861  
FXHW01 KWNH 150801  
PMDHI  
 
HAWAII EXTENDED FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NWS WEATHER PREDICTION CENTER COLLEGE PARK MD  
300 AM EST WED FEB 15 2023  
 
VALID 00Z THU FEB 16 2023 - 00Z THU FEB 23 2023  
 
...HEAVY RAINFALL/FLOODING THREAT ESPECIALLY DURING  
THURSDAY-SATURDAY WITHIN A LONGER TERM WET PATTERN...  
 
IN PRINCIPLE, GUIDANCE IS AGREEABLE AND CONSISTENT WITH A PATTERN  
EVOLUTION THAT WILL FAVOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF ENHANCED RAINFALL  
POTENTIAL FROM LATE THIS WEEK INTO NEXT WEEK, WITH THE BEST  
CONSENSUS FOR HEAVIEST RAIN AND FLOODING THREAT DURING  
THURSDAY-SATURDAY. FROM THE WEEKEND INTO NEXT WEEK THERE ARE  
STILL SOME DIFFERENCES REGARDING EXACT POSITION OF THE  
SOUTHEAST-NORTHWEST BAND OF SUPPORTING MOISTURE. THESE  
DIFFERENCES ARE VERY IMPORTANT FOR RESOLVING DETAILS OF THE  
PRECIPITATION FORECAST AT SPECIFIC LOCATIONS BUT ARE TOO SMALL TO  
HAVE MEANINGFUL PREDICTABILITY SEVERAL DAYS OUT IN TIME.  
 
EXPECT THE UPPER LOW INITIALLY TRACKING JUST NORTH OF THE STATE TO  
CURL AROUND TO THE WEST BY THURSDAY, WHILE A SURFACE TROUGH (WITH  
A LOW TO THE NORTH) PASSES THROUGH THE STATE FROM EAST TO WEST AND  
SWITCHES WINDS FROM NORTHERLY TO SOUTHEASTERLY. THEN GUIDANCE HAS  
THE UPPER LOW DRIFTING SOUTH-SOUTHEAST AFTER THURSDAY, WITH THE  
DEEP-LAYER SOUTHEASTERLY FLOW BRINGING UP ABUNDANT MOISTURE INTO  
THE ISLANDS. WITHIN THE THURSDAY-SATURDAY PERIOD THAT HAS THE  
BEST SIGNAL FOR HEAVIEST RAINFALL, GFS/ECMWF RUNS IN PARTICULAR  
HIGHLIGHT FRIDAY AS THE DAY WHEN EXTREMELY HEAVY RAIN MAY FALL  
OVER SOUTHEASTWARD-FACING TERRAIN OF THE BIG ISLAND. THROUGH THE  
WEEKEND THE GFS CONTINUES TO SHOW MORE TENDENCY THAN OTHER  
GUIDANCE FOR SPURIOUS SURFACE WAVES TO TRACK NORTHWESTWARD OVER OR  
NEAR THE ISLANDS, WHILE BY SUNDAY THE GFS/GEFS MEAN ARE WEAKER  
THAN THE ECMWF/CMC AND THEIR MEANS FOR THE UPPER RIDGE THAT COULD  
BRIEFLY BUILD IN FROM THE NORTHEAST.  
 
DURING THE FIRST HALF OF NEXT WEEK THE GUIDANCE IS MAINTAINING THE  
RECENT THEME OF A SHORTWAVE TROUGH APPROACHING FROM THE WEST AND  
POSSIBLY PULLING OFF ANOTHER UPPER LOW, WHICH WOULD KEEP THE  
PERSISTENT MOISTURE AXIS WITHIN SOUTHEASTERLY FLOW OVER OR AT  
LEAST VERY CLOSE TO THE MAIN ISLANDS INTO THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK.  
THE 00Z GEFS/CMC MEANS AND 12Z ECMWF MEAN ARE ALL VERY SIMILAR  
ALOFT THROUGH NEXT WEDNESDAY. AT LEAST IN A BROAD SENSE THE 00Z  
AND MORE SO 18Z GFS ARE MORE SIMILAR TO THE MEANS ALOFT LATE IN  
THE FORECAST, VERSUS THE 00Z ECMWF/CMC THAT USE SOME OF THE TROUGH  
ENERGY TO CLOSE OFF A COMPACT UPPER LOW WELL TO THE NORTH AND HAVE  
A WEAKER UPPER RIDGE TO THE NORTHEAST OF THE STATE. IN THIS TIME  
FRAME, MOST GUIDANCE SUGGESTS THAT THE MOISTURE AXIS MAY SHIFT A  
LITTLE SOUTHWEST OF ITS THURSDAY-SATURDAY POSITION BUT GENERALLY  
WITHIN A RANGE OF STAYING OVER THE ISLANDS OR BEING A LITTLE  
SOUTHWEST (GENERALLY SEEN IN ECMWF/ECMWF MEAN RUNS) SUCH THAT THE  
WESTERN ISLANDS WOULD STILL BE IN/NEAR THE HIGHEST PRECIPITABLE  
WATER VALUES. IT WILL TAKE ADDITIONAL TIME TO RESOLVE DIFFERENCES  
THIS SMALL IN SCALE. EITHER WAY, SOME DEGREE OF HEAVY RAIN  
POTENTIAL WILL CONTINUE INTO THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK FOR SOME  
AREAS.  
 
RAUSCH  
 

 
 
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