Fall sunrise over Yanney Park in Kearney, (Brian Neben, Central Nebraska Today)
KEARNEY — Saturday will likely be the warmest day that south central Nebraska will see for quite sometime before a colder pattern will take over the area.
Friday looks to remain dry and sunny throughout the day, but there will be increasing cloud cover by late afternoon and overnight as the flow aloft turns increasingly out of the southwest as the next large-scale trough takes shape over the western United States, according to the National Weather Service – Hastings.
Winds will likely increase with 15-20 mph to 25-30 mph for the afternoons, with only a minimal drop off during the evening hours.
As Saturday arrives, different models hint that light showers could develop to the southeast, but most areas should remain dry.
NWS Hastings notes that Saturday is expected to be the overall-warmest day the area will likely see for quite some time, so residents should take advantage. Highs are expected to currently be in the 62-67 degrees.
Sunday looks to be mostly dry as the area sits in between the forcing from one upper-level wave departing across the Great Lakes region and another strong upper-level trough upstream. However, this feature will begin a rapid northeastern ejection toward the area overnight.
Temperatures will be around five to ten degrees cooler than Saturday, in the mid-50s, and winds will be lighter than the last several days.
Monday at the moment looks to be on track for a widespread, soaking rain event as a powerful upper low-pressure area will track from the Texas Panhandle toward eastern Nebraska.
Forecast details could change, but it looks like there could be widespread 1-2 inches of rainfall.
“Although much of our area has enjoyed some above normal rainfall lately for a change, the fact that we`ll still have several dry days before this system arrives diminishes much concern in flooding potential at this time,” NWS Hastings stated.
Looking even further into next week, there looks to be a chance for the area to see their first snow of the season, but the details remain murky seven to eight days out.
