343  
FXUS63 KOAX 171857  
AFDOAX  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NE  
157 PM CDT MON AUG 17 2026  
   
KEY MESSAGES  
 
- STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TONIGHT INTO THE  
OVERNIGHT HOURS WITH HAIL, DAMAGING WINDS, HEAVY RAIN, AND AN  
ISOLATED TORNADO POSSIBLE.  
 
- OVERNIGHT STORM ACTIVITY WILL LINGER THROUGH MUCH OF TUESDAY  
MORNING, BRINGING CHANCES FOR A FEW STRONG TO SEVERE GUSTS,  
SMALL HAIL, AND ADDITIONAL RAINFALL.  
 
- COOLER TEMPERATURES RETURN TO THE FORECAST WEDNESDAY, WITH A  
GRADUAL WARMING TREND EXPECTED HEADING INTO THE WEEKEND. PERIODIC  
CHANCES FOR SHOWERS/STORMS ARE EXPECTED WEDNESDAY THROUGH  
FRIDAY.  
 
 
   
DISCUSSION  
 
ISSUED AT 155 PM CDT MON AUG 17 2026  
 
TODAY THROUGH TOMORROW:  
 
WATER VAPOR IMAGERY THIS AFTERNOON SHOWS A BELT OF ASCENT  
OVERSPREADING THE NORTHERN HIGH PLAINS AS A SHORTWAVE MOVES INTO THE  
REGION WHILE QUASI-ZONAL FLOW MID/UPPER FLOW REMAINS LAID OVER THE  
EASTERN HALF EASTERN HALF OF THE CONUS. WE'VE TRENDED WARMER AND  
DRIER THAN THE INITIAL GUESS FROM THE NBM THIS AFTERNOON, WHICH  
LIKELY HAS SOME BIAS CORRECTION FROM OUR RECENT RAINY AND HUMID  
PATTERN.  
 
WARM CONDITIONS AND MODEST MOISTURE POOLING HAVE DEVELOPED ACROSS  
NORTH-CENTRAL NEBRASKA INTO SOUTH DAKOTA AHEAD OF A SURFACE TROUGH  
LAID FROM NORTHWEST NEBRASKA INTO EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA WHERE IT  
MEETS THE MAIN COLD FRONT. FURTHER DESTABILIZATION IS EXPECTED  
TO OCCUR OVER THE COURSE OF THE AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING  
HOURS, WITH ISOLATED STORM DEVELOPMENT POSSIBLE ALONG IT SHORTLY  
AFTER 5 PM BEFORE SHIFTING INTO NORTHEAST NEBRASKA CLOSER TO  
MIDNIGHT. AS IT APPROACHES THE AREA, IT WILL GROW INTO AN MCS  
THAT FORECAST SOUNDINGS INDICATE WILL BE COLD POOL-DRIVEN AND  
GUSTY, WITH A FEW HAILSTONES POSSIBLE AS WELL. SPEEDS OF 60-70  
MPH SEEM PLAUSIBLE AS IT MOVES THROUGH, WITH ADDITIONAL ACTIVITY  
BUILDING BEHIND IT OFF OF THE NOSE OF THE LLJ. AS THE  
CONVECTION TRAINS OVER THE SAME AREAS, FLOODING WILL BECOME AN  
INCREASING THREAT. PWAT VALUES AREN'T OVERLY IMPRESSIVE AT 1.7",  
BUT MUCH OF THAT AREA HAS ALREADY SEEN 4" OR MORE IN THE LAST  
4-5 DAYS. AFTER THE INITIAL MCS, THAT TRAINING CONVECTION WILL  
BE CAPABLE OF MARGINALLY SEVERE WIND AND HAIL THROUGH THE  
OVERNIGHT HOURS AS IT SHIFTS SLOWLY SOUTHWARD. BY SUNRISE  
TOMORROW MORNING, THAT SHOWER AND STORM ACTIVITY WILL CONTINUE  
TO CARRY MARGINAL SEVERE POTENTIAL (OWING MOSTLY TO THE BETTER  
SHEAR WE'VE SEEN OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF MONTHS). THE EVOLUTION  
FROM 6 AM ONWARD IS STILL A BIT MURKY, WHERE THE LONGEVITY OF  
THE ACTIVITY WILL LIMIT AFTERNOON POTENTIAL. AMBIENT SHEAR  
VALUES AND INSTABILITY WILL BE SUFFICIENT FOR SUPERCELLULAR  
STRUCTURES, WHILE BOUNDARY-PARALLEL SHEAR VALUES WILL PROMOTE  
UPSCALE GROWTH. SOUTHEAST NEBRASKA HAS A NARROW SHOT AT SEEING  
THE INITIAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE EVENING STORMS THAT COULD CARRY  
SOME LARGE HAILSTONES, DAMAGING WINDS, AND AN ISOLATED TORNADO.  
IT IS MORE LIKELY THAT THE MAIN BOUNDARY WILL HAVE PUSHED SOUTH  
AND THEY MISS OUT ON THOSE CHANCES. LINGERING LIGHT RAIN SHOWERS  
IN THE BELT OF ASCENT WILL LINGER INTO THE OVERNIGHT HOURS, AS  
WE DIP INTO THE LOW- TO-MID 60S.  
 
WEDNESDAY AND BEYOND:  
 
WITH THE PASSAGE OF THE EARLY WEEK ACTION, THINGS WILL START  
QUIETING DOWN HEADING TOWARDS THE WEEKEND. MID/UPPER RIDGING WILL  
TAKE FURTHER HOLD OVER THE WESTERN CONUS, WITH THE AREA BEING ON THE  
EASTERN FRINGE OF IT, DODGING THE WARM TEMPERATURES. A FEW  
SHORTWAVES WILL ALSO ROUND THE TOP OF THE RIDGE AND MOVE THROUGH THE  
AREA, WITH THE MOST LIKELY ONE OCCURRING WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON  
INTO THE EVENING HOURS WHERE STORMS (SOME SEVERE POSSIBLE)  
DEVELOP TO THE WEST AND WAFT INTO EASTERN NEBRASKA. THURSDAY  
ONWARD SEES PRECIPITATION CHANCES DECREASE, WITH TEMPERATURES  
THAT PEAK FRIDAY IN THE MID-TO-UPPER 80S BEFORE SETTLING BACK  
DOWN IN THE LOW 80S FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE WEEKEND.  
 
 
   
AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z TUESDAY/  
 
ISSUED AT 1224 PM CDT MON AUG 17 2026  
 
VFR CONDITIONS ARE SET THROUGH THE NEXT 12 HOURS, WITH  
SOUTHWESTERLY WINDS AND MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES HOLDING. A FEW GUSTS  
HAVE NEARED 20 KTS NEAR KOFK, WHILE KLNK AND KOMA STAY AROUND OR  
JUST UNDER 10 KTS. CLOUDS INCREASE LATE THIS EVENING INTO THE  
OVERNIGHT, WHERE A FEW CLUSTERS OF STORMS WILL DEVELOP AND MOVE  
THROUGH THE AREA INTO MUCH OF THE MORNING. AS OF NOW, THE  
EARLIER INITIAL ROUND SHOULD ONLY AFFECT KOFK, WHILE THE LATER  
ONES AFFECT KOMA AND KLNK. THE CURRENT TAFS REFLECT THE TIMING  
FOR THE PRIMARY STORM CHANCES FOR EACH LOCATION, WITH POTENTIAL  
THAT ACTIVITY COULD EXTEND BY AN HOUR OR TWO ON EITHER SIDE.  
 
 
   
OAX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
NE...NONE.  
IA...NONE.  
 
 
 
 
 
DISCUSSION...PETERSEN  
AVIATION...PETERSEN  
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