textproduct: Omaha/Valley

KEY MESSAGES

- Warmer temperatures mainly in the 70s this week.

- Strong south winds gusting to 30-40 mph arrive Friday, increasing fire danger for areas with standing crops.

- Outside of a few light showers tonight, dry conditions will continue, with our next chance of rain not expected until Saturday and Sunday.

DISCUSSION

Issued at 1213 PM CDT Tue Oct 20 2026

Today and Tonight...

Quiet weather will prevail again today as gusty southerly winds continue to advect warmer air into the region this afternoon. Expect high temperatures to climb a few degrees higher than yesterday, reaching into the lower 70s.

Another weak shortwave will ripple through the Central Plains this afternoon, resulting in the development of a few showers. While the majority of precipitation will likely struggle to make it through a dry sub-cloud layer, a few locations over southeast Nebraska and southwest Iowa could see some light rain or sprinkles this evening.

Wednesday through Friday...

Upper level ridging shifts eastward over the central CONUS by midweek, keeping highs about 10 degrees above normal, in the mid to upper 70s Wednesday through Friday.

A strong trough will push through the intermountain west on Friday, tightening the pressure gradient, and causing southwesterly winds to surge across the Central Plains. Gusts up to 30-40+ mph can be expected Friday afternoon through Saturday morning, before a cold front brings winds around to the northwest. Expect increased fire danger Friday afternoon, especially with any dry standing crops waiting to be harvested. Thankfully, increasing humidity with the approaching trough should help mitigate extreme fire behavior to some extent.

Saturday and Beyond...

Temperatures will begin to fall behind the front on Saturday. Expect highs to range from the mid 60s in northeast Nebraska to the mid 70s in far southeast Nebraska/southwest Iowa, Saturday afternoon.

Showers will move in with the frontal passage Saturday. Expect rain chances to increase through Saturday and continue into Sunday afternoon, with the greatest chance for rain remaining over northeast Nebraska (40-60%).

Latest model runs look to briefly cut off the upper low from the mainstream flow, over the Four Corners region Saturday evening. This cutoff low eventually ejects northeastward early next week, merging back into the upper level flow. This would allow additional showers to develop Monday into Tuesday (15-30%).

Temperatures dip closer to normal as we head into next week, with highs forecast to generally top out in the mid 50s to low 60s Sunday through Tuesday.

AVIATION /00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z THURSDAY/

Issued at 553 PM CDT Tue Oct 20 2026

VFR conditions are currently in place at the terminals. Ceilings are expected to fall over the next few hours at KLNK and KOMA to around 10,000ft as some rain showers and a cloud deck move in from Kansas. KLNK may experience a few sprinkles between 05Z and 09Z; however, with minimal impacts expected, conditions were omitted from prevailing conditions. Heading into the latter part of the forecast period, expect ceilings to improve and winds to be fairly light out of the south.

OAX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

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