Oakley, KS Weather

Key Messages

- Above normal temperatures expected through the remainder of the work week.

- Patchy fog this morning and Wednesday morning, with best chances in southwest Nebraska.

- Precipitation chances return next weekend.

Short Term

Issued at 1215 AM MDT Tue Oct 20 2026

Southwest flow will continue through the period, between a ridge centered over Mexico and a system moving into the Great Basin. The area will be mostly dry, though a few isolated very light showers or virga will be possible associated with weak waves moving through aloft. Patchy fog may develop this morning and again Wednesday morning, with models suggesting it will primarily be north of Interstate 70, especially southwest Nebraska. Wind will be light from the southeast today and tomorrow, but increases Thursday afternoon and Thursday night with gusts of 30-50 mph as the nocturnal low level jet strengthens. Temperatures will gradually warm through the period, from the lower 70s today, middle 70s on Wednesday and around 80 on Thursday. Lows will generally be in the 40s.

Long Term

Issued at 202 AM MDT Tue Oct 20 2026

On Friday, Southwesterly flow aloft persist over the area as the trough to the southwest starts to move northeastward. Towards the surface, the area is forecast to be in between a low-pressure system off to the northern Rocky Mountain Piedmont region and a high pressure system to the east. this will likely cause some breezy conditions within the forecast area with higher winds favored over the US 385 corridor. Wind speeds are expected to be between 20 and 30 mph with possible gusts over 40 mph from the south. With this being said, afternoon temperatures are forecast to be in the mid 70s to low 80s as cloud coverage starts to decrease later in the day.

Over the weekend, southwesterly flow aloft will start to slowly shift into zonal flow later Sunday night. This should allow a cold front to pass through early Saturday morning. While there are unfavorable conditions for severe weather, a possible weak thunderstorm could occur as CAPE is the main driving factor with values above 500 J/kg. While confidence for showers is medium to high (55-75%), confidence for thunderstorms is low (25%). If precipitation occurs, it is favored to occur east of K-25.On Sunday, lingering showers from Saturday could occur as a possible surface low-pressure is forecast to form to the west of the area and draw in moisture from the south. There is low to medium confidence (25-40%) that showers may occur as forecast guidance becomes inconsistent over the area. Once the cold front passes, afternoon temperatures should settle back down into seasonal averages being in the 60s

Monday, the upper-level pattern becomes unclear as forecast guidance presents a couple of possible scenarios. The first scenario is continuing zonal flow over the northern CONUS that may keep afternoon temperatures in the 60s. The second scenario is that an upper-level ridge could form to the west and bring in a secondary cold front, lowering afternoon temperatures into the 50s. Otherwise, it is likely to be partly cloudy with calm winds from the south throughout the day.

Aviation

Issued at 1148 PM MDT Mon Oct 19 2026

VFR conditions are currently in place at both terminals, and is expected to remain so at KGLD. However, fog is forecast to develop across portions of Southwest Nebraska tonight around 10Z, as surface observations support dewpoints remaining in the mid 40s through the remainder of the night, and satellite continues to show a lack of cloud cover. MVFR conditions are expected during this time for KMCK, though model guidance suggests that IFR visibilities can't be ruled out. South-southeasterly winds are expected to pick up a bit into the teens this afternoon, though light winds primarily out of the south are expected otherwise.