Extended Forecast Discussion
NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD
110 PM EDT Sat Jul 25 2020
Valid 12Z Tue Jul 28 2020 - 12Z Sat Aug 01 2020
...Overview...
Summer heat with a subtropical high centered over the Southern
High Plains in the short term is forecast to slowly retrograde
toward the Four Corners region through the medium range period.
Meanwhile, an upper low in east-central Canada should spread
troughing into the Midwest/Great Lakes and then into the
Northeast/Mid-Atlantic by midweek, pushing a cold front through
those areas. Unsettling lowering heights/frontal passages next
week into the Northwest will replace short term upper ridging as
troughing establishes off the West Coast.
...Weather/Hazard Highlights...
Hurricane Hanna will likely have dissipated over a wet northern
Mexico by the start of the medium range period, although lingering
tropical moisture and instability along the Gulf Coast may result
in periods of locally heavy rainfall into Wednesday. To the north,
a cold front should push across the Northeast on Tuesday, while
becoming stationary across the Tennessee/mid-Mississippi Valleys
and back into the Central Plains through midweek. Rain and
thunderstorms should focus along this boundary with locally heavy
rainfall possible, aided by Southwestern U.S. monsoonal moisture.
Upper level energy rounding the top of the Southern tier ridge
looks to settle into the Midwest states by Thursday, with several
pieces of guidance indicating the potential for additional rounds
of organized rainfall and thunderstorms from the middle
Mississippi Valley into the Tennessee and Ohio Valleys Wednesday
into Friday. The cold front across the Northeast may become
stationary along the Mid-Atlantic coast bringing a chance for
moderate to locally heavy rainfall to parts of the Carolina Coasts
through Friday as well.
Above normal temperatures (+5 to +10 degrees above average)
initially across parts of the Northwest and East Coast on Tuesday
should moderate back towards normal the remainder of the week.
Gulf Coast to Southern Plains states begin the period below normal
with abundant cloud cover/moisture, but by the middle of the week
should also warm up to near normal.
...Guidance/Predictability Assessment...
Guidance shows relatively good agreement on the overall large
scale pattern, but more than expected variances in the smaller
scale and less predictable features including QPF. Accordingly,
the WPC medium range product suite was primarily derived from a
composite blend of the relatively more compatible 06 UTC GEFS mean
and 00 UTC ECMWF ensemble mean along with the 13 UTC National
Blend of Models and a good dose of WPC continuity.
Schichtel/Santorelli
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