228  
FXUS63 KFSD 171137  
AFDFSD  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD  
537 AM CST TUE DEC 17 2024  
   
KEY MESSAGES
 
 
- A CLIPPER SYSTEM MOVES THROUGH THE AREA TODAY WITH  
ACCUMULATING SNOW. HIGHEST SNOW TOTALS EXPECTED BETWEEN US  
HIGHWAY 14 AND I-90, WITH 3 INCHES OR MORE OF SNOW. SNOW  
TOTALS HAVE SHIFTED HIGHER AND FURTHER SOUTH THIS MORNING.  
ADDITIONAL SHIFTS MAY STILL OCCUR.  
 
- DUE TO INCREASING SNOWFALL AMOUNTS, A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY  
HAS BEEN ISSUED. EXPECT HAZARDOUS TRAVEL AND REDUCED  
VISIBILITY IN FALLING SNOW.  
 
- CONFIDENCE IS INCREASING IN THE POTENTIAL FOR ANOTHER ROUND OF  
SNOW ON THURSDAY. HOWEVER, THE HIGHEST PROBABILITIES FOR SNOW  
REMAIN ACROSS CENTRAL MINNESOTA.  
 
- DRY CONDITIONS RETURN FOR THE END OF THE WEEK AND WEEKEND WITH  
TEMPERATURES MODERATING BACK TO NEAR SEASONABLE.  
 

 
   
DISCUSSION
 
 
ISSUED AT 407 AM CST TUE DEC 17 2024  
 
TODAY AND TONIGHT: AWAITING THE ARRIVAL OF OUR NEXT SYSTEM THIS  
MORNING, WITH THE SNOW TRACKING INTO WESTERN AND CENTRAL SD AS THE  
WAVE EJECTS OUT OF WY. SNOW SHOULD MOVE INTO THE WESTERN PORTIONS OF  
OUR AREA BY DAYBREAK, EXPANDING TOWARD THE I-29 CORRIDOR BY MID  
MORNING. CONTINUE TO EXPECT A BAND OF SNOWFALL TO DEVELOP, WITH  
INCREASING LIFT IN THE DGZ, VORTICITY MAXIMUMS AT 700 AND 500 MB,  
700 MB WAA, AND STRENGTHENING FRONTOGENESIS (ESPECIALLY AT 850 MB  
AND 700 MB) LINING UP LATER THIS MORNING THROUGH THE AFTERNOON  
HOURS, SLIDING EAST THROUGH THE EVENING. OUR AREA IS ALSO FAVORED IN  
THE LEFT FRONT ENTRANCE REGION OF THE UPPER LEVEL JET. SOME  
SOUNDINGS THIS MORNING SHOW A DRY LAYER BETWEEN THE STRATUS AND THE  
DGZ, WHICH COULD PLAY A ROLE IN THE DELAYING ONSET TIMING.  
 
TRENDS HAVE CONTINUED TO WOBBLE THE BAND SOUTH, WITH THE HIGHEST  
AMOUNTS NOW EXPECTED FOR THE SD HWY 34 AND MN HWY 30 CORRIDOR. QPF  
TRENDED UP WITH THIS FORECAST PACKAGE AS WELL. THEREFORE, NOW EXPECT  
A BROAD SWATH OF 1-3 INCHES NORTH OF A MENNO/BERESFORD/SPENCER IA  
LINE TOWARD US HWY 14, WITH HIGHER AMOUNTS OF 3 TO 5 INCHES FOR THE  
SD HWY 34/MN HWY 30 CORRIDOR. MOST OF THE DETERMINISTIC GUIDANCE IS  
IN AGREEMENT WITH AMOUNTS AND PLACEMENT, ALTHOUGH THE NAM AND  
CANADIAN REMAIN OUTLIERS (HIGHER AND/OR FURTHER SOUTH). THINK THE  
PROGRESSIVE NATURE OF THE SYSTEM SHOULD KEEP AMOUNTS BELOW WARNING  
CRITERIA (6 INCHES). SNOW MAY BE MODERATE AT TIMES, WITH VERY PATCHY  
LOW (< 20%) PROBABILITIES OF HOURLY SNOWFALL RATES OVER 1". PERIODIC  
SNOWFALL RATES OF 0.5" ARE MORE LIKELY, AROUND A 40-60% CHANCE.  
GIVEN THE UPWARD TRENDS IN AMOUNTS, ISSUED A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY  
IN COLLABORATION WITH NEIGHBORS FOR THE AREAS MOSTLY LIKELY TO SEE 3  
OR MORE INCHES OF SNOW. WINDS SHOULD BE LIGHT, WITH THE GUSTS AROUND  
OR LESS THAN 20 MPH, AND STRONGEST OFFSET FROM HEAVIEST NOW. CAN'T  
RULE OUT PATCHY BLOWING/DRIFTING. VISIBILITY WILL BE REDUCED IN  
FALLING SNOW SO BE PREPARED FOR HAZARDOUS TRAVEL.  
 
NOW, WATCHING SOME OF THE EARLY 17.06Z DATA, CONCERN REMAINS THAT  
THE HEAVIER BAND MAY WOBBLE SOUTH THROUGH THE MORNING - NAMELY WITH  
THE 06Z CANADIAN. ADDITIONALLY, WITH FORCING MECHANISMS AT DIFFERENT  
LAYERS BEING FAVORED THROUGH TODAY, SOME GUIDANCE POINTS TO MORE  
THAN ONE LOCALIZED AREA OF HEAVIER SNOWFALL (ONE NORTH OF I-90 AND  
THE OTHER SOUTH). THEREFORE, CONFIDENCE IS A LITTLE LOWER THAN  
AVERAGE WITH EXACT PLACEMENT OF THE BAND. WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR  
TRENDS, BUT FURTHER SHORT TERM ADJUSTMENTS TO AMOUNTS AND HEADLINES  
ARE POSSIBLE.  
 
TEMPERATURES TODAY IN THE 20S AND 30S. LOWS TONIGHT IN THE TEENS.  
 
WEDNESDAY: A REPRIEVE FROM SNOW CHANCES ON WEDNESDAY WITH SHORT  
LIVED SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE TO THE EAST AND MID/UPPER LEVEL RIDGING.  
A COOLER DAY WITH NEW SNOW COVER AND PREVAILING CAA - HIGHS IN  
THE UPPER TEENS IN SOUTHWESTERN MN TO THE LOWER 30S IN SOUTH CENTRAL  
SD.  
 
WITH THE NEXT SYSTEM BEGINNING ITS APPROACH WEDNESDAY NIGHT, WE'LL  
SEE INCREASING WINDS SOUTHEASTERLY WINDS THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT AS  
THE SURFACE PRESSURE GRADIENT (SPG) TIGHTENS - GUSTS TO 25 MPH COULD  
LEAD TO PATCHY BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW FOR AREAS WITH NEW SNOW  
PACK.  
 
THURSDAY AND ONWARD: AFOREMENTIONED NEXT SYSTEM MOVES THROUGH OUR  
AREA THURSDAY AND THURSDAY NIGHT. GUIDANCE IS COMING INTO BETTER  
AGREEMENT WITH THE LOW PRESSURE TRACK, SO CONFIDENCE IS INCREASING  
IN ACCUMULATING SNOWFALL THURSDAY AND THURSDAY NIGHT. HIGHEST  
PROBABILITY (40%+) OF A TENTH OF AN INCH OR MORE OF QPF CONTINUES TO  
BE FOR THE BUFFALO RIDGE AND NORTHEASTWARD. THIS PARAMETER ALSO CAN  
BE AN ESTIMATOR OF WHERE THE HIGHEST CHANCES OF ROUGHLY 1.5 INCHES  
OR MORE OF SNOW ARE POSSIBLE, USING SNOW RATIOS 15:1. PROBABILITY IS  
MODERATE TO HIGH (50% OR MORE) THAT MOST OF THE AREA WILL SEE  
ACCUMULATING SNOW. WINDS WILL BE MUCH STRONGER WITH THIS SYSTEM, SO  
EVEN MINOR SNOW ACCUMULATIONS COULD LEAD TO BLOWING AND DRIFTING.  
STRONGEST GUSTS WILL BE OFFSET IN LOCATION FROM THE HEAVIEST SNOW.  
REGARDLESS, IF YOU HAVE TRAVEL PLANS THURSDAY, KEEP AN EYE ON THE  
FORECAST AND PREPARE TO ADJUST PLANS.  
 

 
   
AVIATION /12Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z WEDNESDAY/
 
 
ISSUED AT 524 AM CST TUE DEC 17 2024  
 
MVFR STRATUS OVERNIGHT HAS LINGERED THIS MORNING, WAVERING IN  
SPATIAL COVERAGE. GUIDANCE IS NOT HANDLING THIS DECK WELL, AND  
WITH MID AND HIGH CLOUDS INCREASING, IT IS DIFFICULT TO DISCERN  
HOW WIDESPREAD THIS IS ACROSS SOUTHWESTERN MN AND EASTERN SD.  
OTHERWISE, VFR CONDITIONS DETERIORATE FROM WEST TO EAST THIS  
MORNING THROUGH THE AFTERNOON HOURS AS SNOW MOVES IN. EXPECT  
MVFR/IFR CEILINGS AND VISIBILITY WHILE SNOW IS ON-GOING.  
GREATEST CHANCES FOR SNOW AND HIGHEST ACCUMULATIONS ARE EXPECTED  
NORTH OF I-90 TOWARD US HIGHWAY 14. LIFR VISIBILITY EXPECTED IN  
THE HEAVIEST SNOW.  
 
SNOW MOVES EAST THROUGH THE AFTERNOON, TAPERING OFF FROM WEST TO  
EAST DURING THE EVENING HOURS AND INTO TONIGHT. SNOW LINGERS  
LONGEST ALONG/EAST OF IA/MN STATE HIGHWAY 60. WINDS THROUGH THE  
PERIOD SHIFT FROM EASTERLY TO NORTHWESTERLY. GUSTS AROUND 15 TO  
20 KNOTS EXPECTED - STRONGEST IN SOUTH CENTRAL SD AWAY FROM THE  
HEAVIEST ANTICIPATED SNOWFALL.  
 
AS SNOW ENDS, EXPECT IMPROVING CONDITIONS AFTER MIDNIGHT TONIGHT.  
 

 
   
FSD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
SD...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 9 AM THIS MORNING TO 9 PM CST  
THIS EVENING FOR SDZ039-040-054>056.  
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM CST THIS EVENING FOR SDZ038-  
052-053-057>059.  
MN...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 9 AM THIS MORNING TO 9 PM CST  
THIS EVENING FOR MNZ071-072-080-081-089-090-097.  
IA...NONE.  
NE...NONE.  
 

 
 

 
 
DISCUSSION...SG  
AVIATION...SG  
 
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