395  
ACUS01 KWNS 232000  
SWODY1  
SPC AC 231958  
 
DAY 1 CONVECTIVE OUTLOOK  
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK  
0258 PM CDT WED SEP 23 2026  
 
VALID 232000Z - 241200Z  
 
...THERE IS A MARGINAL RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS PATS OF  
THE WESTERN DAKOTAS...  
   
..SUMMARY  
 
ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS  
PARTS OF THE WESTERN DAKOTAS.  
   
..20Z UPDATE  
 
THE FORECAST FOR THIS AFTERNOON REMAINS LARGELY ON TRACK. ISOLATED  
DAMAGING WIND GUSTS AND SEVERE HAIL ARE POSSIBLE LATE THIS AFTERNOON  
ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE WESTERN DAKOTAS, WHERE MOISTURE POOLING HAS  
RESULTED IN UPPER-50S TO LOW-60S F DEWPOINTS COINCIDENT WITH  
CLEARING ON VISIBLE SATELLITE. MODERATE DEEP-LAYER SHEAR AND MODEST  
BUOYANCY WILL SUPPORT ORGANIZED STORMS AND POTENTIALLY TRANSIENT  
SUPERCELLS. GIVEN THE POTENTIAL FOR SUPERCELLS, ADEQUATE BUOYANCY  
AND SHEAR COMBINATIONS, AND COOLER TEMPERATURES ALOFT, A CIG 1 AREA  
WAS INTRODUCED TO HIGHLIGHT THE POTENTIAL FOR ISOLATED OCCURRENCES  
OF 2" HAIL, PARTICULARLY WITH ANY STRONGER/MORE ORGANIZED SUPERCELL  
STRUCTURES. SEE THE PREVIOUS DISCUSSION FOR MORE DETAILS.  
 
..HALBERT/LYONS.. 09/23/2026  
   
PREV DISCUSSION  
/ISSUED 1122 AM CDT WED SEP 23 2026/  
   
..WESTERN DAKOTAS  
 
RECENT SURFACE ANALYSIS PLACED A LOW OVER FAR SOUTHEAST MT, WITH A  
LEE TROUGH EXTENDING SOUTHWARD FROM THIS LOW ACROSS THE HIGH PLAINS  
INTO FAR WEST TX. A PLUME OF MODERATE LOW-LEVEL MOISTURE EXISTS JUST  
EAST OF THIS TROUGHING, WITH UPPER 50S DEWPOINTS CURRENTLY REACHING  
INTO SOUTHWEST SD AND MID 50S INTO WESTERN ND. THIS LEE TROUGH WILL  
HELP FACILITATE THE MAINTENANCE OF THIS MOISTURE PLUME AS THE  
SHORTWAVE TROUGH CURRENTLY MOVING THROUGH WY AND EASTERN MT  
CONTINUES NORTHEASTWARD INTO THE REGION TODAY AND TONIGHT.  
 
WIDELY SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE FORECAST TO DEVELOP AS CONVECTIVE  
INHIBITION ERODES IN THE VICINITY OF THE LEE TROUGH AND THE BLACK  
HILLS THIS AFTERNOON. STRENGTHENING SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW ALOFT WILL  
RESULT IN MODERATE DEEP-LAYER VERTICAL SHEAR (I.E. 30 TO 40 KT FROM  
0-6 KM) AMID 500 TO 1000 J/KG OF MLCAPE. THIS SHEAR MAY AID IN SOME  
STORM ORGANIZATION POTENTIAL, WITH THE STRONGER THUNDERSTORMS  
PERHAPS YIELDING AN ISOLATED RISK FOR MARGINALLY SEVERE HAIL/GUSTS  
THROUGH EARLY EVENING.  
   
..SOUTHERN APPALACHIANS  
 
RECENT VISIBLE SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOWS WIDESPREAD LOW STRATUS ACROSS  
BOTH THE MID-ATLANTIC/CAROLINAS AND FARTHER EAST OVER MUCH OF THE TN  
VALLEY. THERE IS CORRIDOR BETWEEN THESE REGIONS FROM ROUGHLY  
NORTHWEST GA ACROSS FAR EASTERN TN/FAR WESTERN NC INTO FAR WESTERN  
VA WHERE LESS LOW-LEVEL CLOUD COVER IS IN PLACE, REPLACED BY MORE  
VERTICALLY DEVELOPED STRUCTURES. TEMPERATURES IN THIS REGION RANGE  
FROM THE UPPER 70S ACROSS NORTHWEST GA TO THE UPPER 60S/LOW 70S  
ACROSS FAR WESTERN VA. THERE IS ALSO SLIGHTLY GREATER LOW-LEVEL  
MOISTURE IN THIS REGION (I.E. LOW 70S DEWPOINTS), AND THESE  
THERMODYNAMIC CONDITIONS ARE SUPPORTING MODEST BUOYANCY. THIS  
BUOYANCY EXPLAINS THE DEEPER CLOUDS AND RECENT LIGHTNING THAT HAS  
BEEN OBSERVED IN EASTERN TN. THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY WILL LIKELY  
PERSIST IN THIS REGION THROUGHOUT THE DAY, SUPPORTED BY LARGE-SCALE  
ASCENT ATTENDANT TO AN APPROACHING SHORTWAVE TROUGH AND MESOSCALE  
CONVERGENCE ON AN INVERTED SURFACE TROUGH THAT EXTENDS FROM SOUTHERN  
AL INTO THE SOUTHERN KY/VA BORDER VICINITY. SOME INCREASE IN THE  
MID-LEVEL FLOW IS ANTICIPATED AS THE SHORTWAVE MOVES THROUGH, BUT  
MODEST BUOYANCY AND A MOSTLY CLUSTER MULTICELLULAR MODE SHOULD KEEP  
SEVERE POTENTIAL LOW. AS SUCH, REMOVED THE 5% WIND PROBABILITIES  
ACROSS THE REGION.  
 
 
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