Warm, windy Thursday

HASTINGS, Neb. (KSNB) - As an upper level trough builds out of the Rockies as an area of low pressure, developing in Colorado, will push northeast through Nebraska Thursday. A warm front will lift north through the state, sending temperatures significantly higher with afternoon high climbing into the upper 60s and lower 70s.

While temperatures finally resemble the season, its not going to be a perfect day by any stretch of the imagination. s At times, sunshine will compete with partial cloud cover as southern winds behind the front escalate, gusting up to 35 to 40 mph.

The day will be dry, but early in the evening we will be watching for showers and thunderstorms to pop. There is a small chance for one or two isolated severe storms on the nose of the warm front to the north of Grand Island along Highway 92. Today the Storm Prediction Center has moved the marginal risk areas a little farther north with hail the main threat. The Tri-Cities may be in a slot of drier air pulled up by the low tracking to the north of us but were is a slight chance for a shower or two.

Friday a cold front moves in shifting winds to the northwest with even higher gust of up to 55 mph possible. The high for the day on Friday will come shortly after midnight Thursday night. As the colder air settles south, temperatures will fall into the 30s and low 40s through the afternoon. The Local 4 area including the Tri-Cities could see some showers with areas in the central part of the state perhaps mixing with or changing over to snow where it will be colder. A Winter Storm Watch will become effective for Northern Nebraska for the threat of snow, blowing snow and blizzard conditions making travel hazardous.

After Friday things will settle down. The weekend will warm up with temperatures warming into the the lower 70s by Sunday.

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