026  
ACUS01 KWNS 280453  
SWODY1  
SPC AC 280451  
 
DAY 1 CONVECTIVE OUTLOOK  
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK  
1151 PM CDT SUN SEP 27 2026  
 
VALID 281200Z - 291200Z  
   
..NO SEVERE THUNDERSTORM AREAS FORECAST  
 
   
..SUMMARY  
 
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM PROBABILITY REMAINS LOW ON MONDAY.  
   
.. SYNOPSIS  
 
A BROAD MID/UPPER-LEVEL TROUGH WILL MOVE INLAND OVER CALIFORNIA AND  
BEGIN TO CLOSE OFF OVER THE LOWER COLORADO RIVER VALLEY, WHILE A  
WEAKER SHORTWAVE TROUGH MOVES THROUGH THE NORTHERN ROCKIES.  
LARGE-SCALE FLOW AROUND THE SOUTHWEST US TROUGH WILL DRAW DEEP  
TROPICAL MOISTURE TIED TO HURRICANE POLO AND REMNANTS OF ODALYS  
NORTHWARD INTO THE SOUTHWEST. DOWNSTREAM OF THIS, A WEAKER MID-LEVEL  
SHORT-WAVE TROUGH WILL MOVE ACROSS THE NORTHERN ROCKIES, MID-LEVEL  
RIDGING WILL PERSIST ACROSS THE CENTRAL US AND A WEAKENING  
VERTICALLY STACKED CYCLONE WILL BEGIN TO MOVE NORTHEAST ALONG THE  
SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND COAST.  
 
AT THE SURFACE, A WEAK TROUGH WILL SHARPEN ALONG THE LEE OF THE  
NORTHERN ROCKIES AHEAD OF A SURFACE COLD FRONT THAT WILL MOVE  
SOUTHEAST INTO THE NORTHERN AND CENTRAL DAKOTAS OVERNIGHT.  
 
   
.. NORTHERN HIGH PLAINS  
 
PERSISTENT SOUTHERLY LOW-LEVEL FLOW WILL KEEP MODEST MOISTURE OVER  
THE NORTHERN HIGH PLAINS. WARM-ADVECTION SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS  
ALONG THE LOW-LEVEL JET AXIS MONDAY MORNING, FOLLOWED BY THICKENING  
MID/HIGH-LEVEL CLOUDS, WILL LIKELY LIMIT DESTABILIZATION. WHERE  
FILTERED SUNSHINE IS ABLE TO PROMOTE STRONGER SURFACE HEATING, A  
CORRIDOR OF MUCAPE BETWEEN 500-1500 J/KG (PER MEAN HREF VALUES) MAY  
DEVELOP BY LATE AFTERNOON NEAR THE SURFACE TROUGH FROM NORTHEAST  
WYOMING, WESTERN SOUTH DAKOTA, AND SOUTHWEST/SOUTH-CENTRAL NORTH  
DAKOTA.  
 
ISOLATED STORMS MAY FORM NEAR THE TROUGH IN THE LATE AFTERNOON OR  
EARLY EVENING. INCREASING MID-LEVEL FLOW AHEAD OF THE NORTHERN  
ROCKIES SHORT-WAVE TROUGH WILL PROVIDE SUFFICIENT VERTICAL SHEAR FOR  
A FEW THUNDERSTORMS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING SMALL TO MARGINALLY SEVERE  
HAIL. ADDITIONALLY, LOCALLY STRONG THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS WILL BE  
POSSIBLE WHERE THE BOUNDARY LAYER BECOMES WELL MIXED. HOWEVER,  
MODEST MID-LEVEL WARMING, WEAK LARGE-SCALE ASCENT, AND UNCERTAINTY  
ABOUT WHETHER INTENSE STORMS FORM AT ALL SHOULD KEEP ANY POTENTIAL  
SEVERE WINDOW NARROW IN SPACE AND TIME.  
 
MORE ELEVATED STORMS ARE POSSIBLE MONDAY NIGHT AS THE LOW-LEVEL JET  
STRENGTHENS AND THE COLD FRONT MOVES INTO THE NORTHERN AND CENTRAL  
DAKOTAS. BUOYANCY WILL WEAKEN OVERNIGHT AND BECOME INCREASINGLY  
ELEVATED, WHICH SHOULD LIMIT ANY SEVERE WIND THREAT AFTER DARK.  
 
   
.. SOUTHWEST  
 
NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED AS AN ANOMALOUSLY  
MOIST AIRMASS SPREADS NORTH AHEAD OF THE WESTERN TROUGH. WIDESPREAD  
CLOUDS AND WEAK MIDLEVEL LAPSE RATES SHOULD KEEP INSTABILITY  
GENERALLY WEAK AND STORM ORGANIZATION LIMITED. AN ISOLATED WET  
DOWNBURST IS POSSIBLE FROM HEAVIER CORES IN ANY POCKETS OF STRONG  
HEATING, BUT THE SEVERE THREAT APPEARS TOO LOW TO WARRANT  
UNCONDITIONAL PROBABILITIES.  
 
   
.. NORTHEAST  
 
SHOWERS AND OCCASIONAL EMBEDDED THUNDER -- MAINLY NEAR THE COAST --  
MAY CONTINUE WITH THE SLOWLY WEAKENING CYCLONE. INSTABILITY WILL BE  
WEAK, SO SEVERE THUNDERSTORM POTENTIAL IS EXTREMELY LOW. HOWEVER,  
STRONG ONSHORE GRADIENT WINDS MAY CAUSE ISOLATED/SPORADIC DAMAGE.  
 
..MARSH/WEINMAN.. 09/28/2026  
 
 
CLICK HERE TO GO TO PREVIOUS BULLETINS.
The Nexlab SPC Page
Main Text Page