Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS North Platte, NE
Issued by NWS North Platte, NE
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691 FXUS63 KLBF 171122 AFDLBF Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service North Platte NE 522 AM CST Mon Nov 17 2025 .KEY MESSAGES... - A system crosses the area today, bringing scattered rain across western and northern Nebraska. Any accumulations are expected to remain light. - Temperatures briefly return back to the low 60s on Wednesday, before another system approaches the area late week. - Precipitation is possible again Thursday into Friday, primarily for areas south of Highway 2. Precipitation types and amounts are uncertain at this time. && .SHORT TERM /THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT/... Issued at 358 AM CST Mon Nov 17 2025 Currently, surface low pressure is located across northeastern Colorado, with broad southeasterly flow across the area ahead of this feature. Within this broad warm advection regime, temperatures remain in the upper 30s to low 40s early this morning. Aloft, an upper level shortwave is centered over northern Utah. For today, the aforementioned upper level shortwave is expected to eject eastward aloft across western Nebraska, becoming a closed low by this afternoon. This upper low then tracks east across the state by tonight, with the associated surface low tracking along the Nebraska/Kansas state line through the day. The evolution of precipitation today follows similar thinking of the previous forecast, with much of the area remaining devoid of rain through much of the day. This is due to the dry slot translating across the area, keeping the bulk of deformation axis precipitation off to the north across South Dakota. Additional precipitation is expected near and ahead of a warm front across eastern and northeast Nebraska this afternoon as well, largely east of the area. Still, areas near and north of Highway 20 may see scattered rain showers today, and will maintain at least a chance mention (25-40%) of rain this afternoon. A low chance (10-15%) exists for wraparound precip across the Sandhills as the low begins to move east, though confidence remains low. Regardless, amounts are expected to remain light across the entire area today, generally ~0.10 or less. As the low begins to exit off to the east tonight, any precipitation will quickly end from west to east. Quieter conditions return for Tuesday, as shortwave ridging translates across the area in the wake of today`s low. Weak cold advection and persistent cloudiness will keep temperatures in the upper 40s to 50s, with the coolest highs east of Highway 83. This is in closer proximity to cool surface high pressure dropping into the upper Midwest. && .LONG TERM /WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/... Issued at 358 AM CST Mon Nov 17 2025 By Wednesday, a deep upper low will begin to move into the Four Corners, with southwest flow establishing aloft across the Plains. This leads to lee cyclogenesis Wednesday morning across eastern Wyoming, with southerly flow returning across the area. This increasing warm advection boosts highs on Wednesday afternoon briefly back into the low 60s. Attention then turns to the next system of note, as the aforementioned upper low begins to eject across the Rockies Thursday into Friday. A notable southward trend in the deterministic guidance suite, more in line with both the EPS/GEFS mean, has begun to favor the I-70 corridor across Kansas with the greatest QPF. This unfortunately leaves much of the area north of a sharp cutoff in precipitation amounts. Should this evolution occur, limited accumulations near and south of I-80 are still possible, though little to nothing would be expected further north. Ensemble means look to be in good agreement, with ~30-50% probabilities of >0.1" along I-80 to as much as 60-80% along HWY 6 Thursday into Friday. Though at least light accumulations still look possible, confidence has begun to wane in impactful rain amounts across the area late week. Wintry precipitation types would also be possible early Friday morning across southwest Nebraska, though this will remain low confidence until the track of the system becomes more clear. Drier conditions then return into next weekend, with temperatures remaining slightly above average in the 50s. && .AVIATION /12Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z TUESDAY/... Issued at 525 AM CST Mon Nov 17 2025 Low stratus is expected to overspread central and northern Nebraska this afternoon, with widespread MVFR CIGs expected. Additional low stratus then expands into the Sandhills tonight, with CIGs lowering to low end MVFR/IFR for terminals north of I-80. Scattered rain showers are also possible this afternoon and evening, with brief MVFR visibilities possible. A frontal boundary stalls near Highway 83 today, with west- northwest winds (Gusts of 25 to 30 kts possible across far southwest Nebraska) west of Highway 83 and southeast winds (10 to 15kts) to the east. && .LBF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && $$ SHORT TERM...Brown LONG TERM...Brown AVIATION...Brown