textproduct: Hastings

KEY MESSAGES

- The 7-day forecast (through Wednesday) remains dry (chance for precipitation <10%).

- Temperatures peaking in the upper 40s to low 60s Today and Friday will gradually increase back to the 60s to low 70s over the weekend and into Monday.

- Freezing to near-freezing temperatures (mid 20s to mid 30s) will be possible overnight Thursday.

UPDATE

Issued at 1255 AM CST Thu Nov 5 2026

Light 5-10MPH surface winds out of the north to northwest early this morning have helped reinforce cool temperatures with overnight/morning lows dropping into the mid to upper 30s. These northerly winds will gradually become more northeasterly in the afternoon as a Great Lakes centered low pressure center continues to push east and away. This feature should lead to local pressure rises across central Nebraska/Kansas today. As result, wind speeds/gusts are not expect to exceed 15-20MPH during the day today.

Highs for today should mainly stay on par from yesterday as temperatures spread up into the upper 40s to low 60s again this afternoon. With overcast skies expected to retain across the eastern half of Nebraska/Kansas today and with clear skies across the far western portions of the state, we find that the local area should fall somewhere inbetween. As result, the warmest temperatures this afternoon (mid 50s to low 60s) should fall across the western half of the area (location most likely to see less cloud coverage) with the eastern half of the area seeing highs peak in the upper 40s to mid 50s (locations expected to have the greatest cloud coverage).

Tonight, lows will be on track to spread the mid 20s (far northwest locations) to the mid 30s (far southeast locations), or around 5-10 degrees cooler from this morning. Temperatures Friday will mark the last day where highs will be in the upper 40s to mid 50s (at least through the middle of next week) ahead of a mini warm up over the weekend. This change in temperature trends will come as the surface high pressure rises will peak Friday (~1024mb) along side a southerly orientating southerly wind field (enlisting a warm air advection pattern). Aloft, an eastward exiting trough will lead to ridging in the mid-to-upper levels of the atmosphere. This pattern is most common for suppressing precipitation chances (<10% PoPs in the 7-day forecast) and leading to temperature rises that can translate down to the surface from subsidence (highs mainly in the 60s over the weekend). For more information on the long-range forecast, please refer to the discussion below.

Though confidence is not high at this time, the potential for a band of fog to develop west of HWY-281 (best potential west of HWY-183) looks to be in play. Though not every model is materializing this possible patch of fog, it is important to mention that the RRFS and REFS models have both kept a consistent signal over the last few runs. Given the calming winds tonight (Thursday night) and with the temperatures looking to near their saturation points (low to mid 30s dewpoints), the development of fog appears plausible.

LONG TERM /FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/

The sfc high ridge axis will traverse the forecast area early Friday morning. While we see some clouds linger in the early morning hours, temperatures cool significantly to the upper 20s for areas along and northwest of a line from Alma to Kearney to Central City, while temperatures hover around the freezing mark for the remainder of the area. Now is a good time to disconnect any outdoor hoses and insulate any exposed pipes/infrastructure. Temperatures should warm back up to the upper 40s to low 50s by Friday afternoon.

Models suggest another shortwave trof approaching from the west late Friday into Saturday. However, guidance is struggling in generating much precip, likely due to some influence of a sfc high in the region. Mid level ridging builds in for Sunday with dry conditions prevailing. Monday into Tuesday will see another shortwave eject from southwest Canada toward the Northern Plains. At this time, the best synoptic scale forcing for ascent appears well north of the area leading to a dry forecast. Temperatures largely remain in the 60s from Saturday through Tuesday.

AVIATION /12Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z FRIDAY/

Issued at 457 AM CST Thu Nov 5 2026

For KGRI/KEAR Airports:

Cloud bases currently sitting near 10,000ft early this morning will be expected to gradually rise through the morning to early afternoon hours today (possible to become scattered for KEAR). Either way, the ceiling forecast for tonight (Thursday night) appears to be fairly tricky. A few models have cloud bases dropping below 3,000ft overnight with a wide spread range of possibilities showing between models. Due to the high uncertainty, sub-VFR ceilings remain out of the TAFs for now, but may be adjusted if model consistency remains or confidence increases.

Another concern that could develop tomorrow night is some areas of fog (mainly for KEAR). Though not every model is picking up on visibility reductions after 6z, the RRFS & REFS both indicate the potential for a band of fog to develop between 6-10z tonight west of HWY-281, with the better confidence falling west of HWY-183. If this fog does develop there is some question if it could spread east enough to reach KEAR or not?

Outside the the ceilings/fog potential, the rest of the forecast remains dry with limited wind impacts. Winds will stay out of the north through the day today (330-030 degrees) with gusts mainly staying below 20kts. Overnight, winds are expected to become calm and will eventually pivot south around Friday morning as a high pressure center passes overtop of the area.

GID WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

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