textproduct: Hastings

KEY MESSAGES

- The coverage of showers with a few embedded weak thunderstorms today will increase through the afternoon and evening hours. The best potential will generally lie between 5PM tonight through 8AM Thursday.

- Between today and Thursday morning, widespread precipitation amounts of 0.25-0.5" will be possible with locally higher amounts up to 1" possible across a few far northern and eastern portions of the area.

- Highs in the upper 40s to upper 50s this afternoon will be followed by highs Thursday and Friday in the 50s to low 60s for locations north of the interstate and 60s to low 70s for locations south of the interstate.

- A second round of precipitation will be possible Friday, mainly across a limited far eastern and far northern portions of the area.

- Slightly warmer and somewhat drier conditions look favorable for next week.

UPDATE

Issued at 221 AM CDT Wed Apr 1 2026

Widespread showers with a few embedded weak thunderstorms will be possible across the full area today as a shortwave trough approaches the Central Plains, promoting synoptic-scale assent. Though a handful of leading/trailing scattered showers could form as early as this morning to as late as Thursday morning, the better precipitation chances will generally fall between 5PM this evening to 8AM Thursday morning.

Despite the widespread nature of these showers/storms, drier air mixing in behind could limit the system's precipitation efficiency and lead to some reduced precipitation accumulations, especially across far southern and western areas. As the showers, initially spotty in coverage, begin to materialize earlier in the day, the coverage will gradually increase as the the shower cluster migrates northeastward. This setup could leave a few southwestern portions of the area drier than the rest with precipitation amounts favoring far northern and eastern portions of the area. The highest precipitation accumulations through Thursday morning (0.5-1") will be concentrated across areas north and east of the Tri-Cities with around 0.25-0.5" falling across most other places.

Besides the precipitation, temperatures will struggle to break out of the upper 40s and 50s this afternoon as excessive cloud coverage limits much of the diurnal warming. Winds will remain steady out of the east between 10-15MPH with occasional gusts as high as 20-25MPH. The passage of a surface low Thursday morning will turn wind directions around to the northwest for the first half of the day Thursday. Wind speeds/gusts will remain fairly similar to Wednesday, although a period of lighter and more variable winds will likely take over in the later afternoon to evening hours on Thursday.

Temperature-wise, highs will rebound some Thursday and Friday with highs spreading the 50s to low 60s north of the interstate and the 60s to low 70s south of I-80. A secondary and less widespread precipitation chance could return to a select far northern and eastern portion of the area Friday. Another upper-level trough will pass near the end of the week, likely developing some showers and thunderstorms Friday. The latest trends, however, have pushed the edge of where these storm will develop further eastward. Assuming that this trend continues, it is not likely that many areas outside of a handful of locations east of HWY-81 will receive any additional precipitation from this event.

DISCUSSION

Issued at 200 PM CDT Tue Mar 31 2026

Winds are on a decreasing trend, which will continue into this evening and tonight. Wind direction will also gradually switch around to the east by Wednesday morning. Cloud cover will also increase ahead of the storm system impacting the region on Wednesday.

This system will bring periods of rain to the area starting late Wednesday morning and lasting through Wednesday night. Models have trended a touch warmer and further north with any snow potential. Instead, there is an increasing potential for a few thunderstorms Wednesday evening into Wednesday night. The main storm threat is expected to remain to our south and east...along a stationary boundary. But at least a few isolated storms remain possible across most of the forecast area. Instability is limited (100-500 j/kg MUCAPE), but this will be partially offset by synoptic lift ahead of the surface low. Deep-layer shear is strong, and melting levels will be low, so a few of the strongest storms will be capable of producing some sub-severe hail.

In total, precipitation totals are favored to be highest in the northeast and lightest in the southwest. Some areas to the south and west of the tri-cities may struggle to see 0.10", while isolated areas of eastern Nebraska may see over 1.00". Of course, given the isolated/spotty coverage of thunderstorms, pinning down exact totals will remain difficult.

A few showers could linger past sunrise on Thursday, but otherwise drier and slightly warmer conditions are expected to return. Another system will move through Friday into Friday night, but many models keep our area mostly (or even completely) dry. The best chance for any meaningful precip will be to the east.

Strong northwest winds increase behind this system Friday night into Saturday. Winds may not be quite as strong as today (Tuesday), but gusts over 40 MPH are possible (30-70% chance).

Friday and Saturday nights look to be the coldest nights of the week, with widespread temperatures in the 20s. It might be a good idea to drain hoses and sprinklers that been used earlier this spring. Ridging then returns to the western CONUS early next week, resulting in a return to above-normal temperatures.

AVIATION /06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z THURSDAY/

Issued at 1236 AM CDT Wed Apr 1 2026

For KGRI/KEAR Airports:

VFR conditions expected through the overnight hours. MVFR to IFR conditions expected Wednesday mid morning through the end of the TAF period. BKN-OVC Mid-high level clouds are expected overnight, with low stratus moving into the area around sunrise Wednesday. MVFR ceilings develop over the area during the mid- late morning hours. Have shifted the start time of MVFR ceilings one hour later as recent guidance is a little slower on the start time. MVFR ceilings gradually lower during the afternoon. Scattered showers are possible during the late afternoon-early evening hours, with IFR ceilings possible in the showers. Ceilings are favored to lower to IFR around sunset, at times reaching LIFR. Additionally, embedded/scattered thunderstorms are possible within the broader rain shield Wednesday evening. Have indicated this potential with a PROB30 group as the timing of any storm is uncertain.

Light northeasterly winds are expected to shift to the east around sunrise, and remain easterly through the end of the TAF period. Winds gusting around 20kts are possible throughout the morning-afternoon.

GID WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

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