Warm and windy on Wednesday, followed by strong cold front

Temperatures were a lot milder on Wednesday morning, and the very mild air sticks around into the afternoon. Middle and upper-60s will be likely for highs across the area. A few spots might also be successful in reaching the 70° mark.

We expect a few waves of clouds to pass through on Wednesday, producing a mixture of sun and clouds. While Wednesday remains warm and dry, the wind continues to be a factor. Wind speeds during the afternoon will rise into the ballpark of 20-30 mph, with gusts nearing 40-45 mph.

A STRONG COLD FRONT ARRIVES

Unfortunately, the 60s will not last for long. A cold front will pass through southeast Nebraska on Thursday morning, meaning that the high temperature for Thursday will likely occur at midnight. By Thursday afternoon, temperatures will be in the 30s.

This front will also bring precipitation along with it. The precipitation will get underway in western Nebraska on Wednesday night and progress eastward overnight and into Thursday morning. As this happens, colder air will be moving into the state, allowing things to change over to snow fairly quickly in central Nebraska.

Everything should start in the form of rain on Thursday morning in southeast Nebraska, eventually transitioning over to a wintry mix and/or snow.

As this transition happens for areas closer to Lincoln, we’ll be pretty close to the tail end of the precipitation. We’re forecasting relatively light snow totals as a result in southeast Nebraska. However, areas closer to central and northeast Nebraska could see several inches.

Although snow totals may end up on the lower end of things in Lincoln, we’ll still see plenty of moisture in the form of rain. Many versions of Stormcast have suggested that 0.25″-0.5″ of precipitation could be possible.

Meteorologist Malcolm Byron

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