220
FXUS63 KLBF 192141
AFDLBF

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service North Platte NE
341 PM CST Thu Feb 19 2026

.KEY MESSAGES...

- Ongoing snow will continue to wane this evening, with dry
  conditions returning to all of western and north central
  Nebraska tonight.

- Additional light snow is possible Friday into Saturday,
  primarily along and south of Interstate 80. At this time,
  accumulations look to remain 1" or less.

- Temperatures moderate back to above average for early to
  middle next week, possibly bringing a return of fire weather
  concerns to the area.

&&

.SHORT TERM /THROUGH SATURDAY/...
Issued at 340 PM CST Thu Feb 19 2026

Currently, moderate to heavy snow continues for areas east of
Highway 83, with the heaviest rates near and east of Highway 183.
Any additional accumulations are expected to remain near and east of
Highway 83 into this evening, where locally as much as an additional
3-6" are possible. Elsewhere, up to 1" is possible through this
evening.

Dry conditions return for all of western and north central Nebraska
by tonight, with winds quickly weakening as surface high pressure is
ushered into the area. Combine the light winds with clearing skies
and fresh snowpack, and a very cold night can be expected across
much of western and southwest Nebraska. It is here where lows will
fall near and slightly below zero. Further northeast, clouds will be
slower to clear and this will keep lows in the single digits above
zero. Luckily, the close proximity of the surface high will keep
winds light enough to preclude any cold weather advisory headlines,
though wind chills in the -1 to -10 degrees are still expected
overnight.

By Friday, a quick return to active weather is expected as another
shortwave ejects east out of the Rockies aloft. By Friday night,
this low will move east across Kansas, with an associated surface
low ejecting east out of Colorado into far southern Kansas. As this
occurs, light snow will overspread portions of southwest Nebraska by
late Friday evening. It appears snow will remain confined to areas
near and south of I-80 at this time, though confidence with respect
to amounts remains low for now. Ensemble means remain light, with
probabilities of >1" only maximizing as high as 30-40% for areas
south of the HWY 23 corridor by Saturday morning. Winds look to
remain light (029-036>038-094.
Winter Weather Advisory until midnight CST /11 PM MST/ tonight
for NEZ007>010-022-035-056-057-059.

&&

$$

SHORT TERM...Brown
LONG TERM...Brown
AVIATION...NMJ

NWS LBF Office Area Forecast Discussion