textproduct: Hastings

KEY MESSAGES

- A Heat Advisory is in effect for portions of the area until 8 PM Saturday.

- Heat index values up to around 105 to 110 degrees are expected today and Saturday.

- Showers and storms are expected across portions of the area this afternoon and again tonight. No severe storms are expected.

- Showers and storms may move across mainly western and northern portions of the area on Saturday. There is a low chance (20%) of some of these storms becoming severe.

- A cold front on Tuesday will bring a slight cool down (highs in the 80s and 90s) for Wednesday and Thursday.

DISCUSSION

Issued at 241 PM CDT Fri Sep 4 2026

An upper ridge extends from the southeast part of the country and the southern Plains to the central Plains and parts of the Midwest. An upper trough is centered over the Pacific Northwest. South central and central Nebraska and north central Kansas are under the northern edge of the upper ridge. A surface trough over western Nebraska and western Kansas extends eastward across the forecast area. Winds across the area are mostly out of the south to southeast. High temperatures today are expected to range from the low 90s to around 101 degrees. Heat index values are expected to range from the mid 90s to near 109 degrees. High temperatures Saturday will be similar or slightly cooler than today with heat index values in the mid 90s to around 105 degrees. A Heat Advisory is in effect for all of north central Kansas and portions of south central and central Nebraska and continues into Saturday evening.

Some showers and isolated thunderstorms are moving across portions of south central and central Nebraska with an upper disturbance overhead/near the area. This convection and increased cloud cover may keep temperatures today across portions of the area from reaching expected highs. These showers and isolated storms may continue through most, if not all, of the afternoon. Showers and storms may redevelop across northwestern portions of the area tonight. Low temperatures tonight will range from the mid 60s to mid 70s. Near record warm low temperatures are possible tonight for Grand Island and Hastings. The record warm lows are in the mid 70s while the expected low temperatures are in the low 70s. Similar low temperatures are expected for tomorrow night. Additional storms may move across northern and western portions of the area Saturday afternoon and evening with the arrival of another shortwave. Some of these storms have the potential to become strong to marginally severe given fairly high CAPE and lapse rates although wind shear will be the limiting factor.

The upper ridge will shift around a bit Sunday and Monday but will mostly be over the southern and central Plains. High temperatures both days may decrease slightly but are expected to mostly be in the 90s. Heat index values both days are expected, at this time, to be below 105 degrees but will likely range from around 100 to 103 degrees across (mainly southern) portions of the area. A cold front will move through the area on Tuesday. This front will bring increased (up to 55%) chances of showers and storms Monday night through Tuesday night. High temperatures on Tuesday may range from the upper 80s to the low triple digits. The cold front will have more impact on Wednesday with high temperatures mainly in the mid 80s to mid 90s. Similar temperatures are expected for Thursday. Low rain and storm chances (15% to 25%) continue for portions of the area Wednesday and Thursday.

AVIATION /00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z SUNDAY/

Issued at 637 PM CDT Fri Sep 4 2026

For KGRI/KEAR Airports:

The bottom line up front is that VFR conditions are favored through the TAF period, but with a relatively large amount of uncertainty regarding precip / thunderstorm potential. This in turn may impact ceiling heights and perhaps (with lesser likelihood) visibilities. Surface winds will remain between 5 - 10 kts, with a few pockets of gusts up to 15 kts for KEAR. For tonight, a few models suggest winds of 30 - 35 kts at maximum in the 800 - 2,000 ft level, but this would equate to only ~25-30 kts of shear through the layer, thus falling just below the criteria to include LLWS in the TAF. The best chances to briefly hit the threshold 30 kts of LLWS would be at KEAR between 03z - 08z (10:00 PM tonight - 3:00 AM SAT). As for precip and ceilings, persistent 10 - 20% chances essentially last in hit- and-miss fashion through the TAF period. Considered a PROB30 group for KEAR in particular at 22z (5:00 PM CDT) tomorrow (SAT) evening, but disagreement remains just too high to place any precip in the TAFs in any one period. This will be monitored closely for any necessary amendments.

GID WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

NE...Heat Advisory until 8 PM CDT Saturday for NEZ049-063-064- 074>077-083>087. KS...Heat Advisory until 8 PM CDT Saturday for KSZ005>007-017>019.