142 FXUS63 KGID 302216 AFDGID Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Hastings NE 416 PM CST Tue Dec 30 2025 .KEY MESSAGES... - Mainly dry and mild/warm for the next week, or so. - A "backdoor" cold front will bring a brief cooldown toward average for Thursday and Friday. - Ensembles are showing some indications for a pattern shift towards the middle third of January - cooler and maybe more active, but this is obviously still a ways off. && .DISCUSSION... Issued at 410 PM CST Tue Dec 30 2025 Highly amplified upper pattern remains in place across the CONUS thanks to deep troughing from the Hudson Bay to New England and broad ridging centered over the N Rockies. This leaves us in-between under fast NW upper flow and within downsloping/dry low level flow. Temperatures have risen nicely today into the upper 40s and lower 50s under partly to mostly sunny skies. Quiet and mild conditions will continue into tonight, which will provide a nice springboard for temperatures on New Year's Eve/Wednesday. Latest forecast still calls for 50s areawide, and think areas from around Arapahoe to Stockton could even get into the low 60s. Winds will be a bit more NWrly and still mild and dry, but not so much so that the warmth comes with fire weather concerns. RHs should remain mostly upper 20s to 30s, and gusts only 20-25 MPH. So a bit elevated - and fuels are certainly dry - but not really a "near-critical" setup. A rather significant front/temperature gradient will gradually back into the area from the NE on Thursday. This could set the stage for a fairly tight temp gradient from SW to NE across Neb/Kan...ranging from near 50 along Hwy 283, to only 30s along and E of Hwy 81. Low level mixing remains very weak into Friday, so this will keep temps cool for one more day in the 30s to mid 40s. Fortunately, the cooler (but still only near-normal) will come without much wind chill. Temperatures warm up yet again for the weekend into early next week. In fact, latest ensembles are in good agreement in widespread 50s and even some lower 60s for Sun-Mon. Neither day looks overly windy, so once again, the nice weather should come without any significant fire wx threat. Lows will also remain mild and only slightly below freezing. Ensembles also indicate and general downward trend in temperatures for the second half of next week, potentially setting the stage for an actual wintry pattern for the middle third, or so, of January. Obviously, any significant pattern change is still at least 10+ days out, but something we'll be monitoring over the coming days...because there's simply not much else to look at. Ha! Until then, enjoy the dry and mild end to 2025 and start to 2026! && .AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z WEDNESDAY/... Issued at 1139 AM CST Tue Dec 30 2025 For KGRI/KEAR Airports: VFR conditions likely through the period with only limited and occasional high level cloud cover. Winds will be a bit breezy out of the WNW this afternoon, but weaken and back this evening. Winds Wednesday AM should be SWrly 6-11kt. Confidence: High. && .GID WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NE...None. KS...None. && $$ DISCUSSION...Thies AVIATION...Thies