469  
ACUS01 KWNS 181952  
SWODY1  
SPC AC 181951  
 
DAY 1 CONVECTIVE OUTLOOK  
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK  
0251 PM CDT SAT JUL 18 2026  
 
VALID 182000Z - 191200Z  
 
...THERE IS AN ENHANCED RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE  
LOWER GREAT LAKES AND MID-ATLANTIC...  
 
...THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PORTIONS OF  
WESTERN TO CENTRAL MONTANA...  
   
..SUMMARY  
 
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE OHIO VALLEY  
AND LOWER GREAT LAKES INTO THE MID-ATLANTIC AND NORTHEAST THIS  
AFTERNOON AND EVENING. DAMAGING GUSTS WILL BE THE PRIMARY THREAT,  
BUT A FEW TORNADOES ARE POSSIBLE, INCLUDING PERHAPS A STRONG  
TORNADO.  
   
..20Z UPDATE  
 
THE PREVIOUS FORECAST REMAINS ON TRACK WITH ONLY MINOR ADJUSTMENTS  
REQUIRED BASED ON RECENT CONVECTIVE TRENDS. LINGERING CLOUDS AND  
STRATIFORM PRECIPITATION ACROSS NORTHERN NY AND INTO VT/NH CONTINUES  
TO LIMIT CONFIDENCE IN THE DEGREE OF DESTABILIZATION THAT WILL OCCUR  
THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE DAY. LATEST HIGH-RES ENSEMBLE GUIDANCE  
HAS CAPTURED RECENT TRENDS AND DEPICTS LIMITED POTENTIAL FOR INTENSE  
CONVECTION THROUGH THIS EVENING. SEVERE WIND/HAIL PROBABILITIES HAVE  
BEEN REDUCED TO REFLECT THE DECREASING POTENTIAL. FOR ADDITIONAL  
SHORT-TERM FORECAST DETAILS ACROSS THE LOWER GREAT LAKES SEE MCD  
#1650.  
 
FURTHER WEST, THE 5/15% WIND PROBABILITIES HAVE BEEN EXPANDED  
SLIGHTLY EASTWARD TO ACCOUNT FOR TRENDS IN RECENT GUIDANCE THAT  
DEPICT SOME THREAT FOR SEVERE WINDS ACROSS CENTRAL MT LATER TONIGHT  
AS THUNDERSTORMS BEGIN TO CLUSTER. GIVEN BUILDING BUOYANCY, STRONG  
SHEAR ACROSS THE REGION (PER RECENT MESOANALYSIS ESTIMATES), AND  
BUILDING CUMULUS WITHIN THE TERRAIN, ENVIRONMENTAL TRENDS APPEAR TO  
SUPPORT THE EASTWARD EXPANSION. SEE MCD #1651 FOR ADDITIONAL  
SHORT-TERM DETAILS.  
 
..MOORE.. 07/18/2026  
   
PREV DISCUSSION  
/ISSUED 1120 AM CDT SAT JUL 18 2026/  
   
..MID-ATLANTIC TO THE LOWER GREAT LAKES THIS AFTERNOON/EVENING  
 
ONGOING CONVECTION ACROSS CENTRAL PA/NY WILL CONTINUE TO SPREAD  
EASTWARD THROUGH EARLY AFTERNOON WITHIN A WARM ADVECTION ZONE ALONG  
AND NORTH OF A SURFACE WARM FRONT. THE WARM FRONT WILL MOVE  
NORTHWARD TODAY IN ADVANCE OF A SURFACE CYCLONE AND ASSOCIATED  
MIDLEVEL TROUGH NOW IN THE VICINITY OF LAKE HURON. IN THE WAKE OF  
THE ONGOING CONVECTION, DESTABILIZATION WILL OCCUR AS BOUNDARY-LAYER  
DEWPOINTS RISE TO NEAR 70 F AND SURFACE TEMPERATURES INTO THE 80S,  
RESULTING IN MODERATE BUOYANCY IN THE WARM SECTOR. DESTABILIZATION  
WILL OCCUR EARLIER IMMEDIATELY SOUTH-THROUGH-WEST OF THE ONGOING  
STORMS ACROSS EASTERN PA/NJ, AND A LITTLE LATER THIS AFTERNOON INTO  
CENTRAL NY.  
 
ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT IS BEGINNING IN SOUTHWEST PA AND  
VICINITY AS OF 16Z AND A CONTINUED INCREASE IN STORMS IS EXPECTED  
INTO EARLY-MID AFTERNOON ALONG A COLD FRONT AND ALONG PRE-FRONTAL  
CONFLUENCE ZONES/LAKE-ENHANCED BOUNDARIES. A MIXED CONVECTIVE MODE  
(LINE SEGMENTS AND CLUSTERS) IS EXPECTED, WITH EMBEDDED BOWING  
SEGMENTS AND A CHANCE FOR PRE-FRONTAL SUPERCELLS IN PA/NY/NJ WHERE  
VERTICAL SHEAR AND HODOGRAPH CURVATURE WILL BE LARGER ALONG THE WARM  
FRONT. WIND DAMAGE WILL BE THE PRIMARY SEVERE THREAT WITH BOTH THE  
FRONTAL CONVECTION AND PRE-FRONTAL STORMS, WITH A FEW TORNADOES  
POSSIBLE WITH SUPERCELL STRUCTURES AND/OR EMBEDDED MESOVORTICES.  
   
..NORTHERN ROCKIES LATE THIS AFTERNOON/EVENING  
 
SCATTERED THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT IS EXPECTED LATER THIS  
AFTERNOON/EVENING ACROSS WESTERN MT AND VICINITY, WITHIN THE  
NORTHWEST FRINGE OF THE MIDLEVEL RIDGE AND MONSOONAL MOISTURE PLUME.  
MIDLEVEL FLOW WILL BE SOMEWHAT ENHANCED TO THE IMMEDIATE SOUTHEAST  
OF A MIDLEVEL TROUGH MOVING OVER SOUTHEAST BC, THUS SOME ORGANIZED  
STORM STRUCTURES WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH FASTER STORM MOTIONS COMPARED  
TO YESTERDAY. OCCASIONAL SEVERE OUTFLOW GUSTS AND LARGE HAIL UP TO  
1.5 INCHES IN DIAMETER WILL BE THE MAIN THREATS.  
 
 
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