098  
FXHW01 KWNH 140801  
PMDHI  
 
HAWAII EXTENDED FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NWS WEATHER PREDICTION CENTER COLLEGE PARK MD  
300 AM EST TUE FEB 14 2023  
 
VALID 00Z WED FEB 15 2023 - 00Z WED FEB 22 2023  
 
...HEAVY RAINFALL THREAT ESPECIALLY DURING THURSDAY-SATURDAY  
WITHIN A POTENTIALLY LONGER TERM WET PATTERN...  
 
GUIDANCE CONTINUES TO SHOW A PATTERN EVOLUTION THAT FAVORS AN  
EXTENDED PERIOD OF ENHANCED RAINFALL POTENTIAL, THOUGH WITH  
ONGOING DIFFERENCES IN SOME OF THE SPECIFICS. BETWEEN NOW AND  
EARLY THURSDAY THE MODELS AND ENSEMBLE MEANS HAVE CONVERGED FAIRLY  
WELL FOR THE DEPICTION OF THE UPPER LOW INITIALLY OVER/EAST OF THE  
STATE TRACKING BACK TO THE NORTH AND THEN WEST OF THE ISLANDS. AS  
THIS OCCURS, A SURFACE TROUGH SHOULD TRACK WESTWARD ACROSS THE  
AREA WITH AN EMBEDDED LOW TRACKING JUST TO THE NORTH OF THE MAIN  
ISLANDS. THIS FEATURE SHOULD PUSH A MODERATE BAND OF MOISTURE  
WESTWARD ACROSS THE STATE.  
 
GUIDANCE CONTINUES TO SHOW THE UPPER LOW DROPPING SOUTHWARD FROM  
THURSDAY INTO THE WEEKEND, WITH THE DEEP-LAYER SOUTHEASTERLY FLOW  
BETWEEN THIS UPPER LOW AND THE RIDGE TO THE NORTHEAST BRINGING IN  
ABUNDANT MOISTURE LATE THIS WEEK INTO THE WEEKEND. MODEL  
FORECASTS INDICATE THE POTENTIAL FOR HEAVY RAINFALL DURING THIS  
PERIOD, WITH PARTICULAR FOCUS OVER SOUTHEASTWARD FACING LOCATIONS  
ON THE BIG ISLAND. THE GFS CONTINUES TO SHOW THE DEEPEST UPPER  
LOW AND WEAKEST SOUTHWESTWARD EXTENT OF THE UPPER RIDGE, ALONG  
WITH SEEMINGLY SPURIOUS SURFACE LOWS WITHIN THE ENHANCED MOISTURE  
AXIS. WHILE THE GFS IS IN THE MINORITY IN THIS REGARD, THE CMC  
NOW SHOWS A BRIEF NORTHWARD SHIFT IN THE MOISTURE BY THE WEEKEND  
AS SUGGESTED IN THE GFS (BEFORE THIS AXIS SHIFTS BACK  
SOUTHWESTWARD). AS IN PAST DAYS, THE GEFS MEAN TONES DOWN SOME OF  
THE MOST EXTREME ASPECTS OF THE GFS. ON THE OTHER HAND, THE 00Z  
ECMWF HAS ADJUSTED TOWARD KEEPING THE MOISTURE AXIS OVER THE STATE  
FOR A LONGER TIME THAN PREVIOUS RUNS AND THE 12Z ECMWF MEAN BEFORE  
NUDGING A BIT WEST.  
 
ADDING SOME COMPLEXITY TO THE FORECAST, GUIDANCE IS NOW SUGGESTING  
THAT ENERGY IN THE SOUTHERN PART OF A TROUGH APPROACHING FROM THE  
WEST MAY TRY TO AMPLIFY WEST OF THE STATE BY NEXT MONDAY-TUESDAY.  
THE GFS APPEARS QUITE QUICK TO DROP ENERGY SOUTHWARD, SO PREFER TO  
LEAN AWAY FROM THE GFS FOR THAT EXACT DETAIL. HOWEVER THERE IS  
OTHERWISE GENERAL AGREEMENT ON EXISTENCE OF THE TROUGH AND THE  
MAJORITY CLUSTER OF GUIDANCE SUGGESTS THAT THIS LATTER TROUGH  
COULD ULTIMATELY SUPPORT ENHANCED MOISTURE/RAINFALL FOCUS OVER THE  
WESTERN ISLANDS BY NEXT MONDAY-TUESDAY WHILE SURFACE TROUGHING  
JUST TO THE WEST OF THE STATE MAINTAINS A GENERAL SOUTHEASTERLY  
LOW LEVEL FLOW.  
 
BASED ON THE RELATIVE DISTRIBUTION OF THE GUIDANCE AFTER EARLY  
THURSDAY, OVERALL FORECAST PREFERENCE WOULD BE A COMPROMISE AMONG  
THE GEFS MEAN AND OTHER NON-GFS MODELS/MEANS.  
 
RAUSCH  
 

 
 
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