textproduct: Hastings

KEY MESSAGES

- A cold front moves through early Tuesday morning.

- The potential for rain (possibly mixed with some snow) has increased for Wednesday.

- Another system may bring another shot of precipitation Thursday night into Friday.

- Slightly below normal temperatures are favored to continue through the end of the week.

DISCUSSION

Issued at 1100 AM CDT Mon Mar 30 2026

Despite widespread high clouds, the unseasonably warm airmass is resulting in another day of near-record warmth today. The current records are 89 and 90 degrees at Hastings and Grand Island, respectively. We may come up just short of these records, but it is still a very impressive warmup given the cloud cover. A few sprinkles are possible late this afternoon, but nothing measurable is expected due to dry low- level air.

As mentioned above, a strong cold front sweeps across most of the area prior to sunrise on Tuesday (roughly 3am in the north, and near 8am in the south). Gusts of at least 40 MPH are very likely, and gusts over 50 MPH are possible (40% chance). Tuesday will be much cooler with highs in the 50s and 60s. Lower dewpoints will also accompany the cooldown, so humidity may still dip to around 25% in some areas, resulting in elevated to near critical fire weather conditions.

Chances for precipitation (mainly rain...possibly mixed with snow) increase late Tuesday night through Wednesday as an upper trough pushes into the central Plains. Many areas will remain dry through midday, but all areas are favored to see at least SOME precipitation Wednesday evening into Wednesday night. A few rumbles of thunder cannot be ruled out, but any severe threat remains to our southeast. For most areas, precipitation Wednesday night will likely be cold rain, possibly mixed with some snow. But northwest areas could see some minor snow accumulation (20-30% for 0.5"+ in grassy areas).

There is some cautious optimism in fairly beneficial precip totals. Through Thursday morning, the 00Z ensemble suite shows a 50-90% chance (highest northeast) for 0.25"+ of liquid equivalent precip. While not a widespread "drought-buster", this would be a step in the right direction and will hopefully help with the wildfire threat.

The rest of the week will remain on the cooler side with daily highs generally in the 50s and low 60s. Another shortwave will bring another shot for rain/snow on Friday. Near to above normal temperatures are then favored to return as we head into next week.

AVIATION /00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z WEDNESDAY/

Issued at 638 PM CDT Mon Mar 30 2026

For KGRI/KEAR Airports:

VFR conditions are expected for the next 24 hours. Winds will become southerly by 03z and will begin to transition to the west around 06z-09z. Winds will increase out of the north and become gusty by 12z. Winds will become northeasterly by 21z and will begin to weaken.

GID WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

NE...None. KS...None.