One more cold snap and then a thaw
We are on day four of bitter cold and some parts of north central Nebraska have not been above 0 since Thursday night. Temperatures will start rebounding a bit tomorrow and Wednesday looks like a more seasonal mid-January day with temperatures in the 20's. But then our attention turns to another arctic cold front moving through the state on Thursday bringing some light snow to the eastern 3/4 of the state and a return to more bitterly cold air. Most of the state will have highs in the single digits on Friday. Very cold temperatures are likely Friday night, especially in eastern Nebraska, where temperatures may drop to 20 below for a short period. Winds will be a little lighter this time so wind chills should be a little less terrible with this next round. Nevertheless, expect wind chills to drop below 0 on Thursday morning and remain in the 10-25 below range for most of Friday and Saturday. Temperatures may remain subzero in far eastern NE for much of Saturday. A thaw starts on Sunday in the Panhandle and everyone should see above freezing temperatures by next Monday.
After next Monday it looks like we are going to be entering a period of much milder weather for the whole state, with temperatures possibly staying above freezing *at night* in eastern NE for a few days. Maximum temperatures don't look too terribly impressive but warmer nights would help expedite snow melt. So would rain and think we will need to pay attention to the forecast for next week for the possibility of a storm system delivering non-trivial amounts of rain to places that have 18-24" of snow on the ground. Will keep you updated.
Eric Hunt, University of Nebraska Extension