Records fall; Cooling off going in to the weekend

Just as advertised, records have been broken Thursday.  Temperatures soared in to the triple digits across all of southeast Nebraska.  Lincoln reached 102° as of 4 p.m., breaking the old record of 101° set in 1918.  As of 4 p.m., Grand Island and Hastings have tied their record high temperature for the date.

A cold front will slowly pass through the Channel 8 viewing area over the next 24 hours.  Behind the front, temperatures will be “cooler” Friday.  Highs will be in the lower to middle 90°s.  Along the front, temperatures will be in the upper 90°s to near 100°.  Ahead of the front, temperatures should climb in to the 100°s.

Friday afternoon will bring a chance for an isolated shower/thunderstorm.  I am not expecting any severe weather at this time.  Lawns will be thankful for a downpour, however if it does rain, shortly after it finishes it will turn very humid.

Temperatures will remain in the 90°s through the weekend, with Sunday being the warmest of the two days.  Highs should be in the middle 90°s with a chance for thunderstorms.

DROUGHT MONITOR

The latest Drought Monitor is out and news is not great for Nebraska.  Areas of Nebraska now classified as “moderate” has increased 37% from last week. Areas classified as “abnormally dry” has risen 25% from last week.

There are signs of rain returning to the area next week, however I am not convinced rain will be widespread.  Continue to water your lawn if you want to keep it green.

– Chief Meteorologist John Dissauer