After A Mild Day Today, Watch For Some Light Wintry Precipitation Overnight

It’s amazing what a downsloping wind off the Rocky Mountains can do to raise temperatures from very cold levels. This morning started out with temperatures as low as -2 in Valentine to the single digits and lower teens elsewhere. However, while northern and eastern parts of the viewing area stayed in the 40’s, southwestern areas made it into the 50’s, with Imperial reaching 55, so much milder than I thought it would be today when I predicted highs in the 40’s everywhere.

A weak disturbance over eastern Montana moving southeast along a front extending from Montana to northeastern Nebraska will reach southeastern Nebraska tomorrow morning and northeastern Missouri tomorrow afternoon. This disturbance will help drag a cold front through Greater Nebraska during tomorrow morning, which will then stall just to our south and west. This disturbance is producing some spotty very light precipitation from South Dakota to northeastern Colorado, and as the disturbance drifts southeastward tonight, it may produce some light showers of rain early tonight, and then a light wintry mix of freezing rain, sleet and snow later tonight as temperatures drop to near 20 under mostly cloudy skies.

With the front to our south tomorrow, highs will be cooler than today reaching only the 30’s north to perhaps 50 southwest under partly sunny skies, so a nice day overall.

Then a stronger disturbance will move from Montana into Wyoming, then into South Dakota by Friday morning, and this will drag the front back northward as a warm front so that Friday should turn out milder again with highs from the 40’s north and east to the 50’s southwest with some sunshine.

But as the disturbance moves into northeastern Nebraska Friday evening, it will drag an arctic front through Greater Nebraska by Friday night. This will help usher in much colder air once again so that highs this weekend stay mainly in the 30’s. In addition, a series of weak upper disturbance will be passing nearby, and each of these may set off some snow showers and flurries anytime from Saturday through Monday, but nothing significant is expected at this time. Highs early next week will remain on the cold side before moderating a bit for the middle of next week.

So watch for the potential for a few slick spots overnight where any precipitation falls, since even very light frozen precipitation can cause roads and sidewalks to become slippery.

Mike