Dangerous winter weather expected this week

LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) - There’s a lot to unpack from the forecast as we head into the week of Christmas as we’re tracking a couple chances for snow this week as well as some brutally cold conditions that are forecast to impact the area through the middle and end of this week before temperatures will mercifully begin to moderate as we head into the Christmas weekend.

For Monday, a weak system is forecast to swing in from the south that will bring in increasing cloud cover as well as a chance for a wintry mix of drizzle, freezing drizzle and light snow for parts of eastern and southeastern Nebraska.

The best chance to see some of this wintry precipitation will likely be through the morning hours with areas of snow pushing east of the area into the afternoon. Potential snowfall amounts should remain very light with a trace to 2″ possible across the far eastern and southeastern portions of the state. That said, we could see some of the wintry precipitation during drive time on Monday morning that could lead to slick and slippery conditions for the morning commute, so make sure to give yourself a little extra time as you head out the door on Monday.

Afternoon conditions are expected to be mostly cloudy on Monday with temperatures forecast to reach the mid 20s to mid 30s across the southern half of the state with highs in the single digits, teens, and low 20s for the northern half of the state. You’ll want to soak in these temperatures because they are likely going to be the warmest we see all week, especially for Lincoln and the southern half of the state.

Past Monday, our attention turns to another system that is forecast to swing through the state during the day on Wednesday and into Thursday. Both longer range models are in fairly good agreement in pulling this system through the area and bringing with it some accumulating snow to most of the coverage area. There are still differences in the timing, track, and possible snowfall amounts with this system as it moves through, but for Lincoln it does appear that we will finally end our measurable snowfall drought this week. The question will be is how much snow we see with this system - stay tuned for more details as we get closer!

What most everyone will be talking about though will not be the snow chances this week, it will be the brutally cold conditions forecast to impact the area for the second half of this week. Behind the aforementioned Wednesday system, brutally cold Siberian air is forecast to spill out into the Plains sending temperatures absolutely tumbling for the second half of this week. Low temperatures on Thursday morning are forecast to drop well below zero across the state, with morning readings ranging between -10° and -25° across the state. Dangerously cold wind chills are expected into Thursday morning with feels like temperatures ranging between -30° and -50° across the state. It cannot be overstated, it we see conditions this cold materialize, it could become life threatening if you’re exposed to the elements for more than just a few minutes, so the time to prepare for these conditions is now! Frostbite and hypothermia can develop in just minutes with conditions that cold - and not just for you, but for your pets as well!

The brutal, dangerous cold will persist through the day on Thursday, into Thursday night and Friday, and will likely continue all the way into early Saturday before temperatures begin to slowly rebound into the Christmas weekend.

Again, it will very important if you’re spending any time outside at all during this stretch, to make sure you’re dressing properly for the conditions with several layers and keeping as much of your skin covered from the elements as you can.

The Christmas Eve and Christmas Day forecast offers us some hope as temperatures will begin to rebound with generally dry weather expected across the area. Look for afternoon highs on Saturday to remain very cold for eastern Nebraska, with highs in the single digits and lower teens with teens and 20s for the west. On Christmas Day, high temperatures should warm to the upper teens to the lower 40s from east to west across the state.

As always, make sure you stay tuned for more details on the impacts we could see through the upcoming week!

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