Weather pattern turning more unsettled for the weekend

After a brief cooldown on Thursday, the mercury will climb back into the 70s to close out the workweek. Our next disturbance is lurking off to the west, and it will throw a lot more cloud cover our way for Friday. We cannot completely rule out a late afternoon sprinkle or evening shower. Chances of seeing those are fairly low.

We’ll continue to see our fair share of clouds on Friday night. The combination of clouds and the approaching storm system will result in very mild overnight lows. Low temperatures should be in the upper-40s to low-50s across southeast Nebraska. The chance of rain starts to increase on Saturday morning.

Saturday Rain/Storm Chance

We expect a few isolated showers to develop and move northeast on Saturday morning. No severe weather is anticipated with this round of showers.

As the day wears on, temperatures may rise enough to “pop the lid” on the atmosphere and produce a few thunderstorms. These storms will likely develop around or slightly before lunchtime.

A few stronger storms on Saturday afternoon are possible. The main concern would be damaging winds, but a few reports of large hail or an isolated tornado can’t be ruled out.

There is a chance that the afternoon storms either develop over Lincoln or slightly to the east. In that scenario, these storms may not have enough time to strengthen to severe standards (60 mph+ winds, 1″+ hail, or a tornado) in Lincoln. That’s why the best chance for severe weather resides to our east in Iowa.

The overall environment does not resemble what we saw with the windstorm on December 15th.

Cooler Pattern Arrives on Sunday

At least for the first part of Saturday, it will be very warm in southeast Nebraska. High temperatures should reach the upper-60s, with a few low-70s possible. You’ll likely notice some humidity as well. After any storms pass, temperatures turn much colder for the second half of the weekend. In fact, highs on Saturday will not be nearly as warm to our west, a sign of what’s coming our way.

As the colder air rolls in, a snow shower or wintry mix is possible on Saturday evening before things completely dry out overnight Saturday.

Sunday will be a much cooler day, with highs stuck in the upper-30s to low-40s. In fact, a few snow showers are possible late Sunday and into Monday. The overall chance is low, I’m more inclined to think that the bulk of any snowfall will be to the southeast of Lincoln. Accumulations, if any, will be light.

We’ll continue to adjust the forecast accordingly as new information comes in. Chief Meteorologist John Dissauer will have updates throughout the day on Friday at 5,6, and 10 on Channel 8 News.

Meteorologist Malcolm Byron

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