


Preliminary Forecasts
Issued by NWS
Issued by NWS
437 FXUS02 KWNH 160700 PREEPD Extended Forecast Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 259 AM EDT Mon Jun 16 2025 Valid 12Z Thu Jun 19 2025 - 12Z Mon Jun 23 2025 ...Intensifying heat threat across much of the central/eastern U.S. beginning late this week/weekend... ...Severe weather and heavy rainfall/flash flooding threats for the Appalachians/Mid-Atlantic Thursday and Upper Midwest/Great Lakes Friday... ...General Overview... Severe weather and heavy rainfall/flash flood threats will persist Thursday with storms from the Northeast down through the Appalachians/Mid- Atlantic. Expect the focus for storms to shift northward to the Upper Midwest/Great Lakes Friday with another heavy rainfall/flash flood threat possible. An expanding/intensifying heat threat for the start of Summer will unfold across much of the central/eastern U.S. into late week/next weekend as a strong upper- ridge begins to build in. There is also some signal for an increase in tropical moisture and rainfall into South Texas and the western Gulf Coast into next weekend. ...Guidance/Predictability Assessment... Guidance has remained in good agreement for several days now that a pattern change will begin by late next week (Thursday June 19) as unsettled, zonal flow over the central/eastern U.S. will transition to a much more amplified pattern. The last of a series of upper- level waves and leading surface frontal system will pass from the Midwest to the East Coast mid- to late week. The latest 12/18Z runs of the GFS remain a bit slower with the progression of this system compared to the other standard deterministic/mean guidance, but there is further support for this solution from the latest run of the ECMWF AIFS. In the wake of this wave, an upper- level ridge over the southwestern U.S. will begin to expand and strengthen as it shifts over the central and then towards the eastern U.S. late week/this weekend. At the same time, a deep upper-low anchored over the northeastern Pacific for several days will begin to shift southward first over the Pacific Northwest, and eventually leading to a deepening upper-trough more broadly across the western U.S. Slow eastward progression of the upper- trough as it deepens over the West brings some uncertainty to the leading surface frontal system, with at least a couple rounds of cyclogenesis on the Plains possible, but all 12Z guidance generally remains well clustered on the the larger-scale details. The 18Z GFS was more active in eastward progression with leading upper/surface energy into the Midwest. Otherwise, all guidance is supportive of this pattern with an eastern upper-ridge, western upper-trough being locked in through at least early next week, with the main ramification being a start of Summer heat wave for much of the central/eastern U.S. The updated WPC forecast used a composite blend of the deterministic guidance for the early part of the period/late this week with the guidance generally well clustered overall with GFS/AI model support for a bit slower progression of the eastern U.S. system. A growing contribution from the means is introduced for later in the period this weekend/early next week as uncertainty with respect to the details of leading frontal system evolution over the Plains increases, but with both deterministic and ensemble guidance in support of eastern upper-ridge/western upper- trough pattern. The 12Z GFS was used over the 18Z given noted outlier nature of additional leading upper-wave/surface energy. ...Weather/Hazards Highlights... One more day of unsettled weather is forecast broadly across the eastern U.S. Thursday (day 4) with the approach of another upper- level wave and leading surface frontal system. Scattered to widespread showers and storms are expected ahead of a cold front stretching from the Northeast southwest through the Mid- Atlantic/Appalachians and into the Tennessee/Lower Mississippi Valleys. Seasonably high precipitable water values will bring the threat for some locally heavier rainfall and have maintained a Marginal Risk ERO for isolated flash flooding along the front over lower FFGs/terrain sensitive areas from the Interior Northeast/northern New England southwest through the Appalachians. Moderate instability with daytime heating ahead of the front along with sufficient shear as the upper-wave approaches will bring the threat of some severe storms to the central Appalachians through Mid- Atlantic as well, with the Storm Prediction Center noting the risk for mainly damaging winds. Storm potential will focus southward with the front along the Gulf Coast and northward across the Great Lakes/Northeast with the lifting upper-jet Friday into the weekend. Embedded impulses withing the growing upper-ridge over the central U.S. will trigger convection, potentially organized, across the Upper Midwest/Great Lakes Friday (day 5) with a Marginal Risk ERO in place as a strong low level jet and high precipitable water values (2 standard deviations above the mean) support the threat of heavy rainfall/isolated flash flooding. Additional but uncertain influx of tropical moisture into south Texas may bring locally heavy downpours, with a Marginal Risk for days 4/5 focused along the Rio Grande Valley for now, but further adjustment/higher probabilities may be needed as confidence in this scenario grows. This influx of moisture also looks to bring precipitation chances further northwest into western Texas and the southern high Plains by late weekend/early next week. Upstream, the energetic approach of a deep upper-trough/Pacific system and northern stream into the West will bring increasing precipitation chances to the Pacific Northwest and northern Rockies/Plains Friday through the weekend in unsettled flow with moderate rainfall potential. Eventual lead frontal system development over the Plains may bring a return of thunderstorm chances to portions of the northern/central Plains and Midwest Sunday-Monday. Expect a gradually shifting focus for hot, above average temperatures across the Intermountain West/Southwest mid-next week to expand into the central Plains by Friday, the Middle/Upper Mississippi Valley by Saturday, and the Lower Great Lakes/Ohio Valley/Mid-Atlantic by Sunday as a strong upper- ridge begins to build in bringing a heat wave to start the Summer. The heat will also begin to intensify across the Lower Mississippi Valley and Southeast as well as the upper- ridge expands eastward. Widespread Major Heat Risk (level 3/4) is forecast, indicating an intensity of heat that effects anyone without adequate cooling or hydration, as heat indices climb to 95-105, 105-110+ for the Lower Mississippi Valley and Gulf Coast/Florida. In addition, muggy overnight lows in the mid- to upper 70s will bring little overnight relief from the heat. Unfortunately, this heat wave looks to persist into next week. Highs will begin to trend cooler and below average by as much as 10-15 degrees across portions of the Northwest by Friday and expand into the Great Basin/northern Rockies by the weekend as an upper- trough and associated surface cold front from the northeast Pacific begin to overspread the region. Putnam 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 (QPF), excessive rainfall outlook (ERO), winter weather outlook (WWO) probabilities, heat indices, and Key Messages can be accessed from: 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 $$