160  
FXUS02 KWBC 121944  
PMDEPD  
 
EXTENDED FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NWS WEATHER PREDICTION CENTER COLLEGE PARK MD  
344 PM EDT SAT SEP 12 2026  
 
VALID 12Z TUE SEP 15 2026 - 12Z SAT SEP 19 2026  
 
 
...HAZARDOUS HEAT LINGERS OVER THE SOUTHERN PLAINS AS HEAVY RAIN  
THREATENS THE MIDDLE/UPPER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY AND SOUTHWEST...  
 
   
..OVERVIEW
 
 
AN UPPER-LEVEL RIDGE/CLOSED HIGH WILL RETROGRADE FROM THE  
SOUTHEAST TO THE SOUTH-CENTRAL U.S. NEXT WEEK. THIS RIDGE WILL  
SUPPORT HAZARDOUS HEAT ACROSS THE SOUTHERN PLAINS INTO LATER NEXT  
WEEK BEFORE FINALLY MODERATING. MEANWHILE, MONSOON STORMS CAPABLE  
OF PRODUCING FLASH FLOODING WILL REINVIGORATE OVER PARTS OF THE  
SOUTHWEST AS MOISTURE IS CHANNELED BETWEEN THE RIDGE AND A WESTERN  
U.S. MEAN UPPER TROUGH. ZONAL TO DIFFLUENT FLOW ACROSS THE NORTHERN  
TIER WILL SUPPORT HEAVY RAINFALL AND POTENTIALLY SEVERE WEATHER  
ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE MIDDLE/UPPER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY AND VICINITY  
WITH FRONTAL INTERCTION, BUT SUPPORTING SHORTWAVE TIMING/DETAILS  
REMAINS UNCERTAIN IN GUIDANCE. WESTERN ATLANTIC UPPER/SURFACE  
TROUGH APPROACH AND PASSAGE ACROSS FLORIDA INTO THE NORTHERN GULF  
ALSO HAS POTENTIAL TO FOCUS CONVECTION TO MONITOR LATER NEXT WEEK.  
   
..GUIDANCE/PREDICTABILITY ASSESSMENT
 
 
MEDIUM-RANGE GUIDANCE CLUSTERING HAS IMPROVED OVER THE LAST FEW  
GUIDANCE CYCLES, BUT ESPECIALLY WITH THE LATEST 06/12 UTC RUNS TO  
BOLSTER FORECAST CONFIDENCE. A GUIDANCE BLEND WITH SLIGHTLY MORE  
ENSEMBLE MEANS/MACHINE LEARNING GUIDANCE EMPHASIS LATER PERIOD  
SEEMS TO OFFER A CONSISTENT FORECAST BASIS FOR THREAT MESSAGING.  
   
..WEATHER/HAZARDS HIGHLIGHTS
 
 
A POTENT LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL LIFT OVER SOUTHERN CANADA TO  
HUDSON BAY ON TUESDAY. THE GUIDANCE SIGNAL HAS INCREASED THAT  
ANOMALOUS MOISTURE LIFTING INTO THIS SYSTEM AND POOLING INTO A  
SLOWING TRAILING FRONT WILL FUEL A MULTI-DAY STRONG CONVECTIVE AND  
HEAVY RAINFALL/FLASH FLOODING THREAT FROM THE CENTRAL PLAINS AND  
MID-MISSISSIPPPI VALLEY TO THE GREAT LAKES TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY.  
MARGINAL AND EMBEDDED SLIGHT RISK THREAT AREAS ARE DEPICTED ON THE  
WPC EXCESSIVE RAINFALL OUTLOOK (ERO) AS LINKED BELOW.  
 
A STRONG RIDGE (POTENTIALLY A RECORD MAX FOR MID-SEPTEMBER PER THE  
NAEFS ESAT) OVER THE SOUTH AND SOUTHEAST WILL GENERATE WELL ABOVE  
AVERAGE TEMPERATURES ACROSS THE CENTRAL/SOUTHERN PLAINS AND INTO  
THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY/MID-SOUTH NEXT WEEK. HEAT INDICES  
BETWEEN 100-110 DEGREES MAY SUPPORT MAJOR TO LOCALLY EXTREME  
HEATRISK OVER PORTIONS OF THE AFOREMENTIONED AREAS INTO NEXT  
MIDWEEK. TEMPERATURES SHOULD MODERATE BEGINNING ON THURSDAY.  
 
THE RETURN OF THE CENTRAL U.S. RIDGE AND EMERGING MEAN UPPER  
TROUGHING INTO THE WEST SHOULD PROVIDE A MOISTURE CONDUIT TO  
REINVIGORATE MONSOONAL STORMS ACROSS THE SOUTHWEST NEXT WEEK.  
MOIST SOUTHERLY FLOW INTO THE SOUTHWEST COULD PRODUCE ISOLATED  
INSTANCES OF FLASH FLOODING FROM EASTERN ARIZONA THROUGH SOUTHEAST  
UTAH AND NEW MEXICO INTO THE CENTRAL ROCKIES. BURN SCARS, DRY  
WASHES AND SLOT CANYONS ARE ESPECIALLY SENSITIVE TO ANY HEAVY  
RAINFALL THAT OCCURS. THE ERO MAINTAINS A MARGINAL RISK AREA.  
 
ADDITIONALLY, MOIST ONSHORE ATLANTIC FLOW OVER FLORIDA ALONG WITH  
SOUTHWESTARD PASSAGE OF AN UPPER LOW/TROUGH WILL INCREASE AND  
MAINTAIN RAINFALL CHANCES NEXT WEEK AND SUBSEQUENT EMERGENCE OVER  
THE NORTHERN GULF COULD SUPPORT ORGANIZED CONVECTION TO MONITOR.  
 
KEBEDE/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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