838  
ACUS01 KWNS 262006  
SWODY1  
SPC AC 262004  
 
DAY 1 CONVECTIVE OUTLOOK  
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK  
0304 PM CDT SUN JUL 26 2026  
 
VALID 262000Z - 271200Z  
 
...THERE IS AN ENHANCED RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS OVER PORTIONS  
OF THE UPPER MIDWEST AND WESTERN GREAT LAKES....  
   
..SUMMARY  
 
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAPABLE OF LARGE TO VERY LARGE HAIL, DAMAGING  
WINDS (POSSIBLY 75+ MPH), AND TORNADO RISK REMAIN LIKELY FROM THE  
UPPER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY AND GREAT LAKES SOUTHWESTWARD INTO  
NEBRASKA, MAINLY LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.  
   
..20Z UPDATE UPPER MIDWEST  
 
NO CHANGES WERE MADE TO THE PRIOR OUTLOOK. SEVERE STORM DEVELOPMENT  
REMAINS LIKELY THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING AS A VERY WARM AIR MASS  
CONTINUES TO DESTABILIZE. WEAK, BUT SUFFICIENT, SYNOPTIC ASCENT  
(EVIDENT IN VISIBLE IMAGERY) SHOULD AID IN REMOVING INHIBITION BY  
LATE THIS AFTERNOON. INITIAL SUPERCELLS DEVELOPING OVER NORTHEASTERN  
MN AND FAR NORTHERN WI WILL POSE AN ALL-HAZARDS RISK, INCLUDING  
LOCALLY SEVERE WIND GUSTS, VERY LARGE HAIL, AND A COUPLE OF  
TORNADOES. AN MCS SHOULD EVENTUALLY DEVELOP AND TRACK  
SOUTH/SOUTHEAST ACROSS WI AND MI WITH A RISK FOR DAMAGING GUSTS AND  
A BRIEF TORNADO OR TWO THROUGH TONIGHT.  
   
..NE  
 
MORE ISOLATED HIGHER-BASED CONVECTION REMAINS POSSIBLE FROM CENTRAL  
AND EASTERN NE, INTO WESTERN IA, AND SOUTHEAST SD LATE THIS  
AFTERNOON AND EVENING. VERY HOT SURFACE TEMPERATURES AND MODERATE  
BUOYANCY WILL SUPPORT A FEW STRONGER STORMS WITH DAMAGING WIND AND  
ISOLATED HAIL POTENTIAL. CONVECTIVE DEVELOPMENT APPEARS MOST  
PROBABLE ALONG A THERMALLY INDUCED SURFACE PRESSURE TROUGH, FROM  
CENTRAL NE NORTHEASTWARD LATE THIS AFTERNOON.  
   
..MID MS VALLEY  
 
A VERY UNSTABLE AND WEAKLY CAPPED AIR MASS IS PRESENT ALONG A  
DIFFUSE DIFFERENTIAL HEATING ZONE FROM NORTHWEST IL, INTO NORTHERN  
TN. CURRENT EXPECTATIONS ARE FOR ONE OR MORE CLUSTERS OF  
THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP ALONG THE BOUNDARY AND AHEAD OF A WEAK  
MID-LEVEL WAVE/MCV ACROSS IA/IL, BEFORE SPREADING  
SOUTH/SOUTHEASTWARD INTO THIS EVENING. THE EXTREME INSTABILITY  
(4000+ J/KG MLCAPE) AND 25-35 KT OF DEEP-LAYER SHEAR SHOULD SUPPORT  
ORGANIZED CLUSTERS, AND EVENTUALLY AN MCS, WITH DAMAGING WINDS  
LIKELY. A TORNADO OR TWO IS ALSO POSSIBLE WITH INITIAL CONVECTION  
ALONG THE BOUNDARY OWING TO EXTREME BUOYANCY, OR ANY EMBEDDED QLCS  
CIRCULATIONS WITH THE EXPECTED MCS. SEE MCD#1742 FOR SHORT-TERM  
INFORMATION.  
 
ELSEWHERE, ISOLATED DAMAGING GUSTS REMAIN POSSIBLE WITH SCATTERED  
THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE NORTHERN ROCKIES AND ACROSS THE MID  
ATLANTIC/SOUTHEAST. WEAKER BUOYANCY/SHEAR OVERLAP SUGGESTS THESE  
OCCURRENCES WILL BE MORE SPORADIC, WITH LIMITED STORM  
ORGANIZATION/LONGEVITY. SEE THE PRIOR DISCUSSION FOR ADDITIONAL  
INFORMATION.  
 
..LYONS.. 07/26/2026  
   
PREV DISCUSSION  
/ISSUED 1110 AM CDT SUN JUL 26 2026/  
   
..UPPER MIDWEST/GREAT LAKES  
 
INITIAL SUPERCELL STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ACROSS NORTHERN  
MN/WI LATER THIS AFTERNOON, AIDED BY A FAVORABLY TIMED SHORTWAVE  
IMPULSE ROUNDING THE PLAINS UPPER RIDGE. ANOTHER MCV/SHORTWAVE  
IMPULSE LOCATED OVER THE DAKOTAS AT MIDDAY WILL ALSO SPREAD  
EAST/SOUTHEAST ACROSS SOUTHERN/CENTRAL MN THIS AFTERNOON. THESE  
FEATURES WILL PROVIDE SUPPORT FOR ONE OR MORE FOCUSED AREAS OF  
THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT. INITIAL SUPERCELLS WILL POSE AN  
ALL-HAZARDS RISK, INCLUDING LOCALLY SEVERE WIND GUSTS, VERY LARGE  
HAIL, AND A COUPLE OF TORNADOES. WITH TIME INTO THE EVENING, INITIAL  
SUPERCELLS MAY GROW INTO ONE OR TWO SMALL BOWING MCSS. THIS STORM  
MODE TRANSITION WILL SUPPORT AN INCREASED RISK FOR INTENSE DAMAGING  
WIND SWATHS THIS EVENING INTO TONIGHT AS CONVECTION SPREADS  
SOUTHEAST ALONG A STRONG INSTABILITY/MOISTURE GRADIENT ACROSS WI AND  
THE LAKE MICHIGAN VICINITY.  
   
..MID-MISSISSIPPI/LOWER OHIO/TENNESSEE VALLEYS  
 
MULTIPLE AREAS OF STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE THIS  
AFTERNOON INTO TONIGHT FROM NEAR THE MS RIVER INTO IL/IN/KY/TN.  
THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT MAY BE AIDED BY A WEAK SHORTWAVE  
IMPULSE/MCV MIGRATING SOUTHEAST FROM IA AT MIDDAY AND INTO THE LOWER  
OH VALLEY THIS EVENING. STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ALONG A  
CORRIDOR OF DIFFERENTIAL HEATING NEAR/JUST EAST OF THE MS RIVER  
WHERE MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES THIS MORNING HAVE ALREADY RESULTED IN  
TEMPERATURES APPROACHING 85-90 F, WHILE SCATTERED CLOUDS FURTHER  
EAST WILL MAINTAIN SOMEWHAT LOWER HIGH TEMPERATURES. THUNDERSTORM  
CLUSTERS THIS AFTERNOON WILL POSE A RISK FOR SEVERE/DAMAGING WIND  
GUSTS. SUFFICIENT CLUSTERING MAY OCCUR AND SOME UPSCALE DEVELOPMENT  
INTO A FORWARD PROPAGATING BOW MAY OCCUR ACROSS THE LOWER OHIO  
VALLEY VICINITY THIS EVENING, AND WIND PROBABILITIES HAVE BEEN  
INCREASED TO 30 PERCENT FOR PARTS OF SOUTHERN IL/IN AND WESTERN KY.  
 
THIS ACTIVITY COULD BE MAINTAINED SOUTHWARD DURING THE OVERNIGHT  
HOURS AS FAR SOUTH AS NORTHERN AL/GA GIVEN FAVORABLE INSTABILITY AND  
SUFFICIENTLY STRONG NORTHWESTERLY FLOW ALOFT. DAMAGING WIND GUSTS  
COULD PERSIST WITH THIS ACTIVITY AS IT SPREADS SOUTH/SOUTHEAST  
ACROSS TN INTO AL/GA TOWARD EARLY MONDAY MORNING.  
   
..NE/SD/IA  
 
A DEEPLY MIXED AND HOT BOUNDARY LAYER WILL DEVELOP THIS  
AFTERNOON/EARLY EVENING IN THE VICINITY OF A WEAK SURFACE TROUGH  
FROM NE INTO SOUTHEAST SD/NORTHWEST IA. VERY STEEP LAPSE RATES ALOFT  
WILL FOSTER 1500-2000 J/KG MLCAPE. VERTICALLY VEERING WIND PROFILES  
AND INCREASING NORTHWESTERLY FLOW ALOFT WILL PROVIDE 25-35 KT  
EFFECTIVE SHEAR MAGNITUDES AND A FEW ORGANIZED CELLS/CLUSTERS MAY  
DEVELOP BY LATE AFTERNOON. DAMAGING WIND GUSTS OF 60-80 MPH WOULD BE  
THE MAIN HAZARD WITH THIS ACTIVITY. WHILE TEMPERATURES ARE SOMEWHAT  
WARM ALOFT, THE STRONGEST STORMS COULD PRODUCE SPORADIC LARGE HAIL.  
   
..MID-ATLANTIC/CAROLINAS/SOUTHEAST GA/NORTHERN FL  
 
UPPER TROUGHING WILL PERSIST TODAY ACROSS THE EAST, THOUGH SOME  
ENHANCEMENT TO NORTHWESTERLY FLOW ALOFT IS EXPECTED. RELATIVELY COOL  
CONDITIONS, WEAK LAPSE RATES, AND THE POTENTIAL INFLUENCE OF SMOKE  
WILL TEMPER DESTABILIZATION ACROSS THE MID-ATLANTIC. NEVERTHELESS,  
MLCAPE 1000 J/KG AMID 25-35 KT OF EFFECTIVE SHEAR MAY SUPPORT  
OCCASIONAL ORGANIZED STORMS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING LOCALLY DAMAGING  
GUSTS.  
 
STRONGER HEATING/DESTABILIZATION IS EXPECTED FARTHER SOUTH ACROSS  
THE CAROLINAS INTO GA/FL. DEEP-LAYER FLOW/SHEAR WILL BE SOMEWHAT  
WEAKER COMPARED TO FARTHER NORTH, BUT MAY STILL BE SUFFICIENT FOR  
TRANSIENT STORM ORGANIZATION WITH SPORADIC LOCALLY DAMAGING WINDS  
POSSIBLE.  
   
..SOUTHEAST MT/NORTHERN WY/BLACK HILLS VICINITY  
 
HIGH-BASED CONVECTION IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON ALONG  
THE NORTHERN PERIPHERY OF THE UPPER RIDGE, WITH THE GREATEST STORM  
COVERAGE EXPECTED ACROSS PARTS OF NORTHERN WYOMING AND SOUTHERN  
MONTANA. OVERALL BUOYANCY IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN WEAK, BUT INVERTED-V  
PROFILES WILL SUPPORT A THREAT OF STRONG TO LOCALIZED SEVERE GUSTS  
AS STORMS SPREAD EASTWARD TOWARD THE BLACK HILLS BEFORE WEAKENING  
INTO MID/LATE EVENING.  
 
 
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