Forecast Discussion
NWS Omaha/Valley, NE

274
FXUS63 KOAX 272316
AFDOAX

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Omaha/Valley NE
516 PM CST Tue Jan 27 2026

.KEY MESSAGES...

- Warmer, but still below-normal temperatures in the 20s and low
  30s through Wednesday.

- Colder temperatures move back in Friday with lows dropping
  below zero again Saturday morning.

- Snow chances (30-50%) Thursday into early Friday and again
  Saturday into Saturday night (30-50%).

&&

.DISCUSSION...
Issued at 120 PM CST Tue Jan 27 2026

High clouds are drifting into our western counties this
afternoon with mostly clear skies farther east. Temperatures are
generally in the low 20s across eastern Nebraska and western
Iowa. Water vapor satellite imagery shows the broad trough over
the eastern CONUS with us under northwesterly flow.

The upper-level pattern remains messy through the next few days
as a ridge over the Rockies pushes into the trough to our east
leading to enhancement in the polar jet streak pushing south
into the Dakotas and Minnesota. It`s ultimately the
amplification of the subtropical jet over the Desert Southwest
that finally pushes the trough off to the east Wednesday into
Thursday. As this occurs, a weak ridge moves across the Central
Plains on Wednesday. This allows for weak warm-air advection to
continue the warming trend, with highs in the upper 20s to low
30s during the afternoon. Thursday a shortwave trough is allowed
to move in with the exit of the broad trough to our east. This
develops a surface low over southeast CO/southwest KS and tracks
it eastward along across Oklahoma/Kansas/Missouri. This system
remains weak and doesn`t hold together too long, but it will
advect moisture into eastern Nebraska and western Iowa from the
Gulf. A frontogenesis band is forecast to develop across our
area north of the Low bringing 30-50% chances for light snow
through the day on Thursday. With high temperatures forecast to
remain in the 20s, anything that falls should just fall as snow.
Amounts right now look light, generally less than an inch, but
we could see a narrow band of higher amounts.

Going into Friday a stronger trough pivots south out of Canada
into the Northern Plains bringing another surge of arctic air.
Temperatures will fall back down near zero Friday morning with
highs back in the teens Friday afternoon. Saturday morning lows
fall even further into the -2 to -8 degree range with wind
chills dropping to -15 to -20.

Another trailing shortwave brings additional chances (30-50%)
for light snow Saturday into Saturday night. There is
significant spread in this system, so confidence is low in
details.

The cold doesn`t stick around long, with temperatures warming
into the 30s on Sunday and we may even see 40s on Monday.

&&

.AVIATION /00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z THURSDAY/...
Issued at 516 PM CST Tue Jan 27 2026

VFR conditions expected through the period with passing mid-
level clouds and perhaps a few around 6000-8000 ft AGL. Winds
will remain northwesterly early in the period before becoming
more southerly to southwesterly overnight, and back to northerly
to northeasterly Wednesday morning. Speeds should largely
remain under 10 kts.

&&

.OAX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
NE...None.
IA...None.

&&

$$

DISCUSSION...McCoy
AVIATION...CA

NWS OAX Office Area Forecast Discussion

Forecast Discussion
NWS Hastings, NE

573
FXUS63 KGID 272343
AFDGID

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Hastings NE
543 PM CST Tue Jan 27 2026

.KEY MESSAGES...

- Wednesday will be relatively warm, then another shot of cold
  air arrives for the rest of the week.

- Off and on light snow is expected Thursday through Friday.
  Amounts generally range from a dusting up to around an inch.
  Highest accumulations are favored north of I-80.

- Friday night will be bitterly cold with wind chills -10 to -20
  degrees.

- An additional dusting of snow is possible Saturday into
  Sunday morning.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
Issued at 215 PM CST Tue Jan 27 2026

Light winds and slightly above-normal temperatures will result
in the most pleasant day of the week on Wednesday. A shortwave
and associated cold front then pushes in colder air into the
area for Thursday, along with a chance for snow. This snow could
actually move into northern portions of the area before sunrise
Thursday. Then periods of light snow continue off and on
through Friday in the northwesterly flow pattern. Impacts from
the snow are still expected to be minor to none. Most areas
will only see a dusting of new snow, and the potential to see 1"
or more is 20-40% (highest north of I-80).

Friday is expected to be the coldest day over the next week
(highs in the teens), and widespread subzero low temperatures
are expected Friday night into Saturday morning. Winds will not
be overly strong, but may still result in wind chills in the -15
to -20 degree range for at least short periods early Saturday
morning.

Another shortwave moves into the area Saturday afternoon into
Sunday, bringing with it another chance for light snow (favoring
northeastern zones). Again, most areas will likely only see a
dusting of additional snow.

Global ensembles differ on the speed of the warmup, but
generally agree in a warming trend for next week. There are some
hints for precipitation the middle of next week (Feb 3-5), but
the overall threat remains low.

&&

.AVIATION /00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z THURSDAY/...
Issued at 538 PM CST Tue Jan 27 2026

For KGRI/KEAR Airports:

VFR conditions are generally expected for the next 24 hours
although there are some indications of possible low clouds late
tonight into tomorrow but confidence in this is low. Winds will
remain light and will shift to the south to southwest this
evening then to the west and northwest around 12z. Winds will
then shift towards the northeast and east beginning around 21z.

&&

.GID WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
NE...None.
KS...None.

&&

$$

DISCUSSION...Mangels
AVIATION...Schuldt

NWS GID Office Area Forecast Discussion