textproduct: North Platte

KEY MESSAGES

- Rain chances increase on Tuesday

- Cooler Temperatures on Wednesday

- Elevated fire weather concerns Tuesday, Thursday and Friday

- Strong winds Thursday and Friday

SHORT TERM /THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT/

Issued at 334 PM CST Mon Jan 12 2026

The main concern in the short term will be precipitation chances for Tuesday as a weak SW trof moves into the forecast area. Precipitation type will fall as rain as temperatures will be well above normal with highs in the 50s and 60 for Tuesday. Confidence is low in seeing any significant qpf amounts with most locations that see rainfall likely only seeing a trace as moisture will be lacking with this system.

There will also be elevated fire weather concerns Tuesday, confined to mostly southwest and southern Nebraska where min RH values will be the lowest around 25 percent.

LONG TERM /WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY/

Issued at 334 PM CST Mon Jan 12 2026

Temperatures will be cooler on Wednesday after the cold front passage with the "coolest" temperatures across north central Nebraska with highs in the upper 30s to low 40s. For the western Sandhills and southwest Nebraska temperatures will still remain above normal with highs reaching the upper 40s to near 50 degrees. There will be some elevated fire weather concerns again for Tuesday, mainly across southwest Nebraska where above normal temperatures continue in combination with the strong winds and dry conditions.

Another system will drop down from Canada with the low over the Great Lakes Region tightening sfc pressure gradients across our forecast area with strong wind gust of 45 mph or higher expected both Thursday and Friday. Will need to continue to monitor both days as we approach as there may be a need for headlines if winds continue to trend up and forecaster confidence in wind gusts exceeding 45 mph continues to increase.

AVIATION /00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z WEDNESDAY/

Issued at 538 PM CST Mon Jan 12 2026

VFR conditions are expected to prevail across western and north central Nebraska tonight into tomorrow afternoon. Overnight, the main aviation concern will be the strong, northwesterly low level jet, creating LLWS concerns across most of the region. Surface winds remain out of the west overnight, with stronger winds across northern Nebraska. By the morning, lower ceilings track in from the north, with ceilings remaining VFR through the morning hours. Boundary layer mixing in the morning will cause gusty winds across most of the region, with a shift to northwesterly winds. Rain showers are possible during the afternoon hours, accompanied by MVFR ceilings, particularly across northern Nebraska and the Sandhills.

LBF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

None.