599  
ACUS02 KWNS 211728  
SWODY2  
SPC AC 211726  
 
DAY 2 CONVECTIVE OUTLOOK  
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK  
1226 PM CDT FRI AUG 21 2026  
 
VALID 221200Z - 231200Z  
 
...THERE IS A MARGINAL RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS SATURDAY INTO  
SATURDAY EVENING ACROSS PARTS OF THE NORTHERN INTERMOUNTAIN REGION  
INTO NORTHERN ROCKIES...THE FRONT RANGE INTO CENTRAL GREAT  
PLAINS...THE SOUTHEASTERN GREAT PLAINS...MIDDLE/UPPER OHIO VALLEY  
AND ADJACENT LOWER GREAT LAKES REGION...  
   
..SUMMARY  
 
SCATTERED STRONG STORMS MAY IMPACT A CORRIDOR FROM NEAR THE NORTHERN  
ROCKIES INTO THE SOUTHEASTERN GREAT PLAINS, AS WELL AS THE MIDDLE  
AND UPPER OHIO VALLEY VICINITY, SATURDAY. THESE MAY POSE AT LEAST  
SOME POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE SEVERE WIND AND HAIL.  
   
..DISCUSSION  
 
MODELS INDICATE THAT THE INCREASINGLY DEFORMED REMNANTS OF A  
MID-LEVEL LOW WILL BE FORCED INLAND ACROSS THE NORTHERN U.S. PACIFIC  
COAST DURING THIS PERIOD, WITH A STILL VIGOROUS REMNANT PERTURBATION  
APPROACHING THE CANADIAN/NORTHERN U.S. ROCKIES BY LATE SATURDAY  
NIGHT. DOWNSTREAM, THE CENTER OF A PROMINENT MID-LEVEL RIDGE IS  
FORECAST TO SLOWLY SHIFT ACROSS AND EAST OF THE SOUTHERN ROCKIES,  
WITH AMPLIFIED RIDGING WITHIN THE WESTERLIES TO THE NORTH  
OVERSPREADING MUCH THE CANADIAN PRAIRIES AND NORTHERN U.S. GREAT  
PLAINS.  
 
TO THE EAST OF THIS RIDGING, IT APPEARS THAT LARGE-SCALE TROUGHING  
WILL UNDERGO FURTHER AMPLIFICATION ACROSS AREAS EAST OF THE  
MISSISSIPPI VALLEY THROUGH THE ATLANTIC SEABOARD. WITHIN THIS  
REGIME, GUIDANCE INDICATES THAT ONE VIGOROUS SHORT WAVE IMPULSE WILL  
DIG SOUTHEAST OF THE UPPER MIDWEST/ADJACENT GREAT LAKES THROUGH THE  
UPPER OHIO VALLEY BY LATE SATURDAY NIGHT, TRAILED BY A SIMILAR  
STRENGTH IMPULSE ACROSS NORTHWESTERN ONTARIO TOWARD THE NORTHERN  
GREAT LAKES VICINITY. THESE ARE LIKELY TO BE PRECEDED BY AT LEAST A  
COUPLE OF INCREASINGLY SHEARED PERTURBATIONS, INCLUDING ONE  
GENERALLY FORECAST TO ACCELERATE NORTHEASTWARD OFFSHORE OF THE  
SOUTHERN MID ATLANTIC COAST EARLY IN THE PERIOD.  
 
NEAR THE SOUTHWESTERN FLANK OF THE LARGER-SCALE TROUGHING, A  
CONVECTIVELY GENERATED OR AUGMENTED PERTURBATION MIGHT MAINTAIN  
STRENGTH WITHIN MODEST NORTH-NORTHWESTERLY FLOW, AROUND THE EASTERN  
PERIPHERY OF THE STRONGER MID-LEVEL RIDGING, ACROSS THE SOUTHEASTERN  
GREAT PLAINS TOWARD NORTHWESTERN GULF COAST.  
 
IN LOWER-LEVELS, IT APPEARS THAT THE LEADING EDGE OF A SERIES OF  
SURGES OF COOLER AIR, PROBABLY REINFORCED BY CONVECTIVE OUTFLOW  
ACROSS AT LEAST PORTIONS OF THE GREAT PLAINS, MAY REACH CENTRAL  
TEXAS AND NORTHERN PORTIONS OF THE REMAINDER OF THE GULF COAST INTO  
SOUTHERN MID ATLANTIC SEABOARD BY 12Z SUNDAY. THIS IS EXPECTED IN  
THE WAKE OF A MODESTLY DEEPENING SURFACE LOW TO THE NORTH OF THE  
LOWER GREAT LAKES, AND A WEAKER SECONDARY LOW DEVELOPING  
NEAR/OFFSHORE OF THE MID ATLANTIC.  
   
..OHIO VALLEY INTO LOWER GREAT LAKES REGION  
 
IN ADVANCE OF THE VIGOROUS LEAD DIGGING SHORT WAVE TROUGH, AND AN  
ASSOCIATED INFLUX OF SURFACE COOLING, A CORRIDOR OF LOW-LEVEL  
MOISTENING MAY CONTRIBUTE TO POTENTIAL FOR MODERATE BOUNDARY-LAYER  
DESTABILIZATION BY LATE AFTERNOON. IT APPEARS THAT THIS WILL HAVE  
TO OCCUR IN THE WAKE OF EARLY PERIOD WARM ADVECTION DRIVEN  
CONVECTIVE CLOUD COVER AND PRECIPITATION LIKELY TO OVERSPREAD THE  
REGION. HOWEVER, BREAKS IN THE CLOUD COVER AND THE ONSET OF COOLING  
ALOFT MAY BECOME SUFFICIENT TO SUPPORT SCATTERED VIGOROUS  
THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT. DESPITE GENERALLY MODEST TO WEAK VERTICAL  
SHEAR, MODEST STEEPENING OF LOWER INTO MID-LEVEL LAPSE RATES OF  
TEMPERATURE AND POTENTIAL WET-BULB TEMPERATURE MAY BE SUFFICIENT TO  
CONTRIBUTE TO PROFILES CONDUCIVE TO LOCALIZED DOWNBURSTS, IN  
ADDITION TO MARGINALLY SEVERE HAIL.  
   
..FRONT RANGE INTO SOUTHEASTERN GREAT PLAINS  
 
LATEST CONVECTION-ALLOWING GUIDANCE AND OTHER MODEL OUTPUT REMAINS  
RATHER VARIED CONCERNING THE POTENTIAL EVOLUTION OF STORMS AND THE  
ASSOCIATED RISK FOR SEVERE WEATHER THROUGH THIS PERIOD. HOWEVER,  
THERE DO APPEAR AT LEAST A COUPLE OF CORRIDORS WITH A SOMEWHAT  
HIGHER LIKELIHOOD FOR THUNDERSTORM INITIATION AND ORGANIZATION  
SATURDAY THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT.  
 
ONE MAY DEVELOP ON THE EASTERN PERIPHERY OF THE MID-LEVEL HIGH  
ACROSS THE SOUTHEASTERN GREAT PLAINS, WHERE STRONGER  
LOWER/MID-TROPOSPHERIC WARM ADVECTION MAY FOCUS NEAR THE NOSE OF AN  
INCREASINGLY SUPPRESSED PLUME OF ELEVATED MIXED-LAYER AIR. WIND  
FIELDS/VERTICAL SHEAR MAY BE MODEST TO WEAK, BUT A CORRIDOR OF  
HIGHER LOW-LEVEL MOISTURE CONTENT MAY SUPPORT STORM INFLOW WITH  
LARGE CAPE AHEAD OF A REMNANT CONVECTIVE PERTURBATION, SUPPORTING  
POTENTIAL FOR THE EVOLUTION OF AN INTENSIFYING AND ORGANIZING  
SOUTH/SOUTHWESTWARD PROPAGATING STORM CLUSTER WITH RISK FOR SEVERE  
HAIL AND WIND.  
 
ANOTHER MAY FOCUS IN MOISTENING UPSLOPE FLOW ALONG/EAST OF THE  
LARAMIE MOUNTAINS THROUGH COLORADO FRONT RANGE BY LATE SATURDAY  
AFTERNOON. PERHAPS AIDED BY A WEAK SHORT WAVE IMPULSE SLOWLY  
PIVOTING ACROSS THIS REGION, AROUND THE PERIPHERY OF THE MID-LEVEL  
HIGH, CONVECTION MAY CONSOLIDATE INTO AN INTENSIFYING AND ORGANIZING  
CLUSTER PROPAGATING INTO THE ADJACENT GREAT PLAINS BY SATURDAY  
EVENING, AIDED BY UPDRAFT INFLOW OF AIR CHARACTERIZED BY MODERATELY  
LARGE CAPE.  
   
..EASTERN IDAHO INTO WESTERN MONTANA  
 
MULTIPLE WAVES OF SCATTERED THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT APPEAR POSSIBLE  
ACROSS THE REGION SATURDAY INTO SATURDAY NIGHT, AHEAD OF THE INLAND  
ADVANCING SHORT WAVE TROUGH. IN THE WAKE OF AN INITIAL ROUND OF  
OVERNIGHT/EARLY PERIOD CONVECTION, MODELS SUGGEST THAT BOUNDARY  
LAYER MOISTENING WILL BE SUFFICIENT TO SUPPORT INCREASING, THOUGH  
STILL RATHER MODEST TO WEAK, CAPE WITH HEATING AND DEEP MIXING BY  
LATE SATURDAY AFTERNOON. STILL, THERMODYNAMIC PROFILES MAY BECOME  
CONDUCIVE TO A FEW LOCALIZED DOWNBURSTS INTO SATURDAY EVENING.  
 
..KERR.. 08/21/2026  
 
 
CLICK HERE TO GO TO PREVIOUS BULLETINS.
The Nexlab SPC Page
Main Text Page