Severe Storm Outlook Narrative (AC)
Issued by NWS
Issued by NWS
807 ACUS02 KWNS 041732 SWODY2 SPC AC 041730 Day 2 Convective Outlook NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK 1230 PM CDT Thu Jun 04 2026 Valid 051200Z - 061200Z ...THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS CENTRAL AND EASTERN NEBRASKA...NORTH KANSAS...MUCH OF IOWA...SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA...AND FAR WESTERN WISCONSIN... ...SUMMARY... Scattered severe storms capable of large to very large hail, damaging winds with potentially significant gusts, and perhaps a couple of tornadoes are expected Friday afternoon into night across portions of the central Plains into upper Great Lakes. ...Synopsis... A weak mid-level shortwave trough in the western Great Lakes Friday morning is forecast to weaken as it moves eastward through the day. A mid-level ridge will build across the central/northern Plains through the day with a strong trough approaching the Northwest. At the surface, high pressure will move off the Southeast coast with weak lee troughing across the central High Plains vicinity within an otherwise nebulous surface pattern. ...Central Plains into the Upper Midwest... Thunderstorms will be ongoing at the beginning of the period, likely from northern Missouri into Iowa and southeast Wisconsin. Strong instability is expected to develop south/west of this activity where steep lapse rates advect over a moist airmass featuring low 70s dewpoints. Height rises across this region (southeast Nebraska into southwest Iowa) cast some doubt on diurnal storm development. Several members of the 12Z HREF show storms developing within this zone, but most others (most notably the HRRR, do not). Therefore, while the environment would support strong supercells with a threat for very large hail, damaging winds, and perhaps a tornado, the uncertainty related to storm coverage precludes higher probabilities at this time. Regardless of if afternoon storms develop, additional convection is expected during the evening as the low-level jet strengthens. These storms may initially begin as supercells, but will likely grow into a linear segment relatively quickly. Given the strengthening low-level jet and forecast soundings that do not show clearly elevated thermodynamic profiles, expanded the 2% tornado probabilities east to account for some tornado threat during the evening hours. Additional storms are possible farther northeast from northeast Iowa into Wisconsin along a diffuse cold front. While mid-level flow (and thus deep-layer shear) will be stronger across this region, instability is forecast to be more limited due to that morning/previous night convection that moved across the region and a lack of a strong low-level moisture advection into the region. Therefore, some strong to isolated severe storms are possible, but may be too isolated/marginal for higher probabilities at this time. ..Bentley.. 06/04/2026 $$