This article focuses on what we are paying attention to in the next 48 to 72 hours. The article also includes weather maps for longer-term U.S. outlooks and a six-day World weather outlook which can be very useful for travelers.
First the NWS Short Range Forecast. The afternoon NWS text update can be found here after about 4 p.m. New York time but it is unlikely to have changed very much from the morning update. The images in this article automatically update.
Short Range Forecast Discussion
NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD
Sat Aug 31 2024
Valid 12Z Sat Aug 31 2024 – 12Z Mon Sep 02 2024…Widespread showers and storms expected from the Southern Plains to East
Coast to start the holiday weekend……Flash flooding and severe weather possible for portions of the
northern/central Appalachians Saturday……Multiple days of heavy rain may cause flash flooding for portions of
the Louisiana and Texas Gulf Coasts……Well above average, hot late-Summer temperatures forecast in the
northwestern U.S. this weekend…An upper-level trough and associated surface cold front will progress
eastward this morning (Saturday), extending from the Northeast southwest
through the Ohio/Tennessee Valleys, Middle Mississippi Valley/Mid-South,
and into the Southern Plains. Another round of showers and thunderstorms
is expected along and ahead of the length of the front, with moist air and
instability likely leading to some more intense thunderstorms, heavy
downpours, and the potential for isolated flash flooding. A locally higher
threat is expected across portions of the northern/central Appalachians
given the potential for some training/repeated rounds of storms across
more sensitive mountain terrain. The region is under a Slight Risk of
Excessive Rainfall (level 2/4) for the threat of a few more scattered
instances of flash flooding. In addition, stronger winds aloft with the
passing upper trough will bring increased shear for some more organized
storms. The Storm Prediction Center has also included a Slight Risk of
severe weather (level 2/5), mainly for the threat of some damaging winds.
The fronts forward progression will slow through Saturday, especially with
southwestward extent, leading to additional rounds of storms on Sunday
with moderate to locally heavy rainfall from the southern
Mid-Atlantic/Carolinas west through the Tennessee Valley, Mid-South, and
into the Southern Plains. Some isolated flash flooding will remain
possible, especially for the southern Appalachians/Mid-Atlantic and
Carolinas as well as the southern High Plains. A secondary cold front
sweeping in from the north will bring an end to precipitation chances for
most areas outside of the Southeast/Southern Plains later Sunday night.Further south, another area of storms is expected to continue today in
vicinity of a coastal low near the western Louisiana and upper Texas Gulf
Coasts. Another Slight Risk of Excessive Rainfall is in place as slow
moving and very heavy rainfall-producing storms given abundant Gulf
moisture may lead to some additional scattered instances of flash
flooding, especially given wetter antecedent conditions from rainfall the
past few days. At least an isolated threat for flash flooding will exist
into Sunday, though rainfall amounts may trend downward. Daily
thunderstorms are also forecast for the Florida Peninsula, with some
isolated instances of urban flooding possible for South Florida today.
Temperature-wise, relief from the more intense heat this past week will
finally come to the Middle Mississippi, Ohio, and Tennessee Valleys as
increasing storm chances and the approaching front keep temperatures down
a bit, with highs generally in the 80s and low 90s. Low 90s will also be
common across the Southeast with mid-80s to low 90s for the Appalachians
and southern Mid-Atlantic. Highs will remain cooler and mainly in the 70s
to the north of a warm front for the northern Mid-Atlantic and New England
Saturday, with a rebound into the low 80s expected for many locations
Sunday as the warm front lifts north. The Northern/Central Plains and
Midwest will see highs in the 80s today before a cold front brings cooler
temperatures in the 70s Sunday. Conditions will remain much below average
for late Summer over the Lower Mississippi Valley and Southern Plains,
with highs generally in the mid-80s outside of south Texas. Some 70s will
be possible for west Texas.Well above average, hot late-Summer temperatures will continue into the
weekend for the northwestern U.S. as a broad upper-level ridge remains in
place over the West. Highs are forecast into the 90s to near 100 across
the interior Pacific Northwest, northern Great Basin, and northern
Rockies, and have prompted some Heat Advisories for the northern Great
Basin/Rockies given the heightened risk of heat-related illness. Those
with outdoor plans for the holiday weekend should remember to take more
frequent breaks from the heat in the shade and stay hydrated. Highs
elsewhere across the West will not be quite as above average, but still
hot, with 90s for the Great Basin and interior California and 100s in the
Desert Southwest. Portions of the Southwest/Four Corners Region will be a
bit cooler with shower and thunderstorm chances expected in vicinity of a
lingering frontal boundary, with highs in the upper 70s and 80s.To get your local forecast plus active alerts and warnings click HERE and enter your city, state or zip code.
Learn about wave patterns HERE.
Then, looking at the world and of course, the U.S. shows here also. Today we are looking at precipitation.
Please click on “Read More” below to access the full Daily Report issued today.
Notices: What would you like to learn about? Please provide that to me via the comment section at the end of the article.
Now more detail on the 48-Hour Forecast (It is a 48 to 72 Hour Forecast actually)
Daily weather maps. The Day 1 map updates twice a day and the Day 2 and 3 maps update only once a day. These maps update automatically. But if that does not happen, you can get updates by clicking HERE
TODAY (or late in the day the evening/overnight map will appear) (Key to surface fronts shown on maps and you will then also be able to insert a city name or zip code and get a local NWS forecast).
TOMORROW
NEXT DAY
We have a new animation of the forecast which shows how things may play out over the next 60 hours. To update click ANIMATION. Doing so will get you to the dashboard. You can then step through the animation or hit LOOP on the upper right of the display. You will have to hit the back arrow ← at the top left on your computer to get back into this article. It is a little more trouble than before but I think NOAA scrapped the animation routine I was using so we have to keep up with “progress”.
The NWS Climate Prediction Center’s: Watches, Warnings, and Advisories plus other information can be found HERE. That takes you to the NWC Severe Weather Site. From there you can select among many categories of information. Remember to hit the back arrow ← at the top left of your screen to return to this article.
ATMOSPHERIC RIVERS
This tells us what is approaching the West Coast. Click HERE to update If I have not gotten around to doing the update. Here is some useful information about Atmospheric Rivers.
Below is the current five-day cumulative forecast of precipitation (Updates can be found HERE)
Ski SnowReports will Resume in the Fall.
Now we look at Intermediate-Term “Outlook” maps for three time periods. Days 6 – 10, Days 8 – 14, and Weeks 3 and 4. An outlook differs from a forecast based on how NOAA uses these terms in that an “outlook” presents information as deviation from normal and the likelihood of these deviations.
Below are the links to obtain updates and additional information. They are particularly useful if you happen to be reading this article significantly later than when it was published. I always try to provide readers with the source of the information in my articles. These links may also be useful for those viewing this article on a cell phone or other small screen.
Days 6 – 10 (shown in Row 1) Days 8 – 14 (Shown in Row 2) Weeks 3 and 4 (Shown in Row 3 but updates only on Fridays) https://www.cpc.ncep.noaa. gov/products/predictions/610day/ https://www.cpc.ncep .noaa.gov/products/predictions/814day/ https://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/predictions/WK34/ Showing the actual maps. They should now update automatically. The Week 3 – 4 Outlook only updates on Fridays. So below is what I call the Intermediate-term outlook. On Fridays, it extends out 28 Days. That declines day by day so on Thursday it only looks out 22 days until the next day when the Week 3 – 4 Outlook is updated and this extends the outlook by one additional week.
6– 10
8– 14
3– 4
HAZARDS OUTLOOKS
Click here for the latest complete Day 3 -7 Hazards forecast which updates only on weekdays. Once a week probably Monday or Tuesday I will update the images. I provided the link for readers to get daily updates on weekdays. Use your own judgment to decide if you need to update these images. I update almost all the images Friday Night for the weekend edition of this Weather Report. So normally readers do not need to update these images but if the weather is changing quickly you may want to.
Temperature month to date can be found at https://hprcc.unl.edu/products/maps/acis/MonthTDeptUS.png
Precipitation month to date can be found at https://hprcc.unl.edu/products/maps/acis /MonthPNormUS.png
World Forecast [that website is has been intermittent so be patient]
Below are the Day 1 -3 and 4-6 forecasts for temperature and precipitation. Updates and much additional information can be obtained HERE
World Temperature Anomalies
World Accumulated Precipitation
This information is provided by the University of Maine. They draw upon many different sources. There is a lot of information available at the link provided. I have just provided two useful forecasts. There are probably over a hundred different forecasts available from this source.
Worldwide Tropical Forecast (This is a NOAA Product)
This graphic updates on Tuesdays) If it has not been updated, you can get the update by clicking here Readers will only have to do that if they are reading this article much later than the date of it being published.
Information on Tropical Storms can be found HERE. Western Pacific information can be found HERE. Note that unless there is an out-of-season storm the below images will not update until the National Hurricane Center starts their seasonal update of these maps on June 1. I include them simply because there can be an out-of-season event in which case it should show up in these maps.
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I hope you found this article interesting and useful. –
