258  
FOUS30 KWBC 010825  
QPFERD  
 
EXCESSIVE RAINFALL DISCUSSION  
NWS WEATHER PREDICTION CENTER COLLEGE PARK MD  
425 AM EDT THU OCT 1 2026  
 
DAY 1  
VALID 12Z THU OCT 01 2026 - 12Z FRI OCT 02 2026  
 
...THERE IS A MODERATE RISK OF EXCESSIVE RAINFALL ACROSS PORTIONS  
OF THE SOUTHERN PLAINS...  
 
LATEST TRENDS IN GUIDANCE SIGNAL A REPUTABLE CHANCE FOR  
SIGNIFICANT RAINFALL OVER MUCH OF THE MORE FLASH FLOOD PRONE AREAS  
OF SOUTH-CENTRAL TEXAS, INCLUDING THE I-35 CORRIDOR FROM DALLAS-  
FORT WORT TO AUSTIN-SAN ANTONIO WITH A SECONDARY MAX SITUATED  
ALONG THE SOUTHERN RIO GRANDE VILLAGE. WIDESPREAD 3+" RAINFALL  
OPPORTUNITIES WITH A SWATH OF 50-90% PROBABILITIES FOR THE 3-INCH  
THRESHOLD. RAINFALL POTENTIAL OVER THE HILL COUNTRY IS THE MOST  
NOTABLE AREA FOR APPRECIABLE IMPACTS AS ANOTHER PERIOD WHERE 2-4",  
LOCALLY HIGHER TOTALS ARE PLAUSIBLE LEADING TO LOCALLY SIGNIFICANT  
FLASH FLOOD PROSPECTS GIVEN THE SENSITIVITY OF THE AREA IN GENERAL.  
HOURLY RATES LIKELY BETWEEN 1-2"/HR WITH AS HIGH AS 3-4"/HR FOR  
INTRA- HOUR RATE POTENTIAL, A SIGNATURE NOTORIOUS FOR ELEVATED  
FLASH FLOOD CONCERNS WITHIN THE HILL COUNTRY AND THE I-35 CORRIDOR.  
GREATER THAN 5" PROBS ARE VERY HIGH OVER THAT AREA IN DEEP SOUTH  
TEXAS WITH A LARGE AREAL COVERAGE OF 60-90% SITUATED JUST SOUTH OF  
SAN ANTONIO INTO THE RIO GRANDE VILLAGE. THE FRONT WILL BE SLOW TO  
PROGRESS THROUGH THE STATE, SO THE CONVERGENCE PATTERN ALONG AND  
JUST AHEAD OF THE FRONT WILL BE LONG- LASTING, CREATING AN EXTENDED  
PERIOD FOR POTENTIAL TRAINING BEFORE THE FRONTAL PASSAGE OCCURS.  
THE MODERATE RISK WAS MAINTAINED FROM SOUTH TEXAS TO SOUTHEAST  
OKLAHOMA.  
 
PROLONGED DIFFLUENT FLOW OVER THE PLAINS INTO THE MIDWEST SETS THE  
STAGE FOR HEAVY RAINFALL OVER A BROAD AREA OF UNCHARACTERISTICALLY  
HIGH PW VALUES THANKS TO AN AIRMASS COINCIDENT WITH THE REMNANTS  
OF TROPICAL CYCLONE POLO. PW VALUES BETWEEN 2-2.25" OVER THE  
MIDWEST AND MID- MISSISSIPPI VALLEY WILL BE UPWARDS OF 3-4 STANDARD  
DEVIATIONS ABOVE NORMAL, AN ANOMALY THAT WILL LIKELY FLIRT WITH  
SOME OF THE DAILY AND EVEN MONTHLY MAXIMA FOR PWS OVER THIS GENERAL  
AREA. A BROAD SLIGHT RISK COVERS TEXAS TO WISCONSIN AND NORTHEAST  
INDIANA FOR SCATTERED TO POTENTIALLY WIDESPREAD FLASH FLOODING. MODELS  
ARE CONSISTENT IN THE HEAVIEST PRECIPITATION FOOTPRINT OCCURRING  
OVER THE FIRST HALF OF THE FORECAST PERIOD OVER IOWA INTO SOUTHERN  
ILLINOIS AS THE REMNANT ENERGY AND ANOMALOUS MOISTURE FROM POLO  
WILL STILL BE PRESENT WITH WIDESPREAD THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY LIKELY  
TO OCCUR OVER THE COURSE OF THURSDAY MORNING BEFORE THE FRONT FROM  
THE NORTHWEST FINALLY PUSHES THROUGH THE REGION. THIS WILL END THE  
THREAT OVER IOWA/WISCONSIN/NORTHERN ILLINOIS, BUT NOT BEFORE  
SCATTERED FLASH FLOOD CONCERNS OVER THE POPULATION CENTERS BASED IN  
THE AREA FROM EASTERN IOWA INTO ADJACENT ILLINOIS. WIDESPREAD 1-3"  
OF ADDITIONAL RAINFALL IS FORECAST FOR THESE AREAS. PRIMING TODAY  
WILL SET THE STAGE FOR MORE FLASH FLOOD PROSPECTS THE FIRST PART OF  
THE D2 WITH THE HEAVIEST RAINFALL.  
 
CAMPBELL/KLEEBAUER  
 
 
DAY 2  
VALID 12Z FRI OCT 02 2026 - 12Z SAT OCT 03 2026  
 
...THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF EXCESSIVE RAINFALL ACROSS PORTIONS OF  
SOUTHERN/EAST-CENTRAL TEXAS...  
 
THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY WILL BE LINGERING IN THE REGION TO PROVIDE  
ONE LAST ROUND OF APPRECIABLE RAINFALL BEFORE CONDITIONS IMPROVE  
MOVING INTO THE WEEKEND. AN ADDITIONAL 2-4" OF RAINFALL POSSIBLE FROM  
LAREDO TO MCALLEN AND AREAS JUST INLAND WITH A SECONDARY MAX  
POSSIBLE OVER EAST-CENTRAL TEXAS, MAINLY JUST EAST OF THE I-35 AS  
THE FRONT FINALLY MOVES THROUGH ON FRIDAY MORNING. A SLIGHT RISK  
AREA COVER MUCH OF SOUTH TEXAS, EASTERN PORTIONS OF THE HILL  
COUNTRY AND PARTS OF EASTERN TEXAS.  
 
FARTHER NORTH AND EAST, THE COLD FRONT WILL CONTINUE TO ADVANCE  
SOUTHEAST THROUGH THE OHIO VALLEY, WITH SOME POTENTIAL FOR HEAVY  
RAIN ALONG AND AHEAD OF THE BOUNDARY. SUPPORTED BY DEEP SOUTHERLY  
FLOW ALONG THE WESTERN EXTENT OF THE SUBTROPICAL RIDGE, GUIDANCE  
CONTINUES TO SHOW A BROADENING POOL OF ANOMALOUS MOISTURE SPREADING  
FROM THE GULF COAST INTO THIS BOUNDARY. MID- LEVEL ENERGY EMBEDDED  
WITHIN THE FLOW MAY HELP PRODUCE AREAS OF HEAVY RAIN, WITH SOME  
GUIDANCE INDICATING HEAVY AMOUNTS ALONG THE GULF COAST FROM  
MISSISSIPPI TO THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE THIS PERIOD. A BROAD MARGINAL  
SPANS FROM TEXAS ACROSS THE GULF TO WESTERN FLORIDA AND THEN  
NORTHEAST TO OHIO AND KENTUCKY. THESE AREAS WILL LIKELY SEE SOME  
HEAVIER RAINFALL RATES >2"/HR CONSIDERING THE ENVIRONMENT AND  
AVAILABLE INSTABILITY IN THE AREA, HOWEVER THE FFG'S ARE MUCH  
HIGHER IN THESE ZONES WITH THE MOST NOTABLE AREAS OF IMPACT IN THE  
MORE URBANIZED AREAS ALONG THE GULF COAST FROM PANAMA CITY OVER TO  
GALVESTON.  
 
CAMPBELL/KLEEBAUER  
 
 
DAY 3  
VALID 12Z SAT OCT 03 2026 - 12Z SUN OCT 04 2026  
 
..THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF EXCESSIVE RAINFALL FROM THE CENTRAL  
GULF COAST NORTHWARD INTO THE TENNESSEE VALLEY...  
 
DURING THIS PERIOD THE UPPER LEVEL TROUGH WILL CONTINUE TO TRACK  
TOWARD THE EAST WHILE SLOWLY AMPLIFYING ALONG THE WAY TO THE  
EASTERN U.S. DEEP, ANOMALOUS MOISTURE (2-2.5+ STD DEV ABOVE  
NORMAL) WILL BE DRAWN ALONG AND AHEAD OF A WAVY FRONT THAT IS  
FORECAST TO EXTEND SOUTHWESTWARD FROM THE SOUTHERN APPALACHIANS  
BACK INTO THE WESTERN GULF EARLY IN THE PERIOD. MID- TO-UPPER LEVEL  
ENERGY MOVING ALONG THE BASE OF THE BROADER SCALE TROUGH WILL HAVE  
THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE ORGANIZED, HIGHLY- EFFICIENT STORMS,  
RESULTING IN AREAS OF HEAVY AMOUNTS. HEAVY RAINFALL IS EXPECTED TO  
ALIGN ALONG AND AHEAD OF THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY WHERE THE AXIS OF  
DEEPEST MOISTURE WILL BE PRESENT. A SLIGHT RISK FOR EXCESSIVE  
RAINFALL AND POTENTIAL FLASH FLOODING WAS MAINTAINED FOR MUCH OF  
THE CENTRAL GULF COAST AND NORTHWARD ACROSS MISSISSIPPI, NORTHERN  
ALABAMA AND NORTHERN GEORGIA.  
 
CAMPBELL/PEREIRA  
 
 
DAY 4 AND DAY 5  
 
VALID 12Z SUN OCT 04 2026 - 12Z TUE OCT 06 2026  
   
..THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OVER PARTS OF THE CENTRAL GULF COAST
 
 
FOR DAY 4 (12Z SUN-12Z MON) -- THE ONE MEANINGFUL CHANGE COMPARED  
TO YESTERDAY'S DAY 5 ERO WAS TO EXTEND THE MARGINAL ALL THE WAY TO  
THE MID ATLANTIC AND SOUTHEAST COAST. THERE IS A HANDFUL OF  
GUIDANCE (INCLUDING THE 00Z ECMWF, EC ENSEMBLE MEAN, AND EC-AIFS)  
THAT ARE A BIT MORE PROGRESSIVE WITH THE SOUTHWARD EXTENT OF THE  
BROAD FRONTAL ZONE, THUS IMPLYING ANY OUTLOOK AREAS WOULD BE  
SHIFTED FARTHER SOUTH TOWARD THE GULF COAST. FOR NOW, HAVE  
MAINTAINED THE SLIGHT RISK ACROSS PARTS OF THE CENTRAL GULF COAST,  
THOUGH IF THE TRENDS IN THE GLOBAL GUIDANCE CONTINUE (AMPLIFYING  
UPPER TROUGH OVER THE GREAT LAKES), LATER SHIFTS MAY START PEELING  
AWAY AT THE NORTHERN EXTENT OF THE SLIGHT (AS WELL AS MARGINAL)  
WITH THE FASTER SURFACE COLD FRONTAL PASSAGE.  
 
ON DAY 5, THE ONLY AREA OF CONCERN AT THIS POINT IS THE LOWER TX  
COAST. THIS IS WHERE THE SURFACE FRONT WOULD MORE LIKELY GET HUNG  
UP, AS BOTH THE 00Z ECMWF AND GFS SHOW STRETCHED MID-LEVEL VORT  
LOBES LINGERING ACROSS SOUTH TX. AT THIS TIME, THE GUIDANCE SHOWS A  
VERY COMPACT AREA OF HEAVIER RAIN (HIGHER DETERMINISTIC AND  
PROBABILISTIC QPF) ONSHORE FROM THE GULF, BASICALLY ALONG THE  
LOWER TX COAST AND INTO EASTERN PORTIONS OF THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY.  
 
HURLEY  
 
 
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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