197
FXUS63 KGID 172336
AFDGID
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
636 PM CDT TUE MAR 17 2026
KEY MESSAGES
- POTENTIAL DANGEROUS FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS WILL BE IN FOCUS
ALL WEEK. A RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM CDT
TONIGHT WITH ELEVATED TO NEAR-CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONCERNS
ANTICIPATED EACH AFTERNOON THROUGH FRIDAY. POTENTIALLY
WIDESPREAD CRITICAL CONCERNS RETURN OVER THE WEEKEND.
- CLEARING SKIES AND WARMING TEMPERATURES EXPECTED FROM WEST TO
EAST LATER TODAY AND WEDNESDAY AS A WARM FRONT CROSSES THE
LOCAL AREA. WIDESPREAD WELL ABOVE NORMAL TEMPS (70S TO NEAR
90) REMAIN IN THE FORECAST WEDNESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. A FEW
RECORDS COULD BE BROKEN!
- NO SIGNIFICANT CHANCE FOR PRECIPITATION OVER THE COURSE OF
THE NEXT 7-10 DAYS.
DISCUSSION
ISSUED AT 245 PM CDT TUE MAR 17 2026
MOSTLY CLOUDY SKIES, A FEW SPRINKLES AND EVEN SOME LIGHT SLEET
IMPACTED THE LOCAL AREA THIS MORNING. CURRENT RETURNS ON RADAR
AREA LIKELY NOT REACHING THE GROUND, AND SHOULD EXIT OUR KANSAS
COUNTIES OVER THE NEXT HOUR OR TWO. AS A WARM FRONT MAKES ITS
WAY FROM WEST TO EAST ACROSS THE LOCAL AREA LATE THIS AFTERNOON
AND EVENING, EXPECT SOME CLEARING - ESPECIALLY WEST OF HIGHWAY
281, AND LATE AFTERNOON HIGH TEMPERATURES FOR THESE AREAS. GIVEN
A MODEST SURGE IN WIND EXPECTED FROM THE WEST WITH THIS WARM
FRONT, THE RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE WESTERN
PORTIONS OF OUR NEBRASKA COUNTIES THROUGH 9 PM THIS EVENING.
MOSTLY SUNNY SKIES AND THE BEGINNING OF A SIGNIFICANT WARM-UP
ARE EXPECTED ACROSS THE LOCAL AREA ON WEDNESDAY AS HIGH PRESSURE
IN THE UPPER LEVELS OF THE ATMOSPHERE BEGINS TO EXPAND FROM THE
DESERT SOUTHWEST INTO THE PLAINS. THIS SHOULD BRING A SURGE IN
TEMPERATURES OVER THE NEXT FEW AFTERNOONS, EVENTUALLY PEAKING ON
SATURDAY, BEFORE THE RIDGE STARTS TO FLATTEN AND A COOL FRONT
CROSSES THE LOCAL AREA LATE IN THE WEEKEND. AS THE UPPER LEVEL
RIDGE BEGINS TO BREAK DOWN ON SATURDAY, EXPECT WINDS TO AGAIN
INCREASE ACROSS THE LOCAL AREA, WITH A BREEZY AND WARM/HOT START
TO THE WEEKEND LIKELY MEANING A RETURN OF POTENTIALLY
WIDESPREAD FIRE WEATHER CONCERNS ACROSS THE AREA. THAT SAID,
FIRE WEATHER CONCERNS CANNOT BE COMPLETELY IGNORED WEDNESDAY
THROUGH FRIDAY EITHER, AS THE AIRMASS WILL BE PLENTY DRY BUT
STRONGER WINDS APPEAR TO BE THE LIMITING FACTOR FOR MORE
CRITICAL CONCERNS.
WHILE THE UPPER LEVEL RIDGE WILL FLATTEN LATE IN THE WEEKEND AS
A COOL FRONT DROPS TEMPERATURES BACK DOWN CLOSER TO CLIMO BY
SUNDAY, PRECIPITATION CHANCES WITH THIS FRONT LOOK NEGLIGIBLE,
WITH ONLY A FEW OF THE GFS ENSEMBLE MEMBERS NOW HINTING AT MUCH
OF A CHANCE OF PRECIP OVER THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK AND THE EC
ENSEMBLE MEMBERS THAT DO SHOW SOME PRECIP ONLY HINT AT TRACE
AMOUNTS. AS A RESULT, COULD SEE POSSIBLY DRY (OR MOSTLY DRY
CONDITIONS) CONTINUING UNTIL THE LAST DAY OF MARCH OR EARLY
APRIL.
AVIATION /00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z THURSDAY/
ISSUED AT 632 PM CDT TUE MAR 17 2026
FOR KGRI/KEAR AIRPORTS:
VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED FOR THE NEXT 24 HOURS. WINDS WILL
WEAKEN THIS EVENING AND TRANSITION TOWARDS THE WEST BY 06Z-09Z.
WINDS WILL BECOME NORTHWESTERLY BY 12Z AND WILL BEGIN TO SWITCH
TO THE WEST AND SOUTHWEST BY 21Z. GENERALLY MID TO HIGH CLOUDS
ARE EXPECTED.
CLIMATE
ISSUED AT 245 PM CDT TUE MAR 17 2026
AS TEMPERATURES CLIMB INTO THE 80S LATER THIS WEEK, A FEW RECORD
WARM TEMPERATURES COULD BE IN JEOPARDY ACROSS THE LOCAL AREA.
THURSDAY MARCH 19 FORECAST HIGH RECORD MAX/YEAR
HASTINGS 79 84 (1921)
GRAND ISLAND 78 86 (1921)
FRIDAY MARCH 20 FORECAST HIGH RECORD MAX/YEAR
HASTINGS 83 82 (1939)
GRAND ISLAND 83 84 (1921)
SATURDAY MARCH 21 FORECAST HIGH RECORD MAX/YEAR
HASTINGS 89 87 (1910)
GRAND ISLAND 88 83 (1988)
IN ADDITION, RECORD WARM MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WILL ALSO BE
POSSIBLE FRIDAY AND SATURDAY.
FRIDAY MARCH 20 FORECAST LOW RECORD WARM MIN/YEAR
HASTINGS 46 46 (2011)
GRAND ISLAND 44 50 (1921)
SATURDAY MARCH 21 FORECAST LOW RECORD WARM MIN/YEAR
HASTINGS 47 47 (2012)
GRAND ISLAND 47 54 (1911)
TEMPERATURE RECORDS FOR HASTINGS DATE BACK TO 1907 AND THEY
DATE BACK TO 1895 FOR GRAND ISLAND.
GID WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
NE...RED FLAG WARNING UNTIL 9 PM CDT THIS EVENING FOR NEZ039-046-
060-061-072>074-082-083.
KS...NONE.
DISCUSSION...ROSSI
AVIATION...SCHULDT
CLIMATE...ROSSI
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