On Monday, the temperature in Valentine reached into the 70s. The spring-like temperatures were forecast to extend into Tuesday.
But by Wednesday night, residents of the northern tier of Nebraska counties, including farmers and ranchers near Valentine, will likely be dealing with a spring snowstorm.
The National Weather Service took the initial step of issuing a winter storm watch including all of Nebraska west of a Beaver City-to-Wynot line. That region could see snowfall totals ranging from 6 to 20 inches.
Behind the storm, strong winds will gust to near 50 mph.
Looking for a silver lining? Because the snow will be heavy and wet, blowing and drifting snow is less of a concern.
The storm's track will determine where the heaviest snow piles up and how much, if any, snow falls in the Lincoln area.
Here, temperatures reached 81 on Monday. Tuesday's high will be near 70, with 60s expected Wednesday before big changes arrive.
Strong thunderstorms, packing hail and high winds, are possible across Southeast Nebraska on Wednesday afternoon. And Thursday, forecasters expect the snow to spread south and east across the state, continuing into Friday morning.
The high temperature in Lincoln will struggle to reach 50 on Thursday and 45 on Friday before rebounding into the 50s for Saturday's Husker Spring Game.
Although March 31 is the average date of the last snow of the season in Lincoln, snow in April is not unusual. Last year, Lincoln recorded 3 inches in the month, with snow recorded on four days, including April 15.
If Lincoln receives snow, it would add to the season total of 55.5 inches that ranks second in the century-old record books maintained by UNL climatologists. Lincoln saw 59.4 inches in 1914-15.
Past Nebraska snowstorms
PhotoFiles: Nebraskans tough it out during snowstorms through the years