Cold, then messy with mixed precipitation possible Friday

Anytime winds are light in the morning hours, we’re grateful. That is the case early Thursday as east and northeast winds remain around 10 mph or less.

Wind chills will be in the single, positive digits again through the mid-morning, but we know it could be a lot worse with more wind. In fact, Duluth, Minnesota, had a wind chill of almost 40 below early this morning!

Thursday will be the coldest day of the week with afternoon temperatures warming to only the upper 20s. Then, we’re preparing for more of a potential mess on Friday.

Precipitation chances do not increase until the afternoon, though precipitation type will be mixed at times.

As temperatures are warming around/just above freezing in the afternoon, we have more of a chance to see some light drizzle first.

Toward the evening commute and later, there’s more of a chance for freezing drizzle and impactful weather around I-80 and Lincoln northward. Then as more warm air moves in from the south, temperatures overnight warm and we’ll transition to rain.

Stormcast below shows the coverage in potential freezing rain spreading out across southeast Nebraska by the evening commute and especially between about 7-10 p.m. Friday. Be very careful as there could easily be icing on surfaces below freezing, including roadways.

Late Friday into early Saturday as we transition to rain, we may even hear a rumble of thunder or two with enough energy in this system. This system will wind down and move east by Saturday afternoon.

Total ice accumulation could be up to a few hundredths for most. Those just north/west of Lincoln (Seward, Columbus, David City areas) could be looking at up to a tenth of an inch of ice. That could come from temperatures dropping below freezing once more Saturday morning.

A little snow may come for areas in central and northeast Nebraska, but it isn’t expected to be more than half an inch.

The second half of the weekend trends a lot warmer, with anticipated highs on Sunday closer to the lower 50s.

Meteorologist Jessica Blum 
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