textproduct: North Platte

KEY MESSAGES

- Snow potential Saturday across north central Nebraska

- Elevated fire weather conditions this weekend into early next week

- Warmer above normal temperatures return Sunday into early next week

SHORT TERM /THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT/

Issued at 435 PM CST Fri Jan 9 2026

The greatest concern will be the snow potential across north central Nebraska, and fire weather concerns across far southwest Nebraska. Snow showers will be possible Saturday morning into the afternoon. Snowfall amounts are expected to be light and not expecting widespread snowfall as activity will mainly be in the form of snow showers. Confidence is medium to high that snowfall amounts will be less than 1 inch in most locations as probabilities of seeing snowfall fall greater than 1 inch are around 25 percent or less. The main uncertainty lies in the exact location of the snowfall as there has been some inconstancy with the models on how far west the snow shower activity will be, but generally expect snowfall to be east of HWY 183. There could also be the potential for shower activity to lead to quickly changing visibility reductions, and could potentially see blowing snow with stronger winds as well, although the strongest winds will be across southwest Nebraska. For southwest Nebraska soundings do show the potential if we have good mixing for wind gust of 40 mph or greater in some locations. The combination of dry, warm conditions across southwest Nebraska will lead to elevated fire weather concerns.

LONG TERM /SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/

Issued at 435 PM CST Fri Jan 9 2026

Ridging to the west and northwest flow will be in place Sunday through early next week. Temperature will rebound back to above normal with highs in 50s and 60s Sunday through Tuesday. This will also lead to elevated fire weather concerns each of those days. Min RH will range from near 20 to 30 percent on Sunday and Monday across western Nebraska and the Sandhills with wind gust around 20 mph on both days. Tuesday min RH will be higher around 25 to 35 percent across southwest Nebraska, however winds will be strong with gust of 25 mph. As far as precipitation chances, dry conditions are expected to remain through Tuesday.

AVIATION /06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z SUNDAY/

Issued at 1134 PM CST Fri Jan 9 2026

VFR conditions are expected to prevail across western and north central Nebraska tonight, however, a strong low level jet will bring LLWS concerns across most of the region overnight. By late morning, these strong winds aloft begin to mix to the surface, causing gusty surface winds across most of western and north central Nebraska, with the windiest conditions across the Sandhills and Panhandle. In addition to the winds, a cold front bring chances for snow showers across portions of north central Nebraska tomorrow morning into the afternoon. While accumulations are expected to remain light, the gusty winds along with falling snow may create brief impacts to visibility across the region. These show showers will also be accompanied by lower ceilings, introducing at least MVFR conditions throughout the morning and afternoon, though brief IFR conditions are also possible. By the evening, snow chances decrease and winds across the region begin to weaken back to light northwest winds.

LBF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

None.