587  
FXUS63 KABR 181308  
AFDABR  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ABERDEEN SD  
708 AM CST THU DEC 18 2025  
   
KEY MESSAGES
 
 
- ARCTIC FRONT MOVING THROUGH. WINDS CONTINUE TO GUST IN EXCESS OF  
60 TO 70+ MPH. TEMPERATURES ARE ALSO PLUMMETING 20 DEGREES IN A  
MATTER OF 2-3 HOURS CREATING FLASH FREEZE CONDITIONS.  
 
- SNOW PIVOTING AROUND THE SYSTEM PRESENTS A SQUALL/BLIZZARD THREAT  
THROUGH THE MORNING. THE SISSETON HILLS REMAINS THE FOCUS FOR SNOW  
ACCUMULATIONS (1-3") AND MOST LIKELY AREA TO SEE BLIZZARD CONDITONS  
BETWEEN 6AM INTO THE EARLY AFTERNOON. LOWER CONFIDENCE WITH COVERAGE  
OF SNOW AND IMPACTS OUTSIDE THE SISSETON HILLS REGION.  
 

 
   
UPDATE
 
 
ISSUED AT 705 AM CST THU DEC 18 2025  
 
BAND OF SNOW MOVING THROUGH ABERDEEN HAS PRODUCED VISIBILITY DOWN  
TO A MILE, BUT DOT AND SOME WEBCAMS SUPPORT NEAR-BLIZZARD  
CONDITIONS. HAVE ADDED A FEW COUNTIES TO A SHORT FUSED WINTER  
WEATHER ADVISORY TO HELP RAISE AWARENESS AS WE'VE ALREADY GOTTEN  
REPORTS A SLIDE-IN THANKS TO THE WIND AND LOW VISIBILITY.  
 

 
   
SHORT TERM /TODAY THROUGH FRIDAY AFTERNOON/
 
 
ISSUED AT 240 AM CST THU DEC 18 2025  
 
QUIET JUST NOW WITH THE OCCASIONAL WIND GUST UP OVER 60 MPH BUT THE  
ARCTIC FRONT CONTINUES ON ITS WAY IN. TEMPERATURES IN NORTH DAKOTA  
HAVE BEEN DROPPING 20 DEGREES IN A MATTER OF 2-3 HOURS, CAUSING A  
FLASH FREEZING. ADDITIONALLY, A NORTHWEST TO SOUTHEAST BAND OF SNOW  
IS MOVING OUT OF SOUTHWEST NORTH DAKOTA WITH WIND GUST OF 60-80 MPH,  
AND IS HEADED INTO WESTERN/NORTH CENTRAL SOUTH DAKOTA LATER THIS  
MORNING. CAMS STILL TRY TO CONVERT THIS INTO A SQUALL OR ELEMENTS OF  
A SQUALL AS THE COMA HEAD CONTINUES TO MIGRATE SOUTHEAST DOWN  
THROUGH NORTH CENTRAL/CENTRAL SOUTH DAKOTA.  
 
THE OVERALL PROGRESSION, TIMING WINDS AND TEMPERATURES ARE LITTLE  
CHANGED. THE ONLY MAJOR ADJUSTMENT IS A SLIGHT UPTICK IN THE AMOUNT  
OF MOISTURE LOOPING BACK AROUND INTO THE CWA, NOW AROUND A HUNDREDTH  
OR TWO AS FAR WEST AS MOBRIDGE/PIERRE, WITH ALSO A SLIGHT UPTICK FOR  
THE SISSETON HILLS REGION TOPPING SNOWFALL AMOUNTS PAST THE 2" MARK.  
 
WITH THE UPTICK IN PRECIPITATION/SNOW, WHAT TO DO WITH THE HEADLINES?  
CAMS UP IN THE NORTHEAST SHOW THE BEST OPPORTUNITY FOR SNOWFALL AS  
WE TRANSITION LATER INTO THE MORNING, SPECIFICALLY 12-18Z FOR THE  
HILLS REGION. SO THE QUESTION IS THEN, WHAT WILL THE WINDS BE FOR  
THE TOP OF THE PRAIRIE COTEAU? RAP BUFKIT MIXED TOOL PEAKS AROUND MID  
40KTS, LOWER IN THE NAM/RRFS. PROFILES DRY OUT RAPIDLY AFTER 18Z,  
CAMS DRY OUT ABOUT 18-20Z. HREF ENSEMBLE MEAN FOR WINDS ALSO SHOW  
LOWER VALUES UP IN THE NORTHEAST FOR THE 12-18Z TIMEFRAME, PICKING  
UP AS SNOWFALL CHANCES DROP. ITS A LITTLE BIT OF A DISCONNECT, BUT  
STILL, HIGH WINDS (45+) THE VISIBILITY IN FALLING SNOW AND THE FLASH  
FREEZE COMPONENT IS ENOUGH TO WARRANT AN UPGRADE.  
 

 
   
LONG TERM /FRIDAY EVENING THROUGH WEDNESDAY/
 
 
ISSUED AT 240 AM CST THU DEC 18 2025  
 
FOR THE LONG TERM PORTION OF THE FORECAST, NO MAJOR WINTER STORMS OR  
ARCTIC BLASTS ARE FORECAST! OVERALL, ZONAL FLOW ACROSS THE REGION  
FRIDAY EVENING INTO SATURDAY MORNING AS A WEAK EMBEDDED SHORTWAVE  
TRACKS ACROSS THE NORTHERN CONUS/CANADIAN BORDER AND ITS SURFACE  
LOW. ITS COLD FRONT WILL TRACK NORTHWEST TO SOUTHEAST OVER THE CWA  
DURING THIS TIME WITH THE REGION BEHIND IT BY SATURDAY MORNING.  
ENSEMBLES STILL INDICATE ANY PRECIP WITH THIS SHOULD EITHER JUST HUG  
ALONG THE ND/SD BORDER OR STAY TO OUR NORTH. NBM POPS AS OF NOW SHOW  
THIS WELL WITH A 20-30% CHANCE HERE (HIGHEST COTEAU) WITH STILL THE  
THREAT OF FREEZING RAIN/SLEET FOR A COUPLE OF HOURS ALONG THE WARM  
FRONT (EC METEOGRAMS SHOW THIS TOO WITH CHANCES UP TO 10% WITH GEFS  
LESS EXCITED AT 5% OR LESS) OVER PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL  
NORTHEASTERN SD, MAINLY OVER/ALONG THE COTEAU INTO WEST CENTRAL MN.  
NAM SOUNDINGS DO SHOW THIS SLIGHT WARM NOSE ALOFT. AS THE COLD FRONT  
TRACK THROUGH, PTYPE WILL CHANGE OVER TO SNOW. LITTLE TO NO  
ACCUMULATIONS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. OTHERWISE, SUNDAY THROUGH AT  
LEAST THE MIDDLE OF NEXT A BROAD RIDGE SETS UP OVER MUCH OF THE  
CONUS AS A TROUGH REMAINS IN PLACE OVER THE PACIFIC. THIS SETUP WILL  
BRING QUIET WEATHER CONDITIONS AND MILD TEMPERATURES AS THE FLOW  
ALOFT WILL BE ZONAL. CLIMATE PREDICTING CENTER INDICATES TEMPS HAVE  
A 55-75% OF BEING ABOVE NORMAL FOR 12/23-12/27!  
 

 
   
AVIATION /12Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z FRIDAY/
 
 
ISSUED AT 705 AM CST THU DEC 18 2025  
 
TERMINALS KABR,KATY,KPIR,KMBG  
 
WINDS WILL CONTINUE, BUT THERE WILL BE A SLOW DOWNWARD TREND. BAND  
OF SNOW MOVING ACROSS THE AREA WILL PRODUCED TEMPORARY IFR  
CONDITIONS, AND WE COULD SEE ANOTHER ONE OR TWO THROUGH THE DAY AT  
KABR/KATY.  
 

 
   
ABR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
SD...HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 6 PM CST THIS EVENING FOR SDZ007-008-011-  
019>023.  
 
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM CST THIS EVENING FOR SDZ019.  
 
HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 3 PM CST /2 PM MST/ THIS AFTERNOON FOR  
SDZ003>006-009-010-015>018-033>037-045-048-051.  
 
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 9 AM CST THIS MORNING FOR SDZ006-  
017-018-037.  
 
BLIZZARD WARNING UNTIL 3 PM CST THIS AFTERNOON FOR SDZ007-008-  
011.  
 
MN...HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 6 PM CST THIS EVENING FOR MNZ039-046.  
 
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM CST THIS EVENING FOR MNZ039.  
 

 
 

 
 
UPDATE...07  
SHORT TERM...07  
LONG TERM...07  
AVIATION...07  
 
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