415  
FXUS63 KOAX 152331  
AFDOAX  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NE  
631 PM CDT TUE APR 15 2025  
   
KEY MESSAGES  
 
- VERY HIGH FIRE DANGER EXPECTED WEDNESDAY (MOST OF THE AREA)  
AND THURSDAY (EASTERN NEBRASKA).  
 
- INCREASING AMOUNTS OF NEAR SURFACE SMOKE TONIGHT THROUGH MID-  
MORNING WEDNESDAY DUE TO SEASONAL BURNING ACROSS THE KANSAS  
FLINT HILLS.  
 
- SHOWER AND STORMS WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO THURSDAY (30-50%  
CHANCE). A FEW STORMS COULD BE SEVERE WEDNESDAY NIGHT/THURSDAY  
MORNING (5-15% CHANCE) WITH DAMAGING WIND THE PRIMARY THREAT.  
THE THREAT OF SEVERE STORMS INCREASES THURSDAY  
AFTERNOON/EVENING (15-30% CHANCE) WITH HAIL THE PRIMARY  
THREAT.  
 
- SHOWER AND STORM CHANCES RETURN TO THE REGION SUNDAY INTO  
MONDAY, THOUGH CONFIDENCE IS LOW IN EXACT TIMING/PLACEMENT OF  
THE HEAVIEST RAIN.  
 
 
   
DISCUSSION  
 
ISSUED AT 348 PM CDT TUE APR 15 2025  
 
IN THE NEAR TERM, SURFACE HIGHT PRESSURE RIDGE EXTENDS NORTHWARD  
FROM SOUTHERN KANSAS INTO NORTHEAST NEBRASKA. GUSTY NORTHWEST  
WINDS PREVAIL ALONG THE MISSOURI RIVER VALLEY OF NEBRASKA AND  
IOWA, WITH WIND GUSTS OCCASIONALLY PEAKING IN THE 25-30 MPH  
RANGE. COMBINED WITH THE LOWEST AFTERNOON HUMIDITY FALLING INTO  
THE TEENS, THERE ARE POCKETS WHERE NEAR CRITICAL FIRE DANGER  
EXISTS, BUT THESE CONDITIONS RALLY TOGETHER ONLY BRIEFLY. AFTER  
CONSULTING WITH NEIGHBORING FORECAST AREAS, DECIDED NOT TO HOIST  
A RED FLAG WARNING FOR THIS AFTERNOON.  
 
TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY...  
 
AS THE SURFACE RIDGE AXIS DISSIPATES AS LEE SIDE TROUGH ENHANCES  
LOW LEVEL WIND FIELD, WITH DECOUPLING DURING THE OVERNIGHT HOURS  
IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE NOCTURNAL INVERSION. A DEVELOPING LOW  
LEVEL JET APPROXIMATELY 1500 FT AGL DEVELOPS DURING THE EVENING  
AND EARLY MORNING HOURS OF WEDNESDAY. THIS WILL ALLOW SMOKE  
FROM SEASONAL BURNING ACROSS THE KANSAS FLINT HILLS TO ADVECT  
INTO THE AREA, PROMPTING THE NEBRASKA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND  
HUMAN SERVICES AND DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY TO ISSUE  
AN AIR QUALITY ALERT FROM 9PM THIS EVENING THROUGH 10 AM  
WEDNESDAY. AS DIURNAL MIXING INCREASES ON LATE WEDNESDAY  
MORNING, THE DENSITY OF LOW LEVEL SMOKE WILL DISSIPATE.  
 
A CURSORY LOOK AT VARIOUS FORECAST SOUNDINGS INDICATING DECENT  
MIXING, THUS TRENDED SLIGHT GREATER WITH MAXT (NBM 60%, NBM-75  
40%) AND LOWER DEWPOINTS (40% NBM-25 & 60% NBM)AND GREATER WIND  
GUSTS (25-30KT).  
 
WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO FRIDAY...  
 
PRECIPITATION CHANCES INCREASES AFTER MIDNIGHT THURSDAY.  
SOUTHERLY LOW LEVEL FLOW ADVECTS INCREASING LOW LEVEL MOISTURE  
FROM SURFACE TO 5 KFT AGL, WITH AN ELEVATED MIXED LAYER 10-15  
KT. NOCTURNAL DECOUPLING AGAIN IS EXPECTED, THOUGHT LLJ 35-50KT  
WILL ADVECT WARM NOSE OF TEMPERATURES. GIVEN THERE WILL NOT BE  
ANY PRONOUNCED DYNAMIC FORCING, WITH BULK OF FORECAST AREA ON  
THE ANTICYCLONIC SIDE OF THE H3 JET, ISENTROPIC/THERMAL FORCING  
WILL BE THE MAIN MECHANISM FOR ANY PRECIPITATION DEVELOPMENT  
WITH THE BEST LEFT OCCURRING IN THE CONJUNCTION WITH ELEVATED  
MIXED LAYER. THERE IS A RATHER LIMITED INSTABILITY WITH LIFT  
FROM THE EML; HOWEVER, ANY SHOWER OR THUNDERSTORM THAT DEVELOPS  
AND COLLAPSES THERE IS SUFFICIENT DCAPE TO ACCELERATE THE  
DESCENDING PARCELS AND TO PRODUCE DAMAGING WIND GUSTS. THE CAMS  
ARE SHOWING DIFFERENCES IN OVERNIGHT DEVELOPMENT, THUS BACKED  
OFF NBM POPS.  
 
VARYING SOLUTIONS EXIST IN SURFACE LOW DEVELOPMENT THURSDAY  
AFTERNOON, WITH H3 ULJ AXIS EITHER BISECTING OR JUST NORTH OF  
THE FORECAST AREA, ALLOWING FOR SYNOPTIC OR MESOSCALE SURFACE  
LOW DEVELOPMENT SOMEWHERE NEAR THE KANSAS-NEBRASKA BORDER OR  
I-80 CORRIDOR. WHEREEVER THIS LOW DEVELOPS AND NORTHWARD TOWARD  
THE JET AXIS LIKELY WILL BE THE BETTER ENVIRONMENT FOR SEVERE  
LOCAL LEVEL HELICTY THAT COULD PROMOTE ROTATING UPDRAFT.  
 
MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES POSING A CONUNDRUM. NBM IS TRENDING 5 TO 10  
DEGREES WARMER THAN DETERMINISTIC GUIDANCE, CLOSER TO THE 90-95%  
PLUME VALUES. TRENDED TOWARD THE LOWER ENVELOPE OF NBM  
CONSEQUENTLY OR TEMPERATURES IN THE LOWER 70S ALONG THE SOUTH  
DAKOTA BORDER, LOWER-MID 80S ALONG THE I-80 CORRIDOR AND NEAR 90  
ALONG THE KANSAS-NEBRASKA BORDER.  
 
PRECIPITATION CHANCES LINGER INTO FRIDAY, AS LARGE SCALE FORCING  
INCREASES AS A SERIES OF SMALL SCALE DISTURBANCES TRAVERSE POSITIVELY  
TILTED UPPER TROUGH. COMBINATION OF CONVECTION AND UPPER FORCING  
DRAGS A COLD FRONT THROUGH THE AREA, WITH LOW LEVEL COLD  
ADVECTION DROPPING TEMPERATURES BACK TOWARD SEASONAL HIGH  
TEMPERATURES IN THE 60S.  
 
SATURDAY THROUGH TUESDAY...  
 
THERE'S A LULL IN PRECIPITATION CHANCES THE BULK OF THE WEEKEND,  
THEN SYNCING OF THE POLAR JET WITH SOUTHERN JET PULL A CLOSED  
LOW PER THE DETERMINISTIC MODELS ACROSS THE AREA. EXACTLY HOW  
THAT CLOSED H5 LOW TRAVERES IS IN QUESTION, WITH THE ENSEMBLE  
MEAN MUTED SIGNALING DIFFERENCES IN THE SOLUTIONS. NONETHELESS,  
THERE STILL APPEARS A CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION. TEMPERATURES  
APPEAR SEASON WITH HIGHS IN THE 60S AND LOWS IN THE 40S.  
 
 
   
AVIATION /00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z THURSDAY/  
 
ISSUED AT 621 PM CDT TUE APR 15 2025  
 
VFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED DURING THIS TAF CYCLE. BREEZY WINDS WILL  
SUBSIDE AS SURFACE MIXING CEASES THIS EVENING. WILL SEE A PERIOD  
OF LOW LEVEL WIND SHEAR RETURN AFTER 8Z AND SPREAD EASTWARD AS A  
850 MB LOW LEVEL JET DEVELOPS AND SPREADS EASTWARD. WILL SEE  
BREEZY SOUTHEASTERLY WINDS RETURN AFTER 13-14Z AHEAD OF AN  
APPROACHING LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM.  
 
 
   
OAX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
NE...NONE.  
IA...NONE.  
 
 
 
 
 
DISCUSSION...FORTIN  
AVIATION...CASTILLO/NICOLAISEN  
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