Bracing for blustery winds, extreme fire danger Tuesday before storms roll in

We’re waking up to quite a breeze across far southeast Nebraska already, keeping temperatures quite warm in the lower 70s as a warm front lifts north. Record highs today will likely be safe, but we’ll be within a few degrees of the record from the 1930s in Lincoln of 87°.

A blustery day today will lead to an extreme risk for fire danger across southern Nebraska Tuesday morning through Tuesday night, and a Red Flag Warning is in place.

More specifically, gusts will be up to 50 mph out of the south – if not locally a bit higher than that – throughout Tuesday and even overnight into early Wednesday.

It’ll be a prolonged period of wind gusts particularly strong across southeast Nebraska.

In the video below, Stormcast shows hour-by-hour the first touch of some wintry precipitation trying to mix in in northwest Nebraska Tuesday evening. That same forcing crosses the state for scattered showers and eventually a decent band of thunderstorms to set up across southeast Nebraska by Wednesday morning.

This round will start to move out around the evening commute Wednesday.

There is a very small risk for severe weather with whatever scattered storms try to develop overnight into early Wednesday. The severe risk below (Marginal) is valid through 7 a.m. Wednesday.

A few isolated gusts may be up to 60 mph as the main threat during that window.

The more significant window for some stronger storms across far southeast Nebraska will happen after about 10 a.m. Wednesday through the afternoon. There is a Marginal to Slight (Level 2 of 5) risk across southeast Nebraska for tomorrow.

All severe weather hazards will be possible with an isolated spin up or two possible, but mainly some hail and gusty winds.

Projected rainfall amounts look to be on the higher end especially across far southeast Nebraska. Half an inch for Lincoln may even be on the lower side, depending on where the band of thunderstorms sets up by late Wednesday morning into the afternoon.

And this isn’t our only chance of rain in the near future. We dry out and cool down for Halloween, but by this weekend into early next week, there’s chances each day.

Meteorologist Jessica Blum 
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