North Platte, Nebraska 7 Day Weather Forecast

Wx Forecast - Wx Discussion - Wx Aviation

183
FXUS63 KLBF 241152
AFDLBF

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service North Platte NE
552 AM CST Sat Jan 24 2026

.KEY MESSAGES...

- Dangerously cold wind chills continue through midday Saturday
  with values falling to as low as -25F.

- Light snow will taper off by late morning Saturday. Additional light
  snow is possible Sunday, mainly west of Highway 83.

- Similarly cold mornings are possible Sunday and Monday, with
  greatest concern for Monday.

&&

.SHORT TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/...
Issued at 404 AM CST Sat Jan 24 2026

Early morning radar scans show decreasing echoes from northwest to
southeast as light snow continues to shift southeast. Forcing is
quickly waning as dry air invades behind a passing h7 trough axis. A
few observation points continue to report light snow but overall
intensity is light with visibilities having climbed above 5 miles at
all locations and only "trace" reports of precipitation. As a
result, have elected to expire the Winter Weather Advisory early as
impacts have largely peaked and will continue to subside through
late morning. Meanwhile, the incoming dry air has led to clearing
skies and temperatures falling precipitously. Air temperatures have
fallen into the negative teens to -20F around the Pine Ridge. Even
with the light winds, these extreme air temperatures verify the
ongoing Cold Weather Advisory. Elsewhere, winds remain light but are
exacerbating the cold in place with wind chills likely to fall to
around -20F.

For Saturday/Saturday Night...expect active snow to end by late
morning as dry air overspreads the area and forcing wanes.
Temperatures remain somewhat in question today as remnant cloud
cover and new snow depth should hamper warmup. This is most apparent
across central Nebraska where statistical guidance is 5-10F warmer
than deterministic solutions. Utilized a NBM50/RAP/NAM blend which
produced upper teens in the northwest to middle single digits in the
southeast. This is where precipitation will be latest to end and
cloud cover the thickest. Even with the colder temperatures, winds
remain light enough that wind chills shouldn`t be a significant
concern through the daytime. As a result, have elected to maintain
the Cold Weather Advisory expiration of Noon CST. Dry conditions
will continue through the overnight hours. Perhaps the biggest
uncertainty of the short term is low temperatures tonight. A second
strong high pressure system with preceding cold front will approach
the area around daybreak Sunday. Timing of this feature will have
large implications on the low temperature forecast. The going
forecast is roughly in the 0F to -5F range with slightly colder
values where lingering snowpack will be. Winds should remain light
enough that wind chills fall short of reaching Advisory criteria (-
20F). Will advise the following shifts to closely evaluate this
potential, however.

&&

.LONG TERM /SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/...
Issued at 404 AM CST Sat Jan 24 2026

Sunday and Monday...much below normal temperatures are expected each
day Sunday and Monday, with greater wind chill concerns Monday
morning. The aforementioned cold front will sweep through the area
as a 1035+ hPa surface high settles into western Nebraska late
Sunday. The frontal boundary will provide strong forcing to allow
for light snow to develop across our western zones. This should
remain focused west of Highway 83 however and little to no
accumulations are expected as a result. Low temperatures Monday
morning will again fall below zero with many locations reaching the -
5F to -10F range. With stronger winds, believe wind chills will
again be a concern. With an active headline early Saturday morning
being Period 4, will defer any potential headlines for later
forecasts. High pressure settles south quickly on Monday and the
result will be westerly downsloping flow through the day as a warm
front settles east. This will push daytime highs into the 30s and
40s and bring an end to our excessive cold snap.

Tuesday and beyond...modest ridging builds across the western CONUS
with a stalled longwave trough across southeast Canada. This puts
the area in enhanced northwesterly flow and the dividing line
between cold air to the east and warmer air to the west. This will
lead to a large variation in daily high temperatures across the
local area with seasonable values in the southwest and below normal
in the northeast. Even with multiple embedded impulses diving
southeast through the flow, the extended forecast appears dry. A
more pronounced trough will dive south out of Canada around the end
of the week. This should knock temperatures down slightly for a day
or two but does not appear to be a longer duration cold spell.

&&

.AVIATION /12Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z SUNDAY/...
Issued at 549 AM CST Sat Jan 24 2026

Light snow has largely exited the area to the southeast leaving
behind mostly clear skies. Some low stratus may redevelop later
this morning across southwest through north central Nebraska and
so have reintroduced a brief period of MVFR conditions at LBF.
By this afternoon, CIGs improve once again with a return to VFR
conditions. A strong cold front will arrive late in the period
and should bring some breezy conditions at VTN but overall no
precipitation or greater aviation impacts are expected.

&&

.LBF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
Cold Weather Advisory until noon CST /11 AM MST/ today for
NEZ004>010-022>029-035>038-056>059-069>071-094.

&&

$$

SHORT TERM...NMJ
LONG TERM...NMJ
AVIATION...NMJ