Severe Storm Outlook Narrative (AC)
Issued by NWS
Issued by NWS
298 ACUS02 KWNS 081737 SWODY2 SPC AC 081736 Day 2 Convective Outlook NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK 1236 PM CDT Mon Jun 08 2026 Valid 091200Z - 101200Z ...THERE IS AN ENHANCED RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS PORTIONS OF NORTH AND SOUTH DAKOTA INTO NORTHWEST MINNESOTA... ...SUMMARY... Numerous severe thunderstorms are likely to develop across parts of the northern Plains and Upper Mississippi Valley Tuesday afternoon into night. Very large hail, tornadoes, a few of which could be strong, and damaging winds with significant gusts appear likely. ...Synopsis... A negatively tilted upper trough will be oriented from the Pacific Northwest to the southern Great Basin Tuesday morning. This feature will pivot east through the period, become positioned from southwest Saskatchewan to the central High Plains. A belt of enhanced southwesterly 500 mb flow will overspread portions of the northern/central Plains ahead of the aforementioned trough. Meanwhile, an intensifying low-level jet will develop during the evening/overnight hours across much of the Plains toward the Upper Midwest. At the surface, low pressure over eastern MT will gradually deepen and shift east/northeast across the northern Plains and adjacent Canadian Prairies. A Pacific front/dryline feature will extend southward from the low across the western Dakotas and NE. A secondary surface low may develop in the vicinity of eastern CO/western KS/southwest NE, where a dryline will extend from western KS southward into northwest OK and the TX Panhandle. Further east, a quasi-warm front feature is expected to extend northwest to southeast from MN to the Mid-MS Valley. This boundary may gradually lift northward through the evening/overnight in response to the low/midlevel mass response/increasing low-level jet. These boundaries will be a focus for severe storm development during the afternoon into the overnight hours. ...Northern Plains vicinity... Convection is expected to develop near the ND/MT border vicinity by mid/late afternoon along the surface boundary. A warm front should be well north of the Dakotas over the southern Canadian Prairies, and increasing southerly low-level flow will transport low to mid 60s F dewpoints northward into the region. Cooling aloft will result in steepening midlevel lapse rates atop rich boundary-layer moisture, supporting MLCAPE increasing to 3000-4000 J/kg. South/southwesterly low-level winds will become southwesterly in the mid/upper levels, resulting in supercell wind profiles and 40+ kt effective shear magnitudes. Initial supercell storms are expected, though these storms may be somewhat higher-based within the more modest boundary layer moisture across the western Dakotas/far eastern MT. Large hail and damaging gusts are possible with these storms initially. As convection develops eastward into the axis of greater low-level moisture and strong instability, severe potential will increase, particularly with respect to swaths of damaging winds and tornadoes. As the low-level jet increases during the evening, and given mid/upper flow oriented parallel to the surface boundary, upscale growth into one or more linear segments is expected. As cold pool consolidation occurs, potential for significant wind gusts (greater than 65 kt) is expected to increase across parts of central ND. Low-level shear will also support tornado potential, whether semi-discrete supercells can be maintained, or with mesovortex generation within linear bands. As such, have left tornado probabilities similar to the prior forecast. Given the expectation that storm mode will become more linear with time, hail probabilities have been lowered (removed 45 percent). Nevertheless, large to very large hail will be possible with any discrete supercells that can be maintained or are embedded within linear segments. ...NE/SD/Mid-MO Valley vicinity... Convection emanating northeast from NE may eventually grow upscale into an MCS during the nighttime hours and spread into eastern SD and the Mid-MO Valley area. This scenario is uncertain. However, given ample deep-layer flow, extreme instability and at least subtle large-scale ascent over the region as the low-level jet overspreads this area overnight, this scenario seems plausible. If this occurs, damaging wind potential will be possible, and severe probabilities have been expanded eastward across portions of the region. ...KS into the OK/TX Panhandles and northeast NM... High-based convection is expected to develop along the surface dryline during the late afternoon. Deep boundary layer mixing will support steep low-level lapse rates. 500 mb temperatures around -10 C also will support steep midlevel lapse rates near 8-8.5 C/km per regional forecast soundings. Deep layer shear will not be as strong as further north, but strong instability and inverted-v sub-cloud thermodynamic profiles will support severe wind gusts. There is some potential that if storms can be maintained further east toward better low-level moisture as the low-level jet increases during the evening, a swath of significant wind gusts could occur across the southwest KS vicinity. Severe probabilities have been increased across portions of the area given a favorable environment and strong signal within most forecast guidance. ...Mid-MS Valley into Lower OH Valley... A quasi-warm front/moisture boundary will overlap the region from northwest to southeast, and is likely to lift northward toward Lake MI overnight. Large-scale ascent will remain weak until late in the period. Nevertheless, strong instability within a very moist and unstable airmass will support isolated severe wind gusts potential through peak heating with any storms that develop. Additional storms may develop overnight from WI into northern IL as the low-level jet noses into the region resulting in strong warm advection atop the surface boundary. While this activity may remain elevated above the nocturnal stable layer, some potential for strong gusts or marginal hail is possible. ..Leitman.. 06/08/2026 $$