textproduct: Hastings

KEY MESSAGES

- Northwest winds gusting 35-45mph expected during the daytime hours, strongest along/north of Interstate 80.

- A few scattered rain/snow showers are possible (15-20%) this afternoon behind a cold front.

- After a seasonably cool day Monday (highs 20s/30s), temperatures climb back above normal Tuesday-Thursday (highs 40s/50s), with another round of very cold air returning Friday.

UPDATE

Issued at 306 AM CST Sun Jan 18 2026

Temperatures this morning are currently in the teens to low 20s but will continue to climb/increase under the influence warm air advection. A warm front lifts across the area this morning as winds shift to the northwest behind the front. After sunrise, winds quickly increase, resulting in another windy day. Northwest winds gusting 35-45mph are expected during the daytime hours, strongest along/north of Interstate 80 where gusts to 50mph can't be ruled out. Highs today will greatly depend on the timing of the cold frontal passage this afternoon, ranging from the upper 30s north of I-80, to the low 50s across portions of north central Kansas.

Scattered snow/rain showers are possible (15-20%) this afternoon for north/northeastern portions of the area behind the cold frontal passage. Any accumulations look to be light/minimal, with little more than a trace of snow possible. Visibility reductions are possible in snow showers given the gusty winds, but widespread impacts do not appear likely at this time. Snow/rain showers come to an end after sunset. Another cold night is expected, as temperatures sink into the single digits to low teens. Wind chill values Monday morning will be in the single digits above/below zero.

Otherwise the forecast remains on track, with highs in the 20s/30s on Monday, then climbing into the 40s/50s Tuesday-Thursday. The next round of very cold air arrives Friday into next weekend. The forecast remains largely dry outside of a few low (15-30%) chances for light precipitation late in the forecast period.

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 /12Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z MONDAY/

Issued at 534 AM CST Sun Jan 18 2026

For KGRI/KEAR Airports:

VFR conditions favored through TAF period. SCT-BKN clouds are favored to remain just above MVFR during the afternoon. Additionally scattered snow showers are expected to remain northeast of the TAF sites during the afternoon, but a PROB30 group (with MVFR ceilings and -SN) may be needed if showers move further southwest than currently expected.

LLWS will persist into the mid-morning hours till surface winds increase. Northwest winds sustained around 20-25kts and gusts around 30-35kts are expected throughout the afternoon hours. Gusts fall below 30kts by sunset, and winds continue to decrease throughout the overnight hours, with gusts below 20kts after midnight.

GID WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

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