textproduct: North Platte

KEY MESSAGES

- Patchy fog is expected late tonight into Wednesday morning across southwest NE, and possible Wednesday night into Thursday morning southwest into north central NE.

- Dry and mild conditions continue through Friday with highs warming into the upper 70s to low 80s Thursday and Friday.

- A cold front moves through the area Friday night into Saturday night, bringing chances for showers Friday night through Monday. Windy and warm Friday, then cooler in the 50s Sunday through Tuesday.

SHORT TERM /THROUGH THURSDAY/

Issued at 219 PM CDT Tue Oct 20 2026

Tonight and Wednesday...Tonight, the latest SREF and HREF support fog development late tonight into Wednesday morning across southwest NE. Lows from the lower to mid 40s west to the upper 40s east. Wednesday, upper ridging will strengthen across the Central U.S. as troughing will persist across the western U.S. with a closed low of the coast of central California. A weak surface front will drop south and weaken, with light and variable winds. Highs in the low to mid 70s, with upper 70s far southwest.

Wednesday night and Thursday...An upper level ridge axis will reside over the region. Ample boundary level moisture with dewpoints in the upper 40s to low 50s toward daybreak. This will be favorable for fog development late Wednesday night into Thursday morning across southwest into north central NE. On Thursday, a deep upper trough will extend across the western U.S., with a closed low moving into Central California. Southerly winds will increase to 15 to 25 mph across the area. Highs will warm to 75 to 80.

LONG TERM /THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY/

Issued at 219 PM CDT Tue Oct 20 2026

Thursday night through Friday...The upper trough is forecast to move into the Rockies, as a strong upper level ridge axis extends from Texas into the Great Lakes. This ridge/trough pattern will bring increasing PWATS over 1.0 inches and surface dewpoints in the 50s. Gusty south winds 20 to 30 mph overnight will keep lows very mild in the mid to upper 50s. Windy Friday area wide, at 20 to 35 mph with local gusts to 45 mph. A partly cloudy sky with highs Friday 77 to 86.

Friday night through Sunday night, increased chances for showers, with a few thunderstorms Friday night as a cold front arrives in the northwest late Friday night. A lead shortwave trough will lift into Dakotas Saturday, while the main upper trough hangs back west of the Four Corners with a closed low back across Arizona. The main upper trough and closed low will advance slowly east across the Central Rockies and Four Corners Saturday night. The cold front is forecast to stall out across northwest Kansas through east central Nebraska Saturday night. As the upper trough/closed low moves very slowly east through Sunday night, showers chances will persist. While still several days out, the NBM 48 hour probability of 0.50 inch or greater is 50 to 60 percent for areas east of Grant through O'Neill ending 12Z Monday. This lines up similar to the 12Z GEFS ensemble, which shows rainfall amounts from 0.5 inch to near 1.0 inch. The ECMWF is further west, east of a line from Ogallala through Ainsworth. Highs cooling into the upper 50s to low 60s Saturday, and the mid 50s Sunday.

Monday and Tuesday...A northern stream trough will move into and through the region. This will bring a lingering chance for showers Monday and much colder air. H85 temperatures could be as cold as 0 to -5C each day, as shown by the GFS with MEX guidance highs only in the 40s. The current forecast has highs in the low to mid 50s each day.

AVIATION /06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z THURSDAY/

Issued at 1230 AM CDT Wed Oct 21 2026

Low stratus and fog development is again expected for southwest Nebraska terminals early Wednesday morning, with IFR/LIFR CIGs and visibilities before ending late Wednesday morning. VFR conditions are then expected to prevail into Wednesday night for all terminals across western and north central Nebraska.

Winds remain light and variable through sunrise Wednesday, generally 5kts or less. Winds then become northerly Wednesday afternoon, at 5 to 10kts.

LBF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

None.