Warmest air in nearly two years; Thunderstorms possible Friday morning

Another 90° day in the books. Lincoln reached 94° Wednesday afternoon.  That ties for the warmest temperature so far this year.  We will best that mark by a few more degrees Thursday afternoon.

We are definitely in a “Summer Sizzle” pattern.  That means we are not going to cool off much overnight, even with clear skies.  Lows will only be around 70°.

Mostly sunny skies coming for southeast Nebraska Thursday.  This will send temperatures soaring in to the middle/upper 90°s.  I am forecasting a high of 97° in Lincoln.  Likely the warmest temperature since September 5, 2020 – just over 9 months.

It isn’t just the heat that will be high tomorrow.  We’ll start the day with dew point temperatures in the upper 60°s, making it feel “muggly” (muggy + ugly).  While the dew point will drop through the day, it will still remain above 60° making it feel uncomfortable.  Factor in the air temperature with the dew point and the heat index will peak 98° to 102° around the area.

A cold front is projected to move through the state late Thursday night and Friday.  Ahead and along the front showers and thunderstorms will be possible.  Computer models are suggesting a line of thunderstorms could dive southeast through the state early Friday morning.  At this distance, it looks like the best chance for this will be between 4 a.m. and 9 a.m.

The Storm Prediction Center has portions of the state in a “Slight Risk” for severe thunderstorms through 7 a.m. Friday. The main threat appears to be damaging winds, if the line of thunderstorms develops. Stay tuned!

– Chief Meteorologist John Dissauer