EXTENDED FORECAST DISCUSSION NWS WEATHER PREDICTION CENTER COLLEGE PARK MD 1027 AM EST THU JAN 09 2014 VALID 12Z SUN JAN 12 2014 - 12Z THU JAN 16 2014 ...PATTERN OVERVIEW AND GUIDANCE PREFERENCES... LARGE SCALE FLOW PATTERN SHOULD TRANSITION TO A RIDGE/TROUGH/RIDGE ORIENTATION ACROSS THE PACIFIC/CONUS/ATLANTIC BY NEXT WEEK AS POSITIVE HEIGHT ANOMALIES BUILD OVER SE AK AND NEAR 45N/50W. THIS SHOULD FAVOR CONTINUED/RENEWED TROUGHING EAST OF THE ROCKIES AFTER SUN/D3. THE MODELS AND ENSEMBLES REMAIN IN GOOD SYNOPTIC AGREEMENT THROUGH THE PERIOD BUT DIFFER IN THE SPECIFICS... AS EVIDENCED BY THE SPREAD IN TIMING/STRENGTH/TRACK OF SEVERAL SYSTEMS. THE 06Z GFS AND 00Z ECMWF/ECENS MEAN FORM A RELIABLE CLUSTER NEAR ONGOING WPC CONTINUITY WHILE THE 06Z GEFS MEAN AGAIN APPEARS TOO QUICK WITH THE FLOW RIGHT FROM SUN/D3 OVER SOUTHERN CENTRAL CANADA. BY TUE/D5... THE GFS OUTPACES THE ECMWF/ECENS CLUSTER OFF THE EAST COAST... EVEN AHEAD OF THE GEFS MEAN... WHILE CONSENSUS/CONTINUITY WOULD SUGGEST A SLOWER EXIT OF THE SOUTHERN TAIL OF MID-LEVEL ENERGY ALONG THE LINES OF THE 00Z ECMWF AND SOMEWHAT LIKE THE 00Z CANADIAN... BUT NOT AS SEPARATED/WEST AS THE 00Z UKMET. BY THE END OF THE PERIOD... TRENDED TOWARD THE ECENS MEAN WHICH SPLITS THE DIFFERENCE NICELY BETWEEN THE GFS/GEFS AND ECMWF. ...SENSIBLE WEATHER HIGHLIGHTS... GENERALLY ABOVE NORMAL TEMPS ARE FORECAST ACROSS A MAJORITY OF THE LOWER 48 DURING THE PERIOD GIVEN AIR OF PACIFIC ORIGIN. GREATEST ANOMALIES RELATIVE TO NORMAL SHOULD EXTEND ACROSS THE NRN TIER AND AT TIMES INTO THE CENTRAL PLAINS AND THEN CA INTO OR/NV LATER IN THE PERIOD AS THE RIDGE ALOFT BUILDS IN. TEMPERATURES IN THE EAST WILL BE MORE VARIABLE WITH WARM-UPS/COOL-DOWNS AHEAD OF/BEHIND COLD FRONTS. LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN/SNOW IN THE PAC NW AND NORTHERN ID SHOULD EASE IN TIME AS RIDGING ALOFT BUILDS INTO THE NW. SYSTEM MOVING OUT OF THE GULF/SOUTHEAST EARLY NEXT WEEK SHOULD SPREAD RAIN AND MAYBE SOME WINTRY PRECIP THROUGH THE MID-ATLANTIC/APPALACHIANS INTO NEW ENGLAND BUT MILDER TEMPERATURES WILL LIMIT ANY SNOW/ICE. A PERSISTENTLY STRONG SFC GRADIENT OVER THE NRN ROCKIES/HIGH PLAINS IS ALSO STILL SLATED TO SUPPORT A PERIOD OF STRONG WINDS IN THAT AREA. FRACASSO/SCHICHTEL