


Flash Flood Guidance
Issued by NWS
Issued by NWS
419 AWUS01 KWNH 140317 FFGMPD PAZ000-MDZ000-VAZ000-DCZ000-WVZ000-140800- Mesoscale Precipitation Discussion 0267 NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 1116 PM EDT Tue May 13 2025 Areas affected...Blue Ridge Mountains across much of VA and into MD/WV/PA, east into portions of the DMV Concerning...Heavy rainfall...Flash flooding likely Valid 140300Z - 140800Z Summary...Rainfall rates of 0.5-1.0" (and locally higher) are expected to continue over areas that have already received 2-5". Scattered instances of flash flooding are likely to continue (with locally significant to catastrophic impacts possible across portions of the Blue Ridge Mountains). Discussion...Areas of stratiform rainfall with 0.5-1.0"/hr rates continue across much of VA and into adjacent portions of MD/WV/PA, generally along and to the east of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Embedded convective elements occasionally produce hourly rates in excess of 1" (per MRMS) estimates, and this is problematically occurring over areas that have already received 2-5" rainfall totals over the past 12-24 hours (with some localities in the vicinity of Shenandoah National Park receiving the bulk of that amount over the past 3-6 hours, with multiple Flash Flood Emergencies currently in effect). Deep cyclonic flow with a northwestward translating mid-level vorticity max and accompanying diffluence aloft looks to maintain synoptic scale lift and upper-level support, while moderate to strong low-level moisture transport (most prominent at 925 mb with 30-40 kt flow) via the persistent warm conveyor belt directed SE-ESE across the DMV maintains lower-level support/convergence. While instability is beginning to wane over much of the region (-200 to -800 J/kg of MUCAPE over the past 3 hours), buoyancy remains sufficient (MUCAPE of 100-500 J/kg) to sustain embedded convective elements (in addition to terrain forcing along the Blue Ridge itself). Given the aforementioned wet antecedent conditions (with Flash Flood Guidance over 3-6 hours generally ranging from 1.0-2.0", and locally even below 1.0") and the expected continued rainfall rates of 0.5-1.0" (and locally higher) over the next several hours, scattered instances of flash flooding are likely to continue (and may be locally significant to catastrophic). Churchill ...Please see www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov for graphic product... ATTN...WFO...AKQ...CTP...LWX...PBZ...RNK... ATTN...RFC...MARFC...OHRFC...NWC... LAT...LON 40417842 40337806 40177774 40047742 39957731 39827714 39677699 39417689 39037691 38777699 38337724 37577752 37397815 37647857 38047870 38597871 39387876 39557892 39707931 40027923 40337893