• Heavy Rain/Flooding VA/NC

    From Mike Powell@618:250/1 to All on Saturday, July 20, 2024 10:00:00
    AWUS01 KWNH 201200
    FFGMPD
    VAZ000-NCZ000-201800-

    Mesoscale Precipitation Discussion 0669
    NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD
    800 AM EDT Sat Jul 20 2024

    Areas affected...much of central/southern VA...far northern NC

    Concerning...Heavy rainfall...Flash flooding possible

    Valid 201200Z - 201800Z

    Summary...Slow moving showers producing rainfall rates of 1-3"/hr
    may result in localized totals of 3-5" through morning. Isolated
    to scattered flash flooding is possible (with a locally
    significant event or two possible).

    Discussion...Low-topped, highly efficient showers are percolating
    around and north of a weak stationary boundary draped near the
    VA/NC border region this morning. Some of these showers have
    already been capable of 2-3"/hr rainfall rates (per MRMS
    estimates), embedded within stratiform rainfall and moving very
    slowly (as 850-700 mb flow ranges from only 5-10 kts). While
    forcing is not very significant, a weak shortwave trough is
    evident via GOES-East water vapor imagery and RAP analysis just
    upstream (over TN/NC border region), and this looks to contribute
    to additional development through the morning. In addition, the
    current activity is moving into a more favorable area of
    instability (SB CAPE 500-1000 J/kg), and instability will only
    increase with the increase in solar insolation. Precipitable water
    levels are quite high (1.8-2.1", between the 90th percentile and
    max moving average per GSO and WAL sounding climatology), and warm
    rain processes (collision and coalescence) will continue to
    dominate with freezing levels between 14-15k feet (and a
    significant cap above 700 mb, particularly closer to the coast
    line).

    While hi-res guidance is not very excited about overall rainfall
    coverage, there are indications of locally significant rainfall
    accumulations. While some hourly HRRR runs depict isolated to
    widely scattered 3-5" totals, the 06z HREF also has a meaningful
    signal for localized 3" exceedance (per 40-km neighborhood
    probabilities of 20-40%, and a small bullseye of 70% near/north of Williamsburg, VA). These exceedance probabilities correspond with
    5-10 year ARI exceedance, which are also very near the Flash Flood
    Guidance (for 6-hr period). Given the observational trends and
    available guidance, isolated to scattered flash flooding is
    considered possible (with a locally significant event also
    possible, particularly over far eastern VA where the experimental
    RRFS guidance also indicates a strong signal for 3" exceedance).

    Churchill

    ATTN...WFO...AKQ...LWX...RAH...RNK...

    ATTN...RFC...MARFC...OHRFC...SERFC...NWC...

    LAT...LON 37817816 37787596 37317553 36587690 36297871
    36108065 36488153 37268077 37587971
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