textproduct: Hastings

KEY MESSAGES

- Gusty northwest winds continue to decrease through the evening.

- Dangerous cold arrives Thursday night and lasts through the weekend. Overnight wind chills below -25 degrees are possible, especially in portions of central Nebraska.

- Confidence continues to increase that we will see at least light snow Friday afternoon through Saturday. The main timeframe is Friday evening through Saturday morning, and highest totals are favored south of the KS/NE state line.

DISCUSSION

Issued at 255 PM CST Wed Jan 21 2026

Northwest winds were a bit stronger than anticipated behind the cold front that pushed into the area this afternoon. A few locations briefly recorded gusts over 60 MPH, but winds are already on a downward trend, and this will continue into the evening.

Temperatures on Thursday will be cooler, but only slightly below normal. Colder air then arrives as a secondary front moves through Thursday afternoon into Thursday evening. Temperatures are favored (50 to 100% chance) to dip below zero across most of Nebraska by Friday morning...and will be only slightly warmer in northern Kansas. Steady post-frontal north-northeasterly winds will push wind chills to the -15 to -25 degree range for the entire area. Locally colder spots are possible, but the best chance to reach Extreme Cold Warning criteria (-30 degree wind chill) will remain over northern Nebraska.

Cold temperatures continue Friday through Sunday as a deep upper trough remains entrenched over the eastern CONUS. Air temperatures may struggle to rise above zero both Friday and Saturday, and wind chills could easily stay in the -10 to -15 degree range during the daytime.

In addition to the cold, there has been a recent northward trend with snow potential Friday into Saturday. The highest impacts are still expected to be to our south, but there is increasing potential for at least minor snowfall accumulation across the entire area. The 13Z NBM highlights a 70-90% chance for at least 1.0"...which is a notable increase from the 07Z run (40-70%). Portions of northern Kansas are more favored to see impactful snowfall totals, and the latest NBM shows a 60-80% chance for these areas to exceed 3" of snow. That said, this will be very dependent upon snow ratios. The cold air will favor a dry and fluffy snow (snow ratios 15-20:1).

Light snow becomes possible as early as late Friday morning, with more widespread coverage becoming more likely in the late afternoon and evening. The bulk of accumulating snow is expected to occur Friday evening through early Saturday morning, although some snow could linger through the day on Saturday...especially in KS.

After this system departs, Sunday trends a bit warmer (highs in the low teens), but overnight lows are still favored to drop below zero Sunday night. The warming trend then continues into next week, although any snowcover could delay the warmup a bit. The potential for any additional precipitation is low through most of next week.

AVIATION /06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z FRIDAY/

Issued at 1119 PM CST Wed Jan 21 2026

For KGRI/KEAR Airports:

High confidence VFR conditions through the daytime hours Thursday with increasing low/mid level clouds late in the period.

Expect light and variable winds across the area overnight with winds shifting and becoming northwesterly behind a cold front around 22/18Z. Winds will not be overly strong with the front, but gusts 20 KT+ can be expected during the afternoon hours Thursday. As cold air advection continue behind the leading edge of the front aft 23/00Z...expect CIGS to lower some, but remain VFR, through the end of the valid period. MVFR or lower CIGS will be possible by daybreak Friday.

GID WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

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