Spotty afternoon showers while warming this seasonal Wednesday

As we turn to a quieter weather pattern to end this week, fall colors are starting to show up a bit more in the Panhandle.

Much of the state is still observing little to no fall color, but out west there are more patchy areas of the fall foliage turning color at this point in later September.

This Wednesday will feature seasonal temperatures with more sunshine. We’re typically in the upper 70s for September 24th in Lincoln, and we’ll be right there today.

High temperatures will be in the 70s for just about everybody.

While a spot afternoon shower can’t be ruled out with some cumulus clouds popping up after about noon, most will be dry during this midpoint of the week.

Beyond today, temperatures warm back to the lower and middle 80s to end the week.

Slightly warmer than average temperatures in the low to middle 80s will be common through the end of September.

And as you can see in the 10-day forecast above, there are no signs of overnight lows dropping anywhere near a first fall frost or freeze.

Typically, our first fall frost (air temperatures dropping to 33-36° overnight with light winds) falls somewhere around the first week of October. Dry air and winds closer to 10 mph+ overnight can keep a frost from happening.

Temperatures dropping between 38-42° overnight though can also lead to a patchy frost.

Our first freeze (32° or colder) comes by the second week of October on average in southeast Nebraska. A freeze will damage any unprotected plants, especially if the temperature is at or below freezing for several hours.

And the first hard freeze (28° or colder) by about the third week of October.

Most seasonal vegetation by this point is destroyed, and there is a possibility of damage to unprotected outdoor plumbing, undrained sprinkler/irrigation systems when temperatures get this cold with a hard freeze.

Meteorologist Jessica Blum 
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