058  
FXUS63 KGID 170621  
AFDGID  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE  
121 AM CDT THU SEP 17 2026  
   
KEY MESSAGES  
 
- WIDESPREAD FOG HAS ALREADY DEVELOPED ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA  
EARLY THIS MORNING. SOME LOCATIONS ARE ALREADY AT/NEAR  
1/2-1/4, A TREND THAT IS EXPECTED TO SPREAD OVER THE COMING  
HOURS. A DENSE FOG ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT THROUGH 10AM.  
 
- HOW QUICKLY FOG AND ANY LOW CLOUDS DIMINISH TODAY WILL DRIVE  
HOW HIGH TEMPERATURES DO...IF THINGS LINGER LONGER INTO THE  
DAY THAN CURRENTLY EXPECTED, COULD MESS WITH  
HIGHS...ESPECIALLY FOR NNERN AREAS. CURRENT FORECAST HAS  
HIGHS IN THE MID 70S NORTH TO LOW 90S SOUTH.  
 
- CHANCES FOR STORMS RETURNS THIS EVENING/TONIGHT, WITH BETTER  
CHANCES BEING FOCUSED MAINLY OFF TO OUR NNW. AN UNSETTLED  
WEATHER PATTERN KEEPS STORM CHANCES AROUND THROUGH THE  
WEEKEND.  
 
- HIGH TEMPERATURES PEAK ON FRIDAY WITH WIDESPREAD 80S-90S  
CURRENTLY FORECAST...FALLING BACK INTO THE 60S-70S BY SUNDAY.  
 
 
   
UPDATE  
 
ISSUED AT 116 AM CDT THU SEP 17 2026  
 
CURRENTLY...  
 
WEST-SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW REMAINS IN PLACE ACROSS THE AREA  
TONIGHT...WITH UPPER AIR AND SATELLITE DATA SHOWING HIGH  
PRESSURE ANCHORED OVER THE GULF COAST REGION, BROAD/WEAK  
TROUGHING OVER CENTRAL/EASTERN CANADA, WITH THE MAIN AREA OF LOW  
PRESSURE SPINNING OVER NORTHERN CA. SUBTLE FORCING SPARKING OF  
SOME ISOLATED/SCATTERED SHOWERS/STORMS AROUND THE AREA...WITH  
MODELS SHOWING POTENTIAL FOR ACTIVITY OVER PORTIONS OF OUR  
FORECAST AREA AS WE FURTHER INTO THE EARLY MORNING HOURS.  
LOOKING AT THE SURFACE, THE PATTERN ACROSS THE AREA REMAINS A  
WEAK ONE...WITH A STALLED OUT FRONTAL BOUNDARY DRAPED EAST  
THROUGH CENTRAL KS. WINDS ACROSS OUR FORECAST AREA REMAIN  
LIGHT/VARIABLE. ALONG WITH PRECIPITATION CHANCES THE REST OF  
TONIGHT...POTENTIAL FOR DENSE FOG IS ALSO A CONCERN, WITH A FEW  
LOCATIONS HAVING ALREADY DIPPED DOWN TO/NEAR 1/4 OF A MILE. A  
DENSE FOG ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT THROUGH 10AM FOR THE ENTIRE  
FORECAST AREA.  
 
TODAY AND TONIGHT...  
 
MODELS ARE IN GOOD AGREEMENT SHOWING LITTLE OVERALL CHANGE IN  
THE UPPER LEVEL PATTERN THROUGH THIS SHORT TERM  
PERIOD...REMAINING SOUTHWESTERLY AS THAT WEST COAST LOW/TROUGH  
STARTS INCHING ITS WAY EAST. MAIN QUESTION MARKS FOR THE DAYTIME  
HOURS WILL BE DRIVEN BY THINGS HAPPENING BEFORE THE SUN COMES  
UP...PRECIPITATION CHANCES AND THE FOG.  
 
AS FAR AS PRECIPITATION CHANCES GO...EXPECTING THAT ISOLATED-  
SCATTERED ACTIVITY TO DEVELOP OVER THE COMING HOURS...GRADUALLY  
LIFTING NE AND DIMINISHING WITH TIME...BUT THERE ARE  
UNCERTAINTIES WITH THE TIMING OF IT EXITING THE AREA. MANY OF  
THE HI-RES MODELS HAVE LITTLE GOING ON THROUGH THE AFTERNOON  
HOURS. MODELS SHOWING A STRONGER SHORTWAVE DISTURBANCE WORKING  
ONTO THE PLAINS THIS EVENING/TONIGHT...BUT CONTINUE TO LARGELY  
KEEP THE BEST CHANCES FOR STORMS OFF TO THE NNW OF THE FORECAST  
AREA. HAVE SOME 20-40 PERCENT CHANCES CLIPPING WESTERN AND  
NORTHERN PORTIONS OF THE AREA THIS EVENING/TONIGHT...DRY FURTHER  
SOUTH.  
 
AS FOR THE FOG AND ANY LINGERING STRATUS...MAIN CONCERN HERE AS  
WELL LIES WITH THE TIMING OF IMPROVING CONDITIONS THIS  
MORNING. DENSE FOG ADVISORY CURRENTLY RUNS THROUGH 10AM...BUT  
SOME GUIDANCE SUGGESTS A SMALL AREA COULD BE SLOW TO DIMINISH  
AND HANG AROUND CLOSER TO MIDDAY. FORECAST HIGHS ARE TRENDED  
TOWARD THINGS IMPROVING BY MIDDAY-EARLY AFTERNOON, ALLOWING FOR  
THE CHANCE TO WARM UP, ESPECIALLY ACROSS NORTHERN  
AREAS...SITTING IN THE MID 70S NORTH TO LOW 90S SOUTH WHICH  
SHOULD CLEAR OUT MUCH EARLIER. THE LONGER ANY OF THAT  
FOG/STRATUS STICKS AROUND, THE LESS TIME TEMPS WILL HAVE TO  
RECOVER...NOT OUT OF THE QUESTION THAT MID 70S WOULD BE TOUGH TO  
REACH IF IT LINGERS LONGER.  
 
FRIDAY ON...  
 
THE CONTINUED UNSETTLED PATTERN KEEPS STORM CHANCES IN THE  
FORECAST THROUGH THE UPCOMING WEEKEND. MODELS REMAIN IN PRETTY  
GOOD AGREEMENT LOOKING AT THE BIG PICTURE AND THE EVOLUTION OF  
THAT UPPER LEVEL CURRENTLY OVER THE WEST COAST. BY FRIDAY  
EVENING, MODELS SHOWING THE CENTRAL OF THE LOW ROUGHLY IN THE  
OR/ID/NV BORDER AREA...WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR A SHORTWAVE  
DISTURBANCE EJECTED OUT AHEAD OF THE MAIN TROUGHING TO SWING  
THROUGH THE PLAINS THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT. AN ACCOMPANYING SURFACE  
FRONTAL BOUNDARY WILL BE WORKING ITS WAY SOUTH INTO THE  
AREA...BUT UNCERTAINTIES LINGER WITH JUST HOW FAR IT PROGRESSES.  
THE DAYTIME HOURS ON FRIDAY ARE CURRENTLY DRY, WITH AT LEAST  
SCATTERED STORMS POSSIBLE DURING THE EVENING/OVERNIGHT HOURS  
ALONG THAT BOUNDARY. NOT OUT OF THE QUESTION SOME COULD BE  
STRONG- SEVERE, WITH WARMER TEMPS CLIMBING WELL INTO THE 80S-90S  
AND BETTER INSTABILITY DEVELOPING...BUT CURRENT SPC DAY 2  
MARGINAL RISK AREAS ARE MAINLY FOCUSED JUST OUT SIDE THE  
FORECAST AREA.  
 
THIS WEEKEND...THAT UPPER LOW/TROUGH CONTINUES INCHING  
EAST...AND IF ANYTHING, COMPARED TO 24HRS AGO, MODELS HAVE  
SLOWED A TOUCH. 24HRS AGO MODELS WERE SHOWING ITS MAIN PASSAGE  
COMING MAINLY LATE SAT NIGHT-SUN...RECENT RUNS ARE MORE IN THE  
SUN NIGHT-MON AM TIME FRAME...SO OBVIOUSLY PLENTY OF DETAILS YET  
TO FIGURE OUT. HIGHEST PRECIP CHANCES ARE CURRENTLY FOCUSED IN  
THE 00Z SUNDAY-12Z MONDAY TIME FRAME. FIRST PART OF NEXT WORK  
WEEK LOOKING DRIER...BUT CONFIDENCE ISN'T OVERLY HIGH AT THIS  
POINT WITH SO MANY OTHER THINGS TO IRON OUT BEFORE THEN.  
 
AS FAR AS TEMPERATURES IN THE MID-LONG TERM...FRIDAY IS THE  
OVERALL WARMEST DAY IN THE 80S-90S. EXPECTING MORE 70S-80S FOR  
SATURDAY, THEN DROPPING INTO THE 60S-70S FOR SUNDAY THROUGH  
TUESDAY.  
 
 
   
DISCUSSION  
 
ISSUED AT 245 PM CDT WED SEP 16 2026  
 
BRIEF SYNOPSIS...  
 
HIGHER PRESSURE ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST U.S. WITH A CUTOFF LOW CENTERED  
ACROSS NORTHERN CALIFORNIA AND SOUTHWEST OREGON TODAY, KEEPS THE  
CENTRAL PLAINS REGION UNDERNEATH SOUTHWEST FLOW. THIS PATTERN TENDS  
TO BE FAIRLY UNSTABLE AS IT ONLY TAKES A WEAK EMBEDDED SHORTWAVE  
DISTURBANCE TO INITIATE SCATTERED SHOWERS OR THUNDERSTORMS (LOWER  
THAN USUAL SHORT-TERM FORECAST CONFIDENCE). THE BETTER FORCING FOR  
WIDESPREAD PRECIPITATION WILL COME OVER THE WEEKEND WHEN THE CUTOFF  
LOW WEAKENS BACK TO A BROAD TROUGH AND TAKES A RUN AT THE CENTRAL  
U.S. OVERALL, HIGH TEMPERATURES WILL BE ON TRACK TO PEAK FOR THE  
WEEK ON FRIDAY (MID 80S TO LOW 90S) BEFORE EMBRACING THE 70S FOR  
MUCH OF THE START OF NEXT WEEK.  
 
TONIGHT...  
 
LOW-LEVEL STRATUS CONTINUES TO LOOM ACROSS THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON,  
HELPING TO KEEP HIGHS FROM ESCAPING THE 70S. THOUGH A FEW POCKETS OF  
DRIZZLE OR LIGHT RAIN CAN'T BE RULED OUT TONIGHT (20-50% CHANCE),  
THE LATEST MODELS HAVE SEEMED TO BACK OFF SOME WITH THE  
PRECIPITATION POTENTIAL (10-30% HREF PROBS). IN ALL, THE BEST TIME  
WINDOW FOR ANY COVERAGE OF SCATTERED LIGHT RAIN SHOWERS WILL MAINLY  
OCCUR BETWEEN THE 1-9AM TIME RANGE. ACCUMULATIONS WILL BE MINIMAL  
(<0.25") WITH MOST AREAS ONLY RECEIVING A TRACE TO A FEW THOUSANDTHS  
OF AN INCH OF PRECIP. THE OTHER MAIN WEATHER CONCERN TONIGHT WOULD  
BE FOR THE POSSIBILITY OF DENSE FOG. VIRTUALLY ALL HREF MEMBERS  
(80%) INCLUDING THE RRFS, POINT TOWARDS A WIDESPREAD COVERAGE OF  
DENSE FOG TONIGHT. GIVEN THE WEAK EASTERLY SURFACE WINDS (UPSLOPE  
FLOW) WITH HIGH MOISTURE CONCENTRATIONS (60S DEWPOINTS), THE  
POTENTIAL FOR FOG DEVELOPMENT APPEARS ALMOST CERTAIN. IN ADDITION,  
FORECAST LOWS ARE PROJECTED TO REACH THE 60S (APPROACHING DEWPOINTS),  
A HIGH INDICATOR FOR CONDENSATION OR FOG.  
 
THURSDAY & BEYOND...  
 
TEMPERATURES WILL GRADUALLY RISE A THROUGH FRIDAY (MID 80S TO LOW  
90S HIGHS) AS CLEARING SKIES COUPLE WITH SOUTHERLY WARM AIR  
ADVECTING WINDS ONCE MORE. THIS HEAT WILL LIKELY REMAIN SHORT-LIVED  
AS A COLD FRONTAL PASSAGE OVERNIGHT FRIDAY FLIPS THE WINDS NORTH  
AGAIN, DRAGGING IN A COOLER AND DRIER AIRMASS. HIGHS ON THE  
OTHER SIDE LOOK TO RETURN TO THE 70S TO MID 80S SATURDAY AND THE  
UPPER 60S AND 70S SUNDAY THROUGH TUESDAY.  
 
THE NEXT BEST CHANCE FOR PRECIPITATION (20-50%) LIES OVERNIGHT  
FRIDAY WITH THE COMING OF THE COLD FRONT (AND THE UPPER-LEVEL  
TROUGH/DISTURBANCE ALOFT). THE MAIN UNCERTAINTY AT THE MOMENT WOULD BE  
FOR HOW FAR SOUTH AND WEST THUNDERSTORMS ARE ABLE TO FORM. THE  
LATEST HIGH-RESOLUTION MODELS/CAMS PAINT MUCH OF NORTHEAST NEBRASKA  
TO BE UNDER SIEGE FROM THESE STORMS WITH A FEW INITIALIZING ACROSS  
CENTRAL NEBRASKA. CONDITIONS WISE, THE INSTABILITY AXIS (THE MOST  
COMMON PATH FOR STORMS TO FOLLOW ... WHERE CAPE >2,000J/KG) IS  
MODELED TO SET UP JUST NORTHEAST OF THE TRI-CITIES. THE FACTORS  
THAT, HOWEVER, KEEP CONFIDENCE FOR SEVERE CONVECTION LOW FOR NOW  
WOULD BE FROM MINIMAL SHEAR (20-30KTS) AND DEGRADING LAPSE RATES  
OVERNIGHT THAT COULD THWART OVERALL STORM INTENSITY. IN CASE OF AN  
EARLIER ARRIVAL OF STORMS FRIDAY EVENING INSTEAD OF NIGHT (SLIGHTLY  
MORE SEVERE CONDUCING INGREDIENTS), THE SPC INCLUDES THE SOUTHEAST  
2/3RD OF THE AREA UNDER A MARGINAL RISK (LEVEL 1 OF 5) FOR SEVERE  
WEATHER. SCATTERED STORMS CHANCE RETURN SATURDAY AND SUNDAY.  
 
LOOKING WELL BEYOND FOR THE END OF WEEK FORECAST NEXT WEEK, HIGHS MAY  
BE POSSIBLE TO WARM BACK UP A FEW DEGREES. CLUSTER ANALYSIS BEGINS TO  
DIVERGE BETWEEN THE NEXT WEDNESDAY TO NEXT SATURDAY TIMEFRAME AS  
THE ENSEMBLES START TO SHOW MORE VARIANCE (SPREAD OF POSSIBILITIES).  
THE LEADING CLUSTER, EXPLAINING AROUND 40% OF THE VARIANCE, FAVORS  
BROAD RIDGING IN THE CENTRAL U.S. THIS PATTERN WOULD SUPPORT THE  
WARMER TEMPERATURES AND POSSIBLY A LESS FREQUENCY OF PRECIPITATION  
CHANCES.  
 
 
   
AVIATION /06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z FRIDAY/  
 
ISSUED AT 1122 PM CDT WED SEP 16 2026  
 
FOR KGRI/KEAR AIRPORTS:  
 
LIFR STRATUS AND FOG WILL PERSIST ACROSS CENTRAL NEBRASKA  
THROUGH THE MORNING HOURS AS WINDS REMAIN ALMOST COMPLETELY  
CALM.  
 
VISIBILITY WILL START TO IMPROVE AFTER SUNRISE, BUT SOME  
RESTRICTED VISIBILITY COULD PERSIST THROUGH MIDDAY ALONG THE  
PLATTE RIVER VALLEY. STRATUS IS EXPECTED TO FINALLY SCATTER OUT  
IN THE MID AFTERNOON (20-22Z).  
 
EAST TO SOUTHEAST WINDS ARE EXPECTED THURSDAY. LLWS IS POSSIBLE  
THURSDAY NIGHT, BUT THIS IS LIKELY TO BEGIN VERY NEAR OR JUST  
AFTER THE END OF THIS TAF WINDOW. GIVEN THE ONGOING FOG  
CONCERNS, THIS WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THIS TAF ISSUANCE.  
 
 
   
GID WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
NE...DENSE FOG ADVISORY UNTIL 10 AM CDT THIS MORNING FOR NEZ039>041-  
046>049-060>064-072>077-082>087.  
KS...DENSE FOG ADVISORY UNTIL 10 AM CDT THIS MORNING FOR KSZ005>007-  
017>019.  
 
 
 
 
 
UPDATE...ADP  
DISCUSSION...STUMP  
AVIATION...MANGELS  
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