An arctic air mass plunges towards us next week

February 20, 2022 6:50 pm

Malcolm Byron,

Sunday was a great day for any outdoor activities across southeast Nebraska! Highs managed to make it into the mid to upper-60s for most, and the day was capped off with a gorgeous sunset.

You may have noticed some high clouds creating some filtered sunshine on Sunday afternoon. Clouds will continue to persist overnight and into Monday morning. We may see a few breaks in the clouds at some points, so we should be partly cloudy on average. It will be a mild night, with lows near 30° in Lincoln.

Although we may see a few peeks of sun on Monday, we’ll have our fair share of clouds. It will also turn noticeably windy on Monday afternoon and evening, signaling that a pattern change is near.

This change in pattern is towards a more frigid air mass, but there’s one problem. We’re watching an area of low pressure that will develop to our south, and that could sling some warm air our way on Monday. This will delay the arrival of the coldest air. We’re forecasting a high in the middle-40s, but both 50° and 30° highs won’t be too far away.

Depending on the track of the low pressure, we may end up warmer than or colder than the forecasted 45° in Lincoln. No matter how warm we get on Monday, take the coat with you anyways as cold air will be pouring into the area on Monday afternoon/evening.

Beyond Monday, it’s going to be downright cold. We’re forecasting highs in the teens Tuesday through Thursday. There is also the chance to see a few flakes.

The first opportunity is on Tuesday morning, where a few flurries are possible. I don’t think these will be too widespread, and the best chance to see them is in northern Nebraska. The second opportunity is on Thursday, where I believe there is a *slightly* better chance to see snow in Lincoln. Even then, we’ll still be battling dry air, so Thursday’s forecast is far from set in stone.