041
FXUS63 KEAX 161757
AFDEAX
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KANSAS CITY/PLEASANT HILL MO
1257 PM CDT THU APR 16 2026
KEY MESSAGES
* STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS ANTICIPATED FRIDAY, INCLUDING GREATER
CONFIDENCE IN THE SEVERE THREAT COMPARED TO RECENT DAYS/EVENTS.
- ALL HAZARDS POSSIBLE, INCLUDING TORNADOES BUT ESPECIALLY
LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS
- CURRENT TIMING LOOKS TO BE FROM EARLY/MID AFTERNOON INTO
EVENING, SIMILAR TO TIMING TO WHAT TRANSPIRED
YESTERDAY/WEDNESDAY
* TEMPERATURES REMAIN SEASONALLY WARM (MAINLY 80S) THROUGH
FRIDAY, THEN MUCH COOLER SATURDAY. GRADUAL WARMING AFTER
SATURDAY.
DISCUSSION
ISSUED AT 401 AM CDT THU APR 16 2026
AFTER THE WIDESPREAD STRONG TO SEVERE STORM EVENT YESTERDAY/WEDNESDAY
AFTERNOON AND EVENING, QUIETER CONDITIONS HAVE SETTLED INTO THE
AREA. THE PARENT UPPER LEVEL SHORTWAVE TROUGH AND ATTENDANT
SURFACE LOW HAVE SHIFTED EAST OF THE AREA, CONTINUING TO FIRE
OFF NON-SEVERE CONVECTION TOWARD THE MID-MISSISSIPPI AND WESTERN
OHIO RIVER VALLEY AREAS. LOCALLY, EASING OF SURFACE PRESSURE
GRADIENT AND DEEP LAYER SUBSIDENCE HAVE RESULTED IN MUCH LIGHTER
WINDS (NEAR CALM IN SOME CASES) AND CLEARING SKIES. FOR TODAY,
CONDITIONS REMAIN QUIET WITH MOSTLY SUNNY SKIES AND NOTABLY
LIGHTER SOUTHERLY WINDS CONTINUING. UNFORTUNATELY, THE QUIET AND
CALM WILL BE SHORT LIVED...
THE NEXT WEATHER MAKER/UPPER TROUGH HAS MOVED INTO THE PNW AND WILL
CONTINUE TO DIG DOWN INTO THE MID-MOUNTAINOUS WEST THROUGH THE DAY
TODAY. AS IT DOES SO, ROUNDS OF LEE CYCLOGENESIS WILL BE SEEN OVER
THE NORTHERN HIGH PLAINS. COUPLED WITH BROAD SURFACE HIGH OVER THE
SE US AND INCREASINGLY SW MID-UPPER LEVEL FLOW, MUCH OF THE CENTRAL
CONUS WILL SEE INCREASING DEEP MOISTURE RETURN BY LATE
THURSDAY/OVERNIGHT AND ESPECIALLY INTO EARLY FRIDAY. BY FRIDAY
MORNING, DEEP UPPER TROUGH BEGINS TO KICK OUT/PIVOT INTO THE PLAINS
AND TAKE ON A MORE NEUTRAL TO SLIGHTLY NEGATIVE/MATURE TILT, WHICH
VERY TYPICALLY FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE WEATHER SCENARIOS, AND A JET
ROUNDING ITS BASE AND NOSING INTO THE FORECAST AREA. BROAD SET OF
SYNOPTIC GUIDANCE (DETERMINISTIC AND ENSEMBLE) HAVE DEPICTED THIS
SETUP FOR DAYS NOW, INCLUDING VARIOUS AI/ML/NN AIDED GUIDANCE
FURTHER RINGING THE BELL. AS WE TOO HAVE BEGUN TO ENTER HI-RES
WINDOWS, GUIDANCE REMAINS PRETTY WELL LOCKED IN WITH THE SEVERE
THREAT, SEEN IN HREF AND HRRR NN AMONG OTHERS.
OKAY... SO ABOUT WHAT ABOUT THE DETAILS, PRIMARY THREATS, TIMING,
ETC? AFOREMENTIONED GENERAL SYNOPTIC SETUP IS YIELDING AT LEAST
MODERATE, IF NOT HIGH, CONFIDENCE IN THE FOLLOWING: SUBSTANTIAL
SB/MUCAPE VALUES OF 3000-3500 J/KG, WEAK OR NO CAP BY THE AFTERNOON,
INCREASING DEEP LAYER SHEAR >50 KTS 0-6KM, NOTABLE INCREASING LOW
LEVEL SHEAR OF >35-40 KTS 0-3KM, AND ELONGATING HODOGRAPHS AMONG
OTHER THINGS. OF NOTE, AND SOMETHING THAT DOES INTRODUCE SOME
UNCERTAINTY IS FRONTAL POSITION AND TIMING. THIS WILL NOT ONLY BE
IMPORTANT FOR GENERAL THREAT AREA, BUT ALSO INITIAL STORM MODES AND
JUST HOW SUPPORTIVE THE ENVIRONMENT WILL BE FOR HIGHER STORM
POTENTIAL. EFFECTIVELY, IT MAY BE A BIT OF A RACE FOR THE LOW-MID
LEVEL FLOW INCREASE AHEAD OF THE FRONTAL PASSAGE. CURRENTLY,
FORECAST SUGGESTS A "A JUST RIGHT" SORT OF TIMING WITH FRONT
ENTERING NW FORECAST AREA MID-LATE AFTERNOON FRIDAY AND THAT
INCREASED LOW LEVEL FLOW OVERSPREADING THE AREA AT THAT TIME. AS A
RESULT, WE MAY HAVE BOTH DISCRETE SUPERCELLS IN THE OPEN WARM SECTOR
(DEPICTED VERY WEAK OR NIL CAP) CONCURRENT WITH INCREASING
ACTIVITY/INITIATION ALONG THE COLD FRONT. SHOULD THIS PREVAIL, ALL
MODES OF SEVERE WEATHER ARE ABSOLUTELY IN PLAY. TORNADIC ACTIVITY
MOST LIKELY DISCRETE CELLS, BUT INCREASING 0-3KM SHEAR SEMI-
ORTHOGONAL TO THE FRONT TOO WOULD KEEP QLCS TORNADIC ACTIVITY IN
PLACE. DAMAGING WINDS AND HAIL WOULD BE EXPECTED TO BE PREVALENT
GIVEN THE CAPE-SHEAR PARAMETER SPACE. LARGEST HAIL WITH DISCRETE
ACTIVITY, BUT SEVERE HAIL ALSO IN PLAY WITHIN MORE PULSEY
MULTI- CELL/CLUSTERS OR LINEAR STORM MODES. DAMAGING WINDS MAY
BE THE HIGHEST END AND MOST PREVALENT THREAT GIVEN THE
EXPECTATION FOR A RAPID UPTICK CONVECTION COVERAGE. WHETHER
DISCRETE, MULTI- CELL, OR LINEAR. MEAN-WINDS AND RIGHT MOVERS
WILL YIELD STORM MOTIONS >45 MPH, SO IT WOULD NOT TAKE MUCH MORE
TO GET BASE SEVERE WINDS. GIVEN THE LARGE CAPE/STEEP LAPSE
RATES AND FAVORABLE SHEAR/WIND PROFILE ORIENTATIONS, ORGANIZED
COLD POOLS (DISCRETE OR LINEAR) COULD CERTAINLY PRODUCE SWATHS
OF 70-80+ MPH WINDS. ALL OF THIS LOOKS TO TRANSPIRE FROM EARLY
AFTERNOON TO EVENING, NOT UNLIKE THE TIMING SEEN
YESTERDAY/WEDNESDAY. TO NO SURPRISE, SPC DAY 2 OUTLOOK REFLECTS
A LOT OF THIS THINKING WITH SIG 1 HATCHING AND QUITE ELEVATED
PROBABILITIES FOR HAIL/WIND, AT MINIMUM THE HIGHEST OF OUR
RECENT EVENTS. SUFFICE IT TO SAY, PAY ATTENTION TO REMAINING
EVOLUTION OF DETAILS FOR FRIDAY.
AS THIS SIZABLE TROUGH SWEEPS THROUGH THE CENTRAL CONUS, MUCH
QUIETER AND COOLER CONDITIONS PREVAIL THROUGH THE WEEKEND AS NW FLOW
AT THE SURFACE AND ALOFT PREVAIL. HIGHS FALL BACK INTO THE 50S FOR
MOST SATURDAY, THEN GRADUALLY WARMING THEREAFTER AS MID-UPPER LEVEL
RIDGING BEGINS TO WORK THROUGH THE WEST AND EVENTUALLY CENTRAL CONUS.
ANY NOTABLE PRECIPITATION CHANCES THEN LOOK TO HOLD OFF UNTIL AT
LEAST MID-WEEK IF NOT END OF NEXT WEEK.
AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z FRIDAY/
ISSUED AT 1256 PM CDT THU APR 16 2026
VFR CONDS WILL PREVAIL THRU THE TAF PD WITH CLR SKIES PREVAIL
THRU 05Z-07Z WHEN BKN HIGH CLOUDS WILL MOV INTO THE TAF SITES.
AFT 11Z-12Z...OVC CLOUDS BTN 3-4KFT ARE FCST. WINDS TO BEGIN THE
TAF PD WILL BE OUT OF THE SOUTH BTN 10-15KTS WITH GUSTS 20-25KTS
(AT MCI AND STJ) THRU 22Z-00Z. AFT 22Z-00Z...WINDS WILL REMAIN
OUT OF THE SOUTH AROUND 10KTS BUT LOSE THE GUSTS THRU 07Z AFT
WHICH WINDS WILL AGAIN INCREASE TO 15-20KTS WITH GUSTS TO 30KTS.
EAX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
MO...NONE.
KS...NONE.
DISCUSSION...CURTIS
AVIATION...73
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