National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office

• Home
• Site Map
• News
• Organization
• Search for: NWS All NOAA 

000
FXUS63 KGID 182007
AFDGID

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Hastings NE
307 PM CDT Thu Apr 18 2024

.KEY MESSAGES...

- Sub-freezing temperatures expected to return to portions of
  the forecast area tonight, mainly north of the tri-cities.
  Patchy frost may also be possible in those areas. A Freeze
  Warning has been issued.

- Cooler temperatures will persist through Saturday, after which
  temperatures will return to the 60s and 70s Sunday through at
  least the middle of next week.

- Periodic showers and/or thunderstorms will be possible for
  portions of the forecast area each day through the forecast
  period, with the next chance of thunderstorms being Monday
  afternoon and evening.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
Issued at 237 PM CDT Thu Apr 18 2024

This evening through Friday...

North winds continue to gust to 25-35 mph this afternoon, but
are expected to gradually diminish over the next few hours,
becoming much lighter after sunset. The main focus for tonight
will be the potential for temperatures to drop below freezing in
some areas, mainly north of the tri-cities. Issued a Freeze
Warning from 1AM - 8AM Friday for our far northern counties
(does not currently include the tri-cities). While there is
potential for areas of freezing temperatures outside the scope
of this headline, those are the counties we are most confident
of this occurring...in this case, ensembles indicate a >50%
chance of sub- freezing temperatures in the warned area.
Increasing cloud cover should limit the frost potential. There
is also a slight chance of a narrow area light rain showers
developing around the NE/KS state line and into north central KS
Friday morning. Not terribly confident that much will reach the
ground with relatively dry air at the surface, but model
soundings showed a deep enough saturated layer aloft to include
this in the forecast. Conditions should be mostly dry in the
afternoon, at least for a brief period.

Friday evening through Saturday...
Another chance of showers will move into the region Friday
evening into Saturday, likely starting out as rain but
potentially with a rain-snow mix Saturday morning across
portions of south central Nebraska...little to no snow
accumulation is expected. Temperatures will be cool with highs
in the 50s and overnight lows ranging from the mid-20s north to
the mid- to upper 30s south.

Sunday through Wednesday...
Sunday will see the beginning of a pattern shift toward warmer
weather with high temperatures in the 60s and 70s as an upper
ridge moves across the western CONUS and into the region Sunday
and Monday. There will be periodic chances for showers and
thunderstorms for at least some of the forecast area each day
this period, but the next chance for thunderstorms will be
Monday afternoon and evening.

&&

.AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z FRIDAY/...
Issued at 1209 PM CDT Thu Apr 18 2024

VFR conditions are expected through the TAF period. Expect SCT
to BKN clouds around 12k-15k ft AGL with northerly winds gusting
to 25-30 kts through much of the afternoon. Later this afternoon
(around 22Z) winds will begin to diminish, becoming much lighter
shortly after sunset. Ceilings are expected to increase
throughout the afternoon with mainly some cirrus left over going
into this evening. Late this evening and overnight, winds will
become westerly to southwesterly at around 5 kts. Cloud cover
will increase again overnight, with likely overcast skies at
around 8k ft AGL by the end of the TAF period.

&&

.GID WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
NE...Freeze Warning from 1 AM to 8 AM CDT Friday for NEZ039>041-048-
     049.
KS...None.

&&

$$

DISCUSSION...Hickford
AVIATION...Hickford