textproduct: Omaha/Valley

KEY MESSAGES

- Expect some lingering slick spots this morning before temperatures warm above freezing and melt much of the snow this afternoon.

- Mild temperatures stick around this week, with highs in the 30s and 40s through Wednesday and 40s and 50s by Thursday and Friday. These warmer temperatures could allow river ice to break up and move, increasing the risk of ice jams.

- Occasional small precipitation chances (15-30%) Monday through Wednesday. A wintry mix could fall at times, but is currently favored to remain light with little to no impact.

DISCUSSION

Issued at 322 AM CST Sun Feb 1 2026

Accumulating snow is largely out of the area as of 3 AM, though some additional shortwave energy currently over the Dakotas will slide southeast today and could bring some additional spotty flurries/sprinkles to areas near and east of the Missouri River into this afternoon (10-20% chance). Otherwise, today will mark the start of a warmup as a surface warm pushes through the area and westerly winds allow us to climb above freezing across most of the area by noon. Temperatures should top out in the upper 30s to mid 40s this afternoon, so we should be able to do some pretty efficient melting of the snow that did fall overnight. Tonight, surface high pressure/ridging will take over, with clearing skies and light winds perhaps allowing some fog to develop, especially in areas that have lingering snow cover. HREF suggests a 20-50% chance, highest in northeast NE. If fog does develop, overnight lows in the teens could freeze some of the moisture to roads and lead to slick spots.

The week ahead will see upper level ridging over the western CONUS gradually edge eastward, allowing daily highs to remain in the 30s and 40s through Wednesday, with further warming into the 40s and 50s by Thursday and Friday. With these warmer temperatures for several days, we could see some river ice start to melt/break up and move around, increasing potential for ice jams.

Despite the ridging approaching, we'll see a few precip chances as shortwave troughs slide southeast through the area at times early in the week. Still quite a bit of spread on exact timing, with some hints we could see something as early as Monday afternoon/evening, though model consensus suggests the highest chances will be Tuesday into Wednesday (15-30%). If we do get anything, most guidance favors it being pretty light with little to no impact (less than 5% chance of slick roads). However, should mention that while various model soundings suggest snow would be favored at times, we could occasionally lose in-cloud ice and transition to some freezing drizzle with 1-2 km of low level saturation. That said, if precip moves through during the afternoon, temperatures would likely be warm enough for rain/drizzle. So bottom line, keep an eye on the forecast the next few days, as we could have some "sneaky" slick road potential.

AVIATION /06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z MONDAY/

Issued at 1121 PM CST Sat Jan 31 2026

The peak snowfall for most of the area has ended, with a secondary band of more sporadic snow rates currently over KLNK and arriving to KOMA shortly. Snow amounts should be minimal with this wave, but visibilities could briefly dip into MVFR territory while ceilings stay VFR. This snow will be accompanied by gusts to 20 kts, while conditions most of the time will only be sustained at 10-15 kts. Once the remaining snow leaves the terminals, dry conditions are forecast with strong winds (around 40 kts) at FL014 to FL019 bringing low-level wind shear overnight at KOFK and KLNK through 16z. Otherwise, winds will shift northwesterly with gusts of 20-25 kts at KOFK during the afternoon hours before dropping tomorrow evening. One thing to watch just beyond the TAF period will be the potential for fog, especially for areas that got snow that should melt during the day (near KOFK).

OAX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

NE...None. IA...None.