951
FXUS63 KFSD 031828
AFDFSD
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD
128 PM CDT FRI APR 3 2026
KEY MESSAGES
- A WINTRY MIX WILL REMAIN POSSIBLE NORTH OF I-90, BECOMING
MAINLY A SNOW THREAT FROM MID EVENING ON. OVERALL
PRECIPITATION AMOUNTS SHOULD NOT BE HEAVY, BUT SLICK TRAVEL,
ESPECIALLY ELEVATED SURFACES, AND LOWER VISIBILITIES AT TIMES
WILL STILL BRING SOME HAZARDS.
- WRAP AROUND SNOW ON SATURDAY ALONG WITH OCCASIONAL GUSTY
CONDITIONS MAY BRING BRIEF SLICK ROADS AND LOCALIZED, BRIEF
DROPS IN VISIBILITY.
- DRY, BUT COOLER THAN NORMAL TEMPERATURES RETURN INTO NEXT
WEEK. THERE ARE SOME SPOTTY CHANCES FOR PRECIPITATION
THROUGHOUT THE WEEK.
DISCUSSION
ISSUED AT 127 PM CDT FRI APR 3 2026
FOR THE MOST PART TEMPERATURES HAVE CLIMBED ABOVE FREEZING
EVERYWHERE THIS AFTERNOON, BUT WILL COOL BACK TO AROUND OR BELOW
FREEZING AGAIN, ESPECIALLY LATER TONIGHT AND ESPECIALLY NORTH OF I-
90. PRECIPITATION POTENTIAL CONTINUES INTO TONIGHT, WITH THE BETTER
CHANCES NORTH OF I-90. MODEL SOUNDINGS CONTINUE TO SHOW THE DRY SLOT
KEEPING MOST PRECIPITATION AT BAY OVER MUCH OF THE AREA. PERIODIC
SATURATION IN THE DGZ NORTH OF I-90 SHOULD LEAD TO OCCASIONAL LIGHT
SNOW BUT WITH A WARM GROUND AND TEMPERATURES CLOSE TO 30
ACCUMULATION MIGHT BE DIFFICULT. WHILE THERE WILL BE A BIT OF A
BREAK THIS AFTERNOON INTO EARLY EVENING PRECIPITATION WILL
REDEVELOP. SOME OF THE BETTER WRAP AROUND POTENTIAL COMES LATER
TONIGHT AS THE WAVE IS EXITING AND WILL SEE IF AN INCH OR TWO COULD
ACCUMULATE NEAR HIGHWAY 14. NEAR AND SOUTH OF I-90 THIS EVENING AND
OVERNIGHT THE MAIN PRECIPITATION THREAT WILL BE DRIZZLE, MAYBE
PATCHY LIGHT FREEZING DRIZZLE AS THE LOW LEVELS REMAIN FULLY
SATURATED.
AS THE WAVE EXITS LATE TONIGHT, DEEPER MIXING AND A STRENGTHENING
NORTHWEST PRESSURE GRADIENT WILL RESULT IN SURFACE WIND GUSTS OF 35
TO 40 MPH ON SATURDAY. SOME VERY WEAK INSTABILITY IN THE MIXED LAYER
COULD RESULT IN SCATTERED SNOW SHOWERS WITH THE BETTER CHANCES NEAR
AND NORTH OF I-90 AND EAST OF THE JAMES RIVER FROM LATE MORNING INTO
MID AFTERNOON. SOUTH OF I-90 SATURATION IN THE DGZ IS JUST NOT THERE
SO THOSE SCATTERED SNOW SHOWERS SHOULD BECOME MUCH MORE ISOLATED.
THE MAIN CONCERNS WOULD BE A QUICK DROP IN VISIBILITY THAT WOULD BE
FAIRLY SHORT LIVED.
A WEAK MOISTURE STARVED WAVE WILL DIVE SOUTHEAST ON SATURDAY NIGHT
AND FOR NOW DOES NOT LOOK TO PROVIDE ANY ADDITIONAL PRECIPITATION TO
THE AREA. A SLIGHTLY STRONGER WAVE WILL MOVE BY TO THE NORTH ON
SUNDAY AND COULD BRING A LITTLE LIGHT PRECIPITATION TO THE MARSHALL
MN AREA BUT IMPACTS WILL BE MINOR.
A BIT OF A RECOVERY IN TEMPERATURES ON SUNDAY AS THIS WAVE PASSES
BUT COLD ADVECTION BY LATE AFTERNOON WILL BRING A BREEZY NORTHWEST
WINDS TO THE AREA THROUGH SUNDAY EVENING.
ANOTHER WAVE WILL BRING A BIGGER WARM UP ON WEDNESDAY ALONG WITH A
CHANCE FOR SOME SHOWERS. HIGHS WEDNESDAY WILL BE IN THE 60S.
THE GENERAL TREND FOR THURSDAY INTO FRIDAY WILL BE FOR WESTERLY FLOW
ALOFT TO TURN A BIT MORE SOUTHWEST AS A TROUGH DEVELOPS OVER THE
WESTERN UNITED STATES. SOME COOLER AIR WILL BE LOCKED IN PLACE BOTH
DAYS SO FOR NOW HIGHS SHOULD BE BELOW NORMAL. BROAD WARM ADVECTION
MAY BRING SOME RAIN AND SNOW TO THE AREA, SOMETHING TO KEEP AN EYE
ON.
AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z SATURDAY/
ISSUED AT 1210 PM CDT FRI APR 3 2026
WIDESPREAD IFR CONDITIONS IN STRATUS AND PATCHY DRIZZLE WILL BE
FAIRLY COMMON THROUGH MUCH OF THE PERIOD. NORTH OF I-90 MIXED
PRECIPITATION WILL BE MORE LIKELY, ESPECIALLY TONIGHT INTO
SATURDAY MORNING, ALTHOUGH LATER TONIGHT INTO SATURDAY MORNING
THE MAIN PRECIPITATION TYPE SHOULD BE SNOW. NORTHWEST WINDS WILL
BEGIN TO INCREASE LATER TONIGHT AND CONTINUE INTO SATURDAY, WITH
GUSTS OF 20 TO 40 MPH LIKELY SATURDAY.
FSD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
SD...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 7 AM CDT SATURDAY FOR SDZ038>040-
052>058.
MN...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 7 AM CDT SATURDAY FOR MNZ071-072-
080-081-097.
IA...NONE.
NE...NONE.
DISCUSSION...08
AVIATION...08
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