860  
FXUS63 KFSD 201952  
AFDFSD  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD  
252 PM CDT WED AUG 20 2025  
   
KEY MESSAGES
 
 
- PATCHY FOG IS POSSIBLE TOMORROW MORNING TO THE EAST OF I-29.  
 
- CHANCES FOR STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS RETURN TO THE AREA LATE  
THURSDAY AND FRIDAY. SOME UNCERTAINTY REMAINS, MAINLY  
REGARDING THE TIMING OF STORMS, SO KEEP UP WITH THE LATEST  
FORECAST FOR THE MOST UP TO DATE INFORMATION.  
 
- THE FIRST TASTE OF FALL RETURNS TO THE AREA FOR THE WEEKEND  
AND PERSISTS THROUGH THE FIRST HALF OF NEXT WEEK. HIGHS IN  
THE 60S, 70S, AND 80S ARE LIKELY ALONG WITH LOWS FALLING TO  
THE 40S AND 50S.  
 

 
   
DISCUSSION
 
 
ISSUED AT 251 PM CDT WED AUG 20 2025  
 
CLEAR SKIES AND LIGHT WINDS PERSIST THIS AFTERNOON AS SURFACE  
RIDGING CONTINUES TO OFF TO THE EAST. HIGHS HAVE WARMED TO THE UPPER  
70S AND 80S WHILE DEW POINTS REMAIN IN THE 60S AND 70S WILL KEEP  
HUMID CONDITIONS AROUND. WITH DEW POINTS REMAINING IN THE 60S, LOW  
TEMPERATURES WILL ONLY FALL TO THE 60S AS WELL TONIGHT. THIS WILL  
AGAIN KEEP CHANCES FOR FOG IN THE FORECAST, MAINLY ALONG AND EAST OF  
I-29 WHERE THE BEST HUMIDITY AND LIGHTEST WINDS WILL LIE.  
 
THURSDAY LOOKS TO BE MOSTLY QUIET DURING THE DAYLIGHT HOURS. HIGHS  
WILL AGAIN WARM TO THE 80S AND 90S, WARMEST WEST OF THE JAMES RIVER.  
WITH DEW POINTS REMAINING IN THE 60S AND 70S, HEAT INDICES WILL  
AGAIN REACH UP TO THE 80S AND 90S. THE NEXT CHANCE FOR SHOWERS AND  
STORMS, SOME OF WHICH COULD BE STRONG TO SEVERE, RETURNS ON  
THURSDAY. SOME UNCERTAINTY REMAINS REGARDING THE TIMING OF STORMS.  
LOOKING AT THE DYNAMICS, AN UPPER LEVEL SHORTWAVE TROUGH WILL ROUND  
THE TOP OF AN UPPER LEVEL RIDGE SITTING OVER THE FOUR CORNERS AREA.  
A COLD FRONT WILL BE TIED TO THIS WAVE BUT THE BEST FORCING FOR  
ASCENT WILL BE NORTH OF THE FORECAST AREA. WHILE THE FRONT ITSELF  
WILL BE IN PLAY, THINK THAT LITTLE IF ANY CONVECTION WILL DEVELOP  
ALONG THE FRONT GIVEN HOW AN UPPER LEVEL JETS RIGHT ENTRANCE REGION  
WILL BE PARKED OVER THE NORTHERN PLAINS. THE INDIRECT THERMAL  
CIRCULATION (ITC) FROM THE EXIT REGION OF THE JET WILL RESULT IN  
PREDOMINANTLY LARGE SCALE SUBSIDENCE ACROSS THE AREA. AT THE SAME  
TIME, CAPPING WILL BE IN PLACE AND THE FRONT WILL BE SITUATED WEST  
OF THE AREA DURING THE AFTERNOON HOURS ON THURSDAY. AS THE FRONT  
SLIDES INTO THE AREA THURSDAY EVENING AND NIGHT, CONVECTIVE CHANCES  
LOOK TO INCREASE. COULD SEE CONVECTION DEVELOP ON THE ELEVATED  
BOUNDARY BETWEEN 850 TO 750 MB. HOWEVER, THIS LAYER IN THE  
ATMOSPHERE LOOKS GENERALLY DRY. WHILE FURTHER ELEVATED SHOWERS AND  
STORMS ARE POSSIBLE, THINK THAT HIGHLY ELEVATED CONVECTION WOULD BE  
SUB SEVERE. IF CONVECTION IS ABLE TO DEVELOP ON THIS BOUNDARY,  
ELEVATED INSTABILITY VALUES UP TO 1,500 TO 2,000 J/KG IS POSSIBLE.  
EFFECTIVE SHEAR WILL REMAIN MODEST AT AROUND 30 TO 35 KNOTS VIA A  
STRAIGHT HODOGRAPH. CONVECTION LOOK TO DEVELOP WEST OF THE JAMES  
RIVER VALLEY AND PUSH EASTWARDS THROUGH THE NIGHT INTO FRIDAY  
MORNING.  
 
CHANCES FOR CONVECTION WILL PERSIST THROUGH THE DAYLIGHT HOURS ON  
FRIDAY AS THE FRONT CONTINUES TO PUSH THROUGH THE FORECAST AREA. AS  
OF NOW, CHANCES FOR STORMS (30-60%) ARE HIGHEST DURING THE MORNING  
HOURS. MOST OF THE LATEST 12Z GUIDANCE DOES NOT GO PAST 7 AM FRIDAY  
MORNING. HOWEVER, A FEW MODELS DO. THE RRFS AND THE NAM3KM SHOW THE  
POTENTIAL FOR CONVECTION TO DEVELOP ALONG THE SOMEWHAT WASHED OUT  
FRONT FRIDAY AFTERNOON ACROSS PARTS OF SOUTHEAST SOUTH DAKOTA,  
SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA, AND NORTHWEST IOWA. THIS POTENTIAL IS MORE  
UNCERTAIN THOUGH AS LITTLE FORCING WILL BE IN PLACE AND THE  
ATMOSPHERE LOOKS TO BE SOMEWHAT CAPPED. THAT SAID, THE ENSEMBLES DO  
SHOW A 20-30% CHANCE FOR A TENTH OF AN INCH OF RAIN FRIDAY  
AFTERNOON. THE HIGHEST PROBABILITIES RESIDE ACROSS NORTHWEST IOWA.  
ASIDE FROM SHOWER AND STORM CHANCES, FRIDAY WILL BE THE LAST HUMID  
DAY ACROSS THE AREA AS HIGHS WILL COOL A BIT TO THE UPPER 70S AND  
80S WHILE DEW POINTS WILL REMAIN IN THE 60S AND 70S. LOW  
TEMPERATURES WILL FALL TO THE 50S TO 60S OVERNIGHT.  
 
SATURDAY DELIVERS THE FIRST TASTE OF FALL TO THE AREA AS HIGHS WILL  
WARM TO ONLY THE UPPER 60S AND 70S WHILE DEW POINTS FALL TO THE 50S.  
NORTHWEST FLOW WILL MAKE FOR A MARGINALLY BREEZY DAY WITH GUSTS UP  
TO 20-25 MPH EXPECTED. SUNDAY WILL BE THE COOLEST DAY OF THE WEEKEND  
WITH HIGHS REMAINING IN THE 60S AND 70S BUT DEW POINTS WILL FALL  
FURTHER DOWN TO THE UPPER 40S AND 50S. WITH A WEAKER SURFACE  
PRESSURE GRADIENT IN PLACE THANKS TO A SURFACE HIGH SLOWLY SPILLING  
INTO THE NORTHERN PLAINS, WINDS WILL BE A BIT WEAKER. WITH DRY  
CONDITIONS EXPECTED, THE WEEKEND WILL BE WONDERFUL FOR OUTDOOR  
ACTIVITIES! LOW TEMPERATURES WILL FALL TO THE 40S AND 50S SATURDAY  
AND SUNDAY NIGHTS, COLDEST ON SUNDAY NIGHT.  
 
THE FIRST HALF OF NEXT WEEK LOOKS TO CONTINUE TO BE DRY AS A BROAD  
UPPER LEVEL WAVE MEANDERS ACROSS THE NORTHEASTERN CONUS. THIS WILL  
KEEP BROAD NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT IN PLACE ALONG WITH HIGH PRESSURE AT  
THE SURFACE. THUS, HIGHS IN THE 60S, 70S, AND 80S LOOK TO PERSIST  
DURING THIS PERIOD OF TIME ALONG WITH LOWS FALLING TO THE 40S AND  
50S. WITH HIGH PRESSURE IN PLACE, WIND WILL BE LIGHT, MAKING FOR A  
SOLID START TO THE WORK WEEK.  
 

 
   
AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z THURSDAY/
 
 
ISSUED AT 1222 PM CDT WED AUG 20 2025  
 
MAINLY VFR CONDITIONS BEGIN THE TAF PERIOD EARLY THIS AFTERNOON.  
LOCATIONS ACROSS PARTS OF THE MISSOURI RIVER VALLEY INTO ADJACENT  
AREAS IN NORTHWEST IOWA ALONG WITH A A FEW LOCATIONS ALONG THE  
BUFFALO RIDGE IN SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA ARE REPORTING CEILINGS DOWN TO  
MVFR/IFR LEVELS. THIS IS MAINLY IN THE FORM OF A CU FIELD THAT HAS  
DEVELOPED. THE CU FIELD COULD EXPAND IN COVERAGE THROUGH THE REST OF  
THE AFTERNOON HOURS. HOWEVER, THINK THAT DRIER AIR MIXING DOWN MAY  
DISSIPATE THE CU FIELD IN TIME. WINDS WILL BE LIGHT AT 5-15 KNOTS  
AND OUT OF THE EAST/SOUTHEAST THIS AFTERNOON.  
 
FOG IS ONCE AGAIN ON THE TABLE FOR TONIGHT. AS OF NOW, FOG IS MOST  
LIKELY EAST OF I-29. HAVE LEFT ANY MENTION OF BR OR FG OUT OF KFSD  
AND KHONS TAFS AT THIS TIME. TRENDS WILL BE MONITORED. WINDS WILL  
TURN SOUTHERLY TO END THE TAF PERIOD TOMORROW.  
 

 
   
FSD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
SD...NONE.  
MN...NONE.  
IA...NONE.  
NE...NONE.  
 

 
 

 
 
DISCUSSION...MEYERS  
AVIATION...MEYERS  
 
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