553  
FXUS02 KWBC 140718  
PMDEPD  
 
EXTENDED FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NWS WEATHER PREDICTION CENTER COLLEGE PARK MD  
318 AM EDT WED OCT 14 2026  
 
VALID 12Z SAT OCT 17 2026 - 12Z WED OCT 21 2026  
 
 
...BROAD FROST/FREEZE THREATS ACROSS THE NORTH-CENTRAL INTO THE  
EAST THIS WEEKEND AND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK...  
 
   
..OVERVIEW  
 
A DEEP TROUGH WILL MOVE THROUGH THE EAST ON SATURDAY WITH A STRONG  
COLD FRONT AND CHILLY SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE BEHIND IT TO BRING  
FROST AND FREEZE CONCERNS TO A BROAD AREA ADVANCING FROM THE PLAINS  
INTO THE MIDWEST AND THE EAST THIS WEEKEND AND EARLY NEXT WEEK.  
GUSTY WINDS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS SYSTEM ARE POSSIBLE BEHIND THE  
DEEP LOW INTO SATURDAY FOR THE NORTHEAST. MEANWHILE, AN UPPER LOW  
WILL MEANDER OVER THE SOUTHWEST THIS WEEKEND BEFORE WEAKENING. THE  
NEXT TROUGH MOVES INTO THE WEST BY MONDAY BRINGING PERIODS OF RAIN  
AND HIGH ELEVATION SNOW ACROSS MUCH OF THE WEST THROUGH MIDWEEK.  
 
   
..GUIDANCE/PREDICTABILITY ASSESSMENT  
 
THE LATEST MODEL GUIDANCE CONTINUES TO SHOW GOOD AGREEMENT WITH  
THE LARGE SCALE PATTERN THROUGH MUCH OF THE MEDIUM RANGE PERIOD,  
WITH ONLY LINGERING MINOR UNCERTAINTIES IN THE TIMING AND DETAILS  
OF INDIVIDUAL SYSTEMS. AN AMPLIFIED TROUGH WILL PUSH A STRONG  
SURFACE LOW THROUGH THE NORTHEAST BY SATURDAY, WITH A COLD FRONT  
AND STRONG SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE FOLLOWING IN ITS WAKE. MINOR  
TIMING AND AMPLITUDE DIFFERENCES REMAIN WITH THIS FEATURE.  
MEANWHILE, MODELS CONTINUE TO ADVERTISE A LARGE AND DEEPENING  
TROUGH MOVING INTO THE WEST EARLY TO MID NEXT WEEK. CONSIDERABLE  
UNCERTAINTY REMAINS WITH THIS SYSTEM REGARDING SEPARATION AND  
PLACEMENT OF AN UPPER LOW OVER OR NEAR THE SOUTHWEST NEXT WEDNESDAY  
WITH PLENTY OF RUN TO RUN VARIABILITY IN THE LATEST GUIDANCE.  
 
THE UPDATED WPC FORECAST USED A BLEND OF THE DETERMINISTIC  
GUIDANCE THROUGH DAY 5, INCREASING THE WEIGHTING OF ENSEMBLE MEAN  
INCLUSION TO 50 PERCENT OF THE BLEND FOR DAYS 6 AND 7 AMIDST  
GREATER UNCERTAINTY OUT WEST. DESPITE THE GROWING UNCERTAINTY AND  
LIKELIHOOD FOR ADDITIONAL CHANGES IN THE WEST, THIS GENERALLY  
MAINTAINS GOOD CONTINUITY WITH THE PREVIOUS WPC FORECAST FOR NOW  
AND WAS CONSISTENT WITH THE 01Z NATIONAL BLEND OF MODELS.  
 
   
..WEATHER/HAZARDS HIGHLIGHTS  
 
THE DEEP SURFACE LOW ASSOCIATED WITH THE EAST COAST TROUGH WILL BE  
OFF INTO THE CANADIAN MARITIMES BY SATURDAY, BUT MAY CONTINUE TO  
BRING GUSTY WINDS, ESPECIALLY FOR HIGHER ELEVATIONS, AS WELL AS  
SOME LIGHT LAKE ENHANCED RAIN AND SNOW DOWNWIND OF THE LOWER GREAT  
LAKES AND UPSLOPE IN THE CENTRAL AND NORTHERN APPALACHIANS. AS THE  
COLD FRONT SWINGS THROUGH FLORIDA, SHOWERS AND STORMS ARE POSSIBLE,  
WITH LOCALLY HEAVY TO EXCESSIVE RAINFALL POSSIBLE. MUCH OF THE  
WEST SHOULD ALSO SEE INCREASING PRECIPITATION CHANCES LATE WEEKEND  
INTO NEXT WEEK AS ANOTHER DEEPENING TROUGH MOVES INLAND. FAIRLY  
WIDESPREAD PRECIPITATION CONSISTING OF LOW ELEVATION RAIN AND HIGH  
ELEVATION SNOW ARE BECOMING INCREASINGLY LIKELY. WITH THAT BEING  
SAID, AN OVERALL DRIER PATTERN IS IN STORE BY THE WEEKEND INTO  
EARLY NEXT WEEK FOR MUCH OF THE REMAINDER OF THE COUNTRY WITH HIGH  
PRESSURE TAKING CONTROL.  
 
CANADIAN HIGH PRESSURE IS FORECAST TO GRADUALLY TRACK ACROSS THE  
COUNTRY BEHIND THE COLD FRONT INTO THE WEEKEND, COOLING  
TEMPERATURES FOR THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN U.S. AND PROVIDING FAIRLY  
BROAD FROST/FREEZE THREATS. MEANWHILE, ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES IN  
THE WEST WILL SPREAD INTO THE NORTH-CENTRAL U.S. OVER THE WEEKEND  
AND THE CENTRAL U.S. NEXT WEEK. DEEP TROUGHING WILL BRING MUCH  
BELOW NORMAL TEMPS FOR MUCH OF THE WEST EARLY TO MID NEXT WEEK.  
 
SANTORELLI  
 
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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