921  
ACUS02 KWNS 261731  
SWODY2  
SPC AC 261730  
 
DAY 2 CONVECTIVE OUTLOOK  
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK  
1230 PM CDT FRI JUL 26 2024  
 
VALID 271200Z - 281200Z  
 
...THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS  
CENTRAL/EASTERN ND INTO FAR NORTHWEST MN...  
   
..SUMMARY
 
 
SCATTERED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE LIKELY ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE  
NORTHERN PLAINS VICINITY ON SATURDAY.  
   
..SYNOPSIS
 
 
UPPER TROUGHING IS EXPECTED TO EXTEND FROM THE NORTHERN/CENTRAL  
CANADIAN PRAIRIE PROVINCES SOUTHWESTWARD INTO NORTHERN/CENTRAL CA  
EARLY SATURDAY MORNING. TWO PRIMARY SHORTWAVE TROUGHS WILL BE  
EMBEDDED WITHIN THIS TROUGHING, ONE OVER THE NORTHERN/CENTRAL  
CANADIAN PRAIRIES AND THE OTHER OVER NORTHERN CA. BOTH SHORTWAVES  
ARE EXPECTED TO PROGRESSES EAST-NORTHEASTWARD THROUGHOUT THE DAY  
WHILE LOSING AMPLITUDE. EASTWARD PROGRESS OF THIS SYSTEMS WILL BE  
SLOWED BY THE REX BLOCK DOWNSTREAM, WITH THE SOUTHERN CYCLONE  
INITIALLY OVER NORTHEAST OK/SOUTHEAST KS AND THE NORTHERN  
ANTICYCLONE OVER LAKE MICHIGAN. THIS REX BLOCK IS FORECAST TO BREAK  
DOWN UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF THE WESTERN TROUGHING, WITH THE UPPER  
LOW DRIFTING NORTHEASTWARD INTO SOUTHERN MO AND THE UPPER RIDGE  
SHIFTING EASTWARD OVER THE LOWER GREAT LAKES BY EARLY SUNDAY.  
 
SURFACE PATTERN IS FORECAST TO FEATURE AN EASTERN CONUS RIDGE,  
INITIALLY CENTERED OVER THE LOWER GREAT LAKES BUT EXTENDING  
SOUTHWARD INTO THE SOUTHEAST. THIS RIDGING IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN  
LARGELY IN PLACE, WHILE LEE SURFACE TROUGHING SHARPENS ACROSS THE  
HIGH PLAINS AND A COLD FRONT ASSOCIATED WITH THE CANADIAN PRAIRIE  
SHORTWAVE TROUGH MOVES INTO THE NORTHERN PLAINS. THUNDERSTORM  
DEVELOPMENT IS ANTICIPATED ALONG THE COLD FRONT ACROSS ND SATURDAY  
EVENING. STORM DEVELOPMENT IS ALSO ANTICIPATED FARTHER SOUTHWEST  
ACROSS THE CENTRAL ROCKIES, WITH THE RESULTING STORMS THEN TRACKING  
EASTWARD INTO THE CENTRAL HIGH PLAINS.  
 
...NORTHERN PLAINS..  
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL LIKELY BE ONGOING EARLY SATURDAY  
MORNING FROM THE EASTERN DAKOTAS INT NORTHWEST MN, REMNANT FROM  
OVERNIGHT DEVELOPMENT ACROSS THE WESTERN/CENTRAL DAKOTAS. THIS  
ACTIVITY WILL LIKELY BE WEAK, BUT CLOUD COVER AND ASSOCIATED OUTFLOW  
COULD ACT TO PROVIDE THE SURFACE BOUNDARIES NEEDED TO PROVIDE THE  
IMPETUS FOR ADDITIONAL STORMS DURING THE AFTERNOON/EVENING.  
LARGE-SCALE FORCING WILL BE WEAK, BUT LOW-LEVEL CONVERGENCE AND  
AMPLE LOW-LEVEL MOISTURE COULD STILL RESULT IN THUNDERSTORM  
INITIATION. GIVEN THE STEEP LOW-LEVEL LAPSE RATES AND HIGH CLOUD  
BASES, DAMAGING GUST WILL BE THE PRIMARY THREAT. EVEN SO, SOME HAIL  
IS POSSIBLE WITH THE EARLY, MORE CELLULAR STORMS. A TORNADO OR TWO  
IS POSSIBLE AS WELL IF THE BOUNDARY IS SHARP, WITH SURFACE WINDS  
BACKING IN ITS VICINITY. MESOSCALE FACTORS WILL PLAY A LARGE ROLE IN  
DETERMINING THE STORM COVERAGE AND ASSOCIATED SEVERE POTENTIAL,  
WHICH MERITS KEEPING LOW SEVERE PROBABILITIES WITH THIS OUTLOOK  
GIVEN THE FORECAST RANGE.  
 
FARTHER EAST, THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT APPEARS LIKELY ALONG THE  
SOUTHEASTWARD-PROGRESSING COLD FRONT EXPECTED TO MOVE ACROSS THE  
WESTERN DAKOTAS DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON. AMPLE LOW-LEVEL MOISTURE  
WILL SUPPORT AIRMASS DESTABILIZATION DESPITE STRONG MIXING, AND  
ROBUST UPDRAFTS ARE LIKELY WITHIN THE INITIAL DEVELOPMENT. HAIL IS  
POSSIBLE EARLY, WITH A QUICK TRANSITION TO OUTFLOW-DOMINANT  
STRUCTURES ANTICIPATED. HIGHEST COVERAGE IS EXPECTED ACROSS ND,  
WHICH CORRESPONDS TO THE GREATEST SEVERE THUNDERSTORM POTENTIAL AS  
WELL. STORM LONGEVITY WILL BE LIMITED BY THE ONSET OF NOCTURNAL  
COOLING, WHICH SHOULD LEAD TO RELATIVELY QUICK LOW-LEVEL AIRMASS  
STABILIZATION.  
 
...NORTHERN GREAT BASIN INTO THE CENTRAL ROCKIES AND CENTRAL HIGH  
PLAINS...  
A BELT OF ENHANCED MID-LEVEL FLOW IS FORECAST TO STRETCH FROM THE  
BASE OF THE NORTHERN/CENTRAL CA SHORTWAVE TROUGH MENTIONED IN THE  
SYNOPSIS INTO THE NORTHERN PLAINS. THE CA SHORTWAVE IS EXPECTED TO  
PROGRESS NORTHEASTWARD THROUGHOUT THE PERIOD, WITH A SUBTLE,  
CONVECTIVELY ENHANCED LEAD SHORTWAVE TROUGH LIKELY PROCEEDING IT  
ACROSS THE CENTRAL ROCKIES. LARGE-SCALE ASCENT ATTENDANT TO THESE  
SHORTWAVES COUPLED WITH INCREASED MID-LEVEL MOISTURE AND DEEP  
BOUNDARY-LAYER MIXING WILL SUPPORT THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS MUCH OF THE  
REGION, BEGINNING OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN AND THEN EVENTUALLY  
SPREADING INTO THE HIGH PLAINS. GUSTY OUTFLOW WINDS COULD ACCOMPANY  
OF ANY OF THE STRONGER, MORE PERSISTENT STORMS. COVERAGE OF THESE  
STRONG STORMS MAY BE HIGH ENOUGH TO MERIT GREATER SEVERE  
PROBABILITIES IN LATER OUTLOOKS.  
 
..MOSIER.. 07/26/2024  
 

 
 
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