It’s good-bye cooler temperatures and hello searing summer heat

HASTINGS, Neb. (KSNB) - I hope you enjoyed the pleasantly warm temperatures today because searing summer heat is knocking on our door. You can still enjoy the cooler temperatures one more day if you live further east. But the horrid heat will soon be barrel in and take over starting this weekend.

But before Mother Nature scorches us, this evening will be a pleasant one with temperatures in the 70s under clear skies and with light winds out of the out of the north between 5 and 10 mph. We will continue to have light winds overnight thanks to high pressure centered over us. But as the high moves off to our east, southerly winds will kick into gear meaning a much warmer day for tomorrow. After starting with lows tomorrow morning in the mid 50s east to mid 60s west, things will heat up rather quickly. Especially for areas west of highway 81 where highs will range from the mid to upper 90s with a few 100s out west of North Platte. Thanks to northerly flow sticking around in far eastern spots, highs will be cooler in the mid 80s east of Lincoln.

South winds will kick up tomorrow as well, increasing to 15 to 20 mph with gusts to around 30 mph. This will bring the heat back to the area, although western areas will feel it more than the east. Highs will range from the upper 80s east to around 100° out west. Tomorrow night will be warmer with lows from the upper 60s to the mid 70s by Saturday morning.

Full blown heat is expected Saturday through Thursday. Highs on Saturday will reach the upper 90s and low to mid 100s. They will barely be cooler on Sunday, mainly in the north. Highs on Sunday will range from the lower 90s north to the mid 100s in the south. Winds won’t be overly strong over the weekend at 5 to 15 mph. Breezier winds are expected early next week. Monday could be one of the hottest days of this stretch as most get into the low to mid 100s. Upper 90s and low to mid 100s are again expected on Tuesday. Temperatures will slowly creep downward a bit more on Wednesday, but will still reach the upper 90s and lower 100s. The same goes for next Thursday with highs in the mid to upper 90s and lower 100s.

Most of this stretch of weather will feature mainly dry weather. The best chance of any moisture may come Friday evening, but the chance looks best for some isolated showers and thunderstorms out west closer to the Colorado border. The next, more decent chance of showers and thunderstorms will come at the next week around Friday and Saturday as the upper level ridge breaks down a bit. This could also usher in a bit of a cool-down.

Copyright 2023 KSNB. All rights reserved.