textproduct: Hastings

KEY MESSAGES

- Mild temperatures and dry conditions are favored to finish out 2025 and ring in 2026.

UPDATE

Issued at 410 AM CST Tue Dec 30 2025

No significant changes to the previous forecast this morning as generally mild temperatures and dry weather is expected over the course of the next week.

For today, expect a few high clouds to stream across the region as northwest flow aloft continues. As the surface...northwest winds will also predominate...and could gust to near 20 mph during the afternoon hours. This westerly downslope flow will allow temperatures to soar into the upper 40s and lower 50s, which is about 10-15 degrees above normal for late December.

Continued mild weather and light westerly breezes are expected to finish out the calendar year on Wednesday, before a weak disturbance brings additional cloud cover and slightly cooler (yet still seasonably mild) temperatures to the region to end the week. No significant chance for precipitation appears in store for the local area over the course of the next week with a few hints in long term guidance that some unsettled weather could return towards the end of next week...although ensemble guidance is still somewhat conflicting over this time period.

DISCUSSION

Issued at 355 PM CST Mon Dec 29 2025

Will keep it short and sweet as there's simply not a whole lot to talk about...just more mild and dry weather to round out the month/year and start 2026. Outside of a few short stints of winter over the past 30-45 days...its largely been a continuation of late fall, and it looks like it's more of the same general pattern for the next 7-10 days.

In the short term, the main story will be the significant jump in temperatures from today into Tuesday, thanks to departing high pressure and return of downsloping, westerly winds. Highly amplified upper pattern - featuring significant height depressions from around Hudson Bay into New England, and positive height anomalies over the N Rockies, will largely persist over the next few days, with only a slight eastward nudge in the ridge/trough pair. However, this will be enough to allow above to well-above average temps to once again spill onto the central Plains - aided by downsloping of dry low level airmass over largely snow free ground of western and central Nebraska/Kansas. Plentiful sunshine will also help. Thus, after another chilly morning in the teens, expect afternoon temps to warm nicely into the upper 40s to lower 50s, amidst a seasonably modest Wrly breeze. Lows will only fall into the 20s Tuesday night, which will give temps a higher launching pad for New Year's Eve Wednesday. Latest blend gives the entire CWA highs in the 50s for the last day of 2025, but wouldn't at all be surprised if exp. W/SW zones overachieve into the 60s. This has been a reoccurring theme in this general pattern past few weeks.

The highly amplified pattern will maintain fast NW upper flow through the central third of the CONUS and allow for frequent clipper-like systems to roll through mid to late week. One such wave looks to funnel some slightly cooler air behind it for New Year's Day, but the system itself looks to remain dry for south central Nebraska and north central Kansas. It's really not even much, if any, temp drop at 850mb so much as it is a change in low level wind direction from Wrly to a less efficient mixing/warming SSE wind. So it'll be slight temp drop for central and eastern zones Wed into Thu, but far W/SW zones may actually be just as warm. Another front will turn winds to a cooler NErly direction for Friday, but again, the push of cool air is modest for this time of year.

Southerly to westerly low level flow returns for the weekend, so it's a "wash, rinse, repeat" type of pattern with yet another warmup. Ensembles are in decent agreement that some of the warmest air of the next 7-10 days will come over the weekend, with one, if not both days, featuring highs in the 50s/60s and lows only in the 20s. Pattern may gradually trend cooler/closer to normal over the span on the first full week of January, but any significant downturns and/or precipitation chances appear virtually non-existent over the next 7-10 days.

AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z WEDNESDAY/

Issued at 1139 AM CST Tue Dec 30 2025

For KGRI/KEAR Airports:

VFR conditions likely through the period with only limited and occasional high level cloud cover. Winds will be a bit breezy out of the WNW this afternoon, but weaken and back this evening. Winds Wednesday AM should be SWrly 6-11kt. Confidence: High.

GID WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

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