180  
FXUS63 KABR 161953  
AFDABR  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ABERDEEN SD  
253 PM CDT SAT MAY 16 2026  
   
KEY MESSAGES
 
 
- SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS RETURNING STARTING LATE TONIGHT,  
CONTINUING THROUGH SUNDAY, WITH RAIN PERSISTING INTO MONDAY.  
 
- SLIGHT RISK (2 OF 5) MOSTLY FOCUSED ACROSS NORTHEAST SOUTH  
DAKOTA AND WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA SUNDAY AFTERNOON/EVENING.  
MARGINAL RISK FOR SEVERE WEATHER (1 OF 5) INCLUDES PARTS OF  
THE NORTHEAST AND CENTRAL SOUTH DAKOTA. MAIN THREATS ARE LARGE  
HAIL AND A TORNADO OR TWO.  
 
- COLDER AIR RETURNS MONDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY, WITH HIGH  
TEMPERATURES AROUND 15 TO 20 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL.  
TEMPERATURES WEDNESDAY MORNING MAY DROP TO NEAR OR BELOW  
FREEZING.  
 

 
   
DISCUSSION
 
 
ISSUED AT 253 PM CDT SAT MAY 16 2026  
 
AFTER TODAY'S RELATIVELY QUIET CONDITIONS, AN ACTIVE PATTERN WILL  
BEGIN TO SET UP ACROSS THE NORTHERN PLAINS AND UPPER MIDWEST LATE  
TONIGHT INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. SFC RIDGING NUDGING SOUTHWARD FROM THE  
CENTER OF THE HIGH IN SOUTHERN CANADA HAS LED TO ANOTHER DRY DAY  
ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA. WINDS HAVE BEEN MORE TOLERABLE TODAY  
COMPARED TO THE PREVIOUS COUPLE DAYS, BUT THEY AREN'T EXACTLY NON-  
EXISTENT. STILL SEEING GUSTS BETWEEN 15-25 MPH WITH SOME LOCALLY  
HIGHEST GUSTS IN PLACES LIKE OUR SOUTHWEST ZONES(SOUTH CENTRAL SD)  
AND NORTHEAST ZONES(NORTHEAST SD/WEST CENTRAL MN). THE COMBINATION  
OF THESE WINDS AND LOW RH VALUES ARE LEADING TO NEAR CRITICAL FIRE  
WEATHER CONDITIONS ON BOTH ENDS OF THE CWA. AND, IF THEY HAVEN'T  
QUITE YET, IT'S EXPECTED THEY WILL THE AS THE AFTERNOON HOURS  
PROGRESS. IMPROVEMENTS ON BOTH ENDS ARE EXPECTED BY EARLY TO MID  
EVENING AS WINDS/RH IMPROVE ACROSS WEST CENTRAL MN AND RH'S RECOVER  
ACROSS CENTRAL SD.  
 
ATTENTION WILL THEN TURN TO A WELL ORGANIZED STORM SYSTEM THAT'S  
CURRENTLY TAKING SHAPE SOUTHWEST OF OUR REGION TODAY. AS AN UPPER  
TROUGH AXIS CONTINUES TO DIG INTO THE ROCKIES, LEE SIDE LOW  
FORMATION WILL TAKE PLACE ACROSS THE FRONT RANGE/NORTHERN HIGH  
PLAINS LATER TODAY INTO TONIGHT. THIS SYSTEM IS PROGGED TO SHIFT OUT  
INTO NE ON SUNDAY WITH AN INVERTED TROUGH EXTENDING NORTH INTO  
WESTERN/CENTRAL SD. THIS IS ALL EXPECTED TO GRADUALLY TRACK INTO  
EASTERN SD AND WESTERN MN SUNDAY AFTERNOON AND SUNDAY NIGHT.  
GUIDANCE STILL PROGS A SERIES OF SHORTWAVE ENERGY ROTATING NORTHEAST  
INTO OUR REGION OVER THE COURSE OF SUNDAY INTO MONDAY. CAM SOLUTIONS  
KEEP US MOSTLY DRY IN OUR FORECAST AREA UNTIL AROUND 06Z. THE FIRST  
WAVE AND ASSOCIATED PRECIP IS EXPECTED TO ARRIVE INTO CENTRAL SD  
EARLY SUNDAY MORNING AND THEN TRACK NORTHEASTWARD THROUGH THE PRE-  
DAWN AND POST SUNRISE HOURS. SOME OF THE CAMS ARE SUGGESTING THAT  
THIS ACTIVITY MAY/MAY NOT BE A SOLID COVERAGE OF SHOWERS AND  
THUNDERSTORMS AS IT COMES INTO OUR WESTERN/SOUTHWESTERN ZONES. AT  
ANY RATE THIS SHOULD TRACK NORTHEAST OF THE CWA BY MID-LATE MORNING  
WITH A POSSIBLE BREAK IN THE PRECIP FROM LATE MORNING THROUGH EARLY  
AFTERNOON.  
 
BY SUNDAY AFTERNOON, THE AIR MASS BECOME MORE UNSTABLE WITH TIME,  
ESPECIALLY ACROSS SOUTHEAST SD AND OUR FAR SOUTH/EAST ZONES. BUFKIT  
SOUNDINGS SUGGEST THAT A GOOD PORTION OF OUR FORECAST AREA MAY  
STATUS OVER DURING THE MORNING HOURS LEADING TO MORE STABILITY WHILE  
OUR FAR SOUTH/EAST ZONES BECOME MORE UNSTABLE. KATY'S FORECAST  
SOUNDING SHOWS A PERIOD OF ELEVATED CAPE DURING THE MID AFTERNOON TO  
EARLY EVENING HOURS. THIS WOULD COINCIDE WITH SPC'S SLIGHT RISK (2  
OF 5) ACROSS EAST CENTRAL SD AND WEST CENTRAL MN. PRIMARY THREATS  
STILL REMAIN LARGE HAIL WITH DAMAGING WINDS, LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN AND  
AND AN ISOLATED TORNADO AS SECONDARY THREATS IN THOSE AREAS.  
GUIDANCE PROGS A LINE OF CONVECTION FORMING BY LATE AFTERNOON ACROSS  
THOSE ZONES BEFORE SHIFTING IT OFF INTO SOUTHEAST SD/WESTERN MN BY  
THE EARLY EVENING HOURS. THERE SHOULD BE ANOTHER BREAK IN THE PRECIP  
FROM SUNDAY NIGHT INTO MONDAY MORNING BEFORE THE NEXT UPPER WAVE AND  
SECONDARY LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM TRACK SOUTHEAST OF OUR REGION. THIS  
WILL PROVIDE ANOTHER GOOD OPPORTUNITY FOR RAINFALL MONDAY AFTERNOON  
THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT. EXPECT ALL OF THIS ACTIVITY WILL REMAIN  
GENERAL SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS AS THE MAIN THREATS FOR SEVERE  
WEATHER WILL BE SHIFTED FARTHER EAST AND SOUTH OF US BY THAT TIME.  
 
TEMPERATURES DO TAKE A DECENT PLUNGE BEGINNING MONDAY AS THAT SYSTEM  
RAIN SYSTEM ROTATES THROUGH THE REGION. BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES  
FOR BOTH DAYTIME HIGHS AND OVERNIGHT LOWS ARE EXPECTED THROUGH THE  
MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK. HIGH TEMPERATURES IN THE 40S AND 50S BOTH  
MONDAY AND TUESDAY AND OVERNIGHT LOWS IN THE LOW TO MID 30S MONDAY  
NIGHT INTO EARLY TUESDAY AND AGAIN TUESDAY NIGHT INTO EARLY  
WEDNESDAY WILL BE POSSIBLE. IF WE SEE THOSE CHILLY TEMPERATURES AT  
NIGHT, GIVEN THE RIGHT CONDITIONS, THERE WILL BE AREAS OF FROST TO  
CONTEND WITH ACROSS MOST OF THE FORECAST AREA.  
 

 
   
AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z SUNDAY/
 
 
ISSUED AT 1245 PM CDT SAT MAY 16 2026  
 
TERMINALS KABR,KATY,KPIR,KMBG  
 
VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO PREVAIL THE REMAINDER OF TODAY  
INTO THIS EVENING. NORTH TO NORTHEAST WINDS THIS AFTERNOON WILL  
BECOME EAST TO SOUTHEAST DURING THE LATTER HALF OF THE AFTERNOON  
AT KPIR/KMBG AND AT KABR/KATY LATE THIS EVENING INTO THE  
OVERNIGHT. KPIR/KMBG TERMINALS WILL SEE WIND GUSTS THIS  
AFTERNOON UP TO 25 KTS AND THEN ESSENTIALLY REMAIN STEADY OR  
INCREASE FURTHER OVERNIGHT INTO SUNDAY MORNING. THE STRONGER  
WINDS WILL SPREAD EAST OVERNIGHT INTO KABR/KATY AND PERSIST  
THROUGH THE END OF THIS FORECAST CYCLE. SHOWERS AND  
THUNDERSTORM CHANCES WILL INCREASE FROM SOUTHWEST TO NORTHEAST  
OVERNIGHT AND PERSIST THROUGH THE MORNING HOURS. MVFR CIGS MOVE  
INTO KPIR/KMBG AROUND SUNRISE SUNDAY MORNING AND SPREAD EAST  
INTO KABR/KATY BY MID-LATE MORNING. IFR CIGS WILL ALSO BE  
POSSIBLE LATE IN THIS TAF VALID PERIOD.  
 

 
   
ABR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
SD...RED FLAG WARNING UNTIL 10 PM CDT /9 PM MDT/ THIS EVENING FOR  
SDZ033>036-045-048-051.  
MN...NONE.  
 

 
 

 
 
DISCUSSION...VIPOND  
AVIATION...VIPOND  
 
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