textproduct: Omaha/Valley

KEY MESSAGES

- A storm system arrives Sunday/Monday, bringing chances for light snow and drizzle to areas mainly along and south of I-80.

- A brief reprieve from colder temperatures (highs: 30s) is expected Tuesday and Wednesday.

- Another storm system will move across the middle of the nation on Wednesday, bringing chances for precipitation to the region. The best chance for precipitation for our area will be for areas along and south of I-80.

DISCUSSION

Issued at 119 PM CST Sat Feb 28 2026

We end Meteorological Winter with a mild but slightly cooler day than yesterday. High pressure remains over Saskatchewan, Manitoba and the Dakotas today, allowing some cooler air to filter into the region. Current temperatures remain in the 30s and 40s across most areas early this afternoon, with a few low 50s toward the Kansas/Nebraska border. Expect afternoon highs to top out in the 40s and 50s.

Sunday morning, a weak h7 shortwave trough will be on the lee side of the Rockies, over the Central High Plains. This trough will progress eastward through the day, arriving in our CWA late Sunday afternoon. Models have continued to trend the system further south, which has resulted in another lowering of snow amounts for portions of the area. The current forecast now has locations south of I-80 receiving up to a half inch of snow with maybe a localized inch. With the warmer temperatures the last few days, the ground will be warm, so it will take some time for snow to accumulate, which will impact measurable snow depth.

Thermal profiles are showing a possibility of the development of some freezing drizzle late Sunday night/Monday morning for portions of eastern Nebraska and western Iowa. There is a little more uncertainty of this scenario heading up toward the Omaha Metro, while we have higher confidence in this occurrence in the extreme southeastern corner of Nebraska. A Winter Weather Advisory was issued for Nemaha, Pawnee and Richardson counties for Sunday afternoon through Monday morning to account for some potential freezing drizzle and concerns about Monday morning's commute. A light glaze to a few hundredths of ice may be possible in these areas should freezing drizzle develop.

Another round of precipitation is expected Monday afternoon. Temperatures should rise into the upper 30s to mid-40s, so precipitation should fall as rain with this second wave with maybe some drizzle possible in the overnight hours.

Tuesday, a mid-level shortwave trough progresses eastward from the Four Corners region to around Goodland and Dodge City by the evening. Models are still in disagreement over the timing, strength and track of this system. The GFS remains consistently more aggressive in bringing it over the OAX CWA on Wednesday, while other models continue to track it south across Kansas and Missouri. Also consistent is the placement of a stationary front over extreme southeastern Kansas/central Missouri during this timeframe. Went with this second solution for Wednesday and proceeded to pull PoPs down, especially for areas north of I-80 as the GFS appears to be an outlier at the present time. The best chances for precipitation will be south of our area around where the boundary is; however, areas south of I-80 will still have potential (10-20% chance) of receiving a little rain or a rain/snow mix.

Heading into the latter portion of the forecast period, models show the potential for another system to move across the region, bringing additional chances for precipitation.

AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z SUNDAY/

Issued at 1120 AM CST Sat Feb 28 2026

VFR conditions prevail this afternoon across the terminals. East-northeast winds remain gusty through around 21Z, shifting to the north at that time. Winds will gradually switch back to the east by 12-14Z. Ceilings will begin to lower this evening ahead of our next storm system, remaining at VFR levels. Just beyond the TAF period, there is a possibility of some light snow developing across eastern Nebraska, potentially bringing some minor impacts to KLNK and KOMA after 18Z.

OAX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

NE...Winter Weather Advisory from 3 PM Sunday to 9 AM CST Monday for NEZ091>093. IA...None.