textproduct: North Platte

KEY MESSAGES

- Critical fire weather conditions are expected today for areas along the Highway 20 corridor. A Red Flag Warning is in effect this afternoon for portions of western and north central Nebraska.

- High confidence in temperatures remaining near normals Sunday and Monday before rising to above normal through Thursday.

- Moderate confidence in an active weather patter with precipitation potential Sunday night through Wednesday.

SHORT TERM /THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT/

Issued at 315 AM CST Fri Feb 27 2026

Currently, temperatures have fallen into the 30s under clear skies. Winds are light and variable across the area, with surface high pressure off to the south of the area in north central Kansas.

For today, expect increasing fire weather concerns as temperatures climb into the 60s across the entire area. With a very dry airmass remaining in place, the increased temperatures will push humidity values into the teens to low 20s area wide this afternoon. With critical humidity expected for all, any critical fire concerns will be driven by where winds will be strongest. At this time, this looks to be for portions of northern Nebraska, along the HWY 20 corridor. It is here where gusts of 25 to 35 miles per hour are expected, and should overlap the low humidity and lead to critical fire weather conditions this afternoon. Probabilities of gusts >25 miles per hour are maximize across northern Nebraska today, at 80-90% through the afternoon hours. This is due to stronger H7-H85 flow aloft, and this higher momentum flow looks to be mixed downwards as deep diurnal mixing is achieved. Confidence in wind gusts remains lesser elsewhere, though will need to be monitored closely. Additional Red Flag headlines may be needed should confidence in stronger wind gusts increase. Humidity recovery into tomorrow morning looks very poor (45-55%) across all of western and north central Nebraska, and should lead to a quick onset of critical concerns by early tomorrow afternoon.

By late tonight, a backdoor cold front will begin to push south into northern Nebraska, ushering in a much colder airmass to the area. This leads to Saturday morning lows ranging from the low 20s in northern Nebraska to the low 30s in southwest Nebraska. This backdoor front will continue to slowly move south through the day Saturday, setting up quite the range and uncertainty in high temperatures. In fact, NBM 25-75th percentile highs for Saturday vary by as many as 10-15F in most locations due to differences in frontal placement. The current forecast keeps the colder airmass confined to portions of the Sandhills and northern Nebraska, though further adjustments will likely be needed. This currently points to highs ranging from the upper 30s in north central Nebraska to the middle 60s in far southwest Nebraska on Saturday.

LONG TERM /SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/

Issued at 315 AM CST Fri Feb 27 2026

An active extended period returns on Sunday as several disturbances impact the region. For Sunday, the majority of the precipitation will be to the south and east of our area, but some light snow is possible early Sunday morning for areas mainly east of US-183. This will quickly push out of our area by late morning giving way to a dry Sunday. This will be short-lived, however, as the next trough arrives Sunday night, bringing a return to rain and snow. The trough will slowly push through Nebraska through Wednesday, keeping precipitation chances through that time. While not expected to be a continuous precipitation, the potential for some light rain or snow will be possible for much of that timeframe. As the the trough finally tracks off to the east, precipitation potential will also come to an end by Wednesday evening. Weak upper level ridging returns behind the departing system, resulting in a brief respite with dry conditions before the next major system arrives Thursday night lasting through the end of the week.

For temperatures, highs will start off cooler on Sunday and Monday in the 40s for most locations before rising into the 50s through Thursday. Overnight lows will generally remain in the low 20s to low 30s. Therefore, these temperatures will favor a frozen precipitation (snow) during the overnight hours changing over to liquid (rain) during the daytime. Will continue to monitor this over the next few days.

AVIATION /12Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z SATURDAY/

Issued at 532 AM CST Fri Feb 27 2026

VFR conditions will prevail through tonight with just some high level clouds expected. Some stronger north northwest winds will be possible across the Panhandle and into northern Nebraska, impacting KVTN with gusts up to 25 knots. Winds diminish after sunset with VFR conditions prevailing through the overnight.

FIRE WEATHER

Issued at 315 AM CST Fri Feb 27 2026

Near-critical to critical fire weather concerns are expected this afternoon as RH values drop and winds increase. Humidity will drop to near 15 percent across portions of the Panhandle and northern Nebraska with northwesterly winds gusting up to 35 mph during the afternoon. The combination of marginally strong winds, dry fuels, and low RH values will create an environment favorable for near- critical to critical fire conditions. A Red Flag Warning remains in effect for fire zones 208 and 204 through the afternoon. Friday night, RH recovers to near 50 to 70 percent in the Panhandle and up to 85 percent in northern Nebraska. This will bring an end to any fire concerns.

LBF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

Red Flag Warning from 11 AM CST /10 AM MST/ this morning to 6 PM CST /5 PM MST/ this evening for NEZ204-208.