RSS Mesoscale Discussions from Storm Prediction Center
Public Severe Weather Outlook
PUBLIC SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
0752 AM CDT MON APR 27 2026
...Severe thunderstorms expected over parts of the mid Mississippi
Valley and Mid-South today and tonight...
* LOCATIONS...
Southern and Central Illinois
Central and Eastern Missouri
Western Kentucky
Western Indiana
Northern and Central Arkansas
Western Tennessee
* HAZARDS...
Several tornadoes, a couple intense
Widespread damaging winds
Scattered large hail, some baseball size
* SUMMARY...
Numerous severe thunderstorms are expected from the mid
Mississippi/lower Ohio Valleys into the Mid-South through this
evening, with a threat for multiple strong to intense tornadoes
(EF-3+), widespread severe/damaging wind gusts, and scattered
large to very large hail.
Preparedness actions...
Review your severe weather safety procedures for the possibility
of dangerous weather today. Stay tuned to NOAA Weather Radio,
weather.gov, or other media for watches and warnings. A tornado
watch means that conditions are favorable for tornadoes to form
during the next several hours. If a tornado warning is issued for
your area, move to a place of safety, ideally in a basement or
interior room on the lowest floor of a sturdy building.
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SPC 1300Z Day 1 Outlook
Day 1 Convective Outlook
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
0745 AM CDT Mon Apr 27 2026
Valid 271300Z - 281200Z
...THERE IS A MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS PARTS OF
MISSOURI INTO ILLINOIS...
...SUMMARY...
Numerous severe thunderstorms are expected from the mid
Mississippi/lower Ohio Valleys into the Mid-South through this
evening, with a threat for multiple strong to intense tornadoes
(EF-3+), widespread severe/damaging wind gusts, and scattered large
to very large hail.
...Mid Mississippi Valley/Midwest into the Mid-South/Lower
Mississippi Valley...
An active severe weather day is forecast for much of the mid MS
Valley/lower OH Valleys into the Mid-South. Ongoing thunderstorms
this morning complicate the overall scenario to some extent, but a
very favorable corridor for intense supercells and strong tornadoes
is apparent this afternoon/evening across parts of MO into IL, where
a Moderate Risk (Level 4 of 5) has been introduced.
Elevated supercells with mainly a hail threat should persist for at
least a couple more hours this morning across the mid MS Valley as
strong low-level warm advection aids in continued influx of
sufficient MUCAPE amid strong deep-layer shear. Multiple
clusters/embedded supercells are also ongoing this morning across
western into northern MO. This activity should pose a greater threat
for scattered severe/damaging winds, along with some hail risk. The
tornado threat in the short term (this morning) remains unclear, but
it should eventually increase as the boundary-layer across central
MO continues to gradually destabilize/moisten. See Mesoscale
Discussion 565 for more details on the near-term severe risk with
these ongoing thunderstorms.
Current expectations are for the greatest severe risk to focus south
of these morning thunderstorms. A mid/upper-level trough will eject
northeastward from the northern/central Plains into the Midwest and
mid MS Valley through the period. Low-level mass response will
encourage the primary surface low to consolidate across MN/WI by
this evening, with an effective warm front delineated by the morning
convection. Aided by daytime heating and steep mid-level lapse
rates, a moderately to strongly unstable airmass is expected to be
in place by early to mid afternoon across much of central
MO/southern IL southward into the Mid-South and lower MS Valley.
Strengthening west-southwesterly flow aloft associated with a 50-70
kt mid-level jet will overspread much of the warm sector by peak
heating, and a 35-45 kt south-southwesterly low-level jet will both
provide ample low-level and deep-layer shear to support supercells.
Initially discrete surface-based development appears likely to occur
by 19-21Z across the mid MS Valley/Mid-South ahead of the surface
cold front, and perhaps along weak low-level confluence zones in the
open warm sector.
These supercells will exist in a very favorable environment for
tornadoes through the afternoon and evening, and multiple strong to
intense tornadoes (EF-2/3+) appear likely, especially from parts of
MO into IL along/near the effective front. This strong tornado
threat may also extend farther south into AR/TN, but confidence is
somewhat lower with southward extent due to weaker large-scale
forcing. Large to very large hail (2-3 inches in diameter) may also
occur with any sustained supercells.
By early evening, convection will probably tend to consolidate into
clusters capable of producing numerous to widespread damaging winds
from the mid MS Valley eastward into the lower OH Valley, before
eventually weakening tonight as instability gradually decreases. A
threat for QLCS and embedded supercell tornadoes will persist
through much of the evening and early overnight hours as well given
strong low-level shear forecast.
To the north of the ongoing morning convection across IA/northern
IL/WI, a lesser (but non-zero) severe risk is forecast. This region
will have less instability this afternoon, but strong shear. Have
maintained the Marginal/Slight Risks for the possibility of isolated
to locally scattered hail/damaging winds, and perhaps a couple of
tornadoes.
...ArkLaTex into Texas...
Confidence in sustained convection occurring from the ArkLaTex
southward into TX is lower compared to locations farther north. But,
strong heating ahead of a surface dryline could support isolated to
scattered supercells capable of producing large to very large hail
and occasional damaging winds. Increasing low-level warm/moist
advection tonight could foster additional robust thunderstorms along
the retreating dryline and eventually the southward-moving cold
front. Severe probabilities have been expanded across these regions
to account for this potential.
..Gleason/Thornton.. 04/27/2026
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