Forecast Discussion
NWS Omaha/Valley, NE

470
FXUS63 KOAX 010526
AFDOAX

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Omaha/Valley NE
1126 PM CST Sat Jan 31 2026

.KEY MESSAGES...

- Expect some slick roads this evening into early Sunday with a
  band of snow moving through the area (60-90+% chance). Most
  locations should see totals of a few tenths up to 1 inch, but
  a few localized 2-inch totals are possible, mainly in
  northeast Nebraska (10-20% chance).

- Warmer temperatures arrive Sunday into next work week, with
  highs climbing into the 30s and 40s. Many locations are
  expected to see 50s on Thursday.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
Issued at 102 PM CST Sat Jan 31 2026

Rest of this afternoon through Sunday:

A shortwave trough --evident in water vapor imagery over the
western Dakotas into north-central NE as of noon-- will track
near or just west of the area late this afternoon and evening.
On it`s heels, a secondary disturbance is forecast to move
through northeast NE and western IA tonight. Forcing for ascent
tied to the lead wave coupled with low-level warm advection have
fostered a relatively narrow snow band extending from central
SD into central NE as of midday.

Latest CAM guidance progresses the snow band into the northwest
part of our area by late afternoon, and through the remainder
of the area by midnight. Given a dry, antecedent air mass,
considerable top-down saturation is being required for the snow
to reach the surface, resulting in an expected 2-4 hour time
window for consistent snowfall at any one location. In the wake
of the primary snow band and ahead of the secondary disturbance,
the models hint at widely scattered, more showery precipitation
moving through the area overnight. Forecast soundings indicate a
gradual loss of saturation/ice-introduction atop a developing
warm nose, suggestive of a transition to sleet and/or light
freezing rain or freezing drizzle. Deep-layer ascent also
decreases during this transition period, so no impactful ice
accumulation is expected.

In regard to snowfall amounts, limited event duration will keep
accumulations low with this forecast update similar to the
previous, highlighting totals from a few tenths up to an inch.
Some locally higher accumulations are possible in northeast NE.
Winds will strengthen from the south immediately ahead of and in
the lead snow band, so travel could be impacted by reduced
visibilities in falling/blowing snow and slippery roads. The
current expectation is that overall impacts will remain lower
than that required for a Winter Weather Advisory.

Temperatures will warm quickly Sunday morning with afternoon
highs in the upper 30s to mid 40s forecast. So, any snow that
falls overnight should melt tomorrow afternoon.


Next week:

High-amplitude ridging aloft currently over western North
America will be temporarily dampened by shortwave troughs
progressing along its periphery. But in general, that feature
will gradually build east, leading to above-normal temperatures
for much of this upcoming week. A couple notable shortwave
troughs are projected to move through the north-central U.S. in
the Monday through Wednesday timeframe, leading to low
precipitation chances (15-30%). Otherwise, high temperatures
in the 30s to around 40 are forecast from Monday through
Wednesday with readings warming into the 40s and 50s on Thursday
and Friday.

&&

.AVIATION /06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z MONDAY/...
Issued at 1121 PM CST Sat Jan 31 2026

The peak snowfall for most of the area has ended, with a
secondary band of more sporadic snow rates currently over KLNK
and arriving to KOMA shortly. Snow amounts should be minimal
with this wave, but visibilities could briefly dip into MVFR
territory while ceilings stay VFR. This snow will be accompanied
by gusts to 20 kts, while conditions most of the time will only
be sustained at 10-15 kts. Once the remaining snow leaves the
terminals, dry conditions are forecast with strong winds (around
40 kts) at FL014 to FL019 bringing low-level wind shear
overnight at KOFK and KLNK through 16z. Otherwise, winds will
shift northwesterly with gusts of 20-25 kts at KOFK during the
afternoon hours before dropping tomorrow evening. One thing to
watch just beyond the TAF period will be the potential for fog,
especially for areas that got snow that should melt during the
day (near KOFK).

&&

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

&&

$$

DISCUSSION...Mead
AVIATION...Petersen

NWS OAX Office Area Forecast Discussion

Forecast Discussion
NWS Hastings, NE

316
FXUS63 KGID 010542
AFDGID

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Hastings NE
1142 PM CST Sat Jan 31 2026

.KEY MESSAGES...

- Steady light/briefly moderate snow will depart our far eastern
  forecast area by 7-8 PM, with isolated/scattered flurries (and
  possibly a few sleet pellets?) remaining possible over much of
  our area through around midnight (but of little consequence).
  Light snow winds down this evening.

- Sunday will be significantly (20 to 30 degrees) warmer than
  Saturday.

- There is a low (20%) chance for light snow Tuesday into
  Tuesday night.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
Issued at 252 PM CST Sat Jan 31 2026

A band of snow is slowly moving across central Nebraska/Kansas,
and is associated with an upper shortwave moving through the
northern/central Plains. Area cameras and surface observations
indicate that, as expected, heaviest snowfall has been generally
near and north of Highway 92. This band will continue eastward
through this afternoon and evening, eventually moving east of
the Highway 81 corridor by 9-10pm. In addition to this main band
of snow, some convectively-driven snow/sleet showers are moving
into northern Nebraska, and could creep into northern portions
of the area in the 5-8pm timeframe. All said and done, most of
the area will only see a dusting of snow, but some locations
could see 1" or slightly more (northern areas are most favored).

Despite today`s snow, a very noticeable warmup is expected on
Sunday as the eastern trough nudges eastward and ridging builds
over the Rockies. Expected high temperatures range from the low
40s in the northeast to near 60 in southwestern zones. Monday
will trend slightly cooler with more cloud cover as a shortwave
moves in from the northwest.

Chances for snow return to the area on Tuesday into Tuesday
night as a secondary shortwave moves into the area. As has been
the case many times this season, only minor snow accumulations
are expected. The probability for even 0.5" of snowfall is less
than 10 percent for most of the area.

Near-normal temperatures continue in the wake of this system on
Wednesday, but another significant warmup is expected for the
end of the workweek.

&&

.AVIATION /06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z MONDAY/...
Issued at 1125 PM CST Sat Jan 31 2026

For KGRI/KEAR Airports:

Dry weather with VFR conditions are forecast for this TAF
period. Can`t rule out at least a few lower end VFR clouds (5-6k
ft) passing through the first half of the day, but not expecting
a lower ceiling. Models continue to show the potential for LLWS
through the first 6-9hrs of this period to be low enough/focused
to the east to keep the mention out. Current SSW winds will turn
more westerly by around sunrise, then northwesterly by midday
and NNWrly by late afternoon. Speeds looking to top out around
10-15 MPH, with a few gusts near 20 MPH not out of the question
during the afternoon hours, mainly at GRI.

&&

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

&&

$$

DISCUSSION...Mangels
AVIATION...ADP

NWS GID Office Area Forecast Discussion