Forecast Discussion
NWS Omaha/Valley, NE

893
FXUS63 KOAX 301953
AFDOAX

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Omaha/Valley NE
153 PM CST Fri Jan 30 2026

.KEY MESSAGES...

- Cold conditions persist, with Saturday morning wind chills of
  10 to 23 degrees below zero. A Cold Weather Advisory is in
  effect from midnight through 9 AM in northeast Nebraska.

- Snow chances (50-75%) return Saturday afternoon into early
  Sunday, with most areas seeing 0.5 to 1 inch of accumulation.
  Localized areas may approach 2 inches.

- Warmer temperatures arrive Sunday into next work week, with
  highs climbing into the 30s and 40s.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
Issued at 148 PM CST Fri Jan 30 2026

Tonight through Sunday...

Water vapor imagery and objective analysis this afternoon depict
broad troughing over the east-central CONUS, with ridging advancing
into the western CONUS. A vorticity maxima sliding through the Upper
Midwest continues to amplify the trough and reinforce colder air
across the region. This features has also produced a few transient
convective roll snow showers earlier this afternoon, with some
additional flurries possible over the next few hours. Little to no
accumulation is expected. The cold airmass in place has kept
high temperatures confined to the teens today.

Surface high pressure will build into the area this evening,
allowing skies to clear and promoting efficient radiational cooling,
with overnight lows dropping into the negative single digits. Winds
will remain light overnight, however, as the surface high shifts
southward, a modest increase in wind will result in wind chills
falling into 15 to 23 degree below zero range across northeast
Nebraska closer to sunrise. With this in mind, have opted to
issue a Cold Weather Advisory across northeast Nebraska from
midnight through 9 AM Saturday morning. Wind chill values across
the remainder of the area are expected to remain in the 10 to
15 degree below zero range.

Snow chances return to the area on Saturday as a shortwave trough
tracking along the US/Canada border pushes an associated warm front
southward into the region. Snow chances will develop Saturday
afternoon ahead of the boundary, though model soundings indicate a
fairly dry sub-cloud layer that will initially need to be overcome
before precipitation reaches the surface. PoPs increase Saturday
evening as we work to saturate the column, with PoPs peaking in the
50-75% range. The highest PoPs reside across northeast Nebraska.
Snow will exit the area from west to east Sunday morning. Rapid
warming on Sunday as the front pushes through may briefly allow for
a rain-snow mix on the back end of the departing precipitation
shield. A few model soundings also suggest the potential for a brief
period of sleet/freezing rain to mix in. However, with
temperatures quickly rising above freezing, impacts from any
mixed precipitation are expected to be minimal.

Snow accumulations are expected to peak around 1 inch across
northeast Nebraska, with localized amounts approaching 2 inches
possible along the NE/SD border and into portions of western Iowa.
Totals decrease southward, with a roughly 75% probability of at
least one- half inch along the I-80 corridor. Strong WAA on
Sunday will push highs into the 40s for most locations, helping
to kick start the melting of the fresh snow.

Monday and Beyond...

Mid-level ridging will build into the region to start the work week,
supporting highs in the mid 30s to mid 40s on Monday and Tuesday. An
amplifying shortwave disturbance moving across the northern Plains
on Tuesday into Wednesday will briefly weaken the ridge, nudging
highs on Wednesday back into the 30s. This feature may also
introduce low precipitation chances, with PoPs around 20%. Long-
range guidance keeps the better forcing for ascent displaced from
the forecast area, supporting the lower PoPs. While light snow would
be the most likely precipitation type if this system materializes,
forecast confidence remains low in this extended time frame.

Temperatures are expected to rebound once again on Thursday as an
amplifying mid-level ridge axis advances into the Intermountain
West, allowing highs to climb into the 40s and potentially the 50s.
This warmer-than-normal pattern appears poised to persist into early
February, as both the CPC`s 6-10 day and 8-14 day outlooks continue
to favor above normal temperatures.

&&

.AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z SATURDAY/...
Issued at 1057 AM CST Fri Jan 30 2026

A band of MVFR ceilings is pushing into eastern Nebraska late
this morning. This band has already reached KOMA and KOFK,
expected to approach KLNK by 30/18-20Z. A band of spotty, transient
snow showers is following the lower cloud deck, bringing brief
period of snow to the terminals. While accumulations will be
minimal, quick drop in visibility (MVFR to IFR) will be
possible along with enhanced gusty winds (20-30 kt gusts).
Confidence in snow coverage is low, though confidence in
potential timing is higher. Impacts are most likely at KOFK and
KOMA from 30/17-19Z, and KLNK 30/18-20Z.

Ceilings will gradually break up and improve later this
afternoon, bringing a return to VFR conditions at all terminals.
Northerly winds will continue at 12-16 kts, with gusts up to 25
kts before gradually calming under 12 kts this evening and
eventually backing to southwesterly.

&&

.OAX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
NE...Cold Weather Advisory from midnight tonight to 9 AM CST
     Saturday for NEZ011-012-016>018-030>032.
IA...None.

&&

$$

DISCUSSION...Wood
AVIATION...Wood

NWS OAX Office Area Forecast Discussion

Forecast Discussion
NWS Hastings, NE

638
FXUS63 KGID 302035
AFDGID

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Hastings NE
235 PM CST Fri Jan 30 2026

.KEY MESSAGES...

- Frigid temperatures and wind chills expected overnight with
  lows below zero and wind chills in the negative 10s.

- A band of snow moves west to east across the area Saturday afternoon-
  evening. Accumulations look to remain light, under 1".

- Warmer and dry weather arrives Sunday and continues next week
  with highs in the 40s and 50s.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
Issued at 233 PM CST Fri Jan 30 2026

This afternoon-Tonight...

Snow this afternoon is currently across far southwestern portions of
the area, and will continue to move southwest out of the area.
Further north, skies are partly to mostly cloudy with breezy
northerly winds of 20-25mph.

Skies clear and winds become light this evening as an arctic high
pressure system moves over the area. Clear skies, light winds and a
very cold airmass will support temperatures dropping below zero (-2
to -8 degrees) tonight/Saturday morning. Thankfully, the light winds
keep wind chill values in the teens, and just shy of reaching
official cold weather advisory criteria. It is possible a few
isolated areas north of I-80 could reach -20 wind chills around
sunrise, but temperatures are expected to increase around the time
winds begin to increase.

Saturday...

After the frigid start, temperatures steadily climb throughout
the morning hours as southerly flow strengthens over the area
ahead of an approaching clipper system. Southerly winds gusting
20-25mph are expected during the late morning-evening hours,
strongest along and west of Highway 281.

A band of snow lifts into western portions of the area Saturday
afternoon as the clipper system moves into the Plains. The band will
move west to east across the area during the afternoon and evening
hours, with any lingering snow exiting eastern portions of the area
by midnight. The biggest uncertainty with this band is how far south
snow will precipitate/reach. Dry air near the surface could limit
how much snow is able to accumulate, especially across
southern/southwestern portions of the area. The highest chances to
see accumulating snow will be across northern/northeastern portions
of the area, closest to the surface low where forcing is the
greatest. Additionally, snow falling with the aforementioned
breezy winds (20-25mph) could result in a period of lower/poor
visibility. Any snow that does occur looks to remain light, with
accumulations of 1" or less.

Sunday...

Ridging builds over the Rockies and Plains on Sunday, bringing a
welcome warmup to the area along with dry weather. Highs on Sunday
will climb into the 40s and 50s, warmest across southwestern
portions of the area. This should melt most if not all of the
remaining snowpack across the area. Overall, Sunday looks to be a
very pleasant day, especially when compared to Saturday`s frigid
start.

Next Week...

Ridging to northwesterly flow aloft looks to persist throughout next
week, resulting in above normal temperatures across the area. Highs
will be in the 40s and 50s, with lows in the 10s and 20s. Dry
weather is expected next week, though a passing disturbance could
bring a low chance for light precip to eastern portions of the area
Tuesday night. The warmer weather looks to stick around for a while,
with the CPC 6-10 and 8-14 day outlooks favoring above normal
temperatures.

&&

.AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z SATURDAY/...
Issued at 1126 AM CST Fri Jan 30 2026

For KGRI/KEAR Airports:

MVFR ceilings and visibility possible through the mid afternoon
hours. Snow showers are shifting southwest of KGRI/KEAR but a
rogue shower can`t be ruled out. MVFR ceilings will persist off
and on through the mid-late afternoon hours though there remains
some uncertainty on how quickly skies clear looking
upstream/northeast of the TAF sites. Still, after sunset skies
are expected to become FEW-Clear persisting throughout the
overnight hours. Around sunrise on Saturday High level clouds
build over the area, with low-mid level clouds and snow moving
in just past the TAF period (20-00z).

Northeast winds sustained 10-15kts and gusts around 20kts will
diminish during the late afternoon-evening hours and become
light and variable overnight. Southerly winds increase after
sunrise, reaching 10-15kts by the end of the TAF period.

&&

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

&&

$$

DISCUSSION...Davis
AVIATION...Davis

NWS GID Office Area Forecast Discussion