30°F
Updated:
1/28/2026
12:54:06pm
Forecast Discussion
NWS Omaha/Valley, NE
969 FXUS63 KOAX 281700 AFDOAX Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Omaha/Valley NE 1100 AM CST Wed Jan 28 2026 .KEY MESSAGES... - Warmer, but still below-normal temperatures in the upper 20s and mid 30s today. - Colder temperatures move back in Thursday and Friday with lows dropping below zero again Saturday morning and wind chills as low as -10 to -20. - Light accumulating snow chances Thursday into early Friday (30-60%) and again Saturday into Saturday night (30-50%). && .DISCUSSION... Issued at 131 AM CST Wed Jan 28 2026 Today through Friday... A band of midlevel clouds blanketed the region early last night, keeping temperatures from dropping too quickly. However, it began to erode around midnight, and by 1AM, most locations had dipped into the teens and low 20s, with light winds. Upper ridging over the Four-Corners region will shift eastward today, quickly followed by a shortwave trough pushing into the Rockies from the west coast. The ridge will allow warmer air to advect back into the region. Highs this afternoon will reach a few degrees higher than yesterday, generally up to the low to mid 30s. However, this "warm-up" will be short-lived, as a backdoor cold front moves in from the northeast Wednesday afternoon, dropping Thursday`s highs back into low 20s. The previously mentioned shortwave will pass to the southwest Thursday, with a surface low developing over the southern plains. This system will draw moisture in from the northwest, allowing a band of light snow to develop from northwest to southeast late tonight through Thursday (30-60%). Overall, ensemble plumes indicate an inch or less of snow accumulation is expected, however a stripe of slightly higher amounts would be possible if a frontogenesis band is able to establish itself. The greatest risk for over an inch would be across far northeast Nebraska, with lesser amounts expected to the southeast. A more robust trough will drop south out of the Great Lakes on Friday, as a surface high builds into the northern Plains. This will both push moisture, and any lingering snowfall, off to our southwest, and bring a resurgence of cold air back into the region. Highs on Friday are only expected to reach the positive teens. Friday night, low temperatures are expected to dip into the single digits below 0, however wind chills will feel more like - 10 to -20. The Weekend and Beyond... Another clipper system will draw a cold front through the northern Plains this weekend, bringing another chance for light snow Saturday through Sunday (30-50%). However, the details of this system still remain pretty hazy with little consensus amongst model solutions. The good news is models do hint at an upper ridge building into the nation`s midsection early next week, bringing warmer air with it. Both the latest 6-10 and 8-14 day outlooks from the CPC continue to paint us with at least a 50-60% chance for temperatures to rise above normal. && .AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z THURSDAY/... Issued at 1054 AM CST Wed Jan 28 2026 VFR conditions are expected to prevail through at least the first half of the forecast period. Calm northeasterly winds will prevail with increasing mid and high level clouds through the evening. Overnight, a band of light snow will work in from the north. The highest confidence in seeing snow will be at KOFK and KLNK (60% chance), with lower chances at KOMA (20% chance). All terminals will see overcast ceilings decreasing through the overnight period, with patchy MVFR conditions possible as snow moves in. && .OAX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NE...None. IA...None. && $$ DISCUSSION...KG AVIATION...Wood
NWS OAX Office Area Forecast Discussion
Forecast Discussion
NWS Hastings, NE
571 FXUS63 KGID 281718 AFDGID Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Hastings NE 1118 AM CST Wed Jan 28 2026 .KEY MESSAGES... - Highs in the mid 30s to low 50s this afternoon will drop through Friday back to the teens to mid 20s. - Occasional snow showers between Thursday and Sunday look more likely to deposit at least a few tenths of snow across around 30-70% of the area with a 10-30% change for areas north and east of a line from Valley to Polk counties receiving at least 1" of snowfall. - Overnight lows Friday night will drop near and into the negative single digits (as low as 0 to -6 degrees) with wind chill values as low as -10 to -20 degrees possible. && .UPDATE... Issued at 337 AM CST Wed Jan 28 2026 A pleasant winter day is expected today as highs will range from the mid 30s to upper 40s. Highs might even reach the low 50s across a few places west of HWY-183 (45-80% chances). In addition to the near to just above seasonal temperatures, light winds should not blow greater than 10MPH today. Though directions may be variable at times among a weak surface pressure gradient, directions should steer easterly by the evening. Clouds moving in for the second half of the day will mark the beginning of a multi-day trend where cloud coverage will overpower the number of breaks for the sun to shine through. Precipitation-wise, light snow could become possible as early as Thursday with occasional bursts of scattered snow showers possible through Saturday. An approaching shortwave trough aloft will stir up scattered areas of snow showers, likely dropping down and into a majority of the area between mainly Thursday through Friday evening as well as the period Saturday evening and night. The wide window of probabilities are due to inconsistent timing and coverage of these snow showers between the high-res CAMs (narrower and more defined peak amounts of snow) and the deterministic 6z GFS/ECMWF runs (more widespread snow coverage with low-end amounts). Despite the extended period that light snow may be possible, amounts may still have a hard time accumulating more than a few tents up to just over 1" of snow across isolated northeasterly lying locations. Chances for areas seeing at least a 0.1" of snow range from 40-50% for locations south of I-80 up to 60-70% for locations north of I- 80. For locations falling along and northeast of a line from Valley to Polk counties, the latest forecast probs only show values between 10-30% for these areas to reach or exceed 1". Beyond the snow chances near the end of the week, temperatures will also drop with highs heading toward the teens to 20s with overnight lows in the negative single digits again Friday night (0 to -6 degrees. Wind chill values Friday night into Saturday morning may drop as low as -10 to -20 degrees. && .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 /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z THURSDAY/... Issued at 1115 AM CST Wed Jan 28 2026 For KGRI/KEAR Airports: VFR conditions favored through TAF period. Around sunrise on Thursday, snow becomes possible first at KGRI then KEAR. Snow rates look to be light keeping visibility VFR or above, but Briefly MVFR ceilings are possible in snow. Otherwise VFR conditions will prevail through TAF period. Light and variable winds shift to the east this evening, and persist through the end of the TAF period. High level clouds move in this afternoon, with low-mid level clouds moving in overnight- Thursday morning. && .GID WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NE...None. KS...None. && $$ UPDATE...Stump DISCUSSION...Mangels AVIATION...Davis
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