By Matt Olberding, Nebraska Public Media
Friday is officially the first day of summer, but all across Nebraska, it’s going to feel more like mid-July.
Nearly every corner of the state is expected to hit triple digits Friday and Saturday, which has led the National Weather Service to warn of dangerously hot conditions.
The weather service has issued an extreme heat warning for the eastern third the state from noon Friday through Sunday night, with forecasts calling for temperatures as high as 102-103 in Lincoln, Norfolk and Omaha, and heat indexes that could go as high as 110 or more.
What will make things worse is that nighttime lows will remain much above average. In Lincoln, for example, the forecast low both Saturday and Sunday mornings is 80 degrees.
The National Weather Service office in Omaha said in a social media post that the prolonged heat, combined with it coming so early in the season, could increase the impacts.
The Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department urged residents to take precautions, including checking on pets and those more susceptible to heat-related illnesses, such as children and seniors.
“High heat and humidity can cause heat-related illnesses,” said Health Director Kerry Kernen. “We’re fortunate to have a little lead time and we can use it to take steps to prepare and help lessen the impact of heat on our health and our community, if temperatures continue to rise.”
Farther west, some areas are in a heat advisory. While air temperatures in some spots may top 105, lower humidity will mean lower heat indexes.
Though temperatures this weekend will be about 15-20 degrees higher than normal in many places, it’s still fairly late in the summer for the first 100-degree temperatures, at least based on recent history.
According to a Tuesday blog post from Eric Hunt, assistant extension educator of Agricultural Meteorology and Climate Resilience at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, only three times in the past 15 years has the state’s first 100-degree day come later than June 20.
As of Thursday morning, here are the forecast highs on Friday and Saturday for select cities:
Scottsbluff: 105, 101
North Platte: 104, 102
Grand Island: 102, 102
Lincoln: 103, 102
Omaha: 102, 102
Norfolk: 101, 102
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