Prognostic Meteorological Discussion
Issued by NWS
Issued by NWS
Versions:
1
2
619 FXUS02 KWBC 101914 PMDEPD Extended Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 314 PM EDT Mon Aug 10 2026 Valid 12Z Thu Aug 13 2026 - 12Z Mon Aug 17 2026 ...Monsoonal moisture to prolong excessive rainfall threat in the Southwest late week... ...Multi-day heavy rainfall threat extending from parts of the North-Central Plains and Midwest into the Ohio Valley this week into the weekend... ...Hazardous heat forecast across much of the South-Central and Southeast U.S. through early next week... ...Overview... A progressive regime over the northern and eastern U.S. along with ridging over south-central U.S. will maintain an active pattern through the weekend and into next week. The ridge will continue to support hot conditions that may reach hazardous levels across the Southern Plains and Southeast. Multiple shortwaves will eject within the amplified northern flow, leading to numerous thunderstorms and showers from the Northern Rockies/Plains to as far east as the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. Several days of repeated rainfall will bring flooding concerns, especially from the Four Corners on east through the Midwest and Ohio Valley. A drier weekend is in store along the West Coast, but an approaching upper trough over the northeast Pacific Ocean will increase the odds for showers in the Pacific Northwest early next week. ...Guidance/Predictability Assessment... The latest deterministic and ensemble guidance remain in fairly good agreement on the overall synoptic pattern through the upcoming weekend, including the persistence of the southern U.S. ridge and an active northern stream regime. Confidence is comparatively higher through Thursday and Friday, while uncertainty increases beginning on Sunday as individual shortwaves and frontal placements become increasingly difficult to resolve. This will lead to challenges with forecasting the amplitude and timing of small- scale features that may impact frontal boundaries and sensible weather. The ensemble guidance seems to alleviate some of these challenges. Therefore, a multi-model approach through the earlier portion of the period were incorporated in the forecast, while phasing in a heavier blend of ensemble guidance by the weekend and through Monday. ...Weather/Hazards Highlights... A progressive northern-stream flow persists across the northern tier and eastern U.S.. Multiple shortwave disturbances will traverse the northern tier through the weekend and will interact with a slow-moving frontal zone extending from the northern/central Rockies into the Central Plains, Midwest, Ohio Valley, and eventually across the Great Lakes and Northeast. The combination of rich low-level moisture, instability, and synoptic- scale forcing along the boundary will support periodic clusters of showers and thunderstorms with locally heavy rainfall and flooding concerns. With the potential for locally intense rainfall rates and slow moving storms redeveloping over the same area, a broad Marginal Risk has been highlighted in Day 4 (Thursday) Excessive Rainfall Outlook (ERO) across portions of the central Plains into Mid-Mississippi Valley, and Ohio/Tennessee Valley, while a Slight Risk highlights portions of the Ohio Valley, Midwest, and North-Central High Plains. The frontal boundary will remain slow moving into the weekend reinforcing multiple days of showers and thunderstorms across the same areas, but by Sunday the frontal boundary will lift into the Great Lakes and Mid-Atlantic and portions of the Northeast, pushing the showers and thunderstorms further northeast into the Upper Midwest, Northeast, and Mid-Atlantic. Across the Southwest, Great Basin, Rockies, and interior California, an upper-level trough will move into the West by late week. In response to the trough`s position off the West Coast and the ridge position in the Southeast, low-level monsoonal moisture advection will deliver plenty of rich moisture throughout much of the forecast period. This will lead to the development of scattered to numerous thunderstorms, particularly over the Four Corners states. Some storms will produce excessive rainfall over short periods while also moving rather slowly. Repeated convection may lead to flash flooding in vulnerable terrain, including burn scars, slot canyons, and urbanized areas. Therefore, a broad Marginal Risk on Day 4 ERO highlights much of the area with Slight Risks over portions of the Rockies/Plains and along the NM/AZ border. Elsewhere, a frontal boundary will drop southward into portions of the Southeast and a surface trough will develop ahead of the front by Friday. As these features interact with warm moist airmass, scattered thunderstorms will develop over portions of the Southeast through the weekend. The Southern Plains, Gulf Coast, and Southeast will remain under the influence of the persistent upper ridge. Temperatures will remain well above normal as portions of the Southern Plains reach the lower 100s, while widespread 90s extend eastward across the Southeast. High dew points will keep heat indices elevated, resulting in potentially dangerous heat conditions where the heat persist for several consecutive days. Major HeatRisk conditions are expected across a broad portion of the region, with locally Extreme HeatRisk possible. Oudit/Mullinax 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 forecast, excessive rainfall outlook, winter weather outlook probabilities, heat indices and Key Messages 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 https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/#page=ovw $$