495  
FXUS02 KWBC 150711  
PMDEPD  
 
EXTENDED FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NWS WEATHER PREDICTION CENTER COLLEGE PARK MD  
311 AM EDT TUE SEP 15 2026  
 
VALID 12Z FRI SEP 18 2026 - 12Z TUE SEP 22 2026  
 
 
...HAZARDOUS HEAT SUBSIDES OVER THE SOUTH-CENTRAL U.S. LATE WEEK  
AS HEAVY RAIN/STRONG THUNDERSTORMS THREATEN THE NORTHERN/CENTRAL  
PLAINS, UPPER MIDWEST/GREAT LAKES, SOUTHWEST AND SOUTHERN ROCKIES...  
 
   
..OVERVIEW
 
 
AN ANOMALOUS RIDGE WHICH SUPPORTED A HEAT WAVE IN THE SOUTHERN  
PLAINS AND LOWER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY WILL WEAKEN CONSIDERABLY UNDER  
THE INFLUENCE OF AN AMPLIFYING UPSTREAM TROUGH AS WELL AS A CLOSED  
MID-LEVEL DISTURBANCE APPROACHING FROM THE GULF LATER THIS WEEK.  
THE UPSTREAM TROUGH WILL PRODUCE HEAVY RAINFALL ACROSS PORTIONS OF  
THE NORTHERN PLAINS, UPPER MIDWEST/GREAT LAKES AND NORTHEAST THIS  
WEEKEND. MEANWHILE, THE PASSAGE OF THE CENTRAL U.S. TROUGH SHOULD  
REDUCE HEAVY RAINFALL CONCERNS OVER THE SOUTHWEST/SOUTHERN PLAINS  
THIS WEEKEND BEFORE AN EAST PACIFIC DISTURBANCE RENEWS MONSOONAL  
STORMS ACROSS THE REGION EARLY NEXT WEEK.  
 
   
..GUIDANCE/PREDICTABILITY ASSESSMENT
 
 
THE DETERMINISTIC GFS AND EURO, AS WELL AS THE AIGFS AND ECAIFS ARE  
IN GOOD AGREEMENT ON THE SYNOPTIC PATTERN EVOLUTION ACROSS THE  
CONUS ON DAYS 3 AND 4. THE GFS AND AIGFS BEGINS TO DIVERGE FROM  
CONSENSUS BY DAY 5 REGARDING THE NORTH-CENTRAL U.S. TROUGH SO ARE  
REPLACED BY THE GEFS AND ECE MEANS TO MITIGATE SOME OF THE  
UNCERTAINTY THAT ARISES WITH THE CENTRAL U.S. TROUGH AMPLITUDE. THE  
EURO SUITE IS FAVORED ON DAYS 6 AND 7 DUE TO INCONSISTENCIES/SPREAD  
IN THE GFS SUITE.  
 
   
..WEATHER/HAZARDS HIGHLIGHTS
 
 
A POTENT LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL BRING ROUNDS OF THUNDERSTORMS  
AND HEAVY RAINFALL TO PORTIONS OF THE CENTRAL U.S. LATER THIS WEEK.  
SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO REDEVELOP OVER  
PARTS OF THE UPPER MIDWEST, WHERE A SLIGHT RISK (AT LEAST 15%  
CHANCE) OF EXCESSIVE RAINFALL IS IN EFFECT ON FRIDAY. SHOWER AND  
THUNDERSTORM FOCUS SHOULD SPREAD ACROSS THE GREAT LAKES, OHIO  
VALLEY AND NORTHEAST OVER THE WEEKEND, BEFORE DROPPING SOUTH INTO  
THE MID-ATLANTIC EARLY NEXT WEEK.  
 
SHORTWAVE DISTURBANCES STREAMING NORTH THROUGH THE  
SOUTHWEST/SOUTHERN PLAINS WILL GENERATE A LITTLE BIT MORE  
CONVECTION OVER NEW MEXICO ON FRIDAY BEFORE AN AMPLIFYING TROUGH  
SHIFTS THE UNSETTLED WEATHER INTO THE CENTRAL/SOUTHERN PLAINS THIS  
WEEKEND. AN EAST PACIFIC TROUGH DROPPING INTO THE SOUTHWEST SHOULD  
REIGNITE MONSOON STORMS ACROSS NEW MEXICO BY EARLY NEXT WEEK. SLOT  
CANYONS AND DRY WASHES ARE ESPECIALLY SUSCEPTIBLE TO FLASH  
FLOODING FROM ANY STORMS THAT DEVELOP.  
 
SOME RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURES REMAIN POSSIBLE ACROSS PARTS OF THE  
SOUTH INTO LATE WEEK, BUT A WEAKENING RIDGE SHOULD GRADUALLY  
MODERATE THE HEATWAVE INTO THE WEEKEND.  
 
KEBEDE  
 
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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