Preliminary Forecasts
Issued by NWS
Issued by NWS
633 FXUS02 KWNH 150700 PREEPD Extended Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 159 AM EST Fri Nov 15 2024 Valid 12Z Mon Nov 18 2024 - 12Z Fri Nov 22 2024 ***Heavy rain and potential severe storms for portions of the Plains early next week*** ...Overview... A rather active weather pattern is expected to be in place across the Continental U.S. next week with an upper trough over the Western U.S. amplifying the flow pattern. Shortwave energy within the trough will induce surface cyclogenesis across the Plains Sunday and continuing into Monday, and this will likely produce a wide swath of moderate to heavy rainfall from Texas to the Upper Midwest. A large cut-off upper low is likely to develop over the Great Lakes and Ohio Valley region by the second half of the week, with colder weather moving in across this region. In terms of the Tropics, although Tropical Storm Sara will likely remain well to the south across Central America and the far southern Gulf, a plume of enhanced moisture is likely to advect northward across the Gulf and bring the potential for heavy rain ahead of an approaching cold front for portions of the central Gulf Coast and the Florida Peninsula. Meanwhile, rain and mountain snow returns to the Pacific Northwest by midweek as a Pacific storm system approaches the region. ...Guidance/Predictability Assessment... The models have been divergent on the handling of multiple shortwaves crossing the Western U.S. that will eventually consolidate into the formation of a broad and deep upper trough/closed low over the north-central U.S. There has been a notable eastward trend with the evolution and placement of the closed low that develops near the Great Lakes in the latest 00Z model guidance suite, so there has been poor run-to-run model continuity and therefore reduced forecast confidence for the Wednesday-Friday time period. The ensemble means accounted for about half of the forecast blend by Thursday, and then two-thirds by Friday. ...Weather/Hazards Highlights... There has been a slightly faster trend in the latest model guidance with the QPF associated with the developing low pressure system over the Plains early in the week, although the forecasted amounts remain similar with QPF maxima likely on the order of 1-2 inches from Oklahoma to Iowa. For the time being, a broad Marginal Risk area is planned from north Texas to southern Minnesota, with most rainfall rates likely remaining under an inch per hour in regions with convection. However, there is a good chance that a Slight Risk area could eventually be needed once more of the mesoscale details come into better focus. There will also be a separate area of enhanced rainfall near the central Gulf Coast and extending eastward to portions of Florida. Even though the main circulation from Tropical Storm Sara should remain well to the south based on the latest NHC forecasts, some of the moisture from it will likely be advected northward ahead of the approaching cold front. A Marginal Risk area is planned for this region. Some strong to severe thunderstorms are likely to develop in the warm sector of the Plains low pressure system on Monday, mainly across portions of north Texas and into central Oklahoma, where the most favorable wind shear and instability parameters are likely to be in place. This is something that the Storm Prediction Center is monitoring closely in the days ahead. There may also be some snow on the northwestern edge of the precipitation shield across portions of the Dakotas as the surface low occludes and a deformation zone likely develops. Temperatures are expected to be quite chilly across the Rockies and adjacent portions of the Intermountain West and western High Plains in the wake of the cold front, with a strong surface high building in. Some overnight lows could be near or even below zero for portions of the central and northern Rockies. Meanwhile, warm and humid conditions are likely for the Gulf Coast and to the Southeast U.S. with deep southerly flow from the Tropics through midweek, followed by a return to more fall-like conditions to close out the work week. Hamrick 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 (QPF), excessive rainfall outlook (ERO), winter weather outlook (WWO) probabilities, heat indices, and Key Messages can be accessed from: 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 $$