textproduct: Omaha/Valley

KEY MESSAGES

- Temperatures remain well above normal through early next week, with mid 50s to mid 60s through the weekend, and mid 60s to near 70 by Tuesday.

- Rain returns late tonight into Saturday, mainly along and south of I-80, with the highest chance near the Nebraska/Kansas border (40-60%). - An active weather pattern arrives by the middle of next week. Periodic rain chances with cooler, yet still above normal temperatures can be expected.

DISCUSSION

Issued at 1202 PM CST Fri Feb 13 2026

Today through Saturday...

Clearing skies helped temperatures bottom out in the 20s overnight, with a few locations dipping into the upper teens. However, we quickly rebounded, reaching the upper 40s and mid 50s by noon, despite the gradually increasing cloud cover ahead of the next approaching shortwave disturbance.

Expect increasing rain chances across far southeast Nebraska after midnight tonight and into Saturday morning. There still remains some discrepancies amongst model guidance as to how far north the rain will reach. Similar to the 18Z sounding here, many of the forecast soundings indicate a a pocket of low level dry air that may make it difficult for rain to reach the surface. Overall, any rain will likely remain along and south of I-80 Saturday, with a few sprinkles possible to the north. Measurable rainfall amounts will likely be light, generally around a quarter of a inch or less, with highest amounts near the Nebraska/Kansas border. Showers exit to the southeast by midnight Saturday night.

Temperatures should stay a little warmer tonight, with the blanket of clouds, dropping into the low and mid 30s. Highs on Saturday will reach up to 60 over northeast Nebraska, but stay in the low to mid 50s over southeast Nebraska/southwest Iowa where clouds and showers linger.

Sunday through Next Week...

A subtle upper ridge moves into the the southern plains Sunday, keeping us warm and dry through the remainder of the weekend and into early next week. Highs on Sunday and Monday are forecast to span the low to mid 60s.

Southwesterly flow ahead of the next approaching shortwave will bring a surge of warmer air Tuesday. Expect most locations to reach into the upper 60s and low 70s.

That shortwave and resulting surface low will pass through the Dakotas Tuesday, potentially resulting in another round of showers, this time passing over the northern half of the forecast area. Temperatures look to remain warm again Wednesday, reaching into the 60s once again.

Colder air won't arrive until Thursday and Friday, as the main trough passes through the Central Plains. High temperatures are expected to dip into the 40s and 50s late this week, which is still 10 to 15 degrees above normal for late February. This system will create another surface low with the potential to bring precipitation across the region. Cold air wrapping around the backside of this low could transition rain over to snow Thursday afternoon and into Friday. However, this far out, model consensus remains too low to know for sure. But stay tuned to future forecast updates as the details become clearer.

AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z SATURDAY/

Issued at 1109 AM CST Fri Feb 13 2026

VFR conditions will prevail through the majority of the period. Winds will remain light, and become southeasterly this afternoon and evening. Light rain may creep into far southeast Nebraska late in the period, bringing MVFR ceilings and visibilities. While confidence remains too low to include in the TAF at this time, the best chance for worsening conditions to reach KLNK will be around 14Z Saturday, and persist through Saturday afternoon.

OAX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

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