491
FXUS63 KLBF 262119
AFDLBF

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service North Platte NE
319 PM CST Fri Dec 26 2025

.KEY MESSAGES...

- A pattern change on Saturday night will bring cooler, below normal
temperatures on Sunday before a gradual increase through the middle
of next week.

- Some light snow or rain/snow mix will return Saturday night, but
otherwise dry conditions will prevail through next Thursday.

- Wind chill values will drop as low as 10 below zero on Sunday and
Monday morning.


&&

.SHORT TERM /THROUGH SATURDAY/...
Issued at 314 PM CST Fri Dec 26 2025

Dry conditions continue through Saturday as the upper level ridge
slowly slides off to the east. Slightly cooler air associated with
the next upper level trough will begin to enter portions of northern
Nebraska by Saturday. This cooler air combined with some increasing
clouds by Saturday afternoon will result in highs ranging from the
mid 50s to the low 60s. Lows tonight will remain mild in the low to
mid 30s across the region.

&&

.LONG TERM /SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY/...
Issued at 314 PM CST Fri Dec 26 2025

Colder temperatures and some light precipitation returns on Saturday
night as a trough and associated cold front digs southward across
the Great Plains. Models continue indicate that there will be at
least some light precipitation across much of north central and
western Nebraska on Saturday night and into Sunday morning.
Precipitation is expected start off as rain across the Panhandle by
6pm CT /5pm MT/. As precipitation moves eastward through the evening
and temperatures drop below freezing, precipitation will switch over
to a rain/snow mix before changing completely to snow. Precipitation
comes to an end by Sunday afternoon as high pressure builds in
behind the departing trough. At this time, the highest snowfall
accumulations will be across the Panhandle, Pine Ridge region, and
Sandhills where up to a half inch, locally up to 1 inch, is
expected.

This trough will also bring a return to much colder temperatures as
850 mb temperatures plummet into the -8 to -16 C range. This will
result in surface temperatures to drop back below normal (low 40s)
on Sunday. Expect highs to range from the upper teens across
northern Nebraska to the upper 20s south of I-80. Low temperatures
will also be chilly in the single digits across the north down to
the mid teens on both Saturday night and Sunday night These cold air
temperatures combined with some light snow accumulations will drop
wind chill values into the negative single digits across northern
Nebraska both Sunday and Monday mornings. Wind chill values further
to the south (south of I-80) will drop into the single digits. In
addition, with temperatures plummeting on Sunday, wind chills will
struggle to rise above 0 degrees across the north.

Otherwise, a dry forecast returns for next week as ridging quickly
builds back across the western US keeping dry conditions across
Nebraska through the extended period. Temperatures will also
steadily increase through the middle of next week with highs
returning to the upper 40s and low 50s by mid-week before dropping
back to near to slightly below normal by the end of the week.

&&

.AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z SATURDAY/...
Issued at 1138 AM CST Fri Dec 26 2025


Increasing clouds is expected overnight, however, ceilings will
remain above 10 kft. Some low level wind shear may be possible
tonight across portions of north central Nebraska, but should remain
east of both terminals. Therefore, have opted to leave it out of the
prevailing forecast at this time. Otherwise, VFR conditions continue
through Saturday morning with winds remaining under 10 knots and
partly cloudy skies.

&&

.LBF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
None.

&&

$$

SHORT TERM...Kulik
LONG TERM...Kulik
AVIATION...Kulik

NWS LBF Office Area Forecast Discussion