textproduct: North Platte

KEY MESSAGES

- Isolated severe thunderstorms will be possible late this afternoon into the evening across western Nebraska.

- Thunderstorm chances during the evening and overnight hours Monday night through Thursday night. A few strong to severe storms possible Monday evening central and north central Nebraska.

- Increasing heat and humidity is expected across all of western and north central Nebraska for mid week and into Independence Day weekend.

SHORT TERM /THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT/

Issued at 147 PM CDT Sat Jun 27 2026

Late Afternoon into Tonight...Upper level troughing over the Intermountain West will bring height falls across the Northern Plains and Central High Plains into tonight. Surface low pressure will deepen to as low as 988mb from the Black Hills, sern WY and nern CO. This will maintain a moist south/southeast wind 15 to 30 mph and warm air advection. Highs will reach the upper 80s/near 90 far western zones. By late afternoon, a dryline will be in place near our far western zones, from near Alliance, through Oshkosh and Holyoke CO and will be a focus for thunderstorm development. Low level lapse rates (0-3km) will be near 9.5C/km in this vicinity with SBCAPEs from 3000 to over 4000 J/kg across the western Sandhills and southwest Nebraska along with 50 knots of effective bulk shear. Temperatures in the mid-levels, particularly at h7, will be warm, near 14C. This suggests a fairly strong cap to limit the overall coverage of storms. A few of the CAMs initiate storms in the far western zones after 21Z with an east northeast movement in the evening. Therefore, a few supercells are possible. Maintained 20 to 30 POPs across the western Sandhills and southwest during the evening. A Slight Risk of severe storms exists for areas west of Imperial through North Platte and Ainsworth. So while coverage will be very limited, any storms which develop will have the potential to become severe, with large hail and damaging winds. A tornado or two is also possible with any discrete storms. Any storms will persist through mid-evening, then weaken as they approach Highway 183. Later in the evening and overnight, as the low- level jet increases, elevated convection will likely develop across north central Nebraska.

A strong warmup on Sunday into the upper 80s to low 90s. A positively tilted upper trough will be in place across the Intermountain West, and upper ridge centered over the Southeastern U.S. Deep surface low pressure near 988mb across northeast CO. Interestingly, the GFS has the surface low to near 983mb! Dry conditions and sunny skies expected during the day. Sunday evening and overnight, the surface low will move into south central South Dakota. A few strong storms are possible across the far northwest Sandhills and northern Nebraska overnight.

LONG TERM /MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/

Issued at 147 PM CDT Sat Jun 27 2026

Active weather looks to return during the evening and overnight hours Monday night through Thursday night. An upper trough to move across the Northern Plains Monday, with a frontal boundary extending from northeast CO into northeast NE, and act as a focus for thunderstorm development Monday night. A marginal Risk is forecast across central NE with a Slight Risk across northeast Nebraska, where there will be a better focus near the frontal boundary as the low level jet increases.

Upper troughing across the Western U.S, and a strong upper ridge across the Southeastern U.S. will persist through Friday and keep western Nebraska in southwesterly flow aloft each day. Storm develop will be focused during the evening and overnight through Thursday night,as a frontal boundary meanders across the region each day. Highs 85 to 90 Tuesday should return to the upper 80s to low 90s Wednesday and the low 90s Thursday and mid to upper 90s Friday and Saturday.

Looking into Friday and Saturday for Independence Day weekend, the upper ridge is progged to build westward into Central and Southern Plains as an upper trough still persists across the Great Basin. Friday looks mainly dry, with thunderstorm chances returning for Independence Day.

AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z SUNDAY/

Issued at 1230 PM CDT Sat Jun 27 2026

VFR conditions expected at the KLBF terminal the next 24 hours. MVFR ceilings at KVTN should improve to VFR by 20Z. Isolated thunderstorms, possibly severe will develop across portions of the panhandle late afternoon and spread east across western Nebraska this evening. This could affect the KLBF terminal from 00Z until 03Z this evening. Confidence on location is low, so only mentioned VCTS attm. At KVTN, VCTS also included, with timing and location of storms also low due to the isolated nature of storms.

LBF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

None.