179  
ACUS01 KWNS 211258  
SWODY1  
SPC AC 211257  
 
DAY 1 CONVECTIVE OUTLOOK  
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK  
0757 AM CDT TUE JUL 21 2026  
 
VALID 211300Z - 221200Z  
 
...THERE IS AN ENHANCED RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS PARTS OF  
THE OHIO VALLEY TO MID-ATLANTIC STATES...  
   
..SUMMARY  
 
NUMEROUS SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS A BROAD REGION  
FROM THE OHIO VALLEY TO THE MID-ATLANTIC AND NORTHEAST STATES TODAY  
INTO TONIGHT. SWATHS OF DAMAGING WIND GUSTS ARE EXPECTED TO BE THE  
MOST COMMON IMPACT, BUT SOME TORNADOES ARE POSSIBLE AS WELL.  
   
..OHIO VALLEY INTO THE MID-ATLANTIC AND NORTHEAST  
 
A BROAD AREA OF 40-50-KT MID-LEVEL WEST-SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW WILL  
OVERSPREAD THE OHIO VALLEY INTO THE MID-ATLANTIC/NORTHEAST AS A  
LARGE-SCALE TROUGH AMPLIFIES AND SHIFTS ACROSS THE NORTHEASTERN  
CONUS. SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP  
AHEAD OF AN EASTWARD-MOVING COLD FRONT ACROSS THE OHIO VALLEY AND  
ALONG A PRE-FRONTAL TROUGH OVER THE MID-ATLANTIC. IN THE BASE OF THE  
TROUGH, A CONVECTIVELY AUGMENTED MID-LEVEL IMPULSE MOVING FROM THE  
LOWER OHIO VALLEY INTO THE MID-ATLANTIC MAY ALSO SERVE AS A FOCUS  
FOR CONVECTIVE DEVELOPMENT. SEVERE THUNDERSTORM POTENTIAL COULD  
INCREASE RELATIVELY EARLY TODAY ACROSS PARTS OF OHIO INTO  
PENNSYLVANIA AND WESTERN NEW YORK.  
 
DIURNAL HEATING WITHIN CLOUD BREAKS, COMBINED WITH UPPER 60S TO  
LOWER 70S F DEWPOINTS, WILL SUPPORT AT LEAST MODERATE SURFACE-BASED  
INSTABILITY ACROSS THE BROAD PRE-FRONTAL WARM SECTOR. THE MOST  
FAVORABLE OVERLAP OF THIS INSTABILITY AND 40-50 KT OF EFFECTIVE  
SHEAR IS EXPECTED FROM THE LOWER OHIO VALLEY INTO THE MID-ATLANTIC,  
WHERE A MIX OF ORGANIZED CLUSTERS AND SUPERCELLS SHOULD EVOLVE AND  
SPREAD EASTWARD THROUGH THE DAY. SWATHS OF DAMAGING WIND GUSTS WILL  
BE THE PRIMARY SEVERE HAZARD, THOUGH SEVERE HAIL WILL ALSO BE  
POSSIBLE WITH ANY INITIAL/SUSTAINED SUPERCELLS. ADDITIONALLY, A  
GRADUALLY STRENGTHENING AND EXPANDING 30-KT LOW-LEVEL JET WILL  
CONTRIBUTE TO CLOCKWISE-CURVED LOW-LEVEL HODOGRAPHS, AND A FEW  
TORNADOES MAY OCCUR. THIS SUPERCELL RELATED-TORNADO POTENTIAL MAY  
FOCUS ALONG THE WARM FRONT INTO PARTS OF THE NORTHEAST, AND WITH  
SEMI-DISCRETE DEVELOPMENT LATER TODAY FOCUSING ALONG THE LEE  
TROUGH/EDGE OF HIGHER TERRAIN, ALTHOUGH LOW-LEVEL SHEAR/SRH WILL BE  
MODERATE IN MOST OF THE OPEN WARM SECTOR AS WELL.  
   
..MID-SOUTH AND THE TENNESSEE VALLEY  
 
GREATER INSTABILITY IS EXPECTED SOUTHWESTWARD INTO PORTIONS OF THE  
MID-SOUTH AND TENNESSEE VALLEY, ALTHOUGH SOMEWHAT WEAKER DEEP-LAYER  
SHEAR (AROUND 30-40 KT OF EFFECTIVE SHEAR) MAY TEMPER STORM  
ORGANIZATION COMPARED TO AREAS FARTHER NORTHEAST. NEVERTHELESS,  
WIDELY SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS CAPABLE OF ORGANIZING INTO MULTICELL  
CLUSTERS AND OCCASIONAL SUPERCELL STRUCTURES WILL POSE A RISK OF  
DAMAGING WIND GUSTS AND ISOLATED SEVERE HAIL AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT  
DURING THE AFTERNOON INTO EVENING.  
   
..GULF COAST  
 
TROPICAL STORM BERTHA IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE TO DRIFT NORTHWEST  
THEN WESTWARD OVER THE NORTHERN GULF TONIGHT FROM OFF THE COAST OF  
THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE TOWARD THE SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI COAST AND  
COASTAL SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA. REFERENCE THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER  
FOR THE LATEST DETAILS. A STRONG LOW-LEVEL WIND FIELD WILL APPROACH  
THESE COASTAL AREAS LATER TODAY AND TONIGHT. HOWEVER, FORECAST SRH  
SHOULD REMAIN RELATIVELY MODEST INLAND WITH MARGINAL THERMODYNAMIC  
PROFILES ASIDE FROM THE RICH BOUNDARY LAYER MOISTURE. ANY  
BERTHA-RELATED MINI-SUPERCELL POTENTIAL IS EXPECTED TO FOCUS  
OFFSHORE IN THE OPEN GULF WATERS.  
 
..GUYER/BROYLES.. 07/21/2026  
 
 
CLICK HERE TO GO TO PREVIOUS BULLETINS.
The Nexlab SPC Page
Main Text Page