THE WESTERN PERIPHERY OF THE  
CENTRAL U.S. RIDGE WILL DRAW MONSOONAL MOISTURE INTO THE SOUTHWEST  
AND THE CENTRAL GREAT BASIN EARLY NEXT WEEK. THIS MOISTURE WILL  
LEAD TO SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WITH THE  
POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE HEAVY RAINFALL AND LOCALIZED FLASH FLOODING.  
SENSITIVE PLACES SUCH AS BURN SCARS, STEEP TERRAIN, ETC., WOULD BE  
THE MOST VULNERABLE TO ANY FLOODING CONCERNS THAT MAY DEVELOP.  
MARGINAL RISKS OF EXCESSIVE RAINFALL ARE DELINEATED FOR MONDAY IN  
THE SOUTHWEST AND EXPANDING TOWARD THE FOUR CORNERS TUESDAY, AND  
THE RAINFALL POTENTIAL IS FORECAST TO CONTINUE EXPANDING  
NORTHEASTWARD AS THE WEEK PROGRESSES.  
 
OUDIT/TATE  
 
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, EXCESSIVE RAINFALL OUTLOOK,  
WINTER WEATHER OUTLOOK PROBABILITIES, HEAT INDICES AND KEY MESSAGES  
ARE AT:  
 
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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