483  
FOUS30 KWBC 201930  
QPFERD  
 
EXCESSIVE RAINFALL DISCUSSION  
NWS WEATHER PREDICTION CENTER COLLEGE PARK MD  
230 PM EST WED NOV 20 2024  
 
DAY 1  
VALID 16Z WED NOV 20 2024 - 12Z THU NOV 21 2024  
 
...THERE IS A MODERATE RISK FOR EXCESSIVE RAINFALL ACROSS PORTIONS  
OF NORTHWEST CALIFORNIA...  
 
16Z UPDATE:  
GOES-W AND CIRA LPW SATELLITE TRENDS DEPICT A TAD SLIGHTLY FASTER  
TREND TOWARD SOUTHWARD INTERSECTION TO THE COAST AND SOUTHWEST  
FACING OROGRAPHIC IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA THIS MORNING. 12Z HI-RES  
GUIDANCE SHOWS SOME SMALL ADJUSTMENTS SOUTHWARD TO MIMIC THIS TREND  
WITH THE 12Z ARW MOST AGGRESSIVELY SO. THE PRINCIPLE  
DYNAMICS/THERMODYNAMICS REMAIN SOLID IN PLACEMENT/MAGNITUDE OF THE  
AR PLUME WITH 500-800 KG/M/S EXPECTED THROUGHOUT THE REMAINDER OF  
THE FORECAST PERIOD. GUIDANCE ALSO SUGGESTS FURTHER EASTWARD PUSH  
OF THE WARM FRONT AND RISING FREEZING LEVELS ACROSS ALL BUT THE  
HIGHEST PEAKS OF THE TRINITY AND NORTHERN SIERRA NEVADA RANGES  
 
AS SUCH, ADJUSTMENTS TO THE MARGINAL AND SLIGHT RISK AREAS WERE  
MADE TO INCREASE TOWARD THE INTERIOR/MIDDLE SLOPES OF SOUTHWEST  
FACING RANGES, AS WELL AS SOUTHEAST EXPANSION IN CENTRAL CA TO  
ACCOUNT FOR RECENT TRENDS.  
 
GALLINA  
 
----PRIOR DISCUSSION----  
THE LATEST MODEL GUIDANCE REMAINS CONSISTENT WITH THE OVERALL  
EVOLUTION OF THE STRONG MULTI DAY ATMOSPHERIC RIVER EVENT INTO  
NORTHWEST CALIFORNIA. THE LOW THAT DEEPENED RAPIDLY OVER THE  
NORTHEAST PACIFIC TUESDAY, WILL CONTINUE TO ANCHOR DEEP LAYERED  
WEST SOUTHWEST FLOW ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF THIS SYSTEM, IMPACTING  
NORTHWEST CALIFORNIA DAY 1 WITH IVT VALUES OF 500-800 KM/M-1 S-2.  
AND 850-700 MB MOISTURE FLUX ANOMALIES OF 2-4+ STANDARD DEVIATIONS  
ABOVE THE MEAN. THERE IS FAIRLY GOOD MODEL AGREEMENT WITH HEAVY  
PRECIP TOTALS OF 3-5" PRIMARILY OVER NORTHWEST CALIFORNIA AND THE  
NORTHERN SIERRA, WITH ISOLATED TOTALS OF 6-8" POSSIBLE. HREF  
NEIGHBORHOOD PROBABILITIES ARE VERY HIGH FOR 5"+ AMOUNTS ACROSS  
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA, WITH MOST AREAS SHOWING 80-90%+, WHILE 8"+  
PROBABILITIES ARE 40-80% ALONG THE NORTHWEST CA COAST AND 40-60%+  
OVER THE NORTHERN SIERRA. HOURLY RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF .25-.50"+  
LIKELY THROUGH THE DAY 1 TIME PERIOD ACROSS NORTHWEST CA WITH  
INCREASING FLOODING RISKS WITH TIME AS SOILS BECOME SATURATED AND  
STREAMS AND RIVER LEVELS RISE. THE HREF 1 HOUR PROBABILITIES FOR  
.50"+ TOTALS REMAIN HIGH IN THE MAX INFLOW BAND ACROSS NORTHWEST  
CA FOR ALL OF DAY 1. THIS BAND DOES CONTINUE TO SINK SOUTH FOR THE  
FIRST FEW HOURS OF DAY 1, BUT THEN BECOME NEARLY STATIONARY FOR THE  
REMAINDER OF THE DAY 1 TIME PERIOD. NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGE TO THE  
PREVIOUS OUTLOOK. THE SLIGHT RISK WAS EXTENDED APPROXIMATELY 75  
MILES FARTHER SOUTH IN THE LEE OF THE NORTHERN SIERRA WHERE 2-4"  
RAINFALL TOTALS ARE POSSIBLE.  
 
ORAVEC  
 
DAY 2  
VALID 12Z THU NOV 21 2024 - 12Z FRI NOV 22 2024  
 
...THERE IS A HIGH RISK FOR EXCESSIVE RAINFALL ACROSS PORTIONS OF  
NORTHWEST CALIFORNIA...  
 
LIFE-THREATENING FLOODING ACROSS COASTAL NORTHWEST CALIFORNIA IS  
EXPECTED DUE TO THE VERY STRONG AND LONG DURATION ATMOSPHERIC  
RIVER THURSDAY INTO THURSDAY NIGHT. DANGEROUS FLOODING, ROCK  
SLIDES, AND DEBRIS FLOWS ARE LIKELY.  
 
THE STRONG ATMOSPHERIC RIVER EVENT INTO NORTHWEST CALIFORNIA WILL  
CONTINUE INTO DAY 2 AS DEEP LAYERED SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW CONTINUES  
TO THE SOUTH OF THE NORTHEAST PACIFIC UPPER VORTEX. THE ANOMALOUS  
DEEP LAYERED SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW WILL SUPPORT 850 TO 700 MB  
MOISTURE FLUX ANOMALIES OF 2 TO 4+ STANDARD DEVIATIONS ABOVE THE  
MEAN AND IVT VALUES IN THE 500 TO 800 KM/M-1 S-2 RANGE ACROSS  
NORTHWEST CA. DURING THE SECOND HALF OF DAY 2, A STRONG VORT MAX  
ROTATING AROUND THE BASE OF THE NORTHEAST PACIFIC VORTEX WILL  
SUPPORT ANOTHER RAPIDLY DEEPENING LOW MOVING NORTHEAST  
APPROXIMATELY 200 MILES OFF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST COAST. WHILE THIS  
SECOND RAPID CYCLOGENESIS EVENT WILL NOT BE AS STRONG AS THE  
TUESDAY EVENT, IT WILL HELP TO BEGIN TO PUSH THE BEST ONSHORE FLOW  
AXIS BACK TO THE NORTH DURING THE SECOND HALF OF DAY 2, RETURNING  
HEAVY PRECIP INTO SOUTHWEST OREGON. THERE IS A LIKELIHOOD OF VERY  
HEAVY RAINS AGAIN FALLING DAY 2 OVER SIMILAR REGIONS FROM WEDNESDAY.  
HOURLY RATES OF 0.50"+ ARE LIKELY AT TIMES SUPPORTING ADDITIONAL  
24 HOUR RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 3-6" AND ISOLATED ADDITIONAL 24 HOUR  
TOTALS OF 6-8" ACROSS NORTHWEST CA INTO SOUTHWEST OR. STORM TOTAL  
AMOUNTS OF 12-16"+ POSSIBLE ACROSS PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST  
CALIFORNIA. GIVEN THE 2 DAY TOTALS IN THE SAME REGION, NO  
SIGNIFICANT CHANGES WERE MADE TO THE PREVIOUS HIGH RISK AREA.  
SIGNIFICANT FLOOD RISKS WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE DAY 2 ALONG WITH  
ROCK AND LAND SLIDES AS SOILS BECOME SATURATED AND STREAMS AND  
RIVERS CONTINUE TO RISE AND OVERFLOW. AHEAD OF THE NEXT DEEPENING  
LOW, RISING HEIGHTS OVER NORTHERN CALIFORNIA WILL KEEP MUCH OF THE  
PRECIPITATION IN THE FORM OF RAIN. THIS WILL INCREASE THE RUNOFF  
THREATS FOR AREAS IN THE LEE OF THE NORTHERN SIERRA.  
 
TAYLOR  
 
DAY 3  
VALID 12Z FRI NOV 22 2024 - 12Z SAT NOV 23 2024  
 
...THERE IS A MODERATE RISK FOR EXCESSIVE RAINFALL ACROSS PORTIONS  
OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA...  
 
THE LONG DURATION ATMOSPHERIC RIVER DOES BEGIN TO WANE THROUGHOUT  
THIS PERIOD BUT AT LEAST FOR THE FIRST 6-12 HOURS, HEAVIER  
PRECIPITATION WITH THE FINAL PUSH OF HIGHER MOISTURE IS EXPECTED  
ACROSS COASTAL NORTHERN CALIFORNIA INTO SOUTHWEST OREGON AS WELL AS  
PORTIONS OF THE NORTHERN SIERRA NEVADA. WARMER TEMPERATURES WILL  
KEEP SNOW LEVELS PRETTY HIGH SUCH THAT EVEN INTO THE TERRAIN AREAS,  
MOST OF THE PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED TO FALL AS RAIN (ASIDE FROM  
THE HIGHEST PEAKS). THIS FACTOR ALONG WITH THE RAINFALL TOTALS  
EXPECTED OVER THE COURSE OF THE NEXT 3 DAYS WILL HEIGHTEN THE  
FLOODING RISK, PARTICULARLY FOR SENSITIVE AREAS INCLUDING BURN  
SCARS. THE MODERATE RISK REMAINS GENERALLY UNCHANGED GIVEN THE  
CONSISTENT MODEL GUIDANCE AND LACK OF SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN THE  
QPF. IN THE NORTHERN SIERRA NEVADA, MAX AMOUNTS OF 2-4" ARE  
EXPECTED - THE LATEST PQPF SHOWS HIGH CHANCES FOR AT LEAST 2"  
(ABOVE 80%) AND MODERATE VALUES FOR 4" (30-40%) IN THE TERRAIN. FOR  
THE LOWER ELEVATION AREAS AND THE COASTAL RANGES, ADDITIONAL  
AMOUNTS OF 1-2" ARE EXPECTED.  
 
TAYLOR  
 
DAY 1 THREAT AREA: HTTPS://WWW.WPC.NCEP.NOAA.GOV/QPF/94EPOINTS.TXT  
DAY 2 THREAT AREA: HTTPS://WWW.WPC.NCEP.NOAA.GOV/QPF/98EPOINTS.TXT  
DAY 3 THREAT AREA: HTTPS://WWW.WPC.NCEP.NOAA.GOV/QPF/99EPOINTS.TXT  
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