Nebraska Weather: Clear Thursday gives way to a week of rain and cool temperatures

Residents in the Omaha area will experience a distinct shift in weather patterns beginning tonight. After a dry and sunny Thursday, persistent cloud cover will arrive, bringing moisture and cooler air that will remain through the weekend and into next week.

Thursday morning features fog that is expected to dissipate quickly. The rest of the day offers sunshine, with highs reaching the upper 60s. Wind and humidity levels are lower than they were on Wednesday. This dry window is brief, as clouds move in after 10 p.m. tonight.

The change in conditions begins late Thursday night with a chance of rain and scattered thunderstorms. These showers continue into Friday morning. Friday is expected to be cloudy, damp, and cool. Scattered showers and thunderstorms will occur early in the day, followed by persistent drizzle that prevents the ground from fully drying. Additional storms may redevelop after 6 p.m. Friday evening.

Rain and storms will continue through Friday night and into early Saturday. Halloween weather conditions look favorable, with rain chances concentrated in the morning and early afternoon. By evening, the weather should be mostly clear with mild temperatures in the 60s, though the air will remain damp and cloudy.

Accumulated rainfall through Saturday and Sunday is projected to be light, with a maximum of half an inch possible. However, a new weather system arrives Monday, bringing more rain, storms, and wind. Temperatures will struggle to rise for much of the following week, creating typical autumn conditions.

Forecasters indicate that heavy rain is possible during the early days of next week. Rainfall totals through the middle of the week could accumulate to notable amounts, particularly in areas south of Interstate 80. Lightning delays are a potential factor for the first round of high school football playoffs this Friday evening.