571
FXUS63 KLBF 041153
AFDLBF

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service North Platte NE
653 AM CDT Sat Apr 4 2026

.KEY MESSAGES...

- Gusty northwest winds are expected this afternoon across
  western and north central Nebraska

- Several chances for light precipitation through next week

- Potential for critical fire weather concerns on Wednesday with
  warm temperatures and windy conditions

&&

.SHORT TERM /THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT/...
Issued at 238 AM CDT Sat Apr 4 2026

H5 low pressure, will track
from eastern South Dakota into the arrowhead of Minnesota today.
Behind the exiting system, decent subsidence will lead to a dry
forecast across the area. Behind the exiting system, a warm front
will push into western and southwestern Nebraska this afternoon.
Gusty northwesterly winds will develop this afternoon behind the
exiting system. Even with a weakening surface pressure gradient this
afternoon, steep lapse rates and good mixing in areas of sun, will
lead to windy conditions this afternoon. This will be most
pronounced over western and southwestern Nebraska where gust
potential of 25 to 35 MPH is possible late this afternoon. High
temperatures later this afternoon will reach the upper 50s to
around 60 in SW Nebraska. Forecast soundings indicate very steep
lapse rates this afternoon over SW Nebraska, and with 25 to 35
KT winds in the H850 to H800 layer, wind gusts in the 25 to 35
MPH range seem probable. With afternoon highs in the upper 50s
to around 60 and min RH ranging from 20 to 25 percent in SW
Nebraska, near-critical fire weather conditions are possible.
ATTM, not anticipating critical conditions as min RH is higher
than yesterday afternoon`s min RH. Elsewhere, highs will
struggle to get out of the 40s in northeastern areas, as cloud
cover is expected to be more prevalent. Surface high pressure
will track across Nebraska overnight, ending up in Kansas by
Sunday morning. With clear skies, light winds and dry air in
place, overnight lows will fall off into the mid to upper 20s
across the area. The warm front, will push east into central and
northeastern Nebraska on Sunday. This will be followed by a
cold front backing into the forecast area Sunday night. For
Sunday highs will reach the 60s across the forecast area with
some readings approaching 70 in the southwest. By afternoon,
minimum RH will reach 15 to 20 percent in far SW Nebraska. Winds
are expected to be light Sunday afternoon at under 15 MPH, so
fire concerns will be limited.

&&

.LONG TERM /MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/...
Issued at 238 AM CDT Sat Apr 4 2026

An upper level ridge develops across the west Sunday and
keeps the High Plains in northwest flow through early next week. A
weak cold front will move through Sunday with cooler temperatures
behind it for Monday. Highs will will be in the 40s to 50s, which
will be around 5 to 10 degrees below normal with the coldest
temperatures across north central Nebraska. There will be a low end
chance for precipitation on Monday, generally across north central
Nebraska, however models continue to shift low level moisture
further north and east with each run, thus lower confidence in
precipitation across the CWA. Another weak disturbance moves through
the area late Monday night into Tuesday. Low level moisture return
will be sufficient across southwest and western Nebraska and spread
eastward into the Sandhills and north central Nebraska overnight and
should see a better chance for some light precipitation,
however at this time qpf values look to be only trace amounts.

Wednesday will be the warmest day of the week as temperatures will
generally be widespread in the 70s. As a cold front approaches
the area winds will increase ahead of the front around 15 to 20
mph with gusts up to 30 mph. Fire weather concerns increase on
Wednesday as the ridge breaks down. Min RH will be in the upper
teens across portions of western and southwest Nebraska in
combination with strong winds, including a wind shift with the
frontal passage. Will have to continue to monitor the chance for
critical fire weather concerns as timing of the system still
remains uncertain and the period of overlapping winds and min
RH may be brief as there will also be a chance for precipitation
Wednesday afternoon, continuing into Thursday. After the cold
front passage on Wednesday temperatures will remain cooler to
end the week with highs in the 50s.

&&

.AVIATION /12Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z SUNDAY/...
Issued at 646 AM CDT Sat Apr 4 2026

MVFR conditions will be possible across portions of the northern
Sandhills, including KVTN terminal through the morning hours,
with VFR conditions returning for all of western and north
central Nebraska by late morning. Winds will be breezy today
with northwest winds around 15 to 20 kts with gusts up to 35
kts. Winds will diminish this evening with winds around 5 kts or
less through the overnight.

&&

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

&&

$$

SHORT TERM...Buttler
LONG TERM...Gomez
AVIATION...Gomez

NWS LBF Office Area Forecast Discussion