505  
ACUS48 KWNS 150901  
SWOD48  
SPC AC 150859  
 
DAY 4-8 CONVECTIVE OUTLOOK  
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK  
0359 AM CDT WED JUL 15 2026  
 
VALID 181200Z - 231200Z  
   
..DISCUSSION  
 
THE MID-LEVEL PATTERN WILL CONTINUE TO TRANSITION TOWARD A WESTERN  
US RIDGE AND EASTERN CANADA TROUGH DURING THIS FORECAST PERIOD. THE  
STRONGEST MID-LEVEL FLOW ACROSS THE US WILL BE IN THE REGION BETWEEN  
THE RIDGE AND TROUGH, NAMELY THE UPPER MIDWEST INTO THE NORTHEAST  
AND MID-ATLANTIC.  
 
ENSEMBLE GUIDANCE SUITES CONTINUE TO INDICATE SEVERAL STRONGER  
MID-LEVEL SHORT-WAVE TROUGHS MOVING THROUGH THE LONGWAVE TROUGH  
ACROSS EASTERN NORTH AMERICA. IN PARTICULAR, ONE SUCH TROUGH WILL  
MOVE ACROSS THE GREAT LAKES AND NORTHEAST ON SATURDAY INTO SUNDAY,  
WITH A SECONDARY WAVE MOVING ACROSS THE SAME GENERAL AREA LATE  
MONDAY INTO EARLY WEDNESDAY. IN BETWEEN THESE MAIN WAVES,  
SMALLER-SCALE VORTICITY/SPEED MAXIMA ARE LIKELY TO TRAVERSE THE  
REGION.  
 
PRIOR CYCLONES MOVING ACROSS THE REGION WILL HAVE LEFT BEHIND A  
SURFACE BOUNDARY ARCING FROM THE GREAT LAKES INTO THE MID-ATLANTIC.  
AS EACH OF THE PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED WAVES APPROACHES THIS BOUNDARY,  
THE SURFACE BOUNDARY WILL LIFT NORTHWARD BEFORE BEING PUSHED FARTHER  
SOUTHWARD IN THE WAKE OF THE DEPARTING WAVE. BY THE END OF THE  
FORECAST PERIOD, THIS BOUNDARY MAY PUSH AS FAR SOUTH AS THE  
SOUTHEAST US.  
 
WIDESPREAD SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH EACH  
PASSING WAVE, WITH MORE ISOLATED POTENTIAL IN BETWEEN THE MAIN WAVES  
IN ASSOCIATION WITH ANY OF THE SMALL/SUBTLE VORTICITY/SPEED MAXIMA  
MOVING THROUGH THE FLOW. THE BEST AREAS FOR THUNDERSTORMS LOOK TO BE  
SOUTH OF THE BETTER MID-LEVEL FLOW, WHICH WOULD TEND TO FAVOR ANY  
SEVERE POTENTIAL BEING DRIVEN BY THE DEGREE OF LOW-LEVEL  
WARMING/STEEPENING OF THE LOW-LEVEL LAPSE RATES. AT THIS TIME IT  
APPEARS THAT THE TIMING OF THE MIDLEVEL WAVES MAY FAVOR EARLY DAY  
CONVECTION, ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE LOWER GREAT LAKES INTO THE  
NORTHERN MID-ATLANTIC AREA. THIS EARLY DAY CONVECTION MAY TEMPER  
AFTERNOON HEATING AND THE OVERALL ORGANIZATION/AREAL EXTENT OF ANY  
SEVERE POTENTIAL. THUS, CONFIDENCE REMAINS TOO LOW TO INTRODUCE  
UNCONDITIONAL 15% SEVERE WEATHER PROBABILITIES AT THIS TIME, DESPITE  
THE ACKNOWLEDGMENT THAT SOME SEVERE POTENTIAL IS LIKELY DURING THIS  
TIME PERIOD.  
 
..MARSH.. 07/15/2026  
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