HASTINGS, Neb. (KSNB) – Good Thursday evening everyone! You may have had double check the calendar to make sure it was still March with the very warm temperatures we had today. Would have been the perfect day if it hadn’t been for the breezy winds. Combining both the warm temperatures and gusty winds increased the fire danger today. The high fire danger will continue into the evening hours until 9 PM as temperatures cool after sunset and relative humidity levels rise.
If you are into celestial things, conditions should be fine for viewing the lunar eclipse tonight. This will be occurring from around midnight to 3:30am. Prime viewing will be 1:00am to 2:30am. Skies will be clear to partly cloudy. Winds will remain quite breezy out of the southeast, which will hold temperatures up some. By tomorrow morning, low temperatures will range from the mid/upper 30s west to the low/mid 50s east.
Friday through early Saturday morning will be some of the busiest weather of the next few days. The weather will start off okay tomorrow morning with just a small chance of rain out west. However, as we move into the afternoon, showers will begin to develop over the area. During the mid to late afternoon, a line of thunderstorms may develop along and east of Highway 281 in the eastern third of Nebraska. These areas would have a chance of severe weather. The timing for any severe weather should occur between 2 PM and 7 PM Friday. Large hail and severe wind gusts would be possible. An isolated tornado cannot be ruled out. The threat does get higher as you get into eastern Nebraska with a slight risk and even higher east of the Missouri River where there is an enhanced risk. Meanwhile, temperatures will be colder over Western Nebraska as a cold front moves through. This will bring strong north northwest winds and a change from rain to snow in the Panhandle in the afternoon. Actual high temperatures will range from the upper 40s in the western Panhandle to the mid 70s in far Eastern Nebraska. Western areas will see dropping temperatures behind the cold front. The winds behind the front will gust as high as 50 to 60 mph. This brings the first concerns of blowing snow to the Panhandle. As the evening goes on, the severe weather threat lifts northeast and out of the area. Meanwhile, rain begins to transition to snow in the Sandhills and possibly as far south as Ogallala and North Platte. The chance of accumulating snow gets better the closer you go to the South Dakota border. But any areas that see snow will see poor travel conditions due to blowing snow. Further into the night, rain and snow will wind down by around midnight from about Highway 83 westward. Winds will remain strong through. To the east of there, rain will be transitioning to snow in Central and Northeast Nebraska as strengthening northwest winds bring falling temperatures. Most snow that falls should mostly remain near and north of I-80. Most of this would occur between midnight to sunrise Saturday. So those that are late night travelers may want to avoid these areas. I am concerned that while snow amounts should be minimal around the Tri-Cities area, there could be some decent snow totals to the north and northeast. Communities like Ord, Ainsworth, Greeley, Bartlett, Spencer, O’Neill, Albion, and Neligh could be in line to pick up a few inches of heavy, wet snow. Snow may linger into the first few hours of daylight over northeast Nebraska. Saturday will be a blustery and cooler day. Winds should lighten a little later in the day. Highs on Saturday look to range from the lower 40s northeast to the mid 50s south and west…