973  
FOUS30 KWBC 010756  
QPFERD  
 
EXCESSIVE RAINFALL DISCUSSION  
NWS WEATHER PREDICTION CENTER COLLEGE PARK MD  
356 AM EDT THU MAY 1 2025  
 
DAY 1  
VALID 12Z THU MAY 01 2025 - 12Z FRI MAY 02 2025  
 
...THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF EXCESSIVE RAINFALL IN SOUTHERN  
OKLAHOMA, FAR NORTH TEXAS, FAR WESTERN ARKANSAS, WESTERN  
PENNSYLVANIA AND THE CENTRAL APPALACHIANS...  
   
..SOUTHERN PLAINS  
 
SHORTWAVE EJECTION OUT OF THE SOUTHERN ROCKIES WILL INTERACT WITH A  
COLD FRONT PRESSING SOUTH THROUGH THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN PLAINS  
BY THE LATE-AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS THURSDAY THROUGH FRIDAY  
MORNING. A RELEVANT THETA_E DIFFERENTIAL WILL BE ALIGNED WITHIN  
THE CONFINES OF THE BOUNDARY PROVIDING A SUITABLE THERMODYNAMIC  
ALIGNMENT SUCH THAT AREA CONVECTION ANCHORS AND PUSHES ALONG THE  
WEST TO EAST ORIENTED INSTABILITY GRADIENT ACROSS SOUTHERN OK.  
MAJORITY OF CAMS ARE IN CONSENSUS OF A HEAVY RAINFALL FOOTPRINT  
ALONG AND SOUTH OF I-40, GENERALLY CONFIGURED TO THE TIMING OF THE  
COLD FRONT, SHORTWAVE INTERACTION, AND LLJ CONVERGENCE SIGNAL. THIS  
IS PRIMARILY RIGHT AROUND 00Z WHEN THE CONVECTIVE THREAT ENHANCES  
WITH THE INTEGRATION OF THE NOCTURNAL LLJ, A TIMING HISTORICALLY  
PREVALENT FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR AND THIS SETUP IS NO EXCEPTION.  
 
00Z HREF NEIGHBORHOOD PROBS FOR >1" ARE RELATIVELY HIGH (50-80%)  
WITHIN THE CORRIDOR EXTENDING FROM SOUTHWEST OK ACROSS THE RED  
RIVER BASIN TOWARDS THE AR BORDER. >2" IS HIGHEST JUST NORTH OF THE  
RIVER FROM I-35 ON EAST, A TESTAMENT TO THE TIMING OF THE  
SHORTWAVE ARRIVAL AND UPSCALE GROWTH OF THE CONVECTIVE THREAT AS IT  
MANEUVERS TO THE EAST-SOUTHEAST. RAINFALL RATES BETWEEN 1-2"/HR ARE  
MOST LIKELY WHEN ASSESSING THE HOURLY RATE PROBS FROM THE BOTH THE  
NBM AND HREF OUTPUT, A RATE ASSESSMENT THAT IS MORE THAN SUITABLE  
CONSIDERING THE BLANKET LOW FFG INTERVALS DUE TO THE ANTECEDENT  
MOIST SOILS FROM THE PAST 36-48 HRS OF RAINFALL. THE AREAL QPF  
FOOTPRINT OF >1" ALIGNED WITHIN THOSE LOWER FFG'S PRETTY MUCH  
PERFECTLY, A SCENARIO THAT LENDS TO A GREATER CREDENCE OF A TOUCH  
HIGHER RISK CATEGORY THAT WHAT IS NORMAL THE CASE FOR THIS SETUP.  
THE PREVIOUS SLGT RISK WAS RELATIVELY MAINTAINED WITH MINOR  
ADJUSTMENTS ON THE EDGES PERTAINING TO RECENT HI-RES QPF AND IN  
CONJUNCTION WITH THE ML FIRST GUESS FIELDS.  
   
..INTERIOR MID ATLANTIC  
 
SHORTWAVE TROUGH CURRENTLY POSITIONED OVER THE SOUTHERN PLAINS WILL  
LIFT NORTHEAST THROUGH THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY WITH SIGHTS ON THE  
GREAT LAKES REGION BY THE SECOND HALF OF THE D1. DOWNSTREAM, AN  
IMPROVED DIFFLUENT SIGNATURE WILL ALIGN OVER THE OHIO VALLEY AND  
POINTS NORTHEAST ALLOWING FOR REGIONAL ASCENT TO BOOST CONVECTIVE  
INITIATION IN-OF PLACES WITHIN THAT DIFFLUENT CORE. THE MOST  
NOTABLE AREA FOR CONVECTIVE DEVELOPMENT LIES WITHIN AN ESTABLISHED  
THETA_E TONGUE RIDING NORTHWARD THROUGH THE APPALACHIANS FRONT  
WITH POLEWARD EXPANSION INTO THE SOUTHEASTERN GREAT LAKES. THIS  
ALLOWED FOR MOISTURE RICH AIR EXUDING PWAT ANOMALIES BETWEEN +2 AND  
+3 WITHIN THE CORRIDOR EXTENDING THROUGH MUCH OF WV UP THROUGH  
EASTERN OH AND WESTERN PA TO THE LAKE ERIE BORDER. SBCAPE BETWEEN  
1500-2500 J/KG WILL BE A COMMON OCCURRENCE DURING PEAK DIURNAL  
DESTABILIZATION CREATING A CORRIDOR OF ENHANCED THERMODYNAMIC  
PROSPECTS TO COINCIDE WITH THE ARRIVAL OF THE BETTER MID-LEVEL  
FORCING DOWNSTREAM OF THE APPROACHING TROUGH. REGIONAL SHEAR WILL  
BE IMPROVING AS WELL, ESPECIALLY WITHIN THE CONFINES OF A SHALLOW  
WARM FRONT THAT WILL BE LIFTING NORTHWARD THROUGH THE COURSE OF THE  
AFTERNOON ACROSS THE INTERIOR MID ATLANTIC. CELL INITIATION WILL  
BEGIN BETWEEN 18-00Z TODAY WITH GREATER MULTI-CELL CLUSTER COVERAGE  
LIKELY TO OCCUR TOWARDS THE BACK END OF THE ABOVE TIME FRAME DUE  
TO ANCHORING ALONG THE WARM FRONT AS IT APPROACHES. AREAS ACROSS  
WESTERN PA HAVE BEEN HIT RELATIVELY HARD RECENTLY WITH CONVECTIVE  
RAINFALL ADDING TO THE AREAL DECOUPLING OF THE FFG INDICES MEANING  
THE PROSPECTS FOR FLASH FLOODING HAVE INCREASED WITH THE ARRIVAL OF  
THIS NEXT DISTURBANCE.  
 
00Z HREF NEIGHBORHOOD PROBS FOR >2" ARE BETWEEN 30-50% ACROSS A  
LARGE SECTION OF WESTERN PA EXTENDING SOUTH INTO THE NORTHERN HIGH  
COUNTRY OF WV, ROOTED IN THE APPALACHIANS FRONT, AN AREA NOTORIOUS  
FOR FLASHY RIVERS AND SMALLER TOWNS LOCATED WITHIN THE VALLEYS.  
THERE WAS ENOUGH CONSENSUS TO WARRANT AN UPGRADE CONSIDERING THE  
ANTECEDENT CONDITIONS, ATMOSPHERIC ENVIRONMENTAL FAVORABILITY, AS  
WELL AS THE INCREASED PROBS DENOTING A LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN PROSPECT  
OVER THE REGION. A SLGT RISK HAS BEEN ADDED TO MUCH OF WESTERN PA  
DOWN INTO PORTIONS OF THE CENTRAL APPALACHIANS.  
 
KLEEBAUER  
 
DAY 2  
VALID 12Z FRI MAY 02 2025 - 12Z SAT MAY 03 2025  
 
...THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF EXCESSIVE RAINFALL ACROSS FROM THE  
SOUTHERN PLAINS INTO THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY...  
 
STEADY PROGRESSION OF A COLD FRONT THROUGH THE SOUTHERN PLAINS WILL  
LEAD TO TEXTBOOK CONVERGENT PATTERN WITH AN ADDITION OF A STRONG  
UPPER DIFFLUENCE SIGNATURE WITHIN THE BOUNDS OF THE SOUTHERN JET  
PROXY. HIGH AREAL THETA_E AVERAGES WILL DENOTE THE SIGNIFICANT  
INSTABILITY PATTERN POSITIONED AHEAD OF THE APPROACHING COLD FRONT  
LEADING TO AMPLE THERMODYNAMIC ASSISTANCE FOR STRONG CONVECTIVE  
CORES AND EXPECTED HEAVY RAINFALL. RECENT CAMS HAVE FINALLY COME  
INTO VIEW FOR THE PRIMARY WINDOW OF CELL INITIATION WITH A  
WIDESPREAD CONVECTIVE PATTERN LIKELY TO EXTEND FROM THE STOCKTON  
PLATEAU TO POINTS EAST WITHIN THE I-10 CORRIDOR UP THROUGH ALL OF  
HILL COUNTRY, ESPECIALLY OVER THE I-35 SECTION OF SOUTH-CENTRAL TX.  
HREF BLENDED MEAN QPF IS OVER 2" NOW WITHIN A LARGE AREA  
ENCOMPASSING THE TERRAIN FOCUSED ACROSS THE CENTRAL PORTION OF THE  
STATE. THIS HAD LED TO ELEVATED NEIGHBORHOOD PROBS OF >2" FOR THE  
12-00Z TIME FRAME IN THE FORECAST RUNNING >70% OVER PRETTY MUCH ALL  
OF THE ABOVE REGION EXTENDING INTO PORTIONS OF EAST TX. THE EAST TX  
CORRIDOR HAS BECOME A NEWER DEVELOPMENT IN TERMS OF ANTICIPATED QPF  
MAGNITUDE AS THE THE CAMS AND IN SOME INSTANCES THE GLOBAL  
DETERMINISTIC ARE NOW CATCHING ON TO THE DEEP MOISTURE ADVECTION  
REGIME POKING NORTH OUT OF THE WESTERN GULF AHEAD OF THE FRONT  
ARRIVAL. FORECAST SOUNDINGS ACROSS THE AREA BETWEEN HOUSTON UP TO  
THE LATITUDE OF AUSTIN ARE NOW INDICATING MUCAPE OR THE ORDER OF  
3500-5000 J/KG PRIOR TO ANY FRONT ARRIVAL LEADING TO SIGNIFICANT  
HEAVY CORES TO TRANSPIRE DUE TO CAP BREACH FROM DIURNAL  
DESTABILIZATION INITIALLY, FOLLOWED BY MORE ORGANIZED MULTI-CELL  
CLUSTERS AS WE MOVE INTO THE EVENING AS THE LLJ RE-INTENSIFIES AND  
THE COLD FRONT MOTIONS INTO THE REGION.  
 
SOUNDINGS ALSO NOTE A PERIOD OF MEAN FLOW AND UPSHEAR COMPONENTS  
THAT WOULD LEAD TO POTENTIAL BACKBUILDING WITHIN THE CONFINES OF  
THE FRONT. VERY STRONG ASCENT BETWEEN 850-300MB IS ALSO NOTED  
WITHIN MULTIPLE CAMS OUTPUTS, A TESTAMENT TO THE FAVORABILITY FOR  
THE SETUP TO BECOME MORE ORGANIZED AND PROVIDING A VAST AREAL  
EXPANSE OF HEAVY CONVECTION ONCE THE SETUP MATURES. PWATS BETWEEN  
1.6-1.9" WITH LOCALLY >2" ARE BEING FORECAST ALONG AND AHEAD OF THE  
FRONT AS IT MOVES INTO CENTRAL TX, A FORECAST THAT TRADITIONALLY IS  
FAVORED FOR GREATER FLASH FLOOD PROSPECTS, ESPECIALLY OVER THE  
FAVORED I-35 CORRIDOR BETWEEN AUSTIN TO SAN ANTONIO WHERE HIGH  
RUNOFF CAPABILITIES ARE FOUND DUE TO SOIL TYPE AND LIMESTONE  
FOUNDATIONS. LOCAL TOTALS BETWEEN 3-6" ARE LIKELY OVER THE ENTIRE  
STRETCH OF HILL COUNTRY THROUGH EAST TX WITH THE EASTERN MOST  
EXTENT EVEN SHIFTING INTO WESTERN LA AS THE CONVECTIVE PATTERN  
EVOLVES AND GROWS UPSCALE ENTERING INTO THE ADJACENT LOWER  
MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. HOUSTON METRO IS NOW IN PLAY FOR CONVECTIVE  
IMPACTS, ESPECIALLY AS THUNDERSTORMS TO THE NORTH PROVIDE OUTFLOW  
GENERATION THAT COULD SEND COLD POOLS SOUTH TOWARDS THE GULF COAST  
WITH ADDITIONAL CONVECTIVE DEVELOPMENT ALONG THE EDGE OF ANY  
APPROACHING COLD POOL.  
 
THE PREVIOUS SLGT RISK WAS RELATIVELY UNCHANGED ACROSS CENTRAL TX.  
SOME EXPANSION TO THE WEST WAS MADE INTO THE STOCKTON PLATEAU WHERE  
INITIAL CELL FORMATIONS WILL LIKELY OCCUR AS THE FRONT ARRIVES AND  
INTERACTS WITH A FORMIDABLE INSTABILITY AXIS ALIGNED OVER THE  
PLATEAU ITSELF. THE SLGT WAS EXPANDED SOUTHEAST TO COVER THE  
HOUSTON METRO AND POINTS NORTH WHERE THERE IS GROWING CONSENSUS ON  
CONVECTIVE IMPACTS OVER AND NEAR THE URBAN CENTER. THIS IS A HIGH-  
END SLGT OVER MUCH OF CENTRAL TX, ESPECIALLY HILL COUNTRY TO THE  
I-35 CORRIDOR AND POINTS EAST. A RISK UPGRADE IS NOT OUT OF THE  
QUESTION IN SUBSEQUENT UPDATES GIVEN THE ENVIRONMENTAL  
FAVORABILITY AND FLASHY HISTORY OF PLACES EXPECTED TO SEE THE  
GREATEST THUNDERSTORM COVERAGE/RATES.  
 
KLEEBAUER  
 
DAY 3  
VALID 12Z SAT MAY 03 2025 - 12Z SUN MAY 04 2025  
 
...THERE IS A MARGINAL RISK OF EXCESSIVE RAINFALL ACROSS MUCH OF  
THE APPALACHIAN FRONT AS WELL AS PORTIONS OF THE GREAT BASIN...  
   
..APPALACHIANS  
 
AN ANOMALOUS UPPER LOW CENTER EVOLVING OVER THE OHIO VALLEY WILL  
GENERATE A STRONG DIFFLUENT SIGNATURE DOWNSTREAM ACROSS THE  
APPALACHIANS AND POINTS EAST WITH A SIGNIFICANT MOISTURE FETCH  
POLEWARD FROM THE GULF, AND EVENTUAL ATLANTIC BASIN BY THE END OF  
THE PERIOD. ORGANIZED CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY WILL BREW WITHIN THE RER  
OF A STRENGTHENING UPPER JET CORE LOCATED OVER ONTARIO/QUEBEC AS  
THE UPPER PATTERN BECOMES CLOSED OFF TO THE WEST AFTER 00Z/SUN.  
NAEFS PWAT ANOMALIES BETWEEN +1 AND +2 DEVIATIONS WILL OFFER A  
SUITABLE MOISTURE RICH ENVIRONMENT CONDUCIVE FOR STRONGER HEAVY  
CONVECTIVE CORES CAPABLE OF LOCALLY ENHANCED RAINFALL PROSPECTS  
WITHIN THE CONFINES OF THE GREAT DIFFLUENT AXIS. AS OF THIS TIME,  
THIS PLACES THE APPALACHIANS FRONT FROM NORTHERN GA UP THROUGH PA  
AS THE PRIMARY REGION OF INTEREST, HOWEVER SOME ELEVATED  
INSTABILITY NOTIONS ARE PRESENT WITHIN SOME OF THE RECENT  
DETERMINISTIC OUTPUT. AS OF THIS TIME, A GENERAL 1-2" IS FORECAST  
WITHIN THE ABOVE CORRIDOR WITH SOME HEAVIER CELLS EVEN POSSIBLE AS  
FAR SOUTH AS THE CENTRAL GULF COAST, BUT THOSE ARE MORE ALIGNED  
WITHIN THE DECAYING SURFACE FRONT THAT IS PROGGED TO BREAKDOWN  
BEFORE EXITING THE COASTAL PLAIN. THE AREA OF FOCUS WILL RESIDE  
WITHIN THAT BROAD ASCENT PATTERN ENHANCED BY THE EVOLVING AMPLIFIED  
PATTERN TO THE EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI WITH THE COMPLEX TERRAIN  
PROVIDING A SECONDARY ELEMENT THAT WOULD FAVOR ISOLATED FLASH FLOOD  
PROSPECTS. AS A RESULT, A BROAD MRGL RISK EXTENDS FROM THE  
SOUTHERN APPALACHIANS UP THROUGH NORTHEAST PA WHERE THE CURRENT  
ENSEMBLE MEAN QPF IS HIGHEST WHILE ALSO RESIDING WITHIN THE LOWER  
FFG INDICES AVAILABLE IN THE EASTERN CONUS.  
   
..GREAT BASIN  
 
OMEGA BLOCK PATTERN INITIATING OVER THE CONUS WILL LEAD TO YET  
ANOTHER AMPLIFIED UPPER LOW GENERATION ACROSS THE WESTERN CONUS  
THROUGH D3. THE THREAT FOR ELEVATED CONVECTION IN-OF INTERIOR NV UP  
INTO SOUTHEAST OR HAVE BEEN FORECAST FOR SEVERAL DAYS WITH THE  
DETERMINISTIC GUIDANCE BASICALLY "LOCKED IN" TO THE EXPECTED  
EVOLUTION. DESPITE RAINFALL RATES RATHER LOW GRADE COMPARED TO WHAT  
YOU NORMALLY FIND FOR FLASH FLOODING, THIS AREA HAS A NOTORIOUS LOW  
FFG BIAS THAT TENDS TO ACCENTUATE THE FLASH FLOOD PROSPECTS IN THIS  
AREA OF THE CONUS. RECENT ENSEMBLE MEANS HAVE BEEN HOVERING BETWEEN  
0.75-1.25" OF TOTAL QPF WITHIN THE CORRIDOR EXTENDING FROM RENO TO  
POINTS NORTHEAST WITH LOCAL MAXIMA HOVERING UP NEAR 2" DUE TO THE  
ADDED EFFECT OF GREATER UPPER FORCING THANKS TO THE MATURING CLOSED  
ULL REFLECTION. THIS SETUP HAS BEEN STEADY WITHIN THE FIRST GUESS  
FIELDS FOR THE THREAT AND REALLY HASN'T WAVERED MUCH IN THE MRGL  
RISK OUTPUT FROM THE ML. CONSIDERING THE FACTORS ABOVE AND A  
PATTERN MORE FAVORABLE FOR THESE CONVECTIVE SCHEMES ACROSS THE  
GREAT BASIN, THE PREVIOUS MRGL RISK INHERITED WAS MAINTAINED WITH A  
SMALL EXPANSION NORTHWARD INTO SOUTHEAST OR TO HIGHLIGHT QPF TRENDS  
FAVORING BETTER TOTALS WITHIN THOSE ZONES.  
 
KLEEBAUER  
 
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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