textproduct: Hastings

KEY MESSAGES

- Highs will remain in the 80s for Today and the upper 80s to mid 90s for Friday.

- The next chance for precipitation will come Friday night with the arrival of a cold front. The better storm potential (50-70% chances) will be concentrated across areas north of I-80 or east of HWY-281.

- A few strong to severe storms may be possible Friday night into Saturday. A marginal and slight severe weather outlook is in place.

- The front overnight Friday will keep highs in the 70s to low 90s range through Monday with an even cooler signal possible on Tuesday (mid 60s to low 70s?).

- Scattered thunderstorm chances return each day Sunday through Wednesday, though it is unlikely for an given location to see storms each and every one of those days/night.

UPDATE

Issued at 204 AM CDT Thu Sep 10 2026

We start the day off cool as lows this morning are on track to reach the low 50s (locations northwest of the Tri-Cities) to low 60s (north central Kansas areas). Despite the efforts from diurnal warming underneath mostly clear skies today and with the onset of southeasterly warm air advecting winds later this afternoon, highs are still forecast to peak in the low to mid 80s for today. With zonal flow transitioning to a weak ridging pattern aloft (mid-level AVA/-VA based decent), the full area is likely to remain precip free through the rest of the day.

At the surface, a high pressure center (responsible for the light surface winds overnight and this morning) will continue to shift eastward. The exit of this higher surface pressure today will allow southeasterly surface winds to blow between 10-15 MPH this afternoon (a few locations near and northwest of the Tri-Cities could see gusts as high as 20-25MPH). In addition, the return of southerly flow will help reload/replenish the low-level moisture concentration ahead of the next storm chance Friday evening/night (PWAT values as high as 1.25-1.5 in).

Highs for Friday look to increase around 5-10 degrees from Thursday (upper 80s to low 90s). This heat, however, will be short lived as yet another cold frontal passage this week is slated to pass overnight Friday. This front paired with an approaching short-wave trough aloft will bring the area its next widespread storm chance overnight Friday (40-70%). There is still some uncertainties in regards to timing of this front that could impact the storm coverage and intensity Friday night.

The main spilt in guidance has come between the global long-range models (GFS/ECMWF) favoring an earlier arrival for the front and broader storm coverage in comparison to some of the higher- resolution short-term guidance (NAMNEST/HRRR) that favor a later arrival and more concentrated band of storms (mainly across locations north of I-80 or east of HWY-281). Given the anticipated convective parameters (High CAPE, modest shear & appreciable low- to-mid level lapse rates), it should not take too much forcing from the cold front to be able to produce strong to severe convection. The Storm Prediction Center continues to place most of the area under a marginal risk (level 1 of 5) and most areas north of I-80 under a slight risk (level2 of 5) for severe weather. Hail up to the size of quarters with wind gusts in excess of 60MPH will be the primary severe threats.

Scattered storm chances return Saturday, although the storm potential will be highly reliant on where the front stalls on Saturday as well as how fast instability is able to deteriorate following the overnight wave of storms Friday night. The better known element Saturday will be the temperature and wind forecast. Steady northeasterly winds are sure to preclude the front. With the partial assist from overcast skies and cool air behind the front, temperatures Saturday are expected to peak in the 70s for much of central Nebraska and the low to mid 80s for north central Kansas.

DISCUSSION

Issued at 1241 PM CDT Wed Sep 9 2026

This Afternoon/Tonight...

Scattered showers have largely come to an end across the area, though isolated activity can't be ruled out across far southeastern portions of the area. Further northwest lingering stratus is favored to gradually clear throughout the afternoon-early evening hours. Scattered thunderstorm redevelopment along/north of a cold front in Kansas could clip southern portions of Rooks/Osborne/Mitchell counties during the late evening-early overnight hours. Otherwise mostly clear skies are expected overnight with lows in the mid 60s.

Thursday...

Largely zonal flow aloft continues across the central U.S. on Thursday. Highs will be near their climatological normals, in the low 80s. Breezy southerly winds gusting 20-30mph are expected during the afternoon hours across northwest portions of the area. Overall a fairly pleasant September day is in store for the area.

Friday...

Temperatures climb into the upper 80s-low 90s on Friday ahead of an approaching shortwave trough. Southerly winds will be breezy during the day, gusting 25-30mph, strongest for areas northeast of the Tri- Cities. The breezy southerly flow will also help to advect moisture into the area ahead of an approaching cold front with dewpoints climbing into the upper 60s-low 70s. Isolated-scattered thunderstorm development is possible during the late evening-overnight hours along the cold front. There is some uncertainty how far south storms will be able to develop given weaker forcing (front further from surface low) and stronger capping. Still, at least isolated development is possible across the area. If storms do form, 2000+ J/Kg of CAPE and 30kts of shear would support strong/severe thunderstorms. The cold front will gradually move into the area during the overnight hours with winds becoming northerly behind the front.

This Weekend Onwards...

The aforementioned cold front looks to stall out across southern portions of the area during the day on Saturday. North of the front, cooler and breezy conditions are expected with highs in the upper 80s south of the front. Scattered thunderstorms are possible along/north of the front during the afternoon/evening hours on Saturday, some of which may be strong-severe though impacts remain uncertain given spread in model guidance on the placement of the front. Off and on thunderstorm chances continue through the end of the forecast period as a series of disturbances move thorugh the area. Highs will vary, ranging from the low 70s to the low 90s depending on the timing of frontal passages.

AVIATION /12Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z FRIDAY/

Issued at 606 AM CDT Thu Sep 10 2026

For KGRI/KEAR Airports:

A few clouds apart of central Kansas storm overhangs will eventual pass off to the east this morning. Ceilings will not be expected to drop below VFR conditions through the period. The remainder of the day and night will be precip free as higher pressure looms over the area. The eastwards exit of a surface high will allow the winds to eventually organize out of a southeasterly and then southerly direction for the period. Wind speeds will gradually increase through the afternoon and night. Winds speeds overnight tonight will approaching 10-15kts with occasional gusts as high as 20-25kts possible at times.

GID WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

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