099  
FXUS04 KWBC 010909  
QPFPFD  
 
QUANTITATIVE PRECIPITATION FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NWS WEATHER PREDICTION CENTER COLLEGE PARK MD  
508 AM EDT FRI JUN 01 2018  
 
FINAL DAY 1, DAY 2 AND DAY 3 QPF DISCUSSION  
VALID JUN 01/1200 UTC THRU JUN 04/1200 UTC  
REFERENCE AWIPS GRAPHICS UNDER...PRECIP ACCUM - 24HR  
 
   
..CENTRAL-NORTHERN PLAINS  
 
A WELL-DEFINED SHORTWAVE TROUGH WILL CONTINUE TO TRANSLATE EAST,  
ASSUMING A NEGATIVE TILT AS IT PIVOTS ACROSS THE NORTHERN ROCKIES  
AND INTO THE CENTRAL-NORTHERN PLAINS. FAVORABLE UPPER LEVEL  
FORCING (ROBUST UPPER DIFLUENCE AND RESULTANT DEEP-LAYER QS VECTOR  
FORCING) WILL RESULT IN HIGHLY-ANOMALOUS 850-700 MB MOISTURE FLUX  
INTO THE CENTRAL AND ESPECIALLY NORTHERN PLAINS ON FRIDAY. PW  
VALUES (1.5+ INCHES) WILL BE EQUALLY AS IMPRESSIVE, AVERAGING  
ABOUT 2-2.5 STANDARD DEVIATIONS ABOVE NORMAL. BY AFTERNOON,  
700-500 MB LAPSE RATES BETWEEN 8-8.5 C/KM WILL FOSTER VIGOROUS  
DEEP-LAYER INSTABILITY (MUCAPES 2000-3000+ J/KG). THE 00Z  
GUIDANCE, ESPECIALLY THE HIGH-RES CAMS, CONTINUE TO SHOW A SIGNAL  
FOR HEAVY (POTENTIALLY EXCESSIVE) RAINFALL ACROSS ND (ESPECIALLY  
CENTRAL ND) LATE THIS AFTERNOON INTO THE EVENING AS THE SOUTHERLY  
LOW-LEVEL INFLOW INCREASES TO 50+ KTS. THE HIGH-RES SIMULATED  
REFLECTIVITY IN FACT SHOWS THE CONVECTION GROWING UPSCALE (QLCS)  
WHILE THE EASTWARD PROGRESSION BEGINS TO SLOW DOWN A BIT DURING  
THE EVENING (CORRESPONDING TO THE STRENGTHENING LLJ), WHICH OWING  
TO THE STRENGTH OF THE UPWIND PROPAGATION, WOULD LEAD TO A GREATER  
POTENTIAL FOR CELL TRAINING. AS A RESULT, WPC WILL MAINTAIN A  
SLIGHT RISK IN THE DAY 1 ERO, WHICH IS SUPPORTED BY THE 00Z HREF  
PROBABILITIES OF 3 HOURLY QPF EXCEEDING FFG (50-70+ PERCENT ACROSS  
WESTERN-CENTRAL ND BETWEEN 21-03Z).  
 
FARTHER SOUTH -- THE GUIDANCE ALSO DEPICTS A HEAVY RAINFALL  
FOOTPRINT ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE CENTRAL PLAINS INTO THE LOWER MO  
VALLEY -- ESPECIALLY FROM EASTERN NE-NORTHEAST KS INTO NORTHWEST  
MO. THIS AREA OF CONVECTION IS EXPECTED TO BE TRIGGERED BY THE  
COMPACT UPPER JET STREAK/ASSOCIATED VORT LOBE THAT WILL TRAVERSE  
THE 4 CORNERS AREA THIS MORNING AND LIFT INTO THE CENTRAL HIGH  
PLAINS THIS EVENING. IN THIS REGION, ALSO EXPECT RATHER ROBUST  
DEEP-LAYER INSTABILITY (AGAIN LARGELY DUE TO THE STEEP MID-LEVEL  
LAPSE RATES) AS OVER THIS AREA MUCAPES WOULD BE MORE LIKELY TO  
EXCEED 3000 J/KG PER THE MODELS. THE MODELS SHOW THE SOUTHERLY LLJ  
IN THIS REGION NOT AS STRONG COMPARED TO THE NORTHERN PLAINS,  
WHILE ALSO DENOTING CONSIDERABLY MORE DEEP LAYER SHEAR (BOTH  
DIRECTIONAL AND SPEED SHEAR). AS A RESULT EXPECT MORE  
FORWARD/DOWNWIND PROPAGATION THAN OTHERWISE AS THE CONVECTION  
GROWS UPSCALE DURING THE PEAK LATE-DAY HEATING -- HOWEVER GIVEN  
THE STRENGTH OF THE THERMODYNAMIC PARAMETERS (INSTABILITY AND  
ANOMALOUS DEEP-LAYER MOISTURE), THE RISK FOR 1-3 HOUR QPF>FFG  
EXCEEDANCE WILL CONTINUE TO WARRANT A SLIGHT RISK IN THE DAY 1 ERO.  
 
   
..EASTERN U.S.  
 
SLOW-MOVING, POSITIVELY-TILTED UPPER TROUGH WILL NUDGE EASTWARD  
TOWARD THE ATLANTIC COAST BY SATURDAY. UNTIL THEN, A BROAD AREA OF  
MODEST DYNAMICAL FORCING EAST OF THE TROUGH AXIS AND SURFACE FRONT  
(WEAK UPPER AGEOSTROPHIC DIVERGENCE AND DEEP LAYER QS VECTOR  
CONVERGENCE) WILL FAVOR SCATTERED-WIDESPREAD CONVECTION ONCE AGAIN  
TODAY, ESPECIALLY DURING THE PEAK HEATING HOURS FROM  
LATE-AFTERNOON INTO EARLY EVENING, THOUGH ALSO WITH AN EARLY ONSET  
(BY EARLY AFTERNOON) GIVEN THE ABSENCE OF A CAPPING INVERSION AND  
THUS RELATIVELY LOW CONVECTIVE TEMPS. THE RELATIVELY LOW 0-6 KM  
BULK SHEAR VALUES AGAIN WOULD SUPPORT MOSTLY LIMITED  
UPSCALE/ORGANIZATIONAL GROWTH OUTSIDE OF PULSE-TYPE CLUSTERS WITH  
LIMITED PERSISTENCE. ONE EXCEPTION WOULD BE OVER PORTIONS OF THE  
DEEP SOUTH (NORTHERN AL-INTO NORTHWEST GA), WHERE THE HIGH-RES  
CAMS SIMULATE MORE W-E ORIENTED CONVECTION LATER THIS AFTERNOON  
AND EVENING, ON THE SOUTHERN PERIPHERY OF THE MID-LEVEL VORT LOBE  
WHERE STEEPER 700-500 MB LAPSE RATES ARE EXPECTED TO LIE (BETWEEN  
7-8 C/KM). THE LATEST HIGH-RES PROJECTIONS SHOW AN UPTICK IN THE  
WSW LOW-LEVEL WIND (20-25 KTS AT 850 MB) ACROSS THIS REGION,  
WHICH GIVEN THE WIND PROFILES ALOFT SUPPORT SOME UPWIND  
PROPAGATION/BACKBUILDING AND THUS A HEIGHTENED RISK OF CELL  
TRAINING. WPC NOTED A SLIGHT RISK AREA ACROSS THIS PARTICULAR  
AREA, WHICH INCLUDES BHM, HSV, AND RMG.  
 
ELSEWHERE TO THE N-NE, WPC INCLUDED ANOTHER MORE FOCUSED SLIGHT  
RISK AREA ACROSS EASTERN PORTIONS OF THE OH VALLEY INTO THE  
CENTRAL APPALACHIANS, SHENANDOAH VALLEY, BLUE RIDGE MTNS, AND INTO  
PARTS OF THE PIEDMONT WHERE 1/3/6 HOURLY FFG VALUES REMAIN QUITE  
LOW. GIVEN THE CONTINUED FAVORABLE DEEP SUBTROPICAL MOISTURE ALONG  
WITH MODEST INSTABILITY (TALL/SKINNY CAPE DISTRIBUTION WITH  
EQUILIBRIUM LAYERS AOA 45 KFT), THE HIGHLY-EFFICIENT SHORT-TERM  
RAINFALL RATES, EVEN LESS THAN 1 HOUR, COULD CERTAINLY ECLIPSE  
THESE LOW 1 HOURLY FFG VALUES DESPITE THE PULSE NATURE OF THE  
CONVECTION.  
 
DAYS 2/3  
   
..UPPER TO MIDDLE MS VALLEY  
 
A MID-LEVEL TROUGH OVER THE DAKOTAS SATURDAY MORNING BECOMES  
NEGATIVELY TILTED AS IT SHIFTS EAST TO THE GREAT LAKES THROUGH  
SATURDAY NIGHT. STRONG UPPER DYNAMICS AHEAD OF THIS THROUGH IN AN  
AXIS OF PW 2 STANDARD DEVIATIONS ABOVE THE MEAN, CONFIDENCE IS  
FAIRLY HIGH FOR WIDESPREAD MODERATE TO HEAVY PRECIPITATION MOVING  
INTO THE UPPER TO MIDDLE MS VALLEY SATURDAY. NOTABLE DIFFERENCES  
IN THE PLACEMENT AND STRENGTH OF THE UPPER TROUGH PERSIST IN THE  
00Z MODEL SUITE, INCLUDING THE NUMBER OF AND LOCATION FOR MCS  
ACTIVITY. INSTABILITY DECREASES NORTH WHILE DYNAMICS INCREASE  
NORTH. MAINTAINED TWO SLIGHT RISKS OF EXCESSIVE RAINFALL FOR DAY 2  
(12Z SAT-12Z SUN) WITH A NORTHWEST SHIFT IN LOCATION PER THE 00Z  
GFS/NAM/ECMWF.  
 
   
..SOUTHERN PLAINS TO GULF COAST  
 
LOW LEVEL FORCING/A COLD FRONT PUSHES SOUTH THROUGH THE SOUTHERN  
PLAINS AND TOWARD THE LOWER MS VALLEY SATURDAY. STRONG INSTABILITY  
(MUCAPE PEAKING AROUND 00Z SUNDAY IN THE 3000-4000 J/KG RANGE)  
TAKES ADVANTAGE OF GULF MOISTURE. EXPECT ORGANIZED CONVECTIVE  
ACTIVITY TO SHIFT FROM OK/AR SATURDAY TO THE GULF COAST SUNDAY.  
BETTER UPPER LEVEL FORCING NORTH SHOULD KEEP THE GREATER EXCESSIVE  
RAIN RISK NORTH OF THIS AREA BOTH DAYS.  
 
   
..SOUTHERN TO CENTRAL APPALACHIANS---MID-ATLANTIC  
 
SLOW MOVING NEGATIVELY TILTED TROUGH CROSSES THE EASTERN CONUS  
SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT. SLOW MOTION OF THE MID LEVEL  
HEIGHT FALLS AND MUCH ABOVE AVERAGE PW VALUES WILL PERSIST BOTH  
DAYS FROM THE CENTRAL APPALACHIANS INTO THE MID-ATLANTIC---WITH  
ADDITIONAL MODERATE TO HEAVY PRECIP LIKELY ACROSS THESE AREAS. A  
SLIGHT EXCESSIVE RAINFALL RISK IS MAINTAINED FOR THE CENTRAL  
MID-ATLANTIC, PARTICULARLY SATURDAY WHEN INSTABILITY WILL BE  
GREATEST ALONG AND AHEAD OF THE SOUTHWARD MOVING WEST TO EAST  
ORIENTED FRONT MOVING ACROSS THESE REGIONS.  
 
INCREASINGLY STABLE SURFACE CONDITIONS DAY 3 ACROSS THESE AREAS AS  
AN OVERRUNNING REGIME SETS UP AS LOW PRESSURE STALLS ON THE  
SOUTHERN MID-ATLANTIC COAST. A MARGINAL RISK WAS RAISED FOR MUCH  
OF THIS REGION FOR DAY 3 (12Z SUN-12Z MON).  
 
   
..CENTRAL TO SOUTHERN ROCKIES  
 
A CUTOFF UPPER LOW DRIFTS NORTHEAST FROM YUMA SATURDAY. DESERT  
INFLOW DOMINATES WITH LITTLE TO NO QPF ON DAY 2. HOWEVER, BY  
SUNDAY THE OPENING LOW CROSSES THE FOUR CORNERS AND BEGINS TO DRAW  
GULF MOISTURE TOWARD CO. MODEST INSTABILITY WITH DIFLUENCE ALOFT  
ALLOWS CONVECTIVE THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE TERRAIN. NORTHERN NM  
LOOKS PREFERRED AT THIS TIME WITH A MARGINAL RISK OF EXCESSIVE  
RAINFALL INTRODUCED FOR DAY 3 (12Z SUN-12Z MON).  
 
   
..PACIFIC NORTHWEST INTO THE NORTHERN ROCKIES  
 
A SHORTWAVE TROUGH SWINGS AROUND THE BASE OF A CLOSED LOW OFF BC  
AND COMES ASHORE WITH 0.75 INCH PW OVER WA LATE SUNDAY. LIGHT TO  
MODERATE RAINFALL IS EXPECTED ON DAY 3 FOR THE NORTHERN CASCADES  
INTO NORTHERN ID PER 00Z MODEL CONSENSUS.  
 
HURLEY/JACKSON  
 
GRAPHICS AVAILABLE AT WWW.WPC.NCEP.NOAA.GOV/QPF/QPF2.SHTML  
 
 
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