HASTINGS, NE — Central Nebraskans could experience some of the coldest wind chill values in decades this week.

The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory from noon Wednesday until 6:00 Thursday night and a wind chill warning from 6:00 Wednesday to noon on Saturday. 

National Weather Service Hastings Senior Forecaster Shaun Rossi says he has dialed back snow estimates, predicting one or two inches in the Tri-Cities.

“It’s a fairly fast-moving front. It’s going to race across the local area," Rossi said. "The impacts will mainly be for a few hours in the heavier snow band and behind is going to be just the continual, relentless wind for a couple days and the very cold temperatures.”

Rossi says air temperatures are likely to stay below zero for a 48-hour period. Wind chill values will be even worse, possibly reaching negative 46 degrees early Thursday morning. If that happens in Grand Island, it would be the first time the city has experienced a wind chill that low since 1990.

The NWS says Grand Island is forecast to have wind chill values of negative 35 or colder for about 29 hours. The city only averages 12 to 13 hours of wind chill that cold per year.