A light pillar appears at sunset in Buffalo County, (Brian Neben, Courtesy)
HASTINGS — This week features a little bit of everything from fire weather concerns, rain chances mid-week and a slim chance for snow on Saturday night.
According to the National Weather Service – Hastings, southerly winds return today as a surface area of high pressure moves off to the east. This should allow most of the area to rise above freezing and areas in the southwest could even see temperatures near 50.
Tuesday should be a warmup for a majority of the region, especially compared with the weekend, but there should be cooler temperatures owning to increased cloud cover and the passage of a week cold front.
Tuesday through Friday will also see an increased concern for fire weather conditions, owing to the warming temperatures and dry fuels, despite the recent snow. Friday looks to be the day with the greatest concern.
Clearing skies and a more westerly wind should push temperatures up to the 60s for most of the area on Wednesday.
Precipitation chances have increased slightly for Wednesday night, now up to 55 to 60 percent across eastern parts of the NWS Hastings warning area. Rain is expected to be the precipitation form but there is a slight chance for snow depending on temperatures.
The next system this coming weekend will result in at least a few days of below normal temperature days as the month of March begins. Accumulating snow is possible, 20-30 percent chance, next Sunday into Monday.
