864  
ACUS01 KWNS 240557  
SWODY1  
SPC AC 240555  
 
DAY 1 CONVECTIVE OUTLOOK  
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK  
1255 AM CDT SUN MAY 24 2026  
 
VALID 241200Z - 251200Z  
 
...THERE IS A MARGINAL RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TODAY ACROSS  
PARTS OF THE SOUTHEAST AND LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING ACROSS  
PARTS OF THE CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS...  
   
..SUMMARY
 
 
STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MAY IMPACT PARTS OF THE CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS  
AND SOUTHEAST TODAY INTO TONIGHT, ACCOMPANIED BY AT LEAST SOME RISK  
FOR SEVERE WEATHER.  
   
..DISCUSSION
 
 
MID/UPPER FLOW IS UNDERGOING GRADUAL AMPLIFICATION ACROSS THE  
NORTHERN MID-LATITUDE PACIFIC. IT APPEARS THAT THIS WILL CONTINUE  
THROUGH THIS PERIOD, WITH A FAIRLY SIGNIFICANT MID-LEVEL TROUGH AND  
ASSOCIATED CYCLONE APPROACHING THE BRITISH COLUMBIA AND PACIFIC  
NORTHWEST COAST BY LATE TONIGHT. DOWNSTREAM, MID-LEVEL HEIGHTS WILL  
TEND TO RISE ACROSS THE NORTHERN ROCKIES AND MUCH OF THE MISSOURI  
VALLEY THROUGH UPPER MIDWEST, WITH TROUGHING FARTHER EAST GENERALLY  
RECEDING INTO THE EASTERN CANADIAN PROVINCES AND ADJACENT PORTIONS  
OF THE NORTHEAST.  
 
IN THE SOUTHERN MID- TO SUBTROPICAL LATITUDES, A NOTABLE MID-LEVEL  
HIGH IS FORECAST TO BE MAINTAINED AND REMAIN CENTERED TO THE  
WEST-SOUTHWEST OF BERMUDA. UPSTREAM, IT APPEARS THAT WEAK UPPER  
TROUGHING WILL LINGER ACROSS EASTERN TEXAS THROUGH THE WESTERN GULF  
BASIN, WITH PERHAPS AN ASSOCIATED MID-LEVEL CYCLONIC CIRCULATION  
CENTERED ACROSS THE UPPER TEXAS COASTAL PLAIN, AS THE LEADING EDGE  
OF BROAD WEAK TROUGHING EMERGING FROM THE SUBTROPICAL EASTERN  
PACIFIC PROGRESSES THROUGH THE SOUTHWEST.  
 
AS THE STRONGER MID-LATITUDE WESTERLIES BECOME INCREASINGLY CONFINED  
TO AREAS NEAR AND NORTH OF THE WESTERN AND CENTRAL CANADIAN/U.S.  
BORDER AREA, AND THE LOWER GREAT LAKES/NORTHEAST, SEASONABLY HIGH  
BOUNDARY-LAYER MOISTURE CONTENT WILL GENERALLY REMAIN CONFINED TO  
THE GULF COAST STATES AND SOUTHERN ATLANTIC SEABOARD. HOWEVER,  
MODEST LOW-LEVEL MOISTURE RETURN APPEARS PROBABLE ALONG AND EAST OF  
WEAK LEE SURFACE TROUGHING ACROSS THE CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS.  
   
..CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS
 
 
SUBSTANTIVE SPREAD REMAINS EVIDENT WITHIN LATEST MODEL OUTPUT,  
INCLUDING CONVECTION ALLOWING GUIDANCE, CONCERNING DEVELOPMENTS  
WHICH WILL INFLUENCE CONVECTIVE POTENTIAL THIS AFTERNOON INTO  
TONIGHT. THE RISK FOR SEVERE WEATHER, IN GENERAL, STILL SEEMS  
LIKELY TO BE LIMITED BY WEAK FORCING FOR ASCENT, SEASONABLY MODEST  
LOW-LEVEL MOISTURE RETURN, AND MODEST TO WEAK LATE AFTERNOON INTO  
EARLY EVENING DEEP-LAYER MEAN WIND FIELDS.  
 
HOWEVER, DUE TO VEERING OF WIND FIELDS WITH HEIGHT BENEATH MODEST  
WEST TO NORTHWESTERLY MID/UPPER FLOW, VERTICAL SHEAR ALONG AND EAST  
OF THE LEE SURFACE TROUGH MAY BECOME AT LEAST MARGINALLY SUFFICIENT  
FOR ORGANIZED CONVECTION, INCLUDING SUPERCELLS. AND ANY  
THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT PERSISTING INTO MID/LATE EVENING MAY BE  
AUGMENTED BY A NOCTURNALLY STRENGTHENING SOUTHERLY LOW-LEVEL JET  
(INCLUDING 30-40 KT AROUND 850 MB).  
 
IN THE PRESENCE OF STEEP LAPSE RATES, THERMODYNAMIC PROFILES  
PROBABLY WILL BECOME SUPPORTIVE OF STORMS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING LARGE  
HAIL DURING PEAK LATE AFTERNOON INSTABILITY INTO EARLY EVENING,  
PARTICULARLY WHERE IT APPEARS SHEAR MAY BE STRONGEST ACROSS PARTS OF  
THE MIDDLE MISSOURI VALLEY VICINITY. OTHERWISE, WIDELY SCATTERED TO  
SCATTERED STORMS MAY POSE A RISK FOR STRONG TO LOCALLY SEVERE WIND  
GUSTS INTO MID TO LATE EVENING, BEFORE INSTABILITY WANES AND  
CONVECTION WEAKENS.  
   
..SOUTHEAST
 
 
SEVERE WEATHER POTENTIAL ACROSS THE GULF COAST STATES INTO SOUTHEAST  
TODAY REMAINS UNCERTAIN, WITH LITTLE CLEAR SIGNAL EVIDENT IN LATEST  
MODEL OUTPUT. HOWEVER, A NOTABLE CLUSTER OF STORMS, WHICH HAS  
WEAKENED SINCE BECOMING BETTER ORGANIZED OFFSHORE OF THE LOUISIANA  
COAST EARLIER THIS EVENING, HAS GENERATED A MESO-BETA SCALE  
LOWER/MID-TROPOSPHERIC CYCLONIC VORTICITY CENTER. IT APPEARS THAT  
THIS MAY MIGRATE INLAND ACROSS THE WESTERN FLORIDA PANHANDLE  
VICINITY NEAR OR SHORTLY AFTER DAYBREAK, BEFORE CONTINUING  
NORTHEASTWARD DURING THE DAY. AS IT DOES, BASED ON POTENTIAL  
INSTABILITY PRESENT IN LATEST OBJECTIVE ANALYSIS, IT COULD BECOME A  
FOCUS FOR SLOWLY INTENSIFYING AND ORGANIZING THUNDERSTORM  
DEVELOPMENT WHICH COULD EVENTUALLY POSE INCREASING POTENTIAL TO  
PRODUCE DAMAGING WIND GUSTS.  
 
..KERR/CHALMERS.. 05/24/2026  
 

 
 
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