textproduct: Hastings

KEY MESSAGES

- Northwest wind gusts of 40 to 50 MPH possible across the area during the daytime hours Sunday. The strongest winds are expected near and north of I-80.

- Some light precip is possible primarily north and east of the Nebraska Tri-Cities during the daytime hours Sunday. Little to no accumulation expected (10-20% chance).

- Expect a roller coaster of temperatures next week, with highs ranging from the 20s/30s one day to the 40s/50s the next. Another blast of cold air (along with a small chance for precip) possible next weekend (Highs teens/Lows near zero).

DISCUSSION

Issued at 310 PM CST Sat Jan 17 2026

A very cold and blustery start to the weekend as a cold front brought widespread wind chills to near -20 through the midday hours. Winds have since begun to relax some this afternoon, and winds should continue to lighten as we head into the evening and overnight hours before the next cold front brings a surge in winds and possibly some light precip to parts of the area on Sunday.

Latest runs of HRRR/RAP are indicating some light precip may be realized across parts of the area Sunday afternoon. With more mild temperatures in place, this could end up being a mix of light rain or snow, with little to no accumulation anticipated. While the focus of this precip should be across the eastern portions of the local area, may need to consider expansion a bit further westward to include the tri-cities if trends continue. That said, again, this will be a light qpf event with a trace to maybe a couple hundredths of an inch of precip accumulation at most. In addition to the small chance for precip, winds will again be quite gusty during the daytime hours Sunday, with gusts of 40 to 50 MPH possible, especially for areas near and north of I-80. With these strong winds, if some heavier bands of precip are realized during the afternoon hours, could see some pockets of reduced visibilities as well, but do not anticipate widespread impacts.

Aloft, expect generally progressive northwesterly flow to continue through the period with periodic upper level disturbances and surface fronts brining fluctuating temps through the end of the week. At this time, the combination of strong winds and lowest RH values appears to be Sunday and again on Tuesday, when we will likely see western areas reach elevated to near critical fire weather concerns.

Outside fire concerns, the next impactful weather appears to be late in the week when another shot of very cold air returns for the weekend along with a chance for some precipitation. Still a ways out, but numerous ensemble members of both the EC/GFS are indicating an increasing chance for precip as early as early as late Friday and continuing into next Saturday. This will be associated with a west coast trough that is forecast to cross the Rockies and emerge into the plains over the weekend. Given how cold the airmass is forecast to be (highs in the teens again next Saturday), do not think this will be a big precip event and most of the model solutions generate only a tenth or two of liquid precip equivalent over the period.

AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z SUNDAY/

Issued at 1122 AM CST Sat Jan 17 2026

For KGRI/KEAR Airports:

VFR conditions expected through the period with winds being the primary focus.

Expect mainly passing high clouds through the afternoon hours with strong northwesterly winds gusting 30-35 KTS at times. Winds will begin to diminish during the late afternoon hours...eventually becoming light and variable aft 18/00Z. As surface winds diminish ahead of the next trough, expect LLWS to develop at both terminals by 18/09Z...persisting through the morning hours Sunday before surface winds increase and become strong again out of the northwest (gusts 30KT+) by around 18/15Z. Could also see some passing mid level clouds near 5KFT as some models try and bring some light precip to the vicinity of KGRI late in the period, but confidence of precip or MVFR CIGS too low to include in 18Z TAFs.

GID WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

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