Extended Forecast Discussion
NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD
200 PM EST Thu Feb 09 2023
Valid 12Z Sun Feb 12 2023 - 12Z Thu Feb 16 2023
...Stormy flow with a series of deepened closed lows in split
southern stream flow from the West to East Coast...
...Guidance/Predictability Assessment...
The latest runs of the GFS, UKMET, CMC and the ECWMF once again
yielded an above average clustering during the beginning and
middle periods of the extended forecast then returns to average
agreement with more prevalent model differences. To help maintain
forecast continuity and to reduce some of the differences for the
latter periods, inclusion of the EC ensemble mean was utilized
given recent history and long standing bias with closed lows in
separated flow.
...Weather/Hazard Highlights...
The leading upper trough will bring a significant coastal storm up
the Southeast/Mid-Atlantic coast this weekend to off New England
Monday. With this system there will be the potential for heavier
precipitation as moisture wraps in around the central low
pressure. The enhanced rains over portions of the southeastern
Mid-Atlantic offers some potential for localized areas of flash
flooding/ponding, so the WPC medium range experimental Excessive
Rainfall Outlook (ERO) maintained a Day 4 "Marginal" Risk. A
wintry mix will be possible inland along the northwest periphery
of the precipitation shield.
There will be an upper-level trough/low amplification in splitting
flow across the West that should lead to modest precipitation
along the California coast and into the Southwest. The closed low
is progged to track inland over northwest Mexico/Southwest Monday,
across the Southern Plains and then pick up pace as it lifts
northeast through the central and eastern states by
Wednesday/Thursday. There will be a renewed possibility for areas
of heavy rainfall
across the Southern tier but the exact location and amounts are
uncertain at this time. However, with moisture streaming northward
from the Gulf ahead of this system there may be a renewed threat
for enhanced rainfall and local areas of excessive rainfall.
Downstream amounts will likely be more broad over the eastern
states. Overtop, the progression of a northern stream upper trough
and surface system with reasonable amplitude from the Northern
Rockies through the Northeast through Tuesday offers limited
wintry precipitation potential across the northern tier and seems
mostly out of sync for phasing with the much more energetic and
separated southern stream flow.
Upstream, there is a strong guidance signal for dynamic system
digging sharply into an unsettled West by early next week within a
renewed southern stream. This still seems likely to support
widespread precipitation across the Northwest next early week and
spreading more earnestly across the Intermountain West/Southwest
and Rockies through next midweek to include rapid cooling with
enhanced interior/mountain snows with closed low development.
Expected system emergence over the south-central U.S. starting
next midweek will likely renew a heavy rainfall pattern over the
region and then into the east-central U.S. with increasing lead
Gulf inflow and cyclo/frontogenesis. Cold Canadian air digging
southward on the backside of this system could meanwhile offer a
pattern favorable for heavy snow focus on the northwest periphery
of the expanding precipitation shield out from the Rockies to
across the central Plains and vicinity toward perhaps the Upper
Midwest.
Campbell/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