textproduct: North Platte

KEY MESSAGES

- Dry and windy conditions will lead to elevated to near critical fire weather concerns Tuesday afternoon across the southeast panhandle into southwest Nebraska. - Colder temperatures arrive Thursday, with highs Friday only in the single digits to teens. This will also bring a chance for light snow Friday into Saturday.

- Wind chills values are forecast to fall to around 20 below zero Friday and Saturday morning, mainly across north central Nebraska.

- Warmer temperatures next Sunday, returning to the upper 30s to upper 40s by next Monday.

SHORT TERM /THROUGH WEDNESDAY/

Issued at 240 PM CST Mon Jan 19 2026

A cold front will drop from the Northern Plains into northern Nebraska by late Tuesday afternoon. This will bring a warmup to the area, with lower 50s across southwest Nebraska to the upper 30s to lower 40s north central. Gusty west to northwest winds ahead of the front, mainly near and west of Highway 61 will bring elevated to near critical fire weather conditions. Gusts to 30-35 mph are expected across Garden and Deuel County.

There will also be a slight chance for light snow behind the cold front late Tuesday afternoon across far northern Nebraska, possibly lasting into early Tuesday evening. No accumulation expected however.

LONG TERM /WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY/

Issued at 240 PM CST Mon Jan 19 2026

Another cold front moves through on Wednesday. This will be the windiest day of the week, with northwest winds increasing to 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 40 mph in the afternoon. While highs should reach the upper 30s north central to upper 40s southwest, falling afternoon temperatures are expected across the north. This will also bring elevated fire weather concerns Wednesday afternoon, mainly south of Highway 2.

A stronger cold front arrives Thursday, with highs only in the mid to upper 20s north central. Much colder temperatures settle in Thursday night through Friday night. Lows Thursday night from 5 to 10 below zero north central may bring wind chills values to around 20 below into Friday morning. Highs Friday have trended colder, to only 5 to 10 above much of north central Nebraska, to mid to upper teens southwest. Lows Friday night from zero to 10 below, may bring wind chill values as low as 10 below to 20 below across the area Friday night into Saturday morning. Chances for light snow Friday into Saturday. The GFS and ECMWF ensembles show up to a 30 percent probability of at least an inch of snowfall, across the central Sandhills and southwest. So, while no significant accumulations are expected, a dusting up to an inch appears increasingly possible.

A slight warmup Saturday to the mid teens to lows 20s east and mid 20s to low 30s west as surface high pressure moves east of the area. Upper ridging broadens and flattens out across the region Sunday into Monday, with highs by Monday forecast to warm back into the upper 30s to upper 40s.

AVIATION /06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z WEDNESDAY/

Issued at 1200 AM CST Tue Jan 20 2026

Expect VFR conditions through the forecast period at area terminals. High clouds will stream in from the north through the period, with bases at or above 10kft AGL for much of the time frame. Late tomorrow night as a cold front arrives from the north, CIGs may lower slightly and threaten MVFR but at this time, confidence in this occurring is too low for mention.

LBF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

None.