363  
FXUS63 KABR 131407 AAB  
AFDABR  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ABERDEEN SD  
907 AM CDT FRI MAR 13 2026  
   
KEY MESSAGES  
 
- THE PROBABILITY OF EXCEEDING 6 INCHES OF SNOWFALL THIS WEEKEND  
HAS INCREASED TO 70 TO 90% ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA. WINDS OF 30  
TO 45 MPH WILL LEAD TO BLOWING/DRIFTING SNOW AND BLIZZARD LIKE  
CONDITIONS MAINLY EAST OF HWY 83.  
 
- VERY COLD AIR FOLLOWS WITH TEMPERATURES SUNDAY INTO MONDAY SOME 15  
TO 25 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL.  
 
 
   
UPDATE  
 
ISSUED AT 900 AM CDT FRI MAR 13 2026  
 
NO CHANGES PLANNED, AT THIS TIME, FOR THE TODAY PERIOD FORECAST.  
ACTIVE UPPER JET STREAM PATTERN OVER-TOP A STOUT MID-LEVEL  
BAROCLINIC ZONE WILL DO ITS BEST TO OVERCOME THE SURFACE HIGH  
PRESSURE THAT HAS BUILT INTO THE CWA AND THE DRY AIR THAT HAS  
ADVECTED INTO THE LOWEST 5-7KFT OF THE BOUNDARY LAYER OVER THE  
PAST 12 HOURS. AREAS OF THE CWA WEST OF A LINE FROM EUREKA TO  
GANN VALLEY MAY SEE AN OCCASIONAL FLURRY OR BRIEF PERIOD OF LIGHT  
SNOW TODAY, BUT OVERALL, NOT EXPECTING MUCH FOR SNOW ACCUMULATION.  
AND, THE MAJORITY OF THE CWA SHOULD SEE DRY, BUT COOLER,  
CONDITIONS TODAY.  
 
UPDATE ISSUED AT 632 AM CDT FRI MAR 13 2026  
 
AVIATION DISCUSSION UPDATED BELOW FOR THE 12Z TAFS. WILL ALSO LET  
THE HIGH WIND WARNING EXPIRE AT 12Z FOR THE EASTERN CWA AS WINDS  
HAVE DECREASED BELOW CRITERIA.  
 
 
   
DISCUSSION  
 
ISSUED AT 255 AM CDT FRI MAR 13 2026  
 
AS OF 08Z, THE STRONGER WINDS ARE SLOWLY DYING BACK OVER CENTRAL SD  
AND SHOULD START DECREASING OVER NORTHEASTERN SD AS A CLIPPER LOW  
MOVES EAST. THOUGH IT WILL BE ABOUT MID-MORNING BEFORE WINDS AROUND  
AND ABOVE 35MPH TO MOVE EAST OF THE PRAIRIE COTEAU AND OUT OF THE  
AREA. A HIGH SURFACE PRESSURE IS MOVING OVER SD THROUGH THE MORNING,  
AND WILL HELP TO CALM THE WINDS AND KEEP PRECIPITATION CHANCES LOW.  
COLD AIR HAS BEEN MOVING INTO CENTRAL AND NORTHEASTERN SD WITH THESE  
STRONG WINDS, AND WILL CAUSE TEMPERATURES TODAY TO BE SLIGHTLY  
COLDER THAN YESTERDAY, WITH HIGHS IN THE 30S. AS TEMPERATURES  
DECREASE, RH VALUES ARE RECOVERING, WHICH WILL HELP TO REDUCE THE  
FIRE WEATHER RISKS. ADDITIONALLY, THE DECREASING WINDS ARE ALSO  
HELPING TO REDUCE THE RISK.  
 
THE HIGH PRESSURE MOVES OUT OF THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING  
AND MODELS ARE FORECASTING A LINE OF PRECIPITATION TO MOVE INTO  
CENTRAL SD DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON AND SPREAD INTO NORTHEASTERN SD  
OVERNIGHT ON THE NORTHERN SIDE OF THE DEVELOPING COLORADO LOW. THIS  
PRECIPITATION LOOKS TO BE MAINLY SNOW AND COULD CAUSE SNOWFALL  
ACCUMULATIONS OF A LIGHT DUSTING ALONG THE EDGES UP TO 3 INCHES IN  
NORTH CENTRAL SD BY SATURDAY AFTERNOON. THE COLORADO LOW CONTINUES TO  
DEVELOPS AND STARTS TO MOVE EAST SATURDAY EVENING INTO SUNDAY  
AFTERNOON, WHICH IS WHEN THE BULK OF THE SNOW IS FORECAST TO FALL.  
THE IS STILL SOME UNCERTAINTY IN THE LOCATION AND AMOUNTS OF THE  
HIGHEST SNOWFALL. THE MODELS HAVE SHIFTED THE TRACK OF THE LOW  
PRESSURE TO THE NORTH, WHICH HAS CAUSED AN INCREASE IN SNOW AMOUNTS  
IN THE MODELS AND SHIFTED THEM SLIGHTLY. THERE IS A 70-90% CHANCE  
FOR 6 PLUS INCHES OF SNOWFALL ACCUMULATION IN THE JAMES RIVER VALLEY  
AND EASTWARD, WITH THE HIGHEST AMOUNTS AND CHANCES OVER THE SISSETON  
HILLS AND TO THE EAST, WITH A 50-70% CHANCE FOR 10 PLUS INCHES.  
THERE IS STILL A FAIRLY LARGE SPREAD OF SNOWFALL TOTALS IN THE  
MODELS LEADING TO SOME UNCERTAINTY, WITH 5-8 INCH DIFFERENCE IN  
ENSEMBLE 25TH TO 75TH PERCENTILE SNOW TOTAL AMOUNTS ACROSS  
NORTHEASTERN SD.  
 
SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING, AS THE BULK OF THE SNOW STARTS  
FALLING, COLD AIR ALSO BEGINS TO MOVE INTO THE AREA. THE COLD AIR  
ADVECTION WILL HELP STRONGER WINDS ALOFT TO REACH THE SURFACE. THERE  
IS A 30-40% CHANCE FOR WINDS TO GUST ABOVE 35 MPH SATURDAY AFTERNOON  
WHICH INCREASES OVERNIGHT INTO SUNDAY MORNING TO BE 50-80% CHANCE  
MAINLY EAST OF THE MISSOURI RIVER. THESE STRONG WINDS WILL LIKELY  
COMBINE WITH THE FALLING SNOW AND COULD CREATE BLIZZARD LIKE  
CONDITIONS EAST OF HWY 83 AND ESPECIALLY OVER AND ALONG THE PRAIRIE  
COTEAU. TRAVEL COULD BECOME HAZARDOUS SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY DUE  
TO BLOWING SNOW CAUSING REDUCED VISIBILITIES AND WITH THE COPIOUS  
AMOUNTS OF SNOW FORECAST TO ACCUMULATE.  
 
THIS PUSH OF COLD AIR WILL ALSO COOL TEMPERATURES SUNDAY AND MONDAY  
15-25 DEGREES COLDER THAN NORMAL, WITH WIND CHILLS LOOKING TO DROP  
INTO THE NEGATIVE TEENS TO -20. HIGH SURFACE PRESSURE IS FORECAST TO  
MOVE IN BEHIND COLORADO LOW AND THE SNOW SUNDAY NIGHT INTO MONDAY,  
WHICH WILL HELP TO KEEP PRECIPITATION OUT OF CENTRAL AND  
NORTHEASTERN SD AND CAUSE WINDS TO CALM DOWN MONDAY.  
 
 
   
AVIATION /12Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z SATURDAY/  
 
ISSUED AT 632 AM CDT FRI MAR 13 2026  
 
TERMINALS KABR,KATY,KPIR,KMBG  
 
LINGERING MVFR CIGS WILL AFFECT KATY/KABR AT THE START OF THE TAF  
PERIOD BEFORE TRENDING VFR BY MID MORNING. -SN/SN WILL MOVE INTO  
THE REGION THIS EVENING, WITH A RETURN TO MVFR CIGS AS WELL.  
 
 
   
ABR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
SD...WINTER STORM WATCH FROM SATURDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH SUNDAY  
EVENING FOR SDZ003>011-015>023-033>037-045-048-051.  
 
MN...WINTER STORM WATCH FROM SATURDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH SUNDAY  
EVENING FOR MNZ039-046.  
 
 
 
 
 
UPDATE...10  
DISCUSSION...12  
AVIATION...TMT  
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