textproduct: Omaha/Valley

KEY MESSAGES

- Cold conditions persist, with Saturday morning wind chills of 10 to 23 degrees below zero. A Cold Weather Advisory is in effect from midnight through 9 AM in northeast Nebraska.

- Snow chances (50-75%) return Saturday afternoon into early Sunday, with most areas seeing 0.5 to 1 inch of accumulation. Localized areas may approach 2 inches.

- Warmer temperatures arrive Sunday into next work week, with highs climbing into the 30s and 40s.

DISCUSSION

Issued at 148 PM CST Fri Jan 30 2026

Tonight through Sunday...

Water vapor imagery and objective analysis this afternoon depict broad troughing over the east-central CONUS, with ridging advancing into the western CONUS. A vorticity maxima sliding through the Upper Midwest continues to amplify the trough and reinforce colder air across the region. This features has also produced a few transient convective roll snow showers earlier this afternoon, with some additional flurries possible over the next few hours. Little to no accumulation is expected. The cold airmass in place has kept high temperatures confined to the teens today.

Surface high pressure will build into the area this evening, allowing skies to clear and promoting efficient radiational cooling, with overnight lows dropping into the negative single digits. Winds will remain light overnight, however, as the surface high shifts southward, a modest increase in wind will result in wind chills falling into 15 to 23 degree below zero range across northeast Nebraska closer to sunrise. With this in mind, have opted to issue a Cold Weather Advisory across northeast Nebraska from midnight through 9 AM Saturday morning. Wind chill values across the remainder of the area are expected to remain in the 10 to 15 degree below zero range.

Snow chances return to the area on Saturday as a shortwave trough tracking along the US/Canada border pushes an associated warm front southward into the region. Snow chances will develop Saturday afternoon ahead of the boundary, though model soundings indicate a fairly dry sub-cloud layer that will initially need to be overcome before precipitation reaches the surface. PoPs increase Saturday evening as we work to saturate the column, with PoPs peaking in the 50-75% range. The highest PoPs reside across northeast Nebraska. Snow will exit the area from west to east Sunday morning. Rapid warming on Sunday as the front pushes through may briefly allow for a rain-snow mix on the back end of the departing precipitation shield. A few model soundings also suggest the potential for a brief period of sleet/freezing rain to mix in. However, with temperatures quickly rising above freezing, impacts from any mixed precipitation are expected to be minimal.

Snow accumulations are expected to peak around 1 inch across northeast Nebraska, with localized amounts approaching 2 inches possible along the NE/SD border and into portions of western Iowa. Totals decrease southward, with a roughly 75% probability of at least one- half inch along the I-80 corridor. Strong WAA on Sunday will push highs into the 40s for most locations, helping to kick start the melting of the fresh snow.

Monday and Beyond...

Mid-level ridging will build into the region to start the work week, supporting highs in the mid 30s to mid 40s on Monday and Tuesday. An amplifying shortwave disturbance moving across the northern Plains on Tuesday into Wednesday will briefly weaken the ridge, nudging highs on Wednesday back into the 30s. This feature may also introduce low precipitation chances, with PoPs around 20%. Long- range guidance keeps the better forcing for ascent displaced from the forecast area, supporting the lower PoPs. While light snow would be the most likely precipitation type if this system materializes, forecast confidence remains low in this extended time frame.

Temperatures are expected to rebound once again on Thursday as an amplifying mid-level ridge axis advances into the Intermountain West, allowing highs to climb into the 40s and potentially the 50s. This warmer-than-normal pattern appears poised to persist into early February, as both the CPC's 6-10 day and 8-14 day outlooks continue to favor above normal temperatures.

AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z SATURDAY/

Issued at 1057 AM CST Fri Jan 30 2026

A band of MVFR ceilings is pushing into eastern Nebraska late this morning. This band has already reached KOMA and KOFK, expected to approach KLNK by 30/18-20Z. A band of spotty, transient snow showers is following the lower cloud deck, bringing brief period of snow to the terminals. While accumulations will be minimal, quick drop in visibility (MVFR to IFR) will be possible along with enhanced gusty winds (20-30 kt gusts). Confidence in snow coverage is low, though confidence in potential timing is higher. Impacts are most likely at KOFK and KOMA from 30/17-19Z, and KLNK 30/18-20Z.

Ceilings will gradually break up and improve later this afternoon, bringing a return to VFR conditions at all terminals. Northerly winds will continue at 12-16 kts, with gusts up to 25 kts before gradually calming under 12 kts this evening and eventually backing to southwesterly.

OAX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

NE...Cold Weather Advisory from midnight tonight to 9 AM CST Saturday for NEZ011-012-016>018-030>032. IA...None.