Snow chances, dangerous cold loom next week...

LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) - So far this winter season, we’ve avoided seeing any bitterly cold conditions. That could be changing as we look at the forecast for next week. In the days leading up to the Christmas holidays, we’re keeping an eye on another chance of snow that could lead to a White Christmas for the coverage area, as well a blast of arctic air that could lead to dangerously cold wind chills by late next week.

A strong polar vortex will keep that bitterly cold, arctic air bottled up across the far northern hemisphere, but as the polar vortex weakens, as it is forecast to next week, that cold arctic air tends to “wobble” and spill out of the poles into parts of Canada and eventually into the Central Plains by late next week.

High temperatures over the next week will go from chilly to seasonal and then turn bitterly cold by Thursday into Friday with high temperatures for most falling into the single digits and lower teens. Factoring in the wind, most areas will likely see sub-zero wind chills for most of the day on Thursday and Friday.

Overnight temperatures will be even colder, with morning lows as cold as -5° to -20° by Thursday morning. Again, when we factor in the wind, it will be even colder.

Forecast wind chill values during the overnight hours could bottom out to between -25° and -45° Wednesday night and into Thursday morning. Wind chills Thursday night into Friday morning won’t be quite that cold, but could still plummet to around -30° for some parts of the state.

Frostbite and hypothermia can set in extremely quickly with conditions like we could see next week, so it’s important to make sure to take care of yourself, your family, and your pets if these conditions do materialize.

On top of the cold conditions, we are also keeping an eye on another chance for snow Wednesday into Thursday of next week. Both longer range models indicate a system swinging through the area that could bring some light to moderate accumulating snow to parts of central and eastern Nebraska. If we do see that snow, the cold weather that follows it means we’d be in store for a White Christmas.

As always, this potential system is still almost a week away, and the forecast will continue to change as we move through this weekend and into next week. Make sure to check back to later forecasts for more updates on the potential for dangerous cold and for the snow potential, especially as it could impact holiday travel ahead of the Christmas weekend.

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