906  
ACUS01 KWNS 031954  
SWODY1  
SPC AC 031952  
 
DAY 1 CONVECTIVE OUTLOOK  
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK  
0152 PM CST SAT JAN 03 2026  
 
VALID 032000Z - 041200Z  
 
...THERE IS A MARGINAL RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS OVER PORTIONS OF  
THE NORTHERN GULF COAST AND NORTHERN CALIFORNIA INTO SOUTHERN  
OREGON....  
   
..SUMMARY
 
 
ISOLATED SEVERE STORMS ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS PARTS OF THE SOUTHEAST  
TODAY. A FEW SEVERE STORMS WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE FROM THE SACRAMENTO  
AND NORTHERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEYS TO COASTAL AREAS OF NORTHERN  
CALIFORNIA AND SOUTHWEST OREGON.  
   
..20Z UPDATE SOUTHEAST
 
 
OVERALL, ONLY MINOR CHANGES WERE MADE TO THE PRIOR OUTLOOK. SEVERE  
AND THUNDER PROBABILITIES WERE CLEARED WEST OF A CLUSTER OF  
THUNDERSTORMS ONGOING ALONG THE NORTHERN GULF COAST FROM SOUTHERN  
AL/GA INTO NORTHERN FL. LOCATED AHEAD OF A WEAK COLD FRONT, THE  
ENVIRONMENT EAST OF THESE STORMS IS EXPECTED GRADUALLY BECOME MORE  
STABLE OWING TO REMNANT CLOUD COVER/PRECIPITATION. STILL, 500-1000  
J/KG OF MLCAPE AND ~40 KT OF DEEP-LAYER SHEAR WILL REMAIN SUFFICIENT  
FOR OCCASIONAL STRONGER/ORGANIZED UPDRAFTS. ISOLATED HAIL, DAMAGING  
GUSTS OR A BRIEF TORNADO ARE POSSIBLE, ESPECIALLY WITH ANY MORE  
PERSISTENT SUPERCELL STRUCTURES ABLE TO DEVELOP OVER SOUTHERN GA AND  
THE FL PANHANDLE.  
   
..CA
 
 
SEVERAL STRONGER CONVECTIVE ELEMENTS REMAIN NEAR THE COAST OR JUST  
ONSHORE BENEATH A STRENGTHENING SHORTWAVE TROUGH OVER NORTHERN CA  
AND SOUTHERN OR. COOL MID-LEVEL TEMPERATURES (-25C) AND STRONG  
FRONTAL FORCING WILL CONTINUE TO SUPPORT LOW-TOPPED STORMS THROUGH  
THIS AFTERNOON. LARGE-LOW-LEVEL HODOGRAPHS AND STRONG SOUTHWESTERLY  
FLOW ALOFT WILL SUPPORT AN ISOLATED RISK FOR DAMAGING GUSTS, AND  
PERHAPS A BRIEF TORNADO WITH ANY ROTATING MINIATURE SUPERCELL OR  
QLCS STRUCTURES MOVING ONSHORE. STORMS SHOULD WEAKEN AS THE COLD  
FRONT AND UPPER TROUGH MOVE ONSHORE COMPLETELY THIS EVENING.  
 
FARTHER SOUTH, STRONG ASCENT, FROM THE AFOREMENTIONED TROUGH, AND  
MODEST SURFACE HEATING ARE SUPPORTING WEAK DESTABILIZATION OVER THE  
NORTHERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY. FAVORABLE LOW-LEVEL HODOGRAPH CURVATURE  
AND BUOYANCY COULD SUPPORT AN ISOLATED LOW-TOPPED SUPERCELL CAPABLE  
OF A BRIEF TORNADO THIS AFTERNOON. SEE THE PRIOR OUTLOOK FOR  
ADDITIONAL INFO.  
 
..LYONS.. 01/03/2026  
   
PREV DISCUSSION
 
/ISSUED 1038 AM CST SAT JAN 03 2026/  
   
..SOUTHEAST
 
 
MULTIPLE SHORTWAVE TROUGHS CURRENTLY OVER THE MID-SOUTH/LOWER  
MISSISSIPPI VALLEY WILL CONTINUE TO PROGRESS SOUTHEASTWARD ACROSS  
THE REGION TODAY. A RELATIVELY MOIST AIR MASS PRECEDES A WEAK  
SURFACE LOW AND SOUTH/SOUTHEASTWARD-ADVANCING FRONT, WITH A BAND OF  
SCATTERED CONVECTION ALSO A NOTABLE PRE-FRONTAL FACTOR ACROSS  
NORTHERN FLORIDA AND FAR SOUTHERN GEORGIA. THIS CONVECTION AND WEAK  
NEAR-FRONTAL CONVERGENCE SHOULD EFFECTIVELY LIMIT SEVERE POTENTIAL  
TO ITS NORTH, WHILE POTENTIAL SEVERE STORM DEVELOPMENT SHOULD BE  
MORE PROBABLE ON ITS WESTERN FLANK ACROSS SOUTHERN ALABAMA AND THE  
FLORIDA PANHANDLE AND EVENTUALLY OTHER PARTS OF FAR NORTHERN  
FLORIDA.  
 
LOW-LEVEL FLOW WILL TEND TO REMAIN VEERED AHEAD OF THE FRONT,  
LIMITING LOW-LEVEL HODOGRAPH CURVATURE. EVEN SO, STRONG MID-LEVEL  
WESTERLY/SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW WILL EXTEND ACROSS THE REGION, RESULTING  
IN LONG HODOGRAPHS THAT COULD SUPPORT OCCASIONAL ORGANIZED UPDRAFTS.  
PRIMARY SEVERE RISK WILL BE ISOLATED DAMAGING GUSTS, ALTHOUGH A  
LOW-PROBABILITY RISK FOR A BRIEF TORNADO EXISTS AS WELL. SOME  
ISOLATED HAIL COULD ALSO OCCUR, PARTICULARLY WITH ANY STORMS NEAR  
THE SURFACE LOW OVER SOUTHERN ALABAMA AND THE WESTERN FLORIDA  
PANHANDLE DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON/EARLY EVENING.  
   
..NORTHERN/CENTRAL CALIFORNIA AND SOUTHWEST OREGON
 
 
A SHORTWAVE TROUGH WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE EAST-NORTHEASTWARD AND  
INLAND OVER THE REGION TODAY. MODESTLY BROKEN CLUSTERS OF  
THUNDERSTORMS HAVE SOMEWHAT INCREASED OFFSHORE THIS MORNING, WITH  
THE LEAD PORTION OF THESE STORMS, INCLUDING A FEW LOW-TOPPED  
ROTATING STORMS, LOCATED AROUND 25-50 MILES OFF THE FAR NORTHERN  
CALIFORNIA COAST AS OF 16Z/8AM PST. WITH A STRONG DEEP-LAYER WIND  
FIELD, A FEW OF THESE STRONGER, MORE ORGANIZED, AND POTENTIALLY  
ROTATING STORMS COULD MOVE INLAND THROUGH MIDDAY WITH DAMAGING WIND  
AND/OR WATERSPOUT/BRIEF TORNADO POTENTIAL. FOR ADDITIONAL SHORT-TERM  
DETAILS, SEE MESOSCALE DISCUSSION 4.  
 
ADDITIONALLY, INTO THE AFTERNOON, SOUTHERLY LOW-LEVEL FLOW THROUGH  
THE SACRAMENTO AND NORTHERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEYS, COULD RESULT IN  
ENOUGH LOW-LEVEL CURVATURE FOR AN ISOLATED LOW-TOPPED SUPERCELL  
CAPABLE OF A BRIEF TORNADO.  
 

 
 
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