402  
FXUS63 KABR 161935 CCA  
AFDABR  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...CORRECTED  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ABERDEEN SD  
235 PM CDT WED SEP 16 2026  
   
KEY MESSAGES
 
 
-THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK (LEVEL 2 OF 4) FOR EXCESSIVE AND HEAVY  
RAINFALL ACROSS PORTIONS OF CENTRAL AND NORTHEASTERN SD AND WEST  
CENTRAL MN THURSDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH FRIDAY EVENING. THIS HEAVY  
RAINFALL MAY LEAD TO FLOODING IN SOME AREAS.  
 
-HEAVY RAIN IS EXPECTED BEGINNING LATE THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND CONTINUING  
THROUGH FRIDAY EVENING. THE HIGHEST ACCUMULATIONS ARE EXPECTED  
OVER EASTERN AND SOUTH CENTRAL SOUTH DAKOTA. THE PROBABILITY TO  
SEE TWO INCHES OF RAIN OR MORE REACHES 50-70% OVER EASTERN AND  
SOUTH CENTRAL SOUTH DAKOTA (DECREASING ELSEWHERE AS YOU MOVE  
NORTH AND WEST).  
 
-NEAR-NORMAL TEMPERATURES CONTINUE TODAY AND TOMORROW, AS HIGHS  
WILL BE IN THE LOW TO MID 70S ACROSS MUCH OF THE FORECAST AREA.  
FRIDAY AND THROUGH THE WEEKEND WILL HAVE SLIGHTLY COOLER  
TEMPERATURES, WITH HIGHS GENERALLY IN THE UPPER 60S TO LOW 70S.  
 

 
   
DISCUSSION
 
 
ISSUED AT 219 PM CDT WED SEP 16 2026  
 
AS OF 2PM, THERE ARE CURRENTLY SOME ELEVATED SHOWERS MOVING OVER  
CENTRAL AND NORTHEASTERN SD. THESE SHOWERS WILL BE MOVING EAST AND  
SLOWLY DISSIPATING THROUGH THE AFTERNOON INTO THE EVENING. THE  
SHOWERS ARE BEING DRIVEN BY A LOW-LEVEL JET MOVING OVER THE WARM AND  
MOIST AIR ADVECTING INTO THIS AREA, AND MIXING IN THE ATMOSPHERE  
COULD HELP TO GET THE STRONGER SOUTHEASTERLY WINDS TO THE SURFACE.  
THERE IS THE POTENTIAL FOR WIND GUSTS TO BE UP AROUND 30-40 MPH FOR  
A BIT THIS AFTERNOON. AS THE JET DIES OFF THIS AFTERNOON, THE WINDS  
WILL WEAKEN AND SHOWERS START TO DISSIPATE.  
 
AFTER THE SHOWERS MOVE OUT THIS AFTERNOON, PRECIPITATION CHANCES  
WILL STAY OUT OF CENTRAL AND NORTHEASTERN SD TONIGHT INTO THURSDAY  
MORNING. DURING THIS TIME, THE MOISTURE WILL CONTINUE TO ADVECT INTO  
THE STATE BOTH ALOFT AND AT THE SURFACE. THIS WILL HELP TO PRIME THE  
ENVIRONMENT FOR THE NEXT SYSTEM TO COME IN. A SURFACE LOW WILL BE  
MOVING OUT OF THE SOUTHWEST US TONIGHT AND INTO NE/SD THURSDAY INTO  
FRIDAY, WITH A FRONTAL BOUNDARY MOVING INTO THE AREA A BIT BEFORE  
THE LOW. SOME MODELS SHOW A FEW SCATTERED SHOWERS MOVING IN EARLIER  
IN THE AFTERNOON ALONG THIS BOUNDARY WHILE OTHER MODELS LACK SOME OF  
THE INSTABILITY TO DEVELOP ANYTHING ALONG THE BOUNDARY. IN THIS  
CASE, PRECIPITATION MOVES IN ALONG THE NORTHERN AND WESTERN SIDE OF  
THE LOW THURSDAY EVENING. THE LOW THEN MOVES NORTHEAST THROUGH SD  
THURSDAY NIGHT INTO FRIDAY. THE MOST CURRENT MODEL ENSEMBLE RUNS  
HAVE SHIFTED THE TRACK OF THIS LOW SYSTEM TO THE NORTH SLIGHTLY, BY  
A COUNTY OR TWO, WHICH HAS SHIFTED THE AREA WITH THE HIGHEST  
RAINFALL AMOUNTS. THIS SHIFT IN THE TRACK WILL NEED TO BE WATCHED IN  
THE COMING ENSEMBLE RUNS TO SEE IF IT CONTINUES TO SHIFT THE  
RAINFALL AMOUNTS TO THE NORTH, OR IF THEY START TO MOVE IT BACK TO  
THE SOUTH.  
 
MODEL SOUNDINGS SHOW SATURATED COLUMNS OF MOISTURE THROUGH THE  
ATMOSPHERE WITH TALL, SKINNY CAPE PROFILE OVER MOST OF CENTRAL AND  
NORTHEASTERN SD. THESE SOUNDING PROFILES ARE A GOOD SIGN THAT THE  
ENVIRONMENT WILL BE ABLE TO SUPPORT ENHANCED RAINFALL RATES THURSDAY  
EVENING THROUGH FRIDAY AFTERNOON. MODELS HINT THAT SOME HEAVIER  
BANDS OF RAINFALL WILL BE POSSIBLE THURSDAY NIGHT INTO FRIDAY  
MORNING TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE ENVIRONMENT TO DUMP THE BULK OF THE  
RAINFALL. THERE CONTINUES TO BE VARIABILITY IN THE MODELS FOR  
RAINFALL AMOUNTS FROM A FEW DIFFERENT FACTORS, SUCH AS THE LOCATIONS  
AND TRACK OF THE SYSTEM, WHERE THE BANDS OF THE HEAVIEST RAINFALLS  
OCCUR, AND HOW LONG THE SYSTEM STICKS AROUND SOME AREAS. THIS LEADS  
TO A LARGER SPREAD, OVER 1 INCH BETWEEN THE 25TH TO 75TH PERCENTILES  
IN SOME AREAS, IN RAINFALL AMOUNTS AND LOWERS CONFIDENCE. THE MODELS  
HAVE BEEN FAIRLY CONSISTENT WITH THE RAINFALL JUST BARELY GLANCING  
NORTH CENTRAL SD, WITH BETWEEN 0.25-0.75 INCH OF RAINFALL  
ACCUMULATION EXPECTED. THE MODELS HAVE ALSO BEEN CONSISTENT WITH A  
BULLSEYE OF RAINFALL AMOUNTS OCCURRING OVER EAST CENTRAL SD  
SOMEWHERE, WHERE 1.5+ INCHES EXPECTED. RIGHT NOW, THE ENSEMBLES ARE  
SHOWING A 90% CHANCE FOR AREAS IN A LINE FROM PIERRE TO REDFIELD AND  
THEN MILBANK, AND AREAS IN EAST CENTRAL, TO GET AN INCH OR MORE OF  
RAINFALL BETWEEN THURSDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH FRIDAY EVENING AND 50-  
70% CHANCE FOR 2 INCHES. WITH THESE RAINFALL AMOUNTS AND THE  
POTENTIAL FOR EVEN MORE TO FALL IN SOME AREAS, THERE IS A SLIGHT  
RISK FOR EXCESSIVE AND HEAVY RAINFALL FROM THE SYSTEM. SINCE THE  
GROUND IS FAIRLY DRY FROM THE LACK OF PRECIPITATION, IT SHOULD BE  
ABLE TO HANDLE A FAIR BIT OF WATER, EVEN AFTER THE RAIN WE HAD THE  
OTHER DAY. HOWEVER, IF THE HEAVIEST RAIN BANDS ARE SLOW MOVING OR  
CONTINUE TO MOVE OVER THE SAME AREAS FOR A WHILE, THE HEAVY RAINFALL  
AMOUNTS COULD START TO IMPACT LOW LYING AND POOR DRAINAGE AREAS AND  
POTENTIALLY EVEN CAUSE A LITTLE BIT OF FLOODING.  
 

 
   
AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z THURSDAY/
 
 
ISSUED AT 1215 PM CDT WED SEP 16 2026  
 
TERMINALS KABR,KATY,KPIR,KMBG  
 
SOME ELEVATED SHOWERS CONTINUE TO DEVELOP FROM A LOW LEVEL JET  
AND MOVE NEAR THE KPIR TERMINAL FOR A FEW MORE HOURS FROM SOME  
SCATTERED SHOWERS THIS MORNING. THESE SHOWERS SHOULD MOVE EAST  
AND DISSIPATE THIS AFTERNOON. THIS LOW LEVEL JET IS ALSO ABLE TO  
GET SOME STRONGER WINDS MIXED TO THE SURFACE DURING THE EARLY  
AFTERNOON, WITH GUST UP AROUND 25-35 MPH AT KPIR AND KMBG. ONCE  
THIS JET DIES OFF DURING THE AFTERNOON, THE WINDS WILL ALSO  
DISSIPATE. THE WEAKER WINDS WILL START TO BECOME MORE EASTERLY  
OVERNIGHT BEFORE TURNING BACK TO THE SOUTHEAST THURSDAY MORNING.  
THERE ARE CURRENTLY SOME LOWER VFR CEILINGS OVER SOME OF THE  
TERMINALS AND IT WILL CONTINUE FOR A LITTLE BIT BEFORE CLEARING  
AND BECOMING TALLER VFR CEILINGS THIS EVENING OR INTO THE  
NIGHTTIME. THE WINDS WILL PICK UP AGAIN OVER KMBG AND KPIR  
THURSDAY, WITH GUSTS UP AROUND 20-25 MPH POSSIBLE.  
 

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

 
 

 
 
DISCUSSION...12  
AVIATION...12  
 
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