textproduct: North Platte

KEY MESSAGES

- Moderate confidence in light snow impacting most of north central Nebraska tonight through Friday.

- Moderate confidence in wind chills dropping to near 20 below on Friday night/Saturday morning.

- Low confidence in minimal accumulating snow on Saturday.

- A return to dry conditions begins on Sunday lasting through mid- week with temperatures warming back up through the middle of next week.

SHORT TERM /THROUGH FRIDAY/

Issued at 336 PM CST Wed Jan 28 2026

An active weather pattern returns to the region beginning tonight as a series of troughs move across Nebraska. Light snow will be possible tonight through Friday leading to accumulating snow across much of the region.

The first round of snow will arrive tonight with precipitation arriving from the north across northern Nebraska after Midnight CT. Snow intensity will overall remain light, but some heavier bands of snow will be possible across extreme north central Nebraska where lift more intense. While overall snow accumulations will remain near or under an inch, under these heavier bands, up to 2 inches will be possible. Confidence in exact locations of these heavier bands remains uncertain, but the latest guidance suggests the best probability at this time will be across Brown, Rock, and Keya Paha counties. This may change though once precipitation starts and bands begin to develop.

A second round arrives Thursday afternoon, with some light lingering snow across northern Nebraska (mainly north of Highway 2) lasting through Thursday night. The main focus of snow will shift slightly to the west with the heaviest snow (still only around a half inch) falling along a line from Valentine to Dunning.

The final round of snow will fall on Friday as a stronger shortwave pushes precipitation further to the south, creating widespread snow across much of the region. Snow will push from north to south throughout the day, dropping another half inch to 1 inch across areas southwest of a Valentine to Burwell line. Snow will taper throughout the evening as surface high pressure builds into the region.

By Friday night, grand total snow accumulations up to 2 inches (locally higher) will be possible across northern Nebraska, with lesser amounts down to less than a half inch in southwest Nebraska. While wind gusts remain under 20 mph throughout the majority of this light snow event, some blowing and drifting snow will still be possible, but impacts are expected to remain minimal. If traveling tonight through Friday be sure to allow for extra travel time and be prepared for rapidly changing conditions.

LONG TERM /FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY/

Issued at 336 PM CST Wed Jan 28 2026

Strong upper level ridging and associated high pressure will build back into the region on Saturday. There is some concern with a ribbon of moisture behind the high that may produce some additional light snow on Saturday, however, confidence remains low. Snow development will depend of the placement of the high come Saturday and whether the moisture will be over north central Nebraska. At this time, have included some low chance PoPs (~30 percent), but have little to no QPF in the forecast. Will continue to monitor this over the next couple of days.

In addition, colder air will accompany the high pressure resulting in a return to below zero lows for portions of north central Nebraska on Friday night and into Saturday morning. Current model guidance suggests 850 mb temperatures -14 to -18 C range pushing into the area with the high pressure on Friday night. This will result in overnight lows dropping into the single digits for locations generally east of US-83. With some modest winds on Friday night, wind chill values will easily drop into the negative teens, potentially approaching 20 below in portions of north central Nebraska. While cold headlines are not in effect at this time, it will need to be considered over the next few forecast runs as the latest trends have been on the colder side of guidance. Temperatures begin to moderate by Saturday night with lows remaining above 10 degrees keeping wind chill values in the positive single digits.

Upper level ridging builds back into the region on Sunday bringing a return to dry conditions from Sunday through the middle of next week. After temperatures remain chilly on Saturday, they begin a gradual warming trend through next week. Highs will generally warm back into the upper 40s to low 50s through Wednesday.

AVIATION /00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z FRIDAY/

Issued at 540 PM CST Wed Jan 28 2026

Cloudy skies with a gradual lowering of ceilings is expected the next 24 hours in advance of the next weather system. Snow arrives across north central Nebraska after 06Z with light snow continuing through the overnight hours and into the morning hours. Some visibility restrictions are expected along with snow accumulations of 1 inch. Snow could reduce visibility to 3 miles or less. Snow tapers off in the afternoon, however, MVFR ceilings are expected after 15Z Thursday across north central Nebraska, while southwest Nebraska should maintain a VFR ceiling at or above OVC035. Winds are expected to remain light below 10kts.

LBF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

None.