837  
FXUS02 KWBC 261956  
PMDEPD  
 
EXTENDED FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NWS WEATHER PREDICTION CENTER COLLEGE PARK MD  
356 PM EDT WED AUG 26 2026  
 
VALID 12Z SAT AUG 29 2026 - 12Z WED SEP 02 2026  
 
 
...HAZARDOUS HEAT FROM THE DESERT SOUTHWEST AND TEXAS TO  
REPOSITION ACROSS THE SOUTH-CENTRAL U.S. AND MID-SOUTH...  
 
   
..OVERVIEW  
 
DANGEROUS LATE-SUMMER HEAT ACROSS THE DESERT SOUTHWEST AND TEXAS  
WILL SPREAD NORTHWARD ACROSS THE CENTRAL/SOUTHERN PLAINS AND MID-  
SOUTH THIS WEEKEND INTO NEXT WEEK. SURGES OF MONSOONAL MOISTURE  
WILL SUPPORT DAILY SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER PORTIONS OF THE  
SOUTHWEST AND INTERMOUNTAIN WEST/ROCKIES WITH LOCALIZED FLASH  
FLOODING POSSIBLE. MEANWHILE, A COUPLE OF LOW PRESSURE SYSTEMS  
TRAVERSING SOUTHERN AND WESTERN CANADA WILL PUSH A WAVY FRONT  
ACROSS THE NORTHERN TIER OF THE CONUS, AND LATER DIP INTO THE  
EAST-CENTRAL U.S. WHERE ROUNDS OF SHOWERS AND POSSIBLY STRONG TO  
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH LOCALLY HEAVY DOWNPOURS ARE POSSIBLE.  
SLOWLY DISSIPATING FRONTAL BOUNDARIES ACROSS THE SOUTHERN MID-  
ATLANTIC AND SOUTHEAST WILL OFFER LINGERING RISKS FOR STORMS WITH  
HEAVY RAIN AND LOCAL RUNOFF ISSUES.  
 
   
..GUIDANCE/PREDICTABILITY ASSESSMENT  
 
GUIDANCE REMAINS IN OVERALL GOOD AGREEMENT ON THE SYNOPTIC WEATHER  
PATTERN, THOUGH UNCERTAINTY WITH THE TIMING OF SYSTEMS WORKING  
THROUGH THE NORTHWEST TO THE U.S. NORTHERN TIER REMAINS. MODELS  
THIS MORNING SHOW GENERAL AGREEMENT WITH THE ECMWF ON A SLOWER  
EASTWARD EJECTION OF THE WAVE/LOW-PRESSURE SYSTEM ACROSS SOUTHERN  
CANADA EARLY TO MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK. IN RESPONSE TO THE SLOWER WAVE  
EJECTION, THERE IS A NOTABLE NORTHEASTWARD EXPANSION OF THE  
SOUTHERN U.S. UPPER RIDGE TOWARD THE LOWER GREAT LAKES AND THE OHIO  
VALLEY EARLY NEXT WEEK, IMPLYING A POSSIBILITY FOR THE HEAT TO  
EXPAND FURTHER NORTH INTO THE MIDWEST, OHIO VALLEY, LOWER GREAT  
LAKES, AND POSSIBLY DOWNSTREAM INTO THE MID-ATLANTIC BY MIDWEEK.  
 
NEVERTHELESS, GIVEN GENERAL LARGER-SCALE AGREEMENT, FAVOR A  
GENERAL CONSENSUS OF THE DETERMINISTIC AND ENSEMBLE MEANS FROM THE  
00Z ECMWF/EC MEAN, 06Z GFS/GEFS, AND THE 00Z CMC/CMC MEAN OVER  
TIME THAT SEEMS TO PROVIDE A GOOD GENERAL FORECAST AND THREAT  
MESSAGING BASELINE IN LINE WITH CONTINUITY. THE BLEND PROCESS TENDS  
TO MUTE/MITIGATE EMBEDDED SMALLER SCALE SYSTEM DIFFERENCES AS  
CONSISTENT WITH INDIVIDUAL PREDICTABILITY, BUT MAINTAINS MAIN  
FOCUSING FEATURES. THE MOST NOTABLE CHANGE FROM THE PREVIOUS  
FORECAST CYCLE WAS A SLOWER EASTWARD PROGRESSION OF THE LOW-  
PRESSURE SYSTEM ACROSS SOUTHERN CANADA.  
 
   
..WEATHER/HAZARDS HIGHLIGHTS  
 
UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF THE UPPER HIGH/RIDGE THIS WEEK, DAILY  
MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES ACROSS THE SOUTHERN PLAINS WILL CONTINUE TO  
RISE INTO THE 90S AND 100S WITH OPPRESSIVE HEAT INDICES. RECORD-  
BREAKING WARM OVERNIGHT TEMPERATURES ACROSS THE SOUTHERN TIER WILL  
FURTHER LIMIT RECOVERY FROM THE HEAT, RESULTING IN WIDESPREAD MAJOR  
TO EXTREME HEATRISK THAT MAY CAUSE HEAT RELATED ILLNESSES. AS THE  
UPPER RIDGE FLATTENS INTO THIS WEEKEND AND SHIFTS EASTWARD INTO  
EARLY-MID NEXT WEEK, HAZARDOUS HEAT WILL REFOCUS OVER THE SOUTHERN  
PLAINS AND STEADILY EXPAND NORTH ACROSS THE SOUTH-CENTRAL U.S AND  
LOWER TO MID-MISSISSIPPI VALLEY/MID-SOUTH WITH SOME TRIPLE DIGIT  
MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES AND MORE WIDESPREAD RECORD HOT OVERNIGHT  
VALUES. IN THIS UPPER PATTERN TRANSITION, EXPECT EXCESSIVE HEAT  
THREAT MODERATION OVER THE DESERT SOUTHWEST THIS WEEKEND INTO NEXT  
WEEK. PLEASE SEE WPC'S KEY MESSAGES FOR MORE EXTREME HEAT DETAILS.  
 
MONSOONAL MOISTURE STREAMING NORTHWARD ON THE WESTERN TO NORTHERN  
PERIPHERY OF THE UPPER RIDGE AND AHEAD OF LOCALLY SHOWERY NORTHWEST  
U.S. UPPER TROUGHING WILL CONTINUE TO FUEL SCATTERED, DIURNALLY  
DRIVEN CONVECTION FROM THE SOUTHWEST AND INTERMOUNTAIN WEST TO THE  
ROCKIES. INDIVIDUAL CELLS MAY LEAD TO ISOLATED INSTANCES OF FLASH  
FLOODING FOR SENSITIVE LOCATIONS SUCH AS BURN SCARS, FAVORED  
TERRAIN LIKE SLOT CANYONS, AND URBAN AREAS. MARGINAL RISK AREAS  
COVER PORTIONS OF THESE BROAD AREAS ON THE WPC DAY 4/SATURDAY AND  
DAY 5/SUNDAY EXCESSIVE RAINFALL OUTLOOKS (EROS).  
 
SHORTWAVES ROUNDING THE TOP OF THE RIDGE AND PIVOTING INTO THE  
DOWNSTREAM MEAN UPPER TROUGH WHILE INTERACTING WITH WAVY FRONTAL  
SYSTEMS WILL BRING MUCH OF HEAVY RAIN AND THUNDERSTORMS FURTHER OFF  
THE EAST COAST THIS WEEKEND INTO NEXT WEEK. WEEKEND MARGINAL RISK  
ERO AREAS SPOTLIGHT A FOCUS OVER THE UPPER MIDWEST AHEAD OF THE  
TRIPLE-POINT ASSOCIATED WITH THE EASTWARD-MOVING LOW-PRESSURE  
SYSTEM ACROSS SOUTHERN CANADA. MEANWHILE DOWNSTREAM, WEEKEND  
MARGINAL RISK ERO AREAS HIGHLIGHT A PROTRACTED THREAT FOR ROUNDS  
OF LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL OVER THE SOUTHERN MID-ATLANTIC AND THE  
COASTAL SOUTHEAST ON SATURDAY, CONFINING TO THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN  
GULF COAST INTO WESTERN FLORIDA BY SUNDAY AS WAVY FRONT GRADUALLY  
DISSIPATES.  
 
KONG/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, 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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