textproduct: Omaha/Valley

KEY MESSAGES

- Light rain chances tonight into Thursday (20-30% chance).

- Cooler through Friday with some areas struggling to get out of the 40s. 50s and 60s return this weekend.

- Temperatures will drop below freezing in northeast Nebraska on Friday morning and across most of the area Saturday morning

DISCUSSION

Issued at 201 PM CST Wed Nov 4 2026

Early afternoon analysis showed the cutoff that's been hanging around the last few days still spinning over MN. Moisture was wrapping around the back side and bringing some spotty light showers and sprinkles to portions of the area, with the most coverage in northeast NE into west-central IA in vicinity of a surface trough. This area of precip will slowly meander southeast through the night and into Thursday as the low advances eastward and drags the surface trough/cold front through the area. Precip won't amount to much, maybe a few hundredths of an inch at most, though could see some patchy drizzle with reduced visibility in some spots early Thursday morning. Precip should exit to the south by Thursday afternoon, though clouds will linger across most of the area through the day. Expect highs to once again be in the mid 40s to mid 50s.

Surface ridging will build in Thursday night into Friday morning, with winds becoming very light. This should help temperatures to tank overnight, but latest guidance suggests we'll have some lingering clouds in the area, so maybe not quite as cold as previously thought. Still, portions of northeast NE look to bottom out below freezing. Shortwave upper level ridging will slide through during the day Friday, with the clouds gradually clearing out as it does so. This sets the stage for a more widespread freeze Friday night into Saturday. While these temperatures are very common for this time of year, given how warm it has been, it's worth reminding you to disconnect outdoor hoses and bring in any plants you want to keep around for a little longer.

Southerly low level flow returns on Saturday as the surface high pushes to our east east. This will usher in warmer air, with highs in the 50s to around 60 on Saturday and widespread 60s Sunday into next week. Precipitation chances also look pretty minimal through the remainder of the forecast. Guidance is in good agreement that a shortwave trough pushes through Friday night into Saturday, but is also in good agreement that there will be no associated precip with lots of low level dry air and the surface high in the area. After that, we'll remain on the eastern periphery of larger scale upper level ridging over the western CONUS with a vast majority of ensemble members keeping any additional shortwaves and precip out of our area.

AVIATION /00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z FRIDAY/

Issued at 518 PM CST Wed Nov 4 2026

The western edge of the MVFR ceilings is beginning to move through the area, with KOFK and KLNK starting out the period in VFR territory while KOMA is set to see it through the night. Lighter rainfall and lower visibilities are glancing northeast Nebraska right now, with those conditions unlikely to affect KOMA, though a stray sprinkle of light rain may move through around 06-07z. Winds continue to lighten up through the period, with VFR conditions settling in for everyone between 16-18z tomorrow, taking to the end of it alongside steady northwesterly winds.

OAX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

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