Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Hastings, NE
Issued by NWS Hastings, NE
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606 FXUS63 KGID 052019 AFDGID Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Hastings NE 319 PM CDT Fri Jun 5 2026 .KEY MESSAGES... - Things remain quiet across the area here at mid-afternoon, but there continues to the be the potential for at least isolated storms later this afternoon. Models continue to show the overall best chances being into the evening-overnight hours. Storms that develop will have the potential to be severe...along with the potential for large hail, damaging winds, an isolated tornado...storms will likely be efficient rain-makers. - Dry conditions are forecast for Saturday, with highs back in the upper 80s-low 90s. An upper low moving north out of the Srn Plains will bring precip chances back for Sunday, with the best chances currently focused across the eastern half of the area. - Periodic upper level disturbances keep storm chances in the forecast as we get into the new work week. Tuesday and Wednesday looking to be the overall-hottest days of the week, esp. Wednesday with forecast highs well into the 90s to low 100s. && .DISCUSSION... Issued at 313 PM CDT Fri Jun 5 2026 Currently through tonight... Conditions have been quiet across the forecast area this morning on into the early afternoon hours...have had a few sprinkles clip far northern portions, set up on the southern edge of a subtle wave, that scattered activity is largely over northeastern NE on its way into IA. Looking at upper air and satellite data...flow across the region remains generally zonal and on the weaker side. Broader picture...one area of low pressure continues working its way south toward the Pac NW Coast, with another spinning near the west TX/Mexico border...while high pressure remains set up over the SErn CONUS. Had a fair bit of fog/low level stratus earlier this morning across areas between I-80 and the NE/KS state line...which largely diminished by mid-morning, but still have some isolated- scattered CU lingering through that area this afternoon. The overall sfc pattern across the area is on the weaker side with most winds around 10-15 MPH...that lingering CU also helps highlight where one boundary lies, roughly around the HWY 6-state line area, where more dewpoints in the upper 60s-near 70 are...with easterly winds to the north and more southerly winds to the south. Temps here at 2pm are mainly in the upper 70s through that central area...with more mid 80s to the north and mid 80s-near 90 further south. Main question getting into later today and tonight remains with thunderstorm chances and where things end up focusing. Even with a very unstable airmass in place (SPC meso page showing MLCAPE values exceeding 3000 j/kg already into southern portions of the forecast area)...models have been pretty consistent showing little to nothing developing prior to 00Z...just lacking better upper level forcing. Don`t think it`s out of the question that heating itself/increased lapse rates could help to spark activity later this afternoon...it just would likely be pretty isolated in nature. Anything that would develop obviously has no shortage of instability to work with...but deeper layer shear is on the lower side, sitting around 30kts. Models continue to point more into the evening hours with the development of thunderstorms...potential ramping up as the low level jet increases. The main focus of this activity along the nose of the LLJ looks to be across northern portions of the forecast area...hi- res models showing areas along/north of I-80 having the better chances through the overnight hours. Any storms that develop would have the potential for mainly large hail/damaging winds, heavy rainfall would be a concern as well...PWAT values approach 1.5" in eastern portions, helping with activity being efficient rain-makers, upper level flow being on the weaker side and potentially running parallel to the line/cluster of storms could lead to slow movement/training over the same area. If things do end up developing across our northern areas...at least over the past 72 hrs the heaviest rain was focused further south, mainly over areas south of a JYR-MCK line. Still some uncertainty with just how much activity impacts our forecast area, as many models focus things more just off to our east. What activity does impact our area will gradually push east through the overnight hours...current forecast is dry between 09-12Z, but confidence is not overly high in that timing. This weekend... The forecast for the daytime-evening hours on Saturday remains dry...though some uncertainty remains in the early morning hours, will be dependent on how much activity develops/moves through this evening-later tonight. Precipitation chances do return to the forecast later Saturday night, continuing on into Sunday. Models remain in pretty good agreement looking at the upper level pattern...larger scale troughing pushes further inland from the West Coast, while that low pressure system currently over west TX/Mex is working its way north. By 00Z Sunday, models show that upper low only having moved into roughly the OK/TX panhandle area...with a little more spread through the overnight hours and into Sunday. How that upper low tracks NNE will drive precipitation chances for Sunday...some models track it off to our east, keeping the better chances also focused to our east...others track it more through our forecast area, which would give us better chances. At this point the forecast is trended more toward that eastern track, keeping the 30- 50 percent chances along/east of HWY 281...but we`ll see how things trend in upcoming model runs. Forecast high temperatures on Saturday are in the upper 80s-low 90s...with potentially breezy SSE winds as sfc low pressure/troughing deepens along the High Plains. Better cloud cover/precip potential for Sunday drops forecast highs back into the low-mid 80s for most of the area...with the breezy SSE winds returning. Next week... Upper level flow as we get into the new work week is show by current models to be southwesterly...as that western CONUS troughing remains, reinforced by another system moving inland. There will be the potential for periodic shortwave disturbances to get ejected out ahead of the main trough...keeping those intermittent storm chances in the forecast. Uncertainty increases later in the week with the pattern...some models show a return of more zonal flow as low pressure deepens over central Canada, others keep things more southwesterly. As far as temperatures go, models showing the potential for hotter conditions mainly in the Tue-Wed timeframe, with forecast highs on Wed currently in the mid 90s-low 100s. && .AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z SATURDAY/... Issued at 1230 PM CDT Fri Jun 5 2026 For KGRI/KEAR Airports: For this afternoon...satellite imagery showing a narrow swath of SCT-BKN low level stratus extending roughly along HWY 6. This looks to bring the potential for periods of MVFR ceilings, esp. at KEAR. This swath hasn`t shifted much through the first half of the day...so kept the mention of MVFR potential just at KEAR, but will be watching it closely it case it makes a better push north toward KGRI. Otherwise have VFR conditions through this period. Kept things dry...though through the evening hours there is some concern about ISO-SCT storms developing in the area, but confidence in the coverage being enough to impact the terminal areas is low enough that the mention was left out...another trend to monitor as the day passes. Winds look to remain generally east-southeasterly and on the lighter side through the period...not out of the question this evening-tonight winds are more variable in nature. && .GID WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NE...None. KS...None. && $$ DISCUSSION...ADP AVIATION...ADP