textproduct: North Platte

KEY MESSAGES

- Patchy fog is possible this morning mainly from north central into portions of central Nebraska.

- Cooler temperatures and dry conditions are expected today and Friday with highs ranging from the lower 40s to upper 50s.

- Cool temperatures Saturday, with highs in the 40s, with only a slight chance for light rain showers across southwest Nebraska Saturday night into Sunday morning.

- A quick return to above seasonal temperatures in the 50s is expected Monday through Wednesday. Low chances for rain showers return next Wednesday.

SYNOPSIS

Issued at 109 AM CST Thu Nov 12 2026

H5 analysis tonight had high pressure anchored over Utah. A high amplitude ridge extended north, then northeast into northern portions of the Hudson Bay of Canada. East of this feature, a tandem of shortwaves were present over the Great Lakes and Ohio Valley. One shortwave was located over central Wisconsin with a second over southern Indiana and northern Kentucky. Upstream of the ridge, a trough of low pressure extended from the Gulf of Alaska to approximately 700 miles off the coast of southern California. A back door cold front was approaching far northeastern Nebraska as of late evening. Winds overnight were generally from the east or northeast and were generally light.

SHORT TERM /THROUGH FRIDAY/

Issued at 109 AM CST Thu Nov 12 2026

The shortwave trough over central Wisconsin, will track south into the lower Ohio Valley today. This feature will force a back door cold front into north central and southeastern portions of the forecast area today. By midday, this feature will be oriented from near Valentine to Broken Bow. On the leading edge of this front, the combination of cold air advection and a near saturated airmass near the surface, may lead to fog formation preceding the frontal passage. This fog threat should be confined to a narrow corridor and will be transitory in nature, spreading east to west through late morning. As the front is forced west, winds behind the front, should mix out the boundary layer, ending the fog threat. With the strong cold air advection today and H85 temps falling to -2 to -3C in the northeast, highs will struggle to reach the middle 40s. Highs in the 40s will continue west to a line from roughly Merriman to North Platte. Along and west of this line, highs will reach into the middle and upper 50s. The front will track further west tonight, approaching the western Sandhills and far SW Nebraska overnight tonight. There is some indication of fog development along the leading edge of this front with the latest 00z HRRR visby product and ConsShort indicating fog with visibilities under 1 mile. However, the latest NBM ensembles have less than a 20 percent chance for visbys reaching 5SM Friday morning in the western third of the forecast area. That being said, will hold off on fog mention for tonight with this forecast package given the low confidence in the NBM forecast tonight. Lows tonight will be chilly, in the east due to a combination of clear skies, light winds and drier air. Readings will range from the lower 20s in the east to near 30 along the frontal boundary in the west. On Friday, surface high pressure will drift east into the upper Mississippi Valley. Winds will shift around to the south Friday afternoon, however, the cold airmass will be in place across most of the forecast area. Highs will range from the lower 40s in the east to the lower to middle 50s west of highway 83.

LONG TERM /FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY/

Issued at 109 AM CST Thu Nov 12 2026

The upper trough in the eastern CONUS will lift into the eastern Great Lakes and New England by Saturday, as a negatively tilted upper trough digs from the Pacific Northwest into the Central and Southern Rockies. This will bring deep surface low pressure across the Front Range of CO and WY and south to southeast winds 20 to 30 mph across the forecast area. Highs will be cool in the mid 40s. By Saturday night, a closed low is forecast to develop over the Texas panhandle with showers developing across western Kansas and eastern Colorado. Shower chances have decreased to only a slight chance across southwest Nebraska. On Sunday, just a slight chance across far southwest Nebraska in the morning as the closed upper low moves east across Oklahoma. The bulk of the showers will remain well to our south across Kansas. Highs from the upper 40s to lower 50s. Monday and Tuesday, upper ridging will traverse the region and an upper trough along the West Coast moves into the Desert Southwest. Highs will range in the 50s both days, from 5 to almost 15 degrees above normal. By Wednesday, the upper trough will advance through the Four Corners and Central Rockies, and could track faster and deeper as shown by the deterministic ECMWF. In this case a closed low could move from nern CO into western NE. Shower chances have increased to 30 percent by Wednesday afternoon. Confidence is below average in the track and timing of this system. Highs Wednesday in the mid to upper 50s, which would be from 10 to almost 15 degrees above normal.

AVIATION /12Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z FRIDAY/

Issued at 553 AM CST Thu Nov 12 2026

As a backdoor cold front moves into the region, LIFR ceilings can be expected across portions of north central NE, including the KVTN terminal through 16Z, then improving to MVFR. Vsbys will range as low as 1SM, with a tempo for 4SM through 16Z. VFR conditions are expected at KLBF the next 24 hours. Winds will become light east this morning at 5 to 10KT and into this afternoon, then light southeast tonight.

LBF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

None.