204  
FXUS63 KABR 231124  
AFDABR  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ABERDEEN SD  
524 AM CST MON DEC 23 2024  
   
KEY MESSAGES
 
 
- AREA OF LIGHT WINTRY MIX OF PRECIPITATION MOVES ACROSS NORTHEAST  
SOUTH DAKOTA THIS MORNING. LITTLE TO NO ACCUMULATION IS EXPECTED.  
PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED TO BE OUT OF THE AREA AROUND DAYBREAK THIS  
MORNING.  
 
- THERE IS AROUND A 30% CHANCE OF LIGHT RAIN FORECAST FRIDAY INTO  
EARLY SATURDAY OVER MAINLY EASTERN SD AND WESTERN MN.  
 
- TEMPERATURES WILL RUN AROUND 5 TO 20 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL THROUGH  
NEXT MONDAY.  
 

 
   
UPDATE
 
 
ISSUED AT 524 AM CST MON DEC 23 2024  
 
AVIATION DISCUSSION HAS BEEN UPDATED BELOW IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE  
12Z TAF ISSUANCE.  
 

 
   
SHORT TERM /TODAY THROUGH TUESDAY AFTERNOON/
 
 
ISSUED AT 241 AM CST MON DEC 23 2024  
 
AS OF THE TIME OF THIS WRITING (~2 AM), PRECIPITATION IS MOVING  
INTO THE AREA FROM NORTH DAKOTA. FREEZING RAIN AND SNOW ARE THE  
EXPECTED PRECIPITATION TYPES OUT OF THIS SYSTEM PER MODEL  
SOUNDINGS. HOWEVER, ATTEMPTING TO DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE TWO IS  
TRICKY BECAUSE THERE IS NOT GREAT AGREEMENT ON WHAT THE MOISTURE  
ALOFT IS DOING. LIMITED OBSERVATIONS ARE AVAILABLE AT THIS TIME,  
AND WHILE WEBCAMS SHOW PRECIPITATION, IT IS TRICKY TO ATTEMPT TO  
DETERMINE PRECIP TYPE WHEN THEY SHOW NO ACCUMULATION ON THE ROADS.  
RADAR RETURNS UP TO 10K FEET AGL SUGGEST SOME LEVEL OF MOISTURE  
ALOFT, WHICH ACCORDING TO MODEL SOUNDINGS IS ON THE LOWER EDGE OF  
THE DGZ AND THEREFORE LIKELY TO BE PRODUCING ICE CRYSTALS.  
SOUNDINGS ALSO SUGGEST THAT THERE IS STILL A WARM LAYER NEAR THE  
SURFACE, WHICH IS SUPPORTED BY THE CC AND PRODUCT SHOWING SOME  
MELTING BELOW ~4K FEET AGL. THIS WOULD SUGGEST THAT FREEZING RAIN  
IS THE MOST LIKELY SURFACE PRECIPITATION TYPE, BUT IN REALITY  
THERE IS PROBABLY SOME SNOW MIXED IN THERE TOO. COOLER AIR AT THAT  
LEVEL IS EXPECTED TO MOVE IN OVER THE NEXT FEW HOURS, SO WHEN  
THAT HAPPENS EXPECT A CHANGEOVER TO SNOW AS THE DOMINANT  
PRECIPITATION TYPE. THE SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO WEAKEN AS IT  
PROGRESSES OVER NORTHEASTERN SOUTH DAKOTA TONIGHT AND BE CLEAR OF  
THE FORECAST AREA AROUND DAYBREAK.  
 
CLOUDY CONDITIONS TODAY DUE TO A LOW STRATUS DECK LINGERING OVER THE  
AREA. THERE ARE CHANCES FOR SOME PATCHY FOG TO FORM THIS MORNING  
ALONG THE WESTERN EDGE OF THE STRATUS DECK, WHICH LIKELY SETS UP  
OVER CENTRAL SOUTH DAKOTA. THESE CLOUDS WILL KEEP HIGHS OVER  
NORTHEASTERN SD/WESTERN MN TO THE 20S TODAY, WHILE THE MID 30S TO  
LOW 40S ARE EXPECTED OVER CENTRAL SOUTH DAKOTA. PERSISTENT CLOUDS  
WILL KEEP OVERNIGHT LOWS IN THE TEENS TO LOW 20S ACROSS THE FORECAST  
AREA.  
 
MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY MORNING, A COUPLE CAMS HAVE PICKED UP  
POTENTIAL FOR SOME LIGHT PRECIPITATION ALONG A FRONTAL BOUNDARY OVER  
THE WESTERN PART OF THE FORECAST AREA. HAVE OPTED TO KEEP ONLY  
SLIGHT CHANCE POPS IN THE FORECAST FOR NOW AND WILL MONITOR TRENDS  
IN THE CAMS MOVING FORWARD TO DETERMINE HOW THOSE CHANCES WILL  
EVOLVE.  
 

 
   
LONG TERM /TUESDAY EVENING THROUGH SUNDAY/
 
 
ISSUED AT 241 AM CST MON DEC 23 2024  
 
OUR OSCILLATING WAVES AT 500MB CONTINUE AT 00Z WEDNESDAY, WITH A  
TROUGH OVER MN/IA AND EASTERN SD AND A RIDGE SET UP OVER EASTERN MT  
THROUGH THE WESTERN DAKOTAS DOWN THROUGH NM, AND YET ANOTHER TROUGH  
ONSHORE FROM WA DOWN THROUGH CA. LOW LEVEL MOISTURE WILL REMAIN  
TRICKY, WITH THE NAM GUIDANCE CONTINUING THE MOISTURE NEAR AND BELOW  
900MB. THE OTHER SOLUTIONS ARE NOT AS ABUNDANT WITH THIS MOISTURE.  
STILL, EVEN THE ENS VISIBILITY METEOGRAMS HAVE SHOWN OFF AND ON  
VISIBILITY RESTRICTIONS DUE TO THE LOW LEVEL MOISTURE/FOG/OR ONGOING  
PRECIPITATION. THIS LOWER VISIBILITY IS NOW MORE FOCUSED ON THURSDAY  
AND FRIDAY THROUGH THE WEEKEND. THAT WOULD MAKE SENSE WITH THE RAIN  
FRIDAY ADDING TO THE LOW LEVEL MOISTURE THROUGH THE WEEKEND. WINDS  
SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY, WITH 20-25KTS JUST ABOVE THE SURFACE,  
MAY HELP TO KEEP THE ATMOSPHERE A BIT MIXED, AND LIMIT FOG SLIGHTLY.  
FOG WILL NOT BE ADDED TO THE FORECAST THIS FAR OUT AT THIS TIME, BUT  
WE'LL CONTINUE TO MONITOR FOR THE POTENTIAL. ANOTHER ITEM OF NOT  
WITH THE WINDS WILL BE THE POTENTIAL FOR THE LOW LEVEL DRIFTING OF  
SNOW OVER THE LEOLA HILLS OF MCPHERSON COUNTY SUNDAY. WHILE IT'S  
CURRENTLY IN THE FORECAST, IT MAY NOT HAPPEN DUE TO WHAT AND HOW  
MUCH PRECIPITATION IS OCCURRING OVER THAT AREA THIS MORNING. EVEN A  
LIGHT FREEZING DRIZZLE OR FREEZING RAIN WILL COAT THE SNOW AND ACT  
TO LIMIT THE MOVEMENT OF THE SNOW.  
 
MOVING BACK TO THE MENTION OF RAIN ON FRIDAY, THE TROUGH OVER THE  
WEST COAST TO START US OUT AT 00Z WEDNESDAY WILL DEVELOP A LOW NEAR  
THE 4-CORNERS AREA OF THE INTERIOR SOUTHWEST DURING THE DAY  
WEDNESDAY WILL SHIFT OVER THE CENTRAL PLAINS THURSDAY AS AN OPEN  
WAVE. AS IT OPENS UP IT IS REINFORCED BY AN ADDITIONAL WAVE MOVING  
IN FROM OUR WEST. THIS IS NOW ALLOWING PRECIPITATION TO MOVE MUCH  
FARTHER NORTH. WHILE 850MB TEMPERATURES STAY ABOVE 0C, SURFACE  
TEMPERATURES WHICH ARE CURRENTLY FORECAST TO BE A COUPLE OF DEGREES  
ABOVE FREEZING, DO HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BE CLOSER TO OR SLIGHTLY  
BELOW FREEZING. THE ENS PRECIPITATION TYPE METEOGRAMS SHOW THIS  
WELL, WITH A LOW CHANCE (5%) OF PRECIPITATION ON THE 12Z RUN.  
HOWEVER IF PRECIPITATION DOES FALL IT WOULD BE FREEZING RAIN. RAIN,  
WITH LESS THAN HALF OF THE SOLUTIONS AS WET SNOW, IS BEING INDICATED  
AT WATERTOWN. WE'LL SEE HOW THESE SUBTLE DIFFERENCES CHANGE AS WE  
GET CLOSER TO FRIDAY. A 20-40% CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION LOOKS  
REASONABLE AT THIS TIME. JUST NOTE THAT PRECIPITATION TYPES MAY  
CHANGE SLIGHTLY.  
 

 
   
AVIATION /12Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z TUESDAY/
 
 
ISSUED AT 524 AM CST MON DEC 23 2024  
 
TERMINALS KABR,KATY,KPIR,KMBG  
 
LIGHT WINTRY MIX OF PRECIPITATION CONTINUES TO FALL OVER  
NORTHEASTERN SOUTH DAKOTA AND WESTERN MINNESOTA THIS MORNING. CLOUD  
DECK HAS BEEN CONSISTENTLY MVFR THROUGH THE NIGHT AND THAT TREND IS  
EXPECTED TO CONTINUE. SOME VISIBILITY REDUCTIONS DOWN TO 4SM AT  
TIMES HAVE ALSO BEEN OBSERVED. EVEN AS PRECIPITATION MOVES OUT, LOW  
CLOUDS ARE EXPECTED TO HANG AROUND THROUGH THE DAY TODAY, LIKELY  
STILL PRODUCING MVFR CEILINGS.  
 
THIS MORNING OVER NORTH CENTRAL SOUTH DAKOTA SOME PATCHY FOG LOOKS  
TO BE IN PLACE BASED ON SATELLITE IMAGERY AND UPSTREAM OBSERVATIONS.  
ONLY MINOR VISIBILITY REDUCTIONS WITH THAT THIS MORNING, AGAIN DOWN  
TO 4SM. THE BIGGER FOG CONCERN WILL COME TOMORROW MORNING, WHERE  
VISIBILITIES AND CEILINGS COULD POTENTIALLY REACH IFR OR LIFR AT THE  
LOWEST. MODEL GUIDANCE CURRENTLY SUGGESTS LOW VISIBILITIES WILL BE  
IN PLACE ACROSS MOST OF NORTHEAST AND CENTRAL SOUTH DAKOTA WELL  
AFTER SUNRISE TUESDAY, ALTHOUGH THAT MAY BE UNREALISTIC DUE TO WINDS  
INCREASING MARGINALLY (BUT POTENTIALLY ENOUGH TO DISPELL THE FOG)  
DURING THAT TIME.  
 

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

 
 

 
 
UPDATE...BC  
SHORT TERM...BC  
LONG TERM...KF  
AVIATION...BC  
 
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