987  
FXUS63 KABR 130533 AAC  
AFDABR  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ABERDEEN SD  
1133 PM CST MON JAN 12 2026  
   
KEY MESSAGES
 
 
- MILD TEMPERATURES AROUND 20 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL ARE EXPECTED  
TUESDAY WITH HIGHS GENERALLY IN THE 40S TO AROUND 50 DEGREES  
AND OVERNIGHT LOWS IN THE 30S. MUCH COLDER CONDITIONS, EVEN  
COLDER THAN NORMAL FOR MID JANUARY, RETURN LATE IN THE WEEK.  
 
- A 30-60 PERCENT CHANCE FOR LIGHT RAIN POSSIBLE TUESDAY ACROSS  
CENTRAL SOUTH DAKOTA BEFORE AN INCREASED CHANCE OF 45-75  
PERCENT OF SNOW POSSIBLE THURSDAY AND FRIDAY. ACCUMULATIONS LOOK  
MINIMAL, BUT THERE COULD BE UP TO AN INCH (60-80 PERCENT  
CHANCE) OF SNOW ACCUMULATING UP ON THE PRAIRIE COTEAU LATE  
THURSDAY INTO FRIDAY.  
 
- A PERIOD OF STRONG NORTHWEST WINDS ARE EXPECTED TUESDAY INTO  
EARLY WEDNESDAY WHERE GUSTS WILL RANGE BETWEEN 35-45 MPH. EVEN  
STRONGER WINDS MAY BE POSSIBLE LATE THURSDAY THROUGH FRIDAY  
WHERE PEAK WIND GUSTS MAY RANGE BETWEEN 40-55 MPH. THIS COMBINED  
WITH ANY SNOWFALL COULD LEAD TO HAZARDOUS WEATHER CONDITIONS.  
 

 
   
UPDATE
 
 
ISSUED AT 1129 PM CST MON JAN 12 2026  
 
AVIATION DISCUSSION UPDATED BELOW FOR THE 06Z TAFS.  
 
UPDATE ISSUED AT 846 PM CST MON JAN 12 2026  
 
MILD TEMPS ACROSS THE REGION WITH MANY AREAS STILL IN THE 30S AND  
40S. WITH THE WESTERLY WINDS INCREASING OVERNIGHT AND MID/HIGH  
CLOUD COVER, EXPECTING LOWS TO STAY VERY MILD FOR THIS TIME OF  
YEAR. ONLY CHANGE IN THE FORECAST FOR THE OVERNIGHT WAS TO  
INCREASE SKY COVER A BIT ACROSS THE AREA WITH THE ABUNDANCE OF  
MID/HIGH LEVEL CLOUD COVER MOVING SOUTHWARD THROUGH THE DAKOTAS.  
 

 
   
DISCUSSION
 
 
ISSUED AT 347 PM CST MON JAN 12 2026  
 
CONDITIONS ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA THIS AFTERNOON FEATURE A MIX OF  
SUNNY BREAKS IN BETWEEN HIGH CLOUDS DRIFTING OVERHEAD. TEMPERATURES  
HAVE RESPONDED NICELY UNDERNEATH THE INFLUENCE OF A PACIFIC AIR MASS  
AND HAVE RANGED FROM THE 40S TO AROUND 50 ALONG AND EAST OF THE  
JAMES VALLEY WITH UPPER 40S TO MID 50S WEST OF THE JAMES VALLEY.  
QUITE IMPRESSIVE TO SAY THE LEAST FOR MID JANUARY. THE ONLY THING  
THAT'S DAMPENED THE MILD EFFECT IS THICKER HIGH LEVEL CLOUD COVER  
HAS STARTED TO INFILTRATE THE FORECAST AREA FROM THE NORTHWEST. THIS  
HAS SLOWED WHAT WE HAVE LEFT OF PEAK HEATING TIME THIS AFTERNOON.  
HOWEVER, THE MILD TREND WILL SPILL OVER INTO TONIGHT AS WE RETAIN  
WESTERLY LOW LEVEL FLOW. A TROUGH AT THE SFC AND ALOFT IS PROGGED TO  
SHIFT ACROSS THE CWA SWITCHING WINDS FROM A SOUTHWEST DIRECTION TO A  
MORE WEST TO NORTHWEST DIRECTION. WINDS ARE ALSO EXPECTED TO  
INTENSIFY A BIT TONIGHT AS GUSTY WINDS UP TO 40-45 MPH WILL BE  
POSSIBLE IN FAVORED DOWNSLOPE AREAS IN NORTHEAST SD ALONG WITH THE  
LEOLA HILLS AREA. OVERNIGHT LOWS WILL BE VERY MILD WITH READINGS IN  
THE 30S WHICH IS ABOUT 10-12 DEGREES ABOVE THE NORMAL HIGH  
TEMPERATURES FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR. IF THERE'S ANY PRECIP ASSOCIATED  
WITH THE PASSING TROUGH, IT SHOULD REMAIN CONFINED JUST OFF TO THE  
NORTHEAST OF OUR FORECAST AREA IN CENTRAL AND NORTHERN MN.  
 
UNFORTUNATELY, THIS MILD AND DRY WEATHER WILL BE BUT A MEMORY  
HEADING INTO TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY. NORTHWEST FLOW AT THE SFC AND  
ALOFT WILL CONTINUE TO REMAIN ENTRENCHED ACROSS THE NORTHERN PLAINS.  
A SFC LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL SHIFT SOUTHEAST OUT OF ONTARIO INTO  
THE WESTERN GREAT LAKES ON TUESDAY. AN ASSOCIATED SFC BOUNDARY WILL  
SET UP ACROSS THE WESTERN PORTION OF SD AS AN UPPER JET STREAK  
DEVELOPS ACROSS CENTRAL SD. THIS WILL KICK OFF RAIN SHOWER ACTIVITY  
DURING THE DAYTIME HOURS PRIMARILY ACROSS CENTRAL SD. MOISTURE  
VALUES REMAIN LIMITED AND THERE WILL BE A LOW LEVEL DRY LAYER TO  
CONTEND WITH SO IT COULD TAKE SOME TIME DURING THE MORNING HOURS FOR  
THE RAIN TO START. THIS ACTIVITY WILL TAPER OFF AND SHIFT SOUTH OF  
OUR AREA BY LATE AFTERNOON OR EARLY EVENING. BREEZY TO WINDY  
CONDITIONS ARE STILL ANTICIPATED ON TUESDAY, ALTHOUGH THERE'S LESS  
EVIDENCE AMONG THE GUIDANCE THAT WIDESPREAD WIND ADVISORY LEVEL  
WINDS WILL PAN OUT. PROBABILITIES OF SEEING GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 45  
MPH ARE NOW CONFINED TO PARTS OF NORTH CENTRAL SD EASTWARD TO  
LOCALES ON THE WEST SIDE OF THE JAMES VALLEY. BOTH NBM AND HREF  
INDICATE A RANGE OF 20-30 PERCENT CHANCES FOR WIND GUSTS IN EXCESS  
OF 45 MPH IN THESE LOCALES. HREF IS A BIT MORE AGGRESSIVE AROUND THE  
LEOLA HILLS AREA AND POINTS SOUTH WITH PROBS RANGING FROM 30-60  
PERCENT. SO, IT'S CERTAINLY POSSIBLE THAT PARTS OF THE FORECAST AREA  
WILL SEE WINDS THIS STRONG BUT COVERAGE IS MORE LIMITED AND WITH THE  
LACK OF ANY PRONOUNCED COLD AIR ADVECTION DURING THE DAY, CONFIDENCE  
IS LOWER FOR WIND HEADLINES. WILL LET THE OVERNIGHT SHIFT HAVE ONE  
MORE ASSESSMENT OF IT TO SEE IF HEADLINES ARE WARRANTED ANYWHERE.  
 
BY THE END OF THE DAY TUESDAY INTO TUESDAY NIGHT, MODELS CONTINUE TO  
PROG A BACKDOOR COLD FRONT WILL BE DROPPING SOUTH AND SOUTHWEST  
THROUGH THE AREA. COLD AIR ADVECTION WILL FOLLOW, WITH FROPA TIMING  
INFLUENCING LATE DAY AND EVENING TEMPERATURE TRENDS. GUSTY NORTH TO  
NORTHWEST WINDS MAY PERSIST INTO THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. MOISTURE  
ASSOCIATED WITH THE FROPA IS RATHER SCANT, BUT STILL CAN'T RULE OUT  
SOME SPRINKLES/FLURRIES OR A BRIEF RAIN/SNOW SHOWER ACROSS OUR  
EASTERN ZONES. A MUCH COOLER AIR MASS WILL SETTLE IN ON WEDNESDAY  
WITH DAYTIME READINGS IN THE UPPER TEENS TO MID 20S ALONG AND EAST  
OF THE JAMES VALLEY. SHORTWAVE UPPER RIDGING WILL BUILD INTO THE  
REGION LATE WEDNESDAY INTO THURSDAY LEADING TO A BRIEF WARM UP ON  
THURSDAY WITH HIGHS IN THE 30S AND 40S. A WARM AIR ADVECTION PATTERN  
BEHIND A PASSING WARM FRONT WILL KICK OFF A ROUND OF RAIN/SNOW  
SHOWERS ACROSS NORTHEAST SD AND WEST CENTRAL MN DURING THE DAY.  
GUSTY WEST TO NORTHWEST WINDS WILL DEVELOP ACROSS CENTRAL SD  
THURSDAY AFTERNOON, POTENTIALLY REACHING WIND ADVISORY CRITERIA. NBM  
PROBABILITIES OF SEEING GUSTS GREATER THAN 45 MPH RANGE FROM 50-80  
PERCENT FROM THE WEST SIDE OF THE JAMES VALLEY THROUGH WEST RIVER  
ZONES. AN UPPER TROUGH WILL MOVE THROUGH LATE THURSDAY INTO FRIDAY  
AND PUSH A STRONG COLD FRONT THROUGH THE FORECAST AREA. LIGHT SNOW  
IS POSSIBLE WITH MINOR ACCUMULATIONS ACROSS OUR EASTERN ZONES. THE  
PRIMARY IMPACT WILL BE THE STRONG NORTHWEST WINDS THAT DEVELOP IN  
THE STRONG COLD AIR ADVECTION ON FRIDAY. PROBABILITIES OF GUSTS  
GREATER THAN 45 MPH FROM THE NBM INDICATE A RANGE OF 50-80 PERCENT  
ACROSS MOST OF OUR SD ZONES. THESE VALUES DROP OFF TO BETWEEN 20-40  
PERCENT FOR GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 58 MPH OR HIGH WIND WARNING CRITERIA  
AND MAINLY CONFINED TO PARTS OF THE MISSOURI VALLEY. THE COMBINATION  
OF THE STRONG WINDS AND AREAS THAT SEE SNOW, SUCH AS OUR EASTERN  
ZONES, WILL BE POTENTIALLY SEEING HAZARDOUS WINTRY WEATHER LIKE  
BLOWING SNOW AND REDUCED VISIBILITIES ON FRIDAY. IF SNOWFALL  
EXPECTATIONS INCREASE OR COLDER TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED, THIS WILL  
ENHANCE THOSE ISSUES. ANY SNOWFALL SHOULD TAPER OFF FRIDAY NIGHT  
INTO SATURDAY. ARCTIC COLD AIR WILL DRAIN SOUTH OUT OF CANADA INTO  
OUR AREA BY THE START OF THE WEEKEND WITH BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES  
EXPECTED TO RETURN. TEMPERATURES SHOULD THEN BEGIN TO MODIFY EARLY  
NEXT WEEK AS WE GET ON THE BACKSIDE OF A DEPARTING SFC HIGH PRESSURE  
TO OUR EAST.  
 

 
   
AVIATION /06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z WEDNESDAY/
 
 
ISSUED AT 1129 PM CST MON JAN 12 2026  
 
TERMINALS KABR,KATY,KPIR,KMBG  
 
VFR CONDITIONS ARE FORECAST OVERNIGHT INTO TUESDAY, WITH MVFR  
CIGS EXPECTED TO MOVE INTO THE REGION TOWARDS THE END OF THE TAF  
PERIOD. LOW-LEVEL WIND SHEAR (LLWS) WILL BE A CONCERN THROUGH THE  
TUESDAY MORNING HOURS AND HAVE INSERTED MENTIONS OF THIS IN TAFS.  
OTHERWISE, EXPECTING AREAS OF -RA ACROSS CENTRAL SD ON TUESDAY,  
WITH MINIMAL IMPACTS.  
 

 
   
ABR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
SD...NONE.  
MN...NONE.  

 
 

 
 
UPDATE...TMT  
DISCUSSION...VIPOND  
AVIATION...TMT  
 
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