textproduct: North Platte

KEY MESSAGES

- Below average temperatures are expected today through Wednesday due to a Canadian airmass that settles southward into the region. Chances for rain enter the picture Wednesday into Wednesday night. Temperatures will be closer to average by week's end.

- Low chances for rain showers portions of the area today into early evening, and again Tuesday into Tuesday night.

- The middle to late week period is looking more wet. A slow moving cold front will combine with another surge of sub- tropical moisture to bring rain chances to the area. Temperatures will average below normal through at least Friday. Some moderation appears possible by the weekend.

SHORT TERM /THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT/

Issued at 158 AM CDT Mon Sep 21 2026

Today and tonight, a closed low will be centered over southeast SD at 12Z. This will continue to bring stratus and patchy fog through the day and into tonight across north central Nebraska. Morning stratus and patchy fog is expected this morning across southwest Nebraska. Will continue to see scattered coverage of showers this morning across north central into central NE, becoming isolated in coverage this afternoon, followed by dry conditions tonight. The southeast panhandle and southwest should remain dry through tonight. Highs today will range from the upper 50s northeast to the upper 60s to near 70 southwest, where cloud ceilings will be higher and some breaks of sunshine. By 12Z Tuesday, an upper ridging will build across WY and CO with northwest flow aloft. Stratus will return to the entire forecast area overnight, with patchy fog again. Lows tonight 45 to 50.

Tuesday, another cloudy day with patchy fog until mid morning. Warm air advection at 700mb should provide weak lift in the mid levels to support low chances for light rain showers west in the morning, and central areas in the afternoon. Surface low pressure across WY and CO and high high pressure over the Great Lakes region will bring a tight pressure gradient with a southeast wind 15 to 25 mph across the west by afternoon, with a breezy south southeast wind across the area Tuesday night. Continued warm air advection in the mid levels will bring low chance POPs for light rain showers mainly across the the southwest and eastern half of the forecast area Tuesday night. Lows 48 to 55.

LONG TERM /WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/

Issued at 158 AM CDT Mon Sep 21 2026

Ridging aloft will translate eastward across the region Wednesday ahead of a shortwave trough digging across the northern Rockies. Southwest flow aloft will increase between the ridge sliding off to the east and the digging trough to the west. This flow will help draw more sub-tropical moisture back northeastward into the region. ENS mean PWATS climb to above 1.4" to the east of Highway 83 by Wednesday evening. This would be 150 to 200 percent of normal and near the 95th to 99th percentile for this time of year. As the shortwave shifts eastward from from the northern Rockies into the Dakotas Wednesday night, expect a cold front to slowly move southeast across the area. This front should become the focus for at least scattered convective development. With such high moisture content, locally heavy rainfall rates will be possible. The position of the frontal boundary will have to be monitored the next several model runs, as the heavier rainfall will occur near the boundary. It appears that the frontal boundary will stall across the area Thursday night into Friday as a subtle shortwave approaches within the southwest flow aloft. Low pressure appears to deepen across northeast Colorado as this occurs, with the frontal boundary arching northeastward across the area. This could bring another round of potential heavy rainfall Thursday night into Friday. Ridging aloft then attempts to build northward into the area for the weekend, which would bring drier weather to the area.

Overall temperatures through the period look to average below normal, especially for the Wednesday through Friday timeframe. Some moderation could occur as the ridging aloft builds into the region during the weekend.

AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z TUESDAY/

Issued at 1236 PM CDT Mon Sep 21 2026

Mid level to low cigs will stick around through the remainder of the afternoon across portions of the northern Sandhills into north central Nebraska and portions of the Sandhills with some locations seeing MVFR to IFR conditions. Scattered light rain showers will also be possible this afternoon. Tonight cigs will lower across all of western and north central Nebraska, with IFR or lower conditions. There will also be patchy fog across the northern Sandhills, including KVTN terminal, at this time confidence in fog development further south into KLBF terminal remains uncertain, due to the lower confidence, have left the mention out of the tafs for this forecast.

LBF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

None.