084  
FOUS30 KWBC 191848  
QPFERD  
 
EXCESSIVE RAINFALL DISCUSSION  
NWS WEATHER PREDICTION CENTER COLLEGE PARK MD  
148 PM EST THU FEB 19 2026  
 
DAY 1  
VALID 16Z THU FEB 19 2026 - 12Z FRI FEB 20 2026  
 
...THERE IS A MARGINAL RISK OF EXCESSIVE RAINFALL ACROSS SOUTHERN  
CALIFORNIA AND PORTIONS OF THE OHIO VALLEY INTO THE CENTRAL  
APPALACHIANS...  
 
16Z UPDATE: NO LARGE OR MODERATE SIZED ADJUSTMENTS WERE NEEDED WITH  
RESPECT TO TRENDS NOTED IN THE 12Z CAM/HREF SUITE.  
   
..S CALIFORNIA  
 
THE NEXT IN PARADE OF QUICK HITTING SHORTWAVES  
DROPPING SOUTH ALONG THE CALIFORNIA COAST REMAINS ON TRACK WITH IVT  
VALUES REMAINING AT OR BELOW 400 KG/M/S, AS IT ROUNDS POINT  
CONCEPTION OVER THE NEXT 6 HOURS OR SO. BEST ASCENT AND QPF REMAINS  
ALONG THE EASTERN MID TO LOWER SLOPES (UPPER SLOPES ARE BELOW  
FREEZING) ACROSS THE TRANSVERSE RANGE AND INTO THE PENINSULAR  
RANGE. THE OVERALL RATES/TOTALS WOULD NOT NORMALLY CAUSE MUCH  
CONCERN, THOUGH RECENT MODERATE TO HEAVY RAINFALL HAS SATURATED  
THE UPPER SOILS AND MAY STILL PRESENT INCREASED RUN-OFF AND LOCALLY  
MINOR FLOODING CONCERNS. AS SUCH THE MARGINAL RISK REMAINS IN  
PLACE.  
   
..UPPER OHIO VALLEY/CENTRAL APPALACHIANS  
 
SOME 12Z HI-RES CAMS AND RAPID-REFRESH GUIDANCE LIKE THE  
RAP/HRRR/RRFS CONTINUE TO OCCASIONALLY SHOW FAVORABLE WAA FOR SOME  
BANDED/TRAINING CONVECTIVE CELLS ACROSS THE CUMBERLAND PLATEAU AND  
UPPER OHIO RIVER VALLEY. A FEW RUNS EVEN SHOW PERHAPS A SECONDARY  
BAND A TAD FURTHER SOUTH ACROSS S KY/NE TN INTO W VA, AND WITH  
LOWER FFG, HAVE ADJUSTED THE MARGINAL SLIGHTLY TO INCORPORATE THESE  
SOLUTIONS. THE RISK FOR LOCALIZED FLASH FLOODING REMAINS HIGHLY  
CONTINGENT ON SHORT-TERM TRAINING FACTORS, NATURALLY LOWER FFGS  
AND PERHAPS SOME RAIN ON SNOW IN THE HIGHEST WINDWARD FACING  
TERRAIN IN E WV WHERE UP TO AN 1" OF SNOW-WATER EQUIVALENT (SWE)  
COULD ADD TO RUN-OFF CONCERNS (GIVEN SNOWPACK IS RELATIVELY  
WARM...PER NOHRSC). STILL, MAGNITUDE AND COVERAGE REMAINS BEST  
SUITED ON THE LOWER END MARGINAL RISK CATEGORY AT THIS TIME.  
 
GALLINA  
 
~~~PRIOR DISCUSSION~~~   
..SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA  
 
A STRONG MID-LEVEL SHORTWAVE WILL BRING AN INCREASE IN RAINFALL TO  
SOUTHERN CA THIS MORNING INTO THE AFTERNOON. THIS IS A QUICK MOVING  
SYSTEM THAT WILL NOT HAVE A LOT OF MOISTURE TO WORK WITH. PLENTY  
OF COLD AIR ALOFT THOUGH, WHICH WILL ALLOW FOR UPWARDS OF A COUPLE  
HUNDRED J/KG OF CAPE AND SOME LOCALIZED HEAVIER RAINFALL RATES.  
THE QUICK CELL MOTIONS AND LIMITED MOISTURE WILL KEEP RAINFALL  
TOTALS GENERALLY UNDER 1", POSSIBLY AS HIGH AS ~1.5" IN FAVORED  
UPSLOPE AREAS. HOURLY RAINFALL SHOULD PEAK IN THE 0.25"-0.5" RANGE,  
ALTHOUGH VERY LOCALIZED AMOUNTS OVER 0.5" ARE PROBABLE. OVERALL,  
WE WOULD NOT EXPECT THESE TOTALS OR RATES TO RESULT IN A  
SIGNIFICANT FLOOD RISK. GIVEN HIGH SOIL MOISTURE FROM RAINFALL  
EARLIER THIS WEEK, THIS ADDITIONAL RAINFALL COULD BE ENOUGH TO  
RESULT IN LOCALIZED MINOR FLOOD IMPACTS.  
   
..OH VALLEY INTO CENTRAL APPALACHIANS  
 
MULTIPLE ROUNDS OF SHOWERS AND EMBEDDED THUNDERSTORMS MAY RESULT IN  
A LOCALIZED FLOOD RISK TODAY INTO TONIGHT ACROSS PORTIONS OF  
EASTERN KY, SOUTHERN OH AND INTO WV AND SOUTHWEST PA. WAA THIS  
MORNING INTO THIS AFTERNOON WILL RESULT IN AN UPTICK IN CONVECTION  
ACROSS THIS CORRIDOR, WITH THE COLD FRONTAL PASSAGE TONIGHT ACCOMPANIED  
BY ADDITIONAL SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. BY LATE TONIGHT MUCH OF  
THIS REGION COULD BE LOOKING AT 1-2" OF RAINFALL, WITH LOCALIZED  
TOTALS POTENTIALLY GETTING INTO THE 2-3" RANGE.  
 
THE 06Z HRRR AND 00Z GEM REG ARE IN GOOD AGREEMENT ON THIS  
AXIS OF HEAVIER RAINFALL, WITH THE 00Z ECMWF AND AIFS IN THE SAME  
BALLPARK AS WELL. NOT REALLY SURE WHY THE 00Z ARW, ARW2, 3KM NAM  
ARE SO SPARSE WITH CONVECTION AND LIGHT WITH RAINFALL TOTALS. THEIR  
EVOLUTION IS NOT SUPPORTED BY THE FAVORABLE MESOSCALE AND LARGE  
SCALE PATTERN, AND SO PREFER LEANING TOWARDS THE WETTER NON- NCEP  
GUIDANCE AND RECENT HRRR RUNS. BASED ON FORECAST INSTABILITY AND  
RECENT HRRR OUTPUT, HOURLY RAINFALL COULD LOCALLY APPROACH AND  
EXCEED 1" ACROSS THIS CORRIDOR BOTH WITH THE WAA CONVECTION AND  
COLD FRONTAL ACTIVITY. NASA SPORT SOIL MOISTURE ANALYSIS SHOWS  
ABOVE AVERAGE SOIL SATURATION ACROSS THIS REGION AS WELL. SO,  
WHILE NOT EXPECTING WIDESPREAD OR SIGNIFICANT FLOOD IMPACTS, THE  
COMBINATION OF TOTAL RAINFALL LOCALLY EXCEEDING 2", HOURLY RAINFALL  
APPROACHING 1", AND HIGH SOIL SATURATION...SUGGESTS THAT AT LEAST  
SOME MINOR RUNOFF CONCERNS COULD EVOLVE TODAY INTO TONIGHT.  
 
AN AXIS OF STRONGER CONVECTION MAY MATERIALIZE FARTHER NORTHWEST  
OF THE MARGINAL RISK ACROSS PORTIONS OF IL/IN/OH. WHILE HEAVIER  
SHORT TERM RATES ARE LIKELY HERE, THE CURRENT EXPECTATION IS THAT  
ACTIVITY WILL BE MORE PROGRESSIVE AND THUS THE HIGHER RATES MORE  
SHORT LIVED. SOIL CONDITIONS ARE ALSO CONSIDERABLY DRIER ACROSS  
THIS CORRIDOR, AND SO WE WILL NOT INCLUDE THIS REGION IN THE  
MARGINAL RISK FOR NOW.  
 
CHENARD  
 
DAY 2  
VALID 12Z FRI FEB 20 2026 - 12Z SAT FEB 21 2026  
 
THE PROBABILITY OF RAINFALL EXCEEDING FLASH FLOOD GUIDANCE IS LESS  
THAN 5 PERCENT.  
 
COOK/CHENARD  
 
DAY 3  
VALID 12Z SAT FEB 21 2026 - 12Z SUN FEB 22 2026  
 
THE PROBABILITY OF RAINFALL EXCEEDING FLASH FLOOD GUIDANCE IS LESS  
THAN 5 PERCENT.  
 
COOK/CHENARD  
 
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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