952
FXUS63 KLBF 190538
AFDLBF
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service North Platte NE
1238 AM CDT Thu Mar 19 2026
.KEY MESSAGES...
- Red Flag Warning through this evening for all western and
southwest Nebraska
- Red Flag Warning for portions of western Nebraska for very low
humidities
- Well above normal temperatures through the week, warmest day will
be Saturday with highs reaching the 90s
- Cold front moves through the area Saturday and will see gusty
winds and more seasonable temperatures behind it
&&
.SHORT TERM /THROUGH FRIDAY/...
Issued at 411 PM CDT Wed Mar 18 2026
The greatest concern in the short term will be the continued gusty
winds and dry conditions for the rest of the afternoon into the into
the early evening mainly across western Nebraska into west central
Nebraska as good mixing continues to keep winds gusty around 30 mph
to a few gusts up to 35 mph. As we head towards sunset winds will
diminish to around 5 to 10 mph. Do expect winds to become westerly
after midnight, with gusty winds across western Nebraska. It is
anticipated there will be a narrow corridor of stronger winds aloft,
850mb level across western Nebraska and do expect good mixing so
should see wind gusts 20 to 25 mph and potentially higher, this
combined with very low RH Thursday afternoon, less than 15 percent
decided to issue a Red Flag Warning for Thursday afternoon across
western Nebraska. For more information regarding see fire weather
section below.
&&
.LONG TERM /FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY/...
Issued at 411 PM CDT Wed Mar 18 2026
Upper level ridge continues to slowly expand eastward
through Friday with highs reaching the upper 70s to low 80s both
days which is well above normal for this time of year, as highs are
typically in the low to mid 50s. No precipitation is expected through
the end of the week and relative humidity will remain very low,
especially on Saturday. The ridge is expected to break down Saturday
and Saturday night a cold front will push across the area. Ahead of
the cold front do expect compressional heating an forecaster
confidence has increased in the likelihood of seeing our first 90
degree day of year with record breaking temperatures, see climate
section for more information.
Will need to monitor winds for Saturday as do expect a sharp wind
shift behind the front to the north, timing of the wind shift still
remains a little uncertain as there are discrepancies between the
models. Forecaster confidence is medium on winds increasing behind
the front to near 20 mph sustained and gust in excess of 30 mph.
After the passage of the cold front on Sunday temperatures will drop
to near seasonable with highs in the low 50s across northern
Nebraska and into the 60s across southwest Nebraska. Temperatures
will moderate back into the 60s to begin the week
&&
.AVIATION /06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z FRIDAY/...
Issued at 1236 AM CDT Thu Mar 19 2026
VFR conditions are expected through the forecast period.
Passing mid to high level clouds will continue for much of the
day Thursday with variable winds becoming predominantly west-
southwesterly this afternoon. Gusts may climb to around 20-25
knots with the strongest expected over the eastern Sandhills
into north central Nebraska.
&&
.FIRE WEATHER...
Issued at 411 PM CDT Wed Mar 18 2026
Critical fire weather conditions continue into this evening, with
warm temperatures, very low humidity, and gusty westerly winds
persisting.
As temperatures warm even more tomorrow into the upper 70s to low
80s, relative humidity will again fall as low as 12 to 18 percent
across much of western and southwest Nebraska. Winds will again be
breezy from the west tomorrow, with gusts of up to 25 miles per
hour across western Nebraska. This will lead to critical fire
weather conditions across western Nebraska, and a Red Flag Warning
is in effect for the eastern Panhandle and western Sandhills
tomorrow.
&&
.CLIMATE...
Issued at 411 PM CDT Wed Mar 18 2026
Records are anticipated to be broken on Saturday as
abnormally warm temperatures are expected with highs reaching the
90s across southwest Nebraska, with the potential to break all time
March highs. Below is a list of the 4 climate sites record highs for
Saturday and Saturday`s forecast highs.
..Site..........Record High..............Forecast High...........
North Platte 86 degrees (1910) 92 degrees
Valentine 84 degrees (1910) 86 degrees
Broken Bow 83 degrees(1997, 1928) 90 degrees
Imperial 87 degrees(1907) 92 degrees
All Time March high
Broken Bow 92 degrees set in 1943
Imperial 89 degrees set in 1967
Valentine 86 degrees set in 1910, 2012, 1943, 1946
North Platte 91 degrees set in 2015
&&
.LBF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
Red Flag Warning from 11 AM to 7 PM MDT Thursday for NEZ204.
&&
$$
SHORT TERM...Gomez
LONG TERM...Gomez
AVIATION...NMJ
FIRE WEATHER...Brown
CLIMATE...Gomez
NWS LBF Office Area Forecast Discussion