textproduct: North Platte

KEY MESSAGES

- Above normal highs will continue today across the forecast area, albeit only 15 to 20 degrees above normal vs. the 25 to 30 degrees above normal seen on Monday.

- Very warm temperatures will continue Wednesday through Friday with the best potential for widespread record high temperatures on Christmas Eve and possibly on Christmas Day.

- Cooler air will push into the region Saturday with a sharp cooldown on Sunday. After highs Saturday in the 40s and lower 50s, Sunday int he 30s, temperatures will rebound back into the upper 30s to middle 40s for Monday.

- Dry conditions are likely over the next 7 days.

SYNOPSIS

Issued at 326 AM CST Tue Dec 23 2025

H5 analysis tonight had low amplitude ridging over the central portion of the CONUS. Closed low pressure was off the coast of central British Columbia. Southwest of this feature WV imagery indicated a decent shortwave approximately 1000 miles off the coast of Oregon with another trough noted around 1500 miles off the coast of southern California. Further east, a shortwave trough was noted over southern portions of Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Satellite imagery overnight continues to indicate a broad plume of mid and upper level moisture extending from California, northeast into the northern Rockies and southwestern Canada. Across western and north central Nebraska overnight, some wave cirrus was noted over the western third of Nebraska. Some of this cloudiness continues to slowly work into the western Sandhills overnight. With the exception of the western third of the forecast area, skies were generally mostly clear to partly cloudy and temperatures as of 2 AM CT, ranged from 29 degrees at Gordon to 51 degrees at Ogallala.

SHORT TERM /THROUGH WEDNESDAY/

Issued at 326 AM CST Tue Dec 23 2025

The weak disturbance over south central Canada, mentioned above, will force a weak back door cool front into north central and northeastern portions of the forecast area this morning. This front will begin to lift north as a warm front later tonight. In the meantime, highs this afternoon will range from around 50 degrees in the northeastern forecast area, to the lower 60s in SW Nebraska. As mentioned above, the back door cold front will lift northeast overnight as a warm front. Temperatures will be very mild, especially over northern portions of the forecast area, where mid and upper level cloud cover will be more prevalent overnight. Lows tonight across northern Nebraska will be in the middle to upper 30s with readings in the upper 20s to around 30 in SW Nebraska where sky cover will be more limited. Warmer air will push into the forecast area behind the exiting warm front Wednesday. By afternoon, widespread H85 temps of 14 to 17C are noted across the forecast area per the latest NAM12 and GFS deterministic models. The latest NBM forecast for highs Wednesday is on the low end of the inter-quartile range for its forecast. For highs, went ahead and blended the NBM with the 75%ile, which brought highs more in line with the MET and MAV guidance for tomorrow. Believe this is a safe play given the strong signal from the EC EFI and SOT forecast which has better than the 99%ile for highs and a SOT of 1-2 for tomorrow. As for record highs tomorrow, based on the current forecast, they will be shattered across the area. For reference, record highs for tomorrow are 62, 59, 60, and 67 respectively for North Platte, Valentine, Broken Bow and Imperial. The forecast for Wednesday's highs are 71, 69, 69, and 69 for North Platte, Valentine, Broken Bow and Imperial.

LONG TERM /WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY/

Issued at 326 AM CST Tue Dec 23 2025

Slightly cooler H85 temps will push into the forecast area Wednesday night into Thursday. Corresponding highs Christmas day will range from the middle 50s in the northeast to lower to middle 60s across the remainder of the forecast area. Record highs Christmas day are 65 at North Platte and Valentine and 67 at Broken Bow and Imperial. H85 temps will increase 1 to 2C across the board Friday afternoon across the area. This will lead to a slight increase in highs for most locations Friday. This shows up in the latest NBM and MEX statistical forecast and is supported by the EC EFI of 90 to 95%ile forecast for highs Friday. Record highs Friday are 66, 60, 64, and 66 for North Platte, Valentine, Broken Bow and Imperial respectively, so one more day of record or near record high temperatures appears likely. A Pacific cold front Saturday, followed by a stronger, Arctic front Saturday night, will bring temperatures back down to "reality" for the weekend. Highs Saturday will range from the middle 40s in the northwest, to the lower 50s in SW Nebraska. Highs Sunday will generally be in the 30s. The arctic air will begin to exit the area Monday with highs ranging from the middle 30s to middle 40s. No precipitation is expected over the next 7 days across the area.

AVIATION /06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z WEDNESDAY/

Issued at 1003 PM CST Mon Dec 22 2025

VFR conditions will prevail across all of western and north central Nebraska through the day today (Tuesday). Scattered high clouds are expected, otherwise skies will be clear. Winds will remain light, generally less than 15 kts through the period.

LBF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

None.