textproduct: Hastings

KEY MESSAGES

- A cold front tonight will substantially cool temperatures down, bring strong winds and some light snow to the area Sunday morning.

- Light rain will transition to snow between mainly 4AM to 8AM from northwest to southeast across the area. A few tenths to 1" of snow may be possible.

- North to northwest winds blowing between 25-35MPH may gust as high as 45-50MPH. These strong winds mixed with light snow during the morning Sunday could reduce visibilities and create temporarily hazardous driving conditions.

- Temperatures will continue to cool through the day Sunday, starting in the mid 20s to 30s and reaching the single digits to low teens overnight (windchills as low as -15 to 3 degrees).

- Similar temperatures will return Monday followed by a brief warmup TUE/WED & FRI/SAT sending temperature into the 40s/50s (30s/40s for Thursday). The rest of the week remains precipitation free.

DISCUSSION

Issued at 220 PM CST Sat Dec 27 2025

Despite the scattered clouds out and about this afternoon, light warm air advecting west to southwesterly winds have allowed temperatures to graze into the 60s, pushing near records. Be sure to enjoy your last breath of these anomalously warm temperates, as a cold front powering through tonight will pump in cold air down and into central NE/KS. Temperatures will be expected to drop to the 20s and 30s to start the day off Sunday, only getting colder and colder through the day. Temperatures should reach the teens to mid 20s by nighttime with overnight lows likely sweeping as low as the single digits to low teens (wind chill values as low as -15 to 3 degrees).

A sharp surface gradient aligning behind the front with a strengthening surface low Sunday will energize strong winds for the morning to early afternoon hours. North to northwesterly blowing winds between 25-35MPH may gusts as high as 45-50MPH (a few rogue gusts up to 55MPH would not be too surprising either). Aloft, a digging trough will swing down into the Central Plains, digging up some mid-level assent and precipitation chances. A mix of rain and snow showers will be expected to cover the area this evening into Sunday morning. It is also important to note that we can't completely rule out a brief period of freezing rain inbetween, though given how strong the cold air advection will be behind the front, we believe that the transition period should occur fairly quick (less freezing rain potential).

A few scattered light showers could break out as early as this evening between 8PM and 3AM. Most models render some sort of coverage with this "first course" of liquid precipitation. There is still a bit of range between models regarding how expansive these prefrontal showers may spread coverage-wise (The HRRR and RAP are more generous than other models). In general, these leading showers will mostly pop up south of I-80 or east of the Tri-Cities, depositing minor amounts of liquid accumulations (<0.1in). The "main course" (light snow showers) will be expected to come later in the night (after 3AM).

A band of light snow (potentially starting as rain and quickly changing over to snow) will move into the areas from the northwest. This snow or rain transiting to snow will be expected to start out across the northwest areas (Gosper to Greeley counties) between 3- 6AM, the Tri-Cities/central areas between 5-7AM, and our southeast KS/NE areas (Osborn to Filmore counties) between 7-9AM. Once the snow begins, expect for the snow showers to linger for a fairly brief 2-5 hour period, depositing up to a few tenths to just over 1" of snow in a couple of locations north and northeast of the Tri- Cities. A few Kansas or far southern Nebraska locations may not receive any accumulating snow altogether.

Snow will begin to clear in the same order (from northwest to southeast) between mainly 8AM to 12PM. Given the strong winds and light falling snow (even given limited accumulations), reduced visibilities could impact travel during the time snow is falling. For areas mainly near and north of the Tri-Cites)locations most likely to accumulate at leas 0.5" of snow, blowing snow could linger a few hours following the end of the accumulating snow period.

Looking past Sunday, conditions for the rest of the week will continue to remain more on the dry side as northwest flow becomes locked overhead (troughing over the Eastern U.S. with ridging over the Western U.S.). Highs monday, reinforced by the northerly cold air advecting winds, will remain in the mid 20s to mid 30s. A mini- warm up looks to transpire Tuesday/Wednesday as a weak pressure gradient takes over at the surface, turning light winds towards a westerly direction. Highs both days will jump up to the mid 40s to mid 50s and probably a few degrees warmer on Wednesday (around 5 degrees). Following this brief warmup, a mid week cold front (more than likely dry) will knock back highs around 10 degrees for Thursday (mid 30s to upper 40s). Steady southerly winds by Friday may help temperatures near the end of the week return to the 40s/50s.

AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z SUNDAY/

Issued at 1127 AM CST Sat Dec 27 2025

For KGRI/KEAR Airports:

A cold front passing through tonight between 8-10z will flip winds to the north-northwest with strong winds 25-30kts taking over, gusting as high as 40-45kts through the rest of the morning Sunday. Light rain transitioning to light snow between 8-11z will more than likely reduce visibility to a degree as well as reveal MVFR ceilings (~2,500ft) through 16z for KEAR and 17z for KGRI. Only a few tenths of an inch of accumulating snow is expected to fall during the 8-17z period (likely only accumulating for a brief 3-5 hour period).

CLIMATE

Issued at 315 AM CST Sat Dec 27 2025

- REGARDING RECORD WARM TEMP POTENTIAL DEC 27: Below is where our latest forecast (or already-observed values) stand versus existing records at Grand Island and Hastings airports, the two NWS-maintained sites for which we issue official Record Event Reports (RERGRI/RERHSI).

- RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURES | Latest Forecast or Observed Grand Island, NE (GRI)

December 27: 64 in 1937 | Forecast: 64

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Hastings, NE (HSI)

December 27: 64 in 1937 | Forecast: 64

GID WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

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