Extended Forecast Discussion
NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD
300 PM EDT Wed Aug 03 2022
Valid 12Z Sat Aug 06 2022 - 12Z Wed Aug 10 2022
...Southwest/Great Basin/Rockies Monsoon Resumes a Very Active
Phase Late This Week...
...Heavy rain threat this weekend for the Upper Midwest and Great
Lakes...
...Overview...
Latest guidance shows a fairly typical summertime pattern with the
main band of westerlies across southern Canada and northern tier
CONUS, though with upper ridging to the south tending to be
somewhat stronger than the climatological mean. An upper low
should lift very slowly northeastward offshore the West Coast. The
models and ensembles agree on the large scale pattern, but
significant shortwave differences develop within the westerlies
from fairly early in the forecast. As a result confidence
decreases for surface front/wave details and in turn for
associated areas of rainfall which could be heavy at times over
portions of the northern half of the central/eastern U.S.
Meanwhile the monsoonal pattern over the West should become more
pronounced again and likely remain fairly active through the
weekend and into next week.
...Guidance Evaluation/Predictability Assessment...
The WPC medium range product suite was primarily derived from a
composite of reasonably compatible guidance from the 06 UTC GFS
and 00 UTC ECMWF/UKMET/Canadian and the 13 UTC National Blend of
Models (NBM). The blend acts to mitigate lingering small scale
variance consistent with predictability. The 00 UTC Canadian and
to a lesser degree GEFS/NAEFS/ECMWF ensembles held closed upper
low/troughing over the eastern Pacific days 6/7 while the 06 UTC
GFS/ECMWF gradually allowed the system to work into the Pacific
Northwest. Expect the system to mainly hold offshore given
position between two amplified upper ridges. 12 UTC model guidance
has trended offshore with this system, bolstering forecast
confidence to above normal levels.
...Weather/Hazards Highlights...
Over the West, maximum temperatures will tend to be somewhat below
normal over the Great Basin/Southwest and vicinity due to
persistent clouds and periods of rain. The Northwest should trend
more above normal as some degree of upper ridging builds,
spreading into the northern Rockies/High Plains into next week.
Highs could locally reach 10-12F above normal.
For precipitation, the main threats for flash flooding will be
associated with monsoonal moisture over the Southwest/Great
Basin/Rockies as well as with fronts/waves from the east-central
U.S. as northern stream shortwave troughs progress donwstream. The
combined signals for rainfall and already wet conditions over the
Desert Southwest into the central Rockies/Great Basin late into
the weekend support several Slight Risk areas in the experimental
days 4-5 Excessive Rainfall Outlooks. Despite frontal progression,
deep pooled moisutre and instability also prompted weekend Slight
Risk ERO threat areas across the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes in
a region with enhanced/ongoing short range QPF. NBM QPF was
increased for this potential.
Kebede/Schichtel
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, experimental excessive rainfall
outlook, 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/#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