Storms possible into the weekend, best chances Saturday

From Thursday afternoon, the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services along with the Department of Environment and Energy issued an Air Quality Alert through Friday night. The Air Quality Index (AQI) is expected to increase to the “moderate” and “unhealthy for sensitive groups” categories throughout the day, as more smoke/ozone mix down to the surface. It’ll be very low concentrations compared to what we’ve been witnessing in the Northeast.

Overall, more sunshine expected to close out our work week. Temperatures will be similar to Thursday, much cooler than where we’ve been in recent memory. Dew points will be very moderate today, making the afternoon a pleasant one.

With a stationed frontal boundary still to the west, storms will first be seen around that area in central Nebraska. Even north central Nebraska expecting some as a disturbance is developing through South Dakota. Best chances will stay to our west, but we do have the chance to see some rain into Friday evening, so crossing fingers again for any drops to fall at this point.

The best chances in the near future will be Saturday. The signals have been stronger for some time that widespread rain will come to the area throughout the day, especially through the second half. Storms are not expected to be severe on either Friday or Saturday, but as we’ve seen, it wouldn’t be out of the question for one or two to intensify to borderline severe thresholds for a time.

Again, best chances look to come by the second part of Saturday, with chances continuing into early Sunday. Some models bring as much as 1.5″ to the area, with tons of moisture for these storms to tap into for the day.

It’ll be much cooler by Sunday, with highs only in the upper 70s. That’s the first time I can tell you we’ve got a great chance at temperatures actually BELOW normal. It’ll be a great weekend for all, whether you’re hoping for rain or fantastic weather in the 70s.

Then, next week will start on a quiet note before more activity ramps up by the middle of the week, and the middle of June.

Meteorologist Jessica Blum 
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