773  
FXUS63 KGID 201034  
AFDGID  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE  
434 AM CST WED NOV 20 2024  
   
KEY MESSAGES  
 
KEY MESSAGES  
 
- A RED FLAG WARNING IS IN EFFECT FROM 12PM TO 6PM TODAY ACROSS  
SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA DUE TO GUSTY WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY.  
 
- STRONG NORTHWESTERLY WINDS TODAY WITH GUSTS OF 30-40MPH. GUSTS OF  
40-50MPH ARE POSSIBLE NORTH OF I-80, HIGHEST IN VALLEY/GREELEY  
COUNTIES.  
 
-DRY WEATHER EXPECTED THROUGH THE WEEKEND WITH HIGHS IN THE 40S AND  
50S.  
 
 
   
DISCUSSION  
 
ISSUED AT 413 AM CST WED NOV 20 2024  
 
TODAY...  
 
TEMPERATURES THIS MORNING WILL START OUT IN THE UPPER 20S TO LOW  
30S. NORTHWEST WINDS GUSTING 25 TO 30 MPH WILL ALLOW WIND CHILL  
VALUES TO SINK INTO THE TEENS ACROSS THE AREA, MAKING FOR A COLD  
START TO THE DAY.  
 
A TROUGH CURRENTLY SITS OVER THE EASTERN DAKOTAS, WITH AN OCCLUDED  
SURFACE LOW OVER NORTHWESTERN MINNESOTA/SOUTHEASTERN MANITOBA. THE  
TROUGH AND SURFACE LOW WILL GRADUALLY SLIDE SOUTHEAST DURING THE DAY  
TODAY, WITH A TIGHTENING PRESSURE GRADIENT ACROSS THE AREA. THIS  
TIGHTENING PRESSURE GRADIENT WILL BRING GUSTY WINDS TO THE FORECAST  
AREA TODAY. WINDS WILL STEADILY INCREASE THROUGHOUT THE MORNING.  
WITH SUSTAINED WINDS OF 20 TO 30 MPH BY THE LATE MORNING HOURS.  
GUSTS OF 30 TO 40 ARE EXPECTED ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA, WITH GUSTS  
OF 40-50MPH POSSIBLE NORTH OF I-80. THE STRONGEST WINDS WILL BE  
ACROSS NORTHERN VALLEY/GREELEY COUNTIES, WHERE THEY LOOK TO FALL  
JUST SHY OF HIGH WIND WARNING CRITERIA.  
 
AFTERNOON RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES WILL FALL BELOW 30% ACROSS THE  
FORECAST AREA, AND BELOW 20% ACROSS WESTERN PORTIONS OF THE AREA. IN  
COLLABORATION WITH NEIGHBORING OFFICES, A RED FLAG WARNING WAS  
ISSUED FOR ALL OF OUR NEBRASKA COUNTIES DUE TO THE STRONG WINDS AND  
LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY. THE BIGGEST UNCERTAINTY IN REGARDS TO TODAY'S  
FIRE WEATHER CONCERNS IS THE IMPACT OF MONDAY'S RAINFALL, WHERE MOST  
OF THE FORECAST AREA RECEIVED 0.5-1.5" OF RAIN. IT IS PLAUSIBLE THAT  
THIS WILL KEEP FINE FUELS MORE MOIST THAN A "TYPICAL" RED FLAG DAY.  
HOWEVER IT IS ALSO PLAUSIBLE THAT THE GUSTY WINDS COULD DRY THE  
FUELS ENOUGH TO ALLOW FOR RAPID FIRE GROWTH. GIVEN THE STRENGTH OF  
THE WINDS AND THE OVERALL DRY VEGETATION, HAVE OPTED TO GO FOR A  
RFW. A RFW WAS NOT CONSIDERED FOR NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS AS WINDS WILL  
BE LIGHTER ACROSS THAT AREA. THE OVERALL HIGHEST FIRE WEATHER  
CONCERNS LOOK TO BE ACROSS WESTERN DAWSON, GOSPER AND FURNAS  
COUNTIES AS THEY RECEIVED THE LEAST RAINFALL AND WILL EXPERIENCE THE  
LOWEST RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES.  
 
THURSDAY...  
 
THE UPPER LEVEL LOW WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE OVER THE GREAT LAKES AND  
DEEPEN, PLACING THE AREA SOLIDLY UNDER NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT. ANOTHER  
COLD START TO THE DAY IS EXPECTED ON THURSDAY, WITH TEMPERATURES IN  
THE 20S AND WIND CHILLS IN THE TEENS. NORTHWESTERN PORTIONS OF THE  
AREA MAY EVEN SEE WIND CHILL VALUES DIP INTO THE SINGLE DIGITS.  
WINDS WILL BE LIGHTER ON THURSDAY, WITH GUSTS GENERALLY REMAINING  
BELOW 20 MPH. HIGHS ON THURSDAY WILL RANGE FROM THE LOW 40S  
(NORTHEAST) TO THE LOW 50S (SOUTHWEST).  
 
FRIDAY THROUGH SUNDAY...  
 
RIDGING WILL BUILD OVER THE AREA ON FRIDAY AND SATURDAY AS TROUGHING  
PERSISTS OVER THE EASTERN UNITED STATES. HIGHS WILL CLIMB INTO THE  
UPPER 40S TO MID 50S, WITH LOWS IN THE 20S AND 30S. WINDS WILL  
REMAIN LIGHT, RESULTING IN FAIRLY PLEASANT WEATHER FOR THOSE WITH  
OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES.  
 
A SHORTWAVE TROUGH WILL MOVE INTO THE AREA ON SUNDAY, BREAKING DOWN  
THE RIDGE AND BRINGING A COLD FRONT TO THE AREA. DRY WEATHER IS  
EXPECTED THROUGH THE WEEKEND.  
 
NEXT WEEK...  
 
MODELS BEGIN TO DIVERGE AS WE GET INTO NEXT WEEK AS MODELS DISAGREE  
ON THE TIMING AND STRENGTH OF SHORTWAVE TROUGHS WITHIN THE WEAKLY  
ZONAL FLOW ALOFT. OVERALL, COOLER WEATHER IS EXPECTED WITH HIGHS IN  
THE UPPER 30S TO MID 40S. MORE ACTIVE WEATHER OVERALL IS EXPECTED,  
THOUGH THE TIMING OF ANY PRECIPITATION REMAINS UNCERTAIN.  
 
 
   
AVIATION /12Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z THURSDAY/  
 
ISSUED AT 1137 PM CST TUE NOV 19 2024  
 
FOR KGRI/KEAR AIRPORTS:  
 
VFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED THROUGH TAF PERIOD. LLWS WILL DEVELOP  
OVER THE NEXT FEW HOURS, CONTINUING THROUGH THE MID MORNING  
HOURS. WEST-NORTHWEST WINDS WILL GRADUALLY INCREASE TO AROUND  
15KTS BY SUNRISE WITH GUSTS AROUND 25KTS. AFTER SUNRISE, WINDS  
WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE, WITH SUSTAINED WINDS AROUND 25KTS AND  
GUSTS AROUND 35KTS BY THE LATE MORNING HOURS. GUSTY WINDS WILL  
CONTINUE INTO THE LATE AFTERNOON HOURS, WITH GUSTS FALLING TO  
20-25KTS AROUND SUNSET. WINDS WILL CONTINUE TO DECREASE  
THROUGHOUT THE REST OF THE TAF PERIOD, WITH GUSTS FALLING BELOW  
20KTS BY THE LATE EVENING HOURS.  
 
 
   
GID WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
NE...RED FLAG WARNING FROM NOON TODAY TO 6 PM CST THIS EVENING FOR  
NEZ039>041-046>049-060>064-072>077-082>087.  
KS...NONE.  
 
 
 
 
 
DISCUSSION...DAVIS  
AVIATION...DAVIS  
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