SPC Day 1 Fire Weather Outlook

Day 1 Fire Weather Outlook  
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
0111 AM CST Mon Feb 16 2026

Valid 161200Z - 171200Z

...Synopsis...
An upper ridge will overspread the Mississippi Valley as a
pronounced mid-level trough impinges on the Rockies today. As this
occurs, strong surface lee troughing will encourage widespread 15+
mph sustained southerly winds over the central and southern High
Plains for much of the afternoon. Elevated highlights have been
maintained over areas devoid of recent precipitation (hence dry
fuels), and where RH will dip below 20 percent for several hours.

..Squitieri.. 02/16/2026

...Please see www.spc.noaa.gov/fire for graphic product...

No watches are valid as of Mon Feb 16 07:13:02 UTC 2026.

No Mesoscale Discussions are in effect as of Mon Feb 16 07:13:02 UTC 2026.

SPC 0700Z Day 2 Outlook

Day 2 Convective Outlook  
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
1154 PM CST Sun Feb 15 2026

Valid 171200Z - 181200Z

...NO SEVERE THUNDERSTORM AREAS FORECAST...

...SUMMARY...
Scattered thunderstorm activity is possible across Pacific coastal
areas and the Central Valley of California Tuesday into Tuesday
night, as well as across parts of the mid Missouri Valley into Upper
Midwest Tuesday night.  However, the risk for severe storms appears
low.

...Discussion...
Models continue to indicate that a lower/mid-tropospheric cyclone
will weaken while migrating inland of the Pacific Northwest coast
Tuesday.  However, an initially intense offshore jet is forecast to
continue digging south-southeastward across California coastal areas
to the south of San Francisco Bay, toward the lower Colorado Valley
through late Tuesday night, contributing to the maintenance of
amplified larger-scale troughing across and inland of the U.S.
Pacific Coast. 

Downstream, a broad swath of seasonably strong west-southwesterly
mid/upper flow is forecast to continue developing east of the
southern Rockies, across the south central Great Plains and Ohio
Valley, as the remnants of preceding inland migrating troughing
pivot across the northern Rockies and much of the middle/lower
Missouri Valley into the Upper Midwest by late Tuesday night. 
Models continue to indicate that initially deep surface troughing
accompanying this perturbation will begin to slowly weaken, but a
broad belt of strong southwesterly low-level flow (including  40-50
kt around 850 mb) may be maintained while spreading from the
central/southern Great Plains into the Ohio Valley by 12Z Wednesday.

To the west/northwest of the low-level jet axis, a plume of rather
modest low-level moisture, including surface dew points in the mid
40s to lower/mid 50s F, may advect from parts of the central Great
Plains across and northeast of the lower/mid Missouri Valley,
beneath a warm/dry elevated mixed-layer initially overspreading much
of the central and southern Great Plains through middle and lower
Mississippi Valley.  However, substantive Gulf boundary-layer
modification and inland return flow still appears unlikely through
this period and beyond.

...Pacific Coast...
Low probabilities for thunderstorm activity may linger into early
Tuesday nearly southern California coastal areas.  However, the
primary convective potential, including scattered thunderstorm
development, seems likely to become focused across northern and
central California coastal areas into the Central Valley Tuesday
afternoon into Tuesday night.  This will accompany strong mid-level
cooling and forcing for ascent associated with the digging mid/upper
jet, which may provide support for stronger cells becoming capable
of producing gusty winds and small hail, particularly near coastal
areas around San Francisco Bay as early as midday Tuesday.  It still
appears that the lack of steeper lower/mid-tropospheric lapse rates,
and more substantive CAPE, may minimize the potential for storms to
reach severe criteria, but this will continue to be monitored in
later outlooks for this period.

...Mid Missouri Valley into Upper Midwest...
Given at least limited low-level moisture return, it still appears
that forcing for ascent may contribute to a corridor of thunderstorm
development as strong mid-level height falls overspread the region
late Tuesday afternoon through Tuesday night.  Based on the latest
forecast soundings and other model output, the potential for severe
hail and strong surface gusts still appears rather low, but perhaps
not entirely out of the question.  This will continue to be
monitored in later outlook updates for this period.

..Kerr.. 02/16/2026

SPC 1200Z Day 1 Outlook

Day 1 Convective Outlook  
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
1151 PM CST Sun Feb 15 2026

Valid 161200Z - 171200Z

...THERE IS A MARGINAL RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS MUCH OF
THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA COASTAL COUNTIES...

...SUMMARY...
Strong thunderstorms may impact the coastal areas of central and
southern California this afternoon and evening. These storms may
produce locally damaging wind gusts, and perhaps a brief tornado.

...Coastal central into southern CA...
A potent upper trough will move across CA during the afternoon and
evening, with a 100+ kt midlevel jet nosing across southern CA. At
the surface, low pressure will deepen as it moves into central CA,
with a cold front affecting much of the coastline after 18Z. Strong
wind convergence along the front will result in a line of shallow
convection, with embedded thunderstorms possible. This line is
likely to affect the central coastline by around 18Z, and through
the remainder of southern CA by 00Z. Strong wind gusts will be
likely, with a few locations possibly reaching over 50 kt. Weak
instability and cool surface temperatures will be mitigating factors
to tornado risk, however, embedded circulations within the line
cannot be ruled out.

...Interior Valleys...
It appears substantial precipitation will hamper
heating/destabilization for much of the day, with very little SBCAPE
evident on various model forecast soundings. As such, despite model
low-level warm advection with veering winds with height, it appears
lapses rates may not quite favor severe convection, and the low
probabilities have been removed.

...Coastal southwest OR and northern CA...Late...
Overnight, an upper trough will dive southward just off the Pacific
Northwest, with the left-exit region of the upper jet pushing into
northern CA early Tuesday morning. While surface temperatures will
be cool and in the 40s F in the wake of the earlier wave, this
secondary trough will bring cold temperatures aloft with and 500 mb
temperatures to around -35 C. As such, SBCAPE of a few hundred J/kg
will exist as the cold front moves across the coastal counties.
Low-topped convection may produce graupel, along with locally strong
wind gusts.

..Jewell/Squitieri.. 02/16/2026