879  
FXUS63 KFSD 152253  
AFDFSD  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD  
553 PM CDT WED OCT 15 2025  
   
KEY MESSAGES  
 
- CLOUDY CONDITIONS TO PERSIST THIS EVENING AND OVERNIGHT WITH  
TEMPERATURES IN THE 50S AND 60S. THERE IS A CHANCE FOR SOME  
FOG RE-DEVELOPMENT, ESPECIALLY ALONG THE BUFFALO RIDGE.  
 
- WARM AND BREEZY ON THURSDAY AHEAD OF AN INCOMING COLD FRONT,  
WHICH WILL BRING A CHANCE FOR RAIN SHOWERS MOVING WEST TO EAST  
THROUGH THE DAY. TOTAL ACCUMULATION WILL GENERALLY BE A THIRD  
OF AN INCH OR LESS.  
 
- TEMPERATURES FRIDAY AND SATURDAY DROP TO MORE SEASONABLE  
VALUES WITH HIGHS THIS WEEKEND IN THE MID 50S TO MID 60S.  
 
- THERE IS A 20 TO 40 PERCENT CHANCE FOR ADDITIONAL RAIN SHOWERS  
SATURDAY BEFORE A DRIER PERIOD SUNDAY INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK.  
 
 
   
DISCUSSION  
 
ISSUED AT 310 PM CDT WED OCT 15 2025  
 
LOW STRATUS WITHIN A WARM ADVECTIVE REGIME HAS BEEN CAUGHT  
UNDERNEATH AN AMPLIFIED RIDGE ALOFT THIS AFTERNOON, RESULTING IN  
AN IMPRESSIVE TEMPERATURE GRADIENT FROM SOUTH TO NORTH. 15.1930Z  
SATELLITE IS FINALLY STARTING TO SHOW SOME BREAKS IN THE LOW  
CLOUDS ALONG THE HWY 20 CORRIDOR, ALLOWING TEMPERATURES TO  
CLIMB INTO THE MID 60S TO NEAR 70 DEGREES. FARTHER NORTH,  
OVERCAST SKIES HAVE KEPT TEMPERATURES IN THE 50S. NOT EXPECTING  
MUCH MORE EROSION OF CLOUDS FARTHER TO THE NORTH AND WITH  
INCREASING SOUTH-SOUTHEASTLY WINDS OVERNIGHT, LOWS WILL REMAIN  
ELEVATED INTO THE MID 50S TO LOW 60S. IF WINDS ARE A BIT SLOWER  
TO INCREASE, WILL NEED TO WATCH FOR POTENTIAL RE-DEVELOPMENT OF  
FOG OVERNIGHT GIVEN LOW CLOUDS AND AMPLE LOW-LEVEL MOISTURE,  
ESPECIALLY ALONG THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF SOUTHWEST MN.  
 
ATTENTION THEN TURNS TO A LARGE AREA OF LOW PRESSURE, CURRENTLY  
SPINNING ACROSS THE GREAT BASIN. THE ASSOCIATED 500 HPA CLOSED  
LOW IS PROGGED TO REACH THE WY/CO/UT BORDER REGION BY 12Z  
THURSDAY. AN ELEVATED WARM FRONT WILL SURGE NORTHWARD ACROSS THE  
NORTHERN PLAINS TONIGHT, INCREASING THE CHANCES (20-30%) FOR A  
FEW LIGHT RAIN SHOWERS, MAINLY NORTH OF I-90. ANY ACCUMULATION  
WILL BE VERY LIGHT WITH BETTER CHANCES FOR MEASURABLE RAIN  
FARTHER NORTH ALONG THE ND/SD BORDER AND INTO NORTHWEST MN.  
 
LEE CYCLOGENESIS DEVELOPS AN ELONGATED SURFACE TROUGH BY MIDDAY  
THURSDAY FROM THE PLAINS OF CO INTO CENTRAL SD. WITH THIS TROUGH,  
A FRONTAL BOUNDARY WILL SLOWLY MOVE EASTWARD THROUGH THE DAY,  
INCREASING CHANCES FOR RAIN SHOWERS ALONG AND WEST OF I-29.  
CANNOT COMPLETELY RULE OUT A FEW RUMBLES OF THUNDER, BUT VERY  
WEAK INSTABILITY PRECLUDES MORE ROBUST THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY.  
AHEAD OF THIS BOUNDARY, BREEZY SOUTHERLY WINDS, STRONG WARM-AIR  
ADVECTION, AND AT LEAST PARTIAL SUNSHINE WILL ALLOW TEMPERATURES  
TO SOAR INTO THE MID-UPPER 70S WITH PERHAPS A FEW SITES HITTING  
THE 80 DEGREE MARK. SHOWER ACTIVITY WILL SLIDE EASTWARD THURSDAY  
NIGHT AND SHOULD BE MAINLY EAST OF THE FORECAST AREA BY DAYBREAK  
FRIDAY. TOTAL QPF WILL LIKELY BE A THIRD OF AN INCH OR LESS,  
WITH THE HIGHEST FORECAST VALUES ALONG AND WEST OF THE JAMES  
RIVER VALLEY.  
 
FRIDAY WILL BE MOSTLY SUNNY, A BIT BREEZY AND COOLER IN THE WAKE  
OF THURSDAY'S FRONTAL PASSAGE. EXPECT AFTERNOON HIGHS AT LEAST  
10 DEGREES COOLER THAN THURSDAY, PEAKING IN THE MID 60S TO LOWER  
70S. A SECONDARY COLD FRONT WILL SWEEP ACROSS THE REGION  
SATURDAY, RESULTING IN ANOTHER CHANCE FOR LIGHT RAIN SHOWERS.  
BUT PERHAPS MORE NOTICEABLE WILL BE EVEN COOLER TEMPERATURES AND  
BREEZY NORTHWEST WINDS, GUSTING AT TIMES FROM 25 TO 35 MPH.  
HIGHS SATURDAY WILL ONLY REACH THE MID 50S TO MID 60S.  
 
12Z MEDIUM-RANGE MODELS BEGIN TO DIVERGE WITH THEIR 500 HPA  
SYNOPTIC PATTERNS SUNDAY AND BEYOND, LEADING TO A LOW CONFIDENCE  
FORECAST. HOWEVER, THE IDEA OF BROADER TROUGHING EXISTS, KEEPING  
TEMPERATURES MORE SEASONABLE WITH HIGHS IN THE 60S AND LOWS FROM  
THE MID 30S TO MID 40S. ENSEMBLES ALSO FAVOR DRIER CONDITIONS  
WITH LITTLE OVERALL PRECIPITATION.  
 
 
   
AVIATION /00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z FRIDAY/  
 
ISSUED AT 551 PM CDT WED OCT 15 2025  
 
SCATTERED SHOWERS WILL REMAIN POSSIBLE THROUGH THE NIGHT WITH  
THE BETTER CHANCES THIS EVENING IN NORTHWEST IA. THURSDAY  
MORNING INTO THE AFTERNOON THE BETTER CHANCES FOR SHOWERS AND  
ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE WEST OF HIGHWAY 81. OTHERWISE  
DRIZZLE AND FOG WILL AGAIN BE LIKELY TONIGHT WITH IFR AND LIFR  
CONDITIONS MOST LIKELY NEAR AND ESPECIALLY NORTH OF I-90  
THROUGH THE NIGHT. THESE LOWER CONDITIONS WILL LIKELY IMPROVE  
AFTER SUNRISE AS STRONGER SOUTHERLY FLOW DEVELOPS. SOME PATCHY  
LLWS WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE TONIGHT.  
 
 
   
FSD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
SD...NONE.  
MN...NONE.  
IA...NONE.  
NE...NONE.  
 
 
 
 
 
DISCUSSION...ROGERS  
AVIATION...08  
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