textproduct: Hastings

KEY MESSAGES

- Scattered showers (20-40%) and a few non-severe thunderstorms will be possible across parts of the local area this evening into the daytime hours Thursday.

- The chance for frost returns to the local area Friday and Saturday mornings.

- Warmer (upper 60s-70s) and dry this weekend into early next week. A chance for showers and thunderstorms returns to the local area next Tuesday.

DISCUSSION

Issued at 227 PM CDT Wed Apr 29 2026

After a foggy start to the day across western areas, mostly sunny skies were observed across the majority of the region this afternoon. A few light showers can be seen developing on radar just to the west of the local area the past few hours, with any more convective looking activity so far remaining across the high plains.

For the remainder of the day, expect an upper level disturbance crossing the Rockies to help continue to fire up a few showers and possibly a weak thunderstorm or two across the local area, but with minimal instability and elevated LCL heights, severe weather is not anticipated. This activity will then slide south through the overnight hours, potentially bringing a few additional showers and isolated weak thunderstorms to our Kansas counties through the daytime hours Thursday. Given the scattered nature of activity depicted in the CAMS, do not expect much in the way of significant or widespread precipitation over the next 24 hours, with most locations receiving just a few hundredths to around a tenth of an inch of rainfall on average.

As skies clear and winds remain light across the area Thursday evening, expect temperatures to fall to near or potentially slightly below freezing in spots, with widespread frost in the forecast to start the day Friday. While currently there is no fog in the forecast to go along with the frost potential, this will be something to keep an eye on as despite low probs in the models, the setup (mostly clear skies/light winds and elevated dew points) is not that dissimilar to this morning when dense fog developed across portions of the area during the early morning hours.

A near repeat of frosty conditions is then anticipated to start the upcoming weekend as high pressure begins to nudge into the area from the west. As this ridge transitions eastward, expect a nice bump in temperatures through early next week when widespread highs are anticipated to be in the mid to upper 70s. This ridge then shows some signs of weakness by Tuesday as a west coast low merges with the an upper level trough to our north bringing back a chance for more widespread shower and thunderstorm activity as early as Tuesday.

AVIATION /00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z FRIDAY/

Issued at 642 PM CDT Wed Apr 29 2026

For KGRI/KEAR Airports:

Tonight: Have added some TEMPO groups for passing light showers and perhaps a bit of gusty winds. Should remain VFR. This activity passes by/weakens by 05Z, leaving dry and quiet conditions with light and somewhat variable (though generally westerly-ish) winds through the remainder of the night.

Thursday: Expect a mix of mid to high clouds much of the day and NNWrly winds around 8-12kt. There could be a slight uptick in winds and maybe even a few showers during the late afternoon, along with lower CIGs around 3-4K ft. Too much uncertainty on coverage/impacts to include at this time, but should remain VFR.

GID WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

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