textproduct: North Platte

KEY MESSAGES

- Red Flag Warning remains in effect across portions of the western Sandhills until 8 PM MDT this evening.

- Elevated fire weather concerns Friday afternoon across the western Sandhills. - Temperatures in the 90s continue through the weekend and into early next week.

- A more active weather pattern returns late this weekend through mid week. This will bring a return of precipitation chances, as well as slightly above seasonal temperatures.

SHORT TERM /THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT/

Issued at 150 PM CDT Thu Sep 3 2026

Tonight and Friday...the upper level ridge builds into the region slightly. Lows tonight in the low to mid 60s with a mostly clear sky. On Friday, surface low pressure will deepen across WY and CO with south to southeast winds increasing to 15 to 20 mph with gusts to 30 mph. Highs will reach into the mid 90s, with some upper 90s southwest. Across the western Sandhills, afternoon humidity will fall to as low as 25 percent, and with gusty south winds, elevated fire conditions will exist. Have introduced slight chance pops for thunderstorms for far southeastern zones. MUCAPEs will reach 1000- 2000 J/kg in this area with deep layer shear only 20-25kts.

Friday night...slight chance to low chance POPs during the evening in southwest and central NE. Shear will remain weak with modest instability. Any thunderstorms should remain weak, although storm motion fairly slow at 10 to 15 mph. A slight chance remains across southeastern areas overnight. Lows mild in the mid 60s to low 70s.

Saturday and Saturday night...the upper ridge will build north across the Central and Northern Plains. A fairly deep upper trough will persist across the Western U.S., bringing an increase in PWATS on the western periphery of the upper ridge into western Nebraska. A series of weak disturbance will lift into the region from CO bringing low chances for showers and storms during the day to most of the forecast area. Precipitation chances increase Saturday night as a low level jet increases. NBM 24 hours probability of exceeding 0.25 inch ending 12Z Sunday, ranges from 20 to 40 percent across southwest NE into the central Sandhills.

LONG TERM /SUNDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/

Issued at 150 PM CDT Thu Sep 3 2026

Upper level ridging across the region Sunday will begin to break down across the Northern Plans by Monday (Labor Day) as the upper trough moves in. High temperatures each day will continue to remain well above normal (10 to 15 degrees above), from 90 to near 95. PWATs will increase some during this time with chance POPs Sunday afternoon and Sunday night and again Monday afternoon and Monday night. NBM 24 hours probability of exceeding 0.25 inch ending 12Z Monday increases to 40 to 50 percent across the Sandhills into North central NE, and 12Z Tuesday, from 35 to 45 percent across southwest Ne into the eastern half of north central NE. Given the potential for slow moving thunderstorms, some localized heavy rainfall is possible.

The upper trough is forecast to flatten out by next Tuesday and Wednesday as an upper trough moves into the Great Lakes. This may bring some relief from the heat with highs from 85 to around 90. Chances for precipitation look low as surface high pressure settles into the region. By next Thursday, upper ridging is favored to build back in.

AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z FRIDAY/

Issued at 1220 PM CDT Thu Sep 3 2026

VFR conditions will persist the next 24 hours across western and north central Nebraska. Winds will remain light and variable at the KLBF and KVTN terminal through tonight. By late morning Friday, southerly winds will increase with gusts to 15KT after 16Z.

FIRE WEATHER

Issued at 150 PM CDT Thu Sep 3 2026

Afternoon humidity as low as 14 percent will combine with southwest winds 10 to 20 mph with gusts to 35 mph to create Critical fire weather conditions this afternoon into this evening across Zone 204. A Red Flag Warning remains in effect until 8 PM MDT.

Elevated concerns are possible on Friday, when minimum humidity values drop between 25 to 30 percent across the western Sandhills, with southeasterly wind gusts up to 30 mph.

Late this weekend, an upper level trough approaches from the west, which will bring a more active weather pattern Sunday through mid week. This pattern shift is expected to bring near daily precipitation chances, with some increasing potential for wetting rainfall. Conditions may become gusty, especially Sunday and Monday, as ridge breakdown begins, but this may also be accompanied by wetting rainfall potential.

LBF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

Red Flag Warning until 8 PM MDT this evening for NEZ204.