textproduct: North Platte

KEY MESSAGES

- Continued hot temperatures with a heat advisory for Sunday and Monday

- An isolated chance of thunderstorms Sunday and Monday afternoons

- Temperatures cool back to near to slightly below seasonal levels Wednesday and Thursday.

- Confidence increasing for a widespread wetting rainfall Wednesday into Wednesday night.

- Heat begins to return Friday and Saturday with dry conditions expected.

SHORT TERM /THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT/

Issued at 211 AM CDT Sun Jul 19 2026

Short Term (Today through Monday night): The main concern in the short term will be the extreme heat on Sunday and Monday along with isolated thunderstorm chances both days. The upper level high will remain situated across the High Plains Sunday and Monday, with Monday being the warmest day of the two. Strong WAA Sunday and Monday with 850 temps Sun. around 27 to 30 degrees celsius and Mon. reaching around 30 to 33 degrees celsius. This will lead to sfc highs in the upper 90s to low 100s Sunday and Monday. Heat indices will reach the upper 90s to 100s as hot sfc temperatures combine with dew points in the 50s and 60s. A Heat Advisory has been issued for the northern Sandhills into north central Nebraska for Sunday and will continue through the overnight Sunday night as lows will remain in the 70s. The Heat Advisory is then extended for Monday to include the entire forecast area. Most models continue to come in slightly warmer with each run for Monday with greater confidence in widespread high temperatures reaching 100 degrees and some locations across southwest Nebraska reaching into the low 100s, however at this time temperatures are expected to remain below record highs.

There will also be the chance for isolated thunderstorms both today and Monday. For today the focus for any isolated thunderstorm development will mostly be across the northwest Sandhills as storms will develop across the higher terrain and move eastward into the area. The environment will not be supportive for thunderstorms to sustain themselves and are not expected to become severe. For Monday, expect storm development to form near the frontal boundary across the Sandhills into central Nebraska Monday afternoon. Storms will again be isolated in nature and diurnally driven. Storms are expected to remain below severe limits. The main hazards for any storm development will be lightning and the potential for some moderate to heavy downpours, however some gusty winds and small hail can't be ruled out. Expect any isolated thunderstorms that does develop to diminish by mid to late evening as sunset nears.

LONG TERM /TUESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/

Issued at 211 AM CDT Sun Jul 19 2026

Tuesday...Surface high pressure will build in behind the cold front with a north to northeast wind 10 to 20 mph. H85 temperatures do cool to 22 to 27C, with highs 89 to 95 (warmest in the southwest). The deterministic GFS and Canadian GDPS do generate light precipitation, mainly western Sandhills and southwest. NBM probabilities of greater than 0.01 inch is only up to 20 percent, so confidence remains low on measurable amounts. Tuesday night, confidence increases, with chance to likely POPs after midnight west of Highway 83. NBM probabilities of greater to a tenth of an inch 25 to 50 percent.

Wednesday through Thursday...A reprieve from the heat is expected as the upper ridge will be pushed further west and south into the Intermountain West and Southern Plains with upper troughing across the Great Lakes. This will place western Nebraska in northwest flow aloft. Surface low pressure is forecast to be across southeast Colorado Wednesday and southwest Kansas Thursday. Wednesday into Wednesday night, continues to give the best opportunity for scattered to widespread wetting rainfall. MId level frontogenesis is indicated as an H85 jet increase Wednesday night. Likely POPs for a good a majority of the period Wednesday into Wednesday night, lingering into Thursday morning east. NBM 24 hour probabilities for greater than 0.25 inches is from 50 to 70 percent. The GEFS, ECMWF and Canadian ensembles all support widespread wetting rain. Another period of chance POPs Thursday afternoon into Thursday night. The upper ridge is forecast to build eastward into the region Friday and Saturday with dry conditions.

Highs Wednesday and Thursday low 80s to upper 80s, with near 90 southwest. Friday should see highs close to normal in the upper 80s to low 90s, with heat returning to the low to mid 90s Saturday.

AVIATION /12Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z MONDAY/

Issued at 657 AM CDT Sun Jul 19 2026

VFR conditions will persist the next 24 hours at the KLBF and KVTN terminals. Stratus with IFR ceilings was east and southeast of KVTN, which should lift the next few hours. Otherwise mainly SKC this morning will become SCT080 after 18Z until 00Z at both TAF sites. South to southeast winds will gust to 17KT at KLBF during the afternoon and to near 20KT at KVTN during the afternoon through the evening hours. Isolated thunderstorms are possible during the late afternoon and early evening hours west of the KVTN terminal and will not be included at this time.

LBF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

Heat Advisory from 11 AM CDT /10 AM MDT/ this morning to 9 PM CDT /8 PM MDT/ Monday for NEZ004>010-026>029-094. Heat Advisory from 11 AM CDT /10 AM MDT/ to 9 PM CDT /8 PM MDT/ Monday for NEZ022>025-035>038-056>059-069>071.