195 FXUS63 KGID 261012 AFDGID AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION National Weather Service Hastings NE 412 AM CST Wed Feb 26 2020 .SHORT TERM...(Today and tonight) Issued at 345 AM CST Wed Feb 26 2020 Skies are clearing across the local area this morning and as winds are also diminishing...we are seeing temperatures fall into the lower 20s and teens the past couple of hours...with the coldest readings so far across our western counties where fresh snowfall from yesterdays system remains on the ground this morning. While there are some clouds in satellite imagery...it is also evident that much of this cloud cover has been eroding the past few hours...and expect a partly to mostly sunny day across the region. Despite the sunshine, expect temperatures to remain on the cool side as temperatures aloft only modify a degree or two from yesterday thanks to westerly surface winds anticipated by afternoon. In addition...with a cooler start to the day and snow cover anticipated to linger across the western portion of the area today...think that temperatures across parts of the area this afternoon will actually be cooler than yesterdays readings. For tonight..winds will shift and become west southwest on the backside of a passing surface trough...helping to keep most locations in the 20s overnight...with the exceptions being areas that may still have a bit of snow cover or lie in the typically colder spots. Clouds will also be on the increase overnight as an upper level disturbance in fast moving northwestelry flow approaches the local area...but think that any precip should hold off until after daybreak Thursday. .LONG TERM...(Thursday through Tuesday) Issued at 345 AM CST Wed Feb 26 2020 The aforementioned upper level wave in northwesterly flow will track across the area on Thursday...bringing a small chance for some light snow or flurries in the morning...transitioning to light rain or sprinkles in the afternoon. While several models are indicating some measurable precip with this system...confidence is not particularly high that much more than non-measurable flurries or sprinkles will occur with this system...which have been introduced to much of the area for Thursday with the morning forecast package. Thereafter...models are in good agreement with upper level ridging transitioning across the center of the country...resulting in another nice weekend across the local area. With good model consensus and agreement with surrounding offices, raised high temperatures for the upcoming weekend into the upper 50s and lower 60s...although some guidance is notably even warmer. This ridge will then transition east by Sunday night...allowing for multiple disturbances to impact the region. As a result...various small chances for precip return to the area starting late Sunday night through the end of the extended periods...mainly due to model uncertainty versus a period with continuous precipitation. Despite some unsettled weather over the last few days of the forecast...the good news is temperatures should still be seasonably mild...meaning most if not all of the precip will likely fall as light rain...especially during the daytime hours. && .AVIATION...(For the 06Z KGRI/KEAR TAFS through 06Z Thursday) Issued at 1129 PM CST Tue Feb 25 2020 MVFR CIGS will persist across the region for much of the night with gusty northerly winds expected to gradually diminish over the next couple of hours. Expect CIGS to improve and become VFR just after daybreak Wednesday...as a weak surface trough makes its ways across the region resulting in shifting winds to the west and southwest late in the day at generally less than 12 KTS. && .GID WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NE...NONE. KS...NONE. && $$ SHORT TERM...Rossi LONG TERM...Rossi AVIATION...Rossi