Extended Forecast Discussion
NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD
141 AM EST Fri Nov 27 2020
Valid 12Z Mon Nov 30 2020 - 12Z Fri Dec 04 2020
...Dynamic and multifaceted storm to impact the northeast quarter
of the CONUS early next week...
...Guidance Evaluation/Preferences...
An active/blocky pattern continues to challenge the
models/ensembles in consistency/speed/tracking of two main
features over the lower 48 next week. First system of interest
will be in the East Monday as an upper low closes off in the
Midwest/eastern Great Lakes. Trend has been for a little quicker
progression, but considerable spread still existed through the
12Z/18Z guidance between the slowest (UKMET) and fastest (ECMWF)
solutions at the short-range/medium range interface ~12Z Mon.
Split the difference between the ECMWF and GFS/Canadian clusters,
nearest to the best ensemble overlap. Next system will enter the
West as the eastern system wraps up, with timing differences
between the GFS (quickest) and UKMET/Canadian (slowest), leaving
the ECMWF in the middle. Trend was slower but then quicker most
recently, so a GFS/ECMWF middle ground again seemed prudent. That
system will push eastward, split into a northern/southern portion,
and eventually dig through the Rockies or Front Range. This
east-west spread in the guidance remains rather large, but with a
shift eastward in recent runs. Quickening eastern system may allow
for a farther east adjustment, along the lines of the GFS/ECMWF
and not the much farther west UKMET/Canadian. Regardless, still
expect this feature to travel slowly out of the Plains to the
Mid/Lower Mississippi Valley, promoting cyclogenesis out of Texas
through the Southeast and/or Gulf of Mexico. Incorporated an
increasing weight of the GEFS/ECMWF ensemble means to account for
spatiotemporal uncertainty.
...Sensible Weather and Hazards...
Occluding low in the central Appalachians early Monday will lift
into the eastern Great Lakes by early Tuesday. Ahead of the cold
front, breezy southerly flow will bring in a surge of mild air and
well above normal moisture levels. This will lead to a large area
of modest to locally heavy rainfall Monday from the Mid-Atlantic
northward into New England, especially east of I-81 and along
I-91/95. Flooding may be a concern, especially in the urban areas
with poor drainage. On the northwest/west/southwest side of the
surface low, colder air will wrap around the system and support
appreciable snowfall. As the low exits through the St. Lawrence
Valley, flow over the Great Lakes will wring out additional
snowfall or mixed rain/snow. Temperatures will be mild ahead of
the front, falling to below normal readings once the cold front
moves through from southwest to northeast. Largest areas of cool
weather relative to normal will be across the Southeast and into
Florida where highs may not reach 70 degrees into South Florida
Tuesday.
Incoming system to the Pac NW will be rather moisture-starved with
only light amounts for the coastal ranges and Cascades Monday and
across the Rockies Tuesday. Path of the upper trough/low will
dictate how far west the cooler push of air will travel, favoring
along/east of the Rockies per the forecast thinking. As the trough
heads east of 100W, increased Gulf moisture will spread northward
which favors an expanding area of rainfall along the northwest
Gulf Coast into the lower Mississippi Valley late Wed into Thu.
This should move eastward into Friday, perhaps through the
Southeast into the southern Mid-Atlantic, depending on frontal
wave development.
Fracasso
Additional 3-7 Day Hazards information can be found on the WPC
medium range hazards chart at:
https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/threats/threats.php
WPC medium range 500mb heights, surface systems, weather grids,
quantitative precipitation, winter weather outlook probabilities
and heat indices 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/wwd/pwpf_d47/pwpf_medr.php?day=4
https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/heat_index.shtml