283  
FXUS01 KWBC 161842  
PMDSPD  
 
SHORT RANGE FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NWS WEATHER PREDICTION CENTER COLLEGE PARK MD  
241 PM EDT SUN AUG 16 2026  
 
VALID 00Z MON AUG 17 2026 - 00Z WED AUG 19 2026  
 
...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM, HEAVY RAINFALL, AND FLASH FLOODING THREATS  
CONTINUE FROM THE MIDWEST TO THE MID-ATLANTIC AND ACROSS THE  
CENTRAL HIGH PLAINS...  
 
...DANGEROUS HEAT PERSISTS IN THE SOUTH AND SOUTHEAST, WHILE  
BUILDING INTO THE SOUTHWEST EARLY THIS WEEK...  
 
UNSETTLED WEATHER AND SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO  
ROTATE AROUND A LARGE UPPER HIGH STRETCHING ACROSS THE SOUTHERN  
TIER AND ALONG FRONTAL BOUNDARIES DRAPED FROM THE CENTRAL HIGH  
PLAINS TO THE MID-ATLANTIC OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS. FOR THE SHORT  
TERM, THROUGH TONIGHT AND EARLY MONDAY MORNING, ISOLATED TO  
SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS COULD TURN SEVERE ALONG THE CENTRAL HIGH  
PLAINS AND ACROSS A CORRIDOR EXTENDING FROM THE MID-MISSISSIPPI  
VALLEY TO THE MID-ATLANTIC. MOST LIKELY HAZARDS ASSOCIATED WITH  
ANY SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE FORECAST TO INVOLVE LARGE HAIL  
THROUGHOUT THE HIGH PLAINS, AN ISOLATED TORNADO OR TWO FOR THE  
OHIO VALLEY AND MID-ATLANTIC, AS WELL AS SCATTERED DAMAGING WIND  
GUSTS. INTENSE RAINFALL RATES MAY ALSO OCCUR WITH THUNDERSTORMS  
AND CREATE THE POTENTIAL FOR FLASH FLOODING, THIS IS ESPECIALLY  
THE CASE ACROSS PARTS OF WEST VIRGINIA, WHERE A MODERATE RISK  
(LEVEL 3/4) OF EXCESSIVE RAINFALL IS IN EFFECT. THIS REGION AND  
TERRAIN REMAIN OVERLY SENSITIVE TO ADDITIONAL RAINFALL GIVEN  
COMPLEX GEOGRAPHY AND PRIOR HEAVY RAIN. BE SURE TO HAVE MULTIPLE  
WAYS OF RECEIVING ALERTS AND HAVE A PLAN SHOULD SEVERE WEATHER OR  
FLASH FLOODING TAKE PLACE.  
 
FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE DAY ON MONDAY, THE THREAT FOR STRONG  
THUNDERSTORMS SHIFT TO THE CAROLINAS, SOUTHERN APPALACHIANS, AND  
EASTERN TENNESSEE VALLEY AS A COLD FRONT GRADUALLY SINKS  
SOUTHWARD. CHANCES FOR ADDITIONAL MODERATE TO HEAVY RAINFALL  
AMOUNTS PERSIST ACROSS MUCH OF THE SOUTHERN/CENTRAL APPALACHIANS  
AS WELL AND COULD LEAD TO ADDITIONAL INSTANCES OF FLASH FLOODING.  
MEANWHILE, THE NEXT SYSTEM DROPPING SOUTHWARD INTO THE NORTHERN  
PLAINS WILL HELP SPARK CLUSTERS OF STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS  
ACROSS THE CENTRAL PLAINS, WHERE A SLIGHT RISK (LEVEL 2/5) OF  
SEVERE WEATHER SPANS FROM CENTRAL NEBRASKA TO SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA.  
BY TUESDAY, AN ASSOCIATED FRONTAL BOUNDARY IS EXPECTED TO STRETCH  
FROM THE CENTRAL PLAINS INTO THE GREAT LAKES AND WILL BE THE FOCUS  
FOR ANOTHER ROUND OF ACTIVE WEATHER, WHICH WILL INCLUDE YET AGAIN  
THE POTENTIAL FOR MORE SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS AND FLASH FLOODING  
POTENTIAL.  
 
THE OTHER MAJOR WEATHER STORY FOR THE LOWER 48 THROUGH EARLY THIS  
WEEK IS DANGEROUS HEAT. ALTHOUGH IT IS MID-AUGUST, RECORD-BREAKING  
AND ABNORMALLY HOT TEMPERATURES ARE SET TO IMPACT AREAS FROM THE  
SOUTHERN PLAINS TO THE SOUTHEAST. THIS WILL INCLUDE HIGHS INTO THE  
UPPER 90S AND LOW 100S, AS WELL AS HEAT INDICES UP TO 115 DEGREES  
F. RESIDENTS ARE ADVISED TO FOLLOW PROPER HEAT SAFETY TIPS BY  
LIMITING OUTDOOR ACTIVITY, STAYING HYDRATED, ENSURING ACCESS TO  
A/C OR COOLING CENTERS, AND CHECKING ON VULNERABLE FRIENDS,  
NEIGHBORS, AND FAMILY MEMBERS. ADDITIONALLY, THE SOUTHWEST BEGINS  
TO HEAT UP ONCE AGAIN ON MONDAY AND TUESDAY AS HIGH TEMPERATURES  
BEGIN TO CLIMB BACK INTO WIDESPREAD 100S AND INTO THE 110S.  
EXTREME HEAT WATCHES ARE IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF SOUTHERN NV,  
NORTHWEST AZ, AND SOUTHEAST CA, WITH EXTREME HEAT WARNINGS  
SPANNING FROM SOUTHERN AZ TO THE DESERTS OF FAR SOUTHEAST CA.  
 
SNELL  
 
GRAPHICS AVAILABLE AT  
HTTPS://WWW.WPC.NCEP.NOAA.GOV/BASICWX/BASICWX_NDFD.PHP  
 
 
CLICK HERE TO GO TO PREVIOUS BULLETINS.
The Nexlab HPC Page
Main Text Page