A Couple Of Mild Days Ahead Before A Wintry Weekend

After a cold start, this afternoon was a few degrees milder than yesterday with highs in the 40’s to a few low 50’s. And the next couple of days will be even milder, but another major cooldown is lurking for the weekend.

A stationary front lies just to the east of Greater Nebraska, and separates very chilly air over extreme eastern Nebraska from milder air over western Nebraska. Highs in Norfolk did not get out of the mid 20’s today, while highs in Chadron reached the mid 50’s. Low pressure over southern Canada will move east, passing north of North Dakota during Friday. This low will help drag the stationary front eastward as a warm front, and also push a weak trough eastward through the region overnight, allowing milder air from the west to filter into the area. Lots of clouds accompany this trough, so tonight will be mostly cloudy and not as cold with lows in the 20’s with a light breeze.

By Thursday, milder air will be working in and highs both tomorrow and Friday will reach the 50’s to near 60 in nearly all of Greater Nebraska with partly to mostly sunny skies. It will be a bit breezy tomorrow, but a nice day nevertheless.
Thursday night will be mostly clear with lows near 20.

But Friday night, an arctic front will move through the area, and could produce some light mixed precipitation early before it changes over to light snow as much colder air sweep in on gusty northerly winds. Lows will fall into the teens.

Then Saturday, a potent storm will be taking shape to our south and east that will be moving eastward to the Ohio Valley and intensifying. While this storm should not produce much snow here, it will cause gusty winds to continue on Saturday that will drill in Arctic air as it acts in concert with arctic high pressure dropping southward from Canada. Highs Saturday may remain steady or even slowly fall, and likely will not get out of the 20’s, and even teens in some northern areas. Winds may gust out of the north to 40mph, causing very low wind chills.

By Saturday night, lows will fall into the single digits and low teens, and may approach the zero mark in some northern areas with blustery conditions.

Sunday will be less windy with some sunshine, but highs will remain mainly in the 20’s.

Then another warm-up is expected to begin early next week.

Stay tuned to News 2 for the latest on the weekend cold and potential for some wintry precipitation.

Mike