textproduct: Omaha/Valley

KEY MESSAGES

- 15 to 20% chance for rain/snow showers across our far west through 7 am. Otherwise dry today with gusty winds subsiding in the late afternoon. Highs reach the upper 20s to mid 30s.

- Brief warm up Thursday (40s to low 50s). Slight chance for rain across west central Iowa (15 to 20% chance). Gusty 30 to 35 mph winds expected in the afternoon into the nighttime hours.

- 20 to 50% chance of snow in northeast Nebraska and west- central Iowa Friday. Strong northwest winds with gusts of 45 to 50 mph will lead to poor visibilities and some travel impacts (20 to 50% chance) in areas that experience snow showers.

LONG TERM

/FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/

By Friday morning, the potent Canadian wave will have entered much of the Northern Plains. Model guidance still keeps the brunt of Q- vector convergence and lift to our north and east as well as the moisture transport. However, precip from the back side of the sfc low will affect primarily northeast Nebraska into west central Iowa. NBM currently suggests a 20 to 50% chance of snow in those areas for Friday. LREF model guidance is still highlighting areas north and east of a line from Norfolk to Blair to Atlantic, IA with a 60 to 90% chance for at least a tenth of an inch of snow, while 10 to 30% probabilities are still observed for these same areas for a half inch or more of snow. Another note to mention: forecast soundings continue to indicate the potential for convective snow showers areawide, likely due to the steepening lapse rates.

While snowfall amounts appear minimal at this time, winds will become strong. By Friday morning, the H8 40 to 50 kt jet max will be draped over much of the Dakotas into Nebraska and western Iowa. Continued strong cold advection should help push some of this momentum downward, resulting in widespread gusts of 40 to 45 mph. A few locations in northeast Nebraska could even experience brief 50 mph wind gusts. Have held off on potential High Wind Watch/Wind Advisory over our far northwest areas in coordination with western and northern WFOs given some uncertainty seen amongst guidance on how far east the strong winds will make it, but expect some sort of watch/advisory soon. Ensemble guidance shows a 50 to 80% chance of gusts greater than 45 west of a line from near Lincoln to Wayne.

These strong wind gusts combined in areas that see snowfall will result in very poor visibilities from blowing snow. The probabilistic WSSI shows regions northwest of a line from Columbus to Norfolk to near Hartington, NE having a 20 to 50% chance of at least minor travel impacts. Those with travel plans Friday should continue to monitor the forecast for the latest updates as travel could become difficult.

Could see a few snow showers linger Saturday morning but these should taper off by the afternoon as sfc high pressure makes its way into the area again. Another wave will approach the area Sunday that could lead to some snow chance, but model guidance shows quite a bit of spread amongst solutions. For now, NBM suggests dry conditions with the bulk of the precip to our north. The dry conditions are progged to continue for Monday into Tuesday with this forecast update.

High temperatures Friday only warm to the 30s, with significantly cooler air expected Saturday (highs in the teens to mid 20s). Temperatures fluctuate for Sunday through Tuesday with most locations seeing highs generally in the low to mid 30s although cooler temps in the mid 20s are expected in our far northeast areas.

AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z THURSDAY/

Issued at 1122 AM CST Wed Jan 14 2026

Gusty winds and VFR conditions start out the TAF period, with gusts of 20 to 30 kts gradually diminishing over the first 3-6 hours, before dropping off overnight. Winds will then switch southerly remain quiet overnight and increase in speed 16z onward tomorrow morning. Cloud cover will begin increasing by 06z, with a 20% chance that MVFR ceilings move in as the clouds cover increases, lasting for around 6 hours before decreasing in coverage by 12z.

OAX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

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