997  
FXUS63 KABR 160634  
AFDABR  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ABERDEEN SD  
134 AM CDT MON MAR 16 2026  
   
KEY MESSAGES  
 
- VERY COLD AIR, FOR MARCH, WILL BE OVER THE REGION TODAY, WITH  
TEMPERATURES SOME 15 TO 30 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL. WIND CHILL VALUES  
THIS MORNING ARE EXPECTED TO BE IN THE TEENS BELOW TO 20S BELOW ZERO.  
 
- THERE'S A 70-90% CHANCE OF A WINTRY MIX OF PRECIPITATION ON  
TUESDAY, OVER CENTRAL AND NORTHEASTERN SOUTH DAKOTA AND WEST CENTRAL  
MINNESOTA. AT THIS TIME, LIGHT SNOW ACCUMULATION MAINLY OVER  
NORTHEAST SOUTH DAKOTA AND WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA AND LIGHT ICE  
ACCUMULATION MAINLY WEST OF THE JAMES RIVER ARE FORECAST.  
 
- DEPENDING ON HOW LONG IT TAKES TO MELT THE SNOW, TEMPERATURES OVER  
A LARGE PORTION OF THE FORECAST AREA COULD BE IN THE 60S AND 70S  
THURSDAY AND FRIDAY.  
 
 
   
DISCUSSION  
 
ISSUED AT 134 AM CDT MON MAR 16 2026  
 
WINDS OVER NORTHEASTERN SD WILL CONTINUE TO DECREASE INTO THE  
MORNING, WITH GUSTS OF 30 MPH OR MORE EXITING THE STATE BY MID  
MORNING. THE COLDER AIR WILL BE STICKING AROUND TODAY AND WILL KEEP  
TEMPERATURES TODAY 15-30 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL, WITH THE COLDEST  
TEMPERATURES AND WIND CHILLS HAPPENING THIS MORNING, WITH WIND  
CHILLS IN THE NEGATIVE TEENS TO NEGATIVE 20S. HIGH SURFACE PRESSURE  
OVER CENTRAL SD WILL EXPAND INTO NORTHEASTERN SD DURING THE DAY, AND  
WILL HELP TO KEEP STRONGER WINDS OUT OF THE AREA AND SUNNY TO MOSTLY  
SUNNY SKIES AROUND. TEMPERATURES AND WIND CHILLS WILL BE A BIT  
WARMER MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY MORNING, THOUGH THERE COULD STILL  
BE WIND CHILLS IN THE NEGATIVE TEENS OVER NORTHEASTERN SD.  
 
AN UPPER-LEVEL SHORTWAVE WILL MOVE OVER SD TUESDAY AND WILL HELP TO  
PUSH A WARM FRONT THROUGH CENTRAL AND NORTHEASTERN SD. PRECIPITATION  
IS FORECAST TO DEVELOP ALONG THE FRONT AND MOVE THROUGH THAT AREA  
DURING THE MORNING AND AFTERNOON. WARM AIR ADVECTION ALOFT WILL  
INTERACT WITH THIS PRECIPITATION AND WILL CAUSE A MIX OF SNOW,  
SLEET, FREEZING RAIN, AND RAIN TO OCCUR AS THE PRECIPITATION MOVES  
THROUGH THE AREA. MODELS STILL VARY HOW FAST THE AIR ALOFT GETS  
ABOVE FREEZING AND HOW THAT WILL AFFECT THE TYPE OF PRECIPITATION  
FALLING. MODEL SOUNDINGS FROM THE NAM SHOWS SNOW QUICKLY TURNING TO  
FREEZING RAIN FOR A FEW HOURS DURING THE MORNING FOR CENTRAL SD  
WHILE THE GFS KEEPS THE AIR COLD ENOUGH FOR MAINLY ONLY SNOW BEFORE  
THE PRECIPITATION CHANCES DECREASE. MODEL SOUNDINGS FOR NORTHEASTERN  
SD SHOW SNOW FOR A BIT LONGER IN THE MORNING AND INTO AFTERNOON  
BEFORE CHANGING TO SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN FOR A HOUR OR TWO.  
 
DUE TO DIFFERENCES IN THE MODELS THERE IS STILL A BIT LOWER  
CONFIDENCE IN HOW QUICKLY THE PRECIPITATION TYPE CHANGES, HOW LONG  
THERE WILL BE FREEZING PRECIPITATION, HOW MUCH ICE MIGHT ACCUMULATE,  
AND IF TEMPERATURES WILL BE ABLE TO WARM ABOVE FREEZING IN THE  
AFTERNOON LONG ENOUGH TO MELT THE ICE THAT COULD ACCUMULATE. HIGH-  
RES MODEL ENSEMBLES HAVE A 30-70% CHANCE FOR GREATER THAN 0.01 INCH  
OF ICE TO OCCUR WEST OF THE MISSOURI RIVER AND LESS THAN A 10%  
CHANCE TO THE EAST, AS WELL AS 15-30% CHANCE FOR 0.03 INCHES OF ICE  
OR MORE TO ACCUMULATE WEST OF THE MISSOURI RIVER. OTHER MODEL  
ENSEMBLES HAVE ONLY A 30-50% CHANCE FOR GREATER THAN 0.01 INCHES OF  
ICE TO ACCUMULATE OVER CENTRAL SD BUT IT HAS A 10-20% CHANCE OVER  
AREAS BETWEEN THE JAMES RIVER AND THE PRAIRIE COTEAU. SNOW AMOUNT  
ARE FORECAST TO BE LOW, AND WILL DEPEND ON HOW LONG AREAS RECEIVE  
SNOW BEFORE IT SWITCHES TO FREEZING RAIN. AREAS IN CENTRAL SD COULD  
RECEIVE A DUSTING TO A HALF INCH OF SNOW AND NORTHEASTERN SD,  
ESPECIALLY FAR NORTHEASTERN SD AND WEST CENTRAL MN, COULD GET A HALF  
INCH TO A LITTLE MORE THAN AN INCH OF SNOW. IN ADDITION TO THE  
THREAT OF ICE AND SNOW, WINDS TUESDAY AFTERNOON COULD GUST UP AROUND  
30 MPH OVER NORTHEASTERN SD. IF SNOW IS STILL FALLING WHEN THESE  
WINDS ARE OCCURRING, IT COULD CAUSE SOME LOCALIZED AREAS OF BLOWING  
AND DRIFTING SNOW.  
 
AN UPPER-LEVEL RIDGE OVER THE WEST COAST IS SLOWLY MOVING TOWARDS SD  
AND SHOULD MOVE OVER THE STATE DURING THE END OF WORK WEEK INTO THE  
WEEKEND. THIS WILL HELP TO WARM TEMPERATURES 10-25 DEGREES ABOVE  
NORMAL. ADDITIONALLY, PRECIPITATION CHANCES ARE FORECAST TO STAY OUT  
OF CENTRAL AND NORTHEASTERN SD INTO THE WEEKEND. THOUGH, SOME MODELS  
DO SHOW A LINE OF PRECIPITATION MOVING THROUGH MN, WITH A COUPLE  
HAVING THE EDGE CLIP FAR NORTHEASTERN SD AND WEST CENTRAL MN. IF THE  
TRACKS OF THIS PRECIPITATION SHIFTS SLIGHTLY, THOSE AREAS COULD SEE  
AN INCREASE CHANCE FOR PRECIPITATION.  
 
 
   
AVIATION /06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z TUESDAY/  
 
ISSUED AT 1227 AM CDT MON MAR 16 2026  
 
TERMINALS KABR,KATY,KPIR,KMBG  
 
VFR CONDITIONS ARE FORECAST THROUGH THE TAF PERIOD, ALTHOUGH THERE  
ARE A FEW POCKETS OF CLOUDS AROUND 3000FT ACROSS CENTRAL SD THAT  
MAY BRIEFLY MOVE OVER KPIR/KMBG INTO THE WEE HOURS OF MONDAY  
MORNING.  
 
 
   
ABR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
SD...NONE.  
MN...NONE.  
 
 
 
 
DISCUSSION...12  
AVIATION...TMT  
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