textproduct: North Platte

KEY MESSAGES

- Mild temperatures through the rest of the week with highs in the 50s and 60s

- Precipitation chances increase towards the end of the week

- Much warmer temperatures for the weekend with highs in the 70s to low 80s

SHORT TERM /THROUGH WEDNESDAY/

Issued at 319 AM CDT Tue Apr 7 2026

Today through Wednesday...Mid level forcing will transition east of the forecast area by sunrise. With tonight's NAM12 soln and 00z HRRR, the timing of this forcing has sped up compared to previous model solutions. That being said, will trend pops downward this morning, ending the threat by 15z today. For the remainder of today, skies will remain mostly cloudy this morning with easterly winds as a warm front remains stalled out off to the south of the forecast area. Later this afternoon, this feature will begin to lift north as a warm front. Looking at the latest NAM12 soln tonight and the 00z HRRR soln, the front approaches the I80 corridor late afternoon. With the front only making it as far north as I-80 Tuesday afternoon, highs will struggle to get out of the 50s for most areas. Some lower 60s will be possible in the far southwest and portions of the eastern Panhandle. A northern stream trough of low pressure will track across southwestern Canada tonight, inducing surface cyclogenesis over SW Montana/NE Wyoming. Southerly winds will increase in advance of the surface low, persisting into the overnight. This will lead to mild temperatures across the forecast area tonight with lows in the upper 30s to lower 40s. As the surface low tracks across South Dakota Wednesday morning, it will drag a cold front through the forecast area. This feature will pass through most of the forecast area by midday with the front stalling out over northern Kansas. A mid level disturbance will trigger showers and thunderstorms INVOF the front Wednesday evening. The latest NBM initialized with the front further south, so pops Wednesday afternoon were eliminated from this forecast package.

LONG TERM /WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY/

Issued at 319 AM CDT Tue Apr 7 2026

Mild temperatures continue towards the end of the week as zonal flow returns Thursday and Friday. Southerly flow will lead to moisture advection combined with a couple of weak sw disturbances Thursday and Friday will lead to an increase in precipitation chances. Expect the main mode to remain all rain on Thursday and Friday with highs in the 50s and 60s. There could be a brief period of a rain/snow mix across the northern Sandhills and north central Nebraska Thursday night into Friday morning as lows will be in the upper 20s to low 30s. Expect precipitation to remain as rain even in the overnight period on Friday night as lows will be very mild with temperatures in the 40s. As for rainfall amounts, QPF values will remain low however as probabilities of qpf values greater than 0.05" will generally be less than 40 percent over a 12 hour period on Thursday and Friday.

The greater chance of higher qpfs will be across central and eastern Nebraska. A better chance for precipitation arrives Saturday as a upper level trof moves into the area Saturday. There will also be some weak instability on Saturday, greatest across southwest into north central Nebraska, bringing the potential of some isolated thunderstorm activity Saturday afternoon. High pressure builds in across the western CONUS by the end of the week and will move eastward into the High Plains by this weekend, with temperatures reaching the 70s and 80s both Saturday and Sunday.

LBF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

None.