textproduct: North Platte

KEY MESSAGES

- Scattered thunderstorms are possible through tonight. A few storms could be strong to severe, with a threat for damaging wind gusts along and west of HWY 61.

- A threat for daily showers and thunderstorms persists through Thursday across western and north central Nebraska. A few storms could be strong to severe Thursday, with a threat for damaging winds.

- Warmer and drier conditions are expected to return to the area this weekend.

SHORT TERM /THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT/

Issued at 315 PM CDT Tue Jul 28 2026

The primary concern for the short term will revolve around a threat for damaging wind gusts for areas near and west of HWY 61. Currently, thunderstorms have initiated across portions of the western Panhandle, and have slowly begun to progress eastward. Guidance suggests storms will cluster with time, and at least a somewhat organized cluster or line is expected to move into the southern Panhandle and adjacent far southwest Nebraska with time this evening. The primary concern looks to be damaging wind gusts, within a fairly well mixed boundary layer across the western Sandhills and southwest Nebraska. A secondary threat will be locally heavy rainfall, with a daily max PWAT value of 1.87" on the 18Z KLBF sounding. Any slow moving or training convection this evening could pose a risk for localized flash flooding, primarily in more susceptible areas outside of the Sandhills in southwest Nebraska. The initial line of convection should exit the area shortly after sunset, with some threat for additional LLJ driven convection over top the residual cold pool. This overnight convection could again lead to locally heavy rainfall, though guidance suggests scattered coverage could preclude any flash flooding threat somewhat.

A lull in precipitation is then expected tomorrow morning into the afternoon hours, and temperatures again warm into the lower 90s. By late afternoon, another round of convection is expected to initiate off the higher terrain to the west. It appears these thunderstorms will struggle to maintain east of the terrain, with weak forcing and increasing inhibition with easterly extent. Lows tomorrow night again fall into the lower to middle 60s.

LONG TERM /THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/

Issued at 315 PM CDT Tue Jul 28 2026

The threat for thunderstorms persists into Thursday, though confidence in the convection evolution remains low for now. This is largely tied to early day convection, and exactly how this will impact destabilization across the area. If adequate instability can develop Thursday afternoon, a threat for damaging winds and perhaps hail will exist across much of western and north central Nebraska. Trends will continue to be monitored with respect to the severe threat Thursday.

Stronger upper high pressure then begins to establish across the Four Corners as we head into this weekend, with flow weakening aloft and becoming more northerly. Heights rise aloft and the increasing subsidence will bring drier conditions back to western and north central Nebraska. Persistent warm advection boosts highs back towards the middle 90s by early next week as well. Will especially have to watch an increasing threat for fire weather by Sunday and Monday, when low humidity overlaps strengthening southerly winds.

AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z WEDNESDAY/

Issued at 1225 PM CDT Tue Jul 28 2026

Outside of thunderstorms, VFR conditions are expected to prevail through tomorrow afternoon across western and north central Nebraska. Scattered thunderstorms are possible across western and southwest Nebraska this evening, with a threat for brief MVFR visibilities and gusty, erratic winds.

Winds remain southeasterly this afternoon, at 5 to 10kts. Winds then become light and variable overnight, at 5kts or less.

LBF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

None.