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National Severe Weather Outlook for the next week

Here you'll find all available severe weather outlooks on one page.

Overview of the threat for the next few days

Monday, April 20
Tuesday, April 21
Wednesday, April 22
Thursday, April 23
Friday, April 24
Saturday, April 25
Sunday, April 26
Monday, April 27

Outlook for Monday, April 20

Outlook Summary

Severe storms are not expected today.

Outlook Images

overview

tornado low

wind low

hail low

Detailed Outlook

SPC AC 201552

Day 1 Convective Outlook NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK 1052 AM CDT Mon Apr 20 2026

Valid 201630Z - 211200Z

NO SEVERE THUNDERSTORM AREAS FORECAST

### SUMMARY

Severe storms are not expected today.

Synopsis

An upper impulse will continue to pose a risk of scattered thunderstorms over parts of NM and south/west TX through the afternoon, with activity spreading into north-central TX late tonight.

Other thunderstorms are possible this afternoon and evening over south FL in a moist and marginally unstable air mass, along the coast of southern New England, and over portions of OR/WA. In all areas, weak instability will preclude the risk of organized severe storms.

..Hart/Flournoy.. 04/20/2026

CLICK TO GET WUUS01 PTSDY1 PRODUCT

NOTE: THE NEXT DAY 1 OUTLOOK IS SCHEDULED BY 2000Z

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Outlook for Tuesday, April 21

Outlook Summary

Thunderstorms will be possible across the West, portions of the southern Plains, and the southern Great Lakes on Tuesday. Potential for severe weather appears low.

Outlook Images

overview

tornado low

wind low

hail low

Detailed Outlook

SPC AC 201724

Day 2 Convective Outlook NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK 1224 PM CDT Mon Apr 20 2026

Valid 211200Z - 221200Z

NO SEVERE THUNDERSTORM AREAS FORECAST

### SUMMARY

Thunderstorms will be possible across the West, portions of the southern Plains, and the southern Great Lakes on Tuesday. Potential for severe weather appears low.

Synopsis

Upper-level ridging is expected to build into the Plains on Tuesday. Moderate northwesterly flow aloft will remain across the Upper Midwest/Great Lakes. In the West, an upper trough will move into California and the western Great Basin. At the surface, a high pressure system will persist in the Southeast. Initial moisture return around the western flank of this anticyclone will occur through the day. This moisture will interact with a weak boundary within the Midwest/Lower Great Lakes.

Midwest/Lower Great Lakes

Ahead of the weak surface boundary, some increase in low-level moisture can be expected. Moisture should generally be greater along the Iowa/Missouri border with diminishing dewpoints towards the Lower Great Lakes/Ohio Valley. Within moderate northwesterly flow aloft, a subtle shortwave trough is expected to move towards southern Lake Michigan during the afternoon. Temperatures at 500 mb of around -18C should promote some convection along the boundary by late afternoon. Farther west, forcing for ascent will be weaker and capping will be stronger. The main question in this scenario continues to be the quantity of moisture return ahead of the boundary. Guidance does suggest low 50s F are possible, but given how dry the current airmass across the region is and how late this initial moisture return will be, confidence in that forecast is low. The current expectation is that isolated to widely scattered storms are possible by late afternoon/early evening, particularly near southern Lake Michigan. These storms may briefly strengthen and be capable of gusty winds/small hail. Thereafter, nocturnal cooling should lead to a weakening trend. Development near the Iowa/Missouri is far more conditional.

Trans-Pecos/Big Bend into Central Texas

Convection will be ongoing Tuesday morning in central Texas. Isolated small hail and gusty winds are possible, but deep-layer shear will be weakening as the ridge builds into the Plains through the day. Farther west, a weak dryline is possible into the Big Bend region. An isolated storm or two could develop. Weak vertical shear and marginal buoyancy should limit severe potential.

California Central Valley

After an initial period of precipitation in the morning, pockets of surface heating in the afternoon may lead to MLCAPE of 250-500 J/kg. While a stronger storm or two is possible, the severe threat will be limited by weak deep-layer shear.

..Wendt.. 04/20/2026

CLICK TO GET WUUS02 PTSDY2 PRODUCT

NOTE: THE NEXT DAY 2 OUTLOOK IS SCHEDULED BY 0600Z

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Outlook for Wednesday, April 22

Outlook Summary

Severe thunderstorms capable of hail and gusty winds may develop during the late afternoon and evening across portions of the High Plains. Elsewhere, thunderstorms will be possible across the northern Gulf Coast and portions of the Ohio Valley.

Outlook Images

overview

any severe 5%

Detailed Outlook

SPC AC 200727

Day 3 Convective Outlook NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK 0227 AM CDT Mon Apr 20 2026

Valid 221200Z - 231200Z

THERE IS A MARGINAL RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE HIGH PLAINS OF NEBRASKA SOUTH INTO THE TEXAS PANHANDLE

### SUMMARY

Severe thunderstorms capable of hail and gusty winds may develop during the late afternoon and evening across portions of the High Plains. Elsewhere, thunderstorms will be possible across the northern Gulf Coast and portions of the Ohio Valley.

Synopsis

A shortwave trough will eject northeast out of the basal region of the western CONUS trough and into the northern Plains on Wednesday. As this happens, strengthening southerly/southwesterly midlevel flow will overspread much of the High Plains. A surface cyclone over eastern Montana will gradually deepen as it slowly moves east.

Central High Plains south into the southern High Plains

As the Montana surface cyclone gradually deepens on Wednesday, Gulf moisture will be drawn northward into the central and northern Plains. As the upper trough approaches the region during the late afternoon/evening, modest height falls are expected to overspread a sharpening dryline across far eastern Colorado or western Nebraska south into the Texas Panhandle. Kinematic profiles up and down the dryline show ample vertical shear for supercells capable of producing hail and gusty winds. However, considerable uncertainty remains regarding thunderstorm coverage owing to the significant differences in the depth and quality of the boundary layer moisture return noted in the 20260420/00Z guidance suite. For example, the NAM is nearly 5F more moist along the dryline across portions of Nebraska than global models.

That said, pattern recognition and 00Z RRFS suggest that at least a couple of storms should develop along the dryline from Nebraska south into the eastern Texas Panhandle. Deep-layer flow will largely parallel the dryline during the afternoon which should preclude much eastward advancement. A 5% unconditional risk area has been added to account for this potential.

Elsewhere Across the CONUS

Thunderstorms may be ongoing at the start of the forecast period and persist into the early afternoon across portions of the northern Gulf Coast. The thunderstorm potential should wane with time as increasing midlevel heights suppress large-scale ascent.

Additionally, modest low-level moisture and weak instability may support a few lightning strikes within a weak surface boundary across the Ohio Valley.

..Marsh.. 04/20/2026

CLICK TO GET WUUS03 PTSDY3 PRODUCT

NOTE: THE NEXT DAY 3 OUTLOOK IS SCHEDULED BY 1930Z

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Outlook for Thursday, April 23

Outlook Images

any severe 15%

Note on Medium Range Outlooks

You are looking at an outlook that is part of the medium range forecast (the outlook for days 4-8). The most important thing to note is that lack of a risk does not mean zero risk. Generally speaking, confidence has to be pretty high for the Storm Prediction Center to have an outlook area this far into the future.

When no specific risk areas are shown, you might see one of these phrases:

If you bookmark this page, it will continue to update with each new outlook that is issued.

Days Covered in this Outlook

Day 4 Thursday, April 23 15%
Day 5 Friday, April 24 15%
Day 6 Saturday, April 25 predictability too low
Day 7 Sunday, April 26 predictability too low
Day 8 Monday, April 27 predictability too low

Detailed Outlook

ZCZC SPCSWOD48 ALL ACUS48 KWNS 200858 SPC AC 200858

Day 4-8 Convective Outlook NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK 0358 AM CDT Mon Apr 20 2026

Valid 231200Z - 281200Z

DISCUSSION

In the days preceding this forecast period, a long-wave trough will develop across the western US. This feature will persist across the western and central US through the forecast period supporting a multi-day severe weather threat across portions of the central US.

On Thursday/Day-4, a lobe of vorticity will rotate around the closed midlevel low across the northern Rockies. This will reinforce a surface cyclone as it moves north into Canada. As this low moves north, a combined dryline/cold front will move east into an increasingly moist environment across the central Plains. The airmass ahead of the front should destabilize during the day Thursday, with MUCAPE values over 1000 J/kg possible into portions of Minnesota.

Thunderstorms should develop across portions of northeast Kansas into Iowa during the late afternoon as height falls overspread the surface front. These storms should quickly build southward along the front into portions of Oklahoma and southern Kansas. Kinematic fields initially should support supercells, but midlevel flow will increasingly become parallel to the front suggesting that storms will grow upscale into one or more linear segments.

The surface front, augmented by convective outflows, will continue to push south and east into the Southern Plains and the greater ArkLaTex region overnight Thursday into Friday/Day-5 before stalling out. Forecast soundings along and ahead of the frontal boundary indicate an unstable, uncapped environment with vertical shear between 30-40 knots should support additional severe thunderstorms Friday afternoon into the evening/overnight across portions of eastern Oklahoma and Arkansas.

By Saturday/Day-6, the larger-scale flow across the southern Plains will begin to respond to a low-latitude trough moving into southern California by once again becoming increasingly southwesterly. Embedded perturbations within this southwest flow ahead of the main trough will support an ongoing severe threat across the southern Plains. However, the location of various surface boundaries (dryline, outflow, frontal) will be predicated on the evolution of prior days of convection and the timing of the aforementioned perturbations in the midlevel flow. Thus, while pattern recognition suggests severe weather will be possible on Days 6,7, and 8, certainty as to the location of greatest severe potential on any given day remains too low to highlight with unconditional probabilities at this time.

..Marsh.. 04/20/2026

CLICK TO GET WUUS48 PTSD48 PRODUCT

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Outlook for Friday, April 24

Outlook Images

any severe 15%

Note on Medium Range Outlooks

You are looking at an outlook that is part of the medium range forecast (the outlook for days 4-8). The most important thing to note is that lack of a risk does not mean zero risk. Generally speaking, confidence has to be pretty high for the Storm Prediction Center to have an outlook area this far into the future.

When no specific risk areas are shown, you might see one of these phrases:

If you bookmark this page, it will continue to update with each new outlook that is issued.

Days Covered in this Outlook

Day 4 Thursday, April 23 15%
Day 5 Friday, April 24 15%
Day 6 Saturday, April 25 predictability too low
Day 7 Sunday, April 26 predictability too low
Day 8 Monday, April 27 predictability too low

Detailed Outlook

ZCZC SPCSWOD48 ALL ACUS48 KWNS 200858 SPC AC 200858

Day 4-8 Convective Outlook NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK 0358 AM CDT Mon Apr 20 2026

Valid 231200Z - 281200Z

DISCUSSION

In the days preceding this forecast period, a long-wave trough will develop across the western US. This feature will persist across the western and central US through the forecast period supporting a multi-day severe weather threat across portions of the central US.

On Thursday/Day-4, a lobe of vorticity will rotate around the closed midlevel low across the northern Rockies. This will reinforce a surface cyclone as it moves north into Canada. As this low moves north, a combined dryline/cold front will move east into an increasingly moist environment across the central Plains. The airmass ahead of the front should destabilize during the day Thursday, with MUCAPE values over 1000 J/kg possible into portions of Minnesota.

Thunderstorms should develop across portions of northeast Kansas into Iowa during the late afternoon as height falls overspread the surface front. These storms should quickly build southward along the front into portions of Oklahoma and southern Kansas. Kinematic fields initially should support supercells, but midlevel flow will increasingly become parallel to the front suggesting that storms will grow upscale into one or more linear segments.

The surface front, augmented by convective outflows, will continue to push south and east into the Southern Plains and the greater ArkLaTex region overnight Thursday into Friday/Day-5 before stalling out. Forecast soundings along and ahead of the frontal boundary indicate an unstable, uncapped environment with vertical shear between 30-40 knots should support additional severe thunderstorms Friday afternoon into the evening/overnight across portions of eastern Oklahoma and Arkansas.

By Saturday/Day-6, the larger-scale flow across the southern Plains will begin to respond to a low-latitude trough moving into southern California by once again becoming increasingly southwesterly. Embedded perturbations within this southwest flow ahead of the main trough will support an ongoing severe threat across the southern Plains. However, the location of various surface boundaries (dryline, outflow, frontal) will be predicated on the evolution of prior days of convection and the timing of the aforementioned perturbations in the midlevel flow. Thus, while pattern recognition suggests severe weather will be possible on Days 6,7, and 8, certainty as to the location of greatest severe potential on any given day remains too low to highlight with unconditional probabilities at this time.

..Marsh.. 04/20/2026

CLICK TO GET WUUS48 PTSD48 PRODUCT

← back to overview

 

Outlook for Saturday, April 25

Outlook Images

any severe predictability too low

Note on Medium Range Outlooks

You are looking at an outlook that is part of the medium range forecast (the outlook for days 4-8). The most important thing to note is that lack of a risk does not mean zero risk. Generally speaking, confidence has to be pretty high for the Storm Prediction Center to have an outlook area this far into the future.

When no specific risk areas are shown, you might see one of these phrases:

If you bookmark this page, it will continue to update with each new outlook that is issued.

Days Covered in this Outlook

Day 4 Thursday, April 23 15%
Day 5 Friday, April 24 15%
Day 6 Saturday, April 25 predictability too low
Day 7 Sunday, April 26 predictability too low
Day 8 Monday, April 27 predictability too low

Detailed Outlook

ZCZC SPCSWOD48 ALL ACUS48 KWNS 200858 SPC AC 200858

Day 4-8 Convective Outlook NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK 0358 AM CDT Mon Apr 20 2026

Valid 231200Z - 281200Z

DISCUSSION

In the days preceding this forecast period, a long-wave trough will develop across the western US. This feature will persist across the western and central US through the forecast period supporting a multi-day severe weather threat across portions of the central US.

On Thursday/Day-4, a lobe of vorticity will rotate around the closed midlevel low across the northern Rockies. This will reinforce a surface cyclone as it moves north into Canada. As this low moves north, a combined dryline/cold front will move east into an increasingly moist environment across the central Plains. The airmass ahead of the front should destabilize during the day Thursday, with MUCAPE values over 1000 J/kg possible into portions of Minnesota.

Thunderstorms should develop across portions of northeast Kansas into Iowa during the late afternoon as height falls overspread the surface front. These storms should quickly build southward along the front into portions of Oklahoma and southern Kansas. Kinematic fields initially should support supercells, but midlevel flow will increasingly become parallel to the front suggesting that storms will grow upscale into one or more linear segments.

The surface front, augmented by convective outflows, will continue to push south and east into the Southern Plains and the greater ArkLaTex region overnight Thursday into Friday/Day-5 before stalling out. Forecast soundings along and ahead of the frontal boundary indicate an unstable, uncapped environment with vertical shear between 30-40 knots should support additional severe thunderstorms Friday afternoon into the evening/overnight across portions of eastern Oklahoma and Arkansas.

By Saturday/Day-6, the larger-scale flow across the southern Plains will begin to respond to a low-latitude trough moving into southern California by once again becoming increasingly southwesterly. Embedded perturbations within this southwest flow ahead of the main trough will support an ongoing severe threat across the southern Plains. However, the location of various surface boundaries (dryline, outflow, frontal) will be predicated on the evolution of prior days of convection and the timing of the aforementioned perturbations in the midlevel flow. Thus, while pattern recognition suggests severe weather will be possible on Days 6,7, and 8, certainty as to the location of greatest severe potential on any given day remains too low to highlight with unconditional probabilities at this time.

..Marsh.. 04/20/2026

CLICK TO GET WUUS48 PTSD48 PRODUCT

← back to overview

 

Outlook for Sunday, April 26

Outlook Images

any severe predictability too low

Note on Medium Range Outlooks

You are looking at an outlook that is part of the medium range forecast (the outlook for days 4-8). The most important thing to note is that lack of a risk does not mean zero risk. Generally speaking, confidence has to be pretty high for the Storm Prediction Center to have an outlook area this far into the future.

When no specific risk areas are shown, you might see one of these phrases:

If you bookmark this page, it will continue to update with each new outlook that is issued.

Days Covered in this Outlook

Day 4 Thursday, April 23 15%
Day 5 Friday, April 24 15%
Day 6 Saturday, April 25 predictability too low
Day 7 Sunday, April 26 predictability too low
Day 8 Monday, April 27 predictability too low

Detailed Outlook

ZCZC SPCSWOD48 ALL ACUS48 KWNS 200858 SPC AC 200858

Day 4-8 Convective Outlook NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK 0358 AM CDT Mon Apr 20 2026

Valid 231200Z - 281200Z

DISCUSSION

In the days preceding this forecast period, a long-wave trough will develop across the western US. This feature will persist across the western and central US through the forecast period supporting a multi-day severe weather threat across portions of the central US.

On Thursday/Day-4, a lobe of vorticity will rotate around the closed midlevel low across the northern Rockies. This will reinforce a surface cyclone as it moves north into Canada. As this low moves north, a combined dryline/cold front will move east into an increasingly moist environment across the central Plains. The airmass ahead of the front should destabilize during the day Thursday, with MUCAPE values over 1000 J/kg possible into portions of Minnesota.

Thunderstorms should develop across portions of northeast Kansas into Iowa during the late afternoon as height falls overspread the surface front. These storms should quickly build southward along the front into portions of Oklahoma and southern Kansas. Kinematic fields initially should support supercells, but midlevel flow will increasingly become parallel to the front suggesting that storms will grow upscale into one or more linear segments.

The surface front, augmented by convective outflows, will continue to push south and east into the Southern Plains and the greater ArkLaTex region overnight Thursday into Friday/Day-5 before stalling out. Forecast soundings along and ahead of the frontal boundary indicate an unstable, uncapped environment with vertical shear between 30-40 knots should support additional severe thunderstorms Friday afternoon into the evening/overnight across portions of eastern Oklahoma and Arkansas.

By Saturday/Day-6, the larger-scale flow across the southern Plains will begin to respond to a low-latitude trough moving into southern California by once again becoming increasingly southwesterly. Embedded perturbations within this southwest flow ahead of the main trough will support an ongoing severe threat across the southern Plains. However, the location of various surface boundaries (dryline, outflow, frontal) will be predicated on the evolution of prior days of convection and the timing of the aforementioned perturbations in the midlevel flow. Thus, while pattern recognition suggests severe weather will be possible on Days 6,7, and 8, certainty as to the location of greatest severe potential on any given day remains too low to highlight with unconditional probabilities at this time.

..Marsh.. 04/20/2026

CLICK TO GET WUUS48 PTSD48 PRODUCT

← back to overview

 

Outlook for Monday, April 27

Outlook Images

any severe predictability too low

Note on Medium Range Outlooks

You are looking at an outlook that is part of the medium range forecast (the outlook for days 4-8). The most important thing to note is that lack of a risk does not mean zero risk. Generally speaking, confidence has to be pretty high for the Storm Prediction Center to have an outlook area this far into the future.

When no specific risk areas are shown, you might see one of these phrases:

If you bookmark this page, it will continue to update with each new outlook that is issued.

Days Covered in this Outlook

Day 4 Thursday, April 23 15%
Day 5 Friday, April 24 15%
Day 6 Saturday, April 25 predictability too low
Day 7 Sunday, April 26 predictability too low
Day 8 Monday, April 27 predictability too low

Detailed Outlook

ZCZC SPCSWOD48 ALL ACUS48 KWNS 200858 SPC AC 200858

Day 4-8 Convective Outlook NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK 0358 AM CDT Mon Apr 20 2026

Valid 231200Z - 281200Z

DISCUSSION

In the days preceding this forecast period, a long-wave trough will develop across the western US. This feature will persist across the western and central US through the forecast period supporting a multi-day severe weather threat across portions of the central US.

On Thursday/Day-4, a lobe of vorticity will rotate around the closed midlevel low across the northern Rockies. This will reinforce a surface cyclone as it moves north into Canada. As this low moves north, a combined dryline/cold front will move east into an increasingly moist environment across the central Plains. The airmass ahead of the front should destabilize during the day Thursday, with MUCAPE values over 1000 J/kg possible into portions of Minnesota.

Thunderstorms should develop across portions of northeast Kansas into Iowa during the late afternoon as height falls overspread the surface front. These storms should quickly build southward along the front into portions of Oklahoma and southern Kansas. Kinematic fields initially should support supercells, but midlevel flow will increasingly become parallel to the front suggesting that storms will grow upscale into one or more linear segments.

The surface front, augmented by convective outflows, will continue to push south and east into the Southern Plains and the greater ArkLaTex region overnight Thursday into Friday/Day-5 before stalling out. Forecast soundings along and ahead of the frontal boundary indicate an unstable, uncapped environment with vertical shear between 30-40 knots should support additional severe thunderstorms Friday afternoon into the evening/overnight across portions of eastern Oklahoma and Arkansas.

By Saturday/Day-6, the larger-scale flow across the southern Plains will begin to respond to a low-latitude trough moving into southern California by once again becoming increasingly southwesterly. Embedded perturbations within this southwest flow ahead of the main trough will support an ongoing severe threat across the southern Plains. However, the location of various surface boundaries (dryline, outflow, frontal) will be predicated on the evolution of prior days of convection and the timing of the aforementioned perturbations in the midlevel flow. Thus, while pattern recognition suggests severe weather will be possible on Days 6,7, and 8, certainty as to the location of greatest severe potential on any given day remains too low to highlight with unconditional probabilities at this time.

..Marsh.. 04/20/2026

CLICK TO GET WUUS48 PTSD48 PRODUCT

← back to overview

 

National Risk Overview

Monday, April 20
TORNADO: low
HAIL: low
WIND: low
Tuesday, April 21
TORNADO: low
HAIL: low
WIND: low
Wednesday, April 22
ANY SEVERE: 5%
Thursday, April 23
ANY SEVERE: 15%
Friday, April 24
ANY SEVERE: 15%
Saturday, April 25
ANY SEVERE: predictability too low
Sunday, April 26
ANY SEVERE: predictability too low
Monday, April 27
ANY SEVERE: predictability too low

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