788  
ACUS01 KWNS 231254  
SWODY1  
SPC AC 231252  
 
DAY 1 CONVECTIVE OUTLOOK  
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK  
0752 AM CDT SUN AUG 23 2026  
 
VALID 231300Z - 241200Z  
 
...THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS PARTS OF  
THE NORTHERN ROCKIES/PLAINS AND GREAT BASIN...  
   
..SUMMARY
 
 
THUNDERSTORMS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING LARGE HAIL AND SEVERE/DAMAGING  
WINDS ARE FORECAST ACROSS PARTS OF THE NORTHERN ROCKIES/PLAINS THIS  
AFTERNOON AND EVENING. OTHER THUNDERSTORMS WITH MAINLY A SEVERE WIND  
THREAT MAY OCCUR OVER PORTIONS OF THE NORTHERN GREAT BASIN.  
   
..GREAT BASIN INTO THE NORTHERN ROCKIES/HIGH PLAINS
 
 
A MID-LEVEL SHORTWAVE TROUGH EVIDENT ON WATER VAPOR SATELLITE  
IMAGERY THIS MORNING ACROSS THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST WILL MOVE  
EAST-NORTHEASTWARD TODAY ACROSS THE NORTHERN ROCKIES AND WESTERN  
CANADA. 40-50 KT OF WEST-SOUTHWESTERLY MID-LEVEL WINDS WILL  
OVERSPREAD THE NORTHERN ROCKIES AND ADJACENT HIGH PLAINS OF  
CENTRAL/EASTERN MT BY THIS AFTERNOON. AS LARGE-SCALE ASCENT  
PRECEDING THE MID-LEVEL TROUGH SPREADS EASTWARD, THUNDERSTORMS  
SHOULD INITIALLY FORM OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN OF WESTERN MT.  
DOWNSTREAM DESTABILIZATION OF A SUFFICIENTLY MOIST LOW-LEVEL AIRMASS  
WILL SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT OF WEAK INSTABILITY (MLCAPE GENERALLY  
500-1000 J/KG) INTO CENTRAL/EASTERN MT AND VICINITY. 30-40 KT OF  
EFFECTIVE BULK SHEAR WILL SUPPORT A MIX OF MULTICELLS AND SUPERCELLS  
INITIALLY MOVING OFF THE HIGHER TERRAIN, WITH BOTH SEVERE HAIL AND  
WIND GUSTS POSSIBLE. WITH TIME, UPSCALE GROWTH INTO BOWING CLUSTERS  
SEEMS PROBABLE WITH EASTWARD EXTENT IN MT, AND AN INCREASING RISK  
FOR SEVERE/DAMAGING WINDS. GIVEN THE VERY WELL-MIXED BOUNDARY LAYER  
AND ENHANCED MID-LEVEL FLOW EXPECTED, SOME OF THESE GUSTS COULD  
EXCEED 75 MPH ON AN ISOLATED BASIS.  
 
A SOMEWHAT SEPARATE AREA OF CONVECTION SHOULD DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON  
ACROSS PARTS OF THE NORTHERN GREAT BASIN. WHILE MID-LEVEL FLOW WILL  
BE SOMEWHAT WEAKER ACROSS THIS REGION COMPARED TO LOCATIONS FARTHER  
NORTH, THE PRESENCE OF GENERALLY 50S SURFACE DEWPOINTS ACROSS  
NORTHERN UT AND VICINITY SUGGESTS THAT SUFFICIENT LOW-LEVEL MOISTURE  
EXISTS TO SUPPORT ROBUST UPDRAFTS. AS DAYTIME HEATING OCCURS AND  
LOW-LEVEL LAPSE RATES STEEPEN, LOOSELY ORGANIZED CELLS/CLUSTERS  
SHOULD FORM AND SUBSEQUENTLY SPREAD NORTHEASTWARD WHILE POSING A  
THREAT FOR SCATTERED SEVERE GUSTS.  
   
..NORTHERN/CENTRAL PLAINS
 
 
A BAND OF ELEVATED THUNDERSTORMS IS ONGOING THIS MORNING FROM  
SOUTHERN SD INTO NE, AIDED BY MODEST LOW-LEVEL WARM/MOIST ADVECTION.  
THIS ACTIVITY SHOULD GRADUALLY WEAKEN THROUGH THE MORNING AS THE  
LOW-LEVEL JET SUBSIDES, BUT AN ISOLATED THREAT FOR SEVERE HAIL MAY  
CONTINUE IN THE SHORT TERM GIVEN SUFFICIENT MUCAPE AND DEEP-LAYER  
SHEAR TO SUPPORT SUPERCELLS. A NARROW CORRIDOR OF MODERATE TO  
LOCALLY STRONG INSTABILITY IS FORECAST TO DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON  
ACROSS THE WESTERN DAKOTAS/NE ALONG/EAST OF A LEE SURFACE TROUGH  
WHERE GREATER LOW-LEVEL MOISTURE WILL RESIDE. AT LEAST ISOLATED  
THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD DEVELOP BY PEAK AFTERNOON HEATING ACROSS THESE  
AREAS, WITH WEST-NORTHWESTERLY FLOW STRENGTHENING WITH HEIGHT  
THROUGH MID/UPPER LEVELS. AROUND 35-45 KT OF DEEP-LAYER SHEAR WILL  
SUPPORT SUPERCELLS AND ASSOCIATED THREAT FOR LARGE HAIL WITH ANY  
SUSTAINED SURFACE-BASED CONVECTION.  
 
OVERALL COVERAGE REMAINS UNCERTAIN GIVEN WEAK/NEBULOUS LARGE-SCALE  
ASCENT, BUT SOME GUIDANCE SHOWS THESE CELLS GROWING UPSCALE INTO A  
CLUSTER OR TWO THIS EVENING WITH SOME SEVERE WIND RISK. REGARDLESS,  
SEVERE HAIL SHOULD BE THE MAIN CONCERN WITH SUPERCELLS INITIALLY,  
AND THE SLIGHT RISK HAS BEEN NUDGED WESTWARD A LITTLE TO ACCOUNT FOR  
THE PROBABLE ZONE OF INITIATION. WEAKER MID-LEVEL FLOW IS EXPECTED  
WITH SOUTHWARD EXTENT INTO THE CENTRAL HIGH PLAINS, BUT OCCASIONAL  
HAIL AND GUSTY WINDS COULD STILL OCCUR WITH ANY HIGH-BASED  
CONVECTION THAT DEVELOPS AND SPREADS EASTWARD THROUGH THE EARLY  
EVENING.  
   
..NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA/SOUTHEAST KANSAS INTO THE OZARKS
 
 
A WEAK MID-LEVEL DISTURBANCE AIDING CONVECTION THIS MORNING OVER  
SD/NE WILL MOVE SOUTHEASTWARD TODAY ON THE EASTERN PERIPHERY OF  
UPPER RIDGING CENTERED OVER THE SOUTHERN HIGH PLAINS/SOUTHWEST. THIS  
FEATURE, IN TANDEM WITH INCREASING ISENTROPIC ASCENT ASSOCIATED WITH  
A MODEST SOUTH-SOUTHWESTERLY LOW-LEVEL JET, MAY AID THUNDERSTORM  
DEVELOPMENT LATE TONIGHT INTO EARLY MONDAY MORNING ACROSS PARTS OF  
NORTHEAST OK/SOUTHEAST KS INTO THE OZARKS. INSTABILITY IS FORECAST  
TO REMAIN FAIRLY WEAK (MUCAPE GENERALLY LESS THAN 1000 J/KG), BUT  
SOME CLUSTERING MAY OCCUR WITH A LOW CHANCE FOR GUSTY/LOCALLY  
DAMAGING WINDS. NO CHANGES HAVE BEEN MADE TO THE MARGINAL RISK  
ACROSS THIS AREA, AS CONFIDENCE REMAINS LIMITED IN BOTH OVERALL  
CONVECTIVE INTENSITY AND EVOLUTION.  
   
..NORTHEAST
 
 
AN UPPER TROUGH/LOW CENTERED OVER ONTARIO AND THE GREAT LAKES THIS  
MORNING WILL TRANSLATE SLOWLY EASTWARD ACROSS THE MID-ATLANTIC AND  
NORTHEAST THROUGH THE PERIOD. A CORRESPONDING WEAK/OCCLUDING SURFACE  
LOW WILL MAKE ONLY MODEST EASTWARD PROGRESS INTO QUEBEC THROUGH THE  
DAY, WITH A COLD FRONT FORECAST TO MOVE EASTWARD ACROSS PARTS OF THE  
MID-ATLANTIC/NORTHEAST BY THIS EVENING. CLOUD COVER IS PREVALENT  
ACROSS THESE REGIONS PER LATEST VISIBLE SATELLITE IMAGERY. THIS,  
COUPLED WITH POOR LAPSE RATES ALOFT (REFERENCE 12Z OBSERVED  
SOUNDINGS FROM ALB/OKX), WILL LIMIT THE AMOUNT OF DESTABILIZATION  
THAT CAN OCCUR THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON WITH FILTERED DAYTIME HEATING.  
STILL, ENHANCED SOUTH-SOUTHWESTERLY MID-LEVEL FLOW WILL BE PRESENT  
TODAY ACROSS PARTS OF NY INTO NEW ENGLAND, WITH AROUND 30-35 KT OF  
DEEP-LAYER SHEAR SUPPORTING SOME UPDRAFT ORGANIZATION. CURRENT  
EXPECTATIONS ARE FOR CELLS AND CLUSTERS THAT DEVELOP ALONG/AHEAD OF  
THIS FRONT THIS AFTERNOON TO POSE A THREAT FOR MAINLY ISOLATED  
DAMAGING WINDS AS THEY SPREAD EAST-NORTHEASTWARD THROUGH THIS  
EVENING BEFORE EVENTUALLY WEAKENING. MARGINALLY SEVERE HAIL MAY ALSO  
OCCUR WITH THE STRONGEST CORES. BUT, THE WEAK INSTABILITY AND POOR  
LAPSE RATES ALOFT SHOULD GENERALLY LIMIT THE OVERALL SEVERE THREAT.  
   
..SOUTHEAST
 
 
ISOLATED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD DEVELOP LATER TODAY  
ALONG/SOUTH OF A WEAK FRONT DRAPED ACROSS THE LOWER MS VALLEY INTO  
THE GULF COAST STATES, AND CONTINUING NORTHEASTWARD INTO THE  
CAROLINAS. WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE CAROLINAS, LOW/MID-LEVEL FLOW  
WILL REMAIN QUITE WEAK FOR MUCH OF THE SOUTHEAST. STILL, ANY CELLS  
WHICH CAN DEVELOP MAY POSE AN ISOLATED THREAT FOR DAMAGING WINDS, AS  
MODERATE TO STRONG MLCAPE COUPLED WITH STEEP LOW-LEVEL LAPSE RATES  
THROUGH DAYTIME HEATING SUPPORT THE POTENTIAL FOR WET MICROBURSTS.  
ON THE SOUTHERN PERIPHERY OF MID/UPPER TROUGHING OVER THE GREAT  
LAKES/MID-ATLANTIC AND NORTHEAST, STRONGER FLOW ALOFT WILL EXIST  
ACROSS THE CAROLINAS. THIS MAY FOSTER SOME UPDRAFT ORGANIZATION  
GIVEN SUFFICIENT DEEP-LAYER SHEAR. BUT, MOST GUIDANCE CONTINUES TO  
SHOW ANY CONVECTION THAT FORMS THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS THE EASTERN  
CAROLINAS WILL MOVE QUICKLY OFFSHORE.  
   
..ARIZONA
 
 
TO THE WEST OF A MID/UPPER-LEVEL ANTICYCLONE CENTERED OVER THE  
SOUTHERN ROCKIES/HIGH PLAINS, WEAK SOUTHEASTERLY MID-LEVEL FLOW WILL  
EXIST TODAY ACROSS SOUTHERN/CENTRAL AZ. INSTABILITY ACROSS THIS  
REGION IS FORECAST TO REMAIN RATHER MUTED/WEAK OWING TO SHALLOW  
LOW-LEVEL MOISTURE. A DEEPLY MIXED BOUNDARY LAYER IS FORECAST TO  
DEVELOP WITH ROBUST DAYTIME HEATING, BUT CONFIDENCE IN THUNDERSTORMS  
DEVELOPING OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN OF SOUTHEAST AZ AND SUBSEQUENT  
CLUSTERING INTO THE LOWER DESERTS REMAINS LOW. EVEN SO, HAVE  
MAINTAINED THE MARGINAL RISK FOR SEVERE GUSTS WITH NO CHANGES.  
 
..GLEASON/BROYLES.. 08/23/2026  
 

 
 
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