547  
ACUS48 KWNS 230905  
SWOD48  
SPC AC 230904  
 
DAY 4-8 CONVECTIVE OUTLOOK  
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK  
0404 AM CDT THU APR 23 2026  
 
VALID 261200Z - 011200Z  
   
..DISCUSSION
 
 
A MULTI-DAY SEVERE WEATHER EVENT REMAINS ON TRACK FOR SUNDAY/DAY-4  
EVENING THROUGH MONDAY/DAY-5, WITH ADDITIONAL SEVERE STORMS POSSIBLE  
DURING THE REST OF THE FORECAST PERIOD.  
 
A VIGOROUS, YET COMPACT, NEGATIVELY TILTED MIDLEVEL WAVE IS FORECAST  
TO MOVE ACROSS THE SOUTHWEST AND EJECT INTO THE PLAINS SUNDAY  
EVENING INTO MONDAY. AS THIS WAVE EJECTS INTO THE CENTRAL US, STRONG  
SURFACE CYCLOGENESIS IS EXPECTED OVER THE CENTRAL PLAINS ON SUNDAY  
EVENING. THE FLOW AROUND THIS LOW WILL HELP DRAW VERY RICH BOUNDARY  
LAYER MOISTURE NORTHWARD TO THE EAST OF A SHARPENING DRYLINE. THE  
ATMOSPHERE ON SUNDAY ACROSS THE SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL PLAINS SHOULD  
REMAIN CAPPED FOR MUCH OF THE DAY, ALLOWING EXTREME INSTABILITY  
(SBCAPE/MUCAPE VALUES IN EXCESS OF 4000 J/KG) TO DEVELOP. AS MODEST  
HEIGHT FALLS OVERSPREAD THE DRYLINE DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON AND  
EVENING HOURS, THE EXPECTATION IS THAT AT LEAST A FEW STORMS WILL BE  
ABLE TO BREAK THROUGH THE CAP. WHILE 20260423/00Z GLOBAL GUIDANCE IS  
STILL STRUGGLING TO PRODUCE WIDESPREAD PRECIPITATION ALONG AND EAST  
OF THE DRYLINE, THE CONTROL MEMBERS ARE NOW AT LEAST PRODUCING LIGHT  
QPF ALONG THE DRYLINE WHICH WOULD TEND TO SUPPORT THE IDEA THAT  
ISOLATED CONVECTION WILL BE POSSIBLE.  
 
THE ENVIRONMENT TO THE EAST OF THE DRYLINE WILL BE VERY UNSTABLE AND  
INCREASINGLY SHEARED AS ENHANCED MIDLEVEL FLOW OVERSPREADS THE WARM  
SECTOR. ADDITIONALLY, AS THE SURFACE LOW DEEPENS DURING THE EVENING  
HOURS, LOW-LEVEL WINDS WILL RESPOND BY RAPIDLY INCREASING TO GREATER  
THAN 50 KNOTS. THE RESULT WILL BE THE POTENTIAL FOR ANY THUNDERSTORM  
THAT DEVELOPS AND SUSTAINS ITSELF TO BECOME STRONG SUPERCELLS  
CAPABLE OF PRODUCING ALL SEVERE HAZARDS, INCLUDING SIGNIFICANT  
SEVERE.  
 
AS THE MAIN WAVE CONTINUES TO LIFT NORTHEAST ON MONDAY, THE SURFACE  
LOW SHOULD RAPIDLY MOVE FROM THE CENTRAL PLAINS INTO THE UPPER  
MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. AS THIS OCCURS, A SURFACE WARM FRONT WILL  
RAPIDLY LIFT NORTHWARD ON THE NOSE OF AN INTENSE LOW-LEVEL JET. THIS  
LOW-LEVEL JET WILL LIKELY RESULT IN WIDESPREAD PRECIPITATION TO THE  
NORTH OF THE FRONT, WHICH WILL HAVE IMPACTS ON THE NORTHERN EXTENT  
OF MONDAY AFTERNOON'S SEVERE POTENTIAL.  
 
BY MONDAY AFTERNOON, ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO  
DEVELOP ALONG AND EAST OF AN ADVANCING DRYLINE/COLD FRONT IN AN  
INCREASINGLY UNSTABLE ATMOSPHERE. DIURNAL HEATING OF A BOUNDARY  
LAYER WITH LOW-TO-MID-60FS DEWPOINTS SHOULD RESULT IN SBCAPE/MUCAPE  
VALUES BETWEEN 2000-3000 J/KG. ADDITIONALLY, VERTICAL SHEAR WILL  
REMAIN MORE THAN SUFFICIENT FOR SUPERCELLS. ALL SEVERE HAZARDS WILL  
REMAIN POSSIBLE WITH THIS CONVECTION, WITH THE GREATEST  
CONCENTRATION OF SEVERE STORMS LIKELY ACROSS THE MID-MISSISSIPPI  
VALLEY WHERE A 30% AREA WAS INTRODUCED.  
 
MONDAY EVENING INTO THE OVERNIGHT HOURS WILL SEE A CONTINUED  
POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE STORMS AS THE SURFACE FRONT PUSHES EAST INTO  
THE WESTERN PORTIONS OF THE OHIO VALLEY. ADDITIONALLY, SEVERE STORMS  
WILL LIKELY CONTINUE ACROSS THE SOUTHWEST PORTION OF THE FRONT,  
WHICH WILL SLOWLY BEGIN TO STALL IN A SOUTHWEST-TO-NORTHEAST OR  
WEST-TO-EAST CONFIGURATION ACROSS ARKANSAS INTO KENTUCKY.  
 
ADDITIONAL SEVERE STORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE TUESDAY/DAY-6 THROUGH  
THURSDAY/DAY-8 ACROSS THE SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL PLAINS INTO THE  
LOWER-TO-MIDDLE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY AS CYCLONIC MIDLEVEL FLOW  
PERSISTS ATOP A MOIST BOUNDARY LAYER WITH A FRONTAL BOUNDARY  
SOMEWHERE ACROSS THE AREA. HOWEVER, GIVEN THE UNCERTAINTIES IN HOW  
THE CONVECTIVE EVOLUTION OF SUNDAY AND MONDAY WILL IMPACT THE  
LOCATION OF RELEVANT SURFACE FEATURES AND THE GENERAL UNCERTAINTY  
ASSOCIATED WITH IDENTIFYING THE TIMING OF MIDLEVEL PERTURBATIONS  
EMBEDDED WITHIN THE BROADER SCALE CYCLONIC MIDLEVEL FLOW,  
UNCONDITIONAL 15% SEVERE PROBABILITIES WILL BE DEFERRED TO  
SUBSEQUENT OUTLOOKS.  
 
..MARSH.. 04/23/2026  
 
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