


Flash Flood Guidance
Issued by NWS
Issued by NWS
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320 AWUS01 KWNH 170408 FFGMPD MDZ000-WVZ000-170900- Mesoscale Precipitation Discussion 0466 NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD 1207 AM EDT Tue Jun 17 2025 Areas affected...northern WV into far western MD Concerning...Heavy rainfall...Flash flooding possible Valid 170400Z - 170900Z Summary...Some persistence of 1.0-1.5" localized hourly rainfall amounts may allow for isolated instances of flash flooding. Discussion...Relatively weak low-level convergence and moisture transport in the vicinity of a quasi-stationary surface front and inverted trough of low pressure is maintaining a cluster of heavy showers and thunderstorms with efficient rainfall (1.0-1.5" hourly localized amounts, per MRMS) over northern portions of WV. The mesoscale environment in the vicinity of this cluster of convection is characterized by a maxima of surface based instability (SB CAPE of 500-1500 J/kg) with little to no convective inhibition, precipitable water values of 1.7-1.9 inches (near record levels, per PIT sounding climatology), and effective bulk shear of 25-30 kts. Low-level moisture transport is only expected to increase over the next few hours, as the pressure gradient tightens with a deepening low over the northern Great Lakes and an upper-level trough over the Mid-South both making their way eastward. Isentropic lift is expected to become more pronounced as a result (concentrated on the 300-305K surface, generally between the 900-800 mb isobaric surface), and this appears to be favorably offset by idealized divergence aloft in the vicinity of the right-entrance region of a 70 kt jet streak at 250 mb (centered over north-central PA and arcing ESE-SE). While 00z hi-res CAM signals are rather limited (with the 00z HREF suite largely absent of QPF, with the exception of the 00z ARW), the hourly HRRR runs have started to initialize and pick up on the convection (02z more significantly so, depicting some 1-3" totals). While the HRRR seems to want to kill off the convection rather quickly, the 00z ARW indicates the potential for the persistence of ~1"/hr localized rates (with slow progression and backbuilding allowing for localized 2-3" QPF). Given the rather favorable aforementioned environment for heavy rainfall (with a particular focus on the highly efficient warm rain processes, as wet bulb zero heights are around 12k feet) with very sensitive terrain and wet antecedent conditions (1-3 hr FFGs of 1" or less). Isolated instances of flash flooding are possible. Churchill ...Please see www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov for graphic product... ATTN...WFO...LWX...PBZ...RLX... ATTN...RFC...RHA...TIR...NWC... LAT...LON 39697956 39517895 38957909 39017986 39238091 39498097 39668073