486  
ACUS01 KWNS 271247  
SWODY1  
SPC AC 271245  
 
DAY 1 CONVECTIVE OUTLOOK  
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK  
0745 AM CDT MON APR 27 2026  
 
VALID 271300Z - 281200Z  
 
...THERE IS A MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS PARTS OF  
MISSOURI INTO ILLINOIS...  
   
..SUMMARY  
 
NUMEROUS SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED FROM THE MID  
MISSISSIPPI/LOWER OHIO VALLEYS INTO THE MID-SOUTH THROUGH THIS  
EVENING, WITH A THREAT FOR MULTIPLE STRONG TO INTENSE TORNADOES  
(EF-3+), WIDESPREAD SEVERE/DAMAGING WIND GUSTS, AND SCATTERED LARGE  
TO VERY LARGE HAIL.  
 
...MID MISSISSIPPI VALLEY/MIDWEST INTO THE MID-SOUTH/LOWER  
MISSISSIPPI VALLEY...  
AN ACTIVE SEVERE WEATHER DAY IS FORECAST FOR MUCH OF THE MID MS  
VALLEY/LOWER OH VALLEYS INTO THE MID-SOUTH. ONGOING THUNDERSTORMS  
THIS MORNING COMPLICATE THE OVERALL SCENARIO TO SOME EXTENT, BUT A  
VERY FAVORABLE CORRIDOR FOR INTENSE SUPERCELLS AND STRONG TORNADOES  
IS APPARENT THIS AFTERNOON/EVENING ACROSS PARTS OF MO INTO IL, WHERE  
A MODERATE RISK (LEVEL 4 OF 5) HAS BEEN INTRODUCED.  
 
ELEVATED SUPERCELLS WITH MAINLY A HAIL THREAT SHOULD PERSIST FOR AT  
LEAST A COUPLE MORE HOURS THIS MORNING ACROSS THE MID MS VALLEY AS  
STRONG LOW-LEVEL WARM ADVECTION AIDS IN CONTINUED INFLUX OF  
SUFFICIENT MUCAPE AMID STRONG DEEP-LAYER SHEAR. MULTIPLE  
CLUSTERS/EMBEDDED SUPERCELLS ARE ALSO ONGOING THIS MORNING ACROSS  
WESTERN INTO NORTHERN MO. THIS ACTIVITY SHOULD POSE A GREATER THREAT  
FOR SCATTERED SEVERE/DAMAGING WINDS, ALONG WITH SOME HAIL RISK. THE  
TORNADO THREAT IN THE SHORT TERM (THIS MORNING) REMAINS UNCLEAR, BUT  
IT SHOULD EVENTUALLY INCREASE AS THE BOUNDARY-LAYER ACROSS CENTRAL  
MO CONTINUES TO GRADUALLY DESTABILIZE/MOISTEN. SEE MESOSCALE  
DISCUSSION 565 FOR MORE DETAILS ON THE NEAR-TERM SEVERE RISK WITH  
THESE ONGOING THUNDERSTORMS.  
 
CURRENT EXPECTATIONS ARE FOR THE GREATEST SEVERE RISK TO FOCUS SOUTH  
OF THESE MORNING THUNDERSTORMS. A MID/UPPER-LEVEL TROUGH WILL EJECT  
NORTHEASTWARD FROM THE NORTHERN/CENTRAL PLAINS INTO THE MIDWEST AND  
MID MS VALLEY THROUGH THE PERIOD. LOW-LEVEL MASS RESPONSE WILL  
ENCOURAGE THE PRIMARY SURFACE LOW TO CONSOLIDATE ACROSS MN/WI BY  
THIS EVENING, WITH AN EFFECTIVE WARM FRONT DELINEATED BY THE MORNING  
CONVECTION. AIDED BY DAYTIME HEATING AND STEEP MID-LEVEL LAPSE  
RATES, A MODERATELY TO STRONGLY UNSTABLE AIRMASS IS EXPECTED TO BE  
IN PLACE BY EARLY TO MID AFTERNOON ACROSS MUCH OF CENTRAL  
MO/SOUTHERN IL SOUTHWARD INTO THE MID-SOUTH AND LOWER MS VALLEY.  
 
STRENGTHENING WEST-SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW ALOFT ASSOCIATED WITH A 50-70  
KT MID-LEVEL JET WILL OVERSPREAD MUCH OF THE WARM SECTOR BY PEAK  
HEATING, AND A 35-45 KT SOUTH-SOUTHWESTERLY LOW-LEVEL JET WILL BOTH  
PROVIDE AMPLE LOW-LEVEL AND DEEP-LAYER SHEAR TO SUPPORT SUPERCELLS.  
INITIALLY DISCRETE SURFACE-BASED DEVELOPMENT APPEARS LIKELY TO OCCUR  
BY 19-21Z ACROSS THE MID MS VALLEY/MID-SOUTH AHEAD OF THE SURFACE  
COLD FRONT, AND PERHAPS ALONG WEAK LOW-LEVEL CONFLUENCE ZONES IN THE  
OPEN WARM SECTOR.  
 
THESE SUPERCELLS WILL EXIST IN A VERY FAVORABLE ENVIRONMENT FOR  
TORNADOES THROUGH THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING, AND MULTIPLE STRONG TO  
INTENSE TORNADOES (EF-2/3+) APPEAR LIKELY, ESPECIALLY FROM PARTS OF  
MO INTO IL ALONG/NEAR THE EFFECTIVE FRONT. THIS STRONG TORNADO  
THREAT MAY ALSO EXTEND FARTHER SOUTH INTO AR/TN, BUT CONFIDENCE IS  
SOMEWHAT LOWER WITH SOUTHWARD EXTENT DUE TO WEAKER LARGE-SCALE  
FORCING. LARGE TO VERY LARGE HAIL (2-3 INCHES IN DIAMETER) MAY ALSO  
OCCUR WITH ANY SUSTAINED SUPERCELLS.  
 
BY EARLY EVENING, CONVECTION WILL PROBABLY TEND TO CONSOLIDATE INTO  
CLUSTERS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING NUMEROUS TO WIDESPREAD DAMAGING WINDS  
FROM THE MID MS VALLEY EASTWARD INTO THE LOWER OH VALLEY, BEFORE  
EVENTUALLY WEAKENING TONIGHT AS INSTABILITY GRADUALLY DECREASES. A  
THREAT FOR QLCS AND EMBEDDED SUPERCELL TORNADOES WILL PERSIST  
THROUGH MUCH OF THE EVENING AND EARLY OVERNIGHT HOURS AS WELL GIVEN  
STRONG LOW-LEVEL SHEAR FORECAST.  
 
TO THE NORTH OF THE ONGOING MORNING CONVECTION ACROSS IA/NORTHERN  
IL/WI, A LESSER (BUT NON-ZERO) SEVERE RISK IS FORECAST. THIS REGION  
WILL HAVE LESS INSTABILITY THIS AFTERNOON, BUT STRONG SHEAR. HAVE  
MAINTAINED THE MARGINAL/SLIGHT RISKS FOR THE POSSIBILITY OF ISOLATED  
TO LOCALLY SCATTERED HAIL/DAMAGING WINDS, AND PERHAPS A COUPLE OF  
TORNADOES.  
   
..ARKLATEX INTO TEXAS  
 
CONFIDENCE IN SUSTAINED CONVECTION OCCURRING FROM THE ARKLATEX  
SOUTHWARD INTO TX IS LOWER COMPARED TO LOCATIONS FARTHER NORTH. BUT,  
STRONG HEATING AHEAD OF A SURFACE DRYLINE COULD SUPPORT ISOLATED TO  
SCATTERED SUPERCELLS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING LARGE TO VERY LARGE HAIL  
AND OCCASIONAL DAMAGING WINDS. INCREASING LOW-LEVEL WARM/MOIST  
ADVECTION TONIGHT COULD FOSTER ADDITIONAL ROBUST THUNDERSTORMS ALONG  
THE RETREATING DRYLINE AND EVENTUALLY THE SOUTHWARD-MOVING COLD  
FRONT. SEVERE PROBABILITIES HAVE BEEN EXPANDED ACROSS THESE REGIONS  
TO ACCOUNT FOR THIS POTENTIAL.  
 
..GLEASON/THORNTON.. 04/27/2026  
 
 
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