A Study of Two Impactful Heavy Rainfall Events in the Southern Appalachian Mountains during Early 2020, Part II; Regional Overview, Rainfall Evolution, and Satellite QPE Utility

Two heavy rainfall events occurring in early 2020 brought flooding, flash strong winds, and tornadoes to the southern Appalachian Mountains. Part I of study examined large-scale atmospheric contributions river-influenced subsequent societal impacts. Contrary expectations based on previous work this region, event having a lower accumulation shorter duration resulted greater number triggered landslides prolonged downstream flooding outside mountains. One purpose (Part II) is examine local conditions contributing rather unusual surface response 12–13 April 2020. A second investigate utility several spaced-based QPE vertical profile methods illuminating some unique event. The embedded mesoscale convective elements warm sector were larger longer than other February 2020, leading sustained periods rain rates. environment was convectively unstable, resulting available potential energy by relatively dry airstreams at 700 hPa level, continuously overriding moist air stream low levels attributed an river.