977  
FXUS63 KFSD 301127  
AFDFSD  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD  
527 AM CST THU JAN 30 2025  
   
KEY MESSAGES
 
 
- TODAY WILL BE ANOTHER WARM DAY WITH HIGHS IN THE 50S. MILD  
TEMPERATURES WILL CONTINUE INTO THIS WEEKEND, AND THEN COOL  
FOR NEXT WEEK.  
 
- LOW (10-30%) CHANCE OF RAIN FOR AREAS ALONG AND SOUTH OF  
HIGHWAY 20 THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. HIGH (90+%)  
PROBABILITY THAT RAINFALL, IF IT OCCURS, REMAINS LESS THAN  
0.10 INCH.  
 
- A MORE UNSETTLED PATTERN RETURNS SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH THE END  
OF THE WEEK, THOUGH NO SIGNIFICANT STORM SYSTEMS ARE  
EXPECTED.  
 

 
   
DISCUSSION
 
 
ISSUED AT 247 AM CST THU JAN 30 2025  
 
THIS MORNING-TODAY: LOOKING AT GOES NIGHTTIME MICROPHYSICS WE CAN  
SEE SOME HIGH CIRRUS CLOUDS TO OUR NORTH FLOWING EAST-SOUTHEAST. TO  
THE SOUTH WE CAN SEE AN ADVANCING LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM THAT MAY BE  
BRING SOME LIGHT PRECIPITATION TO OUR SOUTHERN COUNTIES THURSDAY  
EVENING INTO EARLY FRIDAY MORNING.  
 
MODELS ARE IN FAIR AGREEMENT ON THE TRACK OF THE LARGE LOW PRESSURE  
SYSTEM AS IT MOVES FROM TEXAS NORTHEAST INTO KANSAS THEN IOWA THIS  
AFTERNOON. DETERMINISTIC GUIDANCE HAS PRECIPITATION FORMING  
ALONG PERIPHERY VORTICITY BANDS ALONG THE NORTH-NORTHWEST SIDE  
OF THE SURFACE LOW AND PUSHING NORTH INTO OUR NORTHEASTERN  
NEBRASKA, EXTREME SOUTHEASTERN SOUTH DAKOTA, AND NORTHWESTERN  
IOWA COUNTIES. PRECIPITATION LOOKS TO REMAIN ALONG AND SOUTH OF  
HIGHWAY 20, AND MOSTLY EAST OF SIOUX CITY. ENSEMBLE GUIDANCE  
HAS HELD STEADY WITH A 10-30% PROBABILITY FOR MEASURABLE (0.01  
LIQUID EQUIVALENT) PRECIPITATION. THE AREA MOST LIKELY TO SEE  
ANY PRECIPITATION IS SOUTH OF A LINE FROM SIOUX CITY TO STORM  
LAKE. MODEL SOUNDINGS INDICATE A MODERATELY DRY SUBCLOUD LAYER,  
THAT MAY WORK TO FURTHER LIMIT HOW MUCH PRECIPITATION ACTUALLY  
REACHES THE GROUND. ANALYSIS OF TEMPERATURE PROFILES INDICATE  
THAT ANY PRECIPITATION THAT DOES FALL SHOULD BE IN THE FORM OF  
RAIN. TOTALS ARE EXPECTED TO BE A TRACE TO 0.1". WHILE IT WILL  
BE LIQUID AS IT FALLS, OVERNIGHT LOW TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED  
TO FALL BELOW FREEZING, SO WET PAVEMENT AND ROADWAYS MAY FREEZE  
AND BECOME SLIPPERY. AFTERNOON HIGHS ARE EXPECTED TO BE  
UNSEASONABLY WARM, IN THE 50S FOR MOST OF THE REGION. LOWS WILL  
BE IN THE 20S.  
 
FRIDAY: AS THE SURFACE LOW MOVES OFF TO THE EAST, A SECONDARY LOW  
PRESSURE DRAGS A WEAK COLD FRONT THROUGH THE REGION, TURNING WINDS  
FROM SOUTHERLY TO NORTHERLY BY LATE THURSDAY, EARLY FRIDAY MORNING.  
ALOFT, A WEAK RIDGE BUILDS INTO THE AREA AS A SURFACE HIGH OVER  
SASKATCHEWAN SINKS SOUTH. CAA IN THE 925-850 MB LAYER WILL COOL  
TEMPERATURES THERE INTO THE 0 TO -4 C RANGE. AT THE SURFACE WE CAN  
EXPECT HIGHS TO REACH THE MID 30S TO 40S.  
 
SATURDAY: AS THE EVENING APPROACHES, THE SURFACE HIGH MOVES EAST AND  
THE UPPER LEVEL FLOW BECOMES ZONAL. WINDS AT THE SURFACE BECOME  
EASTERLY, THEN SOUTHEASTERLY. SOME MID-RANGE DETERMINISTIC GUIDANCE  
HAS LIGHT PRECIPITATION FORMING IN THE WARM SECTOR OF A QUICK MOVING  
SURFACE LOW APPROACHING FROM WYOMING SATURDAY MORNING. ENSEMBLES  
INDICATE A VERY LOW PROBABILITY (<20%) OF MEASURABLE PRECIPITATION  
FALLING FOR AREAS ALONG AND NORTH OF I-90, WITH THE AREA MOST LIKELY  
TO SEE PRECIPITATION EAST OF I-29 AND NORTH OF I-90 IN SOUTHWESTERN  
MINNESOTA. THERMAL PROFILES INDICATE THAT THIS PRECIPITATION WILL  
MOST LIKELY FALL IN THE FORM OF LIGHT SNOW. SOME MINOR TRAVEL  
IMPACTS ARE POSSIBLE HERE, SO BE SURE YOU CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE  
FORECAST FOR UPDATES. A STRONG PUSH OF WAA WILL BOOST AFTERNOON  
TEMPERATURES TO WELL ABOVE AVERAGE ONCE AGAIN, IN THE MID 40S NORTH  
OF I-90, AND 50S SOUTH.  
 
SUNDAY: ZONAL FLOW ALOFT AND SOUTHEASTERLY WINDS AT THE SURFACE  
CONTINUE FOR SUNDAY. HIGHS ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN MILD, BUT COOLER  
THAN SATURDAY, IN THE 40S. THIS IS LIKELY TO BE OUR LAST MILD DAY  
THROUGH AT LEAST MID NEXT WEEK. MEANWHILE, A TROUGH DEVELOPS OVER  
THE CENTRAL CANADIAN ROCKIES AND MAKES ITS WAY EAST, DRAGGING A COLD  
FRONT ALONG WITH IT. A MIDLEVEL SHORTWAVE COULD TRIGGER ANOTHER  
ROUND OF PRECIPITATION SUNDAY, THAT MAY BEGIN AS RAIN AND TRANSITION  
TO SNOW. DETAILS ARE LACKING AT THIS POINT, AND SO CONFIDENCE IN  
TRACK IS LOW. AS WE CONTINUE INTO NEXT WEEK, HIGHS WILL COOL TO  
AROUND SEASONABLE, THEN SLIGHTLY COOLER THAN SEASONABLE, IN THE 20S,  
THEN TEENS. PERIODIC PRECIPITATION, MOST LIKELY IN THE FORM OF SNOW,  
IS POSSIBLE AS ADDITIONAL IMPULSES MAKE THEIR WAY THROUGH THE ZONAL  
PATTERN.  
 

 
   
AVIATION /12Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z FRIDAY/
 
 
ISSUED AT 526 AM CST THU JAN 30 2025  
 
VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED FOR THE PERIOD. LIGHT SOUTHWESTERLY  
WINDS WILL GRADUALLY BECOME NORTHERLY THROUGH THE LATE MORNING AND  
EARLY AFTERNOON.  
 
LOW TO MID LEVEL CLOUDS BUILD FROM THE SOUTH AS A LOW PRESSURE  
SYSTEM PASSES TO OUR SOUTH. LOW CHANCE (<30%) PROBABILITY OF LIGHT  
RAIN ALONG AND SOUTH OF HIGHWAY 20 THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. UNDER  
SHOWERS MVFR CEILINGS ARE POSSIBLE. ACCUMULATION IS EXPECTED TO BE  
LIGHT, HOWEVER WITH EVENING TEMPERATURES FALLING BELOW FREEZING, WET  
SURFACES MAY FREEZE AND BECOME SLIPPERY.  
 

 
   
FSD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
SD...NONE.  
MN...NONE.  
IA...NONE.  
NE...NONE.  
 

 
 

 
 
DISCUSSION...AJP  
AVIATION...AJP  
 
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