629  
ACUS01 KWNS 131301  
SWODY1  
SPC AC 131300  
 
DAY 1 CONVECTIVE OUTLOOK  
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK  
0800 AM CDT MON APR 13 2026  
 
VALID 131300Z - 141200Z  
 
...THERE IS AN ENHANCED RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS SOUTHERN  
MINNESOTA AND PARTS OF WISCONSIN...  
   
..SUMMARY  
 
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE LIKELY ACROSS THE UPPER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY  
AND GREAT LAKES REGION WITH POTENTIAL FOR LARGE TO VERY LARGE HAIL,  
DAMAGING WIND, AND TORNADOES, MAINLY LATE THIS AFTERNOON INTO  
TONIGHT. A MORE CONDITIONAL AND ISOLATED RISK FOR SEVERE STORMS IS  
POSSIBLE ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE SOUTHERN PLAINS LATE THIS AFTERNOON  
AND EVENING.  
   
..UPPER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY/GREAT LAKES INCLUDING MN/WI  
 
MULTIPLE LEAD MID-LEVEL DISTURBANCES OVER THE NORTHERN HIGH PLAINS  
WILL PROGRESS NORTHEASTWARD TODAY TOWARD THE UPPER MIDWEST, WITH  
STRENGTHENING WINDS ALOFT ACROSS THIS REGION PARTICULARLY LATE TODAY  
AND TONIGHT. A SURFACE LOW WILL TEND TO DEEPEN/DEVELOP  
EAST-NORTHEASTWARD FROM NORTHEAST NEBRASKA THIS MORNING INTO FAR  
SOUTHERN MINNESOTA AND WISCONSIN BY TONIGHT IN VICINITY OF A  
SLOW-MOVING/STALLED FRONTAL BOUNDARY. LOW/MIDDLE 60S F SURFACE  
DEWPOINTS WILL ADVECT NORTH-NORTHEASTWARD AND BECOME INCREASINGLY  
PREVALENT ALONG/SOUTH OF THE AFOREMENTIONED STATIONARY/WARM FRONT  
THIS AFTERNOON. MLCAPE VALUES ARE FORECAST TO REACH 2000-2500 J/KG  
BY AROUND 21Z/4PM CDT.  
 
THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT WILL BECOME INCREASINGLY PROBABLE THROUGH  
MID/LATE AFTERNOON (21-00Z) AS ISENTROPIC ASCENT STRENGTHENS AHEAD  
OF THE APPROACHING UPPER DISTURBANCE. LINGERING INHIBITION COUPLED  
WITH 45-50 KT EFFECTIVE BULK SHEAR SHOULD PROMOTE INITIALLY DISCRETE  
SUPERCELLS ALONG OR JUST NORTH OF THE SURFACE BOUNDARY. HODOGRAPH  
ELONGATION APPEARS FAVORABLE FOR A LARGE HAIL THREAT, POSSIBLY AS  
LARGE AS 2-3 INCHES IN DIAMETER WITH THE MORE ROBUST CELLS.  
ADDITIONALLY, ENHANCED LOW-LEVEL SRH ALONG THE FRONTAL ZONE IS  
EXPECTED TO RESULT IN A CORRIDOR OF RELATIVELY HIGHER TORNADO  
POTENTIAL FOR STORMS THAT CAN REMAIN ROOTED IMMEDIATELY ALONG THE  
BOUNDARY.  
 
WHILE THE OVERALL ENVIRONMENT APPEARS VERY FAVORABLE FOR INTENSE  
CONVECTION/SUPERCELLS, EAST-NORTHEASTERLY STORM MOTIONS ALONG OR  
JUST NORTH OF THE WARM FRONT WILL LIKELY PROMOTE CLUSTERING/UPSCALE  
GROWTH THROUGH THE EVENING, WITH AN INCREASING DAMAGING WIND  
POTENTIAL AND A CONTINUED TORNADO RISK VIA LINE-EMBEDDED CIRCULATION  
POTENTIAL.  
   
..NORTHERN ILLINOIS/NORTHERN INDIANA AND SOUTHERN LAKE MICHIGAN  
 
THERE IS THE POTENTIAL THAT A SOMEWHAT SEPARATE CORRIDOR OF  
SEVERE-WEATHER POTENTIAL MAY UNFOLD TODAY, POTENTIALLY BORN OUT OF  
SUBTLE MID-LEVEL WAVE AND EARLY MORNING CONVECTION ACROSS NORTHEAST  
MISSOURI VICINITY AND/OR DEVELOPMENT LATER TODAY. THE INITIALLY  
ELEVATED STORMS WOULD BE ON THE EDGE OF THE  
EAST/NORTHEASTWARD-ADVECTING ELEVATED MIXED LAYER. STEEP MID-LEVEL  
LAPSE RATES AND 35+ KT EFFECTIVE SHEAR COULD SUPPORT INITIALLY  
ISOLATED HAIL POTENTIAL, BUT A MORE ORGANIZED SURFACE-BASED SEVERE  
RISK COULD MANIFEST IF SOME OF THE MORE-AGGRESSIVE EARLY MORNING  
SHORT-TERM GUIDANCE TRENDS MATERIALIZE (HRRR/RAP/RRFS).  
   
..SOUTHERN PLAINS INCLUDING OKLAHOMA/TEXAS  
 
A MOIST AND POTENTIALLY UNSTABLE AIR MASS WILL PERSIST REGIONALLY TO  
THE EAST OF A DRYLINE LOCATED AROUND PEAK HEATING FROM EAST-CENTRAL  
KANSAS SOUTH-SOUTHWESTWARD INTO WEST-CENTRAL OKLAHOMA AND WESTERN  
NORTH TEXAS TO THE TEXAS BIG BEND VICINITY. IMMEDIATELY EAST OF THE  
DRYLINE, WARM-SECTOR DEWPOINTS ARE EXPECTED TO GENERALLY BE IN THE  
MIDDLE 60S F, SUPPORTING MLCAPE VALUES TO 2500-3000 J/KG.  
 
THE EXTENT/LIKELIHOOD OF SUSTAINED DEEP CONVECTION LATER TODAY IS A  
KEY QUESTION. THE PRIMARY SOUTHERN-STREAM TROUGH WILL BE WELL  
UPSTREAM OVER THE SOUTHWEST DESERT, WITH NEUTRAL HEIGHT TENDENCIES  
ACROSS THE SOUTHERN PLAINS, ALTHOUGH EARLY MORNING WATER VAPOR  
IMAGERY AND DERIVED WIND DATA SUGGEST THAT A SUBTLE DISTURBANCE OVER  
NORTHERN MEXICO AND THE SOUTHERN ROCKIES COULD APPROACH THE  
DRYLINE/WARM SECTOR LATER TODAY.  
 
REGARDLESS, AMPLE POST-DRYLINE MIXING AND NEAR-DRYLINE  
CONFLUENCE/WEAK CONVERGENCE MAY BE SUFFICIENT FOR DEEP CONVECTIVE  
INITIATION AFTER 21Z/4PM CDT, AT LEAST AN ISOLATED BASIS. FORECAST  
MASS FIELDS WOULD IMPLY THAT THIS IS MOST PROBABLE ACROSS  
CENTRAL/SOUTHWEST OKLAHOMA INTO THE NORTH TEXAS BIG COUNTRY, AND  
PERHAPS SOMEWHAT SEPARATELY ACROSS THE TEXAS BIG BEND AND RIO GRANDE  
VICINITY.  
 
IF/WHERE STORMS DEVELOP AND MATURE, DEEP-LAYER SHEAR ON THE ORDER OF  
40+ KT WILL SUPPORT SUPERCELLS, POTENTIALLY CAPABLE OF ALL HAZARDS  
INCLUDING VERY LARGE HAIL. AN INCREASED CONFIDENCE IN DEEP  
CONVECTIVE INITIATION LATE THIS AFTERNOON/EARLY EVENING COULD  
WARRANT FOCUS SLIGHT RISK DELINEATIONS IN SUBSEQUENT DAY 1 UPDATES.  
   
..NORTHERN HIGH PLAINS  
 
GENERALLY ISOLATED SEVERE STORMS CAPABLE OF HAIL/WIND WILL BE  
POSSIBLE LATE THIS AFTERNOON INTO EVENING ALONG/NORTH OF THE SURFACE  
FRONT WHERE MODEST LOW-LEVEL MOISTURE AND VERTICAL SHEAR WILL BE  
MAXIMIZED, IN THE PRESENCE OF STEEP LOW/MID-LEVEL LAPSE RATES.  
 
..GUYER/BROYLES.. 04/13/2026  
 
 
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