354  
FXUS63 KABR 181620 AAB  
AFDABR  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ABERDEEN SD  
1020 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 1016 AM CST THU DEC 18 2025  
 
WEB CAMS AND REPORTS CONTINUE TO INDICATE VARYING CONDITIONS  
ACROSS THE EASTERN CWA, HIGHLY BASED ON INTENSITY OF SNOWFALL  
MOVING THROUGH A GIVEN AREA. IN AREAS OF MODERATE SNOWFALL,  
VISIBILITY WILL DROP TO NEAR ZERO, WHEREAS AREAS OF LIGHT SNOWFALL  
ARE SEEING BETTER CONDITIONS. MADE SOME ADJUSTMENTS TO HEADLINES  
BASED ON CURRENT CONDITIONS. WINDS STILL GUSTING OVER 60 MPH IN  
SOME LOCATIONS AND EXPECT THIS TO CONTINUE THROUGH MUCH OF THE  
DAY.  
 
 
   
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.  
 
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 3 PM CST THIS AFTERNOON FOR  
SDZ020>023.  
 
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 NOON CST TODAY FOR SDZ005-006-010-  
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.  
 
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 3 PM CST THIS AFTERNOON FOR MNZ046.  
 
 
 
 
 
UPDATE...TMT  
SHORT TERM...07  
LONG TERM...07  
AVIATION...07  
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