Warm weather erased by winter once again

Highs in the upper 60s and 70s around the state, unfortunately, are not here to stay for long. Another winter storm is brewing that will track across the state late Wednesday night through the day on Thursday. Because of this, temperatures will continue to fall all day long. Morning temperatures will be near the lower 40s, and daytime highs will be near freezing.

As of Wednesday afternoon, purple-shaded counties are under a Winter Weather Advisory starting just after midnight. In these areas, less snow but strong winds up to 50 mph are possible through Thursday night. There are also Winter Storm Warnings (pink) through central and northeast Nebraska for more snow, blowing snow, and strong winds out of the north. Lincoln and Seward counties are not included.

Talking about the winds, we saw very strong winds on Wednesday. But, they were out of the south. That changes overnight as a stronger cold front pushes through and drags much colder air down from the north. Across Nebraska, almost everyone could see 40-50 mph gusts throughout all of Thursday.

As for the timing with this system, it starts west in the form of rain but pushes into central Nebraska overnight and quickly transitions to snow. Central and northeastern Nebraska see mostly snow, if not all snow, so heavier totals expected in these areas. For southeast Nebraska and Lincoln, Thursday morning brings rain. By the time we see the transition to snow, the system has almost moved out.

With new model guidance Wednesday afternoon, extreme southeast Nebraska could see locally higher amounts as a band of heavier snow develops in the later afternoon hours. We are continuing to monitor for the latest trends for this situation to play out.

This stronger system then pulls colder air to stay with us through the weekend, before warming up as spring starts next Monday.

Meteorologist Jessica Blum 
Twitter: JessicaBlumWx 
Facebook: JessicaBlumWx