294  
ACUS01 KWNS 260527  
SWODY1  
SPC AC 260525  
 
DAY 1 CONVECTIVE OUTLOOK  
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK  
1225 AM CDT FRI APR 26 2024  
 
VALID 261200Z - 271200Z  
 
...THERE IS AN ENHANCED RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS PARTS OF  
THE LOWER TO MID MISSOURI VALLEY...AND CENTRAL PLAINS...  
   
..SUMMARY
 
 
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE LIKELY TODAY FROM PARTS OF EASTERN  
NEBRASKA INTO WESTERN AND CENTRAL IOWA, SOUTHWARD INTO EASTERN  
KANSAS AND NORTHWEST MISSOURI. ALL HAZARDS WILL BE POSSIBLE,  
INCLUDING TORNADOES WITH SOME POTENTIALLY STRONG, VERY LARGE HAIL  
OVER TWO INCHES IN DIAMETER, AND WIND DAMAGE. A MORE ISOLATED SEVERE  
THREAT WILL EXTEND SOUTH-SOUTHWESTWARD INTO PARTS OF THE SOUTHERN  
PLAINS, OZARKS AND ARK-LA-TEX FROM LATE AFTERNOON INTO THE EVENING.  
 
...SIGNIFICANT SEVERE WEATHER EVENT EXPECTED TODAY ACROSS PARTS OF  
THE LOWER TO MID MISSOURI VALLEY AND CENTRAL PLAINS...  
   
..LOWER TO MID MISSOURI VALLEY/CENTRAL PLAINS
 
 
A NEGATIVELY TILTED UPPER-LEVEL TROUGH WILL MOVE NORTHEASTWARD  
ACROSS THE MID MISSOURI VALLEY TODAY, AS AN ASSOCIATED 50 TO 60 KNOT  
MID-LEVEL JET TRANSLATES NORTHEASTWARD THROUGH THE BASE OF THE  
SYSTEM. AT THE SURFACE, A LOW WILL DEEPEN AND MOVE NORTHEASTWARD  
ACROSS NEBRASKA. A NORTH-TO-SOUTH CORRIDOR OF MAXIMIZED LOW-LEVEL  
MOISTURE, WITH SURFACE DEWPOINTS IN THE MID 60S F, WILL BE IN PLACE  
BY MIDDAY ACROSS EASTERN KANSAS AND SOUTHEAST NEBRASKA. MODERATE  
INSTABILITY WILL DEVELOP ACROSS MOST OF THE MOIST SECTOR BY  
AFTERNOON, WITH THUNDERSTORMS FIRST DEVELOPING IN EAST-CENTRAL  
NEBRASKA AROUND MIDDAY. THESE STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO MOVE EASTWARD  
ACROSS EASTERN NEBRASKA DURING THE AFTERNOON, AS CONVECTIVE COVERAGE  
GRADUALLY EXPANDS SOUTH-SOUTHEASTWARD INTO EASTERN KANSAS. THE  
ENVIRONMENT WILL BE FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE STORMS, WITH SEVERAL  
CLUSTERS MOVING EASTWARD FROM NEBRASKA INTO IOWA, AND FROM KANSAS  
INTO MISSOURI DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING.  
 
SEVERAL FACTORS APPEAR TO BE SUPPORTIVE OF A SIGNIFICANT TORNADO  
EVENT TODAY ACROSS EASTERN PART OF THE CENTRAL PLAINS INTO THE LOWER  
TO MID MISSOURI VALLEY. THE FIRST IS THAT A 60 TO 70 KNOT MID-LEVEL  
JET, ASSOCIATED WITH A NEGATIVELY TILTED TROUGH, WILL BECOME COUPLED  
WITH A 50 TO 60 KNOT LOW-LEVEL JET OVER A MOIST AND UNSTABLE WARM  
SECTOR. A SECOND FACTOR IS THAT A BAND OF LARGE-SCALE ASCENT WILL  
MOVE OVER THE WARM SECTOR THIS AFTERNOON, AS THE CAPPING INVERSION  
DIMINISHES. STEEP LOW TO MID-LEVEL LAPSE RATES ARE FORECAST TO  
SPREAD OVER THE WARM SECTOR, WHICH COMBINED WITH MODERATE DEEP-LAYER  
SHEAR, WILL BE FAVORABLE SUPERCELLS WITH STRONG UPDRAFTS AT  
RELATIVELY LOW-LEVELS WITHIN THE STORMS. IN ADDITION, 0-3 KM  
STORM-RELATIVE HELICITY IS FORECAST TO INCREASE INTO THE 300 TO 400  
M2/S2 RANGE ALONG THE WESTERN EDGE OF THE LOW-LEVEL JET, WHICH WILL  
BE FAVORABLE FOR STRONG TORNADOES. A FEW TORNADIC SUPERCELLS ARE  
EXPECTED, WITH THE GREATEST POTENTIAL FROM NEAR OMAHA EASTWARD TO  
NEAR DES MOINES AND SOUTHWARD TO SOUTH OF THE KANSAS CITY METRO.  
ALONG THIS CORRIDOR, THE MORE DOMINANT SUPERCELL STORMS WILL ALSO  
HAVE A POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE HAILSTONES GREATER THAN 2 INCHES IN  
DIAMETER AND WIND DAMAGE. THE SEVERE THREAT IS EXPECTED TO SHIFT  
EASTWARD ACROSS IOWA AND MISSOURI DURING THE MID TO LATE EVENING,  
WITH AN ISOLATED SEVERE THREAT CONTINUING AFTER MIDNIGHT.  
   
..SOUTHERN PLAINS/OZARKS/ARK-LA-TEX
 
 
SOUTHWESTERLY MID-LEVEL FLOW WILL BE IN PLACE TODAY ACROSS THE  
SOUTH-CENTRAL U.S., WITH A BROAD MOIST WARM SECTOR LOCATED FROM THE  
SOUTHERN PLAINS EASTWARD INTO THE ARK-LA-TEX AND OZARKS. AN MCS IS  
EXPECTED TO MOVE ACROSS CENTRAL AND EASTERN OKLAHOMA DURING THE  
MORNING, WHICH WILL STABILIZE THE AIRMASS. HOWEVER, INSTABILITY IS  
FORECAST TO REDEVELOP ACROSS OKLAHOMA BY AFTERNOON. FURTHER SOUTH,  
STRONG INSTABILITY IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ACROSS MUCH OF CENTRAL AND  
EAST TEXAS BY AFTERNOON, WHERE MLCAPE SHOULD PEAK IN THE 2500 TO  
3500 J/KG RANGE. ALTHOUGH LARGE-SCALE ASCENT WILL BE WEAK ACROSS  
MOST OF THE SOUTHERN PLAINS, THE CAP IS EXPECTED TO DIMINISH AND  
ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS APPEAR LIKELY TO DEVELOP BY LATE AFTERNOON. A  
SEVERE THREAT IS EXPECTED TO PERSIST ALONG AND NEAR THE INSTABILITY  
AXIS DURING THE EARLY TO MID EVENING.  
 
RAP FORECAST SOUNDINGS AT 00Z/SATURDAY ALONG AND NEAR THE  
INSTABILITY AXIS FROM SOUTHEAST/SOUTH-CENTRAL OKLAHOMA INTO  
NORTH-CENTRAL TEXAS HAVE 0-6 KM SHEAR BETWEEN 40 AND 50 KNOTS. LOW  
TO MID-LEVEL LAPSE RATES WILL BECOME STEEPEST IN AREAS THAT HEAT UP  
THE MOST. THE ENVIRONMENT WILL LIKELY BE FAVORABLE FOR ISOLATED  
SUPERCELLS WITH LARGE HAIL. BY LATE AFTERNOON, FORECAST SOUNDINGS  
ALSO HAVE 0-3 KM STORM-RELATIVE HELICITY REACHING 200 M2/S2  
SUGGESTING THAT AN ISOLATED TORNADO THREAT WILL BE POSSIBLE. THE  
TORNADO THREAT IS EXPECTED TO BE THE GREATEST ACROSS EASTERN  
OKLAHOMA, NORTHEAST TEXAS AND WESTERN ARKANSAS, AS THE LOW-LEVEL JET  
RAMPS UP IN THE EARLY EVENING. WIND DAMAGE WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE  
WITH STORMS THAT DEVELOP.  
 
..BROYLES/THORNTON.. 04/26/2024  
 

 
 
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