185  
FXUS63 KABR 171849  
AFDABR  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ABERDEEN SD  
149 PM CDT THU SEP 17 2026  
   
KEY MESSAGES
 
 
-HEAVY RAIN IS EXPECTED BEGINNING THIS EVENING OVER AND CONTINUING  
THROUGH FRIDAY EVENING. THE HIGHEST ACCUMULATIONS ARE EXPECTED OVER  
SOUTH CENTRAL AND EASTERN SOUTH DAKOTA. THE PROBABILITY TO SEE TWO  
INCHES OF RAIN OR MORE REACHES 40-60% OVER EAST CENTRAL AND SOUTH  
CENTRAL SOUTH DAKOTA (DECREASING ELSEWHERE AS YOU MOVE NORTH AND  
WEST).  
 
-THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK (LEVEL 2 OF 4) FOR EXCESSIVE RAINFALL  
LEADING TO FLOODING ACROSS ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA TONIGHT INTO FRIDAY. THE  
HEAVIEST RAINFALL IS EXPECTED OVERNIGHT TONIGHT THROUGH EARLY FRIDAY  
MORNING.  
 
- NEAR-NORMAL TEMPERATURES CONTINUE TODAY, WITH HIGHS 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 LOW 60S TO LOW 70S.  
 

 
   
DISCUSSION
 
 
ISSUED AT 148 PM CDT THU SEP 17 2026  
 
A WEAK AND FAIRLY SMALL UPPER-LEVEL RIDGE WILL BE SITTING OVER SD  
THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH THE WEEKEND. THIS RIDGE, AS WELL AS WINDS  
FROM THE EAST AND SOUTHEAST ALOFT AND AT THE SURFACE WILL HELP TO  
MOVE WARM AND MOIST AIR IN OVER SD. THIS WILL CREATE A SATURATED  
ATMOSPHERIC ENVIRONMENT OVER CENTRAL AND NORTHEASTERN SD THROUGH THE  
REMAINDER OF TODAY AND INTO FRIDAY. PWAT VALUES ACROSS CENTRAL AND  
NORTHEASTERN SD WILL BE AROUND 1.75 INCHES, WHICH IS ABOVE THE 90TH  
PERCENTILE AND THE MAXIMUM VALUE FOR THIS TIME OF THE YEAR. THIS  
SHOWS HOW MUCH MOISTURE THERE IS OVER CENTRAL AND NORTHEASTERN SD. A  
LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM IS MOVING OUT OF COLORADO TODAY AND WILL MOVE  
OVER SOUTHERN SD TONIGHT, INTO THIS MOIST ENVIRONMENT. PRECIPITATION  
ALONG THE NORTHERN AND WESTERN SIDE OF THE LOW WILL MOVE INTO  
CENTRAL SD THIS EVENING AND THEN OVER NORTHEASTERN SD AND WEST  
CENTRAL MN TONIGHT. THERE IS A LITTLE BIT OF INSTABILITY OVER  
SOUTHERN SD MOVING IN WITH THIS SYSTEM THIS EVENING AND OVERNIGHT.  
THIS COULD HELP A FEW STORMS TO DEVELOP AND DUMP A LOT OF RAIN IN  
PORTIONS OF SOUTH CENTRAL SD AND A HEAVIER BAND OF PRECIPITATION TO  
DEVELOP OVER EAST CENTRAL SD LATE TONIGHT INTO FRIDAY MORNING.  
 
MODELS HAVE BEEN FAIRLY CONSISTENT WITH THE LOCATION OF A HEAVY BAND  
OF PRECIPITATION, WITH THE HEAVIEST RAINFALL OCCURRING OVER SOUTH  
CENTRAL SD, IN A LINE FROM AROUND VIVIAN TO MILLER AND REDFIELD,  
LATE THIS EVENING AND OVERNIGHT. ADDITIONALLY, THIS BAND OF HEAVY  
RAINFALL WILL MOVE OVER EAST CENTRAL SD BETWEEN WATERTOWN AND SIOUX  
FALLS TONIGHT INTO FRIDAY MORNING. THERE IS CURRENTLY A 40-60%  
CHANCE OF AREAS ALONG THIS LINE TO RECEIVE 2 INCHES OF RAINFALL OR  
MORE. THERE IS A BIT MORE UNCERTAINTY ABOUT THE NORTHERN EDGE OF  
THIS LINE OF PRECIPITATION AND HOW FAR NORTH THE CHANCES FOR 1 INCH  
OR MORE OF RAINFALL WILL BE. MODELS SHOW A 40-60% CHANCE FOR AN INCH  
OR MORE OF RAIN IN A LINE FROM EAGLE BUTTE TO LEOLA AND IN AREAS TO  
THE SOUTHEAST UNTIL IT RUNS INTO THE LINE OF HEAVIEST PRECIPITATION  
MENTIONS BEFORE, AS THIS LINE HAS 70-90% CHANCE. THE SATURATED  
ATMOSPHERE WILL HELP TO GET THESE RAINFALL TOTALS BUT THE STRENGTH  
AND TIMING OF THE BAND OF PRECIPITATION WILL ALSO CONTRIBUTE. WITH  
THE INSTABILITY OVER SOUTH CENTRAL SD AND THE ABILITY FOR CONVECTION  
TO DEVELOP, THE RAIN WILL LIKELY BE HEAVIER FOR A SHORTER PERIOD OF  
TIME OVER THIS AREA. EAST CENTRAL SD ON THE OTHER HAND WILL HAVE THE  
PRECIPITATION AROUND FOR A MUCH LONGER TIME, LEADING TO HIGHER  
RAINFALL AMOUNTS. THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK FOR EXCESSIVE RAINFALL FROM  
THIS SYSTEM OVER MOST OF CENTRAL AND NORTHEASTERN SD TONIGHT INTO  
FRIDAY. WHILE THE GROUND SHOULD BE ABLE TO TAKE IN A LOT OF THE  
WATER, DEPENDING ON HOW FAST IT COMES DOWN AND IN AREAS THAT GET AN  
ABUNDANT AMOUNT OF RAIN, THERE COULD BE SOME IMPACTS IN LOW LYING  
AND POOR DRAINAGE AREAS AS WELL AS SOME LOCALIZED AREAS OF FLOODING.  
ADDITIONALLY, THERE WILL BE MINOR IMPACTS TO RIVERS AND STREAMS FROM  
THE POTENTIAL RUNOFF OF THE RAINFALL.  
 
AFTER FRIDAY, THERE WILL BE A COUPLE OF SHORTWAVES THAT MOVE OVER  
CENTRAL AND NORTHEASTERN SD THIS WEEKEND. THIS WILL LEAD TO SOME MORE  
SCATTERED RAIN SHOWERS MOVING THROUGH OCCASIONALLY DURING THE  
WEEKEND. THERE WILL BE SOME COOLER TEMPERATURES MOVING IN WITH THE  
LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM STARTING FRIDAY INTO THE WEEKEND. TEMPERATURES  
AT THE SURFACE WILL BE AROUND TO SLIGHTLY BELOW NORMAL, WITH HIGHS  
GETTING INTO THE LOW 60S TO LOW 70S.  
 

 
   
AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z FRIDAY/
 
 
ISSUED AT 1231 PM CDT THU SEP 17 2026  
 
TERMINALS KABR,KATY,KPIR,KMBG  
 
THERE ARE CURRENTLY SOME SCATTERED LOW CLOUDS LINGERING AROUND FROM  
THIS MORNING OVER A KATY AND KABR. WHILE THESE CLOUDS WILL STAY  
AROUND FOR A LITTLE WHILE LONGER, THE CEILINGS SHOULD BE MVFR/VFR  
THROUGH THE AFTERNOON. A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL BE MOVING IN  
THIS EVENING OVER KPIR AND KMBG BEFORE MOVING EAST TO ALSO BE  
OVER KABR AND KATY OVERNIGHT. THE RAIN CHANCES WILL BE MOVING  
OUT OF KMBG AND KPIR DURING THE MORNING ON FRIDAY AND WILL STICK  
AROUND OVER KATY AND KABR INTO THE AFTERNOON. HEAVY RAINFALL  
FROM THE SYSTEM COULD CAUSE CEILINGS TO DECREASE TO IFR/MVFR.  
THE EASTERLY WINDS WILL BE STRENGTHENING AS THE LOW MOVES IN  
TONIGHT AND INTO TOMORROW, WITH GUSTS OF 25-30 MPH POSSIBLE AT  
THE TERMINALS AFTER MIDNIGHT INTO FRIDAY AFTERNOON.  
 

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

 
 

 
 
DISCUSSION...12  
AVIATION...12  
 
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