506  
ACUS01 KWNS 181652  
SWODY1  
SPC AC 181651  
 
DAY 1 CONVECTIVE OUTLOOK  
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK  
1151 AM CDT TUE AUG 18 2026  
 
VALID 181300Z - 191200Z  
 
...THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE CENTRAL  
PLAINS/LOWER MISSOURI VALLEY AND UPPER MIDWEST...  
   
..SUMMARY
 
 
THUNDERSTORMS WITH SEVERE WIND GUSTS AND ISOLATED LARGE HAIL WILL BE  
POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM THE CENTRAL PLAINS INTO THE  
LOWER MISSOURI VALLEY, AS WELL AS THE UPPER MIDWEST. OTHER STORMS  
CAPABLE OF SEVERE WIND GUSTS AND HAIL WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE FROM THE  
NORTHERN ROCKIES INTO THE CENTRAL HIGH PLAINS THIS AFTERNOON INTO  
TONIGHT.  
   
..CENTRAL PLAINS INTO LOWER MISSOURI VALLEY
 
 
SCATTERED WEAKENING THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE ACROSS NORTHEAST  
KANSAS/SOUTHEAST NEBRASKA INTO NORTHERN MISSOURI, REINFORCING A  
CONVECTIVE BOUNDARY THAT EXTENDS ACROSS THE REGION. THUNDERSTORM  
REDEVELOPMENT/INTENSIFICATION IS CONDITIONALLY POSSIBLE THROUGH THE  
DIURNAL HEATING CYCLE NEAR THE BOUNDARY, WHICH WOULD CARRY WITH IT  
THE POTENTIAL FOR AT LEAST ISOLATED HAIL/DAMAGING WINDS.  
 
A MORE CERTAIN SCENARIO IS EXPECTED THIS EVENING, WHEN THUNDERSTORM  
DEVELOPMENT/RE-INVIGORATION IS MORE PROBABLE AS THE LOW-LEVEL JET  
INCREASES. STEEP LAPSE RATES AND MODERATE VERTICAL SHEAR SUPPORT THE  
POTENTIAL FOR THUNDERSTORMS CAPABLE OF LARGE HAIL DURING THE  
INITIALLY MORE CELLULAR MODE. THESE STORMS WILL LIKELY CLUSTER  
QUICKLY, WITH A TREND TOWARDS UPSCALE GROWTH INTO A  
FORWARD-PROPAGATING MCS WITH AN INCREASING DAMAGING WIND POTENTIAL  
AS IT SPREADS TOWARD/ACROSS MISSOURI.  
   
..NORTHERN ROCKIES THROUGH THE CENTRAL HIGH PLAINS
 
 
A SHORTWAVE TROUGH WILL PROGRESS SOUTHEASTWARD FROM BRITISH  
COLUMBIA/ALBERTA INTO THE NORTHERN ROCKIES. THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT  
IS ANTICIPATED ACROSS THE NORTHERN ROCKIES AS THIS WAVE INTERACTS  
WITH THE DESTABILIZED AND BUOYANT AIRMASS ACROSS THE REGION.  
MODERATE WESTERLY FLOW ALOFT WITH SUPPORT THE POTENTIAL FOR MORE  
ORGANIZED STORM STRUCTURES AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF SEVERAL LINE  
SEGMENTS. THESE WIDELY SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE FORECAST TO  
PROGRESS EAST-SOUTHEASTWARD THIS AFTERNOON/EVENING, WITH ADDITIONAL  
DEVELOPMENT POSSIBLE FROM WYOMING INTO THE CENTRAL HIGH PLAINS. THE  
MODERATE WESTERLY FLOW ALOFT, HIGH STORM BASES, AND STEEP LOW-LEVEL  
LAPSE RATES SUPPORT THE POTENTIAL FOR STRONG TO SEVERE WIND GUSTS  
AND POSSIBLY SOME INCREASED HAIL POTENTIAL THROUGH EVENING/EARLY  
OVERNIGHT AS THESE STORMS PROGRESS EAST-SOUTHEASTWARD TOWARD THE  
RICHER RESERVOIR OF MOISTURE/BUOYANCY ACROSS THE CENTRAL HIGH  
PLAINS, INCLUDING WESTERN NEBRASKA/NORTHEAST COLORADO/NORTHWEST  
KANSAS.  
   
..UPPER MIDWEST INCLUDING PORTIONS OF IOWA/WISCONSIN/MICHIGAN
 
 
LOW-LEVEL MOISTURE IS EXPECTED TO INCREASE ACROSS THE MIDWEST AHEAD  
OF AN APPROACHING COLD FRONT, RESULTING IN MODERATE BUOYANCY BY LATE  
AFTERNOON. NEAR-FRONTAL CONVERGENCE WILL INFLUENCE CONVECTIVE  
INITIATION, WITH THE COMBINATION OF MODERATE BUOYANCY AND SEASONALLY  
STRONG WESTERLY FLOW ALOFT SUPPORTING STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS  
INCLUDING SOME INITIAL/SEMI-DISCRETE SUPERCELLS, WHICH COULD YIELD  
LARGE HAIL. A TRANSITION INTO LINEAR SEGMENTS IS EXPECTED BY  
EVENING, WITH DAMAGING WIND GUSTS BECOMING THE MORE PREVALENT SEVERE  
RISK AS STORMS SPREAD GENERALLY SOUTHEASTWARD.  
   
..MISSISSIPPI/ALABAMA TO NORTHERN FLORIDA
 
 
SCATTERED THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT IS EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON,  
PARTICULARLY ACROSS PORTIONS OF MISSISSIPPI INTO WESTERN/SOUTHERN  
ALABAMA AND NORTHERN FLORIDA. THESE STORMS WILL DEVELOP AMIDST A  
VERY MOIST AND UNSTABLE ENVIRONMENT. VERTICAL SHEAR WILL BE WEAK,  
WITH AN OUTFLOW-DOMINANT/MULTICELLULAR MODE EXPECTED. SOME  
CLUSTERING INTO ONE OR MORE LINE SEGMENTS APPEARS PROBABLE,  
RESULTING IN SCATTERED THUNDERSTORM COVERAGE. STEEP LOW-LEVEL LAPSE  
RATES AND RELATIVELY HIGH CLOUD BASES SUPPORT THE POTENTIAL FOR  
STRONG DOWNDRAFTS CAPABLE OF LOCALLY DAMAGING WINDS.  
 
..GUYER/WENDT.. 08/18/2026  
 

 
 
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