981  
FXUS63 KFSD 291946  
AFDFSD  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD  
246 PM CDT FRI AUG 29 2025  
   
KEY MESSAGES  
 
- AN UNSETTLED WET PATTERN WILL PREVAIL THROUGH MOST OF THE  
HOLIDAY WEEKEND. SEVERE WEATHER RISKS ARE LOW, BUT NON-ZERO  
RISKS FOR A FEW WEAK FUNNEL CLOUDS WITH DEVELOPING AFTERNOON  
SHOWERS TODAY (SOUTH-CENTRAL SD) AND SATURDAY (NORTHERN  
THROUGH EASTERN PORTIONS OF THE AREA).  
 
- ISOLATED TO SCATTERED STRONGER SHOWERS ARE POSSIBLE TONIGHT  
INTO SUNDAY. A MARGINAL RISK (LEVEL 1 OF 5) OF STORMS BECOMING  
SEVERE EXISTS OVER SOUTH CENTRAL SOUTH DAKOTA. THREATS WITH  
STRONG STORMS INCLUDE HAIL TO THE SIZE OF A QUARTER AND WIND  
GUSTS TO 60 MPH.  
 
- AREAS OF HEAVIER RAINFALL ARE POSSIBLE TONIGHT INTO SUNDAY.  
LOW TO MODERATE (20-40%) CHANCE OF EXCEEDING 1 INCH FOCUSED  
SOUTH OF I-90 AND ESPECIALLY TOWARD THE MISSOURI RIVER VALLEY.  
 
- ANOTHER ROUND OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE  
TUESDAY. SOME OF THESE COULD BE STRONG TO SEVERE.  
 
- BRIEF SHOT OF COLDER AIR PUSHES INTO PARTS OF THE NORTHERN  
PLAINS/UPPER MIDWEST MID-LATE NEXT WEEK.  
 
 
   
DISCUSSION  
 
ISSUED AT 230 PM CDT FRI AUG 29 2025  
 
THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT: SHOWERS AND WEAK THUNDERSTORMS  
CONTINUE TO FORM ALONG A SURFACE TROUGH AXIS AS AN UPPER WAVE  
AND SURFACE LOW PUSH SLOWLY EASTWARD. AS MENTIONED IN THE  
PREVIOUS DISCUSSION, RAIN SHOULD STAY GENERALLY WEST OF HIGHWAY  
81 DUE TO DRY LOW AND MID LEVELS IN AREAS TO THE EAST. CENTRAL  
SOUTH DAKOTA WILL SEE INCREASING MOISTURE IN THE LOW AND  
MIDLEVELS THANKS TO MOISTURE ADVECTION AHEAD OF THE ONCOMING  
SYSTEM. SHEAR AND INSTABILITY ARE LOW, AND SO SEVERE WEATHER IS  
NOT EXPECTED. HOWEVER, A FEW STRONGER UPDRAFTS ARE POSSIBLE  
ALONG A SURFACE BOUNDARY THAT MAY RESULT IN ISOLATED  
THUNDERSTORMS WITH WIND GUSTS AROUND 45 MPH. IN ADDITION, A  
REGION OF ENHANCED ENVIRONMENTAL VORTICITY ALIGNS WELL WITH  
ENHANCED STRETCHING POTENTIAL OVER CENTRAL SOUTH DAKOTA THAT MAY  
RESULT IN BRIEF, WEAK FUNNELS THIS AFTERNOON. HIGHS FOR THIS  
AFTERNOON WILL CLIMB TO THE UPPER 70S TO LOW 80S. LOWS TONIGHT  
WILL FALL TO UPPER 50S TO LOW 60S.  
 
TONIGHT THE UPPER WAVE AND SURFACE LOW ENTER SOUTH CENTRAL SOUTH  
DAKOTA TO NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA. THE WAVE WILL DEEPEN SLIGHTLY AS  
IT DOES SO, RESULTING IN AN INCREASE IN SHOWER ACTIVITY. LIGHT,  
SCATTERED SHOWERS WILL PUSH INTO EASTERN SOUTH DAKOTA AND NEBRASKA,  
AND WESTERN MINNESOTA AND IOWA. SHOWERS IN THE WARM SECTOR OF THE  
LOW (SOUTH CENTRAL SD AND NORTH CENTRAL NE) WILL INCREASE IN  
INTENSITY. SEVERE WEATHER IS LOW RISK, BUT WITH THE INCREASED  
FORCING AN ISOLATED STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORM IS POSSIBLE. IF  
THEY DO FORM, RISKS INCLUDE HAIL TO THE SIZE OF A QUARTER, AND WIND  
GUSTS TO 60 MPH. SPC DAY 1 OUTLOOK INCLUDES THE AREA AT HIGHEST RISK  
IN A MARGINAL (LEVEL 1 OF 5) RISK FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS. GREGORY  
COUNTY IS CURRENTLY OUR ONLY COUNTY INCLUDED IN THE MARGINAL.  
 
THE RAP AND HRRR BOTH INDICATE TALL, SKINNY CAPE PROFILES WHICH  
INDICATE THE POTENTIAL FOR HEAVY DOWNPOURS. THIS IS CORROBORATED  
WITH THE NAM NEST, HRRR, AND RRFS RAIN RATES OF AROUND 0.5-1.5  
IN/HOUR. MEAN FLOW OF ONLY 5-10 KTS MEANS STORM MOTION WILL BE SLOW.  
ALL OF THIS COMBINED LEADS TO INCREASED RISK OF LOCALIZED PONDING  
AND RISES ON SMALL CREAKS AND STREAMS, AS WELL AS URBAN FLOODING.  
THIS ANALYSIS ALIGNS WELL WITH THE WPC SLIGHT RISK (LEVEL 2 OF 4)  
FOR EXCESSIVE RAINFALL OVER CENTRAL SOUTH DAKOTA. RISK OF  
WIDESPREAD FLOODING IS LOW, HOWEVER, DUE TO A GENERAL LACK OF  
RAIN IN THAT AREA THIS SUMMER. THE HEAVIER RAIN RATES WILL  
DECREASE AS WE APPROACH DAYBREAK SATURDAY.  
 
SATURDAY-MONDAY: HIGHS FOR THE NEXT THREE DAYS WILL BE COOLER, IN  
THE 70S. THROUGH THE DAY SATURDAY THE UPPER WAVE WILL SLOWLY CLOSE  
OFF AND THE WHOLE SYSTEM WILL CONTINUE TO SLOWLY DRIFT EAST. A  
BAND OF INCREASED VORTICITY AS THE UPPER WAVE TIGHTENS MAY RESULT IN  
INCREASED SHOWER ACTIVITY ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEASTERN  
SOUTH DAKOTA, NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHEASTERN NEBRASKA IN THE  
AFTERNOON. ADDITIONALLY, THE INCREASED VORTICITY WILL BE LOCATED  
ALONG THE WARM FRONT AND AN AREA OF ENHANCED STRETCHING POTENTIAL.  
THIS COULD RESULT AFTERNOON WEAK FUNNELS SITUATED FROM ROUGHLY HURON  
SOUTHEAST TO JACKSON MN.  
 
AS WE HEAD INTO SATURDAY EVENING RAIN SHOWERS EXPAND NORTHWARD, AND  
ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHOWERS PUSH INTO AREAS EAST OF I-29. SUNDAY  
THE SYSTEM STALLS FOR A FEW HOURS AND SPINS DIRECTLY OVER  
SOUTHEASTERN SOUTH DAKOTA. SHOWERS EXPAND IN AREAL COVERAGE  
OVER THE WHOLE REGION BY SUNDAY AFTERNOON. MONDAY MORNING  
THE SYSTEM BEGINS TO ACCELERATE AND MOVE SOUTHEAST OUT OF THE  
REGION. BY ABOUT MIDNIGHT TUESDAY MORNING MOST SHOWERS WILL HAVE  
CEASED.  
 
RAIN TOTALS WILL BE HIGHLY DEPENDENT ON THE TRACK OF THE SYSTEM. IN  
GENERAL, WE ARE EXPECTING WIDESPREAD TOTALS OF A QUARTER TO AN INCH  
OF RAIN. CURRENTLY THE GFS AND CAN KEEP A MORE NORTHERLY TRACK,  
MEANING HIGHER TOTALS IN SOUTH CENTRAL SOUTH DAKOTA. THE EC AND NAM  
TAKE A MORE SOUTHERLY TRACK, MEANING HIGHER TOTALS OVER NORTH  
CENTRAL NEBRASKA. WHICHEVER SOLUTION PANS OUT, THE AREA OF  
HIGHEST RAIN IS EXPECTED TO RANGE FROM 1-3 INCHES WITH ISOLATED  
POCKETS OF HIGHER POSSIBLE. AGAIN, WE ARE NOT EXPECTING  
WIDESPREAD FLOODING DUE TO THE GENERAL LACK OF RAIN OVER CENTRAL  
SOUTH DAKOTA. HOWEVER, FURTHER SHIFTS IN TRACK COULD HAVE AN  
IMPACT ON SMALL STREAMS AND CREEKS. SHOULD YOU COME ACROSS ANY  
ROADS WITH FLOWING WATER OVER THEM, DO NOT DRIVE THROUGH. TURN  
AROUND, DON'T DROWN!  
 
TUESDAY-MID WEEK: THE BREAK IN RAIN WILL LIKELY BE BRIEF, AS A  
STRONG UPPER TROUGH DIGS SOUTH FROM CANADA INTO NORTH DAKOTA AND  
SOUTH DAKOTA. LONG TERM GUIDANCE IS IN LOW AGREEMENT ON HOW THIS  
NEXT SYSTEM PLAYS OUT. BUT IN GENERAL THIS STRONGER SYSTEM MAY BRING  
CHANCES FOR STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS. STAY TUNED FOR MORE  
DETAILS AS THEY BECOME AVAILABLE. THE REST OF THE WEEK LOOKS TO BE  
DRY, BUT COOL. HIGHS TUESDAY WILL BE IN THE 70S, BUT WEDNESDAY AND  
THURSDAY LOOK TO WARM ONLY TO THE 60S. FRIDAY WARMS BACK INTO THE  
70S.  
 
 
   
AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z SATURDAY/  
 
ISSUED AT 1251 PM CDT FRI AUG 29 2025  
 
A MIX OF VFR TO MVFR CEILINGS THIS AFTERNOON. CLOUDS WILL CONTINUE  
TO BUILD IN AND LOWER TO WIDESPREAD MVFR TO POSSIBLY IFR UNDER  
STRONGER SHOWERS. THIS IS DUE TO A SLOW MOVING LOW PRESSURE  
SYSTEM MOVING IN FROM THE WEST. SHOWERS ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE AS  
THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING PROGRESSES. CONFIDENCE IN SHOWERS  
IMPACTING TAF SITES IS LOW DUE TO THE ISOLATED TO SCATTERED NATURE  
EXPECTED. HOWEVER, THEY DO LOOK TO REMAIN MOSTLY WEST OF HIGHWAY 81  
THROUGH THE END OF THIS PERIOD. SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED,  
HOWEVER A FEW STRONGER THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE OVERNIGHT. THE  
MOST LIKELY AREA TO SEE STRONGER STORMS IS SOUTH CENTRAL SOUTH  
DAKOTA. SHOWERS AND STORMS EXPAND IN AREAL COVERAGE THROUGHOUT THE  
WEEKEND.  
 
 
   
FSD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
SD...NONE.  
MN...NONE.  
IA...NONE.  
NE...NONE.  
 
 
 
 
 
DISCUSSION...AJP  
AVIATION...AJP  
CLICK HERE TO GO TO PREVIOUS BULLETINS.
The Nexlab SD Page
The Nexlab IA Page
The Nexlab MN Page
The Nexlab NE Page
Main Text Page