467  
ACUS01 KWNS 311251  
SWODY1  
SPC AC 311249  
 
DAY 1 CONVECTIVE OUTLOOK  
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK  
0749 AM CDT FRI JUL 31 2026  
 
VALID 311300Z - 011200Z  
 
...THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE MIDDLE  
MISSISSIPPI VALLEY...  
   
..SUMMARY  
 
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING ACROSS  
THE MIDDLE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY AND OZARKS. ISOLATED SEVERE STORMS MAY  
ALSO OCCUR ACROSS THE SOUTHERN PLAINS AND CENTRAL/SOUTHERN HIGH  
PLAINS THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH EARLY EVENING.  
   
..MIDDLE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY AND OZARKS  
 
FAIRLY EXTENSIVE ELEVATED CONVECTION EXISTS THIS MORNING ACROSS  
MISSOURI INTO WESTERN ILLINOIS AND EASTERN IOWA. A POSITIVE-TILT  
TROUGH OVER THE CORN BELT WILL CONTINUE SOUTHEASTWARD TODAY TOWARD  
THE MIDDLE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY, WITH AN ENHANCED BELT OF  
NORTHWESTERLY FLOW ALOFT OVERLAPPING THE NEAR-FRONTAL ENVIRONMENT AS  
A COLD FRONT SPREADS SOUTHEASTWARD ACROSS THE LOWER MISSOURI VALLEY  
TOWARD THE OZARKS.  
 
RELATED TO THE EARLY DAY CONVECTION, SOME UNCERTAINTY EXISTS  
REGARDING THE NORTH-NORTHEASTWARD EXTENT OF THE UNSTABLE WARM SECTOR  
LATER TODAY FROM NORTHEAST MISSOURI INTO EASTERN IOWA/NORTHWEST  
ILLINOIS. REGARDLESS, A MOIST AIR MASS WILL RESIDE AHEAD OF THE  
FRONT, WITH MODERATE TO LOCALLY STRONG DESTABILIZATION EXPECTED,  
ESPECIALLY ACROSS A BROAD PART OF CENTRAL/SOUTHWEST MISSOURI INTO  
PEAK HEATING, AS EARLY DAY CLOUDS ABATE.  
 
AIDED BY THE STRONGER NORTHWESTERLY FLOW ALOFT, EFFECTIVE SHEAR OF  
30-35 KT WILL GENERALLY EXIST ACROSS THE MISSOURI OZARKS, WITH  
SOMEWHAT STRONGER DEEP-LAYER WINDS/VERTICAL SHEAR (40+ KT) NORTHWARD  
ACROSS EASTERN/NORTHERN MISSOURI INTO IOWA/ILLINOIS. SOME SUPERCELLS  
WILL BE POSSIBLE. SOME HAIL COULD OCCUR, AND LOW-LEVEL SHEAR/SRH  
COULD SUPPORT TORNADO POTENTIAL AS WELL, MAINLY ACROSS EASTERN  
MISSOURI AND POSSIBLY NEARBY WESTERN ILLINOIS/SOUTHEAST IOWA.  
HOWEVER, DAMAGING WINDS SHOULD EMERGE AS THE MOST PREVALENT SEVERE  
RISK AS STORMS SPREAD SOUTHEASTWARD REGIONALLY THROUGH LATE  
AFTERNOON AND EVENING.  
   
..SOUTHERN PLAINS INCLUDING OKLAHOMA/NORTHERN TEXAS  
 
WHILE SOME THUNDERSTORMS AND RELATED CLOUD COVER EXIST THIS MORNING,  
CLOUD BREAKS WILL LEAD TO INTENSE HEATING LATER THIS AFTERNOON AHEAD  
OF A SOUTH/SOUTHEASTWARD-ADVANCING FRONT. THUNDERSTORMS WILL LIKELY  
REDEVELOP ON SCATTERED BASIS LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND PERSIST INTO  
THE EVENING. THE HOT/MOIST AFTERNOON BOUNDARY LAYER WILL SUPPORT THE  
POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE CALIBER WIND GUSTS REGIONALLY. DEEP-LAYER WIND  
PROFILES WILL GENERALLY BE WEAK, BUT SOMEWHAT STRONGER  
MID/HIGH-LEVEL NORTHWESTERLY WINDS COULD SUPPORT A DEGREE OF STORM  
ORGANIZATION AS STORMS CLUSTER AND SPREAD SOUTH-SOUTHEASTWARD.  
   
..FRONT RANGE/RATON MESA AND CENTRAL/SOUTHERN HIGH PLAINS  
 
STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP AND INCREASE IN COVERAGE AND  
INTENSITY THROUGH MID/LATE AFTERNOON INITIALLY NEAR THE HIGH  
TERRAIN, SUBSEQUENTLY SPREADING SOUTHEASTWARD TOWARD LOWER  
ELEVATIONS. STEEP LOW TO MID-LEVEL LAPSE RATES WILL SUPPORT A  
POTENTIAL FOR ISOLATED SEVERE GUSTS. HAIL COULD ALSO OCCUR WITH THE  
STRONGER UPDRAFTS IN VICINITY OF THE RATON MESA AND NEAR THE  
COLORADO FRONT RANGE.  
 
..GUYER/BENTLEY.. 07/31/2026  
 
 
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