Ups and downs ahead; Arctic air intrusion arrives next week

We’ve got ups and downs in the temperature department starting this weekend and continuing through next week.

A cold front moving through Nebraska Friday night will send temperatures going down for Saturday.  It starts Saturday morning as Nebraskans will wake to temperatures in the teens.  Factor in the wind and wind chills will range from 0° to 10°.

Saturday afternoon will look fantastic through the window, and in reality, it will not be “that” cold.  It will just feel a lot colder than Friday’s 60°s.  Under sunny skies, temperatures will range from the upper 30°s to 50°.  Coldest temperatures will be found along the Iowa/Nebraska state line.  Warmest temperatures will be found around Grand Island and Hastings.  Lincoln should be able to rebound to the middle 40°s by afternoon.

Southeast Nebraska starts to move back up for Sunday.  In fact, the second half of the weekend should be the best day for the rest of February.  Temperatures will climb back to the middle and upper 60°s under mostly sunny skies.  The other bonus, you should not hear the terms “breezy” or “windy” when it comes to Sunday.

ARCTIC AIR INTRUSION

Blasts of cold air have been missing from the month of February this year.  Last year, we had a long stretch of consecutive days below freezing, including temperatures dropping to -31°.  This February includes four days reaching 60°.

Medium and long range computer models are starting to come in to agreement on a blast of Arctic air moving out of Canada and in to the central Plains next week.  Temperatures may struggle to get out of the teens is many Nebraska cities Tuesday through Thursday.

We are monitoring the *potential* for a winter storm developing late next week.  One long range computer model has been hinting at upper-level energy coming out of the southwest United States middle of next week.  This has the potential of bringing snows to Nebraska.

At the same time, other long range data suggests storm development happening much further south, leaving Nebraska with not much of anything.

I am leaving precipitation out of the forecast for the end of next week at this time.  Computer models have been suggesting snow storms developing six to eight days out all winter long.  Have you noticed how much snow has fallen?  3.7″ officially in Lincoln this winter.  Needless to say, many of these storm have either not materialized or they have remained further south.  I’m more in the camp of keeping the storm track further south at this time.

Again, we are monitoring it and will adjust the forecast as needed over the weekend and next week.  Stay tuned!

– Chief Meteorologist John Dissauer