textproduct: North Platte

KEY MESSAGES

- High confidence in dry conditions and warm, potentially record- breaking, temperatures through the weekend and into early next week.

- Moderate confidence in near-critical fire conditions on Saturday and Monday.

- Moderate confidence in cooler temperatures Tuesday through the end of the week along with scattered precipitation chances.

SHORT TERM /THROUGH MONDAY/

Issued at 333 PM CST Fri Feb 6 2026

Strong upper level ridging will persist across the region keeping conditions dry through early next week. This high will also allow for continued warm air advection into the region. Current model guidance suggests 850mb temperatures in the 10 to 16 C range through Monday which will allow for surface highs to easily rise into the 60s. A slightly warmer surge of warmer air on Monday could even raise highs into the low to mid 70s. Current record highs sit at 74, 70, 69, and 72 at North Platte, Valentine, Broken Bow, and Imperial respectively. There is high confidence that some if not all of these records will be broken on Monday as the latest model trends continue to rise higher than guidance.

There is also a low probability in some patchy fog across portions of southwest Nebraska tonight and into Saturday morning. However, there is very little support from hi-res models in fog development and therefore confidence remains low. If any fog would develop it would be mainly across portions of Frontier and Custer counties and be very patchy in nature. Visibility restrictions would be minimal as well with some areas seeing as low as 4 miles at times before fog quickly lifts after sunrise.

The warm and dry conditions will lead to increased fire weather concerns as well through Monday. Near-critical fire conditions due to low RH down to near 20 percent will be possible both Saturday and Monday afternoons. However, wind gusts are expected to remain below 25 mph on Saturday and even lighter on Monday. On Sunday, slightly higher RH values in the 20 to 25 percent range are anticipated with winds around 10 mph. Therefore, have held off on any fire headlines at this time.

LONG TERM /MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY/

Issued at 333 PM CST Fri Feb 6 2026

Active weather returns on Tuesday as a series of disturbances impacts Nebraska. Near daily rain or snow chances are expected Tuesday through the end of the week. While none of the systems appear to be big precipitation makers, each one does have the potential to bring at least a little moisture to the region. With temperatures above freezing during the day and below freezing at night, precipitation type is still a little uncertain. Generally expecting snow during the nighttime hours with rain during the day, and a rain/snow mix as precipitation transitions. At this time, accumulations remain uncertain, but with the overall light coverage in precipitation, wouldn't expect too much in the way of snow accumulations at this time.

For temperatures, highs will drop back into the mid 40s to low 50s through the end of next week with lows in the mid 20s. Will continue to monitor the temperature forecast over the next few days as it will greatly affect the precipitation type and any resulting accumulations.

AVIATION /00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z SUNDAY/

Issued at 550 PM CST Fri Feb 6 2026

VFR conditions will continue across the region with a wind shift and some low level shear a concern. Winds will start out of the east and veer to the south during the evening hours at 10 to 15 gusting up to 20 kts. There will be some low level shear during the early morning hours Saturday. By the morning of Saturday into the afternoon, winds will shift again, veering to the northwest by Saturday evening. Skies will generally become more scattered to overcast (mainly high clouds)heading into the evening through Saturday afternoon. There is a low to moderate chance of some patchy fog for central Nebraska Saturday morning but should clear out just after sunrise.

LBF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

None.