614  
FXUS63 KGID 211127  
AFDGID  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE  
527 AM CST SAT DEC 21 2024  
   
KEY MESSAGES
 
 
- WARMING TREND THROUGH THE WEEKEND UNDER MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES WITH  
HIGHS TODAY RETURNING TO THE UPPER 30S TO UPPER 40S AND 50S  
TO EVEN LOW 60S (FAR WEST) ON SUNDAY.  
 
- ABOVE AVERAGE TEMPERATURES AND DRY CONDITIONS PERSIST THROUGH  
THE PRE-HOLIDAY TRAVEL PERIOD.  
 
- THE NEXT CHANCE FOR MOISTURE CONTINUES TO BE IN THE LATE  
CHRISTMAS DAY INTO THURSDAY TIME FRAME, BUT LACK OF  
SIGNIFICANT COLD AIR AND DEEP LAYER MOISTURE SUGGESTS LITTLE  
TO NO IMPACTS.  
 
- ABOVE TO WELL-ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES ARE CURRENTLY FAVORED  
TO PERSIST THROUGH THE POST-HOLIDAY TRAVEL PERIOD, INCLUDING  
NEXT WEEKEND. IT MAY NOT BE COMPLETELY DRY, BUT THE MAGNITUDE  
OF WARMTH SUGGESTS MORE RAIN THAN SNOW.  
 

 
   
DISCUSSION
 
 
ISSUED AT 430 AM CST SAT DEC 21 2024  
 
IF YOU'RE A FAN OF WINTRY WEATHER CONDITIONS ON OR AROUND THE  
CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY, SORRY, I APOLOGIZE...BUT THIS FORECAST IS  
NOT FOR YOU. THE GOOD NEWS, HOWEVER, IS THAT THERE DOESN'T LOOK  
TO BE ANY IMPACTS TO PRE OR POST HOLIDAY TRAVEL LOCALLY OR  
WITHIN THE REGION. GRANTED, FOR SOME, THIS MAY ALSO BE BAD NEWS,  
FOR WHICH, AGAIN...I APOLOGIZE. THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT, IF YOU  
HAVEN'T ALREADY GUESSED, IS THAT THE NEXT 7-10 DAYS LOOK TO BE  
ABOVE TO WELL-ABOVE AVERAGE FOR TEMPERATURES AND MAINLY DRY.  
 
MODEST RETURN S-SW BREEZES SHOULD HELP BOOST HIGHS INTO THE  
UPPER 30S EAST (NEAR NORMAL) TO UPPER 40S WEST (ABOVE NORMAL)  
TODAY UNDER MOSTLY SUNNY SKIES. WINDS WILL BE SLIGHTLY STRONGER  
FOR SUN (THOUGH STILL NOT TOO BAD IN THE 10-20 MPH RANGE),  
WHICH WILL HELP TO BOOST MIXING AND HIGHS EVEN HIGHER INTO THE  
LOW 50S E TO LOWER 60S(!) W. OVERALL...GREAT CONDITIONS AND  
TRAVEL WEATHER FOR ANY ADDITIONAL SHOPPING AND/OR HOLIDAY  
GATHERINGS.  
 
A WEAK CLIPPER-LIKE SYSTEM WILL TRACK THROUGH THE DAKOTAS INTO  
THE UPPER MS VALLEY SUN NIGHT AND FORCE A WEAK COLD FRONT  
THROUGH THE AREA. THIS WILL RESULT IN A MODEST DROP IN TEMPS FOR  
MON - THOUGH STILL EXPECT VERY MILD UPPER 40S TO LOWER 50S. THIS  
FRONT WON'T HAVE EVEN REMOTELY THE KIND OF WIND WE HAD ON THU  
AND WINDS SHOULD ACTUALLY BE WEAKER MON-TUE THAN OVER THE  
WEEKEND THANKS TO NOSE OF MODEST HIGH PRESSURE. SOME CLOUDS AND  
WEAKER MIXING MAY KEEP TEMPS MAINLY IN THE 40S FOR TUE, BUT THIS  
IS STILL A SOLID 10 DEG ABOVE NORMAL. LOWS WILL ALSO BE  
SEASONABLY MILD NEXT FEW NIGHTS IN THE UPPER 20S TO MID 30S.  
 
CHRISTMAS DAY DAYLIGHT HOURS LOOK TO REMAIN DRY AND CONTINUED  
MILD (HIGHS GENERALLY AROUND MID 40S), BUT AT LEAST LOW-END  
PRECIP CHCS RETURN DURING THE EVENING AND OVERNIGHT HOURS. LAST  
SEVERAL DETERMINISTIC RUNS OF THE EC AND GFS HAVE BEEN TRACKING  
THE BRUNT OF THE QPF JUST S/SE OF THE LOCAL AREA, AND THIS  
APPEARS TO BE BACKED UP BY ENSEMBLE PROBABILITIES FOR TOTAL QPF  
>0.10" AT LESS THAN 10-20%. FURTHERMORE, GIVEN THE MAGNITUDE OF  
THE WARMTH AHEAD OF THE SYSTEM, AND LACK OF NEW COLD AIR FOR THE  
SYSTEM ITSELF TO PULL IN FROM THE N, THINK THE VAST MAJORITY OF  
PRECIP WILL BE LIQUID. DEPENDING ON DEPTH OF MOISTURE, SOME OF  
THIS PRECIP MAY ACTUALLY OCCUR MORE AS DRIZZLE THAN RAIN. EITHER  
WAY, PROBABILITIES FOR MEASURABLE QPF AND SUB-FREEZING TEMPS IS  
VERY LOW - SUGGESTING LITTLE TO NO NEGATIVE IMPACTS. WILL  
OBVIOUSLY HAVE TO KEEP A CLOSE EYE ON TRENDS - BUT FROM A  
PATTERN PERSPECTIVE ITS JUST NOT A VERY FAVORABLE ONE FOR SNOW  
OR ANY FROZEN PRECIP GIVEN LACK OF ANOMALOUSLY HIGH/LOW PRESSURE  
TO THE NE/S OF THE AREA.  
 
POST-HOLIDAY TRAVEL WEATHER LOOKS TO BE AS MILD, IF NOT EVEN  
WARMER, THAN THE PRE-HOLIDAY PERIOD. THERE IS GOOD AGREEMENT IN  
LATEST ENSEMBLES (EPS, GEFS, AND GEPS) FOR MULTIPLE DAYS WITH  
HIGHS IN THE 50S LATE NEXT WEEK AND INTO NEXT WEEKEND. SOME  
AREAS MAY EVEN GO MULTIPLE DAYS WITH LOWS ABOVE FREEZING.  
AGAIN...QUITE MILD FOR LATE DEC IN THESE PARTS. THERE ARE SOME  
MODEST SIGNALS FOR VARIOUS LOW AMPLITUDE SHORTWAVES  
TRAVERSING THE REGION IN WEAK ZONAL AND/OR SPLIT UPPER FLOW -  
BUT SIMILAR TO THE CHRISTMAS DAY/26TH TIME FRAME, MAGNITUDE OF  
WARMTH PRECEDING AND ACCOMPANYING THE WEAK WAVES ARGUES AGAINST  
FROZEN PRECIP AND SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS AT THIS TIME.  
PERHAPS...PERHAPS...THE PATTERN TURNS A BIT COLDER AND MORE  
ACTIVE AROUND THE START OF THE NEW YEAR...BUT THAT'S STILL WAY  
OUT THERE IN THE LONGER RANGE PERIOD ~10 DAYS OUT.  
 

 
   
AVIATION /12Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z SUNDAY/
 
 
ISSUED AT 526 AM CST SAT DEC 21 2024  
 
FOR KGRI/KEAR AIRPORTS:  
 
VFR THROUGH THE PERIOD WITH LITTLE TO NO CLOUD COVER. WINDS WILL  
VARY FROM LGT SRLY THIS AM TO SWRLY 8-11KT THIS AFTN, THEN BACK  
TO SRLY OVERNIGHT TONIGHT. CONFIDENCE: HIGH.  
 

 
   
GID WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
NE...NONE.  
KS...NONE.  
 

 
 

 
 
DISCUSSION...THIES  
AVIATION...THIES  
 
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