textproduct: Hastings

KEY MESSAGES

- Fire weather continues to be the primary forecast concern. Each day has potential for at least near-critical fire weather conditions.

- A cold front will bring in gusty northwest winds for Thursday.

- A few sprinkles are possible during the day on Thursday, and there is a low chance for light rain Thursday night. Most locations will not see anything measurable.

- Near-normal temperatures for Friday and Saturday, but another round of impressive warmth returns for early next week.

DISCUSSION

Issued at 230 PM CDT Wed Mar 25 2026

This afternoon, deep mixing in the west-northwesterly surface flow has resulted in another day of record-breaking high temperatures. Many areas will top 90 degrees by late afternoon.

Winds should fall of pretty quickly this evening before turning back to the south. Steady south wind will keep overnight temperatures well above normal as well. In fact, our Thursday morning temperatures (50s to near 60) are very close to our normal HIGH temperatures for late March.

The cold front for Thursday has trended a touch slower, which means that southeastern areas could make a run into the 80s and possibly near 90 before the front moves through. This also heightens the fire weather threat, and therefore a Fire Weather Watch was issued for southeastern parts of the area. The front is expected to move through between 9am in the north and 3pm in far southern portions of the area. Behind the front, stiff north winds will increase, with gusts likely around 40 MPH.

Some sprinkles are possible near and behind the front during the day Thursday, but the chance for anything measurable is very low. A few additional showers are possible as the upper level trough moves through Thursday night into Friday morning, but most locations will likely miss out on this as well. More widespread rain chances will remain well to our south with the cold front.

North winds will decrease a bit on Friday, but will still remain somewhat breezy, especially in the morning. Friday high temperatures are expected to be in the 50s...which is actually just a few degrees below climatological normals.

The pattern flips back to warm this weekend and into the early part of next week. Breezy south winds return on Saturday, aiding temperatures back into the 60s, and widespread 80s are expected Sunday through Tuesday. The next meaningful chance for rain will be Tuesday into Wednesday (March 31 into April 1).

AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z THURSDAY/

Issued at 1228 PM CDT Wed Mar 25 2026

For KGRI/KEAR Airports:

High confidence in VFR conditions through the period. West- northwest winds become light/variable this evening before returning to the south early Thursday morning. A period of LLWS is also expected overnight. A cold front then sweeps through the area late Thursday morning (around 16Z at EAR/GRI).

FIRE WEATHER

Issued at 238 PM CDT Wed Mar 25 2026

Rest of Today: Deep mixing will continue to result in at least periodic gusts to near 25 MPH through early evening. Record warmth has resulted in humidity near 10% in many areas. The Red Flag Warning remains in effect until 8pm.

Thursday: As mentioned above, the front has trended slower, which will allow southeastern areas to warm into the 80s, with humidity briefly near 20% ahead of the front. The frontal passage will result in rising RH values, but increasing gusts will keep the fire danger relatively high through the afternoon hours. A Fire Weather Watch is in effect for areas southeast of a line from Phillipsburg to Hastings to Geneva.

Friday: Overall, the fire weather threat for Friday is lower than previous days (but not zero, either). North winds will be on a decreasing trend, but some gusts near 25-30 mph remain possible (especially late morning and early afternoon). The post-frontal airmass will be noticably cooler...but also quite dry. Despite high temperatures only in the 50s, humidity is expected to dip to 15-20% across the entire area.

Saturday: Critical conditions are currently forecast for nearly the entire area on Saturday. Winds return to the south, gusting 30-40 MPH in the afternoon. It will not be excessively warm, but temperatures should reach the 60s, which will drive humidity down into the 15-20% range.

Sunday-Tuesday: Well-above normal temperatures (80s) return for Sunday through Tuesday. Increasing low-level moisture may help prevent widespread fire weather issues, but at least near-critical fire weather conditions are possible each day.

GID WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

NE...Red Flag Warning until 8 PM CDT this evening for NEZ039>041- 046>049-060>064-072>077-082>087. Fire Weather Watch from Thursday afternoon through Thursday evening for NEZ075>077-084>087. KS...Red Flag Warning until 8 PM CDT this evening for KSZ005>007. Fire Weather Watch from Thursday afternoon through Thursday evening for KSZ005>007-017>019.