Prognostic Meteorological Discussion
Issued by NWS
Issued by NWS
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218 FXSA20 KWBC 222059 PMDSA SOUTH AMERICA FORECAST DISCUSSION - INTERNATIONAL DESKS NWS WEATHER PREDICTION CENTER COLLEGE PARK MD 359 PM EST FRI NOV 22 2024 GFS DATA AT FTPPRD.NCEP.NOAA.GOV/PUB/DATA/NCCF/COM/GFS/PROD/ SOUTH AMERICAN FORECAST BULLETIN FOR 22 NOV 2024 AT 2100 UTC: THE NORTHERN HALF OF THE SOUTH AMERICAN CONTINENT IS STILL EXPECTED TO OBSERVE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS EACH DAY. ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE AMAZON BASIN AND THE NORTHERN PORTIONS OF BOLIVIA. EASTERN BRAZIL...ESPECIALLY FROM SAO PAULO TO ESPIRITO SANTO WILL HAVE AN ENHANCED CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS AS A FRONTAL BOUNDARY EXTENDS FROM THE ATLANTIC INTO THE EASTERN COAST OF BRAZIL. ELSEWHERE IN SOUTH AMERICA...THE NORTHERN HALF OF CHILE AND MOST OF ARGENTINA WILL BE DRIER THAN THE NORTHERN HALF OF THE CONTINENT. THAT BEING SAID...THERE IS A CHANCE OF DAILY SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER CENTRAL ARGENTINA...WITH SOME OF THE THUNDERSTORMS WITH A CHANCE OF BEING SEVERE. CENTRAL TO SOUTHERN CHILE ALSO HAS A GOOD CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH THE WEEKEND. MOUNTAIN SNOW IS POSSIBLE TODAY INTO EARLY SATURDAY. THE BOLIVIAN HIGH IS STILL PREVAILING...WHICH CONTINUES TO PROMOTE STRONG UPPER LEVEL WINDS FURTHER SOUTH OVER CHILE AND ARGENTINA. THE UPPER LEVEL WINDS ACROSS CENTRAL ARGENTINA AND CHILE WILL BE RELATIVELY STRONG...WITH WINDS MAXING OUT AT AROUND 100KT ON SATURDAY...INCREASING ON SUNDAY AND MONDAY TO AROUND 125-145KT. THE UPPER LEVEL WINDS OVER THE AMAZON BASIN WILL BE RELATIVELY WEAK...BUT DIURNAL CONVECTION WILL DEVELOP OVER THE AREA AS DIURNAL HEATING INTERACTS WITH SFC TROUGHS...AND THE AVAILABLE MOISTURE. THE THUNDERSTORMS THAT ARE EXPECTED EACH DAY ACROSS THE AMAZON BASIN ARE EXPECTED TO PRODUCE RAINFALL AMOUNTS GENERALLY IN THE 15-25MM RANGE...WITH ISOLATED HIGHER AMOUNTS REACHING 40-45MM. THE MODEL GUIDANCE IS VERY BULLISH WITH RAINFALL AMOUNTS OVER SOUTHERN BOLIVIA...PERHAPS DUE TO HIGHER THAN NORMAL MOISTURE OVER THE AREA...BUT THE RAINFALL SOLUTIONS ARE OVERESTIMATING THE OBSERVED VALUES...FOR THAT REASON WE WENT LOWER THAN THE MODELS IN THE RAINFALL FORECAST AMOUNTS OVER THE BOLIVIAN PLATEAU...WITH TOTALS MAXING OUT AT AROUND 15-25MM FOR THE MOST PART...THOUGH NORTHERN BOLIVIA IS FORECAST UP TO 45MM. CURRENT SATELLITE IMAGERY INDICATES DECENT CONVECTION OCCURRING OVER MUCH OF THE NORTHERN HALF OF SOUTH AMERICA...WITH THE DEEPEST CONVECTION OCCURRING OVER SOUTHERN BRAZIL INTO EASTERN BOLIVIA...CLOSE TO PARAGUAY. BASED ON THE LATEST GUIDANCE...THIS CONVECTION WILL PERSIST OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS BUT WILL GRADUALLY DECREASE IN THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. THE AFOREMENTIONED FRONTAL BOUNDARY...WHICH IS EXTENDING ACROSS THE ATLANTIC INTO EASTERN BRAZIL IS STILL EXPECTED TO PROVIDE CONSTANT MOISTURE TO PORTIONS OF THE EASTERN COAST OF BRAZIL...FROM SAO PAULO TO ESPIRITO SANTO. THE HIGHER THAN NORMAL MOISTURE WILL PREVAIL THROUGH THE WEEKEND INTO MONDAY...WHICH WILL CONTRIBUTE TO AMOUNTS OF RAIN UP TO 70MM TODAY. EVEN HIGHER AMOUNTS OF RAIN ARE EXPECTED FROM SATURDAY INTO EARLY SUNDAY...WITH MAX TOTALS AS HIGH AS 100MM...THEN UP TO 60MM ON SUNDAY INTO MONDAY. THESE HIGH AMOUNTS OF RAIN WILL BE DUE TO THE COMBINATION OF THE ABOVE NORMAL MOISTURE AND THE MID AND UPPER TROUGHS THAT WILL MOVE NORTH...AND PROVIDE STRONGER WINDS...DIVERGENCE AND AN INCREASE IN INSTABILITY. EVEN THOUGH ARGENTINA IS EXPECTED TO BE GENERALLY DRY...A DEVELOPING COLD FRONT OVER THE CENTRAL PORTIONS AND THE STRONG MID AND UPPER LEVEL WINDS...WILL INTERACT WITH LOCALLY HIGHER THAN NORMAL MOISTURE TO CAUSE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER CENTRAL ARGENTINA TODAY AND SATURDAY. THE MAX RAINFALL TOTALS ARE FORECAST TO BE GENERALLY AROUND 10-25MM TODAY AND SATURDAY...BUT THE STRONGER WINDS ALOFT WITH THE COLD MID LEVEL TEMPERATURES ARE FAVORABLE FOR A MARGINAL TO SLIGHT RISK OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS EACH DAY. FOR SUNDAY INTO MONDAY...A DIFFLUENT PATTERN IN THE UPPER LEVELS WILL HELP IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS NORTHEASTERN ARGENTINA...WHERE UP TO 50MM OF RAIN ARE FORECAST. THIS SYNOPTIC PATTERN MAY CAUSE A MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE WEATHER ACROSS NORTHEASTERN ARGENTINA INTO SOUTHERN URUGUAY. THE NORTHERN HALF OF CHILE IS STILL FORECAST TO REMAIN MAINLY DRY THROUGH THE WEEKEND...BUT A STRONG LOW PRESSURE IN THE PACIFIC WILL BRING ABOVE NORMAL MOISTURE TO THE CENTRAL TO SOUTH CENTRAL PORTIONS OF THE COUNTRY FROM TODAY THROUGH EARLY SUNDAY. THERE ARE ALSO STRONG MID AND UPPER LEVEL WINDS...WHICH WILL AFFECT THE AREA THROUGH THE WEEKEND. THIS WILL CAUSE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE CENTRAL TO SOUTHERN PORTIONS OF CHILE. RAINFALL MAX VALUES TO 30MM ARE FORECAST EACH DAY UNTIL SUNDAY MORNING...THEN UP TO 25MM ON SUNDAY INTO MONDAY AS DRIER AIR MOVES IN. ALAMO...(WPC) $$