864  
FXUS63 KLBF 222101  
AFDLBF  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTH PLATTE NE  
301 PM CST FRI NOV 22 2024  
   
KEY MESSAGES  
 
- MILD AND DRY CONDITIONS ON SATURDAY AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT  
MOVING IN SUNDAY BRINGING MUCH COOLER TEMPERATURES, BREEZY  
WINDS, AND A THREAT FOR LIGHT SNOW ACROSS PORTIONS OF  
NORTHWEST NEBRASKA.  
 
- BENIGN WEATHER MONDAY AND TUESDAY BEFORE AN EVEN COLDER  
AIRMASS SETTLES INTO THE CENTRAL US BY THE MIDDLE TO END OF  
NEXT WEEK WITH A THREAT FOR WINTRY PRECIPITATION, POTENTIALLY  
IMPACTING THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY TRAVEL. THOUGH UNCERTAINTIES  
REMAIN IN REGARDS TO SNOW ACCUMULATIONS, GREATER CONFIDENCE  
EXISTS IN SEEING THE MOST SIGNIFICANT COLD AIR OUTBREAK OF THE  
SEASON THUS FAR HEADING INTO THE START OF DECEMBER.  
 
 
   
SYNOPSIS  
 
ISSUED AT 235 PM CST FRI NOV 22 2024  
 
RECENT GOES-16 WV IMAGERY AND RAP 500-MB ANALYSIS SHOWED THREE  
STRONG LOW PRESSURE SYSTEMS. THE FIRST SYSTEM WAS CENTERED OVER THE  
MID-ATLANTIC WITH A TROUGH EXTENDING SOUTH INTO THE  
NORTHEASTERN PORTION OF THE GULF OF MEXICO. FURTHER TO THE WEST,  
THE THIRD SYSTEM CONTINUES TO SPIN, JUST OFF THE COAST OF  
WASHINGTON STATE WITH A TROUGH EXTENDING SOUTHWEST INTO THE  
EASTERN PACIFIC. THE THIRD UPPER-LEVEL LOW WAS NOTED ACROSS  
NORTHERN MANITOBA. AN UPPER-LEVEL RIDGE EXPANDS ACROSS THE  
INTERMOUNTAIN WEST INTO THE PLAINS. AT THE SURFACE, HIGH  
PRESSURE EXTENDED ALONG THE PLAINS. A WARM FRONT EXTENDED SOUTH  
FROM AN AREA OF LOW PRESSURE CENTERED OVER SOUTHWEST SOUTH  
DAKOTA. OUTSIDE OF SOME HIGH CLOUDS, MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES PREVAIL  
ACROSS WESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA WITH TEMPERATURES AT  
2 PM CT RANGING FROM 51 DEGREES AT O'NEILL TO 65 DEGREES AT  
OGALLALA.  
 
 
   
SHORT TERM /THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT/  
 
ISSUED AT 235 PM CST FRI NOV 22 2024  
 
TONIGHT'S LOWS FALLING INTO THE 20S WILL MODERATE BACK INTO THE 40S  
AND 50S ON SATURDAY AS BROAD WARM AIR ADVECTION (WAA) CONTINUES. THE  
UPPER-LEVEL RIDGE AXIS WILL SLIDE EAST INTO THE NORTHERN PLAINS  
THROUGH THE DAY ON SATURDAY. AN UPPER-LEVEL SHORTWAVE WILL EJECT  
FROM THE MAIN SYSTEM CENTERED OFF THE COAST OF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST  
INTO THE NORTHERN ROCKIES LATE SATURDAY. AS THIS SHORTWAVE MOVES  
EASTWARD INTO THE NORTHERN PLAINS, A COLD FRONT WILL BE FORCED  
SOUTHWARD, MOVING THROUGH THE AREA LATE SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY  
MORNING. NORTHWEST/NORTH WINDS WILL STRENGTHEN BEHIND THE FRONT WITH  
3 TO 4MB/3 HOUR PRESSURE RISES AND ROBUST COLD AIR ADVECTION (CAA)  
INCREASED ACROSS WESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA. WIDESPREAD  
GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 20 MPH WILL BE COMMON DURING THE DAY ON SUNDAY  
WITH THE STRONGEST GUSTS OF 30 TO 35 MPH EXPECTED ACROSS NORTHERN  
NEBRASKA. THIS FRONTAL PASSAGE WILL BRING THE FIRST OF A SERIES OF  
COLD AIR INTRUSIONS EXPECTED THROUGH NEXT WEEK WITH TEMPERATURES  
FALLING INTO THE BELOW NORMAL RANGE FOR MONDAY AND BEYOND. AS FOR  
SUNDAY'S HIGHS, A RANGE OF TEMPERATURES WILL SET UP ACROSS THE AREA,  
RANGING FROM THE UPPER-30S ACROSS NORTHERN NEBRASKA TO THE MID-50S  
ACROSS SOUTHWEST NEBRASKA. DIVERGENCE WILL INCREASE UNDER THE LEFT  
EXIT REGION OF A 250-MB JET STREAK MOVING THROUGH WESTERN NEBRASKA  
SUNDAY NIGHT, DOWNSTREAM OF THE UPPER-LEVEL TROUGH. THIS AREA OF  
DIVERGENCE WILL BE PARALLEL TO A BAND OF MODERATE MID-LEVEL (700 TO  
500 MB) FRONTOGENETICAL FORCING THAT DEVELOPS AS WELL. INCREASED  
MOISTURE AND MID-LEVEL FORCING WILL PRESENT A THREAT FOR LIGHT  
SNOW/FLURRIES ACROSS NORTHWEST NEBRASKA SUNDAY NIGHT. LITTLE TO NO  
ACCUMULATION IS EXPECTED AS CURRENT NBM PROBABILITIES OF 24 HOUR  
SNOWFALL > 1" REMAINS AT 20% OR LESS FOR NORTHWEST NEBRASKA. AT THIS  
TIME, ANY WINTER WEATHER IMPACTS APPEAR LOW, THOUGH THIS WILL LEAD  
TO MUCH COLDER TEMPERATURES AS WE HEAD INTO MONDAY.  
 
 
   
LONG TERM /MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/  
 
ISSUED AT 235 PM CST FRI NOV 22 2024  
 
BENIGN WEATHER WILL MARK THE START OF THE LONG TERM PERIOD ON MONDAY  
AND TUESDAY AS THE FLOW ALOFT BECOMES ZONAL AND SURFACE HIGH  
PRESSURE BUILDS SOUTHWARD OUT OF CANADA. CAA WILL CONTINUE ACROSS  
THE REGION WITH TEMPERATURES FALLING INTO THE 30S TO LOW-40S ON  
MONDAY. TEMPERATURES MODERATE BACK INTO THE 40S AS THE UPPER-LEVEL  
RIDGE FLATTENS OVER THE NORTHERN PLAINS ON TUESDAY. THOUGH NEAR-  
NORMAL FOR MOST LOCATIONS, CHILLY OVERNIGHT LOWS IN THE TEENS WILL  
BE FELT MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY NIGHT.  
 
ATTENTION THEN TURNS TO THE NEXT SYSTEM EJECTING OUT OF THE  
ROCKIES MID-WEEK, POTENTIALLY IMPACTING THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY  
TRAVEL. THE DETERMINISTIC ECMWF, GFS, AND CANADIAN CONTINUE TO  
HAVE RUN-TO-RUN DIFFERENCES THAT HAVE SIGNIFICANT IMPLICATIONS  
ON POTENTIAL IMPACTS FOR THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY TRAVEL ACROSS OUR  
AREA. WHEN COMPARING THE DETERMINISTIC GFS VS ECMWF, THE GFS IS  
DRY WHILE THE ECMWF HIGHLIGHTS LIGHT SNOW/FLURRIES ACROSS  
WESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA. DESPITE THIS, THE GFS  
ENSEMBLE DOES SHOW SOME ENSEMBLE MEMBERS HINTING AT THE  
POTENTIAL FOR SNOW ACROSS THE AREA. ALTHOUGH UNCERTAINTIES  
REMAIN, WITH SUCH COLD AIR IN PLACE, THE THREAT FOR  
ACCUMULATING SNOW IS NON-ZERO ACROSS THE AREA. THANKSGIVING  
TRAVELERS SHOULD CONTINUE TO STAY UP TO DATE ON THE LATEST  
FORECAST AND BE PREPARED TO MAKE ADJUSTMENTS TO YOUR PLANS IF  
NEEDED.  
 
ONE THING APPEARS MORE CERTAIN WITH THIS SYSTEM IS THE NORTHERN  
PLAINS SEEING THE MOST SIGNIFICANT COLD AIR OUTBREAK OF THE  
SEASON THUS FAR. ENSEMBLE GUIDANCE SHOWS A RIDGE DEVELOPING  
OVER ALASKA AND NORTHERN PACIFIC, FAVORING SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE  
TO BUILD SOUTHWARD INTO THE CENTRAL CONUS BY LATE NEXT WEEKEND,  
CONTINUING INTO THE 7 O 10 DAY RANGE. JUST HOW COLD IT WILL GET  
REMAINS UNCERTAIN AT THIS TIME, HOWEVER, CONFIDENCE CONTINUES  
TO INCREASE IN A PERIOD OF SUB-FREEZING AND PERHAPS WELL-BELOW  
FREEZING TEMPERATURES TO BE FELT ACROSS THE REGION AS WE HEAD  
INTO THE FIRST PART OF DECEMBER.  
 
 
   
AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z SATURDAY/  
 
ISSUED AT 1203 PM CST FRI NOV 22 2024  
 
EXPECT VFR CONDITIONS OVER THE NEXT 24 HOURS WITH A FEW TO  
SCATTERED HIGH CLOUDS AROUND 25000 FT AGL. WINDS WILL BE LIGHT  
AND VARIABLE AT UNDER 10 KTS AT BOTH TERMINALS THROUGH SATURDAY  
MORNING.  
 
 
   
LBF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
NONE.  
 
 
 
 
 
SYNOPSIS...VIKEN  
SHORT TERM...VIKEN  
LONG TERM...VIKEN  
AVIATION...BUTTLER  
CLICK HERE TO GO TO PREVIOUS BULLETINS.
The Nexlab NE Page
Main Text Page