123  
ACUS01 KWNS 231651  
SWODY1  
SPC AC 231615  
 
DAY 1 CONVECTIVE OUTLOOK  
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK  
ISSUED BY 15TH OWS SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE IL  
1115 AM CDT THU APR 23 2026  
 
VALID 231630Z - 241200Z  
 
...THERE IS AN ENHANCED RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS EASTERN  
KANSAS...NORTHERN OKLAHOMA...  
   
..SUMMARY  
 
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON AND  
EVENING FROM THE SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL PLAINS INTO THE LOWER TO MID  
MISSOURI VALLEY, AND UPPER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. TORNADOES, LARGE HAIL  
AND SEVERE WIND GUSTS WILL BE POSSIBLE.  
   
..MN/IA TO KS/NORTHERN OK THIS AFTERNOON INTO TONIGHT  
 
THE INTERACTION OF A SOUTHEASTWARD MOVING MIDLEVEL TROUGH OVER  
SOUTHERN BC/AB AND A NORTHEASTWARD MOVING TROUGH OVER THE WESTERN  
DAKOTAS WILL LEAD TO THE FORMATION OF A DEEP CLOSED LOW OVER  
SOUTHERN SK. AN ASSOCIATED, OCCLUDING SURFACE CYCLONE WILL WEAKEN  
ACROSS SOUTHERN MB BY THIS EVENING, AS A TRAILING COLD FRONT MOVES  
ACROSS MN/IA/KS/MO AND NORTHERN OK. LOW-LEVEL MOISTURE WILL SPREAD  
NORTHWARD ACROSS IA/MN IN ADVANCE OF THE COLD FRONT, BENEATH THE  
NORTHEAST EDGE OF AN ELEVATED MIXED LAYER. SURFACE HEATING AND THE  
DEGREE OF BUOYANCY MAY BE LIMITED BY EXTENSIVE CLOUDS FROM IA INTO  
MN, AND FORECAST WIND PROFILES SHOW COMPLEX/MESSY HODOGRAPHS  
STRUCTURES (STRONGER LOW-LEVEL SHEAR LINGERING ACROSS IA). MIXED  
CONVECTIVE MODES ARE EXPECTED ALONG AND AHEAD OF THE FRONT THIS  
AFTERNOON, WHICH COULD PRODUCE OCCASIONAL WIND DAMAGE, LARGE HAIL  
AND PERHAPS A COUPLE OF TORNADOES.  
 
THE MORE SUBSTANTIAL SEVERE THREAT IS EXPECTED LATE THIS AFTERNOON  
THROUGH LATE EVENING FROM EASTERN KS INTO NORTHERN OK, NEAR AND JUST  
NORTHEAST OF A COLD FRONT/DRYLINE TRIPLE POINT AND WEAK SECONDARY  
CYCLONE. A MIDLEVEL SPEED MAX NEAR THE FOUR CORNERS WILL PROGRESS  
EASTWARD TO THE TX PANHANDLE BY THIS EVENING, WITH ASCENT IN THE  
LEFT EXIT REGION OF THE JET COINCIDENT WITH THE TRIPLE POINT NEAR OR  
JUST NORTH OF THE KS/OK BORDER. AN INFLUX OF MID 60S BOUNDARY-LAYER  
DEWPOINTS BENEATH STEEP MIDLEVEL LAPSE RATES WILL CONTRIBUTE TO  
MLCAPE OF 2000-3000 J/KG, WITH WEAKENING CONVECTIVE INHIBITION  
ACROSS KS BY MID AFTERNOON.  
 
STORM DEVELOPMENT IS EXPECTED ALONG THE COLD FRONT IN KS BY MID  
AFTERNOON, WITH STORMS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP SOUTHWARD TO NEAR THE  
TRIPLE POINT. THE LARGE BUOYANCY, STEEP MIDLEVEL LAPSE RATES AND  
DEEP-LAYER SHEAR SUFFICIENT FOR SUPERCELLS WILL FAVOR VERY LARGE  
HAIL (2-3 INCHES IN DIAMETER) WITH THE INITIAL/MORE DISCRETE STORMS.  
THE TORNADO THREAT WILL PEAK THIS EVENING AS LOW-LEVEL  
SHEAR/HODOGRAPH CURVATURE INCREASE NEAR THE KS/OK BORDER - THERE  
WILL BE STRONG TORNADO POTENTIAL WITH THE ANCHOR/SOUTHERN SUPERCELLS  
NEAR THE TRIPLE POINT. UPSCALE STORM GROWTH AND COLD POOL  
DEVELOPMENT WILL FAVOR A MORE LINEAR CONVECTIVE MODE WITH OCCASIONAL  
WIND DAMAGE AS THE OUTFLOW/EFFECTIVE COLD FRONT SPREADS  
SOUTHEASTWARD INTO NORTHEAST OK AND SOUTHWEST MO OVERNIGHT.  
   
..OK DRYLINE THIS EVENING  
 
STORM DEVELOPMENT ALONG THE DRYLINE IN OK IS UNCERTAIN LATE THIS  
AFTERNOON/EVENING. FORECAST SOUNDINGS SUGGEST THAT THE DEGREE OF  
SURFACE HEATING/MIXING ALONG THE DRYLINE AND RESIDENCE TIME IN THE  
DRYLINE CIRCULATION WILL BE CLOSE TO SUPPORTING DEEP CONVECTION. IF  
STORMS DO FORM, THE ENVIRONMENT WILL CONDITIONALLY FAVOR VERY LARGE  
HAIL INITIALLY, AND THE POSSIBILITY OF AN EVENING TORNADO THREAT  
WITH ANY SUSTAINED STORM.  
 
..AFWA.. 04/23/2026  
 
 
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