Sunshine today leads to severe thunderstorms Tuesday evening

A fair amount of sunshine will be possible through the morning and afternoon in southeast Nebraska.  Combined with a front stalled through the state, thunderstorms are expected to develop Tuesday afternoon and in to Tuesday night.

Temperatures will climb in to the upper 70°s and lower 80°s for the afternoon.

The area should remain dry for much of the “daytime” hours.  However, once we get to 5 p.m. or later, all bets are off.

Initially, isolated thunderstorms should begin to “pop” and increase in intensity quickly.  These storms will have the capability of producing very large hail (1.5″ diameter or larger), damaging winds, and an isolated tornado.

The best chance for storms producing the very large hail and isolated tornadoes will be in central Nebraska.  That being said, southeast Nebraska is not immune from storms.

As we move in to the evening, the storms will become more organized.  High-resolution computer models suggest they could congeal in to a line of thunderstorms moving south/southeast through the state.  The later in to the night we go, the threat for a tornado decreases, but large hail and damaging winds remain in place.

Thunderstorms will remain in southeast Nebraska after midnight but should be out of the area by 2 a.m. to 3 a.m.

If you have plans for Tuesday evening, be sure to keep an eye on the weather, especially after 4 p.m./5 p.m.  Meteorologist Malcolm Byron will have updates through the afternoon and evening on Channel 8 News.

– Chief Meteorologist John Dissauer