Chances of snow over one inch in central Nebraska on Sunday, March 15, (NWS Hastings, Courtesy)
HASTINGS — After numerous wildfires broke out across Nebraska on Thursday, near critical fire weather conditions are expected on Saturday before light snow and negative wind chills arrive on Sunday.
According to the National Weather Service – Hastings, temperatures on Saturday are trending warmer and drier thanks to persistent winds out of the south.
Near critical fire weather conditions, even the need for a Red Flag Warning, will be generally near and west of Highway 183.
Winds out of the northwest will increase Saturday night into Sunday morning as a cold front sweeps through the region. An upper-level trough may also bring light rain which would switch to snow by sunrise.
The coverage and intensity of the snow is still uncertain in central Nebraska, better chances for snow accumulation above one inch is in northeast Nebraska.
“Winds continue to increase through the day on Sunday. Afternoon wind gusts near 55 mph are likely across the entire area, and some areas could reach High Wind criteria, over 60 mph,” per NWS Hastings.
Saturday night into Monday morning will be noticeably cold as single digit low temperatures and wind chills of negative 10 degrees are favored for areas near and north of Interstate 80. Another brief shot of light snow is possible on Monday, but no accumulation is expected.
After that, a significant warmup is still on track for the middle to end of next week. Latest models show a 70 percent chance for Grand Island to exceed record high temperatures on each day from March 18-20.
Per NWS Hastings the current record for this three-day stretch is 80, 86 and 84 degrees.
