textproduct: Omaha/Valley

KEY MESSAGES

- Dreary conditions continue through the overnight hours with areas of reduced visibility across northeast Nebraska of 1 mile or less at times.

- Additional rain will continue across areas southeast of Interstate 80, with amounts toping out at half an inch through Tuesday afternoon.

- Active pattern continues for the rest of the week into early next week with more rain chances. Temperatures remain in the 60s and 70s.

DISCUSSION

Issued at 1141 PM CDT Mon Oct 26 2026

Tonight and Tomorrow:

Water vapor imagery this evening shows a busy mid-to-upper air pattern, with slight troughing over the western half of the CONUS while potent shortwaves bring precipitation and some rumbles of thunder across the Southern and Northern Plains in addition to the Intermountain West. Drilling down to the surface, the pair of shortwave troughs over the Great Plains are combining to overspread the area with scattered rainfall and cooler conditions ushered in by a cold front from the TX Panhandle to southeast Nebraska. The most impactful conditions for the short-term forecast will be in place tonight as warm air advection and frontogenesis remain in place, resulting in enough lift in the low-levels to continue drizzle and some lower visibilities across northeast Nebraska. AWOS stations and cameras in the area have shown values of around a mile at times, with winds out of the northwest expected to continue overnight as temperatures dip in the upper 30s to 40s.

Overnight through sunrise tomorrow, a bit of life will return to the radar screen as the southern shortwave trough has its associated PVA and height falls pushing across southeast Nebraska into Iowa through the morning hours. Total amounts should remain modest at about half an inch or less, with the center of that band remaining southeast of Omaha and Lincoln. The entire area will feel the effects of the slightly cooler airmass and lingering clouds as highs top out in the 60s despite increasing sun across northeast Nebraska. Areas near Interstate 80 and points south will hold onto a saturated lower atmosphere, with many of the CAMs hinting at some drizzle/dreary conditions that could linger into the evening and overnight hours, which is under-represented in the NBM. Those conditions would last through much of the night, potentially bringing lower visibility values and some additional dampening to the ground as temps bottom out in the 50s.

Wednesday and Beyond:

By Wednesday, we'll see the mid/upper pattern return to west- southwesterly return while southerly winds arrive at the surface. The jet stream will be set up just to the northwest of the area, with slight troughing over the western half of the CONUS while a ribbon of warmer low-level temps and increased moisture is able to reach through a good chunk of the Great Plains. We'll be right in the path of a shifting frontal zone that gets nudged north and south by shortwaves that dump out across the Plains from the southwesterly flow to the west, resulting in minor, but daily rain chances across the region. Cooler highs from Tuesday turn warm once again Wednesday as strong southerlies develop, with gusts of 25-35 mph being depicted by EPS members in a narrow distribution, helping highs into the 70s to near 80 degrees at Falls City. A weak front drags through the area Thursday, cooling highs a bit as the main system shoots well north of the area. That frontal zone then lifts northward Friday through the weekend, with highs currently slated for the 60s and 70s as rain and cloud cover make or break any one location's high temperature forecast. Though models depict QPF through much of this period, our most meaningful slug of moisture develops in the WAA region of a northeastward-ejecting shortwave from the Southern Plains to Mid-Mississippi Valley, with the southeastern half of the forecast area likely to see another 0.5-1" of rainfall Friday night through Saturday.

Heading into the upcoming work week, our eyes continue to be on a quickly-deepening cutoff low that centers itself over Kansas Monday into Tuesday before ejecting northeastward, slowing down as it shifts eastward Wednesday and Thursday next week. It'll bring with it increasing winds at the surface and cooler temperatures that just don't get cold enough to bring in our first snowfall chances (at least with the most recent runs). The most likely scenario will be a muddy set of days that farmers may want to beat if they don't want to work in soggy fields, soaked by 1-2" of rain.

AVIATION /06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z WEDNESDAY/

Issued at 1226 AM CDT Tue Oct 27 2026

KOFK: IFR conditions persist through at least 16Z, with conditions slowing improving to MVFR by 19Z. Patchy fog is expected overnight, also improving heading into the morning hours. A few sprinkles may still be possible over the next couple of hours. The remainder of the forecast period will be dry. Northwest winds become westerly after sunrise, and southerly tomorrow evening.

KOMA: IFR conditions will improve to VFR by around 09Z. Rain will shift east into the vicinity of the terminal by 09Z, bringing periodic chances for rain through the overnight hours. Ceilings improve to VFR this evening.

KLNK: KLNK starts out the TAF period with isolated showers to the southwest and southeast of the terminal. The showers extending from KHJH to KLNK will continue to lift to the northeast overnight and into Tuesday morning. Ceilings will gradually improve to VFR by 01Z.

OAX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

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