607  
FXUS63 KFSD 311743  
AFDFSD  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD  
1243 PM CDT THU JUL 31 2025  
   
KEY MESSAGES  
 
- PATCHY AREAS OF FOG WILL BE POSSIBLE THIS MORNING. WITH  
VISIBILITIES OF 5 MILES OR LESS POSSIBLE THROUGH MID-MORNING,  
BE PREPARED FOR RAPID CHANGES IN VISIBILITY OVER SHORT  
DISTANCES.  
 
- WILDFIRE SMOKE WILL CONTINUE TO PROGRESS THROUGH THE REGION  
INTO THE WEEKEND. WHILE MOST OF IT WILL STAY ALOFT, SOME  
LIMITED SURFACE IMPACTS WILL BE POSSIBLE.  
 
- A FEW SCATTERED SHOWERS WITH AN OCCASIONAL RUMBLE OF THUNDER  
WILL BE POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON MAINLY WEST OF THE JAMES RIVER  
VALLEY. HOWEVER, SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED.  
 
- MORE CONCENTRATED PRECIPITATION CHANCES (40%-60%) RETURN  
BETWEEN SATURDAY AND SUNDAY. HOWEVER, UNCERTAINTY REMAINS ON  
THE COVERAGE/SEVERE RISK.  
 
 
   
DISCUSSION  
 
ISSUED AT 314 AM CDT THU JUL 31 2025  
 
TODAY & TONIGHT: A SLIGHTLY WARMER DAY AHEAD! TAKING A LOOK ACROSS  
THE AREA, CLEARER CONDITIONS ARE STARTING TO RETURN NORTH OF I-90 AS  
A MID TO LOW LEVEL CLOUD DECK CONTINUE TO PUSH SOUTHWARDS THIS  
MORNING. HOWEVER, WE'RE ALSO STARTING TO SEE A MIX OF PATCH FOG AND  
WILDFIRE SMOKE MOVE INTO THE AREA AS WELL LEADING TO OCCASIONAL  
VISIBILITIES OF 5 MILES OR LESS AT TIMES. WHILE THE FOG WILL LIKELY  
PERSIST THROUGH THE MID-MORNING BEFORE DISSIPATE, EXPECT THE AREAS  
OF WILDFIRE SMOKE TO CONTINUE ALOFT FOR MOST OF THE DAY WITH LIMITED  
SURFACE IMPACTS. BESIDES THAT, MOSTLY QUIET CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED  
FOR AT LEAST THE FIRST HALF OF THE DAY AS SOUTHEASTERLY SURFACE  
WINDS HELP INCREASE OUR HIGHS TO THE MID 70S TO LOWER 80S FOR THE  
DAY.  
 
LOOKING AT THE SECOND HALF OF THE DAY, A SURFACE HIGH WILL SLIDE  
DOWN FROM SASKATCHEWAN/MANITOBA KEEPING MOST AREAS EAST OF THE JAMES  
RIVER VALLEY RAIN-FREE FOR THE DAY. AS FOR AREAS WEST OF THE  
PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED AREA, SCATTERED SHOWERS WILL LIKELY DEVELOP IN  
THE EARLY AFTERNOON AS A MID-LEVEL WAVE SLIDES ACROSS THE MISSOURI  
RIVER VALLEY. WITH ABOUT 300-600 J/KG OF INSTABILITY AND 30-40 KTS  
OF SHEAR, CAN'T RULE OUT AN OCCASIONAL RUMBLE OF THUNDER WITH THE  
STRONGEST ACTIVITY. HOWEVER, SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED. SINCE  
THIS ACTIVITY WILL BE RUNNING INTO A MORE STABLE AIRMASS EAST OF THE  
JAMES, NOT EXPECTING THIS ACTIVITY TO PERSIST PAST THE EARLY EVENING  
BEFORE DISSIPATING. SHIFTING GEARS HERE, WE'LL LIKELY HAVE TO WATCH  
FOR ADDITIONAL AREAS OF FOG OVERNIGHT MAINLY EAST OF I-29 AS LIGHTER  
SURFACE WINDS AND HIGHER DEW POINTS COULD LEAD TO SOME LOCALLY DENSE  
AREAS. LASTLY, EXPECT ANOTHER COOL NIGHT WITH TEMPERATURES FALLING  
INTO THE UPPER 50S TO LOW 60S  
 
THE WEEKEND: LOOKING INTO THE WEEKEND, WE'LL LIKELY HAVE TO DEAL  
WITH SOME ADDITIONAL SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WEST OF I-29 TO START  
THE DAY ON FRIDAY AS ANOTHER MID-LEVEL WAVE TRACKS THROUGH THE AREA.  
HOWEVER, AS THIS DEVELOPING ACTIVITY GETS FURTHER AWAY FROM THE  
BETTER INSTABILITY GRADIENT OVER WESTERN SD AND RUNS INTO A MORE  
STABLE AIRMASS; SHOULD SEE THIS ACTIVITY GRADUALLY WEAKEN WITH  
EASTWARD EXTENT. NONETHELESS, WE COULD SEE THIS PATTERN RINSE AND  
REPEAT DURING THE AFTERNOON TO EVENING HOURS ON FRIDAY AS THE 850-  
925 MB JET STRENGTHENS THOUGH SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED.  
SHIFTING GEARS HERE, WE'LL LIKELY CONTINUE TO HAVE AREAS OF SMOKE  
THROUGH AT LEAST THE WEEKEND AS CANADIAN WILDFIRE ROTATES AROUND THE  
PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED SURFACE HIGH INTO OUR AREA. WHILE MOST OF THE  
SMOKE WILL LIKELY STAY ALOFT, CAN'T RULE OUR AN OCCASIONAL "BURNING  
SMELL" AT THE SURFACE ALONG WITH SLIGHT REDUCTION TO VISIBILITY IN  
OUR HIGHER ELEVATION AREAS.  
 
MORE CONCRETE PRECIPITATION CHANCES (40%-60%) LIKELY RETURN BETWEEN  
SATURDAY AND SUNDAY AS THE SURFACE HIGH GRADUALLY PUSHES EASTWARDS  
AND IS REPLACED BY A SURFACE WARM FRONT. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND  
THUNDERSTORMS WILL LIKELY DEVELOP AS THIS BOUNDARY INTERACTS WITH AN  
APPROACHING MID-LEVEL WAVE. WHILE THE SEVERE THREAT IS LARGELY  
UNCERTAIN AT THIS POINT, WE'LL LIKELY HAVE TO WATCH THE SUNDAY  
MORNING TIME FRAME FOR SOME ISOLATED POTENTIAL GIVEN THE INSTABILITY  
AND BUOYANCY WITH APPROACHING WAVES. LASTLY, AS WARM AIR ADVECTION  
(WAA) INCREASE AS THE WARM FRONT PUSHES INTO CENTRAL SD; WE'LL  
LIKELY SEE TEMPERATURES TREND TOWARDS NORMAL HEADING INTO NEXT WEEK  
WITH HIGH LIKELY IN THE 70S TO LOW 80S.  
 
NEXT WEEK: HEADING INTO THE NEW WEEK, AN ACTIVE PATTERN WILL  
CONTINUE ALOFT WITH MULTIPLE WAVES PASSING THROUGH BETWEEN MONDAY  
AND WEDNESDAY. THE STRONGEST OF WHICH WILL LIKELY PASS THROUGH ON  
WEDNESDAY. WITH LONG RANGE GUIDANCE DIVERGING IN TERMS OF THE  
PLACEMENT OF SYNOPTIC SCALE FEATURES AND SUBSEQUENT BOUNDARIES, THE  
COVERAGE AND SEVERE RISKS REMAIN LARGELY UNCERTAIN. LASTLY, EXPECT  
TEMPERATURES TO CONTINUE THEIR WARMING TREND THROUGH WEDNESDAY WITH  
HIGHS LARGELY IN THE 70S TO 80S WITH THE WARMEST CONDITIONS EXPECTED  
BY WEDNESDAY WEST OF I-29.  
 
 
   
AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z FRIDAY/  
 
ISSUED AT 1240 PM CDT THU JUL 31 2025  
 
BIGGEST FORECAST UNCERTAINTY THROUGH THE PERIOD WILL BE THE  
VISIBILITY RESTRICTIONS POSSIBLE DUE TO SMOKE. SEVERAL LOCATIONS ARE  
DOWN TO 4 TO 5 MILE VISIBILITIES ACROSS THE REGION TO START THE  
PERIOD, AND THERE WAS ENOUGH CONFIDENCE TO GO WITH PREVAILING MVFR  
CONDITIONS THROUGH THE AFTERNOON FOR ALL TAF SITES.  
 
IMPROVEMENTS IN SMOKE-RELATED VISIBILITIES ARE EXPECTED GRADUALLY  
THROUGH THIS EVENING, THOUGH SOME SURFACE SMOKE WILL STILL LINGER  
THROUGH THE REST OF THE PERIOD. GUIDANCE INDICATES A CHANCE THE  
SMOKE THICKENS UP AGAIN LATE TOMORROW MORNING, BUT CONFIDENCE WAS  
NOT HIGH ENOUGH TO INCLUDE MVFR VISIBILITIES DURING THAT TIME  
AS OF NOW. ALSO CAN'T RULE OUT SOME PATCHY FOG TONIGHT, BUT THE  
GREATER CHANCES RESIDE EAST OF I-29.  
 
A FEW SHOWERS WILL BE POSSIBLE MAINLY WEST OF THE JAMES RIVER IN AND  
AROUND K9V9 LATE TONIGHT INTO EARLY TOMORROW MORNING. SOME THUNDER  
IS POSSIBLE, BUT SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED. HIGH PRESSURE OVER  
NORTHERN MINNESOTA WILL LEAD TO MAINLY LIGHT SOUTHEASTERLY  
WINDS THROUGH THE PERIOD. AS THIS HIGH DRIFTS FARTHER EAST  
TOMORROW, WIND WILL PICK UP A BIT TOWARDS KHON TO END THE  
PERIOD.  
 
 
   
FSD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
SD...NONE.  
MN...NONE.  
IA...NONE.  
NE...NONE.  
 
 
 
 
 
DISCUSSION...05  
AVIATION...SAMET  
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