Lincoln's roller-coaster December weather pattern is set to continue, with snow entering the picture for the first time.
The National Weather Service is forecasting up to 1 inch of snow in the Lincoln area on Friday.
The best chance for heavy snow will be across Nebraska's northern tier of counties, with 4-8 inches possible in areas north of Norfolk. Farther west, areas around Alliance and Gordon could see up to a foot of snow.
Winter storm watches and warnings are posted for those areas, starting Thursday afternoon in the western part of the state.
The weather service cautioned that the storm expected to bring snow to the state is still developing and a change in track would alter forecasts, but the areas along the Nebraska-South Dakota and Iowa-Minnesota borders are most likely to see several hours of moderate snow leading to dangerous travel.
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Drier air in place to the south will likely hold down snowfall totals, forecasters said. The weather service expects Norfolk to see 3-5 inches, with 1-3 inches in Columbus and up to 2 inches possible in York and Omaha. Any snowfall in eastern Nebraska is likely to occur Friday afternoon.
Though many areas of the state already have seen significant snow, Lincoln has received only a trace. Making it this deep into the season without measurable snowfall is unusual, but it's becoming more and more common.
Lincoln saw its first measurable snow in October the past three years, but before that, the first snow came in December five out of the previous eight years. In 2017, the first measurable snowfall didn't hit until Dec. 17.
Though some people may be dreading snow, Lincoln can use precipitation in whatever form it comes. The last time the city saw any measurable rain was on Nov. 13, and it has only received a half-inch of precipitation over the past six weeks.
For the year, Lincoln is about 3 inches below normal.
Temperatures will largely remain above average, with a high of 54 expected in Lincoln on Thursday before holding in the 30s on Friday.
A rebound begins Saturday with 60-degree weather in the forecast for next week.
The city has been in a warm, dry pattern for some time now. November, in addition to being dry, was 5 degrees warmer than normal, and December has started off downright balmy. The average temperature the first seven days of the month was 10 degrees above normal. The high reached the 60s or higher on three days, including a record high of 71 last Thursday.
Despite the chance of the snow, the overall forecast remains warmer than normal. Lincoln made it into the 50s on Wednesday and is forecast to do so again on Thursday. While Friday and Saturday are forecast to be slightly colder than normal, a warm pattern will return next week.
The forecast calls for highs in the 50s Sunday and Monday, with 60s possible on Tuesday and Wednesday. Long-range forecasts predict warmer weather up until Christmas and possibly through the end of the month.