textproduct: North Platte

KEY MESSAGES

- Dry conditions expected through Thursday night

- Potential of fog Wednesday morning with greatest potential across southwest and central Nebraska into the southern Sandhills.

- Wednesday and Thursday will be the warmest days of the week with highs in the 60s and maybe even a few locations reaching 70 degrees on Thursday.

- Chance of precipitation Friday through Sunday as a more active weather pattern arrives

SHORT TERM /THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT/

Issued at 352 PM CDT Tue Oct 27 2026

The main concern in the short term will be once again a chance of fog, along with temperatures for tonight and tomorrow. For the fog potential could see fog develop by late this evening as temperatures cool after sunset and sfc winds become light and variable. Uncertainty remains on how widespread fog development will be again tonight, with greater confidence in patchy fog developing across the river valleys, but lesser confidence in widespread/dense fog development. If temperatures area able to reach the forecast highs and the remaining stratus deck this afternoon clears out, then would expect fog development to hang off until after midnight, but for areas that stay stuck in the stratus this afternoon, they could see highs much cooler than expected, thus potentially seeing an early development of fog given dewpoints will be in the upper 40s and current observations have them in the upper 40s to low 50s.

As for the overnight lows tonight, did increase temperatures slightly overnight, given the expected increase in low clouds overnight, should keep temperature from plummeting too much tonight, thus increased temperatures to mostly mid to upper 40s. Putting climate into perspective this keeps temperatures around 15 degrees above seasonal lows.

Looking at high temperatures for tomorrow, made only minor adjustments with the inherited forecast, mainly across southwest Nebraska. Lowered highs to 70s or lower, probability of temperatures exceeding 70 degrees is generally around 30 percent or less across SW Nebraska, which leads to the greater confidence of an earlier frontal passage. A weak cold front is expected to drop southwest from SD into the northwest Sandhills by Wednesday morning, and going with the faster frontal passage solution should be through much of the forecast area by 18-19z. Although there will be WAA across southern Nebraska, the earlier passage will hinder some of the daytime heating and thus do not expect temperatures to exceed 70 degrees. Winds will also increase behind the front out of the northwest around 10 to 25 mph, with the strongest winds across western Nebraska. Wind gusts up to 35 mph will also be possible Wednesday afternoon.

LONG TERM /THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/

Issued at 352 PM CDT Tue Oct 27 2026

Focus in the long term turns to a more active weather pattern setting up heading into the weekend and early next week. Discrepancies still remain between the models with the disturbance late Friday into Saturday, leading to lower confidence in the track of the system and duration, as one solutions leads to more widespread coverage of precipitation, and another solution pushes the system a little further east, favoring less precipitation chances across western Nebraska. Although there is lower confidence in the placement of the precipitation, there is at this time better confidence in the temperatures remaining above freezing so do expect precipitation mode to mainly be all rain Friday into Saturday.

Towards the end of the forecast period, a stronger, more organized system, potentially a closed low system tracks in off the Pacific Coast over the weekend and slowly ejects into the Central Plains by early next week. High uncertainty still exist with this system as it remains off the coast and there will still be the potential for changes with the track of the system as it continues to evolve, but something worth watching over the upcoming forecast.

AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z WEDNESDAY/

Issued at 1233 PM CDT Tue Oct 27 2026

Stratus will continue to linger through the afternoon across north central and southern portions of Nebraska. Expect to see a brief period late afternoon/early evening of mostly clear to scattered mid to high clouds, before stratus returns in the overnight. Will see the potential for some patchy fog to develop again tonight, although confidence is low in how much coverage or the exact location the fog will set up, but greatest potential for fog development across portions of southwest Nebraska into portions of the southern Sandhills and central Nebraska. Winds will be light and variable overnight, then will see winds increase by late morning out of the west around 10 to 15 kts with gusts up to 20 kts.

LBF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

None.