HASTINGS, Neb. (KSNB) – There will be a chance of showers and thunderstorms today with the better chance in the afternoon compared to the morning. The most favored areas will be Southern Nebraska and Northern Kansas with the chances getting lower as you go to the northwest. The good news is that the severe weather threat will remain low. The bad news is that most of us won’t get a lot of rain. Some may linger into this evening, but will clear out of most of the area after midnight. What could be a bigger story today is wildfire smoke coming in from the northwest. Major wildfires in western portions of Canada are creating smoke that has been moving into our region. That smoke has come down to the surface behind a cold front, bring the visibility down to around a mile or two, and sometimes less. As this cold front slides southeast, more of the area could deal with this smoke. Poor visibility is going to be a part of the issue. But the bigger issue is the poor air quality, which could be a problem for those with breathing issues and asthma. It may be best to not stay outside any longer than you need to today. Look for highs today to range from the upper 60s west to the lower 80s east. But I wouldn’t be surprised if it remains cooler due to the smoke. Lows tonight will range from the lower 40s northwest to the mid 50s southeast. As we get past midnight tonight, winds will begin to get breezy out of the north. Smoke will probably stick around tonight, but may start to clear as the winds pick up.
Tomorrow will be a “cool” end to the week with breezy north winds of 10 to 20 mph with gusts to 30 mph. If the smoke is able to clear, then there should be a good amount of sunshine. Look for highs on Friday in the mid to upper 60s and lower 70s. As winds die down Friday night and skies remain clear, there will be a chill in the air Friday night into Saturday morning. Look for lows in the upper 30s and low to mid 40s. Warmer temperatures quickly return this weekend with lighter winds and mostly sunny skies. Highs on Saturday will get to the mid to upper 70s. Highs on Sunday will reach the upper 70s and low to mid 80s.
High temperatures next week could be fairly consistent for much of next week in the upper 70s and low to mid 80s. This could continue into Memorial Day weekend. Winds will also be breezier most of next week. We may start to see a few chances for rain and thunderstorms by the middle of the week, but better chances could come during the second half of next week. The hope is that the last part of may will be a bit more active, bring some more much-needed rain to the area.
Copyright 2023 KSNB. All rights reserved.
