


Quantitative Precipitation Forecast
Issued by NWS
Issued by NWS
647 FOUS30 KWBC 220841 QPFERD Excessive Rainfall Discussion NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 441 AM EDT Fri Aug 22 2025 Day 1 Valid 12Z Fri Aug 22 2025 - 12Z Sat Aug 23 2025 ...THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF EXCESSIVE RAINFALL FOR MUCH OF SOUTHEAST GEORGIA AND SOUTHERN SOUTH CAROLINA... ...Upper Midwest... On-going shower and thunderstorms with locally heavy rainfall rates mainly over eastern South Dakota preceding the start of the Day 1 period at 22/12Z should persist beyond 12Z. The expectation is that the risk of excessive rainfall should diminish within a couple of hours. Until then...locally heavy rainfall rates in excess of 1.5 inches per hour could result in flash flooding. Additional details in WPC Mesoscale Precipitation Discussion 0972. ...Southeast... A slow-moving front which becomes a quasi-stationary front upon reaching the Gulf later today will be a focus for heavy to potentially excessive rainfall. Precipitable water values with areal average 2.25-2.5" encompassing a majority of the Gulf coast from LA over towards the Southeast coastal plain. This...combined with elevated deep layer moisture, instability, and enhanced surface convergence along the front will yield some fairly prolific rainfall makers in any convective scheme during the period. Latest HREF/RRFS runs still key in the Georgia/South Carolina area (especially coastal areas) due to stronger sfc-850mb convergence. Areal average rainfall of ~2-3" of rainfall remained in the latest deterministic QPF. The most robust signal was within the probabilities for FFG exceedance just based off the 22/12Z to 23/00Z window still indicated a greater than >60% chance of both 3hr and 6hr FFG exceedance probabilities...generally from Charleston, SC down through the SC Low Country into far southeast GA. Rainfall rates will be pretty stout considering the environmental factors...with classic tropical convective scheme that is capable of producing 2-3"/hr rates more regularly in the strongest cell cores, even seeing 4-5"/hr instantaneous rates. ...Texas and Louisiana Gulf Coast... Pooling moisture along a shallow quasi-stationary front along the Gulf coast will amplify environmental conditions to favor isolated to scattered convective development capable of localized flash flooding thanks to deep layer moisture between 2-2.25" precipitable water values and slower mean cell motions. The signal is not as prolific as areas downstream, but the threat is still being forecast based off the latest CAMs with some localized totals of 2-4" being forecast along and south of I-10, enough to maintain general MRGL risk continuity from previous forecast. ...Southwest to Central Rockies... Little change was necessary given run to run continuity on the next widespread convective pattern centered over the Southwestern CONUS to Central Rockies. Western ridge will shift towards the Great Basin/Four Corners by the end of the week with the monsoonal moisture pattern also migrating westward to include more of the Great Basin and interior Colorado river basin. The amount of dry air in the sub-cloud region of area sounding allowed for a bit of area to be trimmed off the western and northern portion of the Marginal risk area....but maintained it in the area of terrain. Precipitable water anomalies on the order of +1 deviation and strong surface destabilization will yield a fairly widespread convective regime across the Southwestern part of the CONUS with heavy rain signatures littered among the activity. Rates up to 1-1.5"/hr in the strongest cores will likely promote flash flood concerns in those more prone dry washes, slot canyons, and burn scars residing over the region. The threat extends into the Central Rockies as shortwaves round the eastern flank of the ridge and aid in convective initiation over the terrain of Central Colorado. Overall...the current Excessive Rainfall Outlook changed little provide the previous one. Bann Day 2 Valid 12Z Sat Aug 23 2025 - 12Z Sun Aug 24 2025 ...THERE IS A MARGINAL RISK OF EXCESSIVE RAINFALL FOR PORTIONS OF THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN APPALACHIANS, SOUTHEAST AND SOUTHWEST U.S... ...Southeast into the Appalachians... Elevated precipitable water values will linger across the Southeastern CONUS through the first half of the weekend as a stalled front leads to sustained pooling due to prolonged surface moisture flux convergence. A modest surge in moisture along the Appalachian front from Georgia up through West Virginia on Saturday afternoon and beyond allowing for more scattered convective signatures to materialize with the aid of diurnal destabilization. Totals across the Southeast and Appalachians are not as robust compared to previous periods to warrant anything greater than a MRGL, however antecedent soil conditions over portions of the Carolina`s and Georgia may necessitate a targeted upgrade. Given the trend for at least some modest convective coverage through the morning and afternoon time frames on Saturday, so there`s a non-zero possibility of warranting a greater risk. For now, kept the previous forecast over the Southeast with some tweaks on the northern edge of the MRGL in the Appalachian front. ...West... Little change in the large-scale pattern resulted in few changes needed to the previous Day 3 outlook as it propagates into the Day 2 period. Numerous convection across southern and eastern California and across the interior west with the eastern extent likely back over the Central Rockies. Ridging over the western CONUS will remain stationary with a recycled vorticity pattern rotating under the guide of the ridge with elevated moisture pretty much encompassing the Southwestern U.S and interior portions of the west like NV/UT/CO. Heaviest QPF footprint is currently situated over the Sangre de Cristos and San Juan Mtns given embedded shortwave energy and orographics providing areas of focused ascent. The more prone slot canyon, burn scar remnants, and dry washes will once again be the target of interest for flash flood prospects.. Bann Day 3 Valid 12Z Sun Aug 24 2025 - 12Z Mon Aug 25 2025 ...THERE IS A MARGINAL RISK OF EXCESSIVE RAINFALL OVER THE SOUTHWEST U.S. TO THE CENTRAL PLAINS AND ACROSS PARTS OF THE APPALACHIANS AND MID-ATLATNIC... ...West... Little change in the large-scale pattern spells another day of scattered to numerous late day and evening showers and thunderstorms for the areas generally west of the Rockies. A shift in the mid-level flow may allow for increasing amounts of moisture to start a slow northward expansion across parts of the Intermountain region...resulting in an expansion to the Marginal Risk area there. Otherwise...the driving forces will continue to be weak shortwave energy embedded within fast flow...locally encountering/interacting with orographics during the time of maximum heating/instability. Once again...slot canyons, burn scar remnants, and dry washes will once again be the target of interest for flash flood prospects.. Father east...the risk of excessive rainfall starts to spread out away from the central Rockies Front Range and out over the adjacent plains where any shortwave energy encounters lowering mid-level heights. Flow aloft is forecast to be northwesterly at this point but models do show a period of low level upslope flow. Spaghetti plots do show some potential for 2 to 3 inch rainfall amounts extending as far east as western Kansas by the end of the period. Given the precipitable water values forecast...the most active convection could drop 1 to 2 inch rainfall amounts in an hour. ...Appalachians to Mid-Atlantic and Pennsylvania/New York... A deepening area of low pressure north of the border will force a cold front to sweep eastward from the Great Lakes into the eastern third of the country on Sunday...driven in part by a 75 to 100 kt upper level jet providing support via divergence aloft. With the renewed push of colder air...the low level boundary will act to focus shower and thunderstorm activity capable of locally heavy rainfall rates that could challenge flash flood guidance- especially in areas where flash flood guidance has been suppressed recently. Bann 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