NWS predicts snow Saturday

It has been a long dryspell but we finally have widespread precipitation to report.

Rain started after midnight Saturday and continued until about sundown Monday. At times it was heavy and at other times it was a light drizzle.

A CoCoRHs gauge maintained in the heart of Superior recorded 0.64 before 7 a.m. Sunday, 0.37 in the following 24 hours and 0.l5 by 7 a.m. Tuesday for a total of 1.16. The official National Weather Service gauge near the northwest corner of the community measured 1.20 in the same time period.

A gauge 1.5 miles north of Nora measured 1.22. A gauge near Lawrence measured 1.06. One near Oak measured 1.28. Observers near Nelson and Hardy had not yet submitted their Tuesday morning readings when we checked in. For the first two days the observer at Nelson measured 0.96 and the Hardy observer reported 0.66. An observer near Deshler reported 0.97 and the Byron area reported 0.80. An observer at Guide Rock reported 0.80.

And now the National Weather Service suggests we should be looking forward to snow on Saturday.

Travel conditions were expected to be good for those going someplace for Thanksgiving but if they wait until Saturday to return home, travel may not be so good.

- On Tuesday morning, the NWS was reducing the chance for snow on Friday but increasing the prediction for Saturday

Precipitation-free conditions were expected Wednesday and Thursday, although Wednesday was expected to be far the warmer day. The Friday forecast had at least a small chance of light snow in the western parts of the Hastings office coverage area. The main chance for snow arrived Saturday into Saturday night, with current data favoring a good chance that most of the area would receive at least a few inches.

A wide variety of weather conditions were in the five-day forecast starting with Tuesday....

Widespread sunshine and less gloom returned Tuesday after three days of heavy overcast and welcome precipitation that made travel on unpaved roads difficult. However, despite plenty of sun, it was not to be an overly-nice day either. For one thing, Tuesday was the windiest day of the week, with north-northwesterly gusts commonly reaching 30-40 MPH, making the high temperatures in the 40s for most places feel even colder.

By far, Wednesday was expected to be the nicest day not only of the week, but for quite some time. Thanks to southwesterly breezes, afternoon high temperatures were expected to jump to between the upper 50s-upper 60s, making for not only a fantastic travel day, but also a great day for any outdoor projects or late-fall yard work.

Unfortunately, the warmth of Wednesday would be short-lived, as a passing cold front on Thursday would make Thanksgiving at least 15 to 20 degrees colder, only reaching the upper 30s to upper 40s. However, it would remain precipitation-free, with zero travel issues in this area.

By far the most uncertain, but potentially most impactful weather of the week is expected to arrive for Friday and especially Saturday. Those days will feel more like winter, with high temperatures only reaching the 20s or 30s. Of greater concern, however, is the chance for perhaps at least a few inches of accumulating snow, especially Saturday into Saturday night.

Friday snow chances were pretty high for western portions of Nebraska and Kansas.

Tuesday morning computer models were suggesting snow chances will ramp up Saturday into Saturday night, before ending by sunrise Sunday. Fortunately, winds look to be pretty light, probably only 10-15 MPH, holding blowing and drifting snow issues to a minimum.