FXUS63 KEAX 151654 AFDEAX Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Kansas City/Pleasant Hill MO 1154 AM CDT Wed Apr 15 2026 .KEY MESSAGES... * Active weather pattern continues with multiple additional chances for strong to severe thunderstorms, today/Wednesday and Friday. - Today/Wednesday: SPC Day 1 Slight Risk - Friday: SPC Day 3 Enhanced Risk * Warm temperatures (upper 70s to low/mid 80s) are expected to persist through the work week, then cooler and drier conditions expected this weekend and into early next week. && .DISCUSSION... Issued at 344 AM CDT Wed Apr 15 2026 What looked to be a fairly potent setup for strong to severe storms in the area yesterday evening and into the overnight tended to struggle mightily. By the evening, moisture rapidly surged northward toward and into portions of Nebraska and Iowa and the dryline rapidly retreated westward. Further SW, convective initiation ended up quite a bit further south (well into Oklahoma) than prior expectations. With the otherwise overall lack of synoptic level support/lift, this resulted in initial clusters of strong to severe storms over Nebraska/Iowa that just clipped northern Missouri and little to no precipitation into southern portions of the CWA with trajectories keeping activity into Springfield's area. This through about 3am. As of this writing, elevated non-severe convection continues to drift eastward across northern Missouri, with no expectation for anything more. Additionally, elevated convection is now seen blossoming over south-central to SE Kansas, along the nose of strong ~850mb moisture advection and the general LLJ. Of note, HRRR runs have not tended to handle this new KS convection well with all but the most recent run or two holding off on anything budding until just NE of the KC Metro around/after 10z. This leads to limited confidence in convective trends to round out the overnight and into the morning/commute hours. Conceptually, given what is transpiring and the environment depicted on SPC Mesoanalysis, tend to expect this scattered elevated convection to lift into the forecast area from SW and potentially increase in general coverage as it does so. Fortunately, soundings (ACARS and model) depict a reestablished cap which will help drastically limit top end potential. If anything, these thunderstorms may further prime some locations for possible local flooding or river issues later today/tonight. This general activity should drift NE through the morning and yield a mostly cloudy and moist/humid day. Normally morning convection and cloud cover would give rise to recovery concerns, but persistent moderate to strong moist low level flow should have no issue re-priming and mixing the area. Especially with moderate to steep mid-level lapse rates remaining in place. So, how do we fell about this afternoon and evening given what how forecasts have gone the last couple of days? That is a fair question. A notable difference today is that more substantial/supportive synoptic lift approaches as well as a more progressive frontal boundary as the western trough continues to kick out into and across the Plains with its attendant surface low. So, convective initiation is probably least of the uncertainties, overall. Instead, questions tend to be more around when does convection first fire off this afternoon, is any of it discrete/ahead of the cold front, how quickly it may grow upscale/cluster/linear, etc. Those timing and, more importantly, storm mode answers will determine the most prevalent threats. As you would imagine, discrete convection would carry an all hazards threat, especially large hail and damaging winds. Right movers would potentially yield very supportive low level inflow that could yield the best opportunity for a tornado or two. Clustering or more linear modes, including along frontal passage, would transition threats more toward damaging winds and occasional hail. For reference, broad set of guidance suggests >2000 J/kg MLCAPE, >40-45 kts deep shear. If the cold front was less progressive, mean wind/deep shear orientation would be more concerning for training storms/flooding issues, fortunately that does not set up to be the case here. Activity as early as around 1pm and up to around the evening commute in the KC Metro and 9-10pm for eastern parts of the forecast area. Brief break in activity Thursday as the upper trough moves east and a bit drier air mass moves in, but temperatures remain seasonally warm in the 80s with southerly flow quickly returning. This helps set the table too for Friday which will be yet another chance, quite possibly our best during this stretch, for severe thunderstorm activity. By Friday, another western CONUS trough, currently moving down the coast of British Columbia/approaching Washington/PNW, will be pushing across the Intermountain West and induce rounds of Lee Cyclogenesis along Wyoming and Colorado Front Ranges. Conceptually this checks most the boxes as it is a pretty deep/sizable trough that begins to pivot/take on a neutral to negative tilt across the region. Robust/deep southerly flow ahead of this too will push surface dew points back into the mid 60s and steep mid-level lapse rates may push SB/MLCAPE values >2500-3000 J/kg. Wind profiles again look favorable for an all hazards situation with discrete convection. Synoptic scale lift support, frontal passage, and potential jet position start to check of additional boxes as well. Suffice it to say while you cannot necessarily hang your hat on the details just yet, Friday is a day to pay attention to. Bolstered by the previous Day 4 30% and the New Day 3 Enhanced by the SPC for much/most of the area. In the wake of this Friday system/threat, a period of quieter weather and cooler/more seasonable temperatures looks to settle in as NW mid-upper level flow and eventual height rises/ridging dominates. This should be through the weekend and at least into early next week before any notable precipitation chances attempt to return. && .AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z THURSDAY/... Issued at 1149 AM CDT Wed Apr 15 2026 Main aviation concern this afternoon is convection, with storms expected to develop near the KC terminals around/after 20z. Think best timing for storms at MCI/MKC/IXD will be in the 20-22z time frame, but it still remains possible (around 50 percent chance) that storms develop mostly east of the TAF sites with no impacts at the terminals. On the other hand, if a storm develops and affects a terminal, impacts could be significant, with IFR/LIFR VSBYs and strong/erratic wind gusts in torrential rain and frequent lightning. Storms should move east of the terminals by 23z, with VFR thereafter. Southwest winds 15 to 20 kt with gusts 25 to 30 kt are expected this afternoon, gradually veering to west and northwest this evening, before diminishing and becoming light/variable after 06z. A steady south breeze should develop after 15z Thursday. && .EAX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MO...None. KS...None. && $$ DISCUSSION...Curtis AVIATION...CMS